US3678908A

US3678908A - Method and apparatus for increasing output of car engine and purifying exhaust gas

Info

Publication number: US3678908A
Application number: US21038A
Authority: US
Inventors: Akio Ito
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-03-19
Filing date: 1970-03-19
Publication date: 1972-07-25
Anticipated expiration: 1989-07-25

Abstract

A method and apparatus for increasing the output of an internal combustion engine characterized in that in the fuel system of the internal combustion engine consisting of an air cleaner, a carburetter and a manifold, there is provided a secondary air pipe halfway between said carburetter and manifold so as to allow intake of a suitable amount of secondary air, and a weak radioactive material (for example a natural radioactive ore) is disposed at the inlet of said air pipe so as to apply weak radiation to the air taken in through said pipe.

Description

United States Patent Ito 1451 July 25, 1972 [54] METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INCREASING OUTPUT OF CAR ENGINE AND PURIFYING EXHAUST GAS Akio Ito, 518, Odo, Saitama-ken, Yonoshi, Japan [22] Filed: March 19,1970

[21] Appl.No.: 21,038

[72] Inventor:

[52] U.S. Cl. ..I23/ll9 D, 123/119 E, 55/102, 123/124 51 1111.01 ..F92m 23/00 58 Fieldot'Search ..l23/ll9E,ll9D, 124,119; 55/102, 103; 137/480 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,777,554 10/1930 Ducloux ..123/l19 E Korienek 123/124 Sims 1 37/480 Primary Examiner-Lawrence M. Goodridge Assistant ExaminerCort Flint Attorney-Steinberg & Blake [57] ABSTRACT A method and apparatus for increasing the output of an internal combustion engine characterized in that in the fuel system 1 of the internal combustion engine consisting of an air cleaner, a carburetter and a manifold, there is provided a secondary air pipe halfway between said carburetter and manifold so as to allow intake of a suitable amount of secondary air, and a weak radioactive material (for example a natural radioactive ore) is disposed at the inlet of said air pipe so as to apply weak radiation to the air taken in through said pipe.

5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures Patented July 25, 1972 G v F Fl G 3 INVENTOR rfo 1 v I BY xm'mll lcf W LL FIG.2

ATTbRNEn METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INCREASING OUTPUT OF CAR ENGINE AND PURIFYING EXHAUST GAS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method and apparatus for increasing the output of an internal combustion engine, particularly for vehicles, and the primary object of the invention is to expedite the mixing of volatile oil and air so as to enhance combustion efficiency and to achieve maximum purification of exhaust gas, irrespective of the composition of fuel fed.

In the accompanying drawings,

FIG. I is a schematic illustration explaining the principles of the method of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is an illustration showing an embodiment of the apparatus used for practicing the method of the present invention, and

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the valve mechanism used in the above-said apparatus.

The fuel oil for vehicles, which is generally sold on the market, is classified into two types. One for use in summer season and the other for use in winter season. These types differ from each other in the mixing proportion of the constituents and are selected for use according to the conditions under which the oil is used. In winter season, the proportion of such components that are of low boiling point is increased so as to facilitate starting and acceleration of the engine even under a low temperature condition. In summer season, on the other hand, there is usually used the oil in which the proportion of the low boiling point components is decreased in order to preclude spontaneous vaporization or volatilization which may take place under hot temperature. Although the total calorific powers produced by these two types of oil under the state of perfect combustion are substantially equal to each other, the rate of volatilization as well as the rate of vaporization in the cylinder are varied according to the proportion of the components in the fuel composition, and this results in varying the rate of combustion in the engine, with resultant change of engine efficiency, thus greatly affecting the general output of the engine. Also, the volatile oil atomized in the carburetter must be further expanded in the intake pipe and in the cylinder as well and must be perfectly mixed up with air by the time it is ignited. If this air and oil mixing is improper, no perfect combustion can be obtained.

It is known that a low boiling point material having good volatilityand vaporizability is preferred for making a perfect mixture, but the volatile oil abundant with such low boiling point components is subject to quick vaporization or dissipation under the effect of natural conditions such as atmospheric temperature or pressure. Also, the total amount of produced hydrocarbon per unit capacity of the internal combustion engine is limited, with resultant poor combustion rate and reduced engine output.

On the other hand, a volatile oil (gasoline) having abundant high boiling point components tends to produce many residues of non-evaporated fraction during combustion, so that it is hardly possible to obtain a perfect air-gas mixture, resulting in imperfect combustion with resultant excess reduction of the combustion rate.

The present invention is designed to eliminate all of these defects by providing improved means for expediting perfect mixture of volatile oil and air irrespective of the component proportion of the fuel composition and for achieving maximum purification of exhaust gas. The essentials of the invention reside in The facts that in the fuel system of an internal combustion engine consisting of an air cleaner 1, a carburetter 2 and a manifold 3, there is provided a secondary air supply pipe 4 halfway between said carburetter 2 and manifold 3 to thereby introduce into the fuel system a suitable amount of secondary air, and that a weak radioactive material 6 (for example a natural radioactive ore) is provided at the inlet 4' of said air pipe 4 so as to apply weak radiation to the air taken in through said pipe. The natural radioactive ore used (which may be of an a-ray, B-ray or 'y-ray type) is preferably of the uranium series, radium series or trium series.

Also in FIG. 1, reference number 7 designates an engine for vehicles and 8 a throttle valve.

There is known in the art a method in which a certain suitable amount of air (for example, about 10 percent of the entire amount of air fed) is introduced substantially halfway between the carburetter 2 and the manifold 3 to thereby enhance mixing efficiency of fuel oil and air. However, achievement of this mixing depends on a physical turbulent flow and is therefore likely to be affected by natural conditions more or less depending on the composition of fuel oil, so that it is impossible to overcome fully the above mentioned defects. It is also known that if the mixture is exposed to weak radiation, the high boiling point components of the volatile oil, upon receiving radioactivity, are decomposed, with a part thereof being converted into a medium boiling point component and with the remaining active molecules being combined with the low boiling point components to turn also into a medium boiling point component or an isomeric substance which is easily reduced into liquid of atomized state, thus eliminating the necessity in selecting fuel oil of the composition best suited for the natural conditions under which it is used.

With these facts in view, the present invention has realized means for obtaining the best mixture of volatile oil and air and for changing the amount and rate of vaporization of the volatile oil components into the optimum ones, thereby to achieve maximum enhancement of combustion efficiency. The invention will be described in more detail hereinafter by way of its preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown a schematic illustration explaining the general principles of the method of the present invention. As will be noted, the invention utilizes a conventional type fuel system in which the air introduced through an air cleaner 1 is mixed up with fuel in a carburetter 2 and then flows into a manifold assembly 3, and is characterized by a secondary air supply pipe 4 disposed in front of said manifold assembly 3, said secondary air pipe 4 being adapted to admit a suitable predetermined amount of secondary air 5 which has been subjected to weak radiation. It is to be noted here that the air, which has been subjected to said radiation (a-rays or B-rays), is ionized and furnished with same electric charges which serve to animate the isolating action between the molecules, thus facilitating their combination-with fuel molecules when they are joined with the mixture gas under agitation, thereby attaining appreciable enhancement of mixing efficiency.

Also, since the secondary air 5 still has a residue of radiation at the moment when it is joined with the mixture gas, it is possible to convert the volatile oil components into a desired boiling point condition by the action of the residual weak radiation, thereby achieving additional enhancement of combustion efficiency.

The above process will be described in a more detailed manner below. It is known that if the air fuel ratio of the mixture fed into the carburetter is lower than what is normally required by the engine, working performance of the vehicle is reduced and also fuel consumption is enlarged. It was found, however, that introduction of secondary air, which has been ionized with application of weak radiation, proves helpful to realize normal operation at a minimum air fuel ratio without impeding working performance of the vehicle. This is considered to be attributable to the following reasons:

1. The air fuel ratio required for best combustion is solely related to the carbon/hydrogen ratio in hydrocarbon, and has no relation to the molecular structure.

2. The ignition phenomenon takes place in the following manner: heat energy fed into the cylinder acts on hydrocarbons to decompose some of them into several radicals having ionization potentials, and these radicals, in turn, act on the remainder of hydrocarbons to cause their decomposition in a successive manner, with the result that the number of the radicals having such ionization potentials is increased by geometrical progression until finally a fairly high voltage is produced between the ions, and when this voltagerises above a certain level, discharge takes place to cause ignition.

3. The combustion reaction mechanism of CH, (methane) is as follows:

CH H4 H2 E20 H O HCHO O;* CO 30H 4. Radiation composition of H takes place in the following manner:

H 6 H ofi Excitation is caused by the primary or secondary electrons to dissociate water into H and OH in the following manner:

H O*- H OH These free radicals are formed along the tracks of the radiation rays and some are recombined to produce hydrogen molecules or hydrogen peroxide in the following manner:

5. The reactions caused by radiation are based on ionization and excitation. Therefore, ionization of hydrocarbons caused by heat energy is combined with ionization resulting from chemical reactions by radiation to thereby produce marked enhancement of combustion efficiency. This fact proves helpful to achieve increase of engine power and purification of exhaust gas.

In FIG. 2 is shown an embodiment of the output elevating device according to the present invention. This device is characterized by a net or screen cover 9 which may be of any desired configuration and which is mounted at the inlet 4' of the secondary air pipe 4 provided in front of the manifold 3, and also characterized by provision of a filter paper 10 on which is uniformly fusion-deposited the pulverized weak radioactive material such as a natural radioactive ore and which is detachably layed on the surface of said net cover 9.

.Also in FIG. 2, number 11 designates a casing and 12 a filter paper fastening means. Arrows 13 indicate the passage of the introduced secondary air, along which said air is exposed to radiation.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a valve mechanism for regulating the inflow of secondary air under a certain predetermined pressure level. As will be seen, a valve is fixed at a suitable location in the secondary air pipe 4 having an irradiating means 14 provided at the inlet 4, and a spring 16 is adapted to press said valve in the counterflow direction so as to keep said valve normally closed.

Thus, when the engine 7 enters the suction stroke, the valve 15 is opened in opposition to the spring 16 to admit secondary air into the cylinder, and when the engine moves into the compression stroke, pressure in the cylinder is raised, allowing the valve 15 to be closed under the pressing force of the spring 16 to thereby inhibit any additional inflow of secondary air and any additional outflow of the mixture gas.

Also, in case the inflow of mixture gas into the manifold is insufficient during the engine starting operation, the valve remains closed since there exists no force which works against the pressing force of the spring 16, so that early combustion is expedited in the same manner as a choke valve particularly in winter season.

As viewed above, the present invention is featured, among others, by application of weak radiation to secondary air to thereby remarkably improve fuel-air mixing efficiency as well as combustion effect of the mixture, and the fuel mixture, after having been suitably changed in its composition, is fed into the engine cylinder, so that there is obtained by far higher effect than when radiation is applied to the entire amount of air. The present invention is also advantageous in that the entire mechanism can be miniaturized into a compact structure.

Thus, according to the method of the invention secondary air is introduced into the internal combustion engine downstream of the carburetter and upstream of the intake manifold to flow into the latter together with the mixture from the carburetter, and a weak radioactive material, such as a natural radioactive orl, is situated in the path of flow of secondary ore, to apply weak radiation to the latter as it enters into the intake manifold together with the mixture from the carburreter. 4

With the structure of the invention, the pipe 4 forms a supply means for supplying secondary air into the path of flow of the mixture from the carburetter to the intake manifold, so that this secondary air travels with the mixture to the intake manifold.

The structure shown in FIG. 2 forms a means for situating in the path of flow of secondary air provided by the supply means 4 a weak radioactive material so that weak radiation is applied to the air introduced by the supply means into the mixture flowing from the carburetter to the intake manifold. This means shown in FIG. 2 for situating the weak radioactive material in the path of flow of secondary air to the mixture from the carburetter includes the foraminous support means 9, 10, which is air-permeable and through which the secondary air is compelled to flow through the supply means 4 into the path of flow of the mixture from the carburetter, and this support means 9, 10 carries the weak radioactive material in pulverized form. The valve structure of FIG. 3 forms a valve means carried by the supply means 4 for normally maintaining the latter closed, this valve means responding automatically to a drop in pressure in the intake manifold, as during a suction stroke of the engine, to open the supply means so as to admit secondary air which of course is exposed to the radioactive material by way of the means of FIG. 2.

The results of the practical tests of the present invention on trial cars showed more than 10 percent rise of output and reduction of CO (carbon monoxide) content from the conventional 3 to 6 percent level to as low as 0.1 to 0.3 percent level.

I claim:

1. In an internal combustion engine having a carburetter for supplying a fuel-air mixture and an intake manifold for receiving said mixture with the latter flowing along a predetermined path from said carburetter to said intake manifold, supply means for supplying secondary air to said predetermined path, and means carried by said supply means for exposing the secondary air to a weak radioactive material so as to apply weak radiation to the secondary air supplied by said supply means to the mixture flowing from the carburetter to the intake manifold, said means carried by said supply means for exposing the secondary air to the weak radioactive material including a foraminous, air-permeable support means situated in the path of secondary air flow provided by said supply means, said support means carrying a pulverized weak radioactive material to which the secondary air is exposed prior to reaching the mixture flowing from the carburetter to the intake manifold, said support means including a screen situated across the path .of flow of secondary air through said supply means to the path of flow of the mixture from the carburetter to the intake manifold, and a filter paper carried by said screen and carrying the pulverized radioactive material.

2. The combination of claim I and wherein said filter paper is removable from said screen.

3. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said pulverized material is a natural radioactive ore of the uranium series, the

I radium series, or the trium series.

4. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a valve means is carried by said supply means and has a normally closed position closing said supply means, said valve means responding

Claims

1. In an internal combustion engine having a carburetter for supplying a fuel-air mixture and an intake manifold for receiving said mixture with the latter flowing along a predetermined path from said carburetter to said intake manifold, supply means for supplying secondary air to said predetermined path, and means carried by said supply means for exposing the secondary air to a weak radioactive material so as to apply weak radiation to the secondary air supplied by said supply means to the mixture flowing from the carburetter to the intake manifold, said means carried by said supply means foR exposing the secondary air to the weak radioactive material including a foraminous, airpermeable support means situated in the path of secondary air flow provided by said supply means, said support means carrying a pulverized weak radioactive material to which the secondary air is exposed prior to reaching the mixture flowing from the carburetter to the intake manifold, said support means including a screen situated across the path of flow of secondary air through said supply means to the path of flow of the mixture from the carburetter to the intake manifold, and a filter paper carried by said screen and carrying the pulverized radioactive material.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said filter paper is removable from said screen.

3. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said pulverized material is a natural radioactive ore of the uranium series, the radium series, or the trium series.

4. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a valve means is carried by said supply means and has a normally closed position closing said supply means, said valve means responding automatically to a drop in pressure in the intake manifold for opening said supply means to admit secondary air.

5. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said supply means is in the form of a pipe having an inlet for secondary air, and said means for exposing the secondary air to the radioactive material being situated at said inlet.