US1464253A - Method of and structure for utilizing superheated liquid fuels - Google Patents

Description

EAM-i253 Filed May 2l, 1920 SheeiS-Sheb l lfm wel@ 60M N. E. WALES METHOD OFv AND STRUCTURE FOR UTILIZING SUPERHEATED LIQUID FUELS Filed May 2l, 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 7, R23. HAUQZSB N. B. WALES METHOD OF AND STRUCTURE FOR UTILIZING SUPERHEATED LIQUID FUELS Filed May 2l, 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 In wel@ #wwf JL@ #a am QZ Ww 3mm,

Aug. 7, w23. A l 11,4@4253 N. B. WALES METHOD OF AND STRUCTURE FOR UTILIZING SUPERHEATED LIQUID FUELS Filed May 2l, 1920' 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 o @o Y() I sa" from ATHANYEID B. WLEES, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

METH @F All@ STRUCTURE EUR 'UTELXZJING SUPEREEATD LIQUJID FUELS.

Application nledmay al, 1920. serial Ito. 383,235.

To ozZl'wz/om it may) concern:

lBe it known that l, Narnnnmr. B. WALES,

a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in 'the county ot New York and State ot New York, have invented certain new and useful llmprovements iuMethods of and Structure lor Utilizing Superheated Liquid Fuels, ot which the following 1s a specication.

This invention relates to a method of injecting and gasifying liquid hydrocarbons andutilizing the same in the cylinders ot internal combustion engines.

The object of my invention is to convert l5 liquid lfuels into a combustible mixture when injected into air under pressure, by subjecting a small quantity of the liquid fuel to a degree of heat and pressure such that when released into an atmosphere of 2o lower pressure, the heat content of .the

liquid (which. exceeds that necessary lor evaporation) instantly converts said liquid into a dry as.

lin applying this principle to an internal l combustion engine l employ a suitable small liquid fuel pump which places the liquid hydrocarbon under a pressure of say 600 lbs. 'lhis liquid is then heated'while under pressure, at first on starting the motor it may be heated by an electrical resistance element or suciently atomized vby its own static pressure'during release, and during normal operation of the motor by the heat of the exhaustor by heat directly obtained the cylinder wall or any other source. The liquid fuel, highly,r heated and under this high pressure, is now ready for use drop by drop into the cylinder of the motor, controlled by' a suitable valve -measuring mechanism which directly releases it to i the clearance volume ol the cylinder when the iston is at the top of its. compression stro e. rlhe release of the pressure tension on the liquid hydrocarbon producesv an in l5 stant change ofstate of the liquid to that of a dry gaswhich being injected into the air dilates due to its change of state caused by the tremendous expansion of its internal heat content and roduces with the air a mixture very exp osive or quick burning charge which upon being ignited by an electric spark produces .high mean-effective pressures operating at high thermalF emciencydue to the completeness of Vthe gaseous state ofthe combustiblqmixture therefrom, 'lhis .process of uel'iniection also the line 9-9 of F gen) content can be taken into a given sized motor cylinder because no fuel-vapor is mingled with or displaces the air during the suction and compression strokes, thereby permitting the maximum heat content to be generated per cubic inch of displacement vof the cylinder. i

ll have illustrated an embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawings in which-Figure 1 is a vertical transverse cross-sectional view of an internal combustion engine equipped with my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, partly in section; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the pump; Fig. 4 is a sectional View on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the pump cylinder and control valves; Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the same; Fig. 7 is A,a sectional view on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5; Fig. 8 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical sectional view of the valved preheating plug in the upper part of the engine cylinder; and Fig. 9, is a vertical sectional View on For the purpose of explaining my invention, l have illustrated a four cylinder four cycle engine. n v the initial downward stroke of the piston 2, the valve 5 is opened for the admission of air through the port 6. 0n the upward stroke the air is compressed in the clearance volume or combustion chamber 8 and just prior to the downward power stroke the fuel is injected,..the resulting mixture being fired by the spark at the plug 9. During the succeeding upward stroke the cam shaft 10 lifts the valve 5 to permit the escape of the exhaust gases.

The liquid fuel is supplied to the preheater plug and maintained under pressure by a fuel pump.y f The framer casing 15 ofv the fuel injection pump is boltedat 16 to' the frame of the engine. Thecross-head 17, to` which the pump` piston 18 is bolted, is guided in the frame 15 and is actuated by the eccentric 19 on the shaft 20, the ,latter being suitably geared to the crank shaft. The fuel supply aan pipe 25, connected with a suitable source, connects with the inlet port 26 which is controlled by the spring-pressed valve 27 carried by the nut plug 28. The fuel is compressed in thepump barrel 30, by the descent of the plunger 18, forcing the valve 31 back against thepressure of lts spring, and paing through the channel 34 into the lower portion of the barrel 35, and through the tube 36 to the channel 38 of the heating plug 40.' The spring-pressed valve 31 is carried in the bore of the hollow nut 32. The upper portion of the barrel serves as an air cushion to minimize or dampenthe pulsations. A gauge 39 indicates the pressure in the system. When the pressure exceeds the predetermined maximum, ther valve 41 yields and permits the excess to return to the inlet pipe through the bypass 43.

The inlet channel 38 of the Aheating plug 40, 'connects with an annular laterally extending channel or chamber 45, surrounding a hollow core portion 46, which forms a casing for the electric heating coil 48. The channel 45 communicates with a valve'chest through a port or passage 51 at one side of the valve 52, the latter being carried by a pin 53 projecting laterally from the end of a rod or stem 54, which extends through a sleeve 56 in the lower part of the plug and bears upon a short hollow stem 56 carrying at its lower end a roller 57 which rides upon the tapered bearing collar 58 on the rotary shaft 60. When the roller falls into the recess or pocket in the collar 58, the stem 54 is in its lowermost position and as indicated in Figs. 1 and 8, the valve 52 is at that instant in such position that the passage 62 registers with a channel or port 64 opening into the chamber or recess containing the heating coil 48. At all other times the roller 57 rides upon the periphery of the collar 58 and raises the valve stem so that it maintains the valve in a position tof close the port or passage 64. The shaft which carries the tapered collars or cams 58 may be shifted slightly longitudinally by vmeans of fa lever 65 connected to an operating rod 67, for the purpose of varying or adjusting the amount or` degree of registration between the passa e 62 and the port 64,'t0 thereby vary at wi l the amount of fuel charge injected into the combustion chamber. 4

During the starting period the fuel is heated within the annular heating chamber by means of the heatingcoil 48 the terminals 48 and 48b of which are connected to a suitable source of electricity, such. as a storagey battery. After the engine is in operation the heat absorbed .by the. fuel by its passage through the chamber 45, which chamberis carefully proportioned to have the necessary j heating surface to suplply the amount of lneers from the detailed description of t 'e structural parts. The liquid fuel is supplied by the fuel pump and maintainedJ under pressure in the annular heating chamber 45 where it is heated to a temperature approximating its critical temperature at laid pressure. The fuel passes continuously from the chamber 45 through 4the channel 51 into the valve chest 50. 4At the end of each compression stroke theroller 57 drops into `the recess in the cam collar 58 and thereby causes the valve 52 to move until its passage 62 registers more or less with the passage 64. t thisl instant a charge of preheated fuel under pressure is injected into the comressed air in the clearance volume or comustion chamber 8. The pressure of the liq`- uid fuel being far higher than said body of compressed a1r, and its heat content equaling its' latent heat it instantly expands into a dry gaseous state and combines with the air to form an explosive gas mixture which upon being ignited by the electric spark produces high mean-effective pressures in the cylinder.

As previously pointed out, this process of fuelinjection results in a high thermal eiiiciency due to the completeness of the aseous state of the combustible mixture. t also gives the'highest possible power output `from a givenv sized cylinder due to an explosive type of mixture combined with high working compression. There is an entire labsence of pre-ignition and the peculiar pre-ignition knocks which occur when certain fuel mixtures are subjected to compression in the usual manner. These beneicial'characteristics will be appreciated by engineers.

A fuel gasifying systeml for internal combustion engines, comprising a member projecting into the clearance volume of the motor having a central bore opening thereinto and a lheating chamber concentric therewith arranged to preheat liquid fuel therein by the heat generated within the -clearance volume, means for supplying liquid fuel under pressure, a valve-operating to inject measured quantities of said heated fuel under pressure through said bore into the clearance volume, and means for actuating said valve synchronously with the engine crank shaft.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

NATHANIEL B. WALES.

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