Improvements in Oil and Gas Engines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 9th Oct., 1893-Accepted, 11th Nov., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Oil and Gas Engines.
JOHN HENRY Knight Barfield Farnham County of Surrey Engineer and
Landowner do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The improvement consists in making a firing chamber, in place of the hot tube
which is usually employed to fire the vapour of oil engines, the said tube being
kept at a high temperature by a blow lamp or air blast lamp.
The improved firing chamber being preferably placed along side or underneath
the vaporiser, so that the same blast of flame can heat both vaporiser and firing
chamber. When the firing chamber is hot enough and the lamp is removed, it can
be covered with a removable covering of asbestos or other suitable non conducting
material.
Sufficient heat is maintained to fire the vapourous mixture by the explosion in
the chamber; and to cause it to absorb a large amount of heat I make the interior
to consist of ribs corrugations or the like to increase the heat absorbing surface, or
I line the interior with concentric pieces of metal in loose contact with one another,
so that the heat is conducted very slowly from the interior to the exterior.
The time of explosion can be regulated by the usual means, such as a timing
valve or by throttling the passage leading to the chamber.
This arrangement is applicable to gas engines.
The second part of my invention relates to cooling the water used for cooling
the cylinder of oil engines.
If an engine is required to work for a considerable time without a period of rest,
it is necessary to have a large bulk of water, in many cases, especially in portable
engines, this is objectionable, I therefore cool the circulating water by drawing air
over its surface by means of the blast caused by the exhaust, the air may be caused
to pass in a circuitous manner over and in actual contact with the surface of the
water by baffle plates fixed within the tank, or one or more shallow trays may be
arranged in the water tank over which the water flows so as to present a greater
surface to the current of air.
This arrangement is applicable to gas engines.
The third part of my invention relates to oil engines of the type in which the
combustion chamber and vaporiser are one, i.e. in which oil is injected either in
drops or spray into a heated combustion chamber.
I make the combustion chamber or vaporiser so that it can easily be heated
internally, thus it can be made of much greater strength than when heated
externally.
To do this I make it in the form of a short tube forming with the cylinder a
T piece; a blast of flame can be driven through the open ends of this vaporiser,
and when it is hot enough, the ends are closed by clamps or by mechanism similar
to that used in breach loading cannon.
The interior of the vaporiser may either be coated with non conducting material,
or have one or more layers of metal in loose contact with one another, so that the
heat will pass. slowly from one to the other; or it may be formed with ribs or
corrugations therein for exposing more surface to the heat.
Dated this 16th day of December 1892.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Oil and Gas Engines.
JOHN HENRY KNIGHT Barfield Farnham County of Surrey Engineer and
Landowner 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 improvement consists in making a firing chamber in place of the hot tube
which is usually employed to fire the vapour of oil engines, the said tube being
kept at a high temperature by a flame or blast of oil vapour.
The improved firing chamber being preferably (but not necessarily) placed
under or alongside the vaporiser, so that the same blast of flame can heat both
vaporiser and firing chamber; when the firing chamber is hot enough and the lamp
is removed it can be covered with a removable covering of asbestos or other
non conducting material.
Sufficient heat is maintained to fire the vaporous mixture by the explosions in the
chamber; and to cause it to absorb a large amount of heat I make the interior to
consist of ribs, corrugations, or the like, to increase the heat absorbing surface.
Or I line the interior with concentric plates or pieces of metal in loose contact
with one another, so that heat is conducted very slowly from the interior to the
exterior.
The time of the explosion can be regulated by the usual means such as a timing
valve, or by more or less throttling the passage leading to the chamber.
This arrangement is applicable to gas engines.
In Fig. 1 Sheet 1 a firing chamber is shewn fixed beneath the vaporiser.
A. Cylinder of engine.
B. Combustion space inside vaporiser.
C. Vaporising passages where oil is turned into vapour."
D. Firing chamber.
e. Regulating screw for adjusting opening.
S. Asbestos or nonconducting case to cover firing chamber, and prevent loss of
heat by radiation.
Figs. 2 and 3 sections of various forms of firing chambers.
The second part of invention relates to cooling the water used for cooling the
cylinder of oil engines. If an engine is required to work for a considerable time
without a period of rest, it is necessary to have a large bulk of water, in many cases
especially in portable engines, this is objectionable. I therefore cool the water
by drawing air over its surface by means of the blast caused by the exhaust,
(the air is drawn over the water in a similar manner as the air is drawn through
the fire of a steam boiler by the steam blast or exhaust in the chimney).
The air may be caused to pass in a circuitous manner over and in actual
contact with the surface of the water by baffle plates fixed within the tank, or one
or more shallow trays may be arranged within the tank, one above the other, over
these trays the water flows, being caused to circulate through the trays by a
pump, the water thus presents a larger surface to the current of air.
This arrangement is applicable to gas engines.
Fig. 7 Sheet 2 shews an oil or gas engine with cooling tank.
T is the tank, shewn also partly in section in Fig. 8.
P. Cylinder of engine.
R. Tray for circulating water to flow over: only one tray is shewn in the
drawing.
U. Air inlet.
Y. Ledge over which water flows.
t. Baffle plates to cause air to make a circuitous path; these are only shewn on
plan Fig. 8 being omitted for sake of clearness in the sectional elevation,
A

page_text: JOHN HENRY KNIGHT.