AN IMPROVED PETROLEUM OR HYDRO-CARBON ENGINE
Year: 1884

page_text: I ARTHUR CHARLES HENDERSON of '47 Museum Street Oxford Street in the
Parish of Bloomsbury and county of Middlesex Civil Engineer and Patent Agent
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED PETROLEUM
OR HYDRO-CARBON ENGINE A communication to me from abroad by Eugène Etéve
Electrician, and Jean André de Braam, civil engineer both of the city of Paris in
the Republic of France to be as follows:-
""
The carbureted hydrogen engine the subject of the present invention is a double
cylinder engine, the cylinders being either vertical or horizontal, or it may have
one cylinder only arranged in either of these positions, the explosive mixture
acting alternately on each face of the piston or pistons as the case may be. The
air is hydrocarbureted by vaporization, and is stored in a reservoir independent of
the cylinders or cylinder so that its ignition can be equally well effected on one
or both sides of the piston or pistons.
The cylinders are supplied internally with refrigerating flys or wings supported
in suitable frames. The pistons are connected to cranks on the driving shaft on
which latter is a fly wheel, transmitting pulleys-or a pulley, and bevil pinions
communicating motion to a vertical shaft or axis, below which similar bevil pinions
actuate the circular slide valves of the cylinders, these valves receive the hydro-
carbureted gas and admit it to the cylinders. An eccentric mounted on the
driving shaft by aid of its rod communicates an oscillatory motion to a lever
which connects its movements with those of another lever keyed with it on
another shaft. The first lever works a double action pump which forces the air
into a receiver and thence to an intermediate reservoir to form the explosive
mixture, thereafter to be distributed on either face of the piston or pistons.
The receiver has a valve for keeping the injected air at a fixed pressure.
A small single action pump is worked by the second lever and forces air into
a petroleum reservoir having a valve to allow the compressed air to escape when
the internal pressure exceeds a certain limit, slightly above the pressure of the air
compressed by the double action pump.
The air thus compressed flows through a pipe and is filtered through sponge
placed in a regulating tap, it then passes through another tap; two pipes descend

page_text: from the tap one conducting the hydro carbureted air, the other the compressed air
into a small conduit, and the starting tap being opened the hydrocarburet is
projected and vaporized by the air meeting it.
This mixture (by vaporizing the carbureted hydrogen or bydro carburet, and the
compressed air) spreads and is stored in a recipient or vaporizer in which is
a certain quantity of air coming directly from the reservoir for forming the
explosive mixture.
The boxes of the valves are put in communication with the vaporizer by means
of pipes. Wire gauze is placed in certain parts of the pipes through which the
gas passes and so prevents the contents of the reservoir from ignition by flame,
heating or explosion..
32
The discharge of the explosive mixture is effected by electricity. One or more
batteries conduct the electric fluid to one of the binding screws of a bobbin,
another screw conducting it to a commutator. The current of these two con-
ducting wires is constant when one or other of the cheeks or projections on a disk
(mounted on the shaft of the slide valves) drives a small roller in connection with
one of the wires against a plate bearing the other wire. Another wire leaving the
bobbin is connected to a crank keyed to the shaft of the pump.
The wires from each of the cylinders come in front of a crank which in its
oscillatory movements communicates with each of them successively
"The current being established with the commutator the electric spark is pro-
duced in one or other cylinder according as a button on the crank touches one or
other of the wires communicating with the cylinders.
To prevent failure of producing the spark a small conducting wire connected to
the cylinder is carried to the wire from the crank, 201

page_text: I ARTHUR CHARLES HENDERSON of 47, Museum Street Oxford Street in the
Parish of Bloomsbury and county of Middlesex Civil Engineer and Patent Agent
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "AN IMPROVED PETROLEUM
OR HYDRO-CARBON ENGINE". A communication to me from abroad by Eugéne
Etève Electrician and Jean André de Braam, Civil Engineer both of the city of
Paris in the Republic of France.
The hydrocarburetted air engine forming the subject of the present invention as
represented by the accompanying drawings is a double cylinder single action
engine, the cylinders being vertical, but they may also be horizontal, or they may
have double or single acting cylinders arranged either vertically or horizontally the
explosive mixture acting alternately on the face or faces of the piston or pistons as
the case may be.
The air is hydrocarburetted by vaporization or spray, and it is stored in a
reservoir separate from the cylinder or cylinders so that its ignition can be equally
well effected on one or both sides or faces of the piston or pistons alternately.
The invention is equally applicable to rotary motors.
Fig 1 is a front elevation of the machine. Fig 2 is a plan of the same Fig 2bis.
being a plan at A. B. of fig 1 Fig 3 is a vertical section through the axis of one
of the cylinders. Fig 4 shows the discharging commutator in detail.
The cylinders a. b, have refrigerating flys or wings and are supported by the
frame c. which may be of any desired form or dimensions the better to arrange
the grouping of the various parts forming the apparatus.
The pistons p, are directly connected by the rods d, d¹, to the cranks e¹, e¹ of the
driving shaft e, To this shaft is connected the fly wheel v, the transmitting pulley
and a conical pinion x, which transfers the motion of the shaft perpendicularly by..
aid of a similar pinion f¹ mounted on the vertical axis f.
This axis fat its lower end simultaneously actuates (by means of similar.
pinions ft) the circular slide valves t, of the cylinders.
These valves receive the hydrocarburetted gas in the centre and admit it to the
cylinders at the first fifth of the forward stroke, escape is effected in the open air
at the half return stroke of the pistons, through the pipe k, communicating with
the support k¹, in which the escapes from the valves are led by the hollow shaft on
which the valves are mounted.
The driving shaft is supported by the frame e³, e², An eccentric g. mounted on
the driving shaft e. by aid of its rod g', communicates, an oscillatory motion to a.
lever, which connects its movements with those of another lever l¹ Fig 2, keyed
with it on the shaft. The first lever works a double action air pump j, which
forces the air into a receiver 7³, cast with the frame, and thence by the conduit m¹
to the intermediate reservoir m, to make the explosive mixture which is then
distributed in each of the cylinders.
The recipient ¹ is supplied with a valvej, to keep the injected air at a fixed
pressure.
The small pump i, which the second lever works is single acting, it forces air
into a petroleum reservoir, n, having a valve n', which allows the compressed.
air to escape when the internal pressure exceeds a certain limit, appropriately
determined, and slightly superior to the pressure of the air compressed by the
pump j.
The air thus compressed passes through the pipe w, Fig 2 bis filters, through.
sponges placed in a regulating tap w' shown in section Fig 5 whose elongated port
allows of a great displacement with a very little variation in delivery and then
traverses another tap 8 from whence debouches another compressed air pipe L from
the recipient

