Improvements in Manufacturing Gas.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 24th June, 1889-Accepted, 27th July, 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Manufacturing Gas.
A communication from WILLIAM GOODWIN WOOD, of the Town of Windsor, in
the County of Essex, Province of Ontario, Canada, Mining Engineer.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 323 High Holborn, London, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, 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 drawings :-
This invention relates to improvements in the process of manufacturing gas and
the apparatus therefor.
This invention consists in carrying on the process of generating hydrogen gas and
of carburetting atmospheric air together in one operation, so that the hydrogen gas
in its nascent state is combined with the carburetted air to produce a more fixed
gas, richer in hydrogen and therefore better adapted to be used for fuel or illuminating
purposes than the gas ordinarily produced by carburetting air. This process further
consists in the application of electricity to obtain certain results as. hereinafter
described in the drawings which accompany this specification.
The invention also consists in the peculiar construction of an apparatus for
carrying out the process of making gas.
Figure 1, is an elevation partially in section showing the general arrangement of
a plant for producing gas by this process.
Figure 2 is an end elevation showing the generator as modified to apply electricity.
Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line a, a, in Figure 2; and
Figure 4 is a vertical central section through the carburetter.
A is an air pump or blower driven by suitable power.
B, B' are the gas generators, and C is a gas-holder of any suitable description.
A pipe D, leads from the pump to the generators and is connected therewith by
means of the branch pipes E and E', which enter near the top of the generators and
extending downwardly terminate in a perforated portion F, F¹, at or near the bottom
thereof.
The top of the generator is connected with the pipe D by means of the branch
connections G and G. Each of these. branch connections are valved, and valves H
are placed in the main pipe D.
The generators are preferably cylindrical in form, constructed of any suitable
material-preferably with a detachable head or suitable man-holes-and are filled
inside with alternate layers of iron filings, zinc turnings, sulphate of copper and
sponge. The sponge before being used is thoroughly freed from all animal marter by
washing it in a suitable solution and then drying it; and the sulphate of copper is
preferably introduced in the form in which it is placed on the market.
Into the bottom of the generator enters a pipe I, which is provided with a waste
valve J and a valve connection with a hand pump K or other equivalent device for
injecting the liquid charge into the generator.
In practice, the apparatus being constructed and arranged as described, the gas is
generated in the following manner: By closing the waste valve J and opening the
valve between the pump K and the generator sulpheric acid of suitable strength is
forced into the generator to a certain height above its bottom, the acid being supplied
to the pump through the suction pipe K¹ from a suitable reservoir. Before or after
introducing the acid, some crude oil, naptha or other suitable liquid hydro-carbon is
introduced in the same manner by the use of the pump K, or otherwise. The
connection between the pump K and generator being then closed, the valves in the
branch pipes E and E' and G and G' are opened and the valves H, H closed. The

page_text: air pump is then set in motion, whereby the air is forced through the pipe E into the
generator B, issuing in small jets through the perforated portion F in said pipe.
This causes an ebullition of the liquid in the generator and brings the acid in
intimate contact with the materials contained in the generator as described. Chemical
action will therefore take place between the acid and the zinc and iron which results
in the generation of hydrogen gas, which mixes with the air and rises to the top of
the generator and passes through the pipe G into the pipe D, and from there is
conducted to the pipe E' into, the second generator, in which the same process takes
place as in the first generator, and from this the gas finds its way through the pipe G
back into the main pipe D, which conducts it to the gas holder. At the same time
with the production of hydrogen gas the air which is introduced by the pump A
escapes through the perforated pipe F into the first generator, and there, in addition
to causing the mechanical action of ebullition, which assists in the generation of
large masses of hydrogen gas, becomes charged with the volatile portions of the liquid
hydrocarbon in the generator and mingling with the hydrogen passes into the second
generator, where it is still further carburetted and finally enters the gas-holder mixed
with the hydrogen. In bringing the hydrogen gas in its nascent state, that is at
the very instant at which it is generated, in contact with the carburetted air, some
hydrogen gas will chemically unite with the hydro-carbon gases and form a mixed
gas which in mixing with the carburetted air and uncombined hydrogen forms a gas
much superior in heating quality to the ordinary gas obtained from coal or by
carburetting air.
The illuminating quality of the gas obtained depends entirely upon the amount of
carburetted air contained in the mixture and this can be varied to any desired degree,
by increasing or decreasing the quantity of air and liquid hydro-carbons introduced
into the generator. Should it however be desired to make fuel gas and illuminating
gas with the same charge in the generator then it may be found preferable to charge
the generator or generators in a suitable manner to produce fuel gas, that is gas with
a lesser quantity of carburetted air and then pass the gas before storing it in the
holder through a suitable carburetting device, such as shown in Fig. 4. This
carburetter consists of a box L, divided into a number of compartments M, by
means of partitions N and O, which alternately leaves a space at the bottom or top.
Some of the compartments are filled with charcoal saturated with crude oil or other
suitable liquid hydro-carbons and one or more are reversed for containing water or other
washing fluid, such as soap suds. From this carburetter the gas is conducted into a
gas holder in the usual manner and will be found then to be endowed with the
highest quality.
If the material becomes spent in the generators, the valve J in the pipe I may be
opened and the contents allowed to waste, and then the new liquid may be introduced
as before described.
The sponge introduced into the generators has an important mechanical action in
that it brings the materials into intimate contact with each other by its porous
nature, which allows a small amount of acid to act throughout the generator; and
the air; in addition to increasing the output of gas, acis also in a mechanical way to
accelerate the generation of hydrogen gas.
The iron turnings and sulphate of copper form an important element in the genera-
tion. Small particles of the sulphate of copper by the violent action in the generator
are brought into contact with the iron filings, and these, in addition to being capable
of setting free the hydrogen gas under the action of the sulpheric acid, act chemically
on the sulphate of copper by producing metallic copper which forms, in combination
with the zinc turnings and the acid in the generator, a galvanic battery producing
local electric current through the whole contents of the generator, and this electrical
action, as is well known, has the peculiar effect of stimulating the chemical actions
and of eliminating or precipitating some obnoxious matters, notably sulphur, contained
in the crude petroleum, furnishing thereby a gas free from all sulphuretted
hydrogen.

page_text: It is well known that the generation of bydrogen gas for fuel gas, while it is the best
gas obtainable, is too costly to produce, but in generating it jointly and mixing
intimately with carburetted air a gas is produced equally desirable, a great dea
cheaper and having none of the disadvantages of hydrogen, such as its lack of illumi-
nating quality and its small specific gravity.
A further addition to this mode of generating gas, which may or may not be used,
is represented in Figure 2, in which P shows a dynamo or other generator of elec-
tricity, and Qand R aro copper or zinc rods extending through the contents of the
generator from top to bottom or nearly so, and projecting out through the base, the
generator being supported preferably by columns.
These copper and zinc rods are respectively connected with the generator to form
the poles thereof, as shown in Fig. 3.
Now it will be seen that if the dynamo is set in motion the Rods Q and R become
respectively anodes and cathodes, and, provided a suitable current is applied,
electrolysis will take place, that is the metal salts contained in the generator will be
educed just as in the process of electro-plating.
Thus by the application of electricity I can produce metallic zinc again by reducing
it from its salt into which it has been converted by the action of the sulpheric acid in
generating hydrogen.
The rods and Rare made preferably of zinc and copper so as to produce a
galvanic current in the generator by forming the elements of a battery in connection
with the acid in the generator.
The electric current from the dynamo need be applied only at intervals.
It is obvious that one generator alone will form a complete plant or apparatus, but
two or more combined as shown, are preferably used for the purpose of making the
manufacture of gas continuous, as it will be seen that either generator may then be
disconnected and recharged while the other generator is in operation, and thus the gas
making can be carried on continuously. Instead of connecting the generators in
series, each may be independently connected with the gas-holder.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The herein described method of manufacturing fuel or illuminating gas, consist-
ing in generating gas and carburetting air in such intimate contact with each other
in the same generator that the hydrogen may chemically combine in its nascent state
with the hydro-carbon gas produced by carburetting atmospheric air, substantially as
described.
2, The herein described method of manufacturing fuel or illuminating gas consisting
in generating hydrogen gas and carburetted air in intimate contact with each other in
the same generator and under the constant influence of a galvanic current produced
in the generator itself and an exterior current intermittently applied to produce
electrolysis, substantially as described.
3. In an apparatus for manufacturing fuel or illuminating gas, the combination of the
air pump or blower A, the generator B, the gas holder C, the connections D, E and G
between said generator and gas-holder and the charge for generating hydrogen gas
and carburetted air simultaneously, substantially as described.
4. The combination with the air pump, gas holder and generator connected and
arranged substantially, as described, of the alternate layers of iron and zinc turnings,
sulphate of copper and sponge and the generating acid and hydron-carbon, substan-
tially as described.
5. The combination with the air pump A, the generator B, the valved pipes D, E
and G, the perforated pipe F, the valved pipe I, the pump K connected thereto and
the charge in the generator adapted to generate hydrogen and carburetted air in the
manner, substantially as described.
6. The combination with the air pump A, the generator B, connected thereto, as

page_text: described, and having the generating charge adapted to generate hydrogen and
carburetted air as described, of the zinc and copper rods Q and Rand.the.electrical.
generator P, all arranged to operate, substantially as described..
Dated thin the The 100μ
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT.
Agents.