Improvements in High Pressure Gas Engines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Nov., 1896
Complete Specification Laft 20th July 1007 Accented
25th Cont 4007
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in High Pressure Gas Engines.
I, WILHELM VON OECHIELHAEUSER, of 30 Kavalierstrasse, Dessau, in the Empire
of Germany, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in high pressure gas engines
having two pistons moving in opposite directions in the sanie working chamber,
which pistons in their outermost end position uncover the openings arranged at the
opposite ends of the working chamber for the admission of compressed air, and
the escape of the products of combustion.
be forced from the
If such a gas engine be operated by very poor gas, such, for instance, as blast
furnace top gas, which has only about a fifth of the heating power of ordinary
lighting gas, five times as large a quantity of gas as in the case
of working with lighting gas must, during the period of compression,
gas pump into the combustion chamber between
the two working pistons where the high pressure pump hitherto employed
is used for compressing the gas. The loss of power would thereby be considerably
increased, firstly through friction in the nigh pressure gas pump which latter has
to be increased five-fold in volume, and taus at each moment must produce a
somewhat higher pressure than actually exists in the working chamber; secondly,
by the excess pressure of the gas.
In order to avoid these drawbacks, which where poor combustible gas is used, con-
siderably diminish several advantages of high pressure gas engines as regards
consumption of gas, space occupied, weight and cost of erection, a new form of
construction of the machine must be invented.
The present invention avoids not only the disadvantages hereinbefore mentioned
but provides at the same time a considerable simplification of the gas engines
hitherto known on this system.
if
According to the present invention the gas pump when necessary is coupled ar
connected tandem fashion to the rear piston, which, in working with blast furnace
top gas, has to draw in the gas but only to a pressure of about 3 to 6 atmospheres
instead of, as in the arrangement for lighting gas, to 10 to 12 atmospheres whilst
the necessary air for expelling the products of combustion is obtained in this case
from an existing air pipe, (in other cases from a central compressed-air pipe or the
like). When the poor gas in question is already at disposal at a sufficient pressure,
the pump is dispensed with. In some cases it may be retained as an air pump
an air pipe with sufficient pressure does not exist, or is not always at disposal.
The admission of gas to the working chamber takes place only at a low pressure
of, for instance, 1/3 of an atmosphere, and the high compression of the gas and
also of the air, necessary for a high pressure gas engine (for instance 10 atmos-
pheres) only takes place in the working chamber between the approaching pistons.
An expulsion as complete as possible of all the gases of combustion, and a
separation at certain periods and places of the expelling air current from the gas

page_text: charge is, according to the different kinds of gas supply, effected by the other
piston, which regulates the induction by uncovering at the end of its outward stroke
two rows of openings arranged immediately behind one another in the wall of the
cylinder, of which rows the first is connected with the pipe supplying the expelling
air, and the second with the gas pipe which is separate from said air pipe. Therefore
at e conclusion of the expansion period, after the rear piston has uncovered th
discharge openings at the rear end of the cylinder, the row of openings
for the inlet of air will first be uncovered by the other piston, and
then the row of openings for the inlet of gas. On the return of the pistons the
openings will be again covered and closed in the reverse order. If it be desired to
avoid the double row of openings, and to work with a single row, the induction of
gas may be effected from a pipe in close proximity to the working chamber leading
into an air chest or supply chamber fed from an air pipe, the gas induction being
controlled by a valve whereby the gas actually enters the working chamber
through the same openings as the air but at a somewhat later period of time. A
valve or closing device may however be provided for the gas pipe and the latter
be entirely separate from the air pipe, so that the gas enters directly into the
working cylinder through the gas opening as soon as the piston has closed the air
opening. The gas opening may here be arranged in any suitable position relative
to the air opening.
In order to equally quickly, certainly and evenly consume poor combustible
gas which ignites with greater difficulty than lighting gas, such gas may already,
before its entrance into the working chamber be mixed (for instance in the low
pressure gas pump) with air for combustion.
The considerable simplification herein before described of high pressure gas
engines having two pistons moving in the same working chamber in opposite
directions, is the more important the greater in size the gas engines are made.
Dated this 6th day of November 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.
I, WILHELM VON OECHELHAEUSER of 30 Kavalierstrasse, Dessau, in the Empire
of Germany, Enginger, 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:-
This invention has for its object improvements in high pressure gas engin 3
having two pistons moving in opposite directions in the same working chamber,
which pistons in their outermost end position uncover the openings arranged at the
opposite ends of the working chamber for the admission of compressed air, and
the escape of the products of combustion.
If such a gas engine as for instance that described in Patent No. 14317 be
operated by a very poor gas, such, for instance, as blast furnace top gas, which
has only about a fifth of the heating power of ordinary lighting gas, it would be
necessary to force from the gas pump five times as large a quantity of gas as, in
the case of working with lighting gas, must, during the period of compression, be
forced from the gas pump into the combustion chamber between the two working
pistons if the high pressure pump hitherto employed were used for highly com-
pressing the gas. The loss of power would thereby be considerably increased,
firstly through friction in the high pressure gas pump, which latter has to be

page_text: increased five-fold in volume, and thus at each moment must produce a somewhat
higher pressure than actually exists in the working chamber; secondly, by the
excess pressure of the gas.
In order to avoid these drawbacks which, where poor combustible gas is used,
considerably diminish several advantages of high pressure gas engines as regards
consumption of gas, space occupied, weight and cost of erection, a new form of
construction of the machine must be invented and this is shown in the accom-
panying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a horizontal section of the machine whilst
Figures 2, 3 and 4 are detail views.
The present invention avoids not only the disadvantages hereinbefore mentioned
but provides at the same time a considerable simplification of the gas engines
hitherto known on this system.
According to the present invention the gas pump P when necessary is coupled
or connected tandem fashion to the rear piston, which in working with blast
furnace top gas, has to draw in the gas but only compresses it to a pressure of
about 3 to 6 atmospheres instead of, as in the known arrangement for lighting
gas, to 10 to 12 atmospheres, whilst the necessary air for expelling the products
of combustion is obtained in this case from an existing air pipe, (in other cases
from a central compressed-air pipe or the like). When the poor gas in question
is already at disposad at a sufficient "ressure, the pump l' is dispensed with. In
some cases it may be retained as an air pump if an air pipe with sufficient pressure
does not exist, or is not always at disposal.
The admission of gas to the working chamber takes place only at a low pressure of,
for instance, 1/3 of an atmosphere, and the high compression of the gas and also of
the air, necessary for a high pressure gas engine (for instance 10 atmospheres)
only takes place in the working chamber between the approaching pistons. An
expulsion as complete as possible of all the gases of combustion, and a separation
at certain periods and places of the expelling air current from the gas charge is,
according to the different kinds of gas supply, effected by the other piston B,
which regulates the induction by uncovering at the end of its outward stroke two
rows of openings arranged immediately behind one another in the wall of the
cylinder, of which rows the first 1 is connected with the pipe supplying the
expelling air, and the second 1 with the gas pipe which is separate from said air
pipe. Therefore at the conclusion of the expansion period, after the rear piston C
has uncovered the discharge openings 2 at the rear end of the cylinder, the row
of openings 1 for the inlet of air will first be uncovered by the other piston B, and
then the row of openings 1" for the inlet of gas. On the return of the pistons, the
openings will be again covereu and closed in the reverse order. If it be desired
to avoid the double row of openings 1 and 1 and to work with a single row, the
induction of gas may be effected from a pipe G, Figures 2 and 3 in close proximity
to the working chamber leading into an air chest or supply chamber K fed from an
air pipe L, the gas induction being controlled by a valve whereby the gas actually
enters the working chamber through the same openings 1 as the air but at a some-
what later period of time. A valve or closing device V may however be provided
for the gas pipe G and the latter be entirely separate from the air nipe, L, Figure 4,
so that the gas enters directly into the working cylinder through the gas opening 1ª
as soon as the piston has closed the air opening 1. The gas openings 1ª may here
be arranged in any suitable position relative to the air opening 1.
In order to equally quickly, certainly and evenly consume poor combustible gas
which ignites with greater difficulty than lighting gas, such gas may already
before its entrance into the working chamber be mixed (for instance in the low
pressure gas pump) with air for combustion.
The considerable simplification herein before described of high pressure gas
engines having two pistons moving in the same working chamber in opposite
directions, is the more important the greater in size the gas engines are made.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A high pressure gas engine in which, after the combustion and expansion is
completed in the working chamber, and after said chamber has received through
openings (1) fresh compressed air for passing through it from end to end, there is
introduced, compressed gas or a compressed mixture of gas and air on the further
separation of the pistons and immediately before the outer dead point, by means
of a second series of openings (1), after which by the approach of the pistons the
mixture of air and gas enclosed by them undergoes a sufficiently high compression
and is ignited at the inner dead point, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. A high pressure gas engine in which, after the combustion and expansion is
completed in the working chamber and fresh compressed air has been admitted
through openings (1) to pass through it from end to end, there is introduced gas
or a mixture of gas and air by means of a suitable valve through the same or
separate openings, whereupon, by the approach of the pistons, the mixture of gas
and air enclosed between them undergoes a suitably high compression and is
ignited at the inner dead point, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 19th day of July 1897.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.