An Improved Apparatus for the Production of Acetylene Gas.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 1st July, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for the Production of Acetylene Gas.
I, JOSEPH VARON, of 74, Rue Croix de Seguey, Bordeaux, France, 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:-
My invention relates to a novel construction in an acetylene-gas producing
apparatus, the object being to provide an apparatus of this kind in which the
production of gas is automatically controlled in accordance with the consumption.
And the improvements consist in the construction, combination and arrange-
ment of parts, more fully hereinafter pointed out and claimed.
In order that this my invention may be the more readily understood and carried
into practical effect, reference is hereby made to the accompanying illustrative
drawings, wherein:
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus constructed in accordance with my
invention.
Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the carburet distributing
device and the gas-generator.
Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of same.
Fig. 4 shows a partial front elevation of the distributing device.
Fig. is a similar view from the opposite end of same.
Fig. 6 is a diagram, showing the evolution of the carburet trough of distributor.
Figs. 7 & 8 represent partial diagrammatical views of the ratchet mechanism of
distributor
My improved apparatus includes three main parts: the automatic carburet
distributor, the gas-generator, and the gas-holder.
The carburet distributor is housed within a horizontally arranged cylindrical
casing and formed by a series of sectors in the shape of a frustum of a pyramid,
which together constitute a series of bucket-wheels mounted side by side on a
common horizontal revoluble shaft X, to which said wheels are rigidly secured.
Two adjacent sectors of two adjacent wheels are arranged as follows: assuming
the distributor as having two coupled wheels A and B, as shown in the accom-
panying drawings; for any sector of wheel A" being f. i., in the position a¹ o b¹
(Fig. 3), the partition between two adjacent sectors of wheel B (6 indicated
by dotted line in Fig. 3) will bisect the angle at the centre of said sector a ob¹.
In a distributor having three wheels, each partition will correspond to a third
of the angle at the centre of the foremost sector appertaining to the adjacent
wheel and always moving in the same direction.
More generally, in a system of distributor constituted by n wheels each having
the same number of sectors, each partition will correspond to of the angle at
the centre of the foremost sector appertaining to the adjacent wheel and always
moving in the same direction.
Each sector is provided with a movable shutter (Fig. 3) held in position by
a small spring secured to the shutter and the free end of which carries a mov-

page_text: able roller m running over the inner cylindrical surface of casing I against which
it is held by spring r; said casing I has two apertures; an upper one for charging
the sectors, and a lower one for discharging the same into the gas-generator.
The upper aperturo has a door constituting an air-tight closing; the lower aper-
ture also has a door sliding in slots in casing 1 and adapted to be operated
from the outside by a suitable handle M; the door B" will be shut during the
filling of the sectors, and opened as the apparatus is in operation.
To the lower part of said cylindrical casing I is secured a collector Q', rect-
angular in cross-section (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) and the length of which is determined
by the position of the rim-edges of the outer wheels, the width of said collector
corresponding to the dimensions of the shutters. The collector Q has a tapered
depending part to which is secured a cylindrical conduit Q extending into the
gas-generator A.
The shaft X carries, on the left hand (in the drawings) a hand-wheel VI secured
thereon, by means of which said distributor may be rocked or turned as the
troughs or buckets are to be refilled. On the same side said shaft X has an
index A secured thereto and moving in front of a divided dial marked on the
end-plate of casing I to indicate the number of troughs or buckets employed.
The index A is secured on the shaft X and suitable insulating material
inserted between the hub of said index and the shaft. Said hub is held in contac!
with the rubbing end of an electric circuit, connected on the other hand to a
contact arranged on the last numeral of the dial and insulated from the latter;
said circuit receives current from a battery (not shown in the drawings for the
clearness thereof) and a bell is inserted in the circuit; said bell may be arranged
at any convenient point. When the end of the index arrives upon the last
numeral of the dial, it engages the above named contact to close the circuit
whereby the alarm bell will be actuated to notify the workman that the carbide
is consumed.
The opposite end of shaft X carries a ratchet-wheel R¹, wedged thereon; the
number of teeth of said ratchet is equal or in proportion to the total number of
sectors or troughs. This ratchet is operated by a dog (Figs. 1 and 4) pivoting
on a lever L engaged by a horizontal rod or extension 7, secured to the gas-
holder, as the latter is moved up and down. The opposite end of said lever L
has a balance-weight 7, and said lever L" is pivoted at o'.
