IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS ENGINES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hector Auguste Dufrené, of No. 10, rue de la Fidélité,
-
Paris, and 4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Civil Engineer and Patent
Agent, for an invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS ENGINES."-A commu-
nication from Messieurs Leon Bénier and Auguste Lamart. both of Beaumetz,
in the Ranublic of Transa
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hector Auguste Dufrené
⚫ at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th April 1882.
HECTOR AUGUSTE DUFRENÉ of No 10, rue de la fidélité, Paris, and 4, South
Street, Finsbury, London, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent "IMPROVEMENTS IN
GAS ENGINES [A communication from Messieurs Leon Bénier and Auguste
Lamart both of Beaumetz, in the Republic of France.]
"
This improved engine works similarly to all other engines in which the explosive
mixture is not previously compressed. The piston draws in the mixture during,
about half the length of its forward stroke, explosion then takes place and the
piston is pushed forward during the other half of its stroke.
In carrying out the improvements a vertical cylinder is employed closed at the
top and open at the bottom. The piston is connected by means of a connecting
rod to the end of a beam which oscillates below the cylinder; the said beam works
the driving shaft (placed above the beam) by means of a connecting rod jointed to
the beam between the connecting rod of the piston and the centre of oscillation.
The slide valve is constructed so as to introduce the gaseous mixture into the.
cylinder through several parallel openings instead of through a single opening.
whereby a more sudden closing of the valve is obtained with a shorter stroke.
For conveying the gas from the slide valve into the interior of the cylinder the
orifices or ports of the valve instead of opening into a single passage introduce the
gas into two separate passages one of which passages opens into the cylinder near
the bottom thereof in such a manner as to draw the mixture behind the piston
from the commencement of its stroke. This passage especially serves for the
introduction of the gas; the other passage opens into the cylinder midway, between
the cylinder cover and the bottom of the piston and serves for the ignition; the
lighted jet which issues from this passage is projected into the middle of the mass
of the mixture and produces a more rapid ignition than would take place if the jet
were introduced at one end of the mass as for instance through the first passage.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Hector Auguste. Dufrené in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
.18th October 1882.
HECTOR AUGUSTe DufrenÉ of 10 Rue de la Fidélité, Paris, and 4 South Street,
Finsbury, London, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS
A communication from Messieurs Leon Bénier and Auguste Lamart
both of Beaumetz in the republic of France.
ENGINES."
This improved engine works similarly to all other gas engines in which the
explosive mixture is not previously compressed. The piston draws in the mixture
during about half the length of its forward stroke, explosion then takes place and
the piston is pushed forward during the other half of its stroke.
The escape of the burnt gases takes place during the return stroke of the piston.
This improved gas engine differs from other gas engines in the improved method
of introducing the gaseous mixture and in the general arrangement of the parts of
the machine.
In order to enable the invention to be better understood I will proceed to
describe the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1, is
a vertical section through the axis of the cylinder of a gas engine constructed
according to the present improvements; figure 2, front view of the same and
figure 3, horizontal section on a larger scale through the middle of the slide rail..
Similar letters in all the figures represent similar parts.
A, is the cylinder which is vertical and closed at the top by means of a cover
the bottom of the cylinder being open. The piston C, is connected by the con-
necting rod D, to the end of a beam E. The other extremity of the beam carries
the axis on which it oscillates and which is supported by, two brackets H,. The
beam oscillates in the interior of the framework, underneath the cylinder A;
between its point of oscillation and its connection with the connecting rod of the
piston the beam is jointed to the connecting rod F. which connects it with the
crank of the fly wheel shaft. This shaft which is placed above the framework is
supported in two brackets cast in one piece with the framework B. The cylinder A
is fixed on the top of the framework by four bolts K.
One part of the cylinder hangs down in the interior of the framework and the
other part extends above it. This part of the cylinder placed above the framework
is cooled by a current of water passing in the chamber V, cast with the cylinder.
On the upper part of the cylinder is fixed the box of the slide valve for the intro-
duction of the gascous mixture and also the box of the exhaust valve, the former
on the front face and the latter on the back by the side of the fly wheel. The
slide M, slides in the box L, against which it is kept by the cover N, pressed by
four screws P. The slide carries at one of its extremities a roller on which
directly acts a cam mounted on the fly wheel shaft, two springs constantly pressing
the rollers on the cam. The exhaust valve m, is raised by a lever n, The frame-
work B, forming a pedestal is open on its four sides in order to allow the beam,
the two connecting rods and the lower part of the cylinder to be seen.
The slide M, introduces the gaseous mixture into the cylinder and inflames this
mixture. In this engine (as in all those in which the gas is not previously
compressed) the closing of the inlet orifices and the lighting of the mixture which
is introduced are effected when the piston being at about the middle of its course
is at its maximum speed. These two operations should therefore be rapidly
effected for which purpose it is necessary to provide for the sudden closing of the
inlet and a quick lighting of the mixture introduced into the motor and these two

page_text: All
conditions are fulfilled by the arrangement of the slide valve and its passages.
The air enters the slide through the passage O, and becomes mixed with the gas
brought by the pipe R. The mixture in place of being introduced into the
cylinder through a single orifice enters through several parallel orifices a, and a¹,
by which means a more sudden closing of the valve is effected with a shorter
stroke of the slide. This arrangement is employed in the expansion valves of
steam engines and I claim the application of this arrangement to gas engines. All;
the openings a, and al, do not introduce the mixture into the saine passage.
except the one marked a¹, open into a passage b; this passage terminates in the
cylinder near the cover thereof (figure 1) in such a manner as to convey the
mixture behind the piston from the commencement of its stroke. The orifice a¹,
opens into another passage d, which serves for the ignition. This passage d,
terminates in the cylinder at a height which will be about midway between the
cylinder cover and the bottom of the piston at the moment of the ignition. The
lighted jet which egresses from this passage is thus projected into the middle of
the mass of the mixture and effects a more rapid combustion than if the jet reached
to one end of this mass through the passage b.
a,
This arrangement of two passages renders it unnecessary to close the orifice a,
at the same time as the orifice a'. By leaving a few millimeters of opening to the
orifices when the flame S, ignites the mixture from the passage d, no vacuum
will be produced behind the piston during the time that the flame traverses the
passage d.
The burner S, contained within a cavity of the valve and which
ignites the mixture at each stroke is fed by the tube X. It is relighted by a fixed.
burner T. The closing of the orifices a, and a', and the ignition of the mixture
take place while the slide is being quickly brought back by the springs the roller
falling into a hollow in the cam.
Having thus described the Invention communicated to me and the manner of
performing the same what is claimed is:-
Firstly. The general arrangement and construction of the improved gas engine
herein before described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
Secondly. The application to gas engines of a slide valve which introduces the
mixture through several parallel orifices as herein before described.
Thirdly. The introduction of the gaseous mixture into the cylinder by means of
two passages fed by the same slide one passage serving for the introduction of the
mixture the other for the ignition as herein before described.
In witness whereof I the said Hector Auguste Dufrené have hereto set my
hand and seal this thirteenth day of October in the year of Our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
H. A. DUFRENE. (L.S.)