Mechanical fuel gasification

A method and apparatus for mechanically gasifying an atomized fuel/air mixture by passing the mixture through intermeshing sets of pins rotating at high speeds. When used in an internal combustion engine, the fuel efficiency is enhanced and undesirable emissions are reduced.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for mechanically
 gasifying a substantial portion of a liquid fuel for an internal
 combustion engines thereby providing an improvement in fuel mileage and
 power and a reduction in undesirable emission products.
 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 In the design of internal combustion engines it has long been recognized
 that achievement of optimum fuel/air mixtures is a principal factor in
 improving efficiency. The fuel will then be burned as completely as
 possible. Completely burning the fuel obviously results in extracting the
 maximum amounts of energy from each gram of fuel and eliminates unburned
 or partially burned fuel in the engine exhaust which is the source of most
 undesirable emission products.
 In the past, carburetors and fuel injectors generally have provided a
 fuel/air mixture in atomized or vaporized form. These mixtures tend to
 consist of finely divided droplets of fuel suspended in air as a vapor.
 Very little, if any, pure gaseous fuel is produced in the typical prior
 art carburetor or fuel injector. Generally, designers of carburetors and
 fuel injectors have attempted to get a finer and more uniform distribution
 of fuel droplets within the fuel/air mixture. However, as the droplets
 become finer or smaller in diameter, the droplet surface tension becomes
 greater and further reduction to a true gaseous state comprising fuel
 molecules mixed with air molecules becomes difficult to achieve.
 The desirability of providing fuel for an internal combustion engine in a
 pure gaseous or super heated form has been recognized in the prior art.
 For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,083,340 which issued on Apr. 11, 1978 to
 Clen Furr et al a method of superheating gasoline is described. In the
 Furr et al method, the heat from the cooling system of an internal
 combustion engine is used to heat gasoline under pressure in a chamber
 above the normal boiling point of gasoline. When pressure is reduced, the
 gasoline is converted to a gas and liquid fuel. The gaseous fuel is fed to
 the intake of an internal combustion engine and the liquid fuel is
 recycled back to the fuel pressure chamber. However, this method requires
 the heating of a highly flammable fuel under pressure with the obvious
 risk such heating involves. Accordingly, it is one object of the present
 invention to provide a method and apparatus for producing fuel for an
 internal combustible engine in a purely gaseous state or a mixture of gas
 and very fine, invisible droplets without the necessity of heating the
 fuel.
 It is known in the prior art to heat the intake manifolds of an internal
 combustion engine so that the atomized fuel mixture will be expanded and
 be more like a true gas as it enters the combustion chamber of the engine.
 However, heat must be added to the manifold. Accordingly it is another
 object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for
 converting an atomized fuel into a gaseous state without the addition of
 heat energy, that is, fuel in a gaseous state or is near that of super
 heated fuel is provided immediately at the start of engine, with no
 superheated fuel reservoir required. The gasification units of my
 invention are at optimum speeds immediately prior to engine ignition
 because the engine start-up and gasification units can start-up
 simultaneously.
 In another prior art device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,134 to Conrad
 K. Warren which issued May 7, 1985, a "Molecular Diffuser Assembly" is
 described in which a thermistor-type heater/evaporator is used to vaporize
 the volatile constituents of a fuel. When substantially vaporized, the
 fuel is introduced into a venturi for diffusion into an air stream passing
 therethrough. The air stream is delivered into the combustion chamber of
 an internal combustion engine. Again, it is an object of the present
 invention to avoid the necessity of heating fuel or atomized fuel before
 delivering it to the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine.
 In the prior art, significant effort has been devoted to reducing the
 emission products from an internal combustion engine and among these
 undesirable products are the unburned hydrocarbons and the oxides of
 nitrogen. In addition to catalytic converters, as one means to reduce
 these emissions and suppress premature ignition, it is common design
 practice to equip an engine with an exhaust gas re-circulation valve
 (EGR.) Another method is to inject water into the atomized fuel/air
 mixture. These prior art methods and devices require complicated valving
 and the supply and delivery of another material, namely, water or exhaust
 gases. Accordingly, it is still a further object of the invention to
 provide an apparatus and method to reduce the emission of undesirable
 combustion products without the necessity for water injection and to
 minimize the need for re-circulation of exhaust gases.
 While there have been many other prior art attempts to successfully
 superheat or gasify fuel in order to provide a more efficient internal
 combustion engine with reduced exhaust contaminants my invention as
 described below generally achieves all these objects with a novel method
 and apparatus.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 In one aspect, the invention is a method for mechanically breaking down the
 fuel droplets in an atomized vapor such as that provided by a fuel
 injector or carburetor, by overcoming surface tension forces of the
 droplets with mechanical turbulent forces. The forces are provided by
 ultra high speed rotor and stator members through which an atomized fuel
 mixture is passed on its way to the combustion chambers of an internal
 combustion engine.
 In another aspect, the present invention is an apparatus for mechanically
 gasifying liquid fuel comprising a housing; a stator body disposed within
 said housing, the inner surface of said stator having an array of pins
 inwardly projecting therefrom; a rotor body having an array of pins
 outwardly projecting from the outer surface thereof; said rotor being
 mounted for high speed rotation with its pins intermeshing with the stator
 pins; a drive motor for rotating said rotor at high speeds; a first end
 cap or first closure means adapted to close the housing at one end thereof
 and for receiving atomized fuel from an injector and to pass said fuel
 into said housing so that the atomized fuel passes through the
 intermeshing pins; and, a second closure means or end cap for closing the
 other end of said housing and for directing gaseous fuel into the intake
 manifold or into the intake valves of an internal combustion engine, and
 then into the combustion or piston firing chamber.
 In another aspect, the present invention is a method for mechanically
 gasifying atomized fuel for an internal combustion engine comprising the
 steps of receiving atomized fuel from a fuel injector, carburetor, nozzle
 or other fuel atomizing device, passing said fuel through intermeshing
 rows of pins where at least one row of pins is rotating at a high speed so
 that droplets of fuel in said atomized fuel which impinge on the pins
 forcibly are broken down and are converted into a gaseous or near
 gaseous/fine droplet state; and, then, conveying said gaseous fuel into
 the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. My invention
 includes an arrangement whereby the "stator" is disposed for
 counter-rotary motion so that the relative velocities between pins is
 significantly increased.
 Broadly, my invention is applicable to all types of liquid fuel for
 internal combustion engines and is most advantageously used in connection
 with gasoline powered, piston driven engines or with turbine or furnaces,
 nozzled fire boxes or boilers adapted so that fuel is introduced through
 nozzles. Special advantages of my invention for internal combustion engine
 are lowered carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide (NOX) emissions and
 increased carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) emissions. The oxygen (O.sub.2)
 emissions are approximately zero. Further advantage of my invention will
 be readily apparent from the reading of the following detailed description
 of preferred embodiments which are illustrated in the accompanying
 drawings which are made a part of this specification and are described
 below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
 As used herein the terms, "gas" or "gaseous" means a significant reduction
 in the diameter of fuel droplets and the breaking down of droplets into
 free molecules. It is to be understood that "gas" or "gaseous" includes a
 mix of free molecules of fuel and ultra fine fuel droplets. Many pure
 gasses are visually clear so that gaseous fuel may be characterized by its
 visual clarity. That is, in a gaseous state, the fuel appears transparent
 and "invisible" as an insufficient number of droplets are present to
 create a visible "fog" or "vapor."
 Also used herein is the term "high speed" regarding the rotational speed of
 the rotor in terms of revolutions per minute (rpm). "High speed" refers to
 rotational speeds from below about 10,000 rpm or less to above about
 100,000 rpm.
 Looking first at FIG. 3, a block diagram of one preferred arrangement for
 an internal combustion gasoline engine for an automobile is shown. In a
 typical modern automobile, fuel is pumped from the gas tank by an
 electrically or mechanically driven fuel pump to a fuel rail which
 distributes fuel to the fuel injectors. Each cylinder of the engine is
 provided with a fuel injector. A injector may be of the type shown and
 described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,563 which issued on Dec. 21, 1993 to Mark
 Cerny et al and is assigned to the Chrysler Corporation. After leaving the
 injector in an atomized state, the fuel enters the gasification unit of
 the present invention which is driven by a ultra high speed motor capable
 of rotating at speed of 50,000 RPM. The motor may be driven by compressed
 air or by the exhaust gas, or, preferably by an electrical motor. After
 leaving the gasification unit the now gasified fuel enters the intake
 manifold where it is drawn through the valves and then into the combustion
 chamber to be burned.
 Turning now to FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of the gasification unit of
 my invention will be described. Gasification unit 1 comprises generally
 cylindrical housing body 7 which is open at both ends and is of a length
 and diameter that will readily fit within an internal combustion engine
 between the fuel injector and the intake manifold. Disposed within the
 housing body is a stator 6 which also is of a generally cylindrical shape
 that fits within the cylindrical cavity of the housing 7 securely so that
 it will not rotate. It is coaxially aligned within the housing and within
 the stator. On the inner surface of the stator are inwardly projecting
 stator pins 4 and in the preferred embodiment there are five rows of these
 pins distributed around the inner surface of the stator with twelve pins
 per row. The number of rows of pins can vary to conform to the
 requirements of each engine type and size.
 Still referring to FIG. 1, the rotor body is positioned for rotating motion
 within the stator body and has a corresponding array of rotor pins 5. Five
 rows of pins and twelve pins per row which are arranged to intermesh
 between the stator pins when the rotor is rotated. End cap 9 closes the
 top of housing body 7 with the rotor 3 and stator 7 enclosed therein. End
 cap 9 has a central opening through which the drive shaft 8a of motor 8
 passes and is connected to rotor 3 so that the motor may drive it in
 rotary motion. The end cap's center most opening through which the shaft
 8a passes further comprises a bearing surface in which the motor shaft 8a
 is journaled. (Not shown in detail).
 In a preferred embodiment a pneumatic vane motor, model MMF-5000 from Micro
 Motor of Santa Ana, Calif. is used to drive the rotor. This motor will
 turn at about 50,000 rpm. A more preferred motor is an electrically driven
 motor that will turn the same or higher rpm. However, depending upon the
 specific embodiment and application, the desired rpm can vary as much as
 50,000 rpm.
 End cap 9 has a second orifice or opening which is adapted to receive the
 discharge nozzle of fuel injector 2 which supplies the atomized fuel. At
 the other end of the housing 7 the bottom end cap or closure 7a is
 provided to close the housing and deliver fuel to the intake manifold or
 fuel collection chamber where the gasified fuel will be drawn into the
 cylinder of the internal combustion engine when its intake valves open.
 Looking now at FIG. 2, the gasification unit is shown in a representative
 partial section to show the intermeshing pins. Rotor body 3 is held in
 position by drive shaft 8a and the pins 5 which outwardly project from its
 outer surface intermesh with the pins of the stator 6 which inwardly
 project from its inner surface. Atomized fuel 19 enters from the fuel
 injector and passes between the pins rotating at high speed. Gasification
 occurs as the atomized fuel mixture 9 passes through the rotating pins and
 exits as gasified fuel 20. The dimension of a preferred embodiment of a
 single unit are set out in Table I below in inches:
 TABLE I
 Rotor Shaft Diameter 0.250"
 Pin Diameter 0.0625"
 Rotor pin length 0.3750"
 Tip to Tip diameter 1.00"
 Rotor Height 1.25"
 Stator Diameter (interior) 1.040"
 Stator Pin Length 0.25"
 Stator Height (bottom to top) 1.00"
 The above dimensions are those for the tested embodiment. The pin-to-pin
 clearance can vary from about 0.01" to as much as about 0.060 inches.
 Also, the shape of the pins may be varied, and, be oval, square, or
 rectangular cross section and may be provided with varying thickness along
 their lengths. The round cross-section as shown generally in the drawings
 is believed to have the advantage of providing a surface which is less
 likely to collect unwanted deposits and provides a more aerodynamically
 advantageous shape, that is, such a shape will strike droplets with
 maximum momentum and energy with least aerodynamic drag.
 Alternate pin shapes, however, are within the scope of my invention. These
 are shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C. FIG. 2B shows the cross-section of a pin
 which is flat on one side and rounded on the other, pins 5 being rotor
 pins and pins 4 being stator pins. The flat faced pin has the advantage
 that the surface will strike droplets at angles which impart maximum
 momentum and energy and reduce "glancing" collisions. The propeller-twist
 shape of FIG. 2C can serve to promote higher turbulence within the
 gasification unit thus increasing the number of collisions between
 droplets and pins. Pins 5 are rotor pins and pins 4 are stator pins. It
 can be advantageous to arrange all three shapes on the rotor in various
 patterns to create maximum turbulence and droplet size reduction.
 First Preferred Embodiment
 In a first preferred embodiment which is shown in FIG. 4 the stator body 6'
 in the interior of the housing has surface 6a from which said stator pins
 4a project; and, body 6' is stepped from top to bottom with the smaller
 diameter where surface step 6a is indicated at the top so that gasoline
 which might condense on the surface will drip down, and be struck by the
 rotating pins 5a below. That is, there is no place for liquid fuel to
 collect in this embodiment so all fuel becomes gasified as it cannot
 escape the rotating pins and will be gasified.
 While my intention is not to be held to any particular theory of why the
 gasification occurs, it is my current belief the atomized droplets in the
 incoming fuel mixture from the fuel injector are struck numerous times by
 the high speed rotating pins which rotate at such speeds that no droplet
 can pass through the gasification unit without being struck repeatedly by
 the pins. These pins have sufficient kinetic energy and momentum so that
 when striking fuel droplets the energy is great enough to rupture the
 surface tension of a droplet and break it into even finer droplets. As the
 droplets are divided, in each breaking down collision, molecules of fuel
 are released and do not recombine into droplets because the motion
 imparted overcomes this tendency. Thus a true gas develops which is
 comprised of freely moving molecules of fuel and air. Rather than using
 thermal energy to produce a gas kinetic energy is used.
 The fuel flow to each cylinder of an internet combustion gasoline engine is
 an infinitesimally small injection of fuel per power stroke. For example,
 a 4 cylinder 1992 Honda Accord EX 2.2 liter engine gets approximately 25
 mpg at 60 mpg under normal load highway conditions. At this speed, the
 engine is turning 2,200 rpm and at that speed will be firing an average of
 73.33 times per second, 4400 times per minute or 264,000 times per hour,
 and will consume (2.4/264,000) 0.00000909 gallons per power stroke
 (injection) or 0.0000545 pounds per power stroke (injection.)
 With each injection of fuel being so small, converting each injection of
 fuel from liquid vapor state to a superheated or gasified state is made
 possible using high speed turbulence produced by mechanical equipment.
 Also, the process is aided by the normal intake manifold vacuum.
 EXAMPLE ONE
 In one test of the first preferred embodiment, a 1992 Honda Accord, having
 a four cylinder fuel injected engine was equipped with four of the
 gasification units of the embodiment of FIG. 1. These units were
 positioned between the fuel injectors and the intake manifold for each
 cylinder. Prior to installing the gasification units, in a gas mileage
 test over a course of 12 miles, the gasoline consumed was at the rate of
 25 miles per gallon. After installing the gas units of the invention and
 repeating the same course at the same speeds and under the same conditions
 gas mileage improved to 35 miles per gallon. Also, engine performance
 noticeably improved as the engine accelerated the car noticeably better.
 In still another embodiment of the invention, the gasification unit is
 divided into stages whereby the rotor, stator, and housing of the first
 stage are of a smaller diameter than that of the corresponding parts of
 the second stage. The first stage feeds directly to the second stage and
 provides expansion as the fuel becomes gasified.
 Second Preferred Embodiment
 Referring now to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, a second preferred embodiment will be
 described which is a novel gasification unit for various type fuel nozzles
 for turbine engines, boiler fire boxes, furnace fire boxes, or any burner
 system where the fuel is supplied by nozzles. The gasification unit 21 is
 mounted on firewall 33 of combustion chambers 32. In this configuration,
 unit 21 is disposed within an enclosed housing (not shown) to which a
 source of compressed air is supplied. The space between the housing and
 the firewall forms a pressurized air chamber. Fuel is injected from a fuel
 injector through nozzles 22, 22a.
 The motor 28 for this embodiment is a very high RPM motor which provides
 further droplet breakdown and gasifies all the spherical fuel droplets
 developed in the fuel nozzle spray, regardless of how small they are.
 The drive motor's shaft 28a extends about 1.5" beyond the motor housing 28
 to carry the rotor sleeve 23 that is bored to match the shaft 28a diameter
 so the rotor sleeve 23 can be pressed onto the shaft 28a and secured to
 the shaft to the required depth, at which the centerline of the rows of
 rotating pins are separated from the centerline of the rows of stator pins
 24 by about 0.1875" to insure there is no contact during operation. This
 separation can and will vary for alternate embodiments of my invention.
 Respectively, the rotating rows of pins on the rotor are separated from
 each other by about 0.375". Also, the stationary rows of pins on the
 stator are separated by about 0.375". It is understood that all of these
 rows of pins may be further separated or narrowed as machinery and
 assembly tolerances allow.
 At each successive step of rows of pins, the length of both the rotating
 and stationary pins is increased about 0.25" progressing from the first
 row to the fifth row. These pin lengths, diameter and shape will vary as
 the applications vary.
 The first through the fifth rows of rotating pins have the following
 lengths:

1.sup.st Row 0.825"
 2.sup.rd Row 1.075"
 3.sup.rd Row 1.325"
 4.sup.th Row 1.575"
 5.sup.th Row 1.825"
 Preferably, the gap between the end of a pin and the stator housing, for
 each step is 0.05", or greater, to prevent fuel droplets from escaping
 around rotating pins.
 The first through the fifth stationary pin lengths are as follows: