GB2095326A - Apparatus for introducing water into internal combustion engine cylinders - Google Patents

Abstract

An air inlet pipe 27 looped between ends adjacent the top of a water reservoir 15 down to near the bottom of the reservoir has a water metering tube 28 so that water from the reservoir is entrained in the form of fine droplets in the air flow along the pipe. A port 29 in the pipe 27 leads to a connector 26 which incorporates an orifice plate 32, a second larger port 30 and an orifice 31 allowing unatomised water to discharge back into the reservoir 15. Tubing leading from the connector 26 has a flow regulator 17 which is manually or vacuum adjustable and leads to an aspiration device (18), Fig. 3 (not shown), which has a normally open valved air inlet (38) which is closed at times of high vacuum in its outlet but opens at times of low vacuum to sweep more water into its outlet (31) which is connected to the air intake manifold of the engine. The aspiration device may have have a further inlet connection (36) to the engine crankcase. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for introducing water into internal combustion cylinders The present invention concerns apparatus for introducing water into the cylinders of internal combustion engines.

It is well known that the performance of internal combustion engines can be improved by moisture in the fuel-air mixture. However it is difficult to regulate the correct amount of water. It is difficult to visualise a "carburettor" fitted in the main air intake of the engine which could give an acceptable approximation to the desired water needed since water is not as readily evaporated or atomised as say petrol and moreover whilst if an engine is flooded with liquid petrol it is only necessary to wait until the petrol evaporates this is not so if an engine is flooded with water since the water contaminates the sump oil and leads to sludging and considerable time is needed in any event for the water to evaporate.Therefore it is desirable to dispose any water-introducing apparatus away from the main air intake and arrange it so that the water can only reach that intake in a gaseous form such as an atomised mist of water in air. The water needed depends mainly on air flow in the air intake and this can be sensed by detecting the degree of vacuum in the air inlet manifold but since the degree of vacuum falls off with increased engine loading and increased water demand, the water feed is inversely dependent on the degree of vacuum and it is difficult to get more than an acceptable approximation to the ideal water demand.

Different vehicles with varying cubic capacity and to a lesser extent different drivers due to their driving techniques demand differing amounts of water. It is however desired to have a standard water-introducing-apparatus and somehow adjust that standard apparatus.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for introducing water into the cylinders of internal combustion engines having combustion cylinders and an air intake manifold, which apparatus comprises a water reservoir, an air inlet pipe passing through that reservoir from points adjacent the top of that reservoir and dipping down between those points to adjacent the bottom of the reservoir and having an orifice adjacent the bottom for a metered flow of water which metered flow is entrained in the form of droplets in the air flow within the pipe, a regulator for the air in the inlet pipe disposed downstream of the reservoir so as to control the amount of entrained water passing along the pipe, and an aspiration device having a normally open valved air inlet responsive to vacuum which closes the valved inlet, an outlet for connection to the air inlet manifold of the engine, and an inlet connected to the air inlet pipe.

The aspiration device can have a further inlet connected to a crank case ventilator pipe or to a brake servo pipe provided on the vehicle for sucking air from the crankcase or brake into the manifold. At times of low engine power and high manifold vacuum, the valved air inlet is closed but air flows into the aspiration device sucking entrained water from the air inlet pipe, or the vacuum sucks the entrained water directly, so that the water is introduced into the intake manifold. At times of high engine power and a low degree of vacuum, there would be little aspiration effect except that the valved air inlet opens because of the low vacuum and air flow is boosted increasing the aspiration effect and increasing the water flow.It will be appreciated that at times of low power, the vacuum is high and air flow along all the air pipes is high leading to a largish water supply but as power is increased and the vacuum falls away so the water supply reduces until the valve air inlet opens boosting the water supply. This is a rough but acceptable approximation in two steps of the ideal water supply. This approximation can be best matched to the ideal by means of the regulator in the air inlet pipe.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a schematic circuit diagram of water- introducing apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a schematic cross-section through a water reservoir and air inlet pipe, and Figure 3 is a schematic cross-section through an aspirator device.

