Improvements in Internal Combustion and Explosion Engines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Feb., 1899-Accepted, 2nd June, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Internal Combustion and Explosion Engines.
I, GEORGE HERBERT LLOYD, of Coleshill Lodge, Sutton Coldfield, in the County
of Warwick, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to combustion and explosion engines using combustible
or explosive mixtures of gas and air, or inflammable vapour and air.
In both combustion and explosion engines where the cylinder is supplied from
a reservoir containing a considerable volume of combustible or explosive mixture,
difficulty is experienced in preventing ignition from passing back into the
reservoir, Where considerable pressure is used in the reservoir dangerous
explosions have been produced, but apart altogether from danger, engines have
been found practically unworkable because of frequent back ignitions. Various
devices have been proposed to remedy this difficulty, but so far no success has been
attained, and gas and air reservoir combustion or explosion gas engines have no
commercial existence. All the gas engines at present sold are constructed to
operate without reservoirs.
The object of my invention is to solve the difficulty of reservoir explosions, and
so to enable the advantages of reservoir engines to be attained in practice.
My invention consists first, in mixing gas and air or inflammable vapour and
air, supplied from separate reservoirs by means of an injector device, at or near
the position of admission to the cylinder, so as to delay the formation of explosive
mixture until it is just wanted, and, second, in admitting the combustible mixture
to the cylinder through a narrow passage, or succession or group of passages cooled
by water, through which the charge enters the motor cylinder in a cooled stream
in which the velocity of the entering gases forward is greater than the velocity.
of the explosion backward. By these two devices I am enabled to construct a gas
or combustion engine having the advantages of cycle to be obtained from the use
of a reservoir.
My invention may be applied to gas or vapour explosion engines, or to gas or
vapour combustion engines.
In gas explosion engines in general use, such as the "Otto" engine, gas and
air is drawn into the motor cylinder, compressed, fired, and the products of explo-
sion driven out by four separate operations, and an explosion can only be obtained
at most once in two revolutions. By my invention I keep gas and air separately
stored up in reservoirs, the one at a higher pressure than the other. Both are led
to an injector where the higher pressure induces the lower pressure on the well
known injector system; the compressed charge is admitted to the cylinder in a
compressed state, a valve shuts it in, and it is exploded. It is obvious that in such
an engine an explosion could be obtained at every revolution, or indeed at every
stroke.
Gas combustion engines are engines in which the motor cylinder receives its
working fluid in the state of flame, at a pressure equal to or less, but not greater

page_text: than, the pressure of compression, and in which consequently the power is
developed by increase of volume in the working fluid. Such engines have not
been commercially successful, and a great difficulty experienced is due to back
explosions from the cylinder to the reservoirs. Devices such as gratings have
been proposed to overcome this difficulty, but they have not proved successful.
By my invention I keep the gas and air stored up in reservoirs separately,
and led to an injector where the higher pressure fluid induces the lower pressure
fluid by the well known injector action and the compressed combustible mixture
is there led by preference firstly through a valve actuated by the engine, and
secondly, through an automatic action back pressure valve, then through a water
cooled thin passage into the motor cylinder, where ignition takes place and
combustion is effected close to the point of ignition. Back explosions cannot take
place when the explosive mixture is turned off, because on the engine moved
valve being closed a perceptible interval of time takes place between the closing
of the valve and the explosion or burning creeping back to it through the thin
water cooled passage or passages. Whilst explosive or combustible mixture is
being forced into the motor cylinder, back explosion cannot take place, because
the velocity of the compressed mixture forward is greater than the velocity of the
explosion or burning backwards, through the thin water cooled stream of com-
pressed combustible fluid. In some cases besides the main inlet valve being
actuated by the engine, or the engine and governor, the gas or air admission valve
to the injector may be so actuated to cut off gas or air before the main inlet valve
is closed, and so the mixture between the injector and the cylinder is either
weakened or entirely displaced with air, and combustion in the passages entirely
prevented.
Such valve may also control the supply of gases to the-engine-generally.
In all these cases if by any accident back explosion should take place, no harm
need be occasioned as the injector-and-passages-are-made strong enough to take the
explosion, and after passing backward to the injector the explosion or combustion
must die out, as the gas pipe is separated from the air pipe.
The four sheets of drawings accompanying illustrates a combustion engine
constructed in accordance with the invention operating by an impulse at every
revolution.
Figure 1 is a part sectional elevation through the end of the cylinder showing
the injector mechanism and the exhaust valve.
Figure 2 is a part side elevation of the end of the cylinder showing the governing
gear and mechanism for operating the valves cutting off the injector from the
cylinder.
Figure 2 is a plan and elevation of the end f of the lever Y.
Figure 3 is a part sectional plan through the end of the cylinder illustrating
one ignition device which may be employed.
Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view showing eccentrics operating the valve
mechanism.
Gas is compressed into a reservoir up to a pressure of say, 100 lbs. per sq. inch :
this reservoir connects to the pipe A. Air is also compressed into a second reser-
voir to a pressure say of 150 lbs. per sq. inch, and this reservoir communicates with
a pipe B. The pipes A and B are controlled by valves or cocks as C, D, and non-
return valves A, 13 which are shown in dotted lines. The injector E consists of
inner cone F projecting within an outer sleeve, which sleeve has an annulus
or channel G through which gas passes. The two valves J and K are contained in
a valve box between the injector E and the cylinder I. The valve J is kept closed
by the pressure of gases from the injector side, and the valve K prevents pressure
from the cylinder forcing gases back towards the injector, but opens freely towards
the cylinder. The valve J has a stem L and a dash pot M. It is held to its seat
by a suitable spring. It is operated by the lever N and eccentric and governing
gear to be hereinafter particularly described. A passage l' is provided, arranged
preferably in the centre of the cylinder cover O. It narrows towards the cylinder

page_text: into a flat narrow slot Q. The whole passage is effectively water jacketed as
shown.
The exhaust valve R is operated from the levers S and T by the eccentric rod U,
and the eccentric is set to open and close the said valve at the proper times.
The mechanism employed in this case to operate the valve J controlling the
admission of mixture acts as follows:--The slide bis reciprocated by an
eccentric and rod d and b carries a lever Y pivoted to it at a. A link X con-
nects to a lever W operated by the governor V. The lever Y at the end f
is formed with a projecting knife edge pawl f¹ pivoted at f which impinges on
the arme of the bell crank lever N.
When the link X is swung by the reciprocations of the slide the vertical
position of the knife edge pawl fl will only alter as the governor rises or falls. This
alteration will give an increased or decreased lap upon the end of the lever e and
thus alter the duration of opening of the valve J as the lever e operates, through
a short way shaft, the lever N. "When the speed rises above a certain point the
knife edge pawl f¹ will miss the lever altogether and thus cut out a working
stroke, as no admission would then take place.
"
The back part of the pawl f' has a solid abutment against the end f of the
lever Y. On the return stroke of the lever Y the pawl f swings on its pivot f
till it clears the end of the lever e; it then returns by gravity into position for the
next stroke.
reser-
In a combustion engine constructed as hereinbefore described one method of
igniting is shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. The jet issuing out of the slot Q
is met by a transverse ignited jet from a small perforation g. This
ignited jet is produced by connecting a pipe with the gas
voir and a pipe with the air reservoir, and causing the gases to meet in an
injector such as that shown in the drawings consisting of an inner adjustable
nozzle conveying the air and an annulus & communicating with the gas pipe h.
The flame is kept constantly burning, and may be lit in the first instance through
a plug hole, such as 1, or by an electric spark.
The operation of the engine constructed as hereinbefore described is as follows:
At the beginning of the stroke the gas valve J is lifted by the eccentric c, rod d,
bar b, and knife edge pawl f¹, operating the levers e and N. The mixture of
gas is formed as already described and issuing out of the slot Q meets the trans-
verse ignited gas jet. Expansion then takes place. The issuing gas is then
cut off by the knife edge pawl f¹ slipping over the end of the lever č, the valve
immediately closing, and the dash pot M preventing noise. The valve K also
drops to its seat, and as the flame begins to travel back in the slot Q it is cooled,
and therefore travels slowly, so that when it reaches the valve K the said valve
is already closed. It is evident that the relative proportions of the governing
gear can be arranged to give any desired admission of gas for any fraction of the
stroke, and it is also evident that the governor constructed as in Figure 2 will
automatically alter the amount of admission according to the speed of the engine
and the work performed. At or about the end of each stroke the exhaust valve R
is opened by an eccentric Z and rod U operating levers T and S.
It is to be understood that the applicant does not limit himself to the particular
form of lift valve or valves shown to cut off the mixture from the cylinder, nor
to the particular construction of the governing gear hereinbefore described with
reference to Figure 2 of the drawings.
The valves and D may also be operated from the engine shaft after each
expansion.
It is also to be understood that the injector will sometimes be made with multiple
jets for mixing.
My invention may be applied to an explosion engine in the manner herein before
described with reference to a combustion engine. Instead, however, of igniting
the mixture as it enters the cylinder under pressure, the whole volume intended
for one explosion is admitted to the cylinder during the early part of the stroke,

page_text: and then the valve J is closed, and explosion takes place. As the water cooled stream
and the mixing injector operate exactly as with the combustion engine already
described, it is unnecessary to refer to separate drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
E
1. A gas or inflammable vapour, combustion or explosion engine, having a
narrow passage or succession or group of passages cooled by water through which
the charge enters the motor cylinder in a cooled stream so that its velocity of
forward movement is greater than the velocity of explosion or combustion backward.
2. A gas or inflammable vapour combustion or explosion engine, as claimed in
the preceding claim, having also an injector communicating with separate reser-
voirs of gas and air under pressure, and operating to mix the said gas and air to
produce combustible or explosive mixture at a point near the admission port or
passage to the cylinder so as to supply such mixture to the said port or passage:
the combination operating to prevent back explosions, and so allow of the use of
pressure reservoirs filled with working fluid.
3. In a gas or inflammable vapour combustion or explosion engine as claimed in
the preceding claims, operating the valves supplying the injector with working
fluids to be mixed so that the stream of mixture is rendered uninflammable or
less inflammable just before cutting off the supply to the cylinder, so as to prevent
combustion or explosion in the passage between the cylinder and the cut off
valves.
4. The combustion or explosion engine herein before described-with-reference-to-
the four choats of drawings in which the invontion olaïmed in the precoding claims