Improvements in Incandescence Gas Lamps and Apparatus in connection therewith.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Jan., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 30th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 31st Oct., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Incandescence Gas Lamps and Apparatus in
connection therewith.
I, CHARLES CLAMOND of No. 15 Rue Picot, Paris, France, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improved constructions of incandescence gas lamps, that
is to say lamps in which the flame of a mixture of combustible gas and air is
made to heat to incandescence a refractory body which is thereby made to give
out light.
For obtaining the greatest amount of light with the burners of such lamps it is
not sufficient to merely heat the air supply by means of the waste heat of the com-
bustion gases, but it is also necessary to avoid the deposit of particles of carbon
from the gases, by means of which the orifices become clogged.
For preventing this I provide means for effectually mixing the combustible gas
with the air required for its perfect combustion, both before and at the time of
entering into combustion, the air supply for such mixture being duly heated by the
waste heat of the combustion gases.
For this purpose, according to one arrangement, I construct an inverted burner
consisting of a metal box or chamber communicating at its upper side with the gas
supply pipe and provided on its lower side with a number of small tubes projecting
downwards therefrom. Below this group of tubes is a hood formed of a network
of refractory material such as magnesia, supported by a casing which surrounds the
chamber and tubes. The gas supply pipe, which is provided with a special con-
struction of regulating valve to be presently described, has at a point beyond such
valve a series of small holes through which the outer air enters, so as to mix with
the gas passing in through the tube, such mixture being effected more completely
on the gas and air entering the chamber and issuing thence through the small tubes.
Surrounding the casing enclosing the burner is an outer casing connected at top to
the chimney while at bottom it is open to the interior of the glass globe enclosing
the burner below. The annular space between the two casings is traversed by a
number of horizontal tubes communicating, at the outer end with the atmosphere
and at the inner end with the interior of the inner casing, so that the outer air will
pass through such tubes into the inner casing on its way to the burner, and will,
during such passage, take up heat from the hot combustion gases rising up through
the space between the casings from the flame resulting from the combustion of the
mixture of gas and air issuing from the tubes of the burner, with the heated air
supply from above. This flame in passing first downwards from the small tubes
through the refractory hood, heats this to incandescence so as to give out the
requisite light.
The outer casing which serves as the heat regenerator does not extend to the lower
end of the inner casing, the latter being made to project together with the burner
proper some distance below the former, and the flame and hot gases issuing through
the incandescent hood, in being drawn upward by the draught, surround the lower
portion of the inner casing, and thus heat the air passing down through it to a very
high degree, as also the chamber and tubes within it through which the mixture of
gas and air flows.
The device for regulating the supply of gas to the burner is as follows: The gas
pipe enters one side of a closed box or chamber, the opposite side of which has a
projecting nozzle the end of which is closed by a plate having a number of orifices
for the issue of the gas into a pipe attached to the said nozzle and leading to the

page_text: lamp burner, in which last named pipe are the before mentioned holes for the
entrance of air.
Within the nozzle is a perforated disc carrying a number of tapering pins which
enter the orifices of the nozzle; the disc is connected to a small toothed rack with
which gears a pinion on a spindle passing through the box and turned either
directly by a handle or by connecting it in any suitable manner to some part of the
lamp that is moved for regulating the draught, such as a throttle valve in the
chimney, or telescopically sliding parts of the chimney.
Thus on moving the disc in the nozzle so as to make the tapering pins enter
the orifices to a greater or less degree, the issue of gas through the latter will be
more or less restricted, without thereby diminishing or increasing its pressure,
which latter would be the case if the admission of the gas into the box were
regulated by an ordinary tap, and the mixture of the gas and air is thus rendered
more regular.
When burners constructed as above described are made of a large size, some
difficulty is experienced in supplying sufficient air from the space between the
inner casing and the outer circumference of the group of burner tubes, to the
orifices of the tubes situated at the centre of the group.
In order to obviate this defect, I in such cases construct the central chamber
carrying the tubes annular, or with a passage through its centre, through which
passage consequently a portion of the hot air in the upper part of the inner casing
will pass down to the centre of the group of tubes, a baffle plate being provided in
the central gap in the group so as to cause the entering air to spread laterally
among the tubes.
According to another modification of the lamp, I surround the glass globe of the
lamp with an outer glass globe at a small distance therefrom, and having a central
hole at bottom, which may be partly closed by a baffle plate, so as to cause the air
entering such hole to be spread equally all round the space between the two globes.
This space communicates at top with a hood surrounding the outer surface of the
before described outer casing, so that the air entering the space between the globes
passes up into the hood and thence through the before described transverse tubes
to the inner casing, thus forming the air supply to the burner, by this arrangement
the double object is attained of preventing the inconvenient radiation of heat from
the lamp globe, and of utilising such heat for warming the air supply before passing
to the regenerative casing.
If, for the efficient cooling of the globe, more air requires to be passed through
between the globes than what is required for the combustion a direct communication
may be established between the hood and the chimney flue by one or more branch
tubes or passages.
The chimney tube that carries off the combustion gases may be made to commu-
nicate with the chimney flue of a fire place. By thus providing for a strong
draught the lamp chimney tube can be made comparatively small, so as not to be
larger than the pendant tube of an ordinary gaselier.
In order to prevent any prejudicial effect from down draughts, the tube passing
from the lamp may open into the side of a box one side of which is closed by a light
hanging talc flap, while into the top of the box projects the curved end of a second
chimney tube leading up to any desired height, the inner orifice of such tube being
directed against the tale flap; thus on the occurrence of a downward gust of wind
in the second chimney tube, it will blow open the talc flap, and escape into the
outer space, without affecting the lamp.
Dated this 1st day of January 1891
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Incandescence Gas Lamps and Apparatus in
connection therewith.
I, CHARLES CLAMOND of No. 15 Rue Picot, Paris, France, 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 improved constructions of incandescence gas lamps
that is to say lamps in which the flame of a mixture of combustible gas and air is
made to heat to incandescence a refractory body which is thereby made to give
out light.
The invention has for its object a combination of devices in such lamps which
will ensure a perfect combustion of the gas, a very intense luminous effect, the
discharge of the products of combustion, and the absence of heat transmitted to the
place of installation by the lamp, by which combination better results are obtained
than heretofore, both as regards efficacy and economy.
For obtaining the greatest amount of light with the burners of such lamps it is
not sufficient to merely heat the air supply by means of the waste heat of the com-
bustion gases, but it is also necessary to avoid the deposit of particles of carbon
from the gases, by means of which the orifices become clogged.
For preventing this, I provide means for effectually mixing the combustible gas
with the air required for its perfect combustion, both before and at the time of
entering into combustion, the air supply for such mixture being duly heated by the
waste heat of the combustion gases.
The accompanying drawings shew the manner of carrying out my said invention.
Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, to a small scale, of a complete lamp
of moderate power.
Figures 2 and 3 shew to a larger scale, respectively, a vertical section and a
sectional plan of the burner proper, including the regenerative casing, and the
magnesia hood;
Figures 45 and 6 are respectively a vertical section, a cross section and a
sectional plan of the regulating valve.
The gas supplied by the pipe A passes into a box G hereafter described, which
contains the arrangement for regulating the supply. It mixes with air drawn
into the pipe C through openings x, and the mixture thus produced passes to the
burner M which consists of a metal chamber having at its underside a group of
small tubes t extending downwards. The gas issues at the lower ends of these
tubes and there meets the hot air passing down from the regenerative casing D.
Under the influence of the draught of the chimney H, the flame passes down-
wards through the magnesia hood F which is thereby heated to incandescence and
becomes luminous. The products of combustion, after passing through the
hood F, which is enclosed in the glass globe X, curve upwards and rise towards
the chimney H round the box D and among the tubes L which are thus highly
heated.
The regenerator D communicates with the outer air by a number of tubes L ;
and the air passing through these becomes considerably heated before passing
down to the burner. The air and gas entering the chamber M by the pipe C,
become effectually mixed in M and in passing through the small tubes t, on issuing
from which the combustible mixture meets the heated air supply from above and
enters into effective combustion therewith.
In order to raise the air supply to a very high temperature before entering into
combustion, I surround the burner with a downward extension K of the regenerator,
this becoming what may be termed a chamber of concentration. This chamber,
being closely surrounded by the hot combustion gases rising from the magnesia

page_text: hood, becomes highly heated, and thus adds to the heating of the air coming from
the regenerator. In addition also, the heat of the chamber K is radiated to the
chamber M of the burner, which in its turn imparts this heat to the mixture of air
and gas passing through it, so that this mixture arrives at the place of combustion
heated to a considerable degree.
The arrangement as above described of the new burner is such that the air supply
becomes heated to a higher degree than has been attained in lamps of similar con-
struction hitherto employed, and, in consequence, the resulting utilisation of the
heat is much greater than that heretofore attained and the quantity of gas con-
sumed is proportionally reduced.
I have stated that, before being mixed with the air entering through the orifices a,
the gas passes through a box G shewn in Figures 4, 5 and 6. This box has a
nozzle the end c of which has a number of small holes e through which the gas
can issue into the tube C. In the nozzle is a disc d with openings for the passage
past it of the gas, and with a number of tapering pins i corresponding with the
holes into which they project. The disc d is attached to a toothed rack f which
gears with a pinion g the spindle h of which passes through the side of the box G
and can be turned by a key or handle.
er
It might be turned automatically by connecting it to a sliding part of the chimney
that can be raised or lowered to vary draught, or by connecting it to the handle of
a throttle valve arranged in the chimney for the same purpose.
