US3267661A

US3267661A - Internal combustion engine

Info

Publication number: US3267661A
Application number: US426519A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank J Petrie
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-01-19
Filing date: 1965-01-19
Publication date: 1966-08-23
Anticipated expiration: 1983-08-23

Description

Aug. 3, 1966 F. J. PETRIE 3,267,661

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Jan. 19, 1965 COMPRESSOR United States Patent 3,267,661 INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Frank J. Petrie, 80 Speen St., Natick, Mass. Filed Jan. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 426,519 9 Claims. (CI. 60-15) This invention relates to internal combustion engines and more particularly to internal combustion engines of the reciprocating piston type.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved internal combustion piston engine which supplies a relatively high and substantially constant torque at all engine speeds. A further object of the invention is to provide an internal combustion engine with greatly improved efiiciency thereby permitting higher power output per unit engine weight and size. A still further object of the invention is to provide such an improved internal combustion engine at a relatively low cost and with a simple construction so as to be easily operated and maintained.

One feature of this invention is the provision in an internal combustion engine of an air supply piston and cylinder assembly which forcibly and continuously supplies combustion feeding air to a combustion cylinder throughout its power stroke thereby insuring gradual and complete fuel combustion and a steady power output.

Another feature of this invention is the provision of an internal combustion engine of the above featured type in which the air supply piston is driven by the combustion piston and the cross sectional area of the air supply piston is substantially smaller than that of the cornbustion piston thereby establishing a self regulating air supply.

Another feature of this invention is the provision of an internal combustion engine of the above featured types wherein a gas compressor device is utilized to supply isothermally compressed air to the air supply cylinder for subsequent injection into the combustion cylinder thereby greatly increasing the weight of combustion supporting oxygen which can be injected into the compression cylinder.

Another feature of this invention is the provision of an internal combustion engine of the above featured types including a compressed air storage vessel having a volume substantially greater than the volume displaced by one full stroke of the air supply piston connected between the gas compressor and the air supply cylinder thereby insuring a steady air supply.

Another feature of this invention is the provision of an internal combustion engine of the above featured types including an exhaust cylinder assembly with a piston which is driven by the expanding gases exhausted from the combustion cylinder.

Another feature of this invention is the provision of an internal combustion engine of the above featured type wherein the cross sectional area of the exhaust piston is substantially greater than that of the combustion piston.

These and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent upon a perusal of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which is a partial, schematic, cross sectional showing of a preferred internal combustion engine embodiment of this invention.

Referring now to the drawing there is shown the primary combustion piston 10 supported by the rotatable crank shaft 11 so as to allow reciprocal movement within the primary combustion cylinder 12. The upper portion of the primary cylinder 12 is closed by the halfsphere shaped cover 13 through which extend a pair of spark plugs 14. Positioned in the upper portion of the primary cylinder 12 and mounted from the cover portion 13 is the hollow spherical combustion chamber 15 "ice which possesses a plurality of apertures 16. The fuel injection nozzle 17, connected to a source of fuel (not shown), extends through the cover 13 and into the interior of combustion chamber 15. The primary intake,

valve 18 and the primary exhaust valve 19 are positioned on opposite sides of the primary cylinder 12 and allow for the passage of gases into and out of the upper portion thereof.

Adjacent the primary cylinder 12 is the air supply piston 21 which is also supported by the rotatable crank shaft 11 so as to allow reciprocal movement within the air supply cylinder 22. The cross sectional area of supply piston 21 is one half that of primary piston 10. The primary intake valve 18 whose stem is slideably supported by the primary base portion 20 provides a path for gas communication between the upper portion of the air supply cylinder 22 and the upper portion of the primary cylinder 12. The air supply inlet valve 23 whose push rod extends through and is slideably supported by the air supply housing 24 provides a gas conductance path from the air supply housing 24 into the upper portion of the air supply cylinder 22.

Also adjacent the primary cylinder 12 but opposite the air supply cylinder 22 is the exhaust cylinder 25 with the exhaust piston 26 having a cross sectional area three times that of primary piston 10. The exhaust piston 26 is similarly supported by the rotatable crank shaft 11 so as to permit reciprocal movement Within the exhaust cylinder 25. The upper portion of exhaust cylinder 25 communicates with the upper portion of primary cylinder 12 via the primary exhaust 'valve 19 whose push rod is slideably supported by the primary base portion 20. Also providing a gas flow path into the upper portion of the exhaust cylinder :25 is the final exhaust valve 28. The push rod of final exhaust valve 28 extends through and is slideably supported by the bottom wall portion of the exhaust duct 27.

The air supply inlet valve 23, the primary intake valve 18, the primary exhaust valve 19 and the final exhaust valve 28 are operated by contact of their push rods with one of a plurality of cam mechanisms 29 All of the cam mechanisms 29 are mounted for rotation on a single cam shaft 31 which is driven by and at the same rotational speed as the crank shaft 11 by suitable motion transmitting device (not shown).

The air supply tubulation 33 is connected between the gas compressor 34 and the compressed air storage vessel 35. The compressor 34 is a conventional multi-stage type having suitable cooled cylinders, inner coolers and after coolers to provide an isothermal compression of air which enters the compressor through inlet opening A. The compressed air storage chamber 35 is composed of an elongated tube which has been coiled into a large number of turns 36 thereby providing a vessel of great mechanical strength. The outlet side of the compressed air storage chamber 35 is connected to the interior of air supply chamber 24 by an additional length of supply tubulation 37.

During operation of the internal combustion engine shown in the drawing atmospheric air enters the compressor 34 through inlet tubulation A and is isothermally compressed. The compressed air is pumped into the compressed air storage chamber 35 and stored at a desired pressure of, for example, 300 lbs. per sqyin. In certain applications substantially higher pressures may be desired. Dosed quantities of the compressed air then pass through the tabulation 37 and supply housing 24 into the air supply cylinder 22 through the supply valve 23 which is automatically opened by a cam 29 during the out-stroke of supply piston 21. At the end of the supply piston out-stroke the inlet valve 23 is closed and the primary intake valve 18 is opened by the cam mechanisms 29. This enables compressed air from the supply cylinder 22 to enter the upper portion of primary cylinder 12 where it mixes with a fine dispersion of suitable fuel supplied by the injection nozzle 17. The fuel and air mixture is ignited by the spark plugs 14 producing combustion and expansion thereof. The pressure exerted by the expanding gases causes downward movement of the primary piston 1t and rotation of the attached drive shaft 11 which movement is utilized to perform the Work required of the engine.

The rotation of drive shaft 11 also produces an upward movement of the supply piston 21 insuring a continuous supply of compressed air for the primary cylinder 12 during the entire work-stroke of primary piston it). Since fuel is also continuously supplied by the injection nozzle 17 a controlled combustion will take place during the entire out-stroke of the primary piston it).

The gas pressure in the primary cylinder 12 during combustion must be lower than the gas pressure in supply cylinder 22 if a continuing supply of combustion inducing oxygen is to be transferred into the primary cylinder 12. Also the expanding gas force exerted against the primary piston 19 during combustion must be greater than the force exerted against supply piston 21 by the compressed air in supply cylinder 22 if a net operating force is to be exerted on the drive shaft 11. It is therefore highly desirable that the cross sectional area of the primary piston be substantially larger than the cross sectional area of the supply piston 21. This allows the maintenance during a power stroke of a slightly lower gas pressure in the primary cylinder 12 than in the supply cylinder 22 while still providing a substantially greater thrust on the primary piston 16 than is exerted against the supply piston 21.

When the primary piston 10 reaches the end of its outstroke a cam mechanism 22 opens the primary exhaust valve 19 and hot gas in primary cylinder 12 which is still at relatively high pressure expands through the valve 19 into the exhaust cylinder 25. At this time the exhaust piston 26 is at the top of the cylinder and the expanding gas pressure produces a downward force on the exhaust piston 26 and a rotational force on the drive shaft 11. The exhaust piston 26 is preferably made with a cross sectional area substantially larger than that of the primary piston 10. This results in the exertion by the expanding exhaust gases of a significantly larger force on the exhaust piston 26 than on the primary iston 10 and a net positive rotational force on the drive shaft 11.

