IMPROVEMENTS IN THE UTILIZATION OF THE GASEOUS PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Philip Middleton Justice at the Office
of the Commissioners of. Patents on the 6th August 1881. A communication
from abroad by. Fritz Osann, of Düsseldorf, in the Empire of Germany,
Engineer.
PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE, of 14, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE UTILIZATION OF THE GASEOUS
PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR." A communication from
abroad by Fritz Osann, of Düsseldorf, in the Empire of Germany, Engineer.
This Invention relates to the utilzation and application of the combustible gases
produced when carbonaceous matter is decomposed or treated by air in suitable
apparatus, such as the gas producers now in constant use. The Invention consists
in applying or utilizing the combustible gases so produced for the production of
motive power, as hereinafter set forth. It has heretofore been proposed to use for
the heating of iron, steel, and other furnaces, the gases produced by the combustion
of carbonaceous matter, beneath the glowing surface of which air, with or without
an admixture of steam, has been introduced.
When coal is the carbonaceous matter chosen, and both air and steam are
employed, the heat of combustion generated by the combination of the oxygen of
the air with the burning fuel heats the upper layers of said fuel, so that the
carbonic acid formed at first is reduced to carbonic oxide, while the steam is
decomposed, and hydrogen, in addition to the carbonic oxide, is produced. The
products of combustion under these circumstances consist essentially of carbonic
oxide, hydrogen, and nitrogen, with a small percentage of carbonic acid, while if
steam be not used the products would be the same, minus the hydrogen. In the
gas producers now in use, where steam is employed, products are about as
follows:-

page_text: A convenient manner of putting my Invention into practice is as follows :-
The gases from the producer are conducted to a tank or accumulator, and there
compressed, or they may be pumped thereinto under pressure.
In a similar manner air is collected, also under pressure, in a second tank or
accumulator.
To utilize the heat and expansive force generated when the gases from the gas
producer and air are mixed in proper proportions and ignited, the gas engines now
known may be adapted with but small modification or apparatus, very similar to
that of the ordinary steam engine, may be employed, but I prefer to use, in place
of the present gas engines or of the ordinary steam cylinder, a cylinder provided
with two inlets and an exhaust at each end, said inlets and exhausts being
governed in the ordinary manner by suitable valves. The compressed gases and
air are admitted by the separate inlets, and being under considerable pressure they
not only mix to a certain extent, but also expand and drive the piston through
part of its stroke before it is necessary to ignite or explode them, which may
be done in any of the known methods. The increase of temperature which
follows the explosion causes the enclosed gases (including the chemically inert
nitrogen) to rapidly expand, and thus drive the piston to the end of its stroke
when the exhaust of the second set of valves, which was previously open, closes,
and the inlet valves open, as does also the exhaust of the first set of valves, the
operation being then repeated by the admittance and ignition of the gases and
air from the accumulators through the second set of valves; all of said valves may.
be governed by apparatus analogous to that employed for steam engines, preference
being given to the Corliss or other positive gearing. It will be observed that the
power required to compress the gases and air in the first instance is utilized in
driving the piston through the early part of its stroke.
The ordinary gas engines now in use are driven by the explosion of a mixture.
of air and carburretted hydrogen or ordinary lighting gas, and one of the
advantages of my Invention is that the mixture of gases and air hereinbefore
described explode less violently, and consequently produce less shock or jar to the
apparatus employed. Another advantage attained by the use of the products of
combustion as collected from gas producers is their great economy, for while it
takes a larger amount by cubic measurement of said products than it would of
carburetted hydrogen or lighting gas to do a given quantity of work, still the cost
of production and treatment, and the quantity produced from an equal amount of
fuel is greatly in favor of the utilization of gases according to this Invention.