Brayton Ready Motor
The Brayton Ready Motor sometimes also called "the Hydrocarbon Engine" is an internal combustion engine pioneered by George Brayton, first patented in 1872. Brayton called it the "Ready Motor" since, unlike a steam engine, it could be started in a few minutes’ time [1][2] and unlike the Otto cycle (introduced in 1776) it operated on the principle of "constant pressure" and not an explosion. [3] The Ready Motor was one of the first commercially successful internal combustion engines that use the principle of compression [4] and also one of the first internal combustion engines used for motive power
[4] [5] and also the first internal combustion engine to be used to power a generator to make electricity [6]
The original version of the engine compressed both air and fuel together, which was stored in a pressure chamber, and then released into an expansion cylinder by an admission valve, where it was combusted by a pilot flame as it entered the expander cylinder. The problem with this design was that it relied on a fine mesh screen to prevent the flame from propagating back into the storage cylinder. Occasionally the flame would get past the screen and combust the compressed air and fuel mixture, which would result in an explosion. There really isn't an account of how violent this explosion was or if there was some sort of relief mechanism to prevent the reservoir from exploding, but it seemed problematic and in 1874 Brayton redesigned the engine so that only air was compressed and liquid fuel was added at the burner as it entered the expansion cylinder. This improved the reliability of the engine and also allowed it to operate on fuels such as kerosene. It's not clear how many years the Ready Motor was offered for sale or exactly how many were produced, but in 1876 Otto would introduce his four-stroke cycle, which seemed easier to operate and was also more efficient and possibly more reliable than the Ready Motor. The Ready Motor did have some advantages over the four-stroke engine. It was smooth running and produced power on every revolution (two-stroke) and also had a much superior power-to-weight ratio over the early four-stroke engines. In 1874 John Holland used a 3 hp ready motor to power his first submarine Holland I. Again in 1878 Holland used another Brayton Ready Motor of about 15 hp to power his second submarine called the Fenian Ram. Ready motors were also successfully used to power boats, a bus, and a rail car[7] besides many stationary applications. They were produced in sizes from 2 hp up to 40 hp. These days the constant pressure Brayton Cycle that was used to power the Ready Motor is generally associated with turbine machinery. The Brayton Cycle is widely used as an efficient source to power jet aircraft, propel vessels, and generate electricity.
Examples of Brayton Ready Motors
Brayton Ready Motors were produced in many different configurations. Some were vertical, others were horizontal, some single-acting, and some were double-acting. Some versions used walking beams on the top and others used walking beams on the bottom, while others used no walking beam.
-
Brayton gas engine 1872 -
Brayton walking beam engine 1872 -
Brayton engine 1875
-
Brayton double-acting constant-pressure engine cut away 1877
-
Brayton_constant_pressure_marine_engine_1876
-
Brayton_Centenial_Engine_1876
-
Brayton_constant_pressure_oil_engine_1878
-
Brayton_walking_beam_oil_enigine_1875
References
- ↑ Richardson, Bryan (1995). Henry's Attic: Some Fascinating Gifts to Henry Ford. Wayne State University Press. p. 207. ISBN 0814326420. Search this book on
- ↑ Brayton, George (1872). One of the most valuable inventions of the age. A.W. Locke & Company, printers. Search this book on
- ↑ The Michigan Technic. 1919. p. vol 32-33 page 102. Search this book on
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Donkin, Bryan (1911). A Text-book on Gas, Oil and Air Engines. p. 403. Search this book on
- ↑ The Horseless Age. 1903. pp. vol 12 page 560. Search this book on
- ↑ The American Journal of Science and Arts. 1876. p. 254. Search this book on
- ↑ Scharchburg, Richard P (1993). Carriages Without Horses. SAE International. p. 11. ISBN 9780768035698. Search this book on
This article "Brayton Ready Motor" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Brayton Ready Motor. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
