IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH GAS ENGINES
Year: 1885

page_text: I JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN OR CONNECTED WITH GAS ENGINES," which invention has been communicated to
me from abroad by Jean-Joseph Etienne Lenoir of Paris, in the Republic of France,
Engineer, to be as follows:-
. This invention relates to improvements in gas engines for agricultural and other
purposes and working with carburetted air or other explosive mixtures.
In engines constructed according to this invention the combustion chamber is
separated from the motor cylinder by non-conducting materials in such a manner
that the temperature of this chamber may be raised to say from about three
hundred to four hundred degrees Centigrade whilst that of the cylinder is main-
tained under about one hundred degrees. Moreover the explosive mixture is
introduced directly into the cylinder without first passing through the combustion
chamber. This mixture is afterwards compressed by the piston in the chamber
where it becomes highly heated before the ignition which takes place gradually
proceeding from the surface of the piston in the direction of the end of the
chamber which receives all the products of combustion. This preliminary heating
of the gaseous mixture is productive of a complete combustion of the gas and a
more advantageous utilisation of the elastic force of the explosion.
In order to continually disperse or throw off the intense heat that is generated
in the combustion chamber, the external surface of this chamber is preferably
provided with projections arranged perpendicularly to the axis of the chamber
or otherwise. Similar provision is made with respect to the working cylinder or
water may be employed to cool the parts if required.
At the back of the combustion chamber an outlet valve preferably of steel is
provided for the discharge of the products of combustion. This valve is enclosed
in a box also furnished with heat radiating projections and a spring maintains the
valve closed between the discharges. The movements of the discharge valve are
controlled by a lever jointed to one extremity of a rod, the other extremity of which
rod is acted on by a cam on a countershaft driven by the crank shaft. A gas

page_text: inlet valve is arranged in a case on the side of the working cylinder being held
normally to its seat by a spring and opened simply by the exhausting action of
the piston. An electric igniter is also placed in the case containing the gas
inlet valve.
When carburetted air is employed to work the engine the crank shaft works an
air pump or its equivalent which is also capable of being worked by hand at
starting and air is thus supplied to a carburetter hereinafter described and com-
municating with a gas chamber bag or reservoir connected with the working
cylinder or cylinders-The air pump is worked by an excentric on the crank shaft
acting upon the pump rod by the intervention of a connecting rod and a bell crank
lever. One arm of this lever is provided with a pin which engages with a slot in
the extremity of the pump rod and when the pump is worked by the engine this
pin is confined to one end of the slot by a stop but when the pump is worked by
hand this stop is removed thus enabling the pump piston to be worked indepen-
dently of the engine by means of a suitable handle.
In order to regulate the supply of air in accordance with the consumption of gas
there is provided, upon the air supply passage, a safety valve connected with the
gas chamber or bag in such a manner that when the pressure in the latter exceeds
a certain limit the safety valve opens and the whole or a portion of the air supplied
by the pump escapes into the atmosphere.
In order that the air may be effectually saturated with the hydrocarbon, the air
is heated by being brought in contact with the pipe employed for the escape of the
burned or exploded gases.
The carburetter hereinbefore referred to consists of a cylinder filled with sponge
and supplied with a hydrocarbon liquid. This cylinder is supported on two hollow
trunnions serving for the entrance and exit of the air and has a slow rotary or
other motion imparted to it by a pawl lever and ratchet or otherwise.
Before entering the working cylinder the carburetted air passes through an
intercepting device consisting of a case fitted internally with several sheets of
wire gauze.
The speed of the engine is regulated by a Governor provided with a pair of balls
suspended and driven in the usual manner and acting by the intervention of a
sleeve and a lever upon a jointed finger which operates the gas supply valve.
The extremity of the finger is provided with a projection and the stem of the
valve is formed with an incline so arranged that a very slight displacement of
the finger resulting from the action of the governor prevents the opening of the
valve and a very delicate adjustment of the gas supply is thus obtained.
The finger partakes of a regular reciprocating movement in a horizontal
direction which is obtained by the action of a vertical spindle, a connecting rod,
a cam, and a lever to which motion is imparted by the countershaft herein before
referred to.
The ignition of the explosive mixture is effected by means of an electric spark
which is employed in combination with certain novel arrangements hereinafter
described When the current is taken through an induction coil and thence by
means of a distributor or contact maker to the igniter of a gas engine in the usual
manner it frequently happens that the spark is produced either too soon or too
late thereby causing irregularity in the ignition which is especially inconvenient in
engines working with compression. These defects are obviated in the improved
engines constructed according to this invention by causing the current to pass first
through the distributer and then through the induction coil to the igniting device.
A great saving is effected by this arrangement as the circuit of the battery or
other generator is closed only at intervals amounting to one twentieth of the
whole time and long periods of rest are afforded to the generator between the
explosions. The distributer or contact maker employed may be either circular
or alternating or reciprocating and by employing one or several interrupters or
contact making and breaking devices in the distributer the ordinary vibrating
hammer of the induction coil is enabled to be dispensed with and the adjustment

page_text: is thereby simplified. The distributer is preferably provided with a contact
making projection covering about one twentieth of its periphery when a circular
or rotating distributer is employed and this projection makes contact and closes
the circuit of the generator by coming in contact with a suitable spring or
rubber.
The engine is preferably provided with a supplementary or auxiliary gas bag or
chamber for starting the engine.
This engine may be used as a fixed or portable engine or for the propulsion of
vehicles boats or vessels, or other purposes. When arranged as a portable engine
the carburetting and other accessory apparatus are all arranged upon the same
carriage as the working cylinder or cylinders and other parts of the engine.
Dated 17th 1
1007

page_text: Improvements in or Connected with Gas Engines.
I JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
OR CONNECTED WITH GAS ENGINES," which Invention has been communicated to
me from abroad by Jean Joseph Etienne Lenoir of Paris in the Republic of France
Engineer, and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This Invention relates to improvements in gas engines for agricultural and other
purposes working with carburetted air or other explosive mixtures.
And in Order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figures 1 and 3 of the accompanying drawings represent respectively a side
elevation and a plan of a portable engine constructed according to this Invention.
Figure 2 is a side elevation showing a similar engine steadied or secured by
screw struts or legs to prevent oscillation during working.
Figure 4 is a diagram showing the arrangements for heating carburetting and
distributing the air.
Figure 5 represents in section the chamber containing the inlet valve and electric
igniting arrangement.
Figure 6 illustrates in side and end elevation a rotary distributer for the electric
current for the igniting apparatus hereinafter described.
In engines constructed according to this Invention the combustion chamber indi-
cated at A in the drawing is separated from the motor cylinder indicated at B by
non-conducting materials in such a manner that the temperature of this chamber may
be raised to say from about 300 to 400 degrees centigrade whilst that of the cylinder
is maintained under about 100 degrees. Moreover the explosive mixture is intro-
duced directly into the cylinder without first passing through the combustion
chamber. This mixture is afterwards compressed in the chamber A by the piston
and becomes highly heated before the ignition which takes place gradually pro-
ceeding from the surface of the piston in the direction of the end of the chamber A
which thus receives all the calorific products of combustion This preliminary
heating of the gaseous mixture is productive of a complete combustion of the gas
and a more advantageous utilization of the elastic force of the explosion.
In order to dissipate or disperse the intense heat that is generated in the com-
bustion chamber A the external surface of this chamber is preferably provided
with ribs or projections Z for the purpose of presenting an extended radiating
surface and which in the arrangement illustrated are perpendicular to the axis of
the chamber but which may if preferred be arranged in any other convenient
manner (parallel with the axis or helically for example) similar provision for cooling
is made with respect to the working cylinder B which is exposed to a less elevated
temperature being cooled by the direct admission of the gaseous mixture By these

page_text: means the inconvenience of providing a supply of cold water to circulate in casings
and the liability of the piston to bind or stick thereby causing a great expenditure
of lubricating materials are obviated. Nevertheless it is evident that cold water
may be employed to cool the parts of the improved engine if required.
At the back of the combustion chamber A is an outlet valve C constructed to
provide for the thorough and regular discharge of the products of combustion
This valve is enclosed in a cast iron box also furnished with heat radiating projec-
tious and in which there works a steel valve disc operated by the engine. A helical
or coiled spring c¹ maintains this valve closed after the discharge. The movements
of the valve are controlled by a lever b operated by a connecting rod a worked by
a cam c on a countershaft i driven from the crank-shaft of the engine. The gas
inlet valve arranged in the chamber D at the side of the working cylinder and
shown separately in figure 5 of the drawings is held normally to its seat by a
coiled spring & being opened by the exhausting action of the piston without the
intervention of any mechanical appliances. The chamber D also contains an
electric igniter e arranged at the end communicating with the cylinder.
This engine is preferably worked with curburetted air distributed regulated and
carburetted as hereinafter described with reference to figure 4. Air is supplied to
the apparatus by an air pump E figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 provided with a device illus-
trated in figure 4 whereby it may be caused to act independently of the engine
when required.
This air pump is worked by the engine by means of an excentric on the crank
shaft hy the intervention of a connecting rod x and lever x¹ (figures 1, 2 and 3)
One arm of the lever ¹ is provided with a pin which engages with a slot in the
pump rod E¹ (figure 4) and when the pump is worked by the engine this pin is
confined to one of the slot by a linch pin or stop but when the pump is worked by
hand this stop is removed thus enabling the piston rod of the pump to be worked
independently of the lever x by means of a handle F. Air is supplied by this
pump through a pipe E2 to a carburetter K communicating with a gas chamber
bag or reservoir H. A small fan or other blower may be employed in place of
the pump.
It is necessary that the quantity of air supplied to the carburetter should always
bear a certain proportion to the quantity of gas consumed. In order to comply
with this condition there is provided, upon the air passage, a safety valve G 'con-
nected with the gas chamber or bag H in such a manner that when the pressure in
the latter exceeds certain limits the valve G opens and allows the whole or a
portion of the air supplied by the pump to escape into the atmosphere. This may
be effected by means of a pin y on the end of the gas bag H coming in contact with
the end of the valve stem or any other equivalent arrangement. When the pressure
in the gas bag or chamber diminishes the valve G closes and the whole of the air
delivered by the pump passes into the carburetter.
In order that the air may be effectually saturated with the hydrocarbon the air
is heated by being caused to pass through a chamber I surrounding a pipe J
employed for the escape of the burned or exploded gases. The heat thus imparted
to the air promotes the evaporation of the hydrocarbon by compensating for the
loss of heat resulting from that evaporation,
The carburetter K is in the form of a cylinder packed with sponge which may
be arranged between perforated partitions . A hydrocarbon liquid is introduced
into this cylinder which is capable of rotating on two hollow trunnions serving for
the entrance and exit of the air and has a slow rotary motion imparted to it by a
lever and pawl acting on a ratchet wheel fixed on the axis of the cylinder. By
these means the sponge is maintained constantly and uniformly wetted with the
liquid and the air which passes through it is correspondingly saturated. This is a
point of great importance in obtaining a regular and economical working of the
engine and the same results may evidently be obtained by imparting to the
cylinder any other suitable motion in place of the rotary movement herein before
described.

page_text: The carburetted air or gas then proceeds through a pipe E³ to the gas chamber
or reservoir H and thence through a pipe E to the working cylinder of the engine.
An intercepting device L consisting of a case fitted internally with several sheets
of wire gauze is interposed between the gas-chamber and the engine in order to
prevent accidents.
In order that the engine may run at a regular rate of speed it is provided with
a governor W (figures 1, 2 and 3) hereinafter described possessing great sensitive-
ness although free from complexity. This governor is provided with a pair of balls
suspended in the usual manner caused to rotate by means of a pulley driven by
another pulley fast on the main or crank shaft.
A forked leverf engaging with a groove in the sleeve of the governor partakes
of all the axial, movements of the latter and is connected to a jointed finger g
provided at one extremity with a steel edge or projection. This projection acts
upon a rod or stem h connected to a valve r which controls the supply of gas by
closing or opening the passage to the engine cylinder accordingly as it is or is not
pressed by the finger. The extremity of the valve stem is cut at an angle or
inclined so that a very slight displacement (about one sixteenth of an inch) of the
finger suffices to bring the latter into or throw it out of action with regard to the
valve thus admitting of a very delicate control and adjustment of the gas supply.
The finger g partakes of a regular reciprocating. movement in a horizontal direc-
tion which is obtained by the action of a vertical spindle g² a connecting rod g³
a lever g' and a cam g on the countershaft i (figures 1, 2 and 3).
The ignition of the explosive mixture is effected by means of an electric spark
which is employed in combination with certain novel arrangements hereinafter
described. When electricity is employed for producing the explosion in engines
working with gas or carburetted air the current from the battery is usually taken
through an induction coil and thence by means of a reciprocating or rotary distributer
or contact maker the electricity is transmitted to the igniter. With this arrange-
ment as it is extremely difficult to insulate the induced electricity it frequently
happens that the spark is produced either too soon or too late thereby causing
irregularity in the ignition which is especially inconvenient in engines working
with compression.
These defects are obviated in the improved engines constructed according to this
invention by means of a novel arrangement which consists in distributing the
electricity from a battery R figure 6 or from any other suitable source in such a
manner that the current passes first through a contact maker or distributer and
then through an induction coil Q on its way to the igniting device e.
A great
saving is effected by this arrangement as the circuit of the battery or other generator
is closed only at intervals amounting to one twentieth of the whole time and long
periods of rest are afforded to the generator between the explosions The distributer
or contact maker employed may be either circular or rotary or reciprocating and by
employing one or several interrupters or contact making and breaking devices in
the distributer the ordinary vibrating hammer of the induction coil is enabled to
be dispensed with and the adjustment is thereby simplified-The distributer Z
figures 3 and 6 is provided with a projection l' covering about one twentieth of its
periphery.
An insulated rubber m makes contact and closes the circuit of the generator
during the whole of the time occupied in passing over the projection and the spark
is produced between the terminals of the igniter e at this moment only.
The battery and coil are preferably placed under the drivers seat at M and N
respectively figures 1 and 2. P is a supplementary or auxiliary gas bag for starting
the engine QQ¹ are two fly wheels; p the air inlet and V figure 2 struts with
screws for steadying and holding the engine in place.
The foregoing description applies more particularly to engines working with
carburetted air but it is evident that by altering the connections by means of
valves or otherwise the same engine may be worked with lighting or other gas.
Engines constructed according to this invention may be provided with two or more

page_text: cylinders and be employed for driving boats or vessels tramcars fire engines or the
like. The method of using the electric spark is equally applicable to producing the
explosion in a number of cylinders at once irrespective of the mode of producing
the electricity.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the
improved portable engine substantially as herein before described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
Second. In combination with an engine worked by carburetted air the employ-
ment of an air pump provided with a device whereby the said pump is enabled to
be worked by hand for the purpose of starting the engine substantially as herein-
before described with reference to figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.
Third. In an engine worked by carburetted air the employment in combination
with the gas bag or chamber H of an automatic safety valve G whereby the air is
enabled to escape when required before reaching the carburetter in order to obtain
a uniform pressure of gas substantially as herein before described and illustrated in
figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.
Fourth. In combination with an engine worked by carburetted air the employ-
ment of a rotating carburetter mounted upon hollow trunnions and provided
internally with sponge which is constantly saturated with hydrocarbon liquid
and traversed by air previously heated by circulating around the pipe employed
for discharging the burned gases substantially as herein before described and illus-
trated in figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.
Fifth. In an engine worked by carburetted air the employment of a safety or
intercepting box or chamber L fitted with wire gauze partitions and interposed in
the passage supplying the carburetted air from the gas chamber to the cylinder
of the engine substantially as herein before described and illustrated in figure 4 of
the accompanying drawings.
Sixth. In an engine worked by gas or carburetted air the employment of the
valve box D for the introduction of air and gas arranged for electrical ignition as
hereinbefore described with reference to figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.
Seventh. In an engine worked by gas or carburetted air causing the electric
igniting current to pass first through the distributer or contact maker and secondly
through the induction coil and enabling the hammer or contact maker of the said
coil to be dispensed with in the manner and for the purpose herein before set forth.
Dated this 14th day of October 1885