Improved Means of Transmitting Motive Power.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Jan., 1890
Complete Specification Left. 15th Nov. 1890-Accented. 16th Feb.
18:1
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Transmitting Motive Power.
We, REINHARD MANNESMANN and MAX MANNESMANN, both of Landore,
R.S.O., South Wales, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
0 =
When power is transmitted to a distance by means of compressed air conducted
in pipes to work air engines, it is necessary to provide against the great cooling of
the air when it expands performing work, and therefore it is usual to heat the air
before it enters the cylinder of the engine. According to our invention we transmit
by pipes not only compressed air but also compressed combustible gas and apply
both these fluids to produce motive power locally. This may be done in several
ways. According to one method the gas and air are arranged to meet in suitable
proportions in a burner of Bunsen kind, and the resulting fluid consisting of air
heated and mixed with products of combustion may be employed as the working
fluid in a compressed air engine. Otherwise the compressed air and gas may be
applied to charge a gas motor engine with combustible mixture under pressure, this
mixture being ignited and operating in the cylinder of the engine. The com-
bustion of the air and gas may also serve for locally generating steam to work
engines.
Dated this 16th day of Januar 1800
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Transmitting Motive Power.
We, REINHARD MANNESMANN and MAX MANNESMANN, both of Landore,
R.S.O., South Wales, Engineers, 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 :-
In transmitting power by means of air pressure it is known that precaution must
be taken against the strong cooling of the air by expansion, and this is also to be
recommended from the fact that by heating the compressed air the effect is
considerably increased. It is therefore usual to heat the air before it enters the
engine.
Now in order to effect the above purpose more completely and more simply than
by the present known means, there is provided according to this invention, not only
a pipe for compressed air, but also one for combustible fluid under pressure. With
proper precautions both pipes are led separately to the place of consumption, and
before the air enters the air expansion machine a portion of the combustible fluid
under pressure is burnt in the compressed air by suitable means.
We will assume
that the combustible fluid employed is gas but it will be evident that liquid com-
bustible material such as oil may also be used for the purpose of our invention.
It is necessary that the pressure in the combustion chamber should be less than
in the two pipes. It is further better to let the flames burn in a red hot chamber
whereby under small pressures the gas flames are prevented from extinguishing
and better combustion is obtained. This hot chamber is obtained by lining the
burner with some bad conductor of heat.
An analogous result can be obtained when a part of the air is branched off
and is mixed with the gas in a sort of Bunsen burner and the mixture then
burnt in a suitable place.

page_text: The temperature of the mixture passing into the engine is to be kept constant
by means of a heat regulator, which on increase of temperature correspondingly
diminishes the supply of gas, or the regulator which regulates the supply of air
can simultaneously regulate the supply of gas in certain fixed proportions.
The mixture (the products of combustion of the air and of the pressure-gas)
besides being used for the production of power can be used for heating, for
metallurgical and other purposes.
With this apparatus the exact proportions of gas and air are not of so much
consequence as with a gas engine, as no explosion is to be effected, but only
a heating of the air to a moderate degree. Generally speaking therefore an
equal increase or decrease of the gas and air supply will be sufficient for a varying
consumption of power; with larger charges however, the gas may increase in a
less proportion than the air; this is best effected by throttling the gas supply by a
speed governor, in a similar way to the raising and lowering of a gas flame.
The present apparatus may be taken to consist essentially of a compressed air
engine in which, in consequence of a supply of compressed gas, a flame is made to
burn in the compressed air current so as to heat the same before entering the
working cylinder.
The flame may however also be made to burn in the working cylinder.
In the latter case there is provided at each end of the cylinder (if this is double
acting) a continuously burning gas flame, to which is supplied air and gas, and
which at each stroke is made to burn alternately high and low. An eccentric on
the engine shaft can be arranged to operate valves or slides on the air and gas
supply to the said flame so as to open or close the passages more or less, or to close
them entirely. The flame may be reduced to a minimum during the discharge of
the combustion gases, and be increased in size during or after the admission of the
next air charge so as to heat it effectually.
.
When using a combustible liquid instead of gas, the combustion of the same is
effected in the same way, only in this case instead of merely mixing the gas and air
in the above described manner, the liquid combustible material must first be
vaporised by the heat of the combustion gases or must be forced as a spray into the
combustion chamber.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. The transmission of power by means of separately conducted compressed air
and combustible fluid for combustion to heat the air at a distance.
2. The heating of the air supply in compressed air engines by mixing the
compressed air with products of combustion produced by burning a portion of the
said air supply with a quantity of combustible fluid of approximately the same or
higher pressure transmitted from a distance, which mixture can be effected either
before or after the air enters the working cylinder.
Dated this 15th day of November 1890.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.