Improvements in or in connection with Self-generating Vapor Burners, or Apparatus for Vaporising Liquid Hydro-carbons for Heating, Lighting, or other Purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 5th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 5th Apr., 1884
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or in connection with Self-generating
Vapor
Burners, or Apparatus for Vaporising Liquid Hydro-carbons for
Heating, Lighting, or other Purposes.
I, EDWARD THOMAS OWEN of 25 Alpha Road, Millwall, London, E.
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows: -
This invention relates to vapor burners or lamps for burning naptha, kerosene,
paraffin or petroleum oils or other liquid hydro-carbons and is designed to produce
a simple and cheap automatic lamp suitable for industrial lights, heating ignition
tubes etc. of oil engines also applicable for use as a gas generating apparatus or
other purposes and is constructed and operates in the following manner :-
The lamp consists essentially of (1st) a reservoir (2nd) a burner (3rd) connecting
pipes or passages from reservoir to burner having suitable regulating arrangements
connected therewith.
The reservoir may be of any suitable size or shape but for use as a lamp for
lighting purposes a long cylindrical vessel is advantageous provided with suitable
attachments for readily carrying hanging or standing and advantageously having a
syphon pipe fitted thereto inside-the said syphon being provided on its longer
limb with a stop valve or other suitable regulating device for controlling the supply
of oil to burner.
The burner consists in so constructing an automatic vaporizing burner that the
cage hitherto used is not required and a guard is provided for protecting the flame
from air currents, the flame almost totally enveloping the vaporizing chamber
which is thus maintained at a red heat.
This chamber (advantageously in the form of a sphere) is either in one or more
compartments and is provided with pipes mentioned above connecting these com-
partments to reservoir.
If the lamp is simply to be supplied with oil by atmospheric pressure it is
formed and acts in the following manner :-
A bulb or sphere is formed at the extremity of the pipe leading from regulating
valve and a pipe or passage leads from this bulb downwards but at its extremity is
turned up and terminates in a jet or nozzle (either having a regulating device or
not) the said nozzle being so placed that the stream of vapor issuing therefrom
impinges on the before mentioned bulb at about its bottom centre. This bulb and
pipe is surrounded with a guard advantageously provided with a small hollow or
cup at its base and having a door for facilitating lighting. Air holes advantageously
adjustable may also be provided around this guard to supply air to flame-a space
being left between this guard and the bulb for the flame to pass through.
To start the lamp the tank being filled and a suitable absorbent such as asbestos.
being placed in before mentioned cup in guard the regulating valve is turned on
and a small quantity of oil allowed to flow onto the asbestos which is then ignited
and the regulator shut for a few minutes until the bulb is hot. The regulator is.
then opened and the oil flowing into the hot bulb is vaporized and passes down to
nozzle and issuing therefrom as a vapor or gas with considerable force impinges on
the bulb and burns at the same time the flame enveloping the bulb and so keeping
it hot and extending upwards burns with intense heat and light according to the
regulation of the air supply and shape of chimney or guard.
Should it be desired to obtain a larger and more powerful flame an auxiliary
chamber can be formed in or near this before mentioned bulb having suitable pipes
or passages and regulating device connecting it with reservoir (which in this case
must be tightly closed and able to withstand internal pressure) in such a manner

page_text: that the oil flowing into this secondary chamber is vaporised and the vapor
generated is used for supplying and keeping up pressure in the reservoir so forcing
the oil to burner with greater force and giving a larger flame. Or a force pump or
other suitable means may be employed to force oil to burner which may then be
placed above reservoir if desired.
An automatic regulating device may be provided and so placed that the supply
of oil to this secondary chamber is shut off or restricted when the pressure reaches
or exceeds a certain point-thus giving an approximately regular pressure to oil in
reservoir.
When used in connection with ignition arrangements on oil engines a very much
smaller flame is required and a chimney (advantageously in the form of a small
cupola or cone having a guide cone inside) may be provided to concentrate the
flame onto the tube.
When used as a gas generating apparatus either for illuminating purposes or
driving engines a retort of suitable material and shape advantageously egg-shaped
having the large end downwards is so arranged that it is maintained at a suitable
bright red heat by the flame of burner and the oil or grease (almost any
pleaginous substance being suitable) being fed to retort in a fluid state somewhat
after the manner of oil to the burner and is there subjected to destructive distil-
lation and the resulting gas being led away can be used as motive power in an
engine or after suitable washing may be stored for illuminating. When used for
an engine the ignition tube is advantageously heated by the same burner as the
retort.
The advantage of above arrangement for gas making is that it is very safe in use
(no highly volatile oils being required) and that when once the requisite- heat has
been attained by regulating Hame no further attention is required as the gas making
*goes on automatically.
Dated this 5th day of April 1893
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or in connection with Self-generating Vapor
Burners, or Apparatus for Vaporising Liquid Hydro-carbons for
Heating, Lighting, or other Purposes.
I, EDWARD THOMAS OWEN of 25 Alpha Road, Millwall, London, E. 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 vapor burners or lamps for burning naptha, kerosene,
paraffin or petroleum oils or other liquid hydro-carbons and is designed to produce
a simple and cheap automatic lamp suitable for industrial lights, heating ignition
tubes etc. of oil engines also applicable for use as a gas generating apparatus or
other purposes and is constructed and operates in the following manner :-
The lamp consists essentially of a reservoir a vaporising chamber or retort a
nipple or burner and connecting pipes or passages from reservoir to burner via said
retort having suitable regulating arrangements connected therewith.
The reservoir may be of any suitable size or shape and is advantageously
provided with suitable attachments for readily carrying hanging or standing.
The invention further consists in so constructing an automatic vaporizing burner
that the cage hitherto used is not required while a guard is provided for protecting
the flame from air currents the flame almost totally enveloping the aforesaid
vaporizing chamber or retort which is thus maintained at a red heat.

page_text: This chamber (advantageously in the form of a sphere or of other suitable shape)
is formed with either one or more compartments and is provided with pipes
mentioned above connecting such compartment or compartments to the reservoir
or reservoirs and to the burner nipple etc. respectively.
If the burner is simply to be supplied with oil by atmospheric pressure it is
formed and acts in the following manner :-
A bulb or sphere is formed at or near the extremity of the pipe leading from
the reservoir and having a suitable regulating valve and a pipe or passage leads from
this bulb downwards but at its extremity is turned up or terminates in a nipple jet
or nozzle (either having a regulating device or not) the said nozzle being so placed
that the stream of vapor issuing therefrom impinges ou the before mentioned bulb
at about its bottom centre or other part thereof according to how this burner is
arranged to act.
a
This bulb and nozzle and adjacent pipe is surrounded with a guard advantageously
provided with a small depression or cup at its base and advantageously having
door for facilitating lighting. Air holes (the size of which is advantageously
adjustable) may also be provided around this guard to supply air to flame-a space
being left between this guard and the bulb for the flame to pass through.
To start the lamp the tank being filled and a suitable absorbent such as asbestos
being placed in before mentioned cup in guard the regulating valve is turned on
and a small quantity of oil allowed to flow outo the asbestos or other suitable
material which is then ignited (or the oil in the cup may be ignited in any other
suitable manner) and the regulator shut for a few minutes until the bulb is hot.
The regulator is then opened and the oil flowing into the hot bulb is there
vaporised and such vapor or gas passes down to the nozzle and issuing therefrom
with considerable force impinges on the bulb and burns; at the same time the
flame envelops the bulb and so keeps it intensely hot and extending upwards burns
with intense heat or light according to the regulation respectively of the oil and
air supply and shape of chimney or guard.
Should it be desired to obtain a larger and more powerful flame an auxiliary
retort chamber can be formed in or near this before mentioned .bulb or retort
having suitable pipes or passages and regulating device connecting it with the
reservoir or reservoirs (which in this case must be tightly closed and able to with-
stand internal pressure) in such a manner that the oil flowing (either from the same
main reservoir or from an independent reservoir) into this secondary retort chamber
is vaporised and the vapor generated is used for supplying and keeping up pressure
in the main reservoir so forcing the oil to the primary vaporising chamber with
greater force and giving a larger flame. Or a force pump or other suitable means
may be employed to force oil to the vaporising chamber and the vapor therein
to the burner which in such case can be placed above said main reservoir if
desired.
An automatic regulating device may be provided and so placed that the supply
of oil to this secondary chamber is shut off or restricted when the pressure reaches
or exceeds a certain point-thus giving an approximately regular pressure to oil in
the main reservoir.
When used in connection with ignition arrangements on oil engines a very much
smaller flame is required and a chimney (advantageously in the form of a small
cupola or cone having a guide cone inside) may be provided to concentrate the
flame onto the ignition tube.
When the surplus gas or vapor thus generated is to be used separately or stored
either for illuminating purposes or driving engines etc. a retort of suitable
material and shape advantageously egg-shaped having the large end downwards is
so arranged that it is maintained at a suitable bright red heat by the flame of
burner and the oil or grease (any suitable oleaginous substance being available for
this purpose) being fed to said retort in a fluid state (somewhat after the manner
of oil to the burner-as described) and is there subjected to destructive distillation
and the resulting gas or vapor being led away can be used for the explosive

page_text: flow of oil from the reservoir A to bulb Ï.
B is the pipe leading from the bulb D to the nipple E which is so arranged
that the whole or part of the vapor issuing from E impinges on the bulb D and
being ignited envelops the bulb D in flame and so maintains it at a red heat.
A cone or cover may be arranged to enclose or surround the nipple E bulb D
and flame so that currents of air are prevented from blowing the flame out and
may also serve to concentrate the flame onto any object (such as the ignition tube
of an oil engine) as shown in Fig. 3.
F is a plug or cap arranged at end of pipe B in such a manner that any foreign
substance or deposit may be readily removed.
Fig. 2 shows a burner having a retort with two chambers the one Y being used
to generate the vapor for heating the whole retort and the secondary chamber Z
may be used to generate vapor from the oil (or steam from water contained in a
secondary tank-not shown) the pressure of the vapor or steam thus generated
in Z being use to either force the oil to the primary chamber Y or it (the oil
vapor) may be led away to be burned or stored or used in any other desired
manner.
As an illustration of the use of the pressure obtained in the secondary chamber Z
shown in Fig. 2-the oil supply pipe B' leading to the primary chamber Y and
the second oil supply pipe B leading to the secondary chamber Z both conduct
oil to their respective chambers Y and Z-the pressure thus caused in Z being
conducted by the return pipe B to the upper part of the closed oil tank or
reservoir supplying Y and thereby the oil is forced at
a greatly increased
pressure to the chamber Y and thence the gas or vapor is consequently forced at
a greatly increased pressure through the nozzle E consequently giving a greatly
increased power of the flame.
Instead of conducting the pressure by the return pipe B* from chamber Z back

