US 4,047,512 A · Electric fuel vaporizer

Abstract

An electrically powered liquid fuel vaporizer including overtemperature protection is described. A plurality of thin walled fuel conduits or tubes are arranged in a bundle and are communicated at one end to a source of liquid fuel and at their opposite end to a vaporized liquid fuel reservoir. Each end of the fuel tube bundle is provided with one member of a pair of electrical terminals. One of the pair of electrical terminals is communicated to a solenoid operated switch which in turn is communicated to one terminal of electric power source. The other of the pair of terminals is communicated to the opposite terminal of the electric power source. An insulating sheath or housing means is arranged around the fuel tube bundle. One end of the housing means is fixedly attached to the fuel tube bundle in proximity to one of the pair of electrical terminals. The housing member is provided with a third electrical terminal which communicates with the solenoid. The third electrical terminal as at the other end of the housing means. An overtemperature protection switch comprising a pair of contact discs, one of which is resiliently biased into contactive engagement with the other, is situated between the third electrical terminal and the adjacent one of the pair of fuel tube bundle terminals. Thermal expansion of the fuel tube bundle caused by the application of electrical energy between the pair of fuel tube bundle terminals will cause one of the pair of fuel tube bundle terminals to translate with respect to the housing terminal. After a predetermined amount of thermal expansion, the contact discs will separate terminating the application of electrical energy to the fuel tube bundle.

Claims9

Dependent claims

An electrically powered liquid fuel vaporizer system for vaporizing liquid fuel prior to its mixing with air comprising in combination:

a liquid fuel source, a plurality of electrically conductive fuel conduits arranged in side-by-side relation, each conduit having a liquid fuel receiving end and a vaporized liquid fuel outlet end, said liquid fuel receiving end communicating with said source of liquid fuel and arranged to receive a stream of said liquid fuel while excluding the atmosphere, said vaporized liquid fuel outlet end arranged for communication with a vapor storage means, while avoiding intermixing with the atmosphere, said conduits being mutually interconnected to form a thermally unitary body;
means defining a first electrical terminal in electrical contact with a first of the pair of ends of said plurality of fuel conduits;
electrical circuit means for establishing a flow of electrical current through said plurality of fuel conduits between said first and second terminal means whereby the temperature of the plurality of fuel conduits may be elevated to cause substantially complete thermal vaporization of a liquid fuel flowing therethrough.

An electrically powered liquid fuel vaporizer comprising in combination:

a liquid fuel source thermal insulating means;
a plurality of electrically conductive fuel conduits arranged in side-by-side relation, each conduit having a pair of ends and intercommunicating with said source of liquid fuel with a vapor storage means while avoiding contact between the fuel and the atmosphere, said conduits being mutually interconnected to form a thermally unitary body;
means defining a first electrical terminal in electrical contact with a first of the pair of ends of said plurality of fuel conduits;
means defining a second electrical terminal in electrical contact with the other end of said plurality of fuel conduits;
electrical circuit means for establishing a flow of electrical current through said plurality of fuel conduits between said first and second terminal means whereby the temperature of the plurality of fuel conduits may be elevated for substantially complete vaporization of the liquid fuel flowing therethrough;
means defining a third electrical terminal attached to the nonfixedly attached end of said housing means in generally confronting relation to said means defining a second electrical terminal;
and
electrical contact means electrically interruptable interconnecting said means defining a third electrical terminal and said means defining a second electrical terminal means.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Electric fuel vaporizer

Life of this patent

Electric fuel vaporizer

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims9