Improvements in Hot-air Engines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 13th Dec., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
'Improvements in Hot-air Engines.
I, SIMON VIVIAN, Mechanical Engineer, of 128 Penn Street, in the City of Brooklyn,
and State of New York, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of
my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HOT AIR ENGINES," and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
a
This invention relates to that class of hot air engines wherein the same or
substantially the same, volume of air is alternately heated and cooled, producing
variation of pressure which actuates the power piston; and it consists mainly in
making the engine double acting, the power cylinder being inverted and placed
together with the crank shaft between the reversers or heating and cooling cylinders.
The invention further consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of
parts, all as hereinafter described and claimed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this
Specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the
several views.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the engine, partly broken away and in longitudinal
vertical section ;
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, partly in transverse vertical section ;
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same ;
Fig. 4, is a sectional plan view of one of the heating cylinders, taken on the
line of Fig. 5, showing the regenerator therein;
Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the same, and
Fig. 6 is a view of part of the regenerator, showing the staggered arrangement
of the projections thereon.
The engine is constructed with duplicate furnaces A, in each of which is fitted an
air heater B, by which the confined air which operates the engine is heated, in the
manner usual to hot air engines. To the upper end of each of the heaters is attached
a cylinder B¹, around the upper portion of which is fitted a cooler C, supplied with
water for cooling the air as hereinafter stated.
Within each of the heating and cooling cylinders is fitted a telescopic sleeve B³, so
as to provide between the same a space B³, for the circulation of the air in a thin
body, to ensure a rapid heating and cooling of the same on its way to and from the
heaters and the power cylinder. Just below the cooler and the space B³, and
surrounding each telescopic sleeve is placed a regenerator D, consisting of a sheet or
sheets of metal shaped to the contour of the heater and having upon both faces
projections d, as shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, which projections have a staggered
arrangement as best shown in the latter named figure, whereby the air on its way to and
from the power cylinder and heaters is forced to take a winding course and is thereby
completely acted upon by the regenerators.
The upper ends of the cylinders B' are closed by heads or covers E, the under faces
of which are recessed above the ends of the telescopic sleeves, thus providing spaces a,
for the passage of the air. Said heads or covers are also constructed with downwardly
and inwardly projecting portions E', of less diameter than that of the telescopic
sleeves, and within the same are fitted stuffing boxes E³, in which work the rods G¹,
of pistons G, which work within the telescopic sleeves in the heating and cooling
cylinders.
The power cylinder F, which is inverted, is located between the heating and cooling
cylinders, is connected at its upper end by a port f, with the left hand cylinder and at
its lower end by a port, with the right hand cylinder, and in its bottom has a stuffing
box, in which works the rod H', of its piston H, which piston rod also operates the

page_text: piston of a pump I, located beneath the power cylinder in alignment therewith, and
connected in the usual manner to a source of water supply.
The piston rod H¹ is connected to a cross head H2, guided on vertical ways or
rods H³, and the cross head is connected by a rod J, with a crank j, on a shaft J',
journaled beneath the power cylinder and in alignment therewith and with the pump,
in bearings on a bed plate M, located between the heating and cooling cylinders.
Said shaft J' carries at its rear end a fly wheel K, the wrist pin 1, of which is
connected by a rod L³, with one end of a lever L2, secured at its other end to a rock
shaft L', journaled in bearings above and at the rear of the power cylinder, on which
shaft is mounted a walking beam L, connected at its ends by links G³, with the rods G¹
of the pistons G of the reversers or heating and cooling cylinders.
The pump I is connected by a pipe 1', with a chamber 12, in the bed plate M,
whereby water may be forced into said chamber to cool the bearings of the shaft J';
and ports I³ lead from said chamber to the bottoms of the coolers C, so that the
water may pass into said coolers to lower the temperature of the air, said water finding
exit from the coolers through the discharge pipes C¹.
The operation of the engine is briefly as follows: The fly-wheel K is first thrown
over by hand or other means in the direction of the arrow shown in connection
therewith in Fig. 1, whereby the walking beam is actuated to depress the left-handed
reverser piston, and at the same time raising the right hand reverser piston. As said
left hand piston passes downward the heated air below it is displaced and is transferred
to the space above the piston, passing in its course through the regenerator where it
is deprived of the greater portion of its heat, and past the cooler where it is further
cooled.
As the fly-wbeel further revolves, the reverser piston is raised causing the air to be
transferred to the heater, it being raised in temperature as it passes the regenerator,
by the heat stored therein as the air passed upward to the cooler. And upon reaching
the heater B, this air is again heated to its initial temperature or higher by the action
of the furnace underneath said heater. This alternate raising and lowering of the
reverser piston, and the accompanying alternate heating and cooling of the air,
produces a variation of pressure on the power piston, causing it to rise and fall and
operate the pump below it.
It will be noticed, by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings, that when the piston is in
its lowermost position the reverser pistons are in substantially an intermediate position
in their cylinders.
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. In a hot air engine, the combination, with a heater, a cooler around the upper
end of the reverser, and a telescopic sleeve extending from end to end of the heater
and cooler, of a regenerator surrounding the telescopic sleeve below the cooler and
having staggered projections on both faces, substantially as shown and described.
2. In a hot air engine, the combination, with a pair of heating and cooling
cylinders, and an inverted power cylinder between said cylinders and in communication
therewith at its top and bottom, of a pump beneath and in alignment with the power
cylinder, a piston rod working in the power cylinder and pump, a cross head on the
piston rod, a crank shaft journaled beneath and in alignment with the power cylinder,
and connections between the cross head and crank shaft, substantially as shown and
described.
3. In a hot air engine, the combination, with a pair of heating cylinders fitted in
furnaces, and a power cylinder between said cylinders and in communication therewith
at its top and bottom, of coolers at the upper ends of the heating cylinders, telescopic
sleeves in said cylinders, regenerators in said cylinders below the coolers, having
staggered projections on both faces, a pump beneath and in alignment with the power
cylinder and operated therefrom, and a connection between the water chamber of the
pump and the coolers, substantially as shown and described.

page_text: 4. In a hot air engine, the combination, with a pair of heating cylinders fitted in
furnaces, and a power cylinder between said cylinders and in communication therewith
at its top and bottom, of coolers at the upper ends of the heating cylinders, telescopic
sleeves in said cylinders, regenerators in said cylinders below the coolers, having
staggered projections on both faces, a power shaft journaled beneath and in alignment
with the power cylinder, a pump beneath and in alignment with the power
cylinder and operated therefrom, a pipe leading from the pump to a chamber
under the bearings of the crank shaft, and ports leading from said chamber to the
coolers, substantially as shown and described.
5. In a hot air engine, the combination, with a pair of heating and cooling cylinders,
pistons working in- said cylinders, and an inverted power cylinder between said
cylinders and in communication therewith at its top and bottom, of a pump beneath
and in alignment with the power cylinder, a piston rod working in the power
cylinder and pump carrying a cross head, a crank shaft journaled beneath the power
cylinder and in alignment therewith and with the pump, a fly-wheel on the crank
shaft, a walking beam mounted above the power cylinder and connected with the
pistons in the heating and cooling cylinders, and connections between the cross-head
and crank shaft and the fly wheel and walking beam, substantially as shown and
described.
6. A double acting hot air engine which consists of a pair of reversers, each
provided with a telescopic sleeve, extending from end to end of the reverser, and with
independent heating and cooling mechanism; a regenerator placed around each of
said sleeves between its heating and cooling mechanism; an inverted power cylinder
connected with each of said reversers and operated by each alternately; mechanism
operated by said inverted power cylinder; a crank shaft journaled between said
reversers in bearings on the bed plate and operated by the piston rod of said power
cylinder to drive the fly wheel carried upon said crank shaft; and devices for
keeping said bearings constantly cool, substantially as described and for the purposes
specified.
Dated this
1
1000
SIMON VIVIAN.
Haseltine Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.