US469574A - Apparatus for the manufacture of gas - Google Patents

Description

(N0 Modl.) 2 Sheets-Sheet -1 J. R. KENDALL; APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS.

Patented Feb. 23, 1892.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. R. KENDALL. APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS- NO. 469,574.

Wm kmw:

y m, %M 7 4,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES-R. KENDALL, or TERRE HAUT 3, INDIANA.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 469,574, dated February 23, 1892.

Application filed February 27, 1891. Serial No. 383,133. (No model.)

To whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES R. KENDALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Terre Haute, in the county of Vigo and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for the Mannfacture of Illuminating and Heating Gas; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification. 1

My invention relates to an improved apparatus for the manufacture of illuminating and fuel gas from hydrocarbons, steam, and air; and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of its parts, which will be more fully hereinafter described, explained, and pointed out'in the claims.

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide a better apparatus for the manufacture of illuminating and fuel gas than has heretofore been produced, and thus to facilitate and cheapen its production, my invention being peculiarly adapted to localities where the same gas is used for both heating and illuminating purposes, and, second, to overcome the objections or defects existing in prior apparatus of this class, and, further, to produce an apparatus which shall be comparatively inexpensive in construction, simple, and effective in 0peration,strong,not liable to get out of order, and easily managed. These objects are attained in the improved apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, in which the same reference letters or numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Figure 1 represents a vertical sectional view of my improved apparatus; Fig. 2, a horizontal section looking down on the same at the line X of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 a horizontal section looking down on the same at the line .Y of Fig. 1.

- In the drawings, A represents the main casing or body of my apparatus and is an upright cylinder made of'suitable material, preferably of sheet metal, and is lined with fire-brick a or other suitable material, as is its cover T, which has in it the valve '1", closed by the hinge E.

The apparatus A has within it three chambers B, O, and D, of which 13 and C are heating and decomposing chambers, and D the gas-receiving chamber, the remaining space Within the cylinder being filled, as shown in the drawings, with layers of fire-brick or other suitable material 5 s b I), supported on firebrick arches b b. The lire-brick are laid in rows a short distance apart, alternate layers being laid in rows at right angles, forming a brick checker-work, in which the currents of gas passing through the cylinder are interrupted and broken up, thus causing a thorough diffusion and mixture of the gases throughout the cylinder or retort. The top layers of the checker-work are covered with a layer of fire-brick balls or spheres s s, which form grate-like bottoms for the heating or decomposing chambers.

Access to the chamber B for the purpose of cleaning, repairs, and inspection is had through the valve-opening T, before-mentioned, and to the chamber 0 through the man-hole R. (Shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1.) The valves K and T are used to admit air while the retort, is being heated to the proper degree for fixing the gas and are 'closed during the operation of fixing.

Blocks Z Z, of suitable refractory material, which contain the curved and verticallyflared tuyeres t t, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are set into the lining of the retort in such position that the tuyeres will open into the chambers 15 and C. These tuyeres, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are curved and flared in such a manner as to cause the hydrocarbon vapor,

steam, and air passing through them to spread out and rotate aroundthe chambers, thereby diffusing and commingling the same.

The gas-receiving chamber D is provided with the discharge-pipe d, through which the gas which has entered it from the chambers B and O and passed through the checker-work b 1), leaves the retort or generatorf Embedded in the lining of the retort are the circumferential steam-pipes '0' i and the vertical air-pipes pp, which connect by means of the pipes 13 19" and p p" with the tuyeres t 25. These pipes 19 p" at the point where they enter the retort and are connected to the tuyeres are considerably contracted in diameter, forming nozzles 2' 2', at the larger end of which, as shown in Fig. 1, enter the nozzles t" t", which admit the hydrocarbon to the retort, and behind them the pipes t' i" in the lining of the retort, through which is adin operation.

Connecting with the pipe (1 is the vertical stand-pipe or stack S, leading out into the open air and which has in it the steam-jet W for producing a draft in said stack.

The air-pipes p p and p p are provided with the valves 2, 3, and 4, and the pipes pp with the regulating-valves 5 for controlling the admission of air to the retort.

