Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 31st May, 1886.
Complete Left, 14th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 15th Mar., 1887.
[Communicated from abroad by Gottlieb Daimler, of Canustadi, Wurtemberg, in
the German Empire, Engineer.]
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL of- No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to an improved construction of apparatus for impregnating
air with hydrocarbon vapour, wherein a comparatively small quantity of petroleum is
practically. isolated by means of a float from the main body of the liquid contained in a
reservoir, so that on a more or less heated air supply being made to enter the said
small body of liquid in order to become impregnated with the vapour thereof, it will
heat the said body of liquid, and thus facilitate the impregnation of the air therewith,
without imparting such heat to the main body of liquid.
For this purpose a cylindrical reservoir containing petroleum is provided with a
float having at the centre of its upper side a hollow or basin, that communicates
through a small hole at bottom with the liquid in the reservoir, so that this stands at
the same level within the basin as it does outside the float. To the centre of the basin
is attached a vertical air tube having a number of perforations below the surface of
the petroleum, and extending upward into a corresponding tube on the top of the
reservoir, in which the float tube is free to rise and fall. The reservoir tube either
communicates directly with the outer air or, preferably, with a source of heated air,
such as that in the casing of a gas motor engine, so that hot air, being drawn or forced
down through the reservoir tube and float tube, issues through the perforations of the
latter into the petroleum contained in the basin of the float, and becoming impregnated
with petroleum, rises up into the space in the upper part of the reservoir. The float
tube carries a circular baffle plate immediately above the basin, and the float has a

page_text: circular flange or rim projecting upwards some distance and having its edge turned
inwards. By this means the impregnated air in being deflected by the baffle plate and
striking against the flange of the float, is deprived of any liquid particles of petroleum
it may carry up with it before passing away from the reservoir. At the top of the
reservoir is provided a chamber, communicating with the reservoir through a wire
gauze partition, and having firstly an outlet orifice through which the impregnated
air passes to the motor engine or other apparatus in which it is to be consumed, and
secondly an escape valve held down by a weight or spring. By this arrangement,
should the igniting flame of the motor engine flash back into the reservoir, the flame
will be prevented from passing beyond the wire gauze partition, and any detrimental
pressure produced by such flame will escape through the valve.
By arranging the inlet air tube to pass into the basin centrally of the reservoir, the
advantage is gained that the immersion of the incoming air below the petroleum will
always he insured, notwithstanding that the reservoir may be inclined to a moderate
angle from the vertical position.
ABEL & IMRAY.
28, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improved Apparatus for Impregnating Air with Hydrocarbon
Vapour, more Particularly Applicable for Petroleum Motor
Engines.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent 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 an improved construction of apparatus for impregnating
air with hydrocarbon vapour wherein a comparatively small quantity of petroleum is
practically isolated by means of a float from the main body of the liquid contained in a
reservoir so that on a more or less heated air supply being made to enter the said
small body of liquid in order to become impregnable with the vapour thereof, it will
heat the said body of liquid and thus facilitate the impregnation of the air therewith;
without imparting such heat to the main body of liquid.
For this purpose a cylindrical reservoir containing petroleum is provided with a float
having at the centre of its upper side a hollow or basin, that communicates through a
small hole at bottom with the liquid in the reservoir, so that this stands at the same
level within the basin as it does outside the float. To the centre of the basin is
attached a vertical air tube having a number of perforations below the surface of the
petroleum, and extending upward into a corresponding tube on the top of the reservoir,
in which the float tube is free to rise and fall. The reservoir tube either communicates
directly with the outer air or preferably with a source of heated air so that hot air,
being drawn or forced down through the reservoir tube and float tube, issues through
the perforations of the latter into the petroleum contained in the basin of the float, anil
becoming impregnated with petroleum, rises up into the space in the upper part of the
reservoir. The float tube carries a circular baffle plate immediately above the basin
and the float has a circular flange or rim projecting upwards some distance and having
its edge turned inwards. By this means the impregnated air in being deflected by the
baffle plate and striking against the flange of the float, is deprived of any liquid
particles of petroleum it may carry up with it before passing away from the reservoir.
At the top of the reservoir is provided a chamber communicating with the reservoir
through a wire gauze partition, and having firstly an outlet orifice through which the
impregnated air passes to the motor engine or other apparatus in which it is to be
consumed and secondly an escape valve held down by a weight or spring; by this
arrangement, should the igniting flame of the motor engine flash back into the
reservoir, the flame will be prevented from passing beyond the wire gauze partition,
and any detrimental pressure produced by such flame will escape through the valve..
By arranging the inlet air tube to pass into the basin centrally of the reservoir, the

page_text: advantage is gained that the immersion of the incoming air below the petroleum will
always be insured, notwithstanding that the reservoir may be inclined to a moderate
angle from the vertical position.
The accompanying drawing shews a vertical section of the above described vaporizing
apparatus it consists of a receptacle A charged with petroleum in which is a float B
having a small central hole C above which is formed a cavity or basin D into which
the petroleum enters through the hole C so as to stand therein at the same level as
outside the float. To the bottom of the basin is fixed a central tube E which passes
freely into the tube F on the cover of the vessel A so as to slide up or down in the
same according as the float rises or falls with any alteration of the petroleum level.
The lower end of the tube E is perforated so that the air drawn in through the tube
will issue in finely divided streams through the perforations into the petroleum in the
basin, and thus become impregnated with the vapour thereof.
When the apparatus is used in connection with a petroleum motor engine the tube G
is connected to the inlet port of the engine, so that during the suction stroke of the
latter atmospheric air is drawn in through the pipes F and E, and after bubbling up
through the petroleum and becoming impregnated therewith as described it passes
through the spaces H and I and pipe & into the cylinder of the engine.
The air supply is by preference heated previously to its entrance into the apparatus,
either by the waste heat of the motor engine, or by a special application of heat, in
order to facilitate the evaporation of the petroleum or to make good the heat absorbed
by such evaporation. The float is provided with a projecting inwardly bent rim J and
a shield K whereby the impregnated air passing up from the basin D will be deflected
in its course and thus be made to deposit within the rim any particles of liquid
hydrocarbon it may carry with it, and which then flow back into the basin. By this
arrangement, and by effecting the communication between the basin and the other
contents of the reservoir through a very small hole, the two bodies of liquid are
practically kept separate from each other, so that the evaporative action of the air is
always effected upon one and the same body of liquid which is practically isolated
from the main body, being only supplemented from the latter through the small hole C
in proportion as it is evaporated and carried off by the air. By this means a very
uniform evaporative action is insured, no matter what the quantity of petroleum
contained in the vessel A may be.
By arranging the tube E centrally in the reservoir A the immersion of the perforated
part thereof to an approximately constant depth will be insured notwithstanding that
the apparatus may occasionally assume a more or less inclined position.
Before passing from the apparatus to the motor engine the impregnated air is made
first to pass through the wire gauze or perforated partition Linto the chamber I which
is provided at top with a safety valve M held down by a helical spring N so that in the
event of the igniting flame of the engine striking back through the pipe G it will
only extend as far as the partition L and any rise of pressure resulting therefrom will
escape through the valve M.
In order to ascertain readily the quantity of petroleum contained in the reservoir
at any time, I provide a metal rod O sliding through a long tubular socket P serving.
as a guide, fixed to the inner side of the reservoir cover, the lower end of the rod being
-made to rest upon the float-as-shewn, while its outer end moves up-and-down-within-a
trough shaped standard Q fixed on the top of the cover, and having a suitable scale
marked on its face. The rod O is made of such length that the part X projecting
beyond the reservoir is equal in length to the distance X between the bottom of the
reservoir and the bottom of the float, so that as the float sinks, the rod O in sinking
with it will always indicate upon the scale the quantity of petroleum in the
reservoir.
I wish it to be understood that I do not claim the use of the above described
apparatus in combination with a vehicle propelled by a gas or petroleum motor engine
such as is described in the specification to G. Daimlers Patent No. 10786 of 1885, as
this application of the said apparatus is already covered by the said Patent,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A petroleum vaporizing apparatus consisting of a reservoir A for hydrocarbon
liquid, in which is a float B having a basin D communicating with the main body of
liquid only through a small hole so that while the liquid is maintained in the basin
at the same level as the main body, it is practically isolated from the same as regards
heat, the said float having an air tube E communicating with the petroleum in the
basin by perforations, below the level thereof substantially as and for the purposes
herein set forth.
2. The use in combination with the float B referred to in the preceding claim, of
the inwardly projecting rim J and battle plate K for retaining any liquid petroleum
carried up by the air and returning the same to the basin, substantially as herein
described.
3. The use in combination with the float B and central basin D referred to in the
preceding claim, of the centrally arranged perforated air supply tube E, whereby the
extent to which the perforations of the air tube are immersed in the petroleum remains
approximately constant notwithstanding any inclined position which the apparatus may
assume within moderate limits.
4. The use in combination with petroleum vaporising apparatus referred to in the
preceding claims, of the chamber I through which the impregnated air passes away,
with the perforated or wire gauze partition L and safety valve M operating
substantially as herein described.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.