IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF LIGHT AND HEAT, AND IN APPARATUS FOR SAME
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Quentin Leon Brin, of Shepherd's Bush, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF
LIGHT AND HEAT, AND IN APPARATUS FOR SAME." Partly a communication
from abroad by Arthur Brin and Alphonse Valiére, both of Paris, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Quentin Leon Brin at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th October 1879.
QUENTIN LEON BRIN, of Shepherd's Bush, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF LIGHT AND HEAT, AND IN APPARATUS
FOR SAME. (Partly a communication from abroad by Arthur Brin and Alphonse
Valiére, both of Paris, France.)
"
The object of this Invention is to produce a steady, regular, and economic light
for illuminating purposes by burning sticks of carbon called electric "candles," or any
other pieces of carbon, or other suitable material by contact with a current or
currents of oxygen.
The combustion may take place in the open air, but for the purpose of economy
I prefer to burn it in a close globe.
The carbon stick in action passes through a guide tube, and rests on the per-
forated end of the oxygen supply pipe, which is fitted with regulating cock.
The guide tube is below a carbon stick supply reservoir, having a slanting
bottom; when the top of the stick in action by the burning away of its lower end
has descended so far as to be flush with the bottom of this reservoir, a spring or
springs force the next following carbon stick to take its place on the top of it.
When the carbon burns in a closed globe there is a pipe for conveying the
products of combustion (chiefly carbonic acid) away to a chamber containing lime,
or soda, or other material suitable for absorbing the carbonic acid, so as to liberate
the oxygen, which collects in a gasholder and is then available for lighting
again.
When the apparatus is to be used for heating purposes I may use one or more
carbon sticks placed in a slanting or horizontal position, and so that their points
meet the jets of oxygen.
The oxygen may be produced in any well known manner, for instance, by causing
sulphuric acid to pass through retorts containing silicious material; the oxygen
produced then passes to a reservoir, whence it is drawn by a pump, which coin-
presses it to, say four atmospheres, separating the sulphurous acid therefrom; the
oxygen then passes through a washer and then to the gas holder.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Quentin Leon Brin in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th
April 1880.
QUENTIN LEON BRIN, of Shepherd's Bush, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF LIGHT AND HEAT, AND IN APPARATUS
FOR SAME. (Partly a communication from abroad by Arthur Brin and Alphonse
Valiére, both of Paris, France.)
The object of this Invention is to produce a steady, regular, and economic light
for illuminating purposes by burning sticks of carbon called electric candles, or any
other pieces of carbon or other carbonaceous material or composition, by contact
with a current or currents of oxygen.
The combustion may take place in the open air, but for the purpose of economy
I prefer to burn it in a close globe.
The carbon stick in action passes through a guide tube, and rests on the per-
forated end of the oxygen supply pipe, which is fitted with regulating cock.
The guide tube is below a carbon stick supply reservoir having a slanting
bottom; when the top of the stick in action by the burning away of its lower end
has descended so far as to be flush with the bottom of this reservoir, a spring or
springs force the next following carbon stick to take its place on the top of it.
When the carbon burns in a closed globe there is a pipe for conveying the
products of combustion (chiefly carbonic acid) away to a chamber containing lime,
or soda, or other material suitable for absorbing the carbonic acid, so as to liberate
the oxygen, which collects in a gas holder and is then available for lighting
again.
When the apparatus is to be used for heating purposes I may use one or more
carbon sticks placed in a slanting or horizontal position, and so that their points
meet the jets of oxygen.
The oxygen may be produced in any well known manner, for instance, by causing
sulphuric acid to pass through retorts containing silicious material; the oxygen
produced then passes to a reservoir, whence it is drawn by a pump, which com-
presses it to, say four atmospheres, separating the sulphurous acid therefrom; the
oxygen then passes through a washer and then to the gas holder.
And in order that the said Invention may he more easily understood and readily
carried into effect, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the
accompanying Drawings.
Referring to that part of this Invention which relates to the feeding of the
carbons to the carbon holder, Figure 1 is a general elevation, Figure 2 is a plan,
Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional part elevation, and Figure 4 is a sectional plan
on line x, y, of Figure 3, of apparatus constructed according to this part of the
Invention. For this purpose I form an outer tube or cylinder u; inside this tube
is another tube r, Figure 3, with a slanting bottom or of a conical or funnel shape,
so as to direct the fall of the carbon stick towards the centre. The exterior of this
tube is a suitable distance from the interior of the outer tube u to allow for the
thickness of the carbons, which stand in a vertical position inside the outer tube u,
which on the interior is formed with a half round guide for each carbon, which
guides also prevent friction between the carbons; these are arranged around the
inner tube r, and rest at their bottom end on a slanting bottom u', which assists
in conveying the carbons to the carbon holder q. The inner tube is provided
with a vertical slot on one side at its uppermost part, for the purpose of allowing
the carbon sticks to pass into its inner part and thence down into the carbon
holder q. This conical inner tube 7 is provided at the lower extremity of the cone
with a bevil wheel a, which is driven by another bevil wheel a¹ connected to
clockwork mechanism A, which is actuated by a spring in the usual manner. I

page_text: attach to this clockwork mechanisin an additional wheel b, having arms projecting
from its periphery, and to make this part of my Invention more readily understood
I will describe the mode of operation as follows:-When a carbon stick has been
consumed a certain distance the clockwork mechanism is caused to operate, which
imparts rotary motion to the inner tuber through the pair of bevil wheels a, a,
This tuber is rotated until the vertical slot in the same comos nearly opposite to
a carbon stick, which then falls from its place between the outer and the inner
tubes, and slides down into the carbon holder q. The carbon stick in passing down
the holder comes in contact with a small friction wheel p, which is attached to one
end of an arm p'. This arm is pivotted at p² (by preferenco equidistant), to the
outer part of the carbon holder. The other end of this arm p engages with tho
wheel b having projecting arms, and checks or releases the clock mechanisın, as
the case may be. The pivotted lever p¹ is caused to rise or fall; for instance, when
a whole carbon is in the holder this end p of the rod will be down, but when the
carbon has been so far consumed as to be below the friction roller the said roller p,
assisted by the counterbalance weight o, will fall towards the interior of the carbon
holder, and so raise the outer end p³ of the arm and release the clock mechanism,
by which the inner conical tuber is rotated and another carbon fed into the carbon
holder. In Figure 1, x is a bolt to stop or set going the clockwork mechanism as
required. The carbon holder and clockwork mechanism is connected to the outer
tube u, which is carried a slight distance on the one side of the pedestal by means
of an arm B, as shown in Figure 1. In this Figure, C is the pedestal, D is a
tube or burner for conveying the oxygen gas to the lower point or part of the
carbon.
