Improvements in Compound Hydro Carbon Explosive Engines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Aug.. 1890
Complete Specification Left, 11th May, 1891-Accepted. 20th June, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Compound Hydro Carbon Explosive Engines.
CHARLES STUART Fenny Stratford Buckinghamshire Mechanical Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the construction of gas, petroleum and
other hydro carbon explosive engines or motors, but more particularly to a means
whereby the explosive mixture of hydro carbons with atmospheric air is used
expansively, from one cylinder to another, producing thereby a better means of
obtaining the full effect of the power contained in the explosive mixture.
]
the
In carrying this invention into practice arrange and construct two pistons one
of which will be herein known as the expansion piston" made tight fitting and
capable of reciprocating to, and fro, within what will herein be known as
expansion cylinder." This particular piston has attatched to it a cylinder, which
will herein be known as the explosive cylinder," and wherein the particular
mixture of hydro-carbon, and air is to be exploded, for the purpose of producing the
motive power required.
the
The other piston has a rod attatched to it, and will herein be known as
explosion piston" and "rod." This piston and rod, is unlike the expansion piston
as it has no reciprocating motion permitted to it, but is held firmly fixed in one
suitable position, relatively to the explosion cylinder and made tight fitting within
said explosion cylinder. The explosion cylinder has fitted to it at one end a suitable
stuffing-box made to fit upon the rod of the explosion piston along which it
reciprocates or slides to and fro. In connection also with this explosion cylinder
is fitted one or more inlet valves which admits common air into the chamber formed
between this stuffing box, and one end of fixed piston the object and purpose of
which will be shewn when describing the action of the cycle of the workings of this
engine or prime mover. This explosion piston has a chamber formed within it or
otherwise attatched to it the walls of which made of aluminium, asbestos, or any
other suitable refractory metal, or material, constructed so as to hold the air
contained in the chamber, which is between stuffing box and one end of fixed
piston, this chamber, in the fixed or explosion piston, will herein be known as "the
explosion chamber and into which the neccessary charge of explosive mixture is
admitted.
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It is also capable of holding a quantity loose asbestos, aluminium wire, or any
other refractory material capable of retaining heat. The inside walls of this
explosion chamber is coated or otherwise covered and prepared with a suitable non-
conducting material in order that the heat contained within the inside walls of this
explosion chamber may be prevented somewhat from radiating to the outer surface
of such walls, which walls are not permitted to be in contact with the inside wall of
the explosion cylinder. It will be seen that the explosion piston divides the
explosion cylinder into two separate divisions or chambers the outer or one next
the inner or
the stuffing box will be herein known as "the air admission chamber
"combustion chamber."
one next to the expansion piston will be herein known as
Suitable valves, pipes or other conduits are arranged in connection with these two
chambers to supply and deliver at the proper time from one chamber to the other,
the desired explosive mixture as will be shewn in the explanation of the cycle of
workings of this motor and is as follows.
In first starting this engine motion is required to be given to "the expansion
piston" and "explosive cylinder" through means of a fly wheel and crank shaft
coupled thereto, by means of a connecting rod. As this explosive cylinder is moved
forward it compels the air contained within "the air admission chamber"
to be

page_text: compressed and flow into the explosion chamber" contained in the "explosion
piston on the other side of which is the combustion chamber, the latter, as the
explosion cylinder moves forward, to one end of its stroke, is drawing or sucking
atmospheric air into the combustion chamber, when upon the return stroke, this air
is also compressed, and upon the explosion cylinder arriving at the end of the
cycle or one whole revolution the gas, petroleum or other hydro carbon is forced
into and mixed along with the compressed air, by means of an electric spark
discharged into this explosive mixture the whole is exploded in the combustion
chamber acting on one end against the fixed or "explosion piston" whilst it forces
"the explosive cylinder" to one end of its stroke producing thereby a semi-
rotation of the fly wheel and crank shaft. Upon the expansion piston" thus
arriving at the termination of the expansion cylinder (which is larger in area than
that of the "explosive cylinder) a suitable valve is caused to open by any suitable
mechanism into the clearance space of the expansion piston and cylinder where the
remaining force of the explosive mixture is caused or allowed to act upon the surface
area of the expansion piston, thereby impelling this piston to the end of its stroke
or end of the cycle of one revolution thus completing the whole cycle of working of
this engine or motor, after which the remaining products of combustion are allowed
to escape into water. It will thus be seen by observing this working cycle that an
impulse is given to the fly wheel & crank shaft during every semi-rotation of their
axis, and thus producing a more equality in distributing the power given to
explosive engines as well as economizing the consumption of the hydro carbon to
be used.
It must be understood that air is only allowed to be drawn or sucked into the
combustion chamber whilst the engine is being started, and not, at any other period
of the cycle of its workings. The atmospheric air is preferably made hot previous
to its entry into the explosive chamber which chamber after a few revolutions
have been made, becomes so highly heated by the products of the combustable
mixture as not to neccessitate the use of any special firing spark, for the means of
causing the explosion continuously. The heat generated by the aluminium wire or
loose asbestos taking up a portion of the heat from the explosion is quite sufficient
to dispense with the use of any special means of firing the mixture, only, for, and
during, a few revolutions, when first starting. The exhausted products of com-
bustion being led into water instead of the atmosphere all smell or effluvia arising
from such products are by this means destroyed.
The expansion cylinder and the explosion cylinder," may be cooled during
working, by means of suitable water jackets or casings made to envelope the walls
of such cylinders circulation of water being kept up by means of a force pump or
other means.
CHARLES STUART.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Compound Hydro Carbon Explosive Engines.
I, CHARLES STUART, of 3, Cursitor Street, Chancery Lane, in the County of
London, Mechanical 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 relates to compound hydro carbon engines and it comprises means
as hereinafter fully set forth, whereby the products of combustion, which are
usually exhausted from the engine after having effected one impulse, are utilized
to produce an additional impulse.
In the accompanying drawing,
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a hydro carbon engine constructed according
to my invention, the piston being shewn at the end of its outward stroke; and,
Figure 2 is a sectional plan shewing the piston at the end of its inward stroke.

page_text: Similar letters in both the figures indicate similar parts.
In carrying out my invention I construct the engine with two pistons a and b.
The piston a works in a fixed cylinder c and is carried by another cylinder d, which,
together with the said piston, is moved to and fro by rods e, e connected to the
cranks of the engine. The piston bis held stationary in the inner chamber g, g'
of the cylinder d by means of a hollow rod connected to the crank-shaft ; of the
engine, and has a passage through it forming a communication between the rod h
and an explosion chamber k fixed to its front face. The cylinder c is of larger arca
than the explosion chamber k. The chamber k is made of aluminium, asbestos or
other suitable refractory material and has its front side perforated. In it is
placed a quantity of loose asbestos fibre, aluminium wire or other material capable
of retaining heat. The inner sides of the chamber k are coated with suitable non-
conducting material to prevent the heat from passing to the outer sides and a space
is moreover left between it and the sides of the chamber, to avoid the heat
being communicated to the latter. The chamber is also in communication with
the back portion g of the chamber g, by means of the passage j and a valve m.
is a screw-plug in the piston b, whereby access is afforded when required to the
passage and valve m.
o is a tube leading from the petroleum pump or other supply to the hollow rod h,
whereby petroleum is supplied to the chamber k.
The back part of the chamber, g' communicates with the atmosphere through
a valve P
and passage and the front end communicates with the cylinder e by
means of a port controlled by a slide-valves operated by an extension thereof
coming against fixed stops and, the stop being hinged at u¹.
C
w is an exhaust port leading from the cylinder and controlled by a slide-valve a
provided with a slotted rod y, the said valve being worked by a pin on the cylinder d
which moves in the slot and impinges alternately against the two ends thereof.
dis an exhaust pipe for conducting the products of combustion to a water
reservoir.
The operation of the engine is as follows.
For starting, assuming the parts of the engine to be in the position shewn in
Figure 1 and the stop u turned up by hand on its pivot out of the way of the
extension, the fly-wheel must be revolved by hand so as to move forward the
cylinder d and piston a through the medium of the cranks ff and rods e, e into
the position shewn in Figure 2, so that the air contained in the back chamber g
will be caused to pass through the valve m and passage j into the explosion
chamber and front chamber g.
Upon the return or backward stroke of the piston a a fresh supply of air will be
drawn into the chamber g and the air in the chamber will be compressed, the
stop u, by being turned up, allowing the valve s to keep closed and prevent the
escape of the said air, and upon the piston reaching the end of the said stroke, as
shewn in Figure 1, the requisite supply of hydro-carbon is forced through the
tube and passage into the explosion chamber and chamber g when it becomes
mixed with the compressed air therein. The mixture is then exploded by means of
an electric spark and the expansion of the exploded mixture acting on the back face
of the working piston a forces the latter to the end of its forward stroke, as shewn
in Figure 2, giving a half revolution to the fly-wheel and crank-shaft and, at the
same time, compressing the air in the chamber g. Just before the end of the said
stroke, however, the valves, by its extension impinging against the stop u, which
must have been turned into the position shewn, will open the port », thus allowing
the products of combustion to expand into the cylinder c and exert pressure upon
the front face of the piston a, which face being greater in area than the rear face
of the said piston has consequently a proportionately greater pressure upon it and
thereby causes the piston a to perform its backward stroke.
During the said backward stroke the air in the chamber will expand and when
the piston a reaches a certain point, say, half stroke, the pressure of the said air
and the pressure of the products of combustion are designed to be equal and, as the

page_text: pressure of the latter, as the movement of the piston continues falls quicker than
the pressure of the air by reason of the greater area of the cylinder c it follows that
the pressure of the products of combustion will fall below that of the air and
thereby allow the valve to open and admit a fresh charge of air to the chambery'.
At the termination of the said stroke a fresh charge of petroleum is forced into
the explosion chamber and exploded as previously described and so on.
Just
before the end of the said backward stroke, however, the valves, by its extension t
impinging against the stop r, will close the port and the pin 2, impinging against
one end of the slot in the rod y, will operate the valve r so as to open the exhaust
port when the products of combustion will pass off from the cylinder c to the
water reservoir thereby depriving them of noxious smell.
It will thus be seen that an impulse is given to the fly-wheel and crank-shaft at
each half revolution, thereby more equally distributing the power of hydro-carbon
engines than heretofore and effecting a considerable economy in the consumption
of the hydro-carbon employed to work such engines.
The atmospheric air is preferably heated previous to its admission into the
chamber g.
After a few revolutions the heat retained by the asbestos fibre or
aluminium wire in the chamberk is sufficient to ignite the future charges without
necessitating the use of a special firing spark.
The cylinders c and d can, if required, be cooled during working by means of
suitable water jackets or casings, the supply of water being kept up by a force
pump or by other means.
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. In a hydro-carbon engine the combination with a piston working in a fixed
cylinder, of a stationary piston fitting in a reciprocating cylinder attached to the
working piston and having formed therein or fixed thereto an explosion chamber,
the said fixed piston thus dividing the reciprocating cylinder into two chambers, one
of which forms an air admission chamber and the other a combustion chamber,
which latter is in communication with the interior of the fixed cylinder for the
purpose and substantially as herein before described and as illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
2. In a hydro-carbon engine the combination with a working piston moving in a
fixed cylinder and a stationary piston fitted in a reciprocating cylinder, of an
explosion chamber formed in or fixed to the stationary piston and containing
asbestos fibre, aluminium wire or other suitable heat retaining substance for the
purpose of effecting the explosion of the mixture, substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. The improved hydro-carbon engine hereinbefore described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 11th day of May 1801
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.