Internal-combustion engines – Charge forming device – Combustible mixture ionization – ozonation – or electrolysis
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-06
2002-05-14
McMahon, Marguerite (Department: 3747)
Internal-combustion engines
Charge forming device
Combustible mixture ionization, ozonation, or electrolysis
Reexamination Certificate
active
06386187
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a device and a process for treating liquid hydrocarbon or fossil fuel to improve the combustion characteristics of the fuel and thereby improve fuel consumption, reduce exhaust gas temperatures from the combustion chamber, and reduce the production of pollutants upon combustion of the fuel. More particularly, this invention relates to a device for use in-line to treat a liquid hydrocarbon or fossil fuel before the fuel enters the combustion chamber of an engine or other fuel fired apparatus in order to enhance or improve the combustion of the fuel so that the combusted fuel produces less pollutants, exhaust gas exits the combustion chamber at a reduced temperature, and improved fuel efficiency is obtained so that in vehicular engines the miles per gallon is significantly improved.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is well known to treat hydrocarbon or fossil fuels to improve combustion efficiency and to reduce the production of harmful emissions or pollutants. Various chemical additives have been suggested to produce more efficient combustion of the fuel to decrease harmful emissions, and numerous magnetic type devices have been proposed to improve fuel efficiency in motor vehicles.
Among the many chemical additives suggested for addition to hydrocarbon or fossil fuel as oxygenators to improve the combustion of fuel are ethanol and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). Ethanol has proved to be too expensive and not readily available. Therefore, the US Congress has mandated that certain amounts of MTBE be included in gasoline to lower harmful emissions. While MTBE has been found to be beneficial in this respect, its use has now been brought under question due to the possible carcinogenic effects from MTBE and its use causing contamination of underground water supplies. Thus, there is a need for a means to improve the combustion of hydrocarbon or fossil fuel without the need for such undesirable chemical additives that have heretofore been proposed.
Numerous devices have been proposed to increase the fuel efficiency of fuels used in motor vehicles. A large number of these devices involve the use of magnets and magnetic fields. Devices that employ magnets both outside and inside the fuel line have been proposed. As examples of such devices are those disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,254,393; 4,289,621; 4,372,852; 4,572,145; 4,933,151; 5,271,369; 5,305,725; 5,411,143; 5,520,158; 5,558,765; 5,816,221; and 5,840,184.
However, despite the multitude of such devices proposed, devices of this type have not been widely adopted by either the automotive industry as original equipment or by the public as after-market equipment. Generally, this has been the case because the devices produce only marginal improvement in fuel efficiency or fail to significantly reduce any harmful combustion emissions.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device for treating a liquid hydrocarbon or fossil fuel which avoids the drawbacks and deficiencies of the chemical additives of the heretofore proposed devices. A further object of this invention is to provide a device for installation in-line in a fuel supply line to treat the hydrocarbon or fossil fuel prior to the entrance of the fuel into a combustion chamber and which devices will improve the combustion of the fuel to provide both increased fuel efficiency, reduced combustion chamber exhaust gas temperatures and reduced production of harmful pollutants as emissions from the combustion process. A still further object of this invention is to provide such a device particularly suitable for use in-line in motor vehicles.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides a device and a process for treating a hydrocarbon or fossil fuel which is to be combusted in a combustion chamber wherein the fuel is treated with a plurality of fields of differing or alternating magnetic flux, subjected to a field of differing standard electrochemical reduction potentials and subjected to mechanical forces causing the fuel to be turbulently treated in the device and process.
More particularly, the invention provides a device and process for treating such a fuel whereby the fuel is subjected toga residence time exposure to the fields of differing or alternating magnetic flux of at least 0.5 seconds, and also wherein at least 50 square inches of opposing, facing pole faces of magnets are provided for contacting the fuel. In a further embodiment of the invention, the device of this invention provides for the fuel to pass through a field of at least two non-ferrous metal materials of differing standard electrochemical reduction potential simultaneously with passage of the fuel through the plurality of fields of magnetic flux.
In another embodiment of the device and process of this invention, the device is provided with flow controllers causing essentially all the fuel to simultaneously flow through the plurality of fields of magnetic flux and through the field of standard electrochemical reduction potential differential in a turbulent flow pattern.
A device of this invention is provided for treatment of a hydrocarbon or fossil fuel which is to be combusted in a combustion chamber to improve combustion of the fuel in the combustion chamber by turbulently treating the fuel with a plurality of fields of differing or alternating magnetic flux and subjecting the fuel to a field of differing standard electrochemical reduction potentials. Such a device is adapted to be connected in-line in a fuel supply line of the combustion chamber and comprises:
a non-magnetic, elongate hollow tubular housing having a longitudinal axis, opposing inlet and outlet ends, a generally centrally located inlet aperture in said inlet end for receiving fuel and a generally centrally located outlet aperture in said outlet end for dispensing treated fuel;
a plurality of longitudinally elongated magnets located in the housing on opposing sides of the longitudinal axis providing a series of differing or alternating fields of magnetic flux along the longitudinal axis; and
optionally, but preferably, at least two large surface area non-ferrous metal wool or screen materials of differing standard electrochemical reduction potentials in the housing, the metals being located along the longitudinal axis of the housing and between the magnets of the plurality of magnets and establishing a field of standard electrochemical reduction potential differential in the housing through which the fuel must flow.
In one embodiment, the device of this invention comprises:
a non-magnetic, elongate hollow tubular housing having a longitudinal axis, opposing inlet and outlet ends, a generally centrally located inlet aperture in the inlet end for receiving fuel and a generally centrally located outlet aperture in the outlet end for dispensing treated fuel;
a longitudinally extending first plurality of magnets located inside the housing and parallel to a first side of the longitudinal axis, a longitudinally extending second plurality of magnets located inside the housing and parallel to and latitudinally spaced apart from the first set of magnets and located on a second and opposite side of the longitudinal axis, each magnet of said first and second plurality of magnets having a longitudinal pole face facing the longitudinal axis and each having a magnetic polarity, the magnetic polarity of the longitudinal pole face of each magnet of the first plurality of magnets being of a magnetic polarity opposite the magnetic polarity of the longitudinal pole face of an opposing facing magnet of the second plurality of magnets, and the magnetic polarity of the longitudinal pole face of each magnet of the first and second plurality of magnets being of different magnetic polarity to the magnetic polarity of adjacent magnets in the respective first and second longitudinal plurality of magnets; and
optionally, but preferably, at least two large surface area non-ferrous metal wool or screen materials of differing standard electrochemical reduction potentials extending l
McMahon Marguerite
Ohlandt Greeley Ruggiero & Perle LLP
Performance Fuel Systems LLC
Rauchfuss, Jr. George W.
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