Improvements in and connected with the Manufacture of Illuminating Gas from Water and Fluid Hydrocarbons.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Oct., 1892
Complete Specification Left. 28th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 17th Dec., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with the Manufacture of
Illuminating Gas from Water and Fluid Hydrocarbons.
I THEODORE GREEN SPRINGER of 13 Victoria Street in the City of
Westminster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to the manufacture of illuminating gas from steam and fluid
hydrocarbons, the object being to secure economy in the process.
In carrying out the present invention, I employ a cupola of a form well known
to gas manufacturers, wherein a body of fuel is brought to a state of incandescence
for making the water gas. The products of combustion formed during the blasting
of the fuel, are passed through a fixing chamber containing refractory material, for
the purpose
of heating the same. These waste products, which, after heating the
fixing chamber, are usually lost, I now propose to further utilize by passing them
through the furnace of the steam boiler wherein the steam used for the manufacture
of the water gas is produced, so as to save a portion of the coal and coke now
necessary for raising the steam.
Another point wherein I propose to effect an economy in the manufacture of the
illuminating gas, is in the vaporization of the liquid hydrocarbon. According to
my improved method, I pass the manufactured gas from the fixing chamber of the
cupola through a vessel wherein are the pipes leading the hydrocarbon oil to the
chamber where it meets the water gas. The oil is under pressure in these pipes,
and in that condition is subjected to, and to large extent takes up the heat of the
manufactured gas coming direct from the fixing chamber. When the oil thus
heated leaves the confined space in the pipes, the tendency is for it to immediately
vaporize, and in a state of vapor to be readily taken up by the water gas.
To avoid as much as possible opening the ash-pit door of the cupola furnace,
which necessitates the temporary stoppage of the apparatus and great loss of heat,
I propose to employ furnace bars of suitable section, which can be actuated from
outside to break up and clear the clinker formed from time to time in the furnace.
The furnace bars are all mounted in bearings, and extend on one side beyond the
furnace setting, where they are provided with cranks and connecting rods linked to
the piston rod of a steam cylinder, by means of which the bars can be rocked when
required. To avoid melting the bars during the manufacture of the water gas,
they are made hollow, with water jets arranged to play in the interior thereof, and
keep up a continual supply of cool water.
The ashes from the furnace fall into a shoot conducting into a water pit, from
whence they can be raked without opening the ush-pit door, the water reaching
sufficiently high up the shoot to form an effectual seal.
Dated this 8th day of October 1892.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with the Manufacture of
Illuminating Gas from Water and Fluid Hydrocarbons.
I THEODORE GREEN SPRINGER of 13 Victoria Street in the City of
Westminster, 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 :-
This invention relates to the manufacture of illuminating gas from steam and
fluid hydrocarbons, the object being to secure economy in the process.
In carrying out the present invention, I employ a cupola of a form well known to
gas manufacturers, wherein a body of fuel is brought to a state of incandescence
for making the water gas. The products of combustion formed during the blasting
of the fuel, are passed through and burnt with air in a fixing chamber containing
refractory material, for the purpose of heating the same. These waste products,
which, after heating the fixing chamber, are usually lost, I now propose to further
utilize by passing them through the furnace of the steam boiler wherein the steam
used for the manufacture of the water gas is produced, so as to save a portion of
the coal and coke now necessary for raising the steam.
The arrangements provided for thus utilising the products passing from the
fixing chamber, incidentally provide for the utilization, for raising steam, of the
portion of illuminating gas remaining in the cupola at the time of the reversal of
the apparatus to get up a fresh heat, which portion of illuminating gas has hitherto .
escaped through the purge valve into the atmosphere.
Another point wherein I propose to effect an economy in the manufacture of
the illuminating gas, is in the vaporization of the liquid hydrocarbon. According
to my improved method, pass the manufactured gas from the fixing chamber of
the cupola through a vessel wherein are the pipes leading the hydrocarbon oil to
the chamber, where it meets the water gas. The oil is under pressure in these
pipes, and in that condition is subjected to, and to large extent takes up, the heat
of the manufactured gas coming direct from the fixing chamber. When the oil
thus heated leaves the confined space in the pipes, the tendency is for it to
immediately vaporize, and, in a state of vapor, to be readily taken up by the
water gas.
To avoid, as much as possible, opening the ash pit door of the cupola furnace,
which necessitates the temporary stoppage of the apparatus and great loss of heat,
I propose to employ furnace bars of suitable section, which can be actuated from
outside, to break up and clear the clinker formed from time to time in the furnace.
The furnace bars are all mounted in bearings, and extend on one side beyond the
furnace setting, where they are provided with cranks and connecting rods. linked
to the piston rod of a steam cylinder, by means of which the bars can be rocked
when required. To avoid melting the bars during the manufacture of the water
gas, they are made hollow, with water jets arranged to play in the interior thereof,
and keep up a continual supply of cool water.
The ashes from the furnace fall into a shoot conducting into a water pit,
from whence they can be raked without opening the ash-pit door, the water reaching
sufficiently high up the shoot to form an effectual seal.
In the accompanying drawings I have shewn just sufficient of a gas-making plant
to illustrate my improvements.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section.
Figs. 2, 3 and 4, are end, plan, and side views of the furnace fire bars, with
means for operating them from the outside; and
Figs. 5 and 6 are details on a larger scale, showing how the bars are made hollow
to permit a circulation of water therein.
A is the cupola, with a furnace A' below, and a fixing chamber A' above.

page_text: The fixing chamber contains refractory material, as usual, which is raised to a
high heat by blasting with air the products of combustion generated while the fuel
in the furnace is being brought into a state of incandescence in the ordinary
manner.
The products of combustion which are generated during the blasting are,
according to the present invention, conducted by the pipe B to the furnace of a
steam boiler, not shown in the drawing, and there used to raise the steam which is
later passed through the incandescent mass of fuel, to produce water gas.
The steam to be converted into water gas is, as a rule, admitted to the cupola
above the incandescent fuel, through which it is forced by the boiler pressure, but
for reasons connected with the cooling of the fire bars, the passage of the steam in
the opposite direction through the fuel is sometimes preferred. In either case, the
fixing chamber is cut off from the furnace as soon as the blasting of the fuel is
finished for the time being. C is the hydrogen pipe communicating with the ash-
pit at c, at its lower end, and having communication by the pipe C' with the
space between the furnace and the fixing chamber of the cupola. Thus, water
gas can be admitted to the hydrogen pipe C from either above or below the
incandescent fuel, as may be most convenient.
c¹ care valves situated in the same valve box C* for closing the pipes C' and C
respectively. From the valve box C*, above the valves, a pipe leads to the
interior of the retort F, where the water gas meets and combines with the oil
vapor, before passing to the fixing chamber A' in the upper part of the cupola.
It will be noticed that the gas and water vapor is first admitted to the fixing
chamber at the summit thereof, and passes downward in a direction opposite to
the direction of the products of combustion generated during the blasting, the
reason being, that the heat of the fixing chamber is greatest at the bottom near
the furnace, and that it is desirable to subject the gas to be fixed, first to the lesser
heat, and afterwards to the greater.
The oil to be vaporized passes from an oil supply through pipes or coils situated
in the course of the manufactured gas issuing in a heated state from the fixing
chamber A³
E is the pipe by which the manufactured gas leaves the cupola. This pipe E
dips into the box e, containing a water seal, which prevents back pressure, and is
also provided with a screw valve e. From the box e, the manufactured gas flows
by the pipe f, shewn in dotted lines, to the outer casing of the vessel or retort F.
Thence, by the pipe g, it enters first the casing G, then the casing G', before going
on to the condensers, scrubbers, and gas holder.
The oil under pressure, from a supply pump or its equivalent, passes by the
pipe ginto pipes arranged within the casings G G¹, where it takes up some of the
heat of the manufactured gas. The oil pipe is continued all up the gas pipe g,
conducting the oil in the direction of the arrows, still exposed to the heat of the
manufactured gas, to the coil, arranged in the outer casing of the retort F.
The oil will, by this time, have taken up a great deal of heat from the heated
manufactured gas, but owing to the pressure in the pipes, will not have become
vaporized. When, however, the heated oil issues into the interior of the retort F
by the pipe, to meet the water gas issuing from the hydrogen pipe, and is no
longer subjected to the compression within the pipes, it flies into vapor, which
combines with the water gas, and is carried by the pipe into the fixing
chamber. A'.
The waste heat of the manufactured gas will in general be sufficient to effect the
vaporization of the oil, as described. If, however, additional heat is needed, the
oil goes on by the branch pipe f³ to a separately heated retort, not shewn, whence
a higher degree of heat is derived, sufficient to vaporize the entire volume of
the oil, before it is allowed to meet the water gas in a retort or chamber having a
low pressure as compared with the oil pipes.
I may here remark, that the object of subjecting the bydrocarbon oil to pressure
while it is being heated, is 'to avoid vaporizing the lighter gravities of oil before

page_text: the heavier are in a condition to vaporize, for the nature of the oils used in gas
making is very unequal, containing many specific gravities, which, if not controlled;
would vaporize unequally and cause undue deposit in the oil pipes.
Taps are provided, as shown, in the pipes and f³, for cutting off one or other
as required. is a baffle beneath the oil delivery of the pipe f.
As soon as the incandescent fuel cools to such an extent that it will not properly
convert the steam into water gas, it is re-blasted, with or without additional fuel,
and the products of combustion used to raise steam, as before explained. The
residue of illuminating gas which remains in the cupola at the moment of reversal
of the apparatus, that is to say; when the blasting recommences, is driven through
the pipe B to the furnace of the steam boiler, and there consumed, to assist in
the raising of steam.
To avoid waste of heat in the furnace of the cupola, it is desirable to abstain
from opening the furnace door as much as possible. To this end, I arrange for
cutting out and removing the clinker from the fire bars from the outside, without
opening the furnace or ash-pit doors.
In Sheet II of the drawings, I have illustrated the grate bars arranged according
to my invention. These grate bars j, which support the fuel in the furnace of the
cupola, are made in the form of a cross (see Fig. 5) within the furnace, and are
hollow. The open ends of the bars, on one side, project through the wall of the
furnace, and into these open ends are inserted water pipes k, which inject water
into the bars to keep them from getting too hot. To rock the bars j, to break up
the clinker in the furnace, I fit crank arms j¹ on the projecting ends, and I connect
the alternate cranks to link rods . L is a pivotted lever connected to the
piston rod of a steam cylinder J. One arm of the lever L is linked to one series
of arms of the grate bars, while the other arm of the lever L is linked to the
alternate series. When steam is admitted behind the piston of the cylinder J, the
lever L is rocked by the movement of the piston rod, and the grate bars, alternately
in different directions, are all rotated a quarter turn, thereby cutting out the
clinker. The admission of steam in front of the piston works the bars in the
opposite direction.
To remove the clinker which falls from the bars without opening the ashpit
doors, provide a shoot M, which catches the clinker and ashes, and directs them
into the pit N, where there is a water seal. From the pit N, the clinker can be
raked from time to time, as required.
.
In the base of the gas pipe g, or in some other convenient position in the course
of the manufactured gas leaving the fixing chamber, I prefer to insert a pipe o,
controlled by a valve leading to an auxiliary gas holder, not shown, and in such
pipe I place a test jet, so that I am able readily to determine the quality of gas
produced, and to turn all such as does not come up to the desired standard, into the
auxiliary holder. I thus avoid reducing the quality of the main output, by mixing
with it inferior gas produced at times when the heats are either rising or diminishing,
or are in other respects irregular.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
'
1. In the manufacture of illuminating gas from steam and liquid hydrocarbons,
the employment of the products of combustion generated during the blasting of the
fuel bed and of the waste heat of the manufactured gas, for the raising of the steam,
and for the heating of the oil, in the manner herein set forth.
2. In apparatus for manufacturing illuminating gas from steam and liquid hydro-
carbons, the arrangement of grate bars herein specified with reference to the
accompanying drawings, as and for the purpose above set forth.
3. The application to the ash pit of the cupola furnace, of a water-sealed shoot,
substantially as specified, for the purpose set forth.
4. In the manufacture of illuminating gas from steam and fluid hydrocarbons,

page_text: for
the application of pressure to the oil, while being subjected to vaporizing heat, so
as to delay vaporization of the higher particles, until the whole volume is ready
vaporization in a low pressure vessel, substantially as hereinbefore explained.
5. In apparatus for producing illuminating gas from steam and liquid hydro-
carbons, in which the oil and water vapor is admitted to the fixing chamber in a
direction opposite to the direction of the products of combustion used for heating it
from the furnace, the employment of the said products of combustion, on leaving
the fixing chamber, for raising the steam, and the employment of the heat of the
manufactured gas for heating the oil substantially as specified.
6. In apparatus for manufacturing gas from steam and liquid hydrocarbon, the
employment of the residue of illuminating gas remaining in the fixing chamber at
the time of the reversal of the apparatus, for assisting in the generation of steam, as
and for the purpose set forth.
Dated thin 50th day of Ontabo 1900
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.