Emissions reduction system for internal combustion engines
OwnerLeonard Greiner, David M. Moardinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus is disclosed herein for reducing engine nitrogen oxide emissions by mixing hydrogen prepared from a portion of engine fuel within a simple burner. The apparatus includes a burner having an internal combustion chamber for receiving either a portion of gaseous fuel or liquid fuel for mixture with air and subsequent ignition by a spark plug. A mixing chamber is included having a series of baffles against which injected air and fuel vapor impinge causing thorough and complete air/fuel blending into a mixture subsequently ignited and burned, and then discharged into the combustion chamber of the engine itself.
Claims10
In an internal combustion apparatus, the improvement which comprises:
- a burner means for combusting air and hydrocarbons at fuel-rich stoichiometric air/fuel ratios from 0.3 to 1 to provide air/fuel vapors;
- and
- said burner means includes a mixer means intimately combining said air/fuel vapors for injection into said internal combustion apparatus;
- means for preventing flame flash back into said air/fuel mixer means;
- said burner includes a combustion chamber having an inlet means for receiving separate supply of fuel and air;
- and
- said mixer means includes a baffle assembly disposed in said burner means combustion chamber for receiving said combined air/fuel supply in forced impingement relationship to create a mixed vapor;
- said baffle assembly includes a cup-like member having a wall adapted to interfere with flow of said combined air/fuel mixture to blend said mixture and redirect the flow;
- and
- said burner means having a back wall for receiving said redirected mixture flow adapted to further blend said air/fuel mixture.
Apparatus for reducing nitrogen oxide contaminants emitted from an internal combustion power source comprising:
- a main fuel supply;
- an air supply;
- a burner means operably coupled to said fuel supply and said air supply for receiving a portion of said main fuel and air commingled within said burner means;
- mixer means carried in said burner for thoroughly combining said fuel and said air together to form a blend;
- ignition means secured to said burner means for igniting said fuel/air blend for discharge into said internal combustion power source;
- said mixer means includes spaced-apart walls having a first wall adapted to receive said blended main fuel portion and said air portion to provide flow reversal to a second wall for receiving and redirecting said blended main fuel portion and said air portion to produce a thorough mixture of said fuel/air flow;
- a source of liquid fuel;
- and
- heat exchanger means disposed in said burner means for receiving and vaporizing said liquid fuel.
Apparatus for reducing nitrogen oxide contaminants emitted from an internal combustion power source comprising:
- a main fuel supply;
- an air supply;
- a burner means operably coupled to said fuel supply and said air supply for receiving a portion of said main fuel and air commingled within said burner means;
- mixer means carried in said burner for thoroughly combining said fuel and said air together to form a blend;
- a baffle assembly included in said mixer means having a wall adapted to interfere with flow of said combined air/fuel mixture to blend said mixture and redirect the flow to said burner means;
- and
- said burner means having a back wall for receiving said redirected flow to further blend said air/fuel mixture;
- said burner means having a back wall for receiving said redirected flow to further blend said air/fuel mixture;
- and
- ignition means secured to said burner means for igniting said fuel/air blend for discharge into said internal combustion power source.
A method of reducing NOx contaminants in an internal combustion power source comprising the steps of:
- withdrawing a portion of fuel from a main fuel source;
- introducing a quantity of air with said portion of fuel to produce an air/fuel flow;
- conducting said air/fuel flow into a mixing assembly by forcibly urging said air/fuel flow into engagement with walls causing flow reversal and thorough mixing of air and fuel to produce a combustible vapor;
- igniting said combustible vapor in a burner chamber to produce combustion products;
- exhausting said combustion products from the burner into the combustion power source for mixing with main fuel;
- introducing air and fuel portion vapors into the mixing assembly for pre-heating wherein said vapors are produced in a heat exchanger converting liquid fuel into said vapors;
- preventing flash back ignition of said air/fuel mixture in the mixing assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.