US521479A - Apparatus for generating gas - Google Patents

Description

(NoModeL) A 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. H. P. D. SCHWAHN.

APPARATUS FOR GENERATING GAS.

No. 521,479. Patented June 19, 1894.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. A H. P. D. SGHWAHN.

APPARATUS FOR GENERATING GAS.

No. 521,479. Patented June 19, 1894.

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H. P. D. SGHWAHN. APPARATUS FOR GENERATING GAS.

No. 521,479. Patented Jline 19, 1894.

THE m ncum. LITHQGRAPHING COMPANY. WASHINGTON. n c

P ATENT Price.

HEINRICH F. D. SOHWAHN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

APPARATUS FOR-GENERATING GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 521,479, dated June 19, 1894.

Application filed September 12, 1893. serial No. 485,371- (No model.)

.combination into a homogeneousgas of any desired candle or heating power by regulating the supply of water and fuel accordingly.

The object of my invention is to give the public a continuous process, perfectly controllable in all its parts, and carried out by the aid of an apparatus automatically or nearly so in its operation.

Another object of the invention is to improve the separation of the hydrogen and to bine the production of gas with its consumption so that the apparatus is not only a generator of gas but also a generator of heat therewith representing the most perfectsmoke consumer.

The process of making gas will be set forth in the description of the operation of the apparatus and then the process specially.

The improvements set forth constituting my invention herein, will be pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1. is a vertical section of my furnace. Fig. 2. is a front view ofthe same. 7 Fig. 3. is a transverse vertical section taken on line III. III. Fig. 1. Fig. 4. is avertical section taken on line IV. IV. Fig. 5. Fig. 5. is a section taken on line V. V. of Fig. 2. Fig. 6. is a vertical section taken on line IV, IV,. Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings: 1, represents a furnace having the usual fire chamber, 2, lined with refractory material such as firebrick, and ash-pit, 3, with the intervening grates, 4, preferably made of fire-brick.

5, represents a gas-retort located within the furnace over the fire-chamber, the product of combustion in the fire-chamber having free circulation around the retort in which the volatile matter is separated from the nonvolatile the latter to be left as coke.

6, represents a door at the forward end of the retort, through whichthe produced coke will be discharged. 7, represents a bar extending across the opening to said retort, and having a set screw, 8, by which the door, 6, of the retort is held firmly in place.

Beneath the door, 6, to the retort, is an opening, 9, leading into the fire chamber, 2, being normally closed with a plug, 10. After the volatile part of the carbonaceous matter within the retort has been freed, and passed out ofthe retort, the-remaining portionof the car.- bonaceous matter is withdrawn through the door, 6, and discharged through the opening, 9, into the fire-chamber of the furnace to be consumed therein; after which the operation is repeated; of course if massive carbonaceous matter is used then the said retort can as well be charged as discharged through said door 6.

11, represents a man-hole on the upper side of the retort, closed by means of a door or plug, 12, and bar, 13, extending over said door, and having a setscrew, 14;, engaged therein to hold said door firmly in its closed position.

As. it is preferable to use liquid carbonaceous matter, I charge the retort by means of a pipe, 15,leadinginto the man-hole as shown at 16; said pipes being connected with a suitable reservoir for holding the oil or other liquid desired to be used; said liquid being transformed into gaseous form and then carried into chamber, 19, to be more perfectly atomized by the radiant heat of the furnace. The furnace is first heated, of course in order to free the gas in the retort preferably by the use of coke; the gases are conveyed from t-heretort, 5, out through an opening, 17, in the top of the same by means of a pipe, 18, thence downward through the Wall of-the furnace through a chamber, 19, said chamber, 19, connecting with a junction of auxil iary chambers, said auxiliary chambers meeting together at 20, and the same are located preferably beneath the ash-pit; there being a passage-way, 21, from said chamber, 19, through which the vaporized carbonaceous gas is conveyed to said junction, 20, to a central passage-Way, 22.

23, represents a chamber located on the op posite side of the furnace, said chamber being in connection with a chamber, 24, and passage-way, 24%, the said chambers 23 and 24 and passage-way 24}, are placed within the walls of the furnace and are preferably made of cast iron or any suitable metal and being heated by radiant heat from the fire chamber, 2. Into said chamber, 23, is placed refractory material such as fire-brick and in such a way .as to produce intervening spaces between the same, and into the said chamber, 24, is placed metallic iron and hard coke preferably in pieces of medium size; said material is placed into said chambers 23 and 24, for the purpose, so that if water pass over and between the glowing tire-brick the same will be set into gaseous form, which then by passing through the incandescent iron and coke, is transformed into perfect hydrogen gas.

R, represents the refractory material such as fire-brick in chamber 23.

F, represents the iron and (J, the coke within the chamber 24.

25, represents a pipe leading into the chamber, 23, from which water or steam may be introduced, the water preferably to fall in form of drops onto the refractory material, to be converted into steam; the passage-way, 24:}, is controlled by means of an opening 26, and the same is controlled by a damper, 26'}, and leading onto a channel, 27, also situated beneath the ash-pit, by means of which the hydrogen gas can be conveyed to the central passage-way, 22, if so desired especially in such cases if the furnace is used in connection with a kiln, furnace or boiler, &c., whereby the resultant gases can be consumed without being chemically combined thereby dispensing with pipe 30.

28, 29, represent plugs for closing openings leading into the chambers, 23, 24, from the outside of the furnace, by which means the said chambers, 23, 24, may be charged or cleaned.

30, represents a pipe by which the hydrogen gas is conveyed from the passage-way 2413-, around to the front of the furnace and discharging the same through openings, 31, into the chamber, 33, by means of the discharge tubes 32, therewith acting as an automatic blast; by the force of the hydrogen gas, the air is forced in the chamber, 33, the air and the hydrogen gas entering through said openings, 31, and commingling with the formation of carbonic acid and free hydrogen, the same passing then through the said V shaped chamber or channel, 33, to said junction at 20, into the passage-way, 22. Thusit will be seen that the hydrogen gas and the vaporized carbon gas all arrive at the same point, and are mixed in the passage-way, 22, forming a compound of gas which passes into a fixing chamber, 34, at the rear end of the furnace, and is conveyed from thence by pipes, 35, located 011 each side of the furnace and discharged through openings, 36, into the fire chamber, to be consumed and generate heat or is led away into a fixing chamber 48 and from there by means of a pipe, 49, into other directions to be also consumed and generate heat or is used for any purpose desired.

37, represents a valve for controlling the pipe 30.

39, represents the ashpit-door with an opening 30;, with which I connect a pipe not shown in the drawings from any ordinary air-blast in order to assist the combustion within the fire-chamber 2, as usual. 40, represents a door to the furnace; said doors, 39, 40, being held tightly in place by means of a bar, 41, engaging its ends with clamps, 42, and having set-screw, 43, by which the doors may be closed more firmly, but by dispensing with the air-blast into the ash-pit the door 39, is thrown open to give the atmosphere access to the fire. 44, represents latches engaging with said doors which hold them in a closed position when said bar, 41, is not in use.

In the described arrangement and method, I cause all the volatile parts of the carbonaceous matter to be transformed into a gaseous state but this could be omitted and hard fuel like coke placed directly into the firechamber and the produced hydrogen gaslet into the same to be there consumed together with the fuel in case it is the object only to create heat.

45, represents a smoke stack having a damper, 46.

461} is the upper part of the rear wall of the apparatus.

47, represents valves located in the pipes, 35, by which means the combined gases may be shut off from the fire-chamber in part or whole and discharged through the chamber, 48, connecting with the chamber, 34; said chamber, 48, having a pipe, 49, controlled by a valve, 50, in connection therewith, by which the gases may be conveyed to any desired point or purpose,but in such cases the pipes, 35, or chamber, 48, I preferably have sealed by water as usually done in such cases, so that the flame from the combustion chamber may not travel back to the gas chamber, 34, 48, but in such case the central channel or chamber 22, may be with advantage provided with an exhauster, not shown in the drawings, to draw the gases forward through the various seals of water or resulting tar, as usually done in such case, and the collected tar may be discharged from the seals by suitable means not shown in the drawings.

52, represents a plug for closing an opening in the chamber, 19, through which the same may be cleaned.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown my furnace connected with a brick-kiln, 53, which can as well be done with a boiler or furnace, &c., and in which case the heat and burning gas mixture are conveyed directly to the same, dispensing with the pipe, 49, valve 50, smoke stack, 45, and the upper part of the rear wall, 46:}. As soon as the combustion chamber 2, is brought in a glowing condition it is not necessary to keep up the fire from other sources than from the consumed gases, the glowing brick from the lining will carry in and keep up constantly the combustion.

