Improvements relating to Apparatus for the Manufacture of Water Gas.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Nov., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 27th July, 1893-Accepted, 2nd Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Apparatus for the Manufacture of
Water Gas.
I, ARTHUR GRAHAM GLASGOW of Westminster Chambers, 9 Victoria Street, in
the City of Westminster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for the manufacture of water gas and has for
its object to provide improved means whereby the position of the gas outlet from
generator and of steam admission to generator can be simultaneously adjusted as
required by the turning of a single handle which controls the valves and cocks
regulating same and which can be easily operated by one man or youth.
It is desirable to periodically reverse the direction in which the steam passes
through the fuel bed in the generator, and at each such reversal it is necessary of
course to change the outlet for the gas. For this purpose it is necessary to provide
two valve-controlled outlets for the gas at opposite ends or top and bottom of the
generator. According to one part of my invention I provide for opening one gas
outlet valve and closing the other simultaneously by the movement of a common
handle and so that both shall not be closed nor fully open at the same time, as
follows, that is to say, I employ valves of the rack and pinion type and mount on
the pinion shaft one or more sprocket wheels, and I connect the said sprocket
wheels of the two valves by means of a chain or equivalent driving connection so
arranged that one valve cannot be moved independently of the other. The valves
are set initially so that when one is closed the other is open. Consequently it
follows that this arrangement, besides ensuring the opening and closing of the
valves simultaneously, affords the further advantage that the valves counterbalance
each other and therefore may be worked far more easily than a single valve. An
exact equipoise may be secured if desired. If the two valves are not of the same
diameter and consequently have not the same travel, the sprocket wheels afore-
mentioned are constructed of different sizes so as to gear up or down as may be
required to ensure that the valves shall perform their full traverse in the same time.
The valves may or may not be water or air-cooled.
For simultaneously reversing the direction of the steam with the changing of
the gas outlet I provide a three-way cock or a pair of cocks or valves in the steam
pipes leading to the generator by means of which the steam can be turned into the
top or bottom of the generator. The lever or levers for controlling the cock, or
cocks or valves, is or are operated by the movement of the valves in such manner
that when a change is made in the opening of the valves, the steam cock, or cocks
or valves, is or are also at the same time reversed to cause the steam to be delivered
to the opposite end of the generator. The quantity of steam admitted may be
regulated as heretofore.
The above described arrangements are very simple in construction and operation,
and they serve to relieve the attendant of all responsibility of preserving the proper
adjustments which have heretofore been necessary.
Dated this 2nd dex of November 1809
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION:
Improvements relating to Apparatus for the Manufacture of
Water Gas.
I, ARTHUR GRAHAM GLASGOW, of Westminster Chambers, 9 Victoria Street,
in the City of Westminster, Engineer, do hereby, declare the nature of this inven-
tion 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 apparatus for the manufacture of water-gas and
comprises the improvements hereinafter described.
In the manufacture of water-gas it is desirable to periodically reverse the direction>
in which the steam passes through the fuel bed in the generator and at: each such.
reversal of course the outlet for the gas as well as the steam admission must be
changed. For this purpose it is necessary to provide valve-controlled outlets. for
the gas and inlets for the steam at opposite ends or top and bottom of the
generator..
According to my invention I provide means for simultaneously opening one gas,
outlet valve and closing the other and at the same time. operating a cock whereby
the steam is cut off from one inlet pipe and allowed to pass. to the other inlet
pipe. An important feature of my invention is that the outlet valves are arranged.
to more or less counterbalance each other so as to facilitate their manipulation.
In order that my invention may be more clearly understood I will: now, proceed..
to describe the same by the aid of the accompanying drawing which shews as. much
of a water-gas producing plant as is necessary to illustrate my invention..
A is the fuel bed in the generator, B is a gas outlet pipe at the top, of, then
generator (which in the design shown also serves as a conduit. for the blast
products) and C a gas outlet pipe at the bottom thereof which in the design shown.
also serves as an air-blast conduit. B and C are the outlet valves in the pipes B.
and C respectively. D and E are the upper and lower steam inlet pipes respectively,
F the main steam pipe and G the controlling three-way cock by which the steam,
may be directed to the pipe D or to the pipe E.
It is obvious that when the upper gas outlet valve B° is open and, the lower
one C closed, that the upper steam pipe D must be closed and the lower, inlet E.
open, and vice versa, when the valve B is shut. and the valve, Co open, the steam
pipe D must be open and the steam pipe. E closed. The gas. valves B°, C° are, of
the rack and pinion type so arranged that the weight of one valve.disc in descending
to close the outlet counterbalances wholly or in part the weight. of the other disc
which is being lifted to.open its outlet pipe. B', C¹, are the racks..of.. their
respective valves, and B and C the pinions which work the racks... Sprocket.
wheels B and C are mounted on their respective pinion shafts, and, are, connected,
by a chain C so that one valve cannot be moved independently, of the other. The-
valves are operated by a hand wheel B secured on the pinion shaft of the valve-Bo..
The valves are set initially so that when one is closed the other is open. It
follows from this arrangement that. the valves will be, opened, and, closed, simul-
taneously and moreover as above stated balance. each other more; or less, so that
they may be operated readily by an effort. which would, not..be sufficient, to open a
single unbalanced valve. An exact equipoise of the valve discs may be secured if
desired. If as shown in the drawing and 'as is usually the case the two valves are
not of the same diameter and.consequently have.not: the same travel the sprocket
wheels B and C are constructed, of different sizes son as to gear up or down as
may be required to ensure that the valves shall perform their full travel in the
same time. The valves may or may not be water-cooled or air-cooled.
In order to operate the three-way cock G so as to simultaneously reverse the
direction of the steam with the changing of the gas outlet I connect the lever G'

page_text: of said cock to the rack C¹ of the lower outlet valve by means of a link G', so
that as the outlet valve C is opened and the outlet valve B° shut the three-
way cock G is operated by the raising of the rack C₁ so as to open the con-
nection between the inlet pipe D and the main steam pipe F and close the connection
between the inlet pipe E and the said pipe F, and when the outlet valve Co is
closed and B° opened the cock G is simultaneously operated in the reverse direction.
The quantity of steam admitted may be regulated as heretofore.
The above described arrangements are very simple in construction and operation,
and while enabling a single attendant to easily adjust the weighty valves required
for this service, they further serve to relieve him of all responsibility of preserving
the proper relative positions of the several valves, thereby absolutely preventing
danger or loss of gas which might result from the improper manipulation of the
valves.
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. The combination, with a gas generator having upper and lower gas outlets
and corresponding steam inlets, of two valves controlling said gas outlets so con-
structed and arranged that the valves proper wholly or in part counterbalance each
other, and means for opening one of the said steam inlets and closing the other
simultaneously with the operation of the gas outlet valves, substantially as described
for the purpose specified.
2. The improved devices in combination with each other for use in connection
with water-gas producing apparatus, constructed substantially as described with
reference to the accompanying drawing, and operating as, and for the purpose,
specified.
Dated this 27th day of July 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.