US1558125A - Water-gas apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 20,1925. A L. s. sTlLEs WATER GAS APPARATUS 'Filed Aug. is. 1921 2 sheets-sneu 1 IN VEN TOR.

ctf. '20, 1925.

| s. STILEs WATER GAS APlRATUs Filed Aug. 1a, 1921 2 shun-shan '2 I NV EN TORv .Patented er.. 2c, i925.,

marroni) s. s'rrms, orvaacokmzrv, new Yo.

WTER-GAS APP'IUS.

Application l-ed August 1S, 192i. 'Serial No. 493,246..

1"0 all lwhom z' may conce/m: A

Be it known that l, LiNFonD S. STILES, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented an improvementgiven size of apparatus,and especially in those cases where the gas is to be used for heating purposes alone or where a reduction in the oil required for a candle power u'nit is reduced in producing and supplying gas on a B. t. u. basis. By elimination of a portion of the loil heretofore employed, a very material reduction in the volume of gas re suits consequently to maintain the maximum output with a reasonable thermal unit value from a given apparatus under the reduced use gf oil in association with the water gas, it'becomes necessaryv to change or modify the internal construction of the parts heretofore constituting the carburetter and the superheater or fixing chamber, with a corresponding modication in the process. The making of these changes, hereinafter described, is done with the special purpose of increasing the output efliciencyof the apparatus in respect to the carburetted water gas of the lower B. t. u. standard and enable it to be done with the same general gas apparatus heretofore in common usesupplemented by modifications therein.

jMore particularly, it is my purpose to eliminate the employment of a separate carburetting chamber as heretofore used in relation to a superheating chamber, in the former of which the oil has been sprayed for carburetting the water gas received from .the generator, and wherein the gas, after passing in a downward direction, has been caused to pass into the bottom of the superheating chamberI and thence upward therethrough for fixation before being delivered through the wash-box to the gas main. In lieu thereof, l convert the carburetter vand superheater chambers into a single chamber,

into the bottom ofwhich the water gas from the generator is4 delivered and which in gaseous yform passes upward part way 'through the fixation chamber and thereat supplied with oil in the form'of spray, which being gasied. passes upward through the remain'- ingportion of the fixation chamber and is delivered to the water seal box and mains, thereby more greatly reduce the resistance to` the expansion and passage of the gas than has heretofore occurred. The result of this improvement is, that a heavy oil may be Aemployed with satisfactory gas production' and a greater volume of gas from the oil produced with less objectionable carbon deposit and clogging of the checker brick work in the fixation chamber. A greater output of gas is thus insured from a given quantity of material; and in addition thereto, the .pe

riods of gas production .between necessary cleanlng and repairing of the checker work in the fixation chamber is considerably increased, thereby providing additional economy in the operation of theplant.

More especially, the object of :my invention is to provide a water gas l. generating" I plant with a combined carburetter and superheatlng or fixing chamber containing suitable checker brick work through which the; gases pass in an upward. direction in their travel from the generator to the escape fine or outlet andwash-box, the said com. blned carburetter and fixing chamber being provlded with means for admitting a's'pray J of oil thereinto at a point intermediate of 85 the upper and lower portions ofthe checker brick thereof; the operation being such that lifthe oil so injected, is not all instantly vaporized (which is liable to occur with heavy oils), the unvaporized oil in passing downward by gravity, is ultimately vaporized by l'contact with the checker brick in the lower portion of the carburetter and fixing cham? ber and by the hot water gas rising therethrough. In this manner the hydrocarbon gases both combined and free thus associated with the water gas are carried upward through the upper checker brick work,-

wherem the vaporized oil is fixed into a substantially permanent gas before passing More genericallyA 1 an upward direction throughl a superheating 105 and fixing means such as 'heated checker brick work, combined with means for pro-'- vidlng oil spray at a point intermediate of .the upper and lowerportions of the said superheatin'g and fixing means, whereby the `vaporized portions of the oil spray pass upward with the blue gas? and the unvaporllt) ieaiacj ized portions of the spray pass downward in a contrary direction to the blue gas until thoroughly vaporized; and whereby further the oil gas, produced by' said downward.

i process is thereafter'caused to travel in the reverse or upward direction infassociation with .the blue gas.

The invention also embodies the method of generating carburetted water gas which consists in the injection of heavy oil in the form of spray into the blue gas during its passage vin contact with Vhighly heated surfaces, andfsaid injection of the oil made .at a point intermediate of the upper and lower levels vof the heating means through which the blue gas passes whereby heavyportions of the oil asA are not readily vapor-- 0 derstood from the description hereinafter,`

taken in connection with the drawings, ythe invention consists in the novel construction of gas producing apparatus and mode of operation of the process conducted therein,

5 as hereinafter l more fully described and defined in the claim.,

Referring to the drawings: Fig. l is a sectional elevation of a gas apparatus emf bodying my improvements and adapted for to the practice of my improved process; land Fig. 2 is a' modification ofthe same'also adapted for the practice of the process.

Referring more particularly to the' structure shown in Fig. l, 2 is the generator or blue gas producer, and is preferably arranged at the lower part of a tall sheet metal casing within the upper part of which is'arranged a combustion 'chamber 16 and a combined carburetter and fixing chamber 15. By suitable fines and valves, the gaseous products from the generator during its blowing up process may be supplied to the combustion chamber and the heat produced thereby passed upward for heating the interior checkered brick work of the combined carburetter and fixing chamber, for highly heating it, whereas the water gas (blue gas) produced in the generator may be supplied to the same combustion chamber wherein it is mixed with sprayed oil andthe mixture then passed upward through'the combined carburetter and fixing chambei and thence to the' wash-box on its way to the Y holder.

' f rlhe generator 2 may bev of any ordinary l en construction, being provided v'with agrate 3,'

ashvpit Il, and charging doors or fines `5 near the top 'through which coalsmayl be supplied.

tir blast is supplied to the ash'pit 4: bya

blast pipe 6 and controlled by a valve 7j.

Gas may be taken od on the up run from 14, said fiue opening from the ash pit. The

generator is further provided with a steam pipe 8 opening below the grate 3 and discharging' into the ash pit during the up run and is also provided with a steam pipe 8 discharging into the upper part of the generator during the down run. During the generation of the water or blue gas, whether on the up run or down run, the blast from pipe 6 is shut off, and steam from either pipe 8 or admitted, as the case may be; but when heating up` the steam is shut off and blast turned-on and the producer gas so provided is conveyedupward and carried off by flue 9. The general construction and mode of operation of the generator is well known and will need no further cxplanation.l

Referring more in detail tothe construction of the combined carburetter and fixing lchamber 15, the same is greater in cubical capacity and cross sectional area compared to the cross sectional area of the generator chamber than what has heretofore been the combined cubical capacity of both the carburetter and the fixing chamber relative to the generator capacity, so that there is far less resistance to the flow of both the heatingr gas and the carburetted ,water gas through the combined carburetter and fixing chamber than was heretofore the case where the gas was required to flowfirst through the carburetter and then through the fixing chamber. The interior of' the combined carburetter and fixing chamber is filled Wirth checker' brick work such as indicated at 17 and 17a, the former supported upon and above a perforated' arch 22"' and the lattersupported upon and extending from and above the perforated arch 1S at the botto-m and terminating at a distance somewhat below the arch 22h, so as to leave a carburetting chamber 2lb thercat, said chamber provided with oil spraying nozzles 20. The' checker brick work filling is diagrammatically illustrated as-to its top and lower portions in each case by way of locating its position'. The upper checker brick work terminates below the top or crown of the fixation chamber so as to provide a secondary superheating chamber 19 having an escape flue .25 provided with a cover or valve 26 which is employed to close the said escape flue when the carburetted water gas is required to pass through flue V24e, and washbox or seal 27 tothe gas conduit 28 by which the gas is conveyed to the holder. The pei'- forated arch 18 constitutes a crown or roof to a combustion chamber. 16 into which the vgases'froni t-lie 'generator 'are delivered by lues 10. lThe perforated arch 22b likewise constitutes a crown or roof to the'carburei.- ting chamber 21".

' The flue 9 from the upper part of the generator 2 opens into the flue 10 through the valve 11; and similarly flue 12 from the bottom of the generator is also connected with the Hue 10 by an L-shaped'fiue 13, the flow therethrough'being controlled by the valve 14. The latter flues 12 and 13 convey water or blue gas alone to the f flu'es 10 leading` into the combustion chamber 16, Whereas fiue 9 opening fromthe upper -part `of the generator conveys all products of combustion when the generator Cil is being blown for bringing itscontents to incandescence and'at other times conveys the wateror blue gas alone.

The combustionl chamber 16 is provided with a blast pipe 23 which receives air from 'main 21 under pressure and. which iscontrolled by a valve 22, the air thus supplied being; employed with the products of combustion which pass from the generator at the time ,it is being blown, for raising its contents to incandescence, the combustion taking place in the chamber 16 and providing heated products which pass through the perforated arch 18 and intb the combined cai'buretter and fixing chamber and therein employed for raising its temperai ture. The carburetting chamber 21b is pro.L vided with one or moreoil spray nozzles.

