US188473A - Improvement in apparatus for the manufacture of gas - Google Patents

Description

. v A. C. L-IIPP ITT.- APPARATUS FOR THE! MANUFACTURE-0F GAS.

Patented March 20,1877.

M'inewes'.

NPEI'ERS. PHOTO UTHOGRAPHER WASHINGTON. X10.

n'rrnn STATES ANDREW O. LIPPITT, OF NEW LONDON OONNEGTIGUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS.

Specification forming part ofLetters Patent No. 188,473, dated March 20, 1877; application filed Y March 22, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW G. LIPPITT, of New London, in the county of New London and State of Connecticut, have invented certain Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Gas, of which the following is a specification Y My invention consists in so combining and arranging the several parts of the apparatus -that the supply of the water-gas and of the tion, shown more in detail.

In the manufacture of gas by the Harkness .and similarmethods, the steam ispassed through the hot coal in the generator, and from thence flows directly to the retort, the result of which is that the supply to the retort is irregular,and can only be continued until the supply from the generator isexhausted.

In like manner the oil or petroleum is taken direct from a tank to the retort, whereby the supply of it is also rendered irregular and varying, and it follows from these two causes that the proportions of the water-gas and of the petroleum cannot be regulated and controlled with that certainty and uniformity that is necessary in order to produce an illuminating-gas of proper quality. If there be too much of the petroleum the gas will smoke when burned andif too little, then the gas will be lacking in illuminating power.

The object of my invention or improvements is to overcome these difficulties, which I do in the following manner:

Referring totbe accompanying drawing, G represents the generator and B; the retort, which may be of the style described in said Harkness patent, or of any other suitable style, Instead of taking the water-gas from the generator direct to the retort I convey it by apipe, 0, to a hydraulic main, I. Into this main, as shown in Fig. 2,1 tap two pipes,

r and 1), through the latter of which a stream' of cold water is allowed to flow, to keep the water in the main cool, while in the pipe 1' I arrange a sprinkler, through which a spray of cold water enters the main to wash and purify ducted by a pipe, 0, into a lime purifier, P,

Which may be either wet or dry, as preferred,

Where it is purified in the usual manner by taking therefrom the sulphur, carbonic acid, &c. by a pipe, 0, into a gasometer or holder, H, from whence it is conducted by a pipe, n, to

the retort B, the pipe 11,, before entering the retort, being coiled or carried back and-forth in a heating-chamber, T, located above, ,or at any suitable point near the retort, where it may be heated by the escaping gases from the.

furnace'of the retort. the watergas retort.

By this arrangement It will be seen that by this arrangement I not only wash or cool the water-gas as it'comes from thegeuerator, thereby separating therefrom any steam which may have accidentally passed the generator, but also purify it by passing it through a lime purifier, thus re moving all impurities before it enters the retort. In addition to this, by conducting it into the holder HI am enabled to feed it therefrom into the retort under a regular and uniform pressure, whereby I can control the supply to the retort perfectly, it, of course, being understood that the supply-pipe n will also be provided with suitable valves or cocks,

as shown at .t, Fig. l, to be located at any convenient point.

In order to regulate with equal certainty the supply of petroleum I arrange two tank s, A and B, as represented in Fig. l. The tank A is intended as the main supply-tank, while the tank B, which is connected thereto by a From the purifier P the gas is conducted is heated before it enters the.

pipe, f, provided with a stopcock, is designed as a regulating tank or device. In this tank B is located a float, 0, connected by a lever to a cock, 0, in the pipe f, by which the height 11, which carries it into the retort, as shown in Fig. 1. If desired, a strainer, a, may be an ranged in either or both of the 'tanks Aan d B. I also propose to carry the oil-pipe into and through the heating-chamber T, so as to heat the oil before it enters the retort, thus bringing the oil and the water-gas both in a heated condition into' the retort, whereby a more ready union of the two is effected.

For the purpose of testing the gas before it enters the retort I attach an outlet-pipe, m, with a stop-cock, to the supply-pipe n at any suitable point between the holder and the retort, it being represented in Fig. 1 as .being by the side of theretort'for convenience. In like manner I provide a burner, 70, connected to a pipe leading from the retort, by which the gas, after beingformed in the retort, may also be tested by the application of a photometer, or other suitable means, so'that its illuminatingpower can at anytime'be de-' termined or ascertained. 1

- By these means it will be seen that I .can regulate with certainty the supply of both the water-gas and the oil to'theretort; and that,

when these are once adjusted so as to furnish the proper proportion of each, the formation of the completed gas is rendered cofitinuons and uniform so long as thesupply is kept up, thereby efl'ectually overcoming the .diificulties hereinbefore mentioned; and, fur- :J'ither, that the gas thus produced is not only yfreed fromimpurities, but is also rendered uniform in its quality--a result which has By this means I am also able to test watergas before it enters the retort. and, if found impure, to reject it or pass it again through the purifiers, the pipes, of course, being suitably arranged for that purpose.

By separating the generator from the retort, and conducting the water-gas intoaholder, I am also enabled to supply heatinggas direct fromthe holder for heating purposesthis' water-gas burning without the addition of oil, this latter being required only when the gas is to be used for illuminating purposes.

It is obvious that either the hydraulic main,

the lime purifier, or the holder may be used separately with the generator; but I prefer to use them all together, as giving the best and rnostperfect results.

- It is also obvious that thevarious devices may be arranged differently and modified in tion to enable any one skilled in the art to understand and apply the same.

By actual experiment I have found these improvements to be of great value, asby their use, in connection with the Harkness process, Iam able to produce a very superior quality of gas, and alsoto run the works with regularity and certainty, insuring the production of the gas of uniform quality and with much less attention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is y i i 1. In combination with the retort R, the automatic or self-regulating cock 0, for controlling the flow of the oil, and the gas-holder H, for supplying the water-gas to the retort, whereby the relativequantiti es of the oil and water-gas are rendered constant, so as to produce an illuminatinggas of uniform quality,

as set forth.

Y 2. In combinationwith the selffregulatiug oil-supplying device audthe gas-holder, the

cocksh and t in the'pipes connecting the oiltank and the gas-holder with the retort, :for the purpose of adjusting and controlling the relative quantities of the oil and gas fed into

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