Improvements in the Construction and Working of Hydrocarburetted- air Engines.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Jan., 1887
Complete Left, 26th Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 29th Nov., 1887
Improvements in the Construction and Working of Hydrocarburetted-
air Engines.
We, WILLIAM DENT PRIESTMAN and SAMUEL PRIESTMAN, of Holderness Foundry,
Hull, in the County of York, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to motor engines operated by the combustion of hydrocar-
buretted-air charges, particularly those of the class in which the hydrocarbon is
supplied in a liquid state; and consists in improved methods of and apparatus for
working such charges with a view. to obtaining increased efficiency, economy and
regularity of action.
In the Specification filed in pursuance of our application for Letters Patent No. 1394,
made the 30th day of January 1886, there is described a motor engine operated by
the combustion of intermittent charges of liquid hydrocarbon held in suspension in
atmospheric air or other gas capable of supporting combustion, the said liquid being
in a finely divided state. In preparing the working charge, air and liquid hydrocarbon
are passed through a vapourising or spraying apparatus, the mixture resulting being
received in a chamber to which an additional quantity of air is admitted. The entire
contents of the chamber become thoroughly mingled, and from this chamber the
compressing or motor cylinder draws its supply of combustible fluid, the working
charge being of a homogeneous character.
A disadvantage incidental to this system of working is that if, owing to the action
of the governor, the supply of hydrocarbon be temporarily reduced to any considerable
extent, the diminished quantity of hydrocarbon admitted, being distributed over an
air-charge of normal volume, may be insufficient to render the mixture capable of
being ignited with readiness and certainty.
According to our improved method of working, instead of mixing the hydrocar-
buretted-air with the additional quantity of air previously to admission to the motor
cylinder, we convey or admit these charges to the compressing or motor cylinder or
combustion chamber independently of one another. Where the working charge is
treated in a compressing cylinder previously to admission to the motor cylinder, as

page_text: prevails in the type of engine employed to illustrate our aforesaid previous Specifi-
cation, the hydrocarburetted-air charge is, by preference, admitted to the compressing
cylinder in advance of the supplementary air-charge; but where the motor cylinder
and piston are employed to compress the charge, the reverse order prevails, the
inflammable portion of the charge entering the motor cylinder last. Nevertheless
we do not limit ourselves in either of these cases to the particular order of operations
described.
By the improved means described, the quantity of hydrocarbon vapour used during
each complete operation of the engine may be varied without appreciably affecting the
degree of richness characterising the portion of the charge in the immediate vicinity
of the ignition port or firing appliance.
In conjunction with the method of working hereinbefore described, we employ,
when using petroleum or similar oil, means for heating the hydrocarbon_vapour
previously to admitting the same to the compressing or motor cylinder. For this
purpose, the exhaust gases or independent heating means may be applied. The
supplementary air supply may also be heated previously to its admission to the
compressing or motor cylinder.
According to an alternative method of working, the entire compound charge, after
having been subjected to compression in an independent cylinder, may, on its way to
the motor cylinder, be caused to.traverse heating apparatus. We regard this method
as the more economical if the supplementary air-charge (which constitutes the major
portion of the total volume of the working charge) be heated.
According to another modification, instead of forming the compound charge, com-
pressing it and then heating it, as last described, the bodies of hydrocarburetted air
and atmospheric air for constituting the working charge may be separately compressed,
and the former or both heated before being introduced to the motor cylinder or other
combustion chamber.
In a hydrocarburetted-air engine in which a compound working charge of the kind
herein before described is employed, the same being compressed in the motor cylinder
previously to being fired, we mount a secondary shaft either parallel or at right angles
to the main shaft and geared to the latter so as to revolve at half the speed thereof.
The secondary shaft is furnished with an eccentric for driving the air-compressing
pump for forcing air into the petroleum reservoir, as and for the purposes described
in our aforesaid previous Specification; and upon the same shaft are mounted cams
for actuating through suitable connections the air and vapour inlet valves and the
exhaust valve respectively, such cams being severally formed and their actions timed
to accomplish their respective functions in proper succession.
For preventing the ingress of dust to the pump employed for compressing and
delivering air to the petroleum reservoir (solid impurities having a tendency to clog
and interfere with the proper action of the vapouriser), we furnish the pump suction
with a straining box consisting of an outer removable grating and an inner wire
gauze lining, the space between these being charged with cotton wool which serves to
arrest any solid matters conveyed by the air. The filtering material upon becoming
foul is readily removed and clean wool substituted.
Dated this 21st day of January 1887
G. G. M. HARDINGHAM,
191, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in the Construction and Working of Hydrocarburetted-
air Engines.
We, WILLIAM DENT PRIESTMAN and SAMUEL PRIESTMAN, of Holderness Foundry,
Hull, in the County of York, Engineers, 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 motor engines operated by the combustion of hydrocar-
buretted-air charges, particularly those of the class in which the hydrocarbon is
supplied in a liquid state; and consists in improved methods of working such
charges with a view to obtaining increased efficiency, economy and regularity of
action.
In the specification filed in pursuance of our application for Letters Patent
No. 1,394, made the 30th day of January, 1886, there is described a motor engine
operated by the combustion of intermittent charges of liquid hydrocarbon held in
suspension in atmospheric air or other gas capable of supporting combustion, the said
liquid being in a finely divided state. In preparing the working charge, air and liquid
hydrocarbon are passed through a vapourising or spraying apparatus, the mixture
resulting being received in a chamber to which an additional quantity of air is
admitted. The entire contents of the chamber become thoroughly mingled, and from
this chamber the compressing or motor cylinder draws its supply of combustible fluid,
the working charge being of a homogeneous character.
A disadvantage incidental to this system of working is that if, owing to the action
of the governor, the supply of hydrocarbon be temporarily reduced to any considerable
extent, the diminished quantity of hydrocarbon admitted, being distributed over an
air-charge of normal volume, may be insufficient to render the mixture capable of
being ignited with readiness and certainty.
According to our improved method of working, instead of mixing the bydrocar-
buretted air with the additional quantity of air previously to admission to the motor
cylinder, we convey or admit these charges to the compressing or motor cylinder or
combustion chamber independently of one another. Where the working charge is
treated in a compressing cylinder previously to admission to the motor cylinder, as
prevails in the type of engine employed to illustrate our aforesaid previous specification,
the hydrocarburetted-air charge is, by preference, admitted to the compressing cylinder
in advance of the supplementary air-charge; but where the motor cylinder and piston
are employed to compress the charge, the reverse order prevails, the inflammable portion
of the charge entering the motor cylinder last. Nevertheless we do not limit ourselves
in either of these cases to the particular order of operations described.
By the improved means described, the quantity of hydrocarbon-vapour or
hydrocarburetted air used during each complete operation of the engine may be
varied without appreciably affecting the degree of richness characterising the

page_text: portion of the charge in the immediate vicinity of the ignition-port or firing-
appliance.
In conjunction with the method of working hereinhefore described, we employ,
particularly when using petroleum or similar oil, means for heating the hydrocar-
buretted-air charge previously to admitting the same to the compressing or motor
cylinder. For this purpose, the exhaust gases or independent heating means may be
applied. The supplementary air-supply may also be heated previously to its admission
to the compressing or motor cylinder.
According to an alternative method of working, the entire compound charge, after
having been subjected to compression in an independent cylinder, may, on its way to
the motor cylinder, be caused to traverse heating apparatus. We regard this method
as the more economical if the compound charge or even only the supplementary air-
charge (which constitutes the major portion of the total volume of the working charge)
be heated.
According to another modification, instead of forming the compound charge, compres-
sing it and then heating it, as last described, the bodies of hydrocarburetted air and
atmospheric air for constituting the working charge may be separately compressed,
and the former or both heated before being introduced to the motor cylinder or other
combustion chamber.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we claim :-
First: In working hydrocarburetted-air engines, admitting to the motor cylinder
or combustion chamber a heated charge of hydrocarburetted air separate from a heated
or unheated charge of atmospheric air, such compound charge being compressed before
being ignited.
Secondly In working hydrocarburetted-air engines, admitting to the motor
cylinder or combustion chamber a compressed charge of hydrocarburetted air separate
from a compressed charge of atmospheric air, such compound charge being heated
before being ignited.
:-
Thirdly In working hydrocarburetted-air engines in which the operative charge
is composed in part of a body of hydrocarburetted air and in part of a body of
atmospheric air, compressing and then heating such compound charge before igniting
the same.
Fourthly In working hydrocarburetted-air engines in which the operative charge
is composed in part of a body of hydrocarburetted air and in part of a body of
atmospheric air, separately compressing such component portions, severally heating
them and admitting them separately to the motor cylinder or other combustion
chamber.
Dated his 10th day of
taba 1007