Improvements in or connected with Internal Combustion Engines Working with Liquid Hydro-carbons and Air.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1897
Complete Specification Left. 3rd Dec.. 1897-Accepted. 26th Feb. 1898
Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1897
Complete Specification Left. 3rd Dec.. 1897-Accepted. 26th Feb. 1898
Improvements in or connected with Internal Combustion Engines
Working with Liquid Hydro-carbons and Air.
We, WILLIAM BOWDEN, of Merlewood, Wardle Road, Sale, in the County of
Chester, Managing Director, and RIDLEY JAMES URQUHART, of 6, Clayton Square,
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to internal combustion engines in which liquid hydro-
carbons are vapourised and mixed with air to form the combustible charge and
consists chiefly in improvements in the construction of that part of the engine in
which the liquid hydrocarbons are vapourised, the main object being to obtain
greater economy in the working of the engine.
According to our invention we provide a closed chamber having at one or each
side or end a moveable cover into which chamber is led the exhaust from the
engine cylinder and from which chamber the exhaust is conducted to a silencer
or to the open, the inlet and outlet of the exhaust with reference to the chamber being
preferably so arranged as to provide an indirect passage through for the purpose
of baffling and retarding the passage of the products of combustion and utilising
their heat. Beneath the chamber is formed an opening provided with a rim
seating and hinged or removeable cover having a suitable fastening.
Inside the chamber is a downward inclined retort the upper end of which
communicates through the chamber with the atmosphere and with the supply pipe
for the liquid hydrocarbons through a valve or valves of any suitable construction
opening inwards.
The lower end of the retort communicates through the chamber with the inlet
valve for the charge into the cylinder.
To facilitate cleaning out, the ends of the retort are formed with sockets pro-
vided with screwed plugs which may be removed after first removing the cover of
the chamber.
The retort is preferably formed with three straight limbs arranged so that a
zig zag passage runs therethrough the two middle elbows being provided with
screwed sockets and plugs for cleaning purposes.
In starting the engine the cover of the opening at the bottom of the chamber is
removed and a suitable lamp placed beneath to heat up the retort to the required
degree for vaporising the liquid hydrocarbons, which when accomplished is
removed and the opening closed. The engine is then started by hand, sucks in a
change of the vapour and air, and after each explosion has taken place the exhaust
is first led into the chamber and so maintains the necessary heat.
Dated this 2nd day of March 1897.

page_text: Improvements in or connected with Internal Combustion Engines
Working with Liquid Hydro-carbons and Air.
We, WILLIAM BOWDEN, of Merlewood, Wardle Road, Sale, in the County of
Chester, Managing Director, and RIDLEY JAMES URQUHART, of 24, North John
Street, formerly of 6, Clayton Square, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Consulting Engineer, 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 internal combustion engines in which liquid hydro-
carbons are vapourised and mixed with air to form the combustible charge and
consists chiefly in improvements in the construction of that part of the engine in
which the liquid hydrocarbons are vapourised, the main object being to obtain
greater economy in the working of the engine when using the heavier liquid
hydrocarbons.
In order that our invention may be better understood we have attached here-
unto a sheet of drawings to which we will now refer.
In the said drawings, Figure 1 is the right end elevation of the vapourising
arrangement hereinafter particularly described, and constructed in accordance
with our invention, having the cover removed; Figure 2 is a longitudinal scetional
elevation of the arrangement; Figure 3 is a transverse sectional elevation through
line xx, and Figure 4 is a plan of the same looking from the top, and shewing the
casing in section.
In carrying out our invention we provide a closed chamber a preferably of
cylindrical form as illustrated in the drawings, having at one or each side or end
but preferably at each end a moveable cover a¹ a¹, into which chamber is led the
exhaust from the engine cylinder or cylinders by means of a pipe or in this case
the pipes 6 b¹, and from which chamber the exhaust is conducted to a silencer or
to the open by means of the pipe c, the inlet and outlet of the exhaust with reference
to the chamber being preferably so arranged as to provide an indirect passage
though for the purpose of baffling and retarding the passage of the products of
combustion and utilising their heat preferably in the manner shewn in Figures 2
and 4 of the drawings. Beneath the chamber is formed an opening d provided
with a rim seating having preferably a hinged or otherwise removable gas
tight cover d provided with a screw fastening ³.
Inside the chamber a is a downward inclined retort e the upper end of which
communicates through the chamber wall with the atmosphere and with the supply
pipe for the liquid hydrocarbons through a valve g preferably of the construction
illustrated in the drawings.
The lower end e¹ of the retort communicates through the chamber wall with the
inlet valve for the charge into the cylinder.
The retort illustrated has three members a², a³ a¹ but more may be used. The
members are straight or approximately so, and the return elbows a³, a thereof
have the passages running through them, as well as having the passages com-
municating one with the other, in order to facilitate the cleaning out of the carbon
deposit and other refuse of the liquid hydrocarbon, the openings in the return
elbows being closed with removable caps a which are preferably screwed in.
The valve is preferably constructed as shewn in Figures 1, 2 and 3, of the
drawings. The valve opens inwards by the pressure of the atmosphere during the
suction stroke of the piston, and the valve disc g is held against the seat g by
means of the spring gf encircling the valve spindle g³. The mouth of the valve

page_text: casing may be covered with a fine wire gauze screen in order to obviate the risk
of explosion. In the valve seat there is a small orifice 9 Figure 3 which is
normally covered by the valve disc g¹ to which orifice the liquid hydrocarbon is
fed by the pipe f, from a receiver, and drawn through the valve during the
suction stroke of the engine along with the air.
The removable covers a¹, a', of the chamber a are shewn in the drawings as
screwed on, the chamber being cylindrical, but the particular form of the chamber
is immaterial and the covers may be secured in any convenient known manner,
To facilitate the screwing on or off of the covers a¹ and a¹ they are provided with
bosses a3a, which are suitably formed to fit a wrench, being preferably
hexagonal.
The retort is preferably so fixed in position and connected to the inlet valve g
and at the outlet e¹ to the feed or cylinder supply pipe h that it can be readily
removed from the chamber. This is effected by screwing the elbows as a³ inter-
nally and clamping them to the casing by means of the hollow flanged screws a¹ a",
suitable gas tight packing being placed between the surfaces in contact. Upon
the flange of the screw a10 is seated the valve 9 which is secured in position by
screws a passing into the casing. To the flange a" is connected in a similar
manner the feed or supply pipe to the engine cylinder or cylinders.
The retort is first heated by means of lamp represented by the nozzle i the
flame of which is directed through the manhole d when the cover 2 is removed
therefrom. When sufficiently heated the lamp is removed and the manhole
closed. The engine is then started by hand and the exhaust from which, led into
the casing a by the pipe b or pipes b and b' maintains sufficient heat to vapourise
the liquid hydrocarbons.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
In an internal combustion engine which works with liquid hydrocarbons and
air, the use and combination therewith and construction of an apparatus for
converting the said hydrocarbons into vapour or gas and mixing such vapour or
gas with air to form the explosive charge, which apparatus consists of a closed
vessel provided with opposing removable covers, a manhole underneath having a
removable door and arranged to receive a heating lamp when the same is
uncovered, a pipe or pipes leading into the said vessel to convey the exhaust gases
of the engine thereinto and a pipe to carry the same away, and an internally
arranged zig-zag retort having straight or approximately straight members the
return elbows of which are provided with manholes and removable covers arranged
opposite the removable covers of the closed vessel, the lower end of the retort
communicating with the engine cylinder or cylinders and the upper end being
provided with a suitable valve, communicating therethrough with the atmosphere
and with the liquid hydrocarbons substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the drawings attached.
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