US1527011A - Means for supplying steam and air to the fuel of combustion engines - Google Patents

Description

E.' M. POWERS SUPPLYING STEAM AND AIR T0 THE FUEL 0F COMBUSTION ENGINES MEANS FOR Filed Dec. 30, 1922 INVENTOR EDGAR M0 POWERS @224 Patented Feb. 17, 1925.

; UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

Benson. ALL or COLUMBUS, onto.

assIe-Noa or roun-ivm'rns T oscan c. awn onn mnrn'ro M. J.

MEANS FOR SUPPLYING STEAM AND AIR TO THE FUEL OF COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed December 30, 1922. Serial No. 609,807.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR M. Pownns, a

"citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Means for Supplying Steam and Air to the Fuel of Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification. i i

The object of this invention is to provide an improved construction of means for sup plying steam and air to the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine such as used on motor vehicles whereby an abundance of steam in a highly heated state is delivered thereby promoting the combustion of the explosive gas and at the same time mitigating the accumulation of carbon in the engine.

The invention is embodied in the example herein shown and described, the features of novelty being finally claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 isa side elevation of a Ford engine showing the invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is largely a vertical sectional view of the boiler and reservoir on the line llll Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the outer end of the boiler.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the face of the boss on the side of the reservoir where the connection is made with the boiler.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line VV Fig. 2-, looking down.

In the views 6 designates the boiler, it being a hollow structure preferably having an upwardly extending nose provided with an internal web 7 extending part way across.

the chamber so as to permit the entrance of the steam and air pipe. The web 7 consti' tutes abreak to prevent the splash of water to the chamber above it. The shank of the boiler is externally threaded to engage a threaded hole in the engine exhaust pipe 8. The form of the boiler is such that it projects as much as practicable into the exhaust so that it shall receive a large measure of heat. The outer end of the boiler is shown as provided with a hexagonal opening 9 to receive a wrench for turning it home in the threaded opening referred to.

designates the water reservoir which.

receives its supply through a pipe 11 having one end tapping the water jacket of the engine and the other end connected with a sediment chamber 12 at the lower end of the reservoir. Where the sediment chamber communicates with the reservoir there is a valve seat 13 on which closes a valve 14* having a stem' 14 extending upward into the reservoir and around said stem and movable independently thereof is a float 15. The cover 16 of the reservoir is equipped with a pair of levers 17 pivoted thereto the shorter arms ofwhich project between and engage collars 18 on the stem so that when the float rises the longer arms of the levers are lifted and the shorter arms depressed thereby closing the valve 1 1 and cutting off the flow of water to the reservoir. The longer arms of the levers are made relatively heavy so that when the level of the water is lowered below the normal the valve 14 is lifted off its seat by the action of the levers and more water admitted to the reservoir. The con.- struction of the parts therefore is such that the level of the water is normally and automatically maintained at about the height in dicated in the drawing so as to leave an ample free space above it in the boiler for the collection of steam and air.

The reservoir is provided at one side with a boss 19 externally threaded to receive a union 2O turning on the boiler for connecting water-tightly the reservoir with the outer end of the boiler. Communication of the reservoir with the boiler is established by means of an angular passage 21 extending from near the bottom of the reservoir up through the side wall thereof and through the boss 19. The said boss and wall is also made with a steam and air passage 22 of angular form, said passage having connected with it at the boss end a bent pipe 23 that dips down into the water of the boiler and thence extends upward past the web 7 in the nose of the boiler before referred to. The pipe 23 is open at its inner end or it may be provided with small screening perforations to permit the passages of steam and air from the boiler chamber. The other or outer end of the passage 22 has con; nected with it one end of a pipe 24: that is tapped at its other end into the intake manifold of the engine. The pipe 123, passage 21 and pipe 24:with the connection of pipe 24;

with passage 22constitute the conductor for the mixedjheatednair andlsteam to/the in take manifold of the engine. The wall of thereservo-ir and the boss are perforated with two inclined passages 25 to permit the flow ofa-ir from the reservoir into the boiler such air being admitted from the atmosphere to the reservoir through one or more small perforations 26 in the reservoir cover 16.

In operation it will be observed that because the boiler projects extensively into the exhaust-manifold steam is rapidly :generated. It will alsobe observedthatthe suction of themanifold draws both the steam and air through asingle and cominonqentrance Within the boiler. Because of this construction the air becomes equally heated with the steam and there is a minimum of cooling and condensing effectafter themixture enters the pipe 24. I haverfound t quite important, if not absolutely necessarv, for the successful use of steam 'and air to introduce .it to the manifold intake of the engine in a highly heated state, such as pro ducedby my invention. Furthermore with my construction the admission of air does not, of course, interfere with the suction on the steam, as bot-hare drawn together.

The forms of the parts can be changed Without departing from the gist of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

Means for supplying steam mixed with airtotheintake-of a gas engine having an exhaust pipe, comprising, in combination, a Water reservoir, awsteain generator receiving Water from the reservoir-and havinga closed end extending horizontally into said exhaust pipe, :means for automatically "regulating the Water in said-steam generator to-st-and at a level below-the upper Wall of thegenerator so as to leave a free space therein for the collectionof steani and air,;means for conducting atmospheric air to said-free space, and'a conductor'for thesteam and air from said free space at a point in proximity to the closed end'of the steam-generator to the manifold intake of-the engine.

Images