20, whereby when the blast is shut OH and the blue gas is'supplied from the gener- .ator 2, the same is intermingled with the oil sprajy in the heated chamber, the "oil being vaporized and intimately 'associated with the blue gas to carburet it, Withlthe result of increasing the available'heat units of the gas product, as a whole; and in this condition, said ,gases pass upward through the carburetter` and fixing chamberof the shell 15 expanding'I thereinto and rising is provided 'with a4 blast pipe,

`communication, by a pipe 21, with the' therethrough at a speed.A whichienables the thorough carburetting of the blue gas. and

' the filial firing'y of the same. v v

The upper part of the combined carbureiter and fixirig. chamber, and heretofore designated a' superheating chamber 19, 23a having compressed `air main"21 the supply of air froin said pipe" 21L iii-to thechamber l19, be` ing controlled by valve 22a. By means of. this blast pipe 23,- the products of coinbuS-.

Qtion employed in heating up the combined carburetter and fixingl'chamber may be supplied with additional air before they escape from the escape flue.25 during the heating up process, and in this manner insure arelainthe said chamber portion 19 andthereby enable it to provide `additional heat as a final means of fixationV of the carburetted gas at a time when the said blast is sluit oii".

It will be understood that in the operation of the apparatus just described, the resistance to the flouT of the gases, both heating gas and carburetted water gas, through the combined carburetter and fixing chamber, is considerably less than the vsame exists in the modern typesof water g apparatus -wherein the carburetter and theafisxing cliam ber are operated inseries, and' for this reasori`,"the.quantity of gases, whether produced `when-blowing upY the generator, or when generating Water gas therein, are considerably increased in volume, during the normal operationof the apparatus, over what they were formerly in a modern gas apparatus of the same size; and consequently a greater output of gas in cubic'feet `is obtained with the apparatus constructed as herein set out, in a given period oftime and with the same coal consumption, than has ployed to operate inisuccession.

sev

heretofore been possible wherein the carbu' retteis and fixing chambers have been em- In a as apparatus of the general arrange;

mentl o Fig. l, so far as relates `to the po-v 'sition of the generator below the carbuf retting and fixing chamber means, the construction thereof is similar to the l/Villiamson type of gas `apparatus embodied, for ezti 'Vaniple, in the apparatus setout in Letters Patent No` 767,217, dated -August 9,V 1904, to Eustace; and when the same is to be converted into a gas system embodying my iinprovements, the dividing wall heretofore used in the chamber 15 as a separat-ion between the carburetter and fixing chambers is removed, thereby materially increasing the available cross' sectiouof the combined carburctting and fixing chamber; and among other changes, the oil is supplied in the ,chamber 2lb below t-he arch 22b instead of at the top and within Aa chambered poi'- tion in the top kof the,lcarburetter,,and further,the gas pipe or flue from fiues 1 0 to the chamber19 of ,the carburetter is removed` and the gases .of all characters supplied to thechamber A16. below the arch 1S and caused to pass upwardly through the same and the vchecker brick of the combined ranged, on independent foundations on the same level, as shown in vFig. 2. '1n this construction. the generator 2 is in all material respects the same as in Fig. 1, though the,

coal may be charged through a Icentral top "fn-view -of the4 'fact that thev combined,

earburetterA and fixing chamber 15 sets upona foundation on the same level with the generatorand the products of combustion and gas are to be delivered from the generator initlie chamber 16 at the bottom thereof, connection-is made with the'upper gas outlet of the generator 2l .by a downwardly extending pipe or flue 13, which is in communication' with the chamber 16 by means of a horizontal flue 10 and which, with flue .13, is Ain communication with the lower part of the generator by a flue 12 containing the valve 14. The val-ves 11 and 14 of the outlet flues of t-he generator 2 are employed alternately and correspond to the similar'valves shown in Fig. 1. In Fig. 2, the oil spray is supplied by a spray pipe 2() into the carburetting chamber. 21b .below arch l22", as in the case of Fig. 1, which carburetting chamber acts as' a highly heat-v ed oil -Avaporizing space wherein the y oil vapor is intimately mixed with the water gas passing from the generator and before passing upwardly through the upper portion 17 of the combined carburetter and fixing chamber. The oil spray delivered into the chamber 21h will'be partly vaporized and a. portion will fallby gravity upon the lower checker brick work 17a and be come therein vaporized, the vapor so pro duced rising-with the up flowing blue gas? and passing through the carburetting chamber 21, arch 22 and the upper checker brick on its way to chamber 19 and outlet 24. As will 'be'seen, the checker brick work 17 above the chamber 21b in which the oil spray is linjected, is greatly more in quantity 'and heating capacity than the checker brick work 17a below said oil receivingchamber, and-this is as it should be, as the quantity of the heavy hydrocarbons difficult fof" volatilization is relatively much smaller thanthose hydrocarbons of quality which are. readily gasified and instantly pass upward .from the chamber 21b with the blue gas. Therefore, as the checker brick 17 is not only required tovaporize the lighter oils but also fix the gas embodying the same as well ,as thosear'ising from the heavier hydrocarbons, the quantity of said checker brick work should be correspondingly greater than. the brick work 17a. rThe combustion chamber 16 is. also' providedwith 'anair pipe 21 having 'a'.control valve 22,

