IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AND IN THE TREATMENT OF LIQUID FUEL, AND IN THE APPLICATION THEREOF TO PRIME MOVERS."
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Johann Maximilian Plessner, of Golden Square,
in the County of Middlesex, and of Berlin, in the Kingdom of
Prussia, late Captain in the Prussian Army, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AND IN THE TREATMENT OF LIQUID FUEL,
AND IN THE APPLICATION THEREOF TO PRIME MOVERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Johann Maximilian
Plessner at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 22nd January 1870.
I, JOHANN MAXIMILIAN PLESSNER, of Golden Square, in the County
of Middlesex, and of Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia, late Captain in
the Prussian Army, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR AND IN THE TREATMENT OF LIQUID FUEL,
AND IN, THE APPLICATION THEREOF TO PRIME MOVERS," to be as follows:-
The improvements embrace generating gas mechanically from
petroleum or other like matter, sometimes called liquid fuel, by and
with the aid of atmospheric air by means of apparatus constructed and

page_text: arranged for the purpose; also the application of gas so generated by
combustion in the form or shape of instantaneous or momentary flashes
of flame or explosions whereby caloric is produced to and for the purpose
of actuating machinery.
The apparatus for generating the gas may be conveniently formed by
fitting to a suitable receptacle or tank containing petroleum or other
liquid fuel to be kept therein at a constant level a pipe or tube or a
serics thereof furnished with a number of jets for the passage of the
petroleum, and having affixed thereon or in connection therewith an air
chamber or a series thereof containing a number of jets for the admission
and passage of air which may be forced through them by any convenient
machine, the heads or surfaces of the petroleum jets being so arranged
and disposed with reference to the heads or surfaces of the air jets
(suitably in pairs, that is to say, one of petroleum to one of air) that the
stream of air forced through the air jets may draw out part of the air
contained in the petroleum jets thereby creating a partial vacuum
in the latter, atmospheric pressure causing the petroleum or other liquid
fuel used to rise to the top of the petroleum jets, where it is converted
into vapour which may be ignited by flame or other suitable means,
whereby a flame instantaneously flashing or, otherwise of any desired
volume may be obtained, and the caloric thus produced utilized for.
working machinery of any kind, and for which purpose when desired
the apparatus above described may be erected in suitable form and be
combined with or form part of the machinery or engine it is intended to
work or assist in working.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Johann Maximilian Plessner in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 20th July 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHANN
MAXIMILIAN PLESSNER, of Golden Square, in the County of Middlesex, 3
and of Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia, late a Captain in the Prussian
Army, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of January, in

page_text: the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in tho
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Johann Maximilian Plessner, Her
special licence that I, the said Johann Maximilian Plessner, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Johann
Maximilian Plessner, 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 therein 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 APPARATUS FOR AND IN THE TREATMENT OF
LIQUID FUEL, AND IN THE APPLICATION THEREOF TO PRIME MOVERS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Johann Maximilian
Plessner, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 I, the said Johann Maximilian Plessner, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
The improvements consist in the construction and arrangement of
apparatus for the purpose of mechanically generating and in the
mechanically generating inflammable vapour from petroleum or other
hydrocarbons, sometimes called liquid fuel, by and with the aid of atmo-
spheric air; also in the application by combustion in any suitable form of.
inflammable vapour so generated to and for the purpose of obtaining
motive power.
The apparatus for generating the vapour from and for mechanically
treating liquid fuel may be conveniently formed by fitting to a suitable
receptacle or tank containing petroleum or other liquid fuel to be kept
therein at a constant level a pipe a pipe or tube or a series thereof
furnished with a number of jets for the passage of the petroleum, and.
having affixed therein or in connection therewith an air chamber or a
scries thereof containing a number of jets for the admission and passage

page_text: of air, which may be forced through them by any convenient machine, the
heads or surfaces of the petroleum jets being so arranged and disposed
with reference to the heads or surfaces of the air jets (suitably in pairs
that is to say, one of petroleum to one of air) that the stream of air
which may be pumped or otherwise forced through the air jets may draw
out part of the air contained in the petroleum jets, thereby creating a
partial vacuum in the latter, atmospheric pressure causing the petroleum
or other liquid fuel used to rise to the top of the petroleum jets, when
and where it is converted into vapour, which may be ignited by flame or
by other suitable means, whereby a flash instantaneous or otherwise of
any desired volume may be obtained, and the calóric thus produced
utilized for or towards working machinery of any kind, and for which
purpose when desired the apparatus above described may be, erected in
suitable form for generating vapours at a low or a high pressure or for
either, or for both combined, and be arranged with or form part of the
machinery or engine it is intended to work or assist in working.
The accompanying Drawing is intended as illustrative only, and shows.
a convenient mode of carrying out the said improvements or some of
them.
Figures 1, 2, and 3 show in elevation, section, and plan respectively a
low-pressure generator apparatus, in which A represents a metal vessel
into which liquid fuel is intended to enter through the opening e, which
is in communication or attached to convenient pipes leading from any
suitable reservoir arranged so as to contain and keep the liquid fuel at a
constant level; a number of small tubes 6 are sunk with their lower
extremities into the liquid fuel whilst an equal number of other pipes a
pass into the centre air tube f, the pipes c admit the external air into
the exterior of the vessel A. The heads of the pipes a are placed in such
a manner that a stream of air when forced by a pump, or by other con-
venient means through fand the tubes a, draws out a part of the air a
contained in b, so creating a partial vacuum in the latter, the external
air pressing on the surface of the liquid in A causes it to rise to the top.
of the pipes b, where consequent on the impact of the stream of air
passing through the tubes a it is instantaneously converted into
inflammable vapour; the dotted line 2, 2, Figure 2, represents the level
in A at which the liquid fuel should or may be kept.
When desirable a much greater number of pipes may be employed by

page_text: distributing them over a large area, and not as shown in Figures 1, 2,
and 3 by collecting all the pipes into one common centre hole; this can
be effected as shown in Figures 7 and 8, Sheet 2, the same letters being
employed as in Figures 1, 2, and 3, of which it is obvious that this is only a
modification the principle being the same. The air cylinder is shown at C.
A is a gun metal or other top bolted or otherwise secured to the cylinder
and acting as a chamber or reservoir for the liquid fuel, which may enter
by the opening e and be kept at the desired level; b, b, are pipes having
their lower extremities in the liquid fuel; a, a, are an equal number of
pipes which are open at their lower extremities to the air cylinder and
placed in the same position as regards the pipes b, b, as explained above;
d, d, are pipes through which a part of the air contained in the cylinder C
can pass for the purpose of effecting more complete combustion.
Figures 4 and 5 show in elevation and section respectively a high-
pressure generator apparatus in which R represents a metal plate which
may be secured on to an ordinary cylinder, and along its surface Sa
slide valve can be worked in the usual way to regulate the supply of
vapour; T represents a number of air pipes provided with cocks or
valves L, the liquid pipes having their lower extremities in the vessel V
containing the liquid fuel entering through N to be kept at a constant
level as shown by dotted line z, z, in the Figures 4 and 5 ; the pipes W,
Figure 4, admit the external air into the vessel V and when the apparatus
is attached to an ordinary cylinder by bolts through the holes P the
piston thereof (when in motion) creates behind itself a partial vacuum
into which the external air enters through the pipes T, whilst through
the pipes La quantity of liquid fuel is sucked off and converted into
vapour in the generator described above..
In some cases I prefer to force air acting either alone or in addition
to the vacuum through those pipes T which are in connection with the
liquid fuel pipes L by means of a force pump or any other convenient
apparatus for forcing air. When this is done the heads of the pipes T
and L are not fitted in the plate R, but are placed at any desired
distance opposite an opening in the said plate R. The respective
cocks or valves of the air and liquid pipes must be so adjusted as to
give the amount of air and liquid in the proportion required to
give the high pressure vapour or explosive mixture. The slide valve

page_text: working along the surface S (which may be driven off an eccentric)
closes the openings of the air and liquid pipes, and then a small flame
or electric spark can be admitted in the ordinary manner, and cause the
ignition to take place.
Figure 6 shows a modified form of high-pressure generator, T being
the air pipes, and L the liquid fuel pipes, made of such dimensions and
of such relative numbers as to give the proper proportion of air and
liquid required, and such proportion. being once obtained is fixed, and
thus the necessity of using cocks is avoided.
By igniting the vapour produced by the low-pressure generator in the
manner before described in an open cylinder or other receptacle so
constructed as to close itself hermetically at the moment of extinction
of the flame a partial vacuum is created in such cylinder or receptacle,
thereby causing pressure from the external atmosphere. This pressure
varies according to the temperature and volume of the flame, the
temperature of the cylinder or receptacle and the barometric pressure.
· In some cases the flame may be generated in a closed vessel or
receptacle into which immediately before or together with the flame water
vapour produced by a generator in the way herein-before described for
producing the low-pressure vapour, but substituting water for the liquid
fuel, may be admitted in a similar way, the power thus obtained represents
itself, first, as a pressure against the inner walls of the receptacle resulting
from the expansion of the air and the transformation of the water vapour
into steam; second, as a pressure from the exterior air against the outer
walls resulting from the partial vacuum produced by the condensation
of the vapour and the absorption of the oxygen contained in the air
within the receptacle.
By the admission of the high-pressure vapour or explosive mixture
generated as above described into a closed and partly exhausted vessel,
and then ignited, the combustion is accompanied by a considerable
expansion of the air and vapour, thus producing a pressure against the
inner walls, a vacuum being produced immediately after the ignition, it
may be utilized in any convenient way.
Another mode of employing the power of the explosion is to allow it
to work as in ordinary gas engines on a piston fitted in a distinct
cylinder, thereby acting as a ram for the purpose of compressing the air

page_text: behind or beneath the piston, the compressed air being forced through
a valve into a tube is conducted to the working cylinder of the machine
there to act instead of steam. As the compression of air in the
cylinder generates heat any suitable apparatus can be employed to keep
low the temperature.
In witness whereof, I, the said Johann Maximilian Plessner, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Nineteenth day of July,
in the year of our Lord One' thousand eight hundred and
seventy.