Improvements in Petroleum or other Explosive Vapour or Gas Engines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 1st July, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 31st Mar., 1890-Accepted, 3rd May, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Petroleum or other Explosive Vapour or Gas
Engines.
I, JOHANNES CATHARINUS BULL of The Yews, Belvedere, in the County of Kent,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
At the present time the engines worked by exploding a mixture of air and
combustible vapor can only be worked advantageously with the lighter and more
volatile oils and not with the heavier and ordinary petroleum oils of commerce in
cases where vapor of such oils are introduced into the cylinder.
The object of this invention is to enable such heavier oils or solid paraffin or like
substance to be used in the working of explosive engines.
The substance to be vaporised I cause to be heated in a closed vessel to a temperature
at or about its boiling point and to avoid danger from pressure arising in this
vaporising vessel 1 allow all excess of vapor to pass off by a suitably loaded valve
to a condenser above in which it is condensed and collected in a receiver from which
it can from time to time be allowed to flow back to the vaporiser.
Ordinary petroleum oil such as used for burning in lamps has on an average a
boiling point of about 150° Centigrade. Paraffin and other such like substances
would require a still higher temperature.
Any ordinary means might if desired he employed for heating the vaporizer to
such temperatures but in order to avoid all risk of overheating it I either enclose the
vaporizer within a closed boiler provided with a safety blow off valve loaded to the
extent necessary for obtaining the temperature required or heat the vaporizer by pipes
or chambers containing water kept boiling under pressure or in place of or in addition
to using pressure I add chloride of calcium or other salt to the water so as to raise its
boiling point to the extent required or use fluids or solutions other than water or
aqueous solutions.
For example an addition of 50 parts chloride of calcium to 100 parts water would
at ordinary atmospheric pressure raise its boiling point to 112° Centigrade-200 parts
in 100 would give 158° Centigrade-325 parts in 100 would give 180° Centigrade.
Any steam or vapour passing off from the boiler may be caused to pass to a
condenser above in which it can be condensed and collected in a receiver from
which it can from time to time be allowed to flow back to the boiler or if this is
not done then any fresh water admitted to the boiler should be introduced hot so that
it may not contain carbonic acid.
To make the apparatus perfectly safe I make the receiver for condensed petroleum
of sufficient capacity to hold all the contents of the vaporiser and the receiver for
condensed steam or vapour from the boiler large enough to hold all the vaporisable
contents of the boiler, so that both boiler and vaporizer might be heated to dryness
without danger.
The engine is constructed to draw its supply of vapour from the vaporizer and to
admix the vapour with air or just before it enters the cylinder of the engine to be
exploded. Or an intermediate vessel might be used between the vaporizer and the
engine and a cock or valve used on the inlet to and another on the outlet from this
vessel and these cocks or valves might be opened and closed alternately by the
working of the engine in such manner that one or other of the cocks is always closed.
In this way all risk of air finding its way to the vaporizer and of an explosion being
caused in it would be entirely avoided.
When necessary a partial vacuum may be maintained in the vaporizer by the
working of the engine and in this way the temperature to which it is necessary to heat
the vaporizer may be reduced.

page_text: For starting the engine I provide for heating the boiler by a fire below it and
when the engine has been started 1 carry on the heating by means of the hot gases
resulting from the explosions of the mixed vapour and air in the cylinders of the
engine. For vaporizing some substances it might in addition be necessary to use a
fire for heating the boiler during the whole time of the working of the engine.
Dated this 1st day of July 1889.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Petroleum or other Explosive Vapour or Gas
Engines.
1, JOHANNES CATHARINUS BULL of The Yews, Belvedere, in the County of Kent,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
At the present time the engines worked by exploding a mixture of air and
combustible vapor can only be worked advantageously with the lighter and more
volatile oils and not with the heavier and ordinary petroleum oils of commerce in
cases where vapor of such oils are introduced into the cylinder.
The object of this invention is to enable such heavier oils or solid paraffin or like
substance to be used in the working of explosive engines.
The substance to be vaporised I cause to be heated in a closed vessel to a
temperature at or about its boiling point and to avoid danger from pressure arising
in this vaporising vessel I allow all excess of vapor to pass off by a suitably loaded
valve to a condenser in which it is condensed and collected in a receiver from which
it can from time to time be allowed to flow back to the vaporiser.
Ordinary petroleum oil such as used for burning in lamps has on an average a
boiling point of about 150° Centigrade. Paraffin and other such like substances would
require a still higher temperature to be vaporized.
In order to avoid all risk of overheating the vaporizer I either enclose the vaporizer
within a closed boiler provided with a safety blow off valve loaded to the extent
necessary for obtaining the temperature required or heat the vaporizer by pipes or
chambers containing water kept boiling under pressure or in place of or in addition
to using pressure I add chloride of calcium or other salt to the water so as to raise its
boiling point to the extent required or use fluids or solutions other than water or
aqueous solutions.
For example an addition of 50 parts chloride of calcium to 100 parts water would
at ordinary atmospheric pressure raise its boiling point to 112° Centigrade-200 parts
in 100 would give 158° Centigrade-325 parts in 100 would give 180° Centigrade.
Any steam or vapour passing off from the boiler may be caused to pass to a
condenser in which it can be condensed and collected in a receiver from which it can
from time to time be allowed to flow back to the boiler or if this is not doue then any
fresh water admitted to the boiler should be introduced hot when the chloride of
calcium solution is used so that it may not contain carbonic acid.
To make the apparatus perfectly safe I make the receiver for condensed petroleum
of sufficient capacity to hold all the contents of the vaporiser and the receiver for
condensed steam or vapour from the boiler large enough to hold all the vaporisable
contents of the boiler, so that both boiler and vaporizer might be beated to dryness
without danger.
The engine is constructed to draw its supply of vapour from the vaporizer and to
admix the vapour with air as or just before it enters the cylinder of the engine to be
exploded. Or an intermediate vessel might be used between the vaporizer and the
engine and a cock or valve used on the inlet to and another on the outlet from this
vessel and these cocks or valves might be opened and closed alternately by the working
of the engine in such manner that one or other of the cocks is always closed.

