IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS FOR HEATING AND LIGHTING PURPOSES AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick William Colls, of Erith, in the County
-
of Kent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF GAS FOR HEATING AND LIGHTING PURPOSES AND IN THE APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREFOR,”
"
Sealed the 1st July 1873, and dated the 28th April 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick William Colls
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 28th April 1873.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM COLLS, of Erith, in the County of Kent, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS FOR HEATING AND LIGHTING PURPOSES AND IN THE
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR,” to be as follows :-
The Invention relates to a new and improved mode of manufacturing
gas in which. I employ apparatus specially contrived so as to enable
suitable gases. to be combined and amalgamated with suitable hydro-

page_text: carbons, or other oils or spirits, in order to produce therefrom, econo-
mically a permanent gas of high illuminating and intense heating
properties.
I have ascertained that by producing and treating carbonic acid in
the manner herein-after described, a very valuable and cheap permanent
illuminating gas may be obtained..
In order to carry the Invention into practice I construct two ranges
or benches of retorts at some little distance from each other, so that a
pipe herein-after described, communicating between the two can have
a slight dip or depression of about one inch to each foot of its length.
The retorts on the higher level I call the gas retorts, and those on the
lower the carburetting retorts. But for the purpose of this description
I will suppose there is only one gas retort, and one carburetting retort,
and one pipe having the required dip communicating between the two.
At a point in this pipe between the two retorts I place a junction' or
coupling communicating direct with a vertical tube composed of suitable
materials, as glass or metal, provided with means whereby the height or
quantity of oil or spirit in the interior of such vessel may be ascertained.-
The bottom of this junction tube nearest the gas retort is: provided with
a slight projecting lip which contracts the orifice or bore of the commu-
nicating pipe at a point immediately behind its junction with the
vertical pipe before mentioned which leaves the full bore of the pipe
open from such junction to the carburetting retort. The top of the
vertical pipe before mentioned is provided with an "union" or other
means of attachment by which one end of a surpentine pipe can be
inserted and secured therein. The termination of this pipe in the
vertical tube is considerably contracted so as to make its outlet or point
of ejectment into such vertical tube of much less area than the diameter
of the tube itself. The opposite end of this serpentine tube is con-
nected with an enclosed chamber or supply tank containing hydro-
carbon or other oil or spirit.. The said tank is provided with gauges for
indicating the temperature and quantity of spirit contained therein, and
the pipes are supplied with taps or cocks for regulating the flow of the
liquids therefrom.
When I employ carbonic acid in the manufacture of my improved

page_text: the carbonic acid I place in the closed gas retort before mentioned a
quantity of chalk or carbonate of lime, which when heated by the
furnace of such retort throws off carbonic acid gas. This gas as it is
produced passes into a pipe communicating with the carburetting retort
on the lower level which is filled with incandescent carbonaceous matter
heated by a furnace in the usual manner. The hydrocarbon spirit passing
from its supply tank to the communicating pipe through the medium of
the serpentine pipe simultaneously with the flow of the carbonic acid
gas from the retort causes such gas on passing the throttled or contracted
portion of the pipe to become amalgamated with the hydrocarbon or
other oil or spirit, the supply of which is maintained by the superior
back pressure of the spirit in the serpentine tube at its point of eject-
ment into the vertical tube aforesaid. From this pipe the carbonic acid
gas and the spirit pass direct into the carburetting retort, the use of
which is an important feature in my Invention; its heat decomposes the
hydrocarbon oil or spirit, and causes the carbonic acid as it mixes with
the heated incandescent carbonaceous matter to be converted into
carbonic oxide, the result of which is that the decomposed hydrocarbon
and carbonic acid combine and become converted into a gas of per-
manent properties, which is then passed through an hydraulic main into
a gas holder and may be used as an illuminating or heating gas.
Although I have described the manufacture and production according
to my Invention, of a permanent gas from carbonic acid gas and hydro-
carbon or other oil or spirit, it will be obvious that in some cases where
it is more convenient or economical, hydrogen gas may be employed in
place of carbonic acid gas, the carburetting retort being employed as in
the former case.
It will also be evident that any number of gas and carburetting
retorts may be employed in combination, having an arrangement of,
serpentine and communicating pipes that will distribute the hydrocarbon
or other oil or spirit to the carbonic or hydrogen gases uniformly during
the passage of one or the other to the carburetting retort.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick William Colls in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 28th October 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
WILLIAM COLLS, of Erith, in the County of Kent, send greeting.
:
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give.
and grant unto me, the said Frederick William Colls, Her special license
that I, the said Frederick William Colls, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Frederick William Colls, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ·
MANUFACTURE OF GAS FOR HEATING AND LIGHTING PURPOSES AND IN THE APPA-
BATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Frederick William Colls, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
'NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick William Colls, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
The Invention relates to a new and improved mode of manufacturing
gas, in which I employ apparatus specially contrived so as to enable
suitable gases to be combined and amalgamated with suitable hydro-
carbons, or other oils or spirits, in order to produce therefrom,
economically, a permanent gas of high illuminating and intense heating
properties.

page_text: I have ascertained that by producing and heating carbonic acid in
the manner herein-after described a very valuable and cheap permanent
illuminating gas may be obtained.
.In order to carry the Invention into practice I construct two ranges
or benches of retorts at some little distance from each other, so that a
pipe herein-after described communicating between the two can have a
slight dip or depression of about one inch to each foot of its length.
The retorts on the higher level I call the gas retorts, and those on the .
lower the carburetting retorts. But for the purpose of this description
I will suppose there is only one gas retort, and one carburetting retort,
and one pipe having the required dip communicating between the two.
At a point in this pipe between the two retorts I place a junction or
coupling communicating direct with a vertical tube composed of suitable
material, as glass or metal, provided with means whereby the height or
quantity of oil or spirit in the interior of such vessel may be ascertained.
The bottom of this junction tube nearest the gas retort is provided with
a slight projecting lip, which contracts the orifice or bore of the com-
municating pipe at a point immediately behind its junction with the
vertical pipe before mentioned, which leaves the full bore of the pipe
open from such junction to the carburetting retort. The top of the
vertical pipe before mentioned is provided with an “union”
means of attachment, by which one end of a serpentine pipe can be
inserted and secured therein. The termination of this pipe in the vertical
tube is considerably contracted so as to make its outlet or point of
cjectment into such vertical tube of much less area than the diameter of
the tube itself. The opposite end of this serpentine tube is connected
with an enclosed chamber or supply tank containing hydrocarbon or
other oil or spirit. The said tank is provided with gauges for indicating
the temperature and quantity of spirit contained therein, and the pipes
are supplied with taps or cocks for regulating the flow of the liquids
therefrom.
or other
When I employ carbonic acid in the manufacture of my improved
permanent illuminating gas I proceed as follows:-In order to produce
the carbonic acid I place in the closed gas retort before mentioned a
quantity of chalk or carbonate of lime, which when heated by the
furnace of such retort throws off carbonic acid gas. This gas as it is

page_text: produced passes into a pipe communicating with the carburetting retort
on the lower level, which is filled with incandescent carbonaceous matter
heated by a furnace in the usual manner. The hydrocarbon spirit
passing from its supply tank to the communicating pipe, through the
medium of the serpentine pipe, simultaneously with the flow of the
carbonic acid gas from the retort, causes such gas on passing the
throttled or contracted portion of the pipe to become amalgamated with
the hydrocarbon or other oil or spirit, the supply of which is maintained
by the superior back pressure of the spirit in the serpentine tube at its
point of ejectment into the vertical tube aforesaid. From this pipe the 1
carbonic acid gas and the spirit pass direct into the carburetting retort,
the use of which is an important feature in my Invention; its heat
decomposes the hydrocarbon oil or spirit and causes the carbonic acid
as it mixes with the heated incandescent carbonaceous matter to be
converted into carbonic oxide, the result of which is that the decomposed 1
hydrocarbon and carbonic acid combine and become converted into a gas
of permanent properties, which is then passed through a main into a gas
holder, and may be used as an illuminating or heating gas.
་
Although I have described the manufacture and production, according
to my Invention, of a permanent gas from carbonic acid gas and hydro- 2
carbon or other oil or spirit, it will be obvious that in some cases where
it is more convenient or economical hydrogen gas may be employed in
place of carbonic acid gas, the carburetting retort being employed as in
the former case.
It will also be evident that any number of gas and carburetting
retorts may be employed in combination, having an arrangement of
serpentine and communicating pipes that will distribute the hydrocarbon
or other oil or spirit to the carbonic or hydrogen gases uniformly during
the passage of one or the other to the carburetting retort.
In order that the Invention may be better understood and explained
in. detail, I have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings, made upon a
scale of about three-fourths of an inch to the foot, similar letters of
reference being marked on corresponding parts on all the figures alike.
Fig. 1 represents a Diagram of an arrangement of retorts and apparatus

page_text: Invention, the same being explanatory of the process adopted when
converting carbonic acid gas into an illuminating gas.
Fig. 2 represents in longitudinal section a practical development of
the apparatus wherein the carburetting retort alone is employed as the
converting medium, such arrangement being specially contrived for
giving to air hydrogen gas or steam when impregnated with hydro-
carbon a permanent gas of high illuminating properties, and Fig. 3
represents a sectional plan view of the chamber through the line
x; x.
.
:
According to the arrangement shown at Fig. 1 there is placed in the
closed gas retort a a quantity of chalk or carbonate of lime which,, when
heated by the furnace 6 of such retort, throws off carbonic acid gas. The
gas as it is produced passes into the pipe c communicating with the
carburetting retort d, which is placed on a lower level than the retort a,
and is filled with incandescent carbonaceous matter heated by the
furnace e. The hydrocarbon spirit passing from the supply tank f to
the communicating pipe c through the medium of the serpentine pipe g
simultaneously with the flow of the carbonic acid gas from the retort a
causes such gas on passing the throttled or contracted portion of the
pipe c at the point c¹ to become amalgamated with the hydrocarbon or
other oil or spirit, the supply of which is maintained by the superior
back pressure of the spirit or oil in the serpentine tube 9 at its point of
ejectment g¹ into the vertical tube h. From the junction of the pipe /
with the communicating pipe c the carbonic acid gas and the spirit pass-
direct into the carburetting retort d, the use of which either by itself
or as hereafter described in conjunction, with the gas retort before
mentioned, is an important feature of this Invention. The heat of the
retort d decomposes the hydrocarbon oil or spirit, and causes the
carbonic acid, as it mixes with the heated incandescent carbonaceous
matter in such retort to become converted into carbonic oxide, the result
of which is the decomposed hydrocarbon and carbonic oxide combine
and becomes converted into a gas of permanent properties.
Figs. 2 and 3 are shewn with the object of exemplifying more
completely the advantages arising from the practical application of the
carburetting retort or chamber, and apparatus in connection therewith,
when employed for the purpose of manufacturing illuminating gas.

page_text: In these Figures, h is the closed tank or vessel containing hydrocarbon
oils or spirits. This tank is provided with gauges for indicating the
temperature and quantity of oil or spirit contained therein. From this
tank the oil or spirit is conveyed through the pipe g into the vertical
pipe h, which has its junction with a pipe c communicating direct with
the interior of the retort or chamber a through the medium of the
curvilinear passage i formed with fire-brick and tiles on the floor or base
of the retort or chamber d. Through the pipe c air, steam, or hydrogen
gas is forced or drawn into the retort or chamber by means of a force
pump or exhaustor, which in its passage thereto becomes impregnated
(at the junction h¹ of the vertical pipe ) with hydrocarbon spirit or oil.
The vapour from the pipe o thus amalgamated with hydrocarbon, passes
first through the concentric fire-brick passage i along the heated floor of
the retort or chamber d, from whence it passes into the interior of the
same. The retort or chamber is filled or charged with carbonaceous
material brought into an incandescent state by the heat of the furnace n,
so that when the vapour impregnated with hydrocarbon has been brought
into a superheated state by passing through the concentric passage i, it is
received on the floor of the retort in a decomposed condition, from which
point it passes upward through the incandescent carbonaceous material
to the exit pipe k. Whilst passing through this retort the decomposed
hydrocarbon and vapour becomes converted into a gas of high
illuminating power, but in order to better qualify the same for use
it is caused first to pass from the exit pipe k into the closed vessel 7.
The interior of this vessel contains water, or a solution of caustic alkali,
and is formed into compartments composed of wire gauze. The exit
pipe of the retort or chamber d is caused to project into the vessel to a
point near the surface of the water or solution contained therein, and is
isolated from the gauze divisions by a metal partition Z. In this
chamber all the solid carbon or other extraneous- matters, are extracted
from the gas, which after passing through the alkali and gauze divisions
passes into the condenser m, from whence it is drawn by the exhauster
and conveyed to the gas holder, where it is stored as a permanent
illuminating gas. When it is desired to utilize the unconsumed gases
evolved from the fuel of the furnace n employed for heating the chamber
or retort d, such unconsumed gases, or a portion of them so evolved, are
directed by the closing of one or more of the dampers o into the interior
of the chamber or retort, in lieu of passing such gases into the ordinary
.

page_text: chimney stack. The gases received in the retort are converted by thus
amalgamating with the decomposed hydrocarbons into an illuminating
gas, which is passed off therefrom into the holder in the manner
aforesaid.
It will be obvious that by the employment of a retort or chamber,
similar to the one described, having connected therewith the passages,
whereby hydrocarbon oils impregnated with vapour, can be received in
the manner as herein-before described, that such retort.or chamber can
be employed with great advantage in. the manner following, that is :-
The retort or chamber in the first instance is charged with coal through
the opening or hopper p, after which all thoroughfares or passages into
the same are closed and the furnace lighted when the process of
extracting the gas from such coal will take place as in the ordinary
manner, and after which when all the carburetted hydrogen has been
"extracted, and the coal converted into incandescent matter or coke, from
which only non-illuminating or heating gas is evolved, the passage is
opened for the entrance thereinto of vapour impregnated with hydro-
carbon, which in passing through the retort mixes with the incandescent
carbonaceous matter and hydrogen gas evolved from the same, becoming
thereby decomposed and converted into an illuminating gas in the
manner herein-before described.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, together with
the method of carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to be
understood in conclusion that although I have shewn two distinct
arrangements of apparatus embodying the principles of the Invention, I
do not wish to confine myself to the exact and precise arrangement as
herein shewn and described, so long as the essential features of the same
are retained, the nature and principle of which may be comprised in the
following claim, namely:--
First. The novel employment and use of a retort containing incan-
descent carbonaceous matter, into and through which carbonic acid gas
impregnated with hydrocarbon is passed, becoming thereby converted
into an illuminating gas, in the manner as herein-before described and
set forth.
Secondly. I claim the construction, employment, and use of the
carburetting chamber or retort herein described for the purpose of

page_text: manufacturing hydrogen gas and carbonic oxide, or when connected
with a chamber containing. oil or spirit for producing carburetted
hydrogen in the manner and for the purpose as herein-before described,
set forth, and fully illustrated in the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick William Colls, have 5
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of
October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-three.
Witness,
ALEX. PRINCE,
Office for Patents,
4, Trafalgar Square,-
Charing Cross,
W.O.
FRED³. W. COLLS. (L.S.)