US1150983A - Acetylene-gas generator. - Google Patents

Description

Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

D. R. WAY.

ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20. 1913.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co wAsHlNcTos, n c.

DAVID B. WAY, or FAIRFIELI), IOWA.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

Application filed May 20, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, DAVID R. WAY, citizen of the United States, residing at Fairfield, in the county of Jefferson and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Acetylene-Gas Generators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to generators for the production of acetylene gas from carbid, and particularly to certain improvements in the construction illustrated and described in my Patent No. 1,094,280, granted April 2, 191 1.

One object of my invention is the provision of a generator of the character referred to in which the generator may be recharged without permitting air to enter the gas holder and not requiring that the lights or stove to which thegenerator is connected be cut ofl".

Another object of the invention is the provision of an inverted conical bottom with an opening disposed directly at the apex of the cone, this opening being connected to the pipe line coming at one side of the tank and rising to the surface of the ground whereby a pump can be attached to permit the residuum to settle at the lowest point of the tank and be pumped out without opening the apparatus.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

' Figure 1 is a vertical diametrical section through the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the three-way valve.

Referring to the drawing, 2 designates a receptacle or tank having a removable coverat its upper end extending down into the ground and closed at its lower end by means of the bottom plate 3. The upper end of the tank is closed by a removable cover 70.

Disposed adjacent the bottom of the tank but spaced therefrom is an annular false bottom designated 6 supported upon the side wall of the tank by means of an annular angle iron. The false bottom is inclined upward and centrally at a slight angle to the horizontal and the central opening of the false opening is formed with the upwardly extending flange or wall 8. Resting upon the upper end of this wall is an inverted conical hopper 9 having an opening 10 at its center. Disposed at one point in the false bottom 6 is an upwardly Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

Serial No. 768,822.

extending pipe 11 and mounted over this pipe in telescopic engagement therewith is a cap 12. This cap near its lower end is provided with a plurality of small holes 13. The upper end of the pipe 11 is crossed by a spider 14c. Passing through the spider is a bolt 15 which extends up through the top of the cap. This bolt has sliding engagement with the spider 14 and permits the cap to move up and down within the limited distance.

Disposed within the tank 2 and movable up and down therein is a gas holder designated 16. This gas holder is annular in form, that is, it is provided with the outer wall 17 and the inner-wall 18. These outer and inner walls extend down nearly to the false bottom 6 when there is relatively little gas in the gas holder. Attached to the inside face of the inner wall 18 of the gas holder are the upwardly extending supports 19 preferably formed of strap iron. The upper ends of these supports are perforated at a number of points as at 20 and adjustably mounted upon these supports is a cross bar 21 of angle iron. The upper end of the gas holder is provided with handles 22 whereby the gas holder may be manually raised. I

Disposed beneath the false bottom 6 of the tank 2 and immediately above the bottom 3 of the tank is an inverted conical bottom 23 with an opening at its middle from which extends a draw-ofl pipe 241: which extends out through a thimble 4 inthe wall of the tank and then extends upward as at 25 to a point above the ground and preferably to a point opposite the upper end of the tank 2. The upper end of this pipe is closed by means of a cap 26 through which passes a rod 27 of a water level indicator, the lower end of this rod being provided with a float This float is normally supported by water at the level indicated in the drawing. The lower part of the tank is, of course filled with water to the level indicated and above this water level and below the false bottom 6 there is disposed the gas discharge pipe 29. This pipe has one leg extending up ward as at 30 through the false bottom 6 and into the gas holder 16, this leg being of course open at its upper end. The pipe 29 extends out through the side wall of the tank 2 and then extends upward and is connected by means of a coupling 31 to a vertical pipe 32 and to an-elbow 33, which in turn is connected to a relatively large filter pipe 34 from whose upper end extends a service pipe 35. The upper end of the pipe 32 is continued above the ground and at its upper end is closed by means of a locked venting valve 36. of any suitable construction. Ordinarily the upper end of the pipe 32 is entirely closed by the venting valve but when it is desired to permit the escape of gas from the gas tank, the venting valve may be opened. The filter referred to may be of any suitable construction and forms no part of the present invention.

Disposed within the pipe 29 is a three-way valve 37 of any suitable construction having.

an opening at each end and an opening in its bottom. Attached to the valve is a handle 38 which normally extends horizontally within the space between the false bottom 6 and the water level below, and from this handle extends an actuating rod 39.. This actuating rod extendsv up through a water sealing tube 40 attached to the false bottom just inward of the inner wall 18 'of the gas chamber. Attached to the rod is an inverted tube 41 which extends. down over and has telescopic engagement with the tube 40. These'two tubes in connection with the water seal form means for preventing the escape of gas up through the tube AD. In order to permit the arm or handle 38 to shift with relation to the rod 39, the end of the handle is slotted as at 42. The object of the, three-way valve and its connections will be later stated.

' Disposed within the central passage formed by the wall 18 of the, gas holder is a circular casing ell. This casing is closed at its upper end by means of a diaphragm 45 but is open at its lower end and rests upon the false bottom 6. The casing 44E constitutes a carbid holder and intermediate its length is formed with a conic-a1 bottom 46, The axis of this inverted cone forming the bottom is eccentric to the center of the casing id as illustrated in Fig. 2 and at the apex of the cone there is. provided the discharge opening 47. This is formed in one side of the apex and not at the extreme lower end thereof. Passing through the top 45.. of the casing and extending down nearly to the discharge opening 47 of the bottom 46 is a pipe, constituting a supporting rod designated 48'. This pipe carries at its lower end the outwardly and downwardly flared deflector 49. The upper end of the pipe is closed by means of a'valve or cock 50 whose function will be later described.

Passing through the bottom 46 and through Passing centrally upward through the cap 52 and into the pipe 51 is a shaft 54. The lower end of this shaft below the cap 52 is provided with a spider 55 held to the shaft I The feed pans are adapted to tilt at the.

point where the carbid is discharged.

The'feed pans and the mechanism whereby they are intermittently operated are fully described and illustrated in my Patent No.

1,095,280, of April 22, 1914 and forms the,

subject matter of said patent. Therefore, no specific description of this feeding mechanism is believed to be necessary.

The cover 70 for the tank 2 may be of any suitable construction as before stated and is preferably made of sheet metal and reinforced by angle irons 71 at its margin. The; I

face of the cover is provided with handles 72 and the center of the cover is provided with a housing 73 within which is contained a register of. any description designated generally 74. This register is provided .withan outwardly projecting arm 75 from which depends a chain 7 6 to the lower extremity of which is attached a weight 77. This weight normally rests in a weight socket 78.

carried upon the cross bar 21. The, lower end of this weight socket is provided with the inverted conical member 7 9 which is. disposed immediately above the cap 51 so as to. contact with said cap when the gas holder has fallen a predetermined distance. As the weight socket 78 travels downward with the gas holder, the weight 77 will of course fol: low it, thus; depressing the arm 7 5. Upon an upward movement of the gas holder the weight will be lifted thus permitting the raising of the arm 7 5 and a registration of the reciprocation made by the gas holder.

It is to be particularly noted that the feeding mechanism is all contained within the casing 44 and that the upper end of this casing or chamber is closed except for the aperfalse bottom 6 and that the casing'may be readily removed by simply lifting it up through the central. passage formed by the wall 18. This permits the feeding mechanism to be readily repaired when necessary.

The operation of my invention is as follows. The lower end of the tankbelow the false bottom 6 is filled with water up to. the level 00, this Water of course extending up intov the pipe 25 to the same level. Water is also. filled into the tank 2 above the false 3 This point is just below the upper end of-the pipe ll but is considerably below the upper end of thepipe 30. Water Orother' suitable sealing medium is also placed within the pipe 51 to the level indicatedby z.

The-hopper is chargedby removing the cover '70 and removing a cap 80" or plug which closes the upper end of the carbid receptacle. When the carbid receptacle is filled, a portion thereof will be discharged through the opening 47 onto the pivoted feed pan disposed. immediately below the opening. A feed of carbid isinitially discharged onto the hopper-like diaphragm 9.

The carbid will be discharged from the hopper and thence into the generating space below the false bottom 6 and into the water. The gas generated by'contact of the carbid with the water will when the pressure is great enough, forcethe cap 12=on the pipe 11 upward until the water seal is'broken,

whereupon the gas will be discharged into the gas holder. This will cause the gas holder to rise. Thegas as it is used will pass out through the pipe- 30 from the ga'sholder and will be discharged through the filter 3e and so to the service pipes. used, the gas holder 16 will fall and eventually the member 7 9 will contact with the cap 51*. A further downward movement of the gas-holder or bell16, will cause the discharge of a predetermined amount of carbid into the water of the generating chamber. The gas generated by the dropping of the carbid into the water will again raise the bell and permit the apparatus'to take its initial position. It will thus be seen that the carbid can not pass through the opening in the bottom of the holder any faster than the movement of the feed pans allows and this movement is regulated by the generation and consumption of the gas It will be seen that the operation is entirely automatic and that the carbid will flow through the opening in the hopper exactly as fast as required by the consumption of the gas. In case the pipe 35 should become broken, or in case the vending valve 36 be opened and the consumption or escape of the gas should be in excess of its generation, the

bell 'or'gas holder 16 would settle to its low-- est position and remain there. As the bell can not rise, the mechanism operating the feed of the carbid will be stopped. No more carbid will be supplied and the generator becomesdead. Consequently there will be no danger of filling the building full of gas should the service pipe 35 be broken or of wasting the carbid should the pipe 32 be opened. This is important both from the standpoint of economy and of safety.

The carbid holder is intended to hold enough carbid to last two or three months without having to be recharged and home As the gas is ception of the opening inthe top through which the carbid may be filled into the holder and the discharge opening in the bottom. The opening in the top of the carbid chamber is closed by the plug cap but the lower'opening 81 is open at all times, thus differing. from the construction illustrated in my patent above referred to wherein the lowerend of the hopper 9 is closed by a conical-valve supported by a flexible connection from the counterbalanced arm. This was for the purpose of normally preventing the passage of gas from the generating chamber below the diaphragm 9 into the space above the diaphragm and so into the hopper, but there is no necessity for this in the present construction inasmuch as the carbid is contained within the closed carbid casing.v v I By providing the three-way valve 37 between the pipe30 and the pipe 32, Iprovide means whereby the generator may be recharged while the lights are-burning and without causing the lights to be put out; This three-way valve, however, also permits the recharging of the generator in daylight hours. It will be particularly noted that in my present invention it is not necessary to remove the bell vor gas holder 16 in order to recharge thecarbid holder and that when the cover 7 0 is removed no gas will escape. 00

The conical shaped bottom 23 to the tank causes the residual matter left after the carbid has beenacted upon by the water to pass to the lowest point of the bottom and as this lowest point is connected to the pipe line it is possible to pump out the residuum without opening the machine.

The gas inlet pipe 11 with the cap 12 constitutes a telescopic conductor leading from the gas generating chamber into the gas 10 holder through the Water seal. Inasmuch as the cap or upper section of this conductor has telescopic engagement with the lower section, the gas pressure in the generating chamber will act to force this cap upward allowing the water seal to break easily. When the pressure below is relieved, the cap will drop down to its original position, deepening the Water seal in the gas holder and retainingthe gas so that it can not escape into the lower chamber.

- It will further be seen that the feed mechanism is not contained within the gas holder as -.it-was in my patent before referred to,

butthat it is placed in the center of the gas 5 supply of carbid in the hopper. As the hell or gas holder lowers, the weight 77 lowers with it, thus pulling the lever down. When the gasholder rises, the weight rises with it, thus permitting the lever of the registering mechanism to return to its initialposition ready for another count. By thisjmeans it is easy to ascertainhow many feeds of carbid have been discharged into the generat ing chamber and to calculate thereforehow much carbid remains in the hopperand when it will need refilling. I I

The recharging of the apparatus is accomplish'ed in the following manner: To recharge the apparatus While the lightsare burning in the house, the lever 38 is pushed down to the lowest point, that is, to the nor mal position occupied by it as shown in-Fig. 5. The cock 50 on the top of the carbid chamber is then opened. This permits air to pass down through the pipe 48 into the generating chamber. The cap '26 is then removed and the pipe 25 is connected to a pump. Pumping is begun and as the car bid-chamber is opened to the air through the pipe 48,, the vacuum is relieved. This would not be the case were'no air admitted. The residue together with the liquid in the bottom ofthe generating chamber is pumped out untilthe bottom of the generating chamber is entirely clear. vThe pump connection is then removed and a funnel is placed in the pipe 25 at the pump connection and the necessary amount of water is returned to the generating chamber to bring the water level to its normal position. Thecap 80 is then removed from. the carbid holder and a.

charge. is poured into the. holder. The cover 80. is then replaced and the carbid fed mechanism manually actuatedto cause the feed pans to move forward and drop a definite quantity of carbid into the water in the bottom of the generating chamber. The gas so generated forces the air which has beeniadmitted into the generating chamber upward and outward through the pipe 48 and the cook 50. Inasmuch as the gas holder was full of gas when the operation of recharging was begun, it will be plainthat the lights will continue to burn during the operation. v

In order to recharge the generator in daylight hours, the globe valve 82 on house line is first closed which prevents the air from entering the distribution system. The threeway valve is then pulled upward to its highest point, thus closing the opening from the gas holder through the pipe 30 to .the service line and establishing communication between the pipe 29 and the generating chamber and the lock cut-0E 36 is then opened in the riser pipe. There is thus a direct connection from the open end of the riser pipe 32 into the generating chamber which accomplishes theflsame end as opening generator without the necessity the cock 5O in the operation previously stated. The operationth'en-is the same as far as filling the carbid chamber is eon-- cerned, removing the material from the bottom; of the generating chamber and then.recharging carbid into the generating chamber except that'two feeds of carbid aredropped into the generating chamber instead of one so as to force the air out. Thelocked vending valve cap B6 is then closed and the three-way lever handleBS is forced .down to its lowest position. The pipe 60 is then forced downward once so as tocause one feed more of carbid to drop into the generating chamber which will generate gas which nowpasses up into the gas container in th e regular way. a v It will be seen th' t there is no interruption while the gas is burning when recharging and that there is no, loss of gas from the gas holder whether the device be charged during the day or night. It will also be seen that the operation o recharging in either case is a very simple one.

