Improvements in the Manufacture of Gas.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 29th Oct., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Gas.
I, ROBERT MAURICE BIDELMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at the
corner of Broad and Railroad Streets, in the City of Adrian, County of Lenawee,
and State of Michigan, Gas Manufacturer, 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:-
My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the manufacture
of gas, and is based upon the discovery that a fixed gas can be obtained by forcing
an aeriform fluid under pressure through a liquid hydrocarbon from which the
constitutent parts furnishing condensible vapors have been first removed; the air
current on its passage through the said hydrocarbon being broken up both below
and above the level of the liquid into minute streams by the agency of closely
packed absorbent solid material.
In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated a front view, partly in section,
of a form of apparatus adapted to the practice of my invention.
Referring to the drawing, A indicates a series of generating receptacles, suitably
supported upon a convenient basal support, as B. Each of these receptacles
consists of a cylindrical metallic shell, securely rivetted to metallic head-pieces a, b,
so as to constitute a vessel capable of resisting, with safety, an internal pressure of
several atmospheres. The heads a are provided with hand holes c constituting
filling openings and adapted to be closed during the gas-making operation by means
of closing plugs d. The internal arrangement of all of the receptacles A is
indicated by the one shown in section. The screw-threaded stems e of each of the
closing plugs d passes through the corresponding internally screw-threaded boss of
the bridge so as to be capable of being drawn tightly against the inner edges
of the filling openings to make an hermetic joint, through which the gas cannot
escape..
Beneath the series of receptacles A extends a supply pipe C whereby the liquid
hydrocarbon employed in the operation may be admitted through branches, g, into
the receptacles. Each branch is provided with a shut-off valve h and the supply-
pipe with a shut-off valve i. A glass gauge m for each of the receptacles indicates
at all times the level of the oil therein.
A few inches above the bottom of each receptacle A is located a perforated false
bottom n, adapted to support a superincumbent densely packed body of absorptive
solid porous material such as wood charcoal or its equivalent. The various
receptacles A are connected in series with each other by pipes E extending from
the top of one receptacle to below the perforated false bottom of its neighbor in the
series. An exit pipe F leads directly to the gas holder from the last member of
the series of receptacles. A vessel D similar in construction to the receptacles A
except that it is devoid of perforated false bottom, oil supply pipe or filling of
porous material is provided with an inlet pipe G for air under pressure supplied
from a suitable source of compressed air. The function of the vessel D is to serve
as an equalizing chamber between the receptacles A and the compressor thereby
compensating for the pulsatory action or throbbing of the latter and furnishing a
uniform current of compressed air to the receptacles. It is provided with a pressure
gauge H.
The aeriform fluid, preferably compressed air, is supplied from the compressing
pump to the equalizing chamber or vessel D through the inlet pipe G, provided-
with a shut off valve

page_text: The operation of the invention is as follows: The liquid hydrocarbon employed
is forced from a suitable supply reservoir, (preferably underground and outside of
the building wherein the gas is being generated) through the supply pipe C and its
branches g into the receptacles A, until said hydrocarbon fills the space below
the perforated diaphragms n and rises above said diaphragms well up into the
body of the filling of charcoal to a point indicated by the dotted lines x-x on the
drawing.
The liquid hydrocarbon employed is a distillate of a petroleum oil obtained from
oil wells in the vicinity of Lima, State of Ohio, and known as Lima oil; the
distillate has a specific gravity of substantially 0.698. This distillate contains
substantially none of the light gravity gasoline and other kindred constituents
which in ordinary carburetting operations furnish vapors condensible under
ordinary temperatures and conditions of pressure; said light gravity products
having been removed or driven off during the first stages of the process of pro-
ducing the said distillate. I have found by experiment that such distillate contains
in solution hydrocarbons which may be taken up and removed as fixed gases by
passing through the distillate a current of air under pressure, so as to constitute
with said air a mixture furnishing a heating gas which may be stored for use in
holders and conducted through supply maius to great distances without appreciable
condensation under ordinary conditions, and indeed without as much condensation
as ordinary coal gas under like circumstances.
When the liquid hydrocarbon attains the height referred to, the cocks in the
branch pipes g are closed and the cocks in the inlet pipe G and outlet pipe F are
opened. Compressed air from the compresser thereupon flows into the vessel D,
and is supplied therefrom under an equalized pressure to the receptacles A; passing
successively from one receptacle A to the next in series by means of the pipes E,
and finally through the exit pipe F to the point of storage or use.
In the practice of my invention, I have obtained the most satisfactory results by
employing in connection with the vessel D a series of generating receptacles eight
in number, of the construction of receptacles A, the compressed air being forced in
by a double acting compressor at an initial pressure of two and a-half pounds, the
engine making ten strokes per minute and the cylinders being sixteen inches long
by twelve inches in diameter, the depth of the oil in the generating receptacles
being about twelve inches and the perforated diaphragm being about three inches
from the bottom of the receptacle.
Upon the issuance of the air from the equalizing vessel D below the diaphragm
of the first generating receptacle, said air passes at once into the body of liquid
hydrocarbon contained therein and thence upward through the perforations of the
diaphragm and through the submerged portion of the charcoal filling, taking up in
its passage the fixed gases contained in the distillate described. The submerging
of the lower portion of the charcoal filling to a substantial depth within the oil and
below its level has the function of breaking up and dividing the air current, while
still below the oil level, and in fact during substantially its entire period of passage
below the oil level, into minute streams thereby presenting an obstacle to the
passage of the air rapidly and in large bubbles through the oil body. The small
or minute streams of air on their passage from the submerged portion of the
charcoal filling through the superjacent unsubmerged portion are screened of the
globules of the distillate which they would otherwise carry over with them into
the next receptacle, and pass over into said next receptacle and through its contents
taking with them the fixed gases only. In like manner the air on its passage
through the succeeding generating receptacles of the series takes up a constantly
increasing volume of fixed gases, and finally issues under a low pressure through
the outlet pipe F and passes to the point of storage or use.
Analyses of the gas produced show that it contains intermixed with the air, a
percentage of about three parts of fixed hydrocarbon gases, of which marsh gas is
the principal constituent, the other constituents being olefiant gas and heavy

page_text: Oxygen
19-16%
The gas is of high calorific power, heating wrought iron rapidly to bright redness
when inserted in the flame without the addition of any air blast, and, when introduced
into a muffle furnace with the addition of an air blast being capable of producing
an intense white heat sufficient to fuse fire-brick and of melting copper or other
metal.
Another, and important use to which the gas may be applied is to furnish the
flame for heating the mantels of illuminating burners. In this use of my invention
I have during the winter season carried the gas continuously for months, in a
permanent street main supplying Welsbach burners, to a distance of over two
thousand feet from the gas holder, with practically no condensation, and although
the main makes a number of turns at right-angles to each other along the line, and
at points dips a number of feet below grade.
While, in the foregoing description I have referred to a Lima distillate of a
specific gravity of substantially 0.693 as suitable for the practice of my invention,
I do not desire to limit myself to such distillate nor to the particular specific
gravity mentioned, but intend to cover broadly the employment of similar oils
containing in solution fixed gases capable of being removed by the forcing air
through the oil body, but substantially devoid of constituents furnishing condensible
vapors.
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 method of generating a fixed gas, which consists in first substantially
removing from a liquid hydrocarbon the constituent parts which would furnish
condensible vapors, and subsequently taking up and removing the fixed gases by
passing through the residue an aeriform fluid under pressure; substantially as
described.
2. The method of generating a fixed gas, which consists in first substantially
removing from a liquid hydrocarbon the constituent parts which would furnish
condensible vapors, submerging a body of absorbent porous solid material within
the residue, and subsequently taking up and removing the fixed gases by passing
through said porous material and residue an aeriform fluid under pressure; sub-
stantially as described.
3. The method of generating a fixed gas, which consists in forcing an aeriform
fluid under pressure through a petroleum hydrocarbon which has been deprived of
those vapors which condense at the ordinary temperatures of a gas main; sub-
stantially as described.
4. The method of generating a fixed gas, which consists in forcing an aeriform
fluid under pressure through a Lima oil distillate of substantially 0.698 specific
gravity; substantially as described.
Dated thig 97th dox of Cantombar 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.