PROCESSES FOR GENERATING GASEOUS VAPOURS OR CALORIFYING LIQUIDS APPLI- CABLE FOR COMBUSTION, DISTILLATION, AND MANUFACTURES WHEREIN VAPOURS, GASES, OR CALORIFIED LIQUIDS MAY BE BENEFICIALLY GENERATED AND UTILISED."
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Kenneth Henry Cornish at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th April 1878..
KENNETH HENRY CORNISH, Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England,
" IMPROVED
Consulting Surgeon, of 54, Somerville Road, Peckham, London, S. E.
PROCESSES FOR GENERATING GASEOUS VAPOURS OR CALORIFYING LIQUIDS APPLI-
CABLE FOR COMBUSTION, DISTILLATION, AND MANUFACTURES WHEREIN VAPOURS,
GASES, OR CALORIFIED LIQUIDS MAY BE BENEFICIALLY GENERATED AND UTILISED."
My Invention consists in improved processes for calorifying liquids or generating
gaseous vapours from them, or from fats, waxes, coals, woods, and other substances,
and for further heating them; applicable to heating and lighting purposes in
furnaces, open fire-places, lamps, burners, &c.; to distillation, fumigation, evapora-
tion, and manufactures beneficially conductable by generating and using gases,
vapours, or calorified liquids.
Solids I treat in heat-conductive retorts non-conductively jacketted, applying
heat conductively if practicable from above by heated egress pipes.
To generate combustion I take a suitable hearth from retort surface in sufficient
heat conduction with the fuel, having suitable perforations filled with porcelain
or suitable percolable heat resistants.
Porous heat-resistants may cover hearth surface. Retort closings suitably
jacketted must lute or fit tight. From charged retorts heated conductively or
otherwise vapours rise, permeate the hearths to be gasefied as combustion proceeds,
burning with air while fuel remains. Vapours or gases burn, but if then meeting
highly heated water vapour (procurable conductively or otherwise), making
intensely hot smokeless flame. For this I pass water vapour through suitable
permeable tubes heated on or in the hearth, or otherwise, to so calorify it that its
component gases OH, shall separate on meeting hot retort gases, combining with
them, each other, and sufficient air (preferably heated) as flame condensing into.
water, &c. Little oxygen-attracting gas decomposes such vapour. In any case
fuel meets air as vapour.
Clinkers or slag may advantageously cover hearth surfaces.
Liquids I so vapourise that heat acts only on segregated atoms. Liquids may be
in onen vessels unless explosive.

page_text: Floating, water-repellant liquid fuels may be mixed with water for conductive
combustion, as their burner diaphragms may be above watermark; the waters
below it.
Following nature, who attracts vapours from earth by heat applied superficially,
I avoid waste vapourising liquids for combustion, or otherwise, by conductive
processes new in applied science. Heat applied from flame to substances or vessels
containing them is direct; when applied through conducting metals, &c., making
contact with substances or vessels it acts conductively.
Heat may be partly direct, partly conductive, e.g., applied to the upper surface
of a vessel. Heat conductor, non-conductor, are relative terms only. I bring liquids
directly or by saturable material against suitable porous diaphragms thin enough
to become sufficiently moist (an empirical affair), having suitable non-conductive
casings glazed, if porous, containing suitable metal heat conductors not damageable
by the liquid or vapours, which heat the diaphragm surfaces, generate vapours, and
heat them while in the casings (quittable by piping or otherwise). On entering the
casings conductors must so join them by suitable unions connecting with suitable
necks on the casings, or otherwise, that their expansion shall not split the cases or
vapours escape.
If vapours or gases are for instant combustion conductors should connect with
suitable burners, preferably porous, to burn them alone or combined. Thus car-
bonaceous, sulphurous, and other gases may burn with water gases. When con-
serving vapours I also use heat conductively.
To insulate vapours hollow insulated conductors so connect with superheaters
that on heating these the diaphragms get sufficient heat. When evaporating let
vapours escape.
To obtain vapours in quantities for steam power, distilling, &c., I arrange suit-
ably large, strong, porous diaphragms in suitable casings, whence the diaphragms
are kept moist, suitably connecting them with copper or other suitable sheeting,
having convenient vapour-collecting elevations or funnels exteriorly (metal gauze
suitably interposed augments evaporation). The elevations should be apicially
tubular, conducting heat & vapours.
I suitably insulate heat conductors till they join heat absorbers.
Gases and vapours, whether from solids or liquids, combine.
Fats, waxes, &c., are liquified conductively unless the diaphragm heat suffices.
Valves, cocks, or suitable mechanisms should control and direct fluid action.
To calorify liquids sufficiently immerse suitably formed ends of heat-conductors
insulated save terminally and apply heat as convenient.
My processes are applicable to existing calorifying, vapourising, or gasefying
appliances for combustion or manufactures, and their value must be obvious to
scientific and practical minds. For not only must fuel combine as vapour with
oxygen, but it may combine combustively with water vapour, making pure flame.
for furnaces, heating fire-places, giving brilliant light from burners, or acting
energetically for limelights. There is less caloric waste, and water becomes fuel.
Heat otherwise detrimental maintains combustion, while incandescence cheapens.
light or heat.
The principles chiefly applied are,-
1. Heat is insulable and conductable.
2. Suitable porous substances can regulate fluid supply for conductive vapor-.
isation; if heated, permeating vapours expand.
3. Since expansiveness and heat conduction vary, materials must be combined
judiciously, selected empirically.
4 Oils float on water.