Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application (in the United Kingdom), 18th Sept., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 18th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 15th Jan., 1898
I, RAOUL PIERRE PICTET, of 37, Rue Jean Goujon, Paris, in the Republic of France,
Chemist, 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 object of this invention is to construct a motor which allows of considerable
variation in the power of the machine, and which is at the same time economical,
both when the engine is performing little work as when performing its maximum
effect.
Compress a certain quantity of atmospheric air in a cylinder, add to this compressed
air a mass of water the quantity of which may be variable. Isothermic compression
is thus produced and a certain quantity of steam is introduced by this method into
the compressed air; a quantity which is variable and proportional to the quantity of
water introduced during compression and then evaporated. The total work performed
by the gases thus formed varies therefore according to the quantity of water which
has passed into the cylinder during the compression of the air.
This mixture of water and steam, at a suitable pressure, traverses a series of
tubular apparatus in which the water and air are heated in a methodical manner.
This heating is produced first by the exhaust gases which pass out of the engine
cylinders which will be described later and then by the flame of a furnace fed with
any combustible, such as coal, coke, petroleum, and the like.
The gases composed at the end of their travel simply of air and superheated steam
enter into one or several single acting cylinders.
An arrangement of valves actuated by a distributor regulates the admission of this
mixture into the cylinders.
These cylinders are as has been said single acting and are provided with very long
pistons.
The rubbing of the pistons rings against the cylinders takes place at a great
distance from the bottom of the cylinders, whilst the piston itself, which is in the
form of a casing, is prolonged into the highly heated end portion. This portion of
the moveable piston does not rub against the walls of the cylinder.
The end of the cylinder may thus be brought to a temperature of 300, 400, and
500 degrees centigrade without being exposed to any rubbing of the piston.
To completely prevent any such accident, the cylinder is cooled mound the part
where the piston rings act.
This cooling action is secured by the circulation of the air and water which pass
Pie R1
'

page_text: out from the first compressor before this mixture passes into the tubular apparatus
in which it will be heated.
The gases thus heated act upon the pistons receiving heat from the furnace during
the whole time they are expanding and producing work by radiation and conduction
from the walls.
The outer acting end of these cylinders provided with wings
direct action of the furnace.
submitted to the
The gases of combustion, after having passed around the back part of all the
cylinders pass into the interior of the tubes of the tubular apparatus whilst the steam
and air travel in the reverse direction in the intertubular portion, and from there
pass into the second tubular apparatus where they join the exhaust gases from the
engine cylinders.
In this casing the compressed gases and water carried along with them are slightly
heated whilst they cool the cylinders at the part where the piston rings rub.
The gases having arrived at the end of the tubes of the second tubular apparatus
pass away.
The engine thus described is therefore a mixed hot air and steam engine.
The feed pump of this machine is a simple air compressor.
The quantity of water added to this air being variable the effective work of this
machine may be considerably modified.
A hand regulating apparatus allows any desired quantity of water to pass into the
air as it is being drawn in.
These different quantities are introduced as found necessary for the undulations
of the road.
Theoretically the machine is designed in such manner that for normal work only an
insignificant amount of water is added to the drawn in air.
The introduction of water is only a means for allowing an increase in the power of
the motor at a given moment.
The heat accumulated in the tubular apparatus may thus serve a a calorific fly
wheel.
The annexed drawing shows as an example a motor constructed upon this
principle consisting of three cylinders placed side by side in the same horizontal
plane.
These three cylinders are cast in a single piece which forms the frame of the
machine that is to say that at the front it carries the bearings of the three crank
driving shaft and at the rear the bearings of the cam shaft which regulates the
distribution (inlet and exhaust) both for forward and backward movement.
In the drawings:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the motor.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
Figures 3, 4 and 5 are respectively longitudinal sections on the lines 3-3, 4-
and 55 of Figure 2 which are the axes of the three cylinders.
*
Figure 6 is a transverse section on the line 6-6 of Figure 1, and
Figure 7 is a back view partly in section on the line 7-7 of Figure 1.
In these figures:
AA1 A2 are the three cylinders of identical construction.
It will suffice therefore to describe one only of these cylinders say cylinder A.
This cylinder is composed of a front portion a having an outer jacket, this is the
cooled portion of the cylinder, a¹ is the heated or rear portion. of the cylinder.
It is provided with wings a² as shown a³ is the neutral portion of the cylinder. At
the rear of the cylinders a valve box is arranged having two compartments for each
cylinder; and a are the compartments for the cylinder A.
In each of these compartments is a valve through which the cylinder and
compartment communicate. a is the compartment for the admission of the hot gases
into the cylinder; is the compartment for the outlet of the same gases after they
have completed their work. 6 and a are respectively the valves of the
compartments a* and a².

page_text: The inlet compartments of the three cylinders are connected together by a pipe a³
so as to form a single chamber; similarly the outlet compartments are connected
together by the pipe aº.
B B¹ B² are the plunger pistons of the three cylinders. These pistons are alike
except that the piston B₁ carries at its forward end a special arrangement which will
be later described.
b
Each piston is formed of two compartiments, a compartment 6 open outwardly and
the bottom of which carries the joint 6' of the connecting rod end; 6% is the other
compartment which is completely closed and filled with a material which is
incombustible and a bad conductor of heat such as mineral wool and asbestos.
The rubbing surface of the piston corresponds as shown in Figure 4 to the portion b.
The rear surface does not rub.
The special arrangement carried by the piston B¹ consists in a kind of arch C fixed
upon the end of the piston and connected to the compressor D by the rod d of the
piston d¹.
This double acting compressor is provided with two admission valves d* d³ and two
exhaust valves d' ds. E is a shaft provided with cams ee which work the cylinder
valves.
These cams are twelve in number, three of which are for the inlet for the forward
movement one for each cylinder three for the exhaust for the forward movement and
two similar groups of three for the reverse movement.
The shaft E is driven by means of the intermediate shaft F and two bevel
gears ffff from the driving shaft G. This shaft has three cranks g g¹ g² to which
the connecting rods g³ g g of the pistons B B¹ B2 are coupled. H is any type of
furnace, in the drawing it is shown as a series of petroleum burners h.
The furnace H. heats the two tubular apparatus I and K. The apparatus I is com-
posed of a cylindrical casing carrying two tube plates i ¹ in which are mounted the
removable tubes i. is a double casing having an inner lining of asbestos surrounding
the whole apparatus I.
K is a cylindrical casing carrying two tube plates in which the removeable
tubes are mounted. is a double casing having an inner lining of asbestos
surrounding the whole apparatus K.
These two apparatus are of like construction, but the tubes k² are larger and less
numerous than the tubes 1.
L is the outlet pipe for the air which has done work upon the pistons, this pipe
terminates in a tube having five branches 12 13 14 15
M is a pipe connecting the compressor D to the double casing a of the cylinders.
N is a passage connecting the double casing a to the upper rear portion of the
tubular apparatus K.
O is a tube connecting the lower portion of the apparatus K to the upper part of
the apparatus I.
P is a pipe allowing the lower portion of the apparatus I to communicate with the
pipe as
Q is a passage connecting the double casings i³ and k³.
The arrows I indicate the path of the gases of combustion the arrows 2 that of
the air and water fluids.
WORKING OF THE ENGINE.
This engine works in the following manner :
The compressor D draws in air together with water in a variable regulatable
quantity, the air is filtered through a layer of cotton to free it from dust. The air
and water are conducted by the pipe M into the double casing a of the cylin-
ders A, A1, A2, and from there passes by the pipe N into the upper part of
the apparatus K: there the air and water are heated by the exhaust gases and by the
gases of combustion which have already given up a great part of their heat in the
apparatus I. The water which may not have been evaporated in the apparatus K is

page_text: forced to go together with the already heated air by the tube O into the upper
portion of the apparatus I and to be spread over the metallic surface of the tubes
to complete its vapourization.
The gases of combustion, a portion of which have heated the wings on the rear
ends of the cylinders pass through the tubes 22 from back to front returning to the
back through the double casing 3 and thence by the flue Q pass, into the double
casing to pass out by the five tubes 2 into the atmosphere after being mixed with
the exhaust gases.
The air and steain heated and under pressure continue to travel from the bottom
of the apparatus I by the tube P to the inlet valves.
These valves are opened successively by the cams e and allow the combined fluid
to enter into the cylinders in which it successively actuates the three pistons B B B2
and consequently the driving shaft G.
At the end of the travel of each piston the corresponding exhaust valve is opened
by its cam and the fluid is exhausted through the pipe L which by its five branches
distributes it to accelerate the draught in the five tubes which form the chimney.
This apparatus is completed by an auxiliary reservoir containing air under great
pressure which facilitates starting and by a water tank and petroleuin reservoir..
This engine based upon thermodynamic laws is intended to replace all engines at
present in use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a motor the combination of two fluids air and water introduced in varying
quantities and heated to the temperature required for economically running the
engine.
2. The air and steam motor substantially as described and illustrated in the
drawings.
Dated this 18th day of September 1897.