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AssigneeRegents of the University of Minnesota
InventorsBenjamin Y. H. Liu, David B. Kittelson, Daniel F. Dolan, David Y. H. Pui
Estimating the term…
The method and apparatus for controlling particulate emissions from a combustion apparatus, as a diesel engine. Diesel engine exhaust particles are electrically charged during the formation of the particles in the engine combustion chambers. A particle collector is used to collect the electrically charged particles on collecting structures connected to a high voltage power supply and ground. The collecting structures of the particle collector can be a plurality of parallel metal plates, spaced cylindrical rods, or concentrically located cylindrical members. A fibrous matrix can be located adjacent the particle collecting structure to collect the charged particles as they move through the matrix. In one embodiment, the collected particles separate from the collecting structures and return to the engine intake. In another embodiment, a removable collecting cartridge has electrically conductive plates for collecting the charged particles. The entire cartridge is removed for cleaning or replacement. The hot exhaust gas from the engine can be used to oxidize the collected particles. The collected particles that are not oxidized can be separated from the collecting structures and re-entrained into the gas. The re-entrained particles are larger than the particles formed in the combustion apparatus. The large particles can be removed by a downstream particle collection device.
A method of reducing the amount of particles emitted by a combustion apparatus comprising:
A method of reducing the amount of particles emitted by a diesel engine having a combustion chamber comprising:
A method of removing at least some of the particles formed in a combustion chamber of a diesel engine during a combustion process within said chamber from the exhaust gas of the diesel engine, some of which particles have acquired positive charges and some of which have acquired negative charges during the combustion process taking place within the combustion chamber of the diesel engine, the method comprising transferring the exhaust gas and charged particles directly from the diesel engine to a particle collector without an intermediate particle charging step whereby the electrical charges on the particles remain substantially the same, said particle collector having spaced electrodes of opposite polarity, passing said gas and positive and negative charged particles between said spaced electrodes of opposite polarity and having a sufficient electric potential therebetween so that at least some of the positive charged particles are collected on one electrode and the negative charged particles are collected on the other electrode whereby particles are removed from the exhaust gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.