Improvements in Petroleum and other Hydro-carbon Explosive Engines or Motors.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 24th July, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 20th May, 1889-Accepted, 22nd June, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Petroleum and other Hydro-carbon Explosive
Engines or Motors.
CHARLES RICHARD BINNEY, of 5 Hackney-road in the County of Middlesex
Consulting Engineer, and HERBERT AKROYD STUART of Bletchley Iron Works,
Bletchley, in the County of Buckinghamshire Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to engines or motors driven by explosion, wherein the
explosive mixture is produced by combining Hydro Carbons with air in due pro-
portions; but more particularly to controlling the flow or supply of liquid Hydro
Carbon such as Naptha, Benzoline, Petroleum or other volatile liquid in due
proportions or quantities for the proper working of the Engine or Motor.
Means are also provided for actuating the several valves as required without the aid
of bevel or spur wheels as heretofore.
An improved means of vaporising the explosive mixture is employed, also an
improved firing or igniting valve; One complete cycle of the working of the engine.
or motor is as follows: viz. The induction of the explosive mixture on the first out-
ward stroke of the piston; the compression on the first return stroke of the piston, the
explosion or working stroke the second outward stroke and the clearance of combustion
from the cylinder on the second return stroke.
In carrying this said invention into practice a suitable foundation or bedplate is
employed to which the cylinder and other mechanisin is attached. Suitable ports
or apertures are provided in the cylinder for the inlet of the explosive mixture and
such apertures may be controlled by valves actuated by the piston of the engine:
The necessary supply of the combustible liquid is regulated by a valve arrangement
which is controlled by the engine governors as refered to in "The Letters Patent,
Granted to Herbert Akroyd Stuart, Dated July 31st 1886 and numbered 9866."
To effect this a valve chest is connected by pipes or otherwise with the main supply of
the combustible liquid and arranged in this chest is a slide or other valve which varies
the area of the apertures through which the said liquid passes proportionally to the
amount of liquid required for the working of the engine and the part of this valve
which varies the area of the aperture may either be straight, angular. or curved, so as
to admit of a more or less travel according to the quality of oil used, and also provides
a means of more accurately controlling the supply of the combustible liquid, and the
movement of this valve may either be straight, angular or curved.
In conjunction with the valve is the valve spindle communicating with the governor
which has a cone or other taper piece or its equivalent thereon, and this cone is
employed to regulate the travel of the valve by means of the valve-spindle over the
aperture and also to act so as to entirely cut off the supply of the liquid should the
engine attain too great a speed, and to reopen the orifice when necessary. The cone
may be kept in contact with the valve spindle in various ways but preferably by
means of a spring; and by making the cone eccentric in its rotation un intermittent
flow of the liquid may be obtained instead of a constant flow as described.
Within the cylinder are arranged one or more mixers or vaporisers preferably made
of a good conducting metal perforated, and subject to the heat of the explosion so that
during work it quickly attains a great heat and the explosive mixture, having to pass
through, is raised in temperature and thus in explosive power; by which means a
cheaper and more crude liquid may be used.
This vapouriser is arranged so as to be if desired isolated from the cylinder or to
have only partial contact therewith, so that the cylinder may be kept at its proper
working temperature by the water jacket, whilst the vapouriser is at a greater heat for
the purpose before described.

page_text: One or more switch cams are arranged on the crank shaft for actuating the valves
through suitable levers or their equivalents each having a swivel joint a roller, and a pin.
There are two grooves on each switch cam so that during one revolution of the crank shaft
no motion is produced by the cam mechanism to the respective valves but the roller
working in the swivel joint is switched into the next groove, wherein is a cam or
raised portion, which-transmits a suitable motion to the ivalve or valves.itlius an
alternating motion is obtained without the aid of bevel or geared wheels as heretofore.
One switch cam may be made to actuate more than one valve.
