Improvements in Gas, Oil, or other Internal Combustion Engines or Motors.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 11th May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 11th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 17th Apr., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas, Oil, or other Internal Combustion Engines
or Motors.
I HOWARD LANE of 184 Corporation Street Birmingham, Warwickshire,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The class of prime mover to which my improvement applies is that in which a
mixture of gas, oil vapour or other combustible substance, with atmospheric air; is
ignited when under more or less pressure in a cylinder fitted with a piston the
resulting rise of temperature and consequent pressure causing the said piston to
move and overcome resistance. In motors of this description until the present a
large portion of the heat generated is lost by transmission through the walls of the
motor cylinders and also in the discharge or exhaust of the cylinder the products
of the combustion passing away at a high temperature.
The object of my invention is to intercept a large portion of the heat that would
otherwise be wasted and to utilise it by imparting it to the incoming air or gases
previous to their ignition in this way accentuating or increasing the effect of
combustion and obtaining greater power or to obtain the same power while
consuming a smaller quantity of combustible.
My invention consists in the application of a regenerator or heat interceptor
within or in continuation of the cylinder of the motor placed in such a way in
relation to the piston and the inlet and outlet orifice or orifices that all incoming
air or combustible gases must pass in one direction through the regenerator to
obtain access to the piston and after ignition and expansion the products of
combustion or the greater portion of same must pass in the reverse direction through
the regenerator. The regenerator is constructed of layers of metallic wire gauze
or other sheet material or of other permeable and subdivided form of rapid
conducting and absorbing power offering a large surface, yet of such a structure
that although individual portions of the fabric will quickly receive heat yet they
will not readily impart that heat from one portion of the structure to another.
Metallic gauze is suitable in that the points of contact formed by the places where
the wires cross each other offer very small surfaces of contact between the sheets.
I do not confine myself to any particular metal or substance or form of structure
for instance instead of using wire gauze I may use a series of perforated plates or
sheets superimposed but separated either by indentations or burrs of punched holes
or by thin perforated sheets of asbestos or other non-conducting material.
To intercept the heat that would otherwise be lost in the exhaust or discharge
of the motor cylinder and by connection through its end. The regenerator in size
& shape may coincide with the cross section of the cylinder and cover the end but
in cases where I wish to intercept heat that would otherwise be lost through the
side of the cylinder the regenerator takes the form of a cap or case with one end
closed and the piston of the motor is elongated with a trunk loosely working into
In either case a
such cap or case to ensure displacement of the contents.
perforated flat or capshaped metal sheet is interposed between the regenerator and
the piston.
In the case of engines to which the combustible is supplied in the form of oil or

page_text: liquid fuel 1 vapourise the liquid in the hottest portion of the regenerator and take
a small portion of the remaining products of combustion or of the incoming air to
assist me in doing so. For use of liquid fuel I reserve a cavity in the portion of
the regenerator nearest to the piston and the liquid fuel is injected into this and
the presence of air or other gases in limited quantity promotes volatilization at
a lower temperature than would otherwise be necessary.
Dated this 11th day of May 1896.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.
Improvements in Gas, Oil, or other Internal Combustion Engines
or Motors.
I, HOWARD LANE of 184 Corporation Street, Birmingham, Warwickshire,
Mechanical 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 class of prime mover to which my improvements apply is that in which
a mixture of gas, oil, vapour, or other combustible with atmospheric air is
ignited when under more or less pressure in a cylinder fitted with a piston, the
resulting rise of temperature and consequent pressure causing the said piston to
move and overcome resistance. In motors of this description up till now a large
portion of the heat generated has been lost by transmission through the walls of
the motor cylinder and also in the discharge or exhaust of the cylinder the
products of the combustion passing away at high heat.
The object of my invention is to intercept a large portion of the heat that has
hitherto been wasted and to utilize it by imparting it to the incoming air or gases
previous to their ignition in this way accentuating or increasing the effect of
combustion and obtaining greater power or obtaining the same power while
consuming a smaller quantity of combustible.
My invention consists in the application of a regenerator or heat interceptor
within or in continuation of the cylinder of the motor, and placed in such a way in
relation to the piston and the inlet and outlet orifice or orifices that all incoming
air and combustible must pass in one direction through the regenerator to obtain
access to the piston and after ignition and expansion the products of combustion
or the greater portion of same must pass in the reverse direction through the
regenerator.
The regenerator is constructed of layers of metallic wire gauze or other suitable
sheet material or of other permeable and subdivided form of rapid heat conducting
and heat absorbing power offering a large surface yet of such a structure that
although individual portions of the fibre will quickly receive heat yet they will not
readily convey that heat to other portions of the structure. Metallic wire gauze
is suitable in that the points of contact formed by the places where the wires cross
each other offer very small surfaces of contact between the sheets. I do not
confine myself to any particular metal or substance or form of structure: I may
for instance instead of wire gauze use a series of perforated plates or sheets
super-imposed but separated either by indentations or burrs of punched holes, or
by thin perforated sheets of asbestos or other heat non-conducting material.
To intercept the heat that would otherwise be lost in the exhaust or discharge
of the motor cylinder and by connection through its end; the regenerator may in
size and shape coincide with the cross section of the cylinder and cover the end.

page_text: But in cases where I wish to intercept heat that would otherwise be lost through
the side of the cylinder, the regenerator takes the form of a cap or case with one
end closed and the piston of the motor is elongated with a trunk loosely working
into such cap or case to ensure displacement of the contents. In either case a
perforated flat or cap shaped sheet is interposed between the regenerator and
the piston.
In the case of engines to which the combustible is supplied in the form of oil or
liquid fuel I vaporize the liquid in the hottest portion of the regenerator and take
a small portion of the remaining products of combustion or of the incoming air to
assist me in doing so. For use of liquid fuel 1 reserve a cavity in the portion of
the regenerator nearest to the piston, and the liquid fuel is injected into this and
the presence of air or other gases in limited quantity promotes volatilization at a
lower temperature than would otherwise be necessary.
C is the
Figs. 1 and 2 are longitudinal sections through two forms of motor cylinder of
an internal combustion engine or motor of the gas, oil or other type, the invention.
is more particularly applicable to internal combustion engines having one ignition-
and impulse for each revolution of the crank shaft. The gas or combustible and
the air are compressed either in front of the piston or by supplementary means..
A in each fig. represents the regenerator and B the piston, the form of the
regenerator A adapting itself to the form of the piston B as shewn.
ignition device preferably as shewn of the electric type. D represents an ordinary
inlet and E an ordinary outlet valve; these are actuated by external parts of the.
engine in any suitable or ordinary manner. At starting when the mixture of
combustible and air is admitted it passes through the regenerator A. The mixture-
is then ignited at the proper moment and propels the piston. After the working
stroke the piston returns and the hot products of combustion pass out through the
regenerator the latter absorbing heat from the said products, which then escape in
the atmosphere or elsewhere at a comparatively low heat. The next charge of
combustible and air being admitted under pressure is passed through the heated
regenerator, absorbs heat therefrom, is ignited, and then in the return stroke passes
out through the regenerator, heating it, and so on. While heat is thus utilized that
otherwise would escape in the exhaust and by radiation through the walls of the
cylinder, these latter are in one form of my invention (Fig. 2) kept cooler, and as
the valves of admission and exhaust work under conditions of lower temperature,
they do not deteriorate so rapidly.
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 :-
The application and use in prime movers of the class herein before referred to of
a regenerator such as described and shewn through which the exploded gaseous
mixture is passed on its way to the exhaust whereby the regenerator absorbs a
great portion of the heat of such products so that the entering combustible and air-
in the next stroke while passing through the regenerator can absorb and utilize
heat therefrom, substantially as set forth.
Dated this Eleventh day of March 1897.
JENSEN & SON,
77 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents..