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'Harnessing Heat Energy in Engine Cooling Fluid

17th July 1942, Page 36
17th July 1942
Page 36
Page 36, 17th July 1942 — 'Harnessing Heat Energy in Engine Cooling Fluid
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A Resume of Recently Published Patent Specifications

PATENT No. 545,295 shows a scheme for making use of some of the energy that is normally dissipated from an engine in the form of heat. Actually, the invention is described as applied to an aircraft engine, but there is no reason why its adoption should be limited to units of that type.

The patentee, Clare Newcombe, 17, Wimborne Avenue, Davyhulme, Manchester, states that one way of recovering waste energy is to employ an exhaust-driven turbine, but that there are certain objections to this, namely, the corrosive action of the hot gases on the turbine blading, and the creation of back .pressure in the exhaust system which may adversely affect the main power output.

It is proposed, therefore, to use the cooling jackets of the cylinders and exhaust-pipe coils as boilers for an easily vaporized liquid, and to employ the gas so formed as the driving medium for a turbine, which, in the instance illustrated, is coupled to a supercharger.

Among. suitable working fluids, liquids sue as are used in refrigerating plants are specified, carbon tetrachloride and a proprietary liquid called " Freon" being especially named.

Referring now to an accompanying drawing, a pump (7) forces the liquid into the jacket via pipe 8 and, after passing through the jacket, the medium makes its exit from pipe 2. By this time it is boiling, and the mixture of liquid and gas is led to a separator (4), which returns the former to the pump inlet, whilst the vapour is diverted to a component (3). This incorporates a heat-pump of the injector pattern, the motive powIr being a jet of hot vapour generated in a small parallel circuit of piping (1), also fed by the pump (7) and which is at one point coiled around the exhaust pipe. The vapour output', from the injector (3) feeds the turbine (5) and after passing through a condenser (6) returns as liquid to the circuit.

It is stated that the vapour is at a very high pressure, but at a temperature well below normal exhaust-gas temperature, and the power of the turbine is claimed to be more than enough for driving a supercharger. A WELL-DESIGNED AMERICAN OIL FILTER

AN oil filter for use in an engine lubricating system forms the subject of patent No. 545,331 from General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., U.S.A. The filter gives a large active area by reason of the use of concentric cylinders of filtering material.

Oil is fed to the device through a port (6) on the left (as drawn) and fills the entire interior of the casing. Comprising a double-walled screen (a), presumably of wire gauze, the filtering element receives the dirty oil on its outer and inner faces. -Clean oil enters the narrow space (5) between The screens, and thence passes up through' a central passage (1) to a delivery conduit (2).

The sump is large and can hold a fair amount of impurities before needing cleaning, whilst the shape of the screens allows an unimpeded fall for the foreign matter. Cleaning is performed by removing the bottom nut (4), the outer casing and the central spring, 'the last named holding the filter unit in position.

MEANS FOR FIXING LOCK-NUT SPRING DISC pONCERNING detail improvements

in lock-nuts, patent No. 545,342 comes .from O. Simmonds and Simmonds Development Corporation, Ltd.; 2 and 8, Norfolk Street, London, W.C.2. The invention refers to locknuts of the type having a distortable spring-metal disc attached to a nut end face and engaging the §crew threads in an out-of-pitch manner' to create a movement-resisting friction.

A section of such a nut, with the apertured disc (2) in place, is illustrated, and the essential feature of the patent ,is the method of keying disc to nut, to ensure that they rotate together.s This is achieved by forming, during -the pressing-'on operation, small lugs (1) which register with the three slots in the disc. These excrescences are claimed to be sufficient to prevent relative rotation and they are formed by applying pressure to the disc, when in position on the nut, so that metal of the nut is extruded into the slots.

HYDRAULIC BRAKE WITH BALANCED HAND ACTUATION

PATENT No. 544,949 shows an hydraulic brake system of the fully floating type, and deals with a means for equalizing shoe pressure in the mechanical actuating gear. Thepatentee is the Bendix Aviation Corporation, South Bend, Ind., U.S.A.

A: pair of hydraulic expanders, located between the shoe ends, is employed, the whole assembly being free to float until one or other of the expanders abuts against a bracket on the back-plate. In this arrangement, all thrusts are balanced, but it is desired also to balance a second operating means, that is, direct mechanical actuation from a Bowden-type cable (5) coupled to a hand lever. , Aetually, the aini is to apply the thrust directly to the middle of the shoes, but this is impracticable owing to the presence of the axle and possibly a large flange. It can, however, be applied indirectly to the shoe centres.

The cable (5) pulls on an arm (4) pivoted on the pin (3)and, in use, exerts upward pressure on a strut (2). The latter presses on a rocking lever (1), centred on the upper shoe, which exerts an equal downward

force on a second strut (6). The original one-sidedpull is thus redistributed evenly ever the two shoes.

Tags

Organisations: US Federal Reserve
People: Clare Newcombe

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