Improvements in High-speed Gas Engines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Oct., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 19th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 18th Jan., 1896
Improvements in High-speed Gas Engines.
I HENRY GRAHAM HARRIS, of Gresham House, Upper Tooting in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, to be
as follows:-
I have made myself acquainted with the Specifications of Mr. Day's Patents,
Nos. 6410 and 9247, both of 1891, and, also, with the contents of the Specification
of the latent of Mr. Cock, No. 18513, of 1892.
"
I have experimented with gas engines of the character described in these
Specifications, and have found that considerable increase in the speed of "running
of any given engine, and important reduction of the quantity of gas consumed, to
obtain any given power, (resulting, therefore, in the greater utility of the engine
for electric lighting purposes, and, also, in the production of a larger amount of
horse power for a given weight of metal used in the construction of the engine) can
be obtained by making all the passages between the various parts of the engine,
through which the gas or air, or, gas and air explosive mixture, or the products of
combustion have to pass in traversing the engine, tapering, or conoidal in shape,
that is, shaped as is the orifice known as a "Vena Contracta."
In addition to this improvement in the shape of the passages, I place an automatic
non-return valve of the lightest possible description consistent with the work to be
done in the exhaust passage from the power cylinder, and close to the side of that
cylinder. The conoidal shape of the passages assists the speed of flow of the air,
or gas, or gas and air explosive mixture, or products of combustion through or
from the engine, and the valve in the exhaust prevents the possibility of "premature
firing."
Further. The economical working of the engine is improved, and "back firing"
is prevented, if all the other passages in the engine, while being made conoidal, as
described, are fitted with automatic non-return valves, similar to that provided in
the exhaust passage.
The shape and position of all the inlets to, or outlets from, the compression
chamber and power cylinder are to be as proposed in Mr. Cock's Specification,
above referred to:-And my invention consists in combining one, two, or more of
these individual improvements, in such a gas engine, wherein the cylinder is
directly attached to the crank chamber, which chamber is used as a compression
hamber, and wherein the gas explosion in the power cylinder is made at every
out-stroke of the piston and wherein there are no valves worked by cams, or
ccentrics, or other similar contrivances, but where the actual points of admission
of the air and gas, or of the explosive mixture and of emission of the exhaust are
determined eutirely by the inlets and outlets being covorel and being uncovered
by the piston in its up and down-strokes, and wherein, als, there is provided on
the piston a shield, or deflector, to direct the incoming current of the explosive
mixture to the upper end of the power cylinder.
Dated this 18th day of October 1894.
JENSEN & SON,
77 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.

page_text: I, HENRY GRAHAM HARRIS of Gresham House Upper Tooting in the
County of Surrey 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:-
I have made myself.acquainted with the Specifications of Mr. Day's Patents
Nos. 6410. and 9247. both of 1891 and also with the contents of the Specification of
the Patent of Mr. Cock No. 18513 of 1892.
I have experimented with gas engines of the character described in these
Specifications, and have found that considerable increase in the speed of running
of any given engine and important reduction of the quantity of gas consumed, to
obtain any given power (resulting, therefore, in the greater utility of the engine
for electric lighting purposes, and, also, in the production of a larger amount of
horse power for a given weight of metal used in the construction of the engine) can
be obtained by making all the passages or ports in or between the various parts of
the engine, through which the gas or air, or gas and air explosive mixture or the
products of combustion have to pass in traversing the engine, tapering, or conoidal
in shape, that is, shaped as is the orifice known as a "Vena Contracta."
In addition to this improvement in the shape or construction of the passages,
I place an automatic non-return valve of the lightest possible description consistent
with the work to be done in the exhaust passage from the power cylinder and close
to the side of that cylinder. The conoidal shape of the passages assists the speed
of flow of the air or gas or gas and air explosive mixture or products of combustion
through or from the engine, and the valve in the exhaust prevents the possibility
of "premature firing." The valve referred to is suspended or in some suitable
manner made to all intents and purposes practically weightless.
Further, the economical working of the engine is improved and "back firing"
is prevented if all the other passages in the engine, while being conoidal, as
described, are fitted with automatic non-return valves, similar to that provided in
the exhaust passage.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a transverse sectional elevation of an
engine constructed according to my invention.
Fig. 2 is an inverted plan of the cylinder cover b¹ and
Fig. 3 is a plan section on the line Y Y Fig. 1 with the piston A removed.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevation,
Fig. 5 is a plan of the top cover b¹ and
Fig. 6 is a plan section of the cylinder on the line Z Z Fig. 4, that is, through
the port Q for the admission of the explosive mixture and through the exhaust
port N.
The position of all the inlets to or outlets from, the compression chamber E and
power cylinder B are to be as proposed in Mr. Cock's Specification, above referred
to, and my invention consists in combining one, two or more of these individual
improvements, in such a gas engine, wherein the cylinder is directly attached to the
crank chamber E which chamber is used as a compression chamber and wherein
the gas explosion in the power cylinder B is made at every out stroke of the
piston A and wherein there are no valves worked by cams, or eccentrics or other
similar contrivances, but where the actual points of admission of the air and gas or
of the explosive mixture and of emission of the exhaust are determined entirely by
the inlets and outlet, being covered and uncovered by the piston in its up and
down-strokes, and wherein; also there is provided on the piston a shield or
deflector O to direct the incoming current of the explosive mixture to the upper

page_text: end of the power cylinder B. The top of the piston A with the deflector O is
preferably made of the form shown and the cylinder cover 6' is underneath
correspondingly formed.
The gas inlet port G and the air inlet port F are as shown more particularly in
Figures 4 and 6 of a tapering conoidal shape and each, or one only, may if desired
be provided with an automatic non-return valve of the lightest possible description
such as is shown applied to the exhaust port N. The exhaust port N is made as
aforesaid of a tapering conoidal shape and in the exhaust pipe leading therefrom is
the valve N' which seats itself on the seating n. The valve N' has a spindle N°
going through a hole in the lower part of the valve cover N³ the upper end of
which spindle is screw threaded and has screwed thereon a piston or nut N'
working in a recess or hole in the cover N' and capable of being fixed in position
at any desired distance from the said valve. Underneath the piston N³ and round
the valve spindle N' is a coiled spring N and above the said piston is a coiled
spring N which is kept in position by means of a screwed plug N'. The length
and stiffness of the springs over all and the amount of compression are so adjusted
that the valve is practically in equilibrium and normally when the engine is not
working the portion of the weight of the valve supported by its seating n is
small so that a slight increase of pressure underneath the valve tends to open
it, thus the escape of the products of combustion is not retarded and the
possibility of "premature firing" is prevented. The plug N' gives facility for
varying the portion of the weight of the valve on its seating while the engine is
running.
The passage L from the compression chamber E to the port Q is shown treated
in a similar manner, that is to say, it is provided with an automatic non-return
valve L' having a spindle L³ piston L' springs L' and L. and a screwed plug L' in
the cover L³.
I have not deemed it necessary to show, on the drawing, automatic non-return
valves applied to the air inlet and gas inlet G but it is evident from the
foregoing how this may be done.
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 1
claim is.
A high speed gas engine with all the inlet and outlet ports to, from or through
the power cylinder made tapering or conoidal in shape and with or without
suspended or practically weightless valves in or near such ports substantially as
described and shown.
Dated this 19th day of August 1895
JENSEN & SON,
77 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.