A modification of this arrangement is shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7, showing
respectively a side elevation partly in section, a front elevation, and a plan.
The pedestal C carries an overhanging platform b, which carries on its underside
the clockwork nechanism A and the carbon holder q. The clockwork mechanism
is similar to that described with reference to Figures 1 and 3, but in this case I
extend one of the pivots of the wheels (by preference c) through the platform or
table b, and on this pivot I fix a barrel containing, say eight chambers, for carrying
the carbon sticks. By referring to Figure 5 it will be seen that the tubo g (for
holding the carbons during their combustion) comes opposite to the chamber n on
the one side of the barrel.
Further, in order that this my Invention may be clearly understood I will now
describe the mode of operation:-The chambers n are filled with the requisito
number of carbons, and the one on the side nearest the holder q will fall through
the said holder g and rest on a suitably formed tube or burner, such as those shown
in Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11. Figure 8 is an enlarged vertical section, and Figure 9
a plan of a burner tube; the oxygen gas from the gas reservoir passes out through
a number of small holes, which all incline towards the centre, so as to cause a
number of jets to impinge against the lower end of the carbon. Figure 10 is a
vertical section, and 11 a plan of another form of burner tube formed with
two annular openings, which also produce jets projected towards the centre.
When
the carbon has been consumed, so that the small friction wheel p assumes the
position shown in dotted lines, the wheel b and clockwork mechanism is released,
by which the chambers receive a partial revolution. Another chamber is thus
brought opposite the holder q, together with another carbon, which is fed into the
said holder q. This second carbon rests on the top of the previous one, and in its
downward movement the friction wheel will again be brought in tension, and the
wheel b again locked until this second carbon has been partly consumed, when the
same action will take place, and so on.
Figure 12 shows a carbon and gas burner enclosed in a closed globe E; the
products of combustion chiefly, chiefly carbonic acid, are carried away by the pipe F
to the dome chamber G, containing an absorbent material, such as lime, or soda
by preference, for absorbing the carbonic acid, as before described; H is a counter-
balance weight which rises and falls as the air is exhausted out of the globe E.

page_text: Figure 13 is another view showing the apparatus burning in the open air. I, I,
are semicircular rods for carrying the carbon holder q.
Although I have only described my Invention relatively to round sticks of
carbon I would have it understood I may use other forms; thus for a large burner
I may use a carbon or carbonaceous body made in the form of a flat straight or
curved plate or slab. In Figure 14 I have shewn a section of a flat straight slab;
the jets of oxygen are projected against it in the same manner as above described.
Figure 15 is a general view of the apparatus constructed for the production of
the oxygen gas to be used in connection with this Invention, but not claimed as
K is the retort through which the sulphuric acid is caused to pass; L,
reservoir to which the oxygen passes; M, pump for drawing the oxygen from the
reservoir L; N is the washer, and O the lead chamber for the combination of the
sulphurous acid, and saltpetre, and steam, and air; P is the holder.
gas
new.
Figure 16 is a plan view of a burner for burning petroleum or other light or
heavy hydro-carbon liquid body with jet or jets of oxygen. The outer annular
part is filled with a wick, which is constantly drawing the liquid from a reservoir
by capillary action or otherwise. In the interior circle there is a circular row of
very small tubes y which convey the oxygen gas to the burner, as before described
with reference to Figures 8 and 9. Figure 17 is a side elevation of this burner,
on the top of which is placed a deflector plate z; Figure 18 shows the burner alight.
In Figure 19 is shown plan of a burner in which the oxygen issues through a
narrow annular space y, similar to that described with reference to Figures 10
and 11. This burner is also provided with a deflector plate, and burns in a similar
manner to that in Figure 18. Figure 20 is a plan of double wick burner.
are the wick tubes containing wicks, and y, y, narrow tubes for projecting the
oxygen on to the wicks. Figure 21 shows an arrangement of a single wick with
a row of oxygen jet tubes on each side.
2, x,
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that I am aware that it has been before proposed,
and consequently is not new, to use or to project a hydrogen gas alone, or such gas
and heated air against lime, platinum, or other substance which becomes incan-
descent when subjected to heat; but I claim as the aforesaid "Improvements in the
Production of Light and Heat, and in Apparatus for same":-
First. The use or employment of a current or currents of oxygen projected or
carried to carbon sticks, known as electric candles or sticks, or other bodies of or
containing a carbonaceous solid or liquid material or composition, and by igniting
the said oxygen when in contact with the carbon material the production of light
and heat by the combination of the oxygen and carbon, substantially in the manner
set forth.
Second. The apparatus described and illustrated at Figures 1 to 14 and 16 to 21
of the accompanying Drawings, and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Quentin Leon Brin, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
sight hundred and eighty.