Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Gas.
Year: 1889

page_text: te of Application, 31st Dec., 1889-Accepted, 1st Feb., 1890.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE FUEL GAS AND LIGHT IMPROVEMENT COMPANY,
of America (Incorporated), of No. 32, Park Place, in the City of New York,
United States of America.]
Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Gas.
I HENRY EDWARD NEWTON of the Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil 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 consists in locating within a shell or body, preferably of refractory
material, an evaporator or superheater. An oil supply pipe communicates therewith.
Above the evaporator and superheater, is a carbureter, and carbonizer, between which
and the evaporator and superheater there is a communicating pipe or passage.-Above
the carbureter and carbonizer is a converter or decomposing chamber in communica-
tion with the carbureter and carbonizer. Communicating with the converter or
decomposing chamber, there is a passage for stean, hydro-carbon, and oxygen or air,
which passage is preferably in the form of an injector.-There is an outlet for
permanent gas through the evaporator and superheater.
The carbureter and carbonizer is so constructed that it will comprise a vapor
chamber and a mixing chamber communicating with each other through passages or
tuyeres.
The evaporator and superheater comprises a number of tubes of refractory material,
through which the highly heated gaseous products will pass, and these tubes are made
in sections, one of which sections will be made of refractory material, and the other of
which will be made of metal.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of apparatus embodying this invention.
Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line xx, Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line y y, Fig. 1.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the Figures.
A designates the main shell or body of the apparatus. As shown, this shell is
cylindrical, and may be made of metal, with a lining a of fire brick or any other
suitable refractory material, of any desired thickness.-In the lower portion of the
body, there is formed a chamber B, into which chamber the permanent gas, after
having been manufactured, is received, and from which it may be discharged
through an outlet pipe provided with a suitable valve b'.-Extending from the
pipe b, is a stack, provided with a valve or damper 63. Above the chamber B
is an evaporator and superheater C.-This evaporator and superheater comprises,
as here shown, a number of vertically extending cylindrical tubes c c*, a sufficient
number of such tubes being employed to nearly fill the space in which they are
enclosed by the refractory material a.
The portions c of the tubes are made of any suitable refractory material, such,
for instance, as fire clay.-The upper ends of said tubes are received in a tube
plate C', which tube plate extends entirely over the upper end of the evaporating
and superheating chamber, and is, as shown, supported at its edges within the
refractory material a.-The said portions c of the tubes are shown as shouldered
near their upper ends, where they extend through the tube plates (.-Near their
lower ends, the portions c are also shouldered, and are received within the
portions of the tubes, which portions are by preference made of metal, and
open at their lower ends, through a tube plate (2, into the chamber B. The said
portions of the tubes are in this instance arranged in a receptacle C2*, also
preferably made of metal, and provided near its upper edge with a horizontally

page_text: extending flange c7, supported in the refractory material a.-Into the receptacle C2*,
hydro-carbon oil to be evaporated and superheated is delivered through a pipe C³,
provided with a cock e. The hydro-carbon thus delivered into the receptacle C2
fills, or partially fills, the space between the portions c* of the tubes, and when
evaporated, passes upwardly about the portions c of the tubes in manner about to
be described.
D designates a converter or decomposing chamber located in the upper portion of
the case or body of the apparatus.-This converter is covered by a top or crown of
sufficient thickness to prevent loss of heat by radiation, and is provided with an
outlet d upon its upper side, which may be closed by a cap or cover d¹.
Into the converter D is injected a mixture of liquid hydro-carbon, superheated
steam, and oxygen or air. It is preferred to introduce this mixture by means of an
injector, comprising a pipe d³ provided with a cock d'. The steam is preferably super-
heated. With the injector communicates a pipe d³, provided with a.cock d³, and
through which the liquid hydrocarbon is drawn by the entering steam.
At the same
time, oxygen or air in suitable quantities is drawn in through a pipe d', in which is a
cock d. The mixing of the hydro-carbon, steam, and air or oxygen occurs outside
the converter D, and they enter the latter through an opening or tuyere do in a
thoroughly mixed condition.
In starting the apparatus, the cover d¹ is raised; and the mixed hydro-carbon, steam,
and air or oxygen is ignited. When thoroughly ignited, the cover d' is closed, and
combustion then takes place in the converter. The intensely heated products of com-
bustion pass downwardly through a contracted neck or passage E, forming a mixing
chamber, and located about centrally in the bottom of the converter, and communicating
at its lower end with a chamber Fabove the evaporator and superbeater C. At this
time, the valve 6' in the pipe b is closed, and the valve or damper 63 in the stack b² is
open. The products of combustion from the chamber F pass downwardly through the
tubes ccx, thence into the chamber B below the evaporator and superheater, from
which they are carried off through the stack 2. This preliminary operation is for
the purpose of thoroughly heating the converter D, and the evaporator and super-
heater (, and in carrying out this operation it is preferred to use only a limited amount
of steam, and a certain amount of hydrocarbon.
A proper degree of heat having been obtained, the supply of steam and liquid
hydrocarbon is somewhat increased. Liquid hydrocarbon is at this time admitted
through the pipe C³ to the receptacle C* in any desired quantity. The superheated
hydrocarbon vapour then passes upwardly about the tubes c c*, and thence through a
pipe G, provided with a cock g, into a vapor chamber G¹ surrounding the mixing
chamber E, and communicating with the latter through a number of openings or
tuyeres g. The mixing chamber E and vapor chamber G¹ constitute, in effect, a
carburetter and carbonizer, whereby the lean gas from the converter or decomposing
chamber is enriched by the hot hydrocarbon vapors from the evaporator and
superheater.
In the converter D, the oxygen, or the oxygen of the air, and steam, combine with
the carbon of the liquid hydrocarbon to produce combustion and decomposition,
thereby liberating the hydrogen from the steam and hydrocarbon by decomposition,
whereby carbonic acid and hydrogen are produced.
Additional carbon, or hydrocarbon admitted through the pipe d³, absorbs the
oxygen from the carbonic acid, thereby forming carbonic oxide. If this additional
carbon or hydrocarbon were not thus introduced, however, the carbonic acid would be
absorbed while the gas from the converter was passing through the inizing chamber E,
there producing the same result. The highly superheated carbon vapors from the
evaporator and superheater are delivered in fine jets through the passages or tuyeres gl
into the hydrogen and carbonic oxide descending from the converter. The hydro-
carbon vapor, by being thus thrown in atomised contact with those gases while they
are incandescent, or at a very high temperature, undergoes destructive distillation, and
is converted into a permanent gas.
By making the portions of the tubes c c* of refractory material, and conveying

