FUEL AND WATER EMULSIFICATION SUPPLY SYSTEM

Abstract: Fuel supply system in which oil and water are mixed and delivered under pressure to a nozzle (30) or other atomizing means at which combustion is to occur. The mixture of oil and water is delivered to the atomizing means along conduit means (2) and those conduits means include means to produce agitation of the oil and water so that an intimate mixture of oil and water is delivered to the atomizing means. Complete emulsification occurs at the atomizing means to promote combustion.

Description: FUELANDWATEREMULSIFICATIONSUPPLYSYSTEM Background of the Invention This invention is concerned with a fuel supply system, particularly although not exclusively, since it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that -the ^ invention is applicable also in such environments as heating systems,- the invention is concerned with a fuel supply system or a diesel engine. The invention is also applicable to fuel injected gasoline engines, to turbine engines and possibly to conventional gasoline engines provided with a carburetor. It is known that the inclusion of water particles trapped inside fuel oils will promote combustion and that in a diesel engine, NOX and particulate emissions are reduced and power is increased. Attempts have been made to create an emulsion ahead of the injector pump by the utilization of an ultrasonic reactor to which a mixture of oil and water is delivered. However, particularly in small, high speed diesels the emulsions have proven to have a very short life and it is questionable whether the emulsion would remain stable even long enough to permit it to enter the combustion zone. In these attempts it has been recog¬ nized that it is necessary that the water phase of the emulsion be finely divided at the point of combustion if effective burning is to be achieved. This fact holds true in any environment in which a mixture of oil and water is to be burned. Brief Summary of the Invention: According to this invention, in a system in which a pump, such as the injection pump in the fuel system of a diesel engine, delivers fuel to a nozzle or other atomizing means " advantage is- taken of the emulsifying effect of the pump and nozzle by agitating fuel and water in the conduits leading to the pump and/or nozzle to such an extent that an intimate, finely divided mixture of oil and water is de¬ livered to that nozle. In this way a fine water and oil emulsion is issued from the nozzle. The means for causing agitation of the fuel and water may be disposed, either in the conduit. along which the oil and water is delivered to the injection pump or in the conduit along which the oil and water is delivered from the pump to the nozzle. Also, of course, the agitating means may be disposed in both of these locations. The means for causing the agitation may comprise a baffle " like element disposed in the conduits and so devised as to constantly divide the mixture of fuel and water and reunite it. Most desirably a swirling act-ion of the consti¬ tuents of the fuel is achieved and this can be obtained by having the baffle means of a helical form. Alternatively rifling may be formed in the conduits to impart a swirling motion or a helical spring type device could be disposed in the conduits. It is possible, depending on the pressures of the constituents of the fuel within the conduits and, of course, the bores of those conduits, that the frictional inter-action of the fuel with the walls of the conduit could produce a sufficient agitation. The supply of water to the conduits may be established by the utilization of a float chamber and an appropriate orifice. Valve means may be provided for varying the mix¬ ture. The water may be carried in a separate tank or, particularly where the Invention is applied to a motor vehicle, it may be condensed from the exhaust of the vehicle. In this latter instance the condenser can serve also as a scrubber to remove particulate emissions from the exhaust and of course, the recirculation of the products of combustion additionally tends to clean the exhaust. OM y m W1P Description of the'Figures of the Drawings*: Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a system according to the present invention; Figures 2, 3 and 4 show details of the embodiment of figure 1; Figure 5 shows a different form of fuel system accord¬ ing to- the present invention; and Figure 6 shows a further form of fuel system according to the invention. Description of the Preferred Embodiments: In Figure 1 there is schematically illustrated a sys¬ tem according to the present invention utilized with a diesel engine. In that system an injection pump is indi¬ cated at 10 which receives oil from a supply 12 along conduit 14 and water from a supply 16 which is delivered along- conduit 18 to be united wiξ-h -the fuel in conduit section 20. The supply 16 comprises a float chamber main¬ tained filled along a water supply line .22, the float chamber being connected to conduit 18. Included in conduit 18 is an orifice or other restriction indicated at 24. Conduit 18 is most desirably of very narrow bore so that water is injected into the fuel passing along conduit 14 in the form of regularly spaced spheres . As -is conventional the -Injection pump 10 is driven from the diesel engine by a coupling 26. The injection pump delivers along conduits 28 to individual nozzles 30, only * -one * of which is illustrated for the purposes of clarity, of the cylinders of the engine. At least one of the conduit section 20 and conduit 28 includes means for causing agita- - 4 - tion of the oil and water passing therealong. Typical means for causing agitation are illustrated in figures 2, 3 and 4 and are described more fully hereinafter. To utilize the turbulent conditions prevailing at the inlet of the pump to achieve mixture of the oil and water, it may be desirable to have the injection of the water into the oil* occur at that inlet in which case section 20 of the conduit would be .very short. It is to be recognized that if a mixture of oil and water is delivered to a nozzle under pressure there will be an emulsification effect at the nozzle. By the inclusion of the agitation means described hereabove in the conduits through which the oil and water is passed to the nozzle repeated rapid division and re-mixing of the material flow¬ ing down the conduits is achieved so that there is delivered to the nozzle a finely divided, intimate mixture of oil and water. Figure 2 illustrates one means according to the inven¬ tion producing agitation within the conduits of the supply system. The conduit is indicated at 20 and within its bore 28 there is disposed a wire like element 32 which at intervals along its length has propeller-like section 34, the individual blades of those propeller-like sections- being inclined to produce a swirling action of material passing thereover. Adjacent ones of the propellers are angularly offset from one another or may be of opposite hand so that as the mixture of oil and water flows through the conduit it is constantly deflected and reconstituted so that a fine intimate mixture of oil and water will result. Figure 3 shows an alternative form of achieving a swirling action and in that embodiment, within bore 28 there is disposed a helical spring 34. It will be recog¬ nized that as the mixture passes along the conduit it will be forced to swirl. This will produce an intimate mixture of the .two components of the fuel. An alternative embodiment is illustrated in figure 4 in which the surface defining .bore 28 is formed with rifling grooves 36 which have an effect similar to that of the spring 34 in the embodiment of figure 3. An alternative arrangement is illustrated in figure 5. In that embodiment an engine 100 is supplied by an injec¬ tion pump ' 102 along fuel supply conduit 104. Oil is delivered to the injection pump 102 from an oil supply along conduit 106. Water is delivered to a T junction 108 ■ with the- conduit 106, -along conduit 110. The water is delivered from a reservoir 112 which may include an immer¬ sion heating coil 114 or which may have a heat exchanging relationship with the exhaust manifold of engine 100 as indicated schematically at 116. By heating the water, freez¬ ing problems are avoided. From supply 112 a conduit 118 leads to a float chamber 120 which, as aforementioned, via conduit 110, leads the water to be united with the oil in conduit 106. In conduit 110 there is provided an orifice 122 and a solenoid con¬ trolled valve 124. From the T junction 108 a mixture of oil and water is delivered along conduit section 126 to injec¬ tion pump 102. The conduit section 106 and conduit 104 include means for causing agitation of the oil and water flowing there along those means being effective to produce a finely divided intimate mixture of oil and water at the injection nozzles of the engine 100. It will be apparent that by the relatively even distri- - bution 'of water in oil produced by injecting the water in a controlled fashion into the fuel in conduits 106, 141, and by the restrictions and/or agitation means in conduits 20, 28, 126, 104, and by the turbulent conditions in the " pum itself, the nozzle or nozzles will see an intimate, finel divided mixture which permits the nozzle to effect th final emulsification thus eliminating the problem of separa tion of the emulsion before reaching the combustion zone. The embodiment of the invention illustrated in figur 6 largely resembles that in figure 1, having an injectio pump 10 , a fuel tank 12 and a water supply 16 . Fue comprising a mixture of oil and water is delivered t injection nozzles of engine E along lines 28 and th products of combustion leave the engine to exhaust syste 32. The exhaust system includes a condenser 34 which ma take any convenient from effective to condense a sufficien quantity of water from the exhaust to provide a supply fo use in the fuel system. From the condenser water is de livered to float chamber 36 to be used in the fuel supply. Such an arrangement has certain very distinct advantages. As well as eliminating the need to carry a water suppl tank, the condenser tends to remove dangerous particulat emissions from the exhaust of the engine by acting as scrubber and, of course, the recirculation of the condense portions of the exhaust to the engine also improves th emissions level. To improve the scrubbing effect of th condenser it is possible to use a spray type unit, th water of the spray being derived from the exhaust. It will be readily appreciated that the invention her described is subject to various modifications not deviatin from its scope. Additionally, while the invention has bee described with particular reference to its application i diesel engines it will readily be appreciated that it is equally applicable to any system in which oil or other liquid fuel and water are to " be burned as, for example, i household oil burning systems, gasoline engines and turbine engines. υ _ O ■ , W

Claims: 1. (amended) A fuel supply " " s ' ys ern * comprising a pump - and nozzle means, conduit means along which fuel is deliver¬ ed to said pump and along which fuel is delivered from said pump to said nozzle means, means for delivering a mixture consisting of only fuel, oil and water to said ' conduit means and means for causing said oil and water to be agitated in said conduit means whereby an initmate mixture of oil and water is delivered to said nozzle .where final emulsification takes place, said conduit means, said means for agitating the oil and water in the conduit means and . said nozzle constituting means for emulsifying the oil and water. 2. A system as claimed in Claim 1- wherein said means for causing agitation produce said agitation in a section of said conduit between said pump and said nozzle. 3. A system as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said means for causing agitation produce said agitation in a section of said conduit upstream of said pump. 4. (amended) A system as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said means for causing agitation produce said agitation in a section of said conduit upstream and downstream of said pump. 5.. A system as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said means for causing agitation comprise baffle means disposed within said conduit means. 6. A system as claimed in Claim 5 wherein said baffle • means are static. 7. A system as claimed In Claim 6 wherein said baffle means are effective to produce a swirling motion of said fuel and water. 8. A system as claimed in Claim 7 wherein said baffle means comprises * an insert disposed in said conduit means and including a plurality of blade like projections. 9. . A system as claimed in Claim 7 wherein said * baffle ;■ means comprises a helical spring disposed within said con¬ duit means . 10. A system as claimed in Claim 7 wherein said baffle means comprises rifling grooves formed in the interior surface of said conduit means. 11. A method of promoting combustion which consists in delivering a mixture of fuel and water to a pump, pumping said mixture to nozzle means at which said mixture Is to be burned and subjecting said mixture to agitation so as to ; * cause an intimate, finely divided mixture of fuel and water to be delivered to said nozzle. 12. (amended) A fuel supply system comprising a pump and atomizing means, conduit means along which fluid is delivered to said pump and along which fluid is delivered from said ' pump to said atomizing means, means for deliver¬ ing a mixture consisting only of a liquid fuel and water to said conduit means , said means forming one of the fuel and water a continuous phase and the other a dispersed phase . and means causing said dispersed phase to be finely divided in said conduit means to form an intimate mixture of liquid fuel and water at said atomizing means, passage of said mixture through said atomizing means being such as to constitute said atomizing means as means for forming a final emulsion. 13. A system as claimed in Claim 12 wherein said atomizing means comprises a nozzle. 14. A system as claimed in Claim 12 wherein said means causing said dispersed phase to be finely divided comprises -surfaces of.- said- conduit- means ..defining a bore for the passage of said fuel and water, frictional interaction of said fuel and water with said surfaces causing said disper¬ sed phase to be divided. ' " - 3- 15. A ' system as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said .mea ■ causing said oil and water to be agitated comprises su faces of said conduit means defining a bore for the passa of said oil and water ' whereby frictional interaction said oil and water with said surfaces results in agitation. . - " ■ - . 16. 'A. system as. ' claimed in Claim 1 wherein means a provided for der-iving said water, from the products burning said fuel. . . . . ' 17. A system as claimed in Claim 12 wherein said wat is obtained by condensation of the products resulting fr the combustion of said fuel. 18. A system -of Claim 1 wherein said pump is injector pump of a diesel engine and said nozzle mea comprises a nozzle of a cylinder of the diesel engine. 19. The fuel system of Claim 12 wherein said pump the injection pump of a diesel engine and the atomizi means comprises a nozzle of a cylinder of the diesel engin 20. The method of Claim 11 in which the pump is injection pump of a diesel engine and the nozzle is t nozzle of a cylinder of the diesel engine.

Inventors: COTTELL E
Applicants: COTTELL E
Application year: 1979
Main classification: F02D19
IPC codes: F02B1, F02D19