IMPROVEMENTS IN LAMPS FOR BURNING MINERAL AND OTHER OILS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, EUGÈNE RAFFALOVICH of the Russian Section, International Inventions
Exhibition, South Kensington, in the County of Middlesex, Assistant to the Russian
Commissioner do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LAMPS FOR BURNING MINERAL AND OTHER OILS" (a communication to me from
abroad by L. Chandor of Saint Petersburg in the Empire of Russia) to be as
follows:-
Lamps at present in use do not consume sufficiently economically the heavy
Russian mineral oils, and besides they produce smoke and an unpleasant smell-
This is caused by the want of a sufficient supply of air to the flame and an insuffi-
cient and irregular feeding of oil to the wick because of the feeble capillarity of the
heavy oils.
The lamp which I have invented is free from these defects and is simple in
construction. Existing lamps also can be easily converted into lamps on my
system.
My lamp as represented in the annexed Drawings has a reservoir A with a neck
and opening B for allowing air to enter. C is an open ended tube which descends to
the bottom of the reservoir. D) is a burner of ordinary type which is fixed in
such a manner that air is efficiently supplied to the inside of the flame and is
distributed regularly over the whole internal surface. To obtain this supply of air
to the burner I employ a straight open ended tube (see E Figure 1) fixed at its
lower end in the centre of the bottom of the reservoir of the lamp. The burner D
Figure 2 carries another tube E¹ which fits over the tube E. Or in place of a
straight tube E a curved tube through the burner only may be employed as is
shown at F Figures 4. When pouring oil into lamps with a tube situated as first
described it is necessary to close the top of the tube with a cap.
At the bottom of the reservoir there are a series of openings G. G. Figure 1 to
allow air to enter to the lower end of the tube.
To obtain a regular distribution of the air inside the flame I employ stars (see
Figures 5) placed in the wick tube above the air tube-the air tube provides the

page_text: flame with sufficient air to completely consume the heavy oils; this is especially
the case by reason of the distribution of the air obtained by means of the star.
The large flow of the air and the action of the star prevents the lamp from heating,
and this to such a degree that the lower part of the burner and the upper part of
the reservoir are kept at the temperature of the lamp even after the lamp has been
burning continuously for thirty hours-the safety of lighting with the heavy oils,
which only light at 120 degrees Centigrade, is thus completely guaranteed.
Having by means of the tube set up a current of air inside the flame I obtain
at the same time a pressure of air under the burner in the large tube of the
reservoir less than that of the atmosphere whilst in the other part of the reservoir
the pressure is that of the atmosphere owing to the small opening B. This
difference of pressure in the tube C and in the space between the walls of the tube
and the reservoir keeps the liquid in the tube C at a constant height thus producing
a sufficient and regular feed to the wick.
The lamp above described can be employed for burning hydrocarbons as well as
fatty oils.

page_text: I, EUGENE RAFFALOVICH of the Russian Section, International Inventions
Exhibition, South Kensington, in the County of Middlesex, Assistant to the Russian
Commissioner (a communication to me from L. Chandor of Saint Petersburg in the
Empire of Russia) 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 improvements in lamps for burning heavy mineral oils
and especially the heavy Russian oils which have a specific gravity of 0,850
to 0,870. Lamps such as are at present in use cannot effect the combustion of the
aforesaid heavy Russian mineral oil, the same producing an unpleasant penetrant
smell and unhealthy vapor not as given in the provisional specification to this
Patent "because of the feeble capillarity of the heavy oils" but on account of the
capillary power of the wick being insufficient and the said mineral oil too heavy.
In order to obtain a constant flow of oil to the wick it is necessary to produce
such pressure on the mineral oil in the reservoir that the same is continuously held
in contact with the upper part of the wick which is accomplished by employing
the lamp which I have invented, which said lamp is free from the defects above
mentioned and is simple in construction: existing lamps can be readily converted
so that the same can be employed for burning the aforesaid heavy mineral oils.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the reservoir A of the lamp. Fig. 2 is a top view
or plan of the reservoir A. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the burner representing the
reduced air opening to the saine and the tube E. Fig. 4 is a top view of the same.
Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a modification of the reservoir represented in Fig. 1.
Fig. 6 is a top view of the same. Fig. 7 is an elevation of a modified construction
of the burner shown in Fig. 3 with internal air feed. Fig. 8 is a top view of Fig. 7,
and Fig. 9 a side view and top view of the air tube. Fig. 10 is an elevation and
Fig. 11, a top view of the gallery of the lamp. Fig. 12 is an elevation and Fig. 13
a top view of a modification of the gallery shewn in Fig. 10 and 11. Fig. 14 is
an elevation and Fig. 15 a top view of a star or air distributor. Fig. 16 to 23 are
elevations and top views of the air distributors represented in Fig. 14, 15.
The lamps at present in use do not consume sufficiently economically the heavy
Russian mineral oils, and besides they produce smoke and an unpleasant smell:
this is caused by the want of a sufficient supply of air to the flame and an insuffi-
cient and irregular feeding of oil to the wick the capillary power of the wick being
insufficient to bring up the heavy Russian mineral oil which as aforesaid has a
specific gravity of 0,850, to 0,870. The lainp which I have invented is free from
these defects and is simple in construction: existing lamps can also be readily
converted into lamps on my system. My lamp as represented in the annexed
drawings has a reservoir of metal or other suitable material with a neck or ring
for receiving the burner D, and an opening B, for allowing air to enter the
reservoir,
C, is an open ended tube which descends nearly to the bottom of the reservoir
so that the said reservoir is divided into two concentric compartments a, b.

page_text: D, is a burner of ordinary type but the air inlet reduced in size which is arranged
in such manner that air is efficiently supplied to the inner surface of the flame and
is distributed regularly over the whole internal surface. To obtain this supply of
air to the burner I employ a straight open ended tube E, fixed at its lower end in
the center of the bottom of the reservoir of the lamp. The burner D, carries
another tube E¹ which fits over the tube of the reservoir. In place of the straight
tube I prefer to employ a curved or bent tube F, which is arranged in the
burner as shown in Fig. 7 & 9. In this case the casing of the burner surrounding
the pinions for reciprocating the wick is provided with a circular opening to allow
the bent or curved tube F, which serves to supply atmospheric air to the burner to
be inserted, whereas the tube E, is omitted. When pouring oil into lamps provided
with a central tube E, situated as first described, it is necessary to close the top of
the tube with a snugly fitting cap in order to prevent the escape of oil. At the
bottom of the reservoir there are a series of openings G, G, Fig. 1, to allow air to
enter the lower end of the tube E. In order to obtain a regular distribution of the
air inside the flame I employ stars or air distributors K, Fig. 14, to 23, placed in
the wick tube above the air tube which provides the flame with a sufficient supply
of air to completely consume the heavy oil.
This is especially the case by reason of the distribution of the air obtained by
means of the star or air distributor K, which is composed of a number of wings
as represented in the Fig. 14 to 23, and varying in number according to require-
ments. The large flow of the air and the action of the star or distributor prevent
the lamp from heating, and this to such a degree that the lower part of the burner
and the upper part of the reservoir are kept at a low temperature even when the
lamp has been burning for thirty hours continuously.
The safety of lighting with the heavy oils which only explode at 120 to
140 degrees Centigrade is thus completely guaranteed. Having by means of the
tube set up a current of air inside the flame I obtain at the same time a pressure
of air under the burner in the large tube or inner compartment of the reservoir
less than that of the atmosphere, the air immediately above the oil being partially
exhausted by the sucking action of the flame and the current of air flowing to
the same through the inner air tube so that the heavy mineral oil can ascend
in the wick without hindrance said rising of the oil being assisted by the atino-
spheric pressure acting on the oil in the outer compartment of the reservoir. In
the other part of the reservoir the pressure is as aforesaid that of the atmosphere
owing to the small opening B. This difference of pressure in the tube C, and in
the space between the walls of the tube and the reservoir keeps the liquid in the
tube C, at a constant height, thus producing a sufficient and regular feed to the
wick. The lamp above described can be employed not only for burning heavy oils
but also for burning other oils and hydro-carbons.
It will be evident to all connected with this branch of industry that I do not
confine myself to the special form of reservoir or kind of burner as represented in
the accompanying drawings as the said reservoirs can be made of any desired form
& material & also the burner without in any way departing from the tenor of my
invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In lamps for burning heavy mineral and other oils, the construction, appli-
cation and employment of the reservoir A which is divided into two concentric
or other suitably arranged compartments a, b, whereby the outer compartment a,
is at the upper part of the same so provided with one or more appropriate open-
ings B, that the full pressure of the atmospheric air acts on the surface of the
mineral or other oil in the said compartment a, of the reservoir A, that the oil in
the inner compartment b, is caused to rise and is thus brought into intimate
contact with the upper part of the wick and is kept constantly át a certain level

page_text: substantially as described in the foregoing specification and shewn in the accom-
panying drawings.
2. In lamps for burning heavy mineral and other oils, the manufacture appli-
cation and employment of a reservoir divided into intercommunicating compartments
whereby the outer compartment is in communication with the outer air and the
wall or walls of the inner compartment reaches nearly to the bottom of the reservoir
substantially as set forth in the foregoing specification and represented in the
annexed drawings.
3. The combination of the subdivided reservoir A, C, with the air tube F,
Fig. 7 & 9 for supplying the inner surface of the flame with air substantially
as set forth in the foregoing specification and represented in the accompanying
drawings.
4. The combination of the reservoir Fig. 1, with the tube E, of the same and the
tube E¹ of the burner substantially as described in the foregoing specification and
shown in the accompanying drawings.
5. In lamps for burning heavy mineral and other oils, the construction application
and employment of the stars or air distributors K, composed of a number of wings
of sheet metal which are connected together by means of solder or in other
appropriate manner alone or attached to a scolloped annular metal base, substan-
tially as described in the foregoing specification and shewn in the accompanying
drawings.
6. The general construction and arrangement of the parts in my improved lamp
for burning heavy oils substantially as set forth in the foregoing specification and
shewn in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 17th dove of Fabrum AD One thousand sight hundred and