It will be seen that my invention is entirely automatic in its action, that provision is made for, detecting leakage of gas through the service pipe and preventing any leakage of gas from the gas holder or from the generator, and that further provision ismade for permitting the, refilling of the carbid container or holder without having to close off the servicefpipes when gas-is being used, and that provision is also made whereby the residuum may be easily removed from the of opening up the machine.

What I claim is:

1. In a gas genera-tor of the character described,- a tank, a gas holder water sealed at its lower end and supported in said tank, a generating chamber in the lower portion of the tank and opening into the gas holder, a discharge pipe leading from the open lower end of the gas holder and passing to the exterior of the tank through the generatin chamber, and a valve in said pipe adapted to establish co'mm'unication between the up per portion of the generating chamber and the discharge pipe and cutoff communica- 115, tion between said discharge pipe and the gas holder or open communication between the discharge pipe and the gas holder and cut off communication between the generating chamber and the discharge pipe.

2. In agas generator of the character described, a tank having a false bottom, the space below said falsebottom constituting a generating "chamber, means. for discharging carbid into said generating chamber, a gas 125 holding hell disposed in the tank above the false bottom and water sealed at its lower end, a pipe leading from the generatingchamber into the gas holding bell, a pipe leading from the gas holding bell through 130 said false bottom into the generating cham ber and then out of said generating chamber, said pipe having an opening into the upper portion of the generating chamber, and a valve in said pipe adapted to open communication between the bell and the discharge pipe and simultaneously cut off communication with the upper portion of the generating chamber or open communication between the upper portion of the generating chamber and the discharge pipe and simullgailileously cut off communication with the 3. In a generator of the character described, a tank having an annular false bottom, the space below the false bottom constituting a generating chamber, the central opening of the false bottom being defined by an upwardly extendingwall, an annular vertically movable gas holding bell supported within the tank abovethefalse bottom thereof, a carbid holder supported within the central opening of the bell and discharging into the generating chamber below the false bottom, means actuated by a fall of the bell for discharging a regulated amount of carbid from the holder into the generating chamber, a pipe leading from the generating chamber into the open lower end of the bell, a pipe leading from the open end of the bell through the false bottom into the generating chamber and then out therefrom, a valve disposed within the pipe and located in the upper portionv of the generating chamber and adapted when turned in one position to establish communication between the gas holding bell and the discharge pipe and cut off communication between said discharge pipe and the upper portion of the generating chamber, or establish communication between the generating chamber and the discharge pipe and cut ofi commimication from the bell, and means whereby said valve may be manually operated.

4. In a gas generator of the character de scribed, a tank having a false bottom, the space below the false bottom constituting a generating chamber, a gas holding bell disposed within the tank above the false bottom and water sealed at its lower end, a pipe leading from the generating chamber through the water seal and opening into the bell, a pipe leading from the open end of the bell through the false bottom into the generating chamber and then out of said whereby the valve may be operated by hand.

5. In a generator of the character described, a tank having an annular false bottom, the space below the false bottom constituting a generating chamber, the central opening of the false bottom being defined by an upwardly extending wall, an annular vertically movable gas holding bell supported within the tank above the false bottom thereof, a carbid holder supported within the opening of the bell and discharging into the generating chamber below the false bottom, means for feeding carbid from the car bid holder, a pipe leading from the generating chamber into the open lower end of the bell, a pipe leading from the open end of the bell through the false bottom into the generating chamber and then out therefrom, a valve disposed within the pipe and adapted when turned in one direction to establish communication between the bell and the discharge pipe and cut off communication between said discharge pipe and the generating chamber or when moved in the other direction establishing communication between the generating chamber and the discharge pipe and cut off communication from the bell, an arm extending from said valve, and a rod passing through the false bottom and between the inner wall of the bell and the annular upwardly extending wall of the false bottom and being provided with a handle at its upper end, and a sleeve surrounding said rod and attached to the false bottom.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID R. WAY. [L. s.]

Witnesses:

FRANK LIGHT, R. F. WILSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissionen of IPatents, Washington, I). G."

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