IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING GAS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Tomlinson Bousfield, of Loughborough Park,
Brixton, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING GAS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED
THEREIN." A Communication from abroad by Dr. William Elmer,
1
osiding at Now Vork in the IInited States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Tomlinson Bous-
field at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 6th March 1863.
I, GEORGE TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the
County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING GAS, AND IN APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
The object of the Invention is to produce olefiant gas from fluid hydro-
carbons with economy. Of all the gases that give out light in burning,
olefiant gas is the most esteemed, not only because it gives a remarkably white
and soft light, but also because a smaller quantity of it is required to produce
a certain quantity of light than of any other illuminating gas which is
produced in quantities.
Previous to this Invention illuminating gas has been produced on a large
scale by the decomposition of various substances, among which are wood,

page_text: bituminous coal, the resins, the oils, and the fats. The gas obtained by the
decomposition of bituminous coal contains, according to various writers, from
10 to 20 per cent. at most of olefiant gas, the remaining portion being made
up by other substances, which are mechanically mixed with the olefiant gas,
among which may be mentioned,
Volatile hydrocarbons.
Bisulphide of carbon.
Carbonic oxide.
Carbonic acid.
Ammonia.
Nitrogen.
Byhydride of carbon.
Sulphide of hydrogen.
Sulphurous acid.
Cyanogen.
Benzole.
Naptha.
Some of these substances which escape the purifying processes are in-
flammable, and give out light in burning, but in a less degree than olefiant
gas, others are not only deleterious to the health, but do not yield light, so
that a much larger quantity of the mixture of these gases must be used to
obtain a certain quantity of light than if pure olefiant gas was burned for the
purpose. But as illuminating gas can in most localities be produced at a
lower cost from bituminous coal than from other materials, it continues to be
used notwithstanding its impurity.
The decompositions of the fats, the resins, and the oils (in which last term
are included the petroleums and napthas,) and the liquid hydrocarbons pro-
duced by the distillation of the coals and the resins,) when carefully effected
furnish illuminating gases which contain larger proportionate quantities of
olefiant gas than coal gas does, and much less impurities. These materials
may all be included under the general name of hydrocarbons, as they are
combinations of hydrogen and carbon; they are used for gas making in a
fluid form, those which are solid at ordinary temperatures being melted or
dissolved previous to their decomposition. When compared with olefiant gas
they contain a larger per-centage of carbon, or in other words they may be
regarded as combinations of olefiant gas with a surplus of carbon; and in
previous systems of producing illuminating gases from them the operation is
effected in such manner that a large proportion, if not the whole of this
surplus carbon, is practically lost in the process, so, that the manufacture of
illuminating gas by their use cannot in most localities compete with that of
coal gas.
The Invention which is the subject of this Patent enables the surplus
carbon in the fluid bydrocarbons to be converted into olefiant gas, so that the
whole of the hydrocarbon employed can be converted into illuminating gas of
the most desirable kind without loss. Moreover, by making use of heated

page_text: zinc to furnish from water a quantity of hydrogen sufficient to combine with
the surplus carbon, a secondary product, viz., the oxide of zinc, is obtained,
which, being valuable in the arts as a pigment, can be sold in the market for
a sufficient sum to defray a material portion of the cost of producing the
illuminating gas.
The Invention is divided into several parts, all of which are useful, but
some of these parts may be used without the remainder.
The first part of the Invention consists in the process of decomposing the
fluid hydrocarbons (whether fluid at the ordinary temperatures, or rendered
fluid by preliminary heating or solution in a liquid hydrocarbon,) in the
presence of hydrogen previously prepared for the purpose, the hydrogen being
supplied in the proper relative quantity to combine to form olefiant gas with
the products of the decomposition of the hydrocarbons.
The second part of the Invention consists in an apparatus for performing
the above process, which apparatus consists substantially of the combination of
the following devices, viz. :—
1. A retort in which water is decomposed to furnish hydrogen.
2. A retort in which a fluid hydrocarbon is decomposed by heat.
3. One or more furnaces for heating the retorts to the required tem-
peratures.
