An Apparatus for Automatically and Safely Generating and Storing Acetylene.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Mar., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 11th July, 1896-Accepted, 29th Aug., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Apparatus for Automatically and Safely Generating and Storing
Acetylene.
We EDWIN APPLEBY of 39 Waterloo Road Leyton in the County of Essex
Gentleman and HUBERT FOURACRE HARRIS of 2 Broadway London Fields in
the County of Middlesex Licensed Victualler do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The main object of this invention is to provide a safe and convenient means of
generating and storing acetylene gas.
For this purpose we provide a suitable generator, in which a suitable material
for generating the acetylene gas, such as carbide of calcium, is placed. A properly
fitting gas tight lid or cover is provided for the generator.
We also provide a gas holder open at the bottom which we place in another
receptacle of about double the cubic capacity of the gas holder.
The gas holder before being filled with gas from the generator, is to be filled
with water and sufficient water is placed in the receptacle in which the gas holder
is placed to cover the top of the gas holder so that it is full of water and covered
with water.
At a convenient place in the receptacle containing the gas holder and above the
same we place a ball and lever arrangement for the purpose of operating by its
rise and fall certain cocks or valves to be hereafter mentioned. A suitable tube
or pipe is connected with the gas generator and the bottom of the gas holder to
conduct the gas into the same.
We also attach to the receptacle containing the gas holder or to the generator in
any convenient way a water meter or gauge of any suitable form, and water is to
le supplied to this meter or gauge from any convenient source. The meter or
gauge is connected by a pipe provided with a suitable non return valve to the gas
generator and it is also supplied with suitable cocks or valves which are to be
operated by the ball and lever arrangement above mentioned.
This apparatus works in the following manner :-To start the generation of the
gas in the first instance the ball and lever are operated by depressing the same or
otherwise so as to allow the water in the meter or gauge to run on to the carbide
of calcium in the generator, the gas thus generated being conducted to the gas
holder, by the pipe or tube above mentioned and immediately displaces the water
contained in the gas holder.
This displaced water then collects above the gas holder in the receptacle in
which it is placed and floats the ball and lever arrangement upwards and as it rises
it operates the cock or valve placed at the bottom end of the water meter or gauge
thus cutting off the supply of water to the carbide of calcium at the same time it
opens the cock or valve placed at the top of the water meter or gauge connected
with the water supply and thus allowing the same to fill with water again.
The ball and lever arrangement may be also made to operate another cock or
valve placed in the pipe or tube connected with the generator and gas holder so as
to shut off the supply of gas to the holder when the same is full.
The withdrawal of the gas from the gas holder at once results in the water
which had been expelied by the same taking its place, with the result that the ball
and lever being no longer supported by the water, falls and again opens the lower

page_text: cock or valve in the water meter or gauge and closes the upper one thus permitting
a measured quantity of water only to come in contact with the carbide of calcium
at one time, the gas thus generated expelling the water from the gas holder which
again operates the ball and lever arrangement together with the cocks or valves as
above described.
The measure of water supplied to the carbide of calcium is regulated by the
capacity of the gas holder to contain the amount of acetylene generated by a given
measure of water when brought in contact with the carbide in the generator.
In some cases we may dispense with the water meter or gauge and allow the ball
and lever arrangement to operate a cock or valve in the water supply pipe by the
rise and fall of the water frem the gas holder direct.
We also sometimes cause the said ball and lever arrangement by the rise and
fall of the water aforesaid to operate the cocks or valves connected with two or
more generators in such a manner that when the carbide of calcium in the one is
exhausted the other generator or generators will come into work.
A safety valve may also be attached to the generators.
The non return valve in the water supply pipe attachel to the generator is to
prevent the gas escapeing into the water meter or gauge.
Dated this 17th day of March 1896.
EDWIN APPLEBY.
HUBERT FOURACRE HARRIS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Apparatus for Automatically and Safely Generating and Storing
Acetylene.
We EDWIN APPLEBY of 39 Waterloo Road Leyton in the County of Essex
Gentleman and HUBERT FOURACRE HARRIS of 2 Broadway London Fields in
the County of Middlesex Licensed Victualler 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 an apparatus for automatically and safely generating
and storing acetylene and for this purpose we provide a suitable generator which
is preferably a cylinder of iron or steel in which we place the calcic carbide or
other suitable material which will yield acetylene on treatment with water. The
cylinder is provided with a gas tight lid or cover.
We also provide a gas holder open at the bottom which we place in another
vessel or tank of about double the cubic capacity of the gas holder and securely
bolt or otherwise fix the same to the sides of the larger vessel or tank to prevent
the gas holder being raised or lifted by the buoyancy of the gas.
Before starting the generation of the gas in the generator we fill the gas holder
with water.
We also provide for the purpose of regulating and controlling the water supply
to the calcic carbide in the generator any suitable measuring tap fluid meter or
gauge and to the cocks or valves of this measuring tap or fluid meter we attach a
ball or float which we place in the tank containing the gas holder and which
operates the cocks or valves of the water meter or measuring tap in manner
hereinafter described.
A reference to the accompanying drawings will make the apparatus clearer.
The same letters refer to the same parts in all the drawings.
Figure 1 illustrates the form of apparatus above described A A being the
generator or cylinder in which the calcic carbide B or cther suitable material is
placed.
is the gas tight cover and D is a cock placed at the bottom of the generator

page_text: for the purpose of facilitating the removal of the lime and water residue after the
calcic carbide has been exhausted EE is the gas holder placed in the tank F. F
and is secured to the sides of the same by the bolts G G so that it cannot be lifted
by the buoyancy of the gas H is a water meter or gauge the water being supplied
to it from any convenient source by the pipe I provided with the stop cock K.
The spindle of this stop cock is connected by the pivoted pieces L. M. with the
ball and lever O N. The lever N is also connected with the spindle of the cock P
in the pipe Q. This pipe is connected with the water gauge H and with the
cylinder or generator A A as shewn in Fig. 1 and is for the purpose of discharging
the contents of the water gauge H on to the calcic carbide; it is provided with a
non return valve S to prevent the gas escaping through it into the water gauge
and also with a rose or spray so that the water may be sprayed over the calcic
carbide.
The spindles of the cocks K and P are so arranged that when the ball and
lever N. O. are down as in Fig. 1 the cock P will be opened and so allow the
contents of the water meter H to run on to the calcic carbide in the generator and
the cock K in the pipe I will be closed and so prevent more water running into
the water meter H until the ball and lever have risen to the position shewn in
Fig. 2 when the cock P will be closed and the cock K opened thus shutting off
the supply of water to the calcic carbide and opening the supply of water to the
water meter H this water meter is provided with a small ball and lever operating
the cock V for the purpose of cutting off the supply of water to the water
meter H.
The apparatus above described works in the following manner Upon the
cock R in the pipe Q being opened and the ball and lever being down in the
position shewn in Fig. 1 the water from the water meter H at once flows down
to the calcic carbide the acetylene gas being at once generated and flows through
the pipe XX which passes through the bottom of the tank F F into the gas
holder E E and immediately displaces the water with which the same has been
filled as above described; this displaced water collects above the gas holder in the
tank F. F. and as it rises it carries the ball and lever N. O. up thus operating the
cccks P K as above described.
The quantity of water supplied from the water meter is regulated by the amount
of gas, a given quantity of calcic carbide will evolve when treated with a given
quantity of water.
gas
By arranging the spindles of the cocks so that the ball and lever N. O. cut the
supply of water off from the calcic carbide when only a small quantity of gas has
been generated, and a small quantity of water has been displaced from the
holder the gas will be prevented from over filling the gas holder and blowing
through the bottom of the same sufficient space being thus left in the gas holder
for any gas to collect in, after the water supply has been cut off from the calcio
carbide. In some cases we dispense with a water meter or measuring tap and
allow the ball and lever NO to operate a cock or valve placed in the pipe supplying
water to the generator direct.
We also cause the ball and lever N. O. by connecting pieces similar to L. M. to
operate the cocks or valves placed in the water supply pipes attached to two or
more generators.
We also in some cases cause the ball and lever N. O. by pivoting suitable
connecting pieces to the same and to the cock Z in the pipe X to shut off the
supply of gas to the gas holder when the same is full but in this case the generators
must be made sufficiently strong to stand the pressure of the gas and a safety supply
valve must be provided."
It will be obvious that a ball or float could be made to operate by its rise or fall
the cocks or valves above mentioned in other ways than by means of a lever; for
instance a rack may be attached to the ball or float engaging in cogged wheels
attached to the spindles of the cucks or valves regulating the water supply to the
generators.

page_text: We sometimes cause the ball or float to operate by its rise and fall a slide valve
arrangement similar to the slide valve arrangement of a steam engine a suitable
connecting piece being attached to the ball or float and to the slide valves.
The gas can be drawn off for use by the pipe Y.
In some cases we find it convenient to use a gas holder and tank separated from
one another. Fig. 3 is an illustration of this form EE is the gas holder in this
case closed at the bottom F F the tank to contain the water displaced from
the gas holder and connected thereto by the pipe P A A is the generator and
N. O. the ball and lever.
This arrangement works in a similar manner to the arrangement described in
Figures 1 and 2 the only difference being that the gas holder is separated from the
tank provided to hold the displaced water.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combination of a gas holder with a tank or other vessel and a ball or
float combined with suitable gearing and connections which operates by the
movement of the water displaced from the gas holder by the entrance of gas
cocks or valves for the purpose of admitting controlling regulating and shutting
off the supply of water or other fluid to the material placed in a gas generator for
the purpose of generating or manufacturing acetylene or other gas as described and
illustrated in accompanying drawings.
2. The combination of a ball or Hoat with a suitable water meter measuring tap
or gauge which shall operate by its rise or fall or other movement in water
displaced by the entrance of gas into a gas holder the cocks or valves attached to
a measuring tap water meter or gauge so that a measured quantity of water or
other fluid can only be discharged on to the material for generating gas as
described.
3. The combination of a ball or float operated as above described with a cock or
valve placed in the pipe admitting gas from the gas generator to the gas holder
which shall at the proper time cut off the supply of gas from the generator into the
gas holder.
4. The particular combination of parts described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 11th day of July 1896.
EDWIN APPLEBY.
HUBERT FOURACRE HARRIS.