Amazing Stories: September 1946

                   THE "GHYT" MOTOR
                (Gas Hydraulic Turbine)
                  By W. C. HEFFERLIN

     Do YOU remember away back when one and two cylinder "side-winding" 
cars (automobiles if you please!) were common and the four cylinder jobs 
were quite the latest, with the left hand drive replacing the European 
right hand drive?

     Well, our first was a two cylinder right hand drive Reo, chain-
driven, with plenty of brass on windshield and lamps. How the four 
cylinder cars would streak along madly at 20 and 25 miles an hour, 
leaving a trail of dust which the two cylinder drivers had to eat. That 
started it!

     Speed, speed, and more SPEED! Study, research, analyze, design, 
throw out, and begin again.

     What power movement was basically sound and of the highest 
efficiency in transmission, with the least oil requirement? A hydraulic 
turbine, of which there are two general types: Low pressure and lots of 
liquid, or high pressure and minimum amount of liquid required. Steam 
and hot air and gas turbine designs were discarded due to the obvious 
fact that there is too much slippage and too many turbine wheels 
required to absorb the slippage losses.

     100 pounds pressure of air or 100 pounds pres- sure of water at a 
nozzle opening with your hand held in front of the nozzle, shows a 
parallel example of applied force and the slippage factors. Both the 
steam and gas turbine develops its power at high rotative speeds and 
requires a fine degree of accuracy and large amount of costly machining 
and balancing. All strictly out for large scale assembly line runs. And 
look at the costly metal alloys used !

     Now here is the head-ache of all times. The explosion temperature 
in a motor ranges around 3000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the melting 
point of iron. And a hydraulic (liquid) that would not turn to vapor 
from this heat is not known of to date. Mercury would be too heavy in 
weight.

     After a long hunt a simple flame block was decided on. Believe it 
or not, metal screen, the same as used in a tea strainer, in separated 
layers does a nice job of stopping the flame. So part of a major head-
ache is thus taken care of. Now, the firing chambers, called cylinders, 
are constructed oblong in shape of steel, 2 inches on the side, 6 inches 
in width, and 12 inches deep. This gives us 144 cubic inches 
displacement per cylinder and these cylinders are stacked on their ends 
with space for cooling between cylinders. These cylinders are welded to 
top and bottom plates and cooling jackets on the sides. The only 
machining required is on the top and bottom surfaces of the top and 
bottom plates. This makes up the cylinder block or middle section of the 
motor.

     The turbine unit itself consists of:- Turbine wheel of a modified 
"De Laval" type (high head pressure), properly enclosed, and the nozzle 
and throat section. The nozzle openings are opposite each other and 
throats parallel to each other, two to one turbine in opposite side 
walls of each turbine housing, so designed and placed in order to allow 
the liquid or hydraulic movement to pass back and forth by way of the 
nozzle openings against the upper surface of the turbine blades, and up 
and down in the nozzle throats.

     In other words, when the cylinder block is in place above the 
turbine section the nozzle throats become an extension of the cylinders 
and two cylinders straddle each turbine wheel section. Then any 
hydraulic movement from one cylinder to the other would be as a "V" with 
a pair of cylinders to each turbine wheel. By using this construction 
and filling the turbine units and into the cylinders above them with a 
hydraulic fluid to within six inches of the cylinder tops, we have a 
complete hydraulic seal below the explosion area
of each cylinder, and no pistons, connecting rods, and no metal to metal 
surface for friction loss.
The turbine wheel shaft revolves on roller or ball bearings submerged at 
all times in the hydraulic fluid. 
     To avoid slopping and splashing of hydraulic liquid in the 
cylinders, honey-comb inserts with the previously mentioned screen layer 
between each cell layer, are placed in the cylinders piled in 
alternating layers one on top of the other, for about 10 inches to 11 
inches of the cylinder depth.

     Upon the top surface of the cylinder block is placed the motor head 
block containing' two poppet valves, one fuel injection nozzle, and one 
spark plug per cylinder. Above the intake valves is one cam shaft, and 
above the exhaust valves is the second cam shaft. These open and close 
the valves in sequence of order. These tam shafts are electric motor 
driven, and the ignition timer is run by the exhaust cam shaft. The 
electric motor is of variable speed type, and helps to start the motor.

     Also as a part of the cylinder head unit and above the cam 
mechanism is mounted what today is called a "Supercharger," driven by 
the exhaust pressure on one side and compressing air into the suction 
manifold from the other side. Belted, geared or chain driven from this 
"Supercharger" is a combination electric motor and generator to both 
start compressing the air and after the turbine has started to run, to 
recharge the batteries.

     FUEL is sucked from the fuel line by individual diaphragm pumps 
inserted into the walls of each cylinder. These pumps have two 
diaphragms opposite each other with a space between to allow for a metal 
bar to slide back and forth. In slots of this bar at proper intervals 
are wedge-shaped metal inserts free to move in opposite directions from 
the travel of the sliding' bar. One diaphragm surface is expo lied to 
the internal cylinder pressures, the opposite diaphragm is the fuel pump 
with ball check valves. The metal sliding bar with the wedge inserts is 
moved by the fuel lever so as to position the wedge inserts between the 
diaphragm center buttons to allow for any required movement of the fuel 
diaphragm button. By this means is the fuel metered into the cylinders.

     The diaphragm fuel pump of one cylinder furnishes fuel injection 
into the opposite cylinder. (High pressure cylinder furnishes power 
impulse for fuel injection into low pressure cylinder.)

     The three sections of the turbine motor are sealed to each other by 
soft metal gaskets and leakage is prevented by a "V" shaped bead on one 
planed surface and a "V" shaped channel in the opposite planed surface. 
Slotted studs are used and wedge shaped keys inserted into the slots 
tighten the assemblies together. 

     In the turbine or bottom section unit, the turbine case may be 
removed to allow for blade inspection or turbine wheel removal. The 
turbine wheel drive shaft is in multiple sections which butt end to end 
and are splined into the center hub of the turbine wheel, the bearings 
being between the splined ends. Endwise movement of shaft allows for the 
dropping out of the turbine wheel required.

     Returning our attention to the inside of the firing cylinders and 
the screens, etc. When the main switch is turned on and the vales open 
and close, compressed air is forced into the cylinders and by moving the 
fuel lever several times, fuel is injected into the vicinity of the 
spark plug. Ignition takes place forcing a downward movement of the 
hydraulic liquid in that cylinder, exposing the screen layers. These 
absorb the flame and heat. After the exhaust valve has opened and before 
It has closed, the Intake valve opens and
the compressed air scavenges the cylinder of foul gas and receives the 
first heat from the screens. Upon the closing of the Intake valve, the 
opposite cylinder fires, forcing the hydraulic liquid back into the 
first cylinder and compressing the heated air. The fuel Injected into 
this mass of hot com- pressed air is ignited again by the spark plug. 
Such a method has the advantage of drying the gas and cracking it at the 
same time.

     Inasmuch as this turbine motor operates on pressure developed and 
does not depend upon the speed 
(R. P. M.) of the turbine drive, the machining requirements on the 
turbine wheels and their housing is done away with to some extent. The 
turbine blades may be stamped by presses and a hollow turbine wheel may 
be used, with a slotted rim of the required width pressed on and hub 
pressed into center. Only on the turbine shaft and the cylinder head and 
its equipment, plus the joint sealing surfaces is machining extensive.

     The exhaust pressure is high which drives the Supercharger at full 
speed, and the exhaust impact into the open air is broken up by the 
blades of the Supercharger. This also can be used as a form of "jet 
drive."
     In the turbine motor, if six cylinders are used, the power impulse 
transmitted along the shaft will
overlap, producing a drive with little or no vibration, and is as smooth 
as an electric motor. Such a motor used to drive a propeller either in 
water or in air, would reduce "prop slippage." On rail- roads, drive 
wheel slippage. It can be used to drive any form of transportation, and 
the only oiling required is in the cylinder head mechanism.

     Any type of liquid fuel, from alcohol to furnace oil and 
distillate, may be burned in this motor at
full efficiency, by retarding or advancing the timer, which in turn 
raises or lowers the compression pressures to the fuel requirements. For 
example, a 200 pound firing pressure delivered against 20 blades per 
turbine at a 4-inch radius, and 3 turbine wheels in a 6-cylinder motor, 
translates itself into plenty of horse-power thrust at the driving end 
of the motor.

                                                                               
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