Ford Motor Company Limited

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

James W Butler

Alex D Colvin

Thomas J Korniski

Gintaras Vincent Puskorius

Lee Albert Feldkamp

Gerald Jesion

Dennis Schuetzle

Paul D Maker

Christine A Gierdzak

A portable exhaust gas flow sensor includes a tube for coupling to an exhaust pipe of a vehicle and having a thin screen or similar flow restricting element to induce a pressure drop based on the exhaust gas flow with an upstream port and a downstream port relative to the flow restricting element connected to a differential pressure transducer. A thermocouple extends through a temperature port to measure exhaust gas temperature flowing through the tube. A processor in communication with the thermocouple and the differential pressure transducer determines the exhaust gas flow based on the differential pressure and the temperature. The flow restricting element includes sufficient spaces to resist formation of condensation and minimize added back pressure while providing an accurately measurable pressure drop for flows ranging from idle to full throttle.

Portable vehicle exhaust flow sensor

A portable exhaust gas flow sensor includes a tube for coupling to an exhaust pipe of a vehicle. The tube includes a circular flow restricting element to induce a pressure drop based on the exhaust gas flow with an upstream port and a downstream port relative to the flow restricting element connected to a differential pressure transducer. A thermocouple extends through a temperature port to measure exhaust gas temperature flowing through the tube. A processor in communication with the thermocouple and the differential pressure transducer determines the exhaust gas flow based on the differential pressure and the temperature. The circular flow restricting element includes sufficient spaces to resist formation of condensation and minimize added back pressure while providing an accurately measurable pressure drop for flows ranging from idle to full throttle.

A method and apparatus for controlling air/fuel ratio of an internal combustion engine at a desired level of richness or leanness utilizes an existing air flow sensor for sensing air flow into the engine and generating a corresponding air flow signal. A signal multiplier multiplies the air flow signal by a constant to generate a modified air flow signal corresponding to the desired level of richness or leanness. A control signal is then generated for controlling the air/fuel ratio to the desired level.

Method and system for predictably controlling air/fuel ratio

A method of time-aligning sequential gas concentrations, generated by a non-plug flow real time emissions analyzer, with corresponding plug flow inputs from an emissions source includes selecting a sequence of known plug flow test gas pulses representative of the emissions source, feeding the known plug flow test gas pulses into the analyzer, saving a sequence of blurred test pulses generated by the analyzer, determining a mathematical relationship between the known plug flow test gas pulses and the blurred test pulses, configuring a filter such that the filter corresponds to the mathematical relationship, inputting a subset of the blurred test pulses into the filter, recording a sequence of deconvoluted test pulses generated by the filter, comparing the deconvoluted test pulses with a subset of the known plug flow test gas pulses to generate difference errors, adjusting the filter to minimize the plurality of difference errors, repeating the first inputting step, the first recording step, the comparing step, and the adjusting step to reduce the difference errors, feeding the plug flow inputs into the analyzer, recording the sequential gas concentrations generated by the analyzer, and deconvoluting the sequential gas concentrations.

Method and apparatus for time-alignment of non-plug flow

Apparatus and method are provided for testing of exhaust gas emissions from an internal combustion engine, and determining the engine's operating condition. An inferred value for the ratio of hydrogen to carbon in the exhaust, based on measured values for the H.sub.2 O, CO.sub.2 and CO components of the exhaust gas, is used to determine whether the engine and associated exhaust componentry have reached normal operating conditions. The emissions testing apparatus and method are suitable for remote testing of exhaust gas emissions from an internal combustion engine of an on-road motor vehicle. A light source emits preferably near to mid-infrared light to impinge upon the exhaust gas emissions. The emitted light includes wavelengths absorbed by exhaust species to be measured, including at least H.sub.2 O, CO.sub.2 and CO. Following impingement on the exhaust gas emissions, the light is received by a sensor which generates an output signal corresponding to the amount of light received at each of such wavelengths. A signal processor determines a value corresponding to the amount or relative amount of each measured specie in the exhaust gas, based at least in part on the corresponding output signals from the sensor. The processor also determines the engine's operating condition based at least in part on the output signals corresponding to H.sub.2 O, CO.sub.2 and CO. In particular, the processor determines whether the engine is in normal operating condition, rather than in cold-start or warm-up condition.

Exhaust emissions analysis apparatus and method

A method and associated apparatus for on-line gas analysis of a multicomponent gas emission flow, comprising: continuously withdrawing and regulating the pressure of a first sample flow from the emission flow, continuously withdrawing a second sample flow from the first sample flow, the second flow sample being diluted with mass controlled amounts of diluent (N.sub.2 or air) to lower the dew point of the gas sample to below room temperature; controlling the absolute pressure of the diluted sample to the range of 920-950 mbar; frequently periodically analyzing the diluted sample flow, controlled as to pressure, by fourier-transform infrared spectrometric techniques to render a concentration measurement for each desired gas species; and correcting each concentration measurement for dilution to derive an undiluted concentration measurement representative of the actual exhaust gas, said correction being accomplished by measuring the actual air/fuel ratio of the gas emission flow to provide a theoretical carbon concentration in the undiluted exhaust gas and thereafter ratioing the theoretical total carbon concentration to the measured carbon concentration in the sample to provide the needed correction factor.

Direct sampling of engine emissions for instantaneous analysis

A method is disclosed of making an on-line gas analysis of a multicomponent gas emission flow by (a) continuously sequestering a sample flow from the gas emission flow, which sample flow may be filtered to substantially eliminate solid or liquid particles, diluted to lower its dew point to below room temperature, and changed in either temperature and/or pressure to be substantially the same in temperature and pressure as that of gases used to create reference transmission frequency spectral data employed in step (d); (b) continuously irradiating the sample flow with an electromagnetic radiation beam while modulating the amplitude of infrared frequencies in the audio frequency range of the beam, either prior to or immediately subsequent to irradiation of the sample flow, to produce electromagnetic signals having discernible amplitude variations resulting from spectral interference patterns; (c) detecting and collecting the signals at a sufficiently high rate to substantially completely distinguish between adjacent spectral pattern amplitude peaks without mutual spectral interference and to permit analysis of the signals in real time; and (d) analyzing the signals in real time by (i) mathematically manipulating the signals in accordance with Beer's Law to create reformed background-corrected data, and (ii) applying reference transmission frequency spectral data to the reformed data for each suspected gaseous component to give a linear quantitative measure of the presence of each and every suspected gas component in the gas emission flow.

Measuring multicomponent constituency of gas emission flow

A method is disclosed of making an on-line gas analysis of a multicomponent gas emission flow by (a) continuously sequestering a sample flow from the gas emission flow, which sample flow has been filtered to substantially eliminate solid or liquid particles, diluted to lower its dew point to below room temperature, and changed in either temperature and/or pressure to be substantially the same in temperature and pressure as that of gases used to create reference transmission frequency spectral data deployed in step (d); (b) continuously irradiating the sample flow with an electromagnetic radiation beam while modulating the amplitude of infrared frequencies in the audio frequency range of the beam, either prior to or immediately subsequent to irradiation of the sample flow, to produce electromagnetic signals having discernible amplitude variations resulting from spectral interference patterns; (c) detecting and collecting the signals at a sufficiently high rate to substantially completely distinguish between adjacent spectral pattern amplitude peaks without mutual spectral interference and to permit analysis of the signals in real time; and (d) analyzing the signals in real time by (i) mathematically manipulating the signals in accordance with Beer's Law to create reformed background-corrected data, and (ii) applying reference transmission frequency spectral data to the reformed data for each suspected gaseous component to give a linear quantitative measure of the presence of each and every suspected gas component in the gas emission flow.

Method of measuring multicomponent constituency of gas emission flow

The invention is directed to an instrument for measuring the absolute electrical conductivity of liquids, which instrument may be employed on-line in a recirculating paint bath to measure the conductivity of the paint. The instrument comprises a four electrode probe and a meter which comprises a device for generating and controlling an AC current connected to the first electrode such that a constant AC voltage is maintained across the second and fourth electrodes and a device for measuring and detecting an AC current connected to the third electrode, wherein the fourth electrode is maintained at the same potential as a nearby ground.

Instrument for on-line measurement of the absolute electrical

A method is disclosed for measuring the air to fuel ratio of an air/fuel mixture being supplied to a combustion process. This method has the following steps. An oxygen sensor station is established at which the sensor senses the difference in oxygen partial pressure from a first reference side thereof to a second oxygen measurement side thereof. The oxygen sensor is maintained at a predetermined temperature and at a pressure below atmospheric pressure. The oxygen sensor is calibrated so that the measurement thereby of an EMF between the first reference side thereof and the second oxygen measurement side thereof is indicative of the oxygen partial pressure in a gas stream passing by the oxygen measurement side thereof. A sample gas stream is drawn into the pressure across the second oxygen measurement side of the oxygen sensor. This pressure is one which allows samples to be drawn at a constant flow rate independent of that pressure. A fixed amount of oxygen is added to the sample gas stream. The oxygen in the sample gas stream is reacted with oxidizable species contained in the sample gas stream prior to passing the sample gas stream across the second oxygen measurement side of the oxygen sensor. The pressure of the gas sample is measured. The air to fuel ratio of the air/fuel mixture is determined from the measured EMF of the oxygen sensor, the total pressure of the sample gas stream and the known oxygen addition rate. Suitable oxygen sensors may be formed zirconia or titania.

Method of measuring an air to fuel ratio

This specification teaches a basic method of obtaining on a continuous basis an instantaneous indication of the air to fuel ratio of an air/fuel mixture being fed to a combustion process. The process may take place in an internal combustion engine or, for example, in a power plant. Modifications of the method are taught to obtain such information as the hydrogen to carbon ratio of the fuel being burned in the combustion process, the oxygen equivalence of the air/fuel mixture being burned, the air mass flow through the combustion process, the fuel mass flow through the combustion process, instantaneous fuel economy of a vehicle in which a combustion process is being carried out to propel the vehicle, and the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gases from the combustion process.

Methods of monitoring a combustion system

The present invention relates to a process for treating aqueous waste solutions containing complexing or oxidizing agents and dissolved metallic elements or compounds of copper, chromium, nickel, lead or tin. The waste solution is treated with finely divided magnetized ferrous particles, continuing such treatment to allow for homogeneous stirring promoting substantial ion exchange between the solute and ferrous particles, and providing a post-treatment step using an agent to promote precipitation of metallic hydroxides. The precipitates are separated from the solution by deposition in a settling tank and/or filtration.

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Livonia, MI, United States of America

James W Butler