GB2447256A - Production by electrolysis of hydrogen for addition to intake air of an i.c. engine - Google Patents

Production by electrolysis of hydrogen for addition to intake air of an i.c. engine Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2447256A
GB2447256A GB0704148A GB0704148A GB2447256A GB 2447256 A GB2447256 A GB 2447256A GB 0704148 A GB0704148 A GB 0704148A GB 0704148 A GB0704148 A GB 0704148A GB 2447256 A GB2447256 A GB 2447256A
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GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
water
engine
hydrogen
distilled water
evaporator
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB0704148A
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GB0704148D0 (en
Inventor
David Davies
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Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to GB0704148A priority Critical patent/GB2447256A/en
Publication of GB0704148D0 publication Critical patent/GB0704148D0/en
Priority to PCT/GB2008/050135 priority patent/WO2008107707A2/en
Publication of GB2447256A publication Critical patent/GB2447256A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
    • F02B43/00—Engines characterised by operating on gaseous fuels; Plants including such engines
    • F02B43/10—Engines or plants characterised by use of other specific gases, e.g. acetylene, oxyhydrogen
    • F02B43/12—Methods of operating
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
    • F02B43/00—Engines characterised by operating on gaseous fuels; Plants including such engines
    • F02B43/10—Engines or plants characterised by use of other specific gases, e.g. acetylene, oxyhydrogen
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
    • F02M25/00—Engine-pertinent apparatus for adding non-fuel substances or small quantities of secondary fuel to combustion-air, main fuel or fuel-air mixture
    • F02M25/10—Engine-pertinent apparatus for adding non-fuel substances or small quantities of secondary fuel to combustion-air, main fuel or fuel-air mixture adding acetylene, non-waterborne hydrogen, non-airborne oxygen, or ozone
    • F02M25/12—Engine-pertinent apparatus for adding non-fuel substances or small quantities of secondary fuel to combustion-air, main fuel or fuel-air mixture adding acetylene, non-waterborne hydrogen, non-airborne oxygen, or ozone the apparatus having means for generating such gases
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
    • Y02T10/10—Internal combustion engine [ICE] based vehicles
    • Y02T10/12—Improving ICE efficiencies
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
    • Y02T10/10—Internal combustion engine [ICE] based vehicles
    • Y02T10/30—Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Output Control And Ontrol Of Special Type Engine (AREA)
  • Organic Low-Molecular-Weight Compounds And Preparation Thereof (AREA)

Abstract

In a system for electrolysing hydrogen from pure water for addition to intake air of an internal combustion engine 12, the pure water is distilled from water that is not necessarily pure, eg tap water front a tank 34, by an engine-heated evaporator 36 and a condenser 38. The distilled water may be stored in a tank 18 that cannot be topped up manually. Excess distilled water may be recirculated back to the water supply. The evaporator 36 may be mounted on the exhaust system or on the cylinder head. The condenser 38 may be mounted in an airflow, eg of a radiator fan. The tap-water tank 34 may be shared with other vehicle systems eg a windscreen washer system.

