Internal-combustion engines – Charge forming device – Auxiliary air or oxygen added to combustible mixture
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-26
2003-05-13
Kamen, Noah P. (Department: 3747)
Internal-combustion engines
Charge forming device
Auxiliary air or oxygen added to combustible mixture
C123S590000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06561172
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to nitrous oxide fuel systems for internal combustion engines, and, more particularly, to a nitrous module construction that improves the distribution of the nitrous oxide/fuel mixture amongst the cylinders of the internal combustion engine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a conventionally fueled internal combustion engine, vaporized fuel, typically either gasoline or alcohol, introduced through a carburetor mixes with outside air drawn into the engine manifold to form a combustible mix. That combustible mix, as example, is drawn through an intake runner of the manifold and into a cylinder of the engine where the combustible mix is ignited, typically, by the spark produced by a spark plug in the engine ignition system. The resultant explosion in the engine cylinder drives the piston, producing the mechanical force that is ultimately transferred to the wheels of the automobile. The foregoing combustion process repeats for each cylinder in the engine. The proportion of oxygen in a given volume of air relative to the other components of the air, such as nitrogen, is relatively fixed. Typically, through proper carbureation, the ratio of oxygen and fuel in the mixture is set to the optimal ratio that is known to achieve the most efficient explosion.
To enhance performance of internal combustion engines in automotive racing application beyond that possible with conventional fuel systems, drag racing enthusiasts learned to inject nitrous oxide (“N
2
O”) into the cylinders along with the combustible mix introduced by the carburetor and to accompany the nitrous injection with an injection of additional fuel, the gasoline or alcohol used as fuel in the carburetor. Air typically contains about 15% oxygen (by volume) while Nitrous Oxide contains 33% oxygen. When heated to elevated temperatures available within the engine, the nitrous oxide decomposes into molecules of nitrogen and oxygen. In that way oxygen is released and added to that oxygen in the air introduced through the carburetor, enriching the combustible mix in the cylinders. To a limit, the greater the percentage of oxygen in the combustible mixture, the stronger is the explosion that results when the mixture is ignited. Therefore, when nitrous oxide is injected into the combustion chamber of the cylinder, the power of the explosion is greatly increased, thus producing increased horsepower from the engine. The additional fuel accompanying the nitrous oxide prevents the combustible mixture from becoming too lean as could cause overheating and damage to the engine. As an advantage, a nitrous oxide system may be used without requiring expensive modification of the internal combustion engine
Two principal techniques for introducing the nitrous oxide are currently in use, one by injection of the nitrous directly into the intake runners. The other by injecting the nitrous into the plenum of the intake manifold.
The first, often referred to as a nitrous nozzle system, employs multiple nozzles, each containing a pair of outlets for individually expressing both nitrous oxide and fuel. Each nozzle is placed directly into a respective one of the intake runners. When the system is activated during engine operation, nitrous oxide and fuel are introduced into a respective runner by the nozzle associated with that runner. The nitrous is under high pressure and, on expression from the nozzle, changes from a liquid state to what is said to be a predominantly gaseous state. That essentially vaporized nitrous oxide impacts the expressed fuel at high velocity. The force of that impact atomizes the fuel and the nitrous oxide mixes therewith. That nitrous and fuel mixture merges into the air/fuel mixture being drawn through the carburetor into the intake runner through which the combustible mixture is drawn into respective engine cylinders. The nozzle system is considered the optimal technique for delivering nitrous oxide to the engine. A leading nozzle design, as example, is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,766, granted Dec. 23, 1997 to Wood et al., entitled Nozzle for Mixing Oxidizer With Fuel.
The second technique is referred to as a nitrous module or, as variously termed, nitrous plate system. The module or plate employs a generally rectangular or square metal plate that contains a central opening or passage sized to match the plenum of the intake manifold and at least one pair of spray conduits that extend across that central passage to respectively introduce the nitrous oxide and fuel into the plenum of the intake manifold. That plate is sandwiched between the carburetor and the intake manifold of the engine. Nitrous oxide and fuel are respectively applied through respective passages in the plate and into the ends of the respective spray conduits, where the respective fluids are expressed through the jets or small holes in the side of the conduits into the central opening to merge with the air/fuel mixture being drawn through the carburetor. A leading design for a nitrous plate system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,418 to Grant entitled Dual Stage Nitrous Oxide and Fuel Injection Plate, granted Nov. 24, 1998 (the “'418 Grant patent”).
In the design described in the '418 Grant patent a module, the plate member contains the central opening that serves as a passageway for the air and fuel stream to flow from the carburetor into the intake manifold. The plate also supports two pairs of adjacent straight parallel spray conduits with one pair of conduits overlying and criss-crossing the other pair of conduits, referred to as a double stage system. One spray conduit in each pair, located downstream, contains outlets, referred to as nozzles, for spraying fuel. The other conduit of the pair, located upstream, contains outlets for spraying nitrous oxide in a generally downstream direction. One pair of nitrous and fuel conduits extend across the passage with the ends anchored in opposed sidewalls on the plate that border the passageway. The other pair of nitrous oxide and fuel conduits are oriented perpendicular to the first pair and are similarly anchored in another set of opposed sidewalls of the plate. Fuel and nitrous oxide are fed into respective internal conduits in the plate and connect to an end of the respective fuel and nitrous oxide spray conduits in each of the two pairs of conduits.
Historically, the nozzle system attained superior results over predecessor techniques, including over the nitrous plate system. As a result, the nozzle system achieved wide acceptance among racing enthusiasts. An unfortunate problem is faced by that system, however, one that is political in nature. The nozzle system is not permitted by the racing associations for use in several classes of drag racing. That prohibition limits many drag racers to use of the plate system.
However, the plate system is not without a drawback. Distribution, that is, the even or balanced distribution of the added nitrous oxide and fuel amongst all of the engine cylinders is a key factor in the use of the plate system. The plates are known to have problems with distribution; they do not always evenly distribute the nitrous oxide and fuel amongst the many intake runners of the manifold. As a consequence, some cylinders of the engine receive more or less of the combustible mix than other cylinders; and that imbalance not only detracts from engine performance, but could potentially harm the engine internally. Existing nitrous plates currently being marketed are found to have poor or inconsistent distribution leading to inconsistent quantities of nitrous oxide and fuel reaching the engine cylinders, something that drag racers tend to steer away from. As an advantage, the present invention avoids that problem.
The spray conduits of the prior design each span the length of the central passage through the plate. When the respective solenoid valves in the automobile open to permit the nitrous and fuel to enter the respective spray conduits, the respective liquids flow into and to the end of the conduits. Although the nitrous is under a
Chestnut Daniel W.
Lowe Eric M.
Edelbrock Corporation
Goldman Ronald M.
Kamen Noah P.
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