WO2001098648A1

WO2001098648A1 - Intake manifold with fuel handler for internal combustion engines

Info

Publication number: WO2001098648A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/024227
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stanley E. Parker; Dennis R. Kuntz; David A. Cain
Original assignee: Pure Energy Group, L.L.C.
Priority date: 2000-06-22
Filing date: 2000-09-01
Publication date: 2001-12-27
Also published as: AU2000269502A1

Abstract

A fuel handler (50) is formed as an intake manifold which may be substituted for the existing intake manifold (18), so as to provide the dual purpose of fuel distribution to the combustion chambers (26a, 26b) and heating of the fuel (42) prior to entry into the combustion chamber (26a, 26b).

Description

INTAKE MANIFOLD WITH FUEL HANDLER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to fuel handlers for internal

combustion engines, and, more specifically, to fuel handlers adapted to heat fuel

prior to introduction into a combustion chamber of the engine.

Background of the Invention

Most vehicles and a great many useful tools rely on the internal

combustion engine to power them. As its name suggests, the internal combustion

engine produces power through the combustion of fuel, such as gasoline. Internal

combustion engines are recognized, however, to be quite inefficient. Consequently,

in addition to producing power, the internal combustion engine also produces a

significant amount of waste heat and pollutants as a by-product of the combustion

process. Typically, gasoline or other fuel is pumped from a gas tank to a fuel

delivery device, two examples of which include carburetors and fuel injector

systems. These fuel delivery devices typically mix air into the fuel, and in turn,

supply the fuel and any mixed air to an intake manifold. The intake manifold

distributes the fuel from the carburetor or other fuel delivery device to the

combustion chamber of individual cylinders in the engine block or head. The fuel

delivery device and intake manifold are usually bolted together such that the

outlet(s) of the fuel delivery device sits atop, and is thus axially aligned with, the

inlet(s) of the intake manifold. The fuel delivery device is also connected by

linkages to the rest of the engine system, such as to be under control of the gas

pedal for example.

When the fuel in the combustion chamber explodes, power is

generated. Hot exhaust gases are also created. These hot exhaust gases are

typically expelled from the combustion chamber in a hot exhaust stream such as

through an exhaust manifold, through a catalytic converter, and out to the

environment through an exhaust tailpipe. The hot exhaust stream may include

unburnt fuel, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and other environmentally

unfriendly components, some of which are intended to be reduced by the catalytic

converter, which may in turn create other environmentally unfriendly components.

With the large number of internal combustion engines in use, and

especially the persistent use of automobiles, the fuel efficiency of the internal

combustion engine and the discharge of harmful exhaust emissions therefrom are of great concern. Accordingly, significant effort and resources have been devoted to

attempts aimed at increasing fuel efficiency of the internal combustion engine. Similar efforts and resources have been devoted to the need to reduce harmful

emissions in the exhaust stream. Sometimes, these efforts have been at cross purposes, or are quite costly.

It has been proposed to preheat the fuel prior to combustion to both

improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. It is believed that sufficiently

preheating the fuel before introduction into the combustion chamber will cause the

fuel to burn fully and thereby produce more useful power, and less waste heat or

polluting emissions. Common to many proposals for preheating the fuel is passage

of the fuel from the carburetor, for example, through a fuel handler adapted to heat

the fuel before it is coupled to the intake manifold. Such a fuel heater or fuel

handler is, in its simplest form, actually two tubes, one inside the other. The inner

tube or tubes are thermally conductive and allow the fuel to flow there through so

as to couple the fuel between the fuel delivery device and the intake manifold. The

outer tube is coupled in series with the hot exhaust stream so as to pass the hot

exhaust over the inner tube(s) thereby heating the fuel therein such that the fuel

coupled to the intake manifold is heated. One particularly promising approach to

such fuel handlers is referred to as a ram tube and is described in U.S. Patent No. .

5,396,866, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The ram tube concept is believed to be significantly better, and more cost effective,

than many other attempts to both improve efficiency and reduce harmful emissions of the internal combustion engine.

To function properly, the fuel within the inner tube(s) must be

elevated to very high temperatures before discharge into the intake manifold. That

significant heating requirement has been found to present substantial challenges to constructing and deploying a successful fuel handler, including the ram tube of the

aforementioned '866 patent. In this regard, the fuel handler generally requires very sturdy, and typically bulky, metal tubes, especially for the inner tube(s). These

requirements for the tubes present certain difficulties in the construction of the fuel

handler, as well as thermal conduction issues that can affect operation of the fuel

handler. Additionally, the fuel handler must be placed into the path of the air-fuel mixture between the fuel delivery device and the intake manifold. To be effective,

the fuel handler should be mounted very close to the intake manifold or fuel

delivery device and thus inside the engine compartment, for example. However,

the sheer bulk of the tubes interferes with ready deployment of the fuel handler in

the engine compartment. As a consequence, mounting the fuel handler between

the fuel delivery device and the intake manifold has presented space problems that

are difficult to resolve.

By way of example, the inner tube may be so long that when

mounted in place, the fuel delivery device will impact against, and may even project

through, the hood of the vehicle. To overcome that situation, one suggestion in the

aforementioned '866 patent is to gently bend the heated tube so that some of its

length runs generally horizontally along the engine, rather than upwardly therefrom,

so as to provide a lower overall profile. While that approach has the advantage that

the fuel delivery device may be kept away from the hood, it presents some

additional difficulties. For example, the bulky, rigid tubes are not easy to bend

along their length, so construction can be difficult. That approach also results in the

inlet and outlet ends of the inner tube being axially offset, thereby necessitating that

the fuel delivery device also be axially offset from its original position and thus out of alignment with the intake manifold. Such axial offset typically would upset the linkage arrangement to the fuel delivery device requiring extensive rework of those

linkages as well as mounting brackets for the fuel delivery device.

We have developed significant improvements which allow the fuel

handler to be coupled between a fuel delivery device and an intake manifold

without requiring that the fuel delivery device project into or through the hood, or

entail extensive rework of linkages or mounting brackets; and which can be readily

constructed without having to bend any fuel tubes; and which further has

advantageous thermal conductivity properties, all as shown and described in our

copending United States Patent Application entitled "Fuel Handler Box and Method

for Internal Combustion Engines", filed with the United States Patent and

Trademark Office on June 20, 2000 by Express Mail (No. EL583222942US), the

disclosure of which is incorporated in its entirety by reference as if fully set forth herein.

While the specific embodiments shown in our aforementioned

copending application allow the fuel delivery device to be mounted in substantially

its original axial orientation relative to the intake manifold, they still show the fuel

delivery device elevated from its original elevation relative to the intake manifold.

Additionally, the embodiments shown therein add further structure, i.e., the fuel

handler, to the internal combustion engine. It is desired to provide the fuel handler

such that the fuel delivery device may be mounted in substantially its original spatial

relationship (e.g., axial orientation and elevation) relative to the engine block, and

particularly the manifold thereof. It is further desired to avoid the addition of further structure to the internal combustion engine. Summary of Invention

The present invention provides improved fuel handlers that satisfy

both needs in that the fuel delivery device may be mounted to the fuel handler in

substantially its original spatial orientation relative to the engine block and intake

manifold thereof, while also minimizing the need to add further structure to the

engine. To this end, and in accordance with the principles of the present invention,

the fuel handler is formed as an intake manifold which may be substituted for the

existing intake manifold, so as to provide the dual purpose of fuel distribution to the

combustion chambers and heating of the fuel prior to entry into the combustion chamber. A typical intake manifold, or other comparable device, is intended to

distribute fuel from a fuel delivery device, such as a carburetor, fuel injector or

throttle body or the like, into the combustion chambers of the engine block. Such

fuel distributors are generally formed as a solid body with channels extending through the solid body to provide fuel paths communicating between the fuel inlet

orifice (s) at the top of the manifold, and outlet orifices mounted against the engine

head(s) for direct communication into respective combustion chambers. The intake

manifold of the present invention replaces the generally solid body of the intake

manifold with a generally sealed housing shaped like a manifold and having an

interior space or void through which a plurality of fuel tubes extend between the

manifold inlet orifice(s) and outlet orifices, with the interior space coupled into the

hot exhaust stream of the engine so as to heat the fuel tubes, and thereby elevate

the temperature of the fuel therein.

The intake manifold of the present invention may be formed to match

the profile of an existing manifold so as to be a direct replacement therefor, or may be formed to mate with an engine designed for the dual purpose intake manifold.

The intake manifold of the present invention may also employ the construction and

thermal conductivity enhancements of our aforementioned copending patent

application, although forming the manifold of the present invention by casting it as

a single, integral unit is considered advantageous.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the

intake manifold may be designed to facilitate oil collection within the engine block.

To this end, it will be appreciated that the underside of the typical intake manifold is

generally flat, and spaced from the block therebelow, so as to define an oil valley for

collection of oil by the engine block. To facilitate that collection of oil, the intake

manifold of the present invention may be formed with sloped walls to define the

underside, with the sloped walls advantageously joined to form a generally V-

shaped cross section of the bottom wall of the intake manifold. The sloped walls

provide a heated drip surface which encourages the oil to drop off onto the engine

block therebelow where the oil may then be collected up by the block in

conventional fashion.

By virtue of the foregoing, there are thus provided dual purpose

intake manifolds that both distribute the fuel to the combustion chamber(s) as an

intake manifold and also heat the fuel to improve fuel efficiency and reduce

emissions as a fuel handler, and which allows the fuel delivery device to be

maintained in its original or predetermined spatial orientation. There are also

further provided methods of modifying internal combustion engines to take

advantage of the dual purpose intake manifold of the present invention. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention shall be made apparent from

the accompanying drawings and the description thereof.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and

constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,

together with the general description of the invention given above and the detailed

description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

Fig. 1 is a partially cross-sectional view of an internal combustion

engine in an automobile for purposes of explaining the uses and advantages of the

present invention;

Fig. 2 is a partially cross-sectional, exploded view of the internal

combustion engine of Fig. 1 showing removal of the existing intake manifold and

replacement thereof with an intake manifold having the features of the present

invention for purposes of explaining the principles of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a partially cross-sectional view side view of the internal combustion engine of Fig. 1 incorporating an embodiment of an intake manifold in

accordance with the principles of the present invention, and which may be used in

Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a partially cross-sectional top plan view of the intake manifold of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective, cross-sectional view of a fuel tube of the intake manifold of Fig. 3; and Fig. 6 is a top plan view of an alternate fuel tube for the intake manifold of Fig. 3.

Detailed Description of the Drawings

With reference to Fig. 1, a conventional internal combustion engine

10 is mounted in the engine compartment 12 under the closed hood 13 of a vehicle

such as an automobile 14, and includes a fuel delivery device 16 such as a

carburetor mounted directly to an intake manifold 18. The fuel delivery device 16

and intake manifold 18 are mounted such that the fuel outlet orifices 20 of the

carburetor, for example, are axially aligned with the fuel inlet orifices 22 of the

intake manifold 18. Intake manifold 18 is essentially a solid metal body with a

plurality of channels 24a, 24b extending there through to couple the fuel inlet

orifices 22 to respective combustion chambers 26a, 26b of individual cylinders 28a,

28b in the engine block 30. To this end, channels 24a couple to the combustion

chambers of cylinders 28a in head 30a of block 30, while channels 24b couple to

the combustion chambers of cylinders 28b in head 30b of block 30. While only

one channel, chamber and cylinder are shown on each side of block 30, it will be

appreciated that there may be only one, or multiple, such channels, chambers and

cylinders in accordance with the type of engine.

In addition to its axial orientation with intake manifold 18, fuel

delivery device 16 is at a predetermined elevation relative thereto and to the rest of

block 30, as well. The axial orientation and elevation of fuel delivery device 16

relative to intake manifold 18, for example, defines a predetermined spatial

relationship therebetween. Also, fuel delivery device 16 includes various linkages

and/or mounting brackets, as at 32, for control and operation of the fuel delivery device 16, such as by the gas pedal 34. The linkages and/or mounting brackets 32

are typically designed and installed to correlate with the predetermined spatial

relationship, and could require extensive rework if that relationship is altered in any

meaningful way.

Mounted to block 30 are respective exhaust manifolds 40a, 40b coupled to the combustion chambers 26 of cylinders 28a and 28b respectively.

Upon combustion of fuel 42 within chambers 26, hot exhaust gases are expelled in

a hot exhaust stream, as exemplified by arrows 44, into manifolds 40a or 40b,

which in turn are coupled by exhaust pipes 46 to a catalytic converter 48, intended

to reduce harmful hydrocarbon emissions, and then into the environment as at 49

via tail pipe 48a.

Providing a fuel handler to improve fuel efficiency of engine 10 and

to also reduce harmful hydrocarbon emissions is accomplished by interposing the

fuel handler between fuel delivery device 16 and combustion chambers 26.

Advantageously, the fuel handler is to be formed so that when mounted to engine

10, fuel delivery device 16 will remain in its predetermined spatial orientation

thereby minimizing, if not altogether avoiding, any rework of the linkages and/or

mounting brackets 32. To this end, and in accordance with the principles of the

present invention, the existing intake manifold is to be replaced with a dual purpose

intake manifold/fuel handler such as embodiment 50 (Figs. 3 and 4) as will

hereinafter be described.

With reference to Fig. 2, it will be appreciated that the typical intake

manifold 18 is comprised of a generally solid body 60 having a top wall 62 with fuel

inlet orifices 22 accessible thereat, and an oppositely disposed, generally flat bottom wall 68. The top wall 62 is interconnected to bottom wall 68 by intermediate

upper walls 70 and head walls 72, the latter of which each include a plurality of fuel

outlet orifices 74 equal in number to the number of combustion chambers 26 to

which fuel 42 is to be communicated from that side of the manifold 18. To

distribute the fuel 42 from the inlet orifices 22 to the outlet orifices 74, a plurality of

channels 24a, 24b are formed in the otherwise generally solid block of body 60.

Each channel 24a, 24b provides a pathway between an inlet orifice 22 and an

outlet orifice 74 by which to communicate fuel 42 into the respective combustion

chambers 26. Additionally, when mounted to block 30, intake manifold 18

cooperates therewith to create an oil valley 85 between flat bottom wall 68 and the

top surface 88 of block 30, whereat oil (not shown) may be collected up by block

30 as is conventional.

The size of intake manifold 18 in any given engine 10, and its relative placement of the inlet orifices 22, cooperate to provide a mounting platform for fuel

delivery device 16 in the aforesaid predetermined spatial relationship. In this

regard, fuel delivery device 16 is typically bolted directly to intake manifold 18 with

studs and nuts (both not shown in Fig. 1) with respective orifices 20 and 22 axially

aligned. Manifold 18 is similarly bolted to the heads of block 30 by fasteners (also

not shown in Fig. 1)

To provide the function of fuel distribution as is characteristic of

intake manifold 18, while also providing the advantages of a fuel handler to heat

fuel 42, all without disturbing the spatial relationship of the fuel delivery device 16,

there is provided a modified intake manifold, such as embodiment 50, as will now

be described with references to Figs. 3 and 4 which reveal that intake manifold 50 is formed to be coupled to fuel delivery device 16 and block 30 as a substantial

replacement for intake manifold 18. To this end, intake manifold 50 includes a top

wall 100, intermediate upper walls 102, head walls 104, and sloped bottom walls

106, as well as back and front walls 108, 110 all joined together so as to define a

generally sealed housing 120 with an interior space or void 125 defined therein.

Housing 120 is generally formed to have the same size as intake manifold 18, with

the walls thereof providing an outward appearance very much like that of intake

manifold 18. As a consequence, intake manifold 50 according to the principles of

the present invention may be bodily substituted for intake manifold 18 as indicated in Fig. 2.

Top wall 100 is adapted to mate with fuel delivery device 16 as did

top wall 62 of intake manifold 18. Similarly, head walls 104 are formed to mate up

with heads 30a and 30b as did head walls 72 of intake manifold 18. Formed in

front and back walls 110, 108, for example, are an exhaust inlet 130 and an

exhaust outlet 132, respectively, adapted to place housing interior 125 in series in

the hot exhaust stream 44 (Fig. 4). To this end, the internal combustion engine 10

must be modified slightly to divert at least part of the hot exhaust stream 44 into

intake manifold housing 120, which can be accomplished by replacing one of

manifold exhaust pipes 46 with a new piece of exhaust pipe 150 to couple manifold

40a, for example, to exhaust inlet 130 of housing 120. Exhaust outlet 132 is coupled via another length of exhaust pipe 152 into the existing hot exhaust stream

44 so as to flow hot gasses towards catalytic converter 48. Consequently, housing

120, and especially internal space 125 thereof, is placed in series with the hot exhaust stream 44 to thereby heat interior space 125 and fuel 42 carried there

through as will be described hereinafter.

Exhaust inlet and outlet 130, 132 may be formed on opposite walls

as shown herein, or may be formed on the same or other walls of housing 120 as

desired or convenient, although placement that causes the hot exhaust stream to

traverse as much of interior space 125 as possible is advantageous.

Formed at top wall 100 is a pair of first and second fuel inlets 160, 162. Formed at head walls 104 are a plurality of fuel outlets 164, 166 equal in

number to the number of combustion chambers 26 to which fuel is to be

communicated. Fuel inlets 160, 162 are positioned to couple directly to the fuel

outlet orifices 20 of fuel delivery device 16, and fuel outlets 164, 166 are positioned

to couple directly to the combustion chambers 26a or 26b, when the components

are mounted together. To this end, fuel inlets 160 and 162 are advantageously

positioned on top wall 100 at the same location as are the fuel inlet orifices 22 on

top surface 62 of intake manifold 18 such that when fuel delivery device 16 is

mounted to intake manifold 50, respective orifices 20 and inlets 160, 162 are

axially aligned. Similarly, fuel outlets 164, 166 are advantageously positioned

along head walls 104 at the same locations as are the fuel outlet orifices 74

positioned along head walls 72 of intake manifold.

Channels 24a, 24b of intake manifold 18 are replaced with a plurality of thermally conductive fuel tubes 180, 182. Fuel tubes 180 extend between and

couple first fuel inlet 160 to respective ones of fuel outlets 166, while fuel tubes 182

extend between and couple second fuel inlet 162 to respective ones of fuel outlets

164, so as to distribute fuel 42 from the inlets 160, 162 to the combustion chambers via outlets 164, 166 in generally the same manner as accomplished by channels

24a, 24b of intake manifold 18. As a consequence, intake manifold 50 performs as

a substitute for intake manifold 18 and further supports fuel delivery device 16

thereon for proper operation in substantially its predetermined spatial relationship

as before when it was mounted to intake manifold 18.

Further, fuel tubes 180, 182 carry fuel 42 through their interior from

the fuel delivery device orifices 20 of fuel delivery device 16, whereby to heat the

fuel 42 as it travels along the tubes, after which the fuel is expelled so as to be

communicated into the combustion chambers 26. Consequently, intake manifold

50 also provides the function of a fuel handler in generally the same space as

previously occupied by intake manifold 18 and without requiring separate

components for the intake manifold and fuel handler.

To facilitate coupling of fuel tubes 180, 182 to fuel inlets 160, 162,

distribution members 190 (Fig. 4) are provided. Each distribution member 190 is

an elongated, generally hollow member extending below top wall 100 within

interior space 125 and having a plurality of apertures 192 formed on its underside

194 to couple to the proximal ends 196 of the fuel tubes 180 or 182. Thus, the

number of apertures 192 will be equal in number to the number of fuel tubes 180

or 182 which are to couple thereto. The upper side 198 of members 190 are

generally closed at top wall 100 except for fuel inlet 160 or 162, respectively.

As will be appreciated from Figs. 3 and 4, each fuel tube 180 criss¬

crosses with a respective fuel tube 182 such that portions 200 and 202 of a pair of

fuel tubes 180, 182 are in overlying relationship. Advantageously, the sidewall 210

of the tubes 180, 182 do not touch, either in portions 200 and 202 or in any adjacent ones of tubes 180 and/or 182, so as to avoid cold spots along fuel tubes

180, 182. In any event, it is seen that for each pair of fuel tubes 180, 182, one of

the fuel tubes 180 initially extends from fuel inlet 160 in a first direction D_x, while

the other fuel tube 182 initially extends from fuel inlet 162 in a second, different,

direction D₂. The two directions may be generally opposite as shown in Fig. 4, and

the tube direction advantageously extends to the opposite direction after a distance

so as to define an elongated curved path whereby to cause fuel 42 to impinge on a

sidewall of a tube 180, 182 and/or retain the fuel 42 in the fuel tubes 180, 182 as

long as possible for as much heat transfer thereto as possible.

Fuel tubes 180, 182 are contained within interior space 125 such that

the hot exhaust stream 44 heats the sidewall 210 thereof and thus fuel 42 received

from the fuel delivery device 16 and traveling along the curved path defined

between fuel inlets 160, 162 and fuel outlets 164, 166 by the tubes 180, 182 so as

to expel heated fuel from the outlets 164, 166. Alternatively, each fuel tube 180,

182 may be formed so as to provide multiple changes in direction with a greater

likelihood that the fuel 42 will impinge the sidewall 210 rather than remain in the

center of the tube as it traverses the intake manifold 50. To this end, by way of

example, the generally U-shaped (in cross-section) tubes 180, 182 may be replaced

with tubes having a W-shape in cross-section as exemplified by alternate tube 180'

of Fig. 6. The added bends of tube 180' also may provide a longer fuel path for

greater heating time, as well.

As will be appreciated, fuel tubes 180, 182 are quite bulky and rigid

and therefore can be quite difficult to manually bend along their length. The

manual bending may be avoided by using separate segments joined end-to-end as described in our aforementioned copending patent application, or the entire unit of

intake manifold 50, including the walls; the exhaust and fuel inlets and outlets; and

fuel tubes; could be formed as an integral or single body, with interior space 125 for

tubes 180, 182 and exhaust stream 44 to pass through, by casting techniques

known in the automotive industry.

During operation of engine 10, a fuel line operably connects to the

fuel tank (both not shown) of automobile 10 to pump fuel 42 to fuel delivery device

16. Air may then be mixed with the fuel 42 to form a fuel-air mixture which is then

coupled into the intake manifold 50 to be passed through fuel tubes 180, 182 of

intake manifold/fuel handler 50. As the fuel travels through the fuel tubes toward

fuel outlets 164, 166, the fuel (or fuel-air mixture) is heated by the hot exhaust

stream 44 circulating through the interior space 125 of housing 120 between

exhaust inlet and outlet 130, 132 and heating up each sidewall 210 of the tubes, which in turn is impinged by the flowing fuel 42. The heated fuel exits the fuel

handler 50 to be communicated into the respective combustion chambers 26a, 26b

of the individual cylinders 28a, 28b to be ignited or combusted. Advantageously,

the fuel 42 enters the fuel handler 50 at a temperature of about 50°F and is heated

as it travels along the length of the fuel tubes 180, 182, reaching a temperature of

between about 350-400°F, preferably at or above 380°F just as it exits the fuel

tubes and fuel handler 50. In one application, the exhaust gas enters the fuel

handler 50 at about 1000°F and exits the fuel handler at about 400°F.

To facilitate the heating of the fuel 42 within fuel tubes 180, 182, the fuel tubes are constructed of a thermally conductive material such as copper,

stainless steel, nickel, titanium, or other sturdy, thermally conductive material. Where intake manifold/fuel handler 50 is a cast unit, cast iron may be used.

Moreover, the thermal conductivity of the fuel tubes 180, 182 may be enhanced by

the application of a silver coating (not shown) to the exterior surfaces of tube

sidewalls 210. Tubes 180, 182 have a diameter of about 1 to 2" with a sidewall

210 thickness of about 1/16". It will be appreciated that the dimensions of the tubes

may vary depending on the particular application. The walls forming the housing

120 are advantageously made from materials capable of withstanding high

temperatures such as stainless steel, nickel, titanium, or the like (or cast iron where

the unit is cast), and have a thickness of about 1/8". It will be appreciated that the

size of the housing 120 will vary as a function of the size and geometry of the space

or footprint into which the intake manifold is intended to fit, whether it be as a

retrofit replacement for an existing intake manifold, or for an engine designed for a

dual intake manifold/fuel handler in accordance with the principles of the present invention. To facilitate attachment of manifold 50 to fuel delivery device 16, a

mounting plate 220 may be formed as part of or along top wall 100 so as to

provide a relatively thicker (e./g., about 3/8") and generally smooth, planar surface

to provide a secure mount to the fuel delivery device 16, as will be readily

appreciated. In order to maintain the heat within the interior space 125 of housing

120, at least the upper or exposed aspect of housing 120 may be wrapped in some

type of insulative jacket (not shown) such as one made from fiberglass.

To further enhance the thermal behavior of the fuel tubes, one or more heat masses are affixed to or formed on the sidewall 210 of each tube 180,

182 such as described in our aforementioned copending patent application.

Reference will be had to the heat mass(es) on one of fuel tubes 180 for ease of explanation, it being understood that such heat mass(es) may also be provided on

the other fuel tubes 180 and/or 182, as well. To this end, and as may be seen in

Fig. 5, one such heat mass is provided by one or more fins 242 extending along

sidewall 210. Fins 242 may be planar, or of generally uniform width in cross-

section as they extend radially away from sidewall 210, or they may taper as shown

in Fig. 5. In this regard, each fin 242 may have a width W_: adjacent or at sidewall

210, and a second, smaller width W₂ spaced radially away from sidewall 210. One

or more fins 242 may extend radially outwardly of tube 180 as shown in solid line, or may extend radially inwardly inside of the tube as shown in phantom line, or

both. Additionally, the fin(s) may extend laterally along sidewall 210 either axially

therealong or in a spiral pattern, like rifling, the latter being especially advantageous

where the fin(s) extend radially inwardly. The fins 242 may be of any thermally

conducting material, such as copper, or whatever material is used for fuel tube 180.

Although shown with two fuel inlets 160, 162 and multiple two fuel

outlets 164, 166 which couple respectively to the corresponding orifices 20 of the

fuel delivery device 16 and the combustion chambers 26, it will be appreciated that

some fuel delivery devices and/or blocks may have more or fewer orifices.

Similarly, the fuel handler 50 may need fewer or more fuel inlets and fuel outlets to

match up with the fuel delivery device and/or inlets to the combustion chambers as

will be dictated by the particular engine design.

In use, the fuel delivery device 16 is separated from the existing

intake manifold 18, and a replacement intake manifold/fuel handler of the present

invention, such as fuel handler 50, sized to fit within generally the same footprint as

the original intake manifold 18, is interposed therebetween, all as exemplified by Fig. 2. The fuel handler is intended to be retrofitted onto the engine 10 without making significant modifications to either the block 30, or the fuel delivery device

16, except as necessary to route the hot exhaust stream 44 into manifold 50. Fuel

delivery device 16 is typically bolted to manifold 18 with studs and nuts 250 (Fig.

3), with manifold 18 mounted to heads 30a, 30b with fasteners 252 (Fig. 4), which

collectively define a predetermined spatial relationship to fuel delivery device 16

relative block 30 and/or intake manifold 18. Stud and nuts 250 may similarly be

used to bolt fuel delivery device 16 to mounting plate 220 of manifold 50, with

fasteners 252 used to similarly secure manifold 50 to block 30 via through-holes

254 (Fig. 4). The mounting arrangement cooperates to retain fuel delivery device

in substantially its predetermined spatial relationship such that none of the linkages

and/or mounting brackets 32 need to be modified to complete the installation

process. With a fuel handler added to the engine 10 as hereinabove described, the

catalytic converter 48 may be bypassed or removed as unnecessary, such that

exhaust pipe 46 is coupled directly to tail pipe 50.

With intake manifold 50 mounted to block 30, the sloped bottom

walls 106 advantageously join to define a V-shape in cross section. The sloped

bottom walls 106 thus protrude into oil valley 85 to provide a drip surface,

advantageously heated by hot exhaust stream 44 impinging thereon from within

housing 120, to thereby encourage oil to drop off onto engine block 30 to be

collected up thereby in conventional fashion.

By virtue of the foregoing, there are thus provided dual purpose

intake manifold and also heat the fuel to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions as a fuel handler, and which allows the fuel delivery device to be

maintained in its original or predetermined spatial orientation. There are also

further provided methods of modifying internal combustion engines to take

advantage of the dual purpose intake manifold of the present invention.

While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of

embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described in

considerable detail, it is not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the

appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will

readily appear to those skilled in the art. For example, the hot exhaust stream 44

from fewer or more of the combustion chambers 26 may be coupled through the

fuel handler. Additionally, the features of the present invention may be deployed

either as retrofit or replacement products or for use with newly designed engines

blocks. Fuel delivery device 16 may be a carburetor or other fuel delivery device

such as fuel injectors, injector throttle bodies, or other devices designed to aerate

the fuel and/or accelerate the fuel for delivery into the intake manifold or similar

structure adapted to distribute the fuel to the combustion chambers. Similarly,

while the invention is described in the context of an intake manifold, the term is

used broadly to refer to fuel distribution units that distribute fuel from a fuel delivery

device to the combustion chambers, one other example of which is a tunnel ram.

The invention in its broader aspects is, therefore, not limited to the specific details,

representative apparatus and method, and illustrative examples shown and

described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without

departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept.

Claims

Having described the invention, what is claimed is: (1) An intake manifold (50) to replace an existing intake manifold (18) of

an internal combustion engine (10), the existing manifold (18) being

adapted to be mounted to a fuel delivery device (16) and an engine head

(30a or 30b) of said internal combustion engine (10), the existing manifold

(18) being defined by a body (60) adapted to fit within a predefined

footprint between said fuel delivery device (16) and said engine head (30a

or 30b), and having a fuel inlet (22) and a fuel outlet (74) adapted to

couple, respectively, to said fuel delivery device (16) and a combustion

chamber (26) in said engine head (30a or 30b) such as to hold said fuel

delivery device (16) and said engine head (30a or 30b) in a predetermined

spatial relationship, said intake manifold (50) comprising a generally sealed

housing (120) having a fuel inlet (160 or 162) and a fuel outlet (164 or 166)

positioned on the housing (120), and the housing (120) being sized to fit

within said predefined footprint, such that said intake manifold (50) is

adapted to operably couple to said fuel delivery device (16) and said engine

head combustion chamber (26) and hold same in substantially the same

predetermined spatial relationship characterized in that the housing (120)

has walls (100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110) joined together to define an

interior space (125) with an exhaust input (130) and an exhaust output

(132) adapted to couple the housing interior space (125) in series in a hot

exhaust stream (44) of said engine (10), and a thermally conductive fuel tube (180 or 182) in the housing interior space (125) coupling the fuel inlet

(160 or 162) and fuel outlet (164 or 166) whereby to receive fuel (42) from said fuel delivery device (16) and expel heated fuel into said combustion

chamber (26).

(2) An intake manifold (50) to replace an existing intake manifold (18) of

an internal combustion engine (10), the existing manifold (18) being

adapted to be mounted to a fuel delivery device (16) and an engine head

(30a or 30b) of said internal combustion engine (10), the existing manifold

(18) being defined by a body (60) adapted to fit within a predefined

footprint between said fuel delivery device (16) and said engine head (30a

or 30b), and having first and second fuel inlets (22) and a plurality of fuel

outlets (74) adapted to couple, respectively, to said fuel delivery device (16)

and respective combustion chambers (26) in said engine head (30a or 30b)

such as to hold said fuel delivery device (16) and said engine head (30a or

30b) in a predetermined spatial relationship, said intake manifold (50)

comprising a generally sealed housing (120) having first and second fuel

inlets (160, 162) and a plurality of fuel outlets (164, 166) positioned on the

housing (120), and the housing (120) being sized to fit within said

predefined footprint, such that said intake manifold (50) is adapted to

operably couple to said fuel delivery device (16) and said engine head

combustion chambers (26) and hold same in substantially the same

predetermined spatial relationship, characterized in that the housing (120)

has walls (100, 102, 104, 106, 108, 110) joined together to define an

interior space with an exhaust input (130) and an exhaust output (132) adapted to couple the housing interior space (125) in series in a hot exhaust

stream (44) of said engine (10), and a plurality of thermally conductive fuel

tubes (180, 182) in the housing interior space, first ones (180) of which

couple the first fuel inlet (160) to first ones of the fuel outlets (166), and

second ones (182) of which couple the second fuel inlet (162) to second

ones of the fuel outlets (164), whereby to receive fuel (42) from said fuel

delivery device (16) and expel heated fuel into said combustion chambers

(26).

(3) An intake manifold (50) for an internal combustion engine (10), the

intake manifold comprising a generally sealed housing (120) being adapted

to be coupled directly to a fuel delivery device (16) and an engine head

(30a or 30b) of said internal combustion engine (10), and having a fuel inlet

(160 or 162) adapted to be coupled to said fuel delivery device (16) and a

plurality of fuel outlets (164, 166) adapted to be coupled to said engine

head (30a or 30b) with each of the fuel outlets (164, 166) being coupled to

a respective combustion chamber (26) of said internal combustion engine

(10), characterized in that the housing (120) has walls (100, 102, 104, 106,

108, 110) joined together to define an interior space (125) with an exhaust

input (130) and an exhaust output (132) adapted to couple the housing

interior space (125) in series in a hot exhaust stream (44) of said engine

(10), and a plurality of thermally conductive fuel tubes (180, 182) in the

housing interior space (125) being coupled to the fuel inlet (160, 162) to receive fuel (42) from said fuel delivery device (16), each fuel tube (180,

182) being coupled to a respective one of the plurality of fuel outlets (164,

166), whereby to expel heated fuel into said combustion chamber (26).

(4) An intake manifold as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the existing

manifold (18) has a plurality of fuel outlets (74) each adapted to be coupled

to a respective combustion chamber (26) of said engine head (30a or 30b),

said intake manifold (50) further comprising a plurality of fuel outlets (164,

166) on the housing (120) and a plurality of thermally conductive fuel tubes

(180, 182) coupling the fuel inlet (160) and respective ones of the fuel outlets (162).

(5) An intake manifold as claimed in any of Claims 2 through 4 further

comprising a distribution member (190) coupling selected ones of the fuel

inlets (160, 162) to a plurality of apertures (192), each of the apertures

(192) being respectively coupled to the selected ones of the fuel tubes (180,

182).

(6) An intake manifold as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the

housing (120) includes a bottom surface (106) comprised of first and second

sloped portions (106). (7) An intake manifold as claimed in Claim 6, wherein first and second

sloped portions (106) are joined to form a V-shaped cross-section.

(8) An intake manifold as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the

housing (120) and the fuel tube (180 or 182) are an integral piece.

(9) An intake manifold as claimed in Claims 1 or any of Claims 6

through 8 when depend on claim 1, further comprising a heat mass (242)

operably affixed to a sidewall (210) of the fuel tube (180 or 182).

(10) An intake manifold as claimed in any of Claims 2 through 5, wherein

at least one of the fuel tubes (180 or 182) has a sidewall (210) with a heat

mass (242) operably affixed thereto.

(11) An intake manifold as claimed in either Claim 9 or Claim 10,

wherein the heat mass (242) extends radially from the sidewall (210), and

has a width (W_x) adjacent the sidewall (210) and a second, smaller width

(W₂) spaced radially away from the sidewall (210).

(12) The intake manifold as claimed in any of Claims 9 through 11,

wherein the heat mass (242) is a fin (242). (13) An intake manifold as claimed in claim 12 when dependent on either

Claim 9 or Claim 10, wherein the fin (242) projects radially outwardly from

the sidewall (210).

(14) An intake manifold as claimed in Claim 12 when dependent on

either Claim 9 or Claim 10, wherein the fin (242) projects radially inwardly

from the sidewall (210).

(15) A method of handling fuel (42) between a fuel delivery device (16)

and an engine head (30a or 30b) of an internal combustion engine (16)

comprising providing a fuel handler (50) with a fuel tube (180 or 182)

extending within an interior space (125) of a generally sealed housing (120),

the fuel handler (50) further being adapted to couple a hot exhaust stream

(44) of the engine (16) into the interior space (125) of the sealed housing

(120), and mounting the fuel delivery device (16) to the fuel handler (50) to

couple fuel (42) from the fuel delivery device (16) into a fuel tube (180 or

182) of the fuel handler (50), characterized by mounting the fuel handler

(50) to the engine head (30a or 30b) to expel heated fuel into the engine

head (30a or 30b).

(16) A method of replacing an existing intake manifold (18) mounted to a

fuel delivery device (16) and an engine head (30a or 30b) of an internal

combustion engine (16), comprising removing the existing intake manifold (18) from the fuel delivery device (16) and the engine head (30a or 30b),

providing a fuel handler (50) with a fuel tube (180 or 182) extending within

an interior space (125) of a generally sealed housing (120), the fuel handler

(50) further being adapted to couple a hot exhaust stream (44) of the engine

(16) into the interior space (125) of the sealed housing (120), and mounting

the fuel delivery device (16) to the fuel handler (50) to couple fuel (42) from

the fuel delivery device (16) into a fuel tube (180 or 182) of the fuel handler

(50), characterized by mounting the fuel handler (50) to the engine head

(30a or 30b) to expel heated fuel into the engine head (30a or 30b).

(17) A method as claimed in Claim 16 wherein the fuel delivery device

(50) is mounted to the existing intake manifold (18) in a predetermined

spatial relationship with the intake manifold (18) and the engine head (30a

or 30b), the method further comprising maintaining that predetermined

spatial relationship when the fuel handler (50) is mounted to the fuel

delivery device (16) and the engine head (30a or 30b).

K \Peg\0 WO\PCT clai s. p