Improvements in and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Illuminating Gas.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 28th July, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 28th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 16th July, 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Apparatus for the Manufacture of
Illuminating Gas.
I, VIVIAN BYAM LEWES, of 19, Park Row, Greenwich, in the County of Kent,
Professor of Chemistry, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
It is well known that if acetylene in quantities below 10 per cent. be mixed
with hydrogen, carbon monoxide, or water gas, the mixture burus with a practi-
cally non-luminous flame, and I have made a long series of experiments in order
to ascertain the cause of this phenomenon and the means by which it may be over-
come. I have found that if acetylene be mixed with the gas called methane, which
is a compound of twelve parts by weight of carbon with four parts by weight of
hydrogen, even the smallest proportion of acetylene endows the mixture with con-
siderable illuminating value, and that. if 30 per cent. of methane be mixed with
hydrogen, carbon monoxide, or water gas, although that mixture will have no
illuminating value, yet on the addition of acetylene in any proportion, the mixture
will develop light, and the same is true for other hydrocarbons of high illuminat-
ing value such as ethylene, benzene, butylene and ethane.
Now this invention has reference to the production in an economical manner
of a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen with methane, and to the enrich-
ment thereof by acetylene or other highly luminous hydrocarbon for the production
of an illuminating gas.
In carrying out my invention I employ a gas generator comprising a gas tight
casing lined with fire brick and fitted with fire bars or other like arrangement at
the bottom. It is charged with a mass of coke, anthracite or other carbonaceous
fuel than can be ignited and raised to incandescence by means of air blasts injected
into it through openings arranged at various heights in the column of the fuel so
that the latter can be quickly raised to incandescence by causing the combustion,.
in the upper portion of the fuel, of the carbon monoxide formed at or near the
bottom of the mass of fuel by air admitted to the ash-pit below the fire bars.
About half way up the mass of fuel the generator is provided with a water cooled
ring fitted, say at three places around its circumference, with injectors by which
tar or other cheap liquid or semi-liquid hydrocarbon or hydrocarbons can be
injected by steam into the mass of incandescent fuel, and also at three or other
suitable number of points around its circumference with air inlet openings through
which blasts of air can be injected into the fuel. The form of the water ring is
such that it contracts the interior of the casing at one point below which it is
formed with a circumferential groove or recess that may be of wedge section,
the arrangement being such that as the fuel descends past the contracted inner
portion of the generator it leaves below the upper ledge of the water cooled ring
and the internally grooved portion of the ring a space into which the air blast
pipes and the steam injectors for the tar or other hydrocarbons deliver. Below
the fire bars is situated another steam inlet. The interior of the generator may be

page_text: of hollow cylindrical shape above the fire bars and up to the water cooled ring
above which it may conveniently be of bulged or barrel shape.
At a point above the surface of the fuel, the generator is connected by a branch
pipe or passage with a superheater comprising a vertical chamber the upper por-
tion of which is filled with fire brick arranged chequerwise whilst the lower por-
tion contains ingots or other masses of iron. At the bottom of the superheater is
an outlet passage connected with a vertical pipe the upper end of which is pro-
vided with a snift valve and the lower end of which dips into water contained in a
closed receptacle from the upper part of which extends an outlet pipe provided
with a cock.
In practice the apparatus is used as follows:-Fuel having been placed in the
generator and ignited, it is blown up to a state of incandescence by blasts of air
admitted through the several air inlet openings, and the products of combustion
whilst at a high temperature, are led down through the superheater and allowed
to escape by the snift valve the cock in the outlet pipe from the water seal being
at this time kept closed. When the mass of fuel has been raised to a bright red
heat, the air blast through the upper air inlet opening or series of openings, which
may be located about midway between the top of the water cooled ring and the
top of the mass of fuel, is cut off and a small quantity of air is admitted through
an air tube into the upper part of the superheater. This air causes combustion of
any carbon monoxide in the gas which is being generated and completes the heat-
ing of the superheating chamber to a dull red. The fuel being now incandescent
and the superheater hot, the snift valve is closed, the cock in the outlet pipe opened,
and all air blasts cut off. Tar or other heavy liquid hydrocarbon is then injected
through the injectors and by means of steam, into the centre of the incandescent
fuel, the steam being converted into water gas-a mixture of hydrogen and carbon
monoxide and the tar or other hydrocarbon being simultaneously decomposed
by the heat into a mixture of hydrogen and methane in its passage through the
incandescent fuel with deposition of carbon which is added to the fuel in the
generator. Whilst this decomposition is taking place, steam is also admitted in
small quantities into the ash pit or lower part of the fuel through one or more
openings below the fire bars, this steam in passing through the lower portion of
the mass of incandescent fuel forming water gas which rises up through the fuel
and prevents tar or other hydrocarbon remaining in the fuel and becoming over
decomposed.
A certain quantity of sooty and tarry matter will pass forward with the gas into
the superheater, and to prevent this choking up the interstices between the fire
bricks therein, there is introduced in a downward direction into the top of the
superheater, a regulated supply of steam which also forms water gas with any
carbonaceous matter that may be present and prevents any stoppage of the super-
heater.
The mixed gases, consisting of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane, pass
on through the water seal and the outlet pipe to the scrubber or other gas purify-
ing apparatus employed. The generation of gas in the manner described is con-
tinued until the temperature of the fuel in the gas generator has fallen below the
required point whereupon the supply of hydrocarbon is shut off and a supply of
air turned on so as to again raise the fuel to a state of incandescence, any hydro-
carbon remaining in the gas generator assisting the carbon monoxide generated
by the action of the air on the fuel, to reduce to the metallic state any oxide of
iron that may have been formed on the pigs or bars of iron in the superheater by
the action of the steam admitted to such superheater, so that such pigs or bars
of iron will be ready for re-use when again generating a mixture of carbon mon-
oxide, hydrogen, and methane.
I find in practice that by the process described a very large volume of gas
suitable for enrichment by acetylene or other hydrocarbons of high illuminating
power can be produced in an exceedingly economical way. The enrichment of this
gas is carried out as follows:-

page_text: On leaving the outlet pipe, the gas is led through a washer or scrubber in which
during its passage up and down vertical channels or passages therein it is washed
by sprays of lime water or lime water and lime sludge obtained it may be as
hereinafter described, which is delivered from sprinklers at the top of the washer.
In this way the gas is purified to a great extent from any carbon dioxide and
sulphuretted hydrogen which it may contain and is also fully saturated with water
vapour. The washer may comprise a vertical chamber divided by one or more
vertical partitions into two or more connected vertical passages. Or two or more
distinct but connected chambers or towers may be used. The moist gas passing
from the washer or scrubber is led into a suitable acetylene generator which
according to one construction comprises a vertical chamber charged with carbide
such as calcic carbide which is supported by a lower perforated conical support
closed at the bottom by a conical valve which is attached to a guide rod and has
a jigging motion imparted to it by means of a cam or its equivalent on which
the valve bears and which is driven from the exterior of the apparatus.
The water saturated gas passing through the openings in the conical support
ascends through the calcic carbide, and the water vapour which it contains slowly
decomposes the carbide with evolution of acetylene which becomes mixed with the
gas which is at the same time thoroughly dried. The amount of acetylene so
mingling with the gas would however as a rule be too small in quantity to enrich
it to the desired extent. For this reason the carbide is caused, by the rising and
falling of the valve to pass downward and be slowly discharged into water which
is arranged to close the bottom of the acetylene generator and act as a seal. As
the carbide falls into this water it is decomposed with liberation of acetylene and
formation of lime which to a certain extent dissolves in the water which is kept
flowing through the seal. This water, or a portion of it, mixed it may be with
lime sludge, may advantageously be used for purifying the gas coming from the
main gas generator. For this purpose it is pumped up and supplied to the
sprinklers for purifying the gas in the washer or scrubber.
This utilisation of the lime water and sludge produced in the manufacture of the
acetylene for the purification of the gas which has to be afterwards enriched, is
a feature of considerable practical importance. The degree of enrichment of the
gas with acetylene is regulated by the rate at which the cam and valve are driven.
A removable receptacle may be placed immediately below the bottom of the
conical support and below the surface of the water in the bottom of the acetylene
generator to receive the deposited lime. During the period of blowing up the
fuel in the main gas generator to incandescence, this receptacle can be taken out
and the excess of lime removed therefrom..
Dated this 28th day of July 1897
Improvements in and Apparatus for the Manufacture of
Illuminating Gas.
I, VIVIAN BYAM LEWES, of 19, Park Row, Greenwich, in the County of Kent,
Professor of Chemistry, 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:-

page_text: with hydrogen, carbon monoxide, or water gas, the mixture burns with a practi-
cally non-luminous flame, and I have made a long series of experiments in order
to ascertain the cause of this phenomenon and the means by which it may be over-
come. I have found that if acetylene be mixed with the gas called methane, which
is a compound of twelve parts by weight of carbon with four parts by weight of
hydrogen, even the smallest proportion of acetylene endows the mixture with con-
siderable illuminating value, and that if 30 per cent. of methane be mixed with
hydrogen, carbon monoxide, or water gas, although that mixture will have no
illuminating value, yet on the addition of acetylene in any proportion, the mixture
will develop light.
Now this invention has reference to the production in an economical manner
of a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen with methane, and to the enrich-
ment thereof by acetylene for the production of an illuminating gas, as I shall
now describe with the aid of the accompanying illustrative drawing which shows
diagrammatically and in longitudinal vertical section, one arrangement of apparatus
suitable for carrying my invention into practice.
This apparatus comprises a gas generator 1 formed of a gas tight casing lined
with fire brick and fitted it may be, with fire bars 2 or other suitable arrangement
at the bottom above an ash-pit 3. It is charged with a mass of coke, anthracite
or other carbonaceous fuel 4 which can be ignited and then raised to incandescence
by means of air blasts injected into it through openings 5, 5, 5b arranged at various
heights in the column of the fuel so that the latter can be quickly raised to incan-
descence by causing the combustion, in the upper portion of the fuel, of the carbon
monoxide formed at or near the bottom of the mass of fuel by air admitted to the
ash-pit 3 through the opening 5b, below the fire bars 2.
About half way up the mass of fuel the generator is provided with a water
cooled ring 6 fitted, say at three places around its circumference, with injectors 7
by which tar or other cheap liquid or semi-liquid hydrocarbon or hydrocarbons
can be injected by steam into the mass of incandescent fuel, and also at three or other
suitable number of points around its circumference with air inlet openings 5 through
which blasts of air can be injected into the fuel. The form of the water ring is
such, as shown, that it contracts the interior of the casing at one point below which
it is formed with a circumferential groove or recess 6 that may be of wedge
section, the arrangement being such that as the fuel descends past the contracted
inner portion of the generator it leaves below the upper ledge of the water cooled
ring and the internally grooved portion of such, ring, a space 6º into which the
air blast pipes and the steam injectors for the tar or other hydrocarbons deliver.
Below the fire bars is situated one or more additional steam inlets 8. The interior
of the generator may conveniently be of hollow cylindrical shape above the fire
bars and up to the water cooled ring 6 above which it may conveniently be of
bulged or barrel shape as shown.
At a point above the surface of the fuel, the generator is connected by a branch
pipe or passage 9 with a superheater comprising a vertical chamber 10 the upper
portion of which is filled with fire brick 11 arranged chequerwise whilst the lower
portion contains ingots or other masses 12 of iron.
