RU2117179C1 - Method to reduce toxicity of exhaust gases in internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: mechanical engineering; engines; processing and igniting working mixture delivered into engine cylinders. SUBSTANCE: proposed method of reduction of exhaust gas toxicity provides intensification of combustion of fuel-air mixture by introduction of heavy electric field into combustion chamber. Strength of electric field is set not lower than 1 kV/cm for entire period of engine operation, from starting to shutting down, and parameters of electric field (voltage, frequency, form) are regulated depending on speed and load and kind of fuel used by criterion of minimum toxicity of exhaust gases at preservation of engine performance characteristics. EFFECT: enhanced reliability of ignition of working mixture and completeness of combustion. 7 cl, 1 dwg

Description

 The invention relates to engine building, and more particularly, to methods for reducing the toxicity of exhaust gases (SH) of an internal combustion engine (ICE).

 The invention can be implemented in any internal combustion engine (reciprocating / with any number of pistons and chambers /, rotary and gas turbine) and will help in creating environmentally friendly and economical vehicles with internal combustion engines.

 Known chemical methods and devices for cleaning the exhaust gases of internal combustion engines by flameless catalytic afterburning of toxic components of SH on the surface of a chemical catalyst (platinum, palladium, etc.) - (Russian Patent 2023178, Japanese application, 62-167721, Russian patent 2023176).

 The disadvantage of these methods is the complexity and high cost of implementation, the relatively low life due to contamination of the catalyst surface, they do not clean soot in the exhaust.

 Known methods and devices for the mechanical separation of solid and liquid impurities of VG, characteristic of diesel vehicles, by mechanically separating them by rotating the VG flow, followed by the accumulation of soot and oil particles in special bins with systematic removal (see, for example, Russian patent N 2023175).

 Their disadvantage lies in the difficulty of implementation, significant energy consumption and high material consumption, since the volume of separated soot is large due to its low density. Thermal decomposition of soot is uneconomical and leads to an increase in carbon monoxide.

 Known plasma methods and devices for burning VG by passing VG through a low-temperature plasma torch (ed. St. USSR N 1460368).

 Their disadvantage consists in significant energy consumption, in the consumption of additional fuel, adverse temperature conditions of the exhaust pipe when it is overheated by plasma. In addition, the volume of the oxidizing agent increases, and hence the SH.

 Known methods and devices for the electrostatic filtration of exhaust gases of internal combustion engines (auth. St. N 1174574; N 1404664) by exposure to an electric field on electrically charged particles (solid and liquid) VG with their electrostatic deposition on special electrodes with subsequent systematic removal of sediment.

 Their disadvantage is low reliability due to difficulties in providing reliable electrical insulation of oppositely charged electrostatic precipitator plates under the conditions of soot, soot deposition on the inner surface of the plates and high temperatures.

 Known combined electrochemical methods and devices for cleaning exhaust gases of internal combustion engines (for example, ed. St. N 1188343).

 They have all the disadvantages described above for catalytic afterburning and electrostatic precipitators.

 Known methods of purification of VG from soot by its electrothermal decomposition (ed. St. N 1815354). However, the method is very energy-consuming and unacceptable for vehicles with low power generator.

 All of the analogues listed above have one common feature - the reduction of the toxicity of VH is achieved by directly processing these gases already at the output of the internal combustion engine, that is, the inventive task of “combating” the incomplete combustion of the fuel-air mixture in the internal combustion engine chambers is solved, and not the primary cause - low intensity burning.

There is a smaller group of analogous inventions that improve the ecology of ICEs by improving the preparation of the fuel-air mixture, improving the dosage of the fuel and oxidizing agent, ozonating the intake air, and pretreating the fuel with magnetic and electric fields (see, for example, ed. St. N 1071796, U.S. Patent N 4413471; Erokhin V.I. Ways to reduce exhaust gas toxicity in road transport (NIIAT), M.: 1975; Yegina N. Successful Starts, Inventor and Rationalizer, N 11/95, pp. 10-11)
According to the article by Pugachev A. IR No. 11/95, the inventor patented a fuel converter, which saves 20% of fuel and reduces carbon monoxide. However, these methods and devices are very complex and do not allow to effectively reduce the toxicity of VH.

 In patent RU N 2009336, it is proposed to use hydrogen, which is obtained from water, on a vehicle itself, by electrolysis as an ICE fuel.

 The disadvantage is high energy consumption, explosiveness.

 The advantage is a high degree of environmental friendliness of exhaust gases.

 The closest technical solutions, both in the method and in the device for efficient cleaning of the high-pressure gas by improving the electric ignition system of the air-fuel mixture, are methods and devices for enhancing the spark of ignition and improvement of methods for adjusting the ignition timing, which can significantly intensify the combustion process of the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chambers of the internal combustion engine (UK patent N 2253372; US patent N 5074262; Japan patent N 4-67594).

 As a prototype of the invention, a method for reducing the toxicity of the internal combustion engine exhaust gases, known from ed. St. USSR N 931933, class F 02 P 15/00, 1982.

 The essence of the invention is a method of reducing the toxicity of exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine, by intensifying the combustion of the fuel of an air mixture by introducing a strong electric field into the combustion chambers, that the field strength is set to at least 1 kV / cm for the entire period of engine operation from start to stop, and the parameters are adjusted electric field (tension, frequency, shape) depending on the engine operating mode (speed, load) and type of fuel according to the criterion of minimum exhaust gas toxicity while maintaining e of performance. The mentioned electric field is obtained, for example, from an adjustable high-voltage electronic ignition unit and is introduced into the combustion chamber through elongated sealed electrodes securely isolated from the engine body, in particular through an electrically insulated electrode of a modernized ignition electric candle without a side electrode that is deepened (screwed) into the chamber by a distance sufficient for electric breakdown of it on the piston when the latter approaches the working dead center, moreover, they increase the electrical insulation of the side surface electrode and to eliminate the rest of its elektroproboya inner surface of the chamber, and the other electric field of the potential supplied to the motor housing.

 The initial adjustment of the electric field inside the engine chambers can be carried out with the engine turned off, for which they turn on the voltage converter and control its supply current for one revolution of the engine crankshaft, then adjust the electric field strength to achieve the required electric spark power, then turn on the engine and adjust the ignition timing at idle maximum idle speed and minimum exhaust emissions.

 The ignition timing of the fuel-air mixture can be controlled by adjusting the intensity of the aforementioned electric field inside the combustion chambers as a function of engine speed, mixture flow rate, current consumption by the condition that the exhaust toxicity is limited in all engine operating modes to the required level.

 To realize an electric field in diesel engines, fuel and / or air nozzles are introduced into the combustion chambers through electrically insulated from the engine casing and the second electric potential of the electric field is supplied directly to the casing or through an additional electrically insulated electrode directly into the combustion chambers. The engine housing can be reliably insulated from the vehicle housing.

The invention consists in the intensification of the combustion process of a fuel-air mixture in ICE chambers under the influence of a strong electric field, which we have already shown experimentally, due to the following reasons:
1) this method allows for intensive multi-spark ignition of the fuel-air mixture throughout the working volume of the combustion chambers, which accelerates the process of ignition and combustion;
2) the presence of a strong electric field in the combustion chambers at the stages of the piston stroke and exhaust gas pushing out, allows to burn low-octane fuel fractions as much as possible and reduce exhaust gas toxicity, partly due to the ozonization of the oxidizer;
3) the presence of an electric field in the combustion chambers at the stage of suction of the fuel-air mixture allows the ozonizer (air) to be additionally ozonized, electrified to fuel and thin, at the molecular level, spray this mixture into the chambers, which actively prepares the mixture for the most complete combustion at the time of the breakdown and electric sparks between the ends of the central electrodes and the pistons of the respective chambers.

 All of the above reasons and mechanisms of the influence of the electric field inside the combustion chambers on the fuel-water mixture at all its stages, can significantly (several times) improve the combustion process and reduce the toxicity of exhaust gases.

 In addition, due to the optimization of the combustion process, both fuel and oxidizer are simultaneously saved, the electric ignition system of the mixture and its regulators are greatly simplified, since there is no need for distributors, the task of synchronizing the supply of ignition pulses to the cameras and their settings depending on the operating mode of the internal combustion engine is automatically solved.

 The proposed method can be implemented both in single-chamber and in multi-chamber ICEs, including rotary and turbine ICEs.

 The method can also be applied in diesel ICEs in which case the role of central electrodes can be played by special fuel and / or air nozzles that are electrically insulated from the engine body, through which an electric field is introduced inside the ICE combustion chambers.

