IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AN INFLAMMABLE GAS OR VAPOUR SUITABLE TO BE BURNT AT GAS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Frederick Gustave Kromschroeder, of
Gloucester Street, Camden Town, in the County of Middlesex, Gas
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
GENERATING AN INFLAMMABLE GAS OR VAPOUR SUITABLE TO BE BURNT AT GAS
Sealed the 1st April 1869, and dated the 1st October 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Frederick Gustave
Kromschroeder at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents; with
his Petition, on the 1st October 1868. ..
I, JOHN FREDERICK GUSTAVE KROMSCHROEDER, of Gloucester Street,
Camden Town, in the County of Middlesex, Gas Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN Apparatus
FOR GENEBATING AN INFLAMMABLE GAS OR VAPOUR SUITABLE TO BE BURNT AT GAS
BURNERS TO YIELD-LIGHT AND HEAT," to be as follows:-
This Invention. has for its object improvements in apparatus for
generating an inflammable gas or vapour suitable to be burnt at gas
burners to yield light and heat. For this purpose I employ. clockwork
to give motion to an air forcing apparatus, which forces, atmospheric air

page_text: into a chamber forming part of the same apparatus and which chamber
contains a volatile hydrocarbon oil. The apparatus is so arranged that
an extensive surface of the volatile oil is exposed to the air. The air is
led from the chamber by a flexible pipe or otherwise to the burner or
burners at which it is to be burnt, and by a stop-cock the size of the
flame is regulated. The clockwork is actuated by means of a spring
which operates through a fusee, as is well understood in clockwork, so as
to maintain a uniform action as the tension of the spring varies. Or in
place of thus regulating the clockwork a self-acting pressure regulating
valve may be applied to the passago by which the gas passes to the
burner; or weights may be substituted for the spring.
The following is the arrangement which adopt: By means of a
weight or spring I drive a train of wheels, and the last wheel of the train
I cause to give motion to an axis having a short arm upon it; this arm
carries a pin and is connected by links with other longer arms on axes
parallel to the first. There are three such axes ranged around the first
axis and they receive from it a partial rotation to and fro. They enter
through stuffing boxes three close chambers each containing a collapsible
air bag; these bags are made with rigid bottoms of thin sheet metal
and flexible sides of leather; the bottoms are jointed to arms on the axes,
and as the axis moves the arm to and fro the air bag is alternately
expanded and collapsed. Whilst cach bag is expanding air is allowed to
enter it by means of a valve, and when the bag is being collapsed the
same valve (having changed its position) directs the escaping air into the
chamber where it is impregnated with hydrocarbon vapour. The same
valve serves for all the bags and also to allow air similarly to enter and
escape from the close chambers in which the air bags are contained.
The valve is a cone fitting into a corresponding scat and rotated con-
tinuously by the first or central axis. The cone has two passages one
on either side; one passes to the top of the cone and is the inlet, the
other passing to the bottom of the cone serves as the outlet. Around the
sides of the seat are six openings communicating with the three air bags
and the three close chambers which contain them (one to each), so that
as the valve revolves cach bag and chamber is placed alternately and at
the proper times in communication with the inlet and the outlet passages.
The air escaping from the bags and the close chambers passes into the
part of the apparatus where it is impregnated with hydrocarbon vapour;
this is a chamber divided into two parts by a vertical partition, one part

page_text: contains wool saturated with the hydrocarbon liquid, and through this
the air has to pass in order to reach the pipe which leads it away to the
burners. The other part of the chamber is again divided by a horizontal
partition, and over the partition is a nozzle by which the hydrocarbon
liquid is introduced into the apparatus.. A bottle which applies to the
nozzle with a screw is employed for this purpose, and the mouth of the
bottle is opened and closed by a tap which when opened allows the
liquid to enter through the nozzle, whilst at the same time air from the
nozzle passes up into the bottle. In the horizontal partition before
mentioned is an opening by which the hydrocarbon liquid descends, and
by a passage at the bottom of the vertical partition it passes to the wool
which it 'saturates. The vertical partition serves only to keep the wool
in its place. Beneath the horizontal partition is a float which when a
sufficient quantity of hydrocarbon liquid has entered the apparatus rises
and closes the opening through the horizontal partition and so stops the
flow.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Frederick Gustave Kromschroeder in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st April 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
FREDERICK GUSTAVE KROMSCHROEDER, of Gloucester Street, Camden
Town, in the County of Middlesex, Gas Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John: Frederick Gustave Kromschroeder,
Her special licence that I, the said John Frederick Gustave Krom-
schroeder, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said John Frederick Gustave Kromschroeder, 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

page_text: APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AN INFLAMMABLE GAS OR VAPOUR SUITABLE TO BE
BURNT AT GAS BURNERS TO YIELD LIGHT AND HEAT," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Frederick Gustave Kromschroeder,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 John Frederick Gustave Krom- 1
schroeder, 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:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus of 1
generating an inflammable gas or vapour suitable to be burnt at gas
burners to yield light and heat. For this purpose I employ clockwork
to give motion to an air forcing apparatus, which forces atmospheric air
into a chamber forming part of the samo apparatus and which chamber
contains a volatile hydrocarbon oil. The apparatus is so arranged that
an extensive surface of the volatile oil is exposed to the air. The air is
led from the chamber by a flexible pipe or otherwise to the burner or
burners at which it is to be burnt, and by a stop-cock the size of the
flame is regulated. The clockwork is actuated by means of a spring
which operates through a fusee, as is well understood in clockwork, so as
to maintain a uniform action as the tension of the spring varics. Or in
place of thus regulating the clockwork a self-acting pressure regulating
valve may be applied to the passage by which the gas passes to the
burner; or weights may be substituted for the spring.
The arrangement which I adopt is shown by the annexed Drawings.
Figure 1 is a side view partly in section of the apparatus; Figure 2 is a
plan of the same with the top of the case removed. By means of a
weight or spring I drive a train of wheels, and the last wheel of the train
I cause to gear with a wheel fixed to an axis a which is thus driven;
this axis has a short arm 6 upon it; this arm carries a pin 6' and is
connected by links c, c, with other longer arms d, d, on axes e, e,
parallel to the first. There are three such axes e ranged around the first
axis a and they receive from it a partial rotation to and fro; they enter

page_text: through stuffing boxes f, f, three close chambers 9, 9, each containing
a collapsible air bag; these bags are made with fixed and rigid bottoms
of thin sheet metal and flexible sides of leather h, h; these sides are
stiffened by metal plates. The flexible sides are connected by links to
arms i, i, on the axes e, and as the axes e move the arms i to and fro the
air bag is alternately expanded and collapsed; these bags are similar to
those employed in dry gas meters. Whilst each bag is expanding air is
allowed to enter it by means of a valve which is shown separately at
Figures 3, and when the bag is being collapsed the same valve (having
changed its position) directs the escaping air into the chamber k where
it is impregnated with hydrocarbon vapour. The same valve serves for
all the bags and also to allow air similarly to enter and escape from the
close chambers g in which the air bags are contained. The valve is a
cone & fitting into a corresponding seat m and rotated continuously by
the first or central axis. The pin b' on the axis a acts on the arm n¹
on the axis n which is concentric with the axis a and beneath it, in this
way the axis n is turned; it passes through a stuffing box into the valvo
chamber o, and at its lower end it carries two forks which embrace on
either side the pins or arms A projecting from the moving part 7 of the
valve on either side, and in this way the cone is turned round whilst by
its own weight it rests in its seat. o' is an air passage by which air
enters the valve chamber o. The moving part or cone of the valve has
two passages one on either side; one (marked ) passes to the top of the
cone and is the inlet;. it allows air to pass from the valve chamber, into
and around the collapsible bags; the other passage passing to the
bottom of the cone serves as the outlet for the return of the air from the
collapsible bags and the spaces around them. Around the sides of the
valve seat m are six openings m³ communicating with the three air bags
and the three close chambers which contain them (one to each), so that
as the valve revolves each bag and chamber is placed alternately and at
the proper times in communication with the air inlet and with the outlet
passage which leads away from the bottom of the valve seat m beneath
the cone ; this passage is marked p. The air escaping from the bags
and the close chambers passes into the part of the apparatus k where it
is impregnated with hydrocarbon vapour; this is a chamber divided
into two parts by a vertical partition k¹, one part * contains wool
saturated with the hydrocarbon liquid and through this the air has to
pass in order to reach the pipe q which leads it away to the burners.
The other part of the chamber ** is again divided by a horizontal

page_text: partition, and over the partition is a nozzle ³ by which the hydro-
carbon liquid is introduced into the apparatus; a pipo with a stop-cock
may be connected with it leading down the liquid as it is required from
a reservoir above. In the horizontal partition * before mentioned is an
opening by which the hydrocarbon liquid descends, and by a passage at
the bottom of the vertical partition it passes to the wool which it
saturates, the vertical partition k¹ serving only to keep the wool in its
place. Beneath the horizontal partition is a float ', which when a
sufficient quantity of hydrocarbon liquid has entered the apparatus rises
and by the valve which it carries closes the opening through the hori-
zontal partition and so stops the flow. The hydrocarbon liquid employed
should be such as volatilizes very freely.
What I claim is the arranging apparatus, substantially as above
described, for generating an inflammable gas or vapour suitable to be
burnt at gas burners to yield light and heat, such apparatus consisting
of automatic air forcing apparatus by which air is caused to traverse
absorbent material saturated with a suitable volatile and inflammable
liquid and so to pass to the burners.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Frederick Gustave Krom-
schroeder, have hereunto set my hand and seal, the First day of
April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-nine.