US755376A

US755376A - Method of combustion.

Info

Publication number: US755376A
Application number: US6354301D
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles E Lucke
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1901-06-07
Filing date: 1901-06-07
Publication date: 1904-03-22
Anticipated expiration: 1921-03-22

Description

:10.755.376: ETESTEDMAR. 22,1904."y

@Humm AMETHOD 0F GOMBUSTION.

APPLIoAf-LION FILED JUNE ihrem.

` no nonni..

.VIII

UNITED STATES 4. Patented March 22! 1904..

CHARLES E. LUCKE,v

`or New YORKQN. Y,"

,METHOD OF COMBUSTlON- "'i SPECIFICATION forming pm of Letters Patent' N 755,376', dated Marcil 22,' 196.4`- .1

pication tibi .fue 7, 1901. Serial No, 6515 9. (No specimens.)

.To uil whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, Crum-ss FL. Lto-Kiev, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, countv of New York, :ind Stute of New York` have invented certain new: und usefui Improvementsin Methods of Comtxurtion, ullydcrihed und represented in tht-ollowing specification and the ace@mpnnyiirgdraw ings., forming n. purt of the same. l

Thisinvention relntea` to the non-ex1i`ioie combustion of explosive gaseous niiztjturhq,

The ohjeet of the in ention is to provide t" practical method ot' burning,r such mixtur non-explosively und continuously.

The u5es to which such a method of Com,- bustion muy be put are very numerous, and thedesimhility of such :i method him heen long felt: but no satisfactory prncteu; method of burningI explosive ,inist-ons mixtures noncxplosivt-Lv und continuously has to my knowledge been known prior to my invention.-

inni or maintained :it :i dwiretl wiri 'Ille ditiiculty which has hentot'on: been met with in the comlmstion of exploive ixuseoi mixtures hun` been due to tht` fact that combustion .-t:1rtvd et :my point tends to propugute itrelf throughout the mixture wi'h grt-ut rapidity. lf the mixture iw: :it rest. the surfasce of eomhustion changes its podtioo, mow' in;r through the muss; vlf themixt re lie'in motiozn the surface of romiuhtif'm :may he :it rr t or iu motion,-lut rt ill iw :it-wrt oniy when the mixture moves with :i velocity equx to the. mit* ut'flrouignfion o1' inlzimmritiot'z t'irough thernimure` Noprut-fondly Museessul method huxzeretet'ore been known v. herein: the thunecui or surface ot' cmnirtbtion could tw lorult under the varying minditon of actual pro.

By my method of etfzniittimi l mi t'mtl'iled to Uominithe more timiiimtion within r auniizbtion is pmei tained at :t desired po z 1 secunthis :esuit ily causing'` the mixture to tio-f: with a velocity greuterthen the nite of progrzigution of inflammation tix-magix the mixture and then ts or the sorteer of Q rrow lim-its. se that the i y lt'itzilizied um. tuuinng it tofs'pread out or expend :and its` i'eiocity to bethus reduced until itsjreioL-ty is bustier; ine `torted it will mnintninitself in a. surface et which the velocity of translation of the mixture equals the rute of propagation of inflammation. This combustion-Surface, the surfnee of conetunt velocity, will advance or incr-e995 or decreases; but by causing the spredzLf-:f or expansion of the mixture to he sutiieierftly abrupt, with n consequentl rapid decrease in velocity of translation, thisu'iovement of the comhustioxrsurfuce may be reduced and combustion uuiiutuined wit-hin` liu1- `iits entireiy suited to the requirements of pracvtirol use of the method even with large Ynjjtiiitiorzs :u tire velocity nt which the mixture iS-Siiqpi- `i Furthermore, thisexpunsionnnd rrdutxion of velocity of the `mi.\:ture should he temi tplished in such n niunner its to cause :in en@ fhtw of the gaseous mixture und to prt-verr` its ditimion wim the` Surroundim;r medium-f. iittfore reaching thc :surfuce of cou- 'stunt veiority utl which the combustion takes plaire. i'

The expansion und reduction of velocity of the mi. rre within the desired limits und the prt-ver. ot' ditfusiun with other gus muy be :iceozngtmdzr-l in :in v suitable manner und with the. nid of any suitable iiwiurntus or means. l prefer. hmm-ver. to euuie. the mixture to flow imo u simu* which is subdivided, so that. un the mixture flows therethrough its direct zuiver `will be prevented und it will be munrd to shroud out through the sulxlivisiojis of tht` o v and thus to udvnnce in inertesin;r r te und with diminibhiug velocity und withc iiiiufiou with other gais. For thus sultii the spore witlun which the comhustiesturz'zwe is to be Secured lpreferubly empio? f .i! pieces of n suitable refractory sed loosely nhout the opening or er piace from which the, mixture Y El er luis :in initini velocity greater 5 than the rftteof propagation of inthunmntion. The zerorupanying drawings iliutrnte ser t eral :rays iu which my method may be earried ou: "egt-musing the mixture to How through -lied with small pieces of refractory b lt is to be understood, though, that l while i prefer to carry out my method of comi bustio musing the mixture to flow through recede a; the initial velocity of the mit-ture` bcr c to the inlet-opening 2, this pipe L being a suitably-subd ivided space, this in itself forming a feature 'ot' Ythe invention, and prefer to .forni such a subdivided space by means of loose pieces'of refractory material` vet the invention is not to be limited thereto, the means shown for carrying the invention into practice being shown' merely by way of example.v In said-drawings.Figure 1 illustrates a pre `ferred form of burner for burning combustible gaseous mixtures in 'accordance witliiny invention and a simple forni of apparatus for supplying a gaseous mixture to the burner. VFigs. 2, 3, and 4: show modified forms thereof. Fig. 5 shows a burner havinga closed com# bastion-chamber. Referring to Fig. l, the gaseous mixture is admitted to the couibi'istio1i-space through a comparatively smallinlet-opening Zand above the inlet-opening the walls of the burner spread apart, so as to forma' space of graduallyincreasing transverse area, and the 'space between these spreading walisis tilled with small pieces of suitable refractorymaterial 3, placed loosely therein, rllie mixture is supplied to the inlet-opening 2 by any suitable means-as, for example, the means shown-V and caused to fiow therethrough with a ve locity greater than the rate of propagation of infianiniation through the mixture, and rising through the mass of fragments or pieces of' refractory material 3 it will be caused to spread out and to advance with diminishing velocit-y and without diffusion with other gas. The combustion-surface will be. at a greater or less distance from the inletopeiiing, according to the initial velocity of the mixture as itflows from the opening, rising toward or even to the surface of the refractory material as the initial velocity. increases and retreating toward the inlet-opening as the initial velocity In Fig. the mixture enters through an in- `let-opening as in Fig. l; but tl e pieces of 3 refractory material 3 are merely heap on a fiat surface.

heaproi' pieces of refractorymaterial trough a downwardly-pointing nozzle 4.

1n. Fig 4 the constituents of the gaseous mixturefas a suitable gas oroil and a.ir,\a.re fed in proper proportions through separate nozzles 5 and 6 and mixed within the heap of pieces of refractory material to torniv the er plosive mixture.' IVhen' oil is fed through, the nozzle 5 it will be vaporized by the heat, and the vapor `.vill mix with the air or other 8 gas from the-nozzle 6 to form the explosiv gaseous mixture. Y

In Fig. 5 a burner is shown havingaclosed combustion-eliainber, from which the products vot' combustion may pass under pressure through an exit-passage 7.

It wiii be understood that by the use of the term explosive gaseous mixture liereinis meant a mixture of a suitable gas, as air, con taining oxygen', with combustible matter ina gaseous or iinely-divided state in 'proper proportionswthat is, in proportions such that the mixture will have the property of self-propagation of infiammation;

1. The method of burning exp] osive gaseous mixtures which consists in causing the mix ture to move with a velocity greater than the rate of propagation of inflammation through the mixture, and then reducing thevelocity to therate of propagation of inflammation and preventing diffusion with other gas, by causing the mixture to spreadout so that the successive surfaces of uniform velocity shall have adjacent points in any such surface zit-substandiminishes.

In the'I apparatus shown for supplying the gascousrniixiure to the burner, G represents a tank for the fucl-gas, and A a tank for air or other combustion-supporting gas, the gas and air being supplied to these tanks by any suitable means adapted to maintain a desired pressure therein. Fi im each tank there cxtcnds an outlet. controlled by valves gaiid 1, respectively, and these outlets lead to a pipe L, which leads through a safety or gauze chamalso provided with a valve b'. By means of the valves f/ and I the proportions of'gas and air in the mixture and Vthe velocity with which the mixture fiows through the opening 2 may ,be controlled, and the velocity of the flov o-t' the mixture may also be controlled by the `valve 7;'. The proper proportions--tliat is, proportions such, 'according to the Anature of the constituents` that the mixture will have the property o sclffliropagation o f infianimation `-and the necessary velocity of fiow of the mixture thlroughthe opening 2--may be 'readily'determined by experiment.v Y

tially the same distance from the place where spreading begins, and burning the mixture at the surface at which t-lie velocity is equal t0 the rate ot' propagation of infiammation, substantially as described.

2. The method of burning explosivegascous mixtures which consists in causing` the mixture to flow through an opening with a velocity i greater than the rate ot' propagation of infiammation through the mixture, and then reduc;

ing the velocity to the rate of propagation of f inflammation and preventing diffusion with other gas, by causing the mixture to spread out so that the successive surfaces of uniform f velocity shall have adjacent points in any such ,1 20 surface at substantially the same distance from ,I

the opening or place where spreading begins, and burning the mixture at the surface: at which i the velocity is equal to the rate of propagation of infiammation, substantially as described.

3, The method of burning explosive gaseous mixtures which consists 1n causing the mixture to fiow with a'velocity greater than the p rate of propagation of inammation through the mixture into a space subdivided Vso aslto loo i i i cause Athe mixture a5 tad'fnces lto spread out I V y In testimony whereof I have hereunto set so that the successive sufaesof"umform vemy hand 1n the presence 'of two subserlbmg xo loclty sha-1I have ad 1meent pomts m any such witnesses. Y I

Surface at substantially the same distance from CHARLES E the place where Spreadig Begins; and burn I ing the mixture atthe Sflface at which the. vVitnesses: ,l v elocitfis equl to the rate of propagation of g A. A. Y. BOURKE, inammton,"substantially as described. L l G. M. 'BORSR L.