AN IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES AND PROCESS FOR CARBURETTING GAS AND AIR
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter Marsh Jackson, of the City of Providence, State
of Rhode Island, U.S. of America, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN
MACHINES AND PROCESS FOR CARBURETTING GAS AND AIR."
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by tho said Walter Marsh Jackson at tho
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th September 1880.
WALTER MARSII JACKSON, of the City of Providence, State of Rhode Island,
U.S. of America. "AN IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES AND PROCESS FOR CARBURETTING
GAS AND AIR."
This Invention has reference to an improvement in the method and machines
for enriching gas or air by charging the same with volatile hydrocarbon. The
Invention consists in exposing a thin film of hydrocarbon on a non-absorbent
surface to the passing gas or air, so that the hydrocarbon will be absorbed by the
gas or air, and in automatically renewing the film. Carburetters as heretofore
constructed and operated have been defective in their operation, in consequence of
the changes which take place in liquid hydrocarbons, which are sufficiently volatile
to enrich the gas or air passing through or over the same at the ordinary tempe-
rature, and without artificial heat. The tendency of such volatile hydrocarbons
during the process of evaporation is to refrigeration and consequent concentration.
If a current of gas or air be passed over or through a volatile hydrocarbon the
evaporation of the hydrocarbon is accompanied by a loss of its heat, and its tempe-
rature is rapidly reduced. This loss of heat or production of cold increases by a
rapid volatilization. Therefore the greater and more extensive the evaporating
surface, the more rapid is the refrigeration and consequent concentration. By
exposing a thin film of the hydrocarbon to the action of the gas or air its evaporation
is accomplished before it has time to refrigerate or concentrate, and then by an
arrangement of a reservoir automatic in its action the films are constantly renewed
from a volume of hydrocarbon which has not been acted upon by the circulating
gas or air. To carry out the process and attain a uniform result, to render the
process practically void of danger, to make the process positive, in short, to do
away with the objectionable features of carburetters generally, I construct of
suitable material a hollow base about one inch high and of any desired area.

page_text: Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved carburetter, the filling vessel
being shown in broken lines; Figure 2 is a sectional view of the same showing tho
gas inlet, the outlet, the regulating valve, and the equalizing pipe; Figure 3 is a
plan view of the carburetting chamber, and Figure 4 is a perspective view of the
float valve.
In the Drawings A represents the carburetting vessel, a¹ the gas inlet, and
a the gas outlet or vice-versa; B represents the reservoir for the liquid hydro-
carbon, and C the charging vessel. The carburetter consists of a shallow tray or
box b having a rim b' projecting outward; c is the cover in which the inlet and
outlets a' and a² are placed. The cover is provided with the deflector plates d, d,
by means of which the gas is forced to take a more circuitous passage over the
liquid hydrocarbon, which being very volatile is absorbed by the gas.
The cover c
and the tray or box 6 are secured together by means of the bolts c, c, and when
the carburetter is made of light sheet metal two solid metal frames f, f, are placed
one on each side of the flanges, and the whole secured together by the bolts e, e,
and the joint is made gas tight by any suitable cement. g is a metal casting,
secured, preferably by solder, to the cover c, or if the cover is made of cast metal it
may be cast in one piece with the cover. The reservoir B is secured to the upper
flanged portion of the piece g, which is provided with an inlet opening, and the
tube h, within which the valve i is free to move vertically, and to open or close the
_communication between the carburetter and the reservoir. The valvo i is secured
to the ring made of cork or other similar material that-will-float on the liquid.
hydrocarbon; so that when the hydrocarbon in the carburetter diminishes the valve
will be automatically-lowered-and-a-new_supply of liquid bydrocarbon will be
-drawn-from_the_reservoir B into the carburetter A. The tube extends to or
slightly below the normal surface of the hydrocarbon in the reservoir, 80-that-when-
the valve is lowered a portion of the gas may escape into the reservoir to take the
place of the hydrocarbon to be discharged.
As only a thin strata of hydrocarbon is to be at any time in the carburetter the
float is liable to reach the bottom of, the carburetter, and to prevent its adhering
to the bottom the notches l, l, are cut into the float, so that the liquid can freely
enter under the same. As the pressure of gas supplied by gasworks is liable to
sudden variations the supply of the liquid hydrocarbon from the reservoir is liable
to vary when the gas has entered under a high pressure, and at the next descent of
the valve the pressure in the carburetter is less than in the reservoir, a large
quantity of liquid would be expelled. To equalize the pressure and secure a
uniform automatic supply of hydrocarbon I insert the tube m extending from
below the level of the liquid hydrocarbon in the carburetter to nearly the upper
end of the reservoir. This tube is open at both ends, and any variations of pressure
act equally on both the carburetter and reservoir.
When it becomes necessary to charge the reservoir with a new supply of liquid
hydrocarbon, to allow this to be done whilst the carburetter is in operation I
secure to the upper end of the reservoir the pipe n provided with the cock or
valve n', to which an arm is secured provided with a hole n² near its end, which
when the valve is closed is opposite the hole in a fixed arm, and a padlock can be
passed through the holes so that the cock or valve will be locked in the closed
position and cannot be tampered with.
To the end of the pipe na union joint with a screw coupling is secured, and to
the vessel C a similar pipe with a cock or valve is secured, so that the vessel C and
reservoir B can be connected air and gas tight, and as soon as the cocks n' and o
are opened the gas in the reservoir will rise into the vessel C, and will be replaced
by the hydrocarbon. As the pipe n extends below the top of the reservoir a
portion of the gas will be retained when the liquid reaches the pipe n, and as no
more gas can enter the vessel C the liquid will cease to run, and thus any overflow
is prevented; after the cocks n' and o are closed the union joint is released, and
the vessel is removed. The sinall quantity of liquid in the pipe below the cock o will
euter the reservoir when the small cock or padlock p is opened. Modifications may be

page_text: made in the construction of these machines to adapt the same to varying conditions.
The whole machine may be encased in an air and gas tight case; the reservoir may
be placed at any desired distanco from the carburetter, and the float / may rise and
fall in a well or depression so as to present a still thinner film of hydrocarbon to
the gas or air; but the process of exposing automatically renewable films of hydro-
carbon to the gas or air must be adhered to, so as to prevent tho accumulation, of
non-volatile hydrocarbon and secure uniform and continuous results.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-The reservoir being filled with the
desired hydrocarbon a portion will flow through the open valve into the carbu-
retting chamber, the float will rise, and raising the valvo to its seat close the inlet.
The gas or air is now admitted to the carburetting chamber, passing around the
deflecting partitions and over the volatilo hydrocarbon takes up the same and
reduces its level, the float carrying the valve will sink with the level, and open a
new supply, which is again absorbed and again renewed. In place of the float and
valve any other automatic device, by means of which thin films of hydrocarbon can
be supplied, may be used. Amongst those that I have used is a small pipe
extending from the roservoir into the carburetting vessel; beneath this pipe I
placed a well or depression to form some depth of fluid, so that the sudden
supplying of the hydrocarbon may not creato a wave in the fluid and cause the
light to jump. A wall may be placed around the outlet tube to break tho wave,
or other means may be used to secure a uniform supply. Thus it may be seen
that I supply a successive series of thin layers of volatile hydrocarbon not before
acted upon by the gas or air, not reduced by evaporation or concentrated by
refrigeration, but in the best condition to be at once absorbed by the gas or air
passing over the same.
As the number of burners in uso governs the amount of gas or air passing
through the carburetter, and thereby the absorption, and as the change in the lovel
of the hydrocarbon governs the supply the process becomes automatic and self
controlling. The gas is of uniform quality and richness from the first film supplied
by the reservoir to the last, and no residual deposits are made in the carburetter.
Having thus described my Invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by
Lotters Patent,―
First. The process of carburetting gas or air, consisting in exposing constantly
renewed thin films of volatile hydrocarbon, the supply of which is governed by
the evaporation on a non-absorbing surface to a passing current of gas or air, as
described.
Second. The combination with the carburetter of a reservoir communicating
with the carburetter, and a floating valve constructed to regulate the supply of
hydrocarbon to the carburetter, as described.
Third. The combination with the carburetter A, reservoir B, connected by an
aperture, of the valve i, float &, and the tube m connecting the carburetter with the
reservoir, as and for the purpose set forth.
Fourth. The combination with the carburetter A and reservoir B of the union
piece g provided with the flange to receive the reservoir, and with the tube h, as
described.
Fifth. The combination with the pan b of the cover c provided with the partitions
d, d, and the frames f, f, constructed to secure the cover to the pan by means of
bolts, as described.
Sixth. The combination with a carburetter and a reservoir constructed to supply
the carburetter with liquid hydrocarbon automatically, of a tube connecting the
two, and arranged to equalize the pressure, as described.
Seventh. The combination with the tube h having a valve-seat at its upper end
of the valve i secured to the float &, constructed to regulate the supply of hydro-
carbon to the carburetter, as described.
Eighth. The combination with a carburetter and a supply vessel, each provided
with a cock or valve, of a union joint constructed to connect the supply vessel with
the carburetter, as and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: Ninth. The combination with the reservoir B of the pipe n provided with the
cock n', the supply vessel C, with the cocks o and p, and a union piece constructed
to connect the supply-vessel with the resorvoir whilst the carburetter is in operation,
as described.
Tenth. The combination with the supply vessel, constructed to be connected with
the roservoir, and provided with the cocks o and n¹, of the pipe n extending
downward into the reservoir, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Walter Marsh Jackson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the 27th day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
In presence of
JOSEPH A. MILLER,
Civil and Consulting Engineer,
Providence, R.I.
WALTER MARSH JACKSON. (L.S.)