CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS
Year: 1830

page_text: WPERS
ATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
COWPER, of Streatham Place, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His late Majesty King George the Fourth did, by His Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Twelfth day of February, in the eleventh year of His reign, give and
grant unto me, the said Edward Cowper, His especial licence that I, the
said Edward Cowper, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such
others as I, the said Edward Cowper, my executors, administrators, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times during the term of years therein mentioned; should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Invention of " CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS," communicated to me by a certain Foreigner
residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the
said Edward Cowper, should cause a particular description of the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Edward Cowper, do hereby describe the manner in which the said Invention
is to be performed, by the following description thereof, reference being had
to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
The said Invention relates to the manufacture of gas from oleaginous fluids,
such as oil, solution of rosin in spirits of turpentine or spirit of coal tar, or
fatty substances, such as concrete cocoa-nut oil rendered fluid by heat.
the following description the term "oil" is used to denote any such fluid
.substances..
In
The Invention consists in regulating the supply of oil to the retort in exact
proportion to the quantity of gas consumed-by means of a self-acting governor
or regulator, in consequence of which the large reservoir of gas, commonly
called a gasometer,.is. rendered unnecessary. The annexed Drawing represents
an apparatus suitable for fifty or sixty burners.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation; similar letters of reference indicate similar
parts. A, a retort of cast iron, having an elbow or ascending pipe B at right
angles to the retort at C, and another elbow or ascending pipe D at E. To
the elbow Bis fixed the feed pipe F, connected with the cistern of oil G. A
small-glass-tube-may-be-introduced at E, for the purpose of ascertaining when
any stoppage occurs in the feed pipe. The feed pipe is furnished with three
cocks I; K, and L. To the cock K, which is the feed cock, is attached
lever M, which is worked by the regulator N. The feed cock has a passage
of rather more than the eighth of an inch diameter; it is open when the lever
is horizontal. The apparatus of the regulator consists of three concentric metal
tubes, arranged like the water joint in gas: apparatus; the outer tube O is
about three feet high and about four inches diameter, closed at the bottom and
open at the top. The inner tube P is open at the top, and also open at the
bottom into the iron box Q; the other tube N is the regulator.;, it is open at
the bottom and closes at the top, and is placed between the other two tubes
O and P, the space between which is filled with water. To the top of the
regulator is fixed a wire or light rod R, running through a hole in the
bracket S. To steady it a cord may be attached to the end of this rod,
and carried over a pulley with a balance-weight at the other end. A brass
boss T, furnished with a small tray to hold weights to produce the required
pressure, slides on the rod R, and may be fixed at pleasure, by the set
Screw V. On the brass boss is a stud W, which works in the fork of the
lever M, and thus connects the regulator with the feod cock K. A small pin
in the stud keeps the lever from slipping off the stud. To the elbow Dis

page_text: attached a pipe X leading to the condensing box Y, which is a thin metal
box standing in a tub of water Z. X" is supposed to be the pipe from the
other retort. These pipes are furnished with cocks at a, a. A pipe b ascends
from the condensing box to the refrigerator or worm tub c, which exactly
resembles a distiller's worm tub, being a spiral pipe immersed in a tub
of water. The end of the pipe enters the deposit box d, which receives
the deposit of condensed vapour, &c. A pipe goes from this box to the
burners, and another pipe f goes to the box of the regulator Q. f is
supposed to be a pipe going to the other regulator g. A rod working
through.a stuffing box attached to a piston formed of a plate of iron loosely
fitted to the insides of the elbow D is occasionally drawn up and down to
clean it. The action of the apparatus is as follows:-Put some broken pieces
of coke into the retort and close the ends air-tight in the usual mariner, and
heat the retort to a cherry red. Detach one of the levers M from the
regulator and raise the lever a little above the horizontal position, then open
the cocks I and L, and a portion of oil will descend into the retort; gas will be
immediately formed, and the regulator N will rise as soon as the stud W of the
boss T reaches the fork of the lever. The lever is slipped on to the stud and
kept there by the small pin, and then the apparatus regulates itself as
effectually as a ball-cock regulates the supply of water to a cistern, and as the
ball floats upon the water so the regulator may be said to float upon the gas.
Thus, in an apparatus for 100 burners, if fifty are extinguished, the regulator
immediately ascends, and closes or partially closes the feed cocks; if the fifty
burners are again lighted, the feed cock instantly opens to supply a quantity
of oil in exact proportion to the consumption. If all the burners are extinguished,
the regulator rises and remains up, and completely shuts the feed cock, and no
more gas is produced, for the regulator will not descend till the cocks of the
burners are again opened. If the fire under the retorts be allowed to go out, and
the retorts become cool, of course the gas would cease to be formed. In this case
the regulator would descend rapidly, and the feed cock would rapidly pass the
open position and then become quite closed, allowing time for only a small
portion of oil to pass, so that the retort, even in this case, would not become
surcharged with oil. The dimensions of the regulator are shewn in the
Drawing at a minimum for an apparatus of fifty or sixty common burners;
it may be made with advantage of twice the diameter, but it is disadvantageous
to exceed three times the diameter shewn, as its action upon the feed cock
would be too slow, so that the ordinary gasometer would not answer the
purpose. An objection of an opposite nature lies against the application of a
valve as in the feed pipe of a steam boiler. A cock opens gradually, but a

page_text: valve opens suddenly, and if, the regulator were made to lift á valve to large, a
portion of oil would flow into the retort, and to connect a valve with a common
gasometer would only increase the evil, as the valve would be kept open too
long and be kept closed too long, sometimes overcharging and sometimes
undercharging the retort instead of the exceedingly regular supply and sensitive
movement of the above apparatus. It should be observed; that this regulator
differs most materially from a gasometer or reservoir: of gas, inasmuch as the
gas consumed..does not pass through the regulator, whereas all the gas in
the ordinary apparatus. passes through the gasometer. It is desirable to
have two retorts and two regulators, as shewn in the Drawing, so that if one
retortsshoulds crack, or-the-feed-pipe by accident become choked, the, cocks
connected with that retort may be shut, when the other regulator will instantly,
admit twice the quantity of oil, and continue to regulate the supply.."
I make no claim to the materials nor to the apparatus for producing the
gas or condensing the vapour, &c. ; but I claim the method of regulating the
production of the gas by its consumption', by means of the regulator and feed
cock herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Cowper, have hereunto set my
hand and seal,- this Twelfth day of August, 'in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty.
EDWARD (L.B.) COOPER..
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twelfth day of August, in the
year of our Lord 1880, the aforesaid Edward Cowper came before our said
Lord the King, in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose.
Illed the "Twolfch_dow of Anust in the year of our Lord One.