New or Improved Apparatus for the Production of Combustible Gas.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 12th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 9th Feb., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Apparatus for the Production of Combustible Gas.
We ARTIDORO FARINETTI of No. 236 Blackfriars Road London, Civil
Engineer, and PETER BRENTINI of 5 Windermere Villas, Earlsfield, London,
Soap Powder Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for the production of combustible gas, which
consists firstly of a suitable motor such as an electric motor for example set in
motion by an electric current derived from any suitable source of electric energy;
secondly of a fan or air pump set in motion by means of the aforesaid electric
motor; thirdly of a vapourizing chamber containing a suitable spirit or essence
through which atmospheric air is forced by the aforesaid fan or air pump; thirdly
of a gas holder which receives the mixed air and vapour from the said vapourizing
chamber, and fourthly of devices whereby the electric motor is set in motion or
stopped automatically and the air admitted or cut off according to the consumption
of gas, or according to the position of a moving part of the gas holder. It will
now be understood that when the electric motor for example is in motion it actuates
the fan or air pump and thereby forces atmospheric air into the vapourizing
chamber. The atmospheric air in its passage through the said chamber becomes
impregnated with the vapour of the spirit or essence contained therein, and the
combined air and vapour then passes to the gas holder which may consist of any
suitable collapsing and expanding vessel such as the usual bell rising and falling in
a vessel of water. A pipe from this gas holder leads to the burners or other point
of consumption in the usual way.
The gas holder may be connected by a lever or otherwise to a tap or valve in the
pipe connecting the fan or air pump to the vapourizing chamber so that as the said
gas holder is filled with gas it closes the said tap or valve, and thereby prevents
further delivery of air to the vapourizer; and as the said gas bolder is emptied it
opens the said tap or valve and allows the air to be delivered to the vapourizer.
When the gas holder is full, it opens the electric circuit between the source of
electricity and the motor and the latter then stops until the consumption of gas
allows the gas holder to re-establish the electric circuit and the motor is again set.
in motion.
By these means the apparatus is made to work automatically and to make gas in
proportion as it is consumed. When no gas is being consumed the gas holder is
full and the apparatus is at rest, but on opening one or more burners or otherwise
drawing off gas from the holder the latter opens the air tap or valve and closes the
electric circuit starting the motor, which then forces air into the vapourizer and gas
is produced to make up for that which is being consumed.
The vapourizing chamber may be provided with cotton wicks, sponge or other
absorbent material to facilitate the evaporation and combination of the atmospheric
air with the vapour in any of the well known ways.
1004
A.
FARINETTI,
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London.

page_text: We ARTIDORO FARINETTI of No. 236 Blackfriars Road, London, Civil
Engineer, and PETER BRENTINI of 5 Windermere Villas, Earlsfield, London,
Soap Powder Manufacturer, 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 relates to apparatus for the production of combustible gas, and is
illustrated in the accompanying two sheets of diagrammatic drawings, and it consists
firstly of a suitable motor such as an electric motor A for example (see Figure 1 of
the drawings) which may be set in motion by an electric current derived from any
suitable source of electric energy; secondly, of an air pump, bellows or fan B set
in motion by means of the aforesaid electric motor A; thirdly of a vapourizing
chamber C, containing a suitable spirit or essence through which atmospheric air is
forced by the aforesaid pump or fan B; fourthly of a gas holder or receiver D
which receives the mixed air and vapour from the said vapourizing chamber C, and
fifthly of devices whereby the electric or other motor is set in motion or stopped
automatically, and the passage of air to the vapourizing chamber thereby continued
or prevented according to the consumption of gas, or according to the position of a
moving part of the gas-holder.
