US268908A - Fire-damp indicator - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) v

I. KITSEB.

FIRE DAMP INDIUATOR.

No. 268,908. PatentedDec. 12, 1882.

fl I 20 3 Ill 2 ,Sheet-Sheet 2.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFIcE.

ISIDOR KITSEE, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

FIRE-DAMP INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 268,908, dated December 12, 1882.

. Application filed October 7, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Isroon Krrsnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Uincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fire-Damp Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fire-damp indicators and annunciators, and is an improvement on the devices for which four Letters Patent of the United States have been issued to me, dated August 1, 1882, and numbered respectively 262,054, 262,055, 262,056, and 262,057. As described in the specifications and claims of said patents, I employ in my herein-described improvement an ordinary safety-lamp, or any device which has minutelyperforated surroundings, in such a manner that fire-damp which has passed through said perforated inclosure and has reached that degree or condition will, when in contact with flame or incandescent substance. become inflammable, and when so ignited will actuate mechanism that will give an alarm and transmit it to a given station.

Although I employ the principle embraced in the device known as the Davy lamp, the diffusion of light for illuminating purpose is not essential, and my improvement on the devices heretofore patented consists essentially in so arranging the device that an induced current of electricity produces a spark or incandescence within a vessel provided with minutely perforated surroundings, in whole or in part, and which incandescence or spark will ignite the inclosed fire-damp it it has reached the degree or condition of infiannnability.

Fire-damp known as marsh-gas is known to be always present in coal-mines. It is protocarbureted hydrogen, its formula being C H It is produced in some cases by slow decomposition of the coal itself. In others it is probably the result of the changes in the constitution of the vegetable matter of which the coal itself is formed, which has been confined under great pressure in the interstitial spaces of the coal or rocks immediately in connection with them. This gas escapes and accumulates in waste places, or goaf,of a mine, and may exist and accumulate in dangerous condition and quantity in an abandoned part of the mine as well as in galleries being worked. The

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carbureted hydrogen gas does not explode when mixed with air much below or above the quantity necessary for a complete combustion; but in mines it is ever present in diverse degrees of atmospheric admixture, and when it reaches its inflammable density or condition and comes in contact with a naked light explosion ensues, resulting in lossof life and property. The products of combustion poison those who, stunned by the concussion, would recover if supplied with pure atmosphere. Therefore its presence is a twofold source of danger.

There have been some efforts made to determinethe existence offire-damp fire-damp is spoken of here in its generic character includingdanipie,marsh-gas,choke-damp, and other terms by which it is known scientifically and conventionally) by indications ofspecific gravity; but this is an unreliable test by reason of the presence of dust and foreign floating substance in variable quantity. So, too, there have been some efforts made to actuate devices by gaseous expansion and contraction, but without furnishing satisfactory data, for no device that would tabnlate the precise expansibility, density, or gravity of fire-damp would indicate or announce its dangerous condition i. 0., inflainmability-for it must be understood that the specific gravity and density may Vary when fire-damp is innoxious and has reached that degree of infiammability that it is explosive, and so vice versa. In my invention I rely upon theinfiammability as the true test of dangerous condition of the fire-damp, and I utilize the well-known principle of flame being confined within perforate inclosures. In my previous patents I depend upon automatic action brought about when the confined firedamp entersinto combustion; but in the present improvement I rely upon direct action when an induced current of electricity generates a spark or incandcscence within the perforate surroundings and ignites the confined fire-damp if it therein has accumulated in combustible condition.

To the accomplishment ofmy purpose, I 10- cate within a mine one or more receptacles or vessels having perforated surroundings in whole or in part, and place them in an electric field, connecting to each vessel thecircuit linewire. Within each vessel are carbon points IOC or any like device whereby an electric spark I will appear when the current is induced, or a piece of platinum sponge or wire that will become incandescent or in'a state of red heat under the same condition.

It must be borne in mind that the perforated reservoirs I employ in this invention have no lamp or light of any description, and that their interior temperature will normally be precisely the same as that of the outside atmosphere, and that the essential element of my invention is that I raise the temperature within the vessels by generating an electric spark or bringing a piece-of platinum sponge or wire or the like into a state of incandescence, whereby the inclosed lire-damp, if therein existing in dangerous condition, will enter into combustion, and by means of attached devices or a circuit-breaker will'make or break a circuit which will convey a generic or specific alarm to a given station.

I desire to be distinctly understood as not herein limiting myself to any specific form of actuating mechanism or circuit breakers, as many well-known devices can be utilized and be within the scope of my invention.

By the use of my presentimprovementit will not be necessary'to have atall times and at all places in a mine a light or flame within the vessel or vessels having perforate surroundings. I may, by the use of my present invention, induce a current of electricity through the line-wire of a circuit, periodically or at stated intervals, which willproduce within the perforate inclosure of stationed devices an electric spark or incandescence, and thus continually test the condition of the fire-damp, and I may so arrange theline-wires or the groups or routes of vessels with perforate inclosures by suitable shunts, cut-offs, switches, and relays, so as to test special galleries or parts of a mine before commencing work therein, or at any other time. So, too, I can shut off the whole or any part of the route within a mine from a main station, as I do not confine myself to a single lamp or vessel having perforate surroundings. Itis manifest, too, that by the use of my present improvement there will be no necessity to constantly supervise the feed of the several lamps or analogousdevices, and no risk will be run of their being at any time inoperative by reason of their feed of oil or other flame-producing substance having become exhausted.

Referring to the accompanying; drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts on each figure, Figure 1 represents a vesselhaving perforate surroundings, parts being broken away, showing attached devices, embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is anotherform thereof, showing a cord that will be ignited when the fire-damp enters into combustion. Fig. 3 is another form embodying my invention, wherein pieces of metal by expansion under thermostatic influence close a normallyopen electric circuit. Fig. 4 is another form embodying my invention, wherein a substance under thermostatic influence fuses and breaks a normally-closed electric circuit. Fig. 5 represents a series of the devices shown in Fig.1 arranged in a field or route.

A is a vessel or case having perforate surroundings a; B, an electric line-wire passing through insulated sides of the case A, and connected to platinum wire or sponge U. D D are circuit-wires connected to two metallic plates, E, within the case A, which plates are kept separated by a seal or substance, E, easily fusible by heat. (See Fig. 1.)

\Vhen an electric current flows through the line-wire B the platinum G will become incandescent, and the fire-damp within the case A will enter into combustion, melting the insulated fusible substance E, bring the plates E into contact, and close the circuit, which will carry the requisite alarm to any terminal station, so thatdue notice will be given that within the case A has accumulated fire-damp in dangerous condition.

Fig. 2 illustrates a modification wherein connection between the depending point (I and the loop (1 will establish metallic contact and close a normally, broken circuit. The device shown in this figure is an equivalent of that illustrated in Fig. 1, the difference being that the line-wires D D are kept separated by means of an ignitible cord, J, which is severed by being burnt when the fire-damp enters into combustion.

In Fig. 3 I illustrate the employment oftwo metal bars or points, P P, in near proximity, which expand by heat, and by juxtaposition establish a normally-broken circuit.

In Fig. 4.1 illustrate the manner in which I employ a normally-closed circuit by connecting metallic bars I? P, joined by non-insulated substance S, easily fusible by heat, the severance of which will interrupt the current and break the circuit.

In Fig. 5 I show the manner of arranging several of the cases A with any of the operative connections in routes or fields, so that a whole route can be tested periodically, myinvention contemplating in practice that a required number of the cases A shall be located in stated places in a mine, and within an electric field be connected together, and that the line-wires shall terminate at a station, from whence the operator can induce a current through the whole field, and whenever the electric spark is generated within one or more of the cases A, or the platinum therein is brought into a state of red heat, the fire-damp, if in dangerous condition, will consequently enter into combustion, and thereby actuate the attached mechanism, which, as the case may be, will interrupt a completed circuit or close a broken one, and announce on a suitable annunciator the necessary danger-signal. If, on the other hand, the electric spark or incandescent platinum ignites no fire-damp,the several devices will remain intact, and no signal being given, the operator will understand everything to be safe.

What I claim is- 1. A mine-fire-damp detector and indicator consisting of the following elements: a vessel having perforated surroundings in whole or in part, having therein the line-wire of an electric circuit, an inclosed substance that will become incandescent when an electric spark is produced by a current induced through said line-wires, all arranged so that the generated electric spark will ignite accumulated firedamp within said perforate inclosure when it reaches the condition of combnsti-bility, substantially as described.

2. In a mine-damp detector and indicator, the combination of a vessel provided with perforated surroundings, having inclosed therein a substance that will become incandescent by an induced electric current, with the line-wire of an electric circuit and a circnit-breaker, as and for the purpose intended, substantially as described.

3. Thewithin-described system for detecting fire-damp within a mine by means of currentwires of an electric circuit led through a vessel having perforated surroundings, whereby an electric spark will be generated within said perforated surroundings and the accumulated fire-damp, when reaching an inflammable condition, will be ignited, and thereby actuate a circuit-breaker, as and for the purpose intended, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a fire-damp testerand indicator, of an alarm'annunciator connected to the wire or wires of an electric circuit, led to and within a vessel having perforated surroundings, with a circuit-breaker, all so arranged that an electric circuit will be opened or closed when the fire-damp within said perforated surroundings has been ignited by an induced electric current, substantially as described.

5. Aroute or system of fire-damptesters and indicators, consisting of a number of vessels having perforated inclosures within each of which incandescence will be produced when an electric currentis induced through a line-wire connected within said perforated inelosures, in combination with electric line-Wires having attached circuit-breakers and station alarmannunciators, as and for the purpose set forth, substantially as described.

ISIDOR KITSEE.

Witnesses W. O. FIEDELDEY, Vroroa ABRAHAM.

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