IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS ENGINES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Haseltine, of the "International Patent
.
Office," Southampton Buildings, London, "Doctor of Laws," for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS ENGINES."—A communication
from abroad by George B. Brayton, of Boston, Massachusetts,
United States of America.
Sealed the 7th August 1874, and dated the 25th June 1874.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said George Haseltine at the
. Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 25th June 1874, pursuant to the 9th Section of
the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HASELTINE, of the "International Patent Office," Southampton
Buildings, London, Doctor of Laws, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GAS ENGINES," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent
for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that it has been com-
-

page_text: municated to me from abroad by George B. Brayton, of Boston, Massa-
chusetts, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Haseltine, do hereby declare
that the following Complète Specification, under my hand and seal, fully
describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following state-
ment, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing forming part
of this Specification :—
In the Specification of Letters Patent dated February 10th, A.D. 1872,
No. 432, for improvements in gas engines, reference is made to the fact
that the vapor of naphtha mixed with atmospheric air in proper pro-
portions will form a gaseous compound, which upon being ignited can
be used as a motive power for the engine described in the said Specifi-
cation. There exists however certain practical difficulties in the way of
employing the vapors of light hydrocarbons with the apparatus shown
and described in the said Specification which it is the object of the present
Invention to overcome.
'
The said Invention consists in certain means for enabling a given
quantity of atmospheric air as it is passing toward the combustion
chamber of the engine from a reservoir, where it has been confined
under pressure, to become carbonized by being brought into contact
with a liquid hydrocarbon, which is vaporized by the air current passing
over or through it, and such vapor being absorbed by, the air a com-
pound results which possesses the constituents of carbon, hydrogen, and
oxygen in proper proportions to furnish when ignited the agent of force
for the motive power of the engine.
The several charges for supplying the combustion chamber are suc-
cessively mixed at the instant of entering the engine under conditions
which obviate the necessity of any reserve of explosive compound, and
thus is removed the chance of any danger resulting from any collection
of the same in a reservoir preparatory to being applied by ignition to
develop force.

page_text: Figure 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the means for
carbonizing the air in its passage to the combustion chamber of the
engine.
A is the cylinder of a single-acting engine; B is the piston of the
same, and C is a reservoir for containing atmospheric air under any
desired pressure, which pressure is maintained by an air pump worked by
the engine in any preferred way. The apparatus in all other respects
than those which relate to the means for vaporizing hydrocarbon liquids
in small quantities for successive charges of the engine by the quantum
of air itself which is to form one of the constituents of the charge may
be the same as that described in the Specification of the said former
Letters Patent, which may be referred to for the fuller understanding of
the machinery employed.
This
D is a pipe furnished with a regulating valve, which connects the air
reservoir C with the induction passage a to the cylinder A. E is the
main shaft, upon one end of which is a suitable balance wheel F.
shaft is furnished with suitable cams for opening alternately at the right
time the injection valve 6 and exhaust valve c.
It is quite evident that if air is contained in the reservoir C under
pressure, a charge will be admitted once in every revolution of the
shaft E to the induction passage a by reason of the opening of the
injection valve 6 by the cam on the shaft, which in this case is effected
by the impinging of the surface of the cam upon a lever, the stem of
the valve 6 being linked to such lever.
To enable each charge of atmospheric air admitted into the induction
pipe leading to the combustion chain in a to vaporize the proper
equivalent of liquid hydrocarbon to form when absorbed by it a gaseous
compound to be subsequently ignited, the end of the induction pipe is in
this instance surrounded by an annular space e, which is to be stuffed
with sponge, felt, or some fibrous absorbent, see Figures 2 and 3. This
fibrous or cellular substance is charged at each revolution of the shaft
with a prescribed quantity of liquid hydrocarbon, and this can be con-
veniently done by means of a suction and forcing pump G, the plunger
of which is worked by a cam on the main shaft, as shown in Figures 1
and 2. The vessel or reservoir containing the liquid hydrocarbon may
be located at any safe and convenient point and connected with the
barrel of the pump by the suction pipe f. A regulating valve is applied

page_text: to the suction pipe to determine the quantity of fluid that shall be
injected at each charge. The top of the induction pipe and the sur-
rounding annular chamber is covered with a metallic disc or plate g
forming a valve, which is held down by a light spring h. When the
charge of atmospheric air is admitted through the injection valve 6 from
the air reservoir C it is resisted by the valve g sufficiently to cause the
current which spreads in all directions as it raises the valve to come into
contact with the top surface of the fibrous matter charged with liquid
hydrocarbon in the annular chamber; or if preferred the sides of the
inducted pipe may be perforated with holes, whereby the air to the
extent of the resistance of the spring valve g will be forced through the
fibrous material in the annulus. The result is that the air current
vaporizes under these conditions in proportion to its volume and intensity
so much of the hydrocarbon fluid as is required to make the well-known
gaseous compound which a mixture of such constituents produces. This
agent of force now passes through the perforated diaphragm H or flame
interceptor into the combustion chamber, when it is fired in the manner
described in the said former Specification.
In the use of the apparatus described when the temperature of the
atmosphere is too low to support a vapor the force of the charge of air
from the air reservoir will drive off the hydrocarbon fluid in the absorbent
in the form of fine spray, which will be borne by the air current into
the meshes of the gauze flame interceptor H, where it instantly vaporizes
and combines with the air.
Although I have described what I conceive to be the best form of
apparatus for volatilizing hydrocarbon fluids and causing the same to
combine with the required equivalents of atmospheric air to form a
gaseous mixture to be used as a motive power, I do not limit myself to
the precise form of the devices or the arrangement described. Thus
instead of a fibrous absorbent one or more discs of fine wire gauze may
be used; or I may employ other suitable means for enabling the fluid
when delivered in small quantities into the chamber to spread itself out
in a film or be disseminated over a considerable space, so as to be readily
taken up in the form of vapor or fine particles by the air current passing
over or through it. Moreover the chamber e if made of sufficient area
can be supplied with hydrocarbon liquid without employing special
means as described for enabling it to spread over a large surface, and
very good results be obtained.

page_text: .
The essential features of this Invention will be embodied in any
apparatus which employs a reservoir containing atmospheric air under
pressure, and arranged to deliver a charge of air into an induction pipe
leading to the combustion chamber of the engine, when such charge of
air is made to travel in its course over or through a hydracarbon fluid,
so that the air current can either vaporize and combine with the vapor
of the fluid, or take up and bear away the fluid in fine globules to be
subsequently vaporized on entering the combustion chamber.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the
same, I wish it understood that I claim,-
First. An apparatus for mixing atmospheric air and volatilized hydro-
carbons in successive charges as a motive power when ignited for a gas
engine, consisting of a reservoir C containing atmospheric air under
pressure, in combination with a hydrocarbon chamber and an auto-
matically actuated valve, which is arranged to intermittingly admit.
compressed air to pass from the reservoir in successive charges into the
hydrocarbon chamber as herein described.
Second. The air reservoir C for containing air under pressure, the
hydrocarbon chamber e, and an intermittent injector arranged to supply
the chamber with hydrocarbon in successive charges, as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Haseltine, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of June, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
Witness,
H. J. NOONE,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
GEORGE HASELTINE. (L.S.)