US1763450A

US1763450A - Charge-blending device

Info

Publication number: US1763450A
Application number: US202373A
Authority: US
Inventors: Horace Van Deventer; Eddie H Stepp
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1927-06-29
Filing date: 1927-06-29
Publication date: 1930-06-10
Anticipated expiration: 1947-06-10

Description

June 10, 1930.

H. VAN DEVENTER El AL 1,763,450

CHARGE BLENDING' DEVICE I Filed June 29. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 10, 1930. H. VAN DEVENTER ET AL 1,763,450

CHARGE BLENDING DEVICE Filed June 29, 1927 2 SheetsSheet 2 llllllill WWW Ill! H Patented June 10, 1930 are" HOB-ACE VAN DEVENTER AND EDDIE H. STEPP, OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE CHARGE-BLENDING DEVICE Application filed .Tune 29,

This invention relates to improvements in blending devices for producing a fuel charge mixture for employment in an internal combustion engine.

It has heretofore been proposed to employ various types of mixing devices between the carbureter and the engine intake, including many forms of fuel mixture heaters, and specific mixing devices. The present invention relates to a form of blending device which may be operated either hot or cold: and which in particular serves to improve the fuel mixture prior to its entry into the engine so that a lesser a nount of fuel is employed for a given development of power.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a blending device of this type which is simple of construction and mounting, and which is compact in space occupied and eificient inthe results attained.

Another object is to provide such a structure for insertion in the fuel line between the carbureter and the intake of the engine so that it may be readily attached by a mechanic: and which is provided with means for admitting auxiliary air to improve the charge proportion under given conditions of operation, by admitting auxiliary air to the mixture before and during blending.

With these and other objects in view as will appear in the course of the following specification and claims, one form of execution of this device is illustrated by way of example on the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation indicating the connection of the blending device between a earbureter and the intake of an engine.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the blending device proper, substantially on line 33 of Fig. 2.

In these drawings, this is shown in one form of execution as applied to an internal combustion engine, which is conventionally shown as the fragmentary engine P, being provided with the intake manifold I and the exhaust manifold E, each having the cus-' ternary branches for communication with 1927. Serial No. 202,373.

the respective cylinders of the engine. Such constructions are old and well known in the art and are merely indicated conventionally in the drawings.

The exhaust manifold E is connected to the exhaust pipe line 10 which leads to the manifold pipe M and thence to a usual manifold or similar discharge apparatus, as is well known in the art. Along the length of the pipe 10 is located a control valve indicated as the butterfly 11 which regulates the section of passage through the pipe 10 and may cause a diversion of a predetermined proportion of the hot exhaust gas through a branch pipe 12 which leads to the jacket of the blending device, as described herein: and a further exhaust pipe line 13 is connected to the outlet from this jacket and leads the exhaust back into the manifold pipe M.

According to the present invention, a carbureter C is provided of any customary type, the specific instance illustrated having a float chamber F to control the delivery of fuel coming to the fuel pipe connection 14:, and admitting this fuel in the customary manner to a jet or jets within the vertical conduit 15 where it is mixed with air entering through the air inlet A as controlled by suitable throttle valves at 16 and 17. B represents the regulator for the air. It will be understood that such carbureters are old and well known in the art, and the the particular form illustrated is merely by way of convention and the details of such construction are not claimed in conjunction with this invention. The upper end of the vertical pipe 15 carries a flange 18 which is bolted to a similar flange 19 upon the lateral branch 20 of the present blending device, to form a sealed joint therewith.

This lateral branch 20 is illustrated as being substantially of rectangular cross-section and at its left hand end in Fig. 1 carries an automatic auxiliary air inlet 11, comprising a movable plunger carrying a valve plate and having a spring. It will be understood that with the pressure in the lateral branch 20 at below atmospheric, the valve plate will open against the action of the spring and admit a quantity of auxiliary air which is proall portioned to the relative vacuum existing in the lateral branch 20.

The blending device proper includes the lateral branch 20, constituting the inlet conduit, and a vertical central pipe 21 constituting the outlet conduit. A cylindrical jacket 22 is mounted concentrically with the pipe 21, and has a bottom closing wall 23. Theupper end of the jacket 22 fits over a projecting portion 24 of the upper or top wall 25 and forms a tight joi nt therewith. The pipe 21, the jacket 22 and the bottom and

top walls

23 and 25 therefor form an annular space which has a partition 26 dividing or blocking the same radially: which is located as shown in Fig. 2 so that the inlet conduit or lateral branch 20 opens into this annular space ad'- j acent the top of this partition 26. A plurality of

vertical baffles

27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 are provided, likewise radially arranged, to divide the, annular space into successive chambers. These baflles alternately extend from

oneend wall

23 or 25, and terminate short of the

other end wall

25 or 23, as shown in the figures: so that a tortuous path of flow is formed through the annular space from the inlet conduit 20 to the outlet conduit 21. For this purpose, the

baffles

27, 29, 31, terminate short of the-bottom 23: while the baffles 28, 30 and 32 terminate short of the top wall 25. It will benoted that an even number of bafiles is provided in the illustrated form. At the point of the path of flow most removed from the inletconduit 20, i. e., at the bottom of the compartment formed by the partition 26 and the baflle 32, an aperture 33 is provided to es tablish a communication between the bottom of this compartment and the interior of the outlet conduit 21.

The jacket 22 therefore constitutes a housing, or mixing chamber in which is established a tortuouspath of flow for themixture ,which passes successively downward and upward in these several compartments, and ,is finally discharged through the top wall 25.

Con'centrically mounted about the jacket 22-is an outer cylindrical wall or sleeve 34 which forms a tight joint at its upper end with the end wall 32 intheform shown, and at its bottom is closed by the bottom member 35: the sleeve 34 is tightly assembled to the

end members

25, 35 by suitable bolts 36, so that a" rigid assembly is produced. The inlet pipe 12 for the exhaust gases passes through'the sleeve 34 adjacent its bottom: While theoutlet'pipe 13 passes through this wall'diametrally opposite and near its top so that a flow of exhaust gases within the sleeve will effect aheating of the side walls or jacket 22 of this housing.

v Integrally formed with the bottom mem-. ber 35 are a number of lugs 37 which extend upwardly therefrom and serve to support the end wall 23 of the housing, and to maintain this housing in its allotted position.

The end wall 23 has a pipe 38 connected thereto for communication with the bottom of the outlet conduit 21, this pipe extending to a petcock 39 or other similar control device to regulate a secondaryadmission of auxiliary air into fuel mixture after it has passed, in its tortuous path, through the opening 33. A suitable packing L0 and gland nut L0" are provided to close this bottom member 35 except as regulated by the cock 39.

The lugs 37 are spaced apart and away from the pipe 38 to provide a chamber by which the exhaust gases may pass from the pipe 12 into immediate contact wi h the bottom wall 23, so that they individually heat the bottoms of the several chambers and serve to volatilize any deposited liquid fuel contained in these compartments.

At the upper end of the central pipe 21 is a flange 42 which may be bolted to a similar flange 43 on the intake manifold I, with the intermediary of a suitable gasket if desire A suitable thermostatic device T may be located within the chamber between the lugs 37 where it is radially mounted on the bottom member 35 and can actuate control elements to the exterior for regulation of the valvell or for controlling the change from a light volatile fuel such as gasoline to a low volatile fuel such as kerosene: so that the engine may be started upon gasoline and thereafter automatically change to kerosene upon reaching a predetermined degree of heat. Such devices are old and well known in the art and need not be described in full detail, save to point out that the space is available for the reception of a thermostatic element.

As shown in Fig. 1, the valve 11 may be controlled by a push rod 44 from the dashboard.

The method of operating this device with the employment of the exhaust heat to assist in vaporization is as follows: In starting, the butterfly 11 is moved to substantially close the pipe 10 so that immediately upon starting exhaust gases are diverted through the pipe 12 into the sleeve chamber and out through pipe 13 to the muffler pipe M, thus heating the housing 25. The fuel mixture from the carbureter C passes into the lateral branch 20 and thence into the first compartment within the housing 25 and downwardly therein, then upwardly in the next compartment, etc. until finally it passes in its path of flow through the opening 33 and upward in the outlet conduit 21 to the intake manifold and other engine cylinder, where it is exploded and as exhaust gas passes back through the device to heat the same. At such low speeds of starting, the auxiliary air valve 41 remains closed, but as the engine speeds up, the suction produced extends through Cir the intake manifold and the housing into the lateral branch 20 and causes an opening of the valve 41 to admit auxiliary air: and in addition a quantity of air may be admitted through the secondary auxiliary cock 39. As the engine warms up, the throttle 11 may be opened more and more, with correspondingly lesser quantities of exhaust gases passing through the

pipe

12, 13 and the interior of sleeve 34.

It has been found, however, in operation, that it is not necessary to heat the housing 22 in order to produce a thorough mixture and blending of the charge: and that in fact the outer sleeve 3a may be omitted and yet such operation maintained. For this, it is found that the tortuous path causes a thorough mingling and blending of the ingredients of the charge so that they are delivered in form for combustion in the engine cylinder. Under some conditions of actual operation, it is found that the outer walls of the device become very cold: while a mixture for excellent combustion is delivered at the cylinder.

.' In particular, it has been found in practice that an automobile, operating with its carbureter at a setting of maximum efiiciency,-

gave about 17% miles per measured gallon of gasoline; with the same carbureter and automobile, and over the same roads, using the blending device with heater, a run of 29 gallons was made with a similarly measured gallon of the same gasoline: while with the device used without the heater, a run of 31 miles was made on a similarly measured galment of structures other than that illusrated: and in particular that such structures may be modified in any wise within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a charge blending device for internal combustion engines, an inner conduit, a concentric outer jacket and end members to define an annular space between said conduit and jacket, a partition and a plurality of baffles joining said conduit and jacket, said partition closing said annular space and said baffles alternately, extending from a respective end wall and terminating short of the other wall at top and bottom whereby to form a series of axially extending compartments each having an inlet opening at one end and an outlet opening at the other end, a conduit to connect the inlet opening of a compartment adjacent said partition to a carburetor, an-

other of said compartments having its outlet opening in communication with the inner conduit, and means to connect said inner conduit to an internal combustion engine intake.

2. In a charge blending device for an internal combustion engine, two end members, an outer jacket closing said members, a partition extending between said members, a first conduit opening into said device adjacent said partition, a plurality of baffles alternately terminating short of the respective end members whereby to form a series of compartments successively communicating with each other at alternate ends to establish a tortuous path of flow, and a second conduit leading from the compartment most removed from said first conduit in the path of flow.

3. In a charge forming and blending device for an internal combustion engine, two horizontal end members, an outer jacket closing said members, a partition extending between said members, an inlet conduit opening into said device adjacent said partition and extending horizontally therefrom and having a bottom opening to communicate with a carbureter, a suction controlled auxiliary air inlet valve in said inlet conduit, a plurality of vertical baflles alternately extending from opposite end members and terminating short of the other end member whereby to form a series of compartments successively communicating with each other at alternate ends to establish a tortuous path of flow, and an outlet conduit leading from the compartment most removed in line of flow from said inlet conduit.

4. In a charge blending device for an internal combustion engine, two spaced horizontal end members, an outer jacket closing said members, an inner vertical conduit passing through the upper member and extending to said lower member and forming an annular closed space with said jacket, a vertical partition dividing said space, an inlet conduit opening into said space adjacent the upper end of said partition, and an even number of baiiles alternately extending from said bottom and said top members and terminating short of the other member to define a tortuous path of flow in said annular space from said inlet conduit, said inner conduit having an opening communicating with said space at the end of said line of flow adjacent the bottom of said partition, and means connecting said inner conduit to the intake of the engine.

5. In a charge blending device for an internal combustion engine, two spaced horizontal end members, a jacket and an inner conduit forming an annular space between said members, a vertical partition dividing said space, an inlet conduit opening into said space adjacent the top of the partition, a plurality of baflles alternately extending from said bottom and said top members and termihating short of the other member to cause 7 incoming fluid to pass tortuousl'y through said'annular space, said inner conduit having an opening into said space at a point removed from the opening of said inlet conduit, and means to connect the top of said inner conduit to the intake of the engine.

6. In a. charge blending device for an internal combustion engine, a flow chamber having end and jacket walls, an inner conduit forming an annular space with said jacket wall, battles in said space extending alternately from said end Walls to cause incoming fluid to pass tortuously through said space, an outersleeve and bottom wall formmg a second annular space around saidjacket, said bottom Wall being spaced from the bottom of said cup, lugs on said bottomwall to support said cup, and means to connect said top and bottom walls and said sleeve so that said cup is thereby held in position. 7

7. In a fluid charge blending device, an inner conduit, a concentric outer jacket and end members to define a closed annular space between said conduit and jacket, a partition dividing said annular space, said device being provided with an opening at one end'adjacent one side of-said partition, said inner conduit providing an opening to the exterior of said device and having a communication with said annular space adjacent the other side of said partition, and a plurality of baffles each extending from said conduit to said jacket and outwardly extending from one end wall but terminating'short of the other end wall whereby to provide a tortuous path of fiow for the charge in its passage through the annular chamber fr'omone side of said partition to the other.

In testimony whereof, We affix our signatures.

HORACE VAN DEVENTER. EDDIE H. STEPP.