page_text: to the oil reservoir as aforesaid the said return pipe B' may be dispensed with and
instead thereof the gas or vapor generated in Z issues through the nozzle B
and is burnt there mingling with and thereby increasing the power of the flame
from the nozzle E.
The same end may be attained by having two separate bulbs arranged in such
a way that the flame from one heats the other for generating gas or steam which
can be applied for pressure or other purposes as before explained.
Fig. 3 shows the application of this lamp for heating the ignition tube X of an
oil motor.
V is the outer cone or cupola surrounding the ignition tube X.
W is the inner cone which encloses the bulb D and flame issuing from
nozzle E.
Fig. 4 represents one of these lamps arranged as an industrial lighting lamp→
A being the reservoir capable of withstanding pressure.
B is the pipe leading from the lower part of A to C (the regulator) all the
parts of burner being the same as Fig. 1.
G is the cover of burner provided with a suitable door or arrangement for
getting at the nipple E, lighting, etc., the base being formed cup shape (whatever
the shape of G may be) for catching any overflow of oil.
A swivelling arrangement H may be placed in any suitable position so that the
burners may readily be turned round in any desired position.
K' is the handle for operating the plunger K which works in a guide J and cup
leather to form the gland the air (or oil-if required) being sucked in through
the handles K and passing into the barrel I of this force pump through a valve L
and thence is compressed and forced through another valve or valves M placed in
such a position that it or they are situate above the level of oil in the reservoir A
so that should an accidental leak occur in these valves no oil will escape.
N is filling pipe for putting oil in reservoir.
Fig. 5 shows the lamp applied to heating stoves having asbestos or fireclay
balls etc. T as in gas stoves of a similar character.
Fig. 6 shows a nipple E¹ having three jets for illuminating lamps on this
principle.
These lamps may be divided into two heads viz. :-
(1st.) Those having the reservoir above the burner.
(2nd.) Those having reservoir below burner, and each of these into two classes
having slight modifications to adapt them to lighting or heating.
In class 1 gravity assisted by capillary or conductive action or both may be used
either with or without a force pump or auxiliary pressure from reservoir.
In class 2 force must be used to supply oil to burner either from a pump or from
the pressure of gases or vapor generated in burner in the latter case an automatic
regulator is advisable to prevent the pressure becoming too great or a safety valve
may be affixed.
In place of using a cone or enclosure such as formed by either W or G as
before described I may use other equivalent devices to restrict the free passage of
the flame in some degree-for instance a baffle plate mounted directly over the said
flame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the pature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a self-generating vapor burner for the purposes hereinbefore set forth—the
arrangement and combination of an oil reservoir a passage leading from said
reservoir to the burner nozzle, a vaporising chamber or retort introduced into said
passage between the reservoir and the burner nozzle a burner nozzle or vapor outlet
impinging on said retort and a cone shaped or other surrounding wall or equivalent
baffling appliance to control the flame substantially in the manner and for the
purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto aunexed.

page_text: 2. In a self-generating vapor burner for the purposes hereinbefore set forth-
the arrangement and combination with a reservoir a passage leading therefrom to
the burner nozzle and a retort introduced in such passage of a secondary chamber
in said retort or it may be a second and separate retort an independent pipe or
passage supplying oil or water to said secondary retort or chamber and another
pipe or passage leading the vapor or steam generated in this secondary chamber
either to the primary oil reservoir or to a storage reservoir or to a point where
same mingles with the primary flame or elsewhere substantially in the manner and
for the purpose hereinbefore described.
3. In a self-generating vapor burner for the purposes hereinbefore set forth-
the combination therewith of a secondary chamber in the retort or a second
and separate retort substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore
described.
4. The arrangement and. combination with an oil engine ignition tube or igniting
device of a self-generating vapor burner and its adjuncts arranged mounted com-
bined and acting substantially in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore
described and illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings hereunto annexed.
5. The combination with a warming or cooking stove of a self-generating vapor
burner arranged combined and acting substantially in the manner and for the
purposes herein before described and as illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings
hereunto annexed.
6. The combination with a force pump of a self-generating vapor burner arranged
combined and acting substantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore
described and illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings hereunto annexed.
7. The improved arrangement construction and combination of parts constituting
a self-generating vapor burner acting substantially in the manner and for the
purposes herein before described.
Dated this 5th day of Innuau1004
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.