Improvements in the Production of Water-gas.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Apr., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 5th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 4th Apr., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Production of Water-gas.
JOHANNES BLUM, of 7, Katzbach-Strasse, Berlin, Germany, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
Into a closed vessel of suitable material and construction containing metallic
plates, metallic sieves, pieces of metal, or metal in the form of grains or powder,
and which with its contents has been heated to a suitable degree I inject or drop a
mixture of water and petroleum or of water and some other hydro-carbon. The
fluids are mixed in definite proportions, and the quantity of the fluids which enter
the vessel in a given time is so commensurate to the source of heat that the
temperature of the vessel and its contents does not become reduced below a certain
degree. Mutual decomposition of the fluids takes place, resulting in the instan-
taneous production of water-gas. The vessel besides the opening through which
the fluids enter is provided with a suitable exit for the gas produced.
Dated this 5th day of April 1890.
JOHANNES BLUM.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Production of Water-gas.
1, JOHANNES BLUM, 7, Katzbach-Strasse, Berlin, Engineer, 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 :-
I produce water-gas by the chemical re-action between water and some hydro-
carbon in the presence of a heated metal. The hydrocarbon I use for preference
is crude petroleum. The metal I use for preference is nickel, cobalt, or copper.
To produce the most economical results when generating gas by my process, the
following conditions are necessary:
The water and petroleum must be intimately mixed.
(2) The quantities in the mixture must be in the chemical proportion required
for their mutual decomposition, or very near it.
(3) The metal must be maintained at a temperature, when nickel is used of no less
than 570° F., when cobalt is used, no less than 630° F., and when copper is used no
less than 850° F. To produce and maintain these conditions most effectually and
consequently to generate the gas in the most economical manner I construct my
water-gas generator as hereafter described and as is shown in the accompanying
drawing.
Figure 1. is a vertical section of a gas generator with the furnace for heating it.
and the supply tanks.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
The generator A is a seamless steel or copper tube, having flanges at both ends
to which the lids a¹ and a are fastened by bolts or screws. Through the upper
lid a passes the injecting tube I, through the lower lid a* the tube E, through which
the generated gases find egress.
Two-thirds of the generator, from the bottom upwards is filled with a network of
nickel, cobalt or copper wire, or with copper wire plated with nickel or cobalt; or
the network of wire may be replaced by pieces of nickel, cobalt or copper; or by
pieces of some refractory substance (fire-clay for instance), plated or covered with
nickel, cobalt or copper.

page_text: I have however found a network of wire most effective. B. The furnace is an iron
tube, having an opening through which atmospheric air is admitted, and
openings 62, 6 through which the flame and the products of combustion pass into
the outer furnace C, which is connected with the chimney C¹. C also is an iron
tube and in its turn is surrounded by another iron tube D. Between C and D the
air-supply passes before entering the furnace B by the tube t. The pipe R supplies
gas to the burners r', . M. is a circular iron tank having an inner compartment N.
of the same material. M and N. communicate by means of the two openings m² m².
By means of the opening n' and the tube 1. fluid can be introduced into the inner
tank. Through n fluids can be poured into the outer tank, n³ and n³ can be
securely closed by means of screw plugs.
The tube which is connected with the tube K, which in its turn is connected with
the egress tube E places the tank M as well as its inner compartment N in com-
munication with the generator A. By means of the pipe G, the gas is conveyed
to its point of application. J is a pressure-guage of ordinary construction.
The tank M is for water, its inner compartment N for petroleum; the sectional
arcas M and N (Fig. 2) are such that they have the proportion which the quantities
of water and petroleum must have for their mutual decomposition, this proportion
is represented by the chemical formula nH₂O: CH₂+a ( must be determined by
actual analysis of the petroleum to be used). In practice I make the tank M. so as
to have a transverse sectional area four times as large as that of the compartment N.
When however it is required to have the water-gas absolutely free from steam,
the generator producing at the same time its maximum quantity of gas, tubes of
iron are placed upright in M, till the sectional area left vacant bears to the sectional
area of the inner compartment N exactly the proportion represented by the above
nientioned chemical formula. For all industrial purposes such exactness is not
required. The valve V, by means of which the fluids pass from the tank to the
injection tube I is shown enlarged in Fig. 3, it is connected by means of the rod &
with S the lever of the safety valve. This safety-valve is of ordinary construction,
such as is used for boilers, except that besides the moveable weight W it is further
loaded by means of the spring 0.
The valve V is a tube attached to the lid a' of the generator and passes into the
tank to about one-fifth of its height. In the tube V (Fig. 3) works a plunger,
grooved from the top to a short distance from its lower end which is ungrooved.
The flange p at the top of the plunger, rests when the plunger is down. on the outer
bevelled edge of the tube v' and in that position completely closes it. When the
plunger is raised so that the ungrooved part reaches above u, the valve becomes
closed again. The bore of ¹ below is slightly enlarged. The plunger pis
attached to s by means of a ball-and-socket-joint; s' is similarly attached to the
lever S.
The arrangement described works in the manner following:-The capacity of the
tank M is known. Water is poured into it through n³ till it, as well as its inner
compartment N are two thirds filled with it. One-third of that quantity of
petroleum is then poured into N. through n¹. It will then be found that M is filled
with water almost to the top, also that the water is standing in the inner com-
partment. N as far as the line a, a, while petroleum is filling the rest of N, as high
as the water is standing in M. n¹ and n³ are now closed by their screw-plugs.
The gas-burners 1 and 2 are then lit; at the commencement the supply is from
a reservoir, where gas from a former working of the generator has been stored; or
ordinary coal gas may be used. As soon as the generator becomes heated the air
or gas in it, expands and communicates its pressure through E, K, to the tank M.
This pressure overcomes the spring O, lifting the lever S sufficiently to raise the
plunger p of the valve V so that the fluids from the tank can pass under the flange p³
into the tube and from there into the injecting tube I. Through the fine holes
at the extremity of the injecting tube the fluids are dispersed on the heated metallic
contents of the generator A. The above described construction of the tank M causes
the flow of the water and petroleum in exact proportion to the sectional areas of

page_text: the tanks M and N. This proportion, as has been shown, is the same as is required
for the mutual decomposition of the two fluids. The intimately mixed fluids in this
exact proportion coming in contact with the heated metallic contents of the
generator become instantaneously decomposed, and converted into water-gas, which
finds egress through E, passing from there through K and G to the point where it
is desired to apply it. The water-gas can in this manner be generated at any
pressure permitted by the strength of the material of the generator. This high-
pressure gas can be used as motive power in an ordinary engine, in the same way as
high-pressure steam, and after its expansive power is exhausted be returned to the
furnace through R and there burnt with a proper supply of air.
The tank M need not be placed as in the drawing but in any convenient position,
and distance from the generator, connection being always maintained between V
and I, as well as between the generator and the top of the tank. It may however
be more convenient to inject the fluids into the generator by means of a pump,
when the connection as well as the valve V become unnecessary. The end of
the tube leading from M to the pump must be in the position occupied by V. The
tank M with its inner compartment N may then be open at the top and both be con-
tinuously supplied the first with water the second with petroleum by means of
ordinary supply taps with floating balls.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. The process of obtaining water-gas by the decomposition of water by means
of a hydrocarbon in the presence of a heated metallic body substantially as
described.
2. The use, in connection with the said process, of the generator (A), more or
less filled with nickel, cobalt, or copper wire,-nickel, cobalt, or copper-pieces, or
with some refractory substance which has been plated or covered with metallic
nickel, cobalt, or copper, substantially as described.
3. The use in connection with the said process of the tank (M.) by means of
which the liquids in regulated quantities and correct proportion are caused to enter
the generator, substantially as described.
Dated this 5th day of February 1891.
JOHANNES BLUM.