AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR STARTING GAS MOTOR ENGINES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
We HENRY PERCY HOLT and FRANCIS WILLIAM CROSSLEY both of Manchester
in the County of Lancaster, Engineers do hereby declare the nature of our said
invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR STARTING GAS MOTOR ENGINES"
to be as follows:-
In the Specification of Letters Patent granted to us on the 27 January 1881
No 370 we described, as means of readily starting a gas motor engine, the
arrangement in connection therewith of a reservoir to receive portions of the high
pressure fluid from the engine cylinder, and to retain this fluid to be used as
working fluid in starting the engine. Our present invention relates to improve-
ments in the valves and apparatus to be employed in connection with such a
reservoir and the engine to which it is applied. In order to provide for retaining
the charge in the reservoir for considerable periods of time, and for preventing the
reduction of its pressure by leakage past the check and stop valves, we arrange
these valves so that they and their spindles are sealed by liquid, which may be oil,
or may be the liquid resulting from the condensation of the vapor that forms part
of the fluid entering the reservoir.
In some cases it is convenient to use the same valve both as a check valve to
operate during the charging of the reservoir, and also as a stop or shut off valve to
retain its charge, for which latter purpose it is provided with a screw spindle. In
order to employ it also as a starting valve, we connect the nut of the screw spindle
to a starting lever by which the valve is raised from its seat. Or instead of
connecting the nut with a lever, we in some cases make the valve spindle tubular
and pass through it a spring rod connected with a lever, whereby the valve can be
raised from its seat at the time of starting. A alight pressure applied to this lever
counteracts the pressure of the spring on this valve so as to enable the reservoir to
be charged to nearly the full pressure of the cylinder gases. A second spring
intervenes between the lever and the valve so as to admit of the ready closing of
the valve when used as a check valve.
In order to prevent admission of combustible gases into the reservoir, we load
the check valve to a pressure above that of the " compression of the cylinder
charge by a spring, which yields to the higher pressure produced by the combustion
of the charge, so as to admit portions of the products of combustion into the
reservoir,

page_text: In order conveniently to adapt self starting apparatus, of the kind referred to, to
existing engines, we arrange the "starting" valve above or at the side of the
exhaust valve of the engine, and we provide for its acting as a "check" valve by
giving it play on its spindle which is furnished with a screw thread so that it can
be moved either to force the valve on to its seat, or to unseat it by means of a
lever connected to the nut on the valve spindle. The spindle can also be turned
by a hand wheel so as to close the valve tightly on its seat.
The starting valve lever may be worked by hand or by a cam acting on a roller
on the lever, which roller is mounted on a stud along which it can be slid
longitudinally so as either to engage the cam or be out of its range. The starting
and exhaust valves are preferably enclosed within a water casing so that there
may be condensation of the vapor passing them, producing liquid to operate as a
seal for them.

page_text: We, HENRY PERCY HOLT and FRANCIS WILLIAM CROSSLEY both of Manchester
in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of our
invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR STARTING GAS MOTOR ENGINES"
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In the Specification of Letters, Patent granted to us on the 27th January 1881
No 370, we described as means of readily starting a gas motor engine, the
arrangement in connection therewith of reservoir to receive portions of the high
pressure fluid from the engine cylinder, and to retain this fluid to be used as
working fluid in starting the engine. Our present invention relates to improve-
ments in the valve and apparatus to be employed in connection with such a
reservoir and the engine to which it is applied. In order to provide for retaining
the charge in the reservoir for considerable periods of time, and for preventing the
reduction of its pressure by leakage past the check and stop valves, we arrange
these valves so that they and their spindles are sealed by liquid, which may be
oil or may be the liquid resulting from the condensation of the vapor that forms
part of the fluid entering the reservoir.
In some cases it is convenient to use the same valve both as a check-valve, to
operate during the charging of the reservoir, and also as a stop or shut-off valve to
retain its charge for which latter purpose it is provided with a screw spindle. In
order to employ it also as a starting valve, we connect the nut of the screw spindle
to a starting lever by which the valve is raised from its seat. Or instead of
connecting the nut with a lever, we, in some cases make the valve spindle tubular
and pass through it a spring rod connected with a lever, whereby the valve can be
raised from its seat at the time of starting. A slight pressure applied to this lever
counteracts the pressure of the spring on this valve so as to enable the reservoir to
be charged to nearly the full pressure of the cylinder gases. A second spring.
intervenes between the lever and the valve so as to admit of the ready closing of
the valve when used as a check valve. In order to prevent admission of
combustible gases into the reservoir, we load the check valve to a pressure above
that of the "compression" of the cylinder charge by a spring, which yields to the
higher pressure produced by the combustion of the charge so as to admit portions
of the products of combustion into the reservoir.
In order conveniently to adapt self starting apparatus, of the kind referred to, to
existing engines we arrange the "starting" valve above or at the side of the
exhaust valve of the engine, and we provide for its acting as a "check" valve by
giving it play on its spindle which is furnished with a screw thread so that it can
be moved either to force the valve on to its seat or to unseat it by means of a lever
connected to the nut on the valve spindle. The spindle can also be turned by a
hand wheel so as to close the valve tightly on its seat.
The starting valve lever may be worked by hand or by a cam acting on a roller
on the lever which roller is mounted on a stud along which it can be slid
longitudinally so as either to engage the cam or be out of its range. The starting
and exhaust valves are preferably enclosed within a water casing so that there
may be condensation of the vapor passing them, producing liquid to operate as
a seal for them.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a section of starting reservoir and valve
arranged according to our invention in connection with the exhaust passage of a
gas motor. 1 is the reservoir having its passage 2 at the lowest level communicating

page_text: through a stop valve box 3 and pipe 14 with the box of the starting valve 11. The
stop valve 4 is arranged so that it and its screw stem which is worked by hand-
wheel 5, are sealed by liquid collecting in the valve box. 13 is the engine cylinder
and 12 the exhaust valve. The exhaust passage has a communication to the
starting valve 11 which is kept seated by a spring 10 butting against a collar 9
on the valve stem. This spring is of such strength that the valve 11 is not
unseated by the pressure of the charge that is compressed in the cylinder before
ignition, but only by the higher pressure resulting from the combustion of the
charge; consequently none of the combustible charge can enter the reservoir 1.
A collar on the spindle of the starting valve 11 is engaged by a yoke at the end of
a screw spindle 8 that can be turned by the hand-wheel 7, so as to screw down the
valve 11 when it is desired to cut off communication with the reservoir. When
the apparatus is to be employed for starting the engine, the hand wheel 7 is screwed
back so as to give freedom for lifting the valve 11. This is done by depressing the
starting lever 6, the short arm of which engages between collars on the boss of the
wheel 7.
The reservoir 1-being charged with fluid under pressure, and the stop valve 4
being opened, on raising the valve 11, a portion of fluid flows from the reservoir
into the cylinder 13 and acts on the piston, propelling it so as to start the engine.
Fig. 2 is a section and fig. 3 a side view shewing the starting valve 11 arranged
above the exhaust valve 12. In this case the valve 11 is made with an annular
groove into which dips & rim projecting down from the stuffing box of the valve
stem, this constituting a liquid seal. The starting lever 6 is made with its short
arm forked to embrace a crosshead 15 screwed on the spindle of the valve, this
crosshead having its play limited by nuts on the gland screws.
Fig 4 shews a vertical reservoir 1 having at its bottom the starting valve 11
worked by a pedal lever G.
Fig. 5 shews a vertical reservoir 1 with starting valve 11 arranged in the passage
from the bottom of the reservoir, and worked by the starting lever 6. By turning
the handwheel 5 the starting valve can be screwed down, the pressure of the screw
being transmitted through the packing which is thus tightened. A separate stop
valve 4 is arranged close to the exhaust valve 12.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is
1. In apparatus for starting a gas motor engine by the temporary use of fluid
retained under pressure in a reservoir, arranging the valves in the passage from the
reservoir so that they are sealed by liquid, substantially as and for the purpose
herein set forth.
2, Loading the valve leading to the reservoir by a spring of force sufficient to
keep it closed against the pressure of the combustible charge when compressed in
the cylinder, as herein described.
Dated thin 10th SAT 7001