IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BURNING HYDRO- CARBONS FOR LIGHTING AND HEATING PURPOSES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles McCauley, of New York, in the United States of
America, but now temporarily of 169, Fleet Street, in the City of London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BURNING HYDRO-
CARBONS FOR LIGHTING AND HEATING PURPOSES." A communication from
abroad by George Kellogg Osborn, of Brooklyn, in the United States of
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles McCauley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th July 1878.
CHARLES MCAULEY, of New York, in the United States of America, but now
temporarily of 169, Fleet Street, in the City of London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR BURNING HYDROCARBONS FOR LIGHTING AND HEATING PURPOSES."
[A communication from abroad by George Kellogg Osborn, of Brooklyn, in the
United States of America.]
This Invention relates to certain improvements in apparatus for burning hydro-
carbons for lighting and heating purposes, with special reference to the use of a
forced draught (with or without an induced current) and the absence of a chimney
over the flame.
The hydrocarbon to be burned (which may be ordinary kerosene) is contained in
an elevated vessel or reservoir, provided at its lower end with a neck, and having
an orifice at the bottom of the neck, which is closed by a valve. This reservoir is
inverted to be filled, and when filled the neck is slipped into a socket in a lower
vessel, which communicates with the burner. A pin or other device in the lower
vessel lifts the valve in the reservoir as the neck of the latter is slipped into it, and
permits the oil to escape from the upper to the lower vessel.
The lower vessel is connected with the burner by a tube, which passes through
the burner shell and enters the wick tube. Into the wick tube is slipped a thin
CD..

page_text: metal tube, to which is fixed a tip of wire gauze, which is packed with some
refractory non-combustible fibrous material, by preference mineral wool, and which
may extend down to the oil tube; or the lower part may be of cotton wick or
other fibrous material. As this wick is not adapted to be run up and down to
regulate the flame, I provide for this purpose a sliding collar, which embraces the
wick tube and is operated by a suitable handle.
When the burner is not in use the capillarity of the wick is apt to lead the fluid
over the edge of the wick tube. To catch this overflow and vaporize it after the
wick is lighted I provide a vaporizing chamber by securing an annular shell to the
wick tube.
The cone or deflector over the flame is so connected with the burner shell that
it may be rotated horizontally if desired, so as to bring its elongated slot for the
passage of the flame at an angle with the wick and thereby produce a
" balloon
flame.
"
The burner shell is closed below, and a large air tube enters it. A small jet
tube is arranged opposite the open end of the large air tube, and is connected with
some suitable air-forcing apparatus, so as to blow a jet of air into the large air
tube, carrying with it, after the manner of an injector, a volume of air greatly in
excess of that forming the jet. This air passes into the burner shell and acts upon
the flame.
Extending across the burner shell between the air tube and the flame is a
diaphragm of wire gauze, which serves to break the force of the incoming air and
distribute it over the horizontal area of the burner shell.
In order to allow apparatus constructed as before described to be economically
applied in places where there are ordinary gas fittings I provide the apparatus with
a tubo or socket to fit upon the end of a gas pipe when the ordinary burner is
removed; and the air-forcing apparatus I connect to the other end or other con-
venient part of the gas pipe, so as to force a current of air through the same to the
jet tube above mentioned.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles McCauley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 19th
December 1878.
CHARLES MCCAULEY, of New York, in the United States of America, but now
temporarily of 169, Fleet Street, in the City of London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR BURNING HYDROCARBONS FOR LIGHTING AND HEATING PURPOSES."
(A communication from abroad by George Kellogg Osborn, of Brooklyn, in the
United States of America.
This Invention relates to certain improvements in apparatus for burning hydro-
carbons for lighting and heating purposes, with special reference to the use of a
forced draught (with or without an induced current) and the absence of a chimney
over the flame.
The hydrocarbon to be burned (which may be ordinary kerozene) is contained
in an elevated vessel or reservoir provided at its lower end with a neck, and having
an orifice at the bottom of the neck, which is closed by a valve. This reservoir is
inverted to be filled, and when filled the neck is slipped into a socket in a lower
vessel, which communicates with the burner. A pin or other device in the lower
vessel lifts the valve in the reservoir as the neck of the latter is slipped into it, and
permits the oil to escape from the upper to the lower vessel.
The lower vessel is connected with the burner by a tube which passes through the
burner shell and enters the wick tube. Into the wick tube is slipped a thin metal
tube, to which is fixed a tip of wire gauze, which is packed with some refractory
non-combustible fibrous material, by preference mineral wool or asbestos, and which
may extend down to the oil tube; or the lower part may be of cotton wick or
other fibrous material. As this wick is not adapted to be run up and down to
regulate the flame I provide for this purpose a sliding collar, which embraces the
wick tube and is operated by a suitable handle.
When the burner is not in use the capillarity of the wick is apt to lead the fluid
over the edge of the wick tube. To catch this overflow and vaporize it after the
wick is lighted I provide a vaporizing chamber by securing an annular shell to the
wick tube.
The cone or deflector over the flame is so connected with the burner shell that
it may be rotated horizontally if desired, so as to bring its elongated slot for the
passage of the flame at an angle with the wick, and thereby produce a " balloon
flame.
"
The burner shell is closed below, and a large air tube enters it. A small jet tubo
is arranged opposite the open end of the large air tube, and is connected with some
suitable air-forcing apparatus, so as to blow a jet of air into the large air tube,
carrying with it, after the manner of an injector, a volume of air greatly in excess
of that forming the jet. This air passes into the burner shell and acts upon the
flame.
Extending across the burner shell between the air tube and the flame is a
diaphragm of wire gauze, which serves to break the force of the incoming air and
distribute it over the horizontal area of the burner shell.
In order to allow apparatus constructed as before described to be economically
applied in places where there are ordinary gas fittings I provide the apparatus with
a tube or socket to fit upon the end of a gas pipe when the ordinary burner is
removed; and the air-forcing apparatus I connect to the other end, or other con-
venient part of the gas pipe, so as to force a current of air through the same to the
jet tube above mentioned.
The Drawings hereunto annexed shew the manner in which I apply the improve-
ments above described, omitting the air-forcing mechanism, which forms no part of
my present Invention.

