US 4,370,970 AGranted

Apparatus for supplying a fuel/air mixture to an internal combustion engine

OwnerPaul R. Kunzinventor

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Abstract

Apparatus for producing a combustible fuel/air mixture in which the fuel is completely vaporized for operating an internal combustion engine. Exhaust gases from the engine (40) pass through a heating manifold (8) in a vaporization chamber (2) to raise the temperature of a body of volatile liquid fuel in the bottom of the chamber. An air stream is also heated by passing it in heat exchange relation with hot exhaust gases from the engine. The stream of heated air is then drawn through an enclosed vapor space (6) at the top of the vaporization chamber, and fuel vapors are entrained therein. The fuel vapor-containing air stream is then mixed with additional air in a mixing chamber (26) to produce a combustible fuel/air mixture which is conveyed to the intake manifold (38) of the engine. Safety screens (64) are provided to prevent entry of sparks or flame into the fuel chamber.

Claims24

Dependent claims

Apparatus for supplying a fuel/air mixture to an internal combustion engine comprising:

(a) a fuel chamber comprising a lower portion for containing a body of volatile liquid fuel in a substantially quiescent state and an upper portion defining an enclosed vapor space free of liquid fuel during normal operation above said body of said liquid fuel;
(b) heating manifold means extending through said lower chamber portion for conducting hot exhaust gases therethrough in order to heat a body of volatile liquid fuel therein;
(c) means comprising an inlet and an outlet opening directly into said enclosed vapor space for drawing an air stream through said enclosed vapor space and entraining fuel vapors in said air stream without said air stream passing through said body of liquid fuel and without liquid fuel being entrained in said air stream;
(d) means for passing said air stream in heat exchange relation with hot exhaust gases to raise the temperature of the air stream prior to drawing the air stream through said vapor space;
(e) means for mixing said fuel vapor-containing air stream with additional air to produce a combustible fuel/air mixture;
(f) means for conveying said combustible fuel/air mixture to a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine;
(g) means for preventing entry of sparks or flame into said enclosed vapor space;
and
(h) means comprising two apertures located in opposite walls of said fuel chamber from each other, each aperture communicating between said enclosed vapor space and the ambient atmosphere, and each aperture being closed by a resilient blowout plug ejectable from said aperture if the pressure in said chamber exceeds a predetermined level.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.