JP2009275282A - Electrolysis apparatus, electrolytic solution therefor, and combustion promoting system for internal combustion engine utilizing electrolysis apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrolysis apparatus which can be driven for a long time, to provide an electrolytic solution therein, and to provide a combustion promoting system for an internal combustion engine. <P>SOLUTION: The electrolysis apparatus 10 comprises an electrolytic cell 12 where a cathode 24 composed of a brush-shaped electrode body having many conductive wires 64 is arranged so as to be confronted with an anode 22, thus a large quantity of hydrogen gas is efficiently generated from the tip parts and the outer circumferential parts of the conductive wires 64. The electrolysis apparatus further comprises a flow passage means for introducing generated gas in the electrolytic cell 12 into an internal combustion engine, and by feeding hydrogen-oxygen gas into the internal combustion engine as auxiliary fuel, engine efficiency is increased, and further, harmful components in exhaust gas are reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrolysis apparatus and a combustion promotion system for an internal combustion engine, and more particularly to a highly efficient electrolysis apparatus, an electrolytic solution thereof, and a combustion promotion system for an internal combustion engine using the same.

  In recent years, attention has been focused on effectively utilizing hydrogen gas generated by an electrolyzer as new energy as an effective means for preventing global warming. In general, an electrolysis apparatus employs an electrode structure in which a flat plate or a cylindrical anode and cathode are arranged in any electrolytic cell, but these electrodes generate a small amount of gas. In order to compensate for this drawback, US Pat. No. 5,997,283, US Pat. No. 6,630,061 and US Pat. No. 6,866,756 have a large number of plate electrodes arranged in parallel in the electrolytic cell. An electrolysis apparatus has been proposed (Patent Documents 1 to 3). In these electrolyzers, a large number of plate electrodes are arranged at predetermined intervals, which inevitably increases not only the size of the device but also the manufacturing cost. Further, since the cathode is also composed of a plate electrode, the effective electrode surface area of the cathode is small, and it is difficult to efficiently generate hydrogen. Moreover, when electrolysis is performed using electrolyzed water other than distilled water or pure water, cations such as calcium ions and magnesium ions in the water are deposited on the cathode surface, and carbonate ions, silica, etc. are on the anode side. get together. For this reason, with the lapse of the operation time, the insulating coating of these components was deposited on the electrode surface, and the hydrogen generation efficiency of the electrolysis apparatus was significantly deteriorated. Therefore, it is necessary to disassemble the electrolyzer every time after operating the electrolyzer and clean the electrode surface with chemicals etc., which not only makes these operations complicated but also causes environmental pollution. As a result, the operating cost was extremely high.

  On the other hand, in a vehicle internal combustion engine, carbon monoxide (which is a harmful component in exhaust gas) is supplied to an intake system of an internal combustion engine by supplying a mixed gas of oxygen and hydrogen generated by an electrolysis device with respect to a reference fuel as an auxiliary fuel. CO) and hydrocarbons (HC) can be reduced by 90% or more. In that case, the output torque and output horsepower of the internal combustion engine are greatly improved compared to the case of supplying only the reference fuel, and the fuel efficiency is dramatically improved. An auxiliary fuel supply system for an internal combustion engine that has been improved is disclosed (Patent Documents 4 and 5).

  However, these auxiliary fuel supply systems for internal combustion engines all employ a structure in which a plurality of cylindrical electrodes are arranged concentrically. In this structure, since the effective surface area of the electrode was small, the hydrogen generation efficiency was low. In addition, when electrolysis was performed using general drinking water, an insulating film was formed on the electrode surface in a short time during the operation of the apparatus, and the hydrogen generation efficiency was significantly deteriorated. Therefore, it has been difficult to put into practical use a combustion acceleration system for internal combustion engines that can be operated for a long time and has a high hydrogen generation efficiency.

US Pat. No. 5,997,283 US Pat. No. 6,630,061 US Pat. No. 6,866,756 US Pat. No. 6,336,430 US Pat. No. 7,240,641

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and is an electrolysis apparatus capable of generating a mixed gas of hydrogen oxygen with high efficiency even when continuously operated for a long time with little deterioration in electrolysis performance, It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrolyte solution and a combustion acceleration system for an internal combustion engine using the electrolyte solution.

  In the first invention, the electrolysis apparatus includes an electrolytic cell having an anode and a cathode, the cathode includes a brush-like electrode body made of a large number of conductive wires, and the tips of the conductive wires are arranged at a predetermined interval on the surface of the anode. When the electrolysis is performed between the anode and the cathode in the presence of an electrolytic solution, the tip portions of the multiple conductive wires and the outer peripheral portions of the conductive wires function as electrode surfaces. (Claim 1).

  In the above-described configuration, the cathode is composed of thousands or tens of thousands of conductive wires, and the tip portions thereof face the anode surface. In this case, in each conductive wire, not only the tip of the conductive wire facing the anode but also the entire outer peripheral portion of the conductive wire functions as an effective electrode surface. In this way, the entire surface including the tip of thousands or tens of thousands of conductive wires and the outer periphery of the wire functions as a hydrogen generating surface, so that the generation efficiency of hydrogen gas can be dramatically increased. It becomes.

  In the second invention, the electrolytic solution for an electrolytic device is an electrolytic solution of an electrolytic device comprising an anode and a cathode having a brush-like electrode body provided with a number of conductive wires, wherein the electrolytic solution is hydroxyacetic acid And electrolyzed water containing citric acid (claim 3). The blending ratio of hydroxyacetic acid and citric acid is not particularly limited, but it is preferably contained at a weight ratio of 1: 1. In addition, it is good to contain hydroxyacetic acid and a citric acid in the range of 0.1-35 weight% with respect to electrolyzed water, Preferably, it is 0.3-20 weight%. When hydroxyacetic acid and citric acid are added to the electrolyzed water, the above-mentioned conductive wire is kept clean regardless of the long-time operation of the electrolyzer, and continuously generates highly efficient mixed gas. Is possible.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a combustion acceleration system for an internal combustion engine that increases engine efficiency by supplying hydrogen oxygen gas as an auxiliary fuel to the internal combustion engine and reduces harmful components of exhaust gas. An electrolyzer having an electrolyzer having a cathode opposed to the anode, a power source for supplying electrolysis power between the anode and the cathode, and a generated gas generated in the electrolyzer And a flow path means for introducing the gas into the internal combustion engine, the cathode includes a brush electrode body having a number of conductive wires, and the tip of the conductive wire is used when performing electrolysis in the presence of an electrolytic solution. And the outer peripheral part of the conductive wire function as the electrode surface (claim 4).

In the above configuration, the cathode is composed of a brush-like electrode body provided with thousands or tens of thousands of conductive wires, and the effective surface of the cathode is dramatically expanded. By making this cathode face the anode, a mixed gas of high-concentration hydrogen oxygen can be generated and introduced into the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. In this case, the combustion of the reference fuel is promoted by the mixed gas of high-concentration hydrogen oxygen and the vaporization of the unignited reference fuel can be promoted, so that the complete combustion of the reference fuel is promoted. At this time, due to the complete combustion of the reference fuel, the work amount per stroke of the internal combustion engine increases, the output torque and the output horsepower can be greatly increased, and the fuel efficiency of the internal combustion engine can be drastically improved. . Furthermore, since the reference fuel is completely burned in a lean state, harmful components such as carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and warming gas (CO ₂ ) in the exhaust gas. Occurrence can be greatly reduced. In particular, when the present invention is applied to a diesel engine, suspended particulate (SPM) is also greatly reduced.

  Hereinafter, an electrolyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In FIG. 1, an electrolysis apparatus 10 includes a cylindrical electrolytic cell 12, an upper lid 14 fixed to the upper part of the electrolytic cell 12 with an adhesive or other appropriate means, and an electrode unit 16 accommodated in the electrolytic cell 12. Prepare. The electrode unit 16 includes an upper support member 18, a lower support member 20, a cylindrical anode 22 held between the upper support member 18 and the lower support member 20, and a cylindrical anode 22. The cathode 24 supported between the upper support member 18 and the lower support member 20 is provided so as to face the inner peripheral surface.

  The upper lid 14 is inserted with an electrolyte inlet 26, a cap 28 detachably attached to the electrolyte inlet 26 via a seal 30, a cathode terminal insertion port 32, and an anode terminal portion 31 connected to the anode 22. The anode terminal insertion port 33, the mixed gas outlet 34, and the lead wire insertion port 36 are provided. The upper support member 18 includes a guide port 38 that communicates with the electrolyte introduction port 26, a cathode guide port 40, a gas guide port 42 that communicates with the mixed gas outlet 34, and a vibrating body guide port 44. The lower support member 20 communicates with the inside and the outside of the cylindrical anode 22, and transmits vibrations formed at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction so that ultrasonic vibrations can be transmitted to the electrolyte inside the cylindrical anode 22. Openings 46 and 48 are provided. A vibrating body 52 of the ultrasonic vibration device 50 is attached to the vibrating body guide port 44 of the upper support member 18, and the lead wire 52 of the ultrasonic vibration device 50 is connected to an external circuit (not shown).

  The cathode 24 is formed of a stainless steel wire, carbon fiber, or other conductive wire supported between the upper support member 18 and the lower support member 20, and has a cathode body 60 having a cathode terminal portion 60 a extending above the upper lid 14. And a roll-shaped brush electrode body comprising a holder part 62 fixed to the cathode body 60 and a large number of conductive wires 64 attached to the outer periphery of the holder part 62. The conductive wire 64 is formed as a brush-like roll electrode body by cutting a stainless wire having a diameter of 0.04 to 3.6 mm to a predetermined length and fixedly supported by the holder portion 62. The cathode 24 made of this roll-shaped electrode body is disposed with an interval of, for example, 0.2 to 5 mm from the inner peripheral surface of the anode 22. The distance between the electrodes is held by the upper support member 18 and the lower support member 20.

  The electrolytic solution supplied to the inside of the electrolytic cell 12 is composed of electrolytic water containing hydroxyacetic acid and citric acid. Hydroxyacetic acid and citric acid are preferably contained in a weight ratio of 1: 1. In addition, it is good to contain hydroxyacetic acid and a citric acid in the range of 0.1-35 weight% with respect to electrolyzed water, Preferably, it is 0.3-20 weight%. When hydroxyacetic acid and citric acid are blended with electrolyzed water, continuous electrolysis can be performed while the conductive wire 64 of the cathode 24 and the electrode surface of the anode 22 are always kept clean.

  In the above configuration, the electrolytic solution is filled from the electrolytic solution introduction port 26 to the vicinity of the lower portion of the upper support member 18 inside the electrolytic cell 12, and DC power is supplied between the electrodes 22 and 24 via the lead wire 52. Power is supplied to the ultrasonic vibration device 50 from an external circuit. At this time, hydrogen gas is generated from the tip surfaces of a large number of conductive wires 64 and the electrode surfaces on the outer periphery. On the other hand, oxygen gas is generated from the inner peripheral surface of the anode 22. Since the vibrating body 52 is ultrasonically vibrated in the electrolytic solution in the electrolytic bath 12, this ultrasonic vibration is transmitted to the electrolytic solution in the anode 22 through the vibration transmitting openings 48 and 46 of the lower support member 20. . For this reason, bubbles of oxygen gas adhering to the inner peripheral surface of the anode 22 due to ultrasonic vibration of the electrolyte inside the anode 22 and bubbles of hydrogen gas adhering to the tip portions of the many conductive wires 64 and the electrode surface of the outer peripheral portion. Is quickly separated. Thus, an electrolytic solution always exists on the surface of these electrodes, and the electrolytic action is efficiently promoted.

Next, a combustion promotion system 100 for an internal combustion engine incorporating the electrolysis apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The internal combustion engine 110 to which the present invention is applied is a gasoline engine, a diesel engine, an ethanol engine, a gasoline / ethanol mixed engine, a light oil / ethanol mixed engine, a propane gas (LPG) engine, a natural gas engine, or the like. The internal combustion engine 110 includes an air filter 112, an intake pipe 114, an intake manifold 116 connected to a plurality of combustion chambers, a battery 118 that functions as an electrolysis power source by charging power generated by an alternator (not shown), The above-described electrolysis device 10 is provided. The positive electrode 31 and the negative electrode 60a of the electrolyzer 10 are respectively connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the battery 118, and electric power for electrolysis is supplied when the key switch 102 is turned on. The mixed gas outlet 34 of the electrolyzer 10 is connected to the intake pipe 114 via the auxiliary fuel supply path 120, and the mixed gas flow MG of the electrolyzer 10 is mixed with the intake air A to form a combustion chamber (not shown) of the internal combustion engine 110. ). Oxyhydrogen gas as auxiliary fuel supplied to the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine 110 dramatically increases the flame propagation speed of the reference fuel when the reference fuel is ignited. At this time, the mist-like fuel supplied to the combustion chamber quickly vaporizes in the combustion chamber as the hydrogen is burned at high speed. Therefore, the reference fuel burns completely in a short period of time, and harmful components such as CO ₂ , HC and CO in the exhaust gas are greatly reduced. The amount of NOx produced generally depends on a function determined by the high temperature during combustion and the duration of the high temperature (hereinafter referred to as the NOx production function). In this regard, when the reference fuel is burned in a hydrogen-rich state by the auxiliary fuel, the combustion time of the reference fuel per power process is significantly shortened by the high-speed flame propagation of hydrogen in the combustion chamber. Therefore, the NOx generation function is reduced, and NOx is drastically reduced. Further, the combination of the auxiliary fuel and the reference fuel increases the output torque and output horsepower of the internal combustion engine, so that the fuel efficiency is dramatically improved.

  As mentioned above, the electrolysis apparatus of the present invention has been shown as comprising a cylindrical anode and a roll-shaped brush cathode. However, the anode is formed in a planar structure, while the cathode is constructed in a planar structure, May be arranged at predetermined intervals. In the case where an electrolytic solution made of pure water or distilled water is used, an ion exchange membrane may be disposed between the anode and the cathode.

1 shows a partial cross-sectional view of an electrolysis apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 shows an overall view of a combustion acceleration system for an internal combustion engine incorporating an electrolyzer according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electrolyzer 12 Electrolytic tank 18 Upper support member 20 Lower support member 22 Anode 24 Cathode 26 Electrolyte inlet 34 Mixed gas outlet 52 Ultrasonic vibration device 60 Cathode main body 64 Conductive wire 110 Internal combustion engine 114 Intake pipe 116 Intake manifold 118 Battery 120 Auxiliary fuel supply path

Claims (4)

  An electrolytic cell having an anode and a cathode, the cathode is provided with a brush-like electrode body made of a number of conductive wires, and a tip portion of the conductive wire is arranged opposite to the surface of the anode at a predetermined interval, The electrolysis apparatus is characterized in that, when an electrolysis is performed between the anode and the cathode in the presence of, the tip portions of the plurality of conductive wires and the outer peripheral portions of the conductive wires function as electrode surfaces.     The anode comprises a cylindrical electrode, the cathode comprises a holder part and a roll brush electrode body supported by the holder part, and the roll brush electrode body is arranged in the cylindrical electrode. The electrolyzer according to claim 1. An electrolytic solution of an electrolysis device comprising an anode and a cathode having a brush-like electrode body provided with a number of conductive wires,
An electrolytic solution for an electrolysis apparatus, wherein the electrolytic solution comprises electrolytic water containing hydroxyacetic acid and citric acid. A combustion acceleration system for an internal combustion engine that increases engine efficiency by supplying hydrogen oxygen gas as an auxiliary fuel to the internal combustion engine and reduces harmful components of exhaust gas,
An electrolysis apparatus comprising an electrolytic cell having an anode and a cathode positioned opposite the anode;
A power source for supplying power for electrolysis between the anode and the cathode;
Flow path means for introducing the generated gas generated in the electrolytic cell into the internal combustion engine,
The cathode includes a brush electrode body having a large number of conductive wires, and when the electrolytic action is performed in the presence of an electrolytic solution, the tip portions of the large number of conductive wires and the outer peripheral portions of the conductive wires function as electrode surfaces. A combustion acceleration system for an internal combustion engine.

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