GB2336326A

GB2336326A - Exhaust gas clean-up

Info

Publication number: GB2336326A
Application number: GB9825850A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Akira Sakakibara
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-04-13
Filing date: 1998-11-25
Publication date: 1999-10-20
Anticipated expiration: 2018-11-25
Also published as: ITTO990272A1; FR2777319A1; AU2254199A; GB2336326B; CA2243840A1; JPH11294143A; GB9825850D0; DE19916435A1; KR19990083033A; IT1308442B1; CN1232133A; JP3366249B2

Abstract

Exhaust gas, typically from an internal combustion engine, is passed through a plurality of tubular nozzles or passages 5 disposed in a pipe 2 connected to exhaust gas piping 1. Under the influence of reduced pressure in the nozzles or passages, water vapour in the gas liquifies and removes pollutant gases from the exhaust. The liquid may be collected 9 and the reduced pressure obtained by use of a suction device 7.

Description

1

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

DEVICE FOR CLEANING EXHAUST GASES 2336326 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a device for cleaning exhaust aases and, particularly, to a device for cleaning exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine mounted on an automobile or installed in a plant.

Background of the Invention

Exhaust gases containing nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfates (S0x), hydrocarbons (M), carbon monoxide (C0) and the like have been emitted into the atmosphere from, for example, the engines of automobiles.

Such substances emitted into the atmosphere are hazardous substances adversely affecting the ecosystems to a conspicuous degree, and study has been made in an effort to remove hazardous substances as much as possible, , which.. however.. is technically very difficult to accomplish, and no effective countermeasure has been offered yet.

There exist technical problems that must be solved in order to remove hazardous substances emitted from the internal combustion engines as much as possible, and the object of the present invention is to solve these problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention was proposed in order to 2 accomplish the above-mentioned object, and provides a device for cleaning exhaust gases, in which exhaust gases produced by an internal combustion engine are fed under a reduced pressure through tubular nozzles, and the water vapor in the exhaust gases transferred under the reduced-pressure environment is quickly quenched and is liquefied, so that hazardous substances in the exhaust gases are dissolved an& settled in the liquid' thereby to remove hazardous substances contained in the exhaust gases. The invention further provides a device for cleaning 1 - / L 1) 13 exhaust gases, in which wall portions are provided in an intermediate portion of a cylindrical pipe, a number of tubular nozzles are secured to said wall portions so as to penetrate through to both sides of said wall portions, the upstream side of said cylindrical pipe into which said tubular nozzles are secured is coupled to an exhaust pipe of an internal combustion engine, a coupling pipe having an exhaust port and an air suction device is coupled to a front end on the downstream side of said cylindrical pipe,,and a liquefied substance sedimentation portion is formed in a lower part of the cylindrical pipe on the downstream side, wherein when the exhaust gases fed into the cylindrical pipe on the upstream side flows into the cylindrical pipe on the downstream side where the pressure has been reduced due to the air suction device, the water vapor contained in the exhaust gases is quickly quenched and is liquefied, hazardous substances contained in the exhaust gases are dissolved in the liquid and are settled, and the cleaned exhaust gases are emitted into the atmosphere through the exhaust port.

7,,/, _e_ ,:-e 3 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a plan view illustrating, in a partly cutaway manner, major portions according to an embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a front view illustrating a portion where tubular nozzles are mounted in Fig. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, wherein reference numeral 1 denotes an exhaust pipe mounted on an automobile or installed in a plant and through which exhaust gases from an internal combustion engine are emitted. A cylindrical pipe 2 is connected to the exhaust pipe 1 by a joint 3. Wall portions 4, 4 are secured on the inside at an intermediate portion of the cylindrical pipe 2 to form an upstream side U and a downstream side D of the exhaust gas passage. A number of tubular nozzles 5, 5, --- are secured to the wall portions 4, 4 extending from the upstream side U to the downstream side D. Therefore, the exhaust gases are fed from the exhaust pipe 1 to the upstream side U of the cylindrical pipe 2 and are transferred to the downstream side D passing through the tubular nozzles 5, 5, -. The walls 4, 4 and the number of tubular nozzles 5, 5r --secured to the walls 4, 4, may be formed of a ceramic material as a unitary structure to obtain substantially the same action.

A coupling pipe 8 is connected by a joint 3a to the front end on the downstream side D of the cylindrical pipe 2, 1 4 the coupling pipe 8 having an exhaust port 6 in the front and an air suction device 7 which is constituted by a blower or the like to forcibly suck the air.in order to reduce the pressure on the downstream side D.

A liquefied substance sedimentation portion 9 is formed in the lower part on the downstream side D of the cylindrical pipe 2. As the exhaust gases flow from the upstream side U to the downstream side D where the pressure has been reduced, the water vapor contained in the exhaust gases is quickly quenched and is liquefied. In the device W for cleaning exhaust gases, therefore, hazardous substances such as NOx, S0x, etc. in the exhaust gases dissolve in the liquid (H20) and are settled in the liquefied substance sedimentation portion 9.

The exhaust gases emitted from the internal combustion engine further contains the water vapor (H20) in addition to HC, CO and NOx. The exhaust gases containing these components are fed into the cylindrical pipe 2 on the upstream side and arrive at the inlets of the tubular nozzles 5, 5, ---, whereby the water vapor (H20) and the components such as HC, CO, NOx are f ed into the tubular nozzles 5, 5, --- being mixed together. The tubular nozzles 5, 5, --- have a small diameter and, hence, the exhaust gases travel at a high speed. Besides, the pressure has been reduced inside the tubular nozzles 5, 5, -. Even in a step of passing through the tubular nozzles 5, 5, therefore, the water vapor (H20) is quenched and is liquefied.

The air in' the tubular pipe 2 on the downstream side D is sucked by--tlle' air suction device 7, and the-pressure is further reduced in the tubular pipe 2 on the downstream side D. Therefore, the water vapor that has passed through the tubular nozzles 5, 5, -- but that has not been liquefied yet is quickly quenched and is almost liquefied at a moment when it has flown into the region of the reduced-pressure environment. Hazardous components such as HC, CO, NOx, S0x and the like are dissolved in the liquid (H20) and are settled in the liquefied substance sedimentation portion 9 located at the lower portion. Accordingly, hazardous substances such as HC, CO, NOx, S0x and the like are very effectively removed from the exhaust gases emitted from the internal combustion engine.

The exhaust gases emitted from the internal combustion engine may be passed through a catalytic converter (not shown) to oxidize hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide with the catalyst, so that harmful hydrocarbons are chemically converted into harmless water vapor (H20) and harmless carbonic acid gas (C02), which may then be fed together with the exhaust gases into the cylindrical pipe 2 on the upstream side U. In this case, the amount of the water vapor increases and flows into the tubular pipe 2 on the downstream side D passing through the tubular nozzles 5, 5, ---, making it possible to obtain the liquid (H20) in large amounts. Accordingly, C02 mixed or dissolved in the liquid H20, and HC, CO, NOx and S0x that have not yet been chemically converted through the catalytic converter, are efficiently settled together with the liquid in the liquefied substance sedimentation portion 9 in the lower portion and are stored therein. The mixture stored in the liquefied substance 6 sedimentation portion 9 may be suitably taken out and treated. A mesh 10 may be stretched on the downstream side D of the cylindrical pipe 2 just at the back of the liquefied substance sedimentation portion 9, so that the liquid is settled in the liquefied substance sedimentation portion 9 as much as possible. The liquefied substance sedimentation portion 9 is detachably mounted.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a branch pipe. When the exhaust gases fed from the exhaust pipe 1 to the upstream side U of the cylindrical pipe 2 cannot be all treated by the device W for cleaning the exhaust gases but still remain in the cylindrical pipe 2 on the upstream side U, the excess of exhaust gases may be released to the atmosphere through the branch pipe 11, or may be fed to another cylindrical pipe 2a in which the device W for cleaning exhaust gases is installed, that is connected to the branch pipe 11 to treat the excess of exhaust gases. The device W for cleaning exhaust gases may be of a single-stage type, a double-stage type, or a multi-stage type. In this case, hazardous substances can be more effectively removed from the exhaust gases.

The embodiment of the present invention is concerned with the abovementioned device in which the exhaust gases emitted from the internal combustion engine is fed to the upstream side U of the cylindrical pipe 2. The exhaust gases pass through the tubular nozzles 5, 5, --- in the device W for cleaning exhaust gases and flow into the downstream side D. Here, the air on the downstream side D is sucked by the air suction device 7 at a speed faster than the speed at which the exhaust gases are fed from the 7 upstream side U and, hence, a reduced-pressure condition is established on the downstream side D. When the exhaust gases pass through the tubular nozzles 5, 5, --- and enter into the downstream side D, the water vapor in the exhaust gases is quickly quenched and is liquefied, and the liquid (H20) is stored in the liquefied substance sedimentation portion 9 located at the lower portion. The above-mentioned hazardous substances contained in the exhaust gases are dissolved in the liquid (H20) and are settled in the liquefied substance sedimentation portion 9 like the liquid (H20). Accordingly, hazardous substances are efficiently removed from the exhaust gases that flow through the downstream side D, and the exhaust gases after cleaned are released into the atmosphere through the exhaust port 6 at the front. The sediments may be arbitrarily removed and treated.

According to the present invention as described above in detail by way of an embodiment, HC, CO, NOx, S0x and the like contained in the exhaust gases emitted from the internal combustion engine are very efficiently removed by the device for cleaning exhaust gases installed in the cylindrical pipe, making it possible to suppress, as much as possible, adverse effects against ecosystems caused by exhaust gases emitted from the internal combustion engine mounted on a car or installed in a plant.

The present invention can be modified in a variety of other ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it should be noted that the invention encompasses such modifications as a matter of course.

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Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A device for cleaning exhaust gases, in which exhaust gases produced by an internal, combustion engine are fed under a reduced pressure through tubular nozzles, and the water vapor in the exhaust gases transferred under a reduced-pres sure environment is quickly quenched and is liquefied, so that hazardous substances in the exhaust gases are dissolved and settled in the liquid, thereby to remove hazardous substances contained in the exhaust gases.

2. A device for cleaning exhaust gases according to claim 1, wherein wall portions are provided in an intermediate portion of a cylindrical pipe, a number of tubular nozzles are secured to said wall portions so as to penetrate through to both sides of said wall portions, the upstream side of said cylindrical pipe into which said tubular nozzles are secured is coupled to an exhaust pipe of an internal combustion engine, a coupling pipe having an exhaust port and an air suction dEvice is coupled to a f ront end on the downstream side of said cylindrical pipe, and a liquefied substance sedimentation portion is formed in a lower part of the cylindrical pipe on the downstream side, wherein when the exhaust gases fed into the cylindrical pipe on the upstream side flows into the cylindrical pipe on the downstream side where the pressure has been reduced due to the air suction device, the water vapor contained in the exhaust gases is quickly quenched and is liquefied, hazardous substances contained in the exhaust gases are dissolved in the liquid and are settled, and the cleaned exhaust gases are emitted into the atmosphere through the exhaust port.

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3. A device for cleaning exhaust gases comprising: a plurality of passages; a first chamber provided upstream of saidpassages a second chamber provided downstream of said passages; and means for reducing the pressure in the second chamber such that the pressure at the downstream end of the passages is less than that at the upstream end, wherein water vapour contained in the exhaust gas condenses in the device and hazardous substances contained in the exhaust gases are dissolved in the liquefied water.

4. A method of cleaning exhaust gases comprising the steps of: feeding the exhaust gases through a plurality of passages; and providing a lower pressure at the downstream end of the passages than at the upstream end thereof such that the water vapour contained in the exhaust gases condenses and hazardous substances contained in the exhaust gases are dissolved in the liquefied water.

5. A device for cleaning exhaust gases substantially as herein described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

6. A method of cleaning exhaust gases substantially as herein described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.