Instead of one retort a number of retorts for volatilizing the carbonaceous matter could be employed and brought by the same means in connection with the chamber, 19, but in such a case each of the said retorts shall be controlled by a damper or hydraulic seal as usually done in such cases to shut off the same from chamber, 19, within the discharge of the produced coke, which is not shown in the drawings; or the apparatus may be formed into a battery and I also do not confine myself so that the hydrogen gas chambers, 23 and 24, shall be located only in the side walls of the furnace, I can locate the same as well within the combustion chamber, and in any number, so that the fire may circulate around the same and I do this especially in case'I use the apparatus in form of a battery, and in such cases I arrange the channels to make the connection between the retorts, water gas chambers and chamber pipe 3O, 34:, to suit the emergency of the same. I also use in some cases the furnace only as a gas generator.

I am aware that atomized fuel has been mixed with decomposed steam and air, but my mixing of the same is distinguishable therefrom, as in my process the air is used to fix the separated oxygen first before bringing the resultant gases from the decomposed water in contact with said atomized fuel.

I am aware that hydro-carbons as also air, have been introduced into retorts for making gas; but my invention is distinguished from all previous efforts by this peculiarity, viz., that the components of the gas from hydrocarbons or other carbonaceous matter and water are each separately produced first, before entering the mixing chamber, by the entirely new device and method. The gas thus produced may be enriched or impoverished at pleasure by increasing or diminishing the quantity of decomposed water and air by the improved device for the supply of the same. And as a matter of fact has the commingling of the resultant gases from the said decomposed water or steam with the cool atmospheric air the effect to produce more free hydrogen'as has been possible by all previous invented devices and methods therefor.

I do not confine myself to the precise construction or arrangement of the device above described, as it is manifest the same may be varied without changing the principle. For instance the apparatus may be changed into a battery so that the side walls may then form partition walls which then contain the water decomposing and earbon-gas atomizing chamchambers may be greatly varied in form witL- out changing their principle of operation. The decomposition of the water employed may be effected by any of the methods known in the art.

no matter if wet or superheated so rapidly reduces the temperature of the iron scrap, if p the same is not continuously heated, as to put a stop to the formation of hydrogen very shortly and the method as a continuous process was not practically operative, but by combining a continuous generating of heat with a continuous generating of the gases as above described the continuous production of hydrogen becomes a practical success, and I therefore claim to bring water in contact with a continuous heated body of refractory material, iron-scrap and coke and mixing of the resultant gases with cool atmospheric air for the production-of free hydrogen.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a furnace the combination of a firechamber, a retort located above said firechamber, hydrogen gas-chambers located in the walls of said fire-chamber, means for conveying the gases from the said retort to acentral passage way located beneath the said fire-chamber, and means for conveying atmospheric air by and with the gases from the hydrogen gas-chambers into a V shaped channel 33; the said V shaped channel 33, the same located beneath the said fire-chamber, for conveying the injected resultant free hydrogen gas and atmospheric air to said central passage way for the purpose as specified, chambers 34:, and 48, into which said compound gases from said central passage way are discharged, and pipes with seals for conveying said compound gases from said sham bers 34, and 48, into the fire-chamber and other directions, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a furnace the combination of a fire chamber, a retort situated over the same, a combination of auxiliary chambers located beneath the fire-chamber, a pipe leading from the retort to said auxiliary chambers, chambers for producing hydrogen gas, a passageway leading from said hydrogen gas chambers to the auxiliary chambers and pipes leading from said auxiliarychambers for conveying the compound gases to the fire cham-v bers; substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. In a furnace, the combination of a fire chamber, a retort, hydrogen gas chambers, means for conveying the gases from the retort and hydrogen gas chamber to channels beneath the furnace for conveying the car- IIO bon gas and the hydrogen gas to a central channel, a V shaped channel for conveying atmospheric air to said central channel, a chamber into which said compound gases from said central channel are discharged, and pipes for conveying said compound gases into the fire chamber and other directions; substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a furnace in connection with a brickkiln, furnace or boiler 850. the combination of a fire chamber, a retort, hydrogen gas chambers, means for conveying gases from the said retort and hydrogen-gas. chambers to channels beneath the furnace for conveying the said gases to a central channel, and a V shaped channel for conveying atmospheric air to said central channel, means for conveying the gases and air from said auxiliary chambers into the said fire chamber, substantially as shown and set forth.

HEINRICH F. D. SCHWAHN. Witnesses:

E. SCHWAHN, HENRY STUBENRAUCI-I.

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