Improvements in Acetylene Gas Generators.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Oct., 1897-Accepted, 20th Nov.,
1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Acetylene Gas Generators.
I, LEROY S. BUFFINGTON, of 816 Logan Avenue, Minneapolis, in the State of
Minnesota, one of the United States of America, Architect, 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 reference
being had to the accompanying drawings:
My invention relates to gas generators for controlling the production of gas, by
regulating the contact of solid and liquid substances as in the production of
acetylene.
Gas generators according to my invention may have various forms, as for
example, that of a lamp, of a gas plant for supplying a house or a building, or a
plant adapted to be carried by and to supply a railway train or other moving or
portable structure.
In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention, like characters
indicate like parts in the several figures.
Figure 1 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, with
some parts broken away, the generator arranged as a reading lamp.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the carbide cartridge or shell employed
for the lamp, Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the cartridge.
Figure 4 is a vertical central section of a form of the generator suited for a
bicycle or velocipede lamp.
Figure 5 is a perspective view shewing the absorbent lining strips used in the
cartridge shewn in Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of portions of the absorbent lining pieces shewn
in Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a central vertical section through another form of the generator for
a stand lamp..
Figure 8 is a side elevation of the cartridge or shell shewn in Figure 7.
Figure 9 is a side elevation of the said cartridge, shewing its parts separated.
Figure 10 is a plan of the cartridge, with the sealing cap or cover removed.
Figure 11 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, illustrating
the generator arranged as a plant or apparatus for supplying a house, or other
locality with gas.
Referring first, to Figures 1 and 2, a is a vertical rod rising from a base a¹.
a is a hollow sleeve fitted to slide on a and to be held thereon by a set-screw a³
is a gas burner in communication with the hollow of a²; and a5 is a shade
supported by a bracket a6 a7 is a cylindrical shell or case closed at the upper end
and divided into a water compartment a8 and a generating chamber a by a hori-
zontal partition a¹º. all is a concentric cylindrical partition extending down from
the partition a¹0.
The lower open end of the shell a7 and the generating chamber a can be closed
by a removable cup-like bottom a¹ which is slid into the lower portion of the

page_text: shell a'. with sufficient friction to hold it in position, and it contains a sealing
liquid z, into which the lower end of the partition all is immersed to form an air-
tight joint. a¹³ is a deep cup supported within the partition all on a pin a¹ which
mises from the bottom a¹².
The generator is connected to the sleeve a³ by 'a short neck a¹; and the gener-
using chamber a' communicates with the cavity of a² through a condensing coil 15,
immersed in water in the compartment a³.
The device for controlling the feed of the water from the water compartment a³
into the generating chamber a is substantially the same in all the lamps illus-
trated in Figures to 7, inclusive. y is a piece for a valve seat which, in Figure 1,
is secured to the centre of the horizontal partition a10, and is provided with a
cavity that terminates, at its lower end, in a small discharge orifice which is
adapted to be opened and closed by means of a needle valve. This needle valve
stem extends through the cover of the generator compartment being screwed
through the upper portion of the piece y and it has a needle point y³, which
projects through the small orifice of the cavity y extending below it so as to serve
as a dripping point for the water which passes through the cavity y¹. The screw-
threaded portion of the stem y² has a vertical groove to permit water to pass into
the cavity y. The lower part of is very thin so that there is very little surface
adjacent to the needle point of the valve, to which the water can cling by capillary
attraction. A considerable body of water is thus always held close to the point
where it is dropped; and a very slow and even feed of the water is thus made
possible.
Atmospheric pressure on the water in the compartment as is permitted by a small
air passage y³ in the upper portion of the valve stem y³, through its head y6 and by
a lateral branch.
An important feature of my invention is an expansible cartridge or shell which
contains the carbide or similar gas-producing substance. This cartridge or shell;
when made air and water-proof, is adapted for the shipment and storage of the
carbide; and being expansible, it can be placed within the generator; serving as
a carbide holder which can expand as required to contain the increased bulk of the
lime residue or solid product of the decomposition.
·
This expansible cartridge or shell consists of a pair of cylindrical_cup-like
sections 1 and 2, which engage with each other telescopically. As shewn in
Figures 1 and 2, the head of the cartridge section 2 has a number of holes 3 and an
inwardly extending feed spout 4 with a bell-mouth 5. 2 indicates the carbide in
the cartridge. This cartridge is placed in the cup a3 and in the chamber a³, with
the funnel mouth 5 directly under the needle point y³ of the valve y² so that the
water dropping from the point is conducted by the tube 4 to the bottom of the cart
ridge, attacking the carbide at the bottom and working its way up:
The gas
generated will work its way up through the carbide and escapes into the
chamber a through the holes 3, and thence passes through the condensing
coil a and hollow of a to the burner a¹. As the gas passes through the con-
lensing coil a¹5, it is cooled and such vapour or moisture as is held in suspension
by it is precipitated and runs back into the generating chamber a; and onto the
carbide in the cartridge.
In the bicyle lamp illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6, 6 is a light shell or bulb
holding water, which has at its bottom a short neck 61 and is then expanded and
provided with a screw-threaded rim 62. The generating chamber 63 consists of a
cylindrical cup or vessel which is screwed to the rim 62 of the bulb b. A
passage 65 leads to a gas burner 66 having reflector 67, secured to the cup 64 by a
bracket 68 69 is an internal cup which is placed within the generating chamber,
and has holes 10 for passage of the gas. This cup 69 acts as a shield to prevent
water, which is dropped into the generating chamber, from reaching the
gas burner.
In this construction the valve seat piece y is secured in the neck 1; and the
head of the valve stem bears against a compressible washer y' which friction-
ally holds the valve wherever it is set,

