Improvements in and relating to Hydrocarbon and the like Explosion Engines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 26th July, 1899-Accepted, 11th Nov., 1899
[Communicated from abroad by MARTIN HENRY RUMPF, of No. 26, Rue de
l'Echiquier, Paris, France, Manufacturer.]
Improvements in and relating to Hydrocarbon and the like Explosion
Engines.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, 6, Lord Street,
Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, in the County of Warwick, Civil
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:-—
The present invention relates to hydrocarbon and other like engines. It is
intended to make the explosive mixture ignite more rapidly and consequently
accelerate the speed of the motor, to cool the cylinder by an injection of water,
and by drawing in the warmed air which is in the cylinder casing and employing
this air in forming the new charge in order to facilitate the mixture of the
petroleum vapour with air. In addition, the volume of the charge is independent
of the stroke of the piston so that any desired retention of the gases is obtained
and in this manner the gases are always completely utilised which effects great
economy of fuel. Besides, the motor is regulated not by reducing the quantity
of combustible but by different quantities of charge, having always the same amount
of vapour. For this purpose the compression of the pure air in the cylinder does
not follow immediately after the discharge of the burnt gases, but only after
having reduced it to the corresponding quantity required each time for the
operation, and subsequently the quantity of combustible corresponding to the
quantity of air left in the cylinder is injected thus forming the mixture of uniform
composition.
My invention is equally applicable to two-stroke and four-stroke motors, and
its application to a 2-stroke motor will be first described with reference to the
accompanying drawing in which:-
Figure 1 represents a section of the cylinder and pistons at the hinder dead
points and Figure 2 a plan view in which the pistons are at the front dead
points.
On each side of the explosion chamber 24, is a cylinder 1, the pistons 2 of
which move constantly in opposite directions. The motor shaft 3 is placed below
the engine and connected by the rods and crank plates 5 to the crank shafts 6,
whereby the shaft is revolved. The pump body 8 is formed of a prolongation
and enlargement of one of the cylinders 1, the extension of the piston 2, which
forms an annular piston 9, serving as piston for the pump 8.
The diameter of the pump is calculated for a sufficient quantity of aspirated
air for the requirements of the two cylinders. 30 is the reservoir for the com-
pressed air, and Figure 5 shews on a larger scale the arrangement of the escape
valve of the latter. The back portion of the cylinder is shewn on a larger scale
in Figure 3 in section on the line A-1 of Figure 1. In this Figure 24.is the

page_text: explosion chamber; and 20 the escape valve for the air communicating with the
two cylinders. 50 is the piston which reduces the capacity of the explosion
chamber, 51 is a lever for actuating the piston (which lever may, however, be
replaced by an equivalent device). 26 shews the arrangement for injecting the
water and 34 that for injecting the combustible, 22 the carburettors and 12 the
valve for the admission of air; 45 illustrates the casing of the motor cylinders 1,
which communicates with the air by means of apertures 46 and by the valve 10
(shewn on a larger scale in Figure 6) with the pump casing 8 which aspirates the
air from the casing 45 (therein heated) during the advance of the piston.
The pump 8 during the back stroke of the piston 9 drives the air aspirated by
the valve 10 into the motor cylinder through the pipe 11 and the valve 12 in
order to drive out the burnt gases and provide air for the new charge, until the
piston 9 passes the valve 11, and afterwards this pump injects the air into
the receiver 30 through the pipe 13, and the valve 14, until the piston reaches
the dead point. This reservoir 30 furnishes the compressed air for forcing the
combustible into the explosion chamber. The piston 9 passes the aperture 11
at the moment when the piston 2 passes the escape valve 15 so that at this
moment no more air enters into the cylinder.
The escape valve 20 (Figure 3) is for reducing the quantity of air contained
in the cylinder to the volume required for performing the work; it is actuated
by the cam 21, the movement of which is regulated.
The cam 21, (Figures 2 and 3) can slide in the longitudinal direction on the
transmission shaft 17; it is provided with projections 1, 2, 3, and 4 of different
lengths. At a normal pace the shortest projection 1 acts on the lever 23 of the
valve 20 which remains open until the quantity of air contained in the cylinder
is reduced to the proportion of the heaviest charge. For a lesser charge if the
speed increases the regulator acts in such a manner upon the excentric 21 that
the longer projection works the lever 23 and the valve remains open longer;
if the speed continues to increase, the longest projection operates the lever 23 and
keeps the valve open until the piston is near its rear dead point so that in this
case there is hardly any compression of air. As soon as the speed of the engine
decreases the valve 20 is operated by the shorter projections until a regular speed
is attained when the shortest projection is again placed in front of the lever 23.
The pump 34 (Figures 2, 3, and 4) aspirates the combustible from a reservoir 335
of uniform level, and injects it into an enlargement 36 of the tube 33, after
which the combustible is forced out by the compressed air into the explosion
chamber 24. For this the pump casing 34 is regularly moved up and down, the
movement being effected by means of a lever 38 (Figure 4) which is actuated by
a cam 37 keyed on the transmission shaft 17 and by a spring. The pump
casing 34 during this movement draws along with it the piston 39, but the course
of the piston is limited by two stops, one of which 40 is fixed, the other 41,
however, can be moved by means of the regulator.
The fixed stop 40 limits the raising of the piston which is always the same, and
the movable stop which limits its descent is, in the example chosen, the sliding
piece 41, with shoulders (see Figure 2) of varying heights. The operation is as
follows: When the pump descends and the opening 42 plunges in the liquid
of the reservoir 35, the piston is stopped by the stop 43 which placed on one of
the shoulders of 41 and while the body of the pump continues to descend, there is
a vacuum formed between the bottom of the box 34 and the piston which fills
with combustible. The pump then re-ascends with the piston which maintains
its position with regard to the box until the moment when the stem of the
piston 44 touches the fixed stop 40. From this moment the bottom of the pump
meets the piston and the liquid combustible is injected into the enlargement 36.
The varying heights of the shoulders of the movable stop consequently determine
the quantity of liquid injected.
The air of the receiver 30 (Figures 2 and 5) is under a higher pressure than
the highest pressure of the air of the cylinder. The compressed air penetrates

page_text: into the cylinder when the cam 31 opens the valve 32; at the same time the
receiver 30 is supplied afresh by the pump S, since its piston approaches its rear
dead point, when the valve 32 opens. Afterwards air is injected through the
pipe 13 and the automatic valve 14 into the receiver 30.
The receiver 30 is provided with a safety valve which regulates the pressure of
air. The quantity of compressed air which injects the combustible into the
cylinder is uniform for all the charges, large or small and it increases the com-
pression in the explosion chamber.
Admitting that the charge for the normal run of the engine is so regulated
that the gases still exercise a certain pressure on the piston when the latter
attains the forward dead point, the operation of the engine in the described
example is as follows:-
The piston is driven forward after ignition of the mixture and when it uncovers
the openings 18 the burnt gases escape. On the return movement of the
piston the pump 8 furnishes the air necessary for evacuating the cylinder, and
afterwards for a fresh charge until the piston 9 shall have passed the aperture 11.
In the return movement of the piston 2 after having passed the openings 18,
the remnants of the exploded charge which may still remain in the cylinder are
expelled by the valve 15 which is operated by the cam 16, and when the piston
has passed the valve 15 there is expelled from the cylinder by the valve 20, a
sufficient quantity of pure air for this air to be reduced to the corresponding
quantity for the work of production.
Then the valve 20 closes and the compression commences, the pump conducts
the quantity of fuel corresponding to the charge into the enlargement 36 of the
pipe 33, the excentric 36 (Figure 5) opens the valve 32 of the receiver 30 and
the compressed air passes through the tube 33 and the carburettors 22 to the
explosion chamber 24, the combustible which mixes with the compressed air and
forms a good and strongly compressed mixture which ignites and again presses
forward the piston producing energy. The ignition of the combustible may be
effected by electrical or any other known means. The combustible can thus be
introduced directly by the small pump 34 and at the proper moment into the
compressed air of the explosion chamber and also by forcing it, when, after the
ignition of the gases, the pressure of the burning gases exceeds the pressure which
the injection produces.
The ordinary method of regulating gas engines is limited to decreasing the
quantity of fuel introduced or omitting it entirely when the speed of the motor
exceeds its normal rate, without taking into account the amount of the charge.
The first method has the defect of missing fire occasionally, which not only causes
a loss of fuel, but a disagreeable odour, and the second causes irregularity in
the working of the engine.
