Improvements in and connected with Explosion Engines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 3rd Apr., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Explosion Engines.
We. SPENCER ROLFE, of Clarence House, Teddington, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, and FREDERICK HORNBY, of Hawkwood Road, Boscombe, in the
County of Hampshire, Gentleman, 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 motors or engines worked by explosive mixtures and has
for its object to utilize the heat developed by the explosions to convert water into
steam whereby the power of such motors is increased, the action of the motive fluid on
the piston or pistons is prolonged, the said motive fluid works expansively, the action
of the motors is positive, more continuous and perfect and less injurious to the
mechanism, the successive explosions behind the piston are effected automatically, and
water jackets or other external means heretofore employed to carry away the excess of
heat generated by the explosion of the charge are dispensed with.
In order that our said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into
effect we will describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which :-
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a portion of a motor constructed according to our
invention:
Figure 2 is a section of an automatic injector for water, hydrocarbon, or lubricant
which we employ in conjunction with our motor:
Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of our improved system of ignition.
In Figure 1 a is the cylinder, which we by preference form of weldless steel tube,
bis the ignition chamber also preferably of steel and held in position against the
cylinder by tubular steel bolts c, c. When a single action engine is employed a ring
of steel (not shewn in the figure) is provided at the end of the cylinder to serve as
an attachment for the tubular bolts.
The cylinder ignition chamber and bolts are surrounded by non-conducting
material d, not only to conserve the heat generated by the successive explosions but
also to maintain a uniform temperature between the cylinder parts and the bolts c;
thus ensuring the equal expansion of the whole.
The vapourizer consists of a stem carrying an annular receptacle e for the reception
of fluid hydrocarbon and for heating the charge and a receptacle ƒ for receiving and
vapourizing the water. The ignition device passes through and is secured to the said
vapourizer as hereinafter described.
g is the nozzle of the injecting arrangement hereinafter described and which in the
drawing is shewn compound but which may be simple. The nozzle may be provided
with a back-pressure valve near its orifice and through this nozzle air and gas or a
suitable hydrocarbon or all three are introduced, h is the jet or nozzle through which
water is introduced, and which in the figure is shewn with a back pressure valve h¹
attached. i is a plunger pump for introducing water, j is the air inlet of our compound
injecting arrangement which consists of the cylinder k for air, the cylinder / for coal
or other suitable gas and a cylinder m for the hydrocarbon. The cross sectional areas
of these cylinders are such that the proper relative proportions of air, gas and hydro-
carbon for ensuring perfect combustion are introduced into the ignition chamber.
The inlet and outlet valves of these cylinders are of the ordinary form and may be
held upon their seats by springs if necessary.

page_text: n is a device for regulating the heat, the said device being formed of a chamber
similar to that of an aneroid barometer and is preferably of steel and filled with oil,
glycerine or fusible metal. o is an adjusting screw in connection with a multiplying
lever o' which in the drawing is shewn single but which may be compound if desired.
p is a
cylindrical valve which controls by the action of the heat regulator, through
the medium of the said multiplying lever o' the admission of gas or hydrocarbon.
The water admission valve q is attached to and controlled by the heat regulator as
clearly shewn in the figure by means of a cam q¹ connected to the arm q² which is
operated by the rod o' through the medium of the multiplying lever o¹.
is a crank-disc actuated from the crank shaft, the said crank-disc being caused to
make one or more revolutions for each revolution of the main shaft. s is a rocking
lever actuated by the governor a partial revolution causing the movement of the
pistons or plungers in all the cylinders to vary from their maximum to their minimum;
t is the tube conveying the hydrocarbon from the reservoir, u is the tube conveying
gas from the main or from a suitable receptacle in which it is stored under pressure.
vis a pipe from the water supply or for conveying heated water from a condenser.
w is an induction machine of any suitable construction for generating electricity the
said machine being preferably on Varley's principle and the driving spindle of which
passes out through a stuffing box, and an inner receptacle containing quick-lime.
is an interrupter hereinafter described, y is one terminal of our igniter which
consists of a rod of porcelain, asbestos or other suitable material through which
passes a wire which entends through the stem of the vapourizer and to which one
pole of the electrical machine is connected, the vapourizer e being connected to the
other pole so that the igniting spark passes at 2.
The inductor w and the interrupter x are shown as driven from the shaft r and
as arranged to cause a spark to pass twice for each injection, into the main cylinder,
the extra ignition being intended for a supplementary charge introduced by the
arrangement shewn in Figure 2 and hereinafter described.
The operation of the motor is as follows:-The valve p being in the position for
admitting a charge of gas the starting lever of the motor is operated so as to cause
the piston (which is at or near the back or bottom end of the cylinder) to force
in a charge of gas and air which is then exploded by the sparks. The motor
being thus started works continuously using a mixture of gas and air as the motive
fluid. As the internal heat increases the heat regulator is expanded and at a
predetermined temperature the gas is replaced by the movement of the valve p by
the hydrocarbon which we use preferably in the form of ordinary paraffin oil.
The heat still continuing to rise the cam q' permits the pump suction valve 9 to
fall on to its seating and water is delivered through the nozzle and is immediately
vapourised in the receptacle by the vapouriser. This sudden conversion of water
into steam whilst reducing the internal temperature follows upon and continues the
action of the explosion upon the piston. Ultimately the regulating gear will take
up such a position that the quantity of water introduced will be such as by its
vapourisation absorbs the excess of heat and maintains a predetermined temperature
within the cylinder, the whole of the heat generated being then, with but small loss,
transformed into work.
The arrangement shewn in vertical section in Figure 2 is designed, as above
mentioned, to introduce or inject a charge of hydrocarbon into the cylinder of the
motor after each main explosion, the explosion of this charge of hydrocarbon
serving to prolong the main explosion, or to supplement it sufficient air having
been introduced for this purpose. It consists of a differential plunger b', c¹ working
in a cylinder g' at one end of which it is normally held by the spring d¹ which
is of such strength as to be unaffected by the compression of the charge before
ignition. e is a free passage from the engine cylinder the said passage el opening
into the injector cylinder behind the larger plunger c¹. is the discharge
passage, and the passage cominunicates with the supply of hydrocarbon. The
arrangement operates as follows,- The pressure in the passage el forces a charge of
fluid through the apparatus being recharged, by the backward movement of the

page_text: plungers b¹, e' due to the spring, whilst the exhaust is open. An adjusting screw can
be so placed as to limit the movement of the plunger and thereby the quantity of
fluid delivered. Our injection apparatus shewn in Figure 2 can also be used for
injecting water for the purpose described with reference to Figure 1 or, if required,
for injecting a lubricant."
It will thus be seen that the object of this appliance is threefold. Firstly to
inject hydrocarbon to lengthen the explosion or to effect a supplementary explosion
as above described. Secondly to inject water to absorb the internal heat; and
thirdly to increase the power of the motor by the vapourization of the liquid injected
and also to introduce lubricant as an automatic lubricator.
In our improved system of electrical ignition we employ an interrupted short
circuit as shewn in Figures 1 and 3 in which w is the induction machine, shews
where the circuit is interrupted for the passage of the igniting spark; is the short
circuit, the distance for the passage of the spark in which is less than at c. .c is the
interrupter the solid portion or portions of which interrupt the spark normally
passing at and cause it to pass at thereby exploding the charge.
The exhaust of Figure 1 is of ordinary construction the exhausted gases preferably
passing through a condenser not shewn in the figure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In explosion engines or motors the utilization of the heat developed by the
explosion for converting water into steam, in the manner and for the purpose
substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In explosion engines or motors the reduction of the temperature by utilizing the
excess of heat to vapourize water, substantially as herein before described.
3. In explosion engines or motors increasing the power of the explosive mixture by
the generation of steam within the cylinder of the sail engines or motors, substantially
as hereinbefore described.
4. In explosion engines or motors the employment of the mechanism herein before
described and illustrated for injecting air and gas or a hydrocarbon into a cylinder of
the engine for the purposes specified.
5. The combination with an explosion engine or motor of the kind described in
the preceding claiming clause of a heat regulator, substantially as, and for the
purpose, hereinbefore described.
6. In explosion engines or motors constructing the cylinders so as to ensure equal
expansion, substantially as herein before described.
7. The combination with an explosion engine or motor of an electrical ignition
device for the ignition of the explosive mixture the said device being constructed,
substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawing.
8. In explosion engines or motors injecting water, hydrocarbon or a lubricant into
the cylinder by apparatus of the kind herein before described and illustrated in Figure 2
of the accompanying drawing.
9. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the improved explosion
engine or motor herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.