US1745105A

US1745105A - malloby

Info

Publication number: US1745105A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1930-01-28
Anticipated expiration: 1947-01-28

Description

Jan. 28, 1930. H. c. MALLORY FUEL FEEDING SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed F915; 4, 1922 [N VENTOR fill/44am 7 var A TTORNE Y Patented Jan. 28, 1930 PATENT OFFICE HARRY C. MALLORY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.;

SUE B. MALLORY ADMINISTRATRIX F SAID HARRY C. MALLORY, DECEASED FUEL-FEEDING SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES Application filed February 4, 1922. Serial No. 534,040.

The general object of my present invention is to provide improved means for feeding fuel to the intake of an internal combustion engine. My invention is particularly adapted for use on an automobile driven by an internal combustion engine and having its main fuel oil supply tank or reservoir located at a lower level than the engine intake or carburetor supply tank. My invention comprises what may be called a thermal pump which is located in a conduit or feed line leading from the fuel oil reservoir to the engine intake and in which the fuel oil is heated to convert all or a portion of the oil discharged by the pump into vapor and thereby set up a flow of oil vapor or of oil and vapor mixture from the pump to the engine intake. Advantageously the heat necessary for the operation of the pump may be waste heat from the engine. For example, it may be heat derived from the fluid circulating in the engine cooling system, or, as I consider preferable in ordinary practice, it may be furnished by the engine exhaust gases. Preferably a supplementary heating means is provided for suppling heat to the pump when the engine is idle or the available supply of waste heat is insufficient in amount.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, however, and its advantages, reference should 35 be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic elevation;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the oil heating and pumping device employed in Fig. 1;.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3:3 of Fig. 2; t9 4. is partial sectional elevation. of a modified form of automatic control apparatus; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of a second modification of automatic control apparatus.

In the drawings, and referring first to the form of my invention shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, A represents an internal combustion auto.- mobile engine of which A is the intake mani fold, A the exhaust outlet, and A the radiator of the engine cooling system. Connected to the intake A is a carburetor B, and C represents a carburetor feed tank arranged to supply fuel oil to the carburetor by gravity,in the usual manner. D represents the engine fuel oil reservoir or supply tank, and E is the thermal pump or device for feeding fuel from the tank D to the tank G which ordi narily is arranged, as shown, at a level appreciably above that of the tank D. The device E, as shown, comprises a chamber 6, the upper end of which is above the top of the tank D while the lower end of the chamber a is below the bottom of the tank D. E and FF represent the bottom and top connections respectively from the tank D to the chamber 6.

Passing axially through the chamber 0 is a conduit, comprising an enlarged chamber portion F preferably located as shown at, or below, the level of the bottom of the tank D. The portion of the central conduit below the chamber F is formed by a tubular boss E projecting upward from the bottom wall of the chamber 6 and having threaded on its upper end an annular member F which forms the bottom wall of the chamber F. The outer wall of the chamber F is formed by a cap member F in threaded engagement with the periphery of the member F The upper portion of the central conduit is formed by a pipe F secured to the top of the cap member F and connecting the chamber F to the tank C through the top wall of which the pipe F opens. The oil enters the chamber F from the chamber (2 through the ports F, but baelefiow the F into the a prevented by an annular member G located within the chamber F and forming a sort of check valve normally closing the ports F.

The passage E extends through the bottom wall of the chamber 6 and opens at its lower end into the top of a small heating chamber E". As shown the chamber E surrounded by a chamber B through which a suitable heating fluid may be passed.

In the preferred construction illustrated the engine exhaust gases are passed into the chamber E from the engine exhaust outlet A through the usual muflle L which has its outlet L connected to the chamber K represents an auxiliary heating device shown as an electrical heating element secured against the bottom wall of the chamber E.

\Vith the described arrangement the liquid level in the chamber 6 will be the same as in the tank D, and the central conduit tends to fill with oil to the same level. \Vhen the chamber E is sufficiently heated some or all of the oil in the chamber is converted into vapor. This vapor passing out of the chamber E enters the pipe F 1 and tends to force the oil contained in the latter into the carburetor feed tank C. The expulsion of the oil from the pipe F into the tank C results, of course, from a slight increase in the fluid pressure in the chamber F. This pressure decreases as soon as the pipe F is cleared of oil and the vapor is permitted to pass freely into the tank C. On this reduction in pressure the check valve lifts and permits an influx of oil into the chamber F through the ports F to again fill the pipe F with oil to a level approximating that of the oil level in the tank I) and chamber e, whereupon the subsequent generation of vapor causes the discharge of oil to be re peated. In practice, of oil and vapor into the tank 0 is intermittent or pulsating unless the rate at which heat is supplied to the chamber E is great enough to provide for a practical continuous discharge of vapor from the chamber 0. In such case the chamber IE will normally contain little or no oil and will operate as a flash boiler, but in the normal contemplated mode of operation of the apparatus heat will not be supplied to the chamber E rapidly enough to prevent the latter from containing considerable oil at all times.

To equalize the vapor pressures in the upper portion of the tank C and the chamber e, and to take care of excess oil or oil vapor passed into the tank C, I provide a returnconnection H from the tank G to the top of the chamber e. As shown this return connection opens from the tank C at the maximum height of liquid level which it is desired. to maintain in the latter and advantageously contains a coil H which is adapted to serve as a condenser for-vapor entering the return connection from the tank C. As

therefore, the discharge shown, the return connection H is formed with a portion indicated at H which provides a liquid seal in the return connection H. A regulation of the heat supplied to the chamber E may be obtained in the construction shown in the drawings by means of a by-pass L from the manifold L about the chamber E", and a valve or damper M which may be adjusted to vary the portions of the exhaust gases leaving the mufile L which pass through the chamber E and through the bypass L respectively.

Advantageously provisions are made for adjusting the damper M automatically in response to the temperature efiect produced. The provisions shown for this purpose in Fig. 1 comprise a thermostatic element J connected into the pipe F 4 between the device E and tank C, and the lever and link connections J and J from the actuating element of the thermostat to the operating arm M of the valve M, the arrangement being such that the valve M will be turned to divert more or less of the engine exhaust gases away from the chamber E and into the bypass L ac cordingly as the temperature of the fluid flowing through the pipe F 4 rises above or falls below a predetermined temperature.

In the apparatus shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the electrical heating element K is primarily intended for use in supplying heat to the chamber E when the engine is not in opertion and the tank C does not contain suflicient oil to start the engine, or when it may be desirable to heat the oil in the tank C preparatory to starting. 0 represents ahand switch for connecting the heating coil K to the automobile lighting and engine starting system or to any other suitable or available source of electric current. Advantageously provisions are made for automatically interrupting the supply of current to the coil E to prevent undesirable overheating of this coil. The provisions shown for this purpose in Fig. 1 comprise a second switch I connected to the link J 2 which thus operates to open the energizing circuit for the heating element K when the temperature of the oil passing through the conduit F 4 exceeds a predetermined amount.

In lieu of regulating the heating of the chamber E in direct response to the tem perature of the oil or vapor mixture, I may arrange to automatically decrease the heat supplied to the chamber E" in response to a predetermined increase in the vapor pres sure created in the feed system. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, I may connect the link J to the armature or core Q of an electromagnet Q, and energize this magnet and thereby move the damper and switch actuating link J 2 upward whenever the vapor pressure in the tank C exceeds its predetermined value. The means for thus energizing th electromagnet Q shown in F ig.

4 comprises a bellows element It to the movable upper end of which is secured a switch member S which bridges the switch contacts S and thus connects the electromagnet Q in series with a battery T, or other source of current, whenever a predetermined rise in pressure in the tank C occurs.

