Improved Apparatus for the Production of Acetylene.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improved Apparatus for the Production of Acetylene.
I, LUCIEN TEDE of Angers in the Republic of France Priest do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This apparatus for the production of acetylene differs essentially from nearly all
hitherto constructed apparatus by the arrangement that instead of distributing the
water upon the carbide of calcium, the pulverized carbide is distributed automatically
in the water proportionally to the necessity, thus avoiding one of the grave
inconveniences mentioned by Messrs. Vieille and Berthelot, in their report to the
Academie des Sciences (Session of 5th Oct. 1896) "Considerable elevation of the
temperature of the Carbide of Calcium resulting from the attack of the carbide in excess
by small quantities of water in a closed apparatus."
The apparatus is composed of two concentric cylinders communicating at their
under part.
The inner cylinder is surmounted by a receptacle for carbide of calcium, the under
part of which is closed by a valve which can be rendered immovable by means of a
pressure screw operating at the upper part of the rod which traverses it and which
when freed by the unscrewing of the said screw, can be lifted by the action of an
annular float fixed to the under part of the rod.
The same cylinder serves also as receiver for the small quantity of gas necessary
for the regular feed of the burners and also as protection for the annular float.
The outer cylinder serves as a mantle or covering for the inner cylinder and
contains the necessary. water for the pressure of the gas and for the chemical reaction
which operates at the time of the fall of the carbide of calcium into the water and
contains also the by product which results from such action.
The double wall of the inner cylinder constitutes a water receiver intended to cool the
gas and to serve as a weight for maintaining the inner cylinder at the bottom.of
the outer cylinder.
The apparatus is worked in the following manner:
The receiver being filled with pulverized aud sifted carbide of calcium, the cock
being closed; water is poured into the outer cylinder and fills it more
or less
according as one desires to obtain a greater or less gas pressure; the pressure screw is
unscrewed in order to allow the valve to operate; the escape cock is opened and the
apparatus operates. At the beginning the water contained in the exterior cylinder
enters gradually into the interior cylinder and lifts the float which in its ascending
movement raises the valve. Then the carbide of calcium falls into the inner cylinder
and gas is immediately produced. This gas drives by means of its pressure the.
water from the inner cylinder into the annular ring between the two cylinders, until
the float being no longer raised and falling with the rod and the valve brings back
the valve onto its seat and thus interrupts the falling of the carbide.
If in this state, gas is consumed the pressure diminishes in the same proportions
in the inner cylinder and the water will flow back in order to reestablish the
equilibrium; the float will be again lifted and the previous operation will again take
place automatically in proportion to the consumption of gas.

page_text: The apparatus may be varied and arranged in conjunction with burners, in this
apparatus the bell rises and sinks in an inner cylinder perforated on a part of its
height in order to allow the liquid to penetrate from the outside into the inside of
the bell and consequently allow the annular float to operate, the latter regulating the
fall of the carbide into the water.
I, LUCIEN TEDE, of Angers in the Republic of France, Priest, 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 apparatus for the production of acetylene differs essentially from nearly all
hitherto constructed apparatus by the arrangement that instead of distributing the
water upon the carbide of calcium, the pulverized carbide is distributed automatically
in the water proportionally to necessity, thus avoiding one of the grave inconveniences
mentioned by Messrs. Veille and Berthelot in their report to the Academie des
Sciences (Session of 5th October 1896) "Considerable elevation of the temperature of
the Carbide of Calcium resulting from the attack of the carbide in excess by small
quantities of water in a closed apparatus."
The apparatus represented in elevation and section in Figs. 1 and 2 of the
annexed drawings is composed of two concentric cylinders B and C communicating at
their under part.
The inner cylinder B is surmounted by a receptacle A for carbide of calcium,
the under part of which is closed by a valve 4 which can be rendered immovable by
means of a pressure screw 3 operating on the upper part of the rod 7 and which
when freed by the unscrewing of the said screw, can be lifted by the action of an
annular float 5 fixed to the under part of the rod of the valve.
The same cylinder B serves also as receiver for the small quantity of gas necessary
for the regular feed of the burners and also as protection for the annular float 5.
The outer cylinder C serves as a mantle or covering for the inner cylinder B and
contains the necessary water for the pressure of the gas and for the chemical
reaction which operates at the time of the fall of the carbide of calcium into the
water and contains also the by-product which results from such action.
The double wall B₁ of the inner cylinder B constitutes a water receiver intended
to cool the gas and to serve as a weight for maintaining the inner cylinder at the
bottom of the outer cylinder.
The apparatus is worked in the following manner :-
The receiver A being filled with pulverized and sifted carbide of calcium, the cock 9
being closed; water is poured into the outer cylinder C and fills it more or less
according as one desires to obtain a greater or less gas pressure; the pressure screw 3
is unscrewed in order to allow the valve to operate; the escape cock 9 is opened and
the apparatus operates. At the beginning the water contained in the exterior
cylinder Centers gradually into the interior cylinder B and lifts the float 5 which in
its ascending movement raises the valve 4. Then the carbide of calcium falls into
the inner cylinder and gas is immediately produced. This gas drives by means of its
pressure the water from the inner cylinder into the annular ring between the two
cylinders, until the float 5. being no longer raised and falling with the rod and the

page_text: valve 4 brings back the valve onto its seat and thus interrupts the falling of the
carbide.
If in this state, gas is consumed the pressure diminishes in the same proportions
in the inner cylinder and the water will flow back in order to reestablish the equilibrium
the float will again be lifted and the previous operation will again take place
automatically in proportion to the consumption of gas.
The apparatus may be varied as shown in Fig. 3 where it is illustrated in
conjunction with two burners, in this apparatus the bell B rises and sinks in an
inner guiding cylinder perforated on a part of its height in order to allow the liquid
to penetrate from the outside into the inside of the bell B and consequently allow the
annular float 5 to operate, the latter regulating the fall of the carbide into the water
as previously described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
In the apparatus for producing acetylene gas the float employed as a motive force
for the opening and closing of a valve governing the supply of calcium carbide in
its fall into the water for the production of said acetylene gas, and in particular the
apparatus for lighting by acetylene gas substantially as herein described and
illustrated in the annexed drawing.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, Agents to Applicant.