Improvements in Miners' Safety Lamps.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 19th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 18th Feb., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Miners' Safety Lamps.
We, JAMES ASHWORTH, of Morley, near Derby, in the County of Derby,
Mining Engineer, and FRANK CLOWES, D.Sc., of Waterloo Crescent, Nottingham,
in the County of Notts, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention is designed with the object of providing or applying to a safety
lamp of any ordinary construction a hydrogen gas flame for testing for fire-damp or
inflammable gas or vapour or whereby the presence of fire-damp or inflammable gas
or vapour may be detected.
It consists essentially in the use of a hydrogen flame within a safety lamp for
testing for inflammable gas or vapour and in the construction of the lamp with a gas
burner therefor to which may be connected a receptacle for storing or generating
the gas.
In carrying out the invention we use the hydrogen either compressed and
contained in a separate vessel or in a reservoir or receptacle attached to or forming
part of the lamp or we may use the hydrogen direct from a hydrogen generator
separate from or attached to and forming part of the lamp.
At present we prefer to use compressed hydrogen as being the more convenient.
We construct the oil or spirit vessel in the ordinary way with a wick burner
of the usual form. At the side of the wick burner we place a second tube which
passes preferably through the oil vessel but is not open thereto. The inner
end of the tube is in the form of an open gas burner and the outer end is
fitted with a valve which closes before the connection between the gas storage
or generator and the lamp can be broken whereby all communication of the
external atmosphere and the interior of the lamp is prevented so that no flame from
the inside of the lamp can communicate with the outside atmosphere.
The hydrogen is either compressed and stored in a small steel cylinder at a high
pressure or generated by chemical means and the cylinder or generator is connected
with the lamp by the afore described tube. The connection between the cylinder
and the tube in addition to the valve on the tube may be fitted with a valve by
which the gas is always delivered to the burner tube at an uniform pressure which
can be reduced to any pressure that may be required.
The cylinder is connected to the burner tube by a coupling or joint so that it will
open the valve on the tube when attached thereto and that it will allow or cause
the valve to close when removed, so that the communication between the interior
and the exterior of the lamp will always be maintained closed when not connected
with the hydrogen cylinder.
Instead of using a detachable holder or generator for the hydrogen gas the lamp
may be made with a permanent gas reservoir or generator attached thereto in
connection with the burner with a valve or tap to shut off communication between
the two and to reduce the pressure when desired.
Dated this 28th day of March 1892
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester, Patent Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Miners' Safety Lamps.
We, JAMES ASHWORTH, of Morley, near Derby, in the County of Derby,
Mining Engineer, and FRANK CLOWES, D.Sc., of Waterloo Crescent, Nottingham,
in the County of Notts, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to means of detecting the presence of fire damp or
inflammable gas or vapour by the use of a hydrogen flame in a safety lamp, which
may be of any knowu suitable construction, provided, according to our invention,
with a burner for the hydrogen as we shall describe referring to the accompanying
drawings.
Fig. 1 is an elevation partly in section of a miner's safety lamp with our invention
applied thereto.
and
Fig. 2 is a section and Fig. 3 a front view shewing a modification of the union
Fig. 4 shews a modification of the reservoir.
Close beside the wick W of the safety lamp we fix a burner B which is a tube of
small diameter extending down through the oil reservoir R and out at the side.
This tube we supply with hydrogen either from a vessel in which it is generated, or
from a reservoir of compressed hydrogen, to which the tube B is connected by a
pipe, flexible if necessary.
We prefer however to connect the burner B to a reservoir H of compressed
hydrogen which may be a straight closed tube attached at the side of the lamp as
shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 or may be a bent tube accommodated under the lamp as
shewn in Fig. 4. In the passage from the reservoir H to the burner B there may
be provided an automatic reducing valve, but practically we find it sufficient to
provide a conical screw plug P by which we can regulate as desired the passage of
gas from the reservoir H.
A check valve might also be introduced in the tube B to prevent communication
between the interior of the lamp and the external atmosphere when the reservoir is
disconnected but practically we find that B being a tube of very small diameter,
flame cannot be communicated through it to an explosive atmosphere outside. In
testing for inflammable gas or vapour in mines or other localities or in oil tanks or
vessels we proceed as follows. Having kindled the wick of the lamp in the usual
way in a safe place and closed the lamp, we take it into the atmosphere where the
presence of inflammable gas or vapour is suspected; we then partly unscrew the
plug so as to let hydrogen pass to B, and the hydrogen flame being lighted from
the wick flame, we draw down the wick by the wire S so as to extinguish the wick
flame leaving the hydrogen flame burning. By the appearance of the peculiar cap
to the flame which results from the presence of inflammable gas or vapour in the
air supplying the flame, we can judge of such gas or vapour being present.
In order to regulate the hydrogen flame to a standard height we prefer to employ
a gauge wire G and adjust the plug P until the top of the hydrogen flame coincides
with the bend of the wire G.
This wire may be made moveable or with several branches projecting at different
heights so that various heights of hydrogen flames may be employed.
Having tested by the hydrogen flame, we again raise the wick W and, when it is
kindled from the hydrogen flame, we extinguish the latter by screwing up the
plug P thus leaving the lamp burning in the usual way.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In combination with a safety lamp a burner for hydrogen, substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
2. In combination with a safety lamp and hydrogen burner a reservoir for com-
pressed hydrogen attached to the lamp and provided with regulating plug, substan-
tially as described.
1003
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.