Improvements in Apparatus for Generating and Carburetting Water Gas.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 4th June, 1895-Accepted, 27th July, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Generating and Carburetting
Water Gas.
I WALTER ALEXANDER FOURNESS of 14 Thorncliffe Grove, Oxford Street,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Gas Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to apparatus or plans for generating and carburetting
water gas, and consists in an improved construction or arrangement of the generator
applicable for the production of water gas for all purposes, and of the carburetting
apparatus and in the combination of the improved generator and carburetting
apparatus, the object of the inventor being to utilise the fuel and oil in the best
manner by means of comparatively simple apparatus.
My improvement in the construction of the generator consists in placing at the
bottom of the chamber containing the coke a cast iron cylindrical box, having a
cover of convex or conical or equivalent shape, and forming an annular space or
chamber round said box into which the ashes or coke can drop off the cover.
The air and steam blast is introduced into the box preferably so as to strike the
cover, which heated by the incandescent coke above it heats the air or superheats
the steam, the blast issuing from the box through openings in the sides all round
the same into the annular chamber, and thence into the upper coke chamber. The
heated blast distributed all round the coke chamber rapidly heats the coke to
incandescence when blowing up, and the steam being likewise heated and evenly
distributed is rapidly decomposed, and the fuel and heat utilised in an economical
manner.
The improved carburetting apparatus consists of a cast iron cylinder or pipe,
filled with a large number of grids or perforated trays, and open at the bottom and
supported by cast iron supports placed upon the floor of the setting. The cylinder
is surrounded by a brick setting in a shell, leaving an annular flue space between
The cylinder is
them, which communicates with the generator at the upper end.
closed at the top and has an outlet pipe fitted with a two way valve or equivalent
valve arrangements for conducting the gas either to the chimney or the purifiers
and gasometer. The oil for carburetting is admitted through the usual sight feed
apparatus to the flue space surrounding the carburetting cylinder, and is preferably
heated previously in cisterns or drums surrounding either the outlet pipe or the
Below the carburettor [
pipe leading from the generator to the carburettor.
arrange an air supply pipe controlled by a valve and preferably arranged so that
the air issues in a diffused state. The sides of the carburetting chamber or
cylinder may be straight, or corrugated, and baffle plates or bricks may be
arranged in the annular flue surrounding the same.
While the coke is blown into incandescence, the producer gas passes from the
generator down the annular flue surrounding the carburettor and under the bottom
edge of the same, where it mixes with the second air supply and is ignited and
fully burnt to carbonic acid, the flame ascending the carburettor through the
grids and trays, heating the outside and inside of the carburettor to a red heat,

page_text: and is then conducted to the chimney. The air supply is then shut off in both
places and steam blown into the generator. The water gas meets with the oil in
the annular flue, where the oil is vaporised and ascends with the water gas through
the grids or trays of the carburetter and is fixed by the heat thereof, the water oil
gas being conducted to the purifiers and gasometer.
Dated the 2nd day of August 1901
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, and 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.
Improvements in Apparatus for Generating and Carburetting
Water Gas.
I, WALTER ALEXANDER FOURNESS of 14 Thorncliffe Grove, Oxford Street,
Manchester in the County of Lancaster, Gas Engineer do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to he
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to apparatus or plant for generating and carburetting
water gas and consists in an improved construction of the generator applicable
for the production of water gas for all purposes, and of the carburetting apparatus,
and in the combination of the improved generator and carburetting apparatus,
the object of the invention being to utilise the fuel and oil in the best manner by
means of comparatively simple apparatus.
On the drawing appended hereunto Fig. 1 shows a sectional elevation of a
carburetted water gas plant embodying my improvements and Fig. 2 a sectional
plan of the improved carburetting chamber or retort.
Referring to the drawing, A represents the generator, B the pipe or conduit
leading from the same to the carburetter, C the carburetter, D the outlet pipe from
the same leading to the hydraulic seal E, F the pipe leading from the same to the
condenser G with scrubber H. I the oil cistern, K a sniall oil pump, L an oil
heating cistern, M a steam boiler, these parts being except in so far as hereinafter
specified, constructed in any ordinary manner.
My improvement in the construction of the generator or water gas producer A
consists in placing at the bottom of the chamber containing the coke or fuel a
cast iron plate a of conical or convex or other shape raised in the centre and
sloping downwards towards the periphery and supported preferably by a cast iron
cylinder a', and in forming an annular space or flue bronnd said cylinder and
plate into which the ashes can drop off the cover, doors b', preferably three, being
provided for cleaning out the ashes. The bottom plate a may be supported on a
cylinder built up in brickwork or upon feet, openings a' being made or arranged
in the side of the cylinder or between the supports.
The air blast from a fan or other blower (not shown on the drawing) is
introduced under the bottom plate a through the pipes c, valve and pipe c
preferably from the bottom so as to strike the plate or roof a which heated by the
incandescent fuel above it heats the air, the blast issuing from the box formed by
the plate a and cylinder a' or its equivalent through the openings a³ in the sides
all round the same into the annular chamber band thence passing into the upper
fuel chamber. The heated blast distributed all round the fuel chamber rapidly
heats the coke to incandescence when blowing up. The steam for producing
water gas is in a similar manner conducted from the boiler M through valves m
and m and pipe m² to the cylindrical box or under the plate a entering preferably
from the bottom so as to strike the plate or roof and become superheated by

page_text: contact therewith, after which it issues through the lateral openings a² into the
annular space or flue 6 and passes to the fuel. Being superheated and evenly
distributed it is rapidly decomposed and the fuel and heat are utilised in the most
economical manner. This arrangement of cast iron bottom plate for heating and
diffusing the blast is applicable to water gas generators for any purpose.
The improved carburetting apparatus consists of a fire brick jacket d
preferably contained in a shell and a preferably cast iron cylinder or pipe e
fitted with a number of cast iron grids or perforated trays el or equivalent
chequer work. The cylinder e is open at the bottom and supported on cast iron
or brick supports, placed upon the floor of the carburetter, so that the bottom
end of the cylinder is raised off the floor. The grids el are so disposed that the
bars of consecutive grids cross each other. Instead of grids discs perforated
with round or square holes may be used or other perforated trays or bars or in
some cases chequer work arranged to break up and divide the current of gas and
present a large contact surface to the same. The cylinder e is surrounded by a
jacket d of fire brick of such diameter that an annular space o is left round the
cylinder e. The jacket may be contained in and held together by an iron shell ¹
or by plates in the usual way. The annular space round the cylinder e
communicates at the top end with the top of the generator A through the pipe
or conduit B so that the gas from the generator enters the annular space at the
top, passes down outside the cylinder e and up through the inside thereof. The
top of the cylinder e is fitted with a cover having an outlet pipe D which is
provided at the top with a valve or damper y that can be opened or closed by
means of a lever g' and chain 92, a branch on the pipe D leading through the
elbow pipe D' to the hydraulic seal E. Below the open end of central pipe e I
arrange an air supply pipe or blower connected through pipes and valve h
to the blast pipe c. The nozzle of the blower is preferably arranged as shown
with a closed end and lateral outlets and the end plate projecting over the
sides so that the air issues from the blower and enters the cylinder e in a diffused
state.
The sides of the cylinder may be straight as shown or corrugated or formed
with projections and preferably rings of baffle bricks are built out from the brick
wall of the jacket the openings between them in the rings aiternating so that the
current of gas is broken up and a large contact surface presented to it.
The oil for carburetting may be introduced in the manner shown on the
drawings. The oil supply is contained in a cistern I from which it is drawn
through pipe by a pump K and forced up the pipe into a cistern I placed upon
the top of the carburetting apparatus and surrounding the outlet pipe D so that
the oil becomes heated therein. It then passes through pipe n, tap n' and pipe n²
which is protected against burning by an outer pipe n³, and issues in a more or less
vapourised state through the pipe o' into the space o surrounding the cylinder C.
Or instead thereof the oil may be led from the top into this space o or be
introduced into the generator from the top or by means of steam blast in any
hitherto known manner, the manner of feeding the oil to the apparatus not being
part of my invention. The oil cistern L may be arranged to surround the neck B¹
or pipe B.
Obviously instead of arranging one tall carburetting fixing retort C two or
more shorter ones may be used, the gas issuing from the top of the first cylinder
being conducted to the top of the jacket surrounding the second one and down
this jacket and up the second cylinder. Or the cylinder or cylinders C may be
placed horizontally each surrounded by a jacket so arranged that the gas travels
first along the outside of the cylinder in one direction and then passes through the
same in the opposite direction, an air blower being arranged opposite to the open
end of the cylinder.
Cast iron cylinders filled with grids or chequer work heated externally and
provided with end covers and inlet and outlet pipes have been used before for
superheating carburetted water gas, but have not been heated both externally and

page_text: internally by passing round and through them the hot gases produced by blowing
the fuel into incandescence nor been surrounded by a jacket through which the
water gas and oil vapours were passed previous to their entry into the cast iron
cylinder.
The plant represented on the drawings may he operated in the following way:
After the fire has been lit in the generator A and the apparatus generally heated,
the damper being open, coke is charged into the generator through the charging
hule a³, the lid of which is then closed and the air valve e opened and the coke
blown into incandescence, the air being heated in the box a and distributed all
round the generator in the manner hereinbefore described. The hot gases pass
through the pipe B into the jacket o at the top and descend in the same, the
current being broken up by projecting battle bricks, and enter the cylinder Cat
the bottom end. The valve is opened at the same time, so that a current of air
mixes with the gas, which usually contains a considerable quantity of carbon
monoxide, so that the latter is burnt, whereby an intense and rapid heating of the
cylinder C and the cast iron grids or plates in the same is effected. The gas then
passes out through pipe D into the atmosphere. Air may also be supplied to the
gas through pipe p valve pl and blower p² to the gas in pipe B so as to burn part
of the combustible components and obtain an intenser heat at the top of the
carburetter. After the coke has become sufficiently incandescent, the air blasts
are shut off and the damper g closed. The steam valve m' is then opened and
steam blown into the box a, whence it issues into the annular space band the
generator, after having become superheated by contact with the roof al of the
The water gas formed by the steam and coke passes up the pipe B and
enters the jacket o. The valve n is opened and the pump started, which draws oil
from cistern I and forces it through the heater L and pipes into the pipe n² where
it becomes more or less vapourised and mixes in that state with the water gas. The
combined water gas and oil vapour then passes down the jacket and up the
cylinder C, in which by contact with the heated walls and grids or chequer work
the oil vapour becomes decomposed into permanent hydrocarbon gases and
incorporated in the water gas. The carburetted water gas passes through the
pipe D into the hydraulic seal E, thence through pipe F into the condenser Gand
scrubber H in the direction indicated by arrows and finally out of the outlet 7. to
the holder. Oil may be used in the hydraulic seal and scrubbers. When the
box a.
gas
12
coke has become reduced in temperature so that it no longer decomposes the steam
the oil supply and steam blast are shut off and the air blast turned on again, and
the action repeated. In order to be able to shut off the oil supply before or
without stopping the pump K, a relief valve k is arranged on the delivery pipe l
which opens under increased pressure in the pipe and allows the pumped oil to flow
back into the cistern I.
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. 1n water gas generators the arrangement and use of a cast iron bottom
plate having a curved or conical face sloping downward from its centre towards
the periphery thereof and supported on a perforated cylinder or equivalent support,
and surrounded by an annular flue, and of the inlets for the air and steam blast
respectively underneath said plate."
2. The construction of a carburetting and fixing apparatus for use in
manufacturing carburetted water gas consisting of a cylinder fitted with grids,
perforated plates or chequer work and being open at one end and provided with an
outlet at the other end and surrounded by a firebrick jacket in such a manner that
the gases from the generator are made to pass along the outside of the cylinder
in one direction and through the same in the opposite direction, an air blower being
arranged opposite to the open end of the cylinder substantially as and for the
purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawing.

page_text: 3. In a plant for producing carburetted water gas the combination of a generator
fitted with a cast iron bottom plate as claimed in the first claim and a carburetting
and fixing apparatus as claimed in the second claim.
Dated the 31st day of May 1895.
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, and 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.