DEVICE FOR IMPROVING FUEL EFFICIENCY IN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES

Abstract: A device which is located between a carburetor (12) and an engine intake manifold (14) of an internal combustion engine includes oppositely rotating impellers (52, 54) mounted on air bearings (120). The air-fuel mixture exiting the carburetor impinges on the impellers and drives those impellers. Fuel droplets in the mixture are broken up to form a mixture capable of almost total burnout.

Description: Description Device For Improving Fuel Efficiency In Internal Combustion Engines Technical Field The present invention relates in general to internal combustion engines, and, more particularly to the treatment of air-fuel mixtures ingested into internal combustion engines. Background Art A carburetor of an internal combustion engine meters, atomizes and mixes fuel with air for inges- tion into the engine intake manifold. Maximum fuel economy is obtained with lean mixtures which permit maximum utilization of the fuel. To obtain the most efficient use of fuel, many devices, such as those devices disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,059,082, 4,014,303, 4,011,850, 4,163,436, 3,847,128 and 2,051,556, provide means for further reducing the size of any fuel droplets entrained in a mixture flowing to the engine. While these devices do increase fuel efficiency somewhat, they have several limitations.- These de¬ vices do not reduce the particle size to ranges where complete burnout can be insured. Further, these devices do not add further control to the velocity of the mixture flowing into the engine. In addition to the above deficiencies, the known devices are subject to wear and are prone to failure, threby reducing the effectiveness and desirability of such devices. OMPI Disclosure of the Invention It is a main object of the present invention to increase the fuel efficiency of an internal com¬ bustion engine. It is another object of the present invention to create a mixture for ingestion into an internal combustion engine which will result in almost total burnout of that mixture. It is still another object of the present inven- tion to provide a reliable device for increasing the fuel efficiency in an internal combustion engine. It is a further object of the present invention to reduce the amount of pollution created by an internal combustion engine. These objects are accomplished by a device placed " between a carburetor and an engine intake manifold, and is driven by the air-fuel mixture flow¬ ing from the carburetor to the engine intake manifold induced by the vacuum generated by the engine. The device ingests the fuel/air mixture from the carbure¬ tor and enhances the combustible nature of the mix¬ ture by increasing the quantity of the air/fuel drop¬ lets and decreasing their surface area. The device also creates a helical motion in the mixture flow velocity. The high axial swirl of the mixture en¬ hances the flow to the combustion chambers for almost total burnout. The device includes a plurality of oppositely rotating impellers axially aligned with each other and with the exit of the carburetor manifold or induc¬ tion tube. The impellers are all mounted on air bearings and are located in a bore within a housing. By being mounted on air bearings, the impellers are very reliable and long lasting. The impeller blades OMPI are pitched to be driven by the air fuel mixture flowing against the impeller blades due to the vacuum generated by the engine, and air to the air bearing system is generated by a split "T" and reducer from the engine manifold. Impeller hub diameter, impeller shape and pitch, as well as the spacing betweei the impellers and the housing bore in which the impellers are located can be selected to efficiently generate carburetor venturi air/fuel mist which, in turn, will reduce the amount of fuel and air mixture needed from the carburetor jets, thereby enhancing fuel economy and reducing fuel usage. Preferably, the impeller located adjacent to the carburetor moves clockwise, and the impeller located adjacent to the engine intake manifold moves counterclockwise. The fuel-ai mixture emerging from the carburetor initially contacts the clockwise rotating impeller which transforms the fuel into fog size particles. The fog sized particles then contact the counterclockwise rotating impeller to be transformed into cloud size particles. As used herein, "fog size" particles are particles over 10 _3 microns (10 cm) , and "cloud size" particles are between 0.1 and 10 microns. Impeller rotation, clockwise and counterclock¬ wise, imparts a radial component to the air-fuel flow velocity creating a swirling action of that mixture as it flows through the device. This swirl- ing action causes the highly combustible cloud for¬ mation mixture to cover all surfaces of the internal combustion chamber which, at the point of ignition, will cause an almost total burnout. Engine horse¬ power and performance will be increased and pollutant OMP xr- x . WIP particles will be reduced. The primary blending occurs as a result of the action of the downstream impeller. A modified form of the device includes spider supports and modified air bearing structures. The modified device possesses the following advantages over known prior art: 1. reduced bearing wear, thereby producing improved reliability; 2. small size, thereby easing assembly of the engine; 3. production of predictable results, and therefore, reliable fuel atomization; 4. lower cost of manufacture; 5. repeatability of product fabrication due to removal of design eccentricities; 6. tolerances between fittings are improved to reduce interferences; 7. increased reliability due to improved ater- ials; 8. optimum blade angles insure optimum fogging capability; and 9. dependence on outside air is removed by establishing a reduced vacuum from the manifold with a split "T" to the air bearing, adjusted with a trimmer air potentiometer. Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a perspective of a device embody¬ ing the teachings of the present invention inter¬ posed between a carburetor and an engine intake mani- fold. Figure 2 is a plan view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is an elevation view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2. Figure 4,* is an elevation view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 2. Figure 5 is a plan view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 4. Figure 6 is an elevation view of an axle used in the device embodying the teachings of the present invention. Figure 1, is a plan view taken along line 7-7 of Figure 6. Figure 8 is a plan view taken along line 8-8 of Figure 6. Figure 9 is a plan view taken along line 9-9 of Figure 6. Figure IJO is a plan view taken along line 10- 10 of Figure 6. Figure 11 is a plan view of a modification of the Figure 1 device. Figure 1-2 is an elevation view taken along line 12-12 of Figure 11. Figure 13 is an elevation view taken along line 13-13 of Figure 12. Figure 14 is a perspective of a modified spider support. Figure 15 is an exploded perspective of the modified device. Figure 16 is an elevation view taken along the line 16-16 of Figure 11.. Best Mode For Carrying Out the Invention Shown in Figure 1 is a device 10 which operates on the air-fuel mixture exiting a carburetor 12. The device 10 is mounted on an engine block 14 to be fluidly interposed between the carburetor and the engine intake manifold. An air filter 16 is also shown in Figure 1. The device 10 is preferably manufactured from non-corrosive and heat resistant materials, and includes a housing 18, as best shown in Figures 2 and 4 and attention is directed to those figures. While a double barrel carburetor is shown it is to be understood the invention is not restricted to such double barrel carburetor, but can be applied to engines having a fewer or greater number of barrels. The device includes identical mixture treat¬ ment means 20 and 22, each mounted immediately down¬ stream of one carburetor bore 24 and immediately upstream of the engine intake manifold. As the means 20 and 22 are identical, only treatment means 20 will be described. Treatment means 20 includes a first bore 28 and a second bore 30 defined in housing 18. A tapered chamfer 32 is defined on each venturi bore. Pre- ferably, the chamfer 32 is 60° x .062 inches. A chamfer directs air-fuel droplets exiting the carbure¬ tor into the desired path. The chamfers direct the fluid into the central area of the bores near the center of the first impellers (to be discussed below) to maintain constant performance at any given engine speed. A tapered reducing ring 33 is mounted in the bore 30 (one per barrel) , and preferably, each ring is .250 inches in height with a 30° angle. Prefer- ably, the reducing ring is manufactured from aluminum or aluminum alloy. The reducing ring is used to avoid engine manifold bore tolerance misalignments. Such misalilgnments can vitiate the performance of the device 10 by creating undesirable flow patterns. The tapered reducing rings can be omitted from secon¬ dary barrels, if desired. A mesh 34 is mounted on the housing 18 to span bore 30 and through which the treated air-fuel mix- ture passes on the way to the engine intake manifold. After the air-fuel mixture is transformed into a cloud formation, and has a high axial swirl state, that mixture passes through the mesh. Such action creates a desired diffusion of fuel mixtures to pro- duce an even flow throughout the engine manifold cavities and engine combustion chambers. The mesh also acts as a shield to prevent any foreign objects from passing into the engine manifold. The bore 30 is larger in cross-sectional area than the bore 28 for a purpose to be discussed below. Mixing means 40 is mounted to the housing 18 by mount 42 attached to the housing by fasteners such as screws 44, or the like, and by housing arm 46 integral with the housing. An axle 50 is mounted on the housing by mount 42 and arm 46 to extend longitudinally of the bore 30. The mixing means includes a plurality of staged impellers 52 and 54 which