Power plants – Internal combustion engine with treatment or handling of... – Methods
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-07
2001-04-10
Denion, Thomas (Department: 3748)
Power plants
Internal combustion engine with treatment or handling of...
Methods
C423S219000, C423S245300, C423S247000, C095S114000, C095S116000, C095S141000, C095S148000, C055S385300, C096S143000, C096S146000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06212882
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an assembly for cleaning ambient air in the vicinity of an internal combustion engine. The invention also relates to a method for cleaning ambient air, utilizing the assembly, and to a motor vehicle provided with the assembly in accordance with the invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The demands on cleaner and less harmful exhaust gases from internal combustion engines of e.g. motor vehicles are becoming more and more stringent, and the regulations concerning allowable emission levels specify an increasing number of chemical compounds.
Depending on the operating conditions and the composition of the ambient air, the exhaust gases from a modern motor vehicle might in fact be cleaner that the ambient air which is suctioned into the engine for the internal combustion. The reason for this is the greatly improved technology for controlling and cleaning the emissions from the internal combustion, e.g. by means of improved combustion control, catalytic converters and hydrocarbon traps in the exhaust gas system, etc.
Another previously known way of reducing the total environmental effects on the ambient air caused by an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle is to provide the motor vehicle with means for active cleaning of the ambient air.
Accordingly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,088 (Colosimo) discloses an air filtering assembly for cleaning pollution from the ambient air in the path of the vehicle by means of using the vehicle and the assembly as a mobile cleaning device. According to U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,088, the ambient air is cleaned by means of being passed through filter means for removing relatively larger size particulate material and electronic precipitator means for removing relatively smaller size particulate material from the inlet air. The air filtering assembly can be provided with a post filter of catalytic, replaceable cartridge-type for cleaning the air of non-particulate or aerosol pollution such as carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, nitrous oxides, and/or sulphur oxides, and the like. The catalytic post filter is claimed to have an offsetting effect which might eliminate the need for a catalytic filter in the exhaust system of the vehicle. According to U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,088, ducting means may be utilized to direct the cleaned air from the filtering assembly to desired uses such as the fresh air or air conditioning system of the vehicle. Furthermore, the described air filtering assembly includes means for spraying a fluid into the filtering assembly for periodic cleaning and rejuvenating.
Furthermore, WO 96/22146 and WO 97/11769 disclose a method and apparatus for cleaning ambient air by the movement of a vehicle having at least one atmosphere contacting surface, and a pollutant treating composition located on said surface. In a specific embodiment, a method of coating a motor vehicle radiator with pollutant treating catalyst is disclosed. The atmosphere contacting surfaces preferably comprise a finned outer surface and are selected from the outer surface of the radiator, the air conditioner condenser, the surfaces of the radiator fan, engine oil cooler, transmission oil cooled, power steering fluid cooler and air charge cooler, wherein the outer surface of the air conditioner condenser and radiator are the most preferred. The polluting treating compositions are said to include catalyst compositions useful for catalyzing the conversion of pollutants to non-objectionable materials, or alternatively, adsorption compositions for adsorbing pollutants which can be destroyed upon adsorption, or stored for further treatment at a later time. In the case of adsorption compositions, hydrocarbons and particulate matter can be adsorbed and subsequently treated by desorption followed by catalytic reaction or incineration. Advantages of the disclosed method and apparatus are claimed to be that no additional filter or apparatus is required, and that no additional energy source or changes in the construction of method of operation of the motor vehicle are required. According to WO 96/22146 and WO 97/11769, a number of pollutants in the ambient air can be treated, e.g. carbon monoxide, different hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides.
However, the previously known techniques for cleaning ambient air in the vicinity of a motor vehicle usually require that a filter cartridge or the like is replaced manually when it has been saturated with pollutants, or that a special, rather complicated system for periodic cleaning is provided.
Furthermore, the existing systems for cleaning ambient air do not make use of the possible heat content in the treated pollutants for the internal combustion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide an assembly for cleaning ambient air in the vicinity of an internal combustion engine, having a simple and reliable construction and an automatic function, and which furthermore makes use of the possible heat content in the pollutants removed from the ambient air in the cleaning process.
This first object is achieved, in accordance with claim
1
, by means of an assembly in which an internal combustion engine has combustion air inlet means for providing air for internal combustion of an organic fuel resulting in an exhaust gas, and energy emitting means for emitting energy. The assembly further comprises adsorbent means for adsorbing at least one pollutant when in a first mode of operation and for desorbing the pollutant when in a second mode of operation. The adsorbent means have an inlet for polluted ambient air comprising the pollutant and an outlet for cleaned ambient air cleaned from the pollutant. Furthermore, the assembly comprises a pollutant conduit through which the desorbed pollutant is transferred from the adsorbent means to the combustion air inlet means when in the second mode of operation. Thereby, the adsorbent means are arranged for being brought into the second mode of operation by means of energy supplied from the energy emitting means.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a method for cleaning ambient air in the vicinity of an internal combustion engine which utilizes the assembly.
This second object is achieved, in accordance with claim
16
, by means of the method comprising: to provide an internal combustion engine, having combustion air inlet means for providing air for internal combustion of an organic fuel, and energy emitting means for emitting energy. The method further comprises to provide adsorbent means having an inlet for polluted ambient air and an outlet for cleaned ambient air; to adsorb at least one pollutant in the adsorbent means when in a first mode of operation; and to desorb the adsorbed pollutant when in a second mode of operation. Furthermore, the method comprises: to provide a pollutant conduit; to bring the adsorbent means into the second mode of operation by means of the energy supplied from the energy emitting means; to transfer the desorbed pollutant from the adsorbent means to the combustion air inlet means through the pollutant conduit when in the second mode of operation; to combust the pollutant in the internal combustion engine in order to create an exhaust gas; and to bring the adsorbent means back into the first mode of operation.
A third object of the present invention is to provide a motor vehicle provided with the assembly and cleaning ambient air through the method according to the invention, which object is achieved in accordance with claim
29
.
Further objects of the present invention will become evident from the following description, and the features enabling these further objects to be achieved can be found in the dependent claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3738088 (1973-06-01), Colosimo
patent: 4824363 (1989-04-01), Abthoff et al.
patent: 5004487 (1991-04-01), Kowalczyk
patent: 5085049 (1992-02-01), Rim et al.
patent: 5147429 (1992-09-01), Bartholomew et al.
patent: 5509853 (1996-04-01), Wells
patent: 5676913 (1997-10-01), Cirillo et al.
patent: 5787706 (1998-08-01), Jo
Gottberg Ingemar
Greger Lars
Heck Ronald M.
Hoke Jeffrey B.
Poles Terence C.
Denion Thomas
Nguyen Tu M.
Samuels , Gauthier & Stevens, LLP
Volvo Personvagnar AB & Engelhard Corp.
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