The stack S is provided with the valves 1 and 6 for controlling the admission of gas to the stack.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: In firing up, wood, shaving, waste, or other suitable material are thrown into the chamber B and ignited. The valves in the oil and steam pipes t" t" and 2' t', are opened and the hydrocarbon spray or vapor is injected by steam into the chambers B and C and ignited. The valves 1 and 6 in'the stack S are now open, and the steam entering through the jet WV creates a draft which'draws the products of combustion downwardly through the chambersB and G into the pipe dand thence upward through the stack S into the open air, a portionthe heavier products of combustion passing back again into the chambers B and 0 through the in j ectorst' where theyare again subjected to heat. At the commencement of the operation air is allowed to enter through the opening T K and the air-pipespp. Aftera time the valves K and T are closed by handle K and cover E, and the air isallowed to enter only through the pipespp, in passing through which it becomes heated and thus supplies the retort withahot blast. In the same manner the steam entering at 2' and passing through the pipes t'" t' in the lining of the retortbecomes highly superheated and, passing into the injectors 71 i, completely vaporizes the oil as it enters. Under the influence of the intense heat caused by the combustion of the mingled hydrocarbon vapor, steam, and air the brick checker-work and lining of the retort become highly heated. This heating is continued until the interior of the retort .and the brick checker-work are heated to incandescence, which fact the operator can determine by looking through the peep-holes e e. When the interior lining of the generator or retort, together with the spheres and brick checker-work, has been thus heated to incandescence, which fact can be observed through the peep-holes e c, the air- valves 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 and the valves K and T'are closed and the hydrocarbon vapor and steam, together with such amount ofair as will be drawn into the retort through pipe p, the regulating-valve 5 in pipe 19' being partly or wholly opened, as may be necessary, are subjected to the heat of the chambers B and C and the spheres s s and checker-work N9 and are thereby converted into fixed gas, the products derived from the heating in the cham ber B passing down through the upper spheres s s and checker-work b 1) into the chamber 0, where additional hydrocarbon Vapor and superheated steam are added thereto, and then the commingled vapors and gas are passed downwardly through the lower spheres and checker-Work b b and by the heat therein, as above stated, converted into fixed gas and conveyed into the lower chamber D. Through this lower chamber D the gas thus produced and fixed is drawn off through the pipe cl and through a waterseal (not shown in the drawings) into agas-holder. This process of producing gas in the retort thus heated 1 to incandescence is continued until the interior of said retort becomes toocool to convert and fix gas, which fact is ascertained through the peep-holes cc, and then the air-valvesare again opened and the reheating of the retort is again commenced, as first mentioned. It will thus be seen that in the manufacture of heating and illuminating gas in the apparatus herein described the heating of the generator or retort and the converting or fixing of the gas-follow each other alternately.

I do not limit myself to the precise construction of apparatus shown and described in this application, but claim the right to use in any apparatus similarly constructed.

Having thus described my invention, what 'with a retort, as A, lined with fire-brick or other refractory material, as a, and containing two communicating heating-chambers, as B and 0, each of which has a bottom com posed of spheres, as s .9, made of refractory material, and a mass or checker-work body of refractory material beneath it, asb b, of means, as the injectors t' it t'", pipes p, and tuyeres It 15 for passing hydrocarbon vapor, steam, and air into each of said chambers separately, and air pipes located in the walls of the retort and provided with valves and connected with pipes 19' '9 and an uptake provided with valves connected Withthelower end of said retort for causing the resultant products to pass downwardly through the refractory material under them and into a single chamber, as D, for collecting the fixed gas for transmission through an outlet, as (Z, substantially as described.

IIO

2. In an apparatus for manufacturingheating and illuminating gas, the combination, with a retort, as A, lined with fire-brick or other refractory material, as a, and containing two communicating heating-chambers, as B and 0, each of which has a bottom composed of spheres, as s 8, made of refractory material, and a mass or checker-Work body of refractory material beneath it, as b b, of means, as the injectors t' t t'" t'", pipes pp", and tuyerestt, arranged tangentially to the chambers for passing hydrocarbon vapor, steam, and air centrifugally into each of said cham bersseparately, and air-pipes located in the Walls of the retort and provided with valves connected with the lower end of said retort and the pipes 19' p" for causing the resultant products to pass downwardly through the refractory material under them and into a single chamber, as D, for collecting the fixed gas for transmission through an outlet, as cZ,substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus for manufacturing and producing heating and illuminating gas, the a combination, in a cylindrical generator or retort, of two communicating heating and decomposing chambers lined with refractory material and having circumferential steampipes and vertical air-pipes embedded in said lining and connected to the tuyeres it by the pipes 19" p pp, each of said chambers being provided with separate injectors and having separate bottoms composed of fire-clay balls or spheres resting upon a body of firebrick checker-work and supports, with a receiving-chamber situated below said decomposing-chambers for receiving the gas produced therein and having an outlet-pipe con nected with a stack or pipe for exhausting the gases or vapors in the decomposing-chambers and also with a main for conveying fixed gas to a gas holder, substantially as dedescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES R. KENDALL.

W'itnesses:

JOHN G. ROBINSON, GEORGE M. DAVIS.

Images