Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~ 20~6~6~
The present invention relates to a process for optimizing the
combustion of fuels while ensuring minimal CO emissions, by the
prior introduction of a liquid fog consisting of water, alcohol,
and at least one extra additive into the air-fuel mixture and the
generation of an homogenous liquid-fuel mixture. The present
invention also relates to an apparatus for carrying out this
process as defined in the preambles to claims 20 or 21.
The liquid fuels discussed herein and used are based on crude
oil, in which connection Otto engines require fuels that are of a
low boiling point and are not readily amenable to ignition,
whereas diesel motors require fuels that are relatively amenable
to ignition.
In an Otto engine, during formation of the mixture, "gaseous"
fuels are mostly mi-xed with air in a mixing chamber shortly
before entering the cylinder; in the case of liquid fuels this is
done in an atomizing devi¢e that is incorrectly referred to as a
carburettor. In the case of fuel-injected Otto engines, liquid
fuel is sprayed into the induction manifold close to the inlet
valve, and less frequently directly into the cylinder. The fuel
is vaporized at the time of ignition and, together with the air,
forms the most homogenous possible mixture, at a mixture ratio
that can only be changed within narrow limits, as a prerequisite
for ignition and combustion. The combustion spreads, when the
energy that is liberated is sufficient to cause neighbouring and
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ignitable parts of the mixture to react, in which connection,
during normal combustion, the flame front spreads without any
abrupt changes in velocity so that it spreads away from the spark
plug in an almost spherical form. The flame front velocity is
made up of the combustion speed relative to the unburned mixture
multiplied by the velocity with which the flame front is
transported by the inherent motion of the gas mixture. It i8
known that the transportation velocity can be ~ffected by the
induction process and the combustion chamber geometry used in the
engine, in which connection a high degree of turbulence of the
flow favours the mixing process, whereas a directed flow hinders
the formation of an homogenous mixture. Factors that are known
to disrupt combustion are so-called ignition knocking and surface
ignition (premature or delayed ignition). In the case of
ignition knock, part of the mixture that is as yet unaffected by
the flame front ignites spontaneously and burns so violently that
high pressure frequency waves result, and these cause the
knocking and pinging that is heard, a~ well as thermàl and
mechanical overloading of components such as pistons and
bearings. In the case of surface ignition, heat is transferred
to the mixture independently of the ignition time by hot points
in the surface of the combustion chamber, e.g., such as caused by
incandescent layers of carbon, the projecting edges of gaskets,
or as a result of using spark plugs that are of too low a heat
range.
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In diesel motors, the fuel is injected into the highly compressed
hot air through a nozzle just before top dead centre (TDC~,
whereupon the stream of fuel breaks up into individual droplets
of various sizes and of different percussive force, and an
heterogeneous mixture results. Self-ignition requires an
appropriately high compression ratio, the lower limit of which
decreases with piston diameter. Combustion starts with
individual droplets of fuel, boiling and evaporation taking place
as a result of thermal absorption from the surrounding hot air.
A mixing zone of a different concentration i8 formed about the
still liquid $uel residue because of the suitable diffusion of
fuel vapour and air that corresponds from 0 (droplet surface) to
an infinitely increasing air ratio. The formation of soot is a
familiar disadvantage in the case of diesel motors. In keeping
with the boiling behaviour of the fuel, the molecules with a high
proportion of water first burn, whereas the least volatile
fractions are subjected in part to crack reactions when molecules
that are difficult to ignite result from almost pure carbon and
at low combustion temperatures these remain in the exhaust gas as
unburned soot. This causes the very luminous yellow colour of a
diffusion flame, in contrast to which premixed flames are blue
(Otto motors).
Carbon monoxide, which results from inadequate combustion, forms
a high proportion of injurious gas, particularly in the case of
the exhaust gases generated by Otto motors. It is a known fact
~ ~ 2~6g6~
that carbon monoxide results mainly in the air depletion range as
a result of incomplete combustion, the course of the reaction
largely following water gas reaction. Because of the fact that
the effective fuel-air mixture is not completely homogenous,
carbon monoxide will also be formed even if there is an excess of
air. For this reason, attempts to reduce the emission of
in~urious substances by changing the shape of the combustion
ohamber in order to enhance the ~wirling of the combustion have
only ~ucceeded to a limited extent. The attempt to have the
èngines run in a so-called lean mode requires controlled, high
energy ignition and scavenging of the exhaust gases with the
temperature of the combustion chamber walls as high as possible.
In part, however, the measures that were taken tend to reduce the
efficiency of the engines. Some of them have had very little
effect.
For this reason, the legislators have devoted a great deal o~
their interest in research to reducing exhau~t gas emissions by
the use of catalysts. The catalyst requires a honeycomb surface
with a platinum, radium, and paladium coating on which the final
combustion of hydrocarbon compounds (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO)
as well as the reduction of NOx in free nitrogen takes place. In
the case of the so-called three-way catalyst, a closed regulating
circuit for the supply of fuel is required (2 measurement as a
regulating value by means of a so-called lambda probe). It is a
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2V~686~
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disadvantage, however, that catalysts do not permit the use of
gasoline that contains lead, since this attacks the effectlve
surface of the catalyst. Furthermore, catalysts require high
combustion temperatures of 600 to 800-c. A not insignificant
disadvantage is the increased consumption of fuel and the demand
for motor designs that can be run with lead-free fuel of low
oatane numbers. In the case of diesel engines, the catalyst
described above is, for all practical purposes, ineffeative,
because it does not burn the soot, or does so only to an
insufficient extent. In addition, there is a great deal of
concern with regard to the discharge of platinum into the
environment.
It is known that so-called additives can be mixed directly into
the fuel; however, the effect of these--if they have any efect
at all--is mainly to increase lubrication within the engine.
With regard to reducing the emission of toxic substances, the
additives that have been propo~ed up to now are for all practical
pUrposes inefective.
., .
US-PS 3 767 172 proposes the addition of a mixture consisting of
2.5 parts water and 1 part methol alcohol to the fuel. When this
~; is done, it is intended that the alcohol have a cooling effect
that will permit timing of the ignition point.
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20~686~ -
It is the task of the present invention to describe a process and
an apparatus of the type described in the introduction hereto in
which combustion is optimized, that reduces the consumption of
fuel, and considerably reduces the emission of toxic substances
(in particular the emission of carbon monoxide).
Thl~ ta5k ha~ been solved by mean~ of the proces~ de~cribed in
¢laim 1.
The basic concept of the process, which is essential to the
present invention, is to bring about complete combustion in that
prior to being introduced into the combustion chamber the fuel is
"atomized" such that during the combustion period, not only is
there complete oxidation of the carbon-water particles in the
area of the surface of the particles, but that there is also
complete oxidation of all the carbon-hydrogen molecules in a
droplet. In other word5, the surface that is available for
combustion is increased by very fine breakdown of the fuel
particles. To this end, a liquid fog is directed onto a fuel-air
mixture, or a liquid fog base mixed with air, ls directed onto a
flow of fuel such that it breaks down the drops of gasoline into
very fine droplets. During this breakdown, positively or
negatively charged droplets of gasoline are formed in large
quantities and, under normal circumstances, these would reunite.
This recombination is prevented in that the neutral liquid
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2~4686~
particles surround the droplets of gasoline in a mixture and thus
cause them to remain finely divided.
Because of the more complete combustion, the fuel that is used iB
completely utilized with the result that when an Otto engine is
operated, ~uel savings can reach 25%, and sometimes even 30%.
More complete combustion also reduces the emission of carbon
monoxide, and in practical tests it was possible to measure
carbon monoxide residues in the exhaust gas of less than 0.05%,
which is considerably lower than the values achieved up to now
using other technologies.
.
The liquid or liquid mixture, respectively, displays at least one
of the following properties:
- specifically heavier than the fuel, in order to be able to
atomize it;
- a high anti-knock value in order that the liquid does not
downgrade combustion within the combustion chamber;
i - the liquid should be able to increase the combustion time or
reduce the combustion ~detonation) speed, so as to permit
complete combustion of the hydrocarbons in each droplet of
gasoline.
. . .
In particular, the liquid fog either consists for the most part
of distilled water, to which a weakly organic acid is added at a
concentration between 1/500 to 1/200, and preferably 1/300
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204~86~
relative to the distilled water, and alcohol, this liquid fog
being added to the fuel at a ratio of 1:1000 to 15:1000 relative
to the fuel. The water protects the alcohol against premature or
explosive combustion. The weakly organic acid that is added has
a cleaning effect. In addition, the mixture that has been
described has a powerful neutralizing effect that preVents small
particles of gasoline conglomerating to form larger particlee,
and in addition, the mixture has good anti-knock properties
which, in particular, makes it possible to use unleaded fuel in
high-compression engines and also provides for a more event
distribution of the ignition flame throughout the whole of the
combu~tion chamber. Furthermore, the liquid is not chemically
aggressive. Nevertheless, combustion without sharp peaks
contains more energy, since all the particles are burned, and
finally, the alcohol lowers the freezing point of the mixture to
a con-~iderable extent and, li~e the organic acid, has good
combustion characteristics. This also makes the good
combustibility of the alcohol i5 also useful, for it also
prevents the gasoline mixture becoming too lean, which is to be
avoided, and this, in its turn, reduces the danger of
insufficient combustion.
;
It is preferred that the liquid contain 2 parts by volume of
distilled water and 1 part by volume of alcohol, preferably a
low-chain alcohol, in particular methanol and/or ethanol that,
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like water, burns more slowly than gasoline and prevents the
formation of soot within the cylinder.
As an alternative to this, in order to solve this task, it i5
also possible to add a mixture of approximately equal parts of
water and methanol with a small quantity of glycerine, on the one
hand, and a methanol-oil mixture on the other, at a rate of 200
to 400 g, preferably 300 g, of oil to 5 1 of methanol. When this
is done, the ratio of water to the fuel that is to be burned,
like the ratio of the water-methanol mixture, should amount to
approximately 2.5 1:2 1:200-300g.
For technical reasons, the water-methanol-glycerine mixture, on
the one hand, and the methanol-oil mixture on the other hand,
must be introduced into the fuel air flow separately, this being
done in such a way that in a first stage a fog of water,
methanol, and glycerine is added to the fuel-air mixture and the
re3ulting mixture has the methanol-oil mixture added to it in a
second stage. A synthetic oil that is resistant to high
temperatures is used, and this will have a lubricating effect and
will also help clean the combustion chamber. It is also
preferred that the liquid have a low freezing point that,
depending on the location where it is used, can be below -25-C,
in order that the mixture can be used for winter operation
without freezing.
2~686~
As a result of these measures, to a very large extent the
deposition of incompletely burnt hydrocarbons within the
combustion chamber and in the exhaust gases will be largely
prevented. With reference to the depo6its in the combustion
chamber, this also leads to a considerable reduction of friction
during movement of the piston: the lubricating properties of the
oil are retained for a longer period, since the oil is not
contaminated by un~urned in~urious substances. As a secondary
efect, there is the added advantage that the interval between
oil changes can be considerably increased. In the case of Otto
engines used up to the present, the discharge of unburned
hydrocarbons and a build-up of these in the exhaust area also
leads to the fact that they can prevent the discharge of gas.
Furthermore, water can very easily collect within such
encrustations, and under normal conditions this can lead to
premature rusting of the exhaust muffler. Thus, avoiding such
deposits also increases the service life of mufflers and exhaust
pipes by a considerable amount.
According to a further development of the present invention, the
liquid to which the organic acid has been added consists to a
large part of distilled water. Tests conducted with undistilled
water have shown that the contaminants contained in such water
have a harmful effect within the internal combustion engine and
these effects can reduce the service life of the engine to a
considerable extent, whereas pure (neutral) water furtheræ the
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2~S86~
complete combustion of the hydrocarbons. In order to generate
the liquid fog, the liquid is metered from a supply container and
added to the atomizing chamber in which there is an almost
constant level of liquid.
If one uses distilled water to which organic acid has been added
and this is mixed with alcohol, it is preferred that the liquid
be metered from a single supply container and introduced into the
atomizing chamber, within which there i5 an almost constant level
of liquid, a shaped porous body lying in the liquid through wh~ch
air is drawn in from outside by the low pressure over the surface
of the liquid: this air expresses the liquid within the porous
body out of the remaining liquid in the form of very fine
droplets (in the form of a fog), when the very fine droplets (the
fog) is added to the fuel-air mixture or to the fuel through a
regulating valve.
If, on the one hand, one uses a mixture of distilled water,
methanol, and glycerine and, on the other hand, the oil-methanol
mixture, this is me~ered into different supply containers into
the particular atomizing chamber. When this is done, there is a
porous body in the supply container that contains the water, and
within the supply container that contains the oil-alcohol
mixture, there is a plastic body that incorporates fine channels
or outlet openings and is encased in a fine metal mesh. Air is
drawn in from the outside by the low pressure above the level of
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-- 204~863
liquid, from each body that serves as an atomizer; this air
expresses the liquid that is located within the shaped body or
the plastic body out of the remaining liquid in the form of very
fine droplets (fog). Then the fog is added to the air-fuel
mixture or to the flow of fuel in the different stages through an
as~oclated regulating valve.
The ~almost complete) vacuum that exists above the surface of the
liquid exerts a suction effect, which means that droplets of
liquid that leave the moulded body or the plastic body, or their
fine channels, respectively, are further and more finely divided
because of friction. In the case of gasoline fuel-injected
engines, the pressure effect that is exerted on the liquids can
be enhanced in that the moulded body i9 additionally acted on by
pressure through a pump that can be regulated. Then, the air
that is drawn in carries the droplets of liquids into the partial
vacuum area that exi~ts abov~ the surface of the liquid. When
this happens, the droplets of liquid remain electrically neutral.
In order to prevent the injurious influences of polarization,
which could be introduced by any charge carriers in the outside
air, a further development of the present invention provides that
the air that is induced is first discharged (neutralized). It
is, of course, understood that the quantity of air that is
induced must be considered during the addition of the remaining
air to the fuel. In addition, and according to a further
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~046863
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development of the present invention, humidity of the air from
the external environment is considered in that a diaphragm
reduces the delivery of air when atmospheric hunidity is high.
This reduction is important because otherwise too large a
quantity of water would be introduced into the combustion
chamber, where it would lead to the fuel mixture being too lean.
It is preferred that metering the liquid into the atomizing
chamber (vaporizer chamber) be controlled electro-magnetically by
means of a float. In the first instance, this float is intended
to regulate the level of liquid in the atomizing chamber, i.e.,
to ensure an essentially constant level of fluid. In addition,
as liquid is used, it ensures that the appropriate supply line is
shut off and the system is changed over to the usual air
induction operation, as is known from the prior art. Then, air
is drawn in through the atomizing chamber without any addition
and atomization of liquid.
In order to prevent liquid particles that are too large from
getting into the air-gasoline mixture, provision is also made
that the liquid fog be passed through a droplet separator that is
arranged ahead of the chambPr outlet. Preferably, a fine-mesh,
multi-layer strainer is used for this purpose although, as an
alternative, it would be possible to use zig-zag shaped
deflectors with baffle plates; these separate droplets that are
too large by impact, or else reduce the size of such droplets.
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The droplets that are stopped then fall back into the liquid bath
of the atomizer (vaporizer) chamber).
The very fine division of the fuel droplets is brought about in
that the flow of liquid fog within a diffuser chamber i6 SO
directed onto the flow of fuel particle~ through radial inlets
(jets) and through a central jet that the required shearing or
reduction effect relative to the fuel particles take5 places. In
the same way, a low pressure zone that is more or less annular is
formed within the atomizer swirl chamber. This accelerates the
liquid droplets-fuel-air mixture. In this instance, the addition
of liquid is controlled, for example, by opening the carburettor
valve. The velocity of the particles may amount to several
metres per second. At the same time, the particles of liquid
which are subsequently added to the fuel-air mixture prevent the
small fuel droplets recombining to form larger droplets.
In addition, prior ~by time and space) to the atomization by the
liquid that is added, the fuel can be pre-atomized, either
directly or indirectly, by ultra-sound irradiation. However,
this measure alone may not be sufficient even though the
recombination of the fuel particles--according to the present
invention--is prevented by neutral droplets of liquid, preferably
of smaller diameter. Mainly, the liquid serves to suppress
detonation and, on the other hand, it serves to maintain the
combustion flame up to the point of complete combustion of the
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2~4686~
fuel particles. The engine runs quietly and regularly. Not
least of all, the organic acid that i8 preferably added cleans
the combustion chamber. The mixture of water-ethanol-organic
acid is totally non-toxic to operating personnel and is not
explosive at normal pressure and normal temperature.
What has been said above, about the fog mixture consisting of
dlstillèd water, an organic acid, and alcohol, applies to the
case that distilled water-methanol-glycerine mixture, on the one
hand, and the methanol-oil mixture, on the other hand, is used in
separate atomizing chambers.
During the combustion of the fuel, the glycerine is heated to the
particular combustion temperature without any chemical reaction
and serves as a heat reservoir in the flow of exhaust gas that
leaves the combustion chamber. If one in~tall~ a net-li~e
diffuser in the exhaust pipe or exhaust header for a series of
combustion chambers, the particles that have only been partly
burned can themselves ignite, optionally after being atomized on
the diffuser, because of the temperature that is between 800 and
lOOO-C in the diffuser area, where they finally burn in a flame
that forms there. This secondary combustion also brings about an
additLonal reduction of carbon monoxide and entails the advantage
that, compared to a catalyst, it proceeds for all practical
purposes without any loss of performance.
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2~686~
17
It is a known fact that during conventional operation of an
internal combustion engine, combustion will depend to a very
great extent on engine temperature or engine speed. Combustion
in engines known from the prior art, particularly when idling, i8
particularly bad, and the CO content is particularly high. For
this reason, when the motor is idling, it is driven only with the
liquids that have been described, when the supply of gasoline
through the engine idling by-pass line is throttled back to
practically zexo.
However, it is preferred that the liquid that contains the
organic acid is added at a proportion of lo:1000 to 15:1000
relative to the quantity of fuel. This means that for a quantity
of fuel amounting to loOO 1, on average, only about 1 to 1.5 1 of
additional liquid will be required, so that the fluid supply tank
that is required takes up only a little space and requlres no
costly enlargement of the engine compartment. The same thing
applies to the use of a mixture of water-methanol-glycerine and
the methanol-oil mixture.
. .
In addition, it is preferred that when the speed of the engine is
accelerated (during kick-down) the air that is drawn in passes in
.
pulses into the atomizing chamber through a one-way valve that
opens and closes at high frequency. The opening and closing
- frequency of the valve is in the trans-sonic range, which results
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in improved atomization of the liquid in question within the
combustion chamber.
In addition, the process according to the present invention also
proposes that any residual substances that leave the combustion
chamber when incompletely burned is subsequently burnt in an
exhaust pipe as a result of self-ignition in a net-like diffuser,
whereupon the glycerine serves as a heat reservoir according to
the temperatures within the combustion chamber.
The task imposed on the apparatus according to the present
invention has been solved by the features set out in patent claim
20 or patent claim 21. Further developments of the apparatus
according to the present invention are described in the sub-
claims 22 to 42.
Essential components of the apparatus are one or two supply tanks
for the liquid or liquids, the vaporizers or atomizers for the
liquid that are supplied from these containers, and an atomizer
swirl chamber with the radial feed lines described heretofore and
the central feed line for the liquid fog and, optionally, a
neutralization apparatus for the air that is induced. As
discussed above, depending on the conditions under which the
engine is operating, the liquid fog--with or without air--is
mixed with the fuel, mostly in one or two pre-mixing chambers.
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The descriptions which follow relate initially only to an
atomizer in which the distilled water and alcohol to which an
organic acid has been added are atomized.
In addition to the regulating devices for the addition of liquid,
such as are normally required, the atomizer or vaporizer for the
liquid also incorporates a pre-chamber with a float that is
connected to the ~upply container, this float being connected to
a solenoid valve that controls the flow of liquid. The actual
vaporizer or atomizing chamber incorporates a low-pressure
controller that simultaneously serves as the outlet or connecting
element to the above-discussed atomizer swirl chamber. A porous
moulded body serves as the "atomizer" for the liquid, it being
preferred that this be an air and liquid permeable compressed
compound body that is submerged in the liquid within the
atomizing chamber and which is connected or is connectable to the
outside environment through a line. This line incorporates an
additional regulator for the air supply. In other words, the
moulded body incorporates an air induction chamber that is
connected to ambient pressure or else is connected to a pump (in
the case of fuel-injected engines~ through which an air supply is
possible either directly or indirectly. When the motor is
running, the partial vacuum in the atomizer (vaporizer) chamber
is maintained. It is preferred that the particles of liquid are
not only carried along by the air that is drawn into the moulded
body but that they are also further divided by friction as a
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~0~686~
result of the thin channels within the moulded body, when they
move through the outlet into the atomizer swirl chamber where
they impact on the flow of fuel particles. The larger partlcles
of liquid are held back by a droplet separator and fall back into
the bath of the atomizing chamber. The partial-vacuum controller
not only maintains the vacuum pressure in the atomizing chamber,
but simultaneously regulates the addition of liquid to the fuel.
A shut-off valve between the supply container and the pre-chamber
that preferably supplies liquid into the pre-chamber by
increments, a central switch that interrupts both the removal of
liquid from the supply tank and the supply of oxygen to the
atomizing chamber when the motor is switched off, and also
controls the pump discussed heretofore if the liquid is used up
and the internal combustion engine is switched over to a mode of
operation as in the prior art also serve as additional control
devices. In addition, the central switch also controls the
neutralizer for the ambient air that is drawn in. It is
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preferred that the feed line to the atomizer swirl chamber also
incorporates an electronic distributor that regulates the central
jet inlet and the radial jets or their feed. In particular, the
electronic distributor also prevents the particles of liquid
combining to form larger drops before they are injected into the
atomizer swirl chamber. The interior space within the atomizer
swirl chamber is so configured that it is suitable for building
up a turbulent flow field. When this taXes place, the fuel
droplets are distributed, on the one hand, by a bombardment of
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particles (droplets) of smaller diameter from the outside to the
inside as well as from the inside to the outside, mixed with the
droplets to form a largely homogenous mixture, and gradually,
because of the suction effect, are drawn off in the direction of
the engine cylinder. The atomizer swirl chamber can thus be very
~hort, e.g., can be as thick as a carburettor seal, in place of
which the atomizer ewirl chamber can preferably be inserted.
In a further configuration of the present invention, above the
atomizer swirl chamber, preferably at a distance of 1.5 to 2 mm,
there is an ultra-sound system that serves to further reduce the
gasoline and liquid particles that have already been hiqhly
swirled.
If, in place of this, one uses substances that do not dissolve in
each other, such as a mixture of methanol, distilled water and
glycerine, on the one hand, and a methanol-oil mixture on the
other, then two atomizing chambers and two atomizer ewirl
chambers will be required. In this connection, this results in
the special feature that no porous shaped body will be required
for its atomization/vaporization: a plastic body that
incorporates very fine outlet channels, which is some 50 mm long,
and which is encased in a metal mesh or net is incorporated in
order that the methanol-oil mixture is sufficiently atomized.
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For the event that glycerine is used, according to a further
development of the present invention, an exhaust system that
incorporates a net-like diffusor of corrosion-resistant material
is lncorporated after the combustion chamber or combustion
chambers; auto-induced secondary combustion takes place in this
a~ a result of the hot exhaust gases. The mesh size of the
diffusor lies somewhere in the range of 0.5 to 3 ~m, preferably 1
to 2 ~m, which ensures that the unburned or partially burned
particles of fuel that still have a high C0 content are broken up
on the mesh so that the combustion surface is enlarged. In this
case, the glycerine acts as a thermal carrier, i.e., in the area
in which the diffusor is arranged, the temperature of the exhaust
gases lies between 800 and lOOO-C, as was formerly the case,
which results in this secondary combustion. The secondary
combustion is improved if the mesh size of the net-like diffusor
is smaller at the exhaust gas outlet end than in those areas that
precede it. Preferably, the flow channel for the exhaust gases
that is free and not covered by the diffusor net is configured so
as to be concave which means that the opposite convex area of the
diffusor net touch each other in the middle section. In addition,
according to a further development, paddle-like deflector plates
can be provided in the diffusor net, these extending in a
longitudinal direction, and which allow the exhaust gas to pass
through in a laminar flow. In order to prevent high temperature
stresses on the actual exhaust pipe, the exhaust pipe can be
provided with an interior fire-resistant covering in the area of
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the diffusor. The diffusor works on the principle of a gas lamp
within the flow of which a net-like fabric is arranged, and which
ensures complete combustion without the disadvantage of a high
level oS mechanical resistance.
Embodiments of the present invention are described in greater
detail below on the basis of the drawings appended hereto. These
drawings show the following:
Figure 1: a perspective view of the apparatus according
to the present invention for retro-fitting to
a gasoline engine:
Figure 2: a diagrammatic cross sectional view of the
apparatus according to the present invention;
Figures 3 and 4: as in ~igures 1 and 2 but in each instance
with double supply, atomizer, and atomizer
swirl chambers;
Figure 5a, b: a cross section from the exhaust pipe system
with a diffusor in longitudinal section;
Figures 6a to c: cross sectional views as in figure 5a and 5b;
Figure 7: a cross section through an atomizer plastic
body.
In order to retrofit this system to a conventional gasoline
engine, one requires a supply container 1 that is connected
through a flexible hose 22 to the atomizer 18. A connecting line
~68~
23 runs from this atomizer 18 to the atomizer swirl chamber 13
that is installed in place of the usual carberettor gasket. The
atomizer swirl chamber consists of a gas and liquid permeable
material that cannot be charged electrostatically, which is to
say, which remains neutral.
The air that i5 required to operate the apparatus according to
the present invention is drawn in through the air induction
connector 24 that incorporates a diaphragm that closes
appropriately at high levels of ambient air humidity and draws in
less air. In detail, the housing 18 that is shown in figure 2
incorporates the antechamber 2 that is fitted with a float 3
that serves to regulate the level of liquid in the atomizing
chamber 4 that is connected to the antechamber 2. Thls
aonnection can be broken by the float if necessary, for example,
if the neutral liquid has been consumed. Within the atomizing
chamber 4 there is a shaped porous body 5 that is connected on
one side to a line 19 through a regulator 11 to the atmosphere,
and on the other side is connected through a line ~ to the pump 6
that is controlled by another regulator 12. In addition, the
atomizing chamber 4 has a droplet separator 7 between the porous
body 5 and the low pressure ~partial vacuum) regulator that also
serves as the outlet valve of the atomizing chamber 4; this
separator 7 only permits the pa~sage of drops of liquid that are
less than a specified diameter. In addition, between the supply
tank 1 and the antechamber 2 there is a controllable shut-off
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2~68~3
valve 10. Air can be drawn in either in an antechamber or
through a corresponding induction line 20 or the connector 24
described above in connection with figure 1. A neutralizer is
incorporated in this antechamber or the line 20 and thi prevents
charge carriers entering the atomizing chamber 4. The atomizing
¢hamber 4 i5 connected to the atomizer swirl chamber 13 by way of
the previously-described low pressure regulator 9 and the hose
23. This swirl chamber 13 incorporates an electronically
controlled distributor 14 which feeds fog-like liquid to both the
central jet 15 and the radially arranged jets 16 in such a way
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that the liquid is directed onto a flow of fuel or fuel air
mixture and breaks this down into finer droplets than was
formerly-possible and then keeps the size of these droplets
constant.
The apparatus accordlng to the present invention wor~s as
follows:
The liquid, composed of 2 parts distilled water, 1 part ethanol,
and 1:300 organic acid relative to the water, preferably an
organic acid that has a cleaning effect on the interior of the
engine, is drawn from the supply container 1 through the line 22
in pulses by means of the controllable shut-off valve 10 into the
antechamber 2, from where it is passed to the atomizing chamber 4
where it is soaked up by the porous-shaped body. Within the
atomizing chamber 4 there is a pronounced partial vacuum above
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the porous-shaped body or above the level of the liquid, and this
results in "vaporization" of the liquid. Because of the fact
that the outside pressure is at least 15 times greater than the
partlal vacuum in the atomizing chamber 4, air passes into the
shaped body along the line 19, and as it pas6es through the fine
channels made in the shaped body 5 it carries the liquid along
with it. Because of the high flow rate, the liquid is broken up
into flne droplets because of friction, and bubbles that reach
the surface of the liquid are exposed to a very great shear
effect that bursts them so that they form many small bubbles.
This leads to the formation of a fog made up of extremely fine
droplets of liquid. Any larger droplets of liquid that remain
are caught by the droplet separator 7 and fall back into the
liquid bath or to the bottom of the atomizing chamber 4. The
liguid fog is passed to the electronically controlled distributor
14 ~rom the low pre9sure regulator along the line 23 from where
it is metered to ~ets 16 that are arranged in a ring and to a
central jet 15. These jets are arranged in an atomizer swirl
chamber 13 (approximately 2 to 5 cm long) through which the fuel
or fuel-air mixture flows. If the liquid droplets meet the flow
of fuel at high speed, then they break up the droplets of fuel
into very fine droplets of small diameter. The droplets are
prevented from recombining because the liquid that is located as
a "buffer" between any electrically charged droplets of gasoline,
is neutral. The mixture that passes out of the atomizer swirl
chamber 13 can then be burned in a combustion chamber, e.g.,
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27
within the cylinder of an Otto engine, when the liquid supports
combustion such that it is maintained until complete oxidization
of the hydro carbons within the gasoline have been complete
oxidized and, at the same time, it prevents any detonation.
Complete Gombustion is coupled with minimal emission of carbon
I monox~de, which lies well below 0.5% even in the case of large
capacity engines.
The measures set out according to the present invention also
prevents the build-up of carbon within the combustion chamber,
which, combined with moisture, becomes highly corrosive. In
addition, carbon deposits on piston rings are avoided; as a rule,
up to now these have led to a reduction of compression and to
rapid wear of the cylinder. The same thing applies to valve
surfaces, spark plugs, and to the whole exhaust system.
A further important secondary effect of the process according to
the present invention is the avoidance of so-called knocking.
The liquid that is used ensures even distribution of heat within
the combustion chamber and prevents the build-up of abrupt
combustion (detonation~.
In tests that have been conducted up to now, it was possible to
achieve gasoline economies of up to 35% as well as reduced carbon
monoxide values which in part even lay below 0.05%.
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In contrast to the illustration shown in figure l, the apparatus
shown in figure 3 incorporates a supply container l that is made
up of two chambers with feed lines 22, through which the liquid
ed to the antechambers 2 and 2' by means of a controllable
shut-off valve 10 or 10'. The construction of the atomizing
chambers 4 and 4' (see figure 4) is the same except that in place
of the porous-shaped body 5, a porous-shaped body (5') is
provided, this being enclosed with a metal mesh; this is shown in
greater detail in figure 7. This body (5') consists of a porous,
essentially cylindrical plastic block (32) that is approximately
40 mm in diameter and approximately 50 to 60 mm long and
incorporates a central blind drilling (33) of a diameter of
between 2 and 3 mm, into which the air inlet channel (line 19)
opens out. The plastic block i8 enclosed in a tightly applied
wire mesh (metal mesh) with a mesh slze o~ approximately 0.2 ~m
and incorporate~ annular or spiral grooves (34) that are at most
2 mm wide on its outer covering; these are arranged at an axial
interval of 5 mm. This groove or these grooves ~34) serve to
collect any bubbles that are formed. This takes into
consideration the fact that the methanol vaporizes more easily
than water and the oil may not permeate the particular body 5, or
it is not intended to enter into a chemical reaction with a
shaped body 5 that is composed of minerals. In addition, the
atomizing chambers 4 and 4' are connected to each other by way of
a line that incorporates a regulating flap valve 24 lnot shown in
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29
the illustration and may be wrongly numbered in figure 3--Tr.]
that is operated by an electronic control 25 or a solenoid valve.
Whereas the first chamber of the supply tank is filled with
distilled water, the second chamber of the supply container 1
contains a methanol-oil mixture. The fog-like liquid vapour
passes from the two atomizing chambers 4 or 4', respectively,
into one of two atomizer swirl chambers 13, 13' that are arranged
adjacent to each other, so that first of all a water mist is
added to the air fuel mixture and then a methanol-oil vapour is
added to`the mixture that results from this. Becausa of the ~act
that the particular system components such as feed and drain
lines c~rrespond to each other, reference can be made to the
previous embodiments with regard to the atomizing chambers and
the atomizer swirl chambers.
In addition, the feed lines 19 and 19' incorporate a one-way lip
valve 36 or 36' that is made to oscillate in the event that
additional air is supplied through the line 39 and this then
passes the air in pulses to the porous-shaped body 5 or the
plastic body ~'. This additional quantity of air is supplied as
soon as the shut-off valve 38, which should be open when the gas
pedal of a passenger vehicle is kicked down, is opened by the
regulator 37. When the engine is idling or not under load (when
coasting down hill) the valve 38 remains closed. At the same
time, when idling or when unloaded, such as when a passenger
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20~6~6~
vehicle is coasting down hill, the gasoline supply is cut back to
almost O by way of a throttle valve; in addition, the needle
valve in the bypass ~the idling ~et) is closed. In this case,
only mixture that comes from the atomizing chambers 4, 4' is
burned. When this ls done, the glycerine, in particular, will
work to reduce the generation of Nox.
Figure 5a shows a longitudinal cross section through an exhaust
pipe 26 in the area that is immediately adjacent to the
combustion chamber. The flow of exhaust gas that is indicated by
the four arrows 27 is passed in total to this exhaust pipe 26,
which incorporates a diffusor 28 that extends over the whole
cross section of the pipe in the direction of the exhaust gas.
As can be seen from the cross section drawing in figure 5a, the
di~fusor is of a net-like construction, the space that is not
covered by the diffusor first tapering conically to zero and then
expanding conically in a corresponding manner. The incoming flow
of exhaust gas, which contains glycerine that has been heated to
combustion temperature and which carries the unbu~ned or
partially burned particles, is passed through the diffusor net
where, because of the small mesh size, which grows denser in the
direction of the flow of exhaust gas, further atomizes the
unburned or partially burned particles. The high temperatures
that exist in this area lead to self-ignition of the unburned
particles, when a flame 30 is formed. This extends across the
whole diffusor and to an almost equal length. The diffusor
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should be approximately 25 cm long so that a total flame lengthof approximately 50 cm results. The exhaust pipe 26 is protected
by means of an internal flame-resistant coating 29.
The taper of the flow space that is not covered by the diffusor
net can be seen in figure 6a to figure 6c, the reference number
~ 28 referring to the edge of the diffusor net.
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Figure 5b shows an embodiment in which a two-stage diffusor is
used. The first stage corresponds to that shown in figure 5a, so
that no explanation of this is necessary. However, this diffusor
is followed by a second section 28' that is correspondingly
constructed, the diffusor mesh size growing smaller towards the
exhaust outlet. The first diffusor section 28 should be
approximately 15 cm long, and the second section 28' should be
approximately 10 cm long.
In addition, it can be seen from figure 6 that several baffle
plates that extend in the longitudinal direction are incorporated
and these are used to guide the exhaust flow in a manner that is
as laminar as possible through the area in which the diffusor is
arranged.
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In the apparatus that is shown in figures 3 to 6, it is preferred
that glycerine be added as a function of the quantity of fuel
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that is used. In particular, the amount of glycerine that is
added is maximal in the case of a so-called "kick-down."
The service life of the diSfusor ~hown in figures 5 and 6 will
not, as a rule, be less than two years, particularly if the net
ie of stainless steel that can withstand temperatures of up to
approximately 1800-C.
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