IMPROVE- MENTS IN GAS-MOTOR ENGINES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Gustav Jacob Kirchenpauer and Ludwig Hermann
Philippi both of Hamburg German Empire for an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN GAS-MOTOR ENGINES"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Gustav Jacob Kirchenpauer
and Ludwig Herinann Philippi at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
on the 2nd July 1883.
GUSTAV JACOB KIRCHENPAUER and LUDWIG HERMANN PHILIPPI both of
Hamburg German Empire "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS-MOTOR-ENGINES
"
This Invention relates to what are known as gas motor engines in which the
power is affected by the ignition of gas and air in their respective proportions or
by other explosive mixture or mixtures in a cylinder or cylinders the piston thereof
being pushed from the beginning of the stroke to the position of completed
admission and commencing ignition by the pressure of compressed air, which in
entering the cylinder is rendered explosive by passing through the necessary quantity
of gaseous or liquid matter, and our improvements consist in rendering the gas
engine or explosion engine of any kind more independent of heavy fly wheels than
those now in use by giving an impulse to the fly wheel at every stroke of the
piston instead of so doing on every alternato stroke and without losing any of the
advantages that may be gained by the latter method. Moreover we propose to
increase the work done by our engine as compared to that of engines of construc-
tions now in use of the same diameter of cylinder and length of stroke by rendering
the expansion of the heated gases more extensive by our invention than it can
possibly be made by those of other constructions. This purpose is attained as
follows:
The cylinder or cylinders are joined with their back parts or explosion chambers
to a tube or receiver of other kind containing compressed air, which on the opening
of the valves at the beginning of the upstroke enters the cylinder through a canal
containing apparatus for mixing the compressed air with the necessary quantity of
gaseous or liquid hydro-carbon or hydrogen the compressed air is thus rendered
explosive and impels the piston until the admission valve is closed while the charge

page_text: of explosive gas now contained in the part of the cylinder behind the piston is
ignited at the samo moment, whereby the piston is pushed to the end of the stroke
in the manner common to all gas engines. The piston is then driven back to the
initial position through the down stroke by the momentum of the fly wheel.
During the down stroke of the piston the air is sucked into the fore part of the
cylinder through a suitable valve, while during the upstroke the air is compressed
by the piston into the receiver and retained there by a non-return-valve, for use
behind the piston at the next upstroke in the manner described. The receiver
pressure is self regulating and dependent on the proportions given to the engine,
_which may be so constructed as to work with varied degrees of admission and conse-
quent expansion, which can be regulated-by-a-self-acting-governor.-The-engine_
may be reversed by shutting the suction and receiver valves as well as the
admission valves during one upstroke, the air before the piston will thereby be
considerably compressed and first stop the motion of the fly wheel before-tho-end
of the upstroke and then by again expanding throw back the piston and the fly
wheel, which will by its momentum move beyond the back dead point and on the
admission valves then being reopened remain moving in that direction.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Gustav Jacob Kirchenpauer and Ludwig Hermann Philippi in
the Patent Office on the 2nd January 1884.