Description

TITLE
Production of hydrogen for addition to intake air of an I.C. engine
DESCRIPTION
This invention relates to the production of hydrogen for addition to intake air of an internal combustion engine.
It is known that if hydrogen is added in small proportion to the intake air of an internal combustion engine, such as a Diesel engine, the engine runs cleaner, with more power and less emissions. However, hydrogen is expensive to produce, costly to distribute and dangerous to carry on a motor vehicle. To deal with these problems, it is known to produce hydrogen from water by electrolysis as required on a motor vehicle. An example of such a system is sold under the trade mark Hy-Drive by HyDrive Technologies Ltd., Canada, L5H 5M4. Despite the energy required to be produced by the engine in order to generate the electricity required by the electrolysis process, the engine still produces more net power.
An example of the Hy-Drive system 10 fitted to a vehicle's Diesel engine 12 is shown schematically in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings. An electrolysis unit 14 is supplied with electricity from the engine-driven alternator 16 and with water from a water tank 18 to produce hydrogen and oxygen, both of which are added to air drawn into the engine's inlet manifold 20. As is conventional, the engine also has a fuel tank 22 and an engine-driven injection pump 24. In operation, the engine 12 consumes fuel from the fuel tank 22, water from the water tank 18 and air from the atmosphere to produce useful net output mechanical power 26 for driving the vehicle, some useful net electrical power 28 for driving electrical circuits of the vehicle, wasted exhaust gas 30 and heat 32 most of which is wasted, but some of which may be used for example to heat the vehicle's interior.
The water consumption of the engine 12 is small, typically one litre per 3000 kilometres. However, the water that is used needs to be pure water, so as not to damage the electrolysis unit 14. The need to use pure water, which is not readily available, is an inconvenience, and there is a risk that somebody will use impure water, such as tap water, and damage the electrolysis unit.
The present invention, or at least specific embodiments of it, is concerned with this problem.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of production of hydrogen for addition to intake air of an internal combustion engine, the method comprising the steps of: providing a supply of water that is not necessarily pure; using energy from the engine to evaporate water from the supply to produce water vapour; condensing the water vapour to produce distilled water; and electrolysing the distilled water to produce hydrogen and oxygen. The need for distilled water is therefore obviated.
The energy from the engine that is used to evaporate the water is preferably heat, which, of course, might otherwise be wasted. Also, the method can assist in cooling the engine and therefore further improve its operation.
The method may further include the step of accumulating the distilled water ready for the electrolysing step, for example so that there is an available supply of the distilled water when the engine is started.
The method may further include the step of recirculating excess distilled water back to the water supply. The rate of evaporation of the water does not therefore need to be controlled.
The water supply may be contained in a reservoir, and the method preferably further includes the step of periodically replenishing the reservoir with water that is not necessarily pure, so that it does not run out.
The evaporation step may be performed in an evaporator, and the method preferably further includes the step of periodically cleaning or replacing the evaporator to avoid an excessive build up of residues such as limescale.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operation of an internal combustion engine, including: the method of the first aspect of the invention; and the step of adding the hydrogen and oxygen to air that is to be drawn into the engine.
In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for the production of hydrogen for addition to intake air of an internal combustion engine, comprising: a reservoir for water that is not necessarily pure; an evaporator arranged to receive water from the reservoir and for receiving energy from the engine in order to evaporate the water to produce water vapour; a condenser arranged to receive the water vapour from the evaporator and to condense the water vapour to produce distilled water; and an electrolyser arranged to receive distilled water from the condenser and to electrolyse the distilled water to produce hydrogen and oxygen.
The apparatus preferably further includes a second reservoir for accumulating the distilled water ready for supply to the electrolyser.
S The first-mentioned reservoir is preferably arranged to receive excess distilled water produced by the condenser.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an internal combustion engine having an apparatus of the third aspect of the invention.
The evaporator is preferably arranged to receive heat from the engine.
The evaporator is preferably releasably connected with respect to the engine.
A specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described, purely by way of example, with reference to Figure 2 the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a Diesel engine fitted with a Hy-Drive system as described above; and Figure 2 is similar to Figure 1, but modified in accordance with the embodiment of the invention.
Referring to Figure 2 by comparison to Figure 1, a water tank 34 is included which can be topped-up with tap-water. The tap-water tank 34 feeds water to an evaporator 36, which is removably mounted on part of the engine 12 which becomes hot when the engine is running.
For example, the evaporator 36 may be removably mounted on an exhaust system of the vehicle, downstream of a catalytic converter, if present. Alternatively, for example, the evaporator 36 may be removably mounted on the cylinder head of the engine 12. Water in the evaporator 36 evaporates to form water vapour which passes to a condenser 38, and residue 40 from the tap-water remains in the evaporator 36. The condenser 38 is preferably mounted in an air-flow, for example in front of a radiator fan of the vehicle, or in a take-off from a radiator grille of the vehicle. Heat is given off by the condenser 38 and the water vapour condenses to form distilled water. The distilled water is supplied to the distilled water tank 18 of the Fly-Drive system 10. The Hy-Drive system 10 operates in its known manner, except that there is no need to top it up manually with distilled water, and indeed the distilled water tank 18 may be modified to prevent it being topped-up manually.
The evaporator 36 and condenser 38 are designed such that they can produce enough distilled water for the Hy-Drive system's maximum consumption. When it is using less, excess distilled water can be recirculated back to the tap-water tank 34.
The movement of water and water vapour around the system may be caused by gravity, relative densities, check valve(s) and/or pump(s).
Periodically, the tap-water tank 34 will need to be replenished with tap-water, and the evaporator 36 will need to be cleaned of residue or removed and replaced.
Although the embodiment of the invention has been described in relation to the known Hy-Drive system, it will be appreciated that it may also be applied to another electrolytic hydrogen generators.
The tap water tank 34 may be shared with other water-consuming systems of the vehicle, for example a windscreen washer system. In this case, it will be appreciated that any windscreen washing detergent or the like should not be added to the lap water tank 34, but instead added to the windscreen washing water later, for example downstream of the windscreen washer pump.
It should be noted that the embodiment of the invention has been described above purely by way of example arid that many modifications and developments may be made thereto within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (16)

1. A method of production of hydrogen for addition to intake air of an internal combustion engine (12), the method comprising the steps of: providing a supply of water that is not necessarily pure; using energy from the engine to evaporate water from the supply to produce water vapour; condensing the water vapour to produce distilled water; and electrolysing the distilled water to produce hydrogen and oxygen.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the energy from the engine that is used to evaporate the water is heat.
3. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, further including the step of accumulating the distilled water ready for the electrolysing step.
4. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, further including the step of recirculating excess distilled water back to the water supply.
5. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the water supply is contained in a reservoir (34), and further including the step of periodically replenishing the reservoir with water that is not necessarily pure.
6. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the evaporation step is performed in an evaporator (40), and further including the step of periodically cleaning or replacing the evaporator.
7. A method of production of hydrogen for addition to intake air of an internal combustion engine, substantially as described with reference to Figure 2 of the drawings.
8. A method of operation of an internal combustion engine (12), including: a method as claimed in any preceding claim; and the step of adding the hydrogen and oxygen to air that is to be drawn into the engine.
9. An apparatus for the production of hydrogen for addition to intake air of an internal combustion engine (12), comprising: a reservoir (34) for water that is not necessarily pure; an evaporator (36) arranged to receive water from the reservoir and for receiving energy from the engine in order to evaporate the water to produce water vapour; a condenser (38) arranged to receive the water vapour from the evaporator and to condense the water vapour to produce distilled water; and an electrolyser (14) arranged to receive distilled water from the condenser and to electrolyse the distilled water to produce hydrogen and oxygen.
10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, further including a second reservoir (18) for accumulating the distilled water ready for supply to the electrolyser.
11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the first-mentioned reservoir (34) is arranged to receive excess distilled water produced by the condenser.
12. An apparatus for the production of hydrogen for addition to intake air of an internal combustion engine, substantially as described with reference to Figure 2 of the drawings.
13. An internal combustion engine having an apparatus as claimed in any of claims 9 to 12.
14. An engine as claimed in claim 13, wherein the evaporator is arranged to receive heat from the engine.
15. An engine as claimed in claim 13 or 14, wherein the evaporator is releasably connected with respect to the engine.
16. An internal combustion engine substantially as described with reference to Figure 2 of the drawings.
GB0704148A 2007-03-03 2007-03-03 Production by electrolysis of hydrogen for addition to intake air of an i.c. engine Withdrawn GB2447256A (en)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0704148A GB2447256A (en) 2007-03-03 2007-03-03 Production by electrolysis of hydrogen for addition to intake air of an i.c. engine
PCT/GB2008/050135 WO2008107707A2 (en) 2007-03-03 2008-02-28 Production of hydrogen for addition to the intake air of an i.c. engine

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0704148A GB2447256A (en) 2007-03-03 2007-03-03 Production by electrolysis of hydrogen for addition to intake air of an i.c. engine

Publications (2)

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GB0704148D0 GB0704148D0 (en) 2007-04-11
GB2447256A true GB2447256A (en) 2008-09-10

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GB0704148A Withdrawn GB2447256A (en) 2007-03-03 2007-03-03 Production by electrolysis of hydrogen for addition to intake air of an i.c. engine

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WO (1) WO2008107707A2 (en)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2012025672A1 (en) * 2010-08-26 2012-03-01 Conservatoire National Des Arts Et Métiers (Cnam) Device for supplying a combustion heat engine with gas enriched with diatomic hydrogen and diatomic oxygen
CH707418A1 (en) * 2012-12-14 2014-06-30 Hynergy Ag energy generation system, motor vehicle and generator comprising such a system.

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN101907047A (en) * 2010-06-21 2010-12-08 周德宏 Mixing system for oxy-hydrogen combustion-supporting substances for automobile fuel
GB201112299D0 (en) * 2011-07-18 2011-08-31 Elsarrag Esam Fuel protection apparatus

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6257175B1 (en) * 1997-09-15 2001-07-10 Edward G. Mosher Oxygen and hydrogen generator apparatus for internal combustion engines
US20020070124A1 (en) * 1997-12-16 2002-06-13 Andrews Craig C. Water sources for automotive electrolyzers

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3825491A (en) * 1972-07-14 1974-07-23 G Sanchez Water distiller and cooler unit
US4271793A (en) * 1979-08-31 1981-06-09 Valdespino Joseph M Internal combustion engine
US4313305A (en) * 1979-09-18 1982-02-02 Dan Egosi Feedback energy conversion system
DE3110511A1 (en) * 1980-03-21 1982-03-11 Escher/Foster Technology Ass., Inc., 48879 St. Johns, Mich. "METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THE THERMO-CHEMICAL HYDROGEN-OXYGEN COMBUSTION INTRODUCTION"
US6659049B2 (en) * 2002-02-22 2003-12-09 Proton Energy Systems Hydrogen generation apparatus for internal combustion engines and method thereof
US7100542B2 (en) * 2004-11-04 2006-09-05 Ehresoft Technologies, Inc. Hydrogen oxygen generation system for an internal combustion engine
US7302795B2 (en) * 2005-07-11 2007-12-04 Jan Vetrovec Internal combustion engine/water source system

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6257175B1 (en) * 1997-09-15 2001-07-10 Edward G. Mosher Oxygen and hydrogen generator apparatus for internal combustion engines
US20020070124A1 (en) * 1997-12-16 2002-06-13 Andrews Craig C. Water sources for automotive electrolyzers

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2012025672A1 (en) * 2010-08-26 2012-03-01 Conservatoire National Des Arts Et Métiers (Cnam) Device for supplying a combustion heat engine with gas enriched with diatomic hydrogen and diatomic oxygen
FR2964152A1 (en) * 2010-08-26 2012-03-02 Conservatoire Nat Des Arts Et Metiers Cnam DEVICE FOR SUPPLYING AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE IN GAS ENRICHED WITH DIHYDROGEN AND DIOXYGEN
CH707418A1 (en) * 2012-12-14 2014-06-30 Hynergy Ag energy generation system, motor vehicle and generator comprising such a system.
WO2014108732A1 (en) * 2012-12-14 2014-07-17 Hynergy Ag Power-generation system, motor vehicle, and generator set including such a system

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2008107707A2 (en) 2008-09-12
GB0704148D0 (en) 2007-04-11
WO2008107707A3 (en) 2008-10-30

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