Improvements in Oil Engines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Dec., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Oct., 1894-Accepted, 1st Dec., 1894
Improvements in Oil Engines.
I GEORGE SITTON of 42 St. Paul's Road Camden Road in the County of
Middlesex Working Mechanic do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
My invention relates to an improvement in the arrangement of the essential
working parts of oil engines and has for its object the simplification of the
construction of such engines and also economy & simplicity in their working by
utilising the heat of both the ignition or explosion cylinder and also the lamp
(hitherto used only for heating the ignition tube) to heat a vapourising chamber
which being carried round the cylinder becomes also a purifying chamber.
I carry out my invention in the following manner :-So far along the cylinder
as the plunger proceeds the walls of the cylinder are surrounded with water jackets
in the usual way but round the other part of the cylinder where the explosions
take place I place a purifying chamber so that the walls of that part of the
cylinder are also the walls of such purifying chamber. On that side of the cylinder
where the ignition tube is I carry out this chamber in the form of an excrescence
and through such excrescence a flue or chimney in conical form is passed for the
flame of a lamp to play through so that the heat of the lamp may be imparted to
the walls of this part of the chamber and may thus cause the oil to be vapourized
immediately it enters the chamber, the inlet for the oil being placed in a suitable
position.
The ignition tube will pass from the cylinder across the said flue or chimney and
through the said chamber which at that part will be provided with a clearing hole
so that the said tube may be re-fitted when worn out. The effect of this will be
that the same lamp will both heat the ignition tube and also the walls of the said
chamber at that part where the oil enters so that it will be at once vapourized.
The heat of the cylinder will then assist the purification of the vapour before it
enters the explosion cylinder.
Dated this 21st day of December 1893.
BOWER & LAWFORD,
41, Norfolk Street, Strand, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Oil Engines.
I GEORGE SITTON of 42 St. Paul's Road, Camden Town in the County of
Middlesex, Working Mechanic 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:-
The present invention relates to that class of motive power engines in which the
force is derived from an explosion, within the engine cylinder, of hydrocarbon oil
vapour generated in a neighbouring chamber.
In engines of this description, it is necessary to provide means for vapourizing
the oil, and for exploding the derived vapour, together with an admixture of
atmospheric air. Various methods have been adopted to this end, with more or less

page_text: success; my invention, however, has for its object to obtain still better results in
respect of economy of working, and simplification in construction and arrangement
of parts.
In carrying out my invention, I employ a truncated, water-jacketed cylinder,
provided at one end with a hollow cover containing a chamber for the oil vapour,
which chamber communicates with the cylinder at the back of the piston and with
the air.
The oil is vapourized on its way to the chamber in the cylinder cover, by passing
from an oil reservoir through a pipe placed in or above the flame of a lamp.
This lamp is fed with oil from the same reservoir vapourized in a pipe which is also
placed in the flame. Another pipe also arranged in the flame, preferably at right
angles to the other pipes, communicates with the cylinder at the back of the piston,
and constitutes an ignition tube, when heated, for the explosive mixture of vapour
and air in the cylinder.
In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated an oil engine embodying my
improvements.
Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a vertical engine;
Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line of Fig. 1.
Figs. 3, 4, and 5, are plan, front, and side views of detached parts connected with
the vapourizing lamp.
A is the cylinder mounted vertically upon four pillars a. B is a hollow recessed
cover bolted onto the head of the cylinder. is the piston, having a piston
rod c connected to the crank d of the crank shaft D.
E is the vapourizing lamp, consisting of a tubular ring having a pair of tubes e
pendent therefrom, and connected together by a pipe e' which carries the nozzle for
the lighted vapour. F is the vapourizer, situated over the flame of the lamp, and
leading the oil from the reservoir, not shown, to the hollow cover B. G is the oil
feed pipe for the lamp, and H is the ignition tube in communication with the recess
of the cylinder cover. Within the cover B of the cylinder are a pair of valves I
and J, of which I is the admission valve for the oil vapour to the cylinder, and J
the exhaust valve for the exploded gases. The valves are situated in passages, one
of which, I', communicates with the interior of the hollow cover B, by the port b,
and with the screw down cock K, through which a regulated quantity of atmospheric
air is admitted. The passage J, which holds the valve J, is in direct communication
with the atmosphere. The pipe L is a vent pipe, inserted into the chamber of the
hollow cover B, the other end being open directed upwards into the open mouth k
of the cock K.
The valve I is automatic in its action, but the exhaust valve J is not automatic
as regards its opening to permit the escape of the exhaust vapours. Both valves
have a tendency (J the greater tendency) to remain closed, by reason of the
springs and (see Fig. 1) surrounding the valve rods.
For opening the valve J at the proper moment, the following device may be
provided for depressing the valve rod.
A rod M, mounted to slide vertically in guides at the side of the cylinder, carries
on its upper end an arm m, which overlies the summit of the valve rod. The lower
end of the rod M is connected by a link m¹ to a crank pin carried by the wheel n,
mounted on the stud axle n', the said axle being carried by a bracket N. The
wheel n gears with a pinion d' mounted on the crank shaft D, and receives rotation
therefrom. The engine having been started by any suitable means, the action is as
follows:-
The downward stroke of the piston C opens the valve I, whose spring is
sufficiently weak to permit it to leave its seat, and draws the oil vapour from the
chamber of the hollow cover, mixed with atmospheric air admitted through the
cock K into the cylinder A at the back of the piston C. The return stroke of
the piston compresses the explosive mixture, closing the valve I until a pressure is
reached which will ensure an explosion being effected by the heated ignition tubë H,
the mouth of which is seen in Fig. 1.

page_text: The explosion gives an impulse downward to the piston, and, on the next return,
the valve J, till now held on its seat by its spring, which is more powerful than the
spring of the valve I, is opened by the valve gear before described, to exhaust the
exploded gases.
may here explain that the valve gear is so proportioned as to open the valve J
at each alternate stroke, an explosion taking place only once in two strokes.
The interior of the cover B is kept supplied with oil vapour, and being exposed
to the effects of repeated explosions, the heat thereby generated in the chamber is
made available for superheating or raising the temperature of the vapours contained
therein, before they are drawn into the cylinder. By thus arranging a superheating
chamber for the vapours previously formed in the vapourizing pipe in close
proximity to the seat of the explosion, a considerable economy in results is obtained,
without additional cost is constructing the engine.
The arrangement, moreover, of the vapourizing lamp, and supply, and ignition
tubes, in the flame of a single lamp, gives also an important improvement in
economic working.
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. Superheating the oil vapour on its way from the oil vapourizer to the cylinder
of an oil engine, by passing it through a chamber situated in the cylinder cover in
proximity to the seat of explosion, the heat derived from which explosion is thus
made available for raising the temperature of the oil vapour previously formed,
substantially as explained with reference to the accompanying drawing.
2. The arrangement of oil engine hereinbefore described, comprising a cylinder
and piston, a cylinder cover containing a superheating chamber in close proximity
to the seat of the explosion, an oil vapourizing pipe placed in or over the flame of
a lamp, and communicating with the said chamber and with an oil reservoir, and
being controlled by suitably arranged cocks, a lamp, oil vapourizing tube, and an
ignition tube, both placed in the same flame, and a pair of valves for controlling
the admission of oil vapour and the exhaust of the exploded gases to and from the
oylinder, substantially as explained with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 20th day of October 1894.