A CHRONOLOGY OF THE GAS ENGINE

By Staff
Published on October 1, 1987

Route 1, Box 110, Prairie du Sac, WI 53578 submitted the
following table reprinted from the November 1911 issue of Gas
Power.

The following table of leading dates in the history of gas
engine progress is taken from the fifth edition of ‘Gas, Oil
and Air Engines,’ by Byran Donklin. Approximate dates are
given.

First horizontal Lenoir French engine, water jacketed, with
slide valve (40 cubic feet of gas per I. h. p. hour.) Electric
ignition………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..1861
Hugon Gas Engine. First with ignition slide
valve………………………………………………………………………………….1863
Otto and Laugen’s atmospheric
engine……………………………………………………………………………………………….1886
Practically very few English makers of gas engines, perhaps one or
two……………………………………………………1870
Bisschop engine, made by
Andrews…………………………………………………………………………………………………..1877
Robson, compression on one side of piston and ignition on the
other………………………………………………………..1877
First Clerk engine with air pump and
compression………………………………………………………………………………..1877
First horizontal Otto engine, Crossley (25 cu ft gas per I. h. p.
hour)………………………………………………………..1879
Robson, first starter of compressed gas in
reservoir………………………………………………………………………………1879
Firms making gas engines in England-Simon, Andrews, Tangle, Robson
and others………………………………….1880
Dowson first gas
producer………………………………………………………………………………………………………1878-1880
First porcelain tube ignition,
Watson…………………………………………………………………………………………………..1881
Heat efficiency of the best engines 10 to 15 per
cent……………………………………………………………………………..1882
Best heat efficiency of Otto engine (5 to 15 I. h. p.), 15%
(taking indicated
work)………………………………………1887
First Otto-Crossley without
slide……………………………………………………………………………………………………….1888
Society of Arts’ trials-Otto-Crossley engine, 22% heat
efficiency (taking B. h.
p.)…………………………………….1888
First Daimler gas
engine…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..1889
First timing valve, Otto-Crossley engine over 100 B. h.
p………………………………………………………………………1889
Expiration of Otto patent in
England…………………………………………………………………………………………………..1890
Maximum power 200 to 300 I. h. p. engines in England, France and
Germany………………………………….1890-1894
Approximate number of firms making gas engines-England 30, Germany
30, France 20, Switzerland 5………. 1895
Power gas ?-lb. to 1-lb. good anthracite coal per B. h. p., 50 to
200 h. p. ……………………………………………..
1895
Heat efficiency, 16% to 25% in best engines (taking B.
h.p.)…………………………………………………………………..1895
Maximum initial pressure in cylinder about 200
lbs………………………………………………………………………………..1895
Largest engines made about 300-400 I. h.
p……………………………………………………………………………………….1895
First application of blast furnace
gases………………………………………………………………………………………………..1895
Largest gas engine made 1,500 I. h.
p………………………………………………………………………………………………..1899
Heat efficiency of the best engines per B. h. p., 25% 23 B. h.
p………………………………………………………………1899
Number of firms making gas engines-about 50 in Great
Britain……………………………………………………………..1899
Mean pressure in latest engines about 110 lbs. per square
inch……………………………………………………………….1905
Largest gas engine made, 5,400 h.
p………………………………………………………………………………………………….1905
Heat efficiency of the best engines per B. h. p., 29?% (65 B. h.
p.)…………………………………………………………1905
Largest gas engine made, 5,400 h.
p………………………………………………………………………………………………….1909

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