Year: 1887

page_text: I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E. of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6 Bank Street, Manchester, both in
the County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, 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 :-
The present invention relates partly to a chimney for lamps, which when placed on
a burner causes the flame to assume a spherical form and makes it white like that of
lime light. The advantages of this new lamp chimney are very important for
regenerative burners because a special lamp is not needed in order to obtain a white
dazzling flame, and because the inconveniences inherent to regenerative burners are
avoided, such as the decomposition of the gas in consequence of the high temperature,
and the consequent stopping of the inlet gas pipe by the deposition of separated hard
carbon.
On the accompanying drawing :
Figure 1 shows a vertical section of an argand burner turned into a regenerative
lamp by placing on the said burner the new lamp chimney.
Figures 2 to 6 show modified forms of the invention. On the hell holder B of the
argand burner A (Figure 1) the glass globe C is placed so that the usual gas flame is
obtained. By placing the chimney D on the globe C, this gas flame is turned into a
regenerative lamp. The chimney consists of the usual straight tube D and of the
chimney holder a provided with the deflector 6 hanging downwards. The holder a
can be used for the purpose of heating and leading to the upper part of the flame the
fresh air required for combustion, and can then be made hollow, or it can be formed
of one single plate having the shape of a saucer (Figures 2 & 3) or it can consist of
a cross piece a' (Figure 6), in which case the air is heated by its contact with the
chimney and led from the latter to the flame. If a hollow chimney holder a is applied,
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page_text: its upper part is advantageously made of metal, whilst the lower part can be made of
porcelain or enamelled metal. The latter is provided with air inlets c¹ whilst the air
is admitted at the edge of the globe between the upper and lower part of the
holder.
The air entering the glass globe from the outside is now compelled to pass into the
highly heated chimney holder and comes in contact with its surface. Thence it is led
to the upper part of the flame. The deflector & which hangs down from the chimney
holder a is preferably saucer shaped, and preferably arranged so as to present its hollow
surface to the flame F.
The gas issuing from the burner A strikes against the deflector b. In consequence
of the hollow in the deflector, the air.rising-upwards. inside. the flame, and which has
partly become mixed with gas on its way, is collected, and beated; the perfect
combustion of the gas is therefore assisted so that the formation of an irregular point
in the flame is prevented and the latter assumes the appearance of a perfectly uniform
ball.
The upper part of the flame F is supplied with air, which enters through the
inlets c and c¹ (Figure 1) of the chimney holder a the air having travelled between
and in contact with the sides of the holder (Figures 2 & 3) this effects a complete
combustion of the gas and produces also a white bright lighting flame.
A further modification of the combination of the chiminey B and the gas burner is
represented on Figure 4.
On the globe holder of the argand burner A rests the tray which carries the
globe C. On the upper edge of the globe lies the hollow shaped chimney holder a;
the air flows between the upper edge of the globe and the chimney holder a, and
before reaching the flame gets heated by contact with the said chimney holder. The
flame F assumes its ball shaped form by means of the deflector b, which, however, is
not fixed here to the chimney holder a but to the burner itself. In this form too, a
dazzling white ball shaped flame is obtained.
As seen in the foregoing, the deflector 6 serves more especially to communicate to
the flame a spherical form. If this form is not required, but only a white dazzling
flame; the deflector can be entirely omitted and the chimney shown in Figures 5 and 6
applied.
Figure 5 shows à form very similar to that of figure 3. The air flowing downwards
to the flame is heated by the hollow shaped chimney holder a and led sideways to the
flame a very long, pointed, white flame is thus obtained.
In Figure 6 a cross piece hanging downwards in the globe C is used as a chimney
holder. The cylinder D and the cross piece a' are provided with a device d, which
consists of a fine wire gauze net for the purpose of supplying the flame with a fine
uniform current of air which flows down and in contact with the chimney, and thus
becomes heated. This form gives also the required result, but it must be remarked
that the air required for combustion is supplied to the flame above the openings from
which the gas escapes, the base of the chimney D is therefore above the gas outlet
opening. The piece d can, of course, extend downwards below the gas outlet
openings, and it is accordingly immaterial whether the wire gauze net is applied to
the chimney holder or to the chimney itself. If this wire gauze is made sufficiently
strong, so that in a highly heated state it will carry the chimney D, the cross
piece a¹ can be omitted, if only the base of the chimney is above the gas outlet.
The method of obtaining a white flame in the new lamp chimney is therefore
different from that used in the regenerative lamp.
The heated air for effecting the complete combustion of the gas is not admitted
direct to the burner, but behind or above the place of ignition, therefore the
disadvantage of overheating the gas before escape from the burner is avoided.
The temperature at the mouth piece of the burner is the same as is usual in gas
burners. This temperature cannot cause a decomposition of the gas. The combustion.
will gradually increase, and if a comparison with well known burning devices be made,
the working will be found to be similar to that of fire places provided with smoke
consuming devices; that is, with a supply of air to the back part of the flame.

page_text: In order to obtain a complete and uniform burning of gas and a noiseless flame, it
is necessary to make an essential alteration in the introduction of the air to the
burner itself. If gas burners were to be used as they are in practice, there would
arise whirling currents in the flame, these currents are easily recognized by means of
the wandering dark stripes they produce. In order to avoid these disadvantages, it is
necessary to divide, as finely as possible, the air which enters from below into the
globe holder, and admit it to the Hame. This effect is obtained by placing a fine wire
gauze net in the globe holder B. A perforated plate does not fulfil the intended
purpose, for the edges of the perforations cannot be made otherwise than sharp, so
that the air flowing through them meets always with a resistance which prevents the
uniform combustion of the gas.
If on the contrary a wire gauze is used, the openings in the latter have all their
edges rounded, and the air Hows through the holes without meeting with much
resistance.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, 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 :-
1st. The improvement in gas lamps, which consists in placing the base of the
chimney (D), or the base of the chimney holder (a, a¹) above the gas burner, and
admitting to the flame from above, hot air, which has been heated by contact either
with the chimney holder a, Figures 1-5, or with the chimney itself, substantially as
described.
2nd. In a gas lamp the combination with the chimney of a saucer shaped chimney
holder through which (Figure 1), or by contact with which (Figure 2), the air
admitted to the flame from above becomes heated, and the deflector b, by means of
which the flame assumes a ball shaped form, substantially as described.
3rd. In a gas lamp, the combination with the chimney of a fine wire gauze
netting d (Figure 6) below the base of the chimney, by means of which the air
admitted from above to the flame, and heated by its contact with the chimney, is
transformed into a uniformly, finely divided current, substantially as described.
Dated this 28th day of December 1887.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.