How was Sir Humphry Davy’s safety lamp different from William Reid Clanny’s lamp?

The safety lamp invented by Sir Humphry Davy in 1815 differed significantly in design and operation from the lamp created by William Reid Clanny around 1813.1

• Clanny’s Lamp: This device relied on water seals to separate the oil-fuelled flame from the surrounding atmosphere. Because of this design, the lamp required constant, manual pumping to remain operational, making it relatively unwieldy for miners to use.12
• Davy’s Lamp: Davy’s design utilized a two-layer metal gauze chimney to surround and confine the flame. This metal mesh served a dual purpose: it prevented the flame from igniting external firedamp and effectively conducted heat away from the flame.1

While Clanny’s invention was a pioneering effort in mine safety, Davy’s use of the metal gauze became a standard feature that was later incorporated into subsequent designs, including improvements to Clanny's own later models.2