Improvements in Explosion Engines.
Year: 1892

page_text: .Date of Application, 11th Nov., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 31st July, 1893-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Explosion Engines.
I, THEODORE RYLAND, of 26, Herbert Place, Dublin, in the County of the
City of Dublin, Barrister-at-Law, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to explosion engines.
In carrying out my invention I employ two cylinders the pistons of which are
connected with a common crank-shaft. One of these cylinders which I call the
"ignition" cylinder is worked by the ignition within it of a mixture of air and
ordinary gas (if available) or some inflammable vapour, the other which for
distinction I call the "condensation cylinder is worked with the vapour of a
hydrocarbon.
The "ignition" cylinder is provided with a jacket in which petroleum or other
volatile hydrocarbon liquid is placed, so that the heat generated by the explosion
in the said jacketted cylinder may assist in vapourizing the liquid in the jacket.
The complete vapourization of the hydrocarbon is effected in a vessel which I call
a "vapourizer" which is heated either by a lamp or preferably by the current
generated by a dynamo electric machine driven by the engine.
The vapour thus produced is used partly, where ordinary gas is not available in
making the explosive mixture to be used in the "ignition "cylinder but principally
in the supply of vapour for working the "condensation" cylinder.
The ignition of the explosive mixture in the "ignition" cylinder is effected by
means of electric sparks from the before mentioned dynamo.
For starting the engine I place a small quantity' of the hydrocarbon liquid in the
"vapourizer" before mentioned and I heat it either by a lamp or I work the
dynamo by manual power until sufficient vapour is generated to start the engine
after which the dynamo is driven by the engine.
The air and gas or vapour for the explosive mixture are proportioned and
compressed in a cylinder or cylinders distinct from the "ignition
" and
"condensation" cylinders.
Dated thin 11th
AT
1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Explosion Engines.
I THEODORE RYLAND of No. 26 Herbert Place in the County of the City of
Dublin Esquire Barrister at Law 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 :-
This invention deals with explosion engines in which by the explosion of a
mixture of atmospheric air and coal gas or hydrocarbon vapour motion is given to
a piston and the objects of the invention are to utilize as much as possible the heat
given out by the explosions and to convert that heat into motion and also by a
suitable plan of construction to completely vapourize the hydrocarbon employed
and render these engines more perfect as motors.
I employ two, (and in large engines, three) principal cylinders each closed at
both ends and each having its piston connected with and working a main shaft.

page_text: One of these cylinders which I call the "ignition" cylinder Fig. 1 has a jacket in
which a liquid is placed, preferably petroleum or other volatile hydrocarbon liquid.
The liquid is retained in the jacket until the heat of the explosions raises its
temperature to such a degree that it is converted into vapour or nearly so.
There
are communications between the jacket and a vessel Fig. 2 which I call the
"vapourizer" where by the further application of heat complete vapourization of
the liquid in the jacket is effected and then the vapour so generated is used
principally in working the other or others of the before mentioned principal
cylinders. The cylinders so worked I call "condensation " cylinders. They are
worked exactly in the same way as ordinary condensing steam cylinders and
the vapour when so used is afterwards condensed and pumped back into the
jacket of the ignition cylinder through pipe m. Fig. 1. A small part of the vapour,
where the liquid in the jacket is volatile hydro carbon, is used for explosions if
coal gas is not available, but if the liquid does not give out an explosive vapour a
separate supply of explosive vapour or coal gas must be used.
In order to obtain a suitable explosive mixture of compressed air and gas or
vapour outside and independent of the ignition cylinder I employ a cylinder Fig. 4.
which I call the "compressor" and which is worked by the main shaft and I
admit into it one equal thirteenth part of its contents of gas or vapour and allow it
at each stroke to take in twelve thirteenths of atmospheric air. This mixture is
compressed by the piston of the compressor to about one third its ordinary volume
and in that state passes into and fills a small part of the ignition cylinder and is
then ignited by an electric spark or otherwise. There are many ways of effecting
this mixture and compression-for instance by using two cylinders which may
be worked tandem the compressor being thirteen times larger than the other
the proper quantity of gas or vapour may be drawn from the supply at each
stroke into the smaller cylinders and at the next stroke transmitted to the
compressor or the amount of vapour may be measured by a regulating valve
Fig. 5. worked by the main shaft--in either case the compressor is allowed to draw
in enough air to complete its contents and at the next stroke it compresses the
mixture and transmits it to the ignition cylinder.
The initial heat is to be supplied by either a lamp or electricity but as soon as a
supply of vapour has been generated sufficient to last for a short time the vapourizer
is heated by the heat of the exhaust h Figs. 1. 2. 6. of the ignition cylinder which
passes in a coil within the vapourizer. Heat and sparks for ignition may be
derived from a dynamo worked at first by hand and then by the main shaft or it
may be more convenient to use a lamp for heating and a battery and coil for
igniting.
The heat derived from the jacket and the exhaust of the ignition cylinder will
be sufficient to generate enough vapour to give to the piston of the "condensation"
cylinder a mean pressure equal to the mean pressure upon the piston of the
"ignition" cylinder. Each piston will work a distinct crank on the common main
shaft and these cranks will be at right angles to each other. Thus there will be
no dead point in the working of the machine and any trifling want of uniformity in
the motion will be corrected by the circumstance that the violence of an explosion
will be a maximum when the piston of the " compressor " offers its greatest
resistance to the revolution of the main shaft and while the piston of the
"condensation " cylinder is at its dead point. Thus the motion of the main shaft
will be continuous and uniform and no fly wheel will be necessary.
It is also to be observed that the mixed air and gas or vapour is compressed
outside the "ignition" cylinder and thus there is nothing to prevent ignition taking
place at every stroke. The precise form of the " compressor or the mode of
compressing the mixture is not an essential feature provided the compression be
effected outside the "ignition" cylinder. So also the mode of measuring the
quantity of vapour to be mixed with air may vary but the "regulator" Fig. 4. or
a distinct cylinder will answer the purpose.
The quantity of vapour actually consumed at each explosion will be but a very

page_text: consumed the remainder will pass into the condensation cylinder and from that to
the condenser and from that to the feed pipe leading to the jacket, with the
addition of the small proportion of fresh petroleum necessary to make good the
part expended in the explosion. The flow of oil through the feed pipe will
therefore be considerable and as it will enter at the lowest part of the jacket it
will keep the oil which is subjected to heat in a continuous current stirring up any
parts that might have a tendency to sink and form solid residue. Also as the
more volatile part of the petroleum will be the first to vapourize it will be the
chief component of the condensed vapour returned through the feed pipe and thus
the petroleum subjected to heat will continue to retain its original constituents and
as the heat to which it will be exposed will be only enough to vapourize the more
volatile part it will not be great enough to convert any part of the petroleum
into tar.
In order more clearly to explain the nature of this invention and the construction
and working of the several parts I shall take as an illustration a vertical engine
with reversing gear which may be used for a small launch, the liquid to be
used being a safe petroleum of medium specific gravity. The parts may be as
follows.
IGNITION CYLINDER. FIG. 1.
This has a stroke of eight inches and a diameter of two and a half inches the
piston may be one and a half inch in thickness and there is to be at each end a
clearance of three quarters of an inch in length, in fact a small chamber. Thus
the total internal length of this ignition cylinder is to be eleven inches. The walls
of the cylinder may be seven eighths of an inch thick and the jacket space three
quarters of an inch. The ports may be tubes opening into the clearance chambers
thus allowing the jacket space to more completely surround the cylinder. Above
the cylinder the. jacket is continued into a dome so that the liquid may cover the
top as well as the sides of the cylinder. The electric points are to enter the ends
of the clearance chambers through insulating plugs. The feed pipe m enters at
the bottom of the jacket. In addition to the feed pipe m and vapour supply g and
exhaust pipes there are to be two pipes, one leading from the top of the dome
to the upper part of the vapourizer, the other k from the jacket conveying oil to
the vapourizer. Letter shows the level of the oil in the dome.
THE VAPOURIZER. FIG. 2.
I take a cylindrical vessel twenty seven inches high and eleven inches in
diameter having an inner skin without cover reaching nearly to the top or there
may be a cover with apertures in it. There is an interval of one and a half inch
between the two skins in which the exhaust pipe h Fig. 1, 2. of the ignition cylinder is
coiled before opening into the air. The oil from the jacket of the ignition
cylinder passes into the interval and surrounds the coiled exhaust pipe rising to the
level in Figs. 1 & 2. The inner skin serves as a vapour chamber from whence
vapour passes by two pipes one a Fig. 2. to the "condensation" cylinder the
other e to the regulating valve Fig. 5 which I call the "regulator." I make
the lower part of the vapourizer tubular that the lamp may more rapidly heat
the oil, Fig. 3.
THE COMPRESSOR.
FIG. 4.
This is a cylinder having four inches stroke and a diameter of three and a half
inches so that its capacity is about equal that of the ignition cylinder exclusive of
the chambers. It has two air inlets ff with non return valves and also two vapour
inlets admitting vapour by pipe e with similar valves. There are also two
exits g¹ g¹ for compressed mixture with similar valves opening into pipe g. The

page_text: piston is to complete its stroke at the moment that the piston of the ignition
cylinder is at its quarter stroke and therefore in order to make the engine
reversible the piston of the compressor must be worked by eccentrics on the main
shaft, the line of each being at opposite sides of the crank and making angles of
sixty degrees with it that is of one hundred and twenty with each other. When
the piston of the "ignition" cylinder has made a quarter stroke there will be
behind it a mixture of compressed air and vapour with a little undischarged foul
air all in a suitable state for ignition and the time of the explosion will then
coincide with that of the highest or lowest position of the head of the piston rod of
the compressor which will serve as a trigger to control the ignition.
THE REGULATOR. FIG. 5.
This is simply a small cylinder the piston of which is worked by the main shaft
so that vapour passes from the vapourizer by pipe c through the opening c¹ c¹ on its
way to the compressor only during a part of each half turn of the shaft (i.e.) while
the piston of the compressor makes one thirteenth of its stroke. In this small
engine it will be convenient to have a pocket n. Fig. 6. in the jacketting of the
compressor just large enough to hold a measure of vapour ready to be sucked in by
the compressor.
THE CONDENSATION CYLINDER. 2. FIG. 6.
This has a stroke of eight inches and an inner diameter of five inches. Its
crank is to be at right angles with that of the ignition cylinder. It is supplied
by pipe a (Figs. 2 & 6). Its exhaust b. Fig. 6. discharges into a surface condenser
and the condensed vapour is to be returned to the jacket of the ignition cylinder
through the feed pipe m Figs. 1 & 6 with the addition of a small quantity of
petroleum from the tank. As this cylinder is like the ordinary cylinder of a steam
engine it requires no further description.
I annex plates with sections and plans of the different parts which present any
novelty with the necessary lettering.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In explosion engines utilizing the heat imparted by the explosions to the walls
of the ignition cylinder or chamber in which the explosions take place by employing
it to convert into steam or vapour a liquid placed in a jacket of such cylinder or
chamber which steam or vapour is used in working one or more other cylinders.
2. In such engines utilising the heat of the exhaust for a like purpose.
3. A method of mixing and compressing air and gas or vapour outside the
ignition chamber so that ignition may take place twice in every revolution of
the shaft.
4. A method of dispensing with fly wheels for explosion engines.
5. Rendering explosion engines reversible and capable of being easily and
quickly started and controlled.
6. A method of creating a current in the oil subjected to heat and the return of
the more volatile parts to the parts which had been deprived of such more volatile
parts thus preventing the formation of tarry products and solid residuum.
7. The construction of explosion engines in the manner and on the principles
described in this Specification and as illustrated in the plates and figures annexed.
Dated this 29th day of July 1893.
THEODORE RYLAND.