The fictitious surface of the cylindrical distributor, constituted by two wheels
each having eight sectors, being evoluted on a plane (Fig. 6), I obtain a diagram
showing how the successive sectors or troughs are emptied after each other which
is indicated by numerals 1 2 3 4 5 6 7- -16. Thus whatever may be the number
of wheels and sectors constituting the distributor, the emptying of the latter will
be completed by one revolution of said distributor.
The automatic distributor I have just described has a safety device for the
purpose to overcome the objections resulting from the fact that the distributor
may, at any moment be moved in the direction of the movement of the ratchet,
by means of hand-wheel Vi
When the hand-wheel V is advertently operated before the gas-holder has
reached the point corresponding to the discharge of one sector, the charge of the
sector which is the nearest to the aperture of collector Q at this moment, is
caused to drop into the gas-generator, whereby an excess of gas will be pro
duced. In order to avoid this excess or overproduction of gas, I provide a safety-
device, comprising a toothed wheel R", the number of teeth of which is equal to the
number of sectors of the distributors, and which is mounted on the shaft X
between the ratchet wheel R' and the side wall of the cylindrical casing. A lug
is secured to or made one with a lever L, carrying a balance weight gl at one
end, and pivotally mounted on a piu o secured to the side wall of said cylindrical
casing. Said lever L as well as the aforesaid lever L", carrying the pivoted
pawl engaging the ratchet wheel R', are actuated by the rod 7 on the gas
holder. When said rod Z¹ moves downwards with the gas holder, it comes in

page_text: engagement at a given moment, with the ends of said levers L", L, the end
of lever L being turned upwards on line with the end of lever L" as shown in
Fig. 4, of the accompanying drawings. Assuming a point A on the axis of
lever in front of the segment W serving to guide the movement of said
lever. Said point passes, during the first period of the down movement of the
lever, over an arc f, y (Fig. 8), whilst the pawl of lever L" slides over the
surface of a tooth of the ratchet wheel R', from a¹ to b¹ (Fig. 7); at the same
time (during the first period of said down movement), the end of the lever L'",
having been depressed by the rod 7, the lug will be disengaged from the
teeth of said wheel R" to allow the shaft X to freely rotate;, during the second
period of the down movement of the lever Lu, the point A passes to g¹ (Fig. 8),
and the pawl pushes the ratchet wheel in order that the shaft X may rotate,
it is necessary that the rod Z be moved downwards sufficiently to actuate the
lever L and thus disengage the wheel R. In the position shown in Fig. 4,
the lever L is at the end of its first period of down movement; the lever Lu
is disengaged from the wheel R, to aliow the shaft X to rotate, and the pawl
is at the bottom of a tooth of the ratchet wheel, which will be therefore rotated
during the second period of the down movement.
い
For convenience of filling, it suffices to disengage the safety device by hooking
ring W in a pin or button W provided on the end-plate of casing I at a suitable
distance.
Each shutter arriving at the lower aperture of casing I, is tilted to drop the
carburet enclosed in the corresponding sector or through.
At the lower end of pipe Q through which the carburet from the distributor
falls into the gas-generator, is secured a cone W by means of small rods ";
said cone, the base of which has a larger diameter than pipe Q serves to disperse
the carburet into the water of the generator and prevents the evolved gas ascending
through said water from entering said pipe Qu
The evolved gas flows from the generator into the gas-holder through pipe Y
connected to a vertical pipe Q secured to the water-tank of the gas-holder and
provided with a relief cock. The pipe Q is surrounded by a pipe T secured to
the gas-holder proper and extending vertically beyond the top of the latter, said
top being arranged beneath the upper rim of the wall of said gas-holder; the
gas led through pipe T flows through a condenser coil V before discharging
into the gas-holder.
