Improvements in Engines to be worked by Hot Gases, such as Air or Products of Combustion with Steam.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 4th Dec., 1889-Accepted, 4th Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Engines to be worked by Hot Gases, such as Air
or Products of Combustion with Steam.
I, EDWARD FIELD of Chandos Chambers, 22 Buckingham Street, Adelphi, in the
County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:
In the Specification of a former Patent granted to me dated 18th February 1885
No. 2234 is described and claimed the construction of an engine wherein mixture
with steam, of hot gasos or products of combustion, is effected in the slide or valve-
jacket or chamber, or jackets or chambers, and my present invention has reference
to engines of this kind. In such an engine according to my present invention, the
cylinder, or each cylinder if there be more than one, is provided with two slide or
valve-jackets or chambers, each in connection with one end only of the cylinder and
with the exhaust: each is provided with a slide or valve, that controls the ports
leading respectively to the one end of the cylinder, and to the exhaust; there is an
inlet for hot gases, such as products of combustion, or heated air, also controlled by
the slide or valve. Each slide or valve-jacket or chamber is provided with an inlet
for steam, the latter controlled by a suitable slide, or valve adapted to admit steam
when all other openings are closed.
The arrangement and operation of the various parts is such that whilst hot gases
mixed with steam, are passing from one of the said slide or valve-jackets or
chambers, into, and are doing duty in, one end of the cylinder, the fluid that has
done duty in the other end of the cylinder will be escaping to the exhaust past
the slide or valve of the other slide or valve-jacket or chamber, and this last
mentioned jacket or chamber will be cleared out, dried, closed and left full of hot
gases at any suitable pressure (it may be atmospheric pressure) to which steam will
be admitted so as to raise the contents of such jacket or chamber to the pressure of
the steam so admitted, after which the mixture will be admitted to the corre-
sponding end of the cylinder so as to do duty therein during the return stroke of
the piston, the exhausting of the contents of the other end of the cylinder will
take place and the clearing out, drying, filling, closing and admission of steain to
the proper jacket or chamber for effecting the next stroke of the piston will be
offected.
It will usually be advantageous that all the cylinders and jackets as far as
practicable should be jacketted with high pressure steam or equivalent for
maintaining heat.
Dated this 4th day of February 1889.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Engines to be worked by Hot Gases, such as Air
or Products of Combustion with Steam.
I, EDWARD FIELD, of Chandos Chambers, 22 Buckingham Street, Adelphi, in the
County of Middlesex, Consulting 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:-
In the Specification of a former patent granted to me dated 18th February 1885
No. 2234 is described and claimed the construction of an engine wherein steam is
017

page_text: added to and mixes with hot gases or products of combustion in the slide or valvu
jacket or chamber, or jackets or chambers, and my present invention has referenen to
engines of this kind.'
In such an engine according to my present invention, the
cylinder, or each cylinder if there be more than one, is provided with two slide or
valve jackets or chambers hereinafter called mixing chambers each in connection with
one end only of the cylinder and with the exhaust and each mixing chamber is
provided with a slide or valve adapted to control ports leading respectively to the one
end of the cylinder and to the exhaust also with an inlet and an exit for hot gases
such as products of comm-tion or heated air also suitably controlled and likewise with
an inlet for stam controlled by a suitable slide or valve adapted to admit steam and
close the inlet whilst all other openings to the mixing chamber are closed. The
arrangement and operation of the various parts is such that whilst motive fluid (ie.
hot uses having some steam mixed therewith) is passing from one of the said
mixing chambers into one end of the cylinder and is doing duty in propelling the
piston one way the fluid that previously entered from the other end of the cylinder and
has done duty in it will be escaping to the exhaust past the slide or valve of the other
mixing ebauster, and this last mentioned mixing chamber will be open to an exhaust
so as to allow a jurt of its contents to escape this reducing the pressure in such
clamber to atmospheric pressure; then this chamber will be cleared out, dried, closedl
and left full of hot gases at a suitable pressure, steam will be admitted to such gases,
the mixture will be admitted to the corresponding end of the cylinder to do duty in
the cylinder during the return stroke of the piston and during this stroke exhaustion
of the contents from the other end of the cylinder and the exhaustion clearing out,
drying, filling, closing and admission of steam to the proper mixing chamber for
effecting the succeeding stroke of the piston will be effected.
According to a modification the cylinder (or each cylinder if more than one) might
have four mixing chambers two in connection with one end of the cylinder, the other
two in connection with the other end of the cylinder, and all in connection with the
exhaust each mixing chamber leing provided with a slide or valve and with an inlet
and an exit for hot gases and an inlet for steam with slide or valve for controlling the
same. The arrangement would in this case be such that the strokes of the piston in
each direction, that is to say, what I will call for distinction respectively the instrokes
and the outstrokes, would be effected by mixture of hot gases and steam supplied
alternately respectively from the two mixing chambers in connection with the one end
of the cylinder and from the two mixing chambers in connection with the other end
of the cylinder, so that for example one outstroke having been effected by mixture of
hut gases and steam from the one mixing clamber in connection with the inner end of
the cylinder, the succeeding outstreke would be effected by mixture of hot gases and
steam from the other mixing chamber in connection with the same end of the cylinder,
and so with regard to the instrokes.
It will he advantageous that all the cylinders and chambers as far as practicable
should be jacketted with high pressure steam or equivalent for maintaining heat.
Referring now to the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a cylinder with mixing chambers
and valves according to my invention the section being taken partly on the line
a. b. c. d. e. f. of Fig. 2 and partly on the line a. b. c. d. e. g. h. i. of the same
Figure.
Fig. 2 is an end view partly in transverse section on the line k. l. m. n. of
Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a plan of cylinder and mixing chambers with the cover of both chambers
and the easing removed and showing the two distributing valves in the positions they
respectively occupy at the commencement of the back stroke.
Fig. is a plan with the cover of the steam slide jacket and part of the casing
cover removed to show the course of the hot gases before entering and after leaving
the clumbers.
Figs. 5 show four longitudinal diagrammatic sections A, B, C, D, of the distributing
valves and ports, each of these soctions shows to the right a position of rest of the

page_text: slide valve located in the mixing chamber that communicates with the front end of
the cylinder; whilst to the left each section shews a position of the slide valve at
rest in the other mixing chamber namely that which communicates with the back end
of the cylinder. It is to be noted that the two slides have an equal and simultaneous
intermittent travel imparted to them by any well-known or suitable means such as a
cam actuated by the motion of the crankshaft.
1 is the cylinder; it is externally heated or steam jacketted. 2 is a mixing
chamber that communicates through suitable ports with the back end of the cylinder
and with the exhaust. 3 is another mixing chamber; it communicates through
suitable ports with the front end of the cylinder and with the exhaust. 4 is the
exhaust port or passage from mixing chamber 2. 5 is the exhaust port or passage
from mixing chamber 3. 6 is the port through which hot gases with added steam
hereinafter called mixture passes from mixing chamber 2 to the back end of the
cylinder. 7 is the port through which mixture passes from mixing chamber 3 to the
front end of the cylinder. 8 is the slide valve for controlling the admission and
emission of the mixture to and from the back end of the cylinder. 9 is the slide
valve for serving the front end of the cylinder but operating inversely to the valve 8
though having the same travel and the same times of travel as valve 8. It is to be
noted that this simultaneous travel is adopted to simplify construction and that these
valves can be actuated by separate motions if desired. 10 and 11 are valves that
serve for the exit of mixture alternately from the mixing chambers 2 and 3.
12 and 13 are two similar valves serving alternately for the admission of hot gases into
the mixing chambers 2 and 3. The pairs of valves 10, 12 and 11, 13 are opened and
closed alternately by two rocking shafts having slightly different times of travel as
hereinafter explained these rocking shafts being actuated by any well-known device
from the crankshaft. In the drawings the rocking shafts are arranged one within
the other, but they may be otherwise constructed. 14 is the steam slide jacket.
15 the steam valve having two short reciprocating motions first in one direction and
then in the other, that is to say, for example, first to the left and back then to the
right and back; it opens and closes the steam ports 16 and 17 alternately and
momentarily, always coming to rest in a position which will ensure the closing of
both ports effectively. The rod of this slide is fitted with disconnecting gear so that
the slide can be worked by hand when necessary. The port 16 serves the mixing
chamber 2 and the port 17 serves the mixing chamber 3 with steam from the steam
slido jacket 14. 18 is the inlet for steam from any convenient source governed by a
suitable throttle valve. 19 is an external casing enveloping the mixing chambers 2
and 3, and the jacket 14. 20 is a chamber formed between the casing 19 and its
enclosure; into this chamber the hot gases are forced or drawn previous to entering
the chambers 2 and 3. 21 is a similarly constructed chamber but smaller and
separated by the walls 22 and the cover of the chambers 2 and 3 from the
chamber 20. This chamber 21 serves to receive spent mixture and convey it
to the exit 2. 23 is the inlet for hot gases into chamber 20, see Figs. 1, 2 and 1.
24 is the exhaust from cylinder and chambers 2 and 3. 25 is the outlet for mixture
after use in the cylinder 1.
In explaining the operation of the above describod engine I will assume steam at
the desired pressure to be available. For the purpose of heating the cylinder 1 and
other parts steam is admitted in the usual way from the boiler to the jacket of the
cylinder and to the steam valve-jacket 14, and is allowed to escape through pet-cocks
(not shown) as well understood caro being taken to clear the engine of water as
completely as practicable before commencing to work.
Assuming the valves 8 and 9 to occupy the positions indicated at A Figs. 5 and
that the piston is in the position shewn by full lines in Fig. 1, to now start the
engine the gear of the steam valve 15 having been previously disconnected to admit
of being worked by hand, the crank is put a little past the dead centre thus bringing
the piston to say the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, in readiness to
be acted on by Huid pressure admitted at the front end of the cylinder. In starting
from the position shewn the steam valve 15, is moved first to the left thereby opening

page_text: port 17 and admitting steam to the mixing chamber_3. This steam will pass
directly through the mixing chamber 3 by port 7 into the outer end of the
cylinder causing the piston to complete its inward stroke namely from right to left
(Fig. 1).
Tho steam valve 15 is then to be moved by hand from left to right and thus the 5
port 7 will be closed and port 16 will be opened, thereby admitting steam to the
mixing chamber 2; and as by the working of the engine the valve 8 will have been
caused to open port G steam will pass from the mixing chamber 2 into the hack end
of the cylinder; at the same time the valve 9 will have been caused to assume a
position in which the front end of the cylinder will be open to the exhaust. On now
reversing the slide 15 by hand at the end of each stroke of the piston the engine will
be driven by steam alone: this should be continued until a moderate spool has been
attained whereupon the valve 15 is to be thrown into gear and the engine will then
run with mixture instead of with steam alone. For the purpose of now describing the
cycle of operations when running the engine with mixture I will assume the parts of
the engine to be in the same positions as at starting namely with the valves 8 and 9
in the positions indiented at A (Fig. 5) and the piston as shown by full lines in Fig. 1.
The slide valves 8 and 9 will move to the right hand position indicated at B Fig. 5
and thus the back end of the cylinder will be opened to the exhaust through the
port-and. At this moment the valves 11 and 13 having been just previously 2
closed the valves 10 and 12 will be opened. The valves 11 and 13 will remain closed
and the valves 10 and 12 will remain open until just before the completion of the
inward or right to left stroke of the piston whereupon the valves 10 and 12 will be
closed and immediately afterwar Is the valves 11 and 13 will be opened: steam will be
admitted momentarily through the port 16 into the mixing clamber 2 which will
thereby we charged in readiness for the return or outward stroke; the slides 8 and 9
will complete their stroke from left to right assuming the position C (Fig. 5) and
while they do so the slide 9 will connect the ports 5 and 7 momentarily putting the
front end of the cylinder in communication with the exhaust through the port 5: in
completing its travel to the right the slide 9 will open the mixing chamber 3 through 3
the port to the exhaust 24, at the same time opening the charged mixing chamber 2
to the back end of the cylinder. The slides will now move from right to left to the
position D (Fig. 5.) shutting off the mixing chamber 3 from the exhaust through the
port 5 and opening the front end of the cylinder to the exhaust; at this instant
the valves 10 and 12 having just previously been closed the valves 11 and 135 will bo
opened steam will be admitted momentarily through the port 17 and the mixing
chamber 3 will be charged for the next inward or right to left stroke. The slides will
now revert to the original position A (Fig. 5) and in so doing will momentarily
connect the back end of the cylinder with the exhaust 24 through the ports 6 and 4,
also opening mixing chamber 2 to the exhaust and the charge mixing chamber to
the front end of the cylinder through the port 7 and completing the revolution of the
engine.
In Fig. 61 have illustrated partly in elevation and partly in section an engine
such as hereinabove described with apparatus for heating the air or gases for use
therein. The air or gases is or aro drawn or forced from some convenient source and
heated by the hot products of combustion from a boiler flue although hot products of
combustion from another source might be employed for the purpose.
1 is the engine cylinder; 18 the steam inlet; 19 the chamber casing; 23 the inlet
for hot gases; and 25 the exit for spent mixture.
E is part of a Cornish boiler whereof F is the firo tubo and G is the fluo. II is the
heater, located in the flue G wherein it will be surrounded by hot products of
combustion. This heater is composed of a chamber with shelves so disposed that the
gasos shall be compellod to take a zig-zag upward course in order to ensure their
boing heated by contact with the heated motal; or a large coil of thin metal might bo
substituted or any other suitable arrangement he usod adapted to impart heat and at
the same time to prevent the mixture of the products of combustion with the gases to
be licated. With such an arrangement as referred to air or gasos is or are forced by

page_text: a blower or other suitable means through the pipe I into the heater H and being
heated therein then passes or pass through the pipe K into the engine at 23 for use as
before explained.
