IMPROVEMENTS IN. COMBINING ATMOSPHERIC AIR WITH HYDRO-CARBONS FOR THE PURPOSES OF LIGHT AND HEAT
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Longbottom, of 29, Merrion Street, Leeds, in
the County of York, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN.
COMBINING ATMOSPHERIC AIR WITH HYDRO-CARBONS FOR THE PURPOSES OF LIGHT
AND HEAT."-A communication.
Sealed the 1st September 1854, and dated the 20th March 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Longbottom at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th
March 1854.
I, JOHN LONGBOTTOM, of 29, Merrion Street, Leeds, in the County of York,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COMBINING ATMOSPHERIC AIR WITH HYDRO-CARBONS FOR THE PURPOSES OF LIGHT AND
HEAT" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of causing atmospheric air, which is to be combined
with hydro-carbons for the purposes of light and heat, to be passed in contact
with pumice stone or other porous substance or material saturated with caustic
potash, and then to be passed in contact with pumice stone or other porous
substance or material saturated with sulphuric acid, in order to free the air.
from water. The dry and pure air is then passed in contact with the hydro-
carbon to be used, which, combining with the air, produces a compound suitable
to be used in place of gas. The air is propelled through the process by
bellows or blowing apparatus, and the air is caused to pass into and in contact
with the hydro-carbon employed by a divided or thin stream by cups and floats;
the combined matters then pass into a gasometer, from which they are supplied
for use in like manner to gas.

page_text: 141
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Longbottom in-the-Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th September 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
LONGBOTTOM, of 29, Merrion Street, Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer,
send greeting.
11.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her reign,
did, for. Herself, Her heirs-and-successors, give-and grant unto me, the said
John. Longbottom, my
John Longbottom, Her special licence that I, the
licence that others as I, the said John Long-
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
bottom,
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 COMBINING
ATMOSPHERIC AIR WITH HYDRO-CARBONS FOR THE PURPOSES OF LIGHT AND HEAT,"
communicated to me from abroad,
1 upon the condition (amongst others) that I,*
the said John Longbottom, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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-in
-months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent KORIS
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Longbottom, do hereby declare the
náture 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 state
ment thereof (that is 'to say)
This Invention consists of causing atmospheric air, which is to be combined"
with hydro-carbons 'for the purpose of light and heat, to be passed in contact
with pumice stone or other porous' substance or material saturated with caustic
potash, and then to be passed in contact with pumice stone or other porous
substance or material saturated with sulphuric acid, in order to free the air
from water. The dry and pure air is then passed in contact with the hydro-
carbon' to be used, which, combining with the air, produces a compound suit
able to be used in place of gas. The air is propelled through the process by
bellows or blowing apparatus, and the air is caused to pass into and in contact
with the hydro-carbon employed.by.a divided or thin stream by cups and floats;

page_text: the combined matters then pass into a gasometer, from which they are supplied
for use in like manner, to gas..
And in order that. the. said Invention may be more fully understood, and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed, in which similar letters and figures of reference denote the same
parts in the different. Figures....Figure 1 is a perspective view of the appa-
ratus; Figure-2, a longitudinal and vertical section; Figure 3, a ground plan
of the air channel socket L; Figure 4, a ground plan of annular cup P,
which contains the hydro-carbon liquid; Figure. 5, a ground plan of the
float-R;, and Figure 6, a cross section of box A, tube J, and. elevation of
portion of pipe K. B', B2, B3, and B, are bellows fixed firmly, upon. .the
box A, and so arranged that one top plate serves for two bellows B' and B³,
and another similar top plate for the two bellows B³ and B'; each of these
top plates centered upon a separate axis.C, C; so as to admit of their being
vibrated by their respective cranks. D' and D2, which are connected to the top
plates by means. of the connecting rods E! and E. The axis C, C, is sup-
ported by cheeks or plates attached to the box A. The cranks D' and D²
are keyed fast on a spindle, or shaft working in bearings supported by the
bracket.F, which is fixed at one end of the box A. G is a. pulley upon
the same shaft as the cranks, and is revolved by the band or belt H, which is
driven by any suitable power. a', a², a³, and a, are valves placed in the top
plates of the bellows B', B2, B3,.and B*, which in the working of the apparatus
during the up stroke of the bellows open, and allow the ingress of air into the
bellows. b, b, are also valves, which open into the box A, and in the down
stroke of the bellows open and allow the egress of the air into the box A.
The cranks D1 and D2 are set at right angles to each other, so that when the
bellows B' is ascending and.being filled with air, the bellows B.is descending
and forcing its contents of air into the box A, and the-same is the case with
the bellows. Band B. The result of this disposition of the cranks and
bellows is to obtain a constant and equal flow or current of air into, box. A..
Box A is divided into two compartments 1 and 2, one of which is filled with.
pieces, of pumice stone soaked in,a,,concentrated solution of caustic potassa,
and the other with pieces of pumice stone soaked in concentrated sulphuric
acid. Z is a door at the end of the box A, which can be removed for; the
renewal of pumice stone when required. J. is a tube on the bottom of the box,
A, and connecting with the upright pipe K, through which the air passes from
box A, and is delivered into the air-channel socket or box L. Under this
socket or box. L, when heat, is required, is placed, the small spirit, lamp 4,
whose flame spreading over the surface of its bottom necessarily imparts to it i
...

page_text: heat, which heat is given out or communicated to the air in its passage
through the several channels or courses on its way to the floats O and R.
Resting upon the top of the socket or box L is the annular cup N, which
contains fluid hydro-carbon; in the centre of this cup is fixed a pipe M, up
which pipe the air passes until it reaches the top of the float tube O. It then
descends between the float tube O and the annular cup pipe M, and is forced
underneath the float O, which float, resting on the liquid in the annular cup N,
compels the air to pass along its face in extreme thin layers or strata, until it
reaches the utmost circumference of the float; here it ascends out of the
liquid, and passes up the central space formed by the inner cylinder of the
annular cup P (which also contains liquid hydro-carbons) into the chamber of
the float R; it here descends in like manner as in the former float, and in like
manner, passing underneath the float R, ascends into the top cylinder S.
Cylinder S is covered by a plate or lid 3, secured down to the cylinder by
bolts screwed into the lugs 5; upon the removal of this plate or lid the floats
can be taken out, also the annular cups, and refilled with hydro-carbons.
From the cylinder S the gas passes down the pipe T, into the gasometer, of
which U is the tank portion, containing water or mercury, to prevent the escape
of the gas, and in which the gas holder V works. Y is a frame attached to
the side of the tank U, with a cross bar extending over the top of the centre
of the gasometer. In this cross bar, and attached to the centre of the top of
the gas holder, works a rod, on the top of which is fixed a stand X, on which
weights are placed to regulate the pressure of the gas to the burners.
W is the pipe which conducts the gas from the gasometer to the burners to be
consumed.
The operation of the apparatus may be thus described:-The box A being
charged with its soaked pumice stone and the lid closed. The annular cups N
and P charged with bensole or other volatile hydro-carbon fluids. The hydro-
carbon fluid I prefer, and by use found to answer best, is a combination of
bensole, sulphuric ether, and pine or rosin oil, one third of each. The floats O
and R inserted, and the lid or plate 3 secured to the top of the cylinder S, the
bellows are set in motion, when a regular current of air will at once commence
issuing into the box A; this air being forced to pass, first, through a bath of
pumice stone saturated with caustic potassa, where it parts with its carbonic
acid; and, second, through another bath of pumice stone saturated with sul-
phuric acid, where it is deprived of all its particles of aqueous vapours, ascends
completely desiccated to the air channel socket or box L during its passage,
through which it takes up a small quantity of heat (sufficient to replace the
latent heat abstracted with its watery vapours and carbonic acid), which heat

page_text: is furnished by the small spirit lamp 4 placed under the box or socket L. The
air now passes to the annular cups and floats which contain bensole or other
volatile hydro-carbons, through which, by means of the floats, it is compelled
to pass in thin layers, so that every portion of the air must inevitably come
in direct contact with the mixture, and become thoroughly saturated with it,
which renders the air highly luminiferous, and converts it into a permanent
brilliant illuminating gas; from the floats the gas passes into the gasometer for
consumption. With the peculiar arrangement of the bellows with the gas holder
K a perfect, regular, and uniform supply of gas is furnished to the burners.
The arrows seen in the Drawing show the course which the air and gas
travels on its way through the various processes before described.
Having thus described this apparatus, I now proceed with the claims,
which are,
First, passing atmospheric air through a bath of pumice stone or any other
porous substance saturated with caustic potassa for the purpose of absorbing
the carbonic acid gas contained in the air, and then through a bath of pumice
stone or any other suitable porous substance saturated with sulphuric acid
for the purpose of absorbing any watery particles or aqueous vapours, and
thoroughly desiccating or drying the air and fitting it for the absorption
of the vapours of hydro-carbons, which renders it highly luminiferous, and
well suited for all the purposes of which illuminating gas is susceptible.
Second, I claim the use of the annular cups and floats, as described, for
the purpose of thoroughly amalgamating the air with the mixtures of hydro-
carbons, for the purpose of converting the air into illuminating gas.
And, third, I claim the combination of the bellows with the drying box,
heating box, amalgamating cylinder, and gasometer, arranged for the purpose
and in the manner substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Longbottom, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
ABRAM LONGBOTTOM.
JOHN LONGBOTTOM. (L.S.)