Power plants – Internal combustion engine with treatment or handling of... – By electrolysis – electrical discharge – electrical field – or...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-13
2001-08-14
Denion, Thomas (Department: 3748)
Power plants
Internal combustion engine with treatment or handling of...
By electrolysis, electrical discharge, electrical field, or...
C060S284000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06272849
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to the field of automotive catalysts for reduction of emissions from a fossil fueled internal combustion engine, and more particularly to technology for heating such catalyst by spontaneous combustion of hydrogen when exposed to the catalyst independent of any emissions.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A group of recently issued and related patents (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,813,222; 5,953,908; 5,964,089; 5,845,485; and 5,964,089) disclose a method and apparatus to achieve heating of the catalyst by introducing a mixture of air and hydrogen to either the combustion chamber of the engine or to the air existing in the exhaust pipe upstream of a catalytic converter. The mixture is intended to combust within the engine to carry heat to the catalyst or spontaneously and exothermically combust when it is exposed to the catalyst. Hydrogen is supplied from a storage tank that is regularly filled with hydrogen produced on board the automotive vehicle by an electrolysis system. On-board electrolysis systems are readily known in the art as evidenced by the discussions in the above referenced patents. The systems essentially use electrical energy, derived from the vehicle's storage battery or generator, to disassociate water into its constituents, one of which is hydrogen. Care is taken to filter and purify the hydrogen to be free of any oxygen and other contaminants by reforming water with the constituent oxygen. The main body of electrolysis oxygen that is not contaminating the hydrogen is vented to atmosphere. Hydrogen is delivered to the air mixture for spontaneous combustion at a pressure of about 30-45 psig, is dispersed at flow rates of 80-200 liters per minute so that it constitutes 1-28% of the mixture. Due to the inefficiency of adding hydrogen to air at a location well upstream of the catalyst, the patents suggest adding a small electrical heater in instances where the ambient temperature conditions can be as low as −7° C. (see '222 patent at column 9, lines 28-35). Such a proposal points out the shortcomings of the state of the art. Such patents also take the electrolysis oxygen and add it to the air flow when creating the combustible mixture, as the patents suggest. Unfortunately this does little to change the inefficiency of the approach.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to overcome the inefficiencies of the prior art by (i) utilizing essentially the exact stoichiometric proportions of hydrogen and oxygen produced by the on-board electrolysis system and avoid any use of air that can contribute as a source of oxygen for the spontaneous catalyzed combustion, and (ii) prevent creation of the mixture until it can be introduced at the immediate face of the precious metal laden automotive catalyst.
In a first aspect, the invention is a method of conditioning an automotive catalyst of the type that induces reactive catalysis of HC and CO introduced to such catalyst as engine exhaust gas from an automotive engine of a vehicle. The method comprises the steps of: (a) electrolyzing water on-board said vehicle to derive and store separate proportions of hydrogen and oxygen at pressures in the range of 50-100 psi, (b) immediately upon initiation of engine starting, rapidly transferring stoichiometric proportions of the separated and stored hydrogen and oxygen to a front face location of a catalyst substrate to heat the catalyst substrate by spontaneous catalytic recombination of the hydrogen and oxygen and thereby more efficiently raise the temperature of the catalyst substrate rapidly to a temperature at which certain emissions can be catalytically converted, (c) complete cranking of the engine to admit emissions laden with CO and HC to the catalyst substrate while continuing to transfer stoichiometric proportions of the hydrogen and oxygen to the front face location for raising the substrate temperature to about 300° C., and (d) ceasing introduction of the hydrogen and oxygen when the catalyst substrate has reached full operational temperature for optimum emission conversion.
The invention, in a second aspect, is an apparatus for heating an automotive catalyst to a catalytically reactive condition for automotive emissions, comprising (a) an on-board electrolysis system for producing and separately storing quantities of relatively pure hydrogen and oxygen in stroichiometric proportions and at generally equal pressures, (b) a frontal catalyst face defining entrances to multi-channeled catalyst laden flow paths, and (c) a controllable transfer line for selectively communicating hydrogen and a controllable transfer line for selectively communicating oxygen, the communications being to the front face whereby efficient spontaneous exothermic recombination of the hydrogen and oxygen may take place immediately upon being transferred to such location regardless of ambient temperatures.
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Hepburn Jeffrey Scott
Thanasiu Eva
Zanini-Fisher Margherita
Denion Thomas
Ford Global Technologies Inc.
Malleck Joseph W.
Tran Diem
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