AN IMPROVED CALORIC ENGINE
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alexander .Melville Clark at
A
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st December 1881.
communication from abroad by Jakob Schweizer, of Soleure, Switzerland.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of 53 Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex Patent Agent. "AN IMPROVED CALORIC ENGINE." [A communication
from abroad by Jakob Schweizer, of Soleure, Switzerland.]
This improved caloric engine is based on the employment of a partial vacuum
produced by the expansion of air at atmospheric pressure, by the heat of a
flame, jet of steam or other fluid, or by a current of hot air, and its subsequent
cooling in a closed chamber.
The engine is of simple construction and its working will be readily understood
by reference to the accompanying Drawings which illustrate one example of the
Invention. Figure 1 is a side elevation of the engine. Figure 2 is a section the
driving gear and cover of the cylinder being removed. Figure 3 is a section taken
on line 1-2 Figure 1 and Figure 4 is a face view of the cylinder cover.
reference letters indicate the same parts in all the Figures.
The same
The engine consists of an annular drum a divided by radial divisions into a
number of equal chambers 6 which are open at both ends. The drum is carried
by arms i on a shaft c and turns freely within a cylinder d by which it is enclosed.
There is sufficient clearance between the periphery of the drum a and the inside
circumference of the cylinder d but the end covers e of the cylinder are fitted
sufficiently close to the end faces of the drum to close the ends of the chambers b
airtight without impeding the rotation of the drum. Both covers have a port f
corresponding to the sectional area of a chamber b the said ports being directly
opposite one another so as to coincide with the same chamber at the same moment
and form a through passage open to the atmosphere, for the jet of flame, steam, or
other Huid projected through one of the ports. The cylinder d is fixed in a trough g
containing water to a level just below the shaft c the water passing through holes h
into the central part of the annular drum and rising. to the same level therein.
The front cover of the cylinder d has a port k communicating by a pipe m with
the exhaust of an ordinary engine cylinder. The drum a is driven from the engine
shaft by gear wheels n, o or by belts chains or other means. As the motion might
Price &77

page_text: not in the latter case be so constant as with toothed gear I would employ a vacuum
chamber between the drum and the engine which would enable me in certain
cases to use reversing gear, the chamber storing sufficient vacuum to start the
engine in either direction. The working of the engine is as follows:-When a
chamber b comes opposite ports f. and a jet of flame, steam, hot air or other fluid
is injected through or into the thoroughfare thus formed and the drum is at same
time revolved, the said chamber b now filled with heated air or fluid, passes
between and is closed by, the lower part of the cylinder covers e which is immersed
in the water, whereupon the heated air or fluid is cooled and a partial vacuum
immediately begins to be formed in the chamber, and so on for all of the chambers b
in succession. The drum is driven at such a speed that the heated air shall be
completely cooled down in each chamber by the time it comes opposite port k
communicating with the exhaust of the engine.
The partial vacuum in each chamber b is filled by the air withdrawn from the
one end of the engine cylinder at the same time that atmospheric air is admitted
to act on the opposite face of the piston, each stroke of which corresponds with the
passage of a chamber b over the port k, the radial divisions of the drum passing
said port when the piston is at the ends of the cylinder.
The admission of air to the engine cylinder may be controlled by an ordinary
governor to regulate the speed.
The water in the trough seals the joints between the drum and covers as well as
cools the heated air in the chambers.