Improvements in Acetylene Gas Generators.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Aug., 1899 -Accepted, 21st Apr., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Acetylene Gas Generators.
I, JOSÉ PONCES, of Rua Paz de la Ensenanza, Barcelona, in the Kingdom of
Spain, Gentleman, 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 relates to an improved acetylene gas generator, in which a
gasometer is combined with a series of carbide chambers which are operated
automatically and in succession by the rising and falling of the gasometer bell
which, each time it descends, acts, by means of an arm provided for the purpose,
upon a lever retained by a spring actuated catch, to open a cock which admits
water to a corresponding carbide chamber.
In order that the gasometer bell may set the gas generators in- operation one
after the other, several sets of guides, are arranged around the gasometer bell
in which an arm and pulley travels from one path to the other as the gasometer
bell ascends or descends, with the result that at each of these movements the
gasometer bell is turned angularly so that, in terminating its descent, the arm
through a chain & weight acts upon the lever of the cock or valve of one carbide
chamber and so on automatically putting the carbide chambers in operation one
after the other.
As this apparatus relates to that class of generators in which water is caused
to fall upon the carbide as many feed water reservoirs are arranged in the upper
part of the device as there are gas generators. The water from each reservoir
passes through a valve or cock, the lever of which is combined with that which
receives the action from the arm of the gasometer bell. The gasometer bell is
released, and by the action of a weighted lever the cock is opened, and the water
instantly flows out through a pipe, to a funnel and thence into a syphon or seal
to a gas generator.
As the gas leaves the carbide chambers it passes through a condenser which
surrounds the gasometer, and this condenser is sa inclined as to facilitate the
separation of the moisture with which the gas is impregnated.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents the apparatus in elevation;
Figure 2 is a horizontal section on line ab of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a vertical section on line cd of Figure 2 which illustrates some
of the more important details of the apparatus.
Figure 4 is a detail view shewing the feed water cock for the carbide chambers.
The calcium carbide is placed in baskets e (Figure 3) of galvanised, iron wire;
the bottoms of which are provided with legs, so that the carbide may be raised
above the bases of the carbide chambers f. The apparatus represented in the
drawing contains 12 carbide chambers f; this number may, however, be varied.
The openings of the carbide chambers f are of a sufficient diameter to enable
the baskets to pass through; circular covers which fit in grooves or recesses in
the carbide chambers and are provided with indiarubber washers and screw clamps
which serve to hermetically seal the carbide chambers. The carbide chambers

page_text: are placed in an annular receptacle g and each is raised from the bottom by
legs or feet f¹, in such a manner that refrigerating water which fills the recep-
tacle, surrounds the carbide chambers completely.
Discharge nozzles of large diameter closed externally by screw plugs enable
the carbide chambers to be cleaned and the water which has served for the
generation of gas to be withdrawn.
From the conical top of the carbide chambers extend syphons which terminate
in funnels, the height of the main arms of these syphons represents the
maximum pressure of the water to which, the gas is subjected during its
generation.
The generation of gas is effected in the same manner in each of the carbide
chambers f; the carbide chambers are never operated simultaneously but in
succession. As the gas produced by each of them is consumed its production is
dependent upon the admission of the water to the carbide chambers f, through
the syphons i. The inlet opening of the syphon is at the wall of the carbide
chamber f so that the water, as it enters, does not immediately come in contact
with the carbide, but first falls to the bottom of the chamber where it comes in
contact with the carbide at the bottom of the basket and so prevents the water
from being forced back by the pressure of the gas, and increase of temperature
and local pressures is thereby avoided. The water passes into each of the
carbide chambers, in succession from the reservoir placed at the top of the
apparatus and each of the reservoirs contain a sufficient quantity to fill its
corresponding carbide chamber and syphon. The carbide chambers do not there-
fore remain filled with gas after the consumption of the generating material.
•
The admission of water to the carbide chambers and consequently their
operation is regulated by the movement of the gasometer bell k. At the top of
the gasometer bell an arm with a chain supporting a weight is fixed. The
arm is provided with a friction roller for rendering its passage between the
races or guides more easy.
The ascending motion of the gas holder bell is controlled by the rod m, and by
the tube m' fastened to the top cover of the gas holder bell.
Around the gasometer there are as many double guides as there are carbide
chambers, these consist of an upper guide and a lower guide; the space com-
prised between the two is closed by pivoted pieces. The upper guide is formed of
two rods pp, fixed by their top ends to the circular edge ¹, and at the lower
part to the metallic ring n". The lower guide is formed by arms p³ p³, p7
fixed by the lower ends of p³ and to the ring n. At the end of the arm p³
a pivoted piece q' is arranged, which by its own weight assumes the position
indicated by q; to the end of the arm 74 a piece is pivoted, the normal
position of which is that represented in the drawing.
In Fig. 1 the gasometer bell is represented in its lowered position, the roller ¹¹
which travels between the guides, bears against the inclined arm of the lower
guide compelling the piece q to swing before it in order to afford it a free
passage. When the roller " has descended until it releases the piece q',
the latter will resume its normal position as represented at 92, and at this
moment the weight will bear against the plate s of the lever s and will by
overcoming the resistance of the springs release the levert from the catch u¹
and allows the weight and levert to act on the feed water cock of the corre-
sponding carbide chamber and to open it.
Water passes through the cock from the corresponding upper reservoir j.
The weight operates the cock when the gas holder bell k contains only
sufficient gas for supplying those burners which are desired to be kept alight
during the time elapsing between the period of opening the cock and the genera-
tion of gas in the succeeding chamber. This reserve-volume of gas can be
graduated by varying the length of the chain which supports the weight 7. The
cock is of the kind known as lever actuated cock, its feed opening is kept closed
by the three-fold action 1, of the water pressure, 2, of the pressure of a spiral

page_text: spring fastened axially and 3, of the pressure of the lever t. When the weight /
acts upon the plate S, the lever S moves the spring catch u aside, thus leaving
the levert to the action of its weight which is sufficient for opening the cock.
The weight of is such that if the carbide chamber were not operating, it would
actuate, as it descends, the two levers s and t, while applying the upper lever
against the lower and would, without fail, effect the opening of the valve r.
Each feed reservoir has a water discharge pipe which terminates in its
respective cock r. The water which passes through the cock rises up the tube v
and is discharged by the tube v. The latter is placed higher than the body of the
cock in order that it may always be full of water, so as to prevent incrustation.
The outlet of these tubes is directed towards the centre of the funnels, and they
are so far distant therefrom that in case of any leakage taking place in the
cocks, the water can drip down into the annular receptacle g.
By adjusting the sizes of the outlets of the pipes to the water pressure the
admission of water to the chambers f is graduated to the rate of generation of
gas required. The latter attains its maximum when the whole carbide of one
chamber is submerged; to this maximum the height of the syphon i is adjusted.
From the carbide chamber f the gas passes through the pipe gl cooled by the
water jackets gl and is conveyed to the condenser to. This consists of an annular
conduit of elliptical section, and of large capacity and placed obliquely. The
gas is cooled and its moisture is condensed owing to the low temperature which
is maintained by a circular bath K. The water of condensation descends from
the condenser w into the pipe we which conveys it to the bottom of a tank seal ¹
filled with water. From the condenser w the gas passes by the pipe w to the
washing chamber, where it passes through a multitubular rose or spray a pro-
vided with a large number of small holes in the lower part, in order that as the
gas is discharged the bubbles of gas may remain as long as possible in the water.
The gas passes by the tube el to the gasometer bell ; this tube all communicates
at its lowest part with a purifying chamber ¹.
As the gasometer bell ascends under the action of the gas produced, the
roller can no longer pass back between the guides pp, because the pivoted
piece has closed the passage. The roller therefore is compelled to lift the
pivoted piece q3 and to pass along between the guides and 7. When, owing
to the consumption of gas, the gasometer bell is compelled to redescend, the
piece prevents the roller from returning upon the same guide, it then
passes to the following guides, while separating the piece ², and throws another
cock in operation and consequently another carbide chamber f.
In this manner, at each ascending and descending movement of the gasometer
bellan angular movement takes place which has the effect that the weight i
places successively in operation each one of the cocks r and starts each one of the
carbide chambers. The produced gas passes from the gasometer bell k by the
tube z into the feed pipes or into a supplementary gasometer if such is necessary.
After the operation of cleaning and charging the carbide chambers f and prior
to filling the reservoirs with water, the cocks r are closed by hand by placing
them in the position represented in Figure 4.
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
I claim is:-
1. In an acetylene gas generator a gasometer with a gasometer bell k and
several carbide chambers, an arm provided with a weight and a friction roller,
races or guides which through the roller imparts to the gasometer bell an angular
movement at each ascent and descent, and a weight actuating successively cocks
the opening of which sets their corresponding carbide chambers into operation
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In an acetylene gas generator a gasometer with feed water reservoirs and
corresponding carbide chambers arranged outside the gasometer, and a gasometer

page_text: bell having an arm and guides producing an angular movement of the gasometer
bell substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3. In an acetylene gas generator a gasometer as claimed in Claim 1 in com-
bination with double guides corresponding in number with the carbide chambers,
and forming upper and lower paths or races and with pivoted pieces substantially.
as and for the purpose set forth.
4. In an acetylene gas generator the use of cocks or valves in combination
with two levers s and t springs catches and syphons and funnels substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
5. A condenser placed in oblique position substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
Dated this 12th day of August 1890