Combustion – Process of combustion or burner operation – Feeding flame modifying additive
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-14
2001-01-23
Yeung, James C. (Department: 3743)
Combustion
Process of combustion or burner operation
Feeding flame modifying additive
C431S012000, C044S321000, C044S354000, C044S603000, C044S640000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06176701
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a method of improving fuel efficiency in combustion chambers. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of improving fuel efficiency in combustion chambers (by enhancing carbon or hydrogen combustion while simultaneously inhibiting nitrogen oxidation), comprising introducing a mixture of metallic compounds into the flame zone of a combustion chamber substantially homogeneously, such that the mixture is held by gases in the flame zone during the combustion of the fuel, and the mixture is thereby ionized prior to or during the combustion. This ionized mixture of compounds contains platinum, rhodium, rhenium, and molybdenum.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The burning of almost all hydrocarbon fuels in their respective combustion chambers is almost never complete. There are many hazardous byproducts commonly produced when fuel in combustion chambers is inefficiently burnt. These byproducts may include hydrocarbons, soot, smoke, carbon monoxide (CO), and oxides of nitrogen (NO
x
). The unburned and partially burned fuel represent both pollution of the combustion process and a financial loss to the purchaser of the fuel. The only pollutant from a combustion process which is not unburned or partially burned fuel is nitrogen oxide. However, since the oxidation of the nitrogen to form nitrogen oxide is endothermic, the inhibiting of the oxidation of nitrogen is also equivalent to the burning of less fuel.
A second problem related to actual combustion chambers, such as in automotive engines or in oil fired boilers, is that these chambers have a wide distribution of parametric variation. This has been experimentally verified (by the inventor of the method of the present invention) by measuring the fuel combustion efficiency of new automobiles of the same model and of almost identical dates of manufacture.
Effective methods for simultaneously enhancing fuel oxidation and inhibiting nitrogen oxidation are known (i.e. 1992 U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,841—by the inventor of the present invention). However, because of the parametric variations of actual engines, these methods often fail to provide beneficial results in a percentage of individual engines. The method of the present invention is a substantial improvement over the prior arts, in that all individual engines measured have shown significant improvements of increased fuel oxidation and of decreased nitrogen oxidation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of improving fuel efficiency in combustion chambers by simultaneously enhancing combustion of carbon or hydrogen while inhibiting oxidation of nitrogen. It is believed that the invention is operative by catalyzing the oxidation of hydrogen, carbon, and carbon monoxide which are present during the combustion of typical automotive fuels, while simultaneously inhibiting the oxidation of nitrogen. This method is comprised of introducing a mixture of metallic compounds into the flame zone of a combustion chamber substantially homogeneously, such that the mixture is held by gases in the flame zone during the combustion of the fuel, and the mixture is thereby ionized prior to or during the combustion. The ionized mixture of compounds according to the present invention contains platinum, rhodium, rhenium, and molybdenum.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
For the purpose of the present invention, a “fuel” is any substance which is exothermically oxidized in a combustion chamber. Furthermore, a fuel generally relates to compounds of carbon and/or compounds of hydrogen, as well as to carbon and hydrogen themselves.
For purposes of the present invention, “metallic compounds” relate to compounds containing constituent metals which ionize under the physical conditions (e.g. pressure, temperature) found in combustion chambers during the fuel combustion process. For purposes of the present invention, there are many practical metallic compounds (for any specific metal) which contribute to providing the desired results when introduced into a combustion chamber. Examples of such compounds may typically be chosen from the chlorides, oxides, hydroxides, and hydrates of the metals platinum, rhodium, rhenium, and molybdenum.
The present invention relates to a method of improving fuel efficiency in combustion chambers, for simultaneously enhancing fuel (carbon or hydrogen) combustion while inhibiting nitrogen oxidation. This method is comprised of introducing a mixture of metallic compounds into the flame zone of a combustion chamber (so that these compounds are distributed within the combustion chamber) substantially homogeneously, such that the mixture is held by gases in the flame zone during the combustion of the fuel, and the mixture is thereby ionized prior to or during the combustion. The ionized mixture of compounds contains platinum, rhodium, rhenium, and molybdenum.
According to one embodiment of the method of the present invention, the mixture of compounds contains from 0.15 to 225 mcg (micrograms) platinum, from 0.045 to 67.5 mcg rhodium, from 0.07 to 105.0 mcg rhenium, and from 1.16 to 174.0 mcg molybdenum per kilogram of fuel.
According to the preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention, the mixture of compounds contains about 15.0 mcg platinum about 4.5 mcg rhodium, about 7.0 mcg rhenium, and about 11.6 mcg molybdenum per kilogram of fuel. Near optimum combustion benefits are obtained within the range of about 10-20 mcg platinum, about 3-6 mcg rhodium, about 4-10 mcg rhenium, and about 7-16 mcg molybdenum per kilogram of fuel. Good benefits are obtained even within the larger range of about 8-24 mcg platinum, about 2-8 mcg rhodium, about 3-10 mcg rhenium, and about 6-18 mcg molybdenum per kilogram of fuel.
According to the preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention, the molybdenum compound is hexaamoniumheptamolybdate tetrahydrate ((NH
4
)
6
Mo
7
O
24
.4H
2
O). This compound is commonly called “AHM”. Note, there is no measurable improvement using only “AHM” (the preferred molybdenum compound) without the Pt, Rh, and Re compounds mixture (of the 1992 patent).
The mixture of metallic compounds (or any component thereof) is introduced into the combustion chamber through one or more pathways. According to the preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention, the mixture of compounds is introduced into the combustion chamber by air flow. According to other embodiments of the method of the present invention the mixture of compounds is introduced into the combustion chamber by a stream of fuel, or the mixture of compounds is introduced into the combustion chamber by a vaporous mixture of fuel and air. Furthermore, according to other variations of the method of the present invention, the components of the mixture of compounds may be introduced into the combustion chamber by using more than one pathway. For example, the four components (of the mixture of compounds) may be divided such that two of the components are introduced through the air flow with the other two components being introduced with the fuel.
According to any embodiment of the method of the present invention whereby the mixture of compounds is introduced into the combustion chamber, there are about 15 parts platinum, about 4.5 parts rhodium, about 7.0 parts rhenium, and about 11.6 parts molybdenum by mass ratio, per kilogram of fuel, in the chamber during a combustion of fuel in the chamber.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2086775 (1937-07-01), Casareto et al.
patent: 4248720 (1981-02-01), Coupland et al.
patent: 4295816 (1981-10-01), Robinson
patent: 4647293 (1987-03-01), Cahill et al.
patent: 5085841 (1992-02-01), Robinson
patent: 5258347 (1993-11-01), Khazai et al.
patent: 5801020 (1937-07-01), Casareto et al.
Warren David M.
Yeung James C.
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