On the other hand the method of regulation according to the present invention
by uniform charges proportionate in quantity to the working, prevents the defect
of missing fire, and effects economy of fuel as in all cases the work of furnishing
the charge is always performed in a uniformly favourable manner. This method
of regulation requires the combustible to be always introduced in a quantity pro-
portionate to the quantity of air to be compressed. For this purpose the different
lengths of the projections of the cam 21 and the heights of the shoulders of the
movable stop 41 are calculated so that they correspond with each other and
besides these two devices are moved simultaneously by the regulator. When the
shortest projection 1 of the cam 21 controls the valve 20, the highest shoulder
of the movable stop 41 regulates the introduction of the combustible in propor-
tion to the air remaining in the cylinder and by this means the charge suited
to the strongest production of the motor is made.
If in consequence of the acceleration of speed the regulator displaces the cam 21
so that the longer projection 2 operates the valve so that less air remains in the
cylinder, the stem 25 of the movable stop 41 which is connected with the cam 21
moves so that the lower shoulder 2 moves underneath the catch 43 of the pump

page_text: and the latter aspirates a proportionately smaller quantity of fuel because the
less quantity of air left in the cylinder requires less fuel to form a mixture of
the same quality. The same process takes place with the projections 3 and 4
of the cam 21 and the shoulders 3 and 4 of the movable stop 41.
As already mentioned the new invention can be equally well used for four-
stroke motors, if to the ordinary parts of such an engine are added the two
valves 15 and 20 and the regulating devices 21 & 41 corresponding to the purposes
in view, and the capacity of the compression chamber be diminished.
The openings before the dead point, as well as the body of the pump for
expelling the gases from the cylinder and injecting air for forming a new
charge are rendered superfluous. The operation of such an engine would be as
follows:
After the ignition of the charge the piston is driven forward under the pressure;
at the return stroke of the piston the burnt gases are expelled through the escape
valve, the warm air is aspirated directly from the cylinder casing through the
pipo 53 indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1; during the forward movement
of the piston, and the warm air drives forward the quantity of burnt gas which
has remained in the explosion chamber. On the return stroke of the piston after
closing the ordinary escape valve these burnt gases will be released by the
valve 15 specially devised for this purpose so that when the piston has passed
this valve there will Be only pure air in the cylinder. The pure air is also
partially expelled by the valve 20 to reduce it to the quantity which, after the
injection of the fuel, forms the proportionate charge for the required work.
In two-stroke engines the apertures before the forward dead point as well
as the pump for evacuating the cylinder are rendered unnecessary if the valve 20
remains open for a suflicient time for the charge necessary for the hardest work
to be such that the gases before the piston has reached its front dead point dilato
and produce a certain amount of vacuum in the cylinder which causes air to be
aspirated. This air is reduced on the return stroke of the piston by means
of the valve 20 (and after the expulsion of the burnt gases through the valve 15)
to the quantity which forms the suitable charge with the injection of the com-
bustible. In addition to the devices described above which permit of the gases
being retained at will in the cylinder, they can afterwards be made use of so that
on the return stroke of the piston the pressure of the atmosphere contributes
towards developing the force of the motor. For this purpose the ports 18 may be
omitted, but in any case all the inlet and outlet valves are arranged so as not
to open when the piston returns and the largest charge for the motors is thus so
proportioned that the retention of the gases produces a certain vacuum in the
cylinder before the piston reaches its forward dead point. Consequently, the
momentum of the fly wheel causes the dead point to be passed, and the atmospheric
pressure acts on the return stroke of the piston until it reaches the vicinity of
the valve 15. Then the various valves open, compressed air comes from the
pump S through the pipe 11 & the valve 12 into the cylinder and drives the
burnt gases against the piston which expels them through the valve 15. Finally
after the valve 15 has been passed on the continued return stroke of the piston,
the surplus air in the cylinder is expelled by the valve 20 and then the new
charge is formed by injecting fuel. If the atmospheric pressure cannot be
utilised for the purpose of reducing the force of the motor by reducing the
volume of the charge so that there is more or less vacuum in the cylinder before
the forward dead point, an automatic valve for admitting pure air is placed on the
side of the cylinder in front of the forward dead point of the piston, for destroying
the vacuum in the cylinder, so that the piston can easily pass its dead point.
In order not to lose the advantages of a strong compression of the mixture
when the charge is reduced, part of the explosion chamber is in the form of a
cylinder in which is placed a piston 50 (Figure 3) which in descending reduces
the capacity of the chamber in such a manner that a reduced charge is always
strongly compressed owing to the reduced size of the chamber. It is to be under-

page_text: stood that the inventor does not limit himself to this cylindrical form, but any
other suitable form may likewise be adopted in which a block for varying the
capacity of the explosion chamber is moved. When the different devices for
regulating the charge are so arranged as to form a light charge the piston
is lowered on raising the lever 52, so as to maintain a strong compression also for
the light charge.
The device for injecting water consists of the pump 26 which for example may
be applied above the valve 20.
The pipe 27 conducting the water discharges above the piston 26 which is
connected by its rod 29 with the valve 20. The rod 29 and also the piston 26
on the side opposite the water pipe is provided with grooves.
In the position shewn in the drawing, the piston 26 closes the communication
with the space above the valve 20 and the water penetrates through the pipe 27
into the space above the piston. If then, the valve 20 is raised, the piston 26
shuts the water pipe 27, and the water above the piston is pressed through the
grooves into the cavity surrounding the valve and cools it until the valve is
shut and until the piston closes the communication with the cavity of the valve.
Consequently, the movements of the valve operate the pump..
As already mentioned, the quantity of compressed air for introducing the fuel
is always uniform, and is sufficient for forming with the air in the compression
chamber a sufficiently strong charge for actuating the fly wheel. It is therefore
very easy to set the motor going, and does not require any special arrangement.
In order to revolve the fly wheel it suffices to place the cam 21 so that the valve 20
remains open until the piston has nearly reached the rear dead point; this
operation is very easily effected because there is very little compression of air.
By means of the ordinary functions of the respective parts air and fuel penetrate
into the explosion chamber and as soon as the piston has passed the rear dead
point, the mixture ignites and the piston is forced forward.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:
1. A hydrocarbon motor in which after the discharge of the burnt gases the
air in the cylinder is partially expelled in order that only the amount propor-
tionate to the work to be done may be retained and compressed, and in which
the fuel introduced into the cylinder for forming the explosive mixture is regulated
proportionately to the quantity of air left in the cylinder, in order to control the
speed of the motor without omitting an explosion, by means of explosive charges
of uniform quality but variable volume according to the regulation, substantially
as described.
2. The arrangement of the valve (20) at the bottom of the cylinder placed in
such a manner that it only closes, by means of the regulator, when the amount
of pure air remaining in the cylinder is reduced in proportion to the work required.
3. The arrangement of the hydrocarbon supply pump (34) placed in such
a manner that for each explosion it supplies a proportionate quantity of fuel to
the air remaining in the cylinder after the valve (20) is closed, substantially as
described.
4. The arrangement of a pump 8 operating in such a manner that during the
forward stroke of the piston 9 it aspirates air through the casings 45 and the
valve 10, which air is warmed by contact with the cylinders, cooling them, and
so that during the return stroke of the piston the pump forces back the air
through the pipe 11 into the cylinder in order to drive out the burnt gases and
furnish air for the fresh charge the said piston after having passed the opening 11
supplying the chamber 30 up to the dead point, substantially as described.
:
5. In a four stroke or other engine in which pure air is introduced into the
cylinder by aspiration and not by injection, the arrangement on the cylinder
wall of the motor of a valve so actuated that it will open during the return stroke

page_text: of the piston in order to discharge the residue of the burnt gases before the
compression commences.
6. In an engine in which more or less vacuum is produced in front of the forward
dead point in consequence of the reduced charge, the application to the cylinder
at a point before the dead point of the piston, of an automatic valve for admitting
air for destroying the said vacuum in order that the piston can more easily pass
its dead point.
7. In a hydro carbon engine as characterised in Claim 1, the means for reducing
the capacity of the explosion chamber when the charge is diminished in order to
retain the advantages of a strong compression, characterised by giving a pre-
ferably cylindrical shape to one part of this chamber, and providing a piston
which will move forward to diminish the capacity of the chamber.
8. In combination with an explosion engine, the arrangement of the pump 26
for injecting water for cooling the cylinders actuated by means of a valve.
9. The combination of parts forming the improved explosion engine constructed
and operating substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322, High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicant.