IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TREATING COAL OR OTHER ILLUMINATING OR HEATING GAS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Symons of Totnes in the County of Devon,
Merchant, for an Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TREATING COAL
OR OTHER ILLUMINATING OR HEATING GAS
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Symons at the Office..
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th June 1883.
HENRY SYMONS of Totnes in the County of Devon, Merchant " IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR TREATING COAL OR OTHER ILLUMINATING OR HEATING GAS."
The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus which may be used by
private consumers for the purpose of purifying and enriching the gas supplied to
them by the gas companies, and for regulating the supply of gas to the service
pipes in the house and which may be readily taken to pieces for repair or
recharging.
The apparatus consists of a purifier, a carburetter, and a regulator in com-
bination.
The purifier consists of a cylindrical or other suitably shaped vessel near the.
bottom of which is arranged an annular flange to support a removable perforated
plate.
Below this plate is an annular perforated tube which is in connection with the
gas supply pipe coming either from the meter or the gas main, as desired.
Upon the perforated plate I place by preference a quantity of one or other of the
compounds for purifying gas referred to in the Letters Patent granted first to J. Duke.
dated 23rd June 1882 N° 2981, and 2nd to myself 23rd September 1882, N° 4538.
The gas which enters by the annular pipe before mentioned permeates through this
mass of purifying compound and gives up the ammonia and other impurities it
contains. The gas passes in its then purified state to the carburetter. In order to
prevent portions of the compound passing off with the gas, I place in front of the
exit opening a perforated plate or piece of wire gauze on which may be placed an
additional and suitable purifying material. The exit opening I form in the centre
of a cover which I screw down onto the top of the purifier. This cover may be
readily removed when necessary to renew the compound or clean the puritier.
As it is desirable that the purifying compound should be revivified from time to
time, I provide means for admitting a supply of air to the purifier for that purpose,
and also a tap for drawing off the gas in the purifier above the compound before
admitting the air: the same tap serving also for testing the gas for impurities.
Air may also be admitted to the purifier with the gas if desired.

page_text: The carburetter consists of a cylindrical or other shaped vessel which is arranged
to rest on the top of the purifier, and is connected thereto by a short pipe. A tube
in connection with this pipe projects upwards in the carburetter and enters an
inverted tube carried by a conical-shaped hood, to the base of which is secured by
a flexible connection a wooden or other float. The tube is provided with slits in
the sides, and serves to direct the gas down onto the surface of the oil, suitable
openings which may be covered with a light fringe if desired, being left above
the float for the gas to pass out.
The conical hood rests upon an annular per-
forated gallery secured about half way up, to the walls of the cylinder, and into
the space between this gallery and the top of the cylinder, cotton wool, á inixture
of charcoal, fibrous material, or any other suitable material is packed.
The cylinder is closed by a cover which is screwed down onto the top, and the
cover can be thus readily removed to clean out the carburetter. Below the cover a
perforated plate may be placed to prevent the cotton-wool or other material
stopping up the inlet to the regulator.
The space between the perforated gallery and the bottom of the cylinder is to
be filled with a carburetting liquid on the top of which the float rides. The gas in
passing out through the float causes the float to tremble and thus keeps the surface
of the oil in motion and causes the vapour to rise: The cylinder is provided
externally with a gauge by which the height of the liquid in the vessel can be
ascertained, and the filling be regulated; a tap being provided to draw off any
excess of oil. The filling tube is provided with means for allowing the escape of
the air or gas in the carburetter when the carburetter is being filled.
The gas passes up the tube and down outside the same onto the surface of the
carburetting liquid where it takes up more or less of the vapour, and it then passes
through the cotton wool or other material to the exit.
The primary object of the cotton wool or other material is to deprive the gas
of any excess of hydrocarbon it may have taken up, but after a time the cotton
wool will become saturated and it will then serve to supply any deficiency as
required. Any excess of oil will drain off from the cotton wool or other material
and run back to the carburetting liquid.
The gas passes from the carburetter through an opening in the cover to a
regulator enclosed in a casing secured to the cover.
This regulator may be of any well known construction, but I prefer to use the
following namely:
In connection with the inlet opening and projecting upwards into the casing, is
a short tube on the top of which I screw or otherwise secure an inverted conical
or saucer-shaped piece, of nearly the same diameter as the casing.
Above the cone I secure in any convenient manner, a disc of leather or other
suitable material, from which depends à rod carrying a cone valve to close the
inlet opening. Below the conical or saucer-shaped piece I secure an inverted
truncated cone, leaving space at the bottom for the gas to pass to the exit pipes.
From the casing the gas passes by two pipes, one on either side; which are bent
over and are connected together at top to a junction, thus forming a handle by
which the whole apparatus can be conveniently carried.
I may here remark that I prefer to use this apparatus in combination as
above described, but the purifier may be placed if desired between the main
service pipe and the meter, and the carburetter between the meter and the house
supply. By placing the purifier in front of the meter, the impurities, and especially
the ammonia contained in the gas, will be eliminated before passing to the meter,
thus removing an element very destructive to gas meters.
I may also take my supply of gas for heating or similar purposes after it is
purified, but before it passes to the carburetter.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Symons in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th December
1883.
HENRY SYMONS of Totnes in the County of Devon Merchant "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR TREATING COAL OR OTHER ILLUMINATING OR HEATING GAS"
The object of this Invention is to provide an apparatus which may be used by
private consumers for the purpose of purifying and enriching the gas supplied to
them by the Gas Companies and for regulating the supply of gas to the service
pipes in the house such apparatus being so constructed as to admit of being readily
taken to pieces for repair or recharging
The apparatus consists of a purifier a carburetter and a regulator of special
construction all of which may be used either separately or in combination
In the accompanying drawings I have shewn in sectional elevation an apparatus
of the form I prefer to employ. A is the purifier B is the carburetter and C the
regulator
The purifier consists of a cylindrical or other suitably shaped vessel inside which
and near the bottom is fitted an annular flange a to support a removable perforated
plate b preferably of wood
Below this plate is an annular perforated pipe c which is in connection with
the gas supply pipe d coming either from the meter or the gas main as
desired The perforations in the tube c are preferably made at the sides as
shewn so as to cause the gas to spread evenly in the chamber as it issues from
the tube c
Upon the perforated plate b I place a quantity of any suitable compound for
purifying gas but preferably a compound of superphosphates in admixture with
peat charcoal and sulphate of magnesia or a compound of monocalcic phosphate
sulphate of lime and peat charcoal such as those described in the Patents granted
first to Joseph Duke dated the twenty third June One thousand eight hundred and
eighty two N° 2981 and second to me the twenty third September One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two N° 4538
The gas which enters by the annular pipe c before mentioned permeates
through the mass of purifying compound and gives up the impurities it contains
chiefly the ammonia
The gas passes in its then purified state to the carburetter B through the
pipe e
In order to prevent any of the compound passing off with the gas I place in
front of the exit opening a perforated plate or piece of wire gauze f on which may
be placed an additional and suitable purifying material
The exit opening I form in the centre of a cover g which I screw down on to
the top of the purifier A as shewn This cover may be readily removed when
necessary to renew the compound or clean the purifier. If the compounds above
referred to be employed it is desirable that they should be revivified from time to
time. For this purpose I provide a cock h in connection with the gas supply
pipe & for admitting a supply of air to the purifier to effect the revivification of
the compound Air may also be admitted to the purifier with the gas by means of
his cock if desired. I also provide a tap i for drawing off any gas that remains
n the purifier A above the compound before admitting the air the same tap serving
lso for testing the gas for impurities
The carburetter B consists of a cylindrical or other shaped vessel which is
rranged to rest on the top of the purifier A and is connected thereto by the short
pipe e before referred to

page_text: A tube j in connection with this pipe projects upwards into an inverted tube k
Onto this tube k is
which extends downwards to the bottom of the carburetter.
fitted a conical shaped hood to which is secured by a flexible connection a
wooden or other float m The tube k is provided with vertical slits in its sides
which extend from a little above the level of the top of the oil to the bottom of t
the tube and serve to direct the gas as it leaves the tube j down on to the surface
of the oil. Suitable openings n which may be covered with a light fringe if
The conical hood / rests
desired are left above the float for the gas to pass out
upon an annular perforated gallery o secured about half way up to the walls of
the cylinder B and into the space between this gallery and the top of the cylinder
cotton wool a mixture of charcoal and fibrous material or any other suitable
material is packed
The cylinder is closed by a cover p which I screw down on to the top and the
cover can be thus readily removed to clean out the carburetter.
Below the cover
a perforated plate q may be placed to prevent the cotton wool or other material
entering and stopping up the inlet to the regulator
The space between the perforated gallery 'o and the bottom of the cylinder is to
be filled with a carburetting liquid on the top of which the float m will ride The
gas in passing out through the openings n in the float m causes the float to
tremble and thus keeps the surface of the oil in motion and causes the vapour to
rise. The cylinder B is provided externally with a gauge r of any suitable
construction by which the height of the liquid in the vessel can be ascertained and
the filling be regulated a tap r' being provided to draw off any excess of oil; or the
gauge may be replaced by a small rod placed in the filling tube and secured at
bottom to a small float which will ride on the surface of the hydrocarbon when the
screw cap to the filling tube is removed and allow the rod to rise out of the tube
The filling
by which means the height of the oil in the vessel will be shewn.
tube 8 is provided with an air tube 8¹ for allowing the escape of any air or
gas contained in the Carburetter when the carburetter is being filled with
carburetting liquid
The gas passes up the tube j and down outside the same on to the surface
of the carburetting liquid contained in the enclosing tube k and it then passes
through the slits in the tube k and the openings n in the float and takes up the
vapour from the liquid before it passes through the cotton wool or other material
to the regulator C.
The primary object of the cotton wool or other material is to deprive the gas of
any excess of hydrocarbon it may have taken up but after a time the cotton wool
will become more or less charged with liquid and it will then also serve to supply
any deficiency of carburetting liquid to the gas if required Any excess of oil will
drain off from the cotton wool or other material and run back
The gas passes from the carburetter through an opening in the cover p to a
regulator C enclosed in a casing secured to the cover p of the carburetter B.
The regulator may be of any well known construction but I prefer to use the
following namely
In connection with the inlet opening and projecting upwards into the casing is a
short tube t on the top of which I conveniently secure an inverted conical or saucer
shaped piece t¹ of nearly the same diameter as the casing
Above the cone I secure in any convenient manner a disc of leather u or other
suitable material from which depends a rod v carrying a cone valve v'to. close
the inlet opening Below the conical or saucer shaped piece t¹ I secure an inverted
truncated cone w leaving space at the bottom for the gas to pass to the exit
pipes xx
These two pipes x x are bent over and connected together at top to a junction
thus forming a handle by which the whole apparatus can be conveniently carried
The service pipe of the house is connected to the junction y.
I may here remark that I prefer to use this apparatus in combination as above
described and shewn in the drawing but the purifier may be placed if desired

page_text: between the main service pipe and the meter and the carburetter between the meter
and the house supply
By placing the purifier in front of the meter the impurities and especially the
ammonia contained in the gas will be eliminated before passing to the meter thus
removing an element very destructive to gas meters
I may also take my supply of gas for heating or similar purposes after it is
purified but before it passes to the carburetter and for this purpose I provide a
pipe el which I connect with the pipe e in any convenient manner.
Having now described my Invention and explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, I claim :
=
First The gas purifying apparatus as A, constructed substantially as herein
shewn and described.
Second: The gas carburetting apparatus as B, constructed substantially as herein
shewn and described.
Third: The gas regulator as C, constructed substantially as herein shewn and
described.
Fourth-The combination of a gas purifying apparatus, and a gas carburetting
apparatus with or without a gas regulator, substantially as herein shewn and
described.
In witness whereof I the said Henry Symons have hereunto set my hand and
seal the First day of December in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and eighty three.