Improvements in the Art of Manufacturing Illuminating-gas.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 24th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 30th Jan., 1892
· PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Art of Manufacturing Illuminating-gas.
1, WILLIAM HENRY MUNNS, of 106, 107, and 108, Victoria Chambers, 55 and
56 Chancery Lane, in the County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention (a communication to me from abroad by Eugene
De Beauharnais, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.A., Inventor) to be as
follows:-
In the practice of my invention I first take a quantity of crude petroleum and
treat it with a vegetable compound consisting of ground corn-cobs mixed with a.
small quantity of ashes made from the wood and bark of the white-ash tree.
Thus, for example, take one bushel of ground corn-cobs and place it in a hollow
perforated copper cylinder or receptacle made of wire or of thin copper sheets
finely perforated.
To
The
This retaining cylinder is set in a second cylinder or receptacle made of wood.
each bushel of prepared cobs I add not more than one piut of the ashes, spreading
it on the top of the cobs. A concaved perforated cover is placed on the top of
the retaining-cylinder, and into said cover the crude petroleum is thrown and
allowed to drip down through the perforations onto the compound below.
retaining-cylinder should be fastened to the tub in which it sets by brackets or
other suitable fastenings to prevent it from floating when petroleum oil has
accumulated in the tub, as the cobs are much lighter than the oil in which they are
immersed. The retaining-cylinder and containing tub may be of any suitable size
and shape adapted for the purpose. About one bushel of cobs is sufficient to
treat one barrel of petroleum. To get good results the oil should be left in
contact with the compound about twenty-four hours. Just what the chemical
effect of this treatment is I have not been able to determine, but I do know that
the result of the treatment is a very superior illuminating-gas. The crude petro-
leum having been treated as aforesaid and mixed with rain-water, the operation of
mixing the gas is as follows: After the fire has been laid and the retort
brought up to the required temperature-say 1,500° Fahrenheit-heated air is
admitted through a tube, and the prepared petroleum and rain-water are admitted
through other tubes, and the steam generated outside of the retort is admitted
through another tube. These ingredients are converted into gas in the retort,
whence it is led into the reservoir. In one limb of the retort is a return-tube, and
the gas
is therein superheated before it escapes to the reservoir. The water and
petroleum are converted into steam and hydrocarbon vapour in the one limb of the
retort and there combined, and the steam generated outside of the retort is
introduced into the opposite end of the other limb and projected toward the outlet,
so that while at the same time the gas is generated, mingled, and combined, it is
accelerated in its passage from the retort by the current. In this connection I
desire to state that by repeated tests I have ascertained that by introducing water
and steam into the retort along with the petroleum, as above described, instead of
introducing steam alone, a large quantity of fixed gas of superior quality is
produced. In this operation a part of the waste heat is utilized in converting
water into steam, and part of this steam is forced into the retort through a tube,
and part employed to work the piston supplying power to the blower, which is
employed in forcing heated air through one of the tubes, and for increasing the
draught of the furnace, if that be desired, in any ordinary way.
After the gas
has been thus generated and collected into the reservoir it is passed through a tauk
containing the refined petroleum, and sponges, by which it is greatly enriched, and
all foreign particles are removed from it before it passes into the burners and by

page_text: which the clogging and choking of the burners is avoided. When the gas is to be
employed for any ordinary illuminating or heating purposes, it is not desirable to highly
charge it with hydrocarbon, as above described, and in that case the sponge-box
above described is employed merely to free the gas of foreign particles floating in
it, the sponges in that case not being saturated with oil, in which case the clogging
or choking of the burners is prevented and a gas is produced which will not emit
sparks in burning.
In the manufacture of illuminating-gas from the ingredients and in the manner
above described an illuminating-gas is produced that for all practical purposes in the
use of such gas I have found to be non-explosive, non-asphyxiating, sanitary, not
even injuriously affecting the life of delicate house-plants.
