IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS FOR HEATING AND LIGHTING, AND IN THE APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Frederick William Colls at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
16th December 1875.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM COLLS, of Erith, in the County of Kent, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS FOR HEATING AND LIGHTING, AND IN THE APPARATUS
TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
ご
My Invention relates to certain improvements on my former Patent,
dated April 28th 1873, No. 1533, for the manufacture of gas for heating
and lighting and in the apparatus to be employed therein, the object
being to produce gas from chalk or carbonate of lime in combination
with superheated steam and hydrocarbon or other oil or spirit, and coke
or charcoal or other carbonaceous materials, and in some instaces metal.
I propose to use gas retorts either vertical or horizontal, one of which is
to be charged with chalk or limestone, and a second or carburetting
retort is to be charged with charcoal or coke or any other carbonaceous

page_text: materials, and the two retorts are to be connected by a suitable pipe; in
some instances I purpose using a third retort, through which the
combined gases are passed.
At a short
distance from the retorts I fix a tank or reservoir
containing hydrocarbon or other oil or spirit, and connected by a pipe
with one of the gas retorts.
°
A suitable syphon gauge is to be applied to the tank to regulate the
supply; another pipe is connected with one of the retorts to supply
superheated steam to it. An oulet pipe from the carbon retort is
connected to the exhauster, and thence to the gas holder. Heat is
applied to the retorts by means of suitable furnaces, and when it is
sufficiently high a small stream of oil or spirit is supplied to the retort,
at the same time superheated steam is admitted and the exhauster put
into action. The result is as follows:-The oil or spirit with the
superheated steam in passing through the retorts with the carbonic acid
generated from the chalk becomes decomposed, the carbonic acid is
converted into carbonic oxide and the steam into hydrogen, the whole
combined being carburetted hydrogen and carbonic oxide gas of a
highly illuminating power, and free from sulphur and ammonia im-
purities.
When coal is used for gas making by the usual process as soon as the
illuminating gas is exhausted and non-illuminating gas is made, I cause
superheated steam and hydrocarbon oil or other oil or spirit to pass into
one of the retorts which is to be connected with a second retort, and
sometimes with a third, and a pure illuminating gas. will be produced
equal in volume and superior in quality to that already obtained from
the coal.
In practice I construct a furnace with; a bench of retorts. (two or
three retorts being connected with each other as required) to be supplied
with chalk or carbonate of lime and carbonaceous materials or metal
respectively, the retorts being constructed so as to afford the greatest
possible amount of heating surface.
Near the retorts a boiler is fixed in which steam is generated, and a
pipe therefrom is connected to a superheating apparatus set in a
furnace; the steam from which is conveyed by tubes into the retorts,

page_text: which being charged are separately connected to a main which conveys
the products to an exhauster and condenser and purifier, and thence to
the gas holder. The superheated steam enters the retorts by means of a
pipe and passes through or over the carbonaceous matters, and is
converted into carbonic oxide and hydrogen gas.