US72697A - Improved gasoline locomotive head-light - Google Patents

Description

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JOHN B. TERRY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

Letters Patent No. 72,697, dated December 24, 1867.

IMPROVED GASOLINE LOGOMOTIVE HEAD-LIGHT.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be itknown that I, JOHN B. Team, of Hartford, in the county of Hartford, and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locomotive Head-Lights; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention consists essentially of an improved head-light or lantern for a locomotive, composed of a vessel for holding gasoline or other light hydrocarbon liquid, provided with the necessary burner or pipe for the escape of the gas, combined with an internal or external heater to vaporize such fluid so as to produce the requisite gas, the heat being supplied from the locomotive-boiler. It also consists in an improved combination of devices for controlling the supply of-the heating-agent, so as to avoid over-heating the fluid in the generatingvessel, and in the means employed to prevent the swash or; agitatio-riof the fluid within the vessel, was to insure the. steadiness of the flame or light. These and other features ot 'my invention will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- I Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of an apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention, and

Figure 2 is a transverse'vertical section of the same on the line a: y.

The vessel A, which contains the gasoline or other light hydrocarbon fluid, is of cylindrical or other suitable form. It is provided with a burner, a, opened and closed by means of cock 6, and with a-supply-pipe, through which the liquid is poured into the vessel. Near the end of the vessel, which is adjoining the locomotive-boiler, there is a flexible or elastic metallic partition, 0, which divides the vessel into two chambers. In this end of the vessel, opening into the. smaller chamber, the mouth of a pipe, 13, is introduced, which communicates with the boiler of the engine, theste'am bein'gcut oil from or admitted to the smaller chamber by means of a stopcock, d, on the pipe B. A coil of tubing, h, is placed within the larger chamber, which contains the hydrocarbon liquid. One end of this coil opens into the smaller chamber at It, through the partition 0, while the other open end, if, passes entirely out from thcvessel A. The steam, when admitted through the pipe B, fills the smaller chamber, and then, entering the mouth it, circulates through the coil, until, returning, it is discharged into the open air from the end k In its course through the coil it heats thoroughly and quickly the gasoline or other fluid which surrounds the coil. This fluid becomes at once volatilized and generates the requisite quantity of gas, which passes from the geneiator to the burner a, where it is consumed. Whenever it is desired to arrest the generation of gas, the stop-cock d is turned so as to cut oil the steam from the generator. The supply of heat thus ceasing, the liquid'in the vessel of course becomes cool and comparatively non-volatile, and the gas ceases to be generated. It may, however, happen that during the time the light is burning, the heat communicated from the steam to the-gasoline will be at times so great as to decompose or volatilize the fluid with too great rapidity, thus creating a dangerous pressure in the vessel. To obviate this difliculty, and at the same time toaillow suflibient heat to enter the coil in order to volatilize the fluid to the proper degree, I attach to the flexible diaphragm or partition 0, a valve or stopper, m, the end of which is shaped so as to fi't the mouth of the tube B, which extends some little distance into the smaller or steam-chamber of the vessel. When the partition 0 is in its normal position the stopper is some distance from the mouth of the steam-pipe B, allowing the steam to freely enter the chamber and circulate through the coil. When, however, the heat becomes excessive,

and the gas is generated froin the gasoline'faster than it is consumed at the burner, the pressure induced by,

the expansion-of the volatilized fluid forces the metal diaphragm or partition'outwardly-and carries the stopperor valve m into the mouth of the steam-pipe, which is thuswholly or partially closed, according to the degree of pressure in the vessel. By this means the gasoline or other fluid is held at an even temperature, and its excessive heating is avoideda Y It will be understood that, instead of heating the fluid by means of a coil within the generating-chamb'er the vessel may be jacketed, steam being admitted, as before, from the boiler into the casing or envelope of the vessel when the gas is to :be generated. So far as this feature of my invention is concerned, it is of course immaterial whether the heat is applied internally or externally, so long as the gas-generating fluid canbe brought to the desired degree of heat whenever it is required In or er to prevent the liquid from being agitated or disturbed to any extent by the motion of the locomo tive, I pack the interior of the generating-chamber with shavings, known as Excelsior, such as are used in bedding, or with a material the equivalent of the same, which, \vhilenot interfering in the least with the generation of gas, will prevent the swash or agitation of the liqid, which, unless stopped, would cause the flickering and unsteadiness, if not the total extinguishment, of the light.

Having now described my invention, and the manner in which the same is or maybe carried into effect, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- L 1. A locomotive head-light or lantern, consisting ot' tlle combination of a vessel to hold the gasoline or other similar hydrocarbon liquid with an internal or external heater to vaporize such liquid for the direct production therefrom of illuminating-gas, as set forth.

2. The combination, with a hydrocarbon liquid-holding vessel, provided with one or more burners, of an internal coil or surrounding jacket, admitting steam froin the locomotive-boiler to heat the liquid within the vessel, as shown and described.

3- The combination, with the hydrocarbon vessel, of an elastic diaphragm and stopper or valve, operating in connection with the steam-admission pipe, substantially as described, so as to regulate the flow of steam and pressure in the vessel, as set forth. I

4. In an apparatus, substantially as described, the combination, with the hydrocarbon vessel, of wood shaving i or their equivalent, to prevent the swash 0r agitation of the liquid within the vessel, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification before two subscribing witnesses.

J. B. TERRY.

Witnesses:

A. POLLOK, M. BAILEY.

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