CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF INFLAMABLE GAS
Year: 1823

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
VERE, of Crown Row, Mile End Old Town, in the Parish of Stepney, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, and HENRY SAMUEL CRANE, of Stratford, in
the Parish of West Ham, in the County of Essex, Manufacturing Chemist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth did,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of His United Kingdom, bearing
date at Westminster, the Thirtieth day of June, 1823, in the fourth year of
His reign, give and grant unto us, the said William Vere and Henry Samuel
Crane, our exors, admors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, solo
privilege and authority, that we, the said William Vere and Henry Samuel
Crane, our exors, admors, and assigns, during the term of years therein men-
tioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF INFLAMABLE GAS;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso that if we, the said William Vere and
Henry Samuel Crane, shall not particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by
an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and
seal of one of us, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High
Court of Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and
all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly cease,
determine, and become void, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
William Vere and Henry Samuel Crane, do hereby declare that our Invention
of certain improvements in the manufacture of inflamable gas is herein set
forth and explained, and in order to render the description more intelligible
we have annexed Drawings of a furnace retort, and other well known appa-
ratus applicable to the decomposition of coal, coal tar, tar oil, animal oil,
vegetable oil, and such other solid or liquid substance as afford carburetted
hydrogen or inflamable gas used for illumination. The great difficulty that
has been experienced in producing carburetted hydrogen or inflamable gas is
owing to this circumstance, namely, when coal tar or other suitable substances
or materials are submitted to the process of decomposition a large quantity of
adhesive matter rises with the gas, and, in its passage to the gasometer or
other receiver, deposits itself in so large a quantity upon the inner surfaces of
the conducting pipes that they are in a very short time completely stopped up
and the process entirely ceases. Various expedients have been resorted to in
order to prevent so great an inconvenience, but hitherto they have all proved
ineffectual, and hence the use of coal tar and some other substances which
are suitable from their cheapness have of necessity been rejected. Another
circumstance which has tended very much to prevent the use of coal tar, and
some other cheap materials, is the great quantity of impurities that is con-
tained in the gas made from such materials, which causes the light supplied
with such gas to smoke and yield a very imperfect flame. We will now
endeavour to explain how the difficulties herein stated will be prevented by
the application of our Invention, and shew. how the manufacture of carburetted
hydrogen or inflamable gas may be effected without those frequent stoppages
hitherto experienced; and that the gas so produced will also be much more
free from smoke when in combustion.
EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWING.
The same letters refer to either Figure. Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a

page_text: 9. the pipe for conveying the tar, or other liquid substance used, into the
dish or tray f; h is the cistern or reservoir containing the tar or other liquid
substance to be used; i is the pipe for conveying water to the exit e; k is a
cistern or reservoir containing water.
The above description relates to the apparatus for the decomposition of
liquids or of substances rendered liquid previous to their admission into the
retort; but if coal or other solid substances be used to produce gas, then the
cistern or reservoir h, the pipe g, and the tray f will not be required, and the
exit e must be placed in the front, in the usual way. If the the steam be
generated in a separate vessel or boiler, then the water-cistern or reservoir k
will not be required, and the pipe i will form the communication from such
.vessel or boiler to the exit pipe e. The explanation which we have herein
given of the annexed Drawing we believe to be sufficiently clear and explicit
to be easily understood by any person acquainted with the manufacture of
inflamable gas; and as regards the shape of the various parts and their
relativo dimensions, though they are here described as we should prefer them,
yet they may be varied at pleasure. The retort d is to be partly filled with
coke, pieces of brick, or any other material which will afford a decomposing
surface. The tray fis to be placed in the retort, and the lid is then luted
and secured to the mouth of the retort by a cross-bar and screw, in the
usual manner, so as to prevent the escape of any gas at that part. When
the retort is of a bright red heat the water is to be admitted (by turning the
cock m) into the exit pipe e, which should be sufficiently hot to convert the
water into steam as soon as it enters. The tar or other liquid substance to be
decomposed is next admitted through the pipe g into the tray f, by turning
the cock n. The heat of the retort can be inspected by removing either of
the stoppers seen at o, o. A very little practice will inform the operator of
the rate at which the tar or other liquid (substance should be admitted. If it
be allowed to flow too rapidly it will pass off undecomposed. Care is to be
taken that the water be kept running to the exit e, during the whole time
of the tar or other liquid substance being admitted into the retort in order to be
decomposed; and it should also be allowed to run for some little time after
the tar or other liquid substance may be turned off from entering the
tray f, for we have found that the beneficial effect depends upon a constant
supply of steam. If coal or any other solid substance be employed it is put
into the retort in the usual way, and the water should be used in the same
manner as directed for liquid substances when under decomposition, except
that it is not to be turned on previous to charging the retort, but to be con-
tinued running during the whole period of the process, and for some little-

page_text: time after.
As a guide for directing the operator in the quantity of water
admitted to the exit e, it should be observed that (whether liquid or solid
substances be used to afford carburetted hydrogen or inflamable gas) about
cight or ten quarts of water to one thousand cubic feet of gas produced will
be sufficient. It may be proper to remark, that waste steam from an engine
or any other source may be economically applied for this purpose, taking care
that the quantity admitted be about equal to the quantity generated from
the proportion of water before named. The coke, pieces of brick, or other
material used as a decomposing surface in the retort will require to be taken
out about once in every twenty-four hours, and a fresh supply put in. The
tray must be taken out whenever it becomes filled with carbonaceous residuum
and a clean one put in. The period of time in which a tray will become
filled will vary according to the quality of the liquid substance used. (Previous
to opening the mouth of the retort to withdraw either the tray or decomposing
surface, the cock n,.
should be turned off some minutes in order that the
liquid substance already in the tray may be fully decomposed. By adopting
these means a quantity of the carbonaceous matter will be left in the tray;
those impurities which rise with the gas, and which have hitherto so much
choked up the pipes, and also caused the gas to smoke when in combustion,
will meet with a current of steam in the exit pipe, which acting as a precipitant
will throw them down upon the retort or upon the decomposing material
contained in it. Where coal is used the gas produced must be purified in the
usual manner after it leaves the exit pipe e. And we hereby declare that our
Invention consists entirely in the application or admission of a continued
stream of water, or of a continued current of steam produced by the evapo-
ration of water, into the retort or other vessel where coal, coal tar, tar oil,
animal oil, vegetable oil, or other suitable material is under the process of
decomposition, for the purpose of producing inflamable gas; by which means
the impurities which rise with the gas, and that would otherwise choke up the
passages or pipes from the retort to the gasometer, or cause the gas to smoke
when in combustion, are precipitated and deposited upon the retort or upon
the decomposing material contained in it, and consequently the process can
be continued without any interruption or inconvenience being experienced
from the stoppage of the pipes.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Vere, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-three.
WILLIAM (L.S.) VERE.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirtieth day of December, in
the year of our Lord 1828, the aforesaid William Vere came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of
the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Thirtieth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-three.