Improvements in the Preparation of Cal and other Gas-producing Carbides.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in the Preparation of Cal
and other Gas-producing
Carbides.
I, ERNEST GEARING, of Penshurst, Clarence Drive, Harrogate, in the County
of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference to improvements in the preparation of calcic, and
other gas producing carbides (hereinafter included, in the term calcic carbide)
specially suitable for use in the generation of acetylene and other gases, whereby
small and heretofore waste carbide can be rendered available for use and the
prepared carbide rendered more convenient and more suitable for use in gene-
rators in which it is particularly desirable that there shall be a steady generation
of gas and the production by chemical action of but little heat.
In preparing calcic carbide according to this invention it is mixed in any
suitable apparatus with coal-tar from which the water, invariably present in the
commercial product, has been previously evaporated or expelled, the mixture
being agitated or stirred until the mass becomes more or less plastic, when it is
pressed into the form of blocks or briquettes in moulds of the required size and
shape by suitable apparatus. The blocks or briquettes are then heated in an
oven or muffle until the coal-tar is decomposed and the calcic carbide remains
bound or held together by porous residual carbon from the coal-tar.
In carrying out this treatment the coal-tar may, conveniently, be boiled in a
suitable vessel until all water is driven off and the calcic carbide then added
to the boiling tar.
In the usual method of manufacture, calcic carbide is produced in the form
of hard and tough ingots of considerable size which have to be broken into con-
venient pieces before being used in acetylene generators. The breaking of the
ingots causes great waste owing to a considerable quantity of the material being
unavoidably crumbled or powdered. Such crumbled or powdered calcic carbide
either mixed with broken pieces of calcic carbide or not can be converted into
blocks or briquettes of any suitable shape and size as herein before described.
Blocks or briquettes made in accordance with this invention' are found to be
superior to lump or untreated calcic carbide for use with acetylene generators,
as the gas is evolved in a very steady current and comparatively little heat is
caused by chemical action during generation...
Although it is preferred to use coal tar as the binding agent in the preparation
of blocks or briquettes of calcic carbide, other suitable materials may be, used
provided they do not act chemically upon the calcic carbide itself or varnish or

page_text: cover the blocks or briquettes in such a way as to prevent water reaching and
acting upon the calcic carbide for the generation of the acetylene gas.
Dated this 5th day of February 1898.
Improvements in the Preparation of Calcic and other Gas-producing
Carbides.
I, ERNEST GEARING, of Penshurst, Clarence Drive, Harrogate, in the County
of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has reference to improvements in the preparation of calcic and
other gas producing carbides (hereinafter included in the term calcic carbide)
specially suitable for use in the generation of acetylene and other gases, whereby
small and heretofore waste carbide can be rendered available for use and the
prepared carbide rendered more convenient and more suitable for use in gene-
rators in which it is particularly desirable that there shall be a steady generation
of gas and the production by chemical action of but little heat.
In preparing calcic carbide according to this invention it is mixed in any
suitable apparatus with coal-tar from which the water, invariably present in the
commercial product, has been previously evaporated or expelled, the mixture
being agitated or stirred until the mass becomes more or less plastic, when it is
pressed into the form of blocks or briquettes in moulds of the required size and
shape by suitable apparatus. The blocks or briquettes are then heated in an
oven or muffle until the coal-tar is decomposed and the calcic carbide remains
bound or held together by porous residual carbon from the coal-tar.
In carrying out this treatment the coal-tar may conveniently be boiled in a
suitable vessel until all water is driven off and the calcic carbide then added
to and intimately mixed with the boiling tar until the mixture becomes so thick
that it can only just be stirred.
OP
In the usual method of manufacture, calcic carbide is produced in the form
of hard and tough ingots of considerable size which have to be broken into con-
venient pieces before being used in acetylene generators. The breaking of the
ingots causes great waste owing to a considerable quantity of the material being
unavoidably crumbled or powdered. By this invention such crumbled
powdered calcic carbide either mixed with broken pieces of calcic carbide or not,
can be readily converted into blocks or briquettes of any suitable shape and size.
Blocks or briquettes made as described are found to be superior to lump or
untreated calcic carbide for use with acetylene generators, as the gas is evolved
in a very steady current and comparatively little heat is caused by chemical
action during generation.
Although it is preferred to use coal-tar as the binding agent in the preparation
of blocks or briquettes of calcic carbide, other suitable materials may be used
provided they do not act chemically upon the calcic carbide itself or varnish or

page_text: cover the blocks or briquettes in such a way as to prevent water reaching and
acting upon the calcic carbide for the generation of the acetylene gas.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
-
The preparation of gas producing carbides by mixing small or broken carbide
with coal tar or other carbonaceous binding agent having no chemical or other
injurious action thereon, moulding the mixture into blocks or briquettes and
heating the blocks or briquettes in an oven or muffle until the binding agent
becomes decomposed and the pieces of carbide bound or held together by porous
residual carbon, substantially as described.
Dated CILIS Ten day of November 10.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.