Abstract:
This invention is a piston in cylinder engine using water injection into a relative vacuum heated to steam by expanding in the cylinder and by an electric arc or other heat source. The resulting steam explosion applies a work force on the piston. The piston has jet nozzles uncovered at the end of its work stroke to jet the piston to help propel it during the return stroke and to form a vacuum in place of the usual compression stroke. The piston has a cover plate with tapered pins depending into jet nozzles through the piston to block the jet nozzles during the main work stroke.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/853,358 filed Aug. 10, 2010, which claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application 61/232,664 filed on Aug. 10, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention is a reciprocating piston two-stroke engine. 
         [0003]    Unlike present engines it uses exhaust gas to propel during the return stroke of the piston. It is especially designed to make steam at a low pressure or vacuum in the head end of a cylinder from hot water or steam injection. Preferably an electric arc adds heat in the cylinder to keep steam under increased pressure for the work stroke. It has jet nozzles in the piston opened at the end of the work stroke to help propel the exhaust stroke and exhaust the cylinder during the return stroke to a low pressure before the next cycle where it would first draw a vacuum and take on a small charge of water that turns to steam. 
         [0004]    Internal combustion engines now compress an air-fuel mix which is ignited in the cylinder to push the piston. Water injection is known to increase efficiency but damages the cylinder mainly because of sulfur in the fuel making sulfuric acid in the cylinder. My engine can eliminate fuel in the cylinder so water can be used to make steam in the cylinder with minimum damage to the engine by using an electric arc or heat in place of fuel. 
         [0005]    It takes a low pressure to make steam at a low temperature but if heat is added faster than the pressure rise that would turn it back to water it can make a cool engine because the heat is taken up in making steam. This saves the need for a cooling jacket or fins, thus reducing weight and loss of heat which the present internal combustion engines have for needed cooling. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    It is an object to reduce or eliminate return stroke pressure, to eliminate the compression stroke, and to drive the piston return stroke with exhaust jets. 
         [0007]    An object is to draw a vacuum in the head end of the cylinder to turn water into steam at low pressure at the same time an electric arc is introduced to heat the water and vapor to make and keep steam as the pressure goes up when the piston works under this pressure. 
         [0008]    It is an object to provide a pressure relief valve in the cylinder to prevent too high a pressure. 
         [0009]    It is an object to utilize the explosive force when the water turns to steam. It is an object to provide a low temperature engine to reduce heat loss by providing heat to change water to steam at the point and time of use. 
         [0010]    It is an object to eliminate burning gases in the cylinder, the need to exhaust them, and the compression stroke. 
         [0011]    It is an object to eliminate the steam boiler and the heat loss from steam made in the boiler before it is used. 
         [0012]    It is an object to use water injection to strike an electric arc in the cylinder to explode the water into steam. 
         [0013]    It is an object to explode water into steam in the cylinder to best utilize heat before lost. 
         [0014]    It is an object to provide an engine operable with different sources of heat. 
         [0015]    It is an object to operate a closed cycle using the same water over and over, and not need a fuel tank—only a battery. 
         [0016]    It is an object to reduce the weight and heat loss of the steam engine by putting a boiler in the cylinder. 
         [0017]    It is an object to combine a reciprocating piston and jet in one engine. It is an object to obtain work from the exhaust stroke. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]    These other and further objects should be evident to those skilled in the art by study of this specification with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: 
           [0019]      FIG. 1  is a side view of an engine with cylinder and piston shown in section, rotation clockwise at 9 o&#39;clock, and exhausting. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  is a plan section taken on line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the lower half of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a piston rod, 
           [0023]      FIG. 5  is a face view of an injection cam. 
           [0024]      FIG. 6  is a bottom view of the cam shaft in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0025]      FIGS. 7 ,  8 , and  9  are respectively top, side, and bottom views of a piston cover. 
           [0026]      FIGS. 10 ,  11 , and  12  are respectively top, side and bottom views of a jet piston. 
           [0027]      FIG. 13  is a sectional view of a portion of the jet piston engaging its piston cover showing a jet plug engaged by a jet nozzle to larger scale. 
           [0028]      FIGS. 14 ,  15 , and  16  are reduced front views of the engine cylinder and crank taken at 12 o&#39;clock, 3 o&#39;clock, and 6 o&#39;clock respectively. 
           [0029]      FIG. 17  is a side sectional view of the cylinder cap with input connections to larger scale. 
           [0030]      FIG. 18  is a schematic of the engine controls. 
           [0031]      FIGS. 19 and 20  are front and side views of a variation of the piston cover lift mechanism. 
           [0032]      FIG. 21  is a side enlargement of a piston lift cam of  FIGS. 19 and 20  on a portion of the crankshaft. 
           [0033]      FIGS. 22 and 23  are front and side sections of a preferred variation of a piston for the engine. 
           [0034]      FIG. 24  is a bottom view of the preferred lid for the piston. 
           [0035]      FIG. 25  is a vertical section of the top portion of the cylinder with a glass cap receiving concentrated sun light for turning water into steam in the cylinder. 
           [0036]      FIG. 26  is a schematic of the heat engine. 
           [0037]      FIG. 27  is a vertical section of the cylinder with a jet exhaust deflector deflecting the exhaust against the bottom of the piston during the return stroke. 
           [0038]      FIGS. 28 ,  29  and  30  are front sections of a variation of the engine shown in respectively the top dead center 0°, 90°, and exhaust dead center 180° positions of the piston. 
           [0039]      FIG. 31  is a section on line  31  at a ball and dent of  FIG. 30 . 
           [0040]      FIG. 32  is a section taken on line  32 - 32  of  FIG. 28 . 
           [0041]      FIG. 33  is a side section through a combined water and electric inlet plug of this engine to larger scale. 
           [0042]      FIG. 34  is a section on line  34 - 34  of  FIG. 28 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0043]    Referring to the drawings and in particular to  FIGS. 1-18 , engine  12  has a block or frame  14  with one or more cylinders  16 . Each cylinder  16  has cap  17 , a jet piston  20 , and a piston lid  21  fitting over the jet piston. The jet piston is secured on a central tube  22  extending down to a crosshead  24 . Piston lid  21  has a central rod  25  extending slip fit through tube  22  to a crosshead  27 . Crossheads  24  and  27  have end slots to slide along guides  28  to hold the jet piston and lid in alignment. Crosshead  27  can be omitted since rod  25  can be extended to hold pin  32 . 
         [0044]    A twin connecting rod  30  is connected on pin  32  to crosshead  27  and connected on pin  33  to crankshaft  34  between crank arms  36  and  37 . Connecting rod  30  has twin cam arms  38  each extending up past crosshead  27  and along front and back faces of crosshead  24  each holding a cam roller  39  in a recessed cam track  40  on opposite faces of crosshead  24 . Arms  38  swing cam rollers  39  from side to side along cam track  40  as they pass dead centers. Cam tracks  40  take a steep down slope to the left at center,  FIG. 1 , to lift the jet piston to close onto the lid for the power down stroke and lower the piston to open the lid for the exhaust powered up stroke. 
         [0045]    Jet piston  20  has jet nozzles  42  through it and reciprocates under piston lid  21  to raise and lower to cover the nozzles during the down power stroke and uncover the nozzles during the exhaust up stroke. Piston lid  21  is a disk or open pattern with depending conical plugs  44  that align and fit into nozzles  42  when the jet piston is raised against the piston lid during the pressure work stroke until the connecting rod rollers  39  lower the jet piston relative to the piston lid to exhaust the cylinder on the up stroke. Tube  22  is tight fit or threaded in crosshead  24  and secured by pin  46  for assembly. 
         [0046]    Referring to  FIG. 13 , each nozzle plug  44  is mounted in a hole in lid  21  and extended out by spring  48  to recess when engaged in a jet nozzle in jet piston  20  to help insure that each plug  44  seats securely when the jet piston is pushed against the lid. 
         [0047]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 ,  17  and  18 , cylinder cap  17  has three tapped holes for various fittings; a water or steam or fuel injector nozzle  50 , a spark or electric arc plug  52 , and a safety valve  54 . Nozzle  50  is directed at plug  52  to strike an arc or combustion. A cam  56  on crankshaft  34  or on cam shaft  58 ,  FIG. 18 , if the engine has more than one cylinder, controls the charge and ignition in the cylinders. A cam  56  on crankshaft  34  controls the water, steam, and or fuel injection and the arc or ignition for each cylinder. 
         [0048]    Referring to  FIGS. 17 and 18  for a water and steam injection steam engine, water pump  60  is driven from crankshaft  34  and piped to return condensate from condenser  62  to tank or boiler  64  which is piped through an injector pump  66  and back flow check valve  68  to each plug nozzle  50 . Each injector  66  is a cylinder with piston operated by a cam  56  to meter and force a small amount of water (or steam) into the cylinder  17  controlled by that cam  56 . 
         [0049]    A cam  56 ,  FIG. 5 , for each cylinder  16  is secured on shaft  34  or on cam shaft  58  driven off crank shaft  34 . Cam  56  closes contacts in a circuit from the negative of battery  74  to the pointed conductor on insulated plug  52  which sends an arc to plug  50  when started by a stream of conducting water aimed from plug  50  to the pointed end on plug  52 . Plug  50  is grounded to the positive of battery  74 . Electric condenser  76  across battery  74  reinforces the arc. 
       Operation 
       [0050]    This engine has a large range of possible operation from high pressure steam injection to water injection into a vacuum dropping in pressure as the piston pulls a vacuum at the start of the down stroke until the water is exploded into steam. The ignition  52  is omitted for operation as a straight steam engine but can be an electric heating coil which is shorted out to form an arc just after water injection. The water injected would furnish a path to strike an arc to heat the water to steam during the down work stroke. The exhaust jets  42  from piston  20  furnish power (work) on the up exhaust stroke and eliminate work of compression. 
       Variations 
       [0051]    Similar parts are given the same reference numbers with suffix added where modified. 
         [0052]    Referring to  FIGS. 19-21  for a variation of the lower portion of the engine, a jet piston lift cam  80  is secured to each crank arm  36  and  37  on pin  33 . A cam follower rod  38 B is supported to slide parallel on each connecting rod  30 B and has a cam roller  39  at each end, one to follow on cam  80  and the other to travel in a straight cam track  40 B on crosshead  24 B. Cam  80  is turned with the crankshaft to lift and lower piston  20  relative to lid  21  as in  FIG. 1 . Springs  84  hold rods  36 B on cams  80 . Cam  80  is shaped and positioned to block and open jets  42  as described. 
         [0053]    Referring to  FIGS. 22 and 23  for a preferred variation of the engine, piston  20 C has pin  32  supporting piston rod  30 C in the usual arrangement for internal combustion engines. Rod  30 C has a cam  90  on the upper end face inside the piston. Cam  90  is engaged by cam roller  92  on a cam rod  94  secured to lid  21  and mounted to slide up and down in a hole through piston  20 C to open the lid for the exhaust stroke from about 5-12 o&#39;clock and to close the lid for the power stroke from about 1-5 o&#39;clock rotation of crank  36 C. Roller  92  is held against cam  90  by coil spring  96  pocketed in piston  20 C around rod  94 . Piston  20 C has jet nozzles  42  closed by lid  21  with stoppers  44  secured to the lid. 
         [0054]    The preferred lid  21 ,  FIG. 24 , has arms  98  that hold stoppers  44  and present less restriction to flow than a solid lid. 
         [0055]    Referring to  FIG. 25 , the head on cylinder  16  can be high temperature glass  17 G to let concentrated sunlight directed in by optical fibers or tubes  102  to heat the head end of cylinder  16  for the full cycle to accumulate heat to make steam at the start of each cycle. 
