Year: 1897

page_text: I, ELLS DAGNALL of 30. Maude Grove, Fulham Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer; do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to internal combustion engines, particularly oil-gas engines'
and it has for its object to ensure such an intimate and uniform or homogeneous
mixture of the gas and air in proper proportions that combustion will be perfect and
unaccompanied by smell or deposit in the cylinder even when ordinary lamp oil is
used.
In order to carry the Invention into effect in the case of an oil engine the oil is
converted into gas in a retort (heated by the exhaust gases from the engine or by a
current passed through a resistance coil from a dynamo driven by the engine) whence
the oil gas is caused to pass along with the proper proportion of air through a filter-
ing and mixing screen or screens formed of a finely divided absorbent material pre-
ferably animal charcoal whereby the uniform dissemination of the gas through the
whole volume of air is ensured and any free oil is retained.
The air and gas pass to
the mixing screen through a valve or valves preferably automatic whereby the supply
of oil gas and air is controlled and escape caused by back pressure prevented. Another
valve in connection with, and operated by, the first controls the supply of oil to the
retort so that the supply will be dependent on the consumption. The intimate and
homogeneous mixture of gas and air obtained by the passage of the gas and air
through the interstices of the mixing screen is received in a chamber with which the
inlet valves of the engine cylinder communicate. The engine has double acting.
cylinders into which the combustible charge is drawn, the valves being so arranged"
that they may be tripped by cams under the control of the governor so that if neces-
sary a portion of the charge may be returned to the mixing chamber in order to
govern the speed of the engine by varying the quantity of the explosive charge.
In order to prevent an accumulation of free oil in the retort, a waste pipe of small
bore may be provided to carry away any surplus oil. In the case of a gas engine the
retort would of course be dispensed with.
1005

page_text: same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My Invention relates to internal combustion oil-gas engines, and it has for its
object to ensure such an intimate and uniform or homogeneous mixture of the oil
and air in proper proportions that combustion will be perfect and unaccompanied by
smell or deposit in the cylinder.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
Specification wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of an engine constructed according to
my Invention. Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same. Figure 3 is a rear elevation
of the engine, the retort and inlet passages being in section. Figure 4 is an axial
section of the engine cylinder viewed from the opposite side to Figure 2, and Figure 5
is a cross-section of the cylinder through the exhaust ports.
In order to carry the Invention into effect, the oil is converted into gas in a retort
or vapourizer A forming a passage leading to the working cylinder B and heated at
starting by a lamp or other external source and thereafter by the exhaust gases dis-
charged from the cylinder by way of the exhaust pipe b and passing through a jacket C
around the vapourizer on their way to the atmosphere. The retort or vapourizer is
provided with an air inlet valve D preferably self-opening and closed by a spring, and
the oil supply pipe leads into the air inlet passage immediately above the air valve
and is controlled by an oil valve E so coupled to the air valve as to be opened thereby
and closed by a spring which comes into action when the air valve closes For this
purpose a heade on the oil valve spindle may be engaged by a lug d on the air valve
spindle by which the oil valve spindle is also guided, a spring being confined
between the said lug and the oil valve to close it, the valves being mutually adjusted so
as to give the proper proportions of air and oil. These valves being automatic, the
supply of oil, gas, and air is controlled and escape caused by back pressure prevented
whilst the oil valve being operated by the air valve the supply of oil will be dependent
on the consumption since the frequency and extent of opening of the air valve is
dependent on the pressure within the vapourizer. The oil entering in a fine stream
along with the air is vapourized in the retort A whence it passes through a mixing
screen (or screens) F of finely divided absorbent material preferably animal charcoal,
whereby the uniform dissemination of the gas through the whole volume of air is
ensured and any free oil retained.
The intimate and homogeneous mixture of gas and air obtained by the passage of
the gas and air through the interstices of the mixing screen is received in a chamber G
communicating with the cylinder through the inlet valve H actuated through lever
by a cam I of variable angular amplitude, the edge of the cam controlling the opening
of the valve being in the plane of the cam axis whilst the edge controlling the closing
of the valve is inclined to the said axis so that by the motion of the cam in the
direction of its axis under the control of the governor the period during which the
valve is kept open is varied whilst the time of opening is constant with regard to
the stroke of the piston. This admits of governing the speed of the engine by per-
mitting the return of a portion of the charge from the cylinder to the chamber G
during the compression stroke thus varying the quantity of the explosive charge.
Instead of the air valve being self-opening as above described it might be opened
by a cam which would be similar to that above described but reverse as regards the
direction of its variable angular amplitude, the two valves being moved conjointly by
the governor so that the longer the period of opening of the cylinder admission valve
the shorter the period of opening of the oil and air supply valves, and vice-versa.
The exhaust openings 61 of the working cylinder are preferably arranged (as shewn
in Figures 4 and 5) circumferentially of the cylinder walls near the end of the latter
so as to afford a very free exit for, and completely clear the cylinder of, the products
of combustion, and these openings are controlled by an annular piston valve J recipro-
cated within the body of the cylinder by a rod ; passing out through a stuffing box in
the cylinder cover and actuated from the crank shaft by suitable mechanism such as
the lever K, connecting rod L, and crank M rotated by bevel gear N on the cam
shaft O. The valve ring J is made of slightly larger diameter than the cylinder and

page_text: afterwards split so as to fit within the cylinder like an ordinary packing ring, the open
spider construction of the valve as shewn admitting of the explosive charge (the
force of which serves to keep the valve tight) being introduced into the interior of
the cylinder between the arms and ring J.
The cylinder may be single-acting as shewn or double-acting by duplicating the
valves. To prevent an accumulation of free oil in the retort, a waste pipe of small
bore may be provided to carry away any surplus oil.
As in an engine constructed and working as herein described, the period during
which the explosive charge is compressed is variable relatively-to-the-whole period of
the stroke, it will be necessary, if an ignition tube be employed to fire the charge,
that a "timing" valve be provided to permit access of the charge to the ignition
tube at the proper moment.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performned I declare that what I claim is :-
1. An oil-gas engine wherein the rate of supply of the oil to the vapourizer is made
dependent on the consumption in the cylinder by permitting the return to the
vapourizer of part of the charge in the cylinder through the keeping open of the
cylinder admission valve during a part of the compression stroke under the action of
the governor (whether the supply valve be automatic or cam-controlled) as described.
2. The herein described oil-gas engine constructed for operation substantially as
specified and shewn in the drawings.
Dated this 1st day of October 1897
A. M. & WM. CLARK
Chartered Patent Agents. 53. Chancery Lane. London.