Improvements in Means for Distributing Oil to the Cylinders of Oil Engines, also applicable to other purposes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 12th May, 1899-Accepted, 5th Aug., 1899
Improvements in Means for Distributing Oil to the Cylinders of Oil
Engines, also applicable to other purposes.
We, LOUIS CHARON and FRÉDÉRIC MANAUT, both of No. 40, Rue Laffitte, Paris,
France, Engineers, 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 apparatus by which liquid can be distributed from
a reservoir at fixed intervals of time and in fixed quantities. Such an apparatus
is especially applicable for distributing petroleum to the cylinders of motors
using heavy oil. For the regular working of such a motor it is of the greatest
importance that at each working stroke a fixed quantity of liquid should be passed
to the cylinder and an object of our invention is to enable this to be with certainty
effected.
The accompanying drawings show, by way of example, a method of constructing
a distributor of liquid, in accordance with this invention,, for application to a
heavy petroleum motor.
Fig. 1 being a sectional elevation of the entire distributor and of its con-
nections with a petroleum reservoir, a compressed air reservoir and the cylinders
of the motor.
Figs. 2 and 3 are partial horizontal sections on the lines A B and C D respectively
of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a vertical half section of a modified form of the valve a.
The apparatus comprises a distributing plug a receiving an intermittent motion
from the motor and provided with a number of equal and regularly spaced cells b
in which the liquid, which comes from a reservoir c, lodges; this plug which
forms a throttle or distributing valve moves with slight friction in a casing d,
the sides of which are pierced by two pairs of holes, e, f, g, h, serving as ports
to respectively fill and empty the cells. The ports e f, place the casing in com-
munication with a trough maintained at a constant level and fed from the reser-
voir c; port g serves as an exhaust port and communicates with the space intended
to receive the liquid (that is, the cylinder of the motor); port
vith the compressed air reservoir o.
communicates
Each of the cells b in the plug a comes successively before the two pairs of
orts, before the first pair e, f, to be filled, as it passes, with a fixed quantity of
iquid and to be emptied, as it passes, before the second pair of ports g, h.
It will be easily seen that the cells b, being regularly spaced apart and the
lug a being driven by the motor, a cell (with its quantity of liquid which is
xed by the level in the trough ) can be opposite the exhaust ports g h at
very cycle and a regular and uniform supply then ensured. The plug a is pre-
rably made of bronze and is of truncated shape as shown. The cells b with
hich it is pierced each comprise a vertical cylindrical portion, or it may be any
ther convenient shape, and two horizontal branches, one above and one below,
[Price 8d.]

page_text: arranged so as to confine respectively and successively in front, the one, of ports f
and, the other, of ports e and g in the casing d. The plug a is intermittently
rotated by a ratchet wheel m driven by the motor. This ratchet has the same
number of teeth as the number of cells b in the plug a. The ports g and h of
the casing d only uncover one cell at a time, whilst the ports e and † permit of
the filling of several cells at a time (by port e) and the escape (by port f) of the
air that the liquid expels as it flows into the cells. The port g communicates by
means of a pipe n with the vaporiser of the motor; and the port / communicates
by means of a pipe 2 with a compressed air reservoir o. The trough receives
petroleum from the reservoir c through a pipe r opening into a box s, at the
bottom of which a valve is arranged, the opening and closing of which is regu-
lated by a float to which it is connected by a rod pivoted at v.
To start the apparatus, a tap in the pipe is opened, the trough is thus
filled with petroleum until the float q, rising, closes the valve t, the liquid by this
time having attained the level. This level is kept constant by the valve t, whichi
opens to admit liquid as soon as the level begins to fall. The cells b will there-
fore be filled with a fixed quantity of liquid as they pass the ports ef and this
liquid when the plug is rotated so that a cell comes in front of ports y and h will
be driven into the pipe n by the air coming through the pipe p from the
reservoir o. At each movement of the ratchet wheel m a cell will be brought in
front of the said ports and its emptying will take place during the subsequent
stoppage. The ports e and f are of such a size as to allow the cells to remain
in front of them long enough to be filled. The weight of the float q is regulated
according to the power of the motor to which it is applied so that the level of the
liquid in the trough i is maintained either at or higher or lower.
As will be seen the apparatus can be used for motors of different powers. The
apparatus can, moreover, be adjusted, when working so as to distribute more or
less liquid. To enable this to be done either the length of the arm must be
varied or the weight of the float q altered or, the weight of the float being kept
constant, by means of a handle acting on a threaded rod y or other analogous
means, the float q, together with the valve box s may be raised and the level
varied and, as a result, the quantity of liquid distributed at each aspiration.
To start a heavy petroleum motor, it is necessary to supply the high tempera-
ture, which is wanting at this moment, by a larger admission of petroleum, if it
is desired to have regular ignition from the beginning. To attain this result, it
is only necessary to slightly raise at the moment of starting, the float q and valve
box s.
As soon as the motor is running normally and the temperature resulting
from the first explosions is high enough, the valve box s and float q are lowered
to the desired position so that the level of the petroleum falls to 7, the normal
working level, and the petroleum is thenceforth distributed normally and in fixed
quantities.
Furthermore to enable more petroleum to be distributed on starting without it
being necessary to greatly raise the float q and valve box s, the cells b
may, in
the case of a motor of fixed power, be made in such a manner that the cylindrical
portion 1 (Fig. 4), which corresponds to the volume of petroleum that is normally
distributed, is surmounted by a portion 2 of larger diameter. By means of this
arrangement the movement of the float and valve box is reduced i.e. when the
level is slightly raised, the volume of the petroleum distributed will be
increased very markedly since the cell has a much greater capacity above the
normal level.
It is to be understood that without altering the principle of this invention the
distribution may be effected instead of by a rotary motion, by a reciprocating
motion; in which case the plug a and the casing of the apparatus may for
instance be replaced by a rectilinear slide-valve acting on a seat suitably arranged:
so that a certain number of cells shall be alternately filled by a fixed quantity
of liquid and completely emptied by a stream of compressed air when the said
cell containing the liquid is placed in communication on the one hand, with

page_text: the compressed air pipe and on the other hand with the pipe which takes the
liquid into the vessel in which it is to act.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:
-
1. Apparatus for distributing liquids, especially applicable to the distribution of
petroleum to the vaporisers of heavy petroleum motors, comprising a
trough, in which a constant level of liquid is maintained by a
float valve, a casing d, provided with two pairs of ports (ef and g h), a plug a
moving in said casing and provided with a number of cells b, equally spaced apart
and of similar capacity, and which, as the plug is intermittently moved, come
successively in front of the two ports ef, in such a way to be charged with
a quantity of liquid which is determined by the level in the trough i and then in
front of the two ports g h of which the former communicates with a compressed
air reservoir, the arrangement being such that the liquid contained in each cell
will, in succession, be forced out to the desired place substantially as described
and shown,
2. In apparatus such as referred to in the preceding claim forming the plug a
with cells 6 that are equally spaced apart and each of which comprises one vertical
branch and two horizontal branches and imparting intermittent movement to
the said plug through a ratchet wheel whose ratchet teeth are equal in number to
the cells of the plug substantially as described.
3. Apparatus for distributing liquids substantially as shown in and described
with reference to the drawings..
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicants.