Method of and Apparatus for Producing Motive Power by Fluid Pressure.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Sept., 1898-Accepted, 12th Nov., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Method of and Apparatus for Producing Motive Power by Fluid
Pressure.
I, CHARLES AXEL BÄCKSTRÖм, of 6, Rue des Ternes, Paris, France, 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:-
According to this invention the motive force employed is compressed air which
has been brought by means of some suitable fuel to a high temperature which is
caused by its expansive force to act against the vanes of a suitable turbine wheel.
In order that my invention and the manner of carrying it into operation may be
clearly understood, I shall now describe the same in detail with reference to the
accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the general
arrangement of apparatus for producing motive power in accordance with my
invention and Fig. 2 is a diagram of the apparatus showing the manner in which
it works.
Briefly stated, the method consists in compressing air, injecting therein and
mixing therewith fuel in sufficient quantity to raise the temperature of the air
to the desired degree; igniting the mixture; and permitting the gases to expand
freely and cause the expansive force of the fluids thus converted into motive
power to act and react upon the vanes of a turbine of suitable construction.
a indicates a turbine comprising a wheel provided with vanes of suitable shape,
against which the fluids converted into motive power act and react. In the draw-
ing, I have shown a turbine of radial type, but a turbine of other construction
might also be employed. On leaving the turbine proper, the fluids in escaping,
re-act upon a series of stationary vanes. The turbine is calculated to make six
thousand revolutions per minute.
On the shaft of the turbine there is keyed a pinion 6 (Fig. 1) which is geared
with a disc or wheel c. This disc is keyed to the end of a motor shaft or main
shaft d that is suitably supported in bearings e and f and the other end of which
carries a fly-wheel g, also a pulley h over which takes the belt (not shown) which
is intended to transmit the motion to the shafting that is to be driven by the
apparatus.
As the turbine revolves at say 6000 revolutions, the ratio of the diameters of
the roller b and of the disc c must remain such that the main shaft d shall rotate
ai a suitable speed, for example, at 600 revolutions. The disc c is provided with
a crank pin i, to which is connected one end of a connecting rod joperating the
piston of an air compressor k of suitable construction and capable of
air in sufficient quantity to a pressure of two to seven kilograms per square
compressing
centimetre.
In the drawing I have shown a double acting air compressor of ordinary type.
This compressor has a dead"
space as small as is compatible with efficiency of
working, and it is not necessary to employ a water-circulating jacket therewith.

page_text: A rotary compressor might also be employed with advantage, and in such case,
the speed of the turbine might be considerably increased for example to 20,000
revolutions per minute, by reducing the diameter of the turbine wheel and main-
taining the same peripheral speed. The compressor k forces air through a pipe x
into one of the chambers of a double chambered reservoir m, the other chamber n
of which contains, for example, petroleum. A pipe o serves to effect_communica-
tion between the vessel with the upper part of the petroleum vessel n, so as to
produce the desired pressure upon the petroleum contained in the latter vessel.
It will be clear that instead of being arranged one on top of the other, as shown
in Fig. 2, the chambers and n may be otherwise arranged, and that, instead of
being arranged in the same reservoir, they might be situated at different places.
At p there is provided an injector of any suitable type connected on the one
hand with the compressed air chamber by means of the pipe q and, on the other
hand, with the petroleum vessel n by means of the pipe r. This injector is con-
structed in such a manner as to draw the petroleum from n and mix it with the
compressed air coming from 7 in sufficient quantity to raise the temperature of
the air to about 1200° C. or more. The mixture is forced by the injector p into
an igniting devices of any suitable kind, shown here in the form of an incan-
descent tube, by means of which the mixture is ignited.
On leaving the igniting device, the gases pass into the expanding nozzle t,
where they expand freely so that when they arrive in a completely expanded
state upon the vanes of the receiving wheel of the turbine a they act upon the
said vanes by virtue of the momentum thereby acquired by them in the well-
known manner and in the same way as steam acts in steam turbines.
The operation of the apparatus will be readily understood. The chamber
containing the compressed air and the chamber n being supplied with petroleum,
then if communication be made between the injector p and each of said
chambers, the said injector will supply to the igniting device s a mixture of
compressed air and petroleum which will become ignited, and the gases produced
then pass into the expanding nozzle t where they attain, in expanding, the neces-
sary momentum to act upon the vanes of the turbine a. The turbine then starts
and operates the air compressor k which supplies compressed air to the chamber 1,
the operation being thus continued until the supply of petroleum to the injector
is cut off.
It will be understood that the regulation of the engine is effected by varying
the supply of fuel by means of any suitable device which I have not considered
it necessary to illustrate.
The compressor absorbs only a comparatively very small fraction of the power
generated by the fuel, and the remainder (deduction being made for the loss
caused by friction or resistance) can be utilized at, the pulley h. It is obvious
that many modifications may be made in the general arrangement of the various
parts without departing from the scope of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A method of producing motive power consisting in causing the expansive
force of gases converted into momentum by their passage in an expanding nozzle,
to act and re-act upon the vanes of turbines of suitable construction, said gases
being produced by the ignition of a mixture of compressed air with a quantity
of fuel sufficient to raise by its combustion the temperature of the air to the
desired degree, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The combination with a turbine of suitable type, of an intermediate shaft,
means for transmitting the motion of the shaft of the turbine to the intermediate
shaft, an air compressor, means between the intermediate shaft and the said air
compressor for operating the latter, a compressed air reservoir connected to the
said air compressor, means for mixing petroleum with the compressed air, and
means for igniting the said mixture and allowing the gases resulting from said

page_text: ignition to expand freely before leading them to the turbine substantially as
and for the purposes described and as shown in the accompanying drawings.
3. The combination of a turbine of suitable construction, of an air compressor,
means for operating it from the shaft of the turbine, of a compressed air storage
vessel supplied by the said compressor, a petroleum vessel, an injector communi-
cating with said air vessel, and with said petroleum vessel, an igniting chamber
in which the injector supplies a mixture of compressed air and petroleum means
for igniting said mixture in the said chamber, an expanding nozzle between said
chamber and the turbine, substantially as and for the purposes described and as
shown in the accompanying drawings.
4. The combination of a turbine of suitable construction provided with an
expanding nozzle, of a pinion on the shaft of the turbine, of an intermediate shaft
and bearings for supporting the same, of a crank dise upon said shaft, and being
driven by said roller, of an air compressor, of a connecting rod between said crank
disc and the piston rod of the air compressor, of a compressed air accumulator,
of a pipe between the compressor and the accumulator of a petroleum vessel,
of a pipe between the accumulator or compressed air vessel and the petroleum
vessel, of an injector, of pipes between said injector and the said air and petroleum
vessels respectively, and of an igniting chamber connected with said injector and
also with the said expanding nozzle, substantially as and for the purposes
described, and as shown in the accompanying drawings.
1
101 1
CL
1000
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.