IM- PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ENRICHING ILLUMINATING GAS
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Livesey and Joshua Kidd
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd January 1879.
JAMES LIVESEY, of No. 9, Victoria Chambers, in the City of Westminster, and
JOSHUA KIDD, of Eglantine Road, Wandsworth, in the County of Surrey.
"IM-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR ENRICHING ILLUMINATING GAS."
In the Specifications to Letters Patent granted to Joshua Kidd on the 26th July
1877, No. 2860, and to J. Livesey & J. Kidd, on the 18th January 1878, No. 244,
were described means of enriching gas for illuminating purposes by mixing with it
the vapours of hydrocarbons generated by the heat of the flame in carburetting
vessels in proximity thereto. Our present Invention relates to the construction and
arrangement of the vessels for this purpose in such a manner that they can be
readily charged with the hydrocarbon even while the gas is passing through them,
and that they remain always sealed against escape of gas. For this purpose we
provide the carburetting vessel with a feeding tube which extends nearly down to
the bottom of the vessel, or it may extend quite down to its bottom, and have small
slits or holes through it close to the bottom. This tube is closed at the top by &
cap, plug, or stopper, which may or may not be an air tight fit. The hydrocarbon
is fed into this tube at the top. When it is in liquid form it seals the bottom
openings of the tube against passage of gas through them, or if it be in the solid
form, such as the stick or rod of, napthaline described in the latter Specification
above referred to, its lower part, shortly melting, forms the required seal while it is
liquid, and remains a permanent seal when it becomes solid again by cooling. A
portion of liquid hydrocarbon, such as paraffin, which does not volatilise at the
temperature to which the vessel is subjected, may be in the first place poured into
the feed tube in order to provide before the napthaline is melted, or when that or
the other hydrocarbon used is exhausted, the liquid seal required. The feed tube
may be external to the carburetting vessel communicating with it at the bottom, or
instead of a tube an external feeding vessel of sonic size may be used so that it may
hold a store of hydrocarbon sufficient for supplying the carburetting vessel for a
considerable period. Such feeding tube or vessel communicates with the carburet-
ting vessel by a pipe connecting their bottoms, this pipe being kept sufficiently
heated when solid hydrocarbon, such as napthaline, is used, to enable it to flow
to the carburetting vessel. In cases where it is required to charge the car-
buretting vessel of a high light, such as a sunlight, at or near the ceiling of an
apartment, we make the burners and carburetting vessel in one piece separate from
the gas supply pipe in the ceiling, balancing this piece by suitable weights with

page_text: chains or cords passing over guide pullies, and we provide at the mouth of the gas
pipe a trumpet mouthed stuffing box, so that when the carburetting vessel and its
burners are raised to their normal position there is a gas tight joint connecting
them to the gas supply pipe. On shutting off the gas supply the burners with their
carburetting vessel can be detached from the pipe and are drawn bodily down to
a convenient height for feeding the vessel with hydrocarbon, and after the vessel
has been charged they are again raised to their normal position, becoming connected
to the gas pipe by the packed joint. Instead of a joint packed as above described
by a stuffing box, the connection may be made as a hydraulic joint in which
mercury is used to form the seal. In order to regulate the temperature of the car-
buretting vessel we place in it or around it a casing containing water or saline
solution which has a boiling point nearly corresponding with the temperature
required in the carburetting vessel. From this casing we lead a pipe, which by con-
volutions or otherwise is made to present a considerable exposed surface. The vapour
generated from the water or solution becomes condensed in this pipe and the water
of condensation flows back to the casing where it is again evaporated, absorbing the
superfluous heat of the carburetting vessel and retaining its contents at or near
the desired constant temperature.