As can be seen from Figure 1, apparatus for introducing water into cylinders (not shown) of an internal combustion engine 11 is connected to the engine by means of a pipe 12 connected to an air intake manifold 14 or to the air intake downstream of a throttle; there is thus a degree of vacuum. A water containing reservoir 1 5 is penetrated by an air inlet pipe 1 6 which is connected through a regulator 1 7 to an aspiration device 1 8. The aspiration device is connected in crankcase ventilation pipe 1 9 leading from a crankcase 20 to the air intake manifold 14, or by a brake vacuum servo pipe leading to the air intake manifold.If the vehicle to which the apparatus is to be fitted is not provided with a crankcase ventilation pipe nor a brake vacuum servo pipe, the inlet into the aspiration device can be blanked off or fitted with a dummy crankcase ventilation pipe; normally it would just be blanked off. However a connection has to be made to the air intake manifold and this can be by a screwed union into that manifold or by a screw expanded plug-in termination.

Figure 2 shows the reservoir 1 5 and adjoining parts in greater detail. The reservoir is made of a flexible plastics material and is marked with lower and upper water levels. it is provided with support brackets 21, a filling opening 22 fitted with a reasonably air-tight cap 23, and a small internal anti-surge baffle 24. Towards the top of the reservoir, there is a hole 25 and an outlet connector 26. An air inlet pipe 27 penetrates the reservoir passing in reasonably air-tight manner through the hole 25 dipping down to the bottom of the reservoir and up again to the connector.

Towards the bottom of the reservoir, a small tube 28 penetrates the pipe 27 and serves for the metered introduction of water into the pipe 27 wherein it is atomised and entrained in the air flow towards the connector. The small tube is preferably of such a small diameter and of a material that seepage of water into the pipe even when the vehicle is at rest for a long time is minimised by surface tension effects. However the pipe in the region of the connector is designed so as to return unatomised water or water in big droplets to the water to discharge itself back into the reservoir.

First the tubing of which the pipe is made inside the reservoir continues upwardly past the connector with the pipe continuing into the connector through a small port 29 in the tubing wall with a larger port 30 in the tubing wall at about the same height allowing any solid plug of water to discharge itself back into the reservoir.

The end of the tubing is blocked off by an orifice plug 31 so that any coarse water droplets carry on past the small port by virtue of their momentum in a centrifugal effect. Moreover this port arrangement especially of the small and larger ports seems to give a desirable cross-flow characteristic especially at times of change of engine loading such as acceleration. Thus the connector receives in practice a fine atomised mist. Moreover the connector is not a straightforward connector but is partially blanked off by an orifice plate 32 having a plurality of fine orifices 33 which further reduce the size of the water droplets. This fine mist is sent through the flow regulator 17 which not only controls the flow but creates further turbulence and which can be set manually and/or automatically.It is envisaged that the regulator could be responsive to vacuum to reduce flow with increasing vacuum.

From the regulator the mist is led to the aspiration device 18 shown in Figure 3. An inlet 34 for the mist leads into a chamber 35 which receives a cross-flow of air from another inlet 35 fed by a crankcase ventilation pipe section 36 to an air intake pipe section 37. There is also a normally open valved air inlet 38 leading into this chamber. This valved inlet has an air filter 39 and a spring-opened ball valve 40 arranged to be sucked closed by vacuum in the chamber. The various connections of intake and output pipes are made by fitting tubing over connectors which are of course of smaller diameters than the tubing so that the air velocities are boosted giving rise to a venturi effect increasing the degree of vacuum.

In operation, at times of low engine demand and high vacuum in the air intake manifold, the vacuum is sucking from a high impedance apparatus and thus gets relatively little air and water but when the engine demand falls the reduced vacuum opens the normally open valved air inlet and so the vacuum sucks in a greater amount of air and entrained water.

Claims (Filed on 23/3/82) 1. Apparatus for introducing water into cylinders of internal combustion engines having combustion cylinders and an air intake manifold, which apparatus comprises a water reservoir, an air inlet pipe passing through the reservoir from points adjacent the top of that reservoir and dipping down between those points to adjacent the bottom of the reservoir and having an orifice adjacent the bottom for a metered flow of water which metered flow is entrained in the form of droplets in the air flow within the pipe, a regulator for the air in the inlet pipe disposed downstream of the reservoir so as to control the amount of entrained water passing along the pipe, and an aspiration device having a normally open vaived air inlet responsive to vacuum which closes the valved inlet, an outlet for connection to the air intake manifold of the engine, and an inlet connected to the air inlet pipe.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the air inlet pipe comprises a first length of tubing within the reservoir, a connector in the wall of the reservoir and a second length of tubing containing the regulator leading from the connector to the aspiration device, thetubing within the reservoir having a port in its side wall communicating with the connector, another larger port communicating with the air space in the reservoir and orifice plug partly sealing its end.

3. Apparatus substantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (3)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. reservoir passing in reasonably air-tight manner through the hole 25 dipping down to the bottom of the reservoir and up again to the connector. Towards the bottom of the reservoir, a small tube 28 penetrates the pipe 27 and serves for the metered introduction of water into the pipe 27 wherein it is atomised and entrained in the air flow towards the connector. The small tube is preferably of such a small diameter and of a material that seepage of water into the pipe even when the vehicle is at rest for a long time is minimised by surface tension effects. However the pipe in the region of the connector is designed so as to return unatomised water or water in big droplets to the water to discharge itself back into the reservoir. First the tubing of which the pipe is made inside the reservoir continues upwardly past the connector with the pipe continuing into the connector through a small port 29 in the tubing wall with a larger port 30 in the tubing wall at about the same height allowing any solid plug of water to discharge itself back into the reservoir. The end of the tubing is blocked off by an orifice plug 31 so that any coarse water droplets carry on past the small port by virtue of their momentum in a centrifugal effect. Moreover this port arrangement especially of the small and larger ports seems to give a desirable cross-flow characteristic especially at times of change of engine loading such as acceleration. Thus the connector receives in practice a fine atomised mist. Moreover the connector is not a straightforward connector but is partially blanked off by an orifice plate 32 having a plurality of fine orifices 33 which further reduce the size of the water droplets. This fine mist is sent through the flow regulator 17 which not only controls the flow but creates further turbulence and which can be set manually and/or automatically.It is envisaged that the regulator could be responsive to vacuum to reduce flow with increasing vacuum. From the regulator the mist is led to the aspiration device 18 shown in Figure 3. An inlet 34 for the mist leads into a chamber 35 which receives a cross-flow of air from another inlet 35 fed by a crankcase ventilation pipe section 36 to an air intake pipe section 37. There is also a normally open valved air inlet 38 leading into this chamber. This valved inlet has an air filter 39 and a spring-opened ball valve 40 arranged to be sucked closed by vacuum in the chamber. The various connections of intake and output pipes are made by fitting tubing over connectors which are of course of smaller diameters than the tubing so that the air velocities are boosted giving rise to a venturi effect increasing the degree of vacuum. In operation, at times of low engine demand and high vacuum in the air intake manifold, the vacuum is sucking from a high impedance apparatus and thus gets relatively little air and water but when the engine demand falls the reduced vacuum opens the normally open valved air inlet and so the vacuum sucks in a greater amount of air and entrained water. Claims (Filed on 23/3/82)

1. Apparatus for introducing water into cylinders of internal combustion engines having combustion cylinders and an air intake manifold, which apparatus comprises a water reservoir, an air inlet pipe passing through the reservoir from points adjacent the top of that reservoir and dipping down between those points to adjacent the bottom of the reservoir and having an orifice adjacent the bottom for a metered flow of water which metered flow is entrained in the form of droplets in the air flow within the pipe, a regulator for the air in the inlet pipe disposed downstream of the reservoir so as to control the amount of entrained water passing along the pipe, and an aspiration device having a normally open vaived air inlet responsive to vacuum which closes the valved inlet, an outlet for connection to the air intake manifold of the engine, and an inlet connected to the air inlet pipe.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the air inlet pipe comprises a first length of tubing within the reservoir, a connector in the wall of the reservoir and a second length of tubing containing the regulator leading from the connector to the aspiration device, thetubing within the reservoir having a port in its side wall communicating with the connector, another larger port communicating with the air space in the reservoir and orifice plug partly sealing its end.

3. Apparatus substantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.