Improvements relating to the Production of Water-gas and Generator-gas and to Apparatus connected therewith.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 18th Dec., 1890-Accepted, 14th Feb., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Production of Water-gas and
Generator-gas and to Apparatus connected therewith.
We, JOSEPH VON LANGER, Engineer, and LEONARD COOPER, Iron Merchant,
both of 32, Park Row, Leeds, Yorkshire, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
=;
My invention relates chiefly to the means for producing an abundant supply and
a good distribution of air for combustion, and for the rapid discharge of the gaseous
products of combustion, in order to increase the proportion of carbonic acid during
the first stage of the process and thereby also the quantity of water gas which can
be obtained from a given quantity of fuel.
For this purpose, we admit air by suction through a great number of air inlets
distributed over the entire circumference and height of the furnace, as described in
our Patent Specification No. 7252 of 1889 and discharge the products of com-
bustion through a stack containing an ejector or nozzle through which passes steam,
The stack is
or compressed air or gas, so as to produce the necessary suction.
preferably a conical cast iron tube provided with a lid which can be opened and
closed by means of a lever and a chain. The stack may be placed at the side of
the furnace or at the top. In the latter case it is preferably situated in the centre,
symmetrically between a pair of bent pipes, through which the fuel is charged into
If the stack is
the furnace, and which are provided with conical valves as usual.
placed at the side of the furnace, it is attached to a belt which surrounds the
furnace and communicates with the furnace through a series of openings. This
belt has a separate outlet for the water gas.
In order to admit air also in the axis of the furnace, instead of at the circum-
ference only, an air chamber may be built into the furnace either at the top or at
the bottom, which chamber communicates with the furnace by a number of lateral
perforations, and has a large opening towards the atmosphere which may be closed
by a valve. If the air chamber is formed at the top, it has preferably the shape of
an inverted narrow base isosceles triangle, open at the base (which coincides with
the top of the furnace) while the apex (directed downward) rests on a central
column or partition. Two fill openings for the fuel are placed symmetrically right
and left of the inlet to the air chamber. If the air chamber is placed at the
bottom, it has the shape of a hollow partition extending below the grate and com-
municating with atmosphere by a lateral opening.
In some cases, it is advantageous, to provide the interior of the generator with
horizontal cross bars of fire-proof material, which subdivide the mass of fuel and
form channels for the gases, and facilitate the formation of carbonic acid. These
cross bars are preferably rhombical in cross section, as to offer the least
resistance.
The air openings at the circumference of the furnace may be provided with
separate valves communicating with the atmosphere, or the air openings situated
in the same zone or plane may communicate with an air belt provided with an air
inlet pipe and a valve. In this case, the valve chest which supplies steam to the
furnace, communicates also by a pipe with small nozzles situated in the air pipes
between the respective air belt and the air valve, and the same slide valve which
controls the admission of steam to the furnace, serves also to admit steam to the
said nozzles, when required.
After the temperature necessary for making water gas, has been attained, that is,
when the first stage of the process, or the generation of producer gas, is finished,
the air valves are closed and steam is admitted to the nozzles situated in the air

page_text: pipes, so as to blow the air, which is contained in the air pipe and belt, into the
apparatus after about two seconds the supply of steam to the nozzle is cut off,
and steam admitted to the furnace through the main pipe, so as to commence the
production of water gas. When the second stage of the process, that is the pro-
duction of water gas, is finished, the steam nozzles are again set in action, in order
to drive the water gas contained in the air belts and air pipes into the furnace, and
to prevent explosion. After about two seconds, the steam is again cut off from the
nozzle, and the first stage of the process, that is, the heating of the furnace and
production of generator gas may recommence. The air may be supplied to the
belts either by pressure or by suction.
Dated this 15th day of March 1900
FAIRFAX & WETTER,
433, Strand, London, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Production of Water-gas and
Generator-gas and to Apparatus connected therewith.
We, JOSEPH VON LANGER, Engineer, and LEONARD COOPER, Iron Merchant,
both of 32 Park Row, Leeds, Yorkshire, 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:-
Our invention relates chiefly to the means for producing an abundant supply
and a good distribution of air for combustion, and for the rapid discharge of
the gaseous products of combustion, in order to increase the proportion of
carbonic acid gas during the first stage of the process, and thereby also the
quantity of water gas which can be obtained from a given quantity of fuel.
In the following description, reference will be made to the accompanying
drawings, Figs. 1 to 6, which represent various forms of our improved gas generators
in vertical section.
In Figs. 1 to 5, A indicates the body of the generator, B the grate, a the fill-
opening for the fuel, the outlet for the water gas, e the outlet for the gases of
combustion, & the steam inlet, D the ash-pit doors.
Similar letters in different figures indicate corresponding parts.
We admit air by suction through a great number of air inlets 1, 2, 3, 4
distributed over the entire circumference and height of the furnace, as described in
our Patent Specification No. 7252 of 1889, and discharge the products of combustion
through a stack C containing an ejector or nozzle, through which passes steam,
or compressed air or gas, so as to produce the necessary suction. The stack is
preferably a conical cast iron tube provided with a lid g, which can be opened and
closed by means of a lever and a chain. The stack may be placed at the side of
the furnace, as in Figs. 2 and 4, or at the top, as in Figs. 1, 3 and 5.
In the latter
case, it is preferably situated in the centre, symmetrically between a pair of bent
pipes, a, a, through which the fuel is charged into the furnace, and which are
provided with conical valves, as usual. If the stack is placed at the side of the
furnace, as in Figs. 2 and 4, it is attached to a belt H, which surrounds the furnace
and communicates with the same through a series of openings, h. This belt has a
separate outlet for the water gas.
In order to admit air also in the axis of the furnace, instead of at the circum-
ference only, an air chamber E may be built into the furnace, either at the top, as
in Fig. 4, or at the bottom, as in Fig. 5, which chamber communicates with the
furnace by a number of lateral perforations e and has a large opening e' towards the
atmosphere, which may be closed by a valve. If the air chamber is formed at the
top (Fig. 4), it has preferably the shape of an inverted isosceles triangle, open at
the base or narrow side (which coincides with the top of the furnace), while the
apex (directed downward) rests on a central column or partition. Two fill