Before flowing to the burners the acetylene gas is forced to pass through
perforations in pipe U secured to the gas-holder, said gas then escaping through
pipe H secured to the tank of the gasometer: said pipe H has a relief-cock at
its lower end extending beyond the bottom of the tank; the pipe E, leading the
gas to the burners, is secured to said end of pipe H, and to said pipe
branched on open leg gauge M M
is
The improved apparatus herein before described may be modified in many
points without departing from the scope of the invention, and I wish it to be
understood, that I do not confine myself to the precise arrangement and con-
struction of the parts as shown in the accompanying drawings, so long as the
peculiar features of the invention be retained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
my invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. An acetylene gas producing apparatus in which the production of. gas is
automatically controlled in accordance with the consumption thereof and com-
prising: a carburet distributor housed within a horizontally arranged: cylindrical
casing and composed of two (or more) trough or bucket-wheels mounted on a
common shaft, a ratchet-wheel mounted on said shaft and actuated by a pawl or
dog pivoted on a lever, said lever being engaged by a horizontally projecting rod
or extension on the gas-holder as the same is moved downward; a toothed wheel

page_text: wedged on said shaft and serving to lock the same to prevent any accidental dis-
charge of carburet; a hand-wheel on said shaft to rotate the distributor for
refilling an index on said shaft moving in front of a dial on the end-plate of
said cylindrical casing, to indicate the troughs or buchets employed; an electric
circuit having contacts on said index and on the last numeral of said dial, to
notify the workman that the distributor is empty; movable shutters for the
troughs or buckets containing the carburet; a rectangular box secured to the
lower part of said casing and extending downwards and having a tapered part to
which is secured a cylindrical conduit; a carburet dispersing cone arranged at the
lower end of said conduit; the gas-generator arranged beneath said distributor;
and the gasometer, adjacent to said generator and constructed to force the pro-
duced gas to flow through a condenser coil on top of gas-holder before being
discharged into the latter, the inflow and outflow pipes being provided with
· suitable relief-cocks, all substantially as set forth.
2. An automatic carburet distributor constituted by a series of sectors in the
shape of a frustum of a pyramid, said sectors together forming two (or more)
through or bucket-wheels mounted side by side on a common shaft and housed
within a horizontally arranged cylindrical casing, each wheel having a like number
of sectors, the adjacent sectors of two adjacent wheels being alternated to dis-
charge their contents as described and shown and in order that all the sectors
are completely emptied after one revolution of the distributor, substantially as
set forth.
3. In an apparatus of the character described, movable shutters for the carburet
containing sectors, and having a spring the free end of which carries a roller
running over the inner surface of the cylindrical casing of the distributor, said
shutters reaching a suitable aperture at the lower part of said casing, being tilted
to drop the carburet contained in the corresponding sector, substantially as
set forth.
4. In an apparatus of the character described, a ratchet-wheel on the distributor-
shaft, actuated by a dog or pawl mounted on a pivoting lever, having a balance-
weight or a spring on one end, the opposite end thereof being engaged by a
horizontally projecting rod or extension on the gas-holder in the down movement
of the latter, said ratchet-wheel having a number of teeth equal or in proportion
to the total number of sectors, substantially as set forth.
5. In an apparatus of the character described, a hand-wheel on the distributor-
shaft for operating said distributor by hand as the same is to be refilled; an
index on said shaft for indicating on a dial marked on the end-plate of the
distributor casing, the sectors employed, and an electric circuit having contacts
on said index and on the last numeral of said dial for actuating a bell when all
the sectors are emptied.
6. In an apparatus of the character described, a safety device for preventing
any untimely discharge of carburet by a rocking movement of the distributor
before the same is acted upon by the gas-holder, said safety device including a
toothed-wheel on the distributor-shaft, locked by a lug provided on a weighed
lever, adapted to be engaged by the horizontally projecting rod or extension on
the gas-holder to disengage said toothed-wheel for the time necessary to the
operation of the distributor, substantially as set forth, with reference to Figs. 7
and 8 of the accompanying drawings.
7. In an apparatus of the character described, a cylindrical casing having an
upper aperture for refilling the distributor, closed by an air-tight cover, and a
lower aperture shut by a door or plate during the refilling of the distributor,
said plate being adapted to be operated from the outside, and said lower aperture
being open, as the apparatus is in operation, for the passage of the carburet,
falling into a suitable box secured to said distributor and thence into a cylindrical
conduit, extending into the gas-generator, the lower end of said conduit having
a carburet dispersing part suitably secured thereto, and preventing the ascending
gas from entering said carburet conduit, substantially as set forth.

page_text: 8. In an apparatus of the character described, a gasometer the gas-holder of
which receives the produced gas after the same has been led through a condenser-
coil, the inflow-pipe leading the gas to said gas-holder and the out flow pipe
leading the gas therefrom to the burners being provided with suitable relief cocks,
substantially as set forth.