Improvements in Apparatus for Carburetting Gas or Air.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Oct., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 7th July, 1892--Accepted, 13th Aug., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Carburetting Gas or Air.
We, THE GAS ECONOMISING AND IMPROVED LIGHT SYNDicate, Limited,
of 138 Leadenhall Street, in the County of London, and JAMES LOVE of
2 Larman Villas, Linton Road, Barking, in the County of Essex, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention relates to apparatus for carburetting gas or air, and more
especially to the apparatus described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted
to James Love No. 14031 A.D. 1889. The present invention has for its objects
to improve the construction and efficiency of the said apparatus and comprises the
improvements hereinafter set forth.
Our first improvement has reference to the shape of the bottom of the carburetting
vessel or chamber. Instead of making this flat as heretofore we make it curved or
hollow and inclined preferably towards one end thereof so that the residual products
will tend to collect at one part of the said bottom whence they can be very readily
pumped out when required through a suction pipe which passes down the carburetting
chamber to the said lowest part thereof. This construction very materially facilitates
the cleaning of the carburetting chamber.
In the machine described in the aforesaid Specification, the valves for controlling
the flow of gas or air through the carburettor are suspended from, and their move-
ments are controlled by, leather diaphragms, which diaphragms are actunted by the
pressure of gas or air in the apparatus. Another of our present improvements is to
substitute for these flexible diaphragms a bell or dome preferably constructed of
glass and arranged with its rim floating in an annular dish of mercury such as is
used in some kinds of gas governors. This bell, which can be loaded to suit any
requirements, operates more satisfactorily than does the flexible diaphragm hereto-
fore used. One such bell is provided for each valve to be governed.
It is desirable to prevent the surcharging of the lower chamber of the
carburettor with carburetting liquid, and for this purpose we provide the said
chamber at the desired level with an overflow pipe that conducts any excess liquid
back to the storage vessel. Inasmuch, however, as the said storage vessel is not
open to the atmosphere, it is necessary, in order to ensure the free flow of the excess
liquid, to provide for allowing the air or gas to escape from the storage vessel as
the overflow liquid flows in. For this purpose we provide a vent pipe which leads
from the storage vessel and enters the carburetting vessel at a level somewhat
higher than the mouth of the overflow pipe. Through this pipe the air or gas
displaced from the storage vessel by the entering liquid can freely escape. Suitable
cocks are provided in these pipes for opening and closing the thoroughfares as
required. We prefer to provide two cocks in each pipe, one on the carburetting
vessel and one on the storage vessel.
Another of our present improvements relates to the charging of the carburettor.
For this purpose we provide the storage vessel with an internal pipe which descends
to the bottom thereof and is connected to an external pipe which is coupled to the
charging cock of the carburettor. This pipe is also provided with a stop cock on
the storage vessel. Another cock is provided on the storage vessel to which an
air pump may be applied for forcing air into the said storage vessel and thereby
raising the liquid through the aforesaid pipe and discharging the same into the
upper chamber of the carburettor. During the charging process, the cocks of the
overflow pipes above described must be closed.
When the charging is completed, the cock to which the air pump is applied is
closed and the cock of the overflow pipe is opened thereby allowing the air under

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pressure in the storage tank to escape into the carburetting chamber through
which it passes and becomes carburetted and is then burnt with the gas. As soon
as the air under pressure inside the- storage tank is liberated as described, the
liquid in the charging pipe falls back into the storage tank, thus emptying the
said pipe.
A further improvement relates to devices for purging: the machine of the heavy
hydrocarbons or residual products. For this purpose we preferably employ an
additional tank which we term a purge tank or drum and which is connected by a
pipe with the bottom or well of the carburetting chamber, a purge cock being
provided in the said connecting pipe on the carburettor and another on the purge
drum. We also provide an air cock on the purge drum and so arrange that the
aforementioned force pump for charging the carburettor with liquid shall have its
suction pipe connected to the said air cock on the purge drum so that when the
pump is operated, air will be drawn from the purge drum and not from the outside
atmosphere. It is obvious that during this operation, the purge drum will be
partially exhausted of air with the result that the heavy hydrocarbons or residual
products will be sucked up from the well of the carburettor and discharged into
the purge drum. During this operation, the internal cock connecting the upper
and lower chambers of the carburettor is closed so that the liquid cannot enter the
latter chamber. When the heavy hydrocarbons have been thus removed, the con-
nections with the purge tank are shut, and that between the upper and lower
chambers of the carburettor opened. If now the carburettor is not filled to the
desired level, further liquid may be forced therein by again operating the force
pump but now taking the air from the atmosphere instead of from the purge
tank.
