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US 4,350,133 AGranted
Cold start characteristics of ethanol as an automobile fuel
OwnerLeonard Greinerinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An alcohol fuel burner and decomposer in which one stream of fuel is preheated by passing it through an electrically heated conduit to vaporize the fuel, the fuel vapor is mixed with air, the air-fuel mixture is ignited and combusted, and the combustion gases are passed in heat exchange relationship with a conduit carrying a stream of fuel to decompose the fuel forming a fuel stream containing hydrogen gas for starting internal combustion engines, the mass flow of the combustion gas being increased as it flows in heat exchange relationship with the fuel carrying conduit, is disclosed.
Claims23
An alcohol fuel burner and decomposer comprising:
- means for preheating at least one stream of fuel;
- means for mixing said preheated fuel with air;
- means for igniting the resulting air-fuel mixture;
- combustion chamber means for containing the ignited air-fuel mixture during combustion thereof;
- heat exchange confining means constructed and disposed to receive combustion products from the combustion chamber means in an entrance of a relatively larger size, directing the combustion products through a progressively smaller flow area to an exit of relatively smaller size, as compared with the entrance, and
- heat exchange conduit means in the heat exchange confining means for conducting a stream of fuel in heat exchange contact with the combustion products for heating said fuel in said conduit means to the decomposition temperature of the fuel for forming a hydrogen gas containing starter fuel stream,
- the heat exchange confining means and heat exchange conduit means being so constructed and configured that the mass flow rate of combustion products increases from entrance to exit and the heat exchange rate between the combustion products and the fuel in the heat exchange conduit means remains generally constant from entrance to exit.
4 more elements
An alcohol fuel burner and decomposer, comprising:
- means for preheating at least one stream of fuel;
- means for combusting the preheated fuel;
- combustion chamber means for containing the preheated fuel during combustion thereof;
- heat exchange confining means having an entrance for receiving the high-temperature combustion products from said combustion chamber means and an exit for emitting lower-temperature combustion products;
- and
- heat exchange conduit means in said heat exchange confining means for conducting a stream of alcohol in heat exchanging contact with the combustion products, said heat exchange conduit means comprising,
- a first section adjacent the exit of said heat exchange confining means, said first section being in heat exchanging contact with the lower-temperature combustion products, said first section including means for preventing partial decomposition as the alcohol is heated to the decomposition temperature thereof, and
- a second section adjacent the entrance of said heat exchange confining means in heat exchanging contact with the higher-temperature combustion products, said second section including means for heating alcohol to a temperature higher than the decomposition temperature thereof wherein alcohol at the decomposition temperature passing from said first section into said second section is rapidly decomposed to form hydrogen and carbon monoxide without the formation of intermediate products by partial decomposition.
5 more elements
An alcohol fuel burner and decomposer, comprising:
- means for providing high-temperature combustion products;
- heat exchange confining means having an entrance for receiving the high-temperature combustion products and an exit for emitting lower-temperature combustion products;
- heat exchange conduit means in said heat exchange confining means for conducting a stream of alcohol in heat exchanging contact with the combustion products, said heat exchange conduit means comprising,
- a first section adjacent the exit of said heat exchange confining means, said first section being in heat exchanging contact with the lower-temperature combustion products, said first section including means for preventing partial decomposition as the alcohol is heated to the decomposition temperature thereof, and
- a second section adjacent the entrance of said heat exchange confining means in heat exchanging contact with the higher-temperature combustion products, said second section including means for heating alcohol to a temperature higher than the decomposition temperature thereof wherein alcohol at the decomposition temperature passing from said first section into said second section is rapidly decomposed to form hydrogen and carbon monoxide without the formation of intermediate products by partial decomposition.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.