US1571043A - Water-conserving system for gas-engine radiators - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 26 1926.

F. CLASING WATER conssnvme SYSTEM FOR ms ENGINE mmm'rons Filed April 28, 1924 INVENTOR I Fred CLascn ATTOR N EY Patented Jan. 26, 1926.

UNITED STATES FRED CLASING, or saoaalvmn'ro, CALIFORNIA.

WATER-GONSERVING SYSTEM FOR GAS-ENGINE RADIATORS.

Application filed. April 28, 1924. Serial No. 709,709.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRED CLAsINo, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sacramento, county of Sacramento, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water-Conserving Systems for Gas-Engine Radiators; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this applica tion.

This invention relates to improvements in attachments for automobile engines, my principal object being to conserve the cooling water used in the radiators of such vehicles, providing that the water which overflows from the radiator when said water becomes overheated and which is now wasted, Will be passed to a reservoir, from which it will be automatically returned to the radiator when the level of the water therein drops below a certain point.

Thus the danger of running out of water, sometimes when it is impossible to replenish the supply, is avoided.

In cold climates alcohol, kerosene and other inflammable liquids are commonly mixed with the cooling water to prevent the same from freezing, and another object of my invention is to provide means for causing any inflammable vapors generated from the cooling liquid with the overheating of the same, to be drawn into the engine. This not only provides additional fuel for the engine but prevents danger of fire which might occur if these inflammable vapors were allowed to pass into the air.

A third object is to provide a simple means for causing all the above named operations to take place by reason of the suction induced with the operation of the en- 1118. b These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of ref erence indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a side assembly of my system showlng the same as installed in connection with a radiator and gas engine.

r Fig. 2 is a detached sectional view of a vacuum tank, and adjacent parts;

Fig. 3 is a face view of a plate and certam members mounted thereon, attached to the radiator.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4.-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detached sectional view of a vacuum indicating and control member.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes a gas engine having an intake manifold 2 and the usual radiator reservoir 3 mounted in connection with the engme.

My system comprises a vacuum tank 4 from the upper end of which a pipe 5 leads to a connection with the intake manifold 2. A control valve 6 is interposed in this pipe, said valve being operated by means of a rod 7 extending through the dash of the car.

In the bottom of the vacuum tank 4 is a flap valve 8, opening downwardly into a chamber 9 therebelow and having an outlet 10 at its lower end. A flap valve 11, opening outwardly, normally closes said opening. Connected to the outlet 10 beyond the valve 11 is a pipe 12 which leads to a fitting 12 connected to the top of a tank 13 of suitable size mounted in any desired location on the vehicle somewhat lower than the chamber 9. The fitting 12" opens to the atmosphere, the opening having a cover member 12', normally held clear of the same by adjustable spring means 12, the purpose of this structure being explained hereinafter. A pipe 14 leads from the bottom of said tank 13 to a plate 15 mounted on the back of the reservoir 3, over an opening 16 cut in the latter. A. stop cock 14 is interposed in the pipe 14 adjacent the plate 15. On the inside of the radiator and connected with the adjacent end of the pipe 14' is a valve member 17 having an inwardly opening valve 18 mounted in connection therewith. This valve is held seated as long as the water is above a certain level by means of a float 19. When the water level drops the float descends also and opens the valve 18 allowing the water from said pipe to pass into the radiator.

The overflow pipe 20 of the radiator, which usually is open to the atmosphere at its lower end, now extends to the plate 15 and is there connected with a pipe 21 which leads to the bottom of the vacuum tank 4. An automatically operating valve structure, however, is interposed in the pipe 21 adja-' cent said tank. This valve comprises an outer vsleeve member 22, an inner sleeve 23 mounted thereiina plunger 24 slidable in the sleeve and normally closing an opening in the end thereof farthest from the tank, and a compression spring 25 tending to hold the plunger in the above named position. The sleeve 23 is provided with a longitudinal V-shaped slit 26 extending from its end adjacent the tank to a point short of the other end, for a purpose as will be seen.

On the plate 15 1 preferably mount a water gage27 and a vacuum indicating and control member 28. This member 23 comprises a tube 29 connected to the plate 15 by an elbow or similar member 30, which end communicates with the interior oI the reservoir 3. In this member 29 is mounted a sleeve 31, having a longitudinal V-shaped slot 32 extending upwardly from its lower end for a certain distance. Slidable in the sleevei31 to a point above the upper end of the slot '32 is a plunger '33. To the upper end of this plunger is connected 2. wire or link 34, the upper end of which is connected to an arm '35 mounted in connection with a segmental gear 36, which meshes with a similar gear 37. On the shaft 38 of the gear 37 is'fixed a finger 39 adapted to point to a dial 40 mounted in connection with a casing 41 in which saidgears,'finger and other parts are enclosed. A stop pin 42 limits the movement of the finger 39 in a certain direction. In connection with the gear 37 is a spring linger 43 also reading on the dial 40 on the opposite side of the pin 42. The tension of this spring linger is adjusted at will by means of a rod '44 connected thereto on which is threaded a thumb nut 45 bearing against the casing 41 on the outside of the same. T his linger is arranged with the gear in such a manner that as the tension of said finger is increased by advancing the nut 45 on the member 44, a similar tension is placed on the gear 34'', causing the same to resist being turned.

The operation of the system is as follows:

'lVith the engine in operation .and the valve ,6 opened, a tendency to vacuum is set up in the tank 4 and also in the lower chamber 9, the tank and chamber "having communication independently ofthe valve '8 by means ofa small airpipe 45. Thisitendency to vacuum will also cause the plunger 24 .to be drawn toward the tank against the pres sure of the spring. The greater the vacuum, he greater will :be :the movement of the plunger, ,with a proportionately greater area of opening between the slit 26 and the outer end of'the plunger, andthrough which opening communication is established between the tank 4 and pipe 21. This plunger-valve may however be Omitted if desired. A tendcncy to vacuum is thus also set up in the radiator 3, which is substantially airtight.

Therefore if any steam or vapor (caused by the water in the reservoir 3 becoming overheated) be present in said reservoir it will pass into the overflow pipe 20 and will be drawn thence through pipe 21 into the tank 4. If this vapor is steam, it will very likely be condensed before reaching said tank, and --will then flowinto the chamber 9 through the valve 8. It the vapor is of an inflammable nature, it will not condense as readily, and will remain in that form in thetank 4, to be drawn into the manifold 2 through the pipe 5 due to the suction in the latter.

The water will collect in the chamber '9 until the .weight thereof overcomes the at-- mospheric pressure on the-flap 11 tending to hold the same closed. The water escaping past said valve will then pass by gravity to the tank 13 through the pipe 12, and while during this time air atmospheric pressure is entering the, chamber 9 past the open valve 11, the normal vacuum condition in said chamber will be almost instantly restored when said valve 11 closes owing to the communicating air pipe 46 between the tank and chamber.

lVhenthe level of the water in the radiator, by passing through the pipe2l as above recited, or throughleakage. has dropped so that the float l9 descending therewith has opened the valve 18, a tendency to vacuum is then induced in the pipe '14, which causes water from the tank 13 ,to'be drawn through said pipe and into the radiator until the water levejl therein has risen to a point sulficient to cause the rising float to again close the valve 18. This operation will of course be repeated intermittently and indefinitely. The indicator and control member 28 is "for the purpose of enabling the negative pressure or vacuum in the'radiator to be controlled irrespective of the initial negative pressure in the pipes 5 or 21, and also to indicate the amount of such pressure.

In operation, a pull on the plunger 33 is had due .to the negative pressure in the radiator, since the member 29 in which the plunger is mounted is connected 'to a pipe 47 which projects into the radiator and terminates above the level of the water therein. The plunger will ,then descend, causing the indicating finger 39 to move away from the stop pin, ,due to the operative connections between said finger vand the plunger. Af er a certain extent of movement ofthe plunger, air will be admitted to the pipe 29 below the plunger from above .the latter through the slit or bypass 32,;thereby limiting the vacuum pressure invthe radiator and keeping the same substantially constant. since the farther the plunger moves down with a heavy pull thereon, the greater will be the area of the bypass opening, and a larger volume 02f air may enter the radia- By adjusting the tension of the spring linger 43, the resistance of the gear 37 to turning, and hence the resistance of the plunger to be moved down, is increased or lessened. Consequently, the amount of negative pressure in the radiator necessary to move the plunger down sufficiently to admit air through the bypass, may be varied.

By reason of the normally open atmospheric valve 12, air is normally in the tank 13, as is necessary toallow of the inflow and outflow of the. water. If the water is all drained from the tank however, so that the continued operation of the engine tends to cause air to be drawn through the pipe 14, which would disturb the fuel mixture in the engine, the cover or valve 12 will automatically close, thereby preventing any air from entering the tank and being drawn through pipe 14.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A system for conserving the water in the radiators of gas-engines comprising a tank, passage means leading from the radiator above the normal water level therein to said tank, a return pipe from the tank to the radiator at a point in the latter below the normal water level therein, means for inducing a suction in said passage means away from the radiator whereby a negative pressure will be maintained in the latter, and valve means for said return pipe normally closed and arranged to open only then the water in the radiator drops below a certain level.

2. A. system for conserving the water in the radiators of gas engines comprising a water tank, a pipe leading from the tank to the radiator at a point in the latter below the normal water level therein, float controlled valve means for said pipe arranged to open when the water in the radiator drops below a certain level, means whereby water from the tank will then enter the radiator through said pipe, and means whereby any water in the radiator tending to overflow or which has been turned into steam will be passed into said tank.

3. A system for conserving the water in the radiators of gas engines comprising a vacuum tank, an overflow pipe leading from the radiator to the tank, passage means between said tank and the intake manifold of the engine whereby to cause a tendency to vacuum to be maintained in said tank, pipe and radiator, a water tank, passage means between the vacuum and water tanks, and means whereby any water collecting in the vacuum tank from the overflow pipe will pass to the water tank without being influenced by the negative pressure in the vacuum tank.

4. A structure as in claim 3. in which additional means is provided for causing water from the tank to be automatically passed back to the radiator at any time when the water in the latter drops below a certain level.

5. A system for supplying water to the radiators of gas engines comprising a vacuum tank, an overflow pipe leading from the radiator to the tank, passage means between said tank and theintake manifold of the engine whereby to cause a tendency to vacuum to be maintained in said tank, pipe and radiator with the operation of the engine, a water tank, a water chamber provided with the vacuum tank at the bottom thereof, passage means between the chamber and water tank, and a valve between said chamber and passage means opening away from the chamber but normally closed by at mospheric pressure thereagainst.

6. A system for conserving the water in the radiators of gas engines comprising a water tank, a pipe leading from the tank to the radiator at a point in the latter below the normal water level therein, float controlled valve means for said pipe arranged to open when the water in the radiator drops below a certain level, whereby with the suction induced by the engine a negative pres sure will be maintained in the radiator, and means for controlling the extent of such negative pressure irrespective of the suctional force of the engine.

7. A system for supplying water to a radiator including a water tank normally open to the atmosphere, a pipe leading to the radiator from the tank, means operated by the suction induced with the operation of the engine for causing water from the tank to be passed to the radiator when the water level therein lowers to a predetermined point, and means whereby when the water in the tank is exhausted the latter will be automatically closed to atmospheric pressure.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature.

FRED CLASING.

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