page_text: The cartridge or carbide shell 1, 2 is placed within the internal cup 69. The head'
of the shell section 2 has a large central water passage 6 and a number of smaller
holes 7. The water passage 6, is directly under ne'needle point y³ of the valve y³..
To prevent the cartridge from jumping or moving about, as the lamp vibrates, a
coiled spring presses upon the cartridge.
The interior of this cartridge is provided with a cylindrical lining 8 of absorbent
material, preferably blotting paper; and has an absorbent disc 9, covering the
inner surface of the head; and also a pair of absorbent cross partitions 10, which
extend across the cylinder 8, and are slotted, as shewn at 11, so as to straddle each
other. The carbide z¹ is placed in the compartments formed by the parts 8, and 10..
The water which is dropped onto the absorbont disc 9, is fed by capillary attraction
first to, and through the absorbent parts 8 and 10, being thus caused to thoroughly
permeate the carbide.
In Figure 7, which shews a stand lamp, f is an outside shell which may be orna-
mental having a base f¹. f is the water vessel from which a cylinder f³ extends
downwards. f is a large cylindrical cup which is placed within the shell f into
the upper end of which the water vessel f2 fits. f is the generating chamber.
The vessel f contains a sealing liquid into which the lower edge of the
cylinder 3 is immersed to prevent the escape of gas from the bottom of the
generating chamber. An inside cup or cylindrical shield fo is placed within
the cylinder f³, being supported by a pin f7 from the bottom of the vessel f*.
The vessel is provided with a gas burner fe as the centre of its top, communi-
cating with, the generating chamber through a condensing coil f10 wound within
said water vessel f³.. :
The cartridge used with this lamp, is very similar to that shown in Figures 1
and 2, except that the feed tube 4 and its funnel mouth 5 are perforated as shewn
at 12, and said parts have a covering 13. of blotting paper or other absorbent
material. Preferably, this absorbent covering 13 extends as a disc 14 covering
the inner surface of the head of the shell section 2.
In Figure 11, which illustrates a generator for the supply of a building, g g
indicate, respectively, the fixed and the movable parts of a gas holder. is a water
vessel secured to g, and having a cylinder g³ extending down from it. g is the
outer cylindrical shell of the generating vessel. This vessel g is made with 'an
annular well containing the scaling liquid 3, into which the lower edge of the
cylinder is immersed to form a gas-tight joint. The vessel is removably
secured to the vessel g2 by a bayonet joint or other suitable means, not shewn. An
internal cylindrical cup is loosely placed within g
The gas is conducted from the generating chamber into the gas holder g g¹ first
through a condensing coil g in the water vessel g², and then through a valved
pipe 9. Water is supplied to the generator through a small pipe g that opens
from g below its water level and terminates in a spraying device g10 at the centre
of the generating chamber. The cock g¹¹, in the pipe g, has on it a lever g¹³ having
a weight on its one arm to close the cock, the other arm is connected by a cord
or chain to the movable part gl of the gas holder and this cord or chain carrying a
weight; g¹³ passes through a hole in the arm of the lever g¹³, and has a lug or
stop g16 which bears on the lever and opens the cock gl, whenever g¹ descends
beyond a predetermined point. Thus the generating action is rendered automatic;
the gas being generated as fast as it is used. g constitutes a removable bottom for
the generating chamber.
The carbide cartridge, for this apparatus, is substantially identical with that
shewn in Figures 1 and 2, except that a disc of blotting paper or absorbent
material 15 covers the inner face of the head of the section 2. The cartridges may
all be sealed or rendered air and water-proof, by means of caps or covers 16,
(Figure 3) made of cardboard or paper, saturated and coated with parafine and
cemented or otherwise secured over the open ends of the cartridges.
As the water chambers communicate with the atmosphere, through the passages y³
while the pressure of the gas within the generating chambers is normal, water feeds

page_text: by gravity into the generating chambers, but whenever, the pressure of the gas
is too great gas can escape through the valved passage in y, and thence, to the
atmosphere. The pressure is thus reduced and further generation of gas is stopped
for a time.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what. manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. An acetylene gas generator for a reading lamp substantially as described with
reference to Figure 1.
2. The modified generator for a velocipede lamp, substantially as described
with reference to Figure 4.
3. The modified generator for a stand lamp, substantially as described with
reference to Figure 7.
4. The modified generator for supply of a building, substantially as described
with reference to Figure 11.
5. A carbide cartridge consisting of two parts, a cup and an inverted cup teles
copically sliding within the other, substantially as described with reference to
Fig. 9, for the purpose set forth.
! 6. In an acetylene gas generator the combination of an upper vessel containing
water and a condensing coil immersed therein, the said vessel provided with an
adjustable needle valve and with a cylinder extending down from and enclosing
a cup which contains the carbide cartridge an outer vessel having its upper end
detachably connected to the water vessel and its lower end adapted to contain a
liquid seal, substantially as described.
Dated this 15th day of October 1897.