Improvements in and relating to Gas Engines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Aug., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 17th Apr., 1893-Accepted, 20th May, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Gas Engines.
We, WILHELM VON OECHELHAUSER, General Manager, and HUGO JUNKERS,
Engineer, both of Dessau, in the Empire of Germany, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The gas engines heretofore constructed for producing great power are of a large
size, the cost of manufacture is very high, and the working is rendered difficult by
too strong heating and frequent spontaneous ignitions. In addition to this the
consumption of gas does not decrease with the size to the extent which it might
have been expected.
With the improved gas engine, designed chiefly for exerting great power, these
defects are obviated by a high compression not heretofore obtained in the regular
operation a high working pressure a complete removal of all the products of
combustion and an entire separation of the air for the cleansing from the charge
of gas.
The engine cylinder has two pistons of equal or different diameters and strokes,
which always move in opposite directions and have the three-fold object of com-
pressing the charge during their approach, communicating power to the driving
shaft during their separation after the explosion, and effecting as distributing
pistons the discharge of the products of combustion and the admission of compressed
air without the intervention of special valves. A suction of the charge by the
engine pistons does not take place, being effected by two pumps one of which
serves for compressing air, and the other for compressing gas. For removing the
products of combustion we use the compressed air supplied by the first pump, so
that this air, on the termination of the expansion, when the two engine pistons are
furthest apart passes through the entire engine space and cleanses the same.
The fresh air remaining in the said space is compressed by the two pistons as
they approach each other again, gas is injected into it at the proper moment. The
air and gas pumps are suitably arranged on the two sides of the engine cylinder,
and their pistons are connected with the two driving rods of one of the engine
pistons.
In carrying our invention into practice we unite one of the two plunger pistons
provided in the engine cylinder by a connecting rod directly with the central
crank of the driving shaft whilst two lateral cranks, placed at an angle of about
180 degrees to the central crank, move the second piston in the opposite direction
by the intervention of two connecting rods, two piston rods and a cross head. One
of the two piston rods is united with the piston of the gas pump and the second
with that of the air pump.
The gas pump has a lifting valve gear and the air
pump a slide-valve gear. But the particular arrangement of these pumps is
immaterial in itself. Suppose the two engine pistons, with the compressed charge
between them, to be in the position they occupy' when the ignition takes place
which may for instance be caused by electrical means. While they do work the
two engine pistons move apart to the position in which the first piston uncovers
an air admission orifice and the second piston a discharge orifice so that com-
pressed air will pass from a receptacle supplied by the aforesaid air pump through
the air admission orifice into the engine space of the cylinder and expel all traces
of the products of combustion through the said discharge orifice uncovered at the
opposite end of the engine space.
The thorough cleansing by the fresh air is due to the admission orifice at one
end of the cylinder being opposite to the discharge orifice at the other end, and to

page_text: the suppression of all deleterious auxiliary spaces which in other two piston gas
engines are uncovered during the combustion between the two engine pistons.
Moreover this thorough cleansing is accomplished in our improved engine with a
smaller expenditure of power than in the case of engines provided with a special air
admission valve, inasmuch as the first engine piston regulates the admission of the
air and uncovers in a shorter time a considerably greater sectional area of the
admission orifice so that the cleansing by air can also take place rapidly at the dead
point, and with little additional pressure of the compressed air, when the engine
makes a great number of revolutions thereby diminishing the loss of power.
engine space is quite filled with fresh air on the termination of the cleansing, so
that the initial temperature of the compression is reduced as much as possible
aud the occurrence of spontaneous ignitions by the hot products of combustion is
prevented.
The
After the aforesaid admission and discharge orifices of the cylinder have been
covered the two engine pistons compress the air enclosed by them, and gas is at
the proper moment forced at a higher pressure into this compressed air by the gas
pump through the gas admission valve. As gas and air are forced into the engine
cylinder through separate orifices and by separate pumps at entirely different times,
the cleansing although all the products of combustion are expelled does not give
rise to any loss of gas as in the case of the two-piston engines hitherto employed,
where the gas and air are introduced simultaneously.
The motion of the engine may be regulated either by throttling the flow of gas
to the pump or by acting upon the aforesaid gas-admission valve. Our improved
gas engine which can of course be operated by lighting gas as well as by other
combustible gases or petroleum enables a pressure of combustion of 60 atmospheres
and upwards to be produced by reason of the arrangement and mode of action of
the same, which permits of a considerable reduction of the sectional area of the
engine pistons and of the engine cylinder, and a great diminution of the cooling
surfaces. Owing to the complete removal of the products of combustion and the
high compression high working pressure and smaller cooling surfaces we realize a
material saving of gas as compared with the quantity of gas required in the engines
heretofore used.
Dated this Eighth lov at tumu 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Gas Engines.
We, WILHELM VON OECHELHAUSER, General Manager, and HUGO JUNKERS,
Engineer, both of Dessau, in the Empire of Germany, 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 :-
The gas engines heretofore constructed for producing great power are of a large
size, the cost of manufacture is very high, and the working is rendered difficult by
too great heating and frequent spontaneous ignitions. In addition to this the
consumption of gas does not decrease with the size to the extent which might have
been expected.
With the improved gas engine, designed chiefly for exerting great power, these
defects are obviated by a high compression not heretofore obtained in the regular
operation a high working pressure, a complete removal of all the products of
combustion and an entire separation of the air for the cleansing from the charge
of gas.
The engine cylinder has two pistons of equal or different diameters and strokes
which always. move in opposite directions, and have the three-fold object of

