Improvements in or relating to the Production of Acetylene Gas."
Year: 1897

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by PAUL PHILIPPE HONORÉ MACE, of 63bis, Rue de la
Victoire, Paris, in the Republic of France, Gentleman.]
66
Improvements in or relating to the Production of Acetylene Gas."
I, HERBERT SEFTON-JONES, 322, High Holborn, London, Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the production of acetylene gas and has for its object
to provide a method of manufacture which will obviate the deposit of carbon which
is rapidly produced upon the burners and which prevents the free escape of the
acetylene gas, in whatsoever be the applications for which it is used, such as for
heating, lighting or otherwise. The improved process of manufacture of acetylene
gas which is hereinafter described obviates completely this drawback. In order
to obtain this desirable result there is added from 5% to 15% according to
requirements of oxide of manganese to the usual charge of the carbide furnace
such charge consisting practically of lime and carbon. The charge thus modified
consists on its withdrawal from the furnace of a mixture of carbide of manganese
and of carbide of calcium. As the carbide of manganese contains only 7% of
carbon the addition of 5% to 15% of oxide of manganese does not absorb in its
transformation into carbide of manganese a sufficiently large quantity of carbon
to modify the cost price of the mixture as compared with the cost price of carbide
of calcium alone. The cost price of the mixture of carbides of manganese and of
calcium thus obtained is therefore practically the same as the cost price of carbide
of calcium. When the said mixture of carbide of calcium and of carbide of
manganese is made use of to produce acetylene gas the action of carbide of manga-
nese upon the water determines the production of a hydrocarbon known by the
name of "Methane" and of an equal quantity of hydrogen which is in the nascent
state and acts upon the carbon which tends to be deposited at the moment of the
combustion of the acetylene and forms with it a combustible hydrocarbon thus
obviating any carbonaceous deposit.
The chemical reaction is as follows: —
products.
As this combined action of the mixture of the carbides of manganese and calcium
is the consequence and the result of the addition of oxide of manganese to the
charge of the carbide furnace, and as this addition does not practically modify
anyway either the cost price or the facility of obtaining acetylene it follows that
this addition constitutes a very important improvement in the obtaining of
acetylene gas because this addition prevents absolutely any carbonaceous deposit
at the burners at the moment of the combustion of the acetylene gas. It is obvious

page_text: moreover that by reason of the small proportion of carbide of manganese employed
the quantity of methane produced is too small to alter the illuminating qualities
of the acetylene and it can not exercise any other action except that of perceptibly
increasing the heating power of the flame.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents for the Applicant, 322, High Holborn, London, W.C.
improvements in or relating to the Production of Acetylene Gas."
J
I, HERBERT SEFTON-JONES, 322, High Holborn, London, Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement.
This invention relates to the production of acetylene gas and has for its object
to provide a method of manufacture which will obviate the deposit of carbon
which is rapidly produced upon the burners and which prevents the free escape of
the acetylene gas, in whatsoever be the applications for which it is used, such as
for heating, lighting or otherwise. It is well known that the action of calcium
carbide on water produces only hydrate of lime and acetylene, a gas very rich in
carbon. This gas in burning inevitably polymerises, and the carbon resulting
from this polymerisation is deposited at the orifices of the burners which are thus
soon choked.
The improved process of manufacture of acetylene gas which is hereinafter
described obviates completely this drawback. In order to obtain this desirable
result there is added from 5% to 15%, according to requirements, of
protoxide or
binoxide of manganese to the usual charge of the carbide
furnace such charge consisting practically of lime and carbon. The charge thus
modified consists on its withdrawal from the furnace of a mixture of carbide of
manganese and of carbide of calcium. As the carbide of manganese contains
only 7% of carbon the addition or 5% to 15% of oxide of manganese does not
absorb in its transformation into carbide of manganese a sufficiently large quantity
of carbon to modify the cost price of the mixture as compared with the cost price
of carbide of calcium alone. The cost price of the mixture of carbides of manganese
and of calcium thus obtained is therefore practically the same as the cost price of
carbide of calcium. When the said mixture of carbide of calcium and of carbide
of manganese is made use of to produce acetylene gas the action of carbide of
manganese upon the water determines the production of a hydrocarbon known by
the name of "Methane" and of an equal quantity of hydrogen which is in the
nascent state and acts upon the carbon which tends to be deposited at the moment
of the combustion of the acetylene and forms with it a combustible hydrocarbon
thus obviating any carbonaceous deposit.
The chemical reaction is as follows:-
Ca C+3 Mn C+8 H2 O
++
Ca O H² O+3 Mn 0 (H2 0)
of which the upper represents the gaseous and the lower line the residual products.
As this combined action of the mixture of the carbides of manganese and calcium
is the consequence and the result of the addition of oxides of manganese to the
charge of the carbide furnace, and as this addition does not practically modify
anyway either the cost price or the facility of obtaining acetylene it follows that

page_text: this addition constitutes a very important improvement in the obtaining of acety-
lene gas because this addition prevents absolutely any carbonaceous deposit at the
burners at the moment of the combustion of the acetylene gas. It is obvious
moreover that by reason of the small proportion of carbide of manganese employed
the quantity of methane produced is too small to alter the illuminating qualities
of the acetylene and it cannot exercise any other action except that of perceptibly
increasing the heating power of the flame."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner-the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The addition of basic oxide of manganese to the usual charge of lime and
carbon in carbide furnaces.
2. The production of non-polymerising acetylene gas by the use for the decompo-
sition of water of a mixture of carbide of manganese and of carbide of calcium
produced substantially as set forth in claim 1.
Dand
1011
1
100
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.
Of London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.