The object of the regulating arrangement in G will be readily understood, for if
the orifices e e through which the gas passes were always of uniform area and the
supply of gas were varied by means of an ordinary cock on the supply pipe, any
variations in the supply would cause variation of speed in the currents issuing
through e e and consequent variations in the proportions of the mixture of air and
gas in the pipe C. But, by restricting more or less the orifices e by means of the
tapering pins projecting more or less into them, the quantity of the gas supply is
varied without varying the speed of the currents through e and consequently the
mixture of air and gas is maintained constant or nearly so.
If the size of the burner M chamber K and regenerative casing were increased,
as also the number of the holes e and tubes t, so as to obtain a lamp of great
illuminating power, the following inconvenience would arise. The action of the
chamber K would not be sufficiently great to cause the heated air supply to pene-
trate to the tubes which are situated at the centre of the group so that the
combustion of the gas issuing from them would be incomplete, a portion of the gas
thus passing unconsumed through the magnesia hood, which being insufficiently
heated would give out an imperfect light.
In order to avoid this inconvenience in a large lamp, I construct the box M of
annular shape as shown in vertical section and plan in Figs. 7 and 8, and I suspend
a disc T below the central opening () by means of a stem k fixed to a cross head S.
The hot air supply passes both outside the tubest and also through the passage 0,
so that, while one portion of the air penetrates inwards through the outer row of
tubes tt, another portion, entering by O and deflected by the disc I, penetrates in
an outward direction through the inner tubes t. The whole of the tubes thus
obtain sufficient air supply, producing efficient combustion and uniform heating of
the hood F.
In order to avoid inconvenient radiation of heat from the glass globe V of this
lamp I surround it with a second glass globe V' having an opening at the bottom
and of such size as to leave a certain space between the two. The plate N to
which the two globes V. V₁ are attached, has large openings P P through it to the
space between the globes, and it is covered by a hood Q which surrounds the
regenerative casing.
Under the influence of the draught of the chimney H, the outer air is made to
enter between the two globes at R and, rising up and taking up heat in the space
between them, it arrives in a more or less heated condition in the hood Q, whence
it passes into the regenerative casing on its way to the burner, as indicated by the

page_text: arrows. In order to distribute the entering air all round the space between the
globes, a glass baffle plate S₁ is fixed over the opening R. A series of small
openings oo formed in the plate N just within the inner globe V, allow of the
entrance of a small quantity of comparatively cold air which in passing along the
inner surface of the globe has a cooling effect thereon. As the air from between
the globes arrives in the regenerator already heated to a certain degree, the
temperature at which it reaches the burner is increased to a corresponding degree,
so that a higher degree of incandescence of the magnesia hood is obtained, and this
largely compensates for the decrease of light due to the doubling of the globe. In
order to enable a larger quantity of air to pass through between the globes so as
still further to cool them, the hood Q may be connected directly to the chimney H
by one or more passages U, so that a portion of the air entering at R can escape
directly to the chimney without passing through the burner.
The combustion gases are discharged by pipes which extend to the outside of
the building as indicated in Fig. 9, or open into suitable chimney flues.
The discharge pipes themselves constitute draught chimnies and, by raising them
to a considerable height, their sectional area can be proportionally reduced. Thus
the exigencies of decoration and architectural requirements can be better satisfied,
as the sectional area of the discharge passages may be reduced nearly to that of
the
gas supply pipes. Thus the vertical chimney rising from the lamp need scarcely
be larger than the pendant tube of a gaselier.
ولا
In order to prevent down draughts or gusts of wind from affecting the action of
the lamp, I cause the flue pipe H2 coming from the lamp Fig. 9 to open into a
box one side of which is closed by a sensitive flap m such as a mica door, while
into the top of the box passes the ascending flue pipe H³, the end of which is curved
so as to present its orifice to the mica door. Thus if a down draught should take
place in H³ it will blow open the door m and escape without affecting the draught
in the pipe H. s is a siphon pipe for discharging the water of condensation ; / is
a key for regulating the draught of the lamp.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In combination with a burner having a magnesia hood, a gas regulator and
laterally perforated pipe for admitting a mixture of gas and air, a regenerator
arranged above the burner for heating the air for effecting combustion of the
combustible mixture, and a chimney discharging the combustion gases, substantially
as described.
2. The chamber of concentration K, placed below the regenerator and sur-
rounded by the hot products of combustion, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
3. The arrangement for regulating the supply of gas by means of tapering pins
moveable in holes through which the gas issues, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
•
4. The modified construction of burner of great power in which the box M
carrying the tubes t t has a central opening with deflecting disc for the passage of
part of the air supply, substantially as described.
D
5. Cooling the glass globes and heating the air supply by causing the air to pass
between them, substantially as described.
Dated this 20th
f
bom 1901
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.