Fuel vaporization device for internal combustion engine

A fuel vaporization device for supplying gaseous fuel at subatmospheric pressure to an intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, said device including:

• a vacuum chamber closed to atmosphere which has a single inlet and a single outlet;
• means for injecting only liquid fuel without air into said vacuum chamber through said inlet at a predetermined volume and rate;
• a vacuum pump having an inlet and an outlet, said inlet of said vacuum pump being connected to said outlet of said vacuum chamber to draw a substantial vacuum therein to vaporize said liquid fuel into a gaseous state as it is injected into said vacuum chamber;
• means for supplying the gaseous fuel to the intake manifold at subatmospheric pressure connected to the said outlet of said vacuum pump;
• and
• a heat device having means for bringing hot fluid from the internal combustion engine into heat exchange relationship with the gaseous fuel in said vacuum pump and into heat exchange relationship with said supply means for maintaining the gaseous fuel at substantially constant temperature and in the gaseous state from said vacuum chamber to the intake manifold.

A method of changing measured quantities of a liquid hydrocarbon fuel to a gaseous hydrocarbon fuel without distilling the liquid fuel, said method including the steps of:

• providing a vacuum chamber with a single inlet and a single outlet;
• drawing a vacuum in the vacuum chamber through said outlet by means of a vacuum pump;
• injecting droplets of liquid fuel without air in measured quantities into the chamber while a vaccum is being drawn therein so that said droplets are immediately evaporated to form a gaseous, air-free fuel;
• heating the vacuum pump by a heat exchanger which brings the gaseous fuel supply into heat exchange relationship with the heat source therein.