page_text: the gaseous products directly down through such tubes, not only is the life of the
portion of the tubes which is subjected to the greatest heat materially prolonged, but
a complete volatilization of the hydrocarbon is readily effected, and it is more highly
superheated than would be the case were such portions of the tubes made of a
different material.
The highly superheated carbon vapour may be taken from the pipe G directly into
the pipe d³, and the supply of liquid hydrocarbon cut off from the pipe d³, if desired;
the only supply of carbon will then be the vapour.
If any carbon should remain unconverted, it may be condensed out by an ordinary
condenser, and used over again.
When nitrogen is present or produced, as when air is used, it is neutralized by the
hydrocarbon.
The permanent gas is conveyed away through the pipe b, the valve 61 being of
course open, and the valve or damper d³ of the stack being closed, and is there
washed, scrubbed, purified, and otherwise treated in the usual manner.
More than one injector for introducing hydrocarbon, steam, and oxygen or air to
the chamber D, may be used, if desired.
Although the apparatus is represented as extending vertically, so that products of
combustion pass downwardly, it might of course be arranged in other positions, and
such products be otherwise directed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me from
abroad, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In an apparatus for manufacturing illuminating gas, the combination with a
shell or body, of an evaporator and superheater located therein, an oil supply pipe
connected therewith, a carbureter and carbonizer above the evaporator and super-
heater, a pipe or passage affording communication between the evaporator &
superheater, and the carbureter and carbonizer, a converter or decomposing chamber
above the carbureter and carbonizer, and communicating therewith, a passage for
steam, hydrocarbon, and oxygen or air communicating with said converter or decom-
posing chamber, and an outlet for permanent gas through the evaporator and super-
heater, substantially as specified.
2. In an apparatus for manufacturing illuminating gas, the combination with a
shell or body, of an evaporator and superheater located therein, an oil supply pipe
connected therewith, a carbureter and carbonizer above the evaporator and super-
heater, comprising a vapour chamber and a mixing chamber communicating with
each other through passages or tuyeres, a converter or decomposing chamber above
the carbureter and carbonizer, and communicating therewith, a passage for steam,
hydrocarbon, and oxygen or air communicating with said converter or decomposing
chamber, and an outlet for permanent gas through the evaporator and superheater,
substantially as specified.
3. In an apparatus for manufacturing illuminating gas, the combination with a
shell or body, of an evaporator and superheater located therein, and comprising
pipes of refractory material through which the heated gaseous products will pass, a
carbureter and carbonizer above the evaporator and superheater, a pipe or passage
effecting communication between the evaporator and superheater and the carbureter
and carbonizer, a converter or decomposing chamber above the carbureter and
carbonizer and communicating therewith, a passage for steam, hydrocarbon, and
oxygen or air communicating with said converter or decomposing chamber, and an
outlet for permanent gas below the evaporator and superheater, substantially as
specified.
4. In an apparatus for manufacturing illuminating gas, the combination with a
shell or body, of an evaporator and superheater located therein, and comprising pipes
composed of sections, one of which sections is of refractory material, and the other
of which is of metal, through which tubes the heated gaseous products will pass, a
carbureter and carbonizer above the evaporator and superheater, a pipe or passage

page_text: effecting communication between the evaporator and superheater and the carbureter
and carbonizer, a converter or decomposing chamber above the carbureter and
carbonizer and communicating therewith, a passage for steam, hydrocarbon, and
oxygen or air communicating with said converter or decomposing chamber, and an
outlet for permanent gas below the evaporator and superheater, substantially as
specified.
T
1
T
1000