US1397837A - Charge-humidifying device for internal-combustion engines - Google Patents

Description

A. s. KINCAID.

CHARGE HUMIDIEYING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLICATION HLED 001-6, 1920.

1 ,397,837, Patented N0v.'22, 1921.

FEE-- 1 4 gwu ntoz Af'uhihald ELKiHBBiIi m wwf gf i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ABCEIBALD S. KINCAID, 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR T'O L. L. PATTERSON 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

Application filed October 6, 1920. Serial No. 415,012.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARCHIBALD S. KINGAID, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of the city of Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Charge-Humidifying Devices for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices intended for the purpose of supplying water vapor to the charge of an internal combustion engine.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and effective means for supplying such vapor to the charge, which means will automatically be brought into action without necessity for manually controlling any valves, whenever the engine is running.

My invention consists of the novel features of construction and combinations of parts which will first be herein described and then particularly defined by the claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown the manner of constructing and applying my invention which I now prefer to use.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an automobile engine within its hood, showing the application of my invention thereto.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the member by which the supply of water and its vaporization is controlled.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section through that part of the device shown in Fig. 2 which contains the discharge ports.

Fig. 4 is a section through an injection and control device which it has been found desirable to use with my waterva-porizing device.

It is a recognized fact among the users of internal combustion engines that they work to better advantage, both as to the production of power, quietness of running, and freedom from carbon deposits, if a small percentage of water vapor be introduced into the charge. If the air taken in as a part of the charge be heavily loaded with moisture, the necessity for adding water vapor thereto may be very largely reduced and possibly substantially eliminated. At most times, however, it is a distinct advantage to add a small percentage of water vapor to the cha In devices which have heretofore been designed for this purpose it has been most generally necessary to provide some means for adjusting the device in order to place it into use. In my present invention I have produced a construction by the use of which the device will automatically be brought into act on whenever the engine is started and its action Wlll be cut off whenever the engine stops.

' In Fig. 1 I have shown in outline a side vlew of an automobile engine in which 1 represents the intake manifold and 2the exhaust manifold. A device such as shown in F igs. and 3 is provided for supplying and vaporizing the water which it is desired to inject into the charge, through the injector shown in Fig. 4. This vaporizing device consists of two principal parts, one being a means for automatically controlling the supply of water to the vaporizer and the other being the vaporizer by which this water is turned into steam or aqueous vapor.

Water is supplied to the vaporizing device from any suitable source, as the water-jacket of the engine 3, through a conductor, as the pipe 30, to the water control and vaporizing device shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This device, which is indicated as a whole by the reference character 4, has a float chamber 40 in which is placed a float 5 The inlet to this chamber is herein shown as being at the bottom thereof, to which the water supply pipe 30 is connected in any suitable manner. The particular manner and place of connecting the water supply to the float chamber is immaterial. Where connected at the bottom, as shown in Fig. 2, a valve 50 is shown as closing the inlet opening by a movement from without the chamber 40, upwardly. The particular manner of controlling the water supply is also immaterial, as is the source thereof. I prefer to draw water from the engines water jacket rather than from a separate tank, for there is less likelihood of this running dry. A tank might be employed for air-cooled engines.

The valve 50 is secured to a stem 51 which in turn is secured to the float 5. I have shown this stem 51 as also extending through the cover ll of the float chamber. In this condition it is possible to force the valve from. its seat by pressing upon the proje t.

ing end of the stem 51, should this at any time be desired. By the above construction thelevel of Water in the controlling chamber 41 will be maintained constant.

Extending laterally from the float and controlling chamber 40, is a small vaporizing chamber 42 which has its outer end preferably threaded, so that it may be screwed into and through the side wall of the exhaust manifold 2. This chamber, when in use, is closed except for the ports which will be described. As a convenience in manufacture, the end thereof which extends into the exhaust manifold is shown as being closed by a disk 43 which is inserted during the process of manufacture. The end of this chamber which is toward the float chamber is separated therefrom by a wall 44, excepting that this wall has a small port 415 connecting the bottom level of the vaporizing chamber 4-2 with the lower portion of the float chamber. A steam discharge port 61 leads laterally from the top of the vaporizing chamber to'join a vertical passage 6, to which is connected a small'pipe 60 which extends to and discharges into the inlet manifold 1, at a point betweenthe carbureter and the engine cylinders, through the jet '7. The steam generated in the chamber 42 by the heat of the exhaustis continuously discharged through the pipe 60 into the intake manifold.

The level of water maintained by the float 5 is one which'will retain the water level in the vaporizing chamber at substantially half of its height. At a point in the passage 6 there is a small discharge opening 62 connecting this passage and the upper portion of the float chamber. Through this opening 62 steam is discharged before the pressure generated can become an appreciable amount. Vents 46 in the cover il permit the vapor to be relieved to the atmosphere, while any water which may be drawn through the opening 62 therewith, remains in the float chamber. V V i In starting up the engine the heat of the exhaust will very quickly heat the vaporiz ing chamber 42 sufficiently to produce steam. This will take but a short time as there is but a small amount of water in this chamber at any time. This steam'will be discharged through the port 6 and pipe 60 into the intake manifold. If the temperatureiof the vaporizing chamber should becomesuch as to generate steam at such a rate as to produce any material pressure, the excess steam willbe discharged through the opening 62 and vent 46. The float 5, controlling the.

valve 50, will maintain the water level constantly at the desired point.

' There is no valve connected with this de-- vice which needs to-be attended to when eamin -er stopping theengine. The entire action is automatic. I prefer, however, to

employ a control valve which will be set at the proper: opening, and then left set, much as the setting of the needle valve of a carbureter. This control valve T have shown connected with the jet 7. vThe jet is formed as a T-fitting, into one end of which is secured the jet nozzle 71, of any suitable design. In the opposite end Isecure the screw-threaded control valve 70, which may extend past the opening of the lateral branch 72, to which is secured the steam pipe 60. By more or less closing down the opening of the steam branch 72 by the valve 70, the amount of steam supplied may be regulated to the exactly proper amount.

A. device of this sort will supply moisture in the small but continuous amount which is desiredin order to secure the best operation of the engine. it will add somewhat to the power of the engine and in addition will prevent the formation of carbonin the cylinders or, if carbon has previously formed therein, it will quickly soften it so that it will soon disappear.

By discharging heated water vapor, or steam, into the intake manifold, the charge is preheated, which increases the ignition capacity of the charge and makes it possible to use with satisfactory ignitionylower and heavier grades of fuel.

Wheel claim as my invention is:

1. A" means for automatically supplying water vapor to internal combustion engines comprising a float chamber, a float therein, a supply valve for said chamber controlled by said float, a vaporizing chamber integral with saidfloat chamber and projecting laterally therefrom at an elevationsuc h'that a portion only of said vaporizing chamber will be filled with water, said vaporizingchamber having an inlet port from the float, chamber below the normal water level, and the vaporizing chamber having discharge port connecting with its top and a relief portconnecting said discharge port and the float chamber above the water level therein, and said float chamber having a vent to the at- -mosphereabove said water level.

2. A device as in claim 1, wherein said discharge port is laterally cflset from the vaporizing chamber and leads upward therefrom, and is connected thereto by a substantially horizontal passage;

3. A levice as in claim 1 the vaoorizin J. b

chamber having a wall closing its side next the float chamber, and communicating with the float chamber and the discharge port each by a'later'al passage.

4. A device as in claim '1, theinlet port to and the discharge port from the vaporizing chamber being in substantial vertical al-inement, and a horizontal bafiie extending into said chamber between said ports.

-5. A device as in claim 1, the discharge port from the vaporizing chamber being connected thereto by a lateral passage which is located above the normal Water level therein. 6. A device as in claim 1, the inlet port to and the discharge port from the vaporizing 5 chamber being in substantial vertical alinement, and a horizontal bafile extending into said chamber between said ports, the upper Surface of the baffle being located above the normal Water level in the vaporizing chamber.

Signed at Seattle, King county, ashington, this 9th day of July, 1920.

ARGHIBALD S. KINCAID.

Images