page_text: openings a' and a for the fuel are placed symmetrically right and left of the inlet
to the air chamber. If the air chamber is placed at the bottom (Fig. 5), it has the
shape of a hollow partition extending below the grate and communicating with the
atmosphere by a lateral opening e'.
In some cases, it is advantageous, to provide the interior of the generator with
horizontal cross bars of fire-proof material, which subdivide the mass of fuel, and
form channels for the gases, and facilitate the formation of carbonic acid. These
cross bars are preferably rhombical in cross section, so as to offer the least
resistance.
The air openings at the circumference of the furnace may be provided with
separate valves communicating with the atmosphere, or the air openings situated in
the same zone or plane may communicate with an air belt provided with an air
inlet pipe and a valve, as in Fig. 6. In this case, the valve chest S which supplies
steam to the furnace, communicates also by a thin pipe k with small nozzles k', k², k³,
situated in the air pipes between the respective air belt K and the air
valve A, B, or C and the same slide valve, which controls the admission of steam
to the furnace, serves also to admit steam to the said nozzles when required.
After the temperature necessary for making water gas has been attained, that
is, when the first stage of the process, or the production of producer gas, is finished,
the air valves A, B, C are closed and steam is admitted to the nozzles situated in
the air pipes, so as to blow the air, which is contained in the air pipes and belts, into
the apparatus. After about two seconds, the supply of steam to the nozzles k¹, k², k³,
is cut off, and admitted to the furnace through the main pipe d, so as to commence
the production of water gas. When the second stage of the process, that is the
production of water gas, is finished, the steam nozzles k¹, k, k³, are again set in
action, in order to drive the water gas contained in the air belts and air pipes into
the furnace, and to prevent explosion. After about two seconds, the steam is again
cut off from the nozzles, and the first stage of the process, that is the heating of the
furnace and production of generator gas, may recommence.
The air may be
supplied to the belts, either by pressure or by suction.
The means for opening the different valves of a generator may be varied and are
not claimed as part of the invention. Fig. 7 indicates by way of example, in
what manner a main valve and a row of air supply valves may be worked
simultaneously.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is―
1. A water gas generator having air inlets 1, 2, 3, etc. distributed over its
circumference and height, and a stack C provided with a blast or ejector nozzle f,
substantially as described with reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3.
2. A water gas generator having air inlets 1, 2, 3, etc. distributed over its
circumference and height, an internal air chamber E, and a stack C provided with
a blast or ejector nozzle f, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 4
and 5.
3. A. water gas generator having air belts K, K2, K³, provided with separate air
inlets and admission valves, auxiliary blast nozzles situated between the said air
belts and air valves, and a steam valve adapted to control the supply of steam to
the main pipe a, as well as to the said blast nozzles, substantially as described with
reference to Fig. 6.
4. The improvement in the manufacture of water gas by means of generators
provided with air belts, which consists in blowing into the generator the air
contained in the air belts and supply pipes after the production of generator gas, by
means of separate steam nozzles, subsequently cutting off the steam from the
nozzles and admitting it through the main steam pipe for the production of water
gas, subsequently cutting off the main steam supply and blowing into the furnace the
water gas contained in the air belts and supply pipes, then stopping the supply of

page_text: steam to the nozzles and starting the generation of producer gas, substantially as
described.
Dated this 17th day of December 1800.
J. VON LANGER.
L. COOPER.
By Fairfax & Wetter,
433, Strand, London, Agents.
J. VON LANGER.
L. COOPER.
By Fairfax & Wetter,
433, Strand, London, Agents.