Improvements in Apparatus for Compressing Gas, Air, or the like...
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 8th July, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 13th Feb:, 1900 -Accepted, 24th Mar., 1900
Improvements in Apparatus for Compressing Gas, Air, or the like...
I, CHARLES SCOTT SNELL, of Culver Park, Saltash, in the County of Cornwall,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In carrying out my invention I make use of a vessel fitted with inlet and outlet-
valves, whereby gas, air or the like, may enter at the one and be discharged at
the other, each valve acting as a check valve.
One side of the vessel, or an extension thereof, I cause to be heated by any
convenient means, such for instance as a Bunsen burner, and the other side, or
an extension thereof, I cause to be cooled by water or other means;
Within the vessel I arrange a displacer which may be caused to oscillate, if it
be suspended, or otherwise so put in motion as to drive the gas, or its equivalent,
alternately into the hot and the cold sections, whereby it is caused to expand
and contract accordingly. When expanded, the increased volume, after a pre-
arranged pressure is reached, escapes through one of the above valves and when
contraction obtains, the deficiency is made up through the other valve.
The flow beyond the outlet valve passes into the service of high pressure gas-
if gas be passed through the machine-and may then be conveniently used for
incandescent gas lighting, or other like purpose. If air be thus treated it may
be brought to the burners and used to create forced draught.
A regenerator may be placed in the way of the flow of gas or air, between
the lot and cold sections.
I am aware that a similar action obtains in a hot air engine, but therein the
drawing in of fresh air and its subsequent expulsion is not material to the
success of the engine, the purpose, on the contrary, is to prevent all escape and
to utilize the full expansive force of the air in the propulsion of a piston.
In my invention the displacer need not have any power absorbing function.
though, if I wish, I may use a proportion of the power produced by the expansion
of the gas to circulate the cooling water. This may be conveniently done by a
pulsating diaphragm or more directly by constructing the machine as a whole,
in a form approximating somewhat to à motor.
I may cause the Bunsen to be regulated by the amount of pressure in
the high pressure service, through the medium of a diaphragm, and a bye pass
may be arranged to keep a pilot light in action when needed.
Although a Bunsen flame is here mentioned as a convenient source of heat, I
may use high pressure steam, or other sources, without departing from the spirit
of my invention, and I may also make up a battery of such elements as above
described or of any convenient modification thereof.
144 1.1., 1900

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Compressing Gas, Air, or the like.
I, CHARLES SCOTT SNELL, of Culver Park, Saltash, in the County of Cornwall,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
―
This invention relates to improvenients in apparatus for compressing gas, air,
or the like for consumption at a Bunsen burner and for incandescent gas lighting,
whereby a greater brilliancy of light from the mantle is insured, with the
ordinary consumption of gas.
The invention will be understood by reference to the following description
aided by the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a section through an
apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention.
Figure 2 shows a modified burner for the apparatus when it is arranged for
delivering air under pressure.
Figure shows an enlarged view of the method of governing the gas supply
to the burner of the apparatus.
In carrying out my invention, as will be seen by reference to Figure 1, I
make use of a vessel or body A (the cross hatched portions being of any suitable
non-conducting material) fitted with inlet and outlet valves, marked respectively B
and B, whereby gas, air, or the like may enter at the one, and be discharged
at the other, each valve acting as a check valve.
!
One side of the vessel marked D), or an extension thereof marked C, I cause to
be heated by any convenient means, such for instance as a Bunsen burner Z,
and the other side E or an extension thereof F, a coil of tubing in this case, I
cause to be kept cool by water or other means.
Radiation is sufficient in freely exposed situations, but the coil may be placed
in a vessel filled with water if desired, the better to aid cooling.
Within the vessel A, I arrange a displacer H which may be caused to oscillate,
if it be suspended, or otherwise put in motion so as to drive the gas or its
equivalent alternately into the hot and the cold sections, whereby is caused to
expand and contract accordingly. This vertical oscillation of the displacer is
effected as follows:-Being suspended on the rod I its weight is taken by the
spring J and oscillation is retarded in the upward direction by a spring K..
The pressure of gas or air within the vessel A due to expansion through heat
acts on the diaphragm 1 (or a piston may be fitted instead) tlius lifting it and
the displacer H, and causing the contents of the vessel to be displaced into the
lower or hotter section C by passing the gas or air through the pipe Y the
increasing pressure still further lifts the displacer until the power of the spring K
prevents any further advance. Meantime the gas is also being driven into the
reservoir M through the check valve B', and from thence to the burner Z below
or to other lamps on the same circuit as shown dotted in Figure 1, and when
the pressure
greater than that of the incoming gas, the valve B is kept on its
seating, thus shutting off the supply but so soon as the pressure decreases, through
Bay the consumption of gas, the valve B will be opened to the gas supply, thus a
very small fall in the pressure within the vessel A (which must occur in due
course) causes failure to keep the spring K in compression and the displacer H
commences to fall, the valve B₁ at the same time being closed by the pressure
in the reservoir M, this movement of the displacer causes the rapid cooling of
the gas by driving the gas from the vessel A into the cooler portion of the

