IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING ILLUMINATION BY MEANS OF LIQUID HYDROCARBONS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Denton Abel of N° 28 Southampton Buildings
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex for an Invention of IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING ILLUMINATION BY MEANS OF LIQUID
HYDROCARBONS communicated to him from abroad by Julius Pintsch of
Berlin in the German Empire.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Denton Abel at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd February 1883.
CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane
in the County of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING
ILLUMINATION BY MEANS OF LIQUID HYDROCARBONS" [A communication to him
from abroad by Julius Pintsch of Berlin in the German Empire]
This invention relates to apparatus for effecting illumination by means of liquid
hydrocarbons, more particularly applicable for floating lights and lighthouses, but
also applicable with advantage to other illuminating purposes. The apparatus
consists mainly of a receptacle for containing the liquid illuminant, a receptacle
for compressed air or gas, which, through the mediation of à regulator, is caused to
propel the liquid to the place of combustion, and the burner with its lantern.
This arrangement therefore differs from the system of floating lights described in
my correspondent's former Patent No 4151 of 1876 (in which compressed
illuminating gas was employed as the illuminating medium) in that the illuminant
is, in the present case, stored in a liquid form in the apparatus, that is, in a form
which enables considerably smaller receptacles for the illuminant to be used, and
yet such that the illuminating apparatus can be maintained in operation for a
much greater lenghth of time than with the former system.
The necessary distance between the burner or lantern and the recipient for liquid
in a floating light is too great to allow of the latter being drawn up by the

page_text: 'capillary attraction of a wick to the burner, and consequently the pressure of
compressed air or gas is employed to force the liquid up to the requisite height, the
pressure of the air being so reduced and controlled by means of a regulating
apparatus on its passage from the compressed air receptacle to the receptacle for
liquid, that notwithstanding that a high and varying pressure may exist in the
former, the pressure in the latter is maintained at a constant and moderate degree,
just sufficient to keep the column of the liquid always maintained at the requisite
height. As the consumption of compressed air only takes place in proportion to
the consumption of liquid by the lamp burner, and is consequently but small, it
follows that the compressed air receptacle need also be of only moderate dimensions
to operate for a long time. In arranging: the apparatus for floating lights there is
placed within the body of the buoy or lightship, a vessel, by preference of
comparatively long cylindrical shape, which is divided by air tight diaphragms or
partitions into three separate chambers, one above the other, the lowest of which
contains the liquid hydrocarbon, supplied thereto from time to time through a
tube passing up through the two upper compartments, and having its mouth, which
is situated within the top compartment closed airtight by a cover. The second
compartment contains the compressed air or gas, with which it is charged from
time to time from a large compressed air recipient in a boat brought alongside for
that purpose and connected temporarily with the said compartment by a pipe
leading therefrom provided with a stop cock or valve. The top compartment which
is closed above the level of the deck of the buoy or lightship by a watertight cover,
contains a regulator, which may be of any, known construction, that will cause the
compressed air entering it at a high and varying pressure through a pipe leading
from the compressed air compartment, to issue at a uniform reduced pressure from
the regulator to the compartment containing the liquid hydrocarbon. By
preference however a regulator is employed for this purpose, constructed as
described in my correspondents former Patent No.8101 of 1873;
ile
The compressed air at a uniform and reduced pressure, is led from the regulator
by means of a pipe, provided with a stop valve and passing down to nearly the
bottom of the hydrocarbon vessel, and from the same point rises a second pipe,
leading up to the burner of the lamp, supported on a suitable pedestal at the
required height above the deck, so that the air pressure entering the hydrocarbon
vessel will cause the liquid hydrocarbon to be- forced up through the. last...named
pipe to the burner,. the regulator being so adjusted that the air pressure is just
sufficient to raise the liquid up to the burner, and by causing both the inlet pipe
for compressed air and the outlet pipe for the liquid to have their lower orifices
immersed to the same level in the liquid, it will be evident that the air pressure
required to maintain the column of liquid will be constant, no matter how much
the level of the liquid in the hydrocarbon vessel may vary. The said pipes for
supply of compressed air and discharge of liquid might also be arranged outside
the hydrocarbon vessel, provided that their lower ends both communicate
therewith at. about the same level near the bottom.
' 1
'
The burner employed may be of any suitable known "description for burning
hydrocarbon liquid, but by preference burners are used in which the hydrocarbon
is volatilised before entering into combustion, so as to require no wick. For this
purpose a burner of the following construction is employed. The pipe leading the
liquid up to the burner communicates with an annular tube, or chamber, from
which, at another point, a tube descends to a second chamber situated centrally
below the annular one, the orifice through which the descending tube communicates
with the central chamber being regulated by a conical screw plug. The top of the
central chamber has a number of nozzles reaching up to the level of the annular
tube. Thus, assuming the burner to be in aétion; the liquid hydrocarbon rises up
into the annular tube, is there volatilised by the heat of the flames issuing from
the nozzles and descends through the before mentioned tube to the central chamber,
whence it issues through the nozzle and there enters' into combustion. . .In order to
i

page_text: convey the heat of the flames as much as possible to the annular tube, a metal
disc is provided in the central space of the annular tube, on which it rests, and
holes or notches are formed in the disc through which the flames of the burner rise,
thus heating the disc, which conveys such heat to the annular tube. By preference
the liquid hydrocarbon is not forced right up into the annular tube, but only to
some short distance below it in the supply tube, and the upper part of the latter,
as also part of the annular tube, are filled with asbestos, the capillary action of
which draws the liquid up in a sufficiently limited quantity to enable the whole of
the liquid entering the annular tube to be volatilised before it descends in the form
of vapour to the central chamber; the supply tube may also be partly filled with
cotton below the asbestos. The burner is surrounded by a cylindrical casing
extending a certain distance down from the annular tube; and open at bottom;
whereby a more effectual air draught is supplied to the flames of the burner.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
"the said
aid Charles Denton Abel in the Great Seal Patent "Office" on the
20th August 1883.
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CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane
in the county of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING
ILLUMINATION BY MEANS OF LIQUID HYDROCARBONS," A communication to me
from abroad by Julius Pintsch of Berlin in the German Empire
This invention relates to apparatus for effecting illumination by means of liquid
hydrocarbons, more particularly applicable for floating lights and lighthouses, but
also applicable with advantage to other illuminating purposes. The apparatus
consists mainly of a receptacle for containing the liquid illuminant, a receptacle for
compressed air or gas, which, through the mediation of a regulator, is caused to
propel the liquid to the place of combustion, and the burner with its lantern.
This arrangement therefore differs from the system of floating lights described
in my correspondents. former Patent N° 4151 of 1876 (in which compressed
illuminating gas was employed as the illuminating medium) in that the illuminant
is, in the present case, stored in a liquid form in the apparatus, that is, in a form
which enables considerably smaller receptacles for the illuminant to be used, and
yet such that the illuminating apparatus can be maintained in operation for a
greater length of time than with the former system.
The necessary distance between the burner or lantern and the recipient for
liquid in a floating light is too great to allow of the latter being drawn up by the
capillary attraction of a wick to the burner, and consequently the pressure of
compressed air or gas is employed to force the liquid up to the requisite height,
the pressure of the air being so reduced and controlled by means of a regulating
apparatus on its passage from the compressed air receptacle to the receptacle for
liquid, that notwithstanding that a high and varying pressure may exist in the
former, the pressure in the latter is maintained at a constant and moderate degree,
just sufficient to keep the column of the liquid always maintained at the requisite
height. As the consumption of.compressed air only takes place in proportion to
the consumption of liquid by the lamp burner, and is consequently but small, it
follows that the compressed air receptacle need also be of only moderate dimensions
to operate for a very long time. An arrangement of the apparatus for floating
lights is shewn in the accompanying drawings, fig. 1 being a section of the floating
vessel, and the other figures shewing to an enlarged scale details of construction.
