Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho

Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.

Katsushi Abe

Kazuo Kawahara

Koji Yokota

Yujiro Oshima

Hideaki Muraki

Toshiyasu Ito

Haruo Doi

Souichi Matsushita

Takahiko Asaoka

Kiyoshi Yamazaki

Masayuki Fukui

Naoki Minamoto

Motonobu Akaki

Tetsuro Kobayashi

Akira Yamaguro

Katsuaki Okabayashi

Shiaki Hyodo

Tomoko Iijima

Hiroyasu Iwahara

Shigenori Haramura

An apparatus for decreasing nitrogen oxides in a combustion device of Stirling engine which performs continuous combustion includes a combustion chamber, means for supplying the combustion chamber with fuel and air, an exhaust passageway for discharging exhaust gas produced by combustion in the combustion chamber, a catalytic unit arranged in the exhaust passageway for purging toxic components contained in the exhaust gas discharged, and hydrogen supply means for supplying hydrogen gas to the exhaust gas which enters the catalytic unit. The hydrogen gas is supplied to the combustion exhaust gas which has entered the catalytic unit, and the combustion exhaust gas is then catalytically reduced in an environment of a comparatively low temperatures of less than 250.degree. C., whereby the nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gas are decreased.

Method of decreasing nitrogen oxides in combustion device which performs

A hydrogen generator includes a water tank adapted to form a water chamber, and a water electrolysis cell disposed in the water tank. The water electrolysis cell includes a proton conductive membrane, an oxygen generator chamber side separator adapted to form an oxygen generator chamber, and a hydrogen generator chamber side separator adapted to form a hydrogen generator chamber, and a hydrogen outlet passage adapted to discharge generated hydrogen out of the hydrogen generator chamber. The oxygen generator chamber side separator includes a communicator passage adapted to communicate the oxygen generator chamber with the water chamber. The hydrogen generator obviates the manifolds of the conventional hydrogen generators in which the generated oxygen is likely to stagnate and hinder the water supply, and accordingly it can inhibit the hydrogen gas generating capability from deteriorating.

Hydrogen generator

A direct current voltage is applied between an anodic portion containing an oxidizing catalyst provided on one surface of a proton conductive solid electrolyte which separates the flow path of the gas to be treated into two parts, and a cathodic portion containing a reducing catalyst provided on the other surface of the solid electrolyte, the reducing catalyst comprising at least one selected from oxides of elements of Group 5A, Group 6A, and Group 7A of the periodic table, palladium, palladium alloys, transition elements carried on alumina, cerium oxide, and La.sub.1-x Sr.sub.x Co.sub.1-y Fe.sub.y O.sub.3 (where, 0.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.1, 0.ltoreq.y.ltoreq.1), while bringing a gas containing water vapor into contact with the anodic portion and bringing a gas containing nitrogen oxides into contact with the cathodic portion. As a result, the water vapor is electrolytically oxidized into protons and oxygen on the anodic portion, so that the protons having been transported to the cathodic portion can be utilized to reduce nitrogen oxides by the reducing power of hydrogen. The method efficiently reduces nitrogen oxides in a gas even under an oxidizing atmosphere.

Method for reducing nitrogen oxides

Hydrogen gas from a hydrogen generator which creates hydrogen gas by the electrolysis of water or water vapor is supplied at the entrance to a catalyzer provided in an exhaust line. The catalyzer performs a catalytic reaction between hydrogen gas and nitrogen oxides to achieve decomposition into nitrogen gas and water vapor in the exhaust from an internal combustion engine. The nitrogen oxides are directly reduced with said hydrogen gas in a low temperature atmosphere not higher than 350.degree. C. to achieve efficient reduction in the nitrogen oxides. The improved method and apparatus provide a catalytic system with which the nitrogen oxides in the exhaust from a lean burnt engine or a diesel engine can be effectively reduced irrespective of the concentration of oxygen gas in the exhaust without impairing the good fuel economy of those engines.

Method and apparatus for reducing nitrogen oxides from internal

An electrolyte for electrochromic elements which comprises an electrolytic base material to conduct ions and charge-controlling substances contained in the electrolytic base material. The electrolytic base material is composed of a polar organic solvent and a supporting electrolyte and the charge-controlling substance is at least one of oxidizable substances and reducible substances. This electrolyte enables to produce durable electrochromic elements which can balance the charges in both electrodes and avoid a residual color or an uneven color of coloring materials.

Electrolyte for electrochromic elements

Growing community of inventors

Aichi, Japan

Katsushi Abe