IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS ENGINES, AND IN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING GASEOUS MIXTURES TO BE USED IN THE SAME
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS ENGINES, AND IN APPARATUS FOR
PRODUCING GASEOUS MIXTURES TO BE USED IN THE SAME."-A communi-
cation from abroad by Thomas Burke Fogarty, of Warren,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
⚫on the 25th Novemer 1873.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN GAS ENGINES, AND IN
APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING GASEOUS MIXTURES TO BE USED IN THE SAME," a com-
munication, to be as follows:-
*
.
This Invention relates to an inexpensive form of gas.engine or prime
mover driven by means of a mixture of combustible gas or vapour with

page_text: air, and to means and apparatus for mixing such combustible gas with
air, and for producing hydrocarbon vapour.
The form of engine herein described may either be directly driven by
means of the mixture of hydrocarbon vapour and air produced in the
apparatus about to be described, or by means of any combustible gas
supplied in any other known way, while my form of apparatus for pro-
ducing the mixture of hydrocarbon vapour and air can be applied to any
other known form of gas engine.
My method of constructing these engines is as follows:-I take an
ordinary cylinder provided with a piston connected with a crank and fly
wheel, as in an ordinary single acting or condensing engine, the piston
being raised by the force applied, and a vacuum or partial vacuum
having been created by the condensation underneath it of the exploded
gas it is forced downwards by atmospheric pressure. I connect the
lower end of this cylinder by a tube, preferably of the same area as the
cylinder itself, with a gas chamber preferably constructed with its upper
part of an area very much smaller than that of the cylinder. This
chamber as well as the cylinder I arrange preferably in a vertical
position, in order that the piston and cylinder may not be injured by
side wear.
I make the upper part of the gas chamber of smaller area,
so that I may have a longer range within which to regulate the quantity
of gas required for each explosion. I provide at the top of the gas
chamber suitable valves and appliances for the admission of the gaseous
mixture, for regulating the supply thereof, and for effecting the explosion
of the said gaseous mixture. I also provide a valve for the admission
and discharge of water into and from the gas chamber, said valve being
also used for the purpose of discharging completely the waste gases
resulting from the explosion, which I effect by the admission of flame
through a suitable valve, or by electricity, or by any other known
means.
I connect with my gas chamber a suitable gas making apparatus, in
which a volatile distillate of petroleum is vapourized under pressure, and
the vapour so formed is mixed in suitable proportions with air. I
regulate and control the manufacture and supply of this vapour by
means of two or more valves, preferably two. One of these valves is
what is known as a needle valve, being long and taper, so that by
inserting it more or less through a suitable opening it will fill the same
more or less, and so increase or diminish the supply of gas. This valve

page_text: I connect by its stem with a governor of any of the ordinary con-
structions, so that when the engine runs too quickly it will be inserted
further through the opening, and so cut off some of the supply of gas,
its motion being regulated altogether by the governor. I may also
connect with the governor the register, by means of which the proportion
of air mixed with the vapour is regulated, so that the supply of vapour
and air will be regulated in exact proportion to each other, and the
explosive mixture will always be of a uniform or practically uniform
structions, so that when the engine runs too quickly it will be inserted
further through the opening, and so cut off some of the supply of gas,
its motion being regulated altogether by the governor. I may also
connect with the governor the register, by means of which the proportion
of air mixed with the vapour is regulated, so that the supply of vapour
and air will be regulated in exact proportion to each other, and the
explosive mixture will always be of a uniform or practically uniform
composition.
The second valve for the admission of vapour is what is known as a
poppet valve, being moved to and from its seat with a quick motion. I
make it double seated, and am thereby enabled to dispense with a
stuffing box around its stem, for whenever it is raised from its seat by
the action of the engine it seats itself against the top of the chamber, so
as to make a tight joint. There being no pressure in the chamber
except when this valve is open, the use of a stuffing box may be
dispensed with, though in some instances it may be desirable to have
the double security afforded by a stuffing box. This valve when closed
is held to its seat by a suitable spring, and I may also attach it by a
spring lever, whereby it is prevented from being drawn too violently
against its upper seat. This valve I operate by means of a cam or a
suitable projection upon a wheel or disc upon the crank shaft, such cam
or projection being arranged so as to hold the valve open until a proper
supply of gas has been received, and then to allow it to close suddenly
by the action of the spring. I operate the remaining valves also by
cams or projections, which may be placed upon the fly or driving wheel
or any other independent wheel, as may be most convenient, and I close
them suddenly by means of a spring. I supply the hydrocarbon liquid
to the retort under pressure. This pressure I can produce by placing
the containing vessel at a suitable elevation, but preferably I create
pressure in the containing vessel by means of compressed air. When
heat is applied to the retort until it becomes filled with vapour the
surplus fluid is forced back to the tank or reservoir. There being
always an equilibrium of pressure between them there can never be an
excess of pressure in the retort over that in the tank. I heat the retort
by vapour drawn from itself, and burned underneath it in a Bunsen
burner of any suitable construction, or I burn some of the naphtha before
it reaches the retort. I prefer the latter method, and where I use a

page_text: flame for exploding the engine I also use some of the naphtha burned in
a properly constructed burner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd May 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN GAS ENGINES, AND IN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING GASEOUS MIXTURES TO BE
USED IN THE SAME,” a communication to me from abroad by Thomas
Burke Fogarty, of Warren, Massachusetts, United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Robert
Lake, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by

page_text: the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification :-
My improvements relate to an inexpensive form of gas engine or
prime mover to be driven by means of the explosion of mixtures of
combustible gas or vapor with air, and and to means and apparatus for
mixing such combustible gas or vapor with air. They also relate to
means and apparatus for producing hydrocarbon vapor to be used for
such purposes, so that where there are no gas-works it may be capable
of sunnlving its own gas.

