Improvements in Aqua Ammonia Engines which may also be used as Steam Engines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Aug., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 28th May, 1891-Accepted, 4th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Aqua Ammonia Engines which may also be used
as Steam Engines.
I CHARLES LUDWIG HORACK of 147 Henry Street, Brooklyn, Kings County,
State of New York, United States of America, Civil and Mechanical Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
The accompanying drawing shows a side elevation partly in section of an
apparatus constructed according to my invention:-
1 is a steam boiler. 2 is an ammonia boiler, wherein aqua ammonia is heated by
steam, circulating in it through suitable pipes 3, 3 connected with suitable chambers
at the ends of said ammonia boiler. Any other proper form of ammonia boiler
might however be used instead. The steam employed therein as heating agent
enters the said ammonia boiler through pipe 4, valve 5 and pipe 6 and leaves the
same through pipes 7 and 8 when cock 9 in pipe 8 is open, or may be conveyed
through pipes 7, 10, coil 11 and pipe 12 so as to reach the liquid space of boiler 1
in condensed condition. 13 is an additional ammonia boiler, shown here to be
provided with a separate furnace, so as to permit of heating its contents without
depending upon the heat developed in the furnace of steam boiler 1. Such ammonia
boiler might however, either in addition, or instead, be provided with a coil, or
pipes, conveying any other heating agent capable of imparting an increased
temperature to liquid conveyed to it from ammonia boiler 2, so as to perform
additional heating of such liquid therein if necessary, without the use of the furnace
under said ammonia boiler 13. Ammonia boilers 2 and 13 will hereafter be termed
$6 generators."
The employment of a secondary heating agent, such as steam in generator 2,
instead of the direct heat of a fire has the advantage that it permits of more uniform
expansion of the parts of said generator, thus preventing leakage and also that it
facilitates the regulation of the pressure therein. Instead of steam there might be
employed some other secondary heating agent, such as hot water from the steam
boiler.
The pipe 14 carries from the lower part of generator 2 weak aqua ammonia into
generator 13 where further ammonia gas, together with some water vapor will be
expelled from said liquid, by the heat applied to it therein. Owing to the greater
heat applied in generator 13 more water either in the liquid or in the vaporous
form may be lifted with the ammonia vapor out of the liquid therein and in order
to arrest such liquid and to prevent its passage into the engine it might be best to
provide in the upper part of said generator a finely perforated plate, or a pipe
provided with small perforations, so as to compel the vapor to pass through the
perforations in such plate or pipe before entering vapor pipe 16 and to thereby
cause water accompanying such vapor to be precipitated back into the liquid space
of the generator. 15 is a cock in pipe 14.
The vapor developed in generator 13 will be discharged through pipe 16 which
is provided with a valve 17 near the top of said generator, while the remaining
liquid will pass through pipe 18, coil 19 and pipe 20, which latter terminates in
spray jet 21 within exhaust pipe 22 of the engine. 23 is a cock for regulating the
How of liquid through pipe 20.
24 is the main valve for admitting ammonia vapor from generator 2 to the main
apor pipe 25, which pipe leads to the high-pressure cylinder 26 of a compound
engine, from which the vapor, after propelling the piston therein, passes through
pipe 27 into the reservoir 28 on its way to pipe 29 and low-pressure cylinder 30,

page_text: from which, after propelling its piston, it is exhausted into exhaust pipe 22. 31 is
the throttle valve of the engine.
Through pipes 32, 33, 34, casing 35 and pipe 36 vapor may be conveyed from
main vapor pipe 25 to feed pump 37, 38. for propelling the piston of its vapor
cylinder 37. 39 is a cock in pipe 32, and 40 a cock in pipe 36, while 41 is a check
valve in pipe 33 closing upward. Pipe 16 connects with pipes 33 and 34 and
contains check valve 42 closing towards generator 13. 43 is a by-pass
around check valve 41 and contains a cock 44. It will be seen that when
cock 44 is closed and cock 39 is open check valve 41 will be opened and check
valve 42 will be closed when the pressure in main vapor pipe 25 exceeds that in
generator 13, thus causing vapor from pipe 25 to be supplied to pump cylinder 37,
the cock 40 then being open, while the vapor leaving generator 13, when its
pressure exceeds that in pipe 25 will open valve 42 and will close valve 41 and will
thus pass to pump cylinder 37. I thereby at all times secure a sufficient supply of
vapor for pump cylinder 37, which in addition to operating the piston in feed pump
cylinder 38 is also shown to be connected with the cylinder 85 of a water pump,
which pump in addition to supplying cooling water through pipe 86 for the
absorbing apparatus may also be employed to supply water through branch pipe 87
for general purposes.
45 is a cock in pipe 86 and 46 a cock in pipe 87. 47 is the
suction pipe of said pump.
While it is desirable to propel the pistons in the main engine as far as practicable
with vapor developed in generator 2, which vapor will be freer from water vapor
than that developed in gencrator 13, it may happen that vapor be developed in
generator 13 faster than pump 37 requires, or that the vapor developed in
generator 2 be not sufficient to operate the main engine; immediate relief can then
be had by opening temporarily cock 44 thus discharging said vapor through
by-pass 43 into main vapor pipe 25 until such difficulties be remedied.
The absorbing liquid, in order to cool it properly, so as to make it suitable for
absorbing the exhaust vapor of the engine, may be deprived of part of its heat by
having feed pump cylinder 38 discharge the cool feed liquid, withdrawn from
well 48 through suction pipe 49 by means of discharge pipe 50 into casing 51, which
casing surrounds and encloses coil 19 through which said absorbing liquid passes.
In addition, cooling water, refrigerating gas or brine (cooled artificially) or other
suitable means might be employed for further lowering the temperature of such
liquid, as, the lower such temperature is where the liquid meets the exhaust vapor,
the lower will be the back pressure or the better will be the vacuum obtained in the
exhaust pipe of the engine and consequently in the low-pressure cylinder 30.
After exhaust vapor and absorbing liquid have been brought in contact with
each other in exhaust pipe 22 they pass downward through valve 52, pipe 53, the
tubes and passages in an absorber 54 and pipe 55 into receiving well 48, being
subjected on their way to repeated cooling operations in absorber 54 and well 48 in
order to carry off the heat of absorption which is constantly being developed as the
gas is gradually being taken up by the liquid. The cooling liquid is supplied by
pipe 86 passing through coil 56 in well 48, pipe 57, around the tubes in absorber 54
and leaving such absorber through pipe 58. The result of the repeated coolings
described will be to impart to the contents of well 48 a low temperature, which
makes the liquid withdrawn from said well and forced into casing 51 particularly
suitable to act as cooling medium therein.
I do not claim any novelty as to the absorbing apparatus employed by me and
would state that any other form of absorber, suitable for combining ammonia vapor
or gas with absorbing liquid might be substituted for absorber 54
The feed liquid after leaving casing 51 is forced through pipe 59, coil 60 and
pipe 61, reaching either generator 13 through pipe 62 when cock 63 therein is open,
or generator 2 through pipe 64 when cock 65 is open. When cock 15 in pipe 14 is
closed, generator 13 may be heated and vapor may be expelled therein from the
liquid supplied through pipe 62 for the purpose of operating pump 37, 38, 85 inde-
pendent of generator 2 owing to the independent feed pipe provided for each

page_text: generator as described above. This is an advantage particularly at times when
there is no occasion for running the main engine.
The feed liquid while passing through coil 60 in casing 35 receives heat from the
vapor entering said casing through pipe 34. Such transfer of heat may be
particularly of advantage where the exhaust from cylinder 37 is carried directly to
the absorbing apparatus as mentioned hereafter, as said vapor when coming from
generator 13 will have a higher temperature than the vapor in pipe 25 and as not
as great a range of temperatures is called for in operating the auxiliary engine 37
as there is required for operating the high-pressure and the low-pressure cylinder
of the main engine.
When generator 13 is not heated its interior simply acts as a part of the system
of pipes and passages conveying absorbing liquid from generator 2 to the absorbing
jet and therefore in such case the same results would be obtained if the said liquid
by means of a by-pass with suitable valves were conveyed from pipe 14 to pipe 18
around generator 13, instead of through the same.
66 is the exhaust pipe of cylinder 37 and is connected by pipe 67, having cock 68,
with reservoir 28 through which also passes the vapor in transit from high-pressure
cylinder 26 to low-pressure cylinder 30. By adding there the exhaust vapor of
pump cylinder 37 to that from cylinder 26, I am enabled to use such exhaust vapor
again in low-pressure cylinder 30, thus making pump cylinder 37 a complement to
high-pressure cylinder 26; this is desirable as it would be impossible to utilize in
the small vapor cylinder of said pump the great range of temperatures which the
high degree of heat imparted to the vapor in the generator, and the low temperature
at which ammonia gas liquefies under moderate pressure permits of.
As the
amount of the exhaust vapor from pump cylinder 37 so discharged into reservoir 28
might cause injurious back pressure in cylinder 26 I connect said reservoir with
exhaust pipe 22 by means of pipe 69 containing weighted valve 70 which valve is
adjusted to open when a certain pressure is reached in reservoir 28, thus discharging
automatically the excess of vapor through said pipe into the exhaust pipe of the
main engine where it will be absorbed and carried with the spraying liquid towards
well 48. Such relief pipe 69 might however be connected with any other suitable
part of the absorbing apparatus, instead of with the exhaust pipe near the
engine.
The vapor developed in generator 13, which vapor principally serves to propel
pump 37, 38, 85 is apt to contain much more water vapor in proportion than that
developed in generator 2. As this as well as the carrying over with the ammonia
gas of water and water vapor passing through cylinder 26 might eventually result
in the accumulation of water in casing 28 and pipe 27 I provide the drip pipe 71 with
cock 72 between the same and well 48.
When the larger engine 26, 30 is not in operation, or is operated by steam as
mentioned hereafter, it is still possible to operate auxiliary engine or pump
cylinder 37 by ammonia vapor from generators 13 and 2 discharging however its
exhaust into well 48 through pipe 73, cock 74 in said pipe being then open and
cock 68 being closed. 75 is a spray pipe branching out from pipe 20 which conveys
absorbing liquid into well 48 when cock 76 is open. The liquid so discharged
serves not only to absorb such ammonia vapor as may pass in a free condition
upward through the body of liquid in said well, but may also be utilized to absorb
the vapor entering said well through pipe 73 particularly when cock 23 and
valve 52 are closed, which will take place when engine 26, 30 is not being operated
by ammonia vapor.
As it may happen that some part of the apparatus employed in generating the
ammonia vapor or in reabsorbing the same after its passage through the engine
cylinder become defective while the engine is in operation and require prompt
repairing and that a leak occur in any part of the apparatus, thus causing loss of
ammonia as well as inconvenience on account of its penetrating smell I provide
means for substituting promptly in the engine cylinder steam in the place of
ammonia and to dispose of the exhaust steam without being obliged to withdraw

page_text: the aqua ammonia from the generators, or from the spray pipe, the receiving well
or other parts of the apparatus intended to contain ammonia only. For such
purpose I provide the main steam pipe 77 leading into and connecting with the
main vapor pipe 25, a proper valve 78 being placed at the point of connection.
By closing valves 5 and 24 and cocks 68 and 39 I at once prevent any further
passage of steam through generator 2 and of ammonia vapor into pipe 25 and into
engine 26, 30 and I so deprive said engine of its supply of vapor. I am however
still able to operate the auxiliary engine or pump by vapor developed in generator 13
and to draw absorbing liquid from said generator, cool it and discharge it through
nozzle 21 for the purpose of absorbing ammonia vapor still contained in exhaust
pipe 22 and for the further purpose of reducing the pressure in generator 2 by
forcing the cooled solution back into the same. The closing of valves or cocks 23
and 52 will however completely exclude ammonia vapor from contact with any part
of the main engine, thus leaving it in proper condition to be operated by steam.
By opening valve 78 I am now enabled to direct steam from boiler through
pipes 4, 77 and 25 to engine cylinders 26 and 30 exhausting the same into pipe 22.
By connecting pipe 10 with pipe 77 and providing a suitable cock 79 in the
connecting pipe 80 steam may be supplied to coil 11 for superheating the contents
of reservoir 28 whether the engine be operated with ammonia or steam. When
operated by steam, cock 88 in pipe 10 would have to be closed. The exhaust
steam will leave pipe 22 through pipe 81, valve 82 in said pipe being then open.
Pipe 81 would either exhaust the steam into the atmosphere or into a suitable steam
condensing apparatus, such as commonly employed in connection with steam engines.
It would also be feasible to substitute steam for ammonia vapor in cylinder 37 by
opening valve 39, closing valves 17 and 74 and discharging the exhaust steam through
pipe 83 with proper valve 84 either into the atmosphere or into a steam condensing
apparatus.
It will readily be seen that in order to change from the use of steam in
either engine back to that of ammonia, the operations described above as to opening
and closing certain valves would have to be reversed.
By running a pipe with proper valve from steam pipe 77 to cylinder 37 direct
auxiliary engine 37 could be propelled by steam while the main engine was being
operated by ammonia.
The result of heating aqua ammonia is the expulsion from it of a mixture or
combination of ammonia gas and more or less of water in a vaporous form and it is
this combination which in above Specification is designated as ammonia vapor.
Dated this 16th day of August 1890.
CHARLES LUDWIG HORACK
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Aqua Ammonia Engines which may also be used
as Steam Engines.
I, CHARLES LUDWIG HORACK of 147 Henry Street, Brooklyn, Kings County,
State of New York, United States of America, Civil and Mechanical Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for !MPROVEMENTS IN AQUA
AMMONIA ENGINES and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In this Specification reference is had to the drawings accompanying my
Provisional Specification, which show a side elevation, partly in section, of an
apparatus constructed according to my invention.
1 is a steam boiler. 2 is an ammonia boiler wherein aqua ammonia is heated by
steam, circulating in it through suitable pipes 3, 3 connected with suitable chambers
at the end of said ammonia boiler.
Any other proper form of ammonia boiler might however be used instead. The
steam employed therein as heating agent enters the said ammonia boiler through

page_text: pipe 4, valve
and pipe 6 and leaves the same through pipes 7 and 8 when cock 9
in pipe 8 is open, or may be conveyed through pipes 7, 10, coil 11 and pipe 12 so as
to reach the liquid space of boiler 1 in condensed condition. 13 is an additional
ammonia boiler, shown here to be provided with a separate furnace, so as to permit
of heating its contents without depending upon the heat developed in the furnace of
steam boiler 1. Such ammonia boiler might however, either in addition, or instead,
be provided with a coil, or pipes, conveying any other heating agent capable of
imparting an increased temperature to liquid conveyed to it from ammonia boiler 2,
so as to perform additional heating of such liquid therein, if necessary, without the
use of the furnace under said ammonia boiler 13. Ammonia boilers 2 and 13 will
hereafter be termed "generators."
The employment of a secondary heating agent, such as steam, in generator 2,
instead of the direct heat of a fire has the advantage that it permits of more
uniform expansion of the parts of said generator, thus preventing leakage, and also
that it facilitates the regulation of the pressure therein.
Instead of steam there might be employed some other secondary heating agent,
such as hot water from the steam boiler.
The pipe 14 carries from the lower part of generator 2 weak aqua ammonia into
generator 13 where further ammonia gas, together with some water vapor will be
expelled from said liquid by the heat applied to it therein. Owing to the greater
heat applied in generator 13, more water either in the liquid or in the vaporous
form may be lifted with the ammonia vapor out of the liquid therein and in order
to arrest such liquid and to prevent its passage into the engine it might be best to
provide in the upper part of said generator a finely perforated plate, or a pipe
provided with small perforations, so as to compel the vapor to pass through the
perforations in such plate or pipe before entering vapor pipe 16 and to thereby
cause water accompanying such vapor to be precipitated back into the liquid space
of the generator. 15 is a cock in pipe 14. The vapor developed in generator 13
will be discharged through pipe 16 which is provided with a valve 17 near the top
of said generator, while the remaining liquid will pa s through pipe 18, coil 19 and
pipe 20, which latter terminates in spray jet 21 within exhaust pipe 22 of the
engine. 23 is a cock for regulating the flow of liquid through pipe 20. 24 is the
main valve for admitting ammonia vapor from generator 2 to the main vapor
pipe 25, which pipe leads to the high-pressure cylinder 26 of a compound engine,
from which the vapor after propelling the piston therein, passes through pipe 27
into the reservoir 28 on its way to pipe 29 and low-pressure cylinder 30, from
which, after propelling its piston, it is exhausted into exhaust pipe 22. 31 is the
throttle valve of the engine.
Through pipes 32, 33, 34, casing 35 and pipe 36 vapor may be conveyed from
main vapor pipe 25 to feed-pump 37, 38 for propelling the piston of its vapor
cylinder 37. 39 is a cock in pipe 32, and 40 a cock in pipe 36, while 41 is a check
valve in pipe 33 closing upward. Pipe 16 connects with pipes 33 and 34 and
contains a check valve 42 closing towards generator 13. 43 is a by-pass around
check valve 41 and contains a cock 44. It will be seen that when cock 44 is closed
and cock 39 is open, check valve 41 will be opened and check valve 42 will be
closed when the pressure in main vapor pipe 25 exceeds that in generator 13, thus
causing vapor from pipe 25 to be supplied to pump cylinder 37, the cock 40 then
being open, while the vapor leaving generator 13, when its pressure exceeds that in
pipe 25 will open valve 42 and will close valve 41 and will thus pass to pump
cylinder 37. I thereby at all times secure a sufficient supply of vapor for pump
cylinder 37, which in addition to operating the piston in feed pump cylinder 38 is
also shown to be connected with the cylinder 85 of a water pump, which pump, in
addition to supplying cooling water through pipe 86 for the absorbing apparatus
may also be employed to supply water through branch pipe 87 for general purposes.
45 is a cock in pipe 86, and 46 a cock in pipe 87. 47 is the suction pipe of said
pump. While it is desirable to propel the pistons in the main engine as far as
practicable with vapor developed in generator 2, which vapor will be freer from

page_text: water vapor than that developed in generator 13, it may happen that vapor be
developed in generator 13 faster than pump 37 requires, or that the vapor developed
in generator 2 be not sufficient to operate the main engine; immediate relief can
then be had by opening temporarily cock 44, thus discharging such vapor through
by-pass 43 into main vapor pipe 25 until such difficulties be remedied.
The absorbing liquid, in order to cool it properly so as to make it suitable for
absorbing the exhaust vapor of the engine, may be deprived of part of its heat by
having feed pump cylinder 38 discharge the cool feed liquid, withdrawn from
well 48 through suction pipe 49 by means of discharge pipe 50, into casing 51,
which casing surrounds and encloses coil 19 through which said absorbing liquid
passes. In addition, cooling water, refrigerating gas, or brine (cooled artificially)
or other suitable means might be employed for further lowering the temperature of
such liquid as, the lower such temperature is where the liquid meets the exhaust
vapor, the lower will be the back pressure, or the better will be the vacuum
obtained in the exhaust pipe of the engine and consequently in the low-pressure
cylinder 30.
After exhaust vapor and absorbing liquid have been brought in contact with each
other in exhaust pipe 22 they pass downward through valve 52, pipe 53, the tubes
and passages in an absorber 54 and pipe 55 into receiving well 48, being subjected
on their way to repeated cooling operations in absorber 54 and well 48, in order to
carry off the heat of absorption which is constantly being developed as the gas is
gradually being taken up by the liquid. The cooling liquid is supplied by pipe 86
passing through coil 56 in well 48, pipe 57, around the tubes in absorber 54 and
leaving such absorber through pipe 58.
The result of the repeated coolings described will be to impart to the contents of
well 48 a low temperature which makes the liquid withdrawn from said well and
forced into casing 51 particularly suitable to act as cooling medium therein.