page_text: From the taps which has two ports one below the other the lower one com-
municating with the pipe u which conducts the hydrocarburet and the upper one
communicating with the compressed air pipe so that the starting tap s being
open the compressed air from u¹ and the hydrocarburet from u meet in a small
conduit u² where they are vaporized or formed into spray.
This mixture by vaporization of the hydrocarburet and compressed air spreads
and is stored in the recipient or vaporizer.m, in which a certain quantity of air
penetrates from the reservoir j³, as already explained for together forming the
explosive mixture which as stated is effected by vaporization producing more or
less infinitesimal globules of hydrocarburet whether the latter is or is not previously
mixed with oxygen.
Pipes put the boxes of the valvest in communication with the vaporizer m.
Situated in some convenient part of these pipes wire gauze is placed the gas passing
through which prevents the contents of the reservoir ¹ from ignition by flame,
heating or explosion.
Vaporization by compressed air and petroleum forms in the separate reservoir m,
with an admission of slightly less compressed air, an explosive mixture which is
introduced as already described by the alternate action of the slide valvest into the
cylinders a. b. where it is electrically discharged as follows:
One or more batteries P conduct the electric fluid to one of the terminals P.' of
the frame it is again taken by the wire F which leads it to a terminal of a
bobbin a transforming the dynamic into static electricity for producing the spark.
The other terminal leads the current to a commutator c=Fig 4.
The current of these two conducting wires is constant when one or other of the
cheeks o' o² of the disk o (mounted on the shaft t2 Fig 8 of the slide valves) drives
a small roller 03 in connection with one of the wires against a plate of bearing the
other wire.
A third wire passes from the bobbin to the frame.
A fourth wire leaving the bobbin is connected to a crank V keyed to the shaft 1²
of the pumps.
The wires starting from each of the cylinders come in front of an arm of the
crank V which in its oscillatory movements communicates with each of them
successively.
Fig 6 shows a modification in the method of producing the electrical contact.
The shaft 2 of the pumps oscillating in its supports bears at its two ends two
blades V1 V2 which alternately touch the two projections V³ V₁ receiving the
current of the battery from the terminal V³.
The current from the bobbin Q is received at the terminal L* of the blades V1, V2,
Both ends of the shaft 2 being provided with this arrangement there is continuity
of the current in the battery.
The current being established with the commutator the electric spark is pro-
duced in either of the cylinders a or b according as the button on the crank touches
the wire communicating with one or other cylinder. In order to prevent failure
of the spark, a small conducting wire from the cylinder itself communicates with
that of the crank vide Fig 3.
Although a machine is represented in the drawings as having two vertical single
action cylinders which arrangement prevents heating the parts it is evident the
improvements may be combined wholly or in part for the construction of engines
of variable dimensions either single or double acting having one or two cylinders
either vertical, horizontal or rotary motors and in generally applying the principle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1st The method of generating and storing under pressure in a reservoir separate
from the driving cylinder or cylinders a and d of an explosive mixture produced
partly by vaporization of a hydrocarburet such as petroleum or some equivalent
under pressure, in a jet of air also under pressure, and partly of a volume of air

page_text: under pressure directed simultaneously to the recipient in which the explosive
mixture is stored, which mixture is admitted with an additional quantity of air
during a part of the stroke of the piston at which moment the mixture is exploded
by the electric spark and acts upon the piston in proportion to its dilitation and
expansion to the end of the stroke substantially as described.
2nd The use and construction of the tap shown in detail Fig 5 with special port,
for regulating the delivery of the hydrocarburet according to whether it is required
to make a mixture more or less rich in hydrocarburet or whether it is desired to
increase the speed of the engine, or that there is an increased resistance.
3rd The use and construction of the two way starting tap for the subsequent
mixture of the air and the hydrocarburet both under pressure which mixture is
effected on entering the storage reservoir by means of two or more jets vaporizing
the hydrocarburet in the midst of the compressed air.
4th The previous filtration of the hydrocarburet under pressure which prevents
obstruction of the vaporizing jets by solid matters which it always contains unless
this operation is performed, substantially as described.
5th The separation of the driving cylinders and the storage reservoir by the
interposition of metal gauze or some equivalent preservative from flame and heat
substantially as described.
6th The combination of two air pumps single or double acting compressing the
air taken from the atmosphere at varied pressures the one that produces the
greatest pressure i directing the air to the hydrocarburet reservoir and the other j
at an inferior pressure supplying the reservoir with the explosive mixture, the
jets vaporizing the hydrocarburet in the reservoir in the manner described.
Dated this 02nd day of October 1884.