Integrated fuel primer and crankcase drain system for internal combustion engine

An engine comprising a combustion chamber, a nozzle communicating with said combustion chamber, a piston mounted for reciprocative movement within said combustion chamber, a crankcase extending from said combustion chamber, said crankcase forming a source of pulsating pressure in response to piston reciprocation, a drain nipple communicating with said crankcase, primary fuel conduit means communicating with said combustion chamber and adapted for connection to a fuel source, said primary fuel conduit means being operative for conducting fuel from the fuel source to said combustion chamber, fuel pumping means communicating with said primary fuel conduit means for pumping fuel through said primary fuel conduit means from the fuel source into said combustion chamber, a first fuel supply passage connected with said fuel pumping means and with said nozzle for conducting fuel from said fuel pumping means to said nozzle and into said combustion chamber in addition to the fuel conducted by said primary fuel conduit means, first control valve means connected with said first fuel supply passage and operatively movable between a closed position for interrupting the conduction of fuel by said first fuel supply passage from said fuel pumping means to said nozzle and an open position for permitting the conduction of fuel by said first fuel supply passage from said fuel pumping means to said nozzle, means for selectively moving said first valve means between said closed position and said open position, a second fuel supply passage connected with said drain nipple and with said first fuel supply passage for conducting fuel from said drain nipple into said first fuel supply passage, and thus to said nozzle and into said combustion chamber, in response to crankcase pulsating pressure, and second control valve means connected with said second fuel supply passage for blocking the supply of fuel by said second fuel supply passage from said drain nipple to said nozzle in response to the conduction of fuel by said first fuel supply passage from said fuel pumping means to said nozzle when said first control valve is in said open position.

An engine comprising first and second combustion chambers, a piston mounted in each of said combustion chambers for reciprocative movement therein, means operatively connected with said pistons for causing said piston in said first combustion chamber to reciprocate oppositely to said piston in said second combustion chamber, first and second crankcases associated with the respective one of said first and second combustion chambers, each of said crankcases forming a source of pulsating pressure in response to piston reciprocation, first and second inlet nozzles communicating with the respective one of said first and second combustion chambers, first and second drain nipples communicating with the respective one of said first and second crankcases, primary fuel conduit means individually connected with each of said combustion chambers and adapted for connection to a fuel source, said primary fuel conduit means being operative for conducting fuel from the fuel source to each of said combustion chambers, primary fuel pumping means connected with said primary fuel conduit means for pumping fuel through said primary fuel conduit means from the fuel source to each of said combustion chambers, a fuel distribution valve block including a first valve chamber and a second valve chamber, each of said first and second valve chambers being compartmentalized to include a first chamber portion, a second chamber portion, and a port interconnecting said first chamber portion with said second chamber portion, first conduit means connected with said primary fuel pumping means and commonly with each of said first chamber portions for simultaneously conducting fuel from said primary fuel pumping means into each of said first chamber portions, first control valve means connected to said first conduit means for selectively permitting the flow of fuel through said first conduit means, a first outlet conduit connected with said first chamber portion of said first valve chamber and said second nozzle for conducting fuel from said first chamber portion into said second combustion chamber, a second outlet conduit communicating with said first chamber portion of said second valve chamber and said first nozzle for conducting fuel from said first chamber portion into said first combustion chamber, a first drain conduit connected with said first drain nipple and said second chamber portion of said second valve chamber for supplying residual fuel from said first crankcase into said second chamber portion of said second valve chamber and thereby into said first chamber portion of said second valve chamber through said port for introduction into said second combustion chamber through said second outlet conduit in response to pulsating pressure, a second drain conduit connected with said second drain nipple and with said second chamber portion of said first valve chamber for conducting residual fuel from said second crankcase into said second chamber portion of said first valve chamber and thereby into said first chamber portion thereof through said port for introduction into said first combustion chamber through said first outlet conduit in response to pulsating pressure, and a check valve individually connected with each of said first and said second valve chambers and operatively movable between an open position permitting the passage of fuel from said respective second chamber portion through said respective port into said respective first chamber portion in response to the flow of fuel into said respective second chamber portion subject to a magnitude of pulsating pressure and a closed position blocking said respective port and preventing the passage of fuel from said respective second chamber portion into said respective first chamber portion in response to the flow of fuel into said respective first chamber portion through said first conduit subject to a magnitude of pressure in excess of the magnitude of pulsating pressure.