Ether gas lamp
The ether gas lamp or Lüdersdorff steam or gas lamp was invented by Friedrich Wilhelm Lüdersdorff in Berlin in 1834 and emits a dazzling white light. The luminous material is the so-called luminous spirit , a mixture of rectified turpentine oil with four parts of alcohol . This mixture is transformed into Camphingas by low heat and burns with a very bright flame without soot. This vapor lamp differs in its construction from all other lamps in that the fuel evaporates in a closed metal container, but the vapors flow out through a number of small holes and burn here.
Layout and function
The burner consists of a tube made of brass , about the width of a little finger, and is completely filled with a wick that is not intended for lighting. The lower end of this wick tube extends into the container that contains the luminous spirit; the other end, on the other hand, from which the wick protrudes a little, extends into a precisely adjoining brass capsule, which ends at the top in a massive button and contains several small holes in a circle. If the luminous spirit has pulled out to the upper end of the wick, the button of the burner is heated with a match or a light, whereupon the evaporation of the luminous spirit in the wick begins, the vapor formed flows out of the holes, ignites and so on forms many flames . From now on it is no longer necessary to heat the button, as the flames provide the heat required for further steam generation . Here a self-regulation occurs , because since the holes of the burner are drilled horizontally, the flames first get a horizontal direction, whereas they, like every flame, strive upwards.
If the development of steam in the burner is slow, the outflow of the steam takes place only slowly and the flames adopt a direction approaching the vertical, whereby they come very close to the button and heat it up considerably. The consequence of this increased heating is increased vapor formation, i.e. faster outflow of the vapors and consequently a more horizontal direction of the flames, whereby they are further away from the button and give it less heat. As a result of this self-regulation, a state of equilibrium between the heating of the burner and the development of steam soon occurs, so that the flames assume a certain size and direction with which they burn away fairly calmly. Instead of several holes in a circle, you can give the burner other shapes and differently distributed holes, for example in such a way that a number of small flames burn like a pyramid on top of each other. In order to transfer the heat of the flames to the burner in this case, it contains a solid piece of brass protruding near each hole. These lamps, distinguished by their pure, clear flames, are particularly used for decorative lighting. So that the flames do not go out so easily when the lamps are being carried around, a number of such flames are left to burn under a draft glass. Attempts have been made to use the vapor lamp burners in lamps for fatty oil, and such lamps would then be actual oil gas lamps.