It will now be understood that when the electric motor A, for example, is set in
motion it actuates the fan B, and thereby forces atmospheric air by the pipe E into
the vapourising chamber C. This air enters through the rose F pierced with fine
holes, rises through the spirit or essence G in the chamber C, and becomes impreg-
nated with the vapour of the spirit or essence, and the combined air and vapour
then passes to the gas holder D by the pipe H. This gas holder D consists, in the
example shown in the drawing (Figure 1) of a bell I rising and falling in the water
or other suitable liquid contained in the space between an inner vessel J and an
outer vessel J', a pipe K from this gas-holder D leads to the burners or other point
of combustion in the usual way.
The vapourizing chamber C may be supplied with spirit or essence from a
regulating apparatus, and this again may receive its supply from an overhead feed-
tank M. The latter consists preferably of a vessel M closed at the top except as
to a small stoppered opening M through which it may be supplied with liquid from
time to time. M2 is a gauge glass for indicating the level of liquid in the
reservoir M. N is a pipe for conveying the liquid from the reservoir M to the
upper part of the regulating apparatus L. N' is a cock for shutting off the supply
of liquid from the reservoir M when desired. The regulating apparatus is provided
with a partition L' having in it an opening L2 which can be closed by a valve L³
connected with a float L. So long as the level of the liquid in the reservoir L is
such that the float L falls low enough to open the valve L³ liquid flows from the
reservoir M into the chamber L through the opening L2; but as that level rises
the float L' rises also, and closes the valve L³, thereby preventing the admission of
more liquid to the chamber L when a certain predetermined level has been reached.
P is a pipe through which the liquid passes from the regulating apparatus L to the
vapourizing chamber C, the supply being stopped when necessary by means of a
tap P. Qis a pipe connecting the upper part of the regulating apparatus L with
the upper part of the vapourizing chamber C in order to preserve equal pressure in
the two apparatuses. R is a gauge glass for indicating the height of the liquid
in the chamber C. The bell I of the gas-holder is by preference connected with
suitable devices whereby when the said bell has risen to a certain point the motor A
is stopped, and the further supply of air to the vapourizing chamber thereby
prevented; and when the said bell has descended to a certain point the motor A is

page_text: started and the supply of air resumed. This may be effected by the following
arrangement, for example, S is a cord or chain connected at one end to the bell I
and after passing over guide pulleys T is connected at the other end to a pulley or
drum U mounted on an axis U. On this axis U¹ is fixed a cam or tappet U2. A
counterbalance weight U is suspended to a cord or chain U passing round the
pulley or drum U in a direction opposite to the cord or chain S. U is a contact.
spring acted upon by the cam or tappet U2 so that when the gas-holder is full, and
the bell I has therefore risen to a certain height the weight U³ will have turned the
cam U into such a position that it allows the contact spring U³ to open the electric
circuit through the motor A, thereby stopping the latter; and when the bell I falls.
the cord or chain S pulls round the cam or tappet U until the latter presses the
spring Us into contact with the conductor U so as to close the circuit through the
motor, and thereby set the latter again in motion.
By these means the apparatus is made to work automatically and to make gas in
proportion as it is consumed. When no gas is being consumed, or when it is being
made faster than it is consumed, the bell of the gas-holder rises until it opens the
electric circuit and thereby brings the motor to rest so that the production of gas
is stopped, but on opening one or more of the burners, or otherwise drawing off gas.
from the holder the bell of the latter falls and closes the electric circuit thereby
restarting the motor which then forces air into the vapourizer, C and gas is produced.
to make up for that which is being consumed.
The vapourizing chamber may be provided with cotton wicks, sponge, or other
absorbent material to facilitate the evaporation of the spirit and the combination of
the atmospheric air with the vapour, in any of the well known ways.
In some cases it may be desirable or necessary to apply heat to the contents
of the vapourizing apparatus C in order to facilitate the evaporation of the spirit,
as for example in the case of any given apparatus being required to supply a larger
number of burners, than that which it was originally constructed to supply when
working at ordinary temperatures. In such case the heat may be applied in any
suitable way, as for example by the means shown in Figure 1, in which the base V
of the vapourizing chamber is formed as a water chamber the upper part of
which is connected by a pipe V' with the upper end of a coil V2, and the lower part
by a pipe V with the lower end of the said coil. W is a gas burner or other
suitable source of heat adapted to heat the coil W so as to establish a circulation
of heated water up through the coil V2, along pipe V₁, through chamber V
and back by pipe V³ to the coil. Heat is transmitted from the heated water in
the chamber V to the contents of the vapourizing chamber C and the evaporation
of the spirit is thereby facilitated, so that a greater volume of gas can be produced
than when the apparatus is worked at ordinary atmospheric temperatures. Figure 2
of the drawings shows a similar apparatus but so arranged and adapted that the
air instead of being forced through the vapourizing chamber C is drawn through
same. In this case M represents the overhead feed tank, L the regulating apparatus,
and C the vapourizing chamber as in Figure 1. A'is the motor, which in this case
is supposed to be hydraulic. B' B₁ are bellows operated by the motor A' by means
of the lever B2, and connecting rod B³. E' is a suction pipe connected at one end
with the upper part of the vapourizing chamber C, and at the other with the two
hellows BB'; suitable suction valves being provided at the ends of the said pipe E'
that open into the bellows. E' is an inlet pipe for air which communicates with a
rose in the chamber C similar to that marked F in Figure 1. E³ is a pipe for
delivering the mixed air and vapour from the bellows B' B' to the expansible gas
receiver D' which a weight or spring (not shown in the drawing) constantly tends
to collapse against the pressure of the gas forced into it. E' is a pipe for leading
the gas from the receiver D₁ to an annular space X formed round a tank Xi
through which a circulation of cold water is maintained for the purpose of cooling
the gas in the annular space X, so as to condense any excess of vapour in the said
gas; and this condensed vapour may be drawn off from time to time through the
tap X. When the motor A' is hydraulic the waste water passing from it may be

page_text: utilized for effecting this cooling and condensing by being passed through the pipe X
to the lower part of the tank X' from the upper part of which it flows off through
the opening X. The motor A¹ is controlled by the extension and contraction
of the receiver D', by means of the cord or chain S connected to the weighted
lever A of the tap or valve regulating the supply of working fluid to the cylinder
of the motor or by any other suitable devices.
It will be understood that when the gas receiver D₁ contains little gas, or is more
or less collapsed the lever A2 is held up and working fluid passes to the motor, setting
it in motion. This sets the bellows B' B' in action, and these create a partial
vacuum in the vapourizing chamber C; the atmospheric pressure then forces air
through the pipe E2, and the rose at the end of it, into the liquid in the chamber C.
The mixed air and vapour is drawn into the bellows and forced therefrom through
the pipe E³ into the gas receiver D1 whence it passes by the pipe E to the cooler
and condenser X, and thence by the pipe K to the burners. When the receiver D'
expands to a certain degree by the accumulation of gas in it the weighted lever A²
falls and shuts off the supply of actuating fluid to the motor, and the latter
stops until the receiver D' again collapses and raises the lever A².
Similar letters of reference relate to like parts in both Figures 1 and 2.
It will be understood that any suitable kind of motor may be employed
whether driven by steam, gas, water, air or otherwise, and that any suitable
kind of air forcing or air exhausting apparatus may be employed in connection
with such motor, and that the forms and arrangements of the various parts may
be varied without departing from the nature of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. The new or improved apparatus for the production of combustible gas
which consists of a motor of any suitable kind, a pump, fan, bellows, or other
suitable air or gas forcing or exhausting device a vapourizing chamber, an
expanding and contracting gas-holder or receiver and devices for automatically
starting and stopping the motor by a moving part of the gas-holder or receiver
combined and operating substantially as described.
Second. In an apparatus of the kind herein described for producing com-
bustible gas, starting and stopping the motor automatically by a moving part
of the gas holder or gas receiver, substantially as described.
Dated this 12th day of November 1904.
A. FARINETTI,
P. BRENTINI,
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, Agent.