Improvements in or appertaining to the Burners of Incandescent Gas Lights.
Year: 1894

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to the Burners of Incandescent
Gas Lights.
A communication from the Firm of ADAM WEBER AND CO., of 40, Kernstrasse,
Nürnberg, in the Empire of Germany, Gas Burner Makers.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil 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 :-
This invention is illustrated by means of the accompanying sheet of drawings
which shows a safety burner with an automatic lighter for incandescent gas lights.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the safety burner with the automatic lighting tap
and the slide ring, hereinafter described, for shutting off the incoming air.
Figs. 2 and 3 show how the passages of the automatic lighting tap are arranged.
Fig. 4 is a view of the lifting plate for the slide ring of the incoming air.
Fig. 5 shows a variation of the part C of the safety burner, the action of which
is hereinafter described in detail.
It is known that owing to the explosion which results when an incandescent gas
burner is lighted, the incandescent substance, which is very susceptible, is strongly
shaken, which injuriously effects its durability. The sudden and strong heat which
results when the flame bursts. out is also very injurious to the incandescent
substance.
These evils are avoided by the arrangement of an automatic lighting tap
together with a peculiar safety burner. By this improved appliance the flame
which heats the incandescent body is turned down to the lowest possible amount
when it is not wanted, and this small flame, which practically gives no light and is
free from soot, will always maintain the incandescent substance somewhat warm so
that it will be no longer injured when it is turned on suddenly, because the change
of temperature is not so great.
There is a tap d applied under the Bunsen burner g, and the plug c of this tap
separates the in-coming gas tube f, provided with a regulating screw e, from the
gas exit tube g, provided with several passages, which exit tube opens into the
nozzle h of the Bunsen burner g.
The gas exit tube , as it is shown on the drawings, has three passages i, i and k,
the middle one k of which is very narrow, and for the purpose in view is furnished
with a regulating screw n. By means of an annular groove, x, Fig. 2, formed in
the wall of the tap d, the middle exit passage k is always connected with the inlet
pipe f, quite independent of the position of the plug c. Both of the large outlets i i
are put in connection with or shut off from the inlet passage by means of the
passages p and s, which are arranged as shown in Fig. 3. The incandescent gas
burner is in the first instance lit as usual after the tap has been opened, whereupon
the gas, when the tap is in the position shown in Fig. 3, streams through the
passages pii and then through the tube 9 and nozzle h, after which, when it has
been mixed with the air, it passes up through the tube F and issues out through
the head of the burner A to the incandescent substance or mantle B. The
construction of F and A will be further described later on. When the tap is shut,
a small quantity of gas is constantly passing out through the passage k, so that a
small flame continues to burn which maintains the incandescent substance constantly

page_text: warm. If the tap is then opened so that the full flame is obtained no explosion
will result but the large flame will be gradually developed out of the small one.
An air inlet regulator is made use of so that when the small flame is burning,
too much air shall not enter through the openings t of the gas burner. A slide
ring u,
shown in Fig. 1, and which can be raised and lowered on the Bunsen burner
is employed. This ring on the shutting of the tap is raised by means of a lifting
piece or finger t, shown in Fig. 4, whereupon the holes become shut.
The lifting plate v is fixed on the square part of the plug of the tap and is held
fast thereon by means of the screw w. On the opening of the tap the finger
plate sets the slide ring u free whereupon this will fall down and so open the
air holes.
The arrangement of the pipe 9 between the tap and the burner nozzle is a further
important point, as the gas on issuing from the comparatively small passages i i
expands in the tube g and the speed at which it travels will be diminished. The
hissing noise of the gas which is generally heard is by this means avoided.
The mixture of gas issuing from the automatic lighting tap and the air inlet
openings tt pass through the tube F in which there are cross partitions a a which
cause the cross section to become alternately narrowed, as will be understood from
the drawing, and which compel the mixture of gas to change its course of travel
and also its rate of speed owing to the tortuous course which it has to take.
This arrangement is devised with the object of preventing for a certainty the
flashing back of the flame which frequently takes place with Bunsen burners.
Further with incandescent burners it is of the first importance to always have
a mixture of gas and air in some degree equal, so that there may be the utmost
amount of light and also that there may be no noise whilst the light is burning.
Burners hitherto in use have not attained these objects in a sufficient degree.
It can be very often detected that the flame vibrates with a noise which is
owing to an insufficient mixture of gas and air; moreover the two kinds of gas
are not properly distributed together, they only become united after lighting
which as a result causes small explosions, as will be readily understood.
In order to prevent this a mixing chamber C is employed in this burner and the
principle underlying this chamber is to bring the gases to be united equally
together by means of their being mixed as in a sieve.
The mixing chamber is formed by means of a sieving basket C situated above
the tube F and at some little distance from the chamber. Gas and air pass
into the chamber enclosed by this basket by means of its fine openings, and
there become intimately united being assisted by their somewhat slow rate of
travel. Fig. 5 shows a variation in which the basket C, which forms the lower
space of the mixing chamber, instead of being provided with round sieve like
openings is provided with slit shaped openings.
When the mixture of gas issues out of the mixing chamber it is however again
choked or throttled in consequence of the contraction of the outlet area by means
of a projecting plate or ring b. applied at the head of the burner, which will
again cause the gas to become intimately mixed and will moreover, as hereinafter
fully shown, aid in the production of a good sized flame as also assist in the
automatic lighting flame, which is in the middle of the burner, being as small
as possible. The further formation of the burner head A, which is also new
and peculiar, is suited for obtaining both the last objects, and besides these
objects this further one is attained that the automatic lighting flame is shielded
against the draught of the air so that it cannot become extinguished by chance.
For these reasons the head or upper surface of the burner is convex on its
interior but on its exterior is concave and it is provided with outlet passages
directed outwardly and formed in concentric rings.
Owing to the throttling of the mixture of gas, hereinbefore mentioned, as it
issues from the mixing chamber the result is that the rate of travel of the mixture
is increased when the full flame is on and the mixture will energetically recoil
against the inner surface of the head of the burner, it is there divided, owing to the

page_text: convex form of the same, and passes and is in great part led to the outwardly
extending passages, by this means, and also owing to the direction of the passages,.
a very equally distributed incandescent flame, and one of great volume, arises
which will circulate throughout the entire surface of the incandescent body or
mantle.
When the incandescent flame is turned off and the automatic lighting flame is
formed, the rate of exit of the gas mixture becomes so lessened that the mixture is.
no longer driven exteriorly through the convex interior surface but is conducted
by means of the projecting edge or ring b to the inner outlet passages of the head.
or top of the burner, by which means the automatic lighting flame is formed in the
centre of the exterior surface of the same, as is shown in dotted lines in the..
drawing.
As however, on the one hand, the smaller the flame is the greater is the possibility
of it becoming extinguished owing to the draught of the air, resulting in an injurious.
escape of gas, but on the outer hand, for reasons of economy, it is as well to have
as small a flame as possible, this invention does not overlook these considerations
and whilst doing away with the objections resulting from a small flame it yet
preserves the advantages. This is attained by the concave form of the burner head
or top as such provides a protecting wall which protects the small flame, seated in
the deepest part of the centre of the burner head or top, against the draught of air
and its effects.
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. A safety burner for incandescent gas lights the head or top (A) of which is.
formed on the interior with a convex surface and on the exterior with a concave
one and with diverging outlets arranged in concentric rings, for the object of
forming an incandescent flaine with the greatest possible volume as well as of
forming an automatic lighting flame in the deepest part, that is to say, in the centre.
of the exterior surface of the burner head or top.
2. An automatic lighter for incandescent gas burners of the kind mentioned in.
Claim 1, consisting of a tap d arranged under the burner and having one or more
passages i capable of being closed by the plug c of the tap, and also a small
passage which remains constantly connected with the gas inlet pipe f by means of
an annular groove in the wall of the tap, so that when the main flame is turned
off a small flame will still remain burning.
3. In an automatic lighter such as specified in Claim 2, the application of a
lifting finger or plate to the plug of the tap c, by means of which when the tap.
is shut off the air holes of the burner are closed by means of a sliding ring.
4. In incandescent gas burners with automatic lighters such as specified in
Claim 2, the application of an enlarged tube (F) over the automatic burner, in
which, by means of intermediate partitions, the gas is subjected to an alteration
both in its speed of travel and also in its direction, whereby the flashing back of"
the flame is prevented.
5. In incandescent gas burners with automatic lighters such as specified in
Claim 2, the employment of an enlarged mixing chamber (C) with a sieve-like:
inlet and a contracted cover (b) whereby the gas becomes choked or throttled.
shortly before it passes to the head or top of the burner.
Dated June 9th 1894.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.