Upon completion of the exhaust piston 26 out-stroke the cam mechanisms 29 automatically open the final exhaust valve 23 and close primary exhaust valve 19. The gas contained in exhaust cylinder 25 which is now preferably at about atmospheric pressure is exhausted through the final exhaust valve 28 and the exhaust duct 27 into the atmosphere. The relatively small power requirement for this exhaust stroke is provided by the 180 degree out of phase combustion stroke of the primary piston it) through the drive shaft 11.

The isothermal compression by the compressor 34 greatly increases the weight of air which can be injected into the primary combustion cylinder 12. The increased quantity of oxygen provided by this air will correspondingly support the combustion of a greater quantity of fuel producing substantially higher heat units for the expanding gases during the combustion cycle. For this reason the engine is capable of greatly increased power output per unit size and weight. The use of a compressor to establish a given desired weight of air for combustion also renders the engine particularly well suited for operation under varying conditions of ambient pressure or under extremely low pressure conditions such as exist, for example, at high elevations.

Also the low initial temperature of the compressed air introduced into primary cylinder 12 will permit lower maximum combustion gas temperatures and lower engine operating temperature thus substantially reducing the heat loss normally incurred in conventional high temperature internal combustion engines. The reduced heat loss in the engine itself will compensate for the energy requirements of the compressor 34-. Furthermore the engines low operating temperature promotes the possibility of multi-fuel consumption such as gasoline, kerosene, etc.; the possibility of operating Without additional air or liquid coolant systems; and the possibility of improved performance under extremely cold ambient temperature conditions.

The final exhaust cylinder and piston 25, 26 also increases the efi'iciency 0f the engine by utilizing the energy remaining in the high pressure combustion gas after completion of the primary piston 1t) out-stroke. Thus substantially the full energy content of the fuel can be utilized to provide useful work. This exhaust cylinder has the further advantage of acting as a noise mufiier and thereby eliminating the requirement for the non-work producing mufliers conventionally used with internal combustion engines.

Thus the present invention provides a novel and greatly improved internal combustion engine. The engine while exhibiting high efficiency and versatility has a relatively simple construction and low cost.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings.

For example only, while the engine accessories such as the compressor 34, the cam mechanisms 29, the supply piston 21, etc., are preferably operated directly by the power shaft they can also be coupled or geared separately and can be operated at speeds other than that of the power shaft. Also the walls of combustion chamber 15 can be made massive enough to allow retention of sufficient heat to ignite the fuel mixture itself thereby eliminating the requirement for the spark plugs 14 after a certain starting 7 period. Furthermore, While various parts of the apparatus have been described in connection with their utility in furnishing a supply of air to the combustion cylinder, the primary gas required for combustion is, of course, oxygen and gas mixtures other than air can be utilized. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. An internal combustion engine apparatus compris- (a) a primary piston and cylinder assembly,

a drive shaft connected to said primary piston so as to be activated thereby,

a fuel injection means connected to said primary cylinder and adapted to inject a fine dispersion of fuel thereinto,

an ignition means associated with said primary cylinder and adapted to provide ignition of the fuel injected into said primary cylinder,

a primary intake valve adapted to supply gas to said primary cylinder and a primary exhaust valve adapted to allow exhaust of combustive gas therefrom;

(b) an air supply cylinder connected for gas communication to said primary cylinder through said primary intake valve,

an air supply piston positioned for movement within said air supply cylinder and adapted to force gas from said air supply cylinder into said primary cylinder via said primary intake valve,

an air supply inlet valve connected for gas communication with said air supply cylinder and adapted to supply gas thereto,

an air supply driving means connected to said air supply piston and adapted to provide an instroke thereof during each outstroke of said primary piston,

a primary intake valve control means adapted to open said primary intake valve during the instroke of said air supply piston and to close said primary intake valve during the outstroke thereof, and

an air supply inlet valve control means adapted to open said air supply inlet valve during the outstroke of said air supply piston and to close said air supply inlet valve during the instroke thereof.

2. An internal combustion engine apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the cross-sectional area of said air supply piston is substantially less than that of said primary piston.

3. An internal combustion engine apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said air supply driving means includes a drive shaft connected to said primary piston so as to be driven thereby and mechanical means for providing positive mechanical actuation of said primary intake valve.

4. An internal combustion engine apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the cross-sectional area of said air supply piston is substantially less than that of said primary piston.