 To implement the proposed method, a significant modernization of the electric ignition system of existing ICEs is carried out, namely, it is supplemented by a high-voltage voltage converter with a duty cycle and frequency with a supply voltage of 12 / 24V and an output voltage of 20 - 90 kV, they change the design and wiring diagrams of the previous ignition electric candles, namely - eliminate side “mass" electrodes altogether, perform central electrodes with an elongated working length inside the chambers, while enhancing electrical insulation and their side surfaces, the length and configuration of the central electrodes inside the chambers being selected from the condition of reliable electrical breakdown and powerful electric sparks from their ends to the corresponding pistons when they approach the working “dead spots” in the respective combustion chambers, and the thickness of the electrical insulation from the condition of preventing electrical breakdown from the working the intracameral part of the central electrodes on the inner surfaces of the combustion chambers, including the inlet exhaust valve, one of the outputs of the aforementioned high-voltage converter ovatelya attached directly to the motor housing, and the other - to the central electrodes elektrosvechey upgraded ignition, and to an input control high-voltage converter outputs speed sensor is attached, the sensor (s) of toxic components of exhaust gases, and also the current consumption of said sensor is a high-voltage converter.

 In the simplest case of the device, the exhaust toxicity sensor is used only in the tuning mode of the new electric ignition system, and then to adjust the system, with the engine running, only current and speed sensors are used.

 As in conventional ICEs, the upgraded ignition electric candles must be correctly selected by the heat rating to eliminate the self-ignition mode of the fuel-air mixture on the overheated surface of the “candle” inside the ICE chambers. It is advisable to cover the end surface of the pistons with a heat-resistant anticorrosive coating to reduce its wear in the mode of electric breakdowns on the piston.

 A feature of the implementation of the device for implementing the method on diesel ICEs is combining the functions of modernized electric candles with one central electrode and nozzles, namely connecting one of the high-voltage potentials of the electric field to the said fuel and / or air nozzles of the diesel engine, made electrically insulated from the housing outside and inside the combustion chambers with a sufficient thickness of electrical insulation to eliminate electrical breakdown of the nozzle on the body, valves, and with a sufficient length inside the chamber for reliable electrical breakdown on diesel pistons on their approach to working “dead spots” in combustion chambers.

 The development of the invention, the device is the introduction of devices for preliminary ozonation of air-oxidizer and a device for electrical processing of fuel with the aim of their electrical activation and the best combustion of the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chambers.

 The development of the device consists in the combination of a conventional electric ignition system and the modernized system described above. In this embodiment, the electric field is introduced into the chambers by means of additional modernized electric spark plugs, however, this option is more difficult to implement and does not significantly simplify the ICE device.

 The method is illustrated by the example of a modernized 4-stroke single-cylinder internal combustion engine with spark ignition (Fig. 1-4), shown in all four cycles of its operation.

 The device consists of a motor housing 1 with an inlet pipe 2 and an exhaust pipe 3 for exhaust gases, from an intake and exhaust valve 4, 5, from a piston 6 with a connecting rod 7 and a crankshaft 8, from an upgraded ignition spark plug 9 without a side “mass” electrode and with an elongated working part 10, with an electrically insulator 11 covered with a lateral surface, and the central electrode 10 of the electric candle 9 is connected to one of the outputs of the high-voltage adjustable voltage converter 12 (VPN), the second output of which is connected to the housing 1, and the power supply circuit, the VPN converter 12 is connected to an on-board power source 13, for example, to a battery or stator windings of an on-board electric generator. The device also includes a control system 14 for the voltage and frequency of the VPN, a current consumption sensor 15, a crankshaft speed sensor 16, an exhaust gas (VG) toxicity sensor 17, the outputs of which are connected to the control inputs of the VPN 14 control system. An electric spark of ignition 18 is shown in FIG. 3 and 4, in the working cycle and exhaust cycle of the internal combustion engine.

 In FIG. 1 fuel-air mixture is designated as T + B. In FIG. 4 - the purified exhaust gases of the internal combustion engine are indicated by the abbreviation VG.

 Let us explain in more detail the implementation in the work of the proposed method for reducing the toxicity of the exhaust gases of the internal combustion engine and the device for its implementation at all stages of its operation.

 In FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of the operation of a device that implements the method at the suction stroke of the fuel-air mixture (FA) into the chamber of a single-cylinder internal combustion engine; and FIG. 2 - disclosed a method on the compression stroke of a fuel assembly in the engine chamber; in FIG. 3 - explained the features of sparking and the stroke of the internal combustion engine piston, according to the proposed method and device for its implementation; in FIG. 4, the fourth graduation cycle of the operation of the new internal combustion engine, which ensures the release of purified VG into the atmosphere, is explained.

 Consider the operation of the device of a modernized internal combustion engine, for simplicity, single-cylinder 4-stroke (Fig. 1-4) when implementing the proposed Method in one of its simple and effective options.

 In FIG. 1-4 shows the cyclogram of the operation of the internal combustion engine in all 4 of its cycles. Initially, before the fuel supply T (the fuel line is disconnected), the length of the working part 10 of the upgraded electric candle 9 and the voltage of the high-voltage converter 12 are adjusted in one rotation of the crankshaft 8 until a reliable spark 18 is reached from the end of the working part of the electric candle 9 to the piston 6, and this electric breakdown is controlled by current sensor 15. If necessary, change these parameters until the current source of the field 12 is reached a predetermined value corresponding to the required power lektroiskry. Due to the fact that in different internal combustion engines the location of the electric spark plugs 9 is different relative to the inlet and outlet valves 4, 5, it changes the shape of the working part of the central electrode 10, and also strengthen the electrical insulation of its side surface 11 for reliable electrical protection and by the condition of preventing electric breakdown of the electrode 10 by the inner surface of the combustion chamber 1, but providing a reliable electric spark on the piston.

 After that (Fig. 1), the fuel-air mixture (T + B) is supplied to the combustion chamber 1 and its electrostatic fine atomization is carried out in an electric field formed between the electrode 10 with the inner surface of the chamber 1 (1 cycle - suction of the mixture (Fig. 1a) - in this mode, the intake valve 4 is open, and the exhaust valve 5 is closed.

 Then, at the stage of compression of the fuel-air mixture (Fig. 2), additional micro-droplets of fuel T and ozonization of oxidizer B are additionally electrified due to an increase in the electric field strength in the working space of chamber 1 when the piston 6 approaches the working top dead center.

 The working stroke of the piston 6 (Fig. 3) begins at the time of the occurrence of an electrical breakdown and an electric spark 18 between it and the end of the electrode 10 when the piston 6 approaches the top dead center due to an excess of the electric field between them above the breakdown value.

 Due to the powerful electric spark ignition of the electrified ozonized fuel-air mixture (T + B), the intensity of its ignition of combustion is much more effective than in existing engines and can be increased several times. Further, in the direction of the movement of the piston 6, the electric spark 18 is interrupted and the combustion of the mixture is effectively carried out in a strong electric field, since the emission of “fresh” electrons into the combustion zone and the electric field from the end of the electrode 10 provides additional crushing of the radicals of the burning fuel T.

 At step 4 (Fig. 4), the exhaust valve 5 is opened, the piston 6 begins to eject the burning exhaust gases of the second-generation gas, which are additionally efficiently burned in the mentioned electric field, partly due to the increase in the electric field strength when the piston 6 approaches the top dead center.

 It has been experimentally established that the initial adjustment of the ignition timing of the mixture is advisable to idle by adjusting the voltage of block 12 to the maximum engine idle speed, information about which is obtained from the speed sensor 16.

 Consider the process of controlling the ignition timing of the fuel-air mixture (T + B) when implementing the method in the described device.

 The most characteristic changes in the internal combustion engine mode are a change in the revolutions and a change in the intensity of the fuel and oxidizer supply to the chambers 1.

 It is known that with an increase in engine speed, the existing system (distributor) increases the lead angle mechanically, which is difficult to implement and quite inertial.

 In our case, when the revolutions of the crankshaft 8 increase, the speed feedback signal from the sensor 16 increases, which is fed to the input of the control system 14 of the converter 12. The functional converter included in the block 14 provides a control signal to the block 12 to increase the output voltage, for example, 35 kV to 45 kV, which leads to an increase in the electric field inside the combustion chamber 1 from the end of the electrode 10. This leads to an earlier electrical breakdown between it and the piston 6 at the approach of the latter to the top dead center, i.e. to automatic control of the ignition timing depending on engine speed. A more accurate control of the ignition timing is achieved in our method due to the additional feedback of tracking the toxicity of the exhaust gases of the VG through the toxicity sensor 17, the output of which is also connected to the control input of block 14.

 Consider the implementation of adjusting the ignition timing with the afterburner (increased fuel supply) of the engine.

 Due to the increase in engine speed, the ignition timing begins to increase, as described above.

 But earlier than this, and along with this process, feedback will begin to work on reducing GH toxicity, since with an increased fuel supply T, the complete combustion of the mixture (T + B) will initially decrease, the signal from the toxicity sensor 17 increases, which will also lead to an increase the ignition timing due to an increase in voltage from the output of the converter 12, for example, by increasing the duty cycle and the frequency of its pulses, and this process will continue until the VH toxicity decreases to the level programmed in block 14.

Thus, the introduction of an adjustable electric field inside the combustion chambers of the existing ICE allows us to solve several urgent problems at once:
1) significantly, 2-3 times reduce the toxicity of the exhaust gases of internal combustion engines, without the use of expensive and unreliable chemical catalysts;
2) dramatically simplify the distribution system and control the timing of the ignition timing of the fuel mixture (eliminates the complex node - distributor);
3) to save fuel and oxidizer while maintaining engine performance, due to better atomization, mixing, crushing and efficient combustion of the fuel-air mixture in an electric field inside the combustion chambers.

 The invention can be implemented in an internal combustion engine with any number of pistons, as well as in a Wankel engine.

 The invention can be applied not only in internal combustion engines with spark ignition, but also in diesel engines. In this case, the electric field is introduced into the combustion chambers 1, either by means of additional electrodes 10 isolated from the engine casing, or for space use the fuel and / or air nozzles of the engine (not shown), which are reliably insulated from the engine casing.

 Naturally, the implementation of the method is possible in other versions, for example, maintaining the existing electric ignition system, but supplementing it with an electric field source 12 and the described special electric candles 9 without side electrodes placed in the combustion chambers, for example, in pairs on opposite walls of the combustion chambers 1 (not shown ) The engine housing is additionally insulated from the car frame.

 The invention was tested experimentally on a 4-stroke single-cylinder ICE (moped, Zhiguli walk-behind tractor). The experiments showed a decrease in the smoke density of VG by 3 times, carbon monoxide by 2 times, hydrocarbons by 2.5 times, compared with the initial level of the factory engine.

 The voltage of the high-voltage converter was regulated from 35 to 55 kV, an electric candle of the Bosch company was used as a modernized candle with a 2-fold shortening of the thread skirt and preservation of the length of the central electrode.

 The regulation of the penetration length of the central chamber isolated from the housing inside was achieved by means of copper washers of various thicknesses on the screw part of the electric candle.

Claims (7)

 1. A method of reducing the toxicity of exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine by intensifying the combustion of a fuel-air mixture by introducing a strong electric field into its combustion chambers, characterized in that the field strength is set to at least 1 kV / cm for the entire period of engine operation from start to stop, and adjust electric field parameters (tension, frequency, shape) depending on the operating mode (speed, load) and type of fuel according to the criterion of minimum exhaust gas toxicity while maintaining its performance .  2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the said electric field, obtained, for example, from an adjustable high-voltage electronic ignition unit, is introduced into the combustion chambers through elongated sealed electrodes that are securely isolated from the engine casing.  3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the said electric field is introduced into the combustion chamber through an electrically insulated electrode of a modernized ignition electric candle without a side electrode, deepen (screw) the electrode into the chamber by a distance sufficient for electric breakdown of it onto the piston when it approaches the working one " dead point ", and enhance the electrical insulation of the side surface of the electrode to eliminate its electrical breakdown on the rest of the inner surface of the chamber, another potential of the electric field is fed to the motor housing .  4. The method according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the initial adjustment of the electric field inside the engine chambers is carried out with the engine turned off, for which they turn on the direction converter and control its supply current for one revolution of the engine crankshaft, then adjust the electric field strength until the required electric spark power is achieved , then turn on the engine and adjust the ignition timing to idle to the maximum idle speed and minimum exhaust emissions.  5. The method according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the ignition timing of the air-fuel mixture is controlled by adjusting the intensity of the mentioned electric field inside the combustion chambers as a function of engine speed, mixture flow rate, current consumption under the condition of limiting exhaust toxicity in all engine operating modes at the required level.  6. The method according to p. 1, characterized in that for its implementation in diesel engines an electric field inside the combustion chambers is injected through a fuel or (and) air nozzle electrically insulated from the engine body, the second electric potential of the electric field being fed directly to the housing or through an additional electrically insulated electrode directly inside combustion chambers.  7. The method according to claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the motor housing is reliably insulated from the vehicle housing.

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