Improvements in Oil Engines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Aug., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 18th May, 1896-Accepted, 17th Oct., 1896
Improvements in Oil Engines.
I, JOSEPH DAY of Compton Villa, Paragon Road, Weston-super-Mare, in the
County of Somerset, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
My invention refers to oil engines in which a regulated quantity of oil or the like
is admitted in spray or vapour form to the cylinder together with a regulated
quantity of air so as to form an explosive mixture, which mixture is then ignited
and the products of such combustion acting on the piston of the engine causes it to
move and by suitable connections revolves the shaft.
The engine is preferably constructed to have an impulse at every revolution, the air
and oil and exhaust ports being made in the cylinder and in such positions that the
piston in moving up and down (in the case of a vertical engine) opens and closes
them. The crank shaft works in an enclosed chamber below the cylinder and the
piston is connected to the crank shaft by a connecting rod. On the upstroke of the
piston the air in the enclosed chamber is rarefied so that when the piston is at or
near the top of its stroke and uncovers an air port in the cylinder below the piston
air rushes in from the outside. On the descent of the piston the air in the com-
pression chamber is compressed and when the piston is at or near the bottom of its
stroke the port of a passage communicating between the cylinder and the compression
chamber is opened by the descent of the piston and the air under compression in
the compression chamber escapes into the cylinder. At or near this port into the
cylinder is a small pipe or opening which is supplied with oil or the like and some
of this oil enters the cylinder at the same time being sprayed by the incoming air
and if the cylinder be warm is vaporised whereby an explosive mixture is formed.
On the ascent of the piston the port is closed and this mixture is compressed and
ignited when the piston is at or near the top of its stroke. The expansion of the
products of combustion gives an impulse to the piston causing it to descend, and
when it is near the end of its stroke it uncovers an exhaust port in the side of the
cylinder and the products of combustion escape. There is a deflector on the top of
the piston so that the incoming charge is deflected away from the exhaust port.
The heat of the exhaust may conveniently be utilized to heat the oil whereby
it is more easily vaporized by leading the exhaust pipe through a closed vessel or
reservoir for containing the oil. This vessel may also suitably be connected by a
pipe to the compression chamber in such manner that air is supplied from the
compression chamber to the oil vessel at such a pressure as to ensure a proper feed
of oil by means of another pipe to the passage connecting the cylinder and the
compression chamber of the engine. In order to prevent alteration of the pressure in
the oil reservoir there may be a back pressure valve in tho said reservoir to close
the opening of the pipe from the compression chamber immediately the pressure
therein is reduced on the upstroke of the piston.
Or instead of an oil reservoir of the kind described there may be used a reservoir
from which the oil may drop in regulated quantities at certain intervals on to a heated
plate such as would be afforded by a hollow cylinder cover or into a heated chamber
whereby the oil is vaporised and preferably by the inrush of air from the compression
chamber drawn into the cylinder.
In order to start the engine a small amount of oil is vaporised independently
and this vapour is conducted to the cylinder mixed with the proper amount of air

page_text: to form the explosive mixture which mixture is ignited in the cylinder in any
convenient manner.
Dated the 17th day of August 1895
JENSEN & SON,
77 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.
Improvements in Oil Engines.
I, JOSEPH DAY of Compton Villa, Paragon Road, Weston-super-Mare, in the
County of Somerset, 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 :-
My invention refers to oil engines in which a regulated quantity of oil or the like
is admitted in spray or vapour form to the cylinder together with a regulated quantity
of air so as to form an explosive mixture which mixture is then ignited and the
products of such combustion acting on the piston of the engine cause it to move and
by suitable connections revolves the shaft.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a longitudinal elevation partly in
section of an engine constructed according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a transverse sectional elevation and
Figure 3 is a similar view of a modification.
The engine described more particularly with reference to Figures 1 and 2 is
preferably constructed to have an impulse at every revolution. The air inlet port A
oil inlet port B and exhaust port C being made in the cylinder and in such positions
that the piston D in moving up and down (in the case of a vertical engine) opens
and closes them. The crank-shaft E works in an enclosed chamber F below the
cylinder and the piston is connected to the crank shaft by a connecting rod G. On
the upstroke of the piston D, the air in the enclosed chamber F is rarefied so that
when the piston is at or near the top of its stroke and uncovers the air port A in
the cylinder below the piston, air rushes in from the outside. On the descent of the
piston, the air in the compression chamber is compressed and when the piston is
at or near the bottom of its stroke, the port of a passage H, communicating
between the cylinder and the compression chamber, is opened by the descent of
the piston D and the air under compression in the compression chamber escapes
into the cylinder. At or near this port into the cylinder is the small pipe or
inlet B which is supplied with oil or the like in a regular manner by means of
a valve I and some of this oil enters the cylinder at about the same time being
sprayed by the incoming air, and, if the cylinder be warm, is vaporised whereby an
explosive mixture is formed. On the ascent of the piston D, the air port H and oil
inlet B are closed and this mixture is compressed and ignited in any convenient
manner when the piston is at or near the top of its stroke. The expansion of the
products of combustion gives an impulse to the piston D causing it to descend, and,
when it is near the end of its stroke, it uncovers the exhaust port in the side of
the cylinder and the products of combustion escape. There is a deflector K on
the top of the piston so that the in-coming charge is deflected away from the
exhaust port C.
The heat of the exhaust may be utilized to heat the oil, whereby it is more easily
vaporised by leading the exhaust pipe through a closed vessel containing the oil, but
I have discovered that generally the heating of the oil may be dispensed with, and
I merely employ a closed vessel or reservoir L for containing the oil having a filler U
and suitably connected by a pipe M. to the compression chamber Fin such manner
that air is supplied from the compression chamber to the oil vessel formed in the
base of the engine as shown or to an oil drum at such a pressure as to ensure a proper

