Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Gas and to Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Manufacture of Gas and to Apparatus
therefor.
We GEORGE HARGREAVES of 18 Seventeenth Street of the City of Detroit, County
of Wayne and State of Michigan one of the United States of America Gentleman
JAMES PARDEE SCRANTON of 551 Congress Street East of the said City of Detroit,
Gentleman, and EDWARDS WILLIAMS PORTER of 38 Winder Street of the said City
of Detroit Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
inanner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
The invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the parts,
whereby all loss from the evaporation of the gasoline in the storage tank is
avoided; whereby, further, every drop of the gasoline or other hydro-carbon is
converted into gas without leaving a residuum, as in the ordinary processes, and
whereby, further, the whole apparatus is of very simple construction, easily manipu-
lated and operates automatically, all as more fully hereinafter described and shown
in the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a diagram elevation of our apparatus partially in section, showing the
construction, arrangement and operation of the parts.
Fig. 2 is a detail showing the construction of the carburetor, as more specifically
hereinafter referred to.
A is a closed storage tank for containing a suitable quantity of hydro-carbon which
is introduced through a suitable fill-opening, preferably a pipe B entering the top of
the tank on which is a valve and a suitable coupling D, by means of which
connection may be made with the tank-car; pipe-line, or other source of supply from
which the gasoline is procured: Where circumstances perniit, this storage tank is
preferably placed underground in a suitable cellar or vault, a suitable distance away
from the apparatus.
Two pipes E and F connect with the storage tank, the former into the bottom and
the other into the top of the tank; the pipe F connects the air-pumps G with the
storage tank for the purpose of charging the top of the tank with compressed air, for
two purposes, first, to prevent loss from evaporation by preventing the free contact of
the gasoline with the outer air, and second, for the purpose of elevating the gasoline
in the feed-pipe E.
A check valve H is placed in the pipe F to prevent the air-pressure in the tank
from escaping back through the pipe F, and an ordinary valve I is also preferably.
placed in the same pipe between the check valve and the tank, for ordinary
contingencies.
J is the carburetor which is placed above the level of the gas tank, and consists
substantially of a cylindrical vessel, provided with a detachable head and a support K
secured in the axle thereof, and upon which are sleeved a vertical series of spirally
inclined planes L, as shown in detail in Fig. 2. These spirals are preferably made of
metal and each forms just one turn. In arranging them upon the support K, the
spirals do not form a continuous pathway; but each is turned back about one quarter
of a revolution to the one next above it, and the edges of the spirals extend into
contact with the walls of the vessels J.
The feed pipe E enters the top of the vessel J and is provided at or near its
discharge end with a so-called "needle valve" M, with one or more openings for
discharging the oil, or other suitable valve, for regulating the flow of the oil into the
top of the vessel. The bottom of the vessel J is provided with a waste pipe N con-
trolled by a suitable valve, and a connection O with the air feeding pipe F, in which
connection there is placed an ordinary valve P, and a pressure valve Q which may be

page_text: set to open at a fixed pressure. A pipe R leads from the top of the carburetor into
the bottom of another vessel S, which constitutes the purifier, and in which there are
different layers of purifying material TT T, etc. separated by perforated diaphragms.
The materials used for purifying may be of the well known kind, such as iron sponge
at the bottom, animal or wood charcoal for the next layer, and then kaolin or other
absorbent etc. This purifying tank has a connection U, controlled by a suitable valve,
with the air-feeding pipe F. A pipe V controlled by a suitable valve V₁ leads from
the top of the purifier, into the condenser and the pipe W controlled by a valve W1
and having a check valve W2 leads from the top of the purifier into the gasometer,
which is constructed and arranged in the usual manner, and which is arranged to
automatically control the apparatus in the following manner. A vertical rod a is
risingly and fallingly secured in suitable bearings in proximity to the gasometer, and
two stops and are adjustably secured upon this rod; an arm e projects from the
gasometer and slidingly engages upon the rod a, the lower end of this rod a pivotally
connects to one end of a lever d. e is a belt-shifting rod which is slidingly actuated
by its ongagement with the lever d, to shift the driving belt of the air pump from the
with
loose onto the fast pulley, and vice-versa. One arm of the bell-crank fengages
this belt-shifting rod and the other arm connected to the bell-crank f' which has a
suitable adjustable connection f2 with the handle f³ of the valve M.
In practice, the parts being constructed and arranged as shown and described,
they are intended to operate as follows; Upon motion being given to the air-pump,
the air is forced first into the storage tank A on top of the hydro-carbon contained
therein, and the result is that the pressure of said air forces the oil up into the
pipe E and through the valve M which is open to a certain degree and feeds the
oil into the top of the carburetor. As soon as the pressure of the air in the air-
feeding pipe Frises above the point at which the valve Q is adjusted; the air will
flow through the connection O into the bottom of the carburetor and passing between
the spirals L in an upward direction is brought into contact with the oil fed into
the top of the carburetor, and is thereby highly carbureted by the time it rises to the
top of the carburetor J, from whence it is then carried through the pipe R into
the bottom of the purifier, and from thence it is conducted into the gas-holder.
The operation of the carburetor is novel in different ways; first, it will be seen that
the oil is fed through the valve M and drips upon the uppermost of the spirals L, and
following the incline of the spiral it drips off the edge into the next lower spiral after
running about three-quarters of a turn, and so on. It will be seen that the oil is thus
spread in a thin sheet by flowing from the surface of the spirals, and again falls
from one spiral to the other through the air against the upward current of the air
passing up from the bottom of the carburetor. Thus the air and oil are brought into
very intimate contact with each other over a very extended path, and if the feed is
properly regulated, all the oil will have been vaporized by the air, without leaving a
residuum.
As the valve Qin the connection O is loaded to a certain pressure, the air will be
discharged into the carburetor at the pressure at which the valve Q is adjusted, and
this pressure is practically maintained within the carburetor, and as a result thereof,
the flow of the oil in a downward direction is opposed by the current of air, and as
it drips from one spiral onto the next one below, is caught and dissolved or sprayed
and thus more readily vaporized; it is obvious that the air being more dense is able
to carry the heavier as well as the lighter hydro-carbons, and consequently all the oil
will be evaporated.
As the feed through the valve M has to overcome the pressure of the air in the
carburetor, the valve Q has to be set so that the pressure opposing the discharge of
the oil through the valve M is less than the pressure back of the oil.
the
To facilitate a proper adjustment in this respect, we place a pressure guage g nea
the valve M, and a similar pressure guage g to communicate with the top. of,
carburetor by placing it preferably into the pipe R at or near the, carburetor. By
observing the two pressure gauges, the valve Q, is then adjusted at such

page_text: pressure that the pressure guage g indicates a lesser pressure than
guage g.
the pressure
The gas, after passing through the purifying tank, escapes into the gas-holder and
as this gas-holder becomes filled, the arm c engages with the stop b, and thereby lifts
up the rod a. This actuates the belt-shifting device and carries the belt on the pump.
from the fast onto the loose pulley; at the same time, the rod fi connected to the
handle of the valve M will be actuated by its described connection with the belt
shifting device to close the valve M and thus shut off the oil. Thus, the further
production of gas is stopped until the holder becomes nearly empty, when the arm c
will strike the lower stop 6' on the rod a, and thereby actuate the belt-shifting device
to set the pump in motion; while, at the same time, the oil is turned on, and the
gas-making is proceeded with until the gas-holder becomes again filled to a point.
regulated by the stops.
It will be observed that the pressure of the air always remains upon the top of the
gasoline in the storage tank, whether in or out of operation, and beyond what quantity
of air is enclosed, there is no fresh air allowed to come into contact with the
oil, and as a consequence, the oil in the tank is not deteriorated, nor can any loss from
evaporation occur.
The connection U of the purifier with the air-feeding device F is for the purpose
of restoring the materials in the purifier after they have lost their purifying action, by
closing the valves which connect it with the carburetor, and the gas-holder respectively
and opening the valves in the connection U with the air-pipe, and in the escape pipe V
by allowing the air to thus blow through the purifier, the material may be restored
or revived to original purity and be used again.
While we preferably use the construction of apparatus shown, obvious modifications
may be made without changing our invention, thus, for instance, more than one feed-
pipe may be used to feed oil into the carburetor, or instead of the spiral pathway,
a series of inclined planes may be formed in the carburetor over which the oil has to
flow, or the diffusing or spraying of the oil may be effected by discharging air in a jet
against the oil as it drips from the discharge nozzle into the carburetor.
What we claim as our invention is:
1. In an apparatus for manufacturing gas, the same consisting of a carburetor
into which the hydro-carbon oil is fed in small quantities under pressure from
a storage tank, an air compressor and feed-pipe, a connection from said air
feed-pipe into the carburetor, and a pressure valve in said connection, substantially
as described.
2. The herein described process for manufacturing gas, the same consisting of a
carburetor into which hydro-carbon oil is diffused or sprayed and brought into intimate
contact with compressed air, a storage tank from which the hydro-carbon is fed
automatically in small quantities into the carburetor, an air-feed pipe receiving com-
pressed air from a suitable air-compressor, a connection from said air-feed pipe, into
the top of the storage tank, a check valve in said' connection for maintaining a
constant pressure of air on the oil in the storage tank, a connection from
said air-pipe into the carburetor, and a pressure valve in said connection, substan-
tially as described.
3. In an apparatus for manufacturing gas, a carburetor provided with an oil-
feeding connection into the top from which the oil is automatically fed in small
quantities under pressure, an air-feeding connection into the bottom and a vertical
series of spiral planes forming an interrupted spiral path adapted to diffuse and
spray the oil by the air current flowing in an opposite direction, substantially as
described.
4. In an apparatus for manufacturing gas, the same consisting of a carburetor, a
storage tank from which the hydro-carbon oil is automatically fed into the carburetor
in small quantities regulated by a feed-valve, an air compressor, a feed-pipe and
connections with the storage tank and the carburetor, a check valve in the air-feed
connection with the storage tank, a pressure valve in the air-feed connection with the

page_text: carburetor, a purifier, a valve-controlled connection between said purifier and the air-
feed pipe, and an exhaust pipe from said purifier and the air-feed pipe and an exhaust
pipe from said purifier all arranged to operate substantially as described.
5. In an apparatus for manufacturing gas, the same consisting of a carburetor into
which the oil is automatically fed in small quantities under pressure, a feed-valve
regulating the feed of the oil, an air-compressor, and air feed pipe having an automatic
pressure valve through which the air passes into the carburetor, a gasometer, a belt-
shifting device operated by the extreme rise and fall of the bell of the gasometer, and
an automatically operating connection between said belt shifter and the oil controlling
feed-valve on the carburetor, substantially as described.
Dated this 3rd day of December 1889.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicants.