Improvements in or relating to the Generation and Storage of Acetylene.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Generation and Storage of
Acetylene.
I, ROBERT RENTON GIBBS, of 22, Elgin Drive, Egremont, in the County of
Chester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its object a device for automatically regulating the
generating of acetylene gas from carbides such as carbide of calcium. Hitherto
the carbide of calcium has been put in a cage in a gasometer, and as the water
in the gasometer is displaced by the gas the evolution of the acetylene ceases, but
the moment a sufficient amount of acetylene has been withdrawn for the water to
again reach the carbide, the evolution commences afresh. One disadvantage of
this system is that when the gasometer is standing for a considerable time and the
carbide is exposed to the damp acetylene gas it continues to evolve acetylene and
thus increase the pressure, thus either driving out all the water and causing an
e.cape, or with some apparatus endangering the safety of the gasometer. Further
by the present process there is no satisfactory method of mixing ordinary gas or
air with the acetylene. Furthermore every time the basket has to be charged,
the top of the gasometer has to be opened, thus allowing the charge of acetylene
to escape.
Now my invention is designed to overcome these evils. In place of a basket I
form a perforated diaphragm in the floating part of the gasometer and place the
carbide on this diaphragm. Secondly, I place a thick layer of oil over the water
parily to check evaporation and partly to prevent the damp carbide gas from coming
in contact with the acetylene. The oil also very quickly displaces round and
among the carbide both the water and the acetylene gas. Thirdly, I bring a tube
from the bottom of the gasometer up through the centre to near the top and I
bring a tube from the top of the gasometer down to near the bottom of the gaso-
meter surrounding the first tube and very considerably larger in diameter. This
second tube is perforated near the top. By this arrangement I can draw off the gas
from above or below as I prefer and at either point I can introduce ordinary coal
gas, or other gas or vapour. The top or floating gasometer is supported by weights
in the usual manner. In order to introduce the carbide without the escape of gas
I adopt a double seal or its equivalent. The simplest plan is simply to have a
flexible sleeve of any gas tight material compressed at top and bottom and in
order more easily to compress it I prefer to place an india-rubber tube in the
centre. The top of the sleeve is untied, the sleeve filled with carbide, the bottom
untied, and the material allowed to fall into the basket or on to the diaphragm, the
sleeve pressed flat for a moment and tied again at the bottom. Another plan con-

page_text: sists of a mercury or preferably oil seal or siphon. The hand is introduced through
the oil with a lot of carbide and the carbide tipped over the lip of the seal into the
basket or on to the diaphragm, or I may have two bells, one over the other with
an oil or mercury seal, raise one bell fill the part below with lumps of carbide
taking care there be no small particles to drop into the seal and then lower the
lower bell with its seal and allow the material to slide off its edge into the con-
tainer. The lower bell is now brought back and a swivelling catch is then put in
place to support the bell in its normal position. It is obvious however that an
inclined chute could take the place of the bell, a valve or damper being raised to
allow the material to slide off the inclined plane. In such case a cylinder with
open bottom and sloping edges can be placed on this inclined plane in a depression
in the top of the upper gasometer cut away at one side for the valve. The cylinder
can be filled with carbide, an india-rubber seal placed above the carbide, the
valve opened and the seal pressed down like a piston. The carbide now slides off
in the container, the piston descending prevents the acetylene rising, the valve
closes, and the cylinder with its piston can be removed at leisure and re-charged.
Dated the 9th day of June 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant
Improvements in or relating to the Generation and Storage of
Acetylene.
I, ROBERT RENTON GIBBS, of 22, Elgin Drive, Egremont, in the County of
Chester, 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 has for its object a device for automatically regulating the
generating of acetylene gas from carbides, such as carbide of calcium. Hitherto
the carbide of calcium has been put in a cage in a gasometer and as the water
in the gasometer is displaced by the gas the evolution of acetylene ceases, but
the moment a sufficient amount of acetylene has been withdrawn for the water to
again reach the carbide the evolution commences afresh. One disadvantage of
this system is that where the gasometer is required to stand for a considerable
time without gas being withdrawn and the carbide is exposed to the damp acetylene
gas it continues to evolve acetylene and increases the pressure thereby thus,
either all the water is driven out thereby causing an escape of gas or with some
apparatus the safety of the gasometer itself is endangered. To avoid this difficulty
safety valves have been suggested, but these allow of the escape of a poisonous and
bad smelling gas into the air. Further by the present process there is no satis-
factory method of mixing ordinary gas or air with acetylene, and further
every time the basket is charged the top of the gasometer has to be opened, thus
allowing a large quantity of acetylene to escape.
Now my invention is designed to overcome these evils. It is best described by
aid of the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a vertical section."
Figure 2 a section of an oil seal hereafter described.
In these A is a tank, and B a gasometer counter-balanced in this tank by
weights Q. L is a pipe rising from cock / up the centre of the base of the tank

page_text: and O is a pipe surrounding the same and acting as a guide, and also as a path for
the acetylene to escape by through holes P. The object of these two pipes is to
enable one to draw off the gas either through cock or cock Y without either the
water or the petroleum floating thereon being drawn off with it. They also act as
steadying devices for the gasometer B pipe O being fixed to the gasometer and
pipe to the tank. Tank A is filled with water to any convenient height and
above this water a thick layer U of oil is poured. Gasometer B is a sheet iron
bell which can be counterweighted or not as desired by weights Q. In small
machines no counter weights are used. Said gasometer has a diaphragm C and at
the top is supplied with a feeding device S. The feeding device shown consists
of a chamber S into which the carbide is filled. This slides within the vertical
tube s which forms part of the gasometer B. The lid of the chamber S is then
fixed in place and the chamber being lowered, the carbide slides off the slanting
bottom of chamber S into the chamber B through the side opening in chamber S.
Chamber S is then drawn up until its mercurial seal T immerses the bottom of the
tube s and is held in position by the swivel catch shown by dotted lines. Figure 2
shows another form of seal in which there is a syphon filled with oil. The hand is
inserted through this oil and the carbide passed over the lip t into the chamber B.
Another plan of charging the generator without material loss of gas is set forth
in the Provisional Specification, namely, the use of a rubber sleeve, but, as there
are numerous disadvantages in using this rubber sleeve namely that, except when
tied up by an expert, it is liable to leak, and also it is not as durable as these
other kinds, I have not thought it worth while to mention it in the Complete
Specification.
In order to work to the best advantage the oil used at V should have little
viscosity but should not be too volatile at ordinary temperatures. Light mineral
oils are quite suitable.
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 application of oil for keeping the carbide free from damp.
2. The various arrangements for charging without material loss of acetylene
substantially as herein described and illustrated.
3. The general arrangement and construction of generating device with remov-
able diaphragm and struts taken as a whole substantially as illustrated in Figure 1.
11 Jul 1907
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London.