There is placed within the body E of the buoy or lightship, a vessel, by preference
of comparatively long cylindrical shape, which is divided by air tight diaphragms
or partitions into three separate chambers A, B and C, one above the other. The
lowest A contains the liquid hydrocarbon, supplied thereto from time to time
through a tube f passing up through the two upper compartments, and having its
mouth, which is situated within the top compartment C, closed airtight by a cover g,
as shewn in fig. 2 which is a section and fig 3 a plan of the compartment C. The
second compartment B contains the compressed air or gas, with which it is charged
from time to time from a large compressed air recipient in a boat brought
alongside for that purpose, and connected temporarily with the said compartment
by a nozzle h' provided with a stop cock or valve, and a pipe h. The top compart-
ment C which is closed above the level of the deck of the buoy or lightship by a
watertight cover d contains a regulator D which may be of any known construction

page_text: that will cause the compressed air entering it at a high and varying pressure through
a pipe leading from the compressed air compartment B to issue at a uniform
reduced pressure from the regulator to the compartment A containing the liquid
hydrocarbon. By preference however a regulator is employed for this purpose,
constructed as described in my correspondent's former Patent N° 8101 of 1873.
Figs. 4 and 5 shew the connections of the regulator to the two compartments and
the regulator. The compressed air at a uniform and reduced pressure is led from
the regulator D by means of a pipe m n, i, provided with a stop valve and passing
down to nearly the bottom of the hydrocarbon compartment A, and from the same
point rises a second pipe o leading up to the burner of the lamp G which is sup-
ported on a suitable pedestal F at the required height above the deck, so that the
air pressure entering the hydrocarbon compartment A will cause the liquid bydro-
carbon to be forced up through the pipe o to the burner, the regulator D being so
adjusted that the air pressure is just sufficient to raise the liquid' up to the burner.
As both the inlet pipe n for compressed air and the outlet pipe o for the liquid
have their lower orifices immersed to the same level in the liquid, the air pressure
required to maintain the column of liquid is constant, no matter how much the
level of the liquid-in the compartment A may vary. The pipes n and o for supply
of compressed air and discharge of liquid might also be arranged outside the
compartment A provided that their lower ends both communicate therewith at
about the same level near the bottom.
The burner employed may be of any suitable known description for burning
hydrocarbon liquid, but by preference burners are used in which the hydrocarbon
is volatilised before entering into combustion, so as to require no wick. For this
purpose a burner is employed of the construction shewn in section by fig. 6 and in
plan partly sectional by fig. 7. The pipe o leading the liquid up to the burner
communicates with an annular tube or chamber p, from which, at another point, a
tube q descends to a second chamber situated centrally below the annular
chamber p, the orifice through which the descending tube communicates with the
central chamber being regulated by a conical screw plug. 8. The top of the
chamber r has a number of nozzles u reaching up to the level of the annular tube p.
Thus, assuming the burner to be in action, the liquid hydrocarbon rises up the
pipe o into the annular tube p, is there volatilised by the heat of the flames issuing
from the nozzles u, and its vapour descends through the tube 9 to the central
chamber whence it issues through the nozzles u and enters into combustion.
In order to convey the heat of the flames as much as possible to the annular
tube, a metal disc of which fig. 8 is a plan, is placed in the central space of the
annular tube p on which it rests, and holes or notches are formed at the edge of
the disc, through which the flames of the burner rise, thus heating the disc, which
conveys such heat to the annular tube. By preference the liquid hydrocarbon is
not forced right up into the annular tube p but only to some short distance below.
it in the supply tube o, and the upper part of the latter, as also part of the annular
tube p are filled with asbestos, the capillary action of which draws the liquid up
in a sufficiently limited quantity to enable the whole of the liquid entering the
annular tube p to be volatilized. The supply tube may also be partly filled with
cotton below the asbestos. The burner is surrounded by a cylindrical casing w,
extending a certain distance down from the annular tube p, and open at the
bottom, whereby a more effectual air draught is supplied to the flames of the
burner.
Having thus described the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I
claim in respect of apparatus for effecting illumination by means of liquid bydro-
carbons
·
First: The combination of a reservoir containing compressed air or gas, a pressure
regulator, and a reservoir containing liquid hydrocarbons with their connections
arranged and operating substantially as herein described.

page_text: Second: The construction of burner for combustion of liquid bydrocarbon
"without a wick substantially as herein described with reference to figs, 6, 7
and 8.
In Witness whereof I the said Charles Denton Abel have hereunto set my
hand and seal this twentieth day of August in the year of our Lord, One thousand, 5
eight hundred and eighty-three.