Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing Acetylene.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Apr., 1897-Accepted, 22nd May, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing Acetylene.
I HENRI COUSIN of 40, Rue Blanche, Paris, in the French Republic,
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 :-
This invention relates to apparatus for manufacturing acetylene from calcic
carbide, and consists in improvements in the arrangement or construction thereof,
the object of the invention being to regulate the generation of the acetylene
automatically and safely according to its consumption so that the internal pressure
remains perfectly uniform, and to obtain a perfectly pure gas not liable to clog the
burners.
The improved generating apparatus is represented on the sheet of drawings
appended hereunto by Figure 1 in outside elevation and by Figure 2 in vertical
section.
The improved apparatus consists of the following main parts:-
1, a hopper containing a supply of granulated carbide ;
2, a device for regulating the supply of carbide from the hopper to the
generator;
3, a gas holder;
4, a generator containing the water or liquor and collecting the deposit ;
5, a purifier.
The hopper consists of a funnel-shaped receptacle a closed on the top and fitted
with a cock a through which the hopper is charged with carbide. The hopper is
supported by the guides b of the gasholder bell c, which are fixed as usual upon the
holder tank c', so that the bell has not to support the hopper. The gas holder
consists of the annular tank c¹ with the floating bell c, and of a smaller bell d fixed
by its upper flauge d to the large flange a² of a pipe a³, attached to the bottom
end of the hopper a. The lower end of the small bell d dips into the annular
hydraulic seal tank formed by a down pipe rivetted to the crown of the bell cat
the top and joined by a Z iron to the rising pipe c³. In consequence of this
arrangement, the bell can rise and fall freely without having to overcome any
frictional resistances.
The bottom e of the gas holder tank is made conical with a pipe e¹ at the centre,
to which the bottle-shaped generator f is bolted, which contains the water or
liquor for decomposing the carbide and collects the deposit of lime. The whole
apparatus is supported on feet g, and occupies a small floor space.
The device for regulating the supply of carbide to the generator f is arranged
as follows:-
A square frame is formed of a plate or its equivalent, surrounding the pipe a³
inside the bell d and connected by bolts h¹ to another cross bar ³ which has
formed on it or carries a conical valve n. A valve seating n' is screwed upon or
otherwise fixed to the end of the pipe a³ and between the flange of the seating and
the plate ha helical spring n² is placed, and compressed, so that it has a tendency
to lift the frame and valve and close the orifice of the pipe a³. To the valve n or
plate 2 a rod is fixed which is threaded at its bottom end, and a nut ¹ is screwed
upon it and fixed in position by a lock nut or its equivalent. The rod i passes
freely through a hole in a cross bar m fixed in the pipe c³ of the hydraulic seal..
2

page_text: The nut is so adjusted that when the bell c is in its lowest position, the valve n
fully opens the outlet orifice from the hopper. The rod i is prolonged upwards
at 2, to agitate the carbide in the pipe a³ and prevent it from sticking. When the
bell c rises, the spring n² lifts the valve n against its seating and closes the outlet,
after which the bell can continue to rise freely to its highest position.
To prevent the spring from being fatigued by the weight of the bell when the
apparatus is not working, projecting lugs or handles are rivetted to the bell by
which it can be lifted, and hinged supports o' or their equivalents are fixed to the
tank, which, when turned up under the handles o, hold up the bell high enough to
allow the spring n' to close the valve n.
The apparatus works as follows:-At starting, the bell is lifted. and held up by
the supports o³, in the manner described, so that the valve is closed. Granulated
carbide is filled into the hopper a through the cock a', which then is closed.
Water is filled into the generator f by pouring it into the central hydraulic seal
till it overflows over the edge of the inner wall c³ into the generator f. A tap fl
is arranged on the conical bottom of the gas holder to draw off excess of water,
though the action of the apparatus will not be interfered with if the water level.
inside the holder should be higher. The supports o' are then turned down so that
the bell can drop, when the cross bar m encounters the nut i¹ and draws the valve
down, allowing carbide to fall through the small bell d and internal pipe d¹ into
the generator f, and gas is produced and fills the gas holder. It is drawn off for
consumption through the pipe-por led into a purifier. If the production is
greater than the consumption, the bell e rises and the spring n closes the valve,
whereby the production of gas is stopped or reduced, till the quantity in the holder
is reduced and the: bell sinks down again, when the cross bar m again strikes
against the nut and the valve is pulled open by the bell, allowing a further
supply of carbide to drop into the decomposing chamber; this action being then
repeated.
To charge the hopper while the apparatus is working a closed funnel shaped
receptacle as indicated by dotted lines filled with granulated carbide is screwed or
pressed upon the cock a¹, and when the latter is opened, the carbide drops into the
hopper a,
after which the cock is closed again and the receptacle removed. Water
can be filled in at any time during the working through the hydraulic seal. The
liquid deposit of lime can be drawn off through an opening closed by a screw
plug, while the apparatus is working, and for completely emptying, the bottle
shaped generator can be taken off, a tapf, serving to empty the same to below
the flange.
The shapes and relative sizes of the parts of the apparatus may be varied from
those shewn on the drawing.
Preferably the gas is led from the gas holder to a purifier consisting of a sheet
iron cylinder or other casing, divided into compartments, arranged so that the gas
passes through them successively, the compartments containing four different
chemicals having for their object to purify and dry the acetylene issuing from the
generating apparatus, these four chemicals being sulphate of copper, oxide of iron,
carbide of calcium and chloride of calcium.
The advantages of the improved apparatus hereinbefore described are the
following-Acetylene is produced regularly and safely, as the holder need only
be small and contain a small quantity of gas at a time even where a large
supply is required. The pressure of the gas is perfectly uniform as the floating
gasholder or bell carrying neither the supply of carbide nor water nor the deposit
of lime is not subject to variations of load and moves freely without any friction in
consequence of the hydraulic seal used. The lime deposit can readily be removed
and the apparatus charged with carbide while working. The gas produced is free
from ammonia owing to the large quantity of water contained in the generator,
and is not liable to clog the burner even if no purifier is used. A small quantity
of carbide being dropped at a time into a large quantity of water, no appreciable
rise of temperature occurs and a maximum yield of acetylene is obtained, while

page_text: over-production is entirely prevented. The apparatus is compact and occupies
little space, and can be handled conveniently and without danger.
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 general arrangement of an acetylene manufacturing apparatus constructed
and operating substantially as hereiubefore described and illustrated by the
drawings.
2. In an apparatus for producing acetylene, the arrangement of a carbide
hopper, gas holder and generator centrally above each other, the hopper being
stationary and feeding the generator through a tube passing through the top of the
gas holder hell and sealed to it by a hydraulic seal, substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the drawings.
3. In combination with an acetylene producing apparatus arranged as specified
in the preceding claim, the arrangement of a carbide feed valve constructed and.
operated as herein before described.
4. In combination with an acetylene producing apparatus the use and arrange-.
ment of a purifier and dryer containing the four chemical substances hereinbefore.
described.
Dated this Second day of April 1897.
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, and 6, Clayton Square, Liverpool,.
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.