are rotatably mounted on the axle 50. Each of the impellers includes a hub 58 surrounding the axle to be freely rotatable about such axle, and a plurality of extende surfaces, such as propeller fins 60 and 60* integrally mounted on the hub. The axle is prevented from rotating by a planar area 62 which is received in similarly shaped bore 64 defined in the mount 42. The bore 30 being larger in cross-sectional area than the bore 28 causes all air mixtures coming from the carburetor to be directed immediately. without deviation, into the mass of the impeller, causing a carburetor air speed reduction. Without such design feature, carburetor air speed reduction would not be as efficient as it could be. The axle includes support shoulders 70 and 72 on which the hubs can rest, as well as support shoul¬ ders 74 and 76 on which the axle itself can rest. As best shown in Figure 4, with reference to treat¬ ment means 22, each of the fins 60 of impeller 52 includes a body 78 having a leading edge 80 and a trailing edge 82, with the trailing edge 82 being spaced counterclockwise from the leading edge 80 as viewed from the upstream direction to the down¬ stream direction through the device 10, so that impact of the fuel-air mixture on body 78 of each of the fins tends to drive the impeller 50 in a clockwise direction, as indicated by arrow 90 in Figure 4. Still referring to treatment means 22 shown in Figure 4, the impeller 54 is located downstream of impeller 52 and each of the fins 60' thereof includes a body 100 having a leading edge 102 and a trailing edge 104. The. trailing edge 104 is spaced clockwise from the leading edge 102 as viewed from the upstream direction to the downstream direction of the fuel-air mixture flow path. Thus, impact of the fuel-air mixture on the bodies of the fins 60' tends to drive the impeller 52 in a counterclock¬ wise direction, as indicated by arrow 110 in Figure 4. The clockwise and counterclockwise rotating impellers are preferably gapped between .125 and .156 of an inch in distance from each other. Any deviation from the given dimension tends to eliminate O PI the above-discussed immediate feature of changing the fog formation to a cloud formation. Preferably, the outermost tips 112 of the clock¬ wise and counterclockwise rotating impeller blades are spaced from inner surface 114 of the bore 30 to define a gap 116. The gap 116 is preferably about 0.15 to about 0.32 of an inch from inner surface 114 of -the confining cylindrical cavity bore 30. Deviations from above dimensions will tend to create an efficiency drop in fuel economy by letting the air-fuel mixture particles bypass the impeller blades to travel into the manifold unaffected by any trans¬ formation caused by contact with such blades. It is important that such dimensions be maintained to maximize the efficiency of the device 10. The bodies 78 and 100 are appropriately shaped to efficiently utilize power generated by the impact on the fuel-air mixture against those blades. Prefer¬ ably, the bodes are oriented at a 24° angle with respect to a longitudinal centerline on the flow path through the bore. Such pitch angle is prefer¬ able, but other angles can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Other aerodynamic design criteria can b " e used to alter impeller rotational speed, or the like. Thus, each mixing means includes impellers which rotate in directions opposite to each other. Such oppositely rotating impeller means atomize the fuel entrained in the air and mix that fuel and -air to the degree necessary to insure a high quality mix¬ ture being delivered to the engine intake manifold. The impellers are coupled to the axle by air bearings 102 which are part of an air bearing system 124. The air bearing system is best shown in Figures 2 and 4 and includes a main inlet passage 130 extend¬ ing from outer surface 132 of the housing 18 to a cavity 134 located between the treatment means 20 and 22. Filter medium 136 is located within the cavity 134 to filter atmospheric air entering the air bearing system. Preferably, the filter medium includes stainless steel wool or non-corrosive wool, or the like. The cavity also acts as a manifold to maintain equal air flow to the air bearings with¬ out significant volumetric air flow drop at given engine speeds. Branches 140 and 142, respectively, lead to the bores in the treatment means 20 and 22 to fluidly connect system inlet 146 to those bores. An inlet control regulator valve 150 is replace- ably coupled to the main passage 130 by cooperating threaded couplings 152 on a trunk section 156 of the valve. The inlet valve further includes a head section 158 having a bore 160 defined longitudinally therethrough. The bore 160 includes a tapered end section 162 and a radial inlet passage 164 fluidly • connecting the bore 160 to the environment surround¬ ing, the inlet valve. A plug screw 170 having a threaded trunk section 172 and a tapered nose section 174 is mounted within the bore 160 by threaded coupl¬ ing means defined on the inner surface of the bore, or the like. A