CA2008597A1 - Apparatus for reducing the content of toxic gases expelled from internal combustion engines - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT
An apparatus for reducing the content of toxic gases expelled from internal combustion engines;
comprising a liquid fuel evaporator containing fuel-level controlling means and air intake tubes bubbling air into the fuel, said evaporator being surrounded by a jacket through which the engine hot exhaust gases flow; liquid fuel being carried from said evaporator to the carburetor, the outlet of which is connected to another conduit coming from the evaporator, the resulting flow being directed to the inlet manifold of the engine.

Description

;~0085~7 This invention relstes to an apparatus ~-~
for reducing the content of toxic gases expelled from internal combustion engines. -It is known that automotive vehicles in general, constitute air contaminants due to the gases resulting from the combustion of different fuels and which are liberated through the exhaust pipes of the engine.
As it is obvious, this problem becomed increased in the great cities wherein the number of moving vehicles is great, the problem being aggravated by the fact that the buildings surrounding the streets prevent a proper vontll~tlon.
The above mentioned very serious problem has direct and the detractfull effects on healter of the population, and has led authorities to intensely seek a solu-tion to the ambiental pollution although up to the present, only with irrelevant results. The apparatus of the present invention provides a simple but efficient solution for reducing in an spectacular manner the contents of toxic gases -~
from the exhaust of automotives, and has as one of its salient characteristics a structural simplicity, as will be appreciated from the following description of the improvements the proposed apparatus incorporates:
a) eliminates a great percentage of carbon monoxyde from the combustion gases;

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b) uses the exhaust gases to gasify the fuel before combus-tion;
c) is of simple construction;
d) does not need maintenance and its emplacement does not need to modify any part of the engine;
e) the water circuit is eliminated from the cylinder head to generate part of the vaporization of the liquid fuel;
f) when being gasified, the combustion of the fuel becomes total;
g) a controlled richness of the carburant mixture becomes assured;
h) it does not occupy important volumes of space in the engine.
In fact, the above are only some of the -salient features on the present invention, the description of which will hereafter be made with reference to the acompanying drawings, which illustrate the inventions, without limiting its scope, and in which:
Fig. 1 is a general schematic view of the several parts that form the proposed apparatus;
Fig. 2 is another schematic view showing the block and refrigeration of the engine with corresponding parts of the apparatus.
In these figures the same reference numbers indicate same or corresponding parts.
As can be seen from the drawings, the X0~85~ ~

apparatus for reducing the content of toxic gases expelled from internal combustion engines of the invention and shown by generic reference 1, essentially comprises the combination of a series of devices to evaporate the fuel by heating and, thereafter, adding it to the carburant admission circuit of the engine. To this end it comprises two independent and different circuits, one feeding the fuel for the engine to start running and which actuates as a primer; while the second circuit commences to actuate once the engine is normally running and the primer has ceased to actuate.
Said first circuit starts from the fuel tank 2 which communicates through a conduit 3 with a cylindrical chamber 4, which fills up to a certain level with fuel, and within which there is an air-admission tube 5, the end 5' of which projects from the chamber and actuates as an air inlet.
In correspondence with this end of the chamber there is another tube 6 which communicates with an ejector nozzle 7 which leads the carburant mixture to the input manifold.
A hose pipe 8 projects from said nozzle 7 to a valve 9 comprised of a cylindrical body 10 which lodges a piston 11 controllable by the operator, and that can obturate, at one position thereof, the outiet of said hose tube 8.
Piston 11 has a longitudinal groove 12, while another hose pipe 13 leading from the feed circuit -which will be hereafter described in detail- communicates with said body 10.

