US36008A - Improvement in hot-air engines - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRI J. KRITZER, OF ALBION, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN HOT-AIR ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 36,008, dated July 29, i862.

f tional view, and Eig. 3 a plan of condensingpiston.

This improvement consists mainly in charging with air and water under pressure aseries of hot and cold supply-cylinders arranged in pairs in such manner that when the circulation is closed between them the expanded air can be condensed by simply lifting a piston7 or plunger from the cold to the hot cylinder and so destroy the equilibrium of pressure. Also, 1n interposing a body of water between the working-piston of the engine proper and the condensing-pistons to serve the treble purpose of lubrication, packing, and also to act as a well from which the ascending pistons can draw a supply of water to saturate the hot dry l air and increase its elastic force, the several parts being arranged relatively in the manner I am now about to relate.

A is the frame, carrying a crank-shaft, B, working-cylinder O, and all the usual appurtenances of an ordinary reciprocating engine, needing no special description excepting in regard to certain modification of parts, to be v mentioned hereinafter.

Two cylinders (usually of castiron) open at the lower ends, and of areas about two and a half times that of thefworkingcylinder, are connected together by two branch pipes, a and l), and placed in a vertical posit-ion and parallel with the engine ou a bed-plate, G, towhich they are securely bolted through the bottom flan ges. Each of these two cylinders are formed by two distinct sections, which are bolted together, as seen at E, a thick packing-ring, e, of some material which is a good non-conductor of heat being interposed between the flanges. The upper section, D', I call the hot or generating7 cylinder, and the lower', D2, (which is much longer than the upper,) the cold or condensing7 cylinder'.

The bed-plate G rests upon and is secured to a flat surface at each end and on the upper side of the cylinder C, making a close connection, and the opposite side I generally secure by bolts passing through two hollow columns (not shown) erected on the frame.

J J are the condensing-pistons. They are tight hollow cylinders and of a diameter enough smaller than that of the stationary ones in which they work to admit of being surrounded by a cylindrical shell, j, with space between to allow the heated air from D to pass freely through. The outer shell portion, j, of the piston acts as a regenerator in returning a portion of its absorbed heat, and I usually attach it to the shell of the piston by bolting with flush-headed bolts through narrow intervening strips x x, as may be more clearly seen at Fig. 3.

L L are the "sprinkling-troughs," made of any light suitable metal. The sides are perforated with small holes, and the whole constructed and attached in such manner to the bottom of the piston J that on each descent of said piston it will be filled with sufficient water from the lower part of the cylinder Dl to continue the shower without intermission.

To ease the shock on striking the water, I usually employ a disk-float, o, the center of which is cored out sufficiently'to admita spiral spring, s, which surrounds loosely the liftingrod M, and extends above the boss in such manner that the bottoni of the sprinkler will rst strike against the end of the spring before coming in contact with the boss of the disk.

The condensing-pistons J J are lifted alter nately by means of a triangularshaped cam, V, on the engine-shaft, which hooks by its rod to a rocking shaft, R, carrying two arms, (indicated by dotted lines,) the ends of which are jointed to rods M M,that pass through stuff` ing-boxes in the bed-plate G. As the only duty of these liftingrods is to raise the pistons J J, which are fitted quite loosely in the cylinders, it will be readily seen that the actuating machinery can be made quite light. Should it be found necessary to render the condensation more perfect, I propose to surround the cylinders D2 with alight metal sheet attached to the edges of the flanges and keep the intervening space filled (from a tank) with cold water.

iiame circulates. Inside of these tubes I placeY others, V V V, which rest on the tops of the pistons J J and slide np and down with them for the purpose of multiplying the heatingsurfaee.

The inode of operation is as follows: The safety-valve being set to the working-pressure and the gage cock c opened, Ipump in water through the branch I to that level and then close the cock. The water, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 2, is driven upward through one of the ports F unt-il it reaches the branch b, provided with a stop cock, (previously opened,) when it descends through the other port F and lls the space on the opposite side of the workingpiston p. The water-cock is now closed and airis pumped in by hand to the pairs of cylinders D D2 (the cock in the pipe a being open) until the safety-valve lifts, when the aircock is closed, and the weight on the valve-lever is moved ont to provide for the additional pressure obtained by the eXpanison in heating.

I usually pump in air by the same pump as I do water, through a stop-cock fitted to the lift; but a separate air-pump may be used to advantage.

A fire being started in the furnace, the calnrod is unhooked, and thepistons J J are placed at half-stroke, which permits the air in the hot cylinders D D to be equally expanded. lIhe engine is now to be in such position that when the safety-valve indicates suficie'nt pressure and the cam-rod is hooked in the pistons are suddenly displaced, one ascending to the top and the other descending to the bottom of its stroke. The ascending piston now nearly fills the hot air cylinder and trans fers its contents to the condensing cylinder below, which destroys the equilibrium, throws the pressure on one side of the driving-piston p, and puts itin motion. About the time the piston p has reached the end of its stroke, the relative positions of the condensing-pistons are reversed and the return-stroke made by the expansion and condensation consequent to the change. As theWorking-pistonp moves back and forth the water in the condensingcylinders must rise and fall accordingly. Now, as the rods M M are not attached to the pistons J J, but merely abut against the bottoms, it

follows that when either of the pistons J J in its descent on its rod reaches the descending water, the rod (traveling much faster by the action of the cam w than the Working-piston p) will be drawn away from under it and allow it to follow the motion of the water and gradually sink, so as to submerge the sprinklingtrough L, when it is caught and detained by the spring or other similar device until the rod on its upward stroke lifts it from the water with the sprinkler full. As the sprinkler L begins to discharge its contents in the interior of the condensingcylinders, the temperature is inimediatelylowered and the contained air charged with particles of water is drawn up into the heated cylinder D', when its susceptibility of increased expansion is demonstrated by a rapid increase of motion immediately.

It is essential to the success of niy engine that vthe condensing-pistons shall move as rapidly as possible-1irst, to rest as long as possible on the downstroke,` so that the air in the hot cylinder D may be exposed to the action of the iire; and, secondly, that when the upstroke is made a more perfect condensation can be effected beneath.

This engine is found to be cheap in construction and very durable, and to utilize its heat as well as others of its class.

I do not claim, broadly, expanding and condensing air in a single continuous chamber, nor causing condensation by the movement of a piston from acold portion of such chamber to another exposed to heat. Neither do I claim as new (independent of the peculiar mode of application) tne mixing of water with air to be heated, so as to render it more susceptible of expansion; but

Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combined arrangement (substantially as described) of the pair of connected heating and condensing cylinders D' D?, condensing ioat-pistons J J, lifting-rods M M, and water-ports F F, for'the purpose of interposing a body of cold water or other suitable Huid between the condensing and working piston to lubricate the working parts, facilitate'condensation, and allow the air-chambers to be permanently charged without risk of loss by leakage.

2. The use o f the sprinkling-troughs L L, in combination With the arrangement aforesaid, substantiall y as and for the purposes specited.

HENRI J. KRITZER.

Witnesses:

GEORGE JoHNsoN, F. W. SHEARMAN.

Images