Improvements in Water Jet Apparatus for Propelling Ships.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 30th May, 1899-Accepted, 22nd July, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Water Jet Apparatus for Propelling Ships.
I, RIDLEY JAMES URQUHART, of 57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, Consulting
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
which has been communicated to me by Hermann Betche, of 1, Neue Ross Strasse,
Berlin, S. Germany, Engineer and Patent Agent, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
In order to obtain with water jet or reaction propellers the greatest possible
speed of the ship propelled by the water jet, it is necessary to expell continuously
as large a quantity of water as possible in each unit of time with the greatest
possible force.
For this purpose usually explosions of gas are produced in water chambers and
two or more of such chambers combined in such a manner that the explosions
take place successively in the different chambers. In order to refill the chambers
with water they are usually opened at or near their highest point after the
explosion of gas and expulsion of water, in order first to produce by the
exhaust an equalisation of the pressure of the exploded gases and the atmosphere,
and then by cooling the former to produce the vacuum required for drawing in
a fresh supply of water. But as the gases cool only comparatively slowly and
the refilling of the water chambers proceeds the more slowly the larger they are, a
continuous reaction by expulsion of water could hitherto only be obtained by
combining a number of water chambers with each other and making them so
small, that in the first chamber the cooling of the exploded gases and the
re-filling with water had already taken place when the explosion in the last
chamber occurred.
This resulted in a very complicated motor, which similarly to a gas engine
worked with explosions occurring in rapid succession. A great velocity corre
sponding to modern requirements however could not be obtained even by this
means in the case of larger ships, as the quantities of water expelled during a
time unit did not suffice. By coupling only two water chambers a continuous
expulsion of the water as is absolutely necessary for a quiet propulsion of the
ship, could not be obtained at all, because it was not possible to bring the quick
discharge resulting from the powerful explosion into unison with the much
slower condensation of the exploded gases, and thus effect the discharge and
refilling at the same speed. The object of the present invention is to solve
this problem of obtaining with two water chambers, which naturally may be
duplicated, the refilling of one chamber in the same or approximately the same
time as is occupied by the discharge of the second chamber combined with the
former.
This object is attained by combining two water chambers provided with
separate explosion spaces in such a manner that the water expelled from one

page_text: chamber draws the explosion gases out of the other chamber and thereby sucks
fresh water into it.
If the explosion space of each water chamber is connected with the water
discharge pipe of the other chamber by pipes acting as ejectors the water
expelled from one chamber exhausts the explosion gases from the other chamber
in the same time as the former is emptied. Repletion and exhaustion are then
in unison, whatever the speed of the water discharge may be, as the effect of the
ejector is increased or diminished with the increase or decrease of the speed of
discharge. Thus if the power of the explosion or the opening of the water outlet
is altered, the time for filling and emptying the chambers is also altered, but the
time required can always be kept the same, so that the water is expelled from
the ship in a continuous jet. Naturally the explosion in one chamber must
occur just before the other is emptied.
With this method of filling the water chambers their size is immaterial,
as with the increase of the chamber its power to refill another of the same size
also increases, so that even for the largest ships two water chambers and
explosion spaces will suffice if other technical difficulties or requirements do not
interfere with their construction or use.
On the drawing appended hereunto the improved apparatus or motor is shewn
by Figures 1 to 4 schematically in different working positions, while Figure 5
shows the arrangement of the motor on a ship, likewise schematically.
The improved motor consists of two cylinders or chambers A, A¹, with the
floats B, B the suction and delivery valves C, C', the air compressors D, D¹,
and the pipes R, R¹ connecting them so that they work together. Both
cylinders with their mountings are exactly alike. As stated before, the ship is
propelled by igniting an explosive mixture in the cylinder filled with water, for
instance A, Figure 1, so that the gases expell the water through the valve C,
into the open water. The explosion gases first act upon the float 13, which sinks
down as the water in the cylinder decreases, and as the top of the cylinder
becomes heated after a few explosions, prevents the hot gases from becoming
cooled by the surface of the water and loosing part of their expansive power.
The exploded gases however do not only force the water out through the valve C¹
but also into the air compressor D', as the hydraulic pressure extends towards
every side.
The air compressor consists of an airtight cylinder which is divided by a
partition fitted with a non-return valve into an upper and lower compartment.
The upper compartment communicates through a pipe fitted with a cock E¹
with the top part of the cylinder A', while the lower compartment contains a
Hoat valve, which at the proper moment closes the trap by which the air
compressor communicates with the cylinder A¹. The lower compartment of
the air compressor has been filled with air through the inlet air valve and the
cock E was closed while the explosion took place in the cylinder A. The water
forced into the lower compartment during the explosion lifts the float f and
forces the air out of the lower into the upper compartment. The air remains
in this, as the cock E is closed and the valve d will drop on its seat as soon as the
flow from the lower compartment ceases.
The water discharged through the valve C passes through a moveable elbow-
pipe S or its equivalent, directed towards the back of the ship, as shewn on
Figure 5, to the outside meets the open water and propells the ship. Besides
this propulsion the water expelled from the cylinder A¹ effects also, as stated
above, the filling of the other cylinder A or accelerates the filling.
As shown on Figure 1, a pipe R¹ leads from the upper part of the cylinder A
to the discharge pipes and opens into the same like an ejector. In consequence
of this arrangement the water flowing through the valve (draws the explosion
gases out of the cylinder A and thereby effects the refilling of this cylinder with
water. As the valve (of the cylinder A is like the valve C" of cylinder A¹,
that is to say closed by a pressure from above, the disc c of the valve C must be

page_text: held up during the suction period, which is done by suspending the disc c from a
weighted lever b which is connected to a rod H that rests with a spring hook h
upon the rocking lever I.
In both cylinders A and A¹ the discharge pipes s and s¹ thus are open, but while
the water is expelled through the latter, s¹, it enters through the former, s, into
the valve C held open mechanically and the cylinder A and lifts the float B.
Shortly before all water has been expelled from the cylinder A' and the suction
in cylinder A ceases, the float B encounters the rod i, which is guided airtight
in the cylinder cover and attached to the rocking lever I, and pushes the rod
upwards. The end of the lever carrying the rod i is lifted thereby, the spring
hook h of the rod H slips off, the lever b with the valve disc e sinks down and the
valve C is closed. As the key of the cock E in the outlet pipe e from the air
compressor D is connected to the rod H, and the compressor 1) corresponds in
its construction and action to the before described compressor D¹ of the cylinder A',
the cock E is opened by the descent of the rod H. The compressed air then
flows from the upper compartment of the compressor D through the pipe e into the
upper part of the cylinder A and in doing so draws through the pipe the required
quantity of petroleum, benzine, or the like along with it to form the explosive
mixture, which is then exploded in any of the known manners, by flame ignition,
tube ignition or electricity. During the explosion and even while the explosive
mixture flows into the cylinder, the pipe R¹ by which the cylinder A was ex-
hausted, must be closed, which likewise is effected by the disengagement of the
rod H. In the pipe R¹ a cock K is arranged, upon the crosshandle k of which
rests a projection of the rod L, which is connected with the lever bactuating
the valve disc c. As the lever is weighted sufficiently to reverse not only the
cock E but also the cock K when the rod H slips off the rocking beam I, the pipe
R will be closed already when the explosive mixture flows into the cylinder A.
The cock K serves not only to close or open the pipe R', but performs the same
operation also for the pipe R, so that the latter is now opened. This pipe again
opens in the way of an ejector into the discharge pipe s from the valve C,
which is lifted by the water expelled from the cylinder A, so that the water
discharge from the cylinder A now exhausts the explosion gases from the
cylinder A and water is again sucked into it.
By the lifting of the valve naturally the lever b with the rods H
and L is also lifted, and as the key of the cock E is in connected
to the rod H, this cock is again reversed, Figure 3, whereby the air
compressor is shut off again and the admission of explosive mixture which is
arrested at the time the explosion occurs by the greater pressure in the cylinder
produced thereby, is shut off immediately afterwards. During the entire duration
of the discharge of the water from the cylinder A, by which the air compression
in the compressor D is again produced in the same manner as before described
with reference to the cylinder A¹ and compressor D¹, the valve C remains open,
and consequently the spring hook h, on the rod H, in a position to snap again
over the rocking lever I when the end connected to the rod i is pushed down
again, Figure 4. This occurs when the refilling of the cylinder A¹ has proceeded
so far, that the float B' lifts the rod at the other end of the rocking lever I.
The valve C remains open, while the valve C¹ is closed, the cock E¹ opened by the
descending rod H' and the admission of compressed air through the pipe e¹ and of
hydrocarbon by the pipe z¹ to the top of cylinder A¹ started thereby, and the
cock K reversed by the simultaneously descending bar L' from the position on
Figure 3 into that on Figure 4, whereby the pipe R is closed and the pipe R¹
opened. The explosion then taking place re-starts the action of the parts
described and represented by Figures 1 to 4.
Instead of the rocking lever I obviously a shaft may be used, which is turned
by the floats B and B first in one and then in the other direction.
In the arrangement shown and described, the water is alternately expelled on
the starboard and port side. But this is not a necessary feature of my improved

page_text: motor, for from each of the valves C and C¹ two pipes may be branched off at
different levels so that each cylinder expels the water simultaneously on both
sides of the ship, or the cylinder A and A' may be provided with separate
suction valves and the discharge pipes from the delivery valves C and C¹ united
into a common pipe opening into an air vessel W, to which the swivelling
discharge pipe forming the rudder is connected, as shown in dotted lines on
Figure 5.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The arrangement and construction of water jet apparatus for propelling
ships, consisting of a pair or several pairs of alternately acting explosion motors
or chambers in which the explosion space of one chamber communicates with
the water discharge pipe of the other chamber in such a manner that the water
expelled from one chamber exhausts the explosion gases from the other chamber
so as to effect the re-filling of the same, sulsstantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In water jet apparatus for propelling ships arranged as specified in Claim 1,
the arrangement of a cock (K) or its equivalent in the pipes (R, R') connecting the
explosion spaces and discharge pipes of the alternately acting explosion motors
or chambers, which is operated by the outlet valves (C, C) of the chambers in
such a manner that the closing of the valve of one chamber opens the com-
munication of its discharge pipe with the explosion space of the other chamber, and
the closing of the valve of the other chamber interrupts this communication,
substantially as described and illustrated by the drawings.
3. The combination with the water chamber of an explosion motor for pro-
pelling ships by means of water jets, of an air compressor so arranged and con-
nected to the water chamber that part of the expelled water is forced into the
compressor and compresses air for the purpose of forming the explosive mixture,
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
4. The construction of an apparatus for propelling ships by means of water
jets, and of the parts thereof arranged, acting and operated substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by the drawings."
Dated this 18th day of May 1899.
R. J. URQUHART, (E.,
Chartered Patent Agent, 57, Barton Arcade, Manchester.