Improved Apparatus for Impregnating Air with Hydrocarbon Vapour for Use in Motors.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Apr., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 12th Feb., 1900-Accepted, 7th Apr., 1900..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Impregnating Air with Hydrocarbon Vapour
for Use in Motors.
I, JAMES GEORGE ACCLES, of Holford House, Perry Barr, Birmingham, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
.6
This invention relates to improved apparatus for impregnating air with hydro-
carbon vapour for use with internal combustion engines, such apparatus being
commonly known as surface carburettors." In all forms of this apparatus
heretofore constructed, their efficiency has been impaired by the splashing of
the hydrocarbon contained in the carburettor, and by the liability to explosion
of the contained gas or vapour by a flame from the engine or otherwise. The
object of my invention is to obviate these difficulties.
For this purpose a vessel of metal or other material of any convenient shape
is provided with a vapourizing chamber, the bottom portion of which
is of gauze or similar material, said chamber communicating with the
interior of the before mentioned vessel. From the top or side of this vapourizing
chamber, a tube is led communicating with an air mixing device hereinafter
described. The top of the said vessel is provided with a suitably formed inlet
for cold or hot air or both, and with a gauge glass or other suitable contrivance
for indicating the quantity of hydrocarbon contained therein. The interior of
this vessel, with the exception of the portion occupied by the before mentioned
vaporizing chamber, is entirely or partially filled with a porous substance such
as pumice, sponge or a material such as silicated cotton, or the like or any
substances having similar properties.
The air impregnated with the hydrocarbon drawn from this apparatus is much
too heavily charged to be explosive in an internal combustion engine. Therefore
before entering the engine, it is caused to pass, by the action of the piston or
otherwise, into a mixing device which may be arbitrarily set to give the correct
amount of air required to make an explosive mixture. This mixing device I
prefer to place immediately in communication with the explosive chamber of
the engine. It contains between the inlet for pure air and the carburettor above
referred to, a number of sheets of gauze or other appropriate material, and the
air charged with the hydrocarbon (before being rendered explosive) passes
through these sheets of gauze. It will be obvious that the only explosive gases
obtained by this apparatus are those which reach the engine, after they have
passed through the gauze and the mixing chamber, and therefore should a flame
from the engine explode these gases, they will expend their force freely and
harmlessly into the atmosphere through the inlet by which the outer air enters
the mixing device. As the gases in the carburettor are not explosive, there is
no risk of an explosion taking place therein.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improved Apparatus for Impregnating Air with Hydrocarbon Vapour
for Use in Motors.
26.
I, JAMES GEORGE ACCLES, of Holford House, Perry Barr, Birmingham, 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 improved apparatus for impregnating air with hydro-
carbon vapour for use with internal combustion engines, such apparatus being
commonly known as "surface carburettors." The efficiency of such apparatus
as heretofore constructed has been impaired by the splashing of the hydro-
carbon contained in the carburettor, and by the liability to explosion of the
contained gas or vapour by a flame from the engine or otherwise. The object of
my invention is to obviate these objections.
For this purpose a vessel of metal or other material and of any convenient
shape is provided with a vapourizing chamber, the bottom portion of which is of
gauze or other reticulated material through which the said chamber communi-
cates with the interior of the said vessel. From the top or side of the vapourizing
chamber extends a tube communicating with an air and vapour mixing device
or chamber hereinafter described. The top of the said vessel is provided with a
suitably formed inlet for cold or hot air or both, and with a gauge-glass or other
appropriate contrivance for indicating the quantity of hydrocarbon contained in
said vessel. The space within this vessel, unoccupied by the vapourizing chamber,
is charged with a porous substance such as pumice sponge, or a material such as
silicated cotton, or the like or any substance having similar absorbent properties.