page_text: In this way all risk of air finding its way to the vaporizer and of an explosion being
caused in it would be entirely avoided.
When necessary a partial vacuum may be maintained in the vaporizer by the
working of the engine and in this way the temperature to which it is necessary to
heat the vaporizer may be reduced.
For starting the engine I provide for heating the boiler by a fire below it and when
the engine has been started I carry on the heating by means of the hot gases resulting
from the explosions of the mixed vapour and air in the cylinders of the engine. For
vaporizing some substances it might in addition be necessary to use a fire for heating
the boiler during the whole time of the working of the engine.
The drawing annexed shows the way in which I prefer to construct the vaporizing
apparatus in carrying out my invention.
Figure 1 is a vertical section and Figure 2 a plan view.
A is a small boiler preferably of a material resisting corrosion well such as rolled
brass it is constructed to stand a pressure say of about 100 lbs.
E is a surrounding and stronger boiler also preferably in a material similar to
that of A and constructed to resist a pressure say of 120 lbs. to 150 lbs. with
safety.
B is a condenser requiring no great strength.
G is another condenser. Water is kept circulating at a suitable speed through the
outer casing of both condensers.
C is a reservoir made capable of resisting the same pressure as A, and by
preference of sufficient capacity to accomodate if necessary the whole of the fluid
contained in A..
F is a similar reservoir by preference of sufficient capacity to accomodate if
necessary the whole of the fluid contained in E.
The apparatus works as follows:
Through the funnel e, stopcock d, coil b, reservoir C, inlet tube c and stop-cock y,
I fill the oil or other matter to be volatilised into boiler A, say up to 3rds full.
Into EI pour in the same manner either pure water or a solution or liquid having
a higher boiling point than water through stopcock t, coil m², reservoir F, and
stopcock m³.
•
I either heat the water or fluid to nearly boiling point before pouring it into E, or
I fill it in cold, and heat it by an external flame under the funnel z, so that the
products of combustion pass through the coil o, and escape through the straight
pipe.
To facilitate the working I pour into A after the ordinary charge a few ounces of
very volatile petroleum say gasoline-the surrounding hot fluid in E will soon evolve
explosive vapours under tension in A which will pass through tube & to the cylinder
of a motor there to be exploded with air. The exhaust from the motor is allowed
to pass wholly or in part through and coil o keeping up the temperature of the fluid
in E and further vaporises the petroleum in A. As soon as the explosions begin the
external flame (if used at all) is generally removed from below r, and the opening at
is closed. p is a small piece of wire gauze placed across the opening of outlet tube
for vapours to guard against back ignition. a¹ is an outlet tube for boiler A, having
safety valve at a loaded to a suitable pressure say 70 lbs. If the tension of the
vapours evolved in A should at any time exceed this pressure, they pass through a',
tube to the coil b, in condenser B, where they are condensed and from which they
pass to the reservoir C, from whence they can be drawn back into A at any suitable
time. C may be provided with a safety valve h, to ensure safety in case the con-
denser B should be insufficient to condense the whole of the vapours passing off.
The boiler E is in the same way connected with safety valve m, tube m' and coil
n condenser m². The safety valve m is loaded to say 100 lbs. and all vapours
above this pressure pass through m, condense in m² and collect in F from whence they
can again be drawn back to E at suitable times. F may be provided with a safety
valve n.
The boilers A and E can whilst working be supplied with liquid in the following

page_text: manner. When oil has been filled into C or fluid into F, close the cocks d and t,
release the safety valves a and m from pressure and open the cocks g and m³. The
vapors in A or will then rush through the safety valves and press the addition to
the charges down into the boilers. and s are outlet tubes for the two boilers.
To ensure still greater safety I may connect with a vessel D into which the
vapours pass from A, and place cocks or valves q and q' between the boiler and D
and between D and the engine, and cause the engine to mechanically open and shut
these cocks or valves in such a way that when the one is opened, the other one is
always shut, and no back ignition can possibly take place.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is-
1. An explosive vapour or gas engine having its vapour generator formed of a
boiler (to contain petroleum or other substance to he vaporized) heated by liquid
which has been raised to a higher temperature than water boiling under atmospheric
pressure and also provided with a safety valve by which if pressure rises too high
vapour can pass to a condenser to be condensed.
2. An explosive vapour or gas engine having its vapour generator formed of a
boiler (to contain petroleum or other substance to be vaporized) surrounded by a
boiler containing water or liquid having a higher boiling point than water and heated
by the exhaust gases passing from the engine each boiler being provided with a safety
valve by which if pressure rises too high vapour can pass to a condenser to be con-
densed and returned to the boiler by a pipe provided for the purpose.
3. An explosive vapour or gas engine having its vapour generator surrounded by a
boiler containing liquid having a higher boiling point than water or maintained under
pressure to raise the boiling point.
4. An explosive vapour or gas engine having its vapour generator formed of a
boiler (to contain petroleum or other substance to be vaporized) entirely surrounded
by a boiler containing liquid and heated by the exhaust gases passing from the
cylinders of the engine.
5. A vapour generator for vapour or gas engines constructed substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in the drawing annexed.
Dated this 31st day of March 1890.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents.