Improvements in Gas Engines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Mar., 1889-Accepted, 1st Mar., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas Engines.
I, JAMES ROOTS of 19 St. Marys Road, Westbourne Park, Middlesex, Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner the saine is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to an engine in which there is a working stroke each
revolution and in which the action is entirely automatic, the exhaust valve not being
opened by mechanism from the crank shaft but is an ordinary lift valve.
All the four processes, suction, compression, explosion, exhaust occur in one
revolution, and on one side of the piston in the cylinder, that is, that the one side
is not used as a pump to force the charge to the other side on which the explosion
takes place, or to puup the products from the explosion chamber.
The annexed drawing shows the engine having the complete cycle in one revolution.
A is the cylinder. B the piston and P the red hot tube igniter of ordinary
arrangement.
A small charge having been drawn in to start the engine and compressed into the
hot tube P, the explosion occurs, the piston B makes its working outstroke until the
exhaust port R in the cylinder A is uncovered when the products pass through
the port R, the exhaust valve S is opened by the pressure of the exhaust and the
excess products flow out; the valve is then closed by the spring S and the piston B
continues its outsiroke during which time the products in the length of tubing
forming the chamber T are cooling, and in contracting cause more products to flow
from the cylinder into T thus assisting the lowering of the pressure in the cylinder
below the atmospheric pressure caused by the continued outstroke of the piston B
when the fresh charge of gas and air enters by the sloping admission port E and
admission valve E' from the bell chamber F open to the air and to the gas pipe G ;
this by the heat of the cylinder A and the coming in contact with the cylinder cover
and walls by the slope of the port expands displacing more of the exhaust through the
port R. The piston now commences its instroke forcing exhaust products through
the port R until the piston covers the port R, when compression commences and at
the end of the instroke at the highest compression, ignition occurs when the cycle
commences again.
Thus briefly the operation is in the outstroke, explosion, part of exhaust and
suction, in the instroke, the remainder of exhaust and compression.
There is only a short length of tubing shown for the chamber T but it may be of
any size according to the length of the suction stroke and the chamber is preferably
made with the jacket T through which the cold water passes on its way to the
cylinder jacket. There may be three or more tubes in one jacket.
There are only two ports in the cylinder and only two valves, one inlet and one
outlet, both automatic or lift valves.
The condensing chamber T much increases the efficiency by permitting the suction
portion of the stroke to be shorter and therefore the working portion of the stroke
longer and the chamber can be made of such size and cooling surface as to do nearly
the whole suction work of the engine.
The dotted lines 1, 2 and 3 shew about the respective lengths of the stroke.
1 to 2 being about the length of the working portion of the stroke and 2 to 3 of
the suction portion of the stroke, and as shown is about nine to four, but it will
vary according to the size and construction of the chamber T and when compression
commences the cylinder contents are in about the same proportion, new charge nine,
products, four.

page_text: The chamber T may be a coil of piping, jacketted, and might be constructed in
various ways and shapes, such as for a spray of water to fall upon the exhaust for
condensing it.
The arrangement effecting this cycle may be duplicated in one engine, and the
exhaust valve S may be made to close by its weight.
The bell chamber F is divided by the partition H, so that if the gas should
collect in the bell when the engine is running slowly it collects only on one side
of the partition and when the suction occurs the charge is drawn from both sides
of the partition.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to he performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. In Explosive Gas Engines, the completing the cycle of suction, compression,
explosion, exhaust, in one revolution i.e. one outstroke and one instroke in the
manner described with reference to the annexed drawing.
2. In Explosive Gas Engines, the cooling or condensing chamber Tas arranged
and combined with the open end cylinder A having two ports only, as set forth.
3. In Explosive Gas Engines, the construction, combined with a condensing
chamber, as herein before described whereby the four operations occur on the same
side of a piston in a cylinder and in one revolution.
4. In Explosive Gas Engines, placing the automatic exhaust valvo at a distance
from the exhaust port as and for the purpose described.
5. The partition H in a gas engine admission chamber for the purpose described.
Dated this th das of MTL 1000
H. GARDNER,
Per R. Core Gardner,
166, Fleet Street, London, Agent for the said James Roots.