Method and apparatus for utilizing gaseous and liquid fuels in an internal combustion engine

An apparatus for utilizing both gaseous and liquid fuels in a standard internal combustion engine having an intake and at least one combustion chamber comprising:

• a sensor for sensing a parameter indicative of completeness of combustion in said engine,
• an electronically controlled liquid fuel delivery device for delivering liquid fuel into either said air intake or said at least one combustion chamber at a rate controlled at least in part by said parameter indicative of completeness of combustion sensed by said sensor,
• means for supplying liquid fuel to said liquid fuel delivery device, and
• means for separately supplying gaseous fuel to said air intake at a substantially constant flow rate while said engine in operating, said rate being substantially independent of engine load.

An apparatus for utilizing both gaseous fuel and liquid fuels in a standard internal combustion engine, comprising:

• means for storing liquid fuel,
• means for storing gaseous fuel,
• conduit means for transporting gaseous fuel from said gaseous fuel storage means, said conduit means being positioned in relation to said gaseous fuel storage reservoir such that, at times, a mixed phase of said gaseous fuel including both gaseous fuel in the gas phase and gaseous fuel in the liquid phase may be transported through said conduit means,
• a synergizer comprising a hollow body having a lower portion capable of holding a quantity of liquid phase gaseous fuel and an upper portion intended to be filled with gas phase gaseous fuel and substantially free of said liquid phase fuel, said lower portion including an inlet for receiving said gaseous fuel from said conduit means disposed on said lower portion of said hollow body, and said upper portion including an outlet,
• a float reciprocally movable between a lower first position and a higher second position within said hollow body, said float including metallic material,
• a proximity switch disposed outside said hollow body and responsive to the movement of said float between its first position and its second position to change the condition of said proximity switch from closed to open,
• a solenoid valve operatively connected to said inlet of slid hollow body and responsive to the condition of said proximity switch so that when the quantity of liquid present in said hollow body is sufficient to move said float from its first position to its second position and before said quantity of said liquid is sufficiently large to rise to the position of said outlet, said solenoid valve will close, and when the quantity of liquid present in said hollow body becomes sufficiently small to cause said float to move from its second position to its first position, said solenoid valve will open.

A device having an internal combustion engine adapted to operate simultaneously on both a liquid fuel and a gaseous fuel comprising:

• a liquid fuel storage vessel,
• a gaseous fuel storage reservoir,
• means for supplying liquid fuel to said engine,
• means for separately supplying gaseous fuel from said gaseous fuel storage reservoir to an air intake of said engine,
• means for supplying said gaseous fuel to said air intake at a substantially constant flow rate while said engine is operating, and
• means for indirectly measuring the amount of gaseous fuel supplied from said gaseous fuel storage reservoir after a period of operation of said device after a fill-up of said gaseous fuel storage reservoir to a predetermined amount of said gaseous fuel, said means including a timing device having a display, means for resetting said timing device to an initial value, means for initiating timing by said timing device when said means for supplying said gaseous fuel is operating and for terminating timing by said timing device when said means for supplying said gaseous fuel is not operating so that, the display displays information that is representative of the amount of gaseous fuel remaining.