the petroleum industry exists such confusion as in this, some factories bringing into commerce the same products under all kinds of names, and vice versa all kinds of products under the

same name.

Use of petroleum and its products for driving motors.

For small powers where steam cannot be used, because of the complication, nor gas, when there are no gas works in the neighborhood, petroleum engines supply a want and have no doubt a great future before them. It is a peculiarity of these motors that the fuel is delivered to them, direct, so to speak, in its original condition. In a steam engine the water must first be evaporated over a furnace; in a gas motor the working agent must either be distilled in a retort, or produced in a generator. The fuel for a petroleum engine may be purchased anywhere. No previous conversion into vapor is needed before it is delivered to the engine, and thus the cost of an additional gasifying or evaporating apparatus is saved. An oilengine is self-contained, and independent of any external adjunct, but to turn this advantage to account the difficulties of the constructor are somewhat increased. Not only must the engine be designed to utilize the working agent, and obtain mechanical energy from it, but the working agent must itself be produced and the fuel prepared for combustion. This rather complicates the working of the motor, since it must vaporize the oil, keep the quality of the spray produced uniform, and make it a proper medium for the heat imparted to it.

There are two methods by which oil may, in the cylinder of an engine, be turned into a source of energy, viz.: Light petroleum spirit, naphtha, benzine, or carburetted air is exploded, and drives out the piston of an engine by the expansion of the gases, or ordinary illuminating or intermediate oil is used to drive an engine by explosion and expansion, after its evaporation and conversion into petroleum spray. In the first case, atmospheric air at ordinary temperature and pressure is charged with volatile spirit, while in the latter the petroleum is pulver

ized and broken up into spray by a current of air, with the addition of heat.

It must not be supposed, however, that all oil engines can be rigidly classed under either of these two divisions, because of the complex nature of petroleum, and the different temperatures at which it evaporates.

The earliest attempts to use petroleum to produce mechanical energy were made soon after the introduction of gas engines. At that time, however, it was considered impossible to use ordinary petroleum of about 0.800 specific gravity, because the difficulty of evaporating it was so great. To break it up into spray by a blast of air had not been proposed.

The Brayton engine and the Hock engine appeared almost simultaneously, the former having been patented in the United States and the latter in Austria. Brayton was the first to employ ordinary heavy petroleum and kerosene, boiling at about 302° F. in the cylinder of an engine, instead of light spirit or essence. In the Hock engine benzine or volatile hydrocarbon gas, drawn from a reservoir at the back of the horizontal cylinder, was used.

S. Marcus, of Vienna, uses light hydrocarbons (boiling below 302° F.) in the motor constructed by him. The chief advantage of this motor is its adaptability without difficulty to various industrial requirements. Its principal characteristics

are:

1. The use of a peculiar apparatus for the production of a dynamic mixture which is formed from petroleum and air. The inventor calls this apparatus the "vaporizer."

2. The igniting contrivance.

3. The use of a closed cylinder or lid has the double purpose of serving for the reception and expansion of the dynamic mixture, and as a compression-air pump.

However, the engine is also constructed with the use of an open cylinder upon the principle of Beau de Rochaz's fourcycle.

With the first movement of the piston from the rear cylinder

bottom in the direction of the shaft, the dynamic mixture is sucked from the vaporizer; with the second movement-the second cycle-the piston returns to the bottom of the cylinder and compresses the dynamic mixture; at the beginning of the third cycle, as soon as the piston commences its forward motion, an electric spark ignites the gas mixture, by the explosion of which the piston is forced forward and converts the heat developed into work. Finally, the fourth cycle signifies the return of the piston to the bottom of the cylinder and the expulsion of its exhaust gases, which are discharged colorless and odorless.

If the motor is of the two-cycle type, with cylinder closed on both ends, the dynamic mixture is sucked in, ignited and exploded on one side of the piston with the first cycle, the air being simultaneously compressed and forwarded on the other side of the piston. The second cycle discharges, on the one hand, the exhaust gases, and on the other, draws in air. The general construction of the motor will be understood from the following description: The petroleum, crude oil or benzine is vaporized by means of revolving brushes, secured to the periphery of metallic disks. These brushes revolve in a holder partially filled with petroleum, and deposit the fluid taken up upon several polished strips, the petroleum being thereby atomized into infinitesimal particles which are absorbed by a current of air passing by the holder. The mixture of air and petroleum thus formed, is conveyed for the production of energy to the working cylinder of the motor, where it is exploded by an electric spark.

The atomizing apparatus as well as the firing contrivance is kept working with a minimum expense of power by the motor itself.

The vaporizer completely atomizes and vaporizes the fluid, works very economically, and is easily manipulated; it possesses no parts subject to strong wear or frequent repairs. Its use renders possible a uniform and reliable formation of oxyhydrogen gas, and allows of the use of less volatile substances, whereby the expense of running the motor is reduced.

The igniting apparatus is reliable even in damp rooms, and entirely free from danger of fire, the spark being generated in the interior of the exploding space. The Marcus motor may also be used as a gas-motor.

The peculiar mode of atomizing the petroleum in connection with the utilization of the hot exhaust gases, which constitutes a part of the patent, allows not only of the use of very volatile petroleum products, but also of relatively heavier kinds of oil.

Sufficient quantities of working gases are produced by a slight revolution of the fly-wheel; and the automatic igniting apparatus becoming simultaneously active, the motor can be readily and in a very short time set in motion.

Vaporization (production of the dynamic mixture) keeps up with the revolution of the fly-wheel, so that the velocity of the piston can be materially increased. On account of the practical arrangement of the mechanical construction, the limit of the velocity is much greater than with engines of similar construction, and even small motors may make 300 revolutions per minute.

By numerous experiments it has been determined that a horse-power performed by the Marcus motor consumes, on an average, 0.4 kilogramme (0.88 lb.) of oil per hour. The consumption, as a rule, will, of course, be smaller with large, powerful machines, while with very small motors of 1 to 1/21⁄2 horse-power it may increase to 0.5 or 0.6 kilogramme (1.1 or 1.3 lbs.) per hour and horse-power.

Fig. 195 shows a two-cycle motor with horizontal cylinder a, which, in this case, is entirely closed. The front side of the cylinder is screwed to the frame b, which, besides the bearings for the fly-wheel shaft p, the reversing shaft s, and the guide for the cross-head, contains in the interior a holder for compressed air.

Like in a horizontal steam engine, the work of the piston is transferred by means of the piston rod with cross-head and drawing rod / to the fly-wheel shaft. The fly-wheel o is keyed upon the shaft.

The entire machine rests upon a cast iron base c, which contains the electric igniting apparatus t, and the petroleum holder with the vaporizer d. The cylinder is jacketed so that it can be cooled by water. On the side of the cylinder is the slide f with the electrical contact (spark producer) and the cock g for the admission of the dynamic mixture and of air. The

cylinder is also provided with the exhaust-valve v and pot e, the governor h, the suction-valve i, and the compressionvalve k; finally with the compression-cock n, the eccentric x with lever-motion for the magneto-electrical igniting apparatus, and a safety-valve, y, on the holder for compressed air.

Fig. 196 shows a four-cycle motor with a vertical cylinder, a, open on one side and secured to the standards b, b. The