US2147074A - Power generating and driving means - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 14, 1939. E wYMAN 2,147,074

POWER GENERATING AND DRIVING MEANS Filed Nov. 15, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l 12210922502 E'dawm Z Wgmaaz, a a JWJ, M r- MM E. T. w YM'AN POWER GENERATING AND DRIVING MEANS,

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 13, 1936 I! II II 0 Il I III mm mm ',-W I p by 5 a Patented F eb. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to power generating and driving means, and more specifically to a novel and improved combined internal combustion and compressed gas or air engine.

5 In the drawings of the illustrative form of my novel engine described herein,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, pa'rtlytin section; Fig. 2, a similar view of a modified form of construction, including the internal combustion.

engine in combination with a conventional compound steam or vaporengine;

Fig. 3, a detail elevation on an enlarged scale, partly in section, of one of the gas admission valves to the gas compression, mixing and steam 15 generating reservoir; and

Fig. 4 is a section, on an enlarged scale, of the valves 35, 36, in the water supply by-pass system.

Fig. 5 is a vertical, diagrammatical section, in

part, of the pressure controlling valve for the reservoir.

Referring first toFig. 1, my novel power generator construction comprises an internal combustion engine I, of any preferred type, as gasoline or Diesel, of substantially conventional construction, of two or four cycle type, ith a gas, hot air and steam generating, mixing and compression reservoir 2, operatively connected thereto, and properly protected by asbestos or other suitable insulation, 450.

While, for reasons well known to those skilled in the art, the internal combustion engine of conventional type possesses a great-many practical advantages over other types of engines, bothior 25 stationary use and asa motor for moving vehicles, it is well known that it isvery wasteful in loss of ener y through the exhausted. burnt gases and the heat loss through cooling of the cylinder, many authorities estimating the loss 40 at a substantial percentage of horsepower per pound of fuel gas consumed, depending upon the type and size of the engine.

It is one object of my invention to prevent this great waste of power by recovering a part of it,

and utilizing it separately 'or jointly with that normally generated by the engine.

To that end, I provide the reservoir 2, as stated. While it is not necessary that the mixing chamber be mounted upon the engine as shown, I prefer that construction, as it has some advantages of convenience and compactness.

In the present case, I mount the mixing chamber 2 directly upon the engine head 3, or over it and independently supported, so that close oper- 65 ative connection with the engine head may be had.

and in the head are mounted a plurality of inlet valves 4 to admit directly to the reservoir from the head a portion of the burnt gases and products of combustion before they have becomea part of the exhaust. v To effect this novel result, I prefer 5 to provide one such inlet valve for each cylinder of the'engine, and locate it directly over a cylinder5.

This valve may be of any suitable construction, and herein, Fig. 3, comprises a cylindrical hous- 10 ing 6, with a flange I, by means of which it is properly secured to the bottom of the reservoir 2 and the engine head 3, and depending in a valve pocket 11, surrounded if necessary by a water Jacket 8, which registers with an opening, 8a., 5

into the usual jacket, not shown, in the head or block for water cooling purposes. Within the housing, and supported thereby, are struts 9, which carry a yoke-like valve cage l0, in the lower end of which is mounted the stem ll of an 0 inlet valve 4, seated in the engine head 3. The passage l3 between the cage I0 and head 3 conducts the burnt gases from the cylinder 5 to the reservoir. The valve stem is provided with a suitable spring ll, seated at its lower end against 25 a nut I55, movable upon the valve stem, and at the opposite end, seated against a web l5 to adjustably hold the valve 4 normally seated to close the inlet port H5 in the head'3.

. The amount of power developed by the internal so combustion engine and that developed by the second source of power or supplementary engine,- also the heat transmitted to the cooling water and that lost by the exhaust, depends" upon the pressure carried in the mixing chamber in excess 35 of the necessary compression pressure in the cylinder for ignition. The higher the controlled pressure is carried in the mixing chamber after it isonce charged, the more power the internal combustion engine will develop and transmit 0 through its crank-shaft. and the less energy will be transferred to the mixing chamber available forthe second source of power or the supplementary engine and the greater the heat loss in the operation of the power plant. The ideal 5 pressure carried in the mixing chamber would be the amount necessary to heat the feed water for use as hereafter described to'the proper temperature with the minimum loss of heat through the coolingsystem and exhaust.

50 This valve spring II is of such strength, and is so adjusted by means of the nut I55, that it, plus the compression in the mixing chamber, will resist the compression force in the cylinder, and the explosion force up to a certain point, and the valve 6 then opens to permit the heat and energy above that point to pass into the mixing'chamber, the force of the exhaust and gases below that point escaping by the conventional exhaust ports, not shown, in the engine block i.

This novel construction permits the prompt and effective saving of a substantial part of the compression force created by the explosion and the creating of useful compression in the reservoir, with a minimum loss of heat and power, before the forces have been dissipated by travel through the usual exhaust exits and pipe in the conventional manner.

When it is realized that, at the instant of explosion, the temperature in the cylinder of an internal combustion engine is frequently about 2500 F., or even higher, and that the exhaust following the explosion has a temperature of about 1300 F., on an average, with an exhaust pressure of from 25 to 35 pounds per square inch, or even more, it will be evident that a tremendous amount of power, say from to pounds per square inch, and a considerable amount of heat, are wasted at the end of every stroke.

As by my novel construction a substantial portion of the heat and exploded gases are trapped in the mixing chamber, the heat loss through cooling water and exhaust is far less than in the case of the usual internal combustion engine.

The reservoir,-Figs. 1, 2, may be provided with a steam generating fin ll, of convenient width and length for a purpose to be described. To permit the starting of the engine in the usual manner, as by a motor, compressed air or crank, I provide a novel valve-locking camshaft l8, extended longitudinally of the mixing chamber 2, and mounted in its end walls or other, supports, and directly over the valve stems I I. The shaft is provided with cams 20, each positioned so that, by rotation of the shaft I8, as by the handle 2| or any suitable arrangement, before starting the engine, the cams may look the stems H against vertical movement, and so close the ports l6.

against the escape of the exploded gases, which would reduce the explosive force against the pistons, and by this arrangement I retain all the advantage of normal internal combustion engine functions for engine starting. Afterward, the valve stems may gradually be released, and the valves permitted to function in the normal manner.

To use the heat and compression developed in the mixing chamber, and incidentally to cool the burnt gases within the mixing chamber to the desired working temperature, Figs. 1, 2, I provide a water supply comprising a'pipe 23 from any source of supply, not shown, preferably from the water Jacket of the internal combustion engine,

and leading to apump 24, operated through a bell-crank lever 244 and link 245 from the cam 246 on the shaft 50 and thence to a compression tank 25, and through a heater 26 of suitable construction, in the exhaust manifold '21, and then to the valve housing 28. The pipe 233 leads from the tank 28 to the nozzle 234 of conventional construction, by means of which water may be forced into the mixing and compression chamber, where the water is vaporized and steam formed, as the result of the heat fromthe exhaust gases therein, and the heat radiated from the fins "and 31. The supply of water is controlled by any convenient thermostatic device, asa rod 28 of suit-' able material, as copper, sufflciently sensitive to variations in temperature to expand and contract, and enclosed in a channel 38 in the wall 0 the mixing chamber.

The supply pipe 23 is provided with check valves 32, 33, permitting flow of water to the pressure tank and mixing chamber 2, with a pressureregulator 35, as a diaphragm valve, see Fig. i, normally closed by the spring 355 in the barrel 356, and seated against the adjustable plug 35? therein, which spring yields under predetermined pressure to permit the diaphragm to withdraw the valve head 36 and the water from the pump to be returned through the pipe 3 3 to the pipe 23.

While the water fed into the reservoir by the pump 26 will lower the temperature in the reservoir, the water will, as stated, at the same time, when fed in proper quantity, be heated to the steam forming degree. A part of the energy in the hot combustion products is'transferred to the water to form steam, by the feeding of water into the mixing chamber containing the products of combustion. This mixture of steam and combustion products at a controlled temperature is utilized to drive a second source of power or supplementary engine, as will be presently described. The fin i'l previously referred to, and the shorter upright fins 3? on the reservoir wall, all become very hot, and when water is injected into the boiler, the fins by their additional heatradiating surfaces assist in generating steam, on the principle of the flash boiler and assist in thoroughly mixing-the steam and hot gases.

To prevent any water spray, or water, through any accident, from entering the valve housing 6, I provide the baflies 38 on the reservoir bottom, and overhanging the valve ports.

.Automatic control of the pressure in the reservoir is obtained, Fig. 5, by means of a pressure control valve 39 of suitable type as having a diaphragm 39! ,resting against one end of a spring 392 in the barrel 393 and seated at its opposite end against the adiustable plug 394, and responsive to varying degrees of pressure, and which, through any convenient connectionto control the functioning of the engine, as the lever 40, link 4| to operate the fuel supply valve and carburetor 42 in the feed pipe 43, increases, reduces, or even stops, the supply of fuel to the engine.

To further obtain the benefit of the unexpended force and heat of the compressed and hot products of combustion and the steam generated in the reservoir, Figs. 1, 2, I provide a vapor and 'air impact engine or turbine 45 to be driven there- -by, in a suitable housing 46, connected bypipe 41 with throttle valve 48 to the reservoir. This turbine may be of any conventional form, as the De Laval, and connected by gears 49, with the shaft 50 of the engine.

By this means, considerable extra power ismade themostat 29, and the pressure in the reservoir is Y automatically controlled by the pressure regulator 39, and the pressure in' the turbine by the throttle 48.

In Fig. 2, theengine I is shown in combination with'a reciprocating hot air engine 53 of the compound type, beingdirectly connected thereto, the latter engine having the-high pressure cylinders 54 with pistons and the low pressure cylinder 55 with pistons 555 connected to, the same shaft 50 with the internal combustion engine, the

high pressure cylinders 'being supplied" by steam and hot products of combustion by the pipe 56 from the reservoir 2, and controlled by the I throttle valve 51.

many details, without departing from the spirit of the claims, and within I claim:

1. An internal combustion enginehaving, in combination, means for mixing the. products of combustion with another fluid, said means com-' prising a mixing chamber operatively connected to the engine cylinders to receive s'aid products; yieldingly-closedvalves automatically controlling said connections to admit desired quantity of the products to the chamber; additional fluid supply means for the chamber including a supply pipe and heater therefor; and means for closing the cylinder connections tosaid mixing chamber to cut out the chamber to conserve the explosive power of compression in the cylinders for'starting the engine; and a second engine connected with and driven by the fluid from the internal combustion engine, and means for supplying the scope thereof.

ini'x'ed products of combustion and another fluid to the second engine; from the mixing chamber, whereby the internal combustionengine may act to the degree desired as a producer of operating fluids for the second engine.

-2. The combination with an internal combustion' engine of. amixingchamber to receive the products of combustion from the engine,and a fluid to mix therewith, and a supplementary engine operatively connected with the internal combustion engine and mixing chamber, and operated with fluid from said mixing chamber,

and means for determining electively the quantity and time of admission oi the combustion products to the mixing chamber, even to complete exclusion of them temporarily, if desired, said means including normally .yieldingly-closed valves and means including a cam rod carrying cams positioned operatively relatively to said valves for closing. them entirely at will, said combustion engine operable alone or in combination with the supplementary engine.

3. An internal combustion engine having, in combination, a mixing chamber for its products of combustion, and a water supply therefor; a

' supplementary engine operable from said mixing chamber and operatively connected with the combustion engine and said chamber; adjustable valves between the cylinders of the combustion engine and the chamber and from the latter to the supplementary engine; a fluid supply means for said chamber, and control means for closing the valves from the combustion engine to the mixing chamber to conserve the power of the engine when starting, said combustion engine operable alone or in combination with the supplementary engine.

- 4. An internal combustion engine having, in combination, a mixing chamber for its products of combustion, and a water supply therefor; a supplementary engine operable from said mixing chamber and operatively connected with the combustion engine and said chamber; adjustable valves between the cylinders of the combustion engine and the chamber and from the latter to the supplementary engine; a water supply means for said chamber, and control means for closing the valves from the.combustion engine to the mixing chamber to conserve the power of the engine when starting; and automatic means for controlling the combustion engine by the pressure in the mixing chamber, and similar means for

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