PROVISIONAL SP Improvements in Gas Lamps.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 28th May, 1889-Accepted, 6th July, 1889
CATION.
PROVISIONAL SP
Improvements in Gas Lamps.
I, HENRI REY of 60 rue de Weeweyde Brussels, Belgium Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has reference to gas lamps giving a flame in the form of a tulip,
which directs the light horizontally, in contradistinction to the lighting obtained with
lamps having horizontal or inverted flames, whether supplied with gas from above or
below, and which are arranged to give light vertically.
In my improved lamps a steatite, metal or other burner is screwed in a vertical
position to a holder below, to which is fitted the neck of a glass or crystal cup or
globe. An air distributer having a chimney is fitted to the upper part of the cup
or globe, and is arranged so as to produce the required rounding of the flame. The
burner is at a certain distance below a central tube or channel down which hot air,
divided by a grating into narrow streams passes to the centre of the flame. The
lower end of this tube or channel is slightly enlarged and is bevelled or chamfered
externally. The gas issuing from small orifices around the burner, forms, when
ignited, an ascending sheet of flame, which expands slightly under the action of the
downward current of hot air that feeds it. The air for feeding the flame externally
enters the globe through a series of orifices around the lower part of the distributer,
and after having passed down in contact with the inside of the globe it flows upwards
to the flame. Under, this double action the flame, which is slightly expanded
originally, becomes of tulip form, and is attracted towards the enlarged and bevelled
end of the central tube by which the hot air is supplied to the interior of the flame.
The flame is thus not formed or shaped on a support or former, as in lamps with
horizontal or inverted flames. It is attracted towards the bevelled end of the central
tube, the internal air current developing or producing the illuminating zone of the
flame until this comes in contact with the said tube. Thus the light is projected
horizontally.
The air for supplying both the outside and inside of the flame is drawn into the
lamp by a syphon action, and is heated in its travel through the conducting channels,
the surfaces of which are large. In order to still further, or doubly, heat this air, I
place in the distributer or channels down which the air passes, thin pieces or strips of
very conducting material, which project into the channel up which the heat and
products of combustion from the flame pass; these strips or pieces thus take up the
heat and give it off to the air currents which enter the lamp. Or instead of simple
strips I can employ a piece of metal bent into the form of a series of V's, the one
surface forming the flue or channel for the products of combustion, and the other
surface constituting one side of the distributer. The outside of the distributer forms
the upper part of the lamp, and is made of small conducting power by being
enamelled inside and out. The heat can be further concentrated and utilized by
interposing a sheet of asbestos between the metallic strips or the V piece and the
outside of the distributer.
In my improved lamp the ignition is effected from the top as in an ordinary argand
burner. The drawbacks met with in other gas lamps which give an intense light are
overcome; among these I may mention the passage of the lighting gas into the hot
gases, the cooling of the flame when this is shaped on a former; the fouling due to
the recuperators with flat bottomed channels or flues which give passage to the
products of combustion with difficulty; the deposit of smoke black in the glass or
globe; and the ignition from below necessitating the opening of the globe.
JS December 1888

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas Lamps.
I, HENRI REY of 60 rue de Weeweyde Brussels, Belgium, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
My invention has reference to gas lamps and consists in constructing them so that
they shall produce a flame in the form of a tulip which directs the light chiefly
horizontally in contradistinction to the lighting obtained with lamps having horizontal
or inverted flames, whether supplied with gas from above or below, and which are
arranged to give light vertically.
In my improved lamps a steatite, metal, or other burner is screwed in a vertical
position to a holder below to which is fitted the neck of a glass or crystal cup or
globe. An air distributor having a chimney is fitted to the upper part of the cup or
globe and is arranged so as to produce the required rounding of the flame. The
burner is at a certain distance below a central tube or channel down which hot air,
divided by a grating into narrow streams, passes to the centre of the flame. The
gas issuing from small orifices around the burner forms when ignited an ascending
sheet of flame which expands under the action of the downward current of hot air
that feeds it. The air for feeding the flame externally enters the globe through a
series of orifices around the lower part of the distributor and after having passed
down in contact with the inside of the globe it flows upwards to the flame. Under
this double action the flame which is slightly expanded originally becomes of tulip
form and is attracted towards the end of the central tube by which the hot air is
supplied to the interior of the flame. The flame is thus not formed or shaped on a
support or former as in lamps with horizontal or inverted flames. It is attracted as
already stated towards the end of the central tube, the internal air current developing
or producing the illuminating zone of the flame until this comes in contact with the
said tube or nearly so. Thus the light is projected chiefly horizontally.
The air for supplying both the outside and inside of the flame is drawn into the
lamp by a syphon action and is heated in its travel through the conducting channels,
the surfaces of which are large. In order to still further or doubly heat. this air Í
cast or place in the distributor or channels down which the air passes thin pieces of
conducting material which project into the channels up which the heat and products
of combustion from the flame pass; these strips or pieces thus take up the heat and
give it off to the air currents which enter the lamp.
The accompanying drawings represent a lamp constructed in accordance with my
invention. B is the burner screwed to a vertical tube G fixed to the holder D below.
To this holder D is fitted the neck of a glass or crystal cup or globe V the upper end
of which rests against a circular projection K on a ring H supported by rigid rods S.
The ring H also supports the air distributor R R' the outside of which is formed by
the upper part E of the lamp; the distributor is surmounted by the chimney C.
These parts in the arrangement shown are connected to the ring H by means of a
hinge M on which they are turned when the burner has to be ignited, but the said
parts can be connected to the ring H by means of a pin or projection on the part or
casing E taking into a groove in the outside of the ring. As the parts of the dis-
tributer and ring in contact at 1 are turned in a lathe and the burner tube G is
concentric with the ring the distributor always takes up the position assigned to it in
the axis of the burner, and the centre of the grating N at the bottom of the distributor
thus corresponds exactly with the centre of the flame. The distributor is composed of
an uneven number of flues or passages R R of V-form which lead to the central tube
or channel R' which is fitted with the grating N. This grating, which should be
fine, is attached to the distributor and to the chimney C by means of the rod R. The
distance between the end of the tube R¹ and the burner B should be determined
according to the volume of. the flame, this rising in normal action up to the level of
L
LAT

