according to which Steam and afterwards Gas are used as Working Fluids in the same Cylinder for the Generation of Power.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Apr., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 21st Dec.. 1892-Accepted, 28th Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL
DI MUITIVATION.
Method according to which Steam and afterwards Gas are used
as Working Fluids in the same Cylinder for the Generation
of Power.
I, BERTRAM CHATTERTON of 44 Rye Hill Park, Peckham Rye in the County
of Surrey, Consulting Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention has reference to a method or methods by means of which steam
and afterwards gas are used as working fluids in the same cylinder for the
generation of power.
For this purpose steam of a suitable pressure is used expansively in a cylinder
as in an ordinary steam engine, for the first working stroke, and in the next
working stroke gas is used as in an ordinary gas engine.
Now what I claim is that by the alternation of first steam and then gas there
results a great economy in the production of power.
It is well known that in order for steam to work effectively it must not be
condensed by the cold walls on entering the cylinder. At the present time steam
jackets and various other appliances are used to give heat to the cylinder walls
and prevent the initial condensation. Now in gas engines of nearly all descriptions
heat has to be taken away from the cylinders by an outside water jacket because
they would get too hot for a piston to reciprocate in.
Now I claim that by using an explosive gaseous mixture to do work in a
cylinder after a working stroke in which steam has been used, I heat the walls
most effectively inside ready for the next admission of steam & no condensation
of steam takes place. By this system of working the economy of the gas engine
is improved for the heat which is absorbed by the water jacket instead of going to
waste is utilized in superheating the steam of the following admission.
It is not essential that gas should be used alternately with steam. The gas
explosion is to be used only as often as is necessary for maintaining a high
temperature on the inside surface of the cylinder walls and piston.
If when steam and gas are used alternately the walls become too hot I further
propose as another modification to introduce water into the cylinder in the form of
a spray against the cylinder walls so that it may be vapourised and thus absorb
the heat giving a further increase in the economy of steam consumption.
The temperature of the cylinder may be regulated either by the proportion of
gas explosions to admissions of steam or by an alternation of steam and gas using
a spray to absorb heat when the cylinder becomes too hot for working.
In this process any form of gas or petroleum engine is applicable whether
exploding the gaseous mixture at constant volume or at constant pressure.
The engine can either be double acting or single acting.
Dated this First day of April 1892.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Method according to which Steam and afterwards Gas are
used
as Working Fluids in the same Cylinder for the Generation
of Power.
I, BERTRAM CHATTERTON, of 44 Rye Hill Park, Peckham Rye, in the County
of Surrey, 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 :—
.
When steam is employed for producing motive power, the cooling of the
cylinder which results from the expansion during one stroke condenses part of
the steam admitted for the next stroke, thus causing a serious loss of efficiency.
Again, when the combustion of gas or inflammable vapour mixed with air is
employed, the cylinder in which the combustion takes place has to be cooled
artificially, so that in this case also there is a serious waste of heat and consequent
loss of efficiency.
My invention relates to a method of working an engine for the production of
motive power, by the conjoint use of steam and of combustible gaseous mixture, in
such a manner that there is little or no loss of steam by the cooling in the cylinder,
resulting from expansion, and little or no loss of the heat derived from the com
bustion of the inflammable mixture. For this purpose, I supply the cylinder
during one stroke with steam which expands therein performing work and cooling
the cylinder, and during the next stroke I supply it with a charge of combustible
mixture which, being fired, produces expansion, propelling the piston, and also
heats the cylinder. Thus the steam, being always received in a heated cylinder
undergoes no such loss as would result from cooling, and the heat produced by
the combustion of the gaseous charge is taken up by the cylinder and imparted
to the steam at the next stroke, instead of being wasted, as usual, in heating
water in the cylinder jacket. An engine to be worked in this manner may be
of any known suitable form requiring only special arrangement of the valve gear
to effect the alternation of the operating fluid.
1 shall describe an engine having its valve gear thus arranged, referring to the
accompanying drawings.
Figs. 1 and 2 are vertical sections on planes at right angles to one another, with
parts shewn in elevation.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation shewing the valve gear, other parts being removed for
the sake of clearness.
Figs. 4 and 5 are diagrammatic views of the valves in two conditions.
C is the cylinder which is single acting and has its piston connected to a crank
below. An admission slide V and a cut off slide U are arranged in a valve
chest A which may be open to the atmosphere as shewn, or might be enclosed in
a case supplied with lubricant. The exhaust E is the exhaust valve for both gas
and steam which is worked by a lever D from an eccentric on the shaft by rods for
which G is a guide. The valve is held closed by a spring except when it is opened
by the eccentric during the lower half of its motion.
An elastic buffer ring R may be used to deaden shock as the valve becomes
seated.
As shewn in Fig. 2 P is a pump for supplying compressed explosive mixture
worked from the lever B which is linked to the main connecting rod.
The pump
single acting and is furnished with admission and delivery valves
arranged in a valve box F so as to deliver gas and air into a reservoir which may
be one of the supporting columns such as M Fig. 3 & 1 made hollow for the purpose
and communicating by a pipe N with one of the inlets to the admission slides
which are worked in the following manner. A wheel W worked by a pinion on
the shaft at half speed has a crank pin L which is directly connected to the

page_text: slide V moving it to and fro so as to admit alternately gaseous mixture and steam
to the cylinder 'C from the ports 9 and s respectively. The cut off slide U is
worked from the arm H of a bell crank, the pivot K of which slides in a straight
guide O or might be carried on a radius arm, so as to move in a circular arc nearly
coinciding with the straight path. Owing to the relative motions of the slides Ú
and V worked respectively from H and L, the port in the cut off slide U alternately
overtakes and passes the steam and gas ports in the slide V.
As shewn in Figs. 1 and 3 the links h and I connect the pins H and L respectively
to arms on a rocking shaft and sleeve Y, arms of which are connected by links
to the slides U and V respectively. The arm Z for the cut off slide is slotted so
that by moving the pin of the rod h to various positions in the slot, varying degrees
of travel are given to the slide U, thus varying the cut off.
The position of the pin may be adjusted by hand or may be controlled by a
governor.
The operation of the engine is as follows:-
When the piston is at top stroke, the upper passage of the slide V coinciding
with the ports and the port in U also coinciding with the cylinder port c, steam
passes into the cylinder until the slide U closes the port, this steam expanding and
propelling the piston. During the return stroke effected by the momentum of the
flywheel, the steam is expelled past the exhaust valve E which is then open, and is
discharged into the open air or into a condenser, or it may be to a larger cylinder
in which it works at lower pressure as in a compound engine.
When the piston is again at top stroke, the lower passage of the slide V
coinciding with g and the passage in U coinciding with c, compressed gaseous
mixture enters the cylinder until the port c is closed by U, and thereupon the
cylinder charge is ignited by an electrical or other known ignition apparatus. The
piston is thus propelled and, the exhaust valve being opened, the products of com-
bustion escape. A portion of their heat may be utilised if desired to aid in
generating steam.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The herein described method of employing steam and combustible gas or vapour
for producing motive power, by supplying the working cylinder of an engine
alternately with steam to work expansively therein, and with an inflammable
mixture to be ignited and expand therein, as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 20th day of December 1892.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.