Dated this 25th day of March 1891.
W. H. MUNNS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Art of Manufacturing Illuminating-gas.
I, WILLIAM HENRY MUNNS, of 106, 107, and 108 Victoria Chambers,
Chancery Lane, in the County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention (a communication to me from abroad by
Eugene de Beauharnais, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.A., Inventor) and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Figure is a vertical longitudinal section through a retort and its attendant
parts, a portion of the retort being shown in elevation.
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through said retort.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the retort and its attendant parts.
Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a device through which the gas is passed after
leaving the retort and before it reaches the burner and by means of which the gas
is purified and enriched.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the
drawings.
The following is a description of the structure illustrated by the drawings.
Referring now more especially to Fig. 1, A A is the brick-work inclosing the
furnace and forming the walls thereof.
B is a retort, into which the constituents of the gas are introduced and mingled.
It is a duplex retort, substantially of the form in its cross-section of a contracted
letter U.
Care the grate-bars of the furnace, and D the fuel-bed placed on the grate-bars
under the retort.
D' is an additional fuel-bed placed on the top of the retort.
EEE are furnace-doors.
F is an ash-pit, and G water contained therein.
H is a chimney or flue, and I a damper by means of which the draught is
regulated.
JJ is a flue for the passage of the heated air and products of combustion from
the lower to the upper part of the furnace, as shown by the arrows.
K is a boiler containing water from which steam is generated.
L is a steam-chest, and M a piston worked by the steam so generated and from
which power is communicated to a blower N of suitable construction, and is
connected to the air-inlet tube O within the retort, this tube being heated by any
suitable means to heat the air passing through it, as by extending into the retort a
short distance.
P is a duct through which the gas generated in the retort is led to the reservoir
or gas-holder.

page_text: Qis a steam-inlet pipe by means of which the steam is introduced into the
retort.
Fig. 2, which is a horizontal section taken through the retort B, shows its
construction more clearly. The retort is composed of two tubes arranged side by
side and communicating at their ends by the curved coupling or connecting pipe B¹.
It is really constructed, as shown in the drawings, by screwing the ends of the
tubes on to the ends of the curved connecting-pipe B', as shown. At the front end
of one limb of this duplex retort inlet-tubes O O'O' enter. Air is introduced by
means of the tube O from the blower N, and mingled petroleum and water are
introduced through the tubes 0' 0¹.
Qis an inlet-pipe for steam.
The constituents of the gas are petroleum oil, water, air, and steam highly
heated, and they form a gas of great commercial value. The gas so formed is let
out through the duct P to the gas holder or reservoir. Fig. 2 shows the walls of
the furnace separated by an air-chamber, whereby a current of heated air is made
to surround the furnace, keeping the heat regular and warding off cold draughts.
Fig. 4 is an adjunct of the apparatus. This adjunct consists of a tank R,
containing hydrocarbon oil, preferably the highest grade of refined petroleum-oil.
S is a tube provided with a suitable stop-cock conveying the oil to the upper end
of the box T.
U is an inverted perforated cone, on the apex of which the oil from the reservoir
drops, spreading out over the surface and passing through the perforations.
V are sponges, which are partially or wholly saturated with refined petroleum-oil.
These sponges are supported upon a grating W.
X is a gas-inlet pipe communicating with the gas-holder, and Y is a duct leading
to the gas-main or to the point of consumption.
Z is a tube leading from the bottom of the sponge-box, provided with a valve,
by means of which the lower part of the box may be drained and cleaned.
The foregoing is a description of the apparatus I prefer to use in the manufacture
of my improved gas. The same result may, nevertheless, be accomplished with
other forms of apparatus; but after many tests and much experience I find this
structure to be best adapted for my purpose.
The elements of which I make my gas consist of a combination of crude
petroleum oil, water, steam, and air treated and brought together as follows:
In the practice of my invention I first take a quantity of crude petroleum and
treat it with a vegetable compound consisting of ground corn-cobs mixed with a
small quantity of ashes made from the wood and bark of the white-ash tree..
Thus, for example, take one bushel of ground corn-cobs and place it in a hollow
perforated copper cylinder or receptacle made of wire or of thin copper sheets
finely perforated. This retaining-cylinder is set in a second cylinder or receptacle
made of wood. To each bushel of prepared cobs I add not more than one pint of
the ashes, spreading it on the top of the cobs. A concave perforated cover is
placed on the top of the retaining-cylinder, and into said cover the crude-petroleum
is thrown and allowed to drip down through the perforations onto the compound
below. The retaining-cylinder should be fastened to the tub in which it sets by
brackets or other suitable fastenings to prevent it from floating when petroleum-oil
has accumulated in the tub, as the cobs are much lighter than the oil in which they
are immersed. The retaining-cylinder and containing-tub may be of any suitable
size and shape adapted for the purpose. About one bushel of cobs is sufficient to
treat one barrel of petroleum. To get good results the oil should be left in contact
with the compound about twenty-four hours. Just what the chemical effect of this
treatment is I have not been able to determine, but I do know that the result of the
treatment is a very superior illuminating-gas. The crude petroleum having been
treated as aforesaid and mixed with rain-water, the operation of making the gas is
as follows:
After the fire has been laid and the retort brought up to the required
temperature-say 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit-heated air is admitted through the

page_text: tube O, and the prepared petroleum and rain-water are admitted through
tubes O O¹, and the steam generated outside of the retort is admitted through the
tube Q. These ingredients are converted into gas in the retort, whence it is led
into the reservoir. In one limb of the retort is a return-tube, and the gas is
therein superheated before it escapes to the reservoir. The water and petroleum
are converted into steam and hydrocarbon vapor in the one limb of the retort and
there combined, and the steam generated outside of the retort is introduced into the
opposite end of the other limb and projected toward the outlet, so that while at the
same time the gas is generated, mingled, and combined, it is accelerated in its
passage from the retort by the current. In this construction I desire to state that
by repeated tests I have ascertained that by introducing water and steam into the
retort along with the petroleum, as above described, instead of introducing steam
alone, a large quantity of fixed gas of superior quality is produced. In this
operation a part of the waste heat is utilized in converting water into steam, and
part of this steam is forced into the retort through the tube Q and part employed
to work the piston supplying power to the blower, which is employed in forcing
heated air through the tubes O, and for increasing the draught of the furnace, if
that be desired, in any ordinary way. After the gas has been thus generated and
collected into the reservoir it is passed through the tank T, containing the refined
petroleum, and sponges, by which it is greatly enriched, and all foreign particles
are removed from it before it passes to the burners and by which the clogging and
choking of the burners is avoided. When the gas is to be employed for any ordinary
illuminating or heating purposes, it is not desirable to highly charge it with
hydrocarbon, as above described, and in that case the sponge-box above described
is employed merely to free the gas of foreign particles floating in it, the sponges in
that case not being saturated with oil, in which case the clogging or choking of
the burners is prevented and a gas is produced which will not emit sparks in
burning.
In the manufacture of illuminating-gas from the ingredients and in the manner
above described an illuminating-gas is produced that for all practical purposes in
the use of such gas I have found to be non-explosive, non-asphyxiating, sanitary,
not even injuriously affecting the life of delicate house-plants.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The process of manufacturing illuminating-gas, which consists in treating
crude petroleum by passing it through wood-ashes and ground corn-cobs, and
highly heating the oil so treated, together with water, steam, and air, in a retort,
as set forth.
2. The process of manufacturing illuminating-gas, which consists in treating
petroleum by passing it through wood-ashes and ground corn-cobs, highly heating
the oil so treated, together with water, steam, and air, in a retort, and passing the
resulting gases through a filtrant saturated with refined petroleum, substantially as
set forth.
Dated thin with
2001