The air drawn through this carburettor is much too heavily charged with
the hydrocarbon vapour to be explosive in an internal combustion engine. There-
fore before entering the engine, it is caused to pass, by the action of the working
piston or otherwise, into the aforesaid mixing device or chamber which cau
be adjusted to admit the correct amount of air required to make an explosive
mixture. It contains between the inlet for pure air and the carburettor above
referred to, a number of partitions of gauze or the like, and the air charged
with the hydrocarbon (before being rendered explosive) passes through these
gauze partitions. The only explosive gases obtained by this apparatus are those
which reach the engine, after they have passed through the gauze partitions and
the mixing device or chamber, and therefore should a flame from the engine
explode these gases, they will expend their force freely and harmlessly into the
atmosphere through the air inlet without risk of exploding the carburettor,
because the gases coming therefrom are too heavily laden with hydrocarbon
vapour to be exploded without the admixture of more air than can enter the said
vessel.
In order that my said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried
into effect I will proceed to describe the same more fully with reference to the
accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a vertical section and
Figure 2 a plan of the carburettor. In the latter figure the cover has been
removed.
Figure 3 is a vertical section of the mixing device or chamber.
A is the outer vessel and B the vapourizing chamber which is located within.
the said vessel at the upper part thereof and is provided at its top with a tube C
which is adapted to be connected by a pipe to the inlet valve of the engine.
The lower part of the said vapourizing chamber is open and covered with a
sheet of gauze b which is held in place by a frame b¹. It will be obvious that

page_text: instead of constructing the lower part of said chamber open and covering such
part with gauze, its lower part may be perforated. D is the porous substance
with which the space within the said vessel A is charged, this material serving
to absorb the hydrocarbon which is placed into the said vessel. The upper part
of this vessel is closed by a cover A' having an opening a therein for the entrance
of air.
The mixing device or chamber comprises a chamber E which is located at any
convenient point between the tube C and the inlet of the engine. In the
example shown it is intended to be connected directly to the valve chamber of
the engine. F F are wire gauze or similar partitions located at the inlet end
of the said chamber E; they are retained in position by means of a socket G:
screwing on to the screw-threaded end of the said chamber E. E' is an aperture
in the said chamber through which air can enter. This aperture can be more
or less closed by means of a movable sleeve E2 surrounding the said chamber E,
and provided with an opening e, which can be caused to more or less coincide
with the opening E' according as the said sleeve is shifted angularly in one or
other direction. The inlet for the air can thus be regulated.
When the engine is working, the action of the piston causes air to be drawn
through the opening a in the cover of the vessel A and to pass through the
absorbent substance charged with the hydrocarbon, whereby the said air becomes
heavily impregnated with the vapour of the hydrocarbon and in that condition
passes through the chamber B and through the gauze partitions F to the mixing
chamber E. Here it meets with the incoming air that enters through the
openings e E, with which air it becomes mixed and enters the working cylinder.
In that condition the hydrocarbon vapour is sufficiently charged with air to
render it explosive. On reference to Figure 3 it will be observed that if by
the ignition device or otherwise, the explosive mixture should become ignited
prior to its admission to the working cylinder, this ignition will not cause an
explosion of the carburettor because the flame of the burning mixture in the
chamber E would be prevented from "lighting back" by the aforesaid gauze
partitions F and the force of the explosion in said mixing chamber would, as
already stated, expend itself through the opening E' communicating directly
with the atmosphere. Furthermore if the mixing chamber be used with a
carburettor of the kind above described, no explosion of the carburettor would
be likely to take place even if the flame should "light back," because the air
within the said carburettor is so highly charged with hydrocarbon vapour
that it does not constitute an explosive mixture.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
1 claim is :-
1. A carburettor comprising an outer vessel containing absorbent material
charged with hydrocarbon over or through which air is caused to pass to the
inlet valve of the engine for the purpose specified.
2. The combination with the aforesaid carburettor of a vapourizing chamber
having a reticulated or perforated portion for the purpose specified.
3. A mixing chamber provided with an adjustable air inlet and with gauze
or similar partitions substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
4. A carburettor and mixing chamber constructed and arranged to operate
substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings for the
purpose specified.
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.