is passing -through the carburetter and fix-V ing chamber. The carburetted water gas from the 'upper chamber19 passes by plpe 24 into thewash-box or seal 27 and from conveyed to the holder orl other apparatus, such as the scrubbers, as may be required. AIn a general, way', if the combined carbu'- placed on top of the generator 2, maintaining the connections 10`and 13 as shown, we would have a very similar construction to that shown in Fig. 1.,-

' In all cases, there is a unitary highly heated chamber performing simultaneously Vthere it flows through a pipe 28 and is .A

retter and fixing .chamber of. Fig. 2' werel the combined functions ofca'rburetter and fixing chamber, the same being provided with checker brick work-of usual construe-f tlon' 4and having a cross sectional area. or

passage greatly in excess of what has heretofore been the cross sectional area of either the carburetter or fixing chamber where the i said chamberswere connected in series, as iscustomary in the commercial forms of water gas. apparatus. By 'this` construction, thev shape of the chamber is maintained circular and is, therefore, best suited for thorough utilization of the checker brick work and with the greatest production of carburetted gas with a givensize ofcarburetting and fixing chamber, whereby a maximum output may be' obtained. The construction furthermore provides one in which thev first function, namely, carburetting, is performed upon the blue gas to the fullest extent required, and thereafter the second function, namely, the fixing o f the gas, takes place during the further continuous passage of the carburetted gas through the checker brickl work, vit being understood that vthe lower portion of the checker brick work performs the special function inhe'atiug the blue gas preliminary to its meeting the oil vapor and in vapo'rizing any of the oil which has notwbeen gasified in the chamber 21h, this special. function in connection vwith. a car-4 buretting and fixing chamber not having been heretofore employed, as far as I am aware. By performing the two functions,

lcarburetting and fixing, m one chamber, they automatically. take place in accordance' with requirements, that is to say, the function of the xing chamber wherein the gases all pass in the same direction there is a tendency of a uniformity in the flow of gases through the carburetter and fixing.

chamber and thereby unaiec'ted by reverse changes in the direction of flow and the consequent variation in pressures resulting therefrom.

Vhen I refer to the chamber l'as the combustion chamber at the base of the combined carburetter and fixing chamber, I do lnot Wish to be limited thereby to any specic character of compartment or chamber to include underV such designation any suitable space in which the gaseous products may commingle with the blast to provide the heating gases for the checker brick work, though ordinarily, this chamber will be formed as a shallow compartment having a perforated arched roof upon which the checker brick Work is supported.

It will now be rapparent that I have 'de-. vised a novel and useful construction which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable, and while I have in the present instance shown and describe-d the preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to give satisfactory v and reliable results, itis to be understood that I do not restrict myself to the details, as the same are susceptible of modification in various particulars Without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is z A water gas apparatus, comprising a generator for generating Water gas, an upright combined carbureter and iixer, a combustion chamber in the lower part of the combined carbureter and fixer in communication with the generator, a superheating chamber in the upper part of the combined carbureter and fixer, said superheating chamber having al valve controlled escape iiue for Waste products of combustion and a separate outlet for the water gas', blast pipes with separate means of control opening separately into the combustion chamber and the superheatino chamber for supplying airI `for primary an final combustion within the chambers during the heating up process, said carbureter and iixer being provided intermediate of its upper and lower chambers with checker brick work and an oil vaporizing chamber intermediate of the upper and lower portions of said checker brick work, means for supplying oil to the oil Vaporizing chamber, and a Wash box in communication with the water gas outlet from the upper superheating chamber for permitting the passage or' the gases to be collected.

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

LINFORD S. STILES.

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