Abstract:
A laser ring is presented for mounting on or incorporating into a power plant generating pollutant gases as byproducts. The laser ring includes a ring housing receiving the gases and a laser beam which is reflected many times by the housing into the gases to generate a hot energy field and remove the pollutants. The ring can be adapted to operate on motor vehicles, airplanes, stacks of power plants, etc.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 61/902,969 filed Nov. 12, 2013 incorporated herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0003]    This invention pertains to a system for treating combustion byproducts from various power plants, such as internal combustion engines and the like. More particularly, these byproducts are passed through a concentrated laser beam arranged and constructed to eliminated any combustible and other undesirable compounds therefrom and release the same into the atmosphere as harmless, non-polluting compounds. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0005]    Various activities taking place in our society, whether commercial, manufacturing or recreational activities, all make use of power plants that generate energy in one form or another, usually from some kind fuel, such as fossil fuel. For example these power plants may include large electrical generators generating electricity, internal combustion engines on motor vehicles, etc. Typically, an undesirable result of the operation of these power plants is the production of various byproducts which include pollutants that are harmful to the environment. Therefore the power sources are provided with various means of reducing these pollutants, such as catalytic converters, mechanical filters, chemical scrubbers, etc. These means increase the cost of building and running the power plants, and in addition, are frequently not very efficient. 
         [0006]    Accordingly, there is a need for a system that can be used in various types of power plants that can reduce harmful pollutants quickly, effectively and inexpensively. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention provides a system of reducing and even eliminating pollutants generated by typical power plants. The system includes a plurality of lasers arranged to generate a high energy field. Byproducts from a power plant are forced through the field and the pollutants from these products are burned up leaving harmless gases or particles. As indicated above, prior means for reducing pollutants were inefficient, expensive and slow as compared to the present system. 
         [0008]    In one exemplary embodiment, the catalytic converter of the exhaust pipe in a motor vehicle is replaced with a laser ring which has an oscillating pulsed laser gun pointed inwardly into the reflective laser ring generating a high temperature energy field. Exhaust gases from the internal combustion engine pass through this field and are burned up. 
         [0009]    Advantageously the laser is moved in an oscillating sweeping motion to generate a high temperature field, 
         [0010]    Similar structures are used in industrial stacks and other structures leading combustion gases and other byproducts from respective power plants. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of a vehicle with a catalytic converter shown as prior art. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of a vehicle with our laser ring replacing the catalytic converter in the exhaust system. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged view showing a part of the exhaust pipe with a laser ring with its laser gun in place. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a across-sectional view (taken along lines  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3 ), showing how the laser&#39;s beam enters the chamber and deflects around the ring. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged view showing the full laser wall. 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged fragmentary view, showing part of the laser ring and how it is constructed; also shown is the hot laser wall that is reflected off of the highly-polished self-cleaning surface of the ceramic ring. It also shows harmful particles being destroyed. (Taken along lines  6 - 6  of  FIG. 3 .) 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  shows a laser gun with a normal, narrow beam. 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  shows a laser gun with a wide beam. 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  shows a cross-sectional view (taken along lines  9 - 9  of  FIG. 8 ), showing how, by using a spreading lens, you can transform a narrow laser beam into a wide laser beam. 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  shows an enlarged cross-sectional view that shows you can also use two laser guns to bring their beams together to create a different strength beam that will come out through a spreading lens. 
           [0021]      FIG. 11  shows an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a multi convex ceramic surface laser ring with a reflective surface and a field of interlaced laser beams. 
           [0022]      FIG. 12  shows the reflective surface of  FIG. 11  with part of its full laser wall. 
           [0023]      FIG. 13  shows an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a multi concave ceramic surface laser ring with a reflective surface and a field of interlaced laser beams. 
           [0024]      FIG. 14  shows the reflective surface of  FIG. 13  with part of its full laser wall. 
           [0025]      FIG. 15  shows an enlarged sectional view of the wall with triangular peaks instead of convex or concave ribs. 
           [0026]      FIG. 16  shows a greatly enlarged view with small perturbations or subpeaks on the ceramic surfaces. 
           [0027]      FIG. 17  shows an arrangement for an exhaust pipe with eight laser rings. 
           [0028]      FIG. 18  shows a view similar to the one in  FIG. 6  but fitted with two rings, one containing a hot laser and the other containing a cold laser for removing different types of pollutants and/or other harmful particles from the exhaust of a power plant. 
           [0029]      FIG. 19  shows an arrangement with two laser guns one behind the other operating independently. 
           [0030]      FIG. 20  shows an embodiment of the invention in which the laser ring has a smooth inner surfaces, with its laser beams. 
           [0031]      FIG. 21  shows a truck with vertical exhaust pipes including respective laser rings; 
           [0032]      FIG. 22  shows a partial view of an airplane wing with jet engines equipped with laser rings; 
           [0033]      FIG. 23  shows a somewhat diagrammatic view of a factory with a smoke stack equipped with a laser ring. 
           [0034]      FIG. 24  shows a top view of the smoke stack of  FIG. 23  showing in more detail the laser ring; 
           [0035]      FIGS. 25 ,  26  and  27  show details of the laser ring for the smoke stack and how it is attached to said smoke stack with  FIG. 26  taken along lines  26 - 26  on  FIG. 25  and  FIG. 27  being a sectional view of  FIG. 26  taken along lines  27 - 27 . 
           [0036]      FIG. 28  shows a heat resistant belt which holds the many ceramic reflective blocks shown in  FIG. 25 . 
           [0037]      FIG. 29  shows a sheet metal that can hold the laser ring belt and can be cut to fit various sized smoke stacks. 
           [0038]      FIGS. 30-32  show details of how the laser ring for stack is assembled and installed. 
           [0039]      FIGS. 33-35  show details of a mechanism for oscillating a laser on the exhaust of a motor vehicle. 
           [0040]      FIGS. 36-38  show details of a mechanism for oscillating a laser on the exhaust of an airplane or smokestack. 
           [0041]      FIG. 39  shows another embodiment of a laser ring for a motor vehicle. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0042]    Referring first to  FIG. 1 , a conventional motor vehicle  10  includes a vehicle engine  12  with a manifold pipe  11  leading a catalytic converter  14 . The engine  12 , typically an internal combustion engine, generates noxious and pollutant gases and other matter  52  ( FIG. 3 ) which are at least partially scrubbed by converter  14  before being exhausted through exhaust pipe  16 , muffler  18  and tail pipe  20 . 
         [0043]    An improved vehicle  30  is shown in  FIGS. 2-28 . In vehicle  30 , instead, or in addition to catalytic converter  12 , a laser ring  15  is also provided. The ring  15  includes a laser ring housing  40  with outer cylindrical surface  40 A and an inner surface  42  made of a ceramic self-cleaning material that can withstand very high temperatures without being distorted or destroyed. The inner surface includes a plurality of ribs  42 A, A laser gun  46  shoots a laser beam  48  through an aperture  45 . The beam  48  is reflected numerous times around ring  40  by ribs  42 A to generate a somewhat planar high intensity field  50 . Exhaust gases and other matter  52  from engine  12  pass through this field  50 . The laser beam  48  is either continuous or pulsating and has an intensity, pulsation frequency and wavelength selected to burn up the gases and other matter  52  into harmless vapors, gases and dust  75 . 
         [0044]    In the embodiment of  FIG. 5  the aperture  45  is covered by a one way mirror  60  selected to pass the beam  48  into the ring  40  but prevent it from exiting. 
         [0045]      FIG. 6  shows details of how a laser ring may be incorporated into an exhaust system. In this Figure, the laser ring  40  is provided with a back telescoping end  72  receiving the end of exhaust pipe  16 . An O-ring  73  is used to insure that gases do not escape from the system. 
         [0046]    A front end  72  is used to connect the laser ring  40  to the end of the manifold pipe  11 . Another O-ring  73  is used to prevent gas from escaping prematurely, In this embodiment, the interior  76  of the laser ring is smooth (e.g., cylindrical) and highly reflective. 
         [0047]    Beam  48  could be a narrow beam, or wide beam  48 A as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . For a wide beam, a spreading lens  62  may be used in gun  46  ( FIG. 9 ). 
         [0048]    In  FIG. 10  a modified laser gun  46 A is shown with two lasing sources  64 A,  64 B. The beams from these sources are combined into a single wide laser beam  48 A by lens  62 . 
         [0049]    In  FIGS. 11 and 12 , the convex ribs  42 A are shown with small perturbations  42 B.  FIGS. 13 ,  14  show the inner surface of the ring with concave surfaces  42 C instead of the ribs  42 A. The surfaces  42 C can be formed with small perturbations  42 D. 
         [0050]    In  FIGS. 15 and 16  the inner surface of the laser ring is shown with triangular or saw-tooth shaped reflecting elements  42 F instead of concave or convex elements. The elements  42 F may be provided with small perturbations or subpeaks  42 G. 
         [0051]    All these configurations are designed to insure that the laser beams directed into the laser ring by the laser gun is reflected over and over again to cover the cross-sectional area of the ring as much as possible thereby insuring that the exhaust gases passing there through are treated and cleaned thoroughly. 
         [0052]    In  FIG. 17 , several laser rings  15 A,  15 B are provided. The lasers within the rings may be operating at different temperatures and other conditions to remove and/or treat different pollutants and particulate matters within the exhaust from the power plant. The number of laser rings depends on the particular installation, type of power plant, type of pollutants in the exhaust, etc.  FIG. 17  shows a system of eight serial laser rings.  FIG. 18  shows a cross sectional view of an exhaust system with two laser rings, a hot laser ring  15 AA and a cold laser ring  15 BB. 
         [0053]      FIG. 19  shows a cross sectional view of a laser ring  140  with two laser guns  146 A,  146 B. The two guns can be pivoted sideways simultaneously or independently with laser gun  146 B being behind laser gun  146 A to generate a concentrated high energy field as described. 
         [0054]      FIG. 20  show an embodiment of the invention in which the laser ring has a smooth inner surface. 
         [0055]      FIG. 21  shows a truck  200  with a pair of exhaust pipes  202  having laser rings  204  constructed as discussed above. 
         [0056]      FIG. 22  shows an airplane  206  with a wing  208  having jet engines  210  with laser rings  212  constructed as discussed above. 
         [0057]      FIG. 23  show a factory  220  with smoke stack  222  equipped with a laser ring  224 . As shown in  FIG. 24 , the ring  224  includes a laser wall  226  receiving from mirrors  228   230  a laser beam  232  from a laser gun  234  receiving power from a line  236 . A motor  240  oscillates the mirror  230  to direct the laser beam at different directions for reflection by wall  226 . 
         [0058]    As shown in  FIGS. 25-27  the ring in  FIG. 24  can be assembled from an outer sheath formed of sheet metal  240  joined at the edges by an upper spacer wall  242  arranged to support the laser gun housing  244 . The laser gun housing  244  is attached to the outer wall by alignment wings  246 . 
         [0059]    A heat resistant plastic belt  250  is attached on an inner surface of the outer wall  240 . A plurality of ceramic reflective blocks  252  are attached to the plastic belt  250  by rubber pads  254 . The blocks  252  have highly reflective complex inner surfaces  256  for reflecting the laser beam. As seen in  FIGS. 31 and 32 , the stack  222  may have a thin metal sheet wall  270 , in which case the laser ring is attached to the wall  270  by metal clips  260 . 
         [0060]    Alternatively, a ceramic stack  280  having a mounting bracket  282  that holds the liner  270  to which the ring is attached. 
         [0061]    As previously mentioned, advantageously the laser gun within the laser ring is oscillated to selectively direct the laser beam at different angles. As shown in  FIGS. 33-35 , this function may be implemented by mounting the laser gun  46  on a pivot point  300 . The gun is maintained in a predetermined angular position by springs  305  and rubber bumpers  302  are used to limit the movement of the gun  46 . A motor  304  is disposed below the gun  46  and rotates an off center cam  308 . As the cam  308  is rotated it causes the gun  46  to oscillate back and forth. 
         [0062]    In yet another embodiment, when a laser ring is used on a smoke stack, as shown in  FIGS. 36-38 , a propeller  320  may be used to drive a shaft  322 . The propeller is rotated by the gases passing through the smoke stack. An off center cam  324  is used to oscillate a laser gun  46  either directly or via a cam following arm  326 . 
         [0063]    In the embodiments discussed above, a laser ring with a laser gun is disclosed in which the laser gun is oriented perpendicularly to the axis of the ring. In an alternate embodiment shown in  FIG. 39 , a laser ring  400  is provided with a laser gun  402  disposed in parallel with the ring&#39;s longitudinal axis. One or more mirrors are used to direct the laser beam inside the laser wall. More specifically, the laser gun  402  generates laser beans  408  that are directed by mirrors  410  at the inner laser wall  412 . One or more of the mirrors  410  are oscillated by motor  414 . 
         [0064]    Numerous modifications may be made to the invention without departing from its scope as defined in the appended claims.