Gaseous fuel

Page 1

Patented Nov. 21, 1933 1936,155

UNITED STATES PATENT office wommaamram

GASEOUS RUE,

Luis de Florez, Pomfret, Conn., assignor to The

Y., a corpora

Texas Company, New York, N.

tion of Delaware

No brawing. Application November 14, 1928,

This invention pertains to a gaseous fuel which able to use mixtures of hydrocarbons, such for ex is suitable for use in internal combustion engines, ample as those from natural gas or from gas de rived from the cracking of hydrocarbon oils, and and has particular reference to a gaseous fuel other for air craft lighter than air, such as dirigibles. cut ofsimilar sources. By Selecting a fairly close the gaseous hydrocarbons, Such as may be 60

In the practical operation of lighter-than-air aircraft, the use of liquid fuels has several disad obtained by carefully controlled rectification un der pressure, a mixture of hydrocarbons may be

Vantages; the fuel load constitutes a considerable Secured which when mixed with hydrogen in the additional burden which must be compensated for by providing lifting capacity for the starting load. proper quired proportions gives a fuel having the re fuel value, density and dew point to be 65 0. AS liquid fuel is consumed, the total weight of the acceptable for dirigible use. A.

Craft is gradually reduced and over a long cruis It is highly desirable that the hydrocarbon frac ing range this loss is large. It thus becomes nec tion Selected Should be Offairly close boiling range essary to compensate for this loss in weight by and exhausting from the gas bag a portion of the lift bons contain which only limited amounts of hydrocar are difficult to liquefy and which may 70 5 ing gas. In the case of the rarer non-inflammable therefore be shipped on a commercial Scale in met gas, helium, this would constitute a serious loss, all cylinders or pressure tank cars. Imay,for exam difficult of replacement and highly expensive. ple, take the residual gases derived from the rec Even With the use of hydrogen as a lifting gas, the loss of gas is such as to greatly add to the expense tification tion of of raw natural gasoline. The composi these gases will vary, depending upon the 75 20 of operation. The use of condensers on the ex haust of engines has been resorted to, to retain line was derived natural character of the gas from which the gaSO and upon the character of recti the water formed by combustion as ballast but fication the provision of Such equipment reduces the eff However,toinwhich the raw gasoline Was Subjected. a typical case, this residual gaS Con ciency of the ship.

25 In view of these difficulties, it is proposed to sisted very almost entirely of butane and propane with 80 small amounts of pentane, ethane and meth use a gaseous fuel mixture which has a density approximately the same as air. Fuel storage space ane. In Some instances it may Only be necessary may be provided in the form of partitioned gas to compress and liquefy this residual gas to ob storage Spaces within the body of the dirigible so ture as tain a condensate a suitable hydrocarbon mix which may be shipped under compression in 85 30 that as gaseous fuel is consumed air may be ad mitted to Such Spaces and the same relative buoy cylinders, er quantity to be mixed with hydrogen in the prop at the point of use to obtain the prop ancy of the ship may be maintained. er gravity. If the residual gas contains Substan Such fuel must have a relatively high B.t. u. val lue per cubic foot to Warrant its use, and it is essen tial quantities of methane and ethane, it may be desirable to subject the condensate obtained on 35 tial also that the fuel shall have a relatively low compression and cooling to a rectification under dew point or point of condensation, such as for pressure to eliminate these difficultly liquefiable example below -20 F. As pointed out above, gases from the desired condensate. The practice . density should be approximately equivalent is similar to that employed in the manufacture

In the preparation of a gaseous fuel in accord of natural gasoline from raw compression gaso 95 line in which a portion of the butane and all of ance with my invention, various mixtures may the lighter hydrocarbons are generally removed be employed. For example mixtures may be by rectification.

made up from individual gaseous hydrocarbons What I claim is:

and hydrogen in the proportion to give the de A gaseous fuel for internal combustion engines 00 45 sired density equivalent to air, low dew point and of lighter-than-air craft consisting of about 52% high thermal value. Thus, for example, a mixture hydrogen and about 48% butane. of 27.5% of hydrogen and 72.5% of propane will LUIS DE FLOREZ. have a density about equal to air and will have a high fuel value of about 2,035 B. t. u. per cubic 05 50 foot; also a mixture of 52.0% of hydrogen and 48.0% of butane gives a fuel equal to air in den sity and a high fuel value of about 1,845B.t. u.per cubic foot.

However, since the individual hydrocarbons are O 55 not readily available in quantity it is quite desir