Combination internal combustion and steam engine

An improved cylinder head for a fuel injected internal combustion piston engine is channeled so as to form a miniature steam boiler at the combustion end of the cylinder bore enabling injected water to flash into superheated steam in a few milliseconds. The cylinder head is configured to provide the maximum heat transfer surface area thereon. The generated steam in the engine supplements its power, and assists in controlling engine temperature.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention is an improvement on that type of combination internal 
combustion and steam engine shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,974. More 
particularly, the present invention is embodied in an improved cylinder 
head for a combination piston internal combustion and steam engine, the 
head being structured to form thereon a miniature steam boiler which can 
utilize the elevated pressures and temperatures of combustion to almost 
instantly generate superheated dry steam which supplements the power of 
the engine. 
In one embodiment, the cylinder head possesses multiple internal radiating 
water injection ports leading to open grooves or serrations in the surface 
of the head defining the top of the combustion chamber. In a second 
embodiment, a water injector in the head of the engine delivers water 
through multiple radiating ports to radial channels of an attachment plate 
on the underside of the cylinder head. In either embodiment, superheated 
steam to boost engine power is generated within ten milliseconds. 
The invention is characterized by extreme simplicity, economy of 
manufacturing and high efficiency of operation. Its many advantages over 
the known prior art will be apparent during the course of the following 
description.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Referring to the drawings in detail wherein like numerals designate like 
parts, in FIGS. 1 through 3, the numeral 10 designates one cylinder of a 
combination internal combustion and steam engine containing a suitable 
piston, not shown. A cylinder head 11 forming the main subject matter of 
the invention is suitably secured to the top face of the cylinder block, 
and an appropriate head gasket 12 is provided. The head 11 has a central 
crowned portion 13 at the top of which is mounted a water injector 14 
receiving water through a fitting 15 from a conventional source, not 
shown. The injector 14 has a nipple 16 held in a central opening 17 of 
head 11 by a conventional clamping means 17'. When the engine reaches full 
operating temperature, prior to which the engine is running on fuel only, 
the injector 14 delivers water under proper pressure to a chamber 19 of 
head 11 in communication with a plurality of circumferentially spaced 
radiating small delivery ports 20 and 20' which deliver high temperature 
water to the bottom face of the cylinder head 11. 
As shown in FIG. 2, the shorter length water ports 20 have their outlets on 
a smaller arc close to the center of the cylinder and this array of ports 
20 extends for more than 180 degrees circumferentially for maximum 
distribution of injected water over the area spanned by the cylinder head. 
The longer ports 20' similarly have their outlets arranged on a larger arc 
around the center of the cylinder which also spans more than 180 degrees. 
Thus, water injected from the outlets of ports 20 and 20' is distributed 
over substantially the entire lower face of the head 11 which holds 
sufficient heat to cause the water to flash substantially instantly into 
superheated steam. This steam supplements the power of the combustion 
engine and the formation of steam takes heat from the head 11 and in so 
doing controls the temperature of the engine. 
A further feature of the invention resides in increasing the effective 
surface area of the bottom of the head 11 at the cylinder bore 18 so that 
more heat can be absorbed and held by the head for instant delivery to the 
injected water coming from the ports 20 and 20'. As shown in FIG. 2, this 
surface area can be increased by providing a multiplicity of concentric 
grooves 21 in the bottom face of head 11 across the cylinder bore 18. In 
some cases, straight grooving in one or two directions can be utilized. 
Another possibility for greatly expanding surface area is shown in FIG. 7 
wherein a multiplicity of small conical recesses 21' are produced in the 
lower face of head 11 by use of a drill bit. The recesses 21' are closely 
packed to produce the maximum possible heat absorbing surface area on the 
cylinder head. 
Whether grooved or recessed, the heat of combustion absorbed and held by 
the head 11 is utilized to produce superheated steam in approximately ten 
milliseconds when the injected water from ports 20 and 20' reaches the 
lower surface of the head facing the combustion chamber. The two main 
features of the present invention and the objectives thereof are to 
transfer as much heat as possible from the combustion chamber to the head 
11 to allow the generation of superheated steam very quickly, and then in 
the generation of this steam during the operation of the engine to 
cyclically remove heat from the head 11 and in so doing cool the head and 
control the temperature of the engine. 