GUSTAV JACOB KIRCHENPAUER and LUDWIG HERMANN PHILIPPI, both of
Hamburg, German Empire, "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS MOTOR ENGINES
"
This Invention relates to improvements in gas motor engines in which the power
is effected by the ignition of gas and air in their respective proportions, or by other
explosive mixture or mixtures of gases and air, in a cylinder or cylinders, the
piston thereof being pushed from the beginning of the stroke to the position of
completed admission and commencing ignition, by the pressure of compressed air,
which in entering the cylinder is rendered explosive by passing through the
necessary quantity of gascous or liquid matter, and our improvements consist in
rendering the gas engine or explosion engine of any kind more independent of
heavy fly wheels than those now in use by giving an impulse to the fly wheel at
every stroke of the piston instead of so doing on every alternate stroke and without
losing any of the advantages that may be gained by the latter method. Moreover
we propose to increase the work done by our engine as compared to that of engines
of constructions now in use of the same diameter of piston and length of stroke,
by rendering the expansion of the heated gases more extensivo by our invention
than it can possibly be made by those of other constructions. This purpose is
attained as follows:-
"
The cylinder or cylinders are joined with their back parts to a tube or receiver
of other kind containing compressed air or other available gases, which on the
opening of the valves at the beginning of the upstroke enters the cylinder through
a canal containing apparatus for mixing the compressed air with the necessary
quantity of gaseous or liquid hydrocarbon or hydrogen, the compressed air is thus
rendered explosive and impels the piston until the admission valve is closed, while
the charge of explosive gas now contained in the part of the 'cylinder behind the
piston, is ignited at the same moment, whereby the piston is pushed to the end of
the stroke in the manner common to all gas engines. The piston is then driven
buck to the initial position through the down stroke by the momentum of the fly
wheel. During the down stroke of the piston the air is sucked into the fore part
of the cylinder through a suitable valve, while during the upstroke the air is
compressed by the piston into the receiver and retained there by a non-return valve
for use behind the piston at the next upstroke in the manner described. The
receiver pressure is self regulating and dependent on the proportions given to the
engine, which may be so constructed as to work with varied degrees of adinission
and consequent expansion, which can be regulated by a self acting governor. The
engine may be reversed by shutting the suction and receiver valves as well as the
admission valves during one upstroke, the air before the piston will thereby be
considerably compressed and first stop the motion of the fly wheel before the end
of the upstroke, and then by again expanding throw back the piston and the fly
wheel, which will by its momentum move beyond the back dead point and on the
admission valves then being reopened remain moving in that direction.
In order to make our invention more clearly understood we will describe it with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
The first sheet of drawings represents an engine on the fore described principle
for using liquid hydrocarbon. The cylinder is connected with the receiver R and
the air jacket N by the cock A represented on a larger scale by figure 4, 5, 6 in its
various positions. Figure 4 shows the position of the cock while air is sucked
•

page_text: into the fore part of the cylinder during the downstroke; this air is compelled to
pass all round the cylinder by entering the jacket at Q (figure 2) and leaving it on
the opposite side; Qmay be filled with water to enlarge the thermal capacity of
the air. A part of the heat lost by cooling of the cylinder surface may be regained
in consequence of thus using damp and heated air for mixing the explosive
compound. Figure 5 shows the position of the cock A in the first period of the
upstroke during which the compression before the piston has not yet reached the
pressure of the receiver gases. Figure 6 shows the cock connecting the cylinder
with the receiver during the last part of the stroke when compression is going on
in the joined cylinder and receiver. The receiver R is connected with the back
part of the cylinder by the cock-B-represented-on-a-larger-scale-in-figures-8,-9,-10-
and 11 together with the igniting cock C and the exhaust cock D. Figure 8 shows
the cock during the first or admission period of the upstroke, connecting the
receiver with the cylinder, the compressed air from the former entering the latter
and pushing the piston forward. Before coming to this position, the small
perforations n (figure 11) have passed the channel d, opening towards the
petroleum tank K (figure 1) and thereby filling with liquid, which in the position
of admission is blown out by the highly compressed air and thereby being changed
into spray and evaporated by the heat of the air and the metal, forms an explosive
mixture with the air entering the cylinder. The position represented by figure 9
is that of the second half of the upstroke; the perforation of the cock connects
at fand m with the exhaust channel F, in order to take out the pressure of gas
in n which would prevent the petroleum from entering. Figure 10 shows the
cock leaving every channel shut up during the back stroke, while the exhaust
The cock B
cock D connects the cylinder to the exhaust F at t and u.
is surrounded by the slightly conical shell b (Figure 11). In the normal stato
of working the openings d, e, f, g, fit exactly, to the channel mouths l, i, m, k,
but when the shell is turned either by hand or by the lever connected with
the governor in the direction opposite to that of the cock as indicated by the
arrow, the openings are first rendered more narrow and then closed entirely.