page_text: side wear.
I make the upper part of the gas chamber of smaller area,
so that I may have a longer range within which to regulate the quantity
of gas required for each explosion. I provide at the top of the gas
chamber suitable valves and appliances for the admission of the gaseous
mixture for regulating the supply thereof, and for effecting the explosion
of the said gaseous mixture. I also provide a valve for the admission
and discharge of water into and from the gas chamber, said valve being
also used for the purpose of discharging completely the waste gases
resulting from the explosion, which I effect by the admission of flame
through a suitable valve, or by electricity, or by any other known
means.
I connect with my gas chamber a suitable gas-making apparatus, or
an apparatus in which a volatile distillate of petroleum is vaporized
under pressure, and the vapor so formed is mixed in suitable proportions
with air. I regulate and control the manufacture and supply of this gas
or vapour by means of two or more valves, but preferably two. One of
these valves is what is known as a needle valve, being long and taper,
so that by inserting it more or less through a suitable opening it will fill
the same more or less, and increase or diminish the supply of gas. This
valve I connect by its stem with a governor of any of the ordinary
constructions, so that when the engine runs too quickly it will be passed
farther through the opening, and so cut off some of the supply of gas,
its motion being regulated altogether by the governor. I may also
connect with the governor the register, by means of which the proportion
of air mixed with the vapor is regulated, so that the supply of vapor
and air will be regulated in exact proportion to each other, and the
explosive mixture will be always of a uniform or practically uniform
composition.
The second valve for the admission of vapor is what is known as a
poppet valve, being moved to and from its seat with a quick motion. I
make it double seated, so that I am thereby enabled to dispense. with a
stuffing box around its stem, for whenever it is raised from its seat by
the action of the engine it seats itself against the top of the chamber, so
as to make a tight joint. There being no pressure in the chamber
except when this valve is open, the use of a stuffing box may be
dispensed with, though in some instances it may be desirable to have
the double security afforded by a stuffing box. This valve when closed
is held to its seat by a suitable spring, and I'may also attach it by a

page_text: spring lever, whereby it is prevented from being drawn too violently
against its upper seat. This valve I operate by means of a cam or a
suitable projection upon a wheel or disc upon the crank shaft, such cam
or projection being arranged so as to hold the valve open until a proper
supply of gas has been received, and then to allow it to close suddenly
by the action of the spring. I operate the remaining valves also by
cams or projections, which may be placed upon the fly or driving wheel,
or any other independent wheel, as may be most convenient, and I close
them suddenly by means of a spring. I supply the hydrocarbon liquid
to the retort under pressure. This pressure I may produce by placing
the containing vessel at a suitable elevation, but preferably I create
pressure in the containing vessel by means of compressed air. When
heat is applied to the retort until it becomes filled with vapor the
surplus liquid is forced back to the tank or reservoir. There being
always an equilibrium of pressure between them, there can never be an
excess of pressure in the retort more than that in the tank. I heat the
retort by vapor drawn from itself, and burned underneath it in a Bunsen
burner of any suitable construction, or I burn some of the naphtha before
it reaches the retort, which latter plan I prefer, and where I use a flame
for exploding the engine I also use some of the naphtha burned in a

page_text: retort; U, the burner underneath; V, the tank or reservoir; W, the
pressure gauge for ascertaining the amount of vapor in the tank; X, the
pump; and Y, the stove.
The mode of operation is this:-The burner U having been lighted
and vapor formed within the retort by heating, the hydrocarbon liquid
being previously forced into it by compresing the air in the tank V by
means of the air pump X, the fly wheel is revolved by hand, when the
water is drawn from the gas chamber G, and at the same time the
valves O and I and K (when the latter is automatically regulated) are
opened, and the mixed air and gas are drawn into the chamber, until at
the proper moment the valves O and I are closed, and H is opened, or
the poles of a suitably arranged battery are connected, whereby the gas
mixture contained in G is exploded. The increase of volume due to the
explosion forces the water through the chamber F, and consequently
drives the piston upwards. By the time the piston B has reached the
limit of its upward stroke the heated, gases become cooled and condense,
forming a vacuum, so that B is again impelled downwards by the
atmospheric pressure forcing the water back into the chamber G, which
it completely fills, expelling the condensed gases through the valve J,
which is arranged to open about the time that the vacuum ceases within
the chamber G. As soon as this valve is opened, a small partly regulated
quantity of water from a tank placed at a slight elevation enters through
it, and any excess which there may be is expelled with the condensed
exploded mixture, so that a uniform supply of water is kept up, and at
every stroke the chamber is completely filled with water, so that the
exploded gases are entirely expelled. The piston having reached the
limit of its downward stroke simultaneously with its doing so the
valve J is closed, and the valves O and I are opened, when the chamber
is again filled, and at the proper moment another explosion takes place.
I construct my engine so that when there is a supply of coal gas (the
use of which is preferable) the valve O may be disconnected, and the
coal gas pipe connected above L in any suitable manner, for instance, at
the pipe a, so that where coal gas can be had the engine may be used at
any time, independently of the gas-making apparatus. In like manner
I make my gas-making apparatus detachable, so that it can be removed
at any time, or so that I can attach it to any other kind of gas engine, if
desired. The machine thus consists of two independent and separate

page_text: arts, each one complete in itself, and capable of being used indepen-
lently of the other in connection with the gas apparatus.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
Witness,
JAMES EDWARDS,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)