Improvements in the Treatment of Illuminating Gas.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 3rd Oct., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Treatment of Illuminating Gas.
I, ISAAC NEWTON KNAPP, of Omaha, County of Douglas, State of Nebraska,
U.S.A., Gas 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:-
The principal object of my present invention is to remove or extract tar, entrained
matter and vapors such as condense at ordinary temperatures from illuminating
gases, such, for example, as carburetted water gas, and to this end my invention
consists of the improvements hereinafter described and claimed.
In practicing my invention the temperature of the gas may be reduced to about
one hundred and twenty-five degrees, more or less, by any appropriate means and
this temperature is suitable for extracting tar and entrained matter. A considerable
velocity is then imparted to the partially cooled gas and to its tar and other
entrained matter, so that they move in a pre-determined direction and impinge
upon fixed vanes or plates which extract the tar and entrained matter, because the
direction of motion of the globules and vesicles of the latter is not, by reason of
their weight, readily changed and because the gas escapes from and around said
plates or vanes, by reason of the fact that the direction of its motion is readily
changed.
In the following description reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings
in which
Figure 1, is a top or plan view of apparatus embodying features of my invention
and adapted to afford means for practicing the same.
Fig. 2, is a side elevational view of apparatus shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3, is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3, of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4, is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4, of Fig. 1, and
Fig. 5, is an elevational view of one type of apparatus adapted for use in the
practice of the process of my invention.
In the drawings, a, is a casing or housing which may be supported in any
convenient manner and which, in the present instance, is of cylindrical form. This
casing or housing is or may be provided with hand-holes a', having suitable cover
plates. a², is an inlet that extends from the top of the casing or housing a, down-
ward through it to a point near its bottom. Beneath the bottom of the inlet a', is
located a revolvable extracting or centrifugal discharge wheel b. As illustrated
in the drawings, this extracting wheel comprises top and bottom plates, whereof
the top one is provided with an opening 6, that communicates with the inlet a³, and
is provided with radial arms 63, and 63, slightly curved at their outer ends, as shown,
and whereof the arms 63, are longer than the arms 63. In the exemplification of
my invention shown in the drawings, the extracting or centrifugal wheel b, is
mounted upon a shaft 64, revolvably supported by means of the bearings, and by
means of an adjustable step bolt &, carried by a yoke b'. 68, is a gas tight stuffing
box and b, a pulley to which power for rotating the extracting wheel is applied.
c, are a series of vanes or plates fixed, for example, to the casing or housing a, and
arranged around the periphery of the extracting wheel and disposed at an
inclination to the radial position, as showu. d, is a fluid off-take, and e, is an
outlet for clean gas.
The preceding description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings
will enable the skilful mechanician to understand the construction of an apparatus
embodying my improvements, consequently I shall proceed to describe the mode of

page_text: operation of the same in connection with the practice of the process of my invention
in its application to the production of carburetted water gas.
The temperature of carburetted water gas after leaving the appropriate portion
of a gas generating apparatus A, is reduced, by means of a cooler or condenser B,
or other suitable device to one hundred and twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit, more or
less, in order to condense tar and the like prior to its separation from the gas,
whereupon the partially cooled gas enters the inlet a2, and passes thence through
the opening b', into the extracting wheel b, which is rapidly revolved. The
globules and vesicles of tar and entrained matter as well as the carburetted water
gas are thrown off with considerable velcity from the periphery of the extracting
or centrifugal wheel by the rapidly moving arms 63 and 63, and impinge upon the
fixed vanes or plates c. These rapidly moving globules of tar and other entrained
matter may not, by reason of their weight, change the direction of their motion
suddenly, consequently they impinge upon and adhere to and flow or fall from the
vanes or plates c, and thus escape from the gas current, whereas the carburettel
water gas being exceedingly mobile changes the direction of its motion rapidly and
escapes from between the plates or vanes into the interior of the housing or casing a,
from which it is collected by way of the outlet e. The tar and other matter
extracted from the gas by the vanes or plates c, may gradually accumulate at the
bottom of the casing or housing from which it may be removed by way of the
fluid off-take d, hand-holes a', or otherwise, as preferred. Obviously the extracting
wheel b, may be run at the proper speed for causing it not only to impart sufficient
velocity to the gas for causing it to be cleaned by the vanes or plates c, in the
manner above set forth, but also for causing it to operate as an exhauster and suck
gas through the inlet a², from the fixing chamber and generator, so that the
pressure of gas from the point of generation to the extracting wheel may be kept
below the pressure of the atmosphere which is a desirable condition un ler which to
break up the enriching hydrocarbons by heat. If from any cause the extracting
wheel should be stopped during the period of gas-making or if its speed should be
insufficient to produce a partial vacuum no harm can be done or injury inflicted
because the openings between the arms 62 and 3, of the wheel constitute perfect
by-pass connections through which the gas inay travel.
It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which my invention relates that
modifications may be made in details without departing from the spirit thereof,
hence I do not limit myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts
hereinabove set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but
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 method of extracting tar ani entrained matter from newly manufactured
gas which consists in first cooling the gas to effect a condensation of the tar and
heavy vapors, then imparting a high velocity to the gas and condensed liquids
carried by it then causing it to impinge upon baffle plates whereby the tar and
liquid impurities are deprived of velocity and caused to separate from the gas, and
finally carrying off the cleaned gas as described.
2. Apparatus for extracting tar and entrained matter from illuminating gas
which consists of a centrifugal discharge wheel, a casing arranged around the
periphery of said wheel, fixed plates or vanes projecting inward from said casing
and arranged at inclinations to radial positions, and an outlet from the casing for
the clean gas, substantially as described.
3. An apparatus for treating gas comprising a casing or housing, an inlet adapted
for communication with a gas generator and extending internally to near the
bottom of said casing or housing, a revolvable wheel disposed beneath said inlet
and provided with arms having openings between them that communicate with the
inlet and with the interior of the housing or casing whereby velocity is imparted
to the gas and its entrained matter, fixed vanes or plates interposed in the path of

page_text: the rapidly moving gas and entrained matter and arranged around the periphery
of said extracting wheel and carried by said housing or casing, and clean gas and
fluid off-takes from said casing or housing, substantially as described.
4. An apparatus for treating gas comprising a casing or housing provided with
an inlet adapted for connection with a gas generator and with an outlet for clean
gas, a centrifugal wheel having passages communicating with the inlet and with
the interior of the casing or housing and adapted to impart velocity to the gas and
entrained matter, fixed vanes or plates disposed around the periphery of said wheel
and in the path of the gas and its entrained matter, and a yoke bearing and stuffing
box for revolvably supporting said wheel, substantially as described.
Dated this 17th dar of July 1896.
ISAAC NEWTON KNAPP.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant
ISAAC NEWTON KNAPP.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant