IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CARBURETTING AIR
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR CARBURETTING AIR" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to Improvements in apparatus for carburetting air whereby
a very extended surface of contact between the air and the hydrocarbon used for
carburetting is obtained whereby the air is most effectually impregnated with the
said hydrocarbon.
This apparatus constructed according to this Invention is composed of a vessel
preferably of cylindrical form for containing the liquid hydrocarbon, the said vessel
being divided internally by pendent vertical partitions extending to within a short
distance from the bottom and preferably arranged in the form of a double spiral
The lower edges of these partitions are immersed in the liquid and air is admitted
at one side of the apparatus and is compelled to follow the convolutions of the
passages formed by the aforesaid partitions and consequently to pass in contact with
an extensive surface of the liquid hydrocarbon whereby the said air is carburetted
under very favorable conditions.
The apparatus is provided with a suitable cock for the supply of the liquid
hydrocarbon and with gauge glass to indicate the level of liquid in the vessel.
Porous or permeable materials, such as sponge pumice stone and the like may be
placed in the spiral passages and being impregnated with the liquid hydrocarbon
presents an extremely extended surface of contact to the air.
In some cases the apparatus may be heated in order to promote the formation of
gas or to facilitate the operation when heavy hydrocarbons are employed when the
carburetting apparatus constructed according to this Invention is to be employed in
combination with a gas engine, this heating may be conveniently effected by causing
the water which has been used to cool the Engine Cylinder to circulate about the
carburetter. Or the carburetter may be heated by a currrent of hot air or gas such
as the products of combustion discharged from the cylinder of the engine or by the
waste heat of a furnace or otherwise.

page_text: I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR CARBURETTING AIR" 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 Improvements in apparatus for carburetting air whereby
a very extended surface of contact between the air and the hydrocarbon used for
carburetting is obtained and the air is most effectually impregnated with the said
hydrocarbon.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more patricularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figures 1 and 2 represent respectively a vertical and a horizontal section of an
apparatus constructed according to this Invention. The apparatus is composed of
a vessel C, preferably of cylindrical form for containing the liquid hydrocarbon, the
Enid vessel being divided internally by pendent vertical partitions D, extending
to within a short distance from the bottom and preferably arranged in the form of
a double spiral as shown in Figure 2. The lower edges of these partitions are
immersed in the liquid hydro-carbon and the air which is admitted at one side of
the apparatus at A and discharged at the opposite side at B is compelled to follow
the convolutions of the passages formed by the aforesaid partitions in order to pass
from the inlet A to the outlet B as indicated by the arrows. The partitions being
arranged in the form of a double spiral the air is caused to flow in one direction
till it reaches the centre of the vessel at O, and then flows in the opposite
direction from the centre O to the outlet B. By these means the air is brought in
contact with an extensive surface of the liquid hydrocarbon whereby the said air
is carburetted under very favourable conditions.
The apparatus is provided with a cock or valve R for controlling the supply of
the liquid hydrocarbon and with a gauge glass N to indicate the level of liquid in
the vessel C. The cock R supplying the hydrocarbon liquid is preferably so
arranged as to supply the liquid drop by drop at the centre of the apparatus in
order that it may be converted into vapour without progressively diminishing its
degree of concentration.
Porous or permeable materials, such as sponge, pumice stone, and the like may be
placed in the spiral passages and being inpregnated with the liquid hydrocarbon
present a very large surface of contact to the air.
In some cases the apparatus may be heated in order to promote the formation of
the gas or vapour and facilitate the operation of carburetting the air. When
heavy hydrocarbons are employed and the carburetting apparatus constructed
according to this Invention is employed in combination with a Gas engine, this
heating may be conveniently effected by causing the water which has been used to
cool the Engine Cylinder to circulate about the carburetter. Or the carburetter
may be heated by a current of hot air or gas such as the products of combustion
discharged from the cylinder of the engine or by the waste heat of a furnace or
otherwise. This carburetter is very well adapted to be employed for supplying
carburetted air to gas engines which can be arranged to draw the gas or vapour
direct from the carburetter to the cylinder.

page_text: 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:
First In Apparatus for carburetting air the employment of internal pendent
partitions arranged in the form of a double spiral passage for air substantially as
and for the purpose herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Second: An Apparatus for carburetting air consisting of the combination of a
casing having an internal air passage in the form of a double spiral with an inlet
for air to be carburetted and an outlet for the carburetted air (capable of supplying
gas or vapour directly to the cylinder of a gas engine or other place where it is to
be used) and a cock valve or inlet for controlling the supply of liquid hydrocarbon
to the apparatus, all substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.