US1351193A

US1351193A - southey

Info

Publication number: US1351193A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1920-08-31
Anticipated expiration: 1937-08-31

Description

A. W. SOUTHEY. v

PRODUCTION OF GASEOUS FUEL FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES- APPLICATION men AUGJG. 1916. 1

1,351, 1 93, Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IIlYIIIIIIIIIIIII/IIMIMI/Milli A. w. SOUTHEY. PRODUCTION OF GASEOUS FUEL FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES- APPLICATION FILED AUGJB. 1916.

Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' tion engines.

UNITED STATES TENT OFFIQE.

ALFRED WILLIAM SOlJ'TI-IEY, LONDGN, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR '10 SOUTHEY GAS PRODUCERS LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

PRODUCTION OF GASEOUS FUEL FOB, INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED WILLIAM SoU'rriEY, a subjectof the King of Great Britain, and resident of 38 Hale Lane, Mill Hill, London, England, engineer, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Production of Gaseous Fuel for Internal- Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

Among the methods which havebeen proposed for the production of gaseous fuel for internal combustion engines from liquid hydrocarbons, such for example as paraffin, there is one which by the partial combustion of the liquid fuel produces a mixture formed partly of combustion products and partly of unburnt fuel in a gaseous condition.

If a mixture of this description is led to the cylinders of an internal combustion engine it is sometimes found to be a fuel deficient in power owing to loss ofcalorific value due to increased intensity of the flame and sometimes when the intensity of the flame is less by reason of a limitation of the supply of air the fuel is insufiiciently vaporized and there is condensation in the cylinders and a dirty exhaust. 7

To obtain satisfactory results it is necessary to properly vaporize the liquid fuel and to superheat the vapor and to do this without wasting the calorific value of the fuel.

According. to the present invention I do not as in some previous methods, inject liquid fuel into a flame and allow combustion of the said fuel to take place in the presence of air a sufficiency of which at all times cannot be determined but I cause a high temperature flame to which air has been freely supplied so as to insure that the flame consequent on the condition of complete combustion is drawn by the suction of the engine in the direction of the cylinders and comes into direct contact on its way with liquid fuel which is also drawn into a space where the flame is quenched by the fuel so that no further, combustion takes place by reason of the absence of air to support it. A superheated vapor is thus produced which with air added later constitutes'a highly sat-= isfactory gaseous fuel for internal combus- The suction of the engine. which is variable regulates the intensity of the flame and takes Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

Application filed August 16, 1916.

Serial No; 115,199. I

' tical apparatus embodying my invention.

iveferring to Fig. l a is a kind of double pan with a compartment Z) for the wicks 0. (Z is an upstanding tube of suitable sectional area and e is a chamber having an orifice 6 open to and situated above the end of the tube (Z. The chamber 6 has at its opposite end an outlet f leading to the engine cylinders. Liquid fuel is contained within the space 9 formed by the double bottom of the pan, within the wick chamber 6 and within the tube (Z and the level of the liquid is maintained constant at approximately the height of the tube Z by any convenient form of float. T he space it surrounding the tube (Z is empty of fuel and open to the air.

The flame from the wicks is drawn by the suction of the engine into the orifice e of the chamber e around the tube (Z. Here the flame meets the liquid fuel which is delivered from the tube (Z and vaporizes it in accordance with the intensity which the flame possesses and which is determined by the draft created by the-suction of the engine. Sufficient air is not admitted to the chamber 6 to support combustion and consequently the flame is quenched by the fuel'at the orifice e and no further combustion takes place. There is therefore no destruction of the calorific value of the fuel which is merely vaporized and superheated. If air were admitted to the chamber 6 the interior of the latter would be full of flame and the calorific value of the vaporized fuel would be destroyed.

The apparatus shown in Fig. 2 acts in a similar manner but in this case the bottom of the chamber 6 is open to the trough 9 containing the liquid fuel and the flame from the wicks is drawn into the said chamber by a depending piped so that the'flanie impinges upon the surface of the fuel, maintained constantly on a level with the end of the pipe (Z and carries away a superheated and unburnt vapor suitable for firing an engine.

I may remark that the apparatus em ployed for carrying out my invention is capable of considerable variation and will be constructed in accordance with the character of the liquid fuel employed and other circumstances. As above indicated the forms of apparatus herein described and illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 are only intended to be diagraminatic.

I will. now describe the practical form of apparatus shown in Fig. 3.

a is a tank containing a space 6 for the wicks c and surrounding the space 6, an annular trough g for the float 2'. Fuel enters the trough g by the orifice which is furnished with a valve 1". operated by the float through the pivoted lever Z. The fuel flows into the wick space 7) by holes on. Within the space Z) is an empty receptacle 71. open at the top. (Z is a tube or nozzle for the fuel the end of whichnozzle extends somewhat above the level of the fuel in the surrounding spaces 6 and g indicated by the broken line. The fuel is admitted to the nozzle (Z by the holes a and the chamber 0 the latter being formed by a tubular portion depending from the bottom of the receptacle h and constituting a supportfor the latter within the space E). j) is a screw plug for closing the bottom end of the chamber 0 and g is a strainer for the fuel at the bottom of the nozzle (Z. a is a cover for the trough g. s is a place for a sparking plug therein and t is a covered aperture for lighting the wicks when required.

Surrounding the upper portion of the nozzle (Z is the orifice e of the chamber 6 which opens at its upper end into the mixing throttle a which it is not necessary here to describe.

it will be seen that the chamber 6 is supported by an external annular portion a resting on an upstanding ring 20 which forms part of the cover 1" before mentioned. :1 are flap valves in the portion o for admitting air freely into the space 6 and for enabling the fuel to burn at the wicks 0. flame from the wicks is drawn by the suction of the engine in the direction of the arrows into the orifice e where it meets the fuel from the tube (Z as in the manner explained with reference to the diagrams Figs. 1 and 2.

'No claim is herein made to the novel features of the above described practical form of apparatus for carrying out the improved method as the same constitute the subject matter of an application filed March 14, 1917, Serial No. 154,832.

W'hat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. The method herein described of mak- The ing gaseous products which consists in producing a flame, conducting said flame into a restricted passage so as to reduce the cross sectional area of the flame and thus obtain a zone of high temperature, and subjecting liquid fuel to the flame at said restricted zone of high temperature.

2. The herein-described method of mak ing gaseous products, which consists in producing a flame, conducting said flame into a restricted passage, subjecting liquid fuel to said flame in said passage, and maintaining in said passage an insufficient amount of air to support combustion.

3. The herein described method of making gaseous products which consists in producing a flame, sucking said flame into a restricted passage so as to obtain a zone of high temperature, and drawing by suction liquid fuel in the form of a spray into the zone of high temperature and at which point there is an insufiicient amount of air to support combustion of the added fuel.

4. The herein-described method of making gaseous products, which consists in substantially surrounding the open end of a chamber with a flame, drawing said flame in constricted condition into said chamber, and introducing fuel into said chamber at the point of constriction of said flame.

5. The herein-described method of making gaseous products, which consists in maintaining a substantially annular flame about the contracted end of a chamber, passing said flame into and through such contracted end to produce a zone of high temperature at such point, introducing liquid fuel in finely-divided condition into said zone, and maintaining in said zone an in suflicient amount of air to support combustion.

6. The herein-described method of making gaseous products, which consists in maintaining a substantially annular flame about the contracted end of a chamber, passing said flame into and through such contracted end to produce a, zone of high temperature at such point, introducing liquid fuel in finely-divided condition into said zone, maintaining in said passage an insufficient amount of air to support combustion and expanding the resultant products into said chamber.

7. The herein-described method of making gaseous products, which consists in maintaining a substantially annular flame about the contracted end of a chamber, passing said flame into and through such contracted end to produce a zone of high temperature at such point, introducing liquid fuel in finely-divided condition into said zone, maintaining in said zone an insuflicient amount of air to support combustion, ex panding the resultant products into said chamber, and adding air to said products at a point sufliciently remote from said zone to prevent combustion.

8. The herein-described method of making gaseous products, which consists in maintaining a substantially annular flame about an open-ended tube, sucking said flame in constricted condition into and through said tube, drawing liquid fuel in finelydivided condition into said tube substantially centrally thereof, and maintaining in said tube an insufficient amount of air to support combustion.

9. The herein-described method of making gaseous products, which consists in producing a flame, supplying atmospheric air to said flame, constricting said flame to produce a zone of high-temperature, introduc ing fuel to said flame at said zone, and

quenching said flame to prevent combustion of the product.

10. The herein-described method of making gaseous products, which consists in producing a flame, passing said flame through a restricted passage to produce a zone of high temperature, introducing fuel to said restricted passage in lines parallel with the line of travel of said flame, and maintaining in said passage an insufficient amount of air to support combustion.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED WILLIAM SOUTHEY.

Witnesses:

H. D. JAMnsoN, A. S. BISHOP.