page_text: The air for feeding the flame enters at P and becomes heated in passing through
the distributor in the walls of which are cast or fitted thin conducting pieces L L for
facilitating the exchange of temperatures between the products of combustion and the
cold air. Part of the air thus heated flows through the central channel R¹, goes to
the centre of the flame and retards the ascending movement of the gas, the com-
The rest of the air passes
bustion being thus effected under a moderate_speed.
through the orifices O into the cup or globe V, where after having lost its initial
velocity by friction against the side of the globe it flows upwards and feeds the flame
externally. The gaseous mixture is thus effected at the lowest possible pressure and
this contributes to economy in gas lighting. Under the combined action of the
internal and external currents the flame which is slightly expanded originally
opens out into the form of a tulip the edges of which are attracted towards the
edge of the channel R¹. The attraction between the red-hot metal and the incan-
descent sheet gives the flame F great fixity without the aid of a former and permits
of extending the illuminating zone up, to the grating N. It is thus that the luminous
rays are chiefly transmitted horizontally. The contact of the flame with the red-hot
metal is not absolute; a thin layer of air separates them through the intermediation
of which the luminous combustion is effected up to the upper part of the flame,-
that which is near the edge of the central channel R¹. It is to the combination of the
different parts contributing to the draught that the special configuration of the flame
is to be attributed, that is to say the appearance of a luminous tulip.
In order to prevent diffusion of heat I coat the inside of the chimney C with a
layer of refractory material which enables me to sensibly reduce its dimensions. I
apply this coating under heat and in the form of powder. The silicates or other
compounds selected are reduced to very fine powder and are projected in this_state
against the metal to be penetrated which is heated to a suitable temperature. I use
for the purpose a steam or compressed air ejector which sucks up and propels the
powdered material. The penetration of the metal is complete and it extends uniformly
into the molecules at the surface. In the same way I can give to the parts of the
air distributor R R¹ a differential permeability for heat. The jambs of the V-channels
can be covered with an absorbent while the upper part is covered externally with a
bad conducting body.
My improved lamp overcomes the drawback common to all existing apparatus for
giving intense light, that is to say these all burn considerable volumes of gas to
produce a sensible increase of illuminating power. The economy in my lamp is
effected by the arrangement of the supply so that there shall be a combustion at low
pressure of the gaseous mixture carried to the highest temperature that is possible
with a small body of products.
Instead of shaping the flame on a former as is the usual practice and which requires
a strong draught of air and gas to the chimney the circular flame is free and its fixity
is due to the attraction between a solid body carried to red heat and the ignited gas.
The conditions under which the flame is produced allow of the burner being at a
relatively considerable distance from the air heater and distributor R R¹ and there-
fore of lowering the position of the luminous flame in the cup or globe V. The
burner in my lamp thus altogether differs from intense burners with horizontal or
expanded flames confined to the upper part of the globe.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim in respect of gas lamps is :-
1. A gas lamp comprising a small round burner in the middle of a cup or globe
and at a relatively considerable distance from a distributor through which heated air
passes downwards to the centre of the flame, thereby reducing the ascensional speed
of the gas, this internal current being combined with an external current of air
whereby the zone of luminous combustion produced at low pressure is extended to the
5 extremity of the incandescent sheet formed into a tulip the edges of which are

page_text: attracted towards the edge of the central metal tube heated to redness, substantially as
set forth.
2. The special arrangement of the air heater and distributor with its conducting
pieces L projecting partly into its channels and partly into the channels up which the
heat and products of combustion from the flame pass, substantially as set forth.
3. The construction of gas lamps as herein before described and represented in the
annexed drawings.
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agent.