US1402461A - Carburetor heater - Google Patents

Description

E. G. WATROUS.

CARBURETOR HEATER.

APPL'lcATloN FILED MAR.|7,1919.

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[HUI- UNITED STATES EARL G. IVATROUS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CARBURETOR HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Y v Patented Jan. 3, 1922.

Application filed March 17, 1919. Serial No. 283,197.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, EARL G. IVA'rnoUs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of .Cock and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Carburetor Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

The necessity or desirability rof raising the temperature of the gasoline or fuel used for internal combustion engines during cold weather is well understood. The present nvention relates to a Vdevice or apparatus,

' whereby the fuel may be heated in the carburetor in a particularly direct and effective manner hy means of current from the storage batteries such as `are commonly used in connection with automobiles and other power plants.

The object of this invention is to provide an electric heaterrfor heating the fuel in a carburetor in a direct manner so as to avoid all possible loss of heat units; to provide an electric heater for carburetors, which is of simple construction and which may be readily applied; and in general to provide such an improved heater as will be described more fully hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating this invention: v

Fig. 1 is aside view of a carburetor with part-s broken away to show the interior construction and with the heater applied thereto, parts being also shown diagrammatically; Y

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side View showing a modified form of heater; and,

Fig. l is a plan view of the device shown in Fig. 3.

This invention is particularly adapted to be used in connection with motor vehicles, such vehicles now being commonly supplied with storage batteries for the starting and lighting systems. These batteries however are of somewhatV limited capacity and it is not practical to use a considerable amount ofcurrent therefrom for the purpose of heating` the gasoline. I have found that the gasoline may be heated with the smallest amount of loss of heat units, by immersing the electric heating element directly in the liquid and I utilize this in my improved heater. This arrangement is Vparticularly useful for heating the `gasoline during cold weather in order that the engine will start readily, and I have found that the gasoline may be heated to a sufhciently high temperature for this purpose in a comparatively few seconds and without undue drain on the battery. Y

As shown in the drawings, 5 indicates the bowl of the carburetor which may be of any ordinary or preferred form of construction. This carburetor is provided with the usual oat 6 and needle valveY 7 havin@ a valve' seat 8. One endv 9 of the heating element 10 is wound around or secured to the valve seat 8A so as to provide a contact or electric connection. The other end 11 is secured to a bolt 12 which extends down through a hole 13 in the bottom of the bowl 5. The bolt is insulated from the bowl by means of insulation 141-. The heating element 10 preferably comprises a wire formed of suitable resisting material such Vas German silver or other composition. This element is insulated from the bowl by means of an insulating disk 15, formed of mica or other suitable material.

The bolt 12 is connected by a wire 16 with one terminal of the battery 17. The other terminal is grounded by means of a wire 18 connected to the supply pipe 19 or other suitable place for grounding. A switch 20 is provided at anyv convenient point for opening and closing the circuit. Then this switch is closed, the current passes vfrom the battery through the wire 16 and bolt 12 to the heating element 10 and then to'ground or back to the battery. The heating element becomes quickly heated and will heat the fuel in the bowl very rapidly as the fuel is directly exposed to the wire and is free to circulate around the heating element which preferably covers a considerable area of the bottom. It will also be noted that this attachment may be applied to the carburetor without changing the same, other than by providing a hole for the bolt 12.

In some instances it may be desired to install the heater without making a hole through the bowl and in some instances it is desirable to provide a complete circuit for the heater instead of grounding one terminal of the same. The arrangement shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is adapted to fulfill these conditions. In this inst-ance, a disk 21 of insulating material is provided to set in the bottom of the bowl. Insulated wires 22 and 23 are secured to the disk by means of fasteners 24 and have upwardly extending branches 25 `and 26 which may pass up through a Suitable opening in the cover of the carburetor.` llhese wires are covered with insulating material .which will not be affected by VtheV gasoline. The heating element 27 is connected tothe ends ofthe wires V22 and 23 as shown in Fig. t. The upper branches of the wires are connected to the battery in'any well known manner, so that neither .terminal of the heating elementis grounded. The operation of this form is of course substantially the saine as that just described.

It Willbe seen from this description, that provide an electric heater which may be readily installed and which will be particularly efficient inV operation, `but it will be noted that changes may be made in order to adapt the same to other forms of carburetors and therefore I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction herein shownand de* scribed.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters `Patent is:

1.1 An electric heater for carburetors, cemprising a heating element formed of a single bare wire adapted to be inserted in the fuel in the carburetor bowl, means for insulating the wire from the bowl, conductors permanently `connectedto the ends of the heating element within the bowl, and means l for supplying current to the conductors.

2. A heater for carburetors, Acomprising a plate of insulating material, two insulatedY .wires connected Vto said piate and having upwardly extending ranches, a heating'- eleranged in thecarburetor below the fuel level,

means for insulating the resistance element freni the carbureter, and insulated conductor wires connected to the resistance element and passing out of the carburetor at a point above the fuel level.

5. A heater attachment for carburetors, comprising a disc 'of insulating material adaptedto irit freely in the bowl of the Vcarburetor, -a heating element secured to saidV disc, insulated wires connected withthe ends of said element and also secured to said dise, said wires being adapted to project upwardly beyond the fuel level in the carburetor when bowl. I

' EARL e. WArRoU's. `1

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