Improvements in and relating to Engines or Motors Operated by Petroleum or other Hydrocarbon Vapours.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 29th Oct., 1889-Accepted, 30th Nov., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Engines or Motors Operated
by Petroleum or other Hydrocarbon Vapours.
We, ALPHONSE EDOUARD TAVERNIER, of 17, Colehearne Road, South Kensington,
in the county of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, and LEONARD BERNHARD SCHLESINGER,
of 21 Cornhill, in the city of London, Banker, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to engines or motors which are operated by means of an
explosive mixture composed of petroleum or other hydrocarbon and air.
According to our said invention we utilize the heat produced by the explosions to
vaporize the petroleum or other hydrocarbon which is placed in a jacket surrounding
the said cylinder.
In vaporizing the petroleum a cooling of the cylinder is effected, the heat being
absorbed for effecting the vaporization. As the heat thus abstracted may be
insufficient to adequately cool the cylinder we place in the jacket of the cylinder a
pipe leading to a valve regulated to the pressure necessary for a certain temperature.
The vapour after having passed through the valve is conducted to a condenser from
whence after liquefaction it is returned to the hydrocarbon reservoir which serves to
supply the engine.
This vaporization of hydrocarbon enables the cylinder to be kept at the desired
temperature as by regulating the valve more or less of the liquid petroleum can be
vaporized and so retain or diminish the heat created by the explosions.
By our invention we are able to mix in the cylinder two gases permitting molecular
admixture of the closest nature thereby producing most economical results.
Instead of having a deposit of gummy or resinous matter in the cylinder which
would affect the regular working of the engine by producing carbou, we retain these
products in the jacket from which they are easily withdrawn by means of an opening
made for that purpose.
1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Engines or Motors Operated
by Petroleum or other Hydro-carbon Vapours.
We, ALPHONSE EDOUARD TAVERNIER, of 17, Colehearne Road, South Kensington,
in the county of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, and LEONARD BERNHARD SCHLESINGER,
of 21, Cornhill, in the city of London, Banker, 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:-
Our invention relates to engines or motors which are operated by means of an
explosive mixture composed of petroleum or other hydro-carbon vapour and air.
The problem we have proposed to solve being the employment of ordinary petroleum
in a profitable manner we have sought to ascertain the reason why, hitherto, it has
been found impossible to so make use of it.
The objections to the use of petroleum arise from its impurity and from the manner
in which it is utilized for forming explosive mixtures.
The way in which it has generally been utilized up to the present time has been by
injection into the engine cylinder in the form of fine spray.

page_text: As the composition of petroleum varies, then it follows that the adjustment or
regulation of engines or motors should also continuously vary with the said com-
position. The molecular intermixture of air and petroleum in the liquid state
necessitates an enormous expenditure of petroleum in consequence of the great
difference of molecular division existing between liquids and gases. The vapourization
of petroleum injected in the liquid state into the engine cylinder forms also, by the
combustion of the bodies it contains, a considerable deposit of carbon which in a short
time cuts or scores the piston.
In order to avoid these objections in our engine or motor we form the explosive
mixture by means of air and petroleum in a state of vapour. We vapourize the
petroleum in a space enclosed by a jacket which surrounds the cylinder by means of
the heat generated by the explosions within the same, and at the same time the
vapourization of the petroleum serves to cool or prevent the temperature of the
cylinder from becoming too high. By this arrangement the deposits formed by
the vapourization of the petroleum remain in the jacket, whence they can be
removed from time to time.
It will be easily understood that the vapourization of the petroleum in the jacket
can absolutely regulate the temperature of the cylinder, to accomplish which, it is
necessary that the pressure formed by the vapourization of the petroleum remains
always the same.
To obtain the maximum of power by means of an explosive mixture it is necessary
that the stroke of the piston commence at the moment of the explosion and terminate
at the moment of condensation of the gases.
If the temperature of the cylinder is not constant, however, it is impossible that the
time between the explosion and condensation remains the same. It is also necessary
that the speed of the engine or motor be regulated in such a manner that a stroke of
the piston is obtained between the explosion and the condensation. All these
conditions are fulfilled in the motor forming the subject of our invention.
Our improved motor can be practically worked by means of the petroleum of
commerce whereby great economy in the cost of working is effected.
In order to enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe how it can
be carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawings in which-
Figure 1 is a vertical section of an engine or motor constructed according to our
invention.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
Figures 3 to 10 are details to be more fully hereinafter described.
a is the. bed-plate of the engine or motor and b is the cylinder, c, c¹ being the
explosion chambers. d is the piston and d the piston rod, to which is attached the
block e which slides between guides e, e¹ on a bracket a¹ at the rear of the bod-plate.
fare connecting rods attached to the block e and to cranks g, g which form part of
the shaft h, on the ends of which are mounted the fly wheel and the driving pulley.
A variable feed pump, not shown, but similar to that described in the specification
of former Letters Patent No. 5628 dated April 16th 1888, may be used for supplying
the engine with petroleum or other hydro-carbon.
All the foregoing parts are of known construction.
We will now describe our improvements
==
In carrying out our invention we provide the cylinder b with a jacket i, figures 1
and 2, in which is placed the petroleum or other hydro-carbon whose vapour is to be
utilized to operate the engine or motor, the heat generated within the cylinder by the
explosions serving to generate the said vapour.
The said generation of vapour serves to prevent the temperature of the said cylinder
becoming too high in order to prevent any cutting or scoring of the same or of the
piston.
As the vapour necessary for working the motor is not sufficient, however, to prevent
the cylinder being heated above the desired degree, we arrange to vapourize more
petroleum than is required, the surplus being condensed and returned to the storage
tank.

page_text: In the
For this purpose we provide a pipe i¹ leading from the jacket i to a chamber j as
shown at figure 3, a portion of which view represents a section of the same.
said chamber is arranged a spring valve j adjusted to the pressure necessary for the
temperature at which it is desired that the cylinder shall be maintained. This adjust-
ment is effected by means of a stud ja bearing upon the spring of the valve and
screwed through the top of the chamber j, the said stud being formed hollow so as to
act as a guide for the spindle of the valve j. j* is a lock nut to fix the stud j² when
so adjusted. The chamber is divided into two compartments 3 and, to the former
of which the pipe is connected, the valve j' serving to open communication between
the two compartments. From the compartment a pipe is led through a cold
water tank (figure 3) in the form of a coil as shown and is joined up to the petroleum
or other hydro-carbon supply or storage tank not shown in the drawings. and 2
are the inlet and outlet pipes respectively for the cold water for the tank k.
By this arrangement it will be seen that the surplus vapour generated in the
jacket will produce pressure, which, when it attains a certain degree, will cause the
valve to open and allow the said surplus vapour to pass through and into the pipe j³
in which it will be condensed, the resulting product passing into the storage tank by
reason of the pressure in the chamber j.
The pipe also serves as an overflow pipe in case the feed pump should supply too
much petroleum or other hydro-carbon to the jacket, the said surplus petroleum
passing into the chamber ; and, causing pressure, opens the valve j¹ and passes into
the storage tank.
For indicating the pressure in the jacket i a pressure gauge (not shown) is attached
thereto.
If the feed pump should by any reason be unable to supply sufficient petroleum,
however, we have provided means for giving an alarm. For this purpose we imbed
a mercurial thermometer (not shown) within the metal of the cylinder, the said
thermometer being provided with two platinum points which form the terminals of an
electric circuit, so that, when the temperature rises on account of a deficiency of
petroleum in the jacket i, the mercury completes the circuit and rings a bell.
are fixed
On each of the explosion chambers c, c are formed cylinders l, as shown clearly
in figure 4, which represents a transverse vertical section of one of the said explosion
chambers. In the said cylinders 1, I are arranged other cylinders m, m provided with
spring valves 1, 2 which serve to admit the explosive mixture to the cylinder and
12
exhaust the products of combustion therefrom respectively. The valves,
to their spindles by means of a ball 14 and cover 15, the said spindles 13 working
through guides . The springs for the valves are located between the guides 16 and
adjustable plates attached to the spindles 13, but the springs for the valves are
located outside their cylinders m, m as shown. The cylinder m of each of the
valves is provided with a stuffing box and gland as shown but those of the valves
do not require any.
n,
ni
Attached to the lower ends of the spindles of the valves and l² are forks
respectively, one of which is shown at figures 5 and 6 in vertical section and plan
respectively. These forks have rollers n² n² which bear upon cams n³ mounted upon
shafts o, o the shaft o at the front of the engine being driven from the crank-shaft & by
means of an oblique shaft p and bevel wheels pl as shown by the dotted lines in
figure 1, while the shaft o at the rear of the engine is driven from the other shaft o by
means of sprocket wheels q and chain g¹.
r is a pipe which leads from the top compartment j³ of the chamber j, figure 3, and
is connected by two pipes r³, 1 to annular perforated pipes in each of the
cylinders m containing the valves ', the said pipes r, 1 and 2 serving to convey the
petroleum vapour for forming the combustible mixture. s is a valve which is operated
by a governor, hereinafter described, to regulate the speed of the engine and t, t are
spring valves arranged in the pipes, so as to allow of the petroleum vapour
passing to the pipes alternately, the said valves being actuated by rods t¹ and
cams arranged on the shafts o. This arrangement is shown clearly in figure 3.
Each of the cylinders m containing the valves 2 is connected to the exhaust pipe m¹

page_text: by a screwed connecting piece m² so as to prevent the escape of the exhaust products
through the joint formed between the cylinders and m as shown clearly in figure 7
which represents a sectional elevation of the left hand side of the combustion chamber
shown at figure 4.
The cylinders m containing the valves are provided with short pipes or
branches m³ which carry sliding regulators or valves m² for admitting the air to form
part of the combustible mixture, as shown clearly at figure 8 which represents a
sectional elevation of the right hand side of the combustion chamber shown at figure 4.
One of the pipes m³ combined with its sliding regulator mt is shown detached at
figure 9 and the pipe m³ is also shown by itself at figure 10.
An opening in each of the pipes m³ communicates by an inlet tube and a cock
with a small carburetter containing a light hydro-carbon which is placed in the frame
of the motor. The said tube, cock and carburetter are not shown in the drawings.
A governor u serves to regulate the speed of the motor by means of the valve s
hereinbefore described.
The operation of the engine or motor is as follows, that is to say, the fly wheel is
first revolved by hand so as to operate the feed pump and cause it to feed the petroleum
from the supply tank into the double jacket i. The pump can he regulated and should
be so arranged as to furnish the quantity of oil desired and no more.
To start the motor the entrance of air into the cylinders containing the valves A is
prevented by the regulators or valves m¹ and the cocks communicating with the
openings m are opened. This enables the piston during one stroke to fill the
cylinder with air which has passed through the carburetter herein before described.
This carburetted air drawn in by the piston is then compressed in one of the explosion
chambers by the return stroke of the piston. The combustible mixture is then
exploded by contact strips attached to one of the cams, but not shown, completing an
electric circuit so as to produce an electric spark between the two points of the
igniter v figure 4.
The same operation takes place at the other side of the piston, the explosions
alternating.
The explosions described cause the cylinder 6 to become heated and the heat thus
produced causes the petroleum in the jacket i to be quickly vapourized.
When the pressure due to the vapourization of the petroleum in the jacket i is
sufficient, the cock communicating with the carburetter is closed and the regulators m
are opened to allow of the introdnction of air. After the piston has exhausted the
products of combustion, one of the valves t and valve are then opened and the
petroleum vapour together with the air are introduced into one end of the cylinder by
the next stroke of the piston, the air as it passes through the valve l¹ mixing with the
petroleum vapour and forming with it an explosive mixture.
The piston then compresses by the next stroke the mixture which is then ignited
and causes the piston to perform another stroke, after which the products of
combustion are exhausted thereby completing one cycle of the operations on one side
of the piston of the engine. The cycle of operations taking place on the other side of
the piston being the same as those described will need no further description.
In figure 1 the parts of the engine are represented in the position they occupy
when the piston has just exhausted the products of combustion resulting from an
explosion in the chamber c and about to exhaust the products of combustion resulting
from an explosion in the chamber c¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In an engine or motor operated by petroleum or other hydro-carbon vapours a
jacket surrounding the power cylinder for containing the petroleum or other hydro-
carbon and enabling their vapours to be produced by means of the heat generated by
the explosions in the said cylinder substantially as described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.

page_text: 2. In an engine or motor operated by petroleum or other hydro-carbon vapours the
combination with a jacket, such as that described in the preceding claiming clause, of
means for preventing the overheating of the power cylinder, such means comprising
a valve and condenser, the said valve being adapted to be opened automatically when
the pressure of the petroleum or other hydro-carbon vapour rises above a certain
degree, to allow a portion of the said vapour to escape, and the condenser serving to
condense the said escaped portion of the vapour, substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. The improved engine or motor, substantially as herein before described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 29th day of October 1889
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.