Improved Means for Automatically Lighting Gas.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 9th Nov., 1889-Accepted, 10th Jan., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Automatically Lighting Gas.
We JOHN FREDERICK DOKE of 7 Canal Street Camberwell London Engineer
ARTHUR BOLTON BRIGGS of 14 Chatham Grove Withington Lancashire Cashier and
ROGER MACPHERSON of Endrick House Fallowfield Lancashire Valuer do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention has for its object the lighting of gas by directing the gas against a
layer or surface of spongy platiuum platinum black or any other substance which
rapidly occludes gases. To attain this object we fix a layer or surface of platinum or
other suitable substance on or inside the burner in such a position that the gas on
issuing therefrom is occluded by the platinum or other substance.
The occlusion of the gas creates heat which renders the platinum or other substance
incandescent thereby lighting the gas.
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COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Automatically Lighting Gas.
We JOHN FREDERICK DUKE of 7 Canal Street Camberwell Loudon Engineer
ARTHUR BOLTON BRIGGS of 14 Chatham Grove Withington Lancashiro Cashier and
ROGER MACPHERSON of Endrick House Fallowfield Lancashire Valuer do hereby
declare the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement-
This invention lias for its object the lighting of carburetted hydrogen gas by
directing the gas against a layer or surface of spongy platinum or platinum black
being substances which it has been found rapidly occlude gases. The occlusion of the
gas creates heat which renders the occluding substance incandescent thereby lighting
the jet.
This occluding substance is placed in a cage or receptacle in such a position
outside the burner as that the gas issuing from the burner impinges upon the
occluding substance by which some of the gas is occluded and the occluding
substance becomes incandescent and thereby ignites the gas issuing from the burner.
The best mode we have found of fitting the spongy platinum or platinum black to
the cage or receptacle is by. mixing the spongy platinum or platinum black with
asbestos with which it must be intimately mixed.
The proportions we have found best are about one of platinum and three of asbestos,
the asbestos must just be thoroughly disintegrated or teased out after which the
platinum and it are thoroughly mixed together when the asbestos takes up and retains
as much of the platinum as is necessary for the purpose, and this will be readily
known by its colour.
By so enclosing the platinum in the asbestos we prevent the platinum powder being
blown away under the pressure of the issuing gas as it otherwise would be.
From the cage or receptacle containing the platinum and asbestos, we carry a fine
platinum iridium gold or other suitable metallic wire from amongst such material
(and by preference in an oblique direction) into contact with the gas as it issues from
the burner.
By now turning on the tap and allowing the issuing gas to blow upon the occluding

page_text: material contained within the cage or receptacle the requisite incandescence of such
occluding material is obtained, the platinum or other metallic wire, serving to
convey and intensify this incandescence, until the wire is sufficiently aglow to ignite
the gas
And in order that the means of carrying into effect our said invention may be
thoroughly understood we have hereunto appended drawings of a gas burner having
our igniting means, affixed thereto.Fig. 1. represents an exterior view, Fig. 2 a side
view (the cage or receptacle being represented in section) and Fig. 3.a plan of an
ordinary Gas burner. having our improved lighting apparatus applied thereto, all
shewn on an enlarged scale.
Fig. 4 represents a side view and Fig. 5 a, plan view of the supporting cage or
receptacle shewn separately.
In all the views the same letters of reference represent identical parts. a is the gas
burner and b the cage or receptacle containing the occluding material. This cage
may be constructed of brass or similar metal but we have found that a non conducting
material such as Steatite or Asbestos is more suitable. The receptacle is cut away
slightly at the upper edge on the side next the burner to allow the issuing gas to blow
upon the surface of occluding material contained within it as indicated by the dotted
lines in Fig. 2. The Cage may be affixed permanently to the burner but we prefer
to affix it to a bracket c branching from a spring clip diformed of hard brass or other
suitable metal.
This clip & grasps the outside of the burner and thus is capable of being adjusted in
position up and down the burner and also horizontally with regard to the slit or
orifice in the said burner. e is the fine platinum or other metallic wire carried from
amongst the occluding material and by preference in an oblique direction into contact
with the gas as it issues from the burner. The best position of this wire e with regard
to the orifice or slit-in the burner is slightly on one side thereof as indicated in plan
view Fig. 3.
The igniting action as is hereinbefore described:-The issuing gas by blowing
upon the occluding material contained within the cage or receptacle b renders the
same incandescent the platinum or other metallic wire e conveys and intensifies this
incandescence until it is sufficiently aglow to ignite the gas.
Having thus described the nature of our said invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, we wish it to be distinctly understood that we are aware
that prior to the date of our said patent it was a well known fact that spongy
platinum or platinum black could be rendered incandescent by the occlusion of
hydrogen gas and we therefore make no claim thereto and we declare that what we
claim is
The means of and apparatus for igniting carburetted hydrogen gas by occluding a
portion of such gas in spongy platinum or platinum black as hereinbefore described
and shewn in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Dated this Eighth day of November One thousand eight hundred and eighty
JOHN G. WILSON,
Agent for the Applicants.