Improvements in Gas Engines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 31st Dec., 1890-Accepted, 31st Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas Engines.
I, SAMUEL BAXTER, of Sandiacre, in the County of Nottingham, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention, a communication to me from abroad
by Louis Jean Roger Holst, of Paris, in the Republic of France, to be as
follows:-
The essential character of the gas engine forming the object of this application
is the replacing of the explosion of the gaseous mixture effected in advance in the
cylinder, by a gradual combustion of a gas or a gaseous mixture introduced into
the cylinder in proportion to the displacement of the piston during the period of
admission, in such a way as to create a constant pressure during the admission
period, as is the case in steam engines.
It is essential also that the inflammable mixture is made outside the cylinder,
and at the same moment that it is wanted.
The gradual combustion of a gaseous mixture in this way, makes it possible to
derive advantages that cannot be obtained with other gas engines, such as
a double action, an impulse at each stroke in single cylinder engines, self
starting, reversibility, steadiness in running, and a much smaller cylinder than in
other gas engines.
The arrangement of the engine permits of an impulse at every stroke. The
cylinder and its covers are both water jacketed. The piston is hollow and
preferably of about equal length to its stroke, to prevent overheating of the
cylinder walls. Moreover the back face of the piston carries a tubular rod
passing through a stuffing box and sliding freely on another tubular rod fixed by
its exterior extremity to a support; suitable small valves are fitted at the other
end of the fixed tubular rod in a way to cause the piston to draw in and blow out a
certain amount of fresh air or water at every stroke.
By cooling in this way the piston itself, a higher temperature can be allowed for
the cylinder walls, as no heat is required to be carried off by radiation from the
piston.
When the
The actual piston rod carries at its outer extremity, the air compression pump
piston. The pump body is also water jacketed to insure the highest possible
efficiency. The air compressed in this pump passes to the receiver placed above it.
A special device is fitted to regulate the pressure and to prevent useless work
being done in case the engine does not require the full pump capacity. This device
consists of a small cylinder and piston in communication with the receiver, the
piston being counteracted by a spring regulated by a set screw.
necessary pressure is obtained, the piston is in equilibrium by the spring, and as
soon as the pressure is exceeded the piston descends, and by a lever motion turns a
pipe going from front to back part of the compressor. This pipe is provided with
two holes which by this motion coincide with two holes in the cylinder wall, and
thereby a communication is made between the front and back part of the pump,
stopping any compression by the pump until the pressure is reduced and allows the
regulating piston to rise, breaking at the same time the contact between the two
piston sides.
A second pump of smaller capacity is provided for the compression of the gas.
The compressed gas is stored in a small receiver placed on top of the air receiver.
The two receivers are separated by a flexible membrane intended to keep the
pressure of air and gas automatically equal. Any other means of keeping an equal
pressure may be substituted for this.
The admission of the gases to the working cylinder is effected by two valves and

page_text: the exhaust by two others. These valves may be worked by any kind of ordinary
steam engine valve motion, either reversible or not so. A suitable arrangement is
as follows. The admission is controlled by a cam on the driving shaft and a lever
rocking on a fixed axis, which operates the distribution rod at each side of the
cylinder.
The compressed air arrives by one tube and the compressed gas by another tube.
The air and gas mix in a chamber before entering into the cylinder. The air valve
is opened a short time before the gas valve, thereby blowing a jet of fresh air
between the piston and the cover at the nearest part, and by that means cleaning
out all products of combustion that might be left. At the dead centre the exhaust
ports are closed and the gas valve opens, introducing a combustible mixture which
on its way to the cylinder is lighted by an electric current created by any suitable
generator.
The regulator used in this system of gas engine affects only the quantity of com-
bustible mixture admitted in the cylinder by altering the admission period, the
proportion of air and gas remaining unaltered.
The engine can be started without turning the fly wheel by hand, by simply
opening the air valve on the receiver, which has been fitted for the first time with
a hand pump, which is also used to fill the gas receiver. After one revolution,
gas is admitted also and the engine will work in its normal conditions.
The invention prevents the shocks always more or less heavy produced by
explosion. When a sufficient quantity of combustible mixture has reached the
cylinder to keep up a constant pressure equal to the pressure in the receiver, the
flow will discontinue automatically admitting the small quantity necessary to keep
up a constant pressure at the back of the moving piston, until the valves are shut,
at which point expansion sets in.
The absence of the sudden inflaming of the full charge permits of clearance
being reduced to a minimum, which is so much wanted in mechanical practice.
Moreover, the new method of burning slowly keeping up constant pressure
during the admission period constitutes an advantage in the manner of using the
heat produced by the combustion. With constant pressure and variable volume
more heat is absorbed by actual energy than with variable pressure under constant
volume. From this it results that less heat has to be carried off by the
jacketing, &c.
Dated this 21st dor of Manch 1900
SAMUEL BAXTER.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas Engines.
I, SAMUEL BAXTER, of Sandiacre, in the County of Nottingham, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention, a communication to me by Louis Jean
Roger Holst, of Paris, in the Republic of France, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The essential character of the gas engine forming the object of this application is
the replacing of the explosion of the gaseous mixture effected in advance in the
cylinder by a gradual combustion of a non explosive gas or gaseous mixture intro-
duced into the cylinder in proportion to the displacement of the piston during the
period of admission in such a way, as to create a constant pressure during the
admission period as in the case of steam engines.
It is essential also that the inflammable mixture is made outside the cylinder and
at the same moment that it is wanted.
The gradual combustion of a non explosive gaseous mixture it: this way makes it

page_text: possible to derive advantages that cannot be obtained with other gas engines, such
as a double action, an impulse at each stroke in single cylinder engines, self-starting,
reversibility, steadiness in running and a much smaller cylinder than in other gas
engines.
The arrangement of the engine permits of an impulse at every stroke. The
cylinder and its covers are both water jacketed. The piston is hollow and
preferably of about equal length to its stroke to prevent overheating of the
cylinder walls.
Moreover the back face of the piston carries a tubular rod passing through a
stuffing box and sliding freely on another tubular rod fixed by its exterior extremity
to a support by which arrangement the interior of the piston is in constant communi-
cation with the outer air.
By cooling in this way the piston itself a higher temperature can be allowed for
the cylinder walls as no heat is required to be carried off by radiation from the
piston.
The actual piston-rod carries at its outer extremity the air compression pump
piston. The pump body is also water jacketed to insure the highest possible
efficiency.
The air compressed in this pump passes to the receiver placed above it. A
special device is fitted to regulate the pressure and to prevent useless work being
done in case the engine does not require the full pump capacity.
This device consists of a small cylinder and piston in communication with the
receiver, the piston being counteracted by a spring regulated by a set screw.
When the necessary pressure is obtained the piston is in equilibrium by the
spring and as soon as the pressure is exceeded the piston descends and by a lever
motion turns a pipe going from front to back part of the compressor. This pipe is
provided with two holes which by this motion coincide with two holes in the
cylinder wall and thereby a communication is made between the front and back
part of the pump stopping any compression by the pump until the pressure is
reduced and allows the regulating piston to rise, breaking at the same time the
communication between the two piston sides.
A second pump of smaller capacity is provided for the compression of the gas.
The compressed gas is stored in a small receiver placed on top of the air receiver.
The two receivers are separated by a flexible membrane intended to keep the
pressure of air and gas automatically equal.
Any other means of keeping an equal pressure may be substituted for this.
The admission of the gases to the working cylinder is effected by two valves and
the exhaust by two others. These valves may be worked by any kind of ordinary
steam engine valve motion, either reversible or not so, a suitable arrangement is as
follows
The admission is controlled by a cam on the driving shaft and a lever rocking on
a fixed axis which operates the distribution rod at each side of the cylinder.
The compressed air arrives by one tube and the compressed gas by another
tube. The air and gas mix in a chamber before entering into the cylinder. The air
valve is opened a short time before the gas valve thereby blowing a jet of fresh air
between the piston and the cover and by that means cleaning out all products of
combustion that might be left. At the dead centre the exhaust ports are closed
and the gas valve opens, introducing a combustible mixture which on its way to the
cylinder is lighted by an electric current created by any suitable generator.
The regulator used in this system of gas engine affects only the quantity of
combustible mixture admitted in the cylinder by altering the admission period.
The proportion of air and gas remaining unaltered.
The engine can be started without turning the fly wheel by hand by simply
opening the air valve on the receiver which has been fitted for the first time with
a hand pump which is also used to fill the gas receiver. After one revolution gas
is admitted also and the engine will work in its normal conditions.
The invention prevents the shocks always more or less heavy, produced by

page_text: the
present invention.
Figure 2 is a plan of the same.
Figure 3 is an end view of the motor partly in section.
Figure 4 shows to a larger scale a section of the distribution apparatus of the
engine.
Figure 5 is a separate view of the cam apparatus for controlling the distri-
bution.
In all the figures like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference.
The arrangement of this motor permits of furnishing an impulse for cach stroke
of the piston, and for equal power the motor cylinder a is much smaller than that
of other motors.
The sides and ends of this cylinder are jacketed and provided with water
circulation. The piston bis hollow, it has a length preferably about equal to the
length of stroke so as to diminish the gas heating surface of the sides of the
cylinder. To diminish still further this heating action an arrangement is adopted
whereby the interior of the piston is placed in constant communication with the
outer air.
For this purpose the back face of the piston is provided with a hollow rod c,
sliding freely upon another hollow rod d, fixed in a support by its exterior end as
shown at figure 1.
The piston rod proper carries, at its end the piston f of the air pump consisting
of a cylinder y also double jacketted and inlet and discharge valves h.
The air is forced into a reservoir i, in which it is stored at a determined and
constant pressure. To prevent this pressure from exceeding the fixed limit it has
been arranged to replace the valves whose play entrains a loss of work by
regulating arrangement more fully represented in vertical section at Figure 3.
This arrangement consists of a small cylinder k in communication with the
reservoir i, and within which works a piston with counteracting spring the
tension of which is regulated according to the maximum pressure to be maintained
within the reservoir i.
The piston is connected by a link k³ and an arm k* with a tube * placed at the
exterior of the cylinder g and whose two extremities are furnished with openings k
which can be in communication with the two ends of the cylinder. When the
pressure in the reservoir and consequently in the small cylinder k exceeds the
limit for which the spring is regulated, the piston k¹ descends, causes the tube
to turn, thus putting in communication by this tube the two faces of the piston f, so
as to suppress all work of compression by the pump g.

page_text: The gas is compressed by means of a small pump into a chamber m located
above the reservoir i and separated therefrom by a flexible membrane n mounted in
such a way as to fall nominally into the reservoir i. This membrane, which may
be replaced by any other equivalent means has for its object to regulate automatically
the pressure of the gas and air which should always be the same in the two
reservoirs and m.
In the system herein described the distribution comprises two admission valves o
and two escape valves p.
The admission represented in detail at Figure 4, is operated from the motive
shaft A by the intervention of the cam B and lever Coscillating on a fixed axis D,
which operates the distribution rod 9 of each side of the cylinder see Figures 3
and 5.
The air from the reservoir i arrives by the tube o¹ and the gas from the
reservoir m by o, the mixture is effected in the chamber o³ before its entrance into
the motor cylinder. Finally this admission has its orifices so arranged as to send
at each stroke of the piston, a current of compressed air into the cylinder in order
to drive out therefrom the residues of combustion.
For this purpose the orifices S for the passage of the air, are uncovered an
instant before those for the admission of the gas and just at the moment when the
motor piston has nearly arrived at the end of its stroke.
At this precise moment, the escape orifices p are still open; they close only
simultaneously with the opening of the passage for the gas in the distribution.
Figures 1. 2 and 3 shew more clearly the escape operating mechanism by means
of the cam and of the cross-bar connecting the two valves by means of levers
on the axes thereof; other mechanical means may however be employed for
operating these valves.
The motive force is transmitted to the horizontal shaft A by a swing lever E
whose fixed point of oscillation is at F and which is connected at G with the
connecting rod H; a block I fixed on the rod e, and a short connecting rod
serve to connect the piston rod e with the lower end of the swing lever E, but it
will be understood that these means are not absolutely necessary as they can be
replaced by other equivalent mechanism.
The lighting of the mixture in the cylinder is effected by means of electric
of wires from any convenient arrangement generator of electricity.
In the arrangement herein described the regulator which I have not represented,
but which may be of any suitable kind, influences the duration of admission and
not the proportion of the mixture, so that the motor acts with great regularity of
work.
The engine can be started without the necessity for turning the fly wheel by
hand, I can therefore construct according to the system herein described motors of
great power, simple or compound with or without reversing gear.
By the present invention I avoid the shocks resulting from the usual explosion
and causing a loss of force at the same time as a very sensible fatigue of the parts
of the mechanism.
I can reduce the prejudicial space and obtain a diagram approaching very closely
to the theoretic surface.
Finally it is clear that the elevation of temperature with variable volume and
constant pressure, is less than when there is a variable pressure and constant
volume.
In effect, as all the caloric cannot from different causes be utilized such amongst
others as the heating of the sides of the cylinder, the present invention enables me to
transform a portion of this caloric into work and the temperature resting less
elevated, there is less loss by artificial cooling.
This new mode of application to the production of motive power, of the heat
developed by the combustion of a non exploding gas or gaseous mixture presents
numerous advantages which cause the herein described system of motor to

page_text: participate at the same time in some of the characteristics of a gas engine and of a
steam engine without having the inconveniences of either.
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. An arrangement of motor in which the power is produced by the gradual
combustion (and not the explosion) of a gas or gaseous mixture, this mixture being
effected outside the cylinder and introduced into the cylinder in proportion to the
displacement of the piston during the period of admission substantially as herein
shown and described.
2. In a gas engine the application and arrangement of separate air and gas
reservoirs in which the pressure is equalized by automatic device substantially as
herein shown and described.
3. In a gas engine the air reservoir provided with an equilibrated piston which
puts in communication the two faces of the air pump piston, when the pressure in
the reservoir has attained the determined limit and which cuts off such communi-
cation when such limit is not reached substantially as herein shown and described
and for the purpose stated.
4. In a gas engine the arrangement whereby the cylinder is placed in communi-
cation with the compressed air reservoir an instant before closing the escape for
the purpose of clearing out the products of combustion substantially as herein
shown and described.
5. In a gas engine provided with a hollow piston the method of cooling the
latter substantially as herein shown and described.
6. The arrangement of gas engine consisting of the combination with the motor
cylinder, whose hollow piston is in constant communication with the outer air, of an
air pump, of the compressed air reservoir, of the gas reservoir, the two latter
being connected with the admission of the motor in such manner that there is first
an introduction of compressed air into the cylinder before the closing of the escape
substantially as herein shown and described.
1000
SAMUEL BAXTER.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.