Internal-combustion engines – Charge forming device – Heating of combustible mixture
Patent
1996-08-09
1998-07-07
McMahon, Marguerite
Internal-combustion engines
Charge forming device
Heating of combustible mixture
128575, F01M 3112
Patent
active
057753083
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
This invention relates to an engine and more particularly, but not exclusively, to an internal combustion engine for a vehicle such as a motor car or lorry, although the invention may be applied to a static kind of internal combustion engine or another kind of engine if desired.
In GB Patent 2169654 there is disclosed an internal combustion engine in which a secondary fuel comprising mineral oil is vaporised and fed to the engine to improve the efficiency of combustion within the engine. The apparatus described comprises a tank which contains the mineral oil, and a separate heating device to which the secondary fuel flows under gravity or is pumped, and a trap where the vaporised mineral oil is retained until it is fed to the internal combustion engine.
It has been found that such a construction presents problems due to the space taken up by the tank and separate heating device, as well as the time taken to convert a conventional internal combustion engine to utilise the secondary fuel.
According to one aspect of the invention we provide an engine comprising at least one combustion chamber in which fuel and air are ignited to produce power, delivery means to deliver the primary fuel to the combustion chamber, air delivery means to provide air to the combustion chamber and including delivery duct means through which the air flows prior to entering the combustion chamber, an apparatus to provide a secondary fuel to the combustion chamber, the secondary fuel being different from the primary fuel, characterised in that the apparatus which provides the secondary fuel to the combustion chamber comprises a housing having therein: heating device being adapted to heat the secondary fuel sufficiently to cause at least vaporisation thereof, in vapour state and there being passage means along which the secondary fuel flows towards the combustion chamber.
It has been found that an arrangement in accordance with the invention overcomes the technical and commercial problems with the prior art arrangements exemplified above.
The secondary fuel is preferably fed into the duct means through which the combustion air passes prior to entering the combustion chamber such that the combustion air and secondary fuel together pass into the combustion chamber.
The invention may be applied to an internal combustion engine in which a driven part is moved as a result of the combustion of the air and fuel, either of the spark ignition or diesel type. Where the engine is of the spark ignition type, the combustion air may be mixed with fuel upstream of the duct in a carburettor, or the primary fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber.
Where the engine has a carburettor, the secondary fuel may pass with the primary fuel and the combustion air mixture into the combustion chamber.
Alternatively, where the primary fuel is injected into the combustion chamber, the secondary fuel may be injected with or separately from the primary fuel into the combustion chamber.
Where the secondary fuel is fed into the duct means through which the combustion air passes prior to entering the combustion chamber, the air in the duct means may if desired, be at least partially pre-compressed, or may be at ambient pressure. In the former case, the secondary fuel would need to be positively injected into the duct means; in the latter case, the secondary fuel may be injected into the duct means, or induced therein by the flow of air, as desired.
In the latter case, the quantity of secondary fuel which is induced into the duct means, may be metered.
It has been found that where the secondary fuel comprises a suitable high octane hydrocarbon fuel, such as for example a mineral oil, e.g. paraffin which contains a high proportion of branched chain isomers, the efficiency of the engine is increased significantly compared with a conventional engine. In turn, this increase in efficiency reduces significantly the production of harmful exhaust emissions such as smoke, particulates, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen. W
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