IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS FOR LIGHTING AND HEATING, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jules François Lafrogne, of Paris, Boulevard
de Strasbourg, No. 23, Mechanist, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS FOR LIGHTING AND HEATING, AND IN
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN.'
"
Sealed the 19th July 1872, and dated the 4th April 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jules François
Lafrogne at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 4th April 1872.
-
I, JULES FRANÇOIS LAFROGNE, of Paris, Boulevard de Strasbourg,
No. 23, Mechanist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS FOR LIGHTING AND HEATING,
AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object an improved generating apparatus,
for the manufacture of gas for lighting and heating purposes in small
or large quantities, by means of the carburation of atmospheric air with
mineral essences.
My apparatus is characterized by the simplicity with which it is
supplied with air; this is effected by the aid of a bell dipping into a

page_text: vessel filled with water. The regulation of the pressure of the air is
obtained by the aid of an auxiliary water boiler, which transmits its
steam by an injector into an open tube to cause the aspiration of the
surrounding air, in order to send it into an intermediate reservoir to
compress it to the desired degree.
I proceed to describe my apparatus in greater detail:-A bell-shaped
vessel filled with air and of any required capacity is plunged into
another vessel filled with water; from the centre of the bell vessel
two conduits proceed, one for the escape of the air and the other to
allow its entrance. The air-escape conduit is provided with a tap, and 1
it leads the air into a receiver where it is put in contact with the
mineral essences which carburate it. The receiver is fitted with discs
of felt or other material superposed, which are provided with partitions
arranged in a zig-zag manner upon their upper faces. The arrangement
of the partitions and exit orifices in each disc of felt has the effect of 1
completely saturating the air with the carburated principles of the
mineral acids. The essences are brought to the discs by meshes which
proceed from orifices made in the bottom of a reservoir filled with
essence.
The filling of the reservoir is effected by means of a tube provided 2
with a plug. The carburated air, proceeding from the receiver through
an orifice at the bottom, passes through a compartment and the exit
conduit in order to be delivered for consumption or storing.
The 3
As stated above, I arrange at the upper part of the apparatus a water.
boiler composed of two reservoirs; the smaller one of which is for 2
commencing the operation, and the other for carrying it on. The
smaller reservoir contains at starting water, which is heated by means
of a flame jet féd with carburated air from the pipe, and with non-
carburated air from the tube. This jet also serves for heating the
air before its entrance through the air tube into the receiver.
steam formed in the small reservoir closes by its pressure a little ball
valve at the end of a bent tube, and proceeds through the tube ter-
minated by a tapered nozzle in order to perform the function of injector
into a tube placed above the receiver, and produces in this manner an
aspiration of the surrounding air which is sent into the receiver. The 3
latter, which is at first filled with water, allows this air to escape
through orifices at its lower circumference, and it then proceeds
through the tube under the bell where it regularizes its pressure.
:

page_text: Gradually the water contained in the larger reservoir of the boiler
is heated and gives off steam; and when its pressure is superior to
that of the smaller reservoir, the ball valve opens and the steam from
the larger reservoir escapes, becomes superheated in the smaller reservoir,
and finally proceeds through the exit tube in order to bring about the
injection as before. A monometer is fitted to the tube to shew the inner
pressure. As will be seen, the pressure of air is always regulated
by the weight of the bell itself (equilibrated or lightened by means
of a counterweight), and by the action of the injecting aspiring boiler.
Upon the air tube I have arranged a connection tube with a cock
which permits of drawing off an overplus of carburretted air when the
flame from the lighting jets is too strong or smoky.
1
The compartment below the receiver is of the same capacity as the
reservoir, in order to serve to store the essence which drops from the
reservoir when it has been filled and left during a certain time. An
emptying cock serves to remove the essences from the compartment
back into the reservoir.
It will be understood that by employing a sufficiently large bell it
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Jules François Lafrogne in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 4th October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JULES
FRANÇOIS LAFROGNE, of Paris, Boulevard de Strasbourg, No. 23,
Mechanist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Jules Francois Lafrogne, Her special
licence that I, the said Jules Francois Lafrogne, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Jules Francois
Lafrogne, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter

page_text: 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 LIGHTING AND HEATING, AND
IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Jules Francois Lafrogne, my executors or admini-
strators, 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 Jules Francois Lafrogne, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say :—
My Invention has for its object an improved generating apparatus
for the manufacture of gas for lighting and heating purposes in small
or large quantities by means of the carburation of atmospheric air with
mineral essence..
My apparatus is characterized by the simplicity with which it is
supplied with air, this is effected by the aid of a bell dipping into a
vessel filled with water. The regulation of the pressure if the air is
obtained by the aid of an auxiliary water boiler, which transmits its
steam by an injector into an open tube to cause the aspiration of the
'surrounding air, in order to send it into an intermediate reservoir to
compress it to the desired degree.
The construction of my apparatus will be well understood from the
accompanying Drawings, in Figure 1 of which it is shewn in vertical
section. A bell-shaped vessel A of any required capacity and filled.
with air is plunged into another vessel B filled with water, from the
centre of the bell-shaped vessel two pipes or conduits C, C', proceed,
one C for the escape of the air and the other C₁ to allow its entrance.
"The air-escape conduit C is provided with a tap a, and it leads the air
into a receiver D where it is put into contact with the mineral
'essences which carburate it. The receiver D is fitted with discs

page_text: b, b, b, of felt or other material laid one over the other, which are
provided with partitions arranged in an alternate open-ended manner
upon their upper faces, as shewn at Figure 2. This arrangement
of the partitions and of the exit orifices in each disc of felt has the
effect of completely saturating the air as it passes them with the
carburated principles of the mineral essence. The essences are supplied
to the discs b, b, b, by meshes c, c, c, which proceed from short
tubes c¹, c¹, soldered to orifices made in the bottom of a reservoir E
filled with essence. The bottom X of the reservoir E is shown
separately in Figure 3.
The filling of the reservoir E is effected by means of a tube d
which is provided with a plug. The carburated air proceeding from
the receiver D through the air orifice at the bottom passes through
the compartment K and the exit pipe E in order to be delivered for
consumption or storing.
As stated above, I arrange at the upper part of the apparatus a boiler
composed of two parts, the smaller of which G is for commencing the
operation, and the other G₁ for continuing it. The smaller part G
contains at starting water which is heated by means of a flame jet g, g,
fed with carburated air from the pipe F, and with non-carburated air
from the tube C. This jet also serves for heating the air before its
entrance through the air tube C into the receiver D. The steam
formed in the smaller part of G closes by its pressure a little ball
valve at the end of a bent tube i and proceeds through the tube j,
terminated by a tapered nozzle in order to perform the junction of
injector into a tube placed above the receiver, and produces in this
manner an aspiration of the surrounding air which is sent into the
receiver H. The latter, which is at first filled with water, allows
this air to escape through lower circumferential orifices 1, 1, 1, and it
then proceeds through the tube C₁ under the bell-shaped vessel A,
where it regularizes its pressure. Gradually the water contained in
the larger portion of the boiler G' is heated and gives off steam, and
when its pressure is superior to that of the smaller portion G, the ball
valve h opens and the steam from the larger portion G' escapes, becomes
superheated in the smaller portion G, and finally proceeds through the
exit tube in order to bring about the injector as before. A mano-
meter J. is fitted on to the tube j to indicate the inner pressure. As will
be seen, the pressure of air is always regulated by the weight of the
.

page_text: bell-shaped A itself (equilibrated or lightened by means of counter-
weights which may be placed upon the little plate, m), and by the
action of the injecting aspiring boiler. Upon the air tube C I have
arranged a connection tube n provided with a cock, which leads into
the carburated air-exit tube F in order to remove any excess of car-
buration when it is too strong, as when the flame from the lighting
jets to which it is supplied is smoky.
The compartment K below the receiver is of the same capacity as the
reservoir E, in order to serve to store the essence which drops from
the reservoir E when it has been filled, and the apparatus left unused
for any length of time. An emptying cock r then serves to remove
the essence from the compartment K in order to be put back into the
reservoir E.
It will be understood that by employing a sufficiently large bell-
shaped vessel it would be possible to dispense with the boiler G, G³.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,—
1stly. The apparatus, substantially as herein-before described with
reference to the accompanying Drawings, for the manufacture of gas
for heating and lighting purposes.
2ndly. The arrangement, substantially as described and shown, of the
carburating apparatus properly so called with discs of felt or other
material arranged in a zig-zag manner.
3rdly. The construction and arrangement of the auxiliary boiler and
the injector pipe, substantially as described and shown.
And 4thly. The combination of the bell-shaped vessel A with the air
entry and exit pipes C¹ and C, substantially as described and shown.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jules Francois Lafrogne, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Third day of October One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.