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,~ ,~ - , . , -~008597 From this body 10 starts a conduit 14 which feeds the engine with carburant at low speeds.
Returning to tank 2, a hose tube 15 leads therefrom to an evaporator 16, consisting of a rigid body, preferably metallic and cylindrical inshape, which lodges a floating means 17 that controls the level of the fuel coming from tank 2, and two internal conduits 18-19 which carry external air into the fuel, producing a mixture that will later feed the engine. Said body 16 is placed within a cylindrical jacket 20, the inner wall of which is defined by a helicoidal tube 21 which collects the gases from the exhaust manifold 22. In this manner, said hot gases deliver heat to the evaporator 16 within jacket 20, before being expelled. The volatile fuel within body 16 receives said heat and evaporates, this vapor flowing through hose tube 23 from the evaporator 16 into the feed circuit of the engine.
The above refered body 10 which houses fuel from tank 2, includes a lower portion forming a kind of receptacle 16' which defines the level controlled by flsat 17, and from which a conduit 24 leads liquid fuel to carburetor 25 of the engine, that is provided with a conventional air filter 26 and a venturi 27 followed by a conduit 28 in which throttling valve 30 is inserted.
Said conduit 28 leads into conduit 31 for the coolant liquid of the cylinder head 32, so that "~.- , "
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instead of said coolant liquid flowing through tube 31, now flows therethrough the fuel coming from the carburetor 25 and hose tube 23 coming from evaporator 16. In this manner the gasified fuel greatly increases its temperature before entering the inlet manifold. In fact, the flow of the fuel through conduit 31 places it in contact with the internal surfaces of the cylinder head that, as is evident, is at a very high temperature. At the outlet of conduit 31 the fuel is completely gasified and overheated any flows through a conduit 33. Part of this flow is branched out to hose tube 13, but the main portion feeds the input manifold 34.
In order to direct the fuel to the refrigeratin~ conduit of the cylinder head, a gasket 35 is placed between the engine block 36 and cylinder head 32, which seals the water passage apertures leading from the block to the head, so as to prevent any water mixing with the carburant that flows through conduit 31.
Considering that a refrigerating source becomes thus cancelled and to prevent overheating, a pipe coil 37 may be added and connected to the conventional refrigerating circuit, so as to cool more quickly and efficiently the oil in the block.
It must be pointed out that jacket 20 and conduit 31 of head 32 above described, in the first of which evaporator 16 is inserted, becomes one of the possible manners !~ , . . . .
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of using the exhaust gases to heat and evaporate the fuel. For instance, in those engines wherein the cylinder head cannot be used to this end, an artificial conduit through which the exhaust gases are made to flow can be added, said gases being thereafter sent to the evaporator jacket before being expelled.
It must also be pointed out that the helicoidal tube 21 of jacket 20 starts from the base 20' of the jacket upwards to the upper part 20" thereof, thus obtaining an optimum thermal exchange.
From the foregoing description it can be gathered how the proposed apparatus works.
Once the engine has been started, the operator should actuate on piston 11 as a primer, such that the fuel coming from nozzle 7 enters into the feed circuit through conduit 14. The liquid fuel is subjected to an intense bubbling which causes it to be volatilized in the container 4, due to the air injected therein through the tube 5'.
Once the engine reaches working condi-tions, the operator actuates again on piston 11 to allow for the preheated and gasified fuel coming from conduit 33 and tube 13 to feed the engine.
To optimize the efficiency and prevent fuel feed deficiency, said piston 11 has a longitudinal groove 12 that permits the continuous passage of the indispensable minimum amount of carburant to the engine at low engine speeds,.

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either from conduit 8 or from tube 13.
Simultaneously, the fuel fills receptacle 16' of the evaporator 16,thus producing two effects: on the one side the heat exchange between evaporator 16 and jacket 20 through which the exhaust gases flow, heats and wlatilizes the fuel coming out of the evaporator through conduit 23 towards conduit 31 in the cylinder head; and secondly, the liquid fuel passes from receptacle 16' through tube 24 towards carburettor 25, that also feeds conduit 31 at high speeds, this feed being controlled by throttle valve 30.
Through these two circuits the fuel mixture reaches conduit 31 of cylinder head 32, wherein it is subjected to a strong heat exchange with the ambient therein .and rises its temperature before entering, through conduit 33, into the admission manifold 34.
In this manner, the carburant absorbs part of the heat that was previously absorbed by the water, while if this resource still proves insufficient, an additional pipe coil 37 may be added for helping to this purpose.
By means of the proposed apparatus, the exhaust gases of the engine may be thermally used while, in turn heat and gasifies the carburant, thus re.ducing the toxic contents from the exhaust gases, to which also is added the advantage of an optimus combustion.

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Claims (6)

1. Apparatus for reducing the content of toxic gases expelled from internal combustion engines;
characterized by comprising an evaporating chamber receiving a first liquid fuel feeding conduit, and from which leaves a gasified carburant-carrying second conduit which forms part of the fuel feed circuit of the engine; there being inside said evaporator a means for controlling the fuel level, and air intake conduits submerged in the fuel; the evaporator being placed within a hollow metallic casing through which flow the exhaust gases of the engine; a third conduit carries liquid fuel from said evaporator to the carburettor, from which a tubing leads the carburating mixture, after connecting with said second conduit of the evaporator, to a carburating mixture heating conduit which connects with the input manifold of the engine.

2. Apparatus for reducing the content of toxic gases expelled from internal combustion engines, as in claim 1, characterized in that said means for controlling the fuel level is a float operatively connected to a valve which controls the flow of fuel to the evaporator.

3. Apparatus for reducing the content of toxic gases expelled from internal combustion engines, as in claim 1, characterized in that said evaporator is an essentially cylindrical container placed within an also cylindrical metal jacket, the internal surface of which is formed by a helicoidal tubing through which the engine exhaust gases flow.

4. Apparatus for reducing the content of toxic gases expelled from internal combustion engines, as in claim 1, characterized by including a low-speed carburant feeding means, which includes a cylindrical chamber that receives a liquid fuel feeding means, an air feed conduit and a fuel mixture nozzle connected to a conduit leading to a manually commended valve means, to which the mixture flow conduit coming from said mixture-heating conduit also converges said valve means being connected, through a conduit, with the inlet manifold of the engine.

5. Apparatus for reducing the content of toxic gases expelled from internal combustion engines, as in claim 1, characterized in that said heating conduit is comprised of a cylinder head refrigeration water passage conduit, and a gasket sealing the apertures in said conduit between the engine block and the cylinder head.

6. Apparatus for reducing the content of toxic gases expelled from internal combustion engines, as in the proceeding claims, such as described to this end and shown in the drawings.