Illuminating Power of Gas.
Year: 1885

page_text: Illuminating Power of Gas.
We ALFRED KINNEAR, of 91, Finsbury Pavement, in the city of London,
Managing Director of Kinnear's Patents Limited and ERNST FAHRIG, of The
Park, Eccles, in the county of Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to an apparatus or carburetter of simple construction which
is adapted to be readily fixed to an ordinary gas supply pipe or main either close
to the meter or not for the purpose of carburetting ordinary gas for illuminating or
heating purposes.
The apparatus is constructed of a reservoir containing liquid hydro-carbon
specially high distilled and of a specific gravity of from 500 to 650 Beaumé.
The reservoir may be of various shapes but we prefer a cylindrical form in the
centre of the bottom of which is an upright shaft or spindle on which is placed an
easily fitting bush attached to which is a float of cork or other buoyant substance,
which carries a motor fan which is caused to revolve by the inflow of the gas to
be treated or by other power. A stop cock or plug is provided at the top of the
reservoir for the purpose of filling.
When the reservoir is empty the float with the fan upon it, is resting at the
bottom of the reservoir but as soon as the hydro-carbon rises within it by the
process of filling this float consequently on its floating on the hydro-carbon liquid
rises with it, carrying the fan and keeping the same always above the bydro-carbon
liquid; an arrangement is provided at the top of the reservoir to indicate the
height of the liquid and thus provide against the over filling or overflowing. The
bush or washer above the fan which does not revolve carries an arm to which is
attached a flexible screen or partition of any light liquid proof or nearly liquid
proof material not easily affected by the bydro-carbon; the other end of this screen
is fixed within the reservoir at the upper part at right angles to the inlet or outlet
for gas, and its edges lie and slide in grooves placed at each side of the reservoir;
this screen is for the purpose of completely deflecting the ordinary gas onto the
surface of the hydro-carbon thereby insuring complete mixture and carburetting.
We sometimes attach a flexible tube to the inlet with the other end attached to

page_text: the bush or washer above the fan, not revolving but rising or falling with the fan
and float with the rise or fall of the liquid thereby always keeping the course of
the gas directed immediately onto and above the hydro carbon.
The action of the apparatus or carburetter is as follows:
The gas entering the apparatus is deflected by means of the screen and tube
upon the inner surface of the fan which being free on its axis revolves under the
normal pressure of the gas (or by other power) the motion of the fan directly over
the whole surface of the liquid hydro-carbon naturally drives off the lighter hydro-
carbon vapour and produces the thorough mixing and carburetting of the gas and
it follows that the gas passing out at the outlet being so mixed and incorporated
and of enriched carburetted quality can therefore be consumed by much smaller
burners to give an equivalent lighting power or in other words improving and
increasing the illuminating power of the gas.

page_text: DOMINAŲng rower of Gras
We, ALFRED KINNEAR of 91 Finsbury Pavement, in the City of London,
Managing Director of Kinnear's Patents Limited, and ERNST FAHRIG of Morley
Hall Works, Hackney, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical 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:--
Our invention relates to an apparatus or carburetter of simple construction
which is adapted to be readily fixed to an ordinary gas supply pipe or main
either close to the meter, or not, for the purpose of carburetting ordinary gas for
illuminating or heating purposes.
The apparatus is constructed of a reservoir containing liquid hydro-carbon
specially highly distilled and of a specific gravity of from 500 to 650 Beaumé.
The reservoir may be of various shapes, and in the centre thereof is an upright
shaft or spindle on which is placed an easily fitting bush, attached to which is a
float of cork or other buoyant substance, which carries a motor fan which is caused
to revolve by the inflow of the gas to be treated or by other power.
A stop cock or plug is provided at the top of the reservoir for the purpose of
supplying the same with liquid hydro-carbon; an arrangement consisting of a
gauge is provided on the reservoir to indicate the height of the liquid and thus
provide against the over filling or overflowing.
The bush above the fan, which bush does not revolve, carries an arm or arms to
which is attached a vertical screen or partition of any light liquid proof or nearly
liquid proof material, not easily affected by the hydro-carbon, this screen is placed
vertically within the reservoir between the inlet and outlet for the gas, and slides
up and down the said upright shaft or spindle; its edges slide on guides placed at
each side of the reservoir; this screen is for the purpose of completely deflecting
the ordinary gas on to the surface of the hydro-carbon, thereby insuring complete
mixture and carburetting. We sometimes attach a flexible tube to the inlet the
other end of the tube being attached to the bush above the fan, and rising or
falling with the fan and float, with the rise or fall of the liquid, thereby always
keeping the course of the gas directed immediately on to and above the hydro
carbon.
In order to enable our invention to be fully understood we will proceed to
describe the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1
represents an elevation half in section and figure 2 a plan of an apparatus for
carburetting and increasing the illuminating power of gas, constructed according to
our invention; figure 3 is a vertical section of the same taken through the line A B
of fig. 2 and fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken through the line CD of figure 3;
figure 5 is a section shewing the stop cock or plug for supplying the apparatus
with liquid hydro-carbon. Similar letters in all the figures represent similar parts.
a is the reservoir of the apparatus for containing liquid hydro carbon of the
quality herein before referred to which reservoir we have shown of a rectangular
shape in horizontal section; we do not however, confine ourselves to this shape]

page_text: b is the upright shaft or spindle in the centre of the reservoir and fixed to the top
and bottom thereof as shewn clearly in figure 1; c is the bush placed and fitting
easily on the lower end of the shaft or spindle b so that it can slide up and down
thereon, and d d d d represent the float of cork or other buoyant substance the
four parts of which are attached to the bush c, by arms e e e e; fis the fan which
is caused to revolve on the bush c by the inflow of gas to be treated.
When the reservoir a is empty the float d d d d with the fan f upon it, rests at
the bottom of the reservoir a, but as soon as the liquid hydro-carbon rises within
it by the process of filling, the float dd dd, consequent on its floating on the
hydro-carbon liquid rises with it, carrying the fan fand keeping the same always
above the hydro-carbon.
g, figures 2 and 3 is the stop cock or plug (shewn also detached in figure 5) at
the top of the reservoir a, for the purpose of supplying liquid hydro-carbon thereto;
h is the gauge on the reservoir for indicating the height of the liquid therein and
thus providing against over filling or overflowing; i, is a cock for drawing off the
liquid if necessary from the reservoir a, and for discharging any sediment which
may collect in the bottom of the reservoir, a' is the inlet cock for the gas to be
carburetted or enriched and b¹ the outlet cock for the carburetted gas; j, j, are
the arms on the part of the sliding bush c above the fan and k is the screen or
partition attached thereto of the material hereinbefore mentioned; the screen k is
arranged between the inlet a¹, and the outlet b¹ for the gas and is carried by a loose
tube or sleeve l, on the shaft or spindle b, so that it can slide with the bush c up
and down the said shaft or spindle, the upper part of the reservoir a being formed
with an extension c¹ to receive the screen k as it rises; m, m, are the guides against
which rest and slide the edges of the screen k, the said guides consisting of pieces of
angle iron fixed to two of the inner sides of the reservoir a; the screen k is curved
at its lower end as shewn in figures 3 and 4 towards the gas inlet a³, and serves as
herein before described to deflect the ordinary gas entering through the inlet a¹, on to
the fan f and the surface of the liquid hydro-carbon in the reservoir a; n, is a pipe
extending from the inlet for the liquid to the bottom part of the reservoir a, where
it is curved upwards for a short distance as shewn at o, so as to form a trap on the
top of which is a self-acting valve p, for preventing the escape of gas from the
reservoir a, when the cock g, is opened thereby rendering it unnecessary to shut
off the supply of gas at a when introducing the liquid.
The action of the apparatus or carburetter is as follows,
The gas entering the apparatus through the cock a¹ is deflected by means of the
Ecreen k, onto the inner surface of the fan f which being loose on the bush c will
revolve under the normal pressure of the gas; the motion of the fan directly over
the whole surface of the liquid hydro-carbon naturally drives off the lighter hydro-
carbon vapour which is continually rising therefrom and produces a thorough
mixing and carburetting of the gas and it follows that the gas passing out at the
outlet b¹, being so mixed and incorporated and of enriched carburetted quality can
therefore be consumed by much smaller burners to give an equivalent lighting power
or in other words, improving and increasing the illuminating power of the gas.
As the level of the liquid in the reservoir a falls the float d d d d, and con-
sequently the fan f and the screen k descend with it and when the reservoir a is
'nearly empty, which fact will be shewn by the gauge h, the reservoir must be
resupplied with liquid hydrocarbon, and as the latter is introduced the float, fan
and screen will again rise in the reservoir a.
'
It will be obvious that the fan f can if required be driven by any other suitable
power than the pressure of the gas hereinbefore referred to.
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. In apparatus for carburetting and increasing the illuminating power of gas
the combination of a-float arranged to slide up and down a spindle or shaft, with

page_text: a rotating fan and a screen supported by the said float substantially as hereinbefore
described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
2. In apparatus for carburetting and increasing the illuminating power of gas
the use of a fan serving as a motor and arranged to be driven by the normal
pressure of the gas to be carburetted as it enters the apparatus as herein described
and illustrated in the drawing or by any other suitable source of power substantially
as herein before setforth.
3. In apparatus for carburetting and increasing the illuminating power of gas
the use of a screen adapted to slide up and down a spindle within the apparatus
for the purpose of deflecting the gas to be carburetted as it enters the apparatus
onto a fan substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. In apparatus for carburetting and increasing the illuminating power of gas the
use of a flexible tube for directing the gas to be carburetted as it enters the
apparatus onto a screen arranged to deflect the said gas onto a fan substantially as
and for the purpose herein before described.
5. In apparatus such as that herein described for carburetting and increasing the
illuminating power of gas the herein described arrangement of pipe having a trap
and a valve substantially as and for the purpose setforth.
6. The improved apparatus for carburetting and increasing the illuminating power
of gas hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 14th diamkan 1000