Improvements in Automatic Apparatus for the Production of Acetylene Gas.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Oct., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 13th July, 1898-Accepted, 13th Oct., 1898
Improvements in Automatic Apparatus for the Production of
Acetylene Gas.
We AUGUST WARTENWEILER, Teacher, of Engwang, and REINHARD SPENGLER,
Merchant, of Hasli, Switzerland, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of the present invention is an apparatus for acetylene gas, working
automatically so that the production of gas might be proportionate with the
consumption and ceases with this consumption and, moreover, allowing the refill-
ing during the functioning, of the gas generators in which the provision of carbide
has exhausted.
This apparatus offers the following advantages: Its working is very regular
and safe, it is easily and quickly filled and all return of the gas contained in the
gasometer is impossible, as is also its mixing with the atmospheric air; moreover,
it is absolutely safe and allows the charge of carburet to be renewed without inter-
rupting its functioning.
This apparatus is very simple and requires no mechanism which might cause
its stopping through breakdown; its production of gas is automatically and
directly regulated by the gasometer bell, it is proportionate with the consumption
and ceases at the same time as this consumption, moreover, owing to the arrange-
ment of the apparatus the gas cannot mix up with the air, even when the renewing
of the carburet is operated during the working of the apparatus, the renewing
and filling being easily done without the slightest danger by lifting the lids of
the generators after shutting, if necessary, the communication cocks.
The apparatus is composed essentially, of one or more batteries of generators
with a purifying refrigerator, of a water cistern and a gasometer, these apparatus
inter-communicating by suitable piping, provided with cocks worked by hand or
automatically.
Each battery of generators is composed of one or more carburet receivers which,
are divided inwardly into several compartments by radial or parallel partitions
of different heights so that the compartments work successively according as
the charge in one of them is exhausted.
The receivers are hermetically closed by means of covers fixed to supports
fastened in the wall or in the ground; these lids are provided with rubber joints
and their upper surface is pressed by threaded rods supplied with handles and
screwing into stirrup-irons whose extremities form sockets supporting the pivots
fixed to the receivers which are consequently suspended.
Above these receivers and at a rather great height to obtain a sufficient pressure
of water, the water cistern is placed, communicating with the recipients of the
first half-battery, by means of tubes provided with cocks; moreover a conical
adjutage intercalated in the conduit is intended to allow the water to flow very
slowly according to the quantity of gas to be produced. This adjutage is made,

page_text: in preference, of glass in order to be able to see that it is continually in good
working order, and is joined to the conduit by rubber tube-ends allowing the rapid
fixing and unfixing when the adjutage is stopped.
The communication between the water cistern and the battery of generators,
is established or interrupted by means of a cock worked by hand and the water
supply is regulated by a cock worked automatically by the gasometer bell, more-
over, cocks are intercalated in the special conduits which empty at the upper part
of the recipients of the first half-battery and serve for feeding each half-battery.
These cocks are worked by hand and for this purpose are provided with levers
connected by a tringle in order to work the two cocks simultaneously and to cause
the opening of the one at the same time as the shutting of the other.
The receivers of the first half-battery communicate with another receiver
serving as a refrigerator and purifier, by means of tubes in reversed ☐ shape to
which are branched the tubing and which empty into the upper part of the reci-
pients of the second half-battery and put these latter respectively in communication
with the recipients of the first half-battery; moreover the last receiver of the first
half-battery intercommunicate with the first of the second half-battery by a tube in
which a cock is intercalated serving to separate the two semi-batteries from each
other.
Pipes start from the upper part of the receivers of the first half-battery traverse
the lids and empty in the bottom of the refrigerator which is half filled with
water, so that the acetylene gas cool in traversing the liquid mass, and steam
which it contains be condensed.
The refrigerator is hermetically closed and supplied with an overflow cock,
moreover it communicates with the gasometer by means of a pipe in which a
three-way cock is intercalated serving to exhaust the water which is condensed
in this conduit.
The gasometer is composed, like ordinary gasometers of a cistern containing
water, and a bell moving vertically and guided by uprights on which run small
grooved pulleys fixed on the bell. The uprights are connected at their upper part
by a cross-piece projecting above the generators and upon which two grooved
pulleys are fixed, over which a metallic or any other rope passes, having one end
fixing to the bell and bearing at its other end a counterpoise keeping the rope
tight; moreover this rope is supplied with a ring through which passes a lever
which is fixed to the axis of the cock of the water supply pipe whose opening
and shutting it produces progressively, according as the bell descends or rises.
The gasometer communicates with the piping of the burner by a tube provided
with a cock and a siphon into which the condensation water falls.
The working of the apparatus is very simple and is executed in the following
manner:
The bell of the gasometer being at the lowest point of its course and consequently,
containing little, or no gas, the cistern is filled with water and the charges of
carburet are introduced into the receivers by unscrewing the threaded rods and
thus lowering the stirrup-irons and the receivers, the latter being afterwards
closed, when supplied with the necessary carburet, and the apparatus is in working
condition,
To put the apparatus to work, it suffices to open the cocks allow a supply of
water only to the receivers of the first half-battery.
The bell being at its lower point the rope is completely tightened and the lever
guided by the ring keeps the cock of the water supply pipe, open and allows the
flowing of the water from the cistern to the first receiver.
The water falling in a thin stream upon the carburet contained in the first
compartment of this receiver a disengaging of the acetylene gas takes place which
travels into the refrigerating receiver where by traversing the liquid mass, it is
cooled and gets rid of the humidity which it contains. From the receiver the
gas goes to the gasometer and lifts, little by little, the bell which, as it rises,
reduces the opening of the cock of the supply pipe, by means of the rope, the

page_text: ring and the lever, and consequently reduces also the introduction of water and
production of gas until the bell produces the complete shutting of this cock, a
little before reaching the upper point of its course, that is to say, when it is
almost completely full of gas. When, owing to the consumption of the gas, the
bell descends, it draws with it the rope and again causes the cock to open which
by letting the water flow into the generating receivers, creates a production of
acetylene gas proportionate with the consumption.
When the carburet in the first compartment of the receiver is completely decom-
posed, the water, in passing over the partition falls into the second compartment
which, in its turn, acts and so forth for the other compartments.
When all the carburet in. the first receiver is exhausted, the water reaches the
second receiver, then when this latter is in its turn out of use the water continues
to the second semi-battery and so forth.
If while the right semi-battery is in action, we wish to empty the residuum
and renew the carburet in the left semi-battery, it suffices to shut the communica-
tion cocks. The two semi-batteries being thus separated it is easy to refill the
receivers without hindering the production of gas which takes place as before.
Dated this 11th day of October 1897.
L. DUVINAGE,
Agent for Applicants.
Improvements in Automatic Apparatus for the Production of
Acetylene Gas.
We AUGUST WARTENWEILER, of Engwang, Teacher, and REINHARD SPENGLER,
of Hasli, Switzerland, Merchant, 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 has reference to improvements in or relating to acetylene gas
apparatus and our invention consists in an apparatus wherein the quantity of gas
generated as well as the requisite supply of water are automatically regulated,
substantially as hereinafter described and illustrated.
One form of our improved apparatus is shown in side elevation and partly in
section in Fig. 1, and in partial plan view in Fig. 2.
In carrying our invention into practice we employ a series of generators E' E²
E3 E and a water reservoir W situated over said generators and connected there-
with by a pipe X having a suitable cock Z to regulate the flow of water. We also
provide a cock J, by means of which the water may be automatically regulated
as hereinafter described and a nozzle or the like T by means of which the flow
of water may be tested or seen.
The pipe X is in communication with the generators E' and E by means of
branch pipes X2 having cocks U, U¹ by which the flow of water may be regulated.
The generators are closed by watertight covers F which are held down by
screws which screw through the boss of arms B engaged with the reservoirs
by pins or equivalents d.
The generators E¹ and E are in communication with the condenser or washer R
by means of pipes K which pipes reach nearly to the bottom of the condenser R
and which condenser is about half full of water the height of the water being
automatically regulated by means of a cock B¹.
The condenser R is connected by means of a pipe C with the gasometer into

page_text: which the gas is forced and the bell or the like G of said gasometer is provided
with a counterpoise S so that the pressure is to a suitable extent decreased within
the gasometer so as to prevent the back pressure forcing the water from the
condenser R into the pipes K. The generator E¹ is connected with E² by means
of a pipe A, E with E3 by the pipe A³; and E³ with E by the pipe A³ and in
order that only two generators such as E¹ and E2 may be worked we provide a
cock D on the pipe A so that the remaining generators may be shut off, and in
order to prevent a too sudden generation of the gas in the generators the latter
are provided with radial or other suitably arranged partitions or the like a pre-
ferably of unequal height so that the chambers within the generators may be
successively brought into action by the water.
The pipe C is preferably provided with a three way cock P to enable any excess
water to be drawn off, and the discharge or escape pipe N is preferably provided
with a siphon K into or through which excess water from the gasometer may flow.
The gasometer, which may be of ordinary construction has its bell or the like G,
running between guides V having for this purpose runners g and the cord or
equivalent L which carries the counterpoise S has a stop or the like O with which
a lever H connected to the cock J engages, the arrangement being such that as
the bell is raised the lever is depressed and the supply of water cut off or regulated,
so that a less quantity of gas is generated. The cord L passes preferably over
pulleys or the like h situated on a cross beam M. If desired the bell G may be
connected to the cock Z, and the cock J dispensed with.
By these means the action of our improved apparatus is rendered automatic
and the generators may be refilled or recharged as desired, and there is no fear of
too great a quantity of gas being generated so as to create too. great a pressure and
the apparatus is simple in construction.
A further advantage appertaining to our improved apparatus is that if the
carbide in the generator E¹ is exhausted the water will flow into the generator F³
and if this also is exhausted it will flow into E3 and so on until all the carbide
is exhausted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is;-
1. An acetylene gas apparatus in which the generation of the gas causes the
bell of the gasometer to be lifted and the supply of water thereby regulated for
the purposes and substantially as herein described and illustrated."
2. An acetylene gas apparatus having a series of generators, such as, E E
E3.E, which are so connected that the water will flow from one to the other as
they become exhausted, the said generators being also provided with partitions
such as a, all for the purposes and substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this 13th day of July 1898.
A. WARTENWEILER,
R. SPENGLER,
By their Agents, Horn, Son & Co.,
151, Strand (next to Somerset House) London.