page_text: Figure 1 is a plan of my improved illuminating apparatus; Figure 2 is a vertical
longitudinal mid-section of the same, taken in the plane of the line x, x, in
Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a plan of the burner portion of my apparatus, arranged to show an
oblique adjustment of the cone.
In the Drawings let A represent a vessel or reservoir to contain the hydrocarbon
to be burned, formed with a neck, which slips into a socket in a lower vessel B.
The extremity of this neck is provided with a screw cap a, which contains an
automatic valve or cut-off to prevent the escape of the oil when the reservoir is
lifted from its socket. This valve consists of a fixed cone b, open at the top, and.
another cone c, which slips over the first, and is held down by a spring d, so as to
seal the opening. The reservoir is filled by lifting it out of the lower vessel, in-
verting it, unscrewing the cap a, and pouring in the oil through the open neck..
When filled the cap is screwed on, and the valve closing by the spring prevents the
escape of the oil. The neck of the reservoir is then slipped into the socket in the
vessel B, and a vertical pin e, which is fixed to the latter, enters the fixed cone b
from below, and passing through it lifts the cone c from its seat, thus permitting
the oil to escape from the upper to the lower vessel. C is a burner shell, which
communicates with the vessel B through the medium of a tube D, which passes
through the shell and connects with the wick tube f. Into the tube f is slipped a
thin metal tube g, to the top of which is fixed a tip of wire gauze h, which is
packed with some refractory non-combustible absorbent material i. This material
may either extend down to the oil tube D, or the lower part of the tube g may be
filled with cotton wick or other fibrous material, as represented. A shell j is placed
outside the wick tube and secured to the latter at its base, thus forming an aunular
vaporizing chamber arranged to catch the overflow from the wick when the lamp
is not in use. When the wick is lighted the accumulated oil is vaporized by the
heat and conducted to the flame. k is a collar which embraces the wick tube fi
and is adjustable vertically to regulate the flame. It is operated by a handle 7,
either through the medium of a rack and pinion movement, as shewn, or in any
other suitable manner.
E is an ordinary cone or deflector, which is adapted to be rotated horizontally,
as illustrated in Figure 3, so as to bring its elongated slot at an angle with the
wick, and so produce a "balloon" flame if desired.
The burner shell is closed below, and is entered, preferably at the side, by a large
air tube F. A small jet tube m stands opposite the open end of the tube F and
communicates with some suitable air-forcing apparatus (not shewn) through the
medium of a tube n. The jet tube m acts in connection with the large tube F
much in the manner of an injector, by drawing in with the jet a volume of air
much greater than that which comes through the jet tube. The tube n, which I
have shewn as serving also for the support of my apparatus, is adapted to be con-
nected with an air pipe at its lower end, the said air pipe leading from the air-
forcing apparatus.
In case my illuminating apparatus is to be applied in a building where a system
of gas pipes and burners has been in use I prefer to unscrew a gas burner from its
bracket to screw on in its place a tip fitting closely into the enlargement in the
end of the tube n, and to slip the said tube over the tip and thereby support my
apparatus from the gas bracket. A connection may then be made between the
main distributing pipe of the building and the air-forcing apparatus. The latter
may be a bellows or a blower of any kind, operated in any well-known way.
A diaphragm o of wire gauze, and preferably of several thicknesses, so as to
reduce the mesh, extends across the burner shell at some point between the tube F
and the flame, its object being to lessen the direct force of the incoming air, to
distribute it more equally over the entire horizontal area of the burner shell, and
to break up any pulsations due to the action of the air-forcing mechanism.
Having thus described my Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo
used and applied, I declare that what I claim to be as follows:-

page_text: First. The oil vessel A provided with the automatic seal to prevent the escape of
oil when the vessel is removed from its socket, constructed substantially as set
forth.
Second. The wick tube provided with a gauze tip packed with some non-com-
bustible fibrous material, substantially as set forth.
Third. The sliding collar k, adapted to be adjusted up or down to regulate the
size of the flame.
Fourth. The vaporizing chamber around the wick tube to catch the overflow and
vaporize it, constructed substantially as set forth.
Fifth. The gauze diaphragm arranged across the burner shell to break the force
of the incoming current of air and properly distribute it.
Sixth. The adjustable cone arranged to be set with its slot oblique to the flat
wick, substantially as shown in Figure 3.
Seventh. The combination of the various parts enumerated, substantially as
shown in Figures 1 and 2, to produce an illuminating apparatus.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles McCauley, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventeenth day of December, One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-eight.
C. M°CAULEY. (L.S.)