US1500594A - Gaseous fukl and process of producing same - Google Patents

Description

Jul 8 1924. 11500594 J .R. ROSE" GASEOUS FUEL AND PROCESS OYF'I-PRODUCINQSAME Fil-ed Aug. 1:5. 1917 2 sheets-slu INVENTOR. 4

' ATTORNEYS.

- 1.500594 v J. RROSE I GASEO US FUEL AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING SAME Filed Aug 13, 1917' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i! e W w N I I INVENTOR.

1 ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 8, 192 1.

. JAMES R. ROSE, OF EDGEWORTH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR' TO CARBO-OXYGEN COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

GASEOUS FUEL AND rnocnss' or raonucrive seam Application filed August 13, 1917, Serial 1Y0. 185,977.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES R. Rose, a citizen of the United States, residing at Edgeworth, in the county of Allegheny and State 1 5 of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Gaseous Fuel and Processes of Producing Same, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had tothe .accompanying drawings. 1 i

This invention relates to a process for the manufacture of gaseous fuel, and more particularly to a process for the production of such fuel as is particularly well adapted for the cutting and welding art, also to anew gas for use in such art. The general object of.

the invention is to produce a fuel Which shall be more eflicient than those which have been "employed heretofore for this purpose and one which may contain desirable proportions of the higher and richer members of the hydrocarbon series as well as a certain amount of carbon monoxide.

Further and more generally stated, the invention may be defined as consisting of the combinations of steps embodied in the claims hereto attached and forming part hereof.

The process is conveniently realized in and throughthe apparatus illustrated in the drawings, wherein Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal vertical sectional view through such apparatus; Fig. 2 a view, partly in section and partly in plan, of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, the section being taken just 85 below the chamber 5 of the generator; and Fig. 3 a detail in elevation of one of-the pieces of refractory material within the generator. v in Y Describing byreference characters the va- M rious parts illustrated herein, 1 denotes the outer shell and 2 the'refractory lining of a generator, the generator being shown as cyindrical. This refractory lining may be of any suitable well-known material, and the 65 generator is so constructed as to provide a front flue 3 and a rear-flue 4.- communicating.

- at their upper ends by a transverse passage way 5, said passageway being formed within the said lining .and filler. Refractory porous material 2 is arranged in checkerwork formation within'the flues 3 and 4.

It will be observed that the bottoms of the lines 3 and 4, are located at a distance above plied through the connection 9) may ample thickness of refractory material 2 is provided below such flues.

6 denotes a partition, preferably of sheet steel, extending transversely across the gen erator between the flues 3 and 4 and extending from the bottom of the generator upwardly to a distance below the top of the refractory dividing wall 2. This partition prevents seepage of gases from the flue on one side thereof to the flue on the opposite side'thereof. 7 denotes. an inlet connection communicating with the front or charging wall of the generator and discharging into the bottom of the flue 3. This connection is provided at its outer end with a gate valve 8 and is extended, as indicated at 9, to a suitable air blower (not shown). 10 denotes a nozzle through which a suitable preheating fluid (such as hydro en, or natural gas, or a mixture of the same mixed with airb(supe 1ntroduced into the bottom of the flue 3 beneath the ambit". This nozzle preferably extends axially into the connection 7 and is adapted to receive the gaseous fuel from the pipes 11 and 11 respectively, each of said pipes having a valve, indicated at 11 and 11 res ec-tivel H dro en may be supplied by'the pipe 11 and natu ral gas through the pipe 11. The hydrogen and natural gas are admitted separately to form the mixture to be treated.

The flues 3 and 4 are provided each with a checker-work filling of porous refractory material, referred to hereinbefore and lndicated at 2', while the transverse flue 5 is provided with'an outlet connection 12 having a weighted blow-off or pressure-relief valve therein, the operating handle whereof is indicated at 13. From the arch 4* at the bottom of the flue 4, there extends an outlet flue 14 the discharge end of which projects into areceptacle 15, the lower end 14 of such flue being sealed by suitable liquid. withinthe said receptacle. Projecting upwardly from the outlet flue 14 is a pipe 16 having a pressure-relief. valve therein similar to the valve, in the pipe 12, the operating handle of the valve being indicated at 17.

From the top of the receptacle 15, andi having its inlet end above the liquid therein, extends a pipe 18 which communicates with the bottom of the scrubbing tank 19, having a series of transverse, perforated partitions 20 therein with suitable porous material 21, such as pumice stone, on said partitions and a spraying nozzle 22 in the upper end thereof above the uppermost partition and the point-of use. From the front of the furnace 1. there project pipes or connections 26 which provide means for applying pyrometers to' the flue 3 or for the application of instruments for estimating the temperature by observation, as by a color test. In operation,

the hydrogen or natural gas or a vmixture of the same, will be introduced into the bottom of the flue 3 from the pipes 11 and 11 together with an excess of air admitted through the connections 7 and 9. This mixture, being ignited, burns in contact with the refractory material 2 in the .fiues 3 and 4 until the desired temperature (not materially lower than 1600 is attained, as indicated by' the pyrometers or sight tubes. The products of combustion resulting from this preheating operation will escape through the upper end of'the pipe 16, the valve being opened or lifted by its handle 17 for the purpose of facilitating the discharge of such gases.

After the blowing-up or preheating opcration. hydrogen and natural gas are sup plied to the generator and are there subjected to a temperature not materially lower than 1600 F. The temperature will be sufficient to dissociate the natural gas into carbon and hydrogen in a nascent condition,

and a recombination will beefiectedwhereby the resultant fixed gas discharged from the generator will contain a higher proportion of hydrogen and a lowerpercentage of methane than were supplied through the connection 7. together with free carbon and a small proportionof carbon monoxide. In general. the higher the temperature, the higher will be thefproportion of the hydrogen and the lower the proportion of the methane constituent of the resultant gas. At a temperature of 2200 F. the gas discharged from the generator will contain about 85 per cent of hydrogen and from 13 to 14 per cent of methane, together'with from 1 to 2 per cent of carbon monoxide, which is .pro- 'duced by the combination of some of the carbon constituent of the-dissociated natural gas with oxygen occluded within the pores of thelrefractory materialfromthe preheat ing operation. the oxygen being taken from the excess air supplied with the gaseous I fuel during the preheating operation. the

temperature of'the generator is lower than 2200 F., the proportion of hydrogen in the final gas Will be lower and the proportion of methane higher than at such temperature; on the other hand, if the temperature to which the gases are subjected be increased,

the proportion of methane will be diminished and the proportion of hydrogen increased. The resultant gas, however, will contain hydrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide, and will be fixed and permanent at a temperature of at least below zero F., and under a pressure of 1800 pounds.

The gas which has been produced within the generator is conducted through the re-- ceptacle 15, which will trap the solid carbon produced by the dissociationof the natural gas; theme the gas may be conducted through the scrubbing tank 19 and thence I to the enriching tank 24.

The hydrocarbon liquid in the tank 94 may be benzene, naphthalene, or any other volatile hydrocarbon of a sufiiciently high series, and the resultant fluid will not separate or stratify when stored under pressure.

It is to be observed that,.by the dissociation of' the natural gas in the presence of the refractory material, the resultant fixed gas contains hydrogen and methane in different proportions from those in' which hydrogen and natural gas were supplied to said material and that the resultant gas contains in addition a small but valuable proportion of carbon monoxide. in. the form of lamp black may be recovered from the receptacle 15.

Having thus described my invention, whatI claim is c I 1.' The process of producing gaseous'fuel which comprises subjecting a mixture of hydrogen and natural gas to a temperature sufiicient to dissociate the natural gas, and subjecting. the resultant mixture to a be perature not materially lower than 1600 F. in the presence of oxygen. 1

The carbon,

which comprises subjecting a mixture of hvdrogenand natural gas admitted separately to a chamber containing porous refractory 1'16- material heated to a temperature not materially lower than 1600 F.

3. The process of producing gaseous fuel.

. 110 2. The process of producing gaseous fuel "gen in the pores thereof and heated to a temperature not materially lower than action of porous refractory material containing oxygen in the pores thereof and he ated' to a tem perature not materially lower than 1600 F.,

and removing from the resultant gas free 1 carbon caused by the dissociation of the natural gas.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature.

% S R. ROSE.

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