DK148555B - METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING THE CREATION OF MAIN NITROGEN OXIDES AND CARBON MONOXIDE IN COMBUSTION CHAMBERS - Google Patents

Description

148555

The present invention relates to a process of the kind set out in the preamble of claim 1 and an apparatus of the kind set forth in claim 6 1 s and is intended to avoid pollution of the atmosphere by harmful or toxic gases, mainly nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide, but also unburned. hydrocarbyl receipts.

This problem is of particular importance nowadays, and many attempts have been made to reduce or eliminate such harmful or toxic gases found in smoke and exhaust gases emitted into the atmosphere from factory chimneys, exhaust systems of motor combustion engines, and so on.

A large number of methods and apparatus are already known which are intended to purge the exhaust gas from internal combustion engines. However, these bodies which use metals such as nickel, cobalt, palladium, zinc, platinum, iron, etc., which act as true catalysts, are not fully satisfactory, since on the one hand they are often very complicated, expensive and insufficiently reliable and on the other hand. on the other hand, it does not allow the nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and the other toxic or harmful gases to be completely eliminated from the exhaust gas completely. The metals used are not consumed, and consequently they do not disappear slowly, but cause vapor decomposition in the input manifold, whereupon the product is fed to the internal combustion engine.

In addition, most of these known catalysts are intended to eliminate or decompose the toxic or harmful gases but are not intended to prevent their formation.

Furthermore, these known catalysts are difficult to use for gas and smoke reheating, which are emitted to the atmosphere through the factory chimneys.

'. 2 148555

It is the object of the present invention to avoid the shortcomings of these known catalysts by a method and apparatus which is extremely simple, inexpensive and reliable and which further reduces the generation of toxic gases to zero or near zero.

In order to meet this purpose, the process of the present invention mentioned in the introduction is characterized by that of the characterizing part of claim 1, whereby a slow consumption or slow disappearance of the cerium or germanium element during combustion is induced, which in turn results in the atmosphere emits gases that are substantially free of toxic or harmful gases such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. - "Fuel" as used herein means any combustible hydrocarbon-containing substance.

The only way to explain why cerium or germanium slowly disappears or is consumed during machine operation is that cerium or germanium is oxidized by the oxygen in the air stream along with the vapor and not by the vapor itself. The vapor seems to tear the cerium or germanium oxides with the vapor acting as a transfer medium for the cerium or germanium oxides and to some extent promotes the metal's oxidation. The mixture of steam, atmospheric air and fuel then leads to: - the large specific oxide particles (area relative to mass), which are highly reactive, into a combustion chamber, e.g. a fireplace of a combustion plant. Hereby, cerium or germanium is physically present in the combustion chamber and can in situ reduce the total combustion of the fuel gases by 'promoting the oxidation of the hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide' under the operating conditions. Thanks to the efficient presence of cerium or germanium in the combustion chamber in the form of cerium or germanium oxides, a better oxidation of the hydrocarbons and a lower working temperature are achieved, both of which have a beneficial effect on the efficiency of avoiding contamination of the spark plugs, and as also provides less wear and a lower temperature for the lubricating oil. A secondary effect is that the exhaust gases produce virtually no dirty oil and also generally less heat, which extends the life of the exhaust pipes.

Using this method, it has been found that, in fact, no oxides of nitrogen or carbon monoxide are present in the exhaust gas or fumes that are emitted into the atmosphere when the steam introduced e.g. in the intake manifold, a substance comprising cerium or germanium passes through before entering the cylinders of the engine where the combustion and therefore the formation of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and unburnt hydrocarbons takes place.

Thus, the greatest pollution risks to the atmosphere by harmful or toxic gases are eliminated in a very simple way and by cheap means.

In the characterizing part of claim 2, the additional advantage of the present invention is obtained that the combustion of a fuel mixture becomes more efficient by observing a small but real reduction in fuel consumption, avoiding the simultaneous formation of carbon deposits or soot. , and that the engine's power output increases slightly.

According to another characteristic of the process of the present invention, the vapor is forced to pass over an element containing from 0.5 to 100% cerium and preferably from 36 to 40% by weight cerium or containing from 45 to 85% by weight germanium.

As far as the apparatus is concerned, the object is met in that the initially mentioned apparatus according to the present invention is peculiar to that of the characterizing part 148555 i. ./: 4 of requirements. 6. This appliance is suitable for cleaning gases and fumes from combustion engine combustion or from individual fireplaces, e.g. is housed in combustion plants, both industrial and residential.

In particular, the apparatus according to the invention is suitable for use in internal combustion engines, as set forth in the characterizing part of claim 7.

Preferred embodiments of the method and apparatus of the invention will be apparent from the following description. on the basis of the drawing, wherein: FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an internal combustion engine intake manifold provided with an apparatus according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a more detailed view of the means for introducing the steam, which is included in the embodiment of FIG. 1; and FIG. 3.4 and 5 are diagrams showing the influence of the process of the present invention on the performance of an internal combustion engine, its specific consumption and the percentage content of toxic or harmful compounds in the exhaust gas.

In FIG. 1 illustrates the use of the method and apparatus of the present invention in connection with the air intake system of an internal combustion engine, e.g. in connection with a motor vehicle.

The intake system in a known manner comprises a conduit 1, the inner vag of which is provided with a venturi insert 2, and which forms the inlet mouth of the intake manifold 3 for an internal combustion engine. The inlet of conduit 1 has a top air filter 4 at the top, and therefore the engine inlet air passes through this air filter into conduit 2 and flows in the direction of arrow 5.

In a known manner, a carburetor 6 is supplied with liquid fuel, such as gasoline, and is located directly upstream of line 1 and supplies liquid fuel fueled to the venturi insert 2 which is atomized into fine droplets in a non-shown atomizer. The arrow 7 indicates the location where the atomized fuel flows into the venturi insert 2 of the conduit 1.

The suction system also includes a gas damper 8, located downstream of the venturi insert 2, which allows the flow of the mixture of atmospherically supplied air and atomized fuel to be regulated towards the cylinders.

According to the present invention, the suction system comprises a means 9 for introducing steam into the venturi insert 2, as indicated by arrow 10, or upstream thereof, as indicated by reference numeral 22. A grating, grating or other element 11 of cerium or of a substance containing cerium or germanium is placed downstream of the venturi insert 2, e.g. at the inlet of the intake manifold 3 itself, so that the mixture consisting of supplied atmospheric air, atomized fuel and steam sucked into the intake manifold 3 passes through the grate 11.

A regulator for vapor flows is provided either into the venturi insert 2 or into the air filter 4 depending on the engine operating speed, e.g. in the same way as the carburetor 6 makes it possible to regulate the fuel supply into the venturi insert 2.

In FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which the means 9 for the supply of daitpt conduct the steam into the conduit 1.

6 148555

This means essentially comprises a tightly closed water tank 13 which is connected via a dive tube 14 with a tap 15 to the interior space of a heat exchanger 16 in contact with the engine exhaust guide 17. The heat exchanger 16 has an air intake 18 and a steam exhaust pipe 19 which opens into the interior space of the air intake manifold 1 through a nozzle or injection means 21 extending longitudinally through the manifold and in the flow direction of the atmospheric air 5.

The device works as follows. The positioning of the closed tank 13 over the heat exchanger 16 ensures a substantially constant level of water in the heat exchanger and an automatic filling to replace the amount of water converted to steam by heat exchange in connection with the exhaust gas passing in the pipe or pipes 17. The location of the nozzle or injector 21 longitudinally of the air intake manifold ensures that the flow rate of the steam introduced into the manifold by suction by the atmospheric air flow must depend on the flow rate of the air supplied to the cylinders, which results in automatic control. and regulating the amount of steam supplied to the manifold depending on the different operating speeds of the engine.

The vapor flow may at first be adjusted by appropriately selecting the dimensions of the pipe 19 and the injector 21 or by means of a valve 20 mounted on the pipe 19 upstream of the intake manifold's inlet opening.

The supplied air, atomized fuel and steam introduced into the venturi insert 2 are sucked into the intake manifold 3 and thus flow through the lattice 11 of cerium or germanium. This mixture is then distributed on the various engine cylinders to be combusted therein in a known manner, the generated combustion gases then being exhausted to the atmosphere through the engine exhaust system. It is noted that the member 9 which allows steam to be introduced into the engine can be connected directly through the air filter 4 through a conduit 22, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1 and used instead of line 10 which opens into the venturi insert 2.

Instead of the lattice 11, a twisted wire of cerium or of a substance containing cerium or germanium can also be used. The wire is placed either in the wire. 10 or in line 22 and thus can be easily replaced when worn. It has been found that the cerium or germanium used slowly disappears during engine operation.

In each case, one may use either pure cerium or pure germanium, or a substance or alloy containing from 0.5 to 100% cerium, and preferably from 36 to 40% cerium, or a substance or alloy, preferably containing from 45 to 100%. 80% germanium, with the remainder of the alloy or substance, for example, being iron.

The results obtained by the method and apparatus of the present invention are shown in diagram form in FIG. 3, 4 and 5. In all three figures, the curves obtained with a motor equipped with the apparatus of the present invention are shown in dash, while the curves obtained with a known motor without the apparatus of the invention are shown in dotted dash.

FIG. 3 shows the performance measured in horsepower for a motor as a function of operating speed (measured in revolutions per minute).

FIG. 4 shows the specific consumption (in grams) as a function of the engine operating speed (measured in revolutions per minute).

Claims (1)

A method of preventing the formation of substantially nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide by combustion of an air-darnp fuel mixture in a combustion chamber and including that said mixture prior to combustion is passed over a metal catalyst, characterized in that as