page_text: apparatus through the pipe G and valve W and a partial vacuum results causing
the compression of the spring J until the deficiency is supplied through the
valve B, when a rebound follows and the displacer rises repeating the cycle
already explained, the pressure in the reservoir remaining practically constant.
The flow beyond the outlet valve passes into the service of high pressure gas
(the reservoir and feed pipes N and N¹) and is used for the incandescent light %.
or any cluster of lights as shown dotted in Figure 1.
If air be operated upon in place of gas, the pipe O instead of leading to the
gas supply, is open to the air as shown dotted at P, and the usual Bunsen burner
with open air holes is replaced by one with closed base as shown in Figure 2,
the forced draught being led in by the pipe marked N in this Figure, the same
as shown similarly marked in Figure 1; the block V in Figure 1 being then
absent.
A check valve as shown at Win Figure 1, is used to prevent a return flow of
gas or air, and therefore causes upon the lifting of the displacer H, the gas to
pass down the central pipe Y and into the heated section-C, a flat loose disc S
checking any return on the reversal of the motion of the displacer H.
A circulation of gas in only one direction is thus produced by the displacer,
but it need not necessarily have any power absorbing function such as this, but
sufficient clearance being arranged, around it the gas may if desired be directly
passed from the heated to the cold section and vice versa. The displacer may
then act as a regenerator.
The displacer is shown in the drawing as a cylindrical appliance, but it is
obvious that it may be of a different shape and have a somewhat modified motion
without inefficiency in the performance of its functions as a displacer.
I may cause the Bunsen to be regulated by the amount of pressure in the
high pressure service, through the medium of a diaphragm as marked X in
Figure 3, in which it will be seen that the pressure governs the gas supply by
actuating the needle point T through the nielium of two cross racks X1, X2, and
a pinion X, this cutting off or increasing the gas supply according to the rise
or fall of the pressure.
This is convenient whether applied to a Bunsen forming part of the burner
with the incandescent mantle, or, to a separate heat supply such as would be
necessary when the apparatus is at some distance from the burners with mantles.
Excess of pressure in the vessel A is prevented by the valve R which allows the
gas to flow into the low pressure pipe O after reaching a prearranged pressure.
Tubes for pilot lights may be led from the pipe () conveying the gas at normal
pressure to the burners as in general practice with incandescent lighting.
Such an apparatus as I have described provides compressed gas or air without
the necessity of any mechanical accessories such as pumps and cylinders with
pistons or plungers or liquid pistons, or any other secondary means of mechanical
compression whatever the pressure obtained is on the contrary due entirely to
the direct expansive action of the heat upon the actual gas or air about to be
utilised at the burner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The apparatus for compressing gas or air for incandescent gas, lighting, in
which the attainment of the increased gas or air pressure is effected by the direct
expansive action of heat upon the gas or air to be used without intermediate
compressing accessories, substantially as herein described and illustrated.
2. In apparatus for compressing gas or air for incandescent gas lighting, the
combination of vessel A having sections such as C and containing a displacer such
as H attached to diaphragm L controlled by springs J and K with a reservoir such
as M, and cooling department such as F, as described and substantially in the
manner indicated on the annexed drawings.

page_text: 3. In combination with an apparatus as in Claim 1, the governor arrangement
consisting of a needle T opening or closing the burner orifice by action of the
heated gas or air on a diaphragm X, substantially as described and shown.
The 13th day of February 1900
R. CORE, GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London.
Agent for the said Charles Scott Snell.
R. CORE, GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London.
Agent for the said Charles Scott Snell.