[Illustration: FIG. 32.—Capitaine Gas Engine.]
[Illustration: FIG. 33.—Horizontal “Balance” Motor (Capitaine).]
This third engine has a vaporizer which is in permanent communication
with the cylinder, and is so constructed that even if it became red-hot
there would be no risk of pre-ignition or the formation of tarry oils
which would foul the cylinder. The vaporizer only draws in sufficient
petroleum at a time for one explosion, and then only during the
aspirating stroke of the piston. At the end of this stroke the whole
of the petroleum in the vaporizer is gasified. The first motor on
this plan was built by Capitaine in 1889, and many of them are still
constructed at the present date by M. Louis Herlicq of Paris.
[Illustration: FIG. 34.—Capitaine Two-cylinder Gas Engine.]
Capitaine came to an agreement with Grob et Cie. in order to exploit
his inventions in a wider field. Unfortunately differences arose,
and in 1891 the agreement was cancelled. A lawsuit followed, lasting
till March 26, 1893, when it was brought to an end by Grob et Cie.
agreeing to pay Capitaine the sum of 125,000 francs in consideration
for permission to use his name and patents in connection with their
motors. After breaking up the partnership with Grob et Cie., Capitaine
continued to build engines, and has since then taken out several
patents, which have considerably enhanced the value of his previous
inventions. In the 1892–93 type a lamp is used for starting which
can afterwards be dispensed with, the heat of the compression being
sufficient to maintain the temperature of the vaporizer. This is,
however, only if the motor is developing more than three-quarters
of its full power. When it was found that the same shaped indicator
diagram could be obtained from these motors even when they were giving
only 75% of their full power, it became obvious that it was only
necessary to keep the vaporizer as warm as possible by covering it with
non-conducting jackets, in order to get the engine to run at quite a
small fraction of its full power. Capitaine has, by carefully observing
this condition, obtained a motor which will run at all loads without
any external heating apparatus.
The vaporizer forms part of the combustion chamber, and is carefully
covered with non-conducting material. Only hot gases are allowed to
pass through it. It must be started by heating for a few minutes with a
small hand-lamp, and the engine is then ready for work.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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