5. An internal combustion engine apparatus comprismg:

(a) a primary piston and cylinder assembly,

a drive shaft connected to said primary piston so as to be activated thereby,

(b) a gas compressor means adapted to produce a substantially isothermal compression of gas to above atmospheric pressure,

air inlet means connected to said gas compressor means and adapted to supply free air thereto; and

(c) air supply means connected between said gas compressor means and said primary intake valve and adapted to provide gas circulation from said gas compressor to said primary cylinder via said primary intake valve.

6. An internal combustion engine apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said air supply means includes:

an air supply cylinder connected for gas communication to said primary cylinder through said primary intake valve,

an air supply piston positioned for movement within said air supply cylinder and adapted to force gas from said oxygen supply cylinder into said primary cylinder via said primary intake valve,

an air supply inlet valve control means adapted to open said air supply inlet valve during the outstroke of said air supply piston and to close said oxygen supply inlet valve during the instroke thereof.

7. An internal combustion engine apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said air supply driving means includes a drive shaft connected to said primary piston so as to be driven thereby and mechanical means for providing positive mechanical actuation of said primary intake valve.

8. An internal combustion engine apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the cross-sectional area of said air supply piston is substantially less than that of said primary piston.

9. An internal combustion engine apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said air supply means also includes a compressed air storage container connected between said gas compressor mean and said air supply cylinder and wherein the volume of said compressed air storage container is substantially greater than the volume displaced by a full stroke of said air supply piston.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 651,062 6/1900 Adamson 15 1,138,938 5/1915 Davison 60-15 2,018,914 10/1935 Endres 123119 2,020,224 11/1935 Waseige 123-119 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,781 2/1888 Great Britain.

EDGAR W. GEOGHEGAN, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE APPARATUS COMPRISING: (A) A PRIMARY PISTON AND CYLINDER ASSEMBLY, A DRIVE SHAFT CONNECTED TO SAID PRIMARY PISTON SO AS TO BE ACTIVATED THEREBY, A FUEL INJECTION MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID PRIMARY CYLINDER AND ADAPTED TO INJECT A FINE DISPERSION OF FUEL THEREINTO, AN IGNITION MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID PRIMARY CYLINDER AND ADAPTED TO PROVIDE IGNITION OF THE FUEL INJECTED INTO SAID PRIMARY CYLINDER, A PRIMARY INTAKE VALVE ADAPTED TO SUPPLY GAS TO SAID PRIMARY CYLINDER AND A PRIMARY EXHAUST VALVE ADAPTED TO ALLOW EXHAUST OF COMBUSTIVE GAS THEREFROM; (B) AN AIR SUPPLY CYLINDER CONNECTED FOR GAS COMMUNICATION TO SAID PRIMARY CYLINDER THROUGH SAID PRIMARY INTAKE VALVE, AN AIR SUPPLY PISTON POSITIONED FOR MOVEMENT WITHIN SAID AIR SUPPLY CYLINDER AND ADAPTED TO FORCE GAS FROM SAID AIR SUPPLY CYLINDER INTO SAID PRIMARY CYLINDER VIA SAID PRIMARY INTAKE VALVE, AN AIR SUPPLY INLET VALVE CONNECTED FOR GAS COMMUNICATION WITH SAID AIR SUPPLY CYLINDER AND ADAPTED TO SUPPLY GAS THERETO, AN AIR SUPPLY DRIVING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID AIR SUPPLY PISTON AND ADAPTED TO PROVIDE AN INSTROKE THEREOF DURING EACH OUTSTROKE OF SAID PRIMARY PISTON, A PRIMARY INTAKE VALVE CONTROL MEANS ADAPTED TO OPEN SAID PRIMARY INTAKE VALVE DURING THE INSTROKE OF SAID AIR SUPPLY PISTON AND TO CLOSE SAID PRIMARY INTAKE VALVE DURING THE OUTSTROKE THEREOF, AND AN AIR SUPPLY INLET VALVE CONTROL MEANS ADAPTED TO OPEN SAID AIR SUPPLY INLET VALVE DURING THE OUTSTROKE OF SAID AIR SUPPLY PISTON AND TO CLOSE SAID AIR SUPPLY INLET VALVE DURING THE INSTROKE THEREOF.