US1169672A

US1169672A - Combined gas and air engine.

Info

Publication number: US1169672A
Application number: US2896315A
Authority: US
Inventors: Victor H Palm
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1915-05-18
Filing date: 1915-05-18
Publication date: 1916-01-25
Anticipated expiration: 1933-01-25

Description

V. H. PALM.

COMBINED GAS AND AIR ENGlNE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 1915.

Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

R O T N E V N WITNESSES I V. H. PALM.

COMBINED GAS AND AIR ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 1915.

Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

m N .m

VICTOR H. PALM, OF BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA COMBINED GAS AND AIR ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

Application filed May 18, 1915. Serial No. 28,963.

To all whom it may concern: Q

Be it known that 1, VICTOR HwPALM, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Butler, in the county of Butler and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Gas and Air Engines, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of this invention is to so construct and arrange a gas engine as to cause it to operate simultaneously as an explosive motor and as an air compressor, with provision for utilizing the compressed air for reversing the engine. pressed air may be used for driving the engine for limited periods of time, and if desired may be utilized alternately with the gas for propelling the 'same, as for instance in Well drilling operations wherein the compressed air' is available for accelerating the engine during the down-strokes of the tools, and the gas for the slower up-strokes.

The invention is preferably embodied in a single-acting gas engine of four-cycle type, the end of the cylinder opposite the chargereceiving and exploding end being adapted to operate as anair compressor or to remain idle when the engine is running as may be desired, and with means for admitting the air thus compressed to the cylin der for reversing the position of the piston, or for supplying the motive fluid for driving the engine, as the case may be. The invention includes efficient devices of improved construction for controlling the several operations and for changing from one to another operation, the several mechanisms being so arranged that the compressed air actuation is available regardless of the direction in which the engine is running at the time the air is availed of.

A further object is to provide mechanism of improved construction for reversing the machine when operating as a gas engine, provision being had for holding the cylinder exhaust open during the reversing operation to forestall premature explosions within the cylinder.

Referring to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are elevations of opposite sides of an engine constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan of the engine cylinder taken on line 3-3 of Fig.4,

and Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the cylinder ports taken on line 4:4: of Fig.3., Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section on line 5- 5 The comof Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail of a portion of the reversing rod. Fig. 7 is a detail of the cams and shaft for operating the air port valves of the cylinder.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates an engine bed. and 3 is the engine cylinder mounted thereon.

1 is the piston, and 5 the piston rod, the latter being operatively connected to the engine crank-shaft 6 in the usual manner.

The cylinder is adapted to operate at end A as an explosive engine and at the opposite end B as an air compressor. Connected to end A is the fuel inlet valve 7, held normally closed by coiled springs 7' and adapted toadmit air and gas from a mixer-8 of usual construction, the gas entering the mixer through channels 9 from supply pipe 10, and the air through openings 8' in mixer 8. Opposite the fuel-admitting valve? is theexhaust valve 11 which is mounted on the .end of stem 12, a spring 12' holding the valve normally closed. The outer portion of stem 7 is movable in the forked guide 13. Valves 7' and 11 both open inwardly as shown, and preferably both valves are arranged at the same side of the cylinder. The opposite side of the cylinder is constructed in much the same manner as a conventional steam engine cylinder, the cylinder wall being ported longitudinally at 15 from cylindelendA and at 16 from end B, With said ports opening into the air chest 17 at opposite sides of exhaust port 18, a conventional slide valve 19 being arranged in the chest and being operated in the usual manner by rod 20. A spring 19 holds the valve normally seated. Port 15 is normally closed by the inwardly opening valve 21 mounted on the stem 22. An inwardly opening check valve 23 is adapted to place port 16 in communication with the atmosphere, the valve being carried and held normally closed by stem, 24:. A hand-operated shaft 25 is provided with

cams

22 and 24 for

valve stems

22 and 2 1, respectively, whereby valves 21 and 23 may be opened for the purposes hereinafter described. Chest 17 is in communication through pipe 30 with an air receiver "31,- and the latter may in turn be in communication through valve 32 with the supplemental air receiver or holder 33. The air chest exhaust port 18 is provided with theoutlet pipe 34. The passage of air through pipe 30 is controlled by check valve 35 which is adapted to open. away from chest 17 and toward receiver 31, and the exvalve 36 which opens toward exhaust port 1.8.

Valves

35 and 36 are preferably arranged adjacent each other and in horizontal line and with their respective stems extending toward each other, whereby one or another of the two cams 37 on the reciprocating hand-operated shifting rod 38 may be utilized for opening both valves by simply turning the'rod, as will be more fully explained hereinafter.

The mechanism for reversing the operation of the product exhaust valve 11 is most clearly shown in Fig. 2, and consists of a carrier -10 adapted to swing vertically on shaft 41, the latter being geared at 12 to the engine shaft 6. At the outer end of carrier 4:0 is the rounded T-like bar 13 which is adapted to be moved vertically by carrier 40 in the forked valve stem guide 13, Fig. 3. Mounted on carrier 40 and adapted to re eiprocate through'opposite ends of bar 43 are the spring-retracted rods 14; and 45, respectively, one or the other of which is adapted to be placed in alinement with the stem 12 of valve 11. That portion of the outer face of bar -13 located between

rods

44 and 45 is rounded outwardly as shown at 43 to move the valve stem and open valve 12 whenever the mechanism is being shifted, so that a premature explosion cannot occur in the cylinderduring the shifting operation;

Cams

44 and 45 on shaft 11 are so positioned as to properly time the operation of the valve opening rods 44 and 15, respectively. Carrier 40 is connected by bell-crank 16 with the shifting or reversing rod 38, whereby longitudinal movement of the rod in one direction or the other is adapted to so change the operation of valve 11 as to accommodate it to a reverse operation of the engine. Stem 20 of the air chest slide valve 19 is adapted to be reversed by the link mechanism 50, Fig. 1, the construction and operation of which are fully shown and de scribed in Letters Patent to George Palm, No. 618,433, January 31, 1899. The link mechanism 50 is connected by a bell-crank 51 with shifting rod 38, whereby the same motion of the latter that shifts the inecha- .may be operated in any desiredmanner.

; l l hen operating under explosion impulses,

' the charges are drawn into end A of the (liylinder through valve 7 in the usual manner and the products of combustion are exhausted through valve 11 which is timed toopen immediately following the explosion stroke of the piston. At such time valve 21 is closed and port 15 is wholly inactive. And at such time, if valve 23 is held open by cam 21 the operation will not be difierent from'that of the ordinary gas engine. But with valve 23 free to operate as a check valve, it will open under the suction influence of piston 4 moving. toward end A of the cylinder, and the charge of air thus drawn into end B will be forced through ports 16 into air-chest 17 and from the latter through pipe 30 and past check valve 35 into receiver 31. And this operation will ensue regardless of the position of slide valve 19, for if the latter happens to be covering port 16, the air will simply push the valve away from its seat and pass into chest 17. If the engine is to be reversed, shaft 25 is manipulated to place cam 22 in position to hold valve 21 open and at the same time rod 38 is turned to cause one or the other of cams 37 to open

valves

35 and 36, whereupon air is passed from receiver 31 to air chest 17 through pipe 30, and the exhaust from port 18 escapes through pipe 34: the action then being substantially the same as a steam engine. Of course the air pressure in end A. of the cylinder pre ents valve 7 from opening and no explosion charges are admitted so long as the engine is being operated by air pressure. F or stop ping the engine without shutting off the supply of gas or compressed air, it is only necessary to move rod 38 to an intermediate position, thereby stopping slide valve 19 over ports 15, 16 and 18 and holding valve 11 open by the projecting portion 13 of head 43.

While the improved engine is adapted to be variously employed, it is designed primarily for use in the oil fields, the compressed air adjuncts providing ready means for reversing the gas engine and thus rendering it as available for well drilling operations as the almost universally used steam engine. Also, the engine operating as a compressed air motor may be variously used in well drilling operations. For instance, the'retardingeffect resulting from the air compressing operation will cushion the engine as the well tools approach the upward limit'of their movement in the well, and then by turning rod 38, inlet and

exhaust valves

35 and 36, respectively, are opened and the compressed air thus admitted to and exhausted from end B of the cylinder increases or accelerates the speed of the engine over that attainable from explosions alone in end A, thereby permitting the engine to speed up or race during the downward stroke of the tool, a desirable feature of drilling that is usual when working with a steam engine,

meaeva but not possible with the ordinary gas engine which runs at relatively constant speed. As herein disclosed, only manually operated means is provided for shifting rod 38, which necessitates hand manipulation thereof at the beginning and completion of each downstroke to secure the advantage of the described operation. But it will be understood the invention is not restricted to any particular means for operating rod 38.

The compressed air may be variou sly stored, the invention not being confined to ing the exhaust valve, the cylinder having ports leading to opposite ends thereof, a. source of ccmpressed air, a valve for controlling the passage of air to and from said ports, means forreversing said valve, and means common to the exhaust'valve actuating mechanism and to said air valve reversing means for reversing the former and shifting the latter.

2. The combination of a gas engine cylinder and piston, a fuel inlet valve and an exhaust valve for the cylinder, the cylinder having ports leadingto opposite ends thereof, an air chest with which said ports communicate, an exhaust port for the air chest, a valve for controlling the air chest ports, a normally closed valve adapted when open /to admit air to the air chest, a normally closed valve for the chest exhaust port, and means for opening said normally closed valves.

3. The combination of an engine cylinder and piston, a fuel inlet valve and an exhaust valve for one end of the cylinder,an air chest and ports extending therefrom to 0p posite ends of. the cylinder, a normally closed valve controlling the port extending to the fuel-receiving end of the cylinder, a normally closed air inlet valve for the opposite end of the cylinder, anexhaust port for the. air chest and a valve for controlling communication between said exhaust port and the respective ports leading to opposite ends of the cylinder, a compressed air receiver adapted to ccmmunicate with the air chest, a normally closed valve controlling said communication and adapted to open-toward the receiver, anormally closed valve for the .air chest exhaust port adapted to open toward the chest, and means for opening said last two mentioned valves.

4. The combination of an engine cylinder and piston, an air chest in ported communication with opp'osite ends of the cylinder,

an exhaust port for the air chest, a valve within the air chest and controlling communication between said exhaust port and the respective ports leading to opposite ends of the cylinder, a compressed air inlet for the ai-rchest, normally closed valves for said inlet port and for the air chest exhaust port, means common tosaid valves for holding them open,'and a fuel inlet valve and an exhaust valve for one end of the cylinder. 5. The combination of an engine cylinder and piston, a fuel inlet valve for the cylinder, an exhaust valve for the cylinder, a

carrier, two reversely-acting exhaust valveactuating devices mounted on the carrier, and means for shiftlng the carrier to place elther of said devices 1n operative relatlon with the exhaust valve.

6. The combination of an engine cylinder and piston, a fuel inlet valve for the cylinder,'a spring-closed. exhaust valve for the cylinder, two reversely-operating actuating devices for the exhaust valve, a carrier adapted to move either of said devices into operative relation with the exhaust valve, means, actuated by the carrier for holding the exhaust valve open when shifting said devices, and carrier moving means.

7. The combination of an explosive engine cylinder and piston, mechanisms for causing the same to operate as an explosive engine, a compressed air receiver in controlled communication with the cylinder, means for causing the cylinder and piston to operate as an air compressor for charging the receiver Without interfering with their operation as an explosive engine, and

means for passing compressed air from the receiver to opposite ends of the cylinder for actuating the piston by air pressure alone.

8. The combination of an explosive engine cylinder and piston, fuel inlet and exhaust valves for the cylinder,'a rotatable engine reversing rod, means connected to and actuated by said rod for reversing the direction of the engine, the rod being movable longitudinally into two different positions and being in one or the other of said positions determined by the direction of motion of the engine, two cams spaced apart on said rod, the cylinder ported for the passage of air to and from opposite ends thereof, an air chest with which said ports communicate, the air chest having an exhaust port and an exhaust pipe leading from the port. a slide valve in the air chest for controlling the" ports in communication therewith, a pipe for admitting compressed air to the 1 air chest, and a. valve in said, air inlet pipe'and I another valve in the exhaust pipe With said valves normally closed and arranged adjacent each other, the engine reversing rod extending between said valves with one or the other of the cams carried thereby adapted to cooperate with and open both of said valves upon rotating the rod.

9. The combination of an explosive engine cylinder and piston, the cylinder ported for admitting and exhausting compressed air, a gas admission and an exhaust valve, actuating means to which the exhaust valve is operatively connected for holding the latter open, a valve for controlling the aission 'theflast named valve and said actuating means whereby both the explosion and the air-pressure operations of the engine are under the control of the same actuating means.

-In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VICTOR H. PALM.

Witnesses:

S. ORAM, FLOYD G. PALM.