IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS ENGINES to be as follows
Year: 1884

page_text: We HENRY LEERHOFF MÜLLER of N° 22 Mary Ann' Street Birmingham in
the County of Warwick Merchant and Manufacturer and WILLIAM ADKINS of
No 22 Mary Ann Street Birmingham aforesaid Gas Engineer and EDWARD AMYES
of No 27 Cross Lane Salford in the County of Lancaster Mechanical Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS
ENGINES to be as follows:-
"
:
Our invention has reference to those parts of gas engines by which the mixture
of gas and atmospheric air is effected and also to the parts by which the explosive
gaseous mixture is ignited.
A'shaft which we will call the counter shaft is situated parallel to the detonating
chamber or hollow cylinder in which the gaseous mixture is fired. This counter
shaft receives rotary motion from the crank shaft or principal shaft of the engine
by means of bevil gearing. The counter shaft carries near its end a small hollow
cylinder the cylindrical surface of which works against the cylindrical surface of
the detonating chamber near its base. The said small hollow cylinder and
detonating chamber have slots which on each rotation of the small cylinder are for
a short time coincident thereby putting the small cylinder in communication with
the interior of the detonating chamber. The said small cylinder works in a fixed
case and in the space between the said case and the small cylinder is a gas jet at
which is maintained a permanent gas flame. In the interior of the small hollow
cylinder is another gas jet the gas issuing from which is ignited when the slot in
the said small cylinder passes the permanent gas jet. The gas jet in the rotating
small hollow cylinder has a valve by which the back pressure of the explosion is
prevented from forcing back the gas.
At the base of the detonating chamber is a fixed cylindrical case the axis of
which crosses the base of the said chamber in the direction of a diameter. We
will call this the second fixed case. In this second case a hollow cylinder works
closely rotation being given to the said hollow cylinder by the counter shaft to
which the cylinder is geared by bevil gearing. The second fixed case opens at one
end into the atmosphere by means of a pipe of large diameter in which a throttle
or other valve is situated.
In the axis of the second fixed case and hollow cylinder rotating in it the gas
delivery pipe is situated. This pipe is perforated by a series of small holes by

page_text: which the gas is delivered into the hollow cylinder in small jets and thereby
becomes thoroughly mixed with the air. In the said gas pipe is a valve operated
upon by a spring by which spring the gas valve is kept closed excepting when
a cam near the end of the counter shaft presses on the stalk of the valve and opens
the valve at the required times.
The second hollow cylinder has a slot and in the base of the detonating chamber
is a similar slot. When by the-rotation of the said hollow cylinder its slot coincides
with the slot in the base of the detonating chamber the mixture of gas and air
can be drawn into the said chamber.
The action of the parts.described is as follows. The rotation of the counter
shaft brings the slot in the small hollow" cylinder alternately opposite the
permanent gas flame and opposite the slot in the detonating chamber. In the
former position the gas jet in the small hollow cylinder is lighted at the permanent
flame. In the latter position the flame in the small cylinder ignites the explosive
mixture in the detonating chamber through the coincident slots in the two parts.
Immediately after ignition, the motion of the small cylinder closes the slot in
the detonating chamber. The action of the cam on the counter shaft opens the gas
valve at the required time and thereby lets gas into the second hollow cylinder
which gas mixed with air is drawn into the detonating chamber when by the
rotation of the said second cylinder its slot coincides with the slot in the base of
the detonating chamber. The rotation of the said second cylinder closes the slot
in the base of the detonating chamber immediately before the ignition of the charge
in the said chamber.
LF The parts of the gas engine which we have not described differ in no essential
respect,from the like parts in gas engines as ordinarily constructed.
J
'1,
Our improvements, are applicable to gas engines in which an explosive mixture
of air and the vapour of a volatile hydro carbon is employed as well as to gas
engines in which a mixture of air, and coal gas is employed.

page_text: Improvements in Gas Engines."
We HENRY LEERHOFF MÜLLER of No 22 Mary Ann Street Birmingham in
the County of Warwick Merchant and Manufacturer, and WILLIAM ADKINS of
No 22 Mary Ann Street Birmingham, aforesaid Gas Engineer and EDWARD AMYES
of N° 27 Cross Lane, Salford in the County of Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of our Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS ENGINES"
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our invention has reference to those parts of gas engines by which the mixture
of gas and atmospheric air is effected and also to the parts by which the explosive
gaseous mixture is ignited.
A shaft which we will call the counter shaft, is situated parallel to the detonating
chamber or hollow cylinder in which the gaseous mixture is fired..
This counter shaft receives rotary motion from the crank shaft or
of the engine by means of bevil gearing.
principal shaft
The counter shaft carries near its end a small hollow cylinder the cylindrical
surface of which works against the cylindrical surface of the detonating chamber
near its base..
The said small hollow cylinder and detonating chamber have slots which on
each rotation of the small cylinder are for a short time coincident thereby putting
the small cylinder in communication with the interior of the detonating chamber.
The said small cylinder works in a fixed case and in the space between the said
case and the small cylinder is a gas jet at which is maintained a permanent gas
flame.
In the interior of the small hollow cylinder is another gas jet the gas issuing
from which is ignited when the slot in the said small cylinder passes the permanent
gas jet.
The gas jet in the rotating small hollow cylinder has a valve by which the back
pressure of the explosion is prevented from forcing back the gas.
At the base of the detonating chamber is a fixed cylindrical case the axis of
which crosses the base of the said chamber in the direction of a diameter.
We will call this the second fixed case.
In this second case a hollow cylinder works closely, rotation being given to the
said hollow cylinder by the counter shaft to which the cylinder is geared by bevil
gearing.
The second fixed case, opens at one end into the atmosphere by means of a pipe
of large diameter in which a throttle or other valve is situated..
In the axis of the second fixed case and hollow cylinder rotating in it the gas
delivery pipe is situated.
This pipe is perforated by a series of small holes by which the gas is delivered
into the hollow cylinder in small jets and thereby becomes thoroughly mixed with
the air.
In the said gas pipe is. a valve operated upon by a spring by which spring the
gas valve is kept closed excepting when a cam near the end of the counter shaft
presses on the stalk of the valve and opens the valve at the required times,

page_text: The second hollow cylinder has a slot and in the base of the detonating chamber
is a similar slot.
When by the rotation of the said hollow cylinder its slot coincides with the slot
in the base of the detonating chamber, the mixture of gas and air can be drawn.
into the said chamber.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents in plan, a gas engine
containing our improvements; Figure 2 represents in horizontal section a portion
of the same drawn to a larger scale; Figure 3 represents the same in end elevation
with the gaseous mixture feeding apparatus in vertical section; Figure 4 is a side
elevation of Figure 2; Figures 5, 6, and 7 represent cross sections taken through
the gas igniting apparatus and also longitudinal sections taken through the gaseous
mixture feeding apparatus; Figures 8 and 9 represent cross sections taken through
the gaseous mixture feeding apparatus, and also longitudinal sections taken through
the gas igniting apparatus; Figure 10 represents a portion of the gas igniting
apparatus detached and Figure 11 represents a portion of the gaseous mixture
feeding apparatus detached. In Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8 the gas inlet valve is
represented open,
en, the second or gas mixture supply cylinder being about to open
communication with the detonating chamber and the small cylinder of the gas
igniting apparatus is represented closed.
717
41 J
DON
In Figures 6 and 9 the gas inlet valve and the
e'inlet' to the detonating
chamber
are represented closed the gaseous mixture having been drawn into the detonating
chamber and the gas igniting cylinder is represented about to open communication
with the interior of the detonating chamber to ignite the charge.
In Figure 7 the rotating cylinder carrying the gas jet is represented being
ignited by the permanent gas flame."
1
1. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawings.
I
a is the detonating, chamber and is the small rotating hollow cylinder (shown
separately in Figure 10) carrying the gas jet c supplied with gas from the pipe c³
and passage represented in Figures 2 and 10. The gas jet cylinder b works against
the cylindrical surface of the detonating chamber a in 'the manner shown' in
Figures 2, 5, 6 and 7 and the said cylinder b. is fixed oii: the end of the counter
shaft d geared by the bevil gearing at d² to the crank shaft.of the gas engine (see
Figure 1): Through the said counter shaft drithe rotating gas jet cylinder b is
worked and through the said cylinder b the rotating cylinder of the gaseous
mixture feeding apparatus berein after described is worked. In the said gas jet
cylinder, and opposite the jet.c.is a slot e and in. the detonating chamber a.is a
slot and passage f. On each rotation of the small cylinder b the two slots e, f are
for a time coincident thereby putting the said cylinder b in communication with
the interior of the detonating chamber ag is the fixed case in which the rotating
gas jet cylinder b works. In the said case g is the gas jet hat which a permanent
flame is maintained. By means of the permanent flame at h the gas issuing from
the jet c in the cylinder,b is ignited when the slot e in the said cylinder passes the
permanent flame h as represented in Figure 7. Tlie gas supplied to the gas jet ċ is
prevented from being forced back by the explosion by means of a valve not shown
in the Drawing.
The manner in which the gas jet c of the cylinder 6 is ignited and the ignited
gas jet carried to the slot f of the detonating chamber a will be understood by an
examination of Figures 5, 6 and 7. In Figure 7ithe gas jet c is being ignited by
the permanent flame h. In Figure 5 the ignited gas jet is being carried away
from the permanent flame and in Figure 6 the ignited gas jet c'has been brought
nearly opposite the slot fin the detonating chamber a.
We will now describe the gaseous mixture.feeding apparatus of the gas.engine.
Working in the fixed case i at the base of the detonating chamber a is the rotating
hollow cylinder k through which the gaseous.mixture is supplied to the detonating
chamber, a. The rotating,hollow cylinder. is represented 'separately in Figure 11:
It has at its end a bevil wheel which gears with the bevil wheel 62 on the end

page_text: of the gas jet cylinder b and is worked through the said gas jet cylinder b. The
gaseous mixture cylinder k is open to the atmosphere through the, branch pipe, or
case which is provided with a throttle valve m. In the axis of the fixed case i is
a perforated pipe'n which receives gas from the branch pipe m³ (see Figure 3):
By means of the perforations in the pipe n the gas is delivered into the rotating
hollow cylinder k in small jets and thereby becomes thoroughly mixed with the
air supplied to the said hollow cylinder k by the pipe ;p is a valve at the end of
the gas supply pipe n which, valve is kept closed by the spring represented. The
said valve,p. is opened at the required times for taking in gas by the action of the
cam q (see Figures 2 and 3) on the axis of the gas jet cylinder b operating upon
the stalk p of the valve p; r is a slot in the hollow cylinder k and in the base of
the detonating chamber a is a slot or opening 8. When by the rotation of the
cylinder its slot r coincides with the slots in the base of the detonating
chamber a the mixture of gas and air in the cylinder can be drawn into the said
detonating chamber as will be understood by an examination of Figures 2, 8 and 9.
In Figure 2 the slots r, 's are represented coincident. In Figure 8 the cylinder k is
about to deliver the gaseous mixture into the detonating chamber a and in Figure 9
the slot, s in the detonating chamber a is closed after the gaseous mixture has
passed into the detonating chamber..
The action of the parts described is as follows. The rotation of the counter
shaft d brings the slot e in the gas jet cylinder b alternately opposite the per-
manent gas flame and the slot f in the detonating chamber a. In the former
position (see Figure 7) the gas jet in the hollow cylinder bis lighted at the per-
manent flame h. In the latter position the flame in the cylinder b ignites the
explosive mixture in the detonating chamber through the coincident slots e, f in
the two parts. In Figure 6 the gas jet is nearly brought opposite the slot ƒ in the
detonating chamber a.
Immediately after ignition the motion of the cylinder b closes the slot f in the
detonating chamber. When by the rotation of the cylinder b the slot e is brought
to its lowest point and the second slot e to its highest point an upward draught of
air through the cylinder b is produced by the heat of the said cylinder. The said
draught clears the cylinder 6 of foul air and refills it with atmospheric air to
support the combustion of the gas issuing from the jet c. The action of the cam q
opens the gas valve p at the required time and thereby lets gas into the second or
large hollow cylinder k which gas mixed with air is drawn into the detonating
chamber a when by the rotation of the said second cylinder kits slot r coincides
with the slots in the base of the detonating chamber.
The rotation of the said second cylinder k closes the slot in the base of the
detonating chamber a immediately before the ignition of the charge in the said
chamber.
The parts of the gas engine which we have not described differ in no essential
respect from the like parts in gas engines as ordinarily constructed.
Our improvements are applicable to gas engines in which an explosive mixture
of air and the vapour of a volatile hydro-carbon is employed as well as to gas
engines in which a mixture of air and gas is employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we claim as our
invention of "Improvements in gas engines
First. The construction and combination of the parts of gas igniting apparatus
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings the parts of
the said apparatus consisting essentially of the rotating slotted gas jet cylinder b
in combination with the permanent flame h and the passage f to the detonating
chamber, the said rotating gas jet cylinder being worked and acting substantially
as described and illustrated.
Secondly. The construction and combination of the parts of apparatus for
supplying the gaseous mixture to and cutting off the supply from the detonating

page_text: chamber herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings the
parts of the said apparatus consisting essentially of a rotating slotted hollow
cylinder k, perforated gas supply pipe n and valve p, the said cylinder and valve
being worked and the several parts operating substantially as described and
illustrated.