IMPROVEMENTS IN ARRANGEMENTS AND APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER." AND APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Anderson, of Newton, in the County of Ayr,
North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ARRANGEMENTS
AND APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER."
AND APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER."
Sealed the 18th June 1867, and dated the 21st December 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Anderson at the
Office of tho Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st December 1866.
I, JAMES ANDERSON, of Newton, in the County of Ayr, North Britain,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ARRANGEMENTS AND APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER," to be as
follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to the obtainment of motive power by means of heat,
and comprises improvements in the arrangement, construction, and appli-
cation of apparatus of the kind described in the Specification of Letters
Patent granted to the present applicant, and dated 7th December 1859
(No. 2767).

page_text: In carrying out the present Invention it is proposed to use combustible
gases obtained in any convenient known way, and mixed prior to being
ignited with the amount of air or oxygen necessary for their complete
combustion.
One modification of the improved apparatus comprises a cylinder, which is
by preference in a vertical position, and which has working in it a piston
having its rod connected in any suitable way to an engine beam, crank, or
other piece to be actuated. In connection with the under side of the piston
there is a shield or series of shield shells made and arranged as described in
the earlier Speci fication herein-before referred to; and below the piston there
is a mass or block of porous or permeable material, also such as is described in
the earlier Specification; this porous block is fixed to a tubular piston rod
which passes through a stuffing box in the bottom of the cylinder. The
porous block is moved up and down at suitable periods, and has in connection
with it a shield of two or more shells like that in connection with the piston.
When the piston is at the bottom of its stroke, and the porous block in its
highest position, there is no appreciable space between the piston and
block, but there is a space between the under side of the block and the bottom
of the cylinder, into which space the combustible gas for one stroke will
have entered by a suitable valve whilst the block was being raised by its rod
connected for that purpose to the other moving parts. With the parts in
these positions the next movement will be the lowering of the porous block
which will cause the passage up through it of the gas, and this gas will become
heated by the heat retained in the porous block. The gas being then between
the porous block and the piston, is ignited or exploded, and the piston is
raised by the expansive forces thereby called into action, and performs a
working stroke. At a short distance below the porous block there is a
diaphragm which moves with it, and this diaphragm has valves in it allowing
the gas to pass upwards from the space beneath, but preventing a return
downwards. Another valve in the diaphragm opens into the tubular rod by
which the porous block is moved, and this valve is opened when the piston
descends and the porous block rises, and the expanded gas between the piston
and porous block then passes down through the porous block, and through
the tubular rod to the atmosphere. In passing down through the porous
block in this way the used gas gives up thereto a considerable part of its
heat, which is in consequence utilised in heating the next charge of gas. The
gas may be ignited or exploded either after the whole quantity forming one
charge is between the piston and porous block, or it may be ignited gradually
as it asses through the porous block. In some cases, and particularly when

page_text: the gas is ignited gradually, a space for its ignition is formed within the
porous block, or, in other words, the ignition space has porous material placed
above and around as well as below it, so that whilst the ignition space is
maintained at a high temperature, the expanding gas in passing up through
the
porous material gives up to it some of its heat, and the piston above is
consequently exposed to a less elevated temperature.
This improvement is applicable to the modifications described in the earlier
Specification herein-before referred to, and whether the porous block is
stationary or movable.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Anderson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th June 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
ANDERSON, of Newton, in the County of Ayr, North Britain, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
James Anderson, Her special licence that I, the said James Anderson, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Anderson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term herein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ARRANGEMENTS
AND APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Anderson, my exccutors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said James Anderson, do hereby declare
he nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to the obtainment of motive power by means of
heat, and comprises improvements in the arrangement, construction, and
application of apparatus of the kind described in the Specification of Letters
Patent granted to me, the said James Anderson, and dated 7th December
1859 (No. 2767).
And in order that my said Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing
modifications of my improved apparatus.
In carrying out my present Invention I use combustible gases obtained in
any convenient known way, and mixed, prior to being ignited, with the amount
of air or oxygen necessary for their complete combustion.
One modification of my improved apparatus, shown in vertical section in
Figure 1, comprises a cylinder 1 which is by preference in a vertical position,
and which has working in it a piston 2 having its rod 8 connected in any
suitable way to an engine beam, crank, or other piece to be actuated. The
under side of the piston 2 is protected by fire-brick 4, and there is in connection
with the piston a shield or series of shield shells 5 made and arranged as
described in my earlier Specification herein-before referred to. Below the
piston 2 there is a mass or block 6 of porous or permeable material, also such
as is described in my earlier Specification, and this block is carried by a
cast-iron shell 7, which is fixed to a tubular piston rod 8 passing through a
stuffing box 9 in the bottom 10 of the cylinder. In some modes of working
the apparatus the porous block 6 is moved up and down at suitable periods,
and has in connection with it a shield of two or more shells 11 like that in
connection with the piston 2.
The apparatus may be worked in various ways, and according to one mode
of operation when the piston 2 is at the bottom of its stroke and the porous
block 6 in its highest position, as shown in Figure 1, there is no appreciable
space between the piston and block, but there is a space 12 between the
block 6 and the bottom 10 of the cylinder, into which space the combustible
gas for one stroke will bave entered by a valve 13 whilst the block was being
raised by its rod 8 connected for that purpose to the other moving parts.
With the parts in these positions the next movement will be the lowering of
the porous block 6, which will cause the passing up through it of the gas,
and this gas will become heated by the heat retained in the porous block.

page_text: The gas being then between the porous block 6 and the piston 2 is ignited or
exploded (by means of a flame or of electrical appliances), and the piston is
raised by the expansive forces thereby called into action, and performs a
working stroke. The bottom of the shell 7 which carries the porous block 6
forms a diaphragm a short distance below the bottom of the block, and this
diaphragm has valves 14 in it allowing the gas to pass upwards from the
space 12 beneath, but preventing a return downwards into that space. Another
valve 15 in the diaphragm opens into the tubular rod 8, by which the porous
block 6 is moved, and this valve 15 is opened when the piston 2 descends,
and the porous block 6 rises, and the expanded gases between the piston and
porous block then pass down through the porous block and through the tubular
rod 8 to the atmosphere. In passing down through the porous block 6 in this
way the used gases give up a considerable part of their heat, which is in con-
sequence utilised in heating the next charge of gas. When working the
apparatus in this way the movements and the admission of combustible gas
are by preference adjusted so that the upper surface of the porous block 6 is
maintained at a temperature approaching that required for the ignition of the
combustible gases, but not quite equal to it, whilst the under side is kept as
cold as possible.
In a second mode of operation the combustible gases are admitted by the
tubular rod 8 whilst the porous block is descending, at which time the waste
gases are passing out by the valve 18 and the piston 2 is in its lowest position.
The fresh gases in passing up through the porous block 6 take up heat
retained therein, and are exploded or ignited when the porous block has
reached its lowest position. The consequent expansion of the gases forces up
the piston 2, making it perform a working stroke. When the piston 2 is
at about its highest point the porous block 6 is raised quickly up to the
piston 2 and absorbs heat out of the gases as they pass down through it and
through the valves 14 into the space 12. The valves 14 in the diaphragm
below the porous block have to be arranged to open downwards for the mode
of working now being described. The piston 2 and porous block 6 next
descend together until the piston reaches its lowest position, after which the
porous block 6 continues to descend, expelling the waste gases by the valve 13,
whilst fresh combustible gases enter by the tubular rod 8 for the next stroke.
The combustible gas may be ignited or exploded either after the whole
quantity forming one charge is between the piston 2 and porous block 6, as
in the two modes of operation herein-before described; or it may be ignited
gradually as it passes through the porous block. In some cases, and
particularly when the gas is ignited gradually, a space for its ignition is

page_text: formed within the porous block, as shown in Figure 2, which is a section of
The ignition space 16 bas thus porous
below it, so that whilst it is maintained
this modification of the porous block.
material above and around as well as
at a high temperature the expanding gas in passing through the upper
part of the porous block gives up to it some of its heat, and the piston 2
above is consequently exposed to a less elevated temperature. This improve-
ment is applicable to the modifications described in my earlier Specification
herein-before referred to, and whether the porous block 6 is stationary or
movable.
In a third mode of operation the porous block 6 made with an internal
ignition space 16, as shown in Figure 2, is fixed at the bottom of the engine
cylinder 1, and its central layers are maintained at a temperature sufficiently
high to effect the complete combustion of the gases passing through it. The
combustible gases are admitted in a more or less compressed state, and
passing through the porous block 6 are completely burned in its hot centre,
but on passing through its upper portion they become cooled to a temperature
that is not injurious to the shield 5 or piston bottom 3. In the first portion
of the gases they are in the proportions in which they burn best, and this is
followed by a further supply of air alone which sweeps all the combustible
gases through the hot part of the porous block 6, and which has the effect of
shifting the position of greatest heat a little nearer the top of the block. The
expansion of the burned gases causes the elevation of the piston 2, as in the
other modes of operation, and when the piston has arrived at its highest point
they will have given out their power and will have become lowered in pressure
and temperature. While the piston 2 is descending the gases return down
through the porous block 6, bringing the hot centre a little lower, but leaving
most of their heat in the under side of the block, and they escape to the
atmosphere at a temperature little above that at which they entere l.
A fourth mode of operation is the same as the first one herein-before
described, excepting that the porous block 6 is formed with the central ignition
space 16, as shown in Figure 2, and that the combustible gases are ignited
as they pass through the centre of the block.
porous
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do not restrict
myself to the precise details berein described or delineated, but that what I
believe to be novel, and claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is, generally, the arranging, combining,
and working of the parts of apparatus for obtaining motive power by the
elasticity of gaseous products of combustion, substantially in the improved

page_text: manner hercin-before described; and more particularly, the using of a movable
porous block acting as a "regenerator" or economiser of heat, so that the
combustion or explosion and consequent expansion of the gases take place
either in the space between the movable porous block and the piston, or partly
in that space and partly within the pores of the block, and substantially in the
manner herein-before described. The effecting of the explosion of the gases
when the piston is at or very near the commencement of its working stroke,
substantially as herein-before described. The combining of the explosion of
the gases within the cylinder with the use of a stationary or movable porous
block or regenerator also within the cylinder, substantially as herein-before
described. And the effecting of the combustion of the gases within the
porous block and after having traversed a part thereof, substantially as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Anderson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JAMES ANDERSON. (L.S.)