Auto History: Coal Gas Engine Invention
Added on 02-08-2006
Modern civilization can’t exist without automobiles – that’s a fact but automobile history went through several stages before reached the invention of car in modern understanding. And the one of the milestones in this long cycle was invention of gas engine. The basis for it was established by French engineer Philip Lebon in 1999 when he contrived the way of getting coal gas through sublimating wood or coal. This invention became very important for illumination and coal lamps started to replace expensive candles but not only. Lebon found out soon that coal gas mixed with air has can be blasted resulting in a great number of heat producing. Therefore in 1801 Lebon took out a patent for “coal gas engine”.
The idea of Lebon’s engine functioning was based on steam engine’s – but instead of steam he suggested directing into cylinder the mixture of coal gas and air. He engine structure included two compressors and a merge chamber. One compressor was to inject air into the chamber and the second one – compressed coal gas from gas generator. Then the mixture was to be served into the cylinder for further firing. Remarkably that F. Lebon’s project engine was 2-action as it has two chambers on the sides that worked in turns. Thus in addition Philip Lebon occurred the deviser of classical electronic ignition later implemented by Lenouar in 1860-1864. Unfortunately Lebon died in 1804. He hadn’t managed to implement his ideas into practice.
In the next decades several inventors from different countries tried to create the working model based on coal gas but only Ethien Lenouar (1822-1900) in 1860 succeeded. This Belgian galvanic plant worker came to the idea of igniting the fuel mixture of coal gas and air by means of electric spark and decided to construct an engine. But the success was not so easily obtained. The first model of his engine worked very little period of time and stopped as the piston swelled of the cylinder’s overheating. In response Lenouar gave his engine the system of water cooling but soon another obstacle arose – the engine couldn’t start because of hard piston stroke. Lenouar parried this problem with providing his engine lubrication system. So finally the engine started to work. Its functioning can brought to the following: coal gas and air were served into the cylinder separately (not as in Lebon’s project engine) and merged together only inside it. Then two electric sparks unturned into cylinder lids ignited the formed mixture. The ignition system also included cupric-zinc batteries, Rumcorf coil and automatic ignition distributor. Lenouar’s engine was also 2-action type as there the injection was from two sides of the cylinder; It was two-stroke as well and engine’s full working cycle lasted two piston strokes – down and up. The first stroke included intake, ignition and fuel mixture swelling in the cylinder. In the second stroke exhaust gas goes out the cylinder. The intake-exhaust procedure is managed by bolt-valve and it in its turn by eccentric arranged at ...
The idea of Lebon’s engine functioning was based on steam engine’s – but instead of steam he suggested directing into cylinder the mixture of coal gas and air. He engine structure included two compressors and a merge chamber. One compressor was to inject air into the chamber and the second one – compressed coal gas from gas generator. Then the mixture was to be served into the cylinder for further firing. Remarkably that F. Lebon’s project engine was 2-action as it has two chambers on the sides that worked in turns. Thus in addition Philip Lebon occurred the deviser of classical electronic ignition later implemented by Lenouar in 1860-1864. Unfortunately Lebon died in 1804. He hadn’t managed to implement his ideas into practice.
In the next decades several inventors from different countries tried to create the working model based on coal gas but only Ethien Lenouar (1822-1900) in 1860 succeeded. This Belgian galvanic plant worker came to the idea of igniting the fuel mixture of coal gas and air by means of electric spark and decided to construct an engine. But the success was not so easily obtained. The first model of his engine worked very little period of time and stopped as the piston swelled of the cylinder’s overheating. In response Lenouar gave his engine the system of water cooling but soon another obstacle arose – the engine couldn’t start because of hard piston stroke. Lenouar parried this problem with providing his engine lubrication system. So finally the engine started to work. Its functioning can brought to the following: coal gas and air were served into the cylinder separately (not as in Lebon’s project engine) and merged together only inside it. Then two electric sparks unturned into cylinder lids ignited the formed mixture. The ignition system also included cupric-zinc batteries, Rumcorf coil and automatic ignition distributor. Lenouar’s engine was also 2-action type as there the injection was from two sides of the cylinder; It was two-stroke as well and engine’s full working cycle lasted two piston strokes – down and up. The first stroke included intake, ignition and fuel mixture swelling in the cylinder. In the second stroke exhaust gas goes out the cylinder. The intake-exhaust procedure is managed by bolt-valve and it in its turn by eccentric arranged at ...
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