US244174A - William bell - Google Patents

Description

.(o Model.)

' W. BELL & A. B. .LIPS-EY.,

APPARATUS FOR MAKING GAS.

10.244,174- Patented-July 12,1881.

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UNITED STATES PATENT WlLLIAM BELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND ANDREW BrLIPSEY, OF WEST HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY; SAID LIPSEY ASSIGNOR TO SAID BELL.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 244,174, dated July 12, 1881,

Application filed January 19, 1881. (No model.)

To all 'whom fit may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM BELL, of the city and county of New York, in the State of New York, and ANDREW B. LIPsEY, of West Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Making Gas, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to the method ot' manufacturin g gas by decomposing steam and then mingling the resulting hydrogen and oxygen with hyrdrocarbon vapors for the purpose of enriching it and producinga permanent illuminatinggas.

The invention consists, essentially, in the combination, in a gas apparatus, of one or more retorts containing pipes or conduits, through which steam may bepassed, and which are immersed in molten metal, steam supply and delivery pipes communicating with said immersed pipes or conduits, a retort containing molten metal, with which said delivery-pipe communicates above the level of molten metal therein, and a pipe for introducing hydrocarbon liquid into said last-mentioned retort, also above the level of molten metal therein, as hereinafter fully described.

In the accompanyingdrawings,Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a bench of retorts for making gas by our process. Fig. 2 represents atransverse vertical section thereof. Fig. 3 represents a longitudinal section upon the dotted line a: a2, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 represents a longitudinal section upon the dotted line y y, Fig. 2, and a vertical section of the gas-washer employed.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the iigures.

A A' designate retorts, of which four are here represented, arranged in pairs upon opposite sides of a furnace or tire-place, B, and set in brick-work in the usual way. Between the pairs of retorts A A are arranged two other retorts, C C. The several retorts are set so as to form horizontal ilues or conduits a,through which the products of combustion pass back and forth along the exterior of the retorts before they linally escape through the chimney.

As clearly shown in Fig. 4, the bottoms ot the retorts A A' are recessed or depressed for almost the whole length, so as to receive and retain ka quant-ity of molten metal D, and in each of the four retorts A A is arranged a series of pipes, b, here shown as four in number, which are immersed in the molten metal, and are, therefore, not exposed to direct contact with the products ot' combustion. The several pipes b in each retort are united by bends, so that the substance entering through one pipe is made to traverse four times the length of the retort before escaping.

Steam is introduced into the pipes b in each of the upper retorts, A, by a pipe, c, and after traversing four times the length of the retorts 'the superheated steam escapes through pipes el to the pipes b, contained in the lower retorts, A', and thus has imparted to it a very high degree ot' heat and is partly or wholly decomposed. The hydrogen and oxyen, and whatever steam still remains undecomposed, leave the retorts A at the front and pass through pipes e to the retort C, which is lled with coa-l or coke, which is kept in an incandescent state by the heat, and in passing from the front to the back of the retort O the steam is entirely decomposed and converted into a lean gas of low illuminating-power, which escapes from the retort C at the back, end and through a pipe, f, passes into the retort C', which is the same in construction as the retorts A, and con tains molten metal D, but which does not contain any pipes like the pipes b in the retorts A A. With the lean gas there is introduced into the retort C', through a pipe, y, a suitable quantity of hydrocarbon liquid. Alarge proportion of the liquid so introduced will be vai porized at once, but any which will not vaporize falls to the molten metal` D, which covers the bottom of the retort, and as soon as it touches the molten metal itis at once vaporized. In passing through the retort C the lean gas takes up a quantity of hydrocarbon vapor, and the two are combined to produce a Xed per ina-nent gas, which leaves the retort C at the front and passes through a pipe, h, which ter-V minates below the level of liquid in a washbox, E. From the wash-box the gas passes up ward through a pipe or trunk, F, into a sprayehamber, G, from which it passes through an outlet, t', to the gas-holder.

ln the pipe or trunk F is a spraying device,

5 j, by which the chamber G is iilled with spray,

through which the gas is made to pass.

H designates a water-valve for ,closing the passage to the spray-chamber G; and k designates a pipe depending therefrom, through which the water from the spray-chamber enters the wash-box. Upon the pipe k is a rack, and by means of a transverse shaft, l, provided with a pinion and hand-wheel, the valve H may be moved upward or downward.

The wash-boXE is furnished with a dischargepipe, m, which, by means of a screw-threaded supporting-rod and hand-wheel, n, may be adjusted to retain any depth of Water in the washbox.

If the steam is thoroughly decomposed in passing through the pipes b the retort C may be dispensed with, and the hydrogen and oxygen resulting from the decomposition ofthe steam be passed directly from the pipes b in the retorts A to the retort C.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a gas apparatus, the combination of one or more retorts containing pipes or conduits, through which steam may be passed, and which are immersed in molten metal, steamsupply and delivery pipes communicating with said immersed pipes or conduits, a retort containing molten metal, with Lwhich said deliverypipe communicates above the level of molten metal therein, and a pipe for introducing hydrocarbon liquid into said retort, also above the level of molten metal therein, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of the retorts A Af, containing molten metal, and heating-pipes b, the

retort C, containing coke, coal, or charcoal, the

retort C', containing molten metal, the several pipes connecting said retorts, and the pipe for introducing hydrocarbon liquid into the retort C', all substantially as specified.

WM. BELL. ANDREW B. LIPSEY.

Witnesses:

T. J. KEANE,

CHANDLER HALL.

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