US1402747A - Method of burning liquid fuels - Google Patents

Description

. A. DOBLE.

METHOD OF BURNING LIQUID FUELS.

I APPLICAT'ON FILED SEPT-15, I917- 1 ,402,747. Patented Jan. 10, 1922.

.flbnerale x l I tonal:

resident of Detroit,

l*uels, of which unrrsn STATES PATENT OFFICE...

ABNER DOBLE, 0F DETRO IT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

DOBLE-DETROIT STEAM MOTORS 00., or DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE, METHOD OF BURNING LIQUID FUELS.

Application filed September 15, 1917.

To (all 'IIllO'HI it may concern:

States of Ameyica, and Wayne County, Michihave invented a certain new and use ul Methods of'liurning Liquid thefollowing is a specifizen of the United ga-n, Improvement in cation.

My invention heavy hydrocarbons, suclras kerosene and distillate, as fuel'in connection with the rapid generation of steam for use in thepropulsion of automobiles, and it is'niy purpose to instantly ignite and burn heavy hydrocarlmns from an initially cold state and without initial gasification or pro-vaporization.

In the drawing I illustrate a mechanism by which I accomplish this object and my invention will be described with reference by way of illustration-to this mechanism,

Referring to the drawing:

The figure is a view, partly in section, partly. in elevation and partly diagrammatic, of a fuel ignition mechanism and burner illustrative of one manner in which my invention may be carried out. p

I illustrate a portion of the combustion chamber or fire-pot A, which in practice is bowl-shaped and positioned be neath a steam generator A of a steam driven automobile power plant. This combustion chamber is made of or lined with'refractory material, and the fuel properly mixed with air is projected into it by means of the burner, mechanism which causes circulated and swirled in said chamber to bring about complete combustion of the fuel. The fuel burning mechanism extends into this chamber from one side thereof. I provide a tubular member 10 which extends ture it comprises a casing horizontally into the combustion chamber and which is suitably bolted in position. The "outer end of this tube is connected to the horizontally turned- 'outlet' of an air with the blower B and this tube together blower outlet form a'Venturi mixing tube. The blower delivers-volumes of air throng 1 the 'venturi passage and which supplies all of the air necessary tosu-pport combustion in the fire-pot. This blower may-bfof any suitable type for the purpose. n this struc- 12 having a rotary blade wheel 13 therein arranged to deliver volumes of air at comparatively low pres- Specification of Letters Patent.

relates to the art of burning bons such as the fuel to be violently terminals 25 J v Patented Jan. 10,1922. semi No. 191,5ea.

sure. The blower is driven .by a small electric motor C mounted at one side of the easing and supplied with current from the battery 14 or any other suitable source. One terminalof the battery is grounded at 15 and the other connected by conductor 16 with one terminal of the motor. The other terminal of the motor .is grounded at 17 b conductor l8. operatorsswitch 15) by which it may be controlled. Within the Venturi tube at the The motor circuit inclu es an throat thereof is fuel nozzle- This nozzle is mounted (iii a post Qll-screwed into the wall of the blower-outlet. It has a'nozzle opening 2L at its rear end for the emission of the fuel, and this nozzle has a'cone-shaped member 22 extending forwardly from the opening and forming a small chamber surrounding said opening. A small pin or projection 23 is positioned just in front of the nozzle opening and when the fuel in liquidform is projected from the nozzle opening under considerable pressure. itstrikes this pin and is mechanically broken u and thus extremely finely atomized. eavy hydrocarkerosene and distillate can, I have found in practice he ignited by an elec tric spark from'an initially cold or normal temperature condition by spraying the fuel in a finely atomized state and providing a mixture with air. A mixture of the character which is rich in fuel and lean in air, although ignitable by an electric spark, is incompletely combustible, productive of soot and smoke and odor, and it will not r0- duce suflicient'volume and degree of lieat necessary for the. production of steam to meet the horse-power requirements. This mixture which is capable of spark ignition the sprayingof the fuel under pressure from the nozzle and isolating the spray in its inception by the cone-shaped nozzle chamber so that it becomesmixed with air only to alimited extent. While in this; condition the rich, finely atomized mixture is ignited by an electric spark produced at the" of a suitable spark is screwed into the nozzle sup mrting post 20 with its electrodes positione just within the mouth of the'chambe'r 22. This spark may be pro'duc'edin any desired manner. In the structure shown it is produced by an ordinary sparking coil 26. ,The secondary windingof this coil is grounded at one terfore intimated, by

plug which I minal, and its other terminal is connected by conductor" 27 with one terminal of the spark plug. The other spark plug terminal a is grounded at 28. The primary winding of the fuel at normal temperature by means of a spark without pre-gasification or pre-hea'ting, however, I change the characteristics of the fuel by converting it into a gas, utilizing the heat of the spark ignited flame for this purpose.

The liquid fuel is supplied from a fuel 'tank33 by means of a small pump 3tmounted upon and driven from the motor shaft,

and this pump provides'the necessary pressure onthe fuel for spraying the liquid from the nozzle. The pressure may be'supplied by any suitable means although the advantage of the motor driven pump is that the pump runsonly when the motor and blower are running. The pump takes the liquid fuel, through the pipe and delivers it under pressure through pipe 36 to the-chamber 37 ofa diaphragm valve' mechanism and thence through the pipe 38 to the nozzle. The valve chamber has a diaphragm 39 which is acted upon by an adjustable spring device 40 and thisj'diaphra'gm has a long valve stem 41 extending through pipe 38.,

The valve stem is seated. in the nozzle opening and controls the flow of 'fuel' therei through. The diaphragm isadjusted to respond and open the nozzle only when there is the proper pressureon the fuel. Thus the mechanism is automatic to close the nozzle and prevent the flow .or leakage of fuel when the pump is not operating or providing sufficient pressure. The fuel pipe 36 includes a coiled portion 43 through which the fuel circulates on its way to the nozzle. This coil is positioned within the combustion chamber just in front of the Venturi tube where it is subject to the heat of the burning fuel, hence in passing through this heating coil the liquid will be converted into a gas and will issue from the nozzle as a gas and become mixed with the volumes of air supplied by the blower.

In starting with the parts all cold however the liquid fuel will first be sprayed from the:

nozzle and instantly be ignited in this cold condition. The flame will play upon the heating coil and gradually convert the liquid into a gas which will then be ignited by said initial flame and thereafter sustain combustion and the continued gasification of the fuel. One extremely important advantage of my invention is elimination of the difii- 'culties and'unreliability of a constantly burn-- ing pilot which must be initially supplied with gasified fuel- By my method and apparatus the pre-heating and initial gasification of the fuel is avoided, the fuel can be perature by an electric spark, igniting said mixture by an electric spark, and, while said fuel is burning, gradually converting the liquid fuel into a gas by the heat of the flame before it emerges from said nozzle, and

continuing combustion by supplying said gas and volumes of air to sa1d flame.

Signed by me at Detroit, Mich., this 11 day of September 1917 I p ABNER'DOBLE.

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