A New or Improved Generator for Producing a High Pressure Combination Motor Fluid.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 11th June, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Generator for Producing a High Pressure
Combination Motor Fluid.
I, FRANCOIS JOSUE LOTHAMMER, of 13, Rue Chanvelot, Paris, in the Republic
of France, 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:-
The object of the present invention consists in the production of a motor fluid
of great power by means of closed generators of small dimensions, obtained
essentially by mixing the superheated steam with a gaseous hydrocarbon at a very
high temperature, the process for the production of the mixture being
characterised by the utilisation of the surplus heat of the gaseous hydrocarbon for
the evaporation of the water and for the superheating of the vapour produced, by
means of a gas generator combined with an internal tubular cooling apparatus, in
which the water being circulated in the contrary direction to the hot gases absorbs
the excess of heat which they evolve and is thereby transformed into superheated
steam which subsequently mixes with the cooled gases to form a homogeneous
fluid at a constant mean temperature, by means of which the motors can be driven
without danger of injury.
A generator for the simultaneous production of gas and of steam arranged upon
the principles above set forth is represented by way of example in the accompany-
ing drawing in which :-
Figure 1 shows a transverse section.
Figure 2 a side elevation.
Figure 3 a longitudinal vertical section.
Figure 4 a front view.
Figure 5 a longitudinal horizontal section.
Figure 6 a transverse section of a cooling tube on an enlarged scale.
Figure 7 a longitudinal section of the self regulating burner, and
Figure 8 shows an arrangement for connecting two self regulators together.
The generator is preferably constructed in the form of a horizontal cylinder of
strong steel plate G provided internally with a lining of refractory material R
and divided into a given number of horizontal compartments by divisions C
arranged as horizontal baffles and also constructed of refractory material (Figure 1).
This part of the generator provided with the gas producer or burner hereinafter
described, forms the gas generator with which is combined the water cooling appa-
ratus and superheated steam producer, which consists in a given number of hori-
zontal series of boiler tubes B there being as many series of these as there are
compartments formed by the baffles C each series being arranged longitudinally
in the middle of each compartment in such a manner that the ends of the tubes
pass through the top cover walls of the gas generator to a sufficient extent to be
covered outside the gas generator with connecting boxes b which unite together
alternately the opposite ends of two adjoining tubes, as well as the ends of the
CD
077

page_text: outer tubes of each of the series, in such a manner that the whole arrangement of
tubes B forms a single continuous conduit or worm in sections through which the
cooling water to be evaporated can be circulated. In order to further increase the
heating surface of the tubes these are provided internally with radiating wings
or flaps as shown in Figures 1 and 6. The products of the gas generator are
received directly into a reservoir A secured upon the top of the generator and
traversed axially by a cylindrical reservoir of lesser diameter a which communi-
cates by means of a pipe O with the last lower tube of the cooling apparatus B
and receives the superheated steam which this apparatus discharges. The two
reservoirs A a both discharge into an intermediate tube I leading to a dome of
the same shape as the reservoir A. in which the two gaseous fluids unite and can
be forwarded as a homogeneous mixture to the motors by the steam pipe K, the
inlet to which is controlled by the valve and wheel V.
The generator is further provided with pressure gauges H1 H2 and with a safety
valve S, whilst manholes H H are provided at suitable places for the purpose of
enabling the interior of the apparatus to be examined as usual.
The gas producer which is composed of a series of hydro carbon burners is
arranged at the bottom of the generator before the inlet of the last lower com-
partment of the gas generator which serves as a combustion chamber and the
inlet of which is closed by a vertical division, forming with a second vertical
division and the outer wall of the gas generator continued vertically down to the
bottom, the chambers C1 C2 of the gas producer (Figure 1). In the first chamber C³
is placed longitudinally the petroleum supply tube P upon which are secured the
injection tubes t of the burners which project in the tuyeres T inserted in the two
vertical walls of the chamber C¹ and open on the one side into the combustion
chamber before the ignition tube X and on the other hand into the feed chamber C2.
The mineral oil is injected by aid of a pump into the tube P and a second pump
compresses air in the chamber C2 whilst a third pump forces the water around the
tuyere T into the chamber C¹ to which is attached the feed pipe of the tubular
apparatus B.
The mineral oil escaping from the tube t is sprayed by the air current in the
tuyere T and this combustible mixture is forced against the ignition tube X of
ferro-nickel, which is placed before the burners, and which, when the apparatus
is at work is maintained at a white heat by an external blow pipe so that the
combustible mixture is ignited and renders the tube X incandescent. From this
tube the combustion gases impinge upon the tubes B in the various compartments
yielding to the same their spare heat and converting the water into superheated
steam as already stated. The water surrounding the tuyere in the chamber C¹
prevents the former from being injured by the heat which moreover serves to raise
the water considerably in temperature before it enters the cooling and evaporating
apparatus.
The burner which has been hitherto merely outlined is constructed in such a
manner as to convert the same into an automatic regulator supplying the gas
generator with the exact quantity of hydrocarbon required for a given production,
whereby it obviates at the same time any back pressure of gas into the feeding
chamber C through the tuyere T.
The details of this part of the invention are shown on a larger scale in Figure 7,
and the results above indicated are obtained by controlling the inlet of the oil
tube and of the air tuyere T by means of two valves & T₁ connected by a
bar 2 arranged in the hydrocarbon tube in such a manner that when the hydro-
carbon valve t¹ is closed the air valve T is open and vice versa. The valve (¹
possesses moreover a projection 9 which in the closed position of the said valve
closes the porthole through which the hydrocarbon feed tube P communicates
with the chamber of the valve t'. Moreover the air valve T is capped in front
by a cone dividing the combustible mixture to be delivered to the igniting tube X.
The precise position of the two valves T¹ and is adjustable by means of the

page_text: threaded portion of the bar & passing through the valve T¹ which is screwed to or
away from t¹ according as the bar is turned in the one direction or the other.
In order to admit of the alternate opening and closing of the two valves T¹ T
and respectively they are connected two by two as shewn in Fig. 8 to a
lever L centrally fulcrumed upon a fixed point and each end whereof is articulated
by means of a pin p to a rigid projection of each valve T¹. (Figure 7 and 8).
Consequently, if after injection of the requisite quantity of hydrocarbon one of
the valves t is closed the coupled valve T is open. But at the same moment the
other valve impelled by the balance lever L is opened so that the jet of hydro-
carbon which has been delivered in the regulated quantity into the interior of its
coupled valve T, exercises upon this a greater pressure and pushes it back,
reopening the other one and so on continuously and automatically. Consequently,
in any position one of the two coupled valves of the burner is always closed so
that a forcing back of the gas into the feed chamber C2 is impossible.
The above mentioned three pumps for injecting hydrocarbon, air, and water
respectively are not shown in the drawings being actuated by the motor driven by
the fluid proceeding from the generator and as such motor may be of any system,
there is obviously no need to illustrate the same.
The operation of the generator is obvious from the above explanation. The
combustible mixture of hydrocarbons and of air is consumed on contact with
the incandescent tube X and the combustion gases produced arise between the
refractory divisions C impinging upon the tube of the cooling apparatus B and
yielding thereto their excess of heat which transforms the water injected in a
contrary direction into superheated steam. The two gaseous fluids enter the
reservoirs A and a on their way to the dome D), where they are mixed together
and form a powerful gaseous fluid under high pressure which is delivered to the
reservoirs of the motors at a temperature of about 250 degrees Centigrade accord-
ing to calculations obtained in practice.
This system presents amongst others the great advantage of enabling very
powerful motors to be supplied by generators of very small dimensions.
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
I claim is:
1. A generator of a motor fluid composed of the combustion gases of hydro-
carbons and of super heated steam, characterised by the combination of a gas
generator and of an evaporation apparatus, in such a manner that the excess heat
of the gases of the first may be absorbed by the transformation of the water circu-
lating in the latter into superheated steam, and that the two gaseous fluids thus
produced may be collected in a common reservoir at a uniform temperature.
2. The constructional form of the generator set forth in Claim 1, characterized
by the insertion in a cylindrical gas generating apparatus G divided into compart-
ments by parallel baffles C, of a tubular evaporator constructed of a series of
parallel tubes B placed in the said compartments in such a manner that the water
can circulate in the contrary direction to the heating gas and can absorb the excess
of heat in the manner set forth.
3. In a generator of the kind set forth in Claims 1 and 2, a gas producer
characterised by having two closed chambers C C the first of which receives the
feed water of the evaporating apparatus for the purpose of cooling the tuyere T
passing through it, and the second receives the air for spraying the hydrocarbon
injected through the tube t into the tuyere T, which discharges the combustible
mixture against the ignition tube X placed in the bottom compartment of the gas
generator, substantially as described.
4. A constructional form of the gas producer hereinbefore set forth forming an
automatic regulator characterised by the coupling by means of a bar & guided in
the axis of the tube t, of two valves T and t which alternately close, the one the
hydrocarbon tube and the other the air tuyere, and by the inter-connecting of

page_text: the coupled valves of two regulators by the balanced lever L for the purpose of
automatically effecting the alternate closing and opening of the said valves.
Dated the 12th day of January 1898.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322, High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicant.