IMPROVE- MENTS IN AND RELATING TO GAS ENGINES to be as follows:- و
Year: 1885

page_text: I, EBENEZER FARIE MACGEORGE of Avoncourt St. James Park, Melbourne
Australia, Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of my invention for “IMPROVE-
MENTS IN AND RELATING TO GAS ENGINES to be as follows:-
و"
My Invention relates to gas engines and is designed to provide the improvements
hereinafter described.
Some of the inconveniences of a gas engine are, the difficulty of starting under a
load, and the necessity of a water tank to keep the cylinder cool; for road or
locomotive purposes especially the extra weight of a self starting air receiver and
of a heavy water tank are fatal.
The defect of a compressed-air engine is the rapid cooling of the air as it
expands, by which much of the power stored in the receiver is lost by defective
expansion. This has been sought to be remedied by heating the air as it expands,
by means of coals, thus adding to initial cost, weight, and cost of working.
The object of my invention is to so combine the operation of gas with that of
compressed air that the one system will remedy the defects of the other and utilize
these very defects. My invention consists essentially in bringing the exploded and
heated gas of the gas engine into absolute or proximate contact with the surfaces
chilled by the expanding air, and vice versa.
In carrying my said invention into practice I provide a cylinder closed at both
ends, admitting the gas and exploding it at one end in order to drive the piston up
the cylinder, and then admitting the condensed air at the other end for the purpose
of driving the piston down again. Tho 'heat generated in the interior of the
cylinder by the explosion will thus be taken up by the air on the reverse stroke,
and with this advantage, that the air, the further it expands, reaches the hotter
part of the cylinder, thus supplying, at least in great part, the progressive loss of
heat, and thus permitting the said expansion to have full effect.
I also, if necessary, place a strong jacket around the cylinder, leaving a space
between, through which the condensed air shall pass before it enters the cylinder;
thus I warm to some extent the air before it is used, and help the expansion.
Furthermore if necessary, I use a refrigerator or calorifier, so arranged that the
pipes conveying the compressed air shall pass through a vessel, through the
remaining space of which the exhaust gases, heated by the explosion of the gas in

page_text: the cylinder, also pass, before exit into the air. I thus warm the air before it
enters the jacket or the cylinder and assist the expansion; I also dilute the
gas-exhaust and cool it, rendering it less offensive and cooling it nearly to the
temperature of the air, while silencing almost entirely any sound of explosion; or
I may make the action more direct as follows :—
In place of, or in addition to, the action of the cold compressed air cooling the
surfaces within and without the gas cylinder, which have been heated by the
explosion, or vice versa the inflamed gas reheating the internal or external surfaces
of a compressed air cylinder; unduly cooled by expansion previously. I now
propose to mix the compressed air and the gas, compressed or otherwise as may be
found most convenient, in the same cylinder so that after the supply of compressed
air and gas has been admitted into the cylinder, and has been cut off by valve and
expansion gear, and has acted to a desirable degree of expansion in forcing the
piston onwards, the mixture should be exploded by electrical or other heating
agency, either directly in the cylinder or by communication with a small firing
chamber in which are the means of ignition, as may be most convenient. The
remaining expansion which otherwise would create undue cold, and thus fail in its
full effect in power upon the piston, will be assisted by the explosion and firing and
consequent full expansion of the mixed gases. The point at which the cut-off ahall
take place can be adjusted by a variable expansion-gear so that the amount of
power developed, as also the teinperature of the cylinder can be exactly regulated.
This method of combination I may use either in a cylinder open at one end with
single action or closed at both ends with double action, or an explosion at every
stroke the above effect taking place both above and below the piston.
I may use this expanding-exploding-method either in one cylinder, or expanding
in one cylinder and expanding and exploding into a secondary cylinder as I deem
best, or I may use both.
The gas may be exploded either in the usual manner or by the employment of a
current of electricity generated in any desirable manner a suitable device of any
well known or other construction being fixed at the point where the explosion is to
tuke place whereby a spark will be produced or a piece of platinum be rendered
incandescent or by a small chamber heated by electricity or otherwise and com-
municating with the cylinder when required for explosion of the gases,

page_text: I, EBENEZER FARIE MACGEORGE, of Avoncourt, St James Park, Melbourne,
Australia, 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:-
My invention relates to engines in which compressed air and combustible gas
are used as hereinafter set forth.
Gas-engines as heretofore constructed have several inherent defects, amongst
which are the following, vizt: the difficulty of starting the engine under a load,
and the consequent necessity of employing a receiver containing compressed air for
this purpose; and the heating of the cylinder, which necessitates the employment
of a tank containing water for the purpose of keeping the cylinder cool. The
extra weight of the water-tank is a fatal objection to the employment of such
engines for traction or locomotive purposes.
The chief defect in compressed air engines is the loss of much of the energy
stored in the receiver, by reason of inefficient expansion of the air due to the rapid
cooling of the same as it expands. Attempts have been made to remedy this defect
by heating the air, during its expansion, by means of fuel, but, by this method, the
initial cost and weight of the engine, and the cost of working the same are greatly
increased.
The object of my invention is to provide for the employment of compressed air
and combustible gas in the same engine, and for heating the air, during its
expansion, by heat generated or developed by the explosion of the gas. In this
manner, serious defects, which are inseparable from the employment of gas or
compressed air (when used separately) for the production of motive power, are
caused to neutralize each other, that is to say, a considerable proportion of the heat
developed by the explosion is taken up or absorbed by the air during its expansion;
therefore the cylinder is kept cool and the air is maintained at a sufficiently high
temperature to ensure the complete utilization of its expansive force.
I so construct my improved engine that the heated products of combustion of
the gas will come into contact with, or proximity to, surfaces cooled by the
expanding air, and the air, during its expansion, will come into contact with, or
proximity to, surfaces heated by the products of combustion of the gas.
My improved engine is applicable for a variety of purposes.
In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated the application of my invention
to an engine for a tramway-car.
Figure 1 is a plan of the said engine, partly in horizontal section.
Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line x, x, Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section on the line x1, x¹, Figure 2.
In this engine, I admit to a first or small cylinder compressed air and a charge
of compressed gas, the amount of this charge being capable of regulation. The air
and gas are admitted to the cylinder by means of suitable valve-gear and are
expanded together as far as convenient in the said first or small cylinder. They
are then passed into a second cylinder of larger size, wherein the expansion is

page_text: continued and the mixture of gas and air is exploded and again further expanded.
The two cylinders are thus used in a similar manner to those of an ordinary
compound steam-engine.
Three or more cylinders may, if desired, be employed for the partial expansion,
explosion and further expansion of the mixture of gas and air.
A is the frame of the engine; B is the floor or platform of the tramway-car;
C, C are reservoirs or receivers, one for the gas and the other for the compressed air.
D is the small cylinder into which the compressed air and gas are first intro-
duced. E is the valve for the admission and regulation of the charge of gas. F is
the valve for the admission of the compressed air. G, G are the exhaust ports or
passages of the small cylinder. His the large cylinder in which the expansion of
the mixture of gas and air is continued, and in which the explosion takes place.
I is the valve for this cylinder. K is the gas-inlet. L is the air-inlet. These
inlets are provided with suitable valves and are connected by pipes with their
respective reservoirs. Their valves are provided with controlling levers or handles
which extend to and through the platform B on which the engine-driver or
attendant stands. M is the exhaust pipe for the expanded air and products of
combustion of the gas, which are preferably caused to pass through water in a
tank M before being permitted to escape into the atmosphere.
The valve-gear shown is that commonly known as "Joy's valve-genr" which
I prefer to employ because it lends itself readily to the general arrangement of the
engine, but any other valve-motion giving a good distribution may be employed.
At N I have shown means for adjusting the valve E to regulate the proportion of
gas admitted into the cylinder D and thus ensure the most efficient explosion; any
other suitable means may, however, be used for this purpose.
The cylinders D and H are surrounded by jackets O, P. The space between the
cylinder Hand its jacket P constitutes part of the passage for the partially
expanded air and gas from the cylinder D. The space between the cylinder D and
its jacket constitutes part of the passage for the expanded air and products
of combustion from the cylinder H. Therefore the expanding mixture of air and
gas in the cylinder D is surrounded by the hot products of combustion or explosion
from the cylinder H, and the partially expanded air and gas from the cylinder D,
cooled by expansion, pass around the heated body of the cylinder H on their way
to the admission port thereof. To more clearly illustrate this feature of my
improved engine, I have indicated in Figure 2, by the arrows 1, 2, the course of
the exhaust air and gas from the cylinder D; and, by the arrows 3, 4, the course
of the exhaust products of combustion from the cylinder H
This engine is intended to work by expansion only, of the mixture of air and
gas in the first cylinder, and by further expansion and explosion of the said
mixture in the second or larger cylinder. The air and gas are admitted to the
first cylinder at high pressures, an early cut-off being employed. A small valve is
provided for the admission of compressed air temporarily to the second cylinder for
the purpose of starting the engine. As the pressure in the reservoirs decreases, the
cut-off should be regulated so as to maintain the power of the engine uniform as
far as practicable. The engine can, therefore, be handled little differently from an
ordinary steam-engine, by a regulator admitting air and gas under pressure, the
admission of the gas being adjustable relatively to that of the air, and the power
of the engine being regulated by the cut-off or by the main valve-motion, whereby
reversal of the engine is also effected.
I sometimes modify the construction of my engine so that compressed gas will
be admitted to the second or large cylinder instead of into the first cylinder, and
there exploded, thus warming the said second cylinder, the temperature of which
has been previously reduced by the expansion of the air.
In some instances, I provide for the admission of both gas and air to a single
cylinder, and for the explosion of the mixture therein after a longer or shorter
period of expansion, the temperature is thus raised at an earlier period of the
process and the functions of admission, expansion and explosion are performed in

page_text: one cylinder, which for convenience may be duplicated, the second cylinder
working a second crank at right angles to that worked by the first cylinder.
According to another modification of my invention, I provide a cylinder which
is closed at both ends and I admit a combustible charge of gas and air and explode
the same at one end of the cylinder in order to drive the piston in one direction ;
I then admit the compressed air at the other end of the said cylinder for the
purpose of driving the piston in the reverse direction, by expansion of the air..
The heat generated in the interior of the cylinder by the explosion will be more or
less taken up or absorbed by the air in the reverse stroke, and with this advantage
that the air, the further it expands, will come into contact with the hotter parts of
the cylinder, thus neutralizing, in a great measure, the progressive loss of heat by
expansion, and ensuring the complete utilization of the expansive force of the air.
If necessary or desirable, I place a strong jacket around the cylinder, leaving a
space between the said jacket and the cylinder through which the condensed or
compressed air will pass before it enters the cylinder. 1 thus warm the air to
some extent before it is used, and increase the effect of its expansion. Moreover,
if necessary or desirable, I provide in any convenient manner for warming the air
before it enters the jacket or the cylinder and thus assisting the expansion thereof;
for example the air is made to pass in contact with surfaces heated by the exhaust
products of combustion, which may thus be cooled nearly to the atmospheric
temperature. Moreover I sometimes dilute the products of combustion and thus
render the same inoffensive, whilst almost entirely silencing the exhaust thereof.
In some instances, I use compressed air and gas as above described in a cylinder
which is open at one end, the expansive and explosive forces acting during the
out-stroke only.
The gas may be exploded in any convenient manner, for example by the
employment of an electric-current, a device of any well known or suitable con-
struction being fixed at the point where the ignition is to be effected, whereby a
spark will be produced or a piece of platinum rendered incandescent; or by a
small chamber heated by electricity or otherwise and communicating with the
cylinder when required for the ignition of the gas.
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. An engine or motor worked by compressed air and combustible gas, and
so constructed and arranged that the air, during its expansion, will take up or
absorb part of the heat generated by the explosion of the combustible charge, as,
and for the purposes, specified.
Second. An engine wherein compressed air and combustible gas are mixed and
the mixture is first expanded and then exploded, as, and for the purposes, specified.
Third. An engine which is so constructed and arranged that the piston will be
moved in one direction by the explosion of a combustible charge and in the reverso
direction by the expansion of compressed air, as, and for the purpose, specified.
Fourth. The improved engine constructed substantially as described with
reference to the accompanying drawing and arranged to bo operated by compressed
air and combustible gas, as, and for the purpose, specified.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.