Improvements in Carburetting Gas.
Year: 1894

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Carburetting Gas.
HENRY THOMAS BLAKE Manager Ross Water Works Cantilupe Road Ross
Herefordshire do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
An apparatus for converting "Dowson gas," which of itself is a non illuminating
gas, into a gas which may be used for illuminating purposes.
The process of conversion consists in passing the Dowson gas through a series of
chambers, in a closed vessel, packed with cotton wool, or cotton waste, and charged
with benzoline, thereby enriching the said Dowson gas, and rendering it suitable
for illuminating, by means of the ordinary gas-fittings & burners such as the
"batwing "fishtail," Argand" and incandescent burners.
Dated this 10th day of September 1894.
I, HENRY THOMAS BLAKE of Cantilupe Road Ross Herefordshire 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 :-
My invention has for its object the enriching of that description of gas which is
well known under the name of producer gas, the said gas being formed by the
driving steam through or over incandescent fuel such as coke, anthracite coal and
other suitable fuels. It has been found that this gas is more or less deficient in
heating and light giving properties and the object of this invention is to remedy
these defects by enriching the gas with volatile hydrocarbons such as benzine,
benzoline or any other suitable hydrocarbons. 1 obtain the object I have in view
in manner as follows for the purpose of enriching the producer gas by means of the
volatile hydrocarbons. I construct an apparatus in manner as follows:-
The said apparatus consists mainly of three parts which will be hereinafter
referred to as the store tank, the trunk and the carburator.
The store tank is placed on the top of the apparatus so that any hydrocarbon it
contains can flow where required by gravitation. The flow of the hydrocarbon is
controlled by valves or taps and the amount that is flowing from the store tank can
be observed through a sight glass. Passing through the store tank is a tube which
is made secure from the contents of the store tank this tube forms the outlet for the
enriched producer gas.
The trunk which is placed between the store tank and the carburator may be of
any suitable shape or section and may stand in a more or less vertical direction
forms a connection between the store tank and the carburator. The trunk consists
of an external gas tight tube inside this gas tight tube is placed a smaller tube of
net work the space between the network and the external tube is filled with porous
or absorbent material such as cotton-wool, slag wool, sponge or any other suitable
material. The top of the trunk is closed and has no connection whatever with the

page_text: store tank except through and by means of a pipe and tap hereinbefore referred to
through which a controlled supply of hydrocarbon can be introduced on the top of
the porous or absorbent material through a pipe which is bent as a syphon and acts
as an hydraulic seal.
From the top of the trunk a pipe passes through the store tank to convey away
the enriched gas.
The carboniser forms the base of the apparatus and is open to the bottom of the
trunk so that the hydrocarbons flowing into the trunk from the store tauk after
percolating through the absorbent material in the trunk falls on to the floor of the
carboniser which is a closed tank in which are arranged. a series of circular
rectangular or other shaped baffle plates in such manner that any gas coming into
the carboniser has to pass over the two surfaces of the baffle plates before it escapes
through the trunk and outlet pipe.
In order that an increased surface of hydrocarbon can be exposed to the action
of the gas to be enriched I line one side of the surface of the baffle plates with
some absorbent substance such as flannel, and the other side of the surface of the
baffle plate with lamp wick or other suitable material. Cappillary attraction draws
up the fluid hydrocarbon from the floor of the carburator and the absorbent
material on the two sides of the baffle plates gets more or less charged with hydro-
carbons and the gas passing over the charged surfaces takes up a portion of the
vapour of the hydrocarbons.
The enriched gas having found its way to the central portion of the carbonizer
passes up through the central space in the trunk which is encircled by the wire
network tube and can then take up or part with any excess or deficiency of hydro-
carbon vapour the gas from the trunk thence passes away for use through the
exhaust tube.
In order that my invention may be better understood I annex hereto two sheets
of drawings which are to be taken as part and read in with these presents and
shows two forms of apparatus by means of which I carry out my invention.
Figure 1. is a sectional elevation of the apparatus.
Figure 2. is a plan of the carboniser showing concentrical baffle plates, and also
section of trunk.
Figure 3. is a sectional elevation of the carboniser showing section of carboniser
and elevation of trunk and tank.
Figure 4. is a section of carboniser showing plan of the parallel baffle plates
and section of the trunk only with parallel baffle plates A is the outlet pipe, B is
the top of the store: tank, C is the body of the store tank C the bottom of the
store tank. The ontlet pipe A is securely fixed at the top and bottom of the store
tank. G is the outside casing of the trunk the top of which is securely fixed to
the underside of the store tank communicating with the centre circular pipe of the
trunk is one end of the outlet pipe A.
Inside the trunk G is fixed a wire network tube N oft such a size that space is
left between it and the trunk G to place absorbent material H.
The bottom of the trunk G rests on the top of the carburator. x. y. with which it
is in free communication.
Attached to the top plate X of the carburator y are a series of concentric
circular baffle plates M O P Q which reach to the bottom of the carboniser and dip
in the hydrocarbon lying in the bottom of the carboniser. One end of each of
these baffle plates is attached to a septum or division plate Z which extends from
the innermost baffle plate to the side of the carboniser M' O'-P Q1 are ports or
openings arranged in the baffle plates M O P Q in such manner that the gas has to
travel the full length of one baffle plate before it can find an exit into the passage
way of the succeeding baffle plates and finally into the outlet passage Aland outlet
pipe A.
Jis the side of the baffle plate coated with lamp cottou wick.
I is the side of the baffle plate coated with flannel.
Kis the metal compering the halla alata

page_text: Figures 3 & 4 show an arrangement of rectangular baffle plates in which a series
of baffle plates W are shown and N' N' N³ &c. are the ports or openings from one
baffle plate to another. R and S are the septa closing ends of baffle plates to
make a cercuit for the gases direction taken by which is shown by arrows until gas
is exhausted through a circular space in trunk A¹ and thence through outlet
pipe A.
The method by which the hereinbefore described apparatus works is as follows.
The unenriched gas from the producer enters at V traverses the passage M³
between the inside side of carburator and the baffle plate O thence through the
port M it passes between the baffle plate M and the baffle plate O until it arrives
at the port O' and so on through the ports P¹ O¹ until it finally escapes into the
trunk at A' it will thus be seen the gases pass through the passages M² O² P² Q²
before exhausting into trunk passage A'.
The same description almost as applies to Figures 1 & 2 applies to Figures 3 & 4
and will be substantially as follows:
--
The producer gas enters at V passes along passages V1 V2 V3 &c. &c. between
septa W which are covered with flannel or cotton wick or other suitable material
in the same manner as hereinbefore described when dealing with Figures 1 & 2
until the gas exhausts into trunk passage A¹.
T is a tap or cock to regulate the flow of the hydrocarbon from store tank C. S is
a sight glass for inspecting the flow of hydrocarbon into trunk G. U is a syphon
that acts as an hydraulic seal to prevent gas getting into store tank C. T' draw
off cocks from carboniser. S² sight glass to inspect level of hydrocarbon in
carboniser.
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. The apparatus for carbonising producer gas substantially in the manner as
hereinbefore set forth and described.
2. The use of an absorbent coating on the baffle plates substantially in the
manner as hereinbefore set forth and described.
3. The use of baffle plates in conjunction with septem or septa in the manner as
hereinbefore set forth and described.
Dated this 4th day of May 1895.
WM. LLEWELLIN, C.E.,
15 King Square, Bristol.