Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 11th Apr., 1896
I, ROBERT CAMPE of Seydellstrasse, Berlin, Germany, Manufacturer, 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—
This invention relates to generators for acetylene gas lamps in which the said
gas is generated by carbide of calcium subjected to the action of water, and the
object of the invention is to provide means by which the generation of the gas
is controlled in a twofold manner, so as to afford a sufficient pressure in the
generator and supply a sufficient quantity of gas to the burner for momentaneously
developing a full flame when lighting the lamp and on the other hand to perfectly
and momentaneously stop the generating process when extinguishing the lamp, in
order to prevent further increase of pressure in the generator and to remove all
danger of explosion.
Acetylene gas lamps as hitherto constructed are defective in both respects
referred to and are therefore unsuitable for domestic and industrial use.
In the accompanying drawing which illustrates this invention Fig. 1 is a
sectional view of the generator of this invention and Fig. 2 is a detail sectional
view through line a- of Fig. 1.
The generator is constructed of metal preferably in two parts loosely connected
to one another. The lower part consists of a bottom piece a two walls b, c, fixed
thereto, and a ring d inserted between the upper ends of the walls b, c, and
provided with a screw thread on its periphery. e is a water container fixed to the
bottom a and having a cover f from which projects into said container an inlet
funnel g.
kis a pipe passing through the cover and reaching nearly to the bottom
of the container. h, i, are outlet pipes projecting upwards from the cover f.
The upper part of the generator consists of two walls m, n, concentrically
connected at their lower ends by a ring and closed at the top by covers o, p.
Underneath cover is fixed a hopper or funnel shaped receptacle q for the
reception of the pulverised carbide of calcium r. The slotted open end of
vessel is closed by a cylinder or wheel mounted on a shaft s carried in
bearings a¹, d. The cylinder t is provided on its periphery with grooves u which
when the shaft s rotates will deliver in small quantities carbide of calcium to the
vessel e.
is a channel part extending downwards from the receptacle q and
furnished at its bottom end with an apertured block w having fitted to it a slide
fixed to a rod z the outer end of which passes through a block a fixed to the
walls m, n, and may be actuated from a button or handle b¹. Said slide has an
aperture e corresponding to the aperture of the block w which may be opened or
shut off by the slide. The shaft s may be driven by weight or spring actuated
clock work mechanism or by other motive power. In the drawing is shewn for
this purpose a spring actuated clock work comprising a train of toothed
wheels e, f, g, h, i, ', wheel which is fixed on the shaft carrying a pawl
engaging with a ratchet wheel carried on a sleeve m' loose on the shafts and
projecting with its square end n¹ from a casing o enclosing the clock work. A
watch spring p, or the like, is fixed at one end to the sleeve m' and at the other
end to a bolt q' in the casing. The clock work is wound up by means of a key
fitting on the square end n' and when running down, rotates the shaft s through
y

page_text: ratchet wheel, the pawl and the wheel e', whilst its movement is regulated in
a well known manner by a fly s¹ engaging with a wheel mounted on the shaft of
pinion A¹.
Shaffs is provided with a stop pin which comes against the upwardly
projecting end of the slide y when this is moved to the left or into the shut off
position. The slide may also as seen in the drawing be shut off without reaching
by its projecting end so far as the stop pin e, in which case the shaft s is not
arrested. u,, are two pipes taking over outlet pipes h, i, of water container e,
and are fixed to and pass through cover p then afterwards uniting to form a
common outlet pipe w passing through the cover o. The gas generated as herein-
after described, escapes through said pipe w¹ to the burner which may be directly
attached to it or connected by a connecting pipe if it is to be some distance from
the generator. all is a small pipe secured to and over an orifice in the cover p and
leads into the outlet pipe w' thus forming a communication between this latter and
the interior of the generator. is a pipe leading from the inside of pipe k
and passing out through covers p, 0. The upper end of this pipe is provided with
a screw thread for the reception of a screw cap y'. 61 is a pipe leading from the
bopper out at zll through cover o and is closeable by a cap cu like that of pipe ¹.
The upper and the lower part of the generator are held together by an internally
screw threaded ring engaging upon the ring d and overlapping by a shoulder
the projecting edge of ring inserted between parts d and 1, a tight joint being
obtained by means of a packing ring f".
The spaces between the walls b, c and m, n, are preferably filled in with a heat
retaining material such as asbestos or dead ashes.
The generator operates as follows:-
g
Hopper is charged through pipe with pulverised carbide of calcium and
water is supplied through pipes and to container e but not in sufficient quantity
to reach up to the lower end of the funnel g. The clock work is then wound up
and the slide y placed open as shewn in the drawing. Cylinder then rotating,
will deliver in small quantities carbide of calcium through apertured block w into
funnel g and container e.
The carbide of calcium dropping into the water in container e will rapidly
generate a corresponding quantity of acetylene gas which will fill the upper part
of said container and then pass by pipes h, i, u, v, wl to the burner from which it
passes under pressure as the generating process is continued so that it may be
instantly lighted and give a steady flame.
To extinguish the lamp the slide y is moved to the left sufficient to bring its
upwardly projecting end into the path of the stop pin t' of shaft s whereby the
rotation of the latter is stopped and the slide y shut, thus stopping the supply of
carbide of calcium to the water underneath and suddenly interrupting the genera-
tion of gas and extinguishing the flame at the burner from which no more gas
will then pass. The pressure in the generator ceases at the same time. The
apparatus therefore works like that of a common lamp, all danger of explosion
being avoided.
In order to prevent the drawback of having to start the clock work some time
before obtaining a sufficient pressure of gas to be able to light the lamp for a
fully developed flame, the slide y is arranged so as to close the aperture in block w
before being slid into its extreme left hand position and therefore before stopping
shafts and cylinder t. In extinguishing the lamp this position is first given to the
slide so that carbide of calcium will still be delivered, but on to the closed slide
only for a time. The slide is then pushed further in to stop the rotation of shaft s
If now when the lamp is to be lighted, the slide y is moved to the right for
starting the clockwork, a comparatively large quantity of carbide of calcium
will at once drop into the water of container e and a corresponding quantity
of gas at once generated to give sufficient pressure for a full flame at the
burner.
The use of a stop pin may be dispensed with for stopping shafts and

page_text: cylindert which may be effected automatically by the carbide of calcium when it
ills up the space between the cylinder and the slide, the wedging friction then
taking place being sufficient for the purpose.
The dimensions of the flame at the burner may be regulated by adjusting the
opening past the slide so that a larger or smaller quantity of carbide of calcium
is delivered into the water container. When the aperture and therefore the
quantity delivered is small the excess delivered by the cylinder will collect and
slightly retard said cylinder so as to correspond to the quantity of carbide of
calcium to be delivered.
The small pipe all serves for leading out of the generator and into the pipe w
any gas which may pass through funnel g out of container e thus preventing undue
increase of pressure in the generator.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a generator for acetylene gas lainps, the combination of a casing, a
receptacle for pulverised carbide of calcium secured in the upper part of the
same and provided with a discharge opening, a water container secured in the
lower part of the casing and provided with an inlet for the carbide and with one
or more outlets for the generated gas, substantially as described and shewn.
2. In a generator for acetylene gas lamps, the combination of a casing, a
receptacle for pulverised carbide of calcium secured in the upper part of the
same and provided with a discharge opening, a water container secured in the
lower part of the casing and provided with an inlet for the carbide and with one
or more outlets for the generated gas, and a carbide feeding apparatus interposed
between the said receptacle and the water container, substantially as described
and shewn.
3. In a generator for acetylene gas lamps, the combination of a casing, a
receptacle for pulverised carbide of calcium secured in the upper part of the same
and provided with a discharge opening, a water container secured in the lower
part of the casing and provided with an inlet for the carbide and with one or
more outlets for the generated gas, a grooved feed wheel or cylinder opposite the
discharge opening of said receptacle, a channel part secured to the latter and
surrounding the feed wheel or cylinder, and a slide for opening and closing the
discharging end of said chaunel, substantially as described and shewn.
4. In a generator for acetylene gas lamps, the combination of a casing, a
receptacle for pulverised carbide of calcium secured in the upper part of the same
and provided with a discharge opening, a water container secured in the lower part
of the casing and provided with an inlet for the carbide and with one or more
outlets for the generated gas, a grooved feed wheel or cylinder opposite the
discharge opening of said receptacle, a channel part secured to the latter and
surrounding the feed wheel or cylinder, a slide for opening and closing the
discharging end of said channel and means for starting and stopping the feed
wheel or cylinder by shifting said slide, substantially as described and shewn.
5. In a generator for acetylene gas lamps, the combination of a lower part
provided with a water container, of an upper part provided with a receptacle for
pulverised carbide of calcium, and a carbide of calcium feeding apparatus, and of
means for closely connecting the lower and the upper part of the generator,
substantially as described and shewn.
Dated this 6th day of September 1895.
THOMAS R. SHILLITO,
89 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.