Patent Document

PRIORITY 
     This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/741,808, filed Jan. 15, 2013, which in turn is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/597,540, filed Aug. 29, 2012, now patented as U.S. Pat. No. 8,720,419, the disclosure of each of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Friction between a cylinder walls and the associated piston rings is substantial and detracts from the energy conversion efficiency of an internal combustion engine. 
     For reasons of pollution and possible greenhouse effect, it is of major importance to increase the energy conversion efficiency of the internal combustion engine so as to increase the amount of mechanical work that can be provided per unit of fuel. A higher energy conversion efficiency means reduced fuel consumption and reduced cost of operating the engine. 
     Accordingly, it is a major purpose of this invention to provide a technique for increasing the energy conversion efficiency of an internal combustion engine by reducing the mechanical energy spent on overcoming the friction between cylinder walls and the associated piston rings. 
     It is a related purpose of this invention to provide this reduction at a cost which provides a net economic gain in engine operation. 
     It is another purpose of this invention to achieve the above purposes in a device that can be easily retrofitted into existing vehicles and other machinery without making changes to the internal combustion engine with which it is used. 
     A further result of achieving the above purposes is to reduce the wear on the cylinder walls and piston rings thereby extending the operating life of the piston rings and cylinder walls. 
     The problem of reducing the friction between cylinder walls and associated piston rings has been tackled by developing specially designed friction-reducing coating materials and methods for covering an outer surface of the piston rings and cylinder walls with these materials, developing modified formulas for motor oil, additives to motor oil and to fuel claiming to reduce the friction, and designing new modifications and models of piston rings and cylinder walls themselves. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
     A significant amount of mechanical energy generated during the combustion process is spent on overcoming the friction between the cylinder walls and the associated piston rings. 
     It is carbonaceous deposits on the cylinder walls and on the outer surface of piston rings that increase friction. They mainly consist of polycrystalline carbon, serving as a “skeleton”, and hydrocarbons. 
     The reduction of friction between cylinder walls and the associated piston rings takes place by generating or delivering NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) into the air intake path where the NO2 reacts with the water vapor (H2O) and oxygen (O2) in the intake air to provide vapors of HNO3 (nitric acid). The NO2 is produced in the method by means of electric discharge in air generated by means of a high voltage generator (HV generator) having at its output an impulse, sinusoid or linear signal. During the intake and compression strokes, this HNO3 reacts with the carbonaceous deposits on the cylinder walls and piston rings to form products which are exhausted. 
     Due to dissociation of the active chemicals at high temperature in the power stroke, there is no significant chemical reaction with carbonaceous deposits in the power stroke. 
     In one embodiment, a pair of electrodes connected to the output of an HV (high voltage) generator are positioned in the air intake path and provide the electrical discharge in the air which generates NO2. 
     Power for the HV generator may be obtained from a DC (direct current) power supply to which the HV generator may be connected. The HV generator provides an appropriate high voltage that when applied to the electrodes cause the required atmospheric discharge producing NO2. 
     The amount of NO2 required for this purpose is fairly small particularly if the operation of the HV generator is continuous during an internal combustion engine operation. 
     In one embodiment, the HV generator placed together with the electrodes are mounted in a box having openings in its sidewalls. The box is a convenient item for quickly and inexpensively mounting the device in the air intake path of the internal combustion engine, preferably downstream from an air filter. 
     The result is a substantial reduction in friction between a cylinder wall and the associated piston rings resulting in reduction of the mechanical energy spent on overcoming the friction and increasing the energy conversion efficiency of the internal combustion engine. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic showing of an embodiment of this invention in which the HV generator and discharge electrodes  12  are mounted together in a box  28  having openings  30 . The HV generator  10  is connected to DC power supply  14 . The box  28  is mounted in the air intake path  16  of the engine downstream from an air filter  20 . 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic of a second embodiment in which the HV generator  10  is mounted outside the air intake pipe  18 ; the electrodes  12  remaining in the air intake path  16 . 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic showing of a combustion chamber  22 , cylinder wall  24  and the associated piston and piston rings  26 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As shown in the two embodiments illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , this invention employs an HV generator  10  to provide an electrical discharge at electrodes  12 . The power input to the HV generator  10  can be from a 12 volt DC power supply  14 . 
     This electrical discharge generates nitrogen dioxide NO2 in accordance with the chemical equation: N2+2O2=2NO2. The electrodes  12  are placed in the air intake path  16  of an internal combustion engine and are located within the inlet pipe  18  downstream from an air filter  20 . The NO2 reacts with the oxygen and water vapor in the air intake path  16  to form vapor of nitric acid HNO3 in accordance with chemical equation: 4NO2+O2+2H2O=4HNO3. 
     Within the combustion chamber  22  (see  FIG. 3 ), during the intake and compression strokes, the HNO3 vapor reacts with the polycrystalline carbon of carbonaceous deposited on each cylinder wall  24  and on the piston rings  26  in accordance with the chemical equation: 3C+4HNO3=3CO2+4NO+2H2. The reaction results in gaseous products, which are exhausted from the engine. During intake and compression strokes, hydrocarbons of carbonaceous deposits are also eliminated through a process of nitration by the nitric acid. 
     NO2 production in the air intake path  16  is continuous while the engine is operating. 
     The DC power supply  14  is preferably a power supply which operates only when the engine operates. 
     The HV generator  10  and electrodes  12  can be mounted together on a platform such as the box  28  having openings  30 . This makes it convenient to mount the device in the air intake path  16  of most types of internal combustion engines. The openings should be on all six walls of the box  28  and should be sufficient in number and size. But no matter where mounted, the device of this invention operates without requiring a change in the design of the associated internal combustion engine. 
     Electric leads pass through the wall of the pipe  18  that defines the air intake path  16 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , these leads  32  may be from a DC power supply  14  outside the air intake pipe  18 . Or, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the leads  34  may be from an HV generator  10  mounted outside the pipe  18  to electrodes  12  situated inside the box  28  with openings  30 . Leads  32  or  34  can readily be assembled with the pipe  18  by passing through one of the junctions between segments of the pipe  28 . 
     It has been found that there is sufficient concentration of water vapor in any ambient air to provide the level necessary for the generation of the required nitric acid (HNO3). 
     Experiments reveal that the amount of nitric acid needed to eliminate the carbonaceous deposits is small. Thus the amount of NO2 that needs to be generated is also small. Accordingly, the simplest, least expensive and safest way to provide the NO2 is by an electric discharge in air. Experiments show that an electric HV generator consuming 10 to 12 watts produces enough NO2 to dissolve deposits in an engine installed on a typical family or SUV car. 
     In one tested embodiment, the HV generator  10  used produced a voltage of 10 kV at a frequency of 500 Hz. The electrodes  12  had an electrode gap of 5 mm. These parameters can be varied over a wide range to provide a preferred operating system for the particular engine to which the invention is adapted. 
     Two embodiments of this invention have been described. There are variations and other embodiments which can be made of the invention, particularly to adapt the invention to a wide range of internal combustion engines. 
     For example, the  FIG. 1  embodiment described employs a box  28 , with openings  30 , to hold the HV generator  10 . The box  28  makes it convenient to mount the invention in the air intake path  16  of the engine. But if the size or location of the air intake path makes that mounting inconvenient or if the engine is very powerful and a powerful HV generator is needed, the HV generator  10  can be mounted outside the air intake pipe  18 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . In this design, the electrodes  12  are mounted inside the air intake pipe in the box with openings. The electrodes  12  are connected to the HV generator  10  by electric wires  34 . A simple platform could be used instead of the box. But for safety reasons a box with openings or equivalent is used in preferred embodiments. 
     A control device (not shown) can be used to permit an operator (a driver for example) to keep remote control over the HV generator functioning. 
     The HV generator can either be a dedicated generator powered from a DC power supply or can be one of the sources of the high voltage that are generated when an engine is operating. 
     The embodiments disclosed employ two distinct electrodes  12 . However, as used herein, the term electrodes is to be understood to include a design where a single distinct electrode is employed in case HV generator produces a linear signal at an output. 
     It should be noted that the invention is not directed to improve the combustion process. The invention reduces friction between a cylinder wall  24  and the associated piston rings  26 . 
     The invention is applicable to many types and kinds of internal combustion engines; including, but not limited to, two-stroke engine, four-stroke engine, six-stroke engine, diesel engine, Atkinson cycle engine, Miller cycle engine, diesel engine, engine without connecting rod, functioning individually or being part of types and kinds of more complex civil or military engines or machines (including, but not limited to, hybrid and plug-in engines, electricity generators, refrigerators, air-conditioners, evaporators, pumps), installed in civil or military types and kinds of moving, flying, floating and moving under water machines, apparatus and devices (including, but not limited to, vehicles, locomotives, boats, planes, helicopters, submarines). 
     The invention is applicable to internal combustion engines having a wide range of output power and torque and consuming many types and kinds of fuel including, but not limited to, gasoline, diesel fuel, biofuels, ethanol, biodiesel, petroleum gas, propane, natural gas, charcoal gas and wood gas.

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