US283234A - Prog ess of and apparatus for manufacturing water-gas - Google Patents

Description

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GK. F AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFAGTURING WATER GAS.

W, W. GIBBS & J. Y. MQ OLINTO PROCESS-0 Patented Aug. 14,1883.

INVENTORS:

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(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet A W. W. GIBBS &-J. Y. MOOLINTOGK. PROGESS'OP AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFAOTURINGWATBR GAS.

No. 283,234. atented'Aug. 14, 1883.

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ATTORNEY I body of the furnace, which is constructed of to the holders, by which the aforesaid objects UNITED STATES P TENT OFFICE- I WILLIAM W. GIBBS, on NEW YORK, N, Y., AND J. Y. MOCLINTOOK, or MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS, ssrenons, 13v manor AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, ro THE UNITED GASIMPROVEMENT COMPANY OF PENNSYLVANIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 283,234, dated August 14, 1883.

Application filed January 30, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM W. Grnns of New York city, New York, andJ. Y. Mo: CLINTOOK, of Malden, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Process of and Apparatus for Manufacturing lVater-Gas, of which the following is a specification. V I

Our invention relates to those systems of producing watergas in which superheated steam is forced through incandescent coal or other form of carbon; and our improvements aim to increase the quantity of gas from a given amount of coal, and to render it more pure by removing theobjectionable sulphurous ingredient without the necessity of expensive purifiers and at the same time em ploy an apparatus which shall be simple and durable.

To these ends we employ two fire-chambers in the same furnace, in which two distinct masses of coal are first raised to incandescence. by .free or forced combustion, after which the air is shut off and superheated steam passed up through the first fire and. the resulting gases of decomposition, thence passed down through the second fire, out through a mass of water in a washing-chambenand thence off are attained; and our invention consists, mainly, in the features here outlined, as hereinafter fully set forth. x

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 represents'a longitudinal section of our improved apparatus, and Fig. 2 a cross-section on line 1) w, while Fig. 3 is a plan view.

In the drawings, a a indicate the, walls or fire-brick boundwith iron in the well-known manner of gas-furnaces, which it is not necessary to here. describe in detail.

. The furnace is formed with two uprightfirechambers, F G, separated by a partition-wall, a, through which an opening, b, is made at the top, forming a free passagefrom one chamber to theother, as shown. Each chamber is provided near the base'with a suitable grate, on which the charge offuel rests, and below be approached through the tight-fitting doors .or covers 0 0, (shown in Figs. 2 and 3,) and each chamber may be chargedwith fuel through openings A in the top of the furnace directly over them, as shown, which are provided with tight-fitting covers F, as illustrated.

From the top of the second chamber, G, a

:PROCESS oF AN D'APPARATUSEFQR MANUFACTURING WATER-GAS lateralfiue, 0, opens, and may be made to communicate with the funnel or uptake 9 when jitstight-fitting cover D is removed, as will be understood.

Near .the base of the second chamber, G, but above the grate,the gas-outlet J opens laterally therefrom and connects with" the dip-pipe L, which dips into a mass of water in a chamber, K, which serves both as a water-seal and washer, and from which the gas is led to the holders through the outlet (Z. A siphon-gage ate indicates the pressure of the gas in the chamber K.

Into the ash-pit of each fire-chamber a large air-pipe, B, opens, which pipes extend from a suitable air-blowing apparatus, and are provided with regulating-valves H. A steampipe, M, provided with a controlling-Valve, m, also opens into the base of the first chamber, F, and is connectedwith a source of steam, or, rather, highly-superheated steam.

The construction of the apparatus being now explained, the operationis as follows: The chambersF G are charged with coal, coke, or other carbonaceous material, the first one, F, being preferably charged to a greater height than the second, G, as shown in Fig. l. The fuel is now'lighted in each chamber, the covers 0 and .f'closed, .the cover D removed, and the flue 0 thus allowed to communicate with the funnel g. The air-valves H are now opened and strong blasts of air admitted through the air-pip es B, which air rises through the fuelin each fire-chamber, and thus brings the fuel .into a condition of energetic combustion, the gases. and smoke from which pass off. freely through the fine and funnel O 9. When the flue is thus brought to a state of clear incandescence, preferably to a bright orange, or at, say, 2200 Fahrenheit, the air is shut off, the flue O. closedby replacing the which is anash-pit, as illustrated, which may cover D, and the steam-valve m' opened, thus admitting a stream of superheated steam to the first chamber, F, which, rising up through the incandescent fuel therein, becomes decomposed and combines with the coal or coke, so as to form a mixture of free hydrogen, marshgas, carbonic oxide, a large percentage of carbonic acid, and a strong trace of sulphur compounds, depending on the fuel used, which is chiefly in the form of sulphurous acid. This mixture of gases passes through the passage 1) into the second fire-chamber, G, through the fire of which it descends, and finally passes out through the outlet J and dip-pipe L into the water-seal and washer K, from which it fiows to the holders. During the passage of the gases from the first fire through the second fire the resultant volume of gas becomes greatly increased and its composition improved, for

the carbonic acid from the first chamber becomes changed into the valuable constituent of carbonic oxide in the second chamber, and the sulphur compounds seem at the same time to become changed into a soluble form, for the gas, after passing through the water of the 2 5 chamber K,is found to be free from any objecand easily managed and of a durable and effective nature,