Fig. 7 is a similar arrangement to that shewn in Fig. 6 with this difference that
products of combustion from the flues are used with stoam in the place of air or other
gases for working the engine.
1 is the engine cylinder; 18 the inlet for steam; 19 the chamber casing; 23 the
inlet for products of combustion; 2+ the engine exhaust; 25 the exit for spent
mixture; E part of any suitable boiler (a Cornish in the example); F the fire tube;
and G the flues. His a dust depositing vessel, I is the inlet for products of com-
bustion; and K is the exit from the depositing vessel for the hot products of combustion
to the engine.
The depositing vessel H may be of any of the forms shewn in the specification of
my former patent No. 6382 of 1884, or in some cases, where the products of
combustion are free from dust, as in the case where gaseous fuel is used, the
depositing vessel may be dispensed with.
The action is as follows:-
The products of combustion pass from the tube F around the depositing vessel H
depositing the greater part of the solid matter; they then rise to the top part of the
flue G; and entering the inlet I pass down the cone in the direction of the arrows
to the bottom of the depositing vessel where the remainder of solid particles are
deposited and rising quietly to the exit K from whence they pass into the chambers 2
or 3 (Fig. 3) as required and hereinbefore explained. An exhauster of any suitable
description is connected with the pipe 25 so as to draw the products of combustion
rapidly through the chambers 2 and 3 alternately as hereinbefore described.
Although I have described my invention as applied in the construction of double
acting engines yet it will be evident a mixing chamber (or more than one) with
distributing valve, steam supply valve and exhausting and clearing valves arranged
to operate as I have above explained could be advantageously used in a single acting
engine, that is to say, an engine wherein the piston would be propelled by mixture in
one direction only the return stroke being effected by the momentum of a fly wheel
or otherwise as well understood.
"
It is to be understood that by "clearing out a mixing chamber I mean practi-
cally removing from it the mixture it contains the same being replaced by gases as
distinguished from gases with steam; also that an important feature in carrying out
my present invention is the provision whereby I ensure the practical drying of the
mixing chamber by hot gases caused to flow through it in advance of the charge of
hot gases to which steam is admitted to form each charge of mixture to be supplied
to the engine cylinder.
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 :-
1. In a motive power engine, providing the cylinder, or each cylinder if there
be more than one, with two mixing chambers, each in connection with one end
only of the cylinder and with the exhaust, and providing each such chamber with a
slide or valve adapted to control ports leading respectively to the one end of the
cylinder and to the exhaust, and with an inlet and exit for hot gases, such as
products of combustion, or heated air, also suitably controlled and likewise with
an inlet for steam controlled by a suitable slide or valve adapted to admit steam
and close the inlet: the arrangement and operation of the various parts being
such that, whilst motive fluid is passing from one of the said mixing chambers into
the cylinder and is doing duty in propelling the piston one way, the fluid that
has just previously done duty in propelling the piston the revorse way will escapo
to the exhaust past the slide or valve of the other mixing chamber, and this last
mentioned mixing chamber will be opened to an exhaust thereby reducing its
contents to atmospheric pressure, then the chamber will be cleared ont, dried,

page_text: closed and left full of hot gases at a suitable pressure, to which gases steam will
be admitted thus forming the mixture to be admitted to the cylinder for effecting
the return stroke of the piston, during which stroke exhaustion from the other end
of the cylinder, and the exhaustion, clearing out, drying, filling, closing, and
admission of steam to the proper mixing chamber for effecting the succeeding stroke
of the piston will take place.
2. In an engine adapted to be worked by bot guses such as air or products of com-
bustion with steam, effecting the distribution of motive fluid to and from the cylinder
nt each side of the piston from a chamber or chambers distinct from the chamber
or chambers from which motive fluid is distributed to and from the cylinder at the
reverse side of the piston, the arrangement being such that the supply of motive fluid
to the cylinder takes place whilst the inlets to the supplying chamber are closed.
8. In an engine adapted to he worked by a mixture such as hereinbefore refurred
to, causing the mixing chamber, after it has supplied mixture for effecting one stroke
of the engine piston and preparatory to the next stroke for which such mixing
chamber is to supply the actuating mixture, to be
(a) Opened to an exhaust so as to reduce the contents of the mixing chamber to
atmospheric pressure.
(b) Cleared out.
(e) Dried by hot gases,
(d) (lo-ed whilst full of hot gases ; and
(e) To receive a supply of steam sufficient with the gaseous contents of the
mixing chamber to produce a charge of mixture at the desired pressure for
propelling the engine piston.
4. In an engine of the kind referred to, the combination of parts constructed
arranged and operating as described with reference to and shewn in Figs. 1 to 4
inclusive of the drawings.
Un
W. Lloyd Wise,
EDWARD FIELD.
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W., Agent for the Applicant.