Method of Generating Illuminating Gas.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Apr., 1896-Accepted, 2nd May, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Method of Generating Illuminating Gas.
I, WILLIAM CHALMERS CLARKE, of No. 82 John Street, of the City and
County of New York, State of New York, United States of America, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention applies generally to the use of acetylene gas as an illuminating
gas, and is more especially intended to be used in connection with the production
of such gas, by the mutual decomposition of water and an acetylide or carbide,
such as the material known as carbide of calcium. As is well known, this material,
which may be taken as a type of others of kindred composition and similar nature,
when brought in contact with water, is decomposed, together with the water,
without the application or addition of heat, giving off as the gaseous product of
decomposition, acetylene gas. This gas burns with a flame of great brilliance and
luminosity, and hence is well adapted for use as an illuminant, and the object of my
improvement is to provide a safe, simple and convenient method for its production
and application for illuminating purposes.
To this end I charge a suitable generating chamber, which is connected by a gas
outlet with an expansible gas holder, with a mass of carbide of calcium of any
convenient size; and discharge water thereon from time to time, as required, to
provide or maintain a supply of gas, each discharge of water being so limited in
amount that the gas resulting therefrom will not be sufficient to fill the gas holder
to the limit of its capacity.
The gaseous product of decomposition which results upon the admission of
water to the carbide, passes over into the gas holder in successive intermittent
discharges, and the movement of the gas holder, as gas is drawn therefrom,
coutrols the admission of the water so that enough gas is generated to keep up
the supply.
A form of apparatus suitable for carrying my invention into effect is shown in
the accompanying drawing, which shows an elevation thereof.
Referring to the drawing, A, indicates an expansible gas holder, and B, a
cylinder or generating chamber adapted to receive a charge of carbide, which is
preferably contained in a removable cartridge or vessel. One end of the generating
chamber, B, is adapted to be opened for the insertion and removal of such vessel,
and is closed with a gas-tight cap, a, which is firmly secured by a swinging yoke, b,
and set screw, c.
The chamber, B, is connected to a pipe, D, leading to the
holder, A. Between the holder, A, and the chamber, B, is an automatic check
valve, d, which closes toward the chamber, B.
From the chamber, B, a pipe, E, leads to a water tank, F, placed above the
chamber. In the pipe, E, is a trap, or water seal, e, to prevent the escape of gas
from the chamber through the pipe, and a valve, f, to the stem of which is
attached a weighted arm, G, which is so balanced that normally the valve, f, is
kept closed. The arm, G, projects towards the holder, A, and is adapted to be
brought in contact by the falling movement of the holder as gas is drawn there-
from, with an arm, H, which is attached to the holder. Thus, when the holder, A,
is down, or, by reason of the consumption of gas, descends to a point where the
H, comes in contact with the arm, G, the arm, G, is pressed down, and the
arm,

page_text: valve, f, is opened; but when the holder is lifted by the admission of gas thereto,
so that the arm, H, is no longer in contact with the arm, G, the arm, G, rises,
and the valve, f, is closed.
From the holder, A, a delivery pipe, I, leads to the gas burners. In order to
prevent the accidental overcharging of the holder with gas, I may connect with
the holder a pipe, K, which discharges into the open air, and is normally closed
by a valve, k, to which is connected a weighted arm, L. When the holder is
forced by an excess of gas above its normal maximum elevation, it comes in
contact with the arm, L, lifting it and opening the valve, k, so that the excess of
gas is discharged until the holder settles and falls away from the arm, L, when the
valve, k, is again closed.
The method of operation is as follows: Beginning when there is no gas in the
holder, A, the generating chamber is charged with such a quantity of carbide of
calcium, preferably contained in a perforated cartridge or an open vessel, as can
be conveniently manipulated, or as the generating chamber will contain. Prefer-
ably the size of the charge, in relation to the size of the generating chamber, is
such that when it is fully decomposed the solid products of decomposition will
substantially fill the generating chainber, so that all the gas produced will be forced
out, and into the holder.
A small quantity of water is then poured into the tank, F, and passes down
into the generating chamber, causing the decomposition of a corresponding amount
of the carbide, and the resulting discharge of gas passes through the pipe, D,
into the holder, filling and lifting it. The arm, G, is set free, and the end of it
nearest to the holder rises, closing the valve, f. Such quantity of water as is
requisite to effect the decomposition of the entire charge of carbide in the
generating chamber is then placed in the tank, F. As gas is drawn from the
holder, A, it settles until the arm, H, comes in contact with the arm, G, which
is pressed down, slightly opening the valve, f, and a small quantity of water
trickles down the pipe, E, into the generating chamber, causing the generation of
a fresh quantity of gas by which the holder is again lifted, the valve, f, being
again closed, and this operation is automatically repeated until all of the carbide
in the generating chamber has been decomposed.
The valve, f, is opened gradually as the holder settles, so that the water enters
the pipe below it gradually, but the contact of the water with the carbide is
quickly followed by a discharge of gas, which immediately raises the holder, A,
and closes the valve, f. Each charge of water thus admitted remains in the
generating chamber until it is entirely decomposed by contact with the carbide.
While the gas equivalent of the whole of each of the initial discharges of water
will be quickly given off and pass to the holder, eventually a portion of the
carbide, especially where it chances to be used either in large lumps or a con-
tracted mass of finely granulated material, through which the water cannot readily
penetrate, may become so surrounded and protected by the lime formed in the
process that it will be attacked but slowly by the water discharged upon it, and
successive discharges of water may occur while portions of former discharges still
remain undecomposed in the generator.
Hence, although the tendency is for the gas coming off from these residual
portions to simply retard the falling of the gas holder, still it may sometimes occur
that the water will find more rapid access to a portion of undecomposed carbide,
or that the consumption of gas may be stopped while gas is still being given off,
and that there will be a possible accumulation of gas due to the accumulation of
water in the generator, with danger of undue increase of pressure.
In order to provide a margin of safety for such a contingency, I make the
valve, f, of such size that the gas equivalent of the quantity of water which will
pass through the valve at each discharge before the valve is closed, will not be
sufficient to entirely fill the gas holder so that the holder always has a reserve
throw over and above that imparted to it by the gas from any one discharge of
water.