The last of our present improvements relates to locking gear for ensuring that
the cocks of the overflow and charging pipes shall be left in the proper working
position. One manner in which we effect this is to provide eye holes in the squares
of the cocks, so arranged that a suitable rod may be passed therethrough, the same
rod passing through at least two of the cocks and thus locking them together. For
instance we pass a rod through holes in the two overflow cocks attached to the
carburetting vessel to lock the said cocks in the open position, and we pass another
rod through holes in the two overflow cocks attached to the storage vessel, and
through a hole in the cock of the charging pipe to lock the former in the open
position and the latter in the closed position. We also provide an eye in each of
the said two rods and pass another rod through the said eyes and secure the same
by a padlock or other suitable fastening.
It will be seen from the above description, that the carburettor is charged with
liquid and purged from the heavy hydrocarbons without exposing the inflammable
materials to the outside air. We thereby avoid the risk and the disagreeable
smells that attend the charging of some forms of carburettors.
Dated thin 1nt on of Ontahan 1001
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicants..
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Carburetting Gas or Air:
We, THE GAS ECONOMISING AND IMPROVED LIGHT SYNDICATE LIMITED,
of 138 Leadenhall Street, in the County of London, and JAMES LOVE, of
2 Larman Villas, Linton Road, Barking in the County of Essex, Engineer, 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:―
This invention relates to apparatus for carburetting. gas or air, and more'

page_text: especially to improvements in the apparatus of the kind described in the Specification
of prior Letters Patent No. 14031 A.D. 1889.
The said invention has for its objects to improve the construction and increase
the efficiency of such apparatus.
One of the present improvements relates to the charging of the carburettor with
carburetting liquid. Another improvement relates to devices for preventing the
surcharging of the lower chamber of the carburettor. A third improvement relates
to devices for purging the carburetting chamber of the heavy hydrocarbons or
residual products. A further improvement relates to the valves for controlling the
flow of gas or air through the apparatus; and a still further improvement relates to
locking gear for the various cocks or taps used in the said apparatus.
In the accompanying drawings we have shown how our said invention may be
carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a carburettor having our improvements applied
thereto, a portion of the lower chamber being shown in section to exhibit the
inclination of the floor.
Figure 2 is a section through a portion of the said apparatus on a slightly larger
scale showing our improved mode of suspending and governing the controlling
valves.
Figure 3 is an elevation of the locking gear for the cocks hereinafter described.
A A' are the upper and lower chambers of the carburettor which excepting as
hereinafter set forth are constructed as heretofore that is to say as described in the
Specification of the above mentioned Patent. The carburettor is placed for con-
venience on a table B which is supported by legs B' and beneath the said table is
placed the charging tank C which contains the supply of carburetting liquid to be
used for enriching the gas or air. The said tank C is closed to the atmo-
sphere; it is provided with a plug C¹ which can be removed to permit of filling
the tank.
For charging the carburettor, we provide the supply tank C with an internal
pipe a which descends nearly to the bottom thereof and is connected through a
stop cock a¹ with one end of an external pipe a³ that rises to the top of the apparatus
and is coupled at its end to the charging cock b. Another cock c is provided on
the tank C, said cock being adapted to receive or be connected to the discharge
pipe of an air pump. On applying such a pump to the said cock c and then opening
the cocks c, a¹ and 6 and operating the pump so as to force air into the tank the
liquid in the latter is forced up the pipe a² and discharged into the carburettor.
For preventing the surcharging of the lower chamber A' of the carburettor with
carburetting liquid we provide the same with an overflow pipe d which leads
from the said chamber at the level above which it is desired the liquid shall not
rise, and conducts the overflow back to the supply tank C.
Another communication is formed between the tank C and the chamber A¹ by a
pipe e that enters the latter chamber at a height a little above the level of the
overflow outlet. This pipe e serves as a vent and allows of the escape of the air or
gas displaced from the closed tank C by the overflow liquid as the latter flows into
the tank. The said displaced air or gas mixes with the carburetted gas or air in
the apparatus and passes out therewith to be burnt. Suitable cocks d', d and e¹ és
are provided for closing the pipes d and e when required.
During the charging process one at least of the cocks in both the pipes d and e
must be closed so as to prevent the escape of air therethrough. As soon as the
charging is completed, the cock c is closed and the cocks d' d'e'e' are opened thereby
allowing the air under pressure in the tank C to escape through the carburettor,
and at the same time causing the column of liquid in the pipe a to flow back into
the tank.
For purging the carburettor of heavy hydrocarbons or residual products we
provide what we term a purge drum f closed to the atmosphere and having a cock /1
which is connected by a pipe f' to another cock on the carburettor. To the
cock is attached another pipe that descends through the upper carburetting

page_text: chamber A to the bottom of the lower chamber A'. The floor A² of the chamber A¹
is inclined towards one end as shown and preferably curved in the transverse
direction so as to form a well in which the heavy hydrocarbons will collect. The
pipe is arranged to descend to the bottom of this well. On the purge drum is
provided another cock g which is adapted to be attached to the suction pipe of an
air pump.
We prefer to extract or remove the heavy hydrocarbons from the
carburettor and re-charge the carburettor with fresh liquid by one operation, as
follow: we attach the suction pipe of the air pump to the cock g of the purge drum
and the delivery pipe to the cock c of the supply tank. We then open the said
cocks c and g, and also the cocks f' and 18 and commence to operate the pump.
