CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF COMBUSTIBLE GASES, AND IN THE APPLICATION OF THE SAME AS FUEL
Year: 1845

page_text: IUN.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, WILLIAM
POLLARD, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-third day of June, One thousand eight hundred and
forty-five, in the ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Pollard, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William
Pollard, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such others as I, the
said William Pollard, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, and in the
Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, my Invention for
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF COMBUSTIBLE GASES, AND IN THE
APPLICATION OF THE SAME AS FUEL;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso obliging me, the said William Pollard, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to
cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Pollard, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, (that is to say) :—
My Invention consists, firstly, in applying a blast of highly heated steam
in conjunction with atmospheric air, to convert solid fuel into combustible gases
in appropriate furnaces, which gases are conveyed away by suitable flues or
pipes to any place when they may be required to be burned; secondly, in
burning the said combustible gases with a blast of hot air to produce heat,
for all purposes for which solid fuel has, hitherto been employed. I am aware
that Patents have already been taken out for the production and employment
of carbonic oxide gas as fuel, but I claim the production and application of the
mixture of carbonic oxide and hydrogen, obtained by a combined blast of highly
heated steam and atmospheric air, acting on ignited fuel in excess as aforesaid, by
which means the gases which result will consist as nearly as possible of one
equivalent of hydrogen and two equivalents of carbonic oxide,' accompanied
by the corresponding equivalents of nitrogen gas. To demonstrate the superior
value as fuel of the mixture of hydrogen and carbonic oxide, as aforesaid,
over carbonic oxide alone, it is sufficient to state the following facts:-The
calorific power of the gases obtained by burning thirty-six pounds of dry air
and 9 pounds of heated steam in an excess of ignited fuel may be represented
theoretically by 3; they consist of 4 volumes of carbonic oxide, two volumes
of hydrogen, and 4 volumes of nitrogen; in all ten volumes, of which the pro-
portions of the combustible are to the incombustible gases as 6 to 4, and if
taken by weight as 29 to 28, the total weight being 57 pounds, and the con-
sumption of solid carbon 12 pounds. The calorific power of the obtained
gases
by burning under similar circumstances 72 pounds of dry air without the
addition of the heated steam, may be theoretically represented by 2, the con-
sumption of solid carbon being also in this case 12 pounds, the gases consist
of 4 volumes of carbonic oxide and 8 volumes of nitrogen, total 12 volumes;
the ratios of combustible to that of incombustible gases are as one to two,
either by weight or volume, and the total weight is 84 pounds. When equal
weights of the two gases are compared the theoretical calorific powers of each
are as 221 to 100, but in practice the useful effect is much more in favor of
the mixed carbonic oxide and hydrogen, especially when a high temperature is
required. In these calculations I have taken no notice of fractional parts, nor
of the volatile matters contained in the fuel burned, as they do not alter the
economical results. The advantages. of employing the combustible gases pro-
duced in the manner above mentioned, as fuel, are numberless. I will cite

page_text: only a few: First, effectually preventing the smoke nuisance. Second, the
power of regulating the temperature in metallurgical and other manufacturing
operations in reverberatory furnaces with a precision extremely difficult to obtain
by the usual methods with solid fuel; by varying the proportions of hot air
and of the combustible gases the heat can be raised or lowered in a moment
and the flame rendered oxidating, or reducing, or neuter, with the facility
attending blow pipe operations on a small scale. The advantages attending
such an arrangement will immediately strike anyone accustomed to these
matters. Third, a complete command over the caloric and over the volatile
and gaseous products generated by combustion; when we reflect on the very
small proportion of the total heat produced, which can be or is utilised in
reverberatories depending on common fireplaces and chimney draught, the
superiority of the gas reverberatories is immediately apparent. In the latter,
worked by a blast or artificial current of air, the totality of the heat generated
by combustion can be applied to useful purposes. In general the waste caloric
will be most effectually expended in heating the air for burning the gas, but
there are many other obvious ways of employing it. Fourth, in gas furnaces
the necessity of high and expensive chimneys is completely done away with.
Fifth, the complete command over the volatile and gaseous products of com-
bustion is of great importance in many metallurgical operations, such as in
copper, lead, tin, smelting, &c.; a nuisance hitherto inseparable from these opera-
tions may thus be obviated, and many valuable substances hitherto wasted may
be turned to useful account. Sixth, the most inferior kinds of fuel, even such as
can scarcely be used for any practical purpose in their natural or solid state, may
be employed to produce valuable combustible gases in the manner above set forth.
Seventh, to conclude, after making ample allowance for the costs of generating
and heating the steam, of blowing and heating the air, the original costs and wear
and tear of apparatus, &c., it will be found that an enormous saving will be
effected by the application of gas fuel generally in metallurgical and manufac-
turing operations, for heating steam boilers, and for almost every other purpose
for which solid fuel has hitherto been made use of. I make no claim for the
furnaces in which the gases are generated, nor for those in which they are
burned, neither for the mode of heating the steam, nor for any peculiar way
of burning the gases, as I do not intend to confine myself to any particular
method of doing these things; but I will describe in a few words a furnace
for generating the gases, and explain the manner in which they may be
burned, merely as an illustration and practical application of the principle.
It is obvious that all the arrangements and combinations of apparatus that
have been hitherto made use of to, collect and burn other combustible gases

page_text: are equally applicable to the mixture of hydrogen and carbonic oxide, which
forms the subject of this Patent. For generating the gases I prefer a
furnace upon the plan used in smelting iron ores, with a fuel chamber above
the boshes of a sufficient height to secure the perfect decomposition of
carbonic acid. The furnace shall besides be provided with close covers
or slides at the charging-plate, and with lateral flues and pipes to convey the
combustible gases to their destination. It is advisable to use a proper flux to
convert the earthy parts of the fuel into a fusible slag, which may be run off
as formed, or be tapped periodically, as may be found most convenient. Open
burning, or a mixture of open burning and caking fuel, is more convenient for
generating gas than the very bituminous caking sorts; when the latter are
used, it might be advisable to employ a stirring apparatus to facilitate the
descent of the charges. To produce the blast I prefer using steam at a pressure
of from 2 to 3 atmospheres. After leaving the boiler it passes through a
common heating apparatus of iron pipes, in which it is heated to 570 to 600°
Fahreinheit, or upwards. The steam pipe is contracted considerably at the jet,
which may be made to terminate at or within the mouth of a common open
tuyere or tuyeres, or be inserted within a closed hot air tuyere, and pointing
towards the nozzle. The blast of steam will always draw after it a sufficient
proportion of air to effect a perfect combustion of the fuel. Hot air is not;
indispensable; with cold air the operation succeeds perfectly, but either hot or
cold air may be used. The dimensions of the apparatus will of course vary
according to the quantity of solid fuel required to be converted into gases.
One generator may serve to supply several gas furnaces. The mode of applying
the combustible gases as fuel, and the construction of furnaces, may be varied:
in considerable numberless ways according to circumstances. The only
thing to be particularly attended to is, to arrange the jets or orifices for
the issuing currents of combustible gases and hot air in such a manner
that the mixture of the two shall be as complete as possible, and the com-
bustion be effected at that part of the furnace where it will produce the most
powerful effect; after the flame has done its office in one part of the furnace
it enters an oven or wide flue and heats the air pipes placed therein. Cold air is
blown in at the top, and in descending the circumvolutions of the pipes it becomes
gradually heated to the degree required; the hot air is conducted in suitable pipes
to the point where are the gas jets, and the mixture is there inflamed. Both the
gas and air pipes are provided with throttle valves or cocks, by which the quan-
tities may be regulated at pleasure. All these matters are well understood and
daily practised with combustible gases obtained from iron furnaces; I do not,
therefore, think it necessary to enter into more minute details on the subject.

page_text: Having now described my Invention, and the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood in conclusion, that I do not claim as
new the employment of carbonic oxide gas as fuel. But what I claim as the
Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,
the employment of a mixture of carbonic oxide gas and hydrogen, obtained by
means of a combined blast of highly heated steam and atmospheric air acting
on ignited fuel in excess, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Pollard, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.
WILLIAM (L.B.) POLLARD.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twentieth day of Decem-
ber, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid William Pollard came before
our Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of
the Statute in that case made and provided.