At the bottom of the super-
heater is an outlet passage 13 connected with a vertical pipe 14 the upper end of
which is provided with a snift valve 15 and the lower end of which dips into
water 16 contained in a closed receptacle 17 from the upper part of which extends
an outlet pipe 18 provided with a cock 19. The outlet pipe 18 is connected to gas
purifying apparatus such as a gas scrubber which, may be of any suitable con-
struction and in the example shown, comprises a vertical chamber 20 divided by
a vertical partition 20 into two connected vertical passages 20b provided at the
top with sprinklers 21. Or two or more distinct but connected chambers or
towers may be used. The outlet 20° of the gas scrubber, or of the last of them
when more than one are used, is connected with a suitable acetylene generator
which according to the construction shown comprises a vertical chamber 22
charged with carbide 23, such as calcic carbide, which is supported by a lower

page_text: perforated conical support 24 closed at the bottom by a conical valve 25. This
valve is attached to a guide rod 26 and has a jigging motion imparted to it by
means of a cam 27, or its equivalent, on which the valve bears and which is suit-
ably driven from the exterior of the apparatus at a rate that depends upon the
amount of acetylene required to be mixed with the diluting gas. As will be
obvious the construction of the acetylene generator may be variously modified.
In practice the apparatus is used as follows:-Fuel 4 having been placed in the
gas generator 1 and ignited, it is blown up to a state of incandescence by blasts
of air admitted through the several air inlet openings 5, 5, 5b, and the products
of combustion, whilst at a high temperature, are led down through the super-
heater 10 and allowed to escape by the snift valve 15, the cock 19 in the outlet
pipe 18 from the water seal 16 being at this time kept closed. When the mass
of fuel has been raised to a bright red heat, the air blast through the upper air
inlet opening or series of openings 5, which may be located about midway between
the top of the water cooled ring 6 and the top of the mass of fuel, is cut off and
a small quantity of air is admitted through an air tube 10° into the upper part of
the superheater 10. This air causes combustion of any carbon monoxide in the gas
which is being generated and completes the heating of the superheating chamber
to a dull red. The fuel being now incandescent and the superheater hot, the
snift valve 15 is closed, the cock 19 in the outlet pipe 18 opened, and all air blasts
cut off. Tar or other heavy liquid hydrocarbon is then injected through the
injectors 7 by means of steam, into the centre of the incandescent fuel 4, the steam
being converted into water gas a mixture of hydrogen and carbon
monoxide and the tar or other hydrocarbon being simultaneously decom-
posed by the heat into a mixture of hydrogen and methane in its passage
through the incandescent fuel with deposition of carbon which is added to the
fuel in the generator. Whilst this decomposition is taking place, steam is also
admitted in small quantities into the ash pit 2 and the lower part of the fuel,
through one or more openings 8 below the fire bars 3, this steam in passing through
the lower portion of the mass of incandescent fuel forming water gas which rises
up through the fuel and prevents tar or other hydrocarbon remaining in the fuel
and becoming over decomposed.
A certain quantity of sooty and tarry matter will pass forward with the gas
into the superheater 10, and to prevent such matter choking up the interstices
between the fire bricks 11 therein, there is introduced in a downward direction
into the top of the superheater, through steam nozzles 10b, a regulated supply of
steam which also forms water gas with any carbonaceous matter that may be
present and thus prevents any stoppage of the superheater. The mixed gases,
consisting of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane produced in the manner
described, pass on through the water seal 16 and the outlet pipe 18 to the
scrubber 20 or other gas purifying apparatus employed.
The generation of gas in the manner described, is continued until the tem-
perature of the fuel in the gas generator has fallen below the required point,
whereupon the supply of hydrocarbon by the injectors 7 is shut off and a supply
of air through the inlets 5. 5, 5b, turned on, so as to again raise the fuel to a state
of incandescence, any hydrocarbon remaining in the gas generator assisting the
carbon monoxide generated by the action of the air on the fuel, to reduce to the
metallic state any oxide of iron that may have been formed on the pigs or bars
of iron 12 in the superheater 10 by the action of the steam previously admitted to
such superheater, so that such pigs or bars of iron will be ready for re-use when
again generating a mixture of carbon-monoxide, hydrogen, and methane.
I find in practice that by the process described, a very large volume of gas
suitable for enrichment by acetylene or other hydrocarbons of high illuminating
power can he produced in an exceedingly economical way. The purification of
this gas and its enrichment hv acetylene is carried out as follows:-
On leaving the outlet pipe 18, the gas is led through the washer or scrubber 20
in which during its passage up and down the vertical channels or passages 20"

page_text: therein it is washed by sprays of lime water or lime water and lime sludge obtained
it may be as hereinafter described, which is delivered from the sprinklers 21 at
the top of the washer. In this way the gas is purified to a great extent from any
carbon dioxide and sulphuretted hydrogen which it may contain and is also fully
saturated with water vapour. The moist gas passing from the washer or scrubber
is led direct into the lower part of the acetylene generator 22 whence it passes
through the openings in the conical support 24 and ascends through the calcic
carbide 23 so that the water vapour which it contains slowly decomposes the car-
bide with evolution of acetylene which becomes mixed with the gas which is at
the same time thoroughly dried and passes off from the top of the gas generator
by the outlet pipe 28. The amount of acetylene so mingling with the gas would
however, as a rule, be too small in quantity to enrich it to the desired extent. For
this reason the carbide is caused, by the rising and falling of the valve 25 to pass
downward and be slowly discharged into water 29 which is arranged to close the
bottom of the acetylene generator 22 and act as a seal. As the carbide falls into
this water, it is decomposed with liberation of acetylene and formation of lime,
the acetylene mixing with and passing upward with the gas entering by the
branch 20b, and the lime, to a certain extent, dissolving in the water 29 which
is kept flowing through the seal. This water, or a portion of it, mixed it may
be with lime sludge, may advantageously be used for purifying the gas coming
from the main gas generator 1. For this purpose it is pumped up and supplied
to the sprinklers 21 for purifying the gas in the washer or scrubber 20. This
utilisation of the lime water and sludge produced in the manufacture of the
acetylene for the purification of the gas which has to be afterwards enriched, is
a feature of considerable practical importance. The degree of enrichment of the
gas with acetylene is regulated by the rate at which the cam and valve are driven.
I have obtained satisfactory results when about 10% of acetylene is mixed with
a gaseous mixture consisting of about 52% of hydrogen, 16% of carbon monoxide,
and 32% of methane. A removable receptacle 30 may be placed below the bottom
of the conical support 24 and below the surface of the water 29 in the bottom of
the acetylene generator to receive the deposited lime. During the period of blow-
ing up the fuel in the main gas generator 1 to incandescence, this receptacle can
be taken out and the excess of lime removed therefrom.
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:-
1. The manufacture of illuminating gas by producing a mixture of carbon
monoxide, hydrogen and methane as hereinabove set forth, and enriching such
mixture on its way from the purifying apparatus with acetylene, substantially
as herein described.
2. The herein described method of producing illuminating gas by injecting
tar or other heavy hydrocarbon by means of steam into a mass of incandescent
fuel so as to produce a mixture of carbon-monoxide, hydrogen and methane, pass-
ing such mixture through a superheater, purifying the mixture by washing with
water, and bringing the gas whilst in a moist or water saturated condition into
contact with a carbide whereby acetylene is produced and mixed with the gas
and the latter dried, an additional quantity of acetylene being simultaneously pro-
duced and mixed with the gas by feeding calcic carbide in regulated quantities to
a bath of water, as set forth.
3. In the manufacture of illuminating gas as specified in the preceding claim,
utilizing lime water and lime sludge produced by the decomposition of calcic
carbide by water in the generation of acetylene, for the purification of gas which
has to be afterwards enriched by acetylene, substantially as herein described.
4. For the manufacture of illuminating gas as herein set forth, the combination
of a gas generator adapted to produce from tar or other heavy hydrocarbon in the
manner set forth a mixture of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane, purify-

page_text: ing apparatus wherein the gaseous mixture produced in the gas generator is purified
and saturated with water vapour, and an acetylene generator wherein acetylene
is produced partly by contact of the water saturated gas with a carbide and partly
by contact of carbide with water alone, substantially as described.
5. For the manufacture of illuminating gas as herein set forth, apparatus con-
structed, arranged and operating as herein before described with reference to and
shown in the drawing annexed.
Dated this
day of
189.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.