Improvements in Apparatus for Generating and Burning Gas from Heavy Oils or Carbonaceous Fluids.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Nov., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 27th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 27th Sept., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Generating and Burning Gas from
Heavy Oils or Carbonaceous Fluids.
I WILLIAM GILBERT ROBINSON of Ainley Grange, Elland, in the County of York,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My said invention relates to portable and fixed lamps for producing and burning
gas from heavy oils and carbonaceous fluids. In my improved apparatus the oil or
fluid is admitted to the generator in the usual manner from an attached or adjacent
reservoir or vessel and the generator is subjected, when the lamp is at work, to the
heat of the burner so as to evolve gas from the said oil, the said gas being thereafter con-
ducted to the burner and there consumed. My invention relates more particularly to
the construction of the generator and burner so as to render the interior of the
generator more easily accessible for cleaning out purposes and also to simplify its con-
struction and reduce its cost, while the burner is designed so as to prevent or diminish
the possibility of the light being blown by the pressure out of touch with the burner
and to obviate undue fluctuations of the light while at work. My improved generator
is composed of a series of tubes, arranged in a triangular form, each triangle forming
a tubular tier lying in the horizontal plane and any number of the said tiers being
arranged one above another, although I at present consider three such tiers to be
sufficient. The lower triangular tier or tube is connected by a pipe to the oil reservoir
and the oil after circulating round the three sides of the tubular triangle rises through
a connection to the second tier and having similarly circulated through the second
tier rises to the third and so on if there are more tiers than three. During this
circulation it is subjected to the heating and volatilising effects of the tubes and gas
is formed. From the last tier the gas is led by a pipe to the burner beneath the
generator. For convenience of manufacture I cast the several triangular hollow tiers
in one piece. The united ends of the hollow triangular tiers or tubes in the horizontal
plane are closed by screwed stoppers so that a cleaning tool can be inserted into either of
the two hollow tubular sides of each triangle from one united end, while the ends of the
hollow connections in the vertical plane between the three tiers are similarly closed by
screwed stoppers so as to permit of the easy cleaning out of the said hollow connec-
tions. When the lamp is at work and the oil is being converted into gas, the supply
of oil is continuously acted upon by the heat as it makes its way through the hollow
triangular tiers, the oil being thus converted into gas under the most favourable and
economical conditions. Although I consider it most convenient to cast the generator
in one piece it will be evident that it might be built up from separate portions. By
its triangular form the generator encloses the flame on all sides and is subjected to its
heat in the fullest degree. The argand or air mixing portion of the burner is made
under my improvements of a hollow globular form or egg shape in its interior, the
upper and lower orifices being contracted relatively to its maximum inner diameter.
I have found that in this form of air mixer the flame is less likely to be blown away
from the burner by an abnormal access of pressure in the reservoir as the hollow
globular or oviform mixer with contracted influx and efflux orifices seems to control
and govern the pressure and thus save the light not only from being put out but also
from undue fluctuation while burning. By a convenient mode of construction the
said hollow portion of (or adjunct to) the burner which I have termed the air mixer is
cast in one with or secured to the ordinary foot tray upon which the usual preliminary
heating funnel or the ordinary protecting wind guard or casing is placed. The said
tray is secured by thumb screws or other convenient means to the bottom of the
aforesaid gas generator.
My aforesaid improvements may be used in combination with existing lights in

page_text: which the pressure in the reservoir is obtained from a motor or a hand pump or other
auxiliary means or the said improvements may be used in conjunction with a lighting
apparatus in which the pressure in the oil reservoir is obtained automatically by
utilising the pressure of the gas evolved in the generator, as for example in the
lighting apparatus forming the subject matter of an application which I have made
for Her Majesty's Royal Letters Patent dated the 2nd day of March 1889 and
numbered 3696.
Dated this 27th day of November 1889.
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Generating and Burning Gas from
Heavy Oils or Carbonaceous Fluids.
I WILLIAM GILBERT ROBINSON of Ainley Grange Elland in the County of York
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 and accompanying drawings :-
:-
My said invention relates to portable and fixed lamps for producing and burning
gas from heavy oils and carbonaceous fluids. In my improved apparatus the oil or
fluid is admitted to the generator in the usual manner from an attached or adjacent
reservoir or vessel and the generator is subjected when the lamp is at work to the
heat of the burner so as to evolve gas from the said oil the said gas being there-
after conducted to the burner and there consumed. My invention relates more
particularly to the construction of the generator and burner so as to render the
interior of the generator more easily accessible for cleaning out purposes and also
to simplify its construction and reduce its cost while the burner is designed so as
to prevent or diminish the possibility of the light being blown by the pressure out
of touch with the burner and to obviate undue fluctuations of the light while at
work. My improved generator is composed of a series of tubes arranged in a
triangular form each triangle forming a tubular tier or section lying in the horizontal
plane any number of the said tiers or sections being arranged one above another
although I at present consider three such tiers to be sufficient.