4. Apparatus to supply water in regulated quantities to the retort in which
it is decomposed (whether such water be supplied in liquid form or in the
form of steam.
5. Apparatus to supply a fluid hydrocarbon in regulated quantities to the
retort in which it is decomposed.
6. A connecting pipe to conduct the hydrogen from the retort in which it is
formed to the retort in which the fluid hydrocarbon is decomposed.
The third part of the Invention consists in the employment of zinc in the.
retort in which water is to be decomposed in connection with the second part
of the Invention, so that the oxygen of the water shall combine with the zinc
to form an oxide of zinc, and that illuminating gas and oxide of zinc shall be
products of the operation.
The fourth part of the Invention consists in the combination of the retort
for the decomposition of water with the retort for the formation of the
illuminating gas through the intervention of a condenser, so that such zinc
or other substance as may pass off with the hydrogen may be separated from
t previous to the introduction of the hydrogen into the retort in which the
formation of illuminating gas is to take place.
The fifth part of the Invention consists in the combination of a heating

page_text: apparatus with the second part of the Invention, for the purpose of heating
steam previous to its decomposition.
The sixth part of the Invention consists in the combination of a heating
apparatus with the second part of the Invention, for the purpose of re-heating
the hydrogen previous to its introduction into the retort in which the
illuminating gas is to be formed.
In the apparatus employed the water is decomposed to furnish hydrogen in
a retort which is heated by a fire in a furnace beneath it; a lower temperature
is required for decomposing the fluid bydrocarbons than for decomposing
water. The retort in which the hydrocarbon is to be decomposed is beated
by the same fire as that for decomposing the water, and the flame, after passing
around the retort in which the water is decomposed, is conducted by flues to the
retort in which the hydrocarbon is decomposed, and thence out of the retort
chamber through suitable slots or openings in the arch over the retort. These
retorts may both be made of iron or fire-clay. The water to be decomposed
is supplied to the hydrogen retort in the form of steam, which, in order to
embody the fifth part of the Invention, is heated to a high temperature
previous to its introduction into the retort. In order to obtain steam
economically, it is furnished by a boiler which is heated by the products
of combustion escaping from the chamber surrounding the bydrocarbon
retort, and the flues are arranged in such manner that by varying the position
of a damper, more or less of these products may be caused to pass around the
boiler, and thus the evaporation may be varied, and the quantity of water
supplied in the form of steam to the hydrogen retort may be regulated. The
damper consists of a fire-brick slab suspended from a lever, and counter-
balanced by a weight, so that it can be easily moved, and will retain the
position in which it is placed. It is arranged in such manner that as one flue
is opened the other is obstructed, and vice versa, so that while the draught of
the furnace remains the same, the quantity of heat transmitted to the boiler is
varied by moving the damper. The steam from the boiler passes through a
pipe enclosed in the retort chamber, so that the steam is highly heated
previous to its introduction into the hydrogen retort. This retort is to be
charged with some material which will decompose water, abstracting the
oxygen, and setting free the hydrogen. In order to embody the third part of
the Invention, the substance which is used for decomposing the water is
metallic zinc. The boiler is provided with a feed pipe leading from some
elevated source of supply, or otherwise, so that water can be conveniently
supplied to the boiler when required. The hydrogen retort is connected with the
bydrocarbon retort, and in order to embody the fourth part of the Invention, a

page_text: condenser is interposed in the connection between the two retorts, so that such
condensible matters as pass from the hydrogen retort with the hydrogen may
be separated from it before it combines with the products of the decomposition
of the hydrocarbon. The condenser consists of a series of four chambers or
cells, three of which are separated by grated partitions, while the last cell
contains water, under whose surface the hydrogen and its accompanying
substances are introduced through a pipe leading from the next preceding cell.
The hydrogen passes from the condenser to the bydrocarbon retort through a
pipe, which, in order to embody the sixth part of the Invention, is passed
through the retort chamber, so that the hydrogen is highly heated before its
introduction into the hydrocarbon retort. The hydrocarbon used is supplied
to the hydrocarbon retort in a liquid form from a reservoir which is mounted
upon the masonry of the retort chambers. This vessel communicates with the
hydrocarbon retort by means of a pipe fitted with a screw valve, by means of
which the supply of hydrocarbon may be regulated. The hydrocarbon retort
may not contain any solid substance, but it is better to fill it partially with
fragments of bricks, so as to afford an increased decomposing surface. The
gas produced in the hydrocarbon retort escapes through a pipe, and may be
conducted directly to a gas holder, or may first be passed through a condenser
to collect any liquid products that may be carried off in the form of vapor
with the illuminating gas. Olefiant gas contains about 86 per cent. by weight
of carbon, and 14 per cent. of hydrogen. The hydrocarbons which are
available for the manufacture of illuminating gas contain a much larger per-
centage of carbon, and as the composition of almost each one differs from
another, the quantity of hydrogen to be supplied to the hydrocarbon retort
varies according to the hydrocarbon which is used. Water contains a certain
determined per-centage of hydrogen, so that when the quantity of hydrogen
required for any particular hydrocarbon is known, it may be supplied practically
with almost chemical accuracy by decomposing a certain calculated quantity of
water in the hydrogen retort for each portion of the hydrocarbon supplied to
the hydrocarbon retort. Thus when petroleum, or rock oil as it is frequently
called, is the hydrocarbon used, it is expedient to decompose six parts by
measure of water for each eight parts by measure of petroleum supplied to
the hydrocarbon retort. In order to enable the workmen to supply the proper
quantity of water with facility, the interior of the boiler in the present example
is made of the same horizontal section as the interior of the hydrocarbon
reservoir, and each is provided with a glass gauge to shew the height of the
liquid within the vessel; a scale of equal divisions is applied to each gauge,
and the lengths of the divisions on the water gauge bear the same proportion

page_text: to the lengths of those of the hydrocarbon gauge that the quantity of water to
be decomposed bears to the quantity of hydrocarbon to be decomposed in the
same time; thus, if, as before supposed, petroleum be the hydrocarbon used,
the lengths of the divisions of the water gauge should be ths of those of
the hydrocarbon gauge. Then, when the flow of hydrocarbon is adjusted, the
evaporation of the water is adjusted by regulating the damper, so that the
liquids stand on their two gauge scales at the same division or fraction thereof
as both vessels are progressively emptied. When the apparatus thus described
is in regular operation, the steam generated in the boiler passes through pipes,
and enters the hydrogen retort; it is there decomposed, the oxygen combining
with the material used therein for that purpose, while the liberated hydrogen
passes through the outlet pipes and the condenser to the hydrocarbon retort.
The hydrocarbon employed passes from the reservoir through a pipe to the
bydrocarbon retort, in which it is decomposed in the presence of the hydrogen,
and the products from the hydrocarbon retort pass from the apparatus
through the outlet pipe to the gas holder. Any hydrocarbon which can be
reduced to a liquid, and then decomposed by heat, as, for example, rosin and
tallow, may be successfully used in the apparatus thus described, but the
petroleums and the crude paraffine oils obtained by the distillation of bituminous
coals are preferred by the Inventor. The hydrogen retort should be kept at a
temperature just high enough to vaporize a sufficient quantity of the zinc to
decompose the water, and this temperature may be regulated by varying the
admission of air to the ash-pit of the furnace by means of a register, but with
ordinary workmen it is hardly practicable to adjust the temperature with
exactness, and hence an excess of the zinc is vaporized, and some of it passes
with the hydrogen to the condenser. The products of the decomposition of
water by commercial zinc are hydrogen, oxide of zinc, and some immaterial
traces of other substances; the larger quantity of the oxide of zinc remains in
the hydrogen retort, and is removed previous to supplying a new charge of
zinc, a portion of the oxide is, however, found in the condenser. The oxide
is collected and washed to fit it for market. In using any bydrocarbon
whose chemical composition is unknown, a preliminary analysis of it should be
made to determine the quantity of hydrogen, and consequently of water
required to convert all its carbon into olefiant gas; or the hydrocarbon may
be decomposed in connection with a previously estimated quantity of water,
and the resulting gas may be tested for its quality, then from this test the
proper quantity of water to be used may be determined. In commencing
the process a quantity of hydrogen sufficient to drive out the atmospheric air
from the apparatus should be formed before the decomposition of the hydro-

page_text: carbon is commenced, then the decomposition will commence in an atmosphere
of hydrogen, or, in other words, the hydrogen will be present while the
products of the decomposition of the hydrocarbon are in their nascent state,
and at a high temperature, when an immediate recombination of them with
the hydrogen results, and if the hydrogen be supplied in properly regulated
quantities, as has been described, that particular combination of carbon and
bydrogen known as olefiant gas is produced.