page_text: feed of oil by means of another pipe N to the oil inlet B as shown or it might
be to an oil inlet in the passage Hitself connecting the cylinder and the com-
pression chamber F of the engine. In order to prevent alteration of the pressure
in the oil reservoir L there is a back pressure valve O in the pipe M connected
to the said reservoir to close the pipe M from the compression chamber F immediately
the pressure therein is reduced on the upstroke of the piston D.
Or instead of an oil reservoir of the kind described there may be used as shewn
in the modified construction of engine Figure 3 a reservoir L from which the oil
may drop in regulated quantities by means of a back pressure valve I and pipe N
at the beginning of every up-stroke of the piston or there may be a valve operated
by a suitable governor actuated by the shaft so as to vary the oil supply according
to the work to be done. The oil may as shown drop on to a heated plate such as is
afforded by a hollow cylinder cover V having holes or perforations in the bottom as
shewn or in the sides or in both to allow the mixture of vapour and air to pass into
the cylinder, the air passing through a port D¹ in the piston from the interior thereof
and passage H. In this instance the inlet for oil and air is so far away from the
exhaust port that a deflector on the top of the piston is not necessary. Or instead
of the above arrangement there may be a separate heated chamber wherein the
regulated quantity of oil is vaporized and preferably drawn into the cylinder by the
in-rush of air from the compression chamber. The piston in this construction of
engine has a port D¹ which at the bottom of the stroke registers with the port in
the cylinder leading to the passage H so that the charge of air is admitted from the
interior of the piston, instead of from the crank chamber, to above the piston as in
the previous construction, when the piston is at the bottom of its stroke.
In order to start the engine a small regulated amount of oil is vaporised
independently in a tube P by a lamp Q of any suitable construction for obtaining
great heat. The oil is first poured into a cup R having a cock S. The plug T
of this cock is provided with a passage of such a capacity and such a form
that a suitable charge of oil is admitted thereto when open to the cup and
on making a turn or a part of a turn the oil in the passage in the plug T drops
into the heated tube P and is there vaporized. At the same time the shaft E of the
engine is revolved until the piston is at the top of its stroke. when the charge of
air and vapour is mixed and ignited.
It is also evident that the engine may be started with benzoline as is a common
practice with oil engines and in that case a special tank therefor is connected
precisely as described with reference to the petroleum tanks shown on the drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An oil engine consisting of a cylinder mounted on an enclosed chamber F, a
piston D connected to a crank shaft E by a connecting rod G, air inlet port A
to the enclosed chamber, air passage H to the cylinder, oil admission port B
regulated by a valve and exhaust port C from the cylinder substantially as
described and shewn.
2. An oil engine consisting of a cylinder mounted on an enclosed chamber F,
a piston D connected to a crank shaft E by a connecting rod G, air inlet port A
to the enclosed chamber, air passage H to the cylinder, oil admission port B
regulated by a valve 1, oil supply pipe N from a tank L, air pipe M to the tank
from the enclosed chamber, a back pressure valve O and an exhaust port C from the
cylinder, substantially as described and shewn with reference to Figures 1 and 2.
3. An oil engine consisting of a cylinder having a hollow perforated cover V,
said cylinder being mounted on an enclosed chamber F, a piston D connected to a
crank shaft E by a connecting rod G, air inlet port A to the enclosed chamber, air
passage H to the cylinder, oil admission port B regulated by a valve I, oil supply
pipe N from a tank L and an exhaust port C from the cylinder substantially as
described and shown with reference to Figure 3.

page_text: 4. In an oil engine the application and use of the piston to compress the air
in the oil reservoir so as to force the oil therein into the cylinder or vaporiser and
of a back pressure valve to close the opening from the compression chamber
immediately the pressure therein is reduced substantially as described and shewn.
5. In an oil engine the application and use of a starting apparatus consisting of a
cup R, a cock S with a plug T a heated tube P and a lamp Q substantially as
described and shewn with reference to Figure 2.
6. The constructions of oil engines shown on the drawings.
Dated this 18th day of May 1896.
JENSEN & SON,
77 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.