Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02570573 2006-12-12
Patent Application for "Fuel Saving Heater for Internal Combustion Engine"
invented by Naiqiang Dong and applied by Lan Way and Rong Ying Lin
Page 2
TITLE: FUEL SAVING HEATER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to an internal combustion engine in an
automobile, and
specifically to an electrical fuel saving device for heating, catalyzing, and
stabilizing the fuel
flowing from a fuel tank in the automobile in order to maintain fuel
temperature within a
predetermined range, improve fuel quality, and prevent excessive fuel pressure
to be delivered
to the engine for efficient combustion.
2. Description of Prior Art
It is a well-known fact in automobile industry that hydrocarbon fuels such as
gasoline
and diesel are more efficiently burned for an internal combustion engine if
their temperatures
can be elevated and maintained within an optimum range than ambient
temperatures at various
weather conditions prior to intended combustion. To improve the fuel
efficiency significantly,
many engineers in prior arts have designed numerous devices trying to elevate
the temperatures
of the fuels above their ambient ones via three types of heat exchange media
such as electricity,
coolant, or exhaust gas in an automobile. The media of the coolant and the
exhaust gas
normally need the engine running for a longer time than the electricity medium
especially in
cold climate to release sufficient heat for the purpose of heating the fuels.
Furthermore, both
media may sometimes inevitably overheat the fuels to some extent so that the
automobile is to
be exposed to a great danger of fire or explosion should fuel leakages out of
the fuel pipe of the
automobile occur in an accident. The electricity seems to be the most feasible
and reliable
CA 02570573 2006-12-12
Patent Application for "Fuel Saving Heater for Internal Combustion Engine"
invented by Naiqiang Dong and applied by Lan Way and Rong Ying Lin
Page 3
medium to elevate the fuel temperatures for the engine if it is not to cause
substantial burden on
the battery of the automobile.
Although many heating devices of the prior arts have proved to be
operationally
efficient in fuel saving for engines of automobiles, these devices definitely
have attendant
disadvantages in accompanying with the mere advantage of the fuel efficiency.
The
disadvantages, namely expensive price, bulky size, difficult installation,
complex design, hard
replacement, and unsafe use, apparently do not thus far justify for their
widespread adoptions or
usages by either automobile manufacturers or general public.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is a main object of the present invention to provide an improved fuel
heating device
for an internal combustion engine in an automobile which is efficient in
operation, inexpensive
in price, compact in size, safe in use, easy in installation, simple in
replacement, etc.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fuel heating
device for the
engine which can be readily retrofitted on all types and models of
automobiles.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fuel heating
device for the
engine which is capable of accurately maintaining the temperature of the fuel
to be delivered to
a carburetor or a fuel injector in the automobile within a predetermined range
below the boiling
point of the fuel but substantially above the ambient temperature at various
weather conditions.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fuel heating
device for the
engine which includes a built-in stabilizer capable of regulating the flow and
the pressure of the
fuel to prevent both from reaching to an excessive or even harmful level.
CA 02570573 2006-12-12
Patent Application for "Fuel Saving Heater for Internal Combustion Engine"
invented by Naiqiang Dong and applied by Lan Way and Rong Ying Lin
Page 4
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fuel heating
device, which can
be disposed at any convenient position for the fuel pipe between a fuel tank
and the carburetor
or fuel injector in the automobile, and be utilized by the engine without any
alteration or
modification to the original design of the automobile.
The invention will be further understood and additional objects and advantages
will
become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a fuel heating device in which a housing means
defines an inlet
end, inner chamber, and outlet end to allow the fuel from a fuel tank in an
automobile to be
heated and then be delivered to an internal combustion engine for efficient
burning. In the
center portion of the inner chamber, there is an infrared annular member that
further defines an
interior passageway for some fuel passing through from the inlet end to be
heated within. The
annular member, made of heat retaining materials, is elongated in shape with
its most part in
small dimension at size near the inlet end and the remaining part in large
dimension at size near
the outlet end. On the outside surface of the annular member, there is
sintered with a multi-
metallic layer. The layer can enhance the temperature stability in the inner
chamber by
gradually releasing the heat of the annular member slowly. Wrapping around the
outside
surface of the annular member with small size, there is a spirally electrical
heating pipe that is
made of heat conductive materials. Besides the aforementioned annular member
and heating
pipe, there are still multi-elements plates and filling metal gauzes within
the inner chamber. The
multi-elements plates may be disposed near the inlet end or the outlet end
within the inner
CA 02570573 2006-12-12
Patent Application for "Fuel Saving Heater for Internal Combustion Engine"
invented by Naiqiang Dong and applied by Lan Way and Rong Ying Lin
Page 5
chamber. Both of the plates and the aforesaid layer are able to perform a
catalysis process to
improve the quality of the fuel by restoring the fuel back to the original
stage at refinery level
without bad influences of fuel additives. Within the heating pipe, two or more
sets of electrical
heating elements and stuffing gauzes primarily made of magnesium oxide are
provided to
generate and conduct sufficient heat to elevate and maintain the temperatures
of the heating
pipe, the annular member, and the filling gauzes. On the outer surface of the
heating pipe, there
is sprayed with a nanometer-level ceramic coating to prevent the fuel in
direct contact with the
surface from overheating. A temperature sensor, connected to a thermocouple
transducer, is
furnished near the outlet end to detect the fuel temperature. The transducer
is further connected
to a control circuit, semiconductor controllers, and a thermistor that are
able to actuate, adjust,
and interrupt the electrical current from the battery to the heating elements
to prevent the fuel
from overheating and unsafe incidents from happening. A fuel stabilizer,
disposed against the
inner walls of the inlet end, able to regulate the amount and the pressure of
the fuel flowing
from the fuel tank in the automobile to a constantly balancing level upon its
exiting out the
device is also supplied.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Additional objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will
be apparent
from the following detailed description and appended claims in conjunction
with accompanying
drawings, and like reference numerals designate like parts and elements
throughout all figures
in the drawings, wherein
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a fuel saving device showing all principal parts
in accordance with
the present invention.
CA 02570573 2006-12-12
Patent Application for "Fuel Saving Heater for Internal Combustion Engine"
invented by Naiqiang Dong and applied by Lan Way and Rong Ying Lin
Page 6
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a fuel stabilizer showing all principal parts in
accordance with the
present invention.
FIG. 3 is an outline of an electrical system for the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With particular reference to FIG. 1, a fuel saving device 10 in accordance
with the
preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises of an elongated
housing means 12
with an inlet end 13 at its one side and an outlet end 14 at its other side,
and a holding base 40
beneath it to be installed on any convenient position in an automobile
preferably as close to an
internal combustion engine (not shown) as possible. The housing means 12
further defines an
inner chamber 15 along with the inlet end 13 and the outlet end 14 for
establishing a flow of the
fuel from a fuel tank (not shown) to the engine with the device 10 in between.
There is an
infrared annular member 30 disposed in the center portion of the inner chamber
15 between the
inlet end 13 and the outlet end 14. The annular member 30 elongated in shape
can be divided
into two different parts. The large part is in small dimension at size 30A
with its one side
situated near the inlet end 13. The small part is in large dimension at size
30B with its one side
situated near the outlet end 14. The annular member 30, made of heat retaining
materials,
further defines an interior passageway 16 for the fuel passing through it to
be elevated in
temperature. The housing means 12 mounted on the round base 40 is furthermore
fixed securely
by a plurality of installation holes 41 on any convenient position between the
fuel tank and the
engine by means of fastening means (not shown) like screws or bolts. A
thermistor 54, an
electrical connector 53, and an electrical circuit board 55 with semiconductor
controllers 56 and
CA 02570573 2006-12-12
Patent Application for "Fuel Saving Heater for Internal Combustion Engine"
invented by Naiqiang Dong and applied by Lan Way and Rong Ying Lin
Page 7
a control circuit 57 on it that connect and control the electrical current
from the battery are all
mounted on the base 40.
Wrapping closely and snugly around the outside surface of the annular member
30 with
small size 30A, there is a spirally electrical heating pipe 20. The heating
pipe 20, made of heat
conductive materials, enters into the housing means 12 from an entering
position 20A near the
inlet end 13 and exits out the housing means 12 from an exiting position 20B
near the outlet
end 14. The major purpose for the heating pipe 20 to wrap around the annular
member 30
spirally in the inner chamber 15 is to provide intended thermal conduction
from the heating
pipe 20 to the annular member 30. The minor purpose to wrap around the annular
member 30
spirally is to hold the annular member 30 in a stable position within the
inner chamber 15. Both
of the entering position 20A and the exiting position 20B of the heating pipe
20 are fixed and
sealed firmly with the housing means 12 by threaded engagements (not shown) to
prevent
unnecessary fuel leakages. Two or more sets of electrical heating elements 50,
made of positive
temperature coefficient of resistance materials and regulated by the
thermistor 54 on the base
40, are disposed within the heating pipe 20. Both the heating elements 50 and
thermistor 54 are
connected with the battery to deliver the electrical energy actuated by an
ignition switch (not
shown) of the automobile to the device 10. All sets of the heating elements 50
are adjoined and
insulated each other and/or one another all the time within the heating pipe
20 to safely ensure
thermal conduction to the outer surface of the heating pipe 20 evenly and
uniformly.
With particular reference to FIG. 1 and 3, when the ignition switch of the
automobile is
turned on, a temperature sensor 51 near the outlet end 14 often detects a
lower fuel temperature
at ambient surroundings especially in cold weather than the temperature range
predetermined
CA 02570573 2006-12-12
Patent Application for "Fuel Saving Heater for Internal Combustion Engine"
invented by Naiqiang Dong and applied by Lan Way and Rong Ying Lin
Page 8
by the optimum combustion for the engine. The sensor 51 is then to send an
electronic signal to
a thermocouple transducer 52 disposed beneath the housing means 12. The
control circuit 57,
connected to the transducer 52, the electrical connector 53, the controllers
56, and the
thermistor 54, on the circuit board 55 is to actuate the electrical current
throughout all sets of
the heating elements 50 to elevate the fuel temperature rapidly. As soon as
the sensor 51 detects
the fuel temperature reaching one-half degree Fahrenheit above the preset
optimum range, the
control circuit 57 under the instruction of the controllers 56 is to interrupt
the electrical current
throughout all sets of the heating elements 50 except one to prevent the fuel
from overheating.
This only set of the heating elements 50A not interrupted by the control
circuit 57 has been
continuously working to maintain the fuel temperature within the preset
optimum range so long
as the ignition switch is on. As soon as the sensor 51 detects the fuel
temperature dropping one-
half degree Fahrenheit below the preset optimum range, the control circuit 57
under the
instruction of the controllers 56 is to actuate the electrical current
throughout all other sets of
the heating elements 50B to elevate the fuel temperature again. The transducer
52 functions as a
liaison among the sensor 51, the control circuit 57, the controllers 56, the
thermistor 54, and the
heating elements 50 to constantly actuate, adjust, or interrupt the electrical
current from the
battery to an accurate extent in accordance with the fuel temperature detected
by the sensor 51.
The transducer 52 currently mounted beneath the housing means 12 and the
thermistor 54
currently mounted on the base 40 described above may be disposed on the
circuit board 55
instead.
Besides the space occupied by the heating elements 50, there are filled with
thermally
conductive, electrically insulating stuffing gauzes (not shown) within the
heating pipe 20. The
CA 02570573 2006-12-12
Patent Application for "Fuel Saving Heater for Internal Combustion Engine"
invented by Naiqiang Dong and applied by Lan Way and Rong Ying Lin
Page 9
stuffing gauzes primarily made of magnesium oxide can hold all sets of the
heating elements 50
in firm and stable positions. The stuffing gauzes virtually serve two
purposes: one for a thermal
conduction medium between the heating elements 50 and the heating pipe 20 and
another for
electrical insulation among all sets of the heating elements 50. On the outer
surface of the
heating pipe 20, there is sprayed with a nanometer-level ceramic coating 22 to
prevent the fuel
in direct contact with the surface from overheating. The ceramic coating 22
practically works to
lessen the extent of thermal conduction between the heating pipe 20 and the
fuel touching the
outer surface for safety concerns. On the outside surface of the annular
member 30, there is
sintered with a multi-metallic layer 32. The layer 32 can enhance the
temperature stability in
the inner chamber 15 by gradually releasing the heat of the annular member 30
little by little.
The layer 32 also can activate a catalysis process of restoring the fuel back
to the original stage
at refinery level for efficient combustion before delivery to customers. The
reason for the
catalysis process to improve the combustion efficiency of the fuel is that all
refineries usually
add additives to the fuel for numerous reasons like safety, logistics, or
antifreeze.
Unfortunately, these additives are not helpful or even harmful for the fuel to
be burned
efficiently in the engine. To further improve the quality of the fuel upon its
initial entry into and
final exit out the device 10, a plurality of multi-elements plates 38, made of
catalysis materials
used often by refineries, may be disposed within the inner chamber 15 near the
inlet end 13 or
the outlet end 14. Likewise to the stuffing gauzes filled within the heating
pipe 20 besides the
heating elements 50, there are filling metal gauzes 36 stuffed within the
inner chamber 15
besides the annular member 30, the heating pipe 20, and the multi-elements
plates 38. The
filling gauzes 36 not only can absorb the heat diffused from the heating pipe
20 and the annular
CA 02570573 2006-12-12
Patent Application for "Fuel Saving Heater for Internal Combustion Engine"
invented by Naiqiang Dong and applied by Lan Way and Rong Ying Lin
Page 10
member 30 to elevate the fuel temperature by means of direct contract, but
also can hold the
annular member 30 in a stable position within the inner chamber 15.
With particular reference to FIG. 2, a fuel stabilizer 60 to regulate the flow
and the
pressure of the fuel to a constantly balancing level comprises a cup-shaped
inlet casing means
61 and outlet casing means 62. Both are made of stiff materials and disposed
against the inner
walls of the inlet end 13 for the device 10. The cup-shaped inlet and outlet
casing means 61, 62
are clamped 63 together to form an enclosure 64. The inlet casing means 61
further has an inlet
orifice 65 in its center portion to allow the fuel from the fuel tank to enter
into the stabilizer 60.
The outlet casing means 62 further has a plurality of outlet apertures 68 in
its center portion to
allow the fuel passing through from the enclosure 64 to enter into the inner
chamber 15 of the
device 10. In the enclosure 64, there is a u-shaped large piston 70 whose
bottom portion is close
and parallel to the inner wall of the inlet casing means 61. The large piston
70 has a plurality of
inlet apertures 66 in its center portion to allow the fuel passing through
from the inlet orifice 65
to enter into the enclosure 64 furthermore. In the meanwhile, these inlet
apertures 66 may deny
some of the fuel passing through from the inlet orifice 65 to enter into the
enclosure 64
furthermore when the large piston 70 is moving toward the inlet casing means
61 to block some
of the inlet apertures 66. There is a large compression spring 74 disposed and
extended between
the large piston 70 and the outlet casing means 62 in the enclosure 64. Its
one side is attached to
the inner wall of the large piston 70, whereas its other side to the inner
wall of the outlet casing
means 62. The compression spring 74 is to provide a restraining force to push
the large piston
70 toward the inlet casing means 61 and then to block the flow of some fuel
from the inlet
orifice 65 to enter into the enclosure 64 furthermore. There is also a u-
shaped small piston 72
CA 02570573 2006-12-12
Patent Application for "Fuel Saving Heater for Internal Combustion Engine"
invented by Naiqiang Dong and applied by Lan Way and Rong Ying Lin
Page 11
disposed in the pocket of the large piston 70 in the enclosure 64. The bottom
portion of the
small piston 72 is close and parallel to the bottom portion of the large
piston 70. There is a
small tension spring 76 disposed and extended between the small piston 72 and
the outlet
casing means 62 in the enclosure 64. Its one side is attached to the inner
wall of the outlet
casing means 62, whereas other side to the inner wall of the small piston 72.
The tension spring
76 is to provide a restraining force to push the small piston 72 toward the
large piston 70 and
then to block the flow of the fuel from the inlet apertures 66 to enter into
the enclosure 64
furthermore. The stabilizer 60 fully utilizes both restraining forces from the
compression spring
74 and the tension spring 76 in accompanying with the moving function of large
piston 70 and
small piston 72 to block the flow of some fuel in order to achieve a
constantly balancing level
for the amount and the pressure of the fuel passing through it.
OPERATION OF THE INVENTION
The preferred embodiment of the fuel saving device 10 described and depicted
above
can be moreover delineated from the standpoint of its operation. When an
ignition switch (not
shown) of an automobile is turned on, the battery of the automobile is to
provide electrical
current to all sets of heating elements 50. The heating elements 50, made of
heat resistant
materials and controlled by a thermistor 54 on a holding base 40, are disposed
within a spirally
electrical heating pipe 20 to avoid direct contact with the fuel from a fuel
tank (not shown) for
safety reasons. To further prevent the fuel from overheating caused by any
direct contact, there
is a ceramic coating 22 sprayed on the outer surface of the heating pipe 20.
The heating pipe 20,
made of heat conductive materials, enters into a housing means 12 from its one
position 20A
CA 02570573 2006-12-12
Patent Application for "Fuel Saving Heater for Internal Combustion Engine"
invented by Naiqiang Dong and applied by Lan Way and Rong Ying Lin
Page 12
and exits out the housing means from its other position 20B. The heating
elements 50 are to
rapidly elevate the temperature of the heating pipe 20 first and then in turn
to elevate ones of an
infrared annular member 30 and filling metal gauzes 36 via thermal conduction
in an inner
chamber 15 defined by the housing means 12. The fuel at ambient temperature
furnished by a
fuel pump (not shown) flows into the device 10 from an inlet end 13. The
temperature of the
fuel is to be elevated by the heating pipe 20, the annular member 30, and the
filling gauzes 36
in the inner chamber 15 by means of thermal conduction while the fuel is
passing through the
device 10. Before the fuel finally exits out the device 10 from an outlet end
14, there is a
temperature sensor 51 to detect the fuel temperature. Should the fuel
temperature is above or
below a preset optimum range, an electronic signal from the sensor 51 is sent
to a thermocouple
transducer 52 beneath the housing means 12 and a control circuit 57 on an
electrical circuit
board 55. Both of the circuit board 55 and the thermistor 54 are mounted on
the base 40 on
which further holds the housing means 12 of the device 10. The control circuit
57 under the
instruction of semiconductor controllers 56 on the circuit board 55 is to
actuate, adjust, or
interrupt electrical current to all sets of the heating elements 50 except
one. This very set of the
heating elements 50 is to be continuously working to prevent the fuel
temperature dropping
below the preset optimum range as long as the ignition switch is on. The
device 10, able to
elevate and maintain the fuel temperature accurately and safely within the
preset optimum
range, consequently results into two favorable effects: the improvement in
fuel efficiency and
the reduction in emitting pollutants. The device 10 is also able to improve
the quality of the fuel
moreover by providing a multi-metallic layer 32 on the outside surface of the
annular member
30 and multi-elements plates 38 within the inner chamber 15. Both are capable
of restoring the
CA 02570573 2006-12-12
= Patent Application for "Fuel Saving Heater for Internal Combustion Engine"
invented by Naiqiang Dong and applied by Lan Way and Rong Ying Lin
Page 13
fuel back to the original stage at refinery level for the efficient combustion
in the engine. The
device 10 finally provides a fuel stabilizer 60 to regulate the amount and the
pressure of the fuel
to a constantly balancing level to avoid any unnecessary fuel waste in the
engine.
Accordingly, while this invention has been described with reference to the
illustrative
embodiment, none should intend to interpret the description in a limiting or
narrow sense
regarding its scope. Various ramifications, variations, and modifications of
the illustrative
embodiment will be apparent to those people skilled in the art upon reference
to the description.
It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims and their legal
equivalents will cover any
aforesaid ramifications, variations, and modifications within the true scope
of the invention.