The air is thus exhausted from the purge drum and forced into the supply tank,
compressing the air in the latter.
The rarefaction produced in the purge drum when sufficiently advanced causes
the residual products to be sucked up from the well of the chamber A' through the
pipe and discharged through the pipe f' into the purge drum, while the air
under pressure in the supply tank operates as above described to force the liquid
into the carburettor. Should the carburettor not be fully charged with fresh
liquid when all the residual products are extracted the suction pipe of the air pump
is disconnected from the cock g and the pump is then operated again, this time
ordinary atmospheric air being forced into the supply tank. This mode of purging
and recharging the carburettor is very advantageous as it avoids exposing the
inflammable materials to the atmospheric air, thereby avoiding the risks attendant
upon other methods of charging where the hydrocarbons are exposed to the
atmosphere, and also avoiding the disagreeable smells given off by such materials.
In some cases especially for large apparatus we prefer simply to allow the heavy
products which collect in the bottom of the chamber A¹ to flow out by gravity into
à closed tank placed underneath or near to the said chamber A. Moreover in large
apparatus we prefer to make the bottom of the chamber A' of a pyramidal shape,
with the apex pointing downwards, and into which apex is fixed the discharge
cock. In this case the overflow pipes deliver into this closed tank instead of into
the storage tank as in the arrangement previously described.
The regulating valves for governing the supply of gas or air to be carburetted
are contained in the valve chambers h one of which is shown in Figure 2.
Each valve instead of being supported by a flexible diaphragm as heretofore is
now suspended from a bell-shaped vessel i constructed preferably of glass and
arranged to float in mercury contained in an annular trough j. For supporting
the said troughs we provide a partition wall k which is made with a hole under
each bell. The valve spindle is extended above the top of the bell for the
purpose of receiving weights by means of which the bell is loaded to any desired
degree to cause the bell to sink more or less in the mercury. The area of the
valve opening is by this means conveniently regulated to suit the requirements at
any particular time. It will be seen that this method affords a ready means of
governing the position of the valves in the chambers h, as the floating bells i will
be very sensitive and will rise and fall with the increase or decrease of pressure of
the air or gas beneath the same due to any excess or scarcity of the supply as
compared with the requirements.
In order to ensure that the cocks of the overflow, vent and charging pipes shall
be set in their proper working positions after the apparatus has been changed, we
provide as follows, that is to say, we form eye holes in the squares of the said
cocks so arranged that a suitable rod may be passed therethrough, the same rod
passing through at least two of the cocks and thus locking them together. For
instance m Figure 3 is a rod adapted to be passed through holes in the eyes of the
cocks d, which rod when passed through the said holes locks the taps and
prevents their being turned. n is another rod adapted to be similarly passed
through and to lock the three cocks a', d¹ and e. The said rods m, n are bent at
one end as shown and are provided with eyes m³, n. For locking the said rods m, n
together we provide a third rod o which has a hook o' at one end and an eye at the

page_text: other. This last named rod is passed behind the rod m and its hooked portion o¹ is
passed through the eye m³. The eye of the rod o is then locked to the eye of the
rod n by means of a padlock p. It is obvious that when the rods m, n, o are placed
in position as above described, and the rod o locked by the padlock, the five
taps a', ded and e³ will be locked so as to prevent accidental or malicious turning
thereof. The eyes in the squares of the said cocks are so formed that the
cocks d', e', d, e, are locked in the open position, and the cock a' is locked in the
closed position.
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.
First. An apparatus for carburetting gas or air wherein the carburetting
chambers are arranged in a closed system with the tank or vessel containing
the supply of carburetting liquid and a purge drum or vessel for receiving the
heavy hydrocarbons or residual products of the carburettor, so that the carburettor
can be charged with fresh liquid and purged of its residual products without
exposing the inflammable materials to the atmosphere, substantially as described.
Second. The overflow pipe d and vent pipe e arranged to prevent the surcharging
of the carburettor, substantially as described.
Third. The means for purging the carburetting chamber of residual products
and at the same time re-charging the carburettor with fresh liquid, comprising the
closed purge drum provided with a cock g to which the suction pipe of an air
pump may be attached and communicating with the interior of the carburetting
chamber by pipes f' and f in combination with a cock on the supply tank, and
pipes a, a communicating with the feed cock 6 of the carburettor, the cock c being
adapted to receive the delivery pipe of the air pump, substantially as described.
Fourth. The interlocking rods m, n, o for locking the overflow, vent and feed
cocks, arranged and operating substantially as described.
Fifth. An apparatus for carburetting gas or air such as that characterized in the
first claim and having bells i floating in annular mercury troughs j for governing
the supply of gas or air, substantially as described.
Sixth. The apparatus constructed substantially as described with reference to
the drawings, and operating as specified.
Dated this 14th day of April 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicants.