Internal-combustion engines – Combined devices – Generating plants
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-22
2001-11-06
Argenbright, Tony M. (Department: 3747)
Internal-combustion engines
Combined devices
Generating plants
Reexamination Certificate
active
06311648
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to device for enhancing fuel combustion in an internal combustion engine, while improving the engine efficiency and eliminating at least one toxic by-product from its combustion.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Major industrial countries in the world now have regulations relating to the level of exhaust emissions from automobiles, which are imposing progressively reduced permitted levels of internal combustion engine emissions. This in turn increases the demand for greater control of the combustion process of the internal combustion engines.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,906,913 issued in September 1975 to the CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, discloses a device for mixing hydrogen with hydrocarbon fuel and air for use in the internal combustion engine of an automobile. However, such device requires a substantial “on-board” hydrogen generating capacity, to meet the large consumption of hydrogen, which consumes energy, occupies valuable space and adds weight to the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,902 issued on Aug. 20, 1996 to the Australian company ORBITAL ENGINE COMPANY (AUSTRALIA) Pty, Limited, discloses a fuel/gas delivery system for use with an internal combustion engine, in which hydrogen is mixed with hydrocarbon fuel for introduction into the combustion chamber of the engine. In this patent, the hydrogen is delivered to the combustion chamber only when the engine is operating in a selected low to medium load range. Moreover, the injection of the hydrogen is enabled directly into the combustion chamber, which occurs independently and later than the fuel delivery; therefore, only relatively small amounts of hydrogen are required to achieve the desired improvement in the ignitability of the fuel/air mixture. Substantial improvement in the combustion process is claimed to be achieved with as little as 2% hydrogen injection in relation to the fuel charge. The low hydrogen usage thus enabled enhances the possibility of providing an economical means of producing sufficient quantities of hydrogen on-board an automobile. A claimed advantage is that the hydrocarbon (HC) and the toxic carbon monoxide (CO) contents of the exhaust gas are reduced, but not eliminated.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An important object of the invention is to improve upon the fuel/gas delivery system described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,902, supra, by completely eliminating the toxic CO by-products from automobile internal combustion engines.
A general object of the invention is to enhance the combustion process and increase the efficiency of internal combustion engines by reducing the level of exhaust emissions from the automobile internal combustion engine.
An object of the invention is to decrease fuel consumption of automobiles with internal combustion engines.
A further object of the invention is to increase the travelling range of the automobile for a given volume of fuel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the objects of the invention, the invention relates generally speaking to a hydrogen-oxygen/hydrocarbon fuel system for enhancing the efficiency of an internal combustion engine by supplying a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen gases and liquid hydrocarbon fuel to the fuel line of this internal combustion engine, said fuel system comprising:
a) a water source;
b) an electrolytic member defining a main liquid chamber having a gas bell therein, said water chamber and gas bell being in liquid communication with one another under communicating vessels principle;
c) an anode bar and a cathode bar mounted into said gas bell in closely spaced fashion from one another; a first fluid line, fluidingly interconnecting said water source to said main liquid chamber;
d) a second fluid line, coupled to said gas bell for fluidingly interconnecting said gas bell to the fuel line; and
e) an electrical power source, for electrically charging said anode bar and said cathode bar, wherein molecular hydrogen and oxygen generated from electrolytic separation of the body of water inside said gas bell escapes in gaseous state from said gas bell through said second fluid line, for displacement toward and into the fuel line and for admixing with the hydrocarbon fuel.
More specifically, the invention as disclosed consists of a hydrogen-oxygen/hydrocarbon fuel system for enhancing the efficiency of the internal combustion engine of an automobile by supplying a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen gases and liquid hydrocarbon fuel to the fuel line of this internal combustion engine, said fuel system comprising:
a) a water source;
b) an electrolytic chamber having an outer housing and an inner housing, said outer housing having a sealed flooring and said inner housing having a bottom mouth, a hanging member fixedly interconnecting said inner and outer housings and supporting said inner housing spacedly over said outer housing flooring wherein a spacing gap is defined between said inner housing bottom mouth and said outer housing flooring, and an anode and a cathode mounted into said inner housing in closely spaced fashion from one another;
c) a first fluid line, fluidingly interconnecting said water source to said outer housing;
d) a second fluid line, coupled to said inner housing for fluidingly interconnecting said inner housing to the fuel tank;
e) an electrical power source, for electrically charging said anode and cathode, wherein molecular hydrogen and oxygen generated from electrolytic separation of the body of water inside said inner housing escapes from said electrolytic chamber through said second fluid line, for displacement toward and into the fuel tank of the automobile and for admixing with the hydrocarbon fuel in the fuel tank.
Preferably, said water source consists of salt water, preferably of a concentration of about 160 grams per liter of water.
The water source should be positioned higher relative to said electrolytic chamber, whereby said water is gravity fed to said electrolytic chamber.
It is envisioned that said second fluid line communicates with said inner housing via an access port, and further including a buoyancy member, installed into said inner housing in register with said access port for sealing the latter upon said inner housing becoming completely filled to capacity with water.
Preferably, a water filter is mounted to said second fluid line for preventing accidental liquid water seeping from said inner housing into the fuel tank.
Said anode and cathode may each consist of a flat metallic panel made from a material selected from the group comprising brass and graphite, stainless steel, silver and copper; but graphite for anode and brass for cathode are preferred. Said anode and cathode panels preferably extend parallel to one another and are spaced from one another by about 2 to 4 millimeters (mm), but preferably 3 mm.
An electrically insulating sheath member may be fitted to an intermediate section of said second fluid line for preventing accidental transmission of electric current from said electrolytic chamber to the fuel tank.
Preferably, there is further included a fuse relay system, intermediate said electrical power source and said anode and cathode panels, said fuse relay system preventing electric current from said electrical power source to reach said anode and cathode panels when the internal combustion engine is not running.
The present invention also relates to the combination of an automobile with the above-noted hydrogen-oxygen/hydrocarbon fuel system fitted inside the automobile.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3906913 (1975-09-01), Rupe
patent: 4181100 (1980-01-01), Yamane et al.
patent: 4253428 (1981-03-01), Bilings et al.
patent: 4271793 (1981-06-01), Valdespino
patent: 4362137 (1982-12-01), O'Hare
patent: 4520763 (1985-06-01), Lynch et al.
patent: 5399251 (1995-03-01), Nakamats
patent: 5546902 (1996-08-01), Paluch et al.
The Economist (Dec., 1999) Space-age soot.
Ali Hyder
Argenbright Tony M.
LandOfFree
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