This Invention is not confined to any form of apparatus, as it must be
evident to those skilled in the art of which it appertains, that the form of the
apparatus may be varied without substantially changing its mode of operation,
the characteristic feature of the apparatus being to form hydrogen in one
retort, and to introduce it into another in which a hydrocarbon is decomposed.
Moreover, the first and second parts of the Invention may be used without
the remainder, the last three parts may or may not be used with the first
three, and the third part may be omitted by substituting some other substance
that will decompose water in sufficient quantities in place of zinc. On the
other hand, if deemed expedient, the water may be supplied directly to
the hydrogen retort by a regulating apparatus similar to that applied to
the hydrocarbon feed pipe, but in this case the hydrogen retort must be of
sufficient capacity to both vaporize and decompose the water; when this
modification is adopted, the water may be heated previous to its introduction
into the retort by causing it to pass through a heated pipe. If rosin be the
hydrocarbon employed, the hydrocarbon reservoir should be so arranged that
it can be kept at a temperature sufficient to maintain the rosin in a liquid
form; this may be done by setting it in the brickwork in manner similar to the
boiler. In place of regulating the damper that controls the evaporation of the
water by hand, it may be combined with a self-acting damper regulator operated
by the pressure of the steam generated in the boiler, provided the steam be
generated under sufficient pressure to operate a damper regulator; in this
case, however, it would be necessary to place a valve or cock in the steam
pipe to prevent the steam from passing too rapidly to the hydrogen retort.
The steam boiler should be provided with a safety valve, it should also be
provided with a steam pressure gauge. As however the construction and
application of such instruments are well known, it has not been deemed
necessary to describe them.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Tomlinson Bousfield in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st September 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the County of
Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Tomlinson Bousfield, Her special licence that I, the said George
Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, 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 THE MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING GAS, AND IN APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREIN," a communication to me from abroad by Dr. William
Elmer, a person resident at New York, in the United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Tomlinson
Bousfield, my executors or administrators, 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, tha I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, 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:-
The object of the Invention is to produce olefiant gas from fluid hydro-
carbons with economy. Of all the gases that give out light in burning, olefiant
gas is the most esteemed, not only because it gives a remarkably white and
soft light, but also because a smaller quantity of it is required to produce a
certain quantity of light than of any other illuminating gas which is produced
in quantities.
Previous to this Invention illuminating gas has been produced on a large

page_text: scale by the decomposition of various substances, among which are wood, bitu-
minous coal, the resins, the oils, and the fats. The gas obtained by the
decomposition of bituminous coal contains according to various writers from
10 to 20 per cent. at most of olefiant gas, the remaining portion being made
up by other substances which are mechanically mixed with the olefiant gas,
may be mentioned,―
Volatile hydrocarbons.
Bisulphide of carbon.
among which
Carbonic oxide.
Carbonic acid.
Ammonia.
Nitrogen.
Byhydride of carbon.
Sulphide of hydrogen.
Sulphurous acid.
Cyanogen.
Benzole.
Naptha.
Some of these substances which escape the purifying processes are inflam-
mable and give out light in burning, but in a less degree than olefiant gas;
others are not only deleterious to the health but do not yield light, so that a
much larger quantity of the mixture of these gases must be used to obtain a
certain quantity of light than if pure olefiant gas were burned for the purpose.
But as illuminating gas can in most localities be produced at a lower cost from
bituminous coal than from other materials, it continues to be used notwith-
standing its impurity.
The decompositions of the fats, the resins, and the oils (in which last term
are included the petroleums and napthas, and the liquid bydrocarbons pro-
duced by the distillation of the coals and the resins,) when carefully effected,
furnish illuminating gases which contain larger proportionate quantities of
olefiant gas than coal gas does, and much less impurities. These materials
may all be included under the general name of hydrocarbons, as they are com-
binations of hydrogen and carbon; they are used for gas making in a fluid
form, those which are solid at ordinary temperatures being melted or dissolved
previous to their decomposition. When compared with olefiant gas they con-
tain a larger per-centage of carbon, or in other words they may be regarded as
combinations of olefiant gas with a surplus of carbon; and in previous systems
of producing illuminating gases from them the operation is effected in such
manner that a large proportion if not the whole of this surplus carbon is
practically lost in the process, so that the manufacture of illuminating gas by.
their use cannot in most localities compete with that of coal gas.
The Invention which is the subject of this Patent enables the surplus carbon
in the fluid hydrocarbons to be converted into olefiant gas, so that the whole of
the hydrocarbon employed can be converted into illuminating gas of the most-
desirable kind without loss. Moreover, by making use of heated zinc to

page_text: furnish from water a quantity of hydrogen sufficient to combine with the
surplus carbon a secondary product, viz., the oxide of zinc, is obtained, which
being valuable in the arts as a pigment, can be sold in the market for a
sufficient sum to defray a material portion of the cost of producing the illumi-
nating gas.
The Invention is divided into several parts, all of which are useful, but
some of these parts may be used without the remainder.
The first part of the Invention consists in the process of decomposing the
fluid hydrocarbons (whether fluid at the ordinary temperatures or rendered
fluid by preliminary heating or solution in a liquid hydrocarbon) in the
presence of hydrogen previously prepared for the purpose, the hydrogen being
supplied in the proper relative quantity to combine to form olefiant gas with
the products of the decomposition of the hydrocarbons.
The second part of the Invention consists in an apparatus for performing
the above process, which apparatus consists substantially of the combination of
the following devices, viz. :-
1. A retort in which water is decomposed to furnish hydrogen.
2. A retort in which a fluid hydrocarbon is decomposed by heat.
3. One or more furnaces for heating the retorts to the required tem-
peratures.
4. Apparatus to supply water in regulated quantities to the retort in which
it is decomposed (whether such water be supplied in liquid form or in the form
of steam).
5. Apparatus to supply a fluid hydrocarbon in regulated quantities to the
retort in which it is decomposed.
6. A connecting pipe to conduct the hydrogen from the retort in which it
is formed to the retort in which the fluid hydrocarbon is decomposed.
The third part of the Invention consists in the employment of zinc in the
retort in which water is to be decomposed, in connection with the second part
of the Invention, so that the oxygen of the water shall combine with the zinc
to form an oxide of zinc, and that illuminating gas and oxide of zinc shall be
products of the operation.
The fourth part of the Invention consists in the combination of the retort
for the decomposition of water with the retort for the formation of the illumi-
nating gas through the intervention of a condenser, so that such zinc or other
substance as may pass off with the hydrogen may be separated from it previous
to the introduction of the bydrogen into the retort in which the formation of
illuminating gas is to take place.
The fifth part of the Invention consists in the combination of a heating

page_text: apparatus with the second part of the Invention, for the purpose of heating
steam previous to its decomposition.
The sixth part of the Invention consists in the combination of a heating
apparatus with the second part of the Invention, for the purpose of reheating
the hydrogen previous to its introduction into the retort in which the illuminating
gas is to be formed.
In order to enable persons skilled in the manufacture of illuminating
gas to practice the Invention, a Drawing of a suitable apparatus is hereto
annexed.
;
In this Drawing, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of one division of a
row of apparatus for manufacturing illuminating gas according to the Inven-
tion Figure 2 represents a vertical section of the same through the centres
of the retorts; Figure 3 represents a vertical section of the same, transversely
to the retorts following the line X, X, of Figure 2; Figure 4 represents an
elevation of the rear of the division; and Figure 5 represents a vertical
longitudinal section of the condenser of the foreign matters from the hydrogen.
In the apparatus thus represented the water is decomposed to furnish
hydrogen in a retort A, which is heated by a fire in a furnace B beneath it,
and as a lower temperature is required for decomposing the fluid hydrocarbons
than for decomposing water, the retort C, in which the hydrocarbon is to be
decomposed, is heated by the same fire as that for decomposing the water;
both retorts being set in the same brickwork, and the flame after passing
around the latter retort A being conducted by flues d to the former, and being
caused to envelope it before passing out of the retort chamber E through
suitable slots f in the arch over the retort. These retorts may both be made
of iron or fire-clay; in the example represented the hydrogen retort A is made
of fire-clay, and the hydrocarbon retort C of cast iron.
In the present
example, the water to be decomposed is supplied to the hydrogen retort A in
the form of steam, which, in order to embody the fifth part of the Invention,
is heated to a high temperature previous to its introduction into the retort.
In order to obtain steam economically it is furnished by a boiler G, which is
heated by the products of the combustion escaping from the chamber sur-
rounding the hydrocarbon retort C, and the flues h, j, are arranged in such
manner that, by varying the position of a damper K, more or less of these
products may be caused to pass around the boiler, and thus the evaporation
may be varied, and the quantity of water supplied in the form of steam to the
hydrogen retort may be regulated. The damper K in the present example
consists of a fire-brick slab suspended from a lever, and counterbalanced by a
weight L, so that it can be casily moved, and will retain the position in which

page_text: it is placed. It is arranged in such manner, as shewn by the Drawing, that
as one flue his opened, the other j is obstructed, and vice versa, so that while
the draught of the furnace remains the same the quantity of heat transmitted
to the boiler G is varied by moving the damper. The steam from the boiler G
passes through a pipe l, enclosed in the retort chamber, so that the steam is
highly heated previous to its introduction into the hydrogen retort. This
retort is charged with some material which will decompose water, abstracting
the oxygen, and setting free the hydrogen.
In order to embody the third part of the Invention, the substance which is
used for decomposing the water is metallic zinc. The boiler G is provided
with a feed pipe m, leading from some elevated source of supply, or otherwise,
so that water can be conveniently supplied to the boiler when required.
The hydrogen retort A is connected with the hydrocarbon retort C; and in
order to embody the fourth part of the Invention, a condenser P is interposed
in the connection between the two retorts, so that such condensible matters as
pass from the hydrogen retort with the hydrogen may be separated from it
before it combines with the products of the decomposition of the hydrocarbon.
The condenser, in this example, consists of a series of cells R1, R2, R³, R',
three of which are separated by grated partitions s, while the last cell R*
contains water, under whose surface the hydrogen and its accompanying sub-
stances are introduced through a pipe t leading from the next preceding
cell. The hydrogen passes from the condenser to the hydrocarbon retort C
through a pipe n, which, in order to embody the sixth part of the Invention,
is passed through the retort chamber E, so that the hydrogen is highly heated
before its introduction into the hydrocarbon retort. In the present example the
hydrocarbon used is supplied to the hydrocarbon retort in a liquid form from
a reservoir V, which is mounted upon the masonry of the retort chambers.
This vessel communicates with the hydrocarbon retort by means of a pipe a,
fitted with a screw valve b, by means of which the supply of hydrocarbon may
be regulated. The hydrocarbon retort may not contain any solid substance,
but it is better to fill it partially with fragments of bricks, so as to afford an
increased decomposing surface. The gas produced in the hydrocarbon retort
escapes through a pipe e, and may be conducted directly to a gas holder, or
may first be passed through a condenser to collect any liquid products that
may be carried off in the form of vapour with the illuminating gas. Olefiant
gas contains about 86 per cent. by weight of carbon, and 14 per cent. of
hydrogen. The bydrocarbons, which are available for the manufacture of
illuminating gas, contain a much larger per-centage of carbon, and as the
composition of almost each one differs from another the quantity of bydrogen

page_text: to be supplied to the hydrocarbon retort varies according to the hydrocarbon
which is used. Water contains a certain determined per-centage of hydrogen,
so that when the quantity of hydrogen required for any particular hydrocarbon
is known, it may be supplied practically with almost chemical accuracy by
decomposing a certain calculated quantity of water in the hydrogen retort for
each portion of hydrocarbon supplied to the hydrocarbon retort. Thus, when
petroleum or rock oil, as it is frequently called, is the hydrocarbon used, it is
expedient to decompose six parts by measure of water for each eight parts by
measure of petroleum supplied to the hydrocarbon retort. In order to enable
the workmen to supply the proper quantity of water with facility, the interior
of the boiler G, in the present example, is made of the same horizontal section
as the interior of the hydrocarbon reservoir V, and each is provided with a
glass guage g, v, to show the height of the liquid within the vessel; a scale
of equal divisions is applied to each guage, and the lengths of the divisions on
the water guage g bear the same proportion to the lengths of those of the
hydrocarbon guage v, that the quantity of water to be decomposed bears to the
quantity of hydrocarbon to be decomposed in the same time; thus if, as before,
supposed petroleum be the hydrocarbon used, the lengths of the divisions of
the water guage should be gths of those of the hydrocarbon guage. Then
when the flow of hydrocarbon is adjusted the evaporation of the water is adjusted
by regulating the damper K, so that the liquids stand on their two-guage
scales at the same division or fraction thereof as both vessels are progressively
emptied.
When the apparatus thus described is in regular operation, the steam
generated in the boiler passes through the pipes I, 1, 1, and enters the hydrogen
retort A; it is there decomposed, the oxygen combining with the material used
for that purpose, while the liberated hydrogen passes through the pipes w, n, and
the condenser P to the hydrocarbon retort C. The hydrocarbon employed passes
from the reservoir V through the pipe a to the hydrocarbon retort, in which it
is decomposed in the presence of the hydrogen and the products from the
hydrocarbon retort pass from the apparatus through the pipe e to the gas holder.
Any hydrocarbon which can be reduced to a liquid and then decomposed
by heat, as, for example, rosin and tallow, may be successfully used in the
apparatus thus described, but the petroleums and the crude paraffine oils obtained
by the distillation of bituminous coals are preferred by the Inventor. The
hydrogen retort should be kept at a temperature just high enough to vaporize
a sufficient quantity of the zinc to decompose the water, and this temperature
may be regulated by varying the admission of air to the ash-pit of the furnace
by means of a register. But with ordinary workmen it is hardly practicable.

page_text: to adjust the temperature with exactness, and hence an excess of the zinc is
vaporized, and some of it passes with the hydrogen to the condenser. The
products of the decomposition of water by commercial zinc are hydrogen, oxide
of zinc, and some inmaterial traces of other substances; the larger quantity
of the oxide of zinc remains in the hydrogen retort, and is removed previous
to supplying a new charge of zinc; a portion of the oxide is, however, found
in the condenser. The oxide is collected and washed to fit it for market.