         [0056]    The schematic heat engine,  FIG. 26 , has cylinder  16  with piston  20 C closed to pull a vacuum at the start of the down stroke to draw in a small metered amount of hot water under pressure through pressure check valve  68 . The water is exploded to steam by internal and external heat to drive the piston down to where lid  21  opens jets  44  to exhaust the cylinder on the up stroke and next closes to pull a vacuum at the start of the next down stroke to take a charge of water for the next cycle. This engine can be made to operate on air, steam, or internal combustion fuel and the cylinder heated internally and/or externally with or without water injection. 
         [0057]    Referring to  FIG. 27 , cylinder  16  can have a jet exhaust deflecting ring  104  in the bottom below the lowest extent of the rim of the piston to direct the exhaust jets up against the bottom of the piston. The jet nozzles  44  through the piston are directed toward the wall of the cylinder at a slight angle which further helps the return stroke. 
         [0058]    Referring to  FIGS. 28-32 , engine  12 D is a simplified version of engine  12  with one or more cylinders  16 D as part of a base frame  14 D. Each cylinder  16 D, of high pressure steel pipe, has a corresponding pipe cap threaded thereon. A jet piston  20 D in cylinder  16 D has one or more replaceable jet nozzles  42  inserted press fit through the piston and a lid  21  with jet stoppers  44  one for each nozzle  42 , as described, to close these nozzles during the work stroke. 
         [0059]    Lid  21  is secured on one or more lift rods  25 D each slip fit watertight through a hole through the piston and each secured to the lid by a tapered pin  106  for assembly. 
         [0060]      FIGS. 28-32  show lid  21  supported on one lift rod  25 D through the center of the piston and bent at  112  below the piston to one side of cylinder  16 D to clear connecting rod  30  and engage a stop pin  114  extending into cylinder  16 D to be engaged by the bottom of rod  25 D when at the bottom of the work stroke. The bottom end of rod  25 D has an inserted coil spring to cushion on stop  114 . 
         [0061]    A spring ball and dent fitting  115 ,  FIG. 31 , is screwed into a hole in the side of piston  20 D to engage its ball in a channel  116  on stem  25 D to guide the lid from rotating and has end depressions to hold the lid at the ends of the channel at closed and open limits of travel of the lid. 
         [0062]    Lid  21  is closed and opened at respectively the head and exhaust ends of the piston strokes by engaging stops  117  on cap  12 D and stop  114  on cylinder  16 D, clearing under the piston. It is an object to utilize a larger portion of the work and exhaust strokes and more easily define where the lid opens and closes. 
         [0063]    Referring to  FIGS. 33 and 34 , injector plug  50 D threaded in cap  17 D has a round body with a central cylinder chamber  120  open at the top end to the atmosphere. A piston  122  is mounted to move up and down in chamber  120 . A depending plunger  124  on the bottom of piston  122  slides watertight up and down in a smaller metering cylinder water injecting chamber  126 . A small capillary hole  128  connects chamber  126  out the bottom of plug  50 D to shoot a fine stream of water only when forced out by plunger  124 . A small hole  130  vents from the bottom of chamber  126  out the bottom of plug  50 D to draw in a vacuum. Water is connected from tank W through valve V to the water chamber  128  under plunger  124 . 
         [0064]    When a piston  20  or  20 D draws a vacuum to start the work stroke, this draws a vacuum through hole  130  into chamber  120  below piston  122  causing atmospheric pressure on top of piston  122  to force it down pushing plunger  124  down, squirting a stream of water out into the vacuum to explode to steam. 
         [0065]    Electrical contacts  52 D are added below plug  50 D for the water stream to short a circuit to help explode the water stream to steam. 
         [0066]    Plug  50 D can carry these contacts to be shorted by the stream of water. Therefore plug  50 D has high temperature insulated wires  14 O and  141  sealed through it terminating in high temperature spaced apart contacts one above the other in the line for the water stream to short them. 
         [0067]    Wires  14 D and  14 I are connected in an open circuit includes condenser C across bottom B and switch S, in series with rheostat R to vary the electric arc. 
         [0068]    Having thus described my invention with a few variations, these are not intended as a limit on the scope of my invention which is intended to be covered by the following claims in all variations which become apparent to those skilled in the arts and which come within the true spirit and scope of this my invention.