The admission is thereby regulated and the engine stopped, if necessary
by cutting off, The ignition of the explosive contents is effected by the
cock C. Figure 8, 9, 10 represents it in its respective positions to the cocks B
and D. In Figure 8 C is filled with explosive mixture simultaneously with the
cylinder; in figure 9 the perforation has just passed the igniting hole O, thereby
igniting its contents and transferring the flame to the cylinder at p; in Figure 10
it is shut off from the cylinder entirely; the gases of the combustion pass through
the channel q. A flame burning in a chimney H serves to light the mixture in
the cock. All the cocks make a full revolution in the direction indicated by the
arrows and are set in motion by a suitable gear driven by the crank shaft (see
Figure 2). All the perforations in the cocks are crooked in the middle as shown
in the drawing to prevent them being opened twice at every revolution. To keep
the channels opened during the necessary time without excessively weakening the
body of the cock several perforations are arranged through it in a screw line in
order to pass the channels successively: Figure 7 shews a longitudinal section
through the cock A. Figure 3 a section through B and C. Figure 12 is a diagram
showing the action of the engine F, A, B, C, K, G, F representing the work done
during every stroke. A B is the expansion of the compressed air of the receiver;
at B the explosion of the mixture will be effected: the pressure suddenly rising
to C expands according to the line C, D. The main impulse to the crank is given
at C, when in its most effective position. F G is the curve of compression before the
piston up to the moment the pressure of the receiver is reached when, after the
opening of the latter the compression continues according to the line G K I. By
altering the contents of the receiver the part KD of the stroke, during which the
fly wheel is to draw the piston may be reduced together with the normal pressure
of the receiver. The revolving cocks may also be replaced by cocks oscillating
only through a smaller angle than 180° and moved by eccentrics, or also by slide

page_text: valves. The cock A may be replaced by a self acting suction valve in the cylinder
and a check valve in the receiver. The second sheet represonts an engine to be
used with gas. The receiver R is fitted with a suction valve a and a check valve b
contained in a removable valve chest. The air is drawn in from the air chamber c.
The cock A in its first position admits the compressed air from the receiver to the
cylinder, moving the piston to the end of the period of admission (thereby miking
with the gas entering through the pipe d) then closes the cylinder in its second
position when the explosion occurs and keeps it closed to the end of the upstroke.
In its third position the cock opens the exhaust and remains in this position
during the backstroke. The cock is moved by the lovers fand g the latter being
keyed to the shaft X. This shaft oscillates by means of a boss h fastened to the
cross head and gearing into grooves of the cylindrical seginent i. There is one
groove for every position of the cock, which at the given point is cut off and joined
to the next one. Figure 18 represents the top view of tho segment i. The
ignition is effected by the slide valve k; it is filled with gas and air in its lowest
position and at the end of the admission is thrown suddenly up by the cam e;
when passing the flame under the chimney m its contents ignite and are after the
outer opening has been closed again brought into connection with the contents of
the cylinder thus causing the explosion. The slide valve is then thrown back to
its first position by a spring and remains there until the next stroke. This engine
may also be fitted with valves instead of cocks and inade reversible as described
for the first engine.
Having thus fully described our invention what we desire to claim and secure by
Letters Patent is :-
First. A gas motor engine, in which the air compressed before the piston in
consequence of the explosion is introduced into a receiver, wherefrom it enters at
the commencing of the new stroke behind the piston simultaneously forming the
explosive mixture and then advances by its expansion the piston to that position
corresponding with the degree of admission, where the ignition of the explosive
mixture takes place.
Second. A gas motor engine substantially as described and illustrated by
figure 1-11.
Third-A gas motor engine substantially as set forth and illustrated by
figure 13-18.
In witness whereof we the said Gustav Jacob Kirchenpauer and Ludwig
Hermann Philippi have hereunto set our hands and seals this Twenty-ninth day
of December in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty
three.