It may be observed that by having the out let J for the gases above the grate of the chamber G the grate will not be subjected to such a wearing action as would be the case if the gases were withdrawn through and below the grate, and hence the grate is rendered more durable, and at the same time the amount of dust or ashes which would be carried by the gas into the washer K is sensibly reduced.

We are aware that in the manufacture of carbonic-oxide gas it has been common to discharge a stream of air, together with pulverized fuel,into the top of a mass of incandescent fuel, down through which the air is forced, while the resulting gases,together with an additional quantity of air, thence pass up through a second fire; but this is obviously distinct from our system,which is for the manufacture of water-gas from steam and incandescent fuel, and in which the steam passes first through one fire and the resulting gases through a second fire, the current passing, preferably, up

, through the first fire and down through the second, whereby our product is of improved quality and increased quantity.

Ve are also aware that several methods for the manufacture of water-gas have been heretofore proposed, inwh'ich two successive fires 0r masses of fuel have been used with a current of steam, or steam and air passed up through the first mass, and the products thereof thence passed down through the second mass; but our invention will be found materially different from these, both in process and appa ratus, in several points. Thus in one former instance two masses of fuel have been used in separate fire-chambers connected in successive order at the top, the first chamber being charged with a small mass of fuel and the second chamher with a large mass of fuel. The apparatus is prepared for the generation of gas by bringing the first and small mass to an advanced state of free-air combustion by means of an air-blast blown'up through the same, the flaming gases resulting from which are then mixed with air in their passage from the top of the chamber to produce more complete combustion, and thence descend in a flaming state through the large mass of unignited fuel in the second chamber, which mass becomes thereby ignited and raised to simple incandescence without being much consumed. When this condition is reached the action is changed and the generation of the desired gas commenced. This is effected by shutting off the air-blast and admitting a current of steam up through the second mass of fuel,which is-large and has been brought to simple incandescence, and the products from this are then passed down through the first mass of fuel,which is small and has been broughtto an advanced state of combustion. Now, in our case it will be noted that the first mass of fuel is large and the second small, and both are first raised to an advanced state of combustion or incandescence by free or forced air combustion, by means of an air;blast blown up through each simultaneously, the gases therefrom being allowed to escape. After this the air-blasts are shut off, and steam is then passed up through the first and large mass, and the gases resulting therefrom are thence passed down through the second and small mass without any admixture with air, which results in a materially different quality of gas from that heretofore produced, one of its chief advantages being great purity, as before stated. This purity is probably due to the fact that a great deal of the sulphur and other objectionable ingredients become burned out by the advanced preliminary or preparatory combustion of the two masses of fuel, and

ours in that-we raise our fires or fuel masses to high incandescence beforecommencing the generation of gas, and we use no air with the steam in generating the gas. Several other instances might benamed of meth ods approach ing to but distinct from ours; but those named are the nearest approaches, and our invention will be found to be fully distinguished by what has been already stated and by the terms of the followingclaims.

What we claim is 1. The specified process of generating watergas, consisting in first raising two distinct and unequal masses of fuel to high incandescenceby forced or free air combustion and allowing the products of such combustion to escape, then closing the drafts and forcing a current of steam through the first and larger mass, and then passing the products thereof through the second or smaller mass, and finally passing the resulting gas through a suitable washer to the holders, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The specified mode of producing watergas, consisting in first raising two distinct unequal masses of fuel to high incandescence by forced or free air combustion and allowing the \Vitnesses:

J osnrn B. SOHM, EMMnr R. OLcorT.

products thereof to escape, then closing the drafts and forcing a current of steam up through the first and larger mass, and then passing the 0 products thereof down through the second and smaller mass, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown anddescribed.

3. The apparatus described, consisting of a furnace formed with two fire-chambers, F G, 3 5 connected in successive order by fiue b, the flue 0, leading from the top of the second firechamber to carry off waste products of combustion, and means for closing said flue when desired, distinct air-inlets B B at the base of 0 each fire-chamber to admit air to establish free combustion in each chamber, and means for closing said inlets when desired, a steam-con- .duit, M, leading into the base of the first chamber, beneath the grate thereof, and the outlets 5 J L, leading from the bottom of the second chamber, above the grate, into the washer K, when the end of L is submerged, as herein set forth.

WILLIAM W. GIBBS. J. Y. MOQLINTOGK.

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