Improved Means for Facilitating the Starting of Hydrocarbon Engines and for Regulating the Ignition of the Inflammable Charges whereby same are Operated.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 6th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 9th Nov., 1888
Improved Means for Facilitating the Starting of Hydrocarbon
Engines and for Regulating the Ignition of the Inflammable
Charges whereby same are Operated.
We, WILLIAM DENT PRIESTMAN and SAMUEL PRIESTMAN, of Holderness Foundry,
Hull, in the County of York, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates, first, to improved means, applicable to motor engines
operated by the combustion of hydrocarbon vapour or hydrocarburetted air, for the
purpose of facilitating the starting of such engines; and secondly, to improved
means for adjusting the action of the electrical apparatus in relation to the position of
the crank and piston when an electric spark or electrically heated wire is employed
to ignite the vapourous or gaseous charges whereby such engines are operated.
According to the common practice in working motor engines with hydrocarbon
vapour or carburetted hydrogen gas, it is usual to mix a volume of inflammable
vapour or gas with about ten volumes of atmospheric air. When the working charge
so constituted is compressed before being fired, the resistance offered to the com-
pressing piston renders it difficult to turn the engine by hand. With a view to
diminishing such resistance, we furnish the inlet to the cylinder in which the charge
is compressed with a throttle- or stop-valve adapted for manual adjustment, by means
of which the volume of the vapourous or gaseous charge admitted to the cylinder
Under such
may be temporarily reduced to the degree found most expedient.
circumstances, the engine may be turned by hand with comparative facility; and a
few small charges having been worked, the throttle- or stop-valve before referred to
may be fully opened for the admission of charges of normal character, the action of
the engine being thenceforth controlled by the governor, as described in the specifica-
tion filed in pursuance of our application for Letters Patent filed 21st December 1886,
No. 16,779, or otherwise.
Inasmuch as the volume of inflammable vapour or gas employed in working such
engines bears only a small proportion to that of the atmospheric air with which such

page_text: vapour or gas is mixed in the preparation of the working charge, we sometimes apply
the before mentioned throttle- or stop-valve to the passage through which the
atmospheric air is admitted before being mixed with the inflammable vapour or gas.
Under such circumstances, the working charge is both reduced in volume and
rendered richer in hydrocarbon; care being, however, taken that a sufficient pro-
portion of air is admitted to ensure ready ignition of the charge.
Our improved means applicable for use in firing charges operating hydrocarbon
vapour or gas engines, and capable of adjustment whilst the engine is running, are
adapted for employment with devices, such as described and illustrated in the
Specification to Letters Patent granted to John Joseph Reveley Humes, dated
1st February, 1886, No. 1464, for making and breaking the electric circuit and
comprising two flexible or pivotted arms respectively connected with the circuit and
periodically-placed in electrical communication by the intervention of a connector
mounted on any suitable reciprocating part of the engine. Our improvements
consist in mounting the insulated body carrying the aforesaid flexible arms in such a
manner that, by means of a hand-wheel and screw or equivalent appliances, the body
may be caused to approach towards or to recede from the circuit-connector carried
by the reciprocating part of the engine. By these means, the instant at which the
electric circuit is completed relatively to the position of the crank and motor piston
may be varied within narrow limits whilst the engine is running.
According to an alternative method of effecting the same object, we provide the
circuit-connector with means for readily adjusting its position upon the reciprocating
part of the engine to which it is attached, such means being capable of adjustment
whilst the engine is running.
Although, for convenience of description, we have referred to this part of our
invention as applied to the circuit-making and breaking apparatus described in the
aforesaid specification, No. 1464 of 1886, it will be obvious that our improved means
for regulating or timing the ignition of the charge may be adapted for use with other
descriptions of apparatus employed with the same object.
Dated the 6th day of January 1889
G. G. M. HARDINGHAM,
191, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: Improved Means for Facilitating the Starting of Hydrocarbon
Engines and for Regulating the Ignition of the Inflammable
Charges whereby same are Operated.
We, WILLIAM DENT PRIESTMAN and SAMUEL PRIESTMAN, of Holderness Foundry,
Hull, in the County of York, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
-
This invention relates, first, to improved means applicable to motor engines
operated by the combustion of hydrocarbon vapour, or hydrocarburetted air, for the
purpose of facilitating the starting of such engines; and secondly, to improved
means for adjusting the action of the electrical apparatus in relation to the position
of the crank and piston when an electric spark or electrically-heated wire is
employed to ignite the vapourous or gaseous charges whereby such engines aro
operated.
According to the common practice in working motor engines with hydrocarbon
vapour or carburetted hydrogen gas, it is usual to mix a volume of inflammable
vapour or gas with about ten volumes of atmospheric air. When the working charge
so constituted is compressed before being fired, the resistance offered to the com-
pressing piston renders it difficult to turn the engine by hand. With a view to
diminishing such resistance, we furnish the inlet to the cylinder in which the charge
is compressed with a throttle or stop-valve, adapted for manual adjustment, by means
of which the volume of the vapourous or gaseous charge admitted to the cylinder may
be temporarily reduced to the degree found most expedient. Under such circum-
stances, the engine may be turned by hand with comparative facility, and a few small
charges having been worked, the throttle or stop-valve before referred to may be
fully opened for the admission of charges of normal character; the action of the
engine being thenceforth controlled by the governor, as described in the specification
to our Letters Patent, dated 21st December, 1886, No. 16,779, or otherwise.
Inasmuch as the volume of inflammable vapour or gas employed in working such
engines bears only a small proportion to that of the atmospheric air with which such
vapour or gas is mixed in the preparation of the working charge, we sometimes apply
the before-mentioned throttle or stop-valve to the passage through which the
atmospheric air is admitted before being mixed with the inflammable vapour or gas.
Under such circumstances, the working charge is both reduced in quantity and
rendered richer in hydrocarbon; care being, however, taken that a sufficient
proportion of air is admitted to ensure ready ignition of the charge. In Figs. 1
and 2 of the accompanying drawings is illustrated the application of this feature of
our invention to a motor engine operated by the combustion of hydrocarbon vapour
or hydrocarburetted air; the former shewing in side elevation and the latter in end
elevation the motor cylinder a, vapour-chamber & connected therewith, vapourising or

page_text: mixing apparatus e for preparing the inflammable vapour, and a throttle-or stop-valve d
mounted in or applied to the inlet whereby the supplementary air supply is admitted
to the vapour-chamber for admixture with the inflammable vapour. The throttle-
or stop-valve d may be operated from the exterior of the engine-bed-plate by means
of a spindle and handle d, as indicated in Fig. 2. For the valve d we may employ
the plug type of construction, as represented to an enlarged scale in the longitudinal
section Fig. 3; although it will be obvious that other methods of design are
applicable.
Before starting the engine, the valve d is partially or wholly closed and the direct
supply of atmospheric air to the vapour-chamber throttled or entirely shut off. Air
and liquid hydrocarbon are, however, admitted from the liquid-hydrocarbon-reservoir
through the vapouriser or mixing nozzle to the vapour-chamber. The walls hereof,
as also those of the motor cylinder, being comparatively cold, a portion of the
vapourised liquid becomes recondensed and deposited, particularly when a heavy
hydrocarbon distillate, such as that commonly known as refined petroleum oil, is
employed. The temporary exclusion of the supplementary air charge, however, by
means of the valve d, has not only the effect of reducing the quantity of the
vapourous or gaseous mixture admitted to the motor cylinder whilst the engine is
being turned by hand and the working charge compressed, but serves at the same
time to compensate for any condensation of the liquid fuel which may have taken
place and which might otherwise render the charge too poor in hydrocarbon to ignite
with the requisite readiness and certainity.
Our improved means applicable for use in firing charges operating hydrocarbon
vapour or gas engines, and capable of adjustment whilst the engine is running, are
adapted for employment with devices, such as described and illustrated in the
specification to Letters Patent granted to John Joseph Reveley Humes, dated
1st February, 1886, No. 1,464, for making and breaking the electric circuit and
comprising two flexible or pivotted arms respectively connected with the circuit and
periodically placed in electrical communication by the intervention of a connector
mounted on any suitable reciprocating part of the engine. Our improvements
consist in mounting the insulated body carrying the aforesaid flexible arms in such
a manner that, by means of a thumb-nut or equivalent appliance, the body may be
caused to approach towards or to recede from the circuit-connector carried by the
reciprocating part of the engine. Such a method of mounting is represented in
elevation, longitudinal section and plan in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 of the accompanying
drawings. ee are two slightly flexible plates, composed of copper or other conductive
material and mounted upon a body of vulcanite or other non-conductive material.
The body is provided with a socket g from which projects a screwed shank g'. The
latter extends through the back of the fixed bracket h, wherein the socket is
mounted to slide longitudinally, and is furnished with a regulating nut g² whereby
the socket may be moved to and fro in the carrier and the position of the
plates e e varied. is a lock-nut for securing the parts when adjusted.
studs to which the wires conveying the electric current are respectively attached.
Upon the air-pump-rod j, or some other conveniently-situated reciprocating part of
the engine, is mounted a finger & composed of ebonite or other suitable non-conducting
material and carrying a metal connector arranged in such a manner relatively to
the extremities of the plates e e as to arrive in contact with and intermittently to
establish communication between the said plates, thereby completing the electric
circuit. By operating the nut g², the position of the plates ee may be adjusted in a
longitudinal direction, and the instant at which the electric circuit is completed
relatively to the position of the crank and motor piston may be varied whilst the
engine is running. By these means, the starting of the engine may be facilitated by
so setting the apparatus as to cause the charge to he fired after the crank has passed
the centre the moment of ignition being subsequently rendered earlier by suitably
adjusting the apparatus whilst the engine is at work.
are
According to an alternative method of effecting the same object, we provide the
circuit-connector with means whereby its position upon the reciprocating part of the

page_text: engine to which it is attached may be readily adjusted; the same being capable of
manipulation whilst the engine is running.
Although for convenience of description we have referred to this part of our
invention as applied to the circuit-making and-breaking apparatus described in the
aforesaid specification, No. 1,464 of 1886, it will be obvious that our improved means
for regulating or timing the ignition of the charge may be adapted for use with other
descriptions of apparatus employed with the same object.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we claim :-
:-
1st For facilitating the starting of hydrocarbon engines in which the working
charge is compressed before being ignited, applying to the inlet to the motor or other
compression cylinder a throttle- or stop-valve whereby the greater portion of the
normal working charge is temporarily excluded from such cylinder and the resistance
to the compression thereof correspondingly diminished.
2ndly For facilitating the starting of hydrocarbon engines operated by the
combustion of hydrocarbon vapour, or hydrocarburetted air mixed with an additional
quantity of atmospheric air, applying to the supplementary air inlet a throttle- or
stop-valve whereby the whole or the greater portion of the additional air is temporarily
excluded from the motor or other compression cylinder; the resistance to the
compression of the working charge being thereby diminished and condensation
compensated for when liquid hydrocarbon is employed.
3rdly-In hydrocarbon engines operated by inflammable charges ignited by means
of electricity, rendering the electric circuit-making and-breaking device adjustable for
the purpose of facilitating starting and enabling the timing of the ignition to be
subsequently varied whilst the engine is running.
Dated this fith day of October 1888