US3108468A - Engine fuel test device - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 29, 1963 B. L. MICKEL ENGINE FUEL TEST DEVICE 2 Sheets-Shea?I 1 Filed April .29, 1960 ESG Oct. 29, 1963 B. L. MICKEL 3,108,468

' ENGINE FUEL TEST DEVICE Filed April 29, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Pawn? 5P SUPPLY 6.3/ POWL'? SUPPLY INV EN TOR.

Bla /mrd L. Michel By ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,103,4i68 ENGINE FUEL TEST DEWCE Blanchard L. Michel, Munster, Ind., assigner to Standard @di Company, Chicago, lli., a corporation of indiana Filed Apr. 29, 1950, Ser. No. A25,577 2 Claims. (Ci. 7S-6l) This invention relates to a laboratory iapparatus for testing fuel compositions for Iuse in internal combustion engines. This invention further relates to an improved engine fuel test device for giving indications of deposit forming 1an-d removing properties of fuel compositions which indications may be may be correlated with deposit for-ming and removing properties of the sample as a fuel in an operating internal combustion engine, particularly with regard to deposit weight and deposit movement in rthe fuel-induction system of an internal combustion engine.

In the development of new fuel compositions `by blending as well as 'by formulating with addition agents, gum and varnish deposition and particularly deposits on the fuel-induction system of an internal combustion engine under conditions of operation of the engine are a major concern. lt is desirable to formulate engine fuel compositions so that they will function without leaving such deposits and sometimes with .the `additional ability to remove deposits which have already been formed Within the engine.

In an internal combustion engine, deposits may form from the fuel under action of heat in the fuel-induction system. The deposits may then either 'accumulate within the induction system and cause intake valve-sticking, etc. or they may move through the induction system and into the combustion chamber without accumulating. Once in the combustion chamber, the deposits may be eliminated through normal combustion processes withinthe combustion chamber. Deposit movement, as discussed herein, relates to the movement of deposits through the fuelinduction system.

The fuel-induction system is the system 4through which fuel passes in Kan internal combustion engine before entering the combustion chamber. For example, in a sparkignition internal combustion engine, the fuel-induction system generally is defined as that series of passageways between the carburetor throttle plate and the underside or tulip portion of the intake valves. The mixing of fuel and airis `generally just upstream of the throttle plate and the fuel-air mixture passes around the throttle plate before entering the network of passageways which lead to the individual combustion chamber. En route to lche combustion chamber, the fuel-air mixture encounters conditions which may lead to the formation or separation of harmful fuel deposits. At the throttle plate, in the nearly closed idling position, 'deposits which seriously restrict air-fuel flow may be formed or thrown out of suspension or solution. Such deposits may lead to rough idling 'and engine stall.

A second point where deposits may form is on surfaces adjacent to the :carburetor-heat porting. Here, hot exhaust gases are diverted from the exhaust manifold into the area around the carburetor base for the purpose of improving fuel vaporization and reducing carburetor icing; surface temperatures of several hundred degrees may be encountered. Fuel droplets which contact this hot surface are immediately vaporized but the non-volatile fuel components and impurities may remain behind on the hot surface to be #oxidized or thermally cracked, thereby forming gumlike Ideposits or gum-precursor materials.

While thin varnish ims in the vicinity of the carburetorheat porting may not be directly harmful, realdiiculties dddd Patented Get. 29, i963 ICC may occur in yet a third area, that of the intake valves and ports.

The induction-system surfaces upstream of the intake valve may be considered to be `a reactor in which heavy ends are generated by dash distillation and gum and gum precursors are formed or separated from the fuel. This ixture of heavy ends and gum-like materials is thought to migrate, as a thin liquid hlm, downstream and into the vicinity of the intake valves. Temperatures as high as 600 F. may prevail on the intake valve surfaces. W'hen the moving film of heavy ends ows onto the hot valve sunfaces, further oxidation as well las cracking and ooking may occur. The formation 'of deposits on valves and port surfaces is thought to be further aggravated by the tiashback of hot combustion gases as well as by certain lube-oil additives and components. If the fuel has little deposit-forming tendency, lthen it is unlikely that engine damage will occur. If the deposits formed are not adherent, but instead, are swept downstream and into the combustion chamber, then again, valve dam-age is unlikely. However, if the fuel tends to form deposits which are both large in quantity and adherent in nature, then the sticking (and subsequent burning) of valves and reduction in volumetric eiiiciency and performance is very probable.

Any proposed new fuel composition produced in the laboratory must be extensively tested before it may be used as a commercial engine fuel. Laboratory tests, 'although they are helpful and enable the researcher to foresee certain deposit forming tendencies of engine fuel, are `generally not entirely reliable; many of the test procedures do not give results which are correlated with results under engine operation. After passing the laboratory tests, proposed fuel compositions are then subjected to expensive and time-consuming engine tests which are actually conducted in an internal combustion engine under operating conditions. Some such engine tests take up to a week or more to run and because yof the limited number of engines available for engine tests, it is desirable to screen out as many proposed fuel compositions as possible by a laboratory technique or with a laboratory device. Laboratory devices do not give adequate definitions or measurements of deposit movement within an engine.

The present invention provides a fuel testing device for testing engine fuels, which device gives results with regard to gum or deposit forming and removing properties of a fuel and particularly with regard to 'deposit weight and deposit movement through the induction system of an internal combustion engine. The results obtained using the present device are correlated with results obtained in the induction system of an operating internal combustion engine. The `device of this invention may be used in a technique for determining deposit movement and weight in a minimum of time and with little fuel expenditure. The device is particularly useful in screening samples of fuel compositions in a laboratory, thereby eliminating many of the actual engine tests necessary during development of a fuel.

The device of this invention provides a rotatable heated conduit which is removable from the heating source and is interchangeable with other conduits. Means for rotating the con-duit in heatabie proximity to the heating source are also provided. The conduit is positioned at an inclined angle to provide gravityV flow therethrough from an upper end to a lower end. The heating source may be capable of providing preselected temperatures within the range of from about to about 700 F. or higher. The conduit is provide-d with fuel and air inlet means at the upper end and outlet means at the lower end. As a technique for determining deposit forming or removing properties of a fuel composition, the

conduit is heated to a preselected temperature and fuel and `air are introduced at the inlet and iiowed by gravity through the conduit while rotating the conduit. The deposits formed in or removed from the conduit are then measured and the measurement is t-aken as an indication of the fuel composition propenties. The conduit may then be prepared for another test `run such as by cleaning or may be replaced by another conduit. lt is important that the conduit be capable of being continuously rotated; rotation of the conduit during use of this device provides a large evaporating surface, symmetrical with regard to gravity, and thereby permits use of a shorter conduit than would be possible without such rotation.

FIGURE l illustrates an embodiment of the device of this invention.

FIGURES II to IV illustrate alternative forms of heating means usable with the device of this invention.

With reference to FIGURE I of the drawings and with reference to the embodiment illustrated therein, conduit il is provided in chamber l2 within best receiving proximity to heating means 13. Conduit 11 is elongated and of such configuration so as to provide substantial lateral and bottom confinement of a fluid engine fuel iiowing from end to end therethrough. Conduit il is preferably essentially straight to allow proper rotation and free flow of an engine fuel fluid therethrough without permitting appreciable amounts of the liuid to col lect at any point along the conduit. The conduit is readily removable from chamber l2 and heating means i3 and is interchangeable with other conduits. For any series of tests of a fuel or fuels to be used for comparison purposes, the same basic conguration of conduit i1 must be used. Conduit is constructed of a solid material which is heatable within the range of from about 100 F. to about 700 F., such as, for example, glass, carbon steel, stainless steel, other alloy steels, galvanized steel, brass, copper, silver, aluminum, Bakelite, and the like. Where conduit il is a tube, glass is a preferred material since it allows visual observation of the deposits as to their position and nature within the tube. Conduits of different materials may be provided and may be interchangeable for alternating use, e.g., for the purpose of determining the eliects of such dilferent materials on gum deposition. Conduit 11 is rotatably fitted within the chamber of heating means 13 with suiiiciently snug fitting to retard its longitudinal gravitational movement from chamber l2 but sufficiently loose to permit rotation of conduit il within chamber 12. Conduit 1l is thereby held in heatable association with heating means 13 and is rotatable during use.

Chamber i2 within heating means 13 is an elongated chamber through heating means 13 and is adapted to receive conduit 11 as hereinabove described. Chamber i2 may be an elongated tube, such as for example a metal tube, in which conduit 11 is snug tted or chamber i2 may simple be a passageway or space provided within heating means 113 such as illustrated in FIGURE I, or may be constructed as a part of heating means 13. Chamber l2 is in any event advantageously provided with means for assuring the snug rotatable fit of conduit li therein such as is provided by the snug packing of insulation i6 around conduit lll at each end of chamber i2 as illustrated in FIGURE l or as may be provided by nger projections, ribs or rings within chamber l2 at various positions along chamber 12, such as for example, at each end of chamber l2.

The heating means may be any means capable of heating conduit il and maintaining a preselected constant or gradient temperature in conduit lll. The heating means may advantageously be an electrically operated heating coil controlled at a pre-selected temperature by thermostats in the wall of conduit li. In the embodiment of FiGURE i, the heating means includes a heat exchange jacket I3 surrounding conduit lil and adapted for iiow of heat exchange liuid therethrough. The heat exchange iiuid is supplied by boiler 27 and condenser 29. A liquid of constant boiling point is charged to boiler 27 and heat is applied by heat source 23 which may be gas burner, electrical heating coil, furnace, etc. The liquid in boiler 27 is vaporized and charged as a heat exchange iluid to jacket 13 through line 27a. The vaporized fluid condenses in jacket 13 and/ or reux condenser 29 attached to jacket i3 by means of line 29a and is returned to boiler 27 for revaporization. Conduit 11 is heated by heat exchange with jacket 13.

Examples of constant boiling liquids and temperatures which may be obtained in conduit 1l. with each are as follows: l-2dichlorobenzene (about 350 F.), methyl benzoate (about 390 F.), m-xylene (about 280 to 285 F.), 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (about 415 to 420 F.), and benzoic acid anhydride (about 675 F.).

Jacket i3 is conveniently provided with insulation 16 to conserve heat and protect personnel from burns.

Conduit 1]. is mounted on a slope by mounting means, (not shown) to provide gravity flow therethrough. The illustrated slope is about 15 although it is to be understood that any slope can be used as will prvoide adequate flow. The mounting means may be any such means known to the art such as, for example, an assembly of clamps and bar stands as are used to position condensers and the like, a sling arrangement, an inclined surface, a supporting biock, etc. The mounting means may advantageously be adjustable to provide a number of differing degrees of slope or inclination in order to regulate gravity iiow rate through and fluid residence time within conduit il. Conduit 11 is thus positioned on an inclination providing an upper inlet end 9 and a lower outlet end ld. inlet end 9 of conduit 11 is provided with fuel inlet line i8 and air inlet line 19. Fuel inlet line 18 is advantageously provided with fuel meter means such as syringe 22 and air inlet line 19 may advantageously be provided with air meter means such as air meter 2l.

Lines 13 and 19 communicate with the interior of conduit it through chamber 14 in coupling 15 and through upper end 9. Conduit 11 is journaled to coupling i5 in such a manner as to permit rotation of conduit 1l without resulting rotation of coupling 15 and lines )i8 and 19.

Syringe 22 is a plunger-type syringe adapted for measuring fuel samples and constitutes the fuel meter means in the embodiment of FIGURE I. Plunger 23 is provided with worm gear receiver 24 which may be a tube having projections complementing worm gear 25 for translation of rotational movement of worm gear 25 into linear movement of receiver 24 and plunger 23. Worm gear 25 and receiver 24 comprise a worm gear linkworks assembly. Drive means 26, for example a constant speed electric motor, drives worm gear 25 at constant speed resulting in linear movement of plunger 23 within syringe 22 in a direction to provide iiow of iiuid from syringe 22 through line i8 at a constant rate.

At outlet end l0 of conduit lll, is outlet coupling 37 containing outlet chamber 35. Passing through chamber 35 is a rotatable extension conduit 32 which is rotatable with relation to coupling 37. Extension conduit 32 has a iiared end 31 into which conduit 11 is friction tted at lower end i9. On extension conduit 32 and within chamber 33 is an opening 3d adapted to permit flow of fluid from extension conduit 32 into chamber 35. Vent 36 is provided communicating within chamber 35 for withdrawing fluids from chamber 35. Vent 36 may conveniently be fitted with a vacuum pump (not shown) or the iike to provide better flow of iiuids from chamber 35.

Drive means, such as constant speed electric motor 33, are provided to rotate extension conduit 32 which in turn rotates conduit 11 through the fitted connection of flange 3l at lower end 10. Thus, the drive means is adapted to rotate an elongated conduit assembly formed by conduit il and extension conduit 32. Couplings i5 and 37 are aflixed in stationary position with relation to the rotatable conduit assembly.

Drive means 33 and drive means 26 may be controlled such as, for example, by control means 33, which may be a timer switch, for concurrently activating and deactivating both drive means, such as by control through leads 39a and 39b and leads 46a and 40h respectively.

As shown in FIGURES II and III respectively, in lieu of boiler 27, jacket 13 and condenser 29 of the embodiment of FIGURE I, an electrically operated heating coil 50 or a plurality of electrical heating coils may be used in heating conduit i1 in the apparatus of FIGURE I. Also, in lieu of boiler 27, jacket 13, condenser 29 and insulation I6, there may be employed a tapered electrical resistance element 70 as shown in FIGURE IV. The tapered resistance element maintains a temperature gradient along conduit l1 by resistance heating; such a temperature gradient may also be maintained by using coils of different resistance as coils 6G, 61 and d2 of FIGURE III or by varying the coil spacing of coil Si) in FIGURE II. Such means for obtaining a temperature gradient are known to the art.

Supports or holding means (not shown) may be provided to support or position various elements of the device wherever desired or needed. For example, such supports may be provided to hold couplings and 34 and heat exchanger 13 and insulation 16 stationary while rotating the conduit. Supports may also be provided for drive means 26 and 33, timer switch 33, air meter 2i', reflux condenser 29, boiler 2'7, heat source 2S, and other elements as desired or needed.

ln operation, with reference to FIGURE I, a sample of fuel to be tested is introduced into syringe 22 and conduit 11 is brought to the desired temperature by heating boiler 27 containing a heat exchange fluid. Timer switch 38 is .then turned on and `dr-ive means 33 and drive means 26 are thereby activated. rI`he fuel sample ilows through line 18 and la partial vacuum -applied at vent 36 draws air through air meter 2.1 and line 19. The air :meter may be iused -to control the rate of flow of air if desired. Only sufficient amounts of air are necessary to keep the interior service of conduit 11 swept free of vaporized fuel. This lamount of air is below that amount necessary to produce a ammabie or explosive fuel-air mixture.

Fuel from line 18 and air from line 19 are charged through chamber -14 in coupling 15 and into conduit 1i which is being rotated at `a `constant speed by drive means 33. The `fuel and air a-re heated in rotating conduit Il and continue owing through conduit 1i into conduit extension 32, Vand chamber 34 and are withdrawn from the Idevice through vent 36. After the total sample in syringe 22 has been charged through conduit l1, drive means 26 and 33 are deactivated by timer switch 3S. Timer switch may be provided with automatic means for deactivating drive means 26 and 33 after a pre-estimated length of time for the test.

After the test sample 'has been completely run, conduit 11 is removed from chamber i2 by disengaging conduit 11 from the friction tit with flange 3i fand from the journal fit with coupling 15. Conduit 11 is then pulled out endwise from chamber i2.

The deposits in conduit l1, after each test, are mea-sured for deposit weight and for deposit movement. The deposit weight may conveniently be determined Iby subtrac-ting the weight 'of conduit l1 before the test from the weight after the test. With regard to deposit movement, the gum and deposits appear as elongated streamers on the inner surface of conduit 11. The number of such streams appearing is determined and a measurement of each streamer is taken. The measure-ment of each streamer is the distance from upper end 9 of conduit M to (l) the trailing edge of, and (2) the furthest point of travel of each measured streamer within conduit Ii. It is probable in many tests that no trace of streamers d will appear in the upper end of conduit 11, however, the measurement from the upper end to the funthest point of travel of the streamer is still taken as a measurement of deposit movement.

During the operation of the device of this invention, with reference to the actual formation of gum and deposits in streamers within the rotating conduit, fuel and air are charged through -t-he heated rotating tube and deposits form in and/ or separate from the fuel-air mixture. The vfuel-air mixture is maintained in contact with the rotating surface within the conduit and sufficient air is swept through the conduit -to carry fuel vapors out of the apparatus, e.g. into a vacuum system. As the fuel proceeds down the conduit, light ends are distilled off leaving the heavy ends and gum precursors which are then free to react and further distill until, at some point intermediate the upper and lower ends of lthe conduit, viscosity or" the 'liquid ilm formed on the inner surface of the conduit increases to the point that further movement down the conduit is halted. Thus, at the end of a test, the distance which the deposits have moved is measured and Athe deposits ia-re weighed, e.g. after removal from the conduit. Distances of deposit movement correspond to distances of the leading edge and/ or trailing edge from the conduit inlet. It is important .that the conduit be rotated since, by so rotating, a large evaporating surface, symmetrical with regard to gravity, is provided. The large evaporating surface also permits overalil shortening of the apparatus and savings therefrom.

Although, in the above descriptions, the heating means provided a constant temperature within the conduit throughout the test, the heating means may also be one capable of providing la temperature gradient `along the ength of the conduit from one end of the conduit to the other end of ,the conduit, such as may be attained by using a plurality of electrical heating coils or a tapered electrical resistance element. W'here va gradient temperature is provided over the length of the conduit, it may be advantageous that the lower temperatures `be at the inlet of the yconduit and the higher temperatures be at the outlet ofthe conduit. Funther, such temperature gradient, when used, may be such as to provide temperatures differing by at 'least about 50 F. along the length of the conduit. Such gradient temperatures may be used to determine properties of `fuels under changing 4tempera-ture conditions such -as are found in an internal combustion engine. Based on my study of fuels with this device, I believe that a temperature gradient along :the conduit does not substantially increase accuracy or correlation of the device with yactual engine tests, and therefore, I prefer the use of a constant temperature along the conduit in view of its greater ease of attainment.

The conduit used for one test may be cleaned with appropriate solvents and may be reused in subsequent tests if desired. v

The device provided herein has become known as the Rotogum tester :and will, at times, be hereinafter referred to las such, or by like name. The test conducted in the Rotogum tester will ybe referred to as the Rotogum test.

Correiation between the Rotogum tester and several laboratory engine tests was studied. The performance with each of 18 fuel-additive blends in -the Rotogum test was compared with performance in the Lauson Engine Induction System Deposit test (Lauson Engine test) and the Union Induction System test (Union test.) The test proce dures were :as foliows:

Lauson Engine Test The Lauson Engine tests were run in accordance with a procedure described in la paper entitled: Evaluating Gasolines for Induction System Gums by C. C. Moore, I. L. Keller, W. C. Kent and F. Si. Ligget-t, presented before the SAE National Fuels and Lubricants Meeting in Tulsa, Gklahoma, held November 4-5, 1954 (available as Prcsatisfies s print No. 406 from the SAE Special Publications Department).

Union Test `The Union Induction System tests were run in accordance with the description in ASTM Special Technical Publication No. 292, Symposium on Vapor Phase Oxidation of Gasoline, ASTM, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 1957, pp- 21-40, formerly presented at the Second Pacific rea National Meeting of the above symposium at Los Angeles, California, September 19, 195 6.

Rotogum Test The apparatus used in this test procedure was a resistance furnace consisting of an insulated heating element positioned yaround a cm. length of glass tubing having about a 11A cm. inter-nal diameter. The glass tube constituted the conduit through which each sample :tested was flowed. The conduit was on an inclined slant at an angie of about 30. The glass tube was removable and replaceable with other like glass tubes. A Variac was used to main-tain a :temperature of about 400 F. within the tube and the temps-nature was controlled responsible to thermocouples within the tube. Each sample -tested had a voiume of 1GO ml. in the liquid state at room temperature `and each sample was allowed to flow through the glass tube at a sample injection rate of about 2.5 nil. per minute. The glass tube was rotated at a constant speed of about 72 11pm. The tair flow rate into the glass tube was controlled to provide a very rich `fuel-to-air mixture by providing less lthan stoichiometric amounts of `ai-r in the glass [tube relative to fuel. The flow of air was, however, fully suilicient to carry vapors from the tube. The tube was removed `after each sample and the total weight of deposits was determined. The length of movement of streamers from the inlet and the numbers of streamers were also determined.

The above three :test procedures lwere run on leaded gasoline compositions (3 cc. of comercial tetraethyllead fluid) containing various addition agents. Eighteen different fuels were used in preliminary tests to determine the correlation of the Rotogum test with an engine test, i.e. .the Lauson Engine test.

Correlation between the Rotogum and the Lauson Engine tests was studied with regard to the performance of the above-mentioned 18 fuel-additive blends `tested by each procedure. The degree of correlation between the test units was expressed in terms of the Spearman Rank Correlation Cofiicient. This coeicient is expressed as rho in the following formula:

wherein d is the numerical difference in rank (the quality sequence) between Lauson `and Rotogum test results of the same fuel and n is the total number of fuels which were compared in the ltwo units. Had the performance or quality sequence of the 18 fuels, as determined in the -Rotogum test, been identical to that from the Lauson test, there would be perfect correlation and rho would be equal to unity. If there were no correlation at all, then rho would equal zero.

Correlation of deposit weight was .also studied by comparing weight of the deposits resulting yin each test.

Rotogum results in correlation with Lauson engine resuits may also be represented in terms of deposit moveiment. The deposit movement (DM) term is expressed as follows:

l2oo-E XtXill is the distance of each streamer leading edge from the inlet.

Rotogum results may also be expressed in terms of an integrated expression, the Rotogum rating (RR), as follows:

Rotogum criteria: p Deposit weight 0.81 Deposit movement 0.79 Rating 0.85

The 4above reported rho values show that there is a significant correlation between the Rotogum and Lauson tests. Further, the interaction of deposit weight and deposit movement terms, as expressed by the Rotogum rating, is more closely related to engine performance than either deposit weight or deposit movement terms individually. By way of comparison of correlation with the Lauson test, the Union Induction System Apparatus used in the Union test, gave a rho value of 0.72 in tests of the same 18 fuels.

Limited full-scale multi-cylinder engine laboratory tests also have shown good agreement with the Rotogum tester. Additives which improve performance in the Rotogurn test also reduced induction system deposits in Chevrolet 6 and Oldsmobile tl-8 engines. 4It has also been observed that certain additives which increase deposit movement in the Rotogum apparatus also function as carburetor detergents in tests conducted with a Pontiac V-8 engine.

Precision of the Rotogum device, in terms of weight deposit, has also been found to be good. Standard deviations, expressed as percents of the mean of from 8 to l0 tests using the same fuel, were as follows:

Test: Standard deviation, percent Lauson engine 138 Union induction system l20 Rotogum x15 The Rotogum device gives precise data in the same or a lesser amount of time than either of the other two tests considered above, even though the Rotogum tests are run in duplicate for improved calculated precision.

it is evident from the above that l have provided a new device and testing procedure for determining deposit propenties of engine fuel compositions and particularly such properties as relate to deposit weight and deposit movement in the fuel induction system of an internal combustion engine. The results obtained are correlated with results obtained in an actual operating internal combustion engine.

I claim:

l. An engine fuel test device for indicating gum and deposit forming properties of an engine fuel which device comprises a jacket heating means having an elongated chamber, a heatable and rotatable elongated conduit within said chamber and `longitudinally and rotatably moveable within and removable from said chamber, stationary inlet means at a first end of said conduit for charging fluid engine fuel and oxygen-containing gas to said conduit, said stationary inlet means having inlet coupling means attached to said rotatable conduit, means for metering the flow of engine fuel and oxygen-containing gas to said conduit, said means including a plunger driven means for metering said engine fuel, stationary outlet means at a second end of said conduit, said stationary outlet means having outlet coupling means attached to said rotatable conduit, said conduit being adapted for rotation on an axis extending between said inlet means and said outlet means and substantially connecting said inlet means and said outlet means, means positioning said conduit on a slope whereby longitudinal gravity flow is provided from said inlet means to said outlet means, an inner surface within said conduit and capable of collecting gums and deposits, temperature control means for controlling the temperature of said inner surface at a preselected temperature within the range of from about 100 F. to about 700 F., motor driven means for rotating said conduit on said axis at a substantially constan-t speed, time actuated means for controlling said motor driven means for rotating whereby said means for rotating is capable of activation and deactivation, and means permitting the removal of said conduit `from said chamber `whereby gum and deposits on said inner surface may be measured as an indication of gum `and deposit properties correlated with the gum and deposit weight and movement tendencies `of said engine fuel in the fuel-induction system of an operating internai combustion engine.

2, An engine fuel test device for ascertain-ing the mobility and Weight of gum land deposits through the fuelinduction system of an internal combustion engine Where gum and deposits are formed in the fuel, which device comprises a heating jacket vadapted for ow of heating uid therethrough, a rotatable heatable elongated cylindrical conduit removably positioned within said jacket in heat receiving proximity to said jacket, means positioning said jacket containing said conduit on an inclined slant whereby the two ends of said conduit are definable as an upper end and a lower end with relation to each other,

said inclined slant being sufcient to provide gravity ilow of 'luid fuel through said conduit from said upper end to said lower end, at said upper end an inlet coupling containing an inlet chamber communicating Within said upper end of said conduit, said upper end being journaled in said inlet coupling, an air conduit communicating with said inlet chamber for carrying air to said inlet chamber, a plunger-type syringe `adapted to charge fuel to said inlet chamber, a constant speed irst electric motor, Worm gear link-works positioned between said iirst motor and the plunger of said syringe and adapted to convert the rotary movement of said motor into linear movement of said plunger within said sy1inge, at the lower end of said conduit, a removably connected rotatable cylindrical tubular extension of said conduit, said extension being friction connected to said lower end and rotatably protruding through an outlet coupling having an outlet chamber, means for uid communication between said outlet chamber and the interior of said extension, means for withdrawing lluid from said outlet chamber, a constant speed second electric motor adapted to rotate said extension and said conduit, and timer switch means for controlling said rst and second motors and providing concurrent activation and deactivation of said motors.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

Claims (1)

1. 2. AN ENGINE FUEL TEST DEVICE FOR ASCERTAINING THE MOBILITY AND WEIGHT OF GUM AND DEPOSITS THROUGH THE FUELINDUCTION SYSTEM OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE WHERE GUM AND DEPOSITS ARE FORMED IN THE FUEL, WHICH DEVICE COMPRISES A HEATING JACKET ADAPTED FOR FLOW OF HEATING FLUID THERETHROUGH, A ROTATABLE HEATABLE ELONGATED CYLINDRICAL CONDUIT REMOVABLY POSITIONED WITHIN SAID JACKET IN HEAT RECEIVING PROXIMITY TO SAID JACKET, MEANS POSITIONING SAID JACKET CONTAINING SAID CONDUIT ARE DEFINABLE AS WHEREBY THE TWO ENDS OF SAID CONDUIT ARE DEFINABLE AS AN UPPER END AND A LOWER END WITH RELATION TO EACH OTHER, SAID INCLINED SLANT BEING SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE GRAVITY FLOW OF FLUID FUEL THROUGH SAID CONDUIT FROM SAID UPPER END TO SAID LOWER END, AT SAID UPPER END AN INLET COUPLING CONTAINING AN INLET CHAMBER COMMUNICATING WITHIN SAID UPPER END OF SAID CONDUIT, SAID UPPER END BEING JOURNALED IN SAID INLET COUPLING, AN AIR CONDUIT COMMUNICATING WITH SAID INLET CHAMBER FOR CARRYING AIR TO SAID INLET CHAMBER, A PLUNGER-TYPE SYRINGE ADAPTED TO CHARGE FUEL TO SAID INLET CHAMBER, A CONSTANT SPEED FIRST ELECTRIC MOTOR, WORM GEAR LINK-WORKS POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID FIRST MOTOR AND THE PLUNGER OF SAID SYRINGE AND ADAPTED TO CONVERT THE ROTARY MOVEMENT OF SAID MOTOR INTO LINEAR MOVEMENT OF SAID PLUNGER WITHIN SAID SYRINGE, AT THE LOWER END OF SAID CONDUIT, A REMOVABLY CONNECTED ROTATABLE CYLINDRICAL TUBULAR EXTENSION OF SAID CONDUIT, SAID EXTENSION BEING FRICTION CONNECTED TO SAID LOWER END AND ROTATABLY PROTRUDING THROUGH AN OUTLET COUPLING HAVING AN OUTLET CHAMBER, MEANS FOR FLUID COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID OUTLET CHAMBER AND THE INTERIOR OF SAID EXTENSION, MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING FLUID FROM SAID OUTLET CHAMBER, A CONSTANT SPEED SECOND ELECTRIC MOTOR ADAPTED TO ROTATE SAID EXTENSION AND SAID CONDUIT, AND TIMER SWITCH MEANS FOR CONTROLLING SAID FIRST AND SECOND MOTORS AND PROVIDING CONCURRENT ACTIVATION AND DEACTIVATION OF SAID MOTORS.

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