Method and apparatus for generating vapor of a volatile liquid fuel and operating an internal combustion engine therewith

In a method of generating vapor of a volatile liquid fuel for an internal combustion engine and operating an internal combustion engine therewith, the said method including providing vessel means containing the said fuel vapor thus generated in the interior thereof and an internal combustion engine for combustion of the fuel vapor, the internal combustion engine that is provided having a plurality of cylinders for combustion of the fuel vapor and air-fuel vapor supply means for supplying a combustible admixture of aid and fuel vapor to the cylinders in response to reduced pressure within the cylinders, the said air-fuel vapor supply means that is provided including an intake manifold means in communication with the interior of the cylinders, air-fuel vapor conduit means in communication with the interior of the said intake manifold means and throttle means in the said air-fuel vapor conduit means upstream of the said manifold means whereby suction is applied to the said air-fuel vapor conduit means and a combustible admixture of air and fuel vapor is supplied to the cylinders as needed for operating the internal combustion engine at varying speeds controlled by the said throttle means,

• the improvement which comprises providing an air-fuel vapor conduit means having first and second end portions, the said first end portion being in communication with the interior of the said intake manifold means and the said second end portion being in communication with the interior of the said vessel means containing the fuel vapor whereby when the internal combustion engine is operating the said air-fuel vapor supply means supplies fuel vapor to the cylinders and suction is applied to the air-fuel vapor conduit means which causes fuel vapor to be withdrawn from the said vessel means by suction and passed through the air-fuel vapor conduit means to the intake manifold, maintaining the interior of said said vessel means under a pressure no greater than the ambient atmospheric pressure and the contents thereof unheated by an extraneous source of heat, vaporizing volatile normally liquid fuel for an internal combustion engine to thereby produce additional fuel vapor in the said vessel means, the volatile liquid fuel being vaporized at a pressure not excceeding the ambient atmospheric pressure and with the resulting fuel vapor phase as initially vaporized being free of suspended liquid fuel droplets whereby the fuel vapor contained in the interior of the said vessel means is unheated by an extraneous source of heat, is under a pressure no greater than the ambient atmospheric pressure and is free at all times of suspended finely divided liquid fuel, the liquid fuel vapor being produced by applying pressure thereto and substantially continuously introducing an excess of the resultant pressurized liquid fuel into a lower portion of the said vessel means under vigorous conditions of agitation to thereby vaporize a portion of the liquid fuel, the said pressurized liquid fuel being introduced into the said vessel means at a rate sufficiently in excess of the vaporization rate whereby an agitated body of a freshly introduced liquid fuel phase is present in the lower portion of the said vessel means and a fuel vapor phase is present above the resultant liquid fuel phase in the upper portion of the interior of the said vessel means, the said pressurized liquid fuel being introduced into the said lower portion of the vessel means substantially uniformly across the bottom surface area thereof, the said liquid fuel being introduced under vigorous conditions of agitation but without forming a substantial amount of finely subdivided liquid fuel that becomes suspended in the fuel vapor phase, the fuel vapor phase in the said upper portion of the interior of the vessel means being free of liquid fuel in the form of finely subdivided particles when withdrawn via the air-fuel vapor conduit means, and withdrawing liquid fuel from the liquid fuel phase in the lower portion of the said vessel means at a rate to maintain a desired liquid level while substantially continuously introducing the said pressurized liquid fuel.

In apparatus for generating vapor of a volatile liquid fuel for an internal combustion engine and operating an internal combustion engine therewith, the said apparatus including vessel means containing the said fuel vapor thus generated in the interior thereof and an internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders for combustion of the fuel vapor and air-fuel vapor supply means for supplying a combustible admixture of air and fuel vapor to the cylinders in response to reduce pressure within the cylinders, the said air-fuel vapor supply means including an intake manifold means in communication with the interior of the cylinders, air-fuel vapor conduit means in communication with the interior of the said intake manifold means and throttle means in the said air-fuel vapor conduit means upstream of the said manifold means whereby suction is applied to the said air-fuel vapor conduit means and a combustible admixture of air and fuel vapor is supplied to the cylinders as needed for operating the internal combustion engine at varying speeds controlled by the said throttle means,

• the improvement which comprises air-fuel vapor conduit means having first and second end portions, the said first end portion being in communication with the interior of the intake manifold means and the said second end portion being in communication with an upper portion of the interior of the said vessel means containing the fuel vapor whereby when the internal combustion engine is operating the said air-fuel vapor supply means supplies fuel vapor to the cylinders and suction is applied to the said air-fuel vapor conduit means which causes fuel vapor to be withdrawn from an upper portion of the said vessel means by suction and passed through the air-fuel vapor conduit means to the said intake manifold means, the interior of the said vessel means being maintained under a pressure no greater than the ambient atmospheric pressure and the contents thereof being unheated by an extraneous source of heat, means for vaporizing volatile normally liquid fuel for an internal combustion engine to thereby produce additional fuel vapor in the said vessel means, the said vaporizing means being effective for vaporizing unheated volatile liquid fuel at a pressure not exceeding the ambient atmospheric pressure and with the resulting fuel vapor phase as initially generated being free of suspended liquid fuel droplets whereby the fuel vapor contained in the interior of the said vessel means is unheated by an extraneous source of heat, is under a pressure no greater than the ambient atmospheric pressure and is free of suspended finely divided liquid fuel, the said vaporizing means including means for applying pressure to the said liquid fuel and means for substantially continuously introducing an excess of the resultant pressurized liquid fuel into a lower portion of the said vessel means under vigorous conditions of agitation to thereby vaporize a portion of the liquid fuel, the said pressurized liquid fuel being introduced into the said vessel means at a rate sufficiently in excess of the vaporization rate whereby an agitated body of a freshly introduced liquid fuel phase is present in the lower portion of the said vessel means and a fuel vapor phase is present above the resultant liquid fuel phase in the upper portion of the interior of the said vessel means, the said means for introducing the pressurized liquid fuel being effective to introduce the liquid fuel under vigorous agitation conditions without forming a substantial amount of finely subdivided liquid fuel that becomes suspended in the fuel vapor phase, the said means for introducing pressurized liquid fuel including a plurality of elongated tubular generating members having a plurality of spaced openings formed therein through which the pressurized liquid fuel is introduced, the said tubular members having valve means therein for controlling the rate at which the pressurized liquid fuel is introduced into the said vessel means to thereby control the rate at which the liquid fuel is vaporized, the said tubular members extending substantially horizontally and being positioned adjacent the bottom of the vessel means, the said tubular members being arranged in spaced relationship across the bottom of the vessel means to thereby substantially uniformly distribute the fresh pressurized liquid fuel therein, the fuel vapor phase in the said upper portion of the interior of the vessel means being free of liquid fuel in the form of finely subdivided particles when withdrawn via the said air-fuel vapor conduit means, and means for withdrawing liquid fuel from the liquid fuel phase in the lower portion of the said vessel means at a rate to maintain a desired liquid level while substantially continuously introducing the said pressurized liquid fuel.