Improvements in the Manufacture of Combustible Gas.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 31st Aug., 1896-Accepted, 7th Nov., 1996
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Combustible Gas.
I, LOUIS DENAYROUZE, of 70, Boulevard Victor-Hugo, Neuilly, (Seine)
France, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In my previous Specifications No. 22615 of 1894, Nos. 4494, 7722, and 14053
of 1895 I have described the method of and apparatus for effecting the intimate
mixing together of combustible gas and air for combustion in Bunsen burners for
incandescence gas lighting and other purposes.
My present invention has for its object the utilisation, for the production of
poor combustible gases suitable for the above purpose, of all kinds of waste
carbonaceous products or organic matter or residues of little or no value resulting
from various industries, such as waste animal matter, grease, fat from wool
washings, residues from the distillation of petroleum &c., also sewage matter,
foeces and the like, either with or without the admixture of richer carbonaceous
matter. For this purpose I subject such substances to destructive distillation and
farther treatment by means of apparatus of the following construction.
The matter to be treated is introduced into a pan shaped retort the upper
open end of which is hermetically closed by a cover, dipping into a trough
containing melted lead or the like so as to insure a hermetic closure; the said
retort is heated by a fire the heat being suitably regulated by dampers in the flues.
The combustion chamber may either have an ordinary fire grate beneath the
retort or it may be a slow combustion furnace with a deep layer of fuel in which
the retort is imbedded; it is closed at top by a cover made in two halves, by the
removal of which the cover of the retort is rendered accessible. The latter carries
a rising pipe leading to a hydraulic main similar to that of ordinary gas works, the
said pipe being fitted bermetically on to the retort cover by dipping with its
lower end into an annular trough filled with molten lead &c., surrounding an
opening in the cover, so that when it is required to charge the retort, the rising
pipe simply has to be lifted out of the trough, to facilitate which it is preferably
connected to the horizontal part of the pipe leading to the hydraulic main by
means of articulated joints. In passing through the water in the hydraulic main,
the gas from the retort is to a certain extent purified and freed from dust; from
the hydraulic main the gas passes through a coke scrubber whereby it is farther
purified and it is then passed into a gas holder for use. The gas is, if, necessary,
enriched by admixture in the retort of hydrocarbons such as the residues of
petroleum distillation.
Dated this 12th day of December 1895.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Combustible Gas.
I, LOUIS DENAYROUZE, of 70 Boulevard Victor-Hugo, Neuilly, (Seine)
France, 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 :-
In my previous Specifications No. 22615 of 1894, Nos. 4494, 7722 and 14053
of 1895 I have described methods of and apparatus for effecting the intimate
mixing together of combustible gas and air for combustion in Bunsen burners for
incandescence gas lighting and other purposes.
My present invention has for its object the utilisation, for the production of
poor combustible gases suitable for the above purpose, of all kinds of waste
carbonaceous products or organic matter or residues of little or no value resulting
from various industries, such as waste animal matter, grease, fat from wool
washings, residues from the distillation of petroleum &c, also sewage matter,
foeces and the like, either with or without the admixture of richer carbonaceous
matter. For this purpose I subject such substances to destructive distillation and
farther treatment by means of apparatus as I will describe with reference to the
accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 shews a vertical section of the complete
apparatus.
It consists of a furnace of brickwork A in which is suspended a cast iron retort
with flat bottom B. The retort is closed by a cover C which is made to close air
tight by dipping into a trough d filled with molten lead. The fire grate E is
arranged for burning any kind of combustible matter, and the products of
combustion after circulating round the retort B, escape through the chimney F,
the draught of the latter being regulated by a damper f. The top of the furnace
is closed by a cover G made in two parts which can be separately withdrawn so as
to enable the cover C of the retort to be raised.
On the cover C is fixed a pipe H which leads the gas generated to the hydraulic
main I; the pipe H rests with its lower end in an annular trough filled with molten
lead; it has at top two articulated joints h and h', which allow of its being
raised when it is desired to remove the cover of the retort for charging or
discharging.
From the pipe H the gas passes through the hydraulic maiu I where it is
subject to a preliminary washing and is freed from solid matters and the small
amount of tar which in some cases may have been carried along with it. From
the hydraulic main it passes to the coke scrubber J where it is washed and freed
from the small amount of ammonia and sulphurous acid which it may contain. It
is then ready to be used for illuminating purposes. If it be desired to determine
accurately the quantity of gas produced, and to render the supply perfectly
constant, it is of advantage to employ a small gas meter K and a gas holder L.
From the gas holder, which is a very good regulator of pressure, the gas passes
to the lamps such as M, having a burner composed of several incandescence
mantles.
The apparatus operates as follows:
The fire being lit, the retort is heated to a dull-red heat; the furnace may be
supplied with fuel by a hopper in a similar manner to well known slow combustion
stoves, so as to simplify the firing as much as possible. The retort being heated
to redness, the lead in the joints is melted, and the cover C and pipe H can then
be withdrawn, the retort is then rapidly charged with the material to be distilled
which is for this purpose previously filled into a suitable casing, so as to constitute
a kind of cartridge.
As above stated, the said materials may be of a very diverse nature, such as

page_text: waste fatty matters, sewage matter, foeces &c. or mixtures of such substances, to
which may be added any cheap hydrocarbons, such as the residues of petroleum
distillation.
Fig. 2 shews to a larger scale a similar apparatus of a smaller size, where B is
the retort, E the fire grate, H the discharge tube, J the scrubber and L the gas-
holder. This apparatus is heated by means of fuel introduced through a shoot O
into the annular space X surrounding the retort B, in which space it gradually
descends, as it is consumed on the grate, so that the apparatus requires very little
attention.
By means of this apparatus a very rich and cheap gas is obtained, but which
cannot be directly burnt, and can only give good results in combination with my
system of illumination, described in the before mentioned specifications. It is not
suitable by itself for illumination, and in the Bunsen burners of ordinary incan-
descent lamps it would give a very indifferent effect. When however it is
intimately mixed with air by stirring by means of the apparatus described in my
said specifications, it is converted into a homogeneous mixture having considerable
calorific powers, and burning completely and effectually.
It will be seen that the above described apparatus has no purifier combined
with it beyond the scrubber.
Such purification is not necessary, because of the perfect nature of the
combustion by means of my said burners.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The manufacture of combustible gas suitable for burning in apparatus such
as are described in my hereinbefore mentioned prior specifications, by the
distillation of waste material such as waste fatty matters, residues from the
distillation of petroleum, tar, sewage matters, foeces, such gas being either enriched
or not with heavy oils, naphtha, petroleum, or similar hydrocarbons, and being
then intimately mixed with air in my said apparatus before entering into
combustion, substantially as described.
2. Apparatus for generating combustible gas such as is referred to in the first
claim, constructed and operating as herein described with reference to Fig. 1 of
the drawings.
3. Apparatus for generating combustible gas such as is referred to in the first
claim, constructed and operating as herein described with reference to Fig. 2 of
the drawings.
Dated this Q1ot doy of August 1898
ABEL & IMRAY.
Agents for the Applicant.