I do not claim any novelty as to the absorbing apparatus employed by me and
would state that any other form of absorber, suitable for combining ammonia vapor
or gas with absorbing liquid might be substituted for absorber 54.
The feed liquid after leaving casing 51 is forced through pipe 59, coil 60 and
pipe 61, reaching either generator 13 through pipe 62 when cock 63 therein is open,
or generator 2, through pipe 64 when cock 65 is open. When cock 15 in pipe 14
is closed generator 13 may be heated and vapor may be expelled therein from the
liquid supplied through pipe 62 for the purpose of operating pump 37, 38, 85
independent of generator 2 owing to the independent feed pipe provided for each
generator as described above. This is an advantage, particularly at times when
there is no occasion for running the main engine.
The feed liquid while passing through coil 60 in casing 35 receives heat from the
vapor entering said casing through pipe 34. Such transfer of heat may be
particularly of advantage where the exhaust from cylinder 37 is carried directly to
the absorbing apparatus as mentioned hereafter as said vapor when coming from
generator 13 will have a higher temperature than the vapor in pipe 25, and as not
as great a range of temperatures is called for in operating the auxiliary engine 37,
as there is required for operating the high-pressure and the low-pressure cylinder
of the main engine.
When generator 13 is not heated, its interior simply acts as a part of the
system of pipes and passages conveying absorbing liquid from generator 2 to the
absorbing jet and therefore in such case the same results would be obtained if
the said liquid, by means of a by-pass with suitable valves, were conveyed from
pipe 14 to pipe 18 around generator 13, instead of through the same.
66 is the exhaust pipe of cylinder 37 and is connected by pipe 67, having cock 68,
with reservoir 28 through which also passes the vapor in transit from high-pressure
cylinder 26 to low-pressure cylinder 30.
By adding there the exhaust vapor of pump cylinder 37 to that from cylinder 26,
I am enabled to use such exhaust vapor again in low-pressure cylinder 30, thus
making pump cylinder 37 a complement to high-pressure cylinder 26; this is

page_text: lesirable as it would be impossible to utilize in the small vapor cylinder of said
pump the great range of temperatures which the high degree of heat imparted to
the vapor in the generator, and the low temperature at which ammonia gas liquefies
under moderate pressure permits of. As the amount of the exhaust vapor from
pump cylinder 37 so discharged into reservoir 28 might cause injurious back
pressure in cylinder 26, I connect said reservoir with exhaust pipe 22 by means of
pipe 69 containing weighted valve 70, which valve is adjusted to open when a
certain pressure is reached in reservoir 28, thus discharging automatically the excess
of vapor through said pipe into the exhaust pipe of the main engine, where it will
be absorbed and carried with the spraying liquid towards well 48. Such relief
pipe 69 might however be connected with any other suitable part of the absorbing
apparatus, instead of with the exhaust pipe of the engine.
The vapor developed in generator 13, which vapor principally serves to propel
pump 37, 38, 85 is apt to contain much more water vapor in proportion than that
developed in generator 2. As this, as well as the carrying over with the ammonia
gas of water and water vapor passing through cylinder 26 might eventually result
in the accumulating of water in casing 28 and pipe 27 I provide the drip pipe 71
with cock 72 between the same and well 48.
When the larger engine 26, 30 is not in operation, or is operated by steam as
mentioned hereafter, it is still possible to operate auxiliary engine or pump
cylinder 37 by ammonia vapor from generator 13, discharging however its exhaust
into well 48 through pipe 73, cock 74 in said pipe being then open and cock 68
being closed.
75 is a spray pipe, branching out from pipe 20, and conveying
absorbing liquid into well 48 when cock 76 is open. The liquid discharged from
its nozzle 89 serves not only to absorb such ammonia vapor as may pass in a free
condition upward through the body of liquid in said well, but also may be utilized
to absorb the vapor entering said well through pipe 73, particularly when cock 23
and valve 52 are closed, which will take place when engine 26, 30 is not being
operated by ammonia vapor.
As it may happen that some part of the apparatus employed in generating the
ammonia vapor, or in reabsorbing the same after its passage through the engine
cylinder become defective while the engine is in operation, and require prompt
repairing, and that a leak occur in any part of the apparatus, thus causing loss of
ammonia as well as inconvenience on account of its penetrating smell, I provide
means for substituting promptly in the engine cylinder steam in the place of
ammonia vapor and to dispose of the exhaust steam without being obliged to with-
draw the aqua ammonia from the generators, or from the spray pipe, the receiving
well or other parts of the apparatus intended to contain ammonia only. For
such purpose I provide the main steam pipe 77 leading into and connecting with
the main vapor pipe 25, a proper valve 78 being placed at the point of connection.
By closing valves 5 and 24 and cocks 68 and 39 1 at once prevent any further
passage of steam through generator 2 and of ammonia vapor into pipe 25 and into
engine 26, 30 and I so deprive said engine of its supply of vapor. I am however
still able to operate the auxiliary engine or pump by vapor developed in generator 13
and to draw absorbing liquid from said generator, cool it and discharge it through
nozzle 21 for the purpose of absorbing ammonia vapor still contained in exhaust
pipe 22 and for the further purpose of reducing the pressure in generator 2 by
forcing the cooled solution back into the same. The closing of valves or cocks 23
and 52 will however completely exclude ammonia vapor from contact with any part
of the main engine, thus leaving it in proper condition to be operated by steam.
By opening valve 78 I am now enabled to direct steam from boiler 1 through
pipes 4, 77 and 25 to engine cylinders 26 and 30, exhausting the same into pipe 22.
By connecting pipe 10 with pipe 77 and providing a suitable cock 79 in the
connecting pipe 80, steam may be supplied to coil 11 for superheating the contents
of reservoir 28, whether the engine be operated with ammonia or steam.
When operated by steam, cock 88 in pipe 10 would have to be closed. The exhaust
steam will leave pipe 22 through pipe 81,, valve 82, in said pipe being, then, open...

page_text: Pipe 81 would either exhaust the steam into the atmosphere or into a suitable
steam condensing apparatus, such as commonly employed in connection with steam
engines. It would also be feasible to substitute steam for ammonia vapor in
cylinder 37 by opening valve 39, closing valves 17 and 74 and discharging the
exhaust steam through pipe 83 with proper valve 84 either into the atmosphere or
into a steam condensing apparatus.
It will readily be seen that in order to change from the use of steam in either
engine, back to that of ammonia vapor, the operations described above as to opening
and closing certain valves would have to be reversed. By running a pipe with
proper valve from steam pipe 77 to cylinder 37 direct, auxiliary engine 37 could be
propelled by steam while the main engine was being operated by ainmonia.
The result of heating aqua ammonia is the expulsion from it of a mixture or
combination of ammonia gas and more or less of water in a vaporous form, and it is
this combination which in above Specification is designated as ammonia vapor.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :
1. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for successively
heating aqua ammonia in two generators, employing the vapor from one generator
in propelling one engine and the vapor from the second generator for propelling
another engine, and employing liquid from one of the generators for absorbing the
exhaust of both engines.
2. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for heating
aqua ammonia in two generators, propelling either of two engines by vapor from
either of said generators and reabsorbing the exhaust by liquid from one of said
generators.
3. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for expelling
vapor from aqua ammonia in a generator, withdrawing part of the liquid so
weakened and heating it in a second generator, thus expelling additional vapor and
reabsorbing vapor from both generators after propelling by it an engine or
engines in an absorbing apparatus by contact with weak solution from the second
generator.
4. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for alternately
operating an engine by vapor generated by heating aqua ammonia successively in
two generators, or by vapor generated in one of said generators only, and for
reabsorbing the exhaust by liquid from one of said generators.
5. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for heating
aqua ammonia in a generator and expelling vapor therefrom, withdrawing part of
said liquid and expelling additional vapor by further heating it, and imparting
heat of the vapor expelled by the second heating operation to the feed liquids.
6. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for successively
heating aqua ammonia in two generators, passing vapor so expelled in the first
generator into the high-pressure cylinder of a compound engine, passing vapor so
expelled in the second generator into a conduit between the high-pressure and the
low-pressure cylinder of said engine and reabsorbing the exhaust by liquid from
one of the generators.
7. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for expelling
vapor from aqua ammonia by heating it in a generator, propelling by it the piston
of an engine cylinder, expelling vapor from aqua ammonia by heating it in a second
generator and propelling by it the piston of a second cylinder, employing the
exhaust from both cylinders combined in operating the piston of a third cylinder
and absorbing its exhaust by liquid from one of said generators.
8. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for operating the
pistons of two engine cylinders with vapor expelled from aqua ammonia by heat,
operating the piston of a third engine cylinder with their exhaust and absorbing
the exhaust of the third cylinder by liquid weakened by such heating.

page_text: 9. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for expelling
vapor from aqua ammonia by heat, propelling by it the piston of an engine cylinder
and alternately passing its exhaust through a low-pressure cylinder or directly
into an absorbing apparatus supplied with liquid weakened by such heating.
10. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for expelling
vapor from aqua ammonia by a secondary heating agent, propelling a compound
engine by such vapor, and applying such secondary heating agent also to the vapor
in a passage between the high-pressure and. the low-pressure cylinder of said
engine.
11. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for expelling
vapor from aqua ammonia by a secondary heating agent, propelling by it an engine,
and also applying such secondary heating agent to said vapor while in transit
between the ingress ports and the egress ports of said engine.
12. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for expelling
vapor from aqua ammonia by heating it by steam, propelling an engine by such
vapor and afterwards using such steam or its water of condensation for reheating
such vapor while in transit between the ingress ports and the egress ports of the
engine.
13. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for operating
two high-pressure cylinders each with ammonia vapor of different strength and
afterwards combining and mixing their exhausts and passing the same through a
low-pressure cylinder.
14. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for operating
two high-pressure cylinders with ammonia vapor, operating a low-pressure cylinder
with their combined exhaust and discharging automatically an excess of vapor
within the passages between the high-pressure cylinders and the low-pressure
cylinder into an absorbing apparatus.
15. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for heating
aqua ammonia, operating a compound engine with ammonia vapor so expelled, and
conducting liquid from passages between the high-pressure and the low-pressure
cylinder through a by-pass around such low-pressure cylinder into passages leading
back into the generator.
16. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for expelling
vapor from aqua ammonia in a generator by a secondary heating agent, and
propelling an engine alternately with vapor so expelled, or with steam.
17. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for expelling
vapor from aqua ammonia by heating it in a generator by steam from a steam
boiler, and employing alternately such vapor, or steam from such boiler for
propelling the piston of an engine.
18. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for expelling
vapor from aqua ammonia in either of two generators, propelling an engine there-
with, reabsorbing the exhaust by liquid withdrawn from the generator so employed
at the time, and returning the combined absorbing liquid and exhaust to such
generator.
19. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for expelling
vapor from aqua ammonia in a generator, propeliing by it an engine, expelling
vapor from aqua ammonia in a second generator and propelling by it a second
engine, absorbing their exhaust by aqua ammonia so weakened, and equalizing
or regulating automatically the pressures in the supply pipes of the two engines.
20. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for alternately
propelling an engine, or engines, by vapor expelled from aqua ammonia in a
generator by a secondary heating agent, or by vapor expelled from aqua ammonia
in a second generator by the direct heat of a fire.
21. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for either
operating an engine by vapor from a generator and a second engine by vapor
from a second generator and absorbing their exhaust in a common absorbing
R

page_text: apparatus, or so operating one of said engines by ammonia vapor and operating the
other engine by steam.
22. The construction and employment of the improved apparatus for expelling
vapor from aqua ammonia in a generator and either propelling by it two engines
and absorbing their exhaust in a joint absorbing apparatus by liquid from said
generator, or so operating one of said engines by ammonia vapor and the other one
by steam.
Dated this 8th day of May 1891
CHARLES LUDWIG HORACK.