slot 178 is defined in the plug to facilitate adjustment of the location of the bore section with respect to the radial passage 164 and with respect to the bore tapered end section 162 to adjust the amount of air flowing into the air bearing system via the inlet 164. A cylindrical bore 180 extends longitudinally through the trunk section 156 and fluidly connects the bore 160 with the main inlet passage 130 to con¬ duct air thereinto. As best shown in Figure 6, each axle 50 includes a stepped bore 184 defined longitudinally thereof. The stepped bore includes a first bore 190 defined longitudinally of the axle having an inlet section 192 and a tapered outlet section 194, a second bore 196 having an inlet section 198 fluidly connected to the outlet section 194 and a tapered outlet sec- tion 200, a third bore 204 fluidly connected to the outlet section 200 to receive air therefrom. The crosssectional area of bore 190 exceeds that of the bore 196 which has a cross-sectional area exceeding that of the bore 204 so that air pressure in the axle remains high enough to accomplish the operation set forth below. A third bore has an outlet end 208 fluidly connected to the engine intake manifold so that air flowing from the system 124 via the axle bores flows into the engine intake manifold. A plurality of circu ferentially disposed radial passages 220 are fluidly connected with the axle bores to bleed air from those passages to outer sur¬ face 222 of the axle. A plurality of further bores 226 connect radial passages 228 defined in shoulder 230 of the axle to the axle outer surface. Threaded plugs 234 are located in the outer portions of the passages 228. The bores 226 conduct air to upper surface 236 of the shoulder 230 to define a cushion of air on which the impeller 52 rides. The other bores 220 also define a cushion of air upon which the impeller rides. The air bearing is thus inter¬ posed between the impeller hub and the axle. As the pressure in the engine intake manifold is much lower than the pressure surrounding the engine, the pressure gradient is established in the air bearing system exceeds that of the surrounding atmosphere; therefore, air bleeds from the axle bores out through the passages 220, 226 and 227, as well as out of the axle bores into the engine intake manifold. Air bled to the outer- surface of the axle serves as a bearing on which the impellers 50 and 52 ride. The air bearing is adjusted via the inlet control valve 150 so that proper movement of the impellers is achieved. Air from the air bearing system is mixed with the fuel-air mixture exiting the carbure¬ tor, thereby making that mixture leaner. As discused above, the impellers contact the air-fuel mixture and insure complete atomization of the fuel droplets exiting the carburetor prior to that mixture flowing into the engine. Such com¬ plete atomization of fuel enhances engine efficiency and output. This device can be associated with other forms of carburetors, as will occur- to those skilled in the art from the teaching of this disclosure. Thus, the inventors do not intend to be limited to a down- draft carburetor such as discussed above. The device as shown is designed for a four barrel carburetor. However, the device is a universal unit adaptable to any downdraft carburetor, single or multiple barrels, or the like. The external shape thereof can also be made to match any manifold and carburetor configuration. Furthermore, other carburetor forms, such as updraft, or the like, can be used in conjunc¬ tion with the device disclosed herein without depart¬ ing from the scope of the present disclosure. A boss 240 is located on upper surface 242 of the housing 18, and a boss 244 is located on lower surface 246 of the housing. The bosses tend to eli¬ minate any unnecessary gasketing which may otherwise be required during installation. When the device is installed, and mounting bolts are torqued down, the bosses will collapse under pressure and seal against the adjacent carburetor and manifold mounting surfaces. Shown in Figures 11-15 is a modification of the device 10. The modification is indicated as device 10' and operates in a fashion similar to the afore-discussed device 10. Device 10' includes mixture treatment means 20' and 22' in a housing or casting 300 as above-discussed. Each treatment means includes a bore, such as bore 302 shown in Figure 15. The bores are identical and thus only bore 302 will be discussed. The casting also in¬ cludes air reservoir 306 fluidly connected to inlet control regulator valve 310 for inducting thereinto. The valve 310 meters and controls the amount of air flowing into the reservoir 306 for a purpose- which will be evident from the ensuing disclosure. The casting includes a top surface 312 and a bottom surface 314 and is sandwiched between gaskets 316 and 318, with gasket 318 having mesh covered holes, such as hole 320, defined therein to be aligned with the treatment means bores. The gasket and mesh serve ■ the usual purposes. The bore 302 includes a plurality of angularly spaced apart seating notches 322, 324 and 326, with the notch 322 connecting the bore 302 with the air reservoir 306. As will be evident from Figure 15, there will be seating notches defined in the casting bottom surface 314 corresponding to the just-discussed notches 322, 324 and 326. Each treatment means includes a pair of identi¬ cal spiders 340 and 342. The spider 340 include a circumferential wall 346 having an outer diameter essentially equal to the inner diameter of the bore 302, and each includes a plurality of angularly spaced apart spokes 350, 352 and 354 extending radi¬ ally outwardly from a central hub 356 and intersect- ing the wall 346. Extensions 350', 352' and 354* also intersect the wall 346 and are located to be received in the seating notches, as best shown in Figure 15. It is noted that the spokes and exten¬ sions can be unitary if so desired. As seen in Figures 12 and 15, spoke 350 and extension 350' have a bore 360 defined longitudinally therethrough to intersect the hub bore 362 defined axially through the hub 356. The bore 362 includes a planar flat 364 which will be further discussed below. The spider 342 is identical to spider 340 and thus will not be discussed. Each treatment means includes a mixing means, such as mixing means 400, mounted in the bores 302. The mixing means are identical, and therefore only the means 400 will be discussed. As best shown in Figure 15, mixing means 400 includes a shaft bottom bearing 402 having a central body 404 with a tailpiece 406 extending downwardly therefrom and a trunk section 408 extending upwardly therefrom. The tailpiece is cylindrical but has a planar portion extending longitudinally thereon. The tailpiece is sized and shaped to be snugly re¬ ceived in the hub bore 362 with the tailpiece planar portion engaging the bore flat 364 to key the tail- - 15 - piece, and hence the bearing 402, to the spider. Thus, relative rotation between the bearing and the spider is prevented. The trunk section is frusto- conically shaped and a cylindrical top section 410 is located on the top of the frustum of the trunk section and defines a shoulder therearound. ' An air passage 414 is defined through the bottom bearing. The air passage* is best shown in Figure 12, and attention is directed thereto. The air passage includes a first port " 420 aligned with the bore 360 to be in fluid communication therewith. The port 420 is in fluid communication with a central • bore 422 which extends axially through the bearing 402 from the top of the section 410 to the port 420. An entrance region 424 can be defined adjacent to the port 420 if so desired to control fluid flow at this turning location. An angularly oriented passageway 430 is at one end thereof fluidly connected to the axial bore 422 and has the other end thereof defining an exit port 432 in the exterior surface of the conical trunk section 408. The port 432 is thus in fluid communi¬ cation with the air reservoir 360 to receive air therefrom. The thus received air is guided to the outer surface of the trunk section to define an air bearing similar to the air bearing discussed above with regard to the Figure 1 embodiment. A bushing 450 is mounted on the bearing 402 and includes a base 452 and a -cylindrical top portion 454 and an annular shoulder 456 defined about the top portion 454. A bore 458 is defined axially through the bushing and has entranceway counterbore 460 at one end thereof. The bores 458 and 460 are inwardly sloped in the upward direction to receive the bushing OMPI \ > trunk section 408. The counterbore rests on the shoulder defined on the base 404 and a gap 462 is defined between these two elements, as best shown in Figure 12. Air from port 432 is conducted into this gap and thus forms an air bearing. Excess air escapes from the gap 462 at appropriate locations, such as exit location 464, to be mixed with the air- fuel mixture flowing into the engine manifold. A bladed impeller 480 includes a central hub 482 having a bore 484 defined axially therethrough. The impeller is press fit to the bushing 450 as best shown in Figure 12 to be supported by the air bear¬ ing. The bushing and the impeller rotate about the bottom bearing 404 under the influence of fluid flowing through the chamber 302 as above-discussed with reference to the Figure 1 embodiment. The im¬ peller 480 serves a purpose identical to the above- discussed Figure 1 embodiment impeller, and thus will not be discussed further. The mixing means further includes an upper bear¬ ing 500 as disclosed in Figure 15 having a central body 504 and a trunk section 508 extending upwardly from the body 504. The trunk section 508.is frusto- conically shaped and cylindrical top portion 510 is located on top of the frustum of the trunk section and defined to extend longitudinally of the top sec¬ tion for a purpose to be discussed below. An air passage 514 is defined through the upper bearing. The air passage is best shown in Figure 12, and attention is directed thereto. The passage 510 includes a first port 520 defined in the top section 514 to be directed radially outward and to be aligned with the bore 360 defined in the top spider 342 to receive fluid therefrom. The port 520 is in fluid communication with the central bore 522 which extends- axially through the bearing 502. A third bore 524, as best shown in Figure 16, includes a conical top section 526 and a cylindrical section 528. The cylindrical section 528 receives the top section 410 of the lower bearing system. The bores 414 and 514 are thus in fluid communication with each other and a fluid exchange occurs between these bores as fluid enters both bores from the air reservoir via the fluid pas¬ sages 360 in the spiders 340 and 342. A further passage 530 is angularly oriented with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the bearing and fluidly connects the central bore 514 with the outer surface of that bearing so that an air bearing can be defined about the upper shaft bearing similar to that discussed above with reference to the bearing 402. A bushing 550 is disclosed in Figure 12 to be mounted on the bearing 502 and is similar to the above-discussed bushing 450. A bladed impeller 580 is also mounted on the bushing 550 and functions and operates as does the corresponding impeller in the Figure 1 embodiment. A press fit insert 600 is mounted in the hub hole 602 which has a planar portion to cooperate with the planar portion on the top section of this bearing so the top bearing is keyed in place, as is best shown in Figure 15. Impeller rotation for impeller 580 is similar to that of the corresponding impeller in Figure 1 embodiment, and thus will not be further discussed. The function and operation of the Figure 12 air bearing is similar to that of the Figure 1 em- O H bodiment, and thus will not be further discussed. A spider 608 is shown in Figure 14 which is similar to the above-discussed spiders, but does not include a wall similar to wall 346. A wall can be added to the spider 608 or that spider can be used in place of the above-discussed spider if suit¬ able. As can be seen in Figures 12 and 14, each bear¬ ing 450 and 550 interlocks with the air ports 360 supplying the feed air to the conical surfaces. The conically tapered shoulders defined by the trunk sections provide increased bearing surfaces in case of accidental wear. The spider supports are flush with the outer surfaces of the casting and air is supplied to the bearings through the spider support 360; therefore, there is a reduction in casting thickness. The spiders properly center the impellers inside the chambers and provide fir support as well as act as a conduit for the air bearings. The tripod support system defined by the spiders rules out errors in assembly. The top and bottom spider components can be placed in the casting only one way. Each segment is prefectly centered so that the rotating impeller blades will be centered in the mixing chamber. Because casting tolerances are put in place, much machining is eliminated, and due to the inter¬ locking nature of the seating notches 322, 324 and 326,' interlocking replaces molding, screwing, or the like. Industrial Applicability While the present invention has been disclosed in toe context of internal combustion engines, it also has application to combustion devices where atomization of air is required, and proper atomi¬ zation of air affects the performance of the device,

Claims: Claims 1. A device for improving the fuel efficiency of an internal combustion engine comprising: a housing having a first bore defined therein located to be fluidly connected to an exit section of an internal combustion engine fuel intake means, a second bore defined in said housing and fluidly connected to said first bore; mounting means on said housing, said mounting means having a fluid passage defined therein; an air bearing on said mounting means; an air supply system fluidly connected to said air bearing; a first impeller mounted on said air bearing in said second bore, said first impeller having a multiplicity of blades oriented to be impacted by an air-fuel mixture flowing from the fuel intake means, said blades being pitched to drive said first impeller rotationally about said mounting means in a first impeller rotationally about said mounting - means in a first direction as a result of force created by a vacuum differential between said first impeller blades and the engine manifold; a second impeller mounted on said air bearing in said second bore, said second impeller having a multiplicity of blades oriented to be impacted by an air-fuel mixture flowing from said first im¬ peller, said blades being pitched to drive said second impeller rotationally about said mounting means in a direction opposite to that of said first direction as a result of force created by said impact between said second impeller blades and a downdraft; and air ingestion means on said mounting means for ingesting air from said air supply system into the air-fuel mixture. 2. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said air supply system includes an inlet control valve mounted on said housing. 3. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said first direction is clockwise and said second direction is counterclockwise. 4. The device defined in claim 1, further including a mesh means attached to said housing to span said second bore. 5. The device defined in claim 1, further including a plurality of bosses on said housing. 6. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said second bore has a cross-sectional area exceeding the cross-sectional area of said first bore. 7. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said mounting means includes an axle having a first cylin- drical bore fluidly connected to said air supply system, a second cylindrical bore fluidly connected to said first cylindrical bore, and a third cylindri¬ cal bore fluidly connected to said second cylindrical bore. 8. The device defined in claim 7, wherein said second cylindrical bore has a cross-sectional area greater than the cross-sectional area of said third O PI cylindrical bore and smaller than the cross-sectional area of said first cylindrical bore. 9. The device defined in claim 8, wherein said air bearing includes a plurality of passages fluidly connected to said cylindrical bores. 10. The device defined in claim 8, wherein said third cylindrcial bore is fluidly connected to the intake manifold of the engine. 11. The device defined in claim 7, wherein said axle includes means for preventing rotation of said axle. 12. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said impeller blades include tips located closely adjacent to said housing in said second bore. 13. The device defined in claim 1, further including a tapered chamfer on said first bore and a tapered reducing ring on said second bore. 14. The device defined in claim 1, wherein the device is manufactured from non-corrosive, heat resistant materials. 15. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said air supply system includes a cavity having a filter medium located therein. 16. A device for improving the fuel efficiency of an internal combustion engine comprising: a housing having a first bore defined therein OMPI located to be fluidly connected to an exit section of an internal combustion engine fuel intake means; mounting means on said housing, said mounting means having a fluid passage defined therein; an air bearing on said mounting means; an air supply system fluidly connected to said mounting means; a first impeller mounted on said air bearing, said first impeller having a multiplicity of blades oriented to be impacted by an air-fuel mixture flow¬ ing from the fuel intake means, said blades being pitched to drive said first impeller rotationally about said mounting means in a first direction as a result of force created by a downdraft from the engine manifold; a second impeller mounted on said air bearing, said second impeller having a multiplicity of blades oriented to be impacted by an air-fuel mixture flow¬ ing from said first impeller, said blades being pitched to drive said second impeller rotationally about said mounting means in a direction opposite to that of said first direction as a result of force created by said downdraft; and air ingestion means on said mounting means for ingesting air from said air supply system to said air bearing and to the. air-fuel mixture. 17. The device defined in claim 16, wherein said mounting means includes a spider support. 18. The device defined in claim 17, wherein said air supply system includes an air reservoir defined in said housing. < OlΛ 19. The device defined in claim 16, wherein said air bearing includes a first conical shaft bearing, a first bushing mounted on said bearing and supporting said impeller thereon, said shaft bearing including fluid passages fluidly connecting said mounting means to the outer surface of said shaft bearing. 20. The device defined in claim 19, further including an insert in a mounting means, said insert being located between a shaft bearing and said mounting means. 21. The device defined in claim 19, wherein spider includes a central hub, a plurality of spokes extend¬ ing outwardly from said hub and a fluid passage defined in one of said spokes. 22. The device defined in claim 21, wherein said spider further includes a wall spaced from said central hub. 23. The device defined in claim 22, further including a locking means for preventing rotation of said shaft bearing with respect to said hub. 24. The device defined in claim 19, further including a second conical shaft bearing, a second bushing mounted on said second shaft bearing and supporting a second impeller thereon, said second conical shaft bearing being interlocked with said first conical shaft, bearing, said shaft bearings each including fluid passages therein which are fluidly connected with each other.

Inventors: SPENGLER MAX, WEINDELMAYER FREDERICK G, SPENGLER, MAX, WEINDELMAYER, FREDERICK, G.
Applicants: FREE SPIRIT ENTERPRISES INC, FREE SPIRIT ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED
Application year: 1983
Main classification: F02M29
IPC codes: F02M23, F02M29