page_text: In order to provide for the longer operation of the apparatus without re-charging,
and also to enable the supply of gas to be kept up without interruption while the
chamber, B, is being re-charged with carbide, I provide an additional generating
chamber, B1, which is also connected to the pipe, B, leading to the gas holder, and
is provided with a water supplying arrangement similar to that described in
connection with the chamber, B, the corresponding parts of which are indicated by
the same letters primed. In this case, the arm, G, is set at such a level that the
charge in the chamber, B', will not be called into operation until after that in the
chamber, B, is fully exhausted, and the gas holder sinks to a lower level than that
at which it is when the arm, H, comes in contact with the arm, G.
When it appears on inspection that the generator, B', is in operation, the
chamber, B, can be opened, the products of decomposition removed, and a fresh.
charge inserted, without interfering with the supply of gas to the holder. The:
escape of gas when the chamber, B, is open, is prevented by the check valve, d,.
which is closed by the gas pressure from within the holder.
The water tank, F, may be so arranged as to be supplied with water directly
from the water system of the house, or, if preferred, the pipe, E, may be connected
directly with a water pipe omitting the tank, F. I prefer, however, to use the tank,.
since in this way a measured quantity of water only sufficient for the decomposition
of the contents of the generating chamber can be supplied, and the solid products of
decomposition can be removed from the chamber in a relatively dry state, without
the disagreeable slop that would result if a surplus of water should be allowed
to enter the chamber. Moreover, since a known quantity of carbide is used in.
the generating chamber, the use of a known quantity of water, sufficient for the
entire ultimate decomposition of the mass of carbide enables the aggregate amount.
of gas that will be generated, and consequently, the length of time that the
apparatus will run with a given consumption of gas without re-charging, to be
easily ascertained, and a convenient means of ascertaining and checking the
consumption of gas is afforded.
The charge of carbide is limited in amount only by the question of convenience
in handling and the size of the generating chamber, upon the size of which depends
the effective capacity of the apparatus, the other parts not requiring to be varied
in size to increase such capacity, and hence, it will be evident that by means of my
invention, I am enabled, with a small apparatus, the first cost of which is not
excessive, and which can be easily set in a house cellar, or an underground vault,
to provide a continuous supply of gas for a very considerable period, without any
manipulation or re-charging.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of ny said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The process of producing illuminating gas without the addition of heat,
which consists in bringing in contact with each other a liquid and a solid, which
by their union produce a fixed gas, in determined quantities, SO proportioned as to
effect the decomposition of both, said contact being produced by a series of
intermittent discharges of the liquid upon the sclid, substantially as described.
2. The process of producing illuminating gas without the addition of heat,
which consists in bringing a determined quantity of water into contact with a
mass of solid material, which, by its union therewith, produces a fixed gas (the
quantity of water being limited to that required to effect the decomposition of
the solid), by intermittently discharging the water upon the solid material,
producing thereby intermittent discharges of gas, and determining the frequency
of said discharges by the consumption of the gas itself, substantially as described."
3. The process of producing illuminating gas without the addition of heat, which
consists in bringing in contact with a mass of solid material, which, by its union
with water produces a fixed gas, such quantity of water as is practically only
sufficient for the decomposition of said mass, by intermittently discharging the

page_text: water upon the same, thereby producing intermittent discharges of gas, and
determining the frequency of said discharges by the consumption of the gas itself,
substantially as described.
4. The process of producing illuminating gas without the application of heat,
which consists in discharging upon a mass of solid material, which, upon decompo-
sition by water, produces a fixed-gas,-the-quantity of water se proportioned-to-
the mass of solid material as to effect the practically entire decomposition of both,
and determining and regulating such discharge by the consumption of the gas
produced.
5. The process of producing illuminating gas without the application of heat,
which consists in intermittently adding water to a mass of metallic carbide,
which, by union therewith, produces a fixed gas, thereby producing intermittent
discharges of gas, and receiving such discharges in an expansible gas holder,
each of such intermittent additions being retained in the presence of the carbide
until its decomposition is effected, and being of such limited quantity that the
quantity of gas produced thereby will not be sufficient to carry the gas holder to
the upward limit of its throw.
6. The process of producing illuminating gas without the application of heat,
which consists in intermittently adding water to a mass of metallic carbide, which,
by union therewith, produces a fixed gas, thereby producing intermittent discharges
gas, and receiving such discharges in an expansible gas holder, each of such
intermittent additions being retained in the presence of the carbide until its
decomposition is effected, and being of such limited quantity that the gas produced
thereby will not be sufficient to fill the gas holder, and determining the frequency
of such intermittent additions by the consumption of the gas itself, substantially as
described.
1000
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.