An improved firing valve is arranged having a port hole chamber or opening therein
which is charged with explosive mixture during the compression stroke and this is
ignited by an outside flame either direct or in conjunction with a thin metal plate or
wire or part suitably formed in the valve mechanism.
Improved Mechanism is employed to entirely clear the products of combustion
from the compression chamber, and such mechanism may either be automatic in
its action or it may be actuated by suitable mechanism, and it may either. be
attached to the cylinder, cylinder cover, or working piston, but it is preferably
attached to the cylinder cover, and consists of a piston or its equivalent fitting the
compression chamber and capable of moving laterally therein, suitable springs are
employed to keep this piston in position in the compression chamber, so that on
the compression stroke of the engine or motor, these springs are compressed_and
the piston in the compression chamber is pushed back to or against the cylinder
cover to withstand the explosion; when the exhaust valve is open the springs move
the said piston through the compression chamber and back to its normal position,
and the piston in its travel pushes or cleans out the products of combustion from
the compression chamber which otherwise would have remained.
When it is
desired to actuate the said piston any well known means may be employed, instead
of the springs.or their equivalent actuating it in the one direction, & the explosive
mixture during the compression stroke in each cycle of the engine actuating .it in
the other.
It will easily be understood that certain of the herein-described Improvements.are
applicable to Engines or Motors wherein combustible gas is used.
Dated this 21st July 1888.
C. R. BINNEY.
HERBERT AKROYD STUART.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Petroleum and other Hydro-carbon Explosive
Engines or Motors."
We, CHARLES RICHARD BINNEY of 5, Hackney Road in the county of Middlesex,
Consulting Engineer and HERBERT AKROYD STUART of Bletchley Iron Works,
Bletchley, in the County of Buckinghamshire, Mechanical Engineer, 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:
This invention relates to engines or motors driven by the explosion of an inflammable
mixture of the vapour of naphtha, benzoline, petroleum or other hydro-carbon and air.
The said invention comprises improved means for controlling the flow or supply of
petroleum or other volatile liquid for the proper working of the engine or motor;
improved means for vapourizing the volatile liquid; an improved. firing or igniting
valve; and improved mechanism for ejecting the products of combustion from the
compression chamber.
and
In the accompanying drawings-
Figure 1 is a plan, partly in section, of an engine comprising our improvements,
Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same

page_text: Figures 3, 4 and 5 are sectional views of the volatile liquid, distributing, the
vapourizing, and the igniting portions of the apparatus, respectively.
Figure 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 of a modified form of vapourizer.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
a is the bed plate of the engine and 6 is the cylinder which has the valve chest c bolted.
thereon. is the working piston or trunk, which is connected by the rod e to the
crank shaft carrying the fly wheel g and pulley h. i is an auxiliary piston, arranged
at one end of the cylinder forming a compression chamber, for clearing the products
of combustion from the said chamber, the said auxiliary piston being normally kept in
its innermost position within the cylinder by a spring k located in a tube k¹. is the
induction valve through which the liquid and air for forming the combustible mixture
are drawn the said valve being kept to its seat by a spring.
m is the oil valve or measurer for delivering the oil in quantities for the proper
working of the engine, and it has a chamber m' which is normally filled with air,
preferably at atmospheric pressure: the said chamber being adapted to alternately
make connection with the two passages m³, m³, as shown in Fig. 3 which is a section
of the said valve and the portion of the face upon which it works, drawn to an enlarged
scale. The passage m² communicates by a pipe m' with a tank in which a supply of
petroleum or other hydro-carbon sufficient, say, for one or two days working is stored,.
which tank is placed several feet higher than the oil measuring valve, so that the oil
enters the valve chamber m' at a pressure sufficient to compress the air therein,
the quantity of oil entering the said chamber being in proportion to the compression
of the air. The passage m³ extends from the valve faco to the induction side of the
valve 1.
n is a governor which is driven from the crank-shaft through the medium of the
gear wheels n' n¹, the shaft n² and the gearing n³; and o is a cone which is
eccentrically mounted on the said governor.
valve m.
p is a rod, one end of which is secured to the valve m the other end being shaped,
as shown in Fig. 2, to bear against the side of the cone o, so that during the rotation
of the said cone with the governors a reciprocating movement will be imparted to the
A spring p' arranged upon the rod p serves to move the valve outwards
after it has been moved inwards by the cone. The speed of the governors is so,
regulated that no movement will be imparted to the cone in a vertical direction
while the engine is running at its normal speed, so that at each reciprocation of
the valves, a supply, of oil will enter the chamber m from the passage m³ and
thence be carried to the passage m³; should, however, the speed of the engine
exceed its normal limit the governors will expand and lower the cone, whereby
the travel of the valve will be shortened more or less to limit or to entirely cut off
the supply of oil from the passage m³. The object of admitting the oil into the
chamber m' in such manner as to compress the air therein is for the purpose of
causing such oil to be quickly injected from the said chamber m³, when the latter is
moved into connection with the passage m³.
q is a vapourizer, which is shown in Fig. 4 drawn to an enlarged scale, and which is
placed in a chamber q' in the valve chest c, which, chamber is connected with the
interior of the cylinder, by a passage q'. This vapourizer is made of a good conducting
metal and as shown, is surrounded by a series of troughs or cups q² into which the oil
passing through the valve I drops, the said troughs or cups being perforated to allow
the passage of the oil. The said troughs or cups are also preferably loosely fitted upon
the central tube g³, as shown in Fig. 4, so that they may be easily removed for
cleaning or other purposes. The tube is open at the bottom and provided with a
partition q for causing the air to pass in a circuitous direction to the opening g',
which opening communicates by a pipe q, shown in dotted lines Fig. 2, with the
space above the induction valve l. ris a three way cock which is inserted in the
pipe q and has one of its channels connected by a pipe with the exhaust, so that
when desired the passage through the pipe to the space above the valve can be
closed, and that through the central tube of the vapourizer to the pipe r¹ and the
exhaust opened.

page_text: 3 is a lamp, which when crude or common petroleum is being used in the engine is
placed beneath the vapourizer for heating the same, when first starting the engine, so
that the oil delivered to the vapourizer is converted into vapour or gas; this lamp is
not required, however, after the engine has been fairly started, as the heat of the
combustion in the cylinder is sufficient to maintain the vapourizer at the required
temperature.
t is the firing or igniting apparatus which is shown drawn to an enlarged scale
in Fig. 5 and which is placed in connection with the vapourizing chamber g
through the passage t', a valve being placed between the igniter and the
vapourizer for controlling the admission of the inflammable mixture into the same;
the valve is operated by the lever ³ through the medium of the lever *, bereinafter
described.
The igniter is in the form of a tube containing a spiral of good conducting metal
which presents a large heating surface, this spiral is periodically subjected to the heat
produced by the explosions in the cylinder, whereby it is heated sufficiently to fire the
explosive mixture when it comes into contact therewith, the heat of the tube being
maintained after the engine is set to work by the successive explosions therein.
In order to prevent the vapourizer from becoming hot enough to fire the explosive
mixture as it is being drawn into the cylinder, we sometimes surround the same by a
water jacket.
The
u is the exhaust valve through which the products of combustion are discharged,
this valve is normally held in its closed position by a spring u³, and is opened at the
proper time by the lever * which bears against the under side of the same.
lever is oporated by the switch cam v, having two grooves v1, v2 arranged as shown
most clearly in Fig. 1" which is a development of the same. The groove contains
a raised cam surface and the groove contains a hollow or recess *. The end of
the lover carries a pivoted arm to, having a roller t which runs in the grooves of
the cam, which grooves are arranged in a well known manner, so that the roller will
run therein alternately, the mounting of the roller upon the pivoting arm to allowing
the necessary lateral movement of the roller.
The operation of the apparatus herein before described is as follows:-
Assume the piston d to be in close proximity to the piston i, that is to say, in the
position which it occupies immediately after the products of combustion of an explosion
have been discharged.
The lamp is now placed beneath the vapourizer, so that the same is heated
and the three way cock is turned, so that the fumes from the lamp pass into the
exhaust.
At the outward stroke of the engine a supply of oil and air is drawn through the
valve and the vapourizer (the said valve automatically opening under the influence
of the vacuum produced in the cylinder) whereby an explosive mixture is formed.
On the return stroke of the piston, the mixture in the cylinder is compressed, the
compression being sufficient to force back the auxiliary piston i to the cylinder cover;
at the same time the roller to which has been running in the groove drops into the
recess, so that the lever is operated to allow a portion of the inflammable mixture
to enter the igniting tube t, (which igniter must when starting the engine be heated
by a lamp placed outside the same). The inflammable mixture being ignited in the
igniter, the flame is communicated through the passage t', the vapourizing chamber g¹
and the passage q² to the cylinder charge, whereby the piston is forced outwards: by
this time the roller to of the lever t has entered the groove v¹ of the cam and been
depressed by the projection o³, so that the said lever is operated to raise the exhaust
valve, whereby on the next return stroke of the piston d the products of combustion
will be forced out of the cylinder through the passage and the vapourizing
chamber y'. As the products of combustion in escaping pass through the vapourizer,
the latter is heated, so that hereafter the lamp is rendered unnecessary. The three
way cock is also turned so that the air which enters above the valve to form the
explosive mixture passes through the pipe q' and the tube q³ of the vapourizer,
whereby it is heated before entering the cylinder.

page_text: It will be obvious that when the exhaust valve is opened, the piston is moved
inwards in the compression chamber under the action of the spring k, whereby all the
products of combustion will be discharged from the cylinder.
We wish it understood that we do not confine our improvements to the precise
details of construction herein before described, as it is obvious that the same may be
modified without departing from the nature of our invention; for instance we some-
In this modification the
times employ a vapourizer of the kind shown in Fig. 6.
vapourizer instead of being heated directly by a flame when first starting the engine,
is heated by a liquid contained in a small receptacle w, the steam or other vapour
generated rising into the vapourizer, the interior of which, in order to form a
large heating surface is provided with shelves or ribs w¹. The liquid itself is
heated by a lamp. After starting the engine the heat of the exhaust products
is, as hereinbefore described, sufficient to maintain the temperature of the vapourizer.
When using a vapourizer of the kind shown in Fig. 6 the air for producing
the inflaminable mixture enters the cylinder without passing through the vapourizer.
Instead of providing the vapourizer with troughs or rings as described, we can, if
desired, construct the same of metallic spirals or coils, or the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
-
°
1. A liquid hydro-carbon engine or motor having a vapourizer arranged within the
cylinder or compression chamber, which vapourizer, when using common or crude
petroleum is heated by a flame when starting the engine and subsequently automati-
cally by the combustion of the mixture, substantially as described.
2. In an engine of the kind hereinbefore described, the combination with the
vapourizer of a water jacket to prevent overheating substantially as, and for the
purpose, set forth.
3. In a liquid hydro-carbon engine or motor, an oil supply or measuring valve
provided with an air chamber, substantially as described.
4. In a hydro-carbon engine or motor the employment of an auxiliary piston for
clearing the products of combustion from the compression chamber, substantially as
described.
5. In a hydro-carbon engine or motor the igniting mechanism comprising the
metallic spiral or its equivalent, substantially as described.
6. The employment of a double grooved cam for actuating the valves, substantially
as described and set forth.
7. The combination with an engine of the kind hereinbefore described, of a tank for
the storage of petroleum or the like, arranged at a higher level than the oil-measuring
valve, for the purpose set forth.
8. The improved engine or motor constructed and arranged substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Deted the 20th day of May 1889
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London. Agents for the Applicants.