Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for Generating Acetylene Gas.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 20th Jan., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for Generating
Acetylene Gas.
I, AUGUSTE ROUMA, of 62, Rue du Vertbois, Liége, in the Kingdom of Belgium,
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 relates to acetylene gas generating apparatus, and has for object
a mechanism for automatically regulating the production of acetylene gas by
the fall of calcium carbide into water; the regulation of the production of this
gas proportionately to requirements, with regard to consumption, is effected by
the rise and fall of the bell of the gasometer.
Upon the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated an example of the
apparatus.
Figure 1 is a side view of the apparatus with a section of the casing of the
carbide distributer.
Figure 2 is a side view of the apparatus in a slightly modified form.
Figure 3 shews in plan the governor mechanism of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a plan view of a safety hook.
Figure 5 shows on an enlarged scale, the regulating mechanism of Figure 2.
The apparatus consists principally of a distributing device for the calcium
carbide and of a regulating mechanism for this distributer; the former is
actuated by a weight, the latter by the rise and fall of the gasometer bell.
The mechanism for distributing the calcium carbide consists of a magazine or
drum a keyed upon a vertical shaft 6 and provided with a suitable number (for
instance 13, Figure 3) of tubes e intended each to receive a sufficient quantity of
carbide for the evolution of a determined volume of acetylene gas less than the
capacity of the gasometer bell. The shaft 6 is provided at its lower end with a
bevel wheel which engages the bevel wheel of a shaft g whose other end
carries a grooved pulley h around which is wound a cord or chain attached to
which is a weight i. Each tube c is closed at its base by a door or flap which opens
and closes automatically by means of any well-known device (not shewn on the
drawings).
The drum a is furnished with a ratchet wheel k, Figure 1, engaged by a
pawl pressed against the ratchet wheel by a spring and controlled by the
gasometer bell by means of a special device hereafter described.
A cord or chain m is fixed to the bell of the gasometer, passing over guide
rollers, wound around a pulley, n and secured to a weight. This pulley n carries
upon one of its faces, the pins o and p and is keyed upon the shaft 7. This

page_text: latter carries loosely a hammer r which, under the action of the bell of the
gasometer rising consequent upon the generation of acetylene gas, is carried by
the pin o until the latter abuts against a stop s placed beyond the vertical plane
on the axis of the pulley n, so that the hammer remains in this position so long
as the bell rises; it is the same for the wheel n stopped by the hammer. When
the bell of the gasometer begins to descend, the pulley n then turns in the
opposite direction and the pin p slowly approaches the hammer r in order to
push it afterwards to the left, Figures 1, 2 and 5 As soon as the hammer r
passes the vertical plane towards the left, it pivots or swings around the axis q,
strikes with force the head of a cranked lever t whose other end operates the
pawl. Under the shock, the lever t draws the pawl towards the left and this
latter is momentarily disengaged from the ratchet wheel k but it is at once
brought by its spring against this wheel to engage again the following tooth of
the ratchet k. During the actual moment of the disengagement of the pawl 1,
the weight i has been brought into action and has put in rotation the shaft b
and the drum a which advances by one tooth, which exactly corresponds with
one of the tubes c of the drum. During this rotation, the flap of the said tube c
opens. Thereupon, the contents of this tube c are diverted by the pipe u into
the generator and a new evolution of acetylene gas takes place. The bell
of the gasometer when again raised will re-perform the above-described
movements.
The ratchet wheel k may be keyed on the shaft 6 in place of being fixed on the
periphery of the drum a or rather it may be placed loosely on this shaft b. and
then it is drawn during the rotation of the piece fixed to b. by means of
springs wor pegs y or even by these two arrangements, Figures 2 and 3.
On Figures 3 and 4 I have shewn a safety arrangement for the purpose of
arresting the movement of the drum a in case the pawl 7 after its disengagement,
is not immediately again brought into gear with the ratchet wheel k. This
arrangement consists of a cranked lever z and 2, Figure 4, capable of pivoting
upon an axis 3.
The arm 2 of this lever ends in a hook and the arm z in a fork
and the drum a which arvances by one tooth, which exactly corresponds with
which embraces a pin 4 of pawl 1, Figure 5 The arms z and 2 form an angle
such that when the pawl 7 has freed the ratchet wheel k, the hook of the arm 2
engages towards the middle of a tooth of this wheel; if, then, the pawl 7 is not
immediately brought back into gear, the hook prevents the drum a from turning
for more than one tooth and from diverting into the generator, a quantity of
carbide greater than that contained in a tube c.
Instead of the two pins o and p of the wheel n, I may make use of a single pin.
To mitigate the shocks produced by the abrupt stopping of the carbide
magazine and to slow down and regulate the movement of this latter, the shaft
may, for example, be provided with any well known arrangement such as a
fly-wheel x, Figures 1 and 2, placed freely on this shaft and driven at the time
of movement, by a pawl engaged by a ratchet wheel on the shaft g.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
-
(1). In apparatus for the production of acetylene gas, a mechanism for the
automatic liberation of the calcium carbide distributer, characterised by the
employment of two pins op arranged upon a pulley n actuated by the bell of
the gasometer, one of which at the time of the rise of the bell draws a hammer r
whilst the other during the descent of the bell pushes back the hammer which,
in its fall strikes a levert operating the stopping pawl 7 of the calcium carbide
distributer, substantially as described.
(2). In combination with the regulating mechanism claimed in the foregoing
claim, a safety mechanism consisting of two-armed pivoting lever 2 z controlled

page_text: by the pawl in such a manner that when this latter disengages from the ratchet
wheel k, the hooked arm 2 of the lever falls into a tooth of this wheel, substantially
as described.
D
11
1000
GEDGE & FEENY,
Chartered Patent Agents, 60, Queen Victoria Street, London.