In using any hydrocarbon whose chemical composition is unknown, a
preliminary analysis of it should be made to determine the quantity of
hydrogen, and consequently of water required to convert all its carbon into
olefiant gas. Or the hydrocarbon may be decomposed in connection with a
previously estimated quantity of water, and the resulting gas may be tested
for its quality; then from this test the proper quantity of water to be used
may be determined. In commencing the process a quantity of hydrogen
sufficient to drive out the atmospheric air from the apparatus should be formed
before the decomposition of the hydrocarbon is commenced; then the decom-
position will commence in an atmosphere of hydrogen, or in other words the
hydrogen will be present while the products of the decomposition of the hydro-
carbon are in their nascent state and at a high temperature, when an immediate
recombination of them with the hydrogen results; and if the hydrogen be
supplied in properly regulated quantities as has been described, that particular
combination of carbon and hydrogen known as olefiant gas is produced.
This Invention is not confined to the precise form of apparatus represented
in the accompanying Drawings, as it must be evident to those skilled in the
art to which it appertains that the form of the apparatus may be varied
without substantially changing its mode of operation, the characteristic feature
of the apparatus being to form hydrogen in one retort, and to introduce it into
another, in which a bydrocarbon is decomposed. Moreover, the first and
second parts of the Invention may be used without the remainder; the last
three parts may or may not be used with the first three, and the third part
may be omitted by substituting some other substance that will decompose
water in sufficient quantities in place of zinc. On the other hand, if deemed
expedient, the water may be supplied directly to the hydrogen retort by &
regulating apparatus, similar to that applied to the hydrocarbon feed pipe, but
in this case the hydrogen retort must be of sufficient capacity to both vaporize
and decompose the water; when this modification is adopted, the water may
be heated previous to its introduction into the retort by causing it to pass
through a heated pipe. If rosin be the hydrocarbon employed, the hydrocarbon
reservoir V should be so arranged that it can be kept at a temperature sufficient

page_text: to maintain the rosin in a liquid form, this may be done by setting it in the brick-
work in manner similar to the boiler G. In place of regulating the damper K
that controls the evaporation of the water by hand, it may be combined with a
self-acting damper regulator operated by the pressure of the steam generated
in the boiler, provided the steam be generated under sufficient pressure to
operate a damper regulator; in this case, however, it would be necessary to
place a valve or cock in the steam pipe to prevent the steam from passing too
rapidly to the hydrogen retort. The steam boiler G should be provided with
a safety valve applied to the nozzle x; it should also be provided with a steam
pressure guage. As, however, the construction and application of such
instruments are well known, it has not been deemed necessary to represent
them in the Drawings of the apparatus.
What is claimed as the Invention is, first, the manufacture of illuminating
gas by decomposing fluid hydrocarbons in the presence of hydrogen previously
prepared for the purpose, the hydrogen being supplied in the proper relative
quantity to combine to form olefiant gas with the products of the decomposition
of the hydrocarbons.
Secondly, an apparatus for working out the before described manufacture,
which apparatus consists substantially of the following devices or their
equivalents, viz.:—
1. A retort, in which water is decomposed to furnish hydrogen.
2. A retort, in which a fluid hydrocarbon is decomposed by heat.
3. One or more furnaces for heating the retorts to the required temperatures.
4. Apparatus to supply water in regulated quantities to the retort, in which
it is decomposed (whether such water be supplied in liquid form, or in the
form of steam).
5. Apparatus to supply a fluid bydrocarbon in regulated quantities to the
retort in which it is decomposed.
6. A connecting pipe to conduct the hydrogen from the retort in which it is
formed to the retort in which the fluid hydrocarbon is decomposed.
These devices being combined together so as to operate substantially in the
manner herein-before set forth.
Thirdly, the employment of zinc in the retort in which water is decomposed,
in connection with the second part of the Invention, substantially as herein-
before set forth.
Fourthly, the combination of the retort for the decomposition of water with
the retort for the formation of the illuminating gas through the intervention of
a condenser, the combination operating substantially as herein set forth.

page_text: Fifthly, the combination of a heating apparatus with the second part of the
Invention, in such manner as to heat steam previous to its decomposition.
Sixthly, the combination of a heating apparatus with the second part of the
Invention, in such manner as to heat the hydrogen previous to its introduction
into the retort in which the illuminating gas is to be formed.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
GEO. T. BOUSFIELD. (L.S.)