In order that the construction of my improved generator may be clearly understood
I will describe the generator with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein
Figs. 1 and 2 are elevations representing two opposite sides of the generator and
Fig. 3 is a plan of the same.
The generator may be used in combination with existing lights in which the
pressure in the reservoir is obtained from a motor or a hand pump or other auxiliary
means or the said improvements may be used in conjunction with a lighting apparatus
in which the pressure in the oil reservoir is obtained automatically by utilising the
pressure of the gas evolved in the generator.
The generator as drawn is designed to form part of lighting apparatus constructed
in accordance with the invention for which Her Majesty's Royal Letters Patent
dated the 2nd day of March 1889 and numbered 3696 have been granted to me.. in
the said drawings a represents the pipe which would communicate with the upper part
of the reservoir and 6 the pipe which would communicate with the lower part of the
reservoir. The pipe 6 opens into one end of a tube e which is of a triangular form
resembling three short tubes connected together as clearly shown in Fig. 3.
b
The tube c is connected by a short vertical tube c' with a tube d which is also of
triangular formation and is connected by a short tube d¹ with a third triangular tube e
which opens into a vertical tube f which at its upper end is connected with the pipe a
and also with a vertical gas tube g which conveys the generated gas to the burner h.
The oil entering by the pipe 6 flows through the three limbs of the section c rises
through c¹ into the section d and flowing round to d¹ rises into the section e through
which the oil or oil gas passes into the tube faud through the coupling ƒ¹ into the

page_text: pipe g. During this circulation the oil becomes volatilised by the beat of the tubular
sections and is converted into gas or vapour which is conveyed by the pipe g
and branch g¹ to the burner hand is burnt in the ordinary manner the flame
ascending through the space partly enclosed by the triangular tubes and imparting
the required heat to such tubes. For convenience of manufacture I cast the com-
bination of sections and tubes c c'd d¹ and e in one piece as indicated in the
drawing. Openings are formed at two of the angles of each section and each
opening is closed by means of a screwed stopper i. When these stoppers are
removed a cleaning tool can be passed in succession through the three passages in
each triangular section.
The ends of the vertical passages in c¹ and d¹ and of the tubes or pipes f. g. and g¹
are similarly closed by means of stoppers; for the same reason. When the lamp is at
work and the oil is being converted into gas the supply of oil is continuously acted
upon by the heat as it makes its way through the hollow triangular sections the oil
being thus converted into gas under the most favourable and economical conditions.
Although I consider it most convenient to cast the generator in one piece it will be
evident that it might be built up from separate portions. By its triangular form the
generator encloses the flame on all sides and is subjected to its heat in the fullest
degree. The argand or air mixing portion of the burner is made under my improve-
ments of a hollow globular form or egg shape in its interior the upper and lower
orifices being contracted relatively to its maximum inner diameter.
This formation is illustrated by Fig. 4 which represents a vertical section of the
said air and gas mixer which appears at k in Figs. 1 and 2. I have found that in
this form of air mixer the flame is less likely to be blown away from the burner by an
abnormal access of pressure in the reservoir as the hollow globular or oviform mixer
with contracted influx and efflux orifices seems to control and govern the pressure and
thus saves the light not only from being put out but also froin undue fluctuation while
burning. By a convenient mode of construction the said hollow portion of (or
adjunct to) the burner which I have termed the air mixer is cast in one piece with or
is secured to the ordinary foot tray / upon which the usual preliminary heating funnel
or the ordinary protecting wind guard or casting is placed. The said tray is secured
by thumb screws or other convenient means to the bottom of the aforesaid gas
generator.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination of parts constituting the apparatus for generating and con-
suming oil gas or vapour for lighting purposes substantially as set forth and
indicated.
2. The generator consisting of the triangular shaped hollow sections connected
together so as to have a continuous inside passage with provision for cleaning such
passage substantially as set forth and indicated.
3. The hollow spherical or ovoidal air and gas mixer applied as and for the purpose
set forth and indicated.
Dated this 26th day of August 1890.