Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
8~
The present invention relate to a fuel vaporizer for internal
combustion 0nginosO
BACKGRDUND OF THE INVENTION
Uarious att~mpts havo b~n made to pr~-h~at th~ gasolin~ in
an intarnal combustion ~ngine prior to feeding the same to the
carburator, in order to improve mixture o~ ths gasoline with the air
and prevant the introduction of droplets of gasolins within the engine,
which results in poor combustion and high pollution.
In known gasoline pre-heaters, thers is o~ten production of
vapor locks bacause of localized overheating o~ tha gasoline in the
fuel lin~. This block~ the free flow of gasoline to the carburator,
with con~equent stoppage cf the engine. To avoid vapor lock, the
gasolin~ i8 not heated as high as it should be, with the result that
gasolina droplets still find their way into tha intaks manifold. In
80me other known gasoline pre-hsating syst~ms, tha amount of pro-
heated gasoline held in th~ syst~m is quite large, and this i9 a
cauea of possibla expIosinn.
oa~EcT OF THE INV~NTION
It iR tha objoct of the pr0eent invention to provide a gasoline
pre-heating Rystem for internal combustion engines, which ob~iates
the abov0onotod disadvantage~ and which i8 oharacterizad by the fact
that the gasoline, or other liquid fuel, i~ boiled and vaporizsd
into a gas befors it i3 f~d to the engins csrburator.
Still another object o~ the invsntion is to provide a ga801ine
vaporizer system in which there i3 efficient exchange betwaen the Fuel
and the heating medium~ and in whirh a minimum amount of fuel is
heated and v~porized bsfore it~ admission to the carburator~ whersby ~;
the dnvice i5 sa~a in its use.
Another obje~t of the present invention is to provida means
for injecting hot air direotly into the intake mani~old along with
the engine fumes in order to ~urnish combustion air for these fumes,
whil~ not cooling the fuel and air mixture supplied to the engineO
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28~ `
Anothar objact of the prssent invention is to provids a sy~tam
ot the chararter described, which can ba installed in as~ociation
with existing carburators without modifying the latter 9 except
requiring adjustment of the carburator needle valves to obtain a
le~ner mixture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION ;~
The ~uel vaporizer device o~ the invention comprise~ first and
second s0parate chambers, means for circulating fuel through the
~irst chamber and ~or daliuering it to the second chamber, mean~ for ~;
progressiv~ly heating the fuel in the two chamber and thus vaporize
the fuel, 80 that the ~uel in tha second chamber will bs a vapor
stateO Granular material filling the second chamber i8 heated and
i8 in intimate heat-exchange relation with the fuel to thereby
complets conversion of the fuel to the gas state. The gaseou3
fuel i8 deliv0red ~rom tha second chamber to the carburator. There
are maans ~or bleeding a portion o~ the air entering the aarburator
air intake and tor delivering it to the intake manifold o~ the engine
downstream ~rom the carburator. This bled air i9 preferably hsated
in a third chambær o~ the device~
Figure 1 i9 a porspectivs view o~ the ~uel pre-heater de~ics
togsther with a conventional carburator and air lntake and showing
the connections o~ the vaporizer devica with the carburator9 the air
intaks and the liquid ccoling sy~em o~ th~ ~ngine, the latter shown
in dotted line;
Figure 2 i9 a longitudinal RectiDn o~ tha ~uel vaporizer device;
and
Figures 3, 4, and 5 ar~ cros~-sections takan along lines 3-3,
4-4, and 5-5, respectively9 of Flgure 2.
The vaporizing dsvic~ V compri~es a cylindrical hou3ing 1
completely jack~tod by an sxt0rnal hDat-insulating layar 2 and
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forlning three separate chambsrs diQpoaed in end-to-end ralation~hip,
namely: a first chambar 3 9 a csntral main chamber 4 and a third
chambsr 5, chambers 3 and 4 being at the inlet and outl~t snd,
respectively, of ths housing.
The three chambsr3 are separat~d from one another by fix0d
par~itions 6 and 7. A coil 8 i3 located within the central chambsr
4, has a cylindrical shape and i3 spacad inwardly from ths housing 1
and ~rom partition~ 6, 70 The tube spiral~ of coil 8 are contiguous~
The~coil 8 has a straight inlst portion 9, which extands through
partition 6, through the first chamber 3 and thr~ugh the snd wall 10 o~
the hou.~ing and is adapted for connection with a flexibl~ tubing 11,
fitted with:ths conventional check val~e, as 3hown, and connscted to the
outlet of the ~uel pump (not shown) of the internal combustion angine A.
The outlet end portion 9' of the coil 8 ie welded, or otherwise secured,
in a liquid-proof mann~r around a hol~ in the partition 7, qo that the
outlet o~ the coil is in direct communication with the third chamber 5.
Thi~ outlet is coversd by a filter screen 12, as cl~arly shown in Figure
3. Tha bottom o~ the third chamber 5 ~.~ in communication with a gasoline
outl~t nipple 13, which is adapted to bB connected with ~he conventional
~uel inlet of the conventional carburator C o~ the enginc by msans of a
flexible tubing 14, which is preferably hsat-insulated. The inlst o~
nipple 13 i9 ~190 pruvided wi~h a ~creen ~ilter 15. The gasoline, or
othar type of ~uel in coil ~ heated by a liquid ~illing the main
central chamber 4, said liquid bæing derived from the cooling liquid
circuit o~ ths engine A. More particularly, the hot liquid, which
is normally water prR erably added with an anti-~resz3, i~ ~sd into
the main chamber 4 by ~ean~ of an inlet nipple 16, ~hich i9 fixed to the
partltion 6 and communicate.~ with the chambsr 4 at on~ end,while the
other end of the inlet nipple 16 extends outwardly of the hou~ing 1 and
is adapted te be~connscted to a ~lexible tubing 17 (see Fig. 1)
adapted to be connected to the cooling liquid oircuit o~ ths engine
8~ The liquid in chamber 4
.
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laaves this chamber through an outlet nipple 18 extanding cantrally
through the third chamb~r 5, outwardly of the housing and adaptsd
to be connected by a flexible tubing 19, again adapted to be connected
to the cooling liquid circuit of the engine. Preferably, tha tubinga
17 and 19 are seris~-connected in ths hot liquid line going to the
conventional pa3~enger oabin heater of the automobile~ 90 as to
obtain liquid circulation through the vaporizer unit of ths inventiDn.
A~ shown in Figure 2, in order to obtain better h~at-exchange
relationship betwean the hot liquid in chamber 4 and the gasolin~
in the coiled tube 8, there i~ provid~d a spirally-shaped strip 20 ~;
located within the coil 8 snd having flat narrow tabs 21 entering
the inlet and outlet nipples 16 and 18, respeotively, ~o as to hold
the strip 20 in correct position. The liquid issuing from nipple 16
within the main chamber 4 flows on aach side of the end tab 21 and
then is cau~ed by ~trip 20 to move in a spiral within the chamber 4
80 as to extend the time the liquid is in contact with coil 8. At - ~r
least part of the heating liquid tends to flow back along the outside
o~ the coil 8 by pas~ing in ths ~pac~ between the endmost ~piral of
coil ~ and the partition 7, as shown by arrow 22 in Figura 2, Thus,
the liquid re~irculate~ all along the outside o~ the coil 8 and returns
inside the coil at the inlet end of chamber 4, a~ shown by arrow 23,
The h0ating liquid finally~exit~ on each side of the end tab 21 of
the strip 20 through the outlet nipple 18.
The inlet nippls 16 extends centrally of the first oha~ber 3
and is fitted with surrounding metal discs 24. Similarly, the outlet
nipple 18 extend~ centrally through the third chamber 5 and iq also
fitted with circular discs 24. 80th ohambers 3 and 5 are filled with
a granular material 25 9 ~uch as charcoal, and prefarably a ti~ated
charcoal. The granular matsrial 25 is in phy3ical contact with the
discs 24 and with the nipples 16 and 18, raspectively, 90 that the
granular material will be haatcd by the hsating liquid 9Ding through the
nipples 16 and 18. The chambers 3 and 5 are filled with the granular
lZ8~
material 25 through couplings 26 and 27. Once the chambers are full,
coupling 27 for the third chamber 5 i~ either plugged complataly
or provided with a manometer 28 to indicats the fuel pres~ure within
the chamb0r SO Normally, this manometer is not used and the coupling
27 i8 simply plugged. Coupling 26 i9 connected by a fl0xible tubing
29 (see Fig. 1), to an albow 30 secured to9 and in communication with,
the interior of the central part of the conventional air ~ilter casing
31 ~or th~ carburator C o~ the engine A, said casing 31 normally
holding an annular air filter disposed in the radially outward portion
of said casing. This casing is fitted with the normal air intaks
conduit 32 ~or admitting air on the outQide of the air filter within
the casing 31. Thsrefore, elbow 30 is in communication with the
portion of the casing on the downstream side of ths air filter close
to the normal bolt 33 fixed to the carburator air inlet and serving to
~ix the air filter casing 31 positioned on top of the carburator by
m~ans of the u~ual nut 34. The air intake conduit 32 is al90 normally
fitted with a conventional thermostatically-operated damper assembly 35
which~ depending on outsida weather, either admits air from the inlot
at the outer end of conduit 32, or air through a side air intake 36,
which is closer to the top o~ the angine and~ therefore, admits
warmer air. Thu~; the temperature of the air entering tha carburator
can normally be controlled within a certain ranga.
The first ~hamber 3 is provided at its bottom with an air outlet
elbow 37 having a filter screen 38 at its inlet end. Thi~ elbow 37
is connected by ~lexible tubing 39 (see Fig. 1) to a T connection
40, which is in turn series-connected in the conventional line 41
- which connects the ueual PCV valve 42 on top oF the engins A with the
downstresm end of the carburator, that is For direct connection into
the intake mani~old D of the engine, as shown at 43. Thsre~ore,
the oil ~umes originating in the engine are mixed with hot air and than
fed directly into the intake mani~old. Vaporizer device V has a
bracket 44 ~or ~ixing device V in a suitable position clase ta ~ngins A.
When the engine i9 running, there is a greater vacuum at tha
downstream end o~ the carburator C at the lsvel of the intaka mani~old
D, than in the air intake for the carburator~ that i9 at the cantral part
of casing 31. There~ore, ~iltered air will be bled ~rom the air intake
o~ the carburator through tubing 29, first chamber 3 and tubing
39 directly into the intake mani~old downstream of the carburator. This
blad air is he~ted whan paseing through first chamber 3, because it i5 in
intimate hsat-sxchange relationship with the granular material ~illing thi~
chamber and in turn he~ted by the inlet nipple 16 and the disos 24. The
granular material 25 in the first chamber 3 also heats up ths ~uel, or
gasoline, cirGula~lng through inlet seotion 9. Thu~, the Puel i9 pro3res-
sively heated in the ~irst chamber without diract contact with the heating
liquid in msin chamber 4~ When the liquid flows through the coil 8, it
is then furthar progressively hested first to a boiling temperature and
then uaporized, so that fuel in vapor phase enterR the third chamber 5.
In this third chamber, there might still be droplets o~ liquid ~uel ad-
mixed with the gaseous fuel. eoth came in intimste contact with the
granular material 25 ~illing this chamber. This granular material is
heat0d by heat-exchange rslationehip with the disos 24 and the outlet
nipple q8, and any remainlng ~uel droplet~ are completely vaporized, whereby
- completely gaseous ~uel issues ~rom the third chamber to b~ admitted to
the carburator.
This csrburator i9 conuentionsl and it hae been found that it nesd
not be modi~ied and the gaseou.~ vapor would then enter directly into the
bowl provided with the us~al ~loat valve. However, the needle vslves
controlling fuel admission into the venturi of the carburator have to
be regulsted by means of the usual adjusting screws, not shown, so as
to form a leaner mixture than other~ise necesssry when using cold
liquid ~uel. ~he pressure existing within the third chamber would
normally be approximately the prassure
delivered by the fuel pump.
aaCaUSe PUH1 i~ mixad with the air in the carburator whils in
complet01y gaseous atata~ it will be appreciated that no liquid
droplet~ are present which would cause pDor combuetionO Much
greater fuel efficisncy is obtained andt consequently al807 le~
pollution~
The pre-hsatad air circuit dsscribed, including the first
chamber 3, form~ a safety ~ystem becausa any suddan back flow of
vaporized fuel through the air intake of the carburator will be
immediately suckad by the air-bleeding path back into the intaks manifold
o~ the engine. Alsa, b0cause ths bled air is injected along with the
engina oil fumes and in hot condition, it will provide for better
combu~tion of these fumes.
As granulated material filling the two end chambers, it is prefer-
red to use activated charcoal, since the latter has good filtering
action for bDth the air and the gaeeou~ ~uel, and since it has an
absorbent capacity to absorb moisture in the air circulating through
the first chamber and in the gaeaou~ ~uel in the third chamber. ~ut
th~ main purpose o~ the granular mat~rial is to act a3 good heat-
2D exchanging surfacee with the air and ~uel, reepectiuely, and to
e~fectivsly decrease to a minimum the volume of gasaous in chamber 5.
The spirally-wound strip 20 located within the main chamber 49
is preferably coated with a heat-re~lecting sur~ace, ~uch as chromium,
which has bsen found to rePlect the heat within heating liquid directly
onto the coil B, thereby re~ulting in a ~till better heat-exchange
relationship with the gasolina f~owing through the coil 8.
With all these arrangements, it i3 there~ore possible to make
the vaporizer devics in a relatively small eize for ease o~ installation
of the device within the engine compartment. Yet the unit e~fsctivaly
completely vaporizes the fuel circulating therethrough and eliminate~
any remaining liquid droplets in the fuel.
The above-described vaporizer unit ha~ been ta~ted by having been
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installad on a passenger car 9 namely: a Pacer model manu~actursd
by Amsri~an Motors Corporation. Tests have been carried out for
lO,D00 miles~ both in city and countryside driving and has averaged ~
45 miles per Imperial gallon~ the car being rated to normally give `
a mileags of 17 to 19 miles per Imperial gallon.
The vaporizer device of the present invention is designed to hsat
the gasoline up to a temperature o~ about 2S0f. The heated gasoline
i9 maintained at a pressure abovs normal atmospheric pres~ure as produced
by the gsseline pump of the engine. Thi~ temperatura o~ 250F i8 much
above the normal boiling temparature of about 100F at normal atmos-
pheric pres~ure ~or gasollne and9 there~ore9 all of the gasoline i3 fed
in gaseou~ state to the carburator.
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