In lieu of the forms of automatic control mechanism described, I may regulate the sup ply of heat to the chamber E in direct response to the accumulation of liquid in the tank C. One means for accomplishing this result is shown in Fig. 5 wherein a float U in the tank C has its stem connected to the switch member S cooperating with switch contacts S controlling the energization of an electromagnet coil Q, for adjusting the link J 2 as in Fig. 4c- As shown an expansible bellows element RA, which has its movable upper end connected to the stem of the float G, prevents the escape of vapor from the tank G through the hole in the top wall of the latter provided for the float stem without imposing appreciable frictional resistance on the movement of the float. Advantageously the thermal pump E including the chambers E and E and coil heating element K and the pipe F are covered with heat insulation X.

WVhile the preferred mode of operation contemplated by me is one in which the fuel oil is passed to the engine carburetor as oil and not as vapor and the heating of the oil is primarily for the purpose of vaporizing only enough of the oil to create the flow of oil through the pipe F required to keep the carburetor feed tank C filled to the desired level, I may supply heat to the fuel feeding device in quantity large enough to vaporize all the fuel supplied to the carburetor in normal operation. This may be accomplished with the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 by simply increasing the amount of heat supplied to the cham ber E, and closing the valve C in the oil supply connection C leading from the bottom of the carburetor supply tank C to the carburetor B, so that the oil vapor supplied to the tank C through the pipe F will pass to the carburetor B through the connection G lVith this mode of operation the supply tank 0 and return connection H serve merely as an oil and vapor separator. Regardless of whether the fuel oil is heated suflicient to vaporize all or any of the fuel entering the carburetor, or is merely heated sutliciently to effect a pulsating feed of oil from the reservoir D into the tank 0, the heating of the oil tends to improve the efliciency of the engine and to facilitate starting of the engine when cold, and in some cases the use of my invention may make the engine practically selfstarting in ordinary operation and permit the elimination of the automatic starting gear now ordinarily employed on automobile engines.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes I have illustrated and described the best forms of my present invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form of my invention without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims, and that certain features of my invention may sometimes be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

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

1. A fuel feeding system for an internal combustion engine comprising a fuel oil reservoir, a feed line leading from the reservoir to the engine intake, means for utilizing the engine exhaust gases to heat a lower portion of said feed line to vaporize fuel oil therein and thereby create a flow of fuel through the line to the engine intake, and means responsive to the heating effect produced for bypassing the exhaust gases employed in heating said feed line.

2. A' fuel feeding system for an internal combustion engine comprising a fuel oil reservoir, a feed line leading upwardly from the reservoir to the engine intake, means for heating a lower portion of said feed line to vaporize the fuel oil therein and thereby create a flow of fuel through the line to the engine intake, and means responsive to the temperature of the oil flowing to the engine intake for regulating the heating effect imparted to the feed line.

8. A fuel feeding system for an internal combustion engine comprising a carburetor supply tank, a fuel oil reservoir located at a lower level than said tank, a feed line connecting said reservoir and tank, an overflow return line to the reservoir from the tank connected to the latter at a level somewhat below that of the top of the tank, carburetor outlet connections from the tank opening from the latter above and below the normal liquid level therein, a valve for closing the connection from the bottom of the tank, and means for heating a lower portion of said feed line to vaporize fuel oil therein and thereby create a flow of fuel through the line from the reservoir to the tank.

4. A fuel feeding system for an internal combustion engine comprising a carburetor supply tank, a fuel oil reservoir located at a lower level than said tank, a feed line connecting said reservoir and tank, an overflow return line to the reservoir from the tank connected to the latter at a level somewhat below that of the top of the tank, a vapor supply to the carburetor connection from the tank opening from the latter above the normal liquid level therein, and means for heating a lower portion of said feed line to vaporize fuel oil therein and thereby create a flow of fuel through the line from the reservoir to the tank.

5. A fuel feeding system for an internal combustion engine comprising a fuel oil 5 reservoir and feed line leading upwardly from the reservoir to the engine intake, means for heating a lower portion of said feed line includin a heating chamber, and means controlled y the temperature of the fuel in said feed line for passing more or less of the engine exhaust gases through said chamber.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York this 1st day of February, A. D. 1922.

HARRY C. MALLORY.