IMPROVEMENTS IN CALORIC AND GAS POWER ENGINES
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Friedrich Carl Glaser at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th April 1882. A communication
from Karl Teichmann of Stuttgart in the Empire of Germany
FRIEDRICH CARL GLASER, of Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia, and Empire
of Germany, Engineer and Patent Solicitor, "IMPROVEMENTS IN CALORIC AND
GAS POWER ENGINES' A communication from Karl Teichmann of Stuttgart
in the Empire of Germany
"
This invention relates to improvements in Caloric and Gas Powers Engines
Sheet 1 of the accompanying three Sheets of Drawing represents a Caloric
Engine with inner gas firing. Like many other known caloric engines it consists
of a compression cylinder A, a container B, for the reception and heating of the
compressed working fluid (air) and of an expansion cylinder for working purposes,
also of a fly wheel shaft with which the pistons of both cylinders are connected by
crank mechanism and of the necessary valve mechanism. Atmospheric air serves
as the working fluid which is drawn from the compression cylinder and forced into
the container, being mixed with combustible gas (illuminating gas, petroleum
vapor or water gas) drawn in at the same time. From the container the gas
streams into the working cylinder where it takes fire and is brought to higher
pressure by the heat. In the latter the gas acts by expansion. The capacity of
the expansion cylinder is greater than that of the compression cylinder and in
consequence of this circumstance and of the increase of pressure by the heat, the
work effected by the expansion is greater than that required for the compression.
The difference of the two powers is applicable to useful work.
In the Engine shown in Sheet 1 the two pistons move simultaneously in the
same direction. In the downward movement the compression cylinder A, and in
the uppward movement the expansion cylinder C, is in communication with the
container B. In the following description this arrangement is uniformly referred
to. The constituent parts may however be arranged above in juxtaposition, or
behind one another or horizontally or vertically, as is shown in some examples on
Sheet II of the drawings Figs: 3 to 7.
The communication between the working spaces is effected by a slide valve D,
which in the downward movement takes up the position Fig 11, and in the

page_text: upward movement the position Fig 12, see Sheet III. In the latter position air
also streams through the cavities of the valve to the passage a, b, c, and gas to the
passage d, e, f, b, c, into the compression cylinder Sce Figs: 2, and 8 to 12. In
comparison with the slide valves of other Caloric Gas Motors moving between two
plates, that the subject of this invention has only one sliding surface and is
automatically pressed against the valve face by the gas pressure, in any position of
its travel. The exit of the necessary gas from the expansion cylinder in the
downward movement is effected by a special valve E, which, operated by the same
eccentric as the slide valve, opens some time before the change of Piston piston, as
according to the different directions of the eccentric rods the movement of the
valve is quicker. By this means not only, as in the case of steam engines, is the
necessary time gained for the equalization of the cylinder pressure with the
atmospheric pressure, but also the gas present in the container B, in so far as its
pressure exceeds that of the atmosphere, has the opportunity of escaping.
The method of inflaming is substantially different from that generally in use.
It is effected neither by the electric spark like the French method, nor by a gas
flame cut-off-from the outer air by means of a slide as in the case of German Gas
Power Engines, but in a simple manner by a-tube-or-system of tubing F which so
traverses the passage between the receiving cliamber and expansion cylinder, that
exteriorly it is impinged upon by the gas mixture streaming over it. Its interior
is open at both sides, and in it burns a gas flame which keeps the tube or a portion
of the same in a glowing state, so that the gas which streams along its exterior,
becomes inflamed. This tube or tube system may be of different forms.
The flat cylinder form requires a rather strong flame. Therefore in Figs: 13, 14,
and 15, Sheet III, different forins are indicated, as also how the lot flame is directed
against a determined part of the tube which comes into glowing heat at the first
line, this being effected in Fig: 18, by the U shaped bend of the tube, in Fig: 14,
by the cross tube h, and in Fig: 15, by the plate i, without thereby exhausting
the different forms which may be given to the inflamer. This method of inflaming
has not only the advantage of the highest simplicity over the usual ones, but also
that of greater safety and cheapness. The hot flame is made strong some minutes
before starting the engine so that there may be a glowing inflamer upon the first
filling with gas, whilst in the old machines the cut off flame is on starting, too
much cooled by contact with the slide so long as the same is cold, to carry over
the lighting safely, over into the interior of the cylinder, so that the starting
of the machine is difficult. When the engine has been going for some time
with tho new inflamer a very small heating flame suffices to keep the tube in a
glowing state.
The motion of the engine is regulated by a centrifugal pendulum, the axis k, of
which is forced in the one direction by the centrifugal power, and in the opposite
direction by a weighted bell crank lever. The axis m of this bell crank lever so
operates on a cut off arrangement n (on the Drawing at Fig: 2 Sheet I) and in
the details Figs: 10 and 17 Sheet 1IÌ, a turning slide is represented which may
however easily be replaced by a valve, a cock or a flap, that at moderate changes in
the speed of the flow of gas the mixture drawn in may be varied according to
requirement, but in the most contracted position as much gas will always stream
in as to allow of the admixture being inflammable, this being attained by a sinall
windage space between the surfaces of the cut off arrangement which slide upon
one another. By this means the Engine may be constructed so as to be easily put
in motion and operated by a light pendulum. Should the speed of the engine
exceed a certain limit, then by means of an eccentric o, fitted on the shaft k, and
working with the same, a forked lever is caused to turn and transfer its
movement by a rod r to a fork stop cock q and the gas is at once completely cut
off. The engine then runs empty, the compression cylinder requires just so much
work as the expansion cylinder gives off and as soon as the speed has returned to
the normal rate the eccentric o, presses the other arm of the forked lever back
again and opens the fork stop cock q.

page_text: In order, whilst the engine is running empty, to prevent excessive cooling of
the inflaming tube by the air streaming past the same, the hottest part of the tube
is protected by a screen 8, which is displaced by turning simultaneously with the
closing of the cock, by means of the rod r projecting from the regulator, See
Figs 2, 13 and 14.
The atmospheric air drawn into the compression cylinder and the utilizable gas
are caused to be intimately mixed by the form of the slide and passages, and
encounter in the container B, a residuum of gaseous products of combustion which
had been warmed by the burning of the first gases. This is most completely
effected when the mixture is most uniformn, and to this end a distributing plate Ġ,
is arranged in the container, this plate being so displaced as to leave apertures at t
and n, the one of which is enlarged or diminished at the expense of the other; in
addition, the plate is provided with holes, which may be closed according to
requirement by screwing in bolts. By means of these holes and the suitable
setting of the plate which is controlled by the indicator, a highly uniform mixing
rapid combustion, and high initial pressure of the gases is brought about.
The cooling of the walls of the cylinder during compression is useful, but
during expansion prejudicial to the action of the engine. Therefore it is, that
only the compression cylinder is provided with a water jacket, and the cooling
water first passes into the cylinder jacket and thence into the container jacket.
The expansion cylinder is bare and is only cooled by the outer air, and also when
required by a moist coating of felt or similar material in so far as may be necessary
for keeping it in order. The expansion cylinder piston is made deep so that the
tight portion may be at the upper part which is not reached by the hot gases.
There is also in the slide valve a hollow space v, which communicates with the
water jacket of the container through the grooves a cut in the sliding surface of
the slide, and the holes y (see Figs: 8 to 10) made in the part on which the valve
slides, for the purpose of keeping the sliding surface cool.