The injected water in the engine has been entirely converted to superheated 
steam by the time it exits from the ports 20 and 20' on the hot bottom 
face of the head 11 and only steam, as distinguished from water, enters 
the combustion space to supplement the power of the engine developed by 
the explosion of fuel in the combustion space. 
As shown in FIG. 3, the cylinder head 11 in its crowned portion 13 also 
serves to mount a fuel injection device 22 and a coacting spark plug 23. 
The axes of these elements converge into a lower chamber 24 of the head 11 
located radially outwardly from the axis of water injector 14, as shown in 
FIG. 2. The valving and exhaust system for the engine may be conventional 
and forms no part of this invention and has been omitted in the drawings 
for simplicity and because the invention has been embodied primarily in 
the cylinder head 11. 
During engine operation and when the engine is first started up and before 
reaching full operating temperature, it is running on fuel only without 
water injection. When optimum engine operating temperature is reached, the 
cycling of fuel and water injections will start. The amount of water 
injected is very small, only a few drops per cycle. The preheated water is 
injected at a pressure of about 2000 psi into the head chamber 19 which, 
in effect, is a chamber in a miniature boiler. The injected water is 
divided through the many small ports 20 and 20' and becomes superheated 
steam virtually instantly as it exits the ports 20 and 20' adjacent the 
bottom face of the head, as previously described. During each cylinder 
explosion, a great amount of heat is transferred to the head 11 through 
the expanded surface produced by grooving or recessing, as described. This 
heat is utilized for quickly converting injected water into steam as it 
passes through the small ports 20 and 20'. The entry of pressurized 
superheated steam into the combustion space boosts the power of the engine 
by augmenting the power caused by the combustion of fuel. 
In the prior art, the necessary high temperatures for generating 
superheated steam have not been realized, and therein lies the advantage 
of the present invention over the prior art as a result of the unique 
construction of the cylinder head to realize the necessary high 
temperature. 
FIG. 6 shows a curve A plotted from temperature in degrees F. and pressure 
in psi. It can be seen from this curve or graph that saturated steam at 
600.degree. F. will have a pressure of 1574 psi, at 700.degree. F. will 
have a pressure of 3075 psi, and at 800.degree. F. will have a pressure of 
5400 psi. Thus, the efficiency of the steam cycle depends on high 
temperatures and their effective utilization and the efficiency increases 
rapidly with increasing temperature and decreases rapidly if the 
temperature drops. The cylinder head structured according to the invention 
simply allows maximum and efficient utilization of the heat of combustion 
to create a practical and effective steam cycle in the combination engine 
which has not heretofore been accomplished in an engine of this type. 
Since the disclosed engine is fuel injected, only air will be compressed by 
the piston prior to the injection of fuel and the heat of this compressed 
air will also be picked up by the surfaces of the grooves 21 to further 
assist in the instant formation of steam when water is injected and the 
production of greater power in the engine from a given amount of fuel. 
FIGS. 4 and 5 show a second embodiment of the invention in which engine 
cylinder 10 is equipped with a cylinder head 25 having a head gasket 26. A 
central axial water injector 27 similar to the injector 14 delivers water 
from its outlet fitting 28 to the interior ends of multiple radial grooves 
or channels 29 which are circumferentially spaced equidistantly, FIG. 5. 
These distribution grooves or channels 29 are formed in the top face of a 
plate 30 which is suitably fixed rigidly to the bottom of cylinder head 
25, as by welding or other appropriate means. The peripheral edge 31 of 
channeled water distribution plate 30 is spaced radially from the cylinder 
bore 18, as shown in FIG. 4. 
When water is injected by the device 27 in FIG. 4 during engine operation 
after the optimum temperature has been reached, the small amount of water 
will be flashed into superheated steam by the time it reaches the outer 
ends of the channels 29, as described in the prior embodiment. The plate 
30 will pick up the necessary heat from engine combustion and will give up 
this heat in producing superheated steam to augment engine power, as 
previously described. 
It is to be understood that the forms of the invention herewith shown and 
described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same, and that 
various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be 
resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope 
of the subjoined claims.