Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 28th July, 1886.
Complete Left, 13th Apr., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 13th May, 1887.
EDWARD CROWE and HENRY CROWE, of Fern Cottage, Grove Hill, Middlesbrough
in the County of Yorkshire; both Engineers do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:
Our invention consists of improvements in gas caloric motive engines, in which
gas is burned in a combustion chamber, and the products of combustion reduced to a
workable temperature by admixture with a further supply of air, and admitted to a
cylinder where they perform work, as described in our specification of May 31st 1883,
No. 2706.
When it is required to start the engine it is advisable first to heat up the combus-
tion chamber, in order that the engine may start at its full power, and also that the
gas may light as it is pumped into the combustion chamber; to this end we temporarily
convert the regenerator tubes into Bunsen burners, by causing a jet of gas to induce
air through a door or valve situated in the pipe or passage which conducts the air
from the pump or pumps to the regenerator tubes, the mixture of gas and air is burnt
at the ends of the regenerator tubes which project into the combustion chamber; the
same arrangement may be applied to the pipe or passage from the gas pump or
pumps to the gas burners; the extra air necessary for the combustion of the gas &
air mixture is admitted through a door or valve situated in the combustion chamber
as near as possible to where the regenerator tubes enter, the air is distributed equally
round each burner by a plate which extends across the combustion chamber, and has
circular perforations of a larger diameter than the regenerator tubes, and through
which the tubes project, the door or valve for the extra air supply is situated between
the perforated plate and the end of the combustion chamber through which the
burner tubes project; The products of combustion escape either through a door or
valve at the opposite end of the combustion chamber, or are drawn, after passing
through the combustion chamber, through the working cylinder and its valves, and
passed out by the exhaust pipe, thus heating the whole apparatus throughout;
When the combustion chamber is horizontal, we place a gas or other burner in a
vertical tube, either connected direct to the combustion chamber or to the exhaust
valve of the engine, by this means a draught is created, which is otherwise difficult
to obtain in a horizontal combustion chamber.
.

page_text: When the engine is too large to be started by turning the flywheel by hand, we
start it by creating pressure in the combustion chamber, "after it has been heated up
by the bunsen burners," either by pumping in air with a separate pump, or by
injecting water into the combustion chamber, and on a plate or trough placed in such
a position within the combustion chamber that it also is heated by the bunsen
burners.
We prefer to work the inlet valve of the working cylinder by means of a cam and
roller, the cam being of such a shape, that on the roller being moved at right angles
to the axis of the cam and at right angles to the line of valve travel, the point of cut
off is varied, but the point of inlet remains always unaltered; The roller is actuated
by the governor, and the speed of the engine and consumption of gas regulated as
described in our specification No. 2706 of 1883.
When it is required to stop the engine, the governor is disconnected from the roller
and the roller moved by suitable gearing clear of the action of the cam, or the rod
connecting the roller with the inlet valve may be disconnected, or we may employ a
valve by which the hot gases can be cut off from the working cylinder.
The gas & air pumps may be so arranged as to be contained in one cylinder, the gas
pump cylinder being cast in one piece with or fixed to the air pump piston, and the
gas pump piston being cast or fixed to the air pump cylinder cover, thus while the air
pump piston moves, its cylinder remains stationary, the gas pump piston being fixed
and its cylinder moving.
Doted th: 97th T.1.. 1000

page_text: EDWARD CROWE and HENRY CROWE of Fern Cottage Grove Hill, Middlesbrough,
in the county of Yorkshire Engineers, 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 :-
In our invention the gas is burned in a combustion chamber and the products of
combustion reduced to a workable temperature by admixture with a further supply of
air, and admitted to a cylinder where they perform work, as described in our specifi-
cation No. 2706 of 1883.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of an engine in which the working cylinder, the air
pump & the gas pump are arranged so as to be contained in one cylinder. A is the
working cylinder B the air pump & C the gas pump. D the combustion & mixing
chamber E is a fire clay cylinder in which the gases are burnt. H' a passage leading
the prepared gases to the working cylinder inlet valve G. G' is the exhaust valve
H are the air inlet tubes to the combustion and mixing chamber. H₁ the gas tubes
injecting gas into the fireclay combustion cylinder E. The hot exhaust gases pass
from Ginto the generator I & give up their heat to the air and gas passing into
the combustion chamber D and cylinder E, through the tubes H and H'.
In order to start the engine it is necessary to heat the combustion chamber, the
combustion cylinder E must be hot enough to insure the ignition of the gas entering
from the tubes H', to this end the tubes H are temporarily used as Bunsen burners,
by admitting gas through the jet J and air through the door K the extra air required
for combustion enters through the door K¹, the perforated plate L fig. 1 distributes
the air equally to each burner Fig. 2 is a plan of this plate, the burnt gasos
escape through the door K², or the working cylinder valves G & G are opened and
the gases drawn through the regenerator and out of the exhaust pipe.
For obtaining the necessary pressure in the combustion chamber for starting the
engine a pan or trough M is provided into which when the engine has been heated
water is admitted from the reservoir M', after J, K, K' and K2 have been closed, the heat
in M evaporates the water, and forms a sufficient pressure of steam to enable the
engine to start.
Fig. 4 shews the arrangement of working cylinder, air pump and gas pump, the
air enters and leaves the air pump by the passage N leading to the valve box N'. The
gas is admitted to & from the gas pump C by a passage through the gas pump
piston or plunger, which is fixed to or cast with the air pump cover, this passage R
serves also to allow the piston rod to pass out of the cylinder through the stuffing box S.
Prolongations are fixed to the working cylinder and piston in order to prevent the
hot gases from coming in contact with the working surfaces of the cylinder, as these
prolongations become hotter than the other parts of the piston and cylinder it is
advisable to provide expansion joints 0 & 0¹, these serve also to prevent conduction
of heat to the working cylinder and piston.
The gas pump forces combustible gas or a mixture of combustible gas and air
through H¹ into the combustion cylinder E, the air pump forces air through H into D,

page_text: openings are provided in the sides of the tube E through which sufficient air is induced
by the action of the gas issuing from the ends of H' to complete their combustion; the
greater bulk of the air issuing from the tubes H passes up outside the inner combus-
tion cylinder E, and mixes with the highly heated products of combustion issuing
from its open end, the whole attaining a temperature which permits of their use in
the working cylinder without the necessity of cooling the valves and piston by the
use of water jacketing.
The combustion chamber D fig. 1 is a cast or wrought iron cylinder, lined at its
sides and one end with fire clay or other refractory nonconducting material, the other
end is closed by a plate into which are fixed the ends of the air and gas inlet tubes H
and H the combustion cylinder E is preferably concentric with D. The comparatively
cool air passing up between D and E picks up any heat passing through E.
Fig. 3 shews the governing arrangement, the rod P is connected to the inlet
valve G. the projection of the cam opens the valve by pressing up the roller P¹;
when the engine runs to quickly the governors move the roller towards the position
shown by the dotted lines, thus the cam projection will leave the roller earlier in the
stroke and shorten the cut off of the gases to the working cylinder, the forward part
of the cam projection being formed so that it always lifts the roller at the same part
of the stroke, no matter in what position the roller is placed by the governors, thus
the point of inlet of the working gases remains unaltered, while the point of cut off is
varied, and the speed of the engine regulated as fully described in our Specification
No. 2706 of 1883.
The pump valves may be of any ordinary construction, and the pumps may be
water jacketed as shewn in Fig. 4. The working cylinder may be arranged separate
from the pumps and placed in any convenient position. The cylinder prolongations,
valves, the combustion chamber, and regenerator are preferably covered by non-con-
ducting material such as slag wool or fossil meal. In order to stop the engine the
rod P Fig. 3 is disconnected from the inlet valve G Fig. 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, wo declare that what we claim is:
1. The combustion and mixing chamber having an inner cylinder in which the
combustion takes place, which cylinder is open at its end, and has openings in its
side through which air is induced to complete combustion, by the action of the gas
jets or tubes, the bulk of the air supplied to the combustion chamber passing along
outside the inner combustion tube, and mixing with the highly heated products of
combustion issuing from its open end, as herein described and illustrated.
2. The arrangement of the trough in connection with the water reservoir M¹ Fig. 1
in order to obtain a pressure of steam within the engine for the purpose of starting.
3. Temporarily converting the air inlet tubes into Bunsen burners, for the purpose
of heating up the engine.
4. The plate L Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 for distributing air equally to the Bunsen
burners when heating up.
5. The governing of these engines by moving the roller Fig. 3, so as to regulate
the cut-off of the working gases to the working cylinder.
6. The arrangement of working cylinder air and gas pumps, contained in one
cylinder, the piston rod passing out through the gas pump piston Fig. 4.
7. The arrangement of air and gas pumps as in Fig. 4, separate from the working
cylinder.
Dated this 9th day of April 1887.