page_text: compressing the charge during their approach, communicating power to the
driving shaft during their separation after the explosion, and effecting as
distributing pistons the discharge of the products of combustion and the admission
of compressed air without the intervention of special valves. A suction of the
charge by the engine pistons does not take place, being effected by two pumps,.
one of which serves for compressing air, and the other for compressing gas.
For
removing the products of combustion we use the compressed air supplied by the
first pump, so that this air, on the termination of the expansion, when the two-
engine pistons are furthest apart passes through the entire working space and
cleanses the same. The fresh air remaining in the said space is compressed by
the two pistons as they approach each other again and gas is injected into it at the
proper moment.
The air and gas pumps are suitably arranged on the two sides of the engine.
cylinder, and their pistons are connected with the two driving rods of one of the
engine pistons.
In the accompanying drawing,
Figure
represents a longitudinal section of the gas engine taken on the
line -b of Figure 3 but showing the cranks in the diametrically opposite position.
to that shown in Figure 3.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section on the line c, d, of Fig. 3 partly in elevation.
Figure 3 is a plan partly in horizontal section.
Figure 4 is a transverse section on the line eigh of Figure 3, and
Figure 5 is a transverse section on the line km of Figure 3.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the
drawing.
A indicates the engine cylinder, B and C represent the two plunger pistons..
which work in the said engine cylinder, the piston B is connected directly by
means of a connecting rod B with the central crank D of the driving shaft whilst
two lateral cranks, E of the said shaft arranged at an angle of about 180 degrees
to the central crank are connected to the piston C by means of connecting rods C',
piston rods F and H and a cross head I so as to move the piston C in the opposite
direction to the piston B. The piston rod F is connected to the piston of the gas
pump G and the piston rod H with the piston of the air pump L. The gas
pump is provided with a lifting valve gear and the air pump with a slide-valve..
gear. But the particular arrangement of these pumps is immaterial in itself...
Figure 3 shows the position of the two pistons B and C with the compressed
charge between them at the moment when the ignition takes place which may for
instance be caused by electrical means. During the operation the two engine
pistons move apart in the direction of the arrows and pass to the position shown in
Figure 1 in which the piston B uncovers the air admission orifice 1 and the
pistou C the discharge orifice 2, so that the compressed air will pass from a
receptacle R supplied by the aforesaid air pump L through the air admission
orifice into the working space of the cylinder A and expel all traces of the
products of combustion through the said discharge orifice 2 uncovered at the
opposite end of the working space. The thorough cleansing by the fresh air is due
to the admission orifice at one end of the cylinder being opposite to the discharge
orifice at the other end, and to the suppression of all deleterious auxiliary spaces
which in other two-piston gas engines are uncovered during the combustion between
the two engine pistons.
Moreover this thorough cleansing is accomplished in our improved engine with a
smaller expenditure of power than in the case of engines provided with a special
air admission valve, inasmuch as the piston B regulates the admission of the air
and uncovers in a shorter time a considerably greater sectional area of the
admission orifice so that the cleansing by air can also take place rapidly at the
dead point, and with little additional pressure of the compressed air, when
the engine makes a great number of revolutions, thereby diminishing the loss of
power. The working space is quite filled with fresh air on the termination of

page_text: the cleansing, so that the initial temperature of the compression is reduced as
much as possible and the occurrence of spontaneous ignitions by the hot products
of combustion is prevented.
After the orifices 1 and 2 of the cylinder have been covered the two engine
pistons B and C compress the air enclosed by them, and gas is at the proper
moment forced at a higher pressure into this compressed air by the gas pump G
through the gas admission valve v.
As gas and air are forced into the engine cylinder through separate orifices and
by separate pumps at entirely different times, the cleansing, although all the
products of combustion are expelled does not give rise to any loss of gas as in the
case of the two piston engines hitherto employed, where the gas and air are
introduced simultaneously.
The motion of the engine may be regulated either by throttling the flow of gas
to the pump G or by acting upon the aforesaid gas admission valve » Figure 5.
Our improved gas engine, which can of course be operated by lighting gas as
well as by other combustible gases or petroleum, enables a pressure of combustion of
60 atmospheres and upwards to be produced by reason of the arrangement and
mode of action of the same, which permits of a considerable reduction of the
sectional area of the engine pistons and of the engine cylinder, and a great
diminution of the cooling surfaces. Owing to the complete removal of the
products of combustion and the high compression, high working pressure and
smaller cooling surfaces we realize a material saving of gas as compared with the
quantity of gas required in the engines heretofore used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. A gas engine provided with two pistons (B and C) arranged to move in
opposite directions in the cylinder (A), which pistons in their outer terminal
position uncover the orifices or openings (1 and 2) arranged at opposite ends of
the working space of the said cylinder (A) for the inlet of compressed air
and for the outlet of the products of combustion, so that the said working
space of the cylinder, after the complete combustion and expansion, is
traversed and cleansed from one end to the other by fresh air, whereupon by the
approach of the pistons the air enclosed by them is compressed and gas
at the proper time into the working space by a special pump through a controlled
valve, the ignition taking place at the innermost dead point.
forced
Second. In the gas engine above described with pistons (B and C) actuated by
a driving shaft through the medium of cranks (D and E) placed at an angle of
180 degrees to each other, the arrangement of the gas pump (G) and air pump (L)
in such a manner that the rods (F and H) for operating the piston (C), also carry
the pistons of the gas and air pump.
Dated this 17th day of April 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.