Dresser Industries, Inc.

Kleenair Systems, Inc.

Other

Lester P Berriman

John M Zabsky

Robert Dixon Englert

James W Davis

Kenneth Ronald Armstrong

William M Hylton

James F Eversole

William H Ward

Douglas A Roe

Donald G Paul

Lionel S Simons

Kenneth P Armstrong

A system is described for storing ammonia and injecting it into the exhaust gas stream of an engine to reduce nitrogen oxides. The ammonia is stored as a liquid mixture () of ammonia and water in a container (). In one system, the mixture passes through a tube with a portion () in contact with the exhaust gas pipe () to heat the mixture and separate the ammonia from the water, with the ammonia being further heated at a nozzle () to activate the ammonia before injection into an upstream portion of the exhaust gas pipe.

Ammonia storage and injection in NOx control

A diverter ( ) is provided, which is of low cost and which is effective in more evenly distributing exhaust gasses passing from a small diameter upstream exhaust gas pipe section ( ) into a much larger diameter catalytic converter assembly ( ). The diverter includes a diverter element ( ) and mounting brackets ( ). The diverter element has a central hole ( ) and has conical walls with an included angle of at least 70&deg;, the conical walls having a plurality of holes ( ). The large conical angle (G) of the diverter effectively directs exhaust gases to the periphery of the large diameter catalytic converter but blocks a radially intermediate portion of the catalyst, while the holes in the conical diverter walls allow sufficient exhaust gases to reach the radially intermediate portion of the catalyst.

Diverter for catalytic converter

In the operation of a diesel engine, a mixture of air and fuel is flowed into each cylinder during the intake stroke when air alone normally would be flowed in. However, the mixture is lean so it does not ignite as the mixture is compressed and heated. Sufficient additional fuel is injected into the cylinder near the top of the compression stroke to increase the amount of fuel so the hot mixture ignites. As a result, most of the air and fuel has intimately mixed prior to ignition.

Dual fuel source diesel engine

An apparatus for atomizing liquid fuel while mixing it with air, and varying the amount of each while maintaining a substantially constant fuel/air ratio for the intake manifold of an engine. The apparatus includes a frame ( ) forming a passage ( ) with a throat ( ), with a second wall ( ) of the passage being moveable toward and away from a stationary first wall ( ) of the passage to vary the cross-section of the passage and thereby vary airflow. A fuel-carrying tube ( ) has a proximal end ( ) fixed to the first stationary wall and has a distal portion ( ) that extends through a bore ( ) in the moveable wall and with the moveable wall being slideable around the tube. The tube has at least one aperture ( ) for flowing fuel into the passage, with the exposed aperture area being progressively increased as the moveable wall moves away from the stationary wall to flow a progressively increasing amount of fuel into the passage. The moveable wall is moved by a lever ( ) that can be moved by the throttle of the engine.

Fuel-air mixer

Improvements are described in the injection of ammonia (NH.sub.3) into the exhaust gases of an engine to reduce nitrogen oxides. Instead of merely injecting ammonia into the exhaust gas conduit through a hole in its side, an ammonia injector (90) is provided that projects considerably into the exhaust conduit (16), with the injector having a plurality of holes (94). The ammonia is activated to decompose it into its reactive components, including NH.sub.2 and NH prior to injecting it into the exhaust conduit. Such activation prior to injection can be accomplished by heating the ammonia in the presence of a catalyst such as a metal of the platinum group, iron, nickel, or zinc. In an engine that has a fuel injection system wherein electrical pulses are delivered to fuel injectors to control the fuel flow rate, the durations of these electrical signals are used to control the opening of a valve (72) that controls the flow rate of ammonia into the exhaust gas conduit.

Ammonia injection in NOx control

A method and apparatus are provided for reducing pollutants and especially nitrogen oxides, or NOx, in the exhaust gases of an engine. The apparatus includes a device for injecting ammonia into a conduit that extends between cylinder exhaust valves and a catalytic converter, to mix the ammonia with the exhaust gases. Ammonia injection occurs at a location a plurality of inches downstream of the exhaust valves to avoid burning of the ammonia by flames. The injection preferably occurs at a location where the exhaust gases are at a temperature of at least about 1200.degree. F. to cause considerable reaction of the ammonia with NOx in the exhaust gases prior to the gases reaching the catalyst, so less NOx must be removed along the catalyst. To minimize ammonia use, it is injected only for a limited period such as a minute after a cold engine is started when the catalyst is too cold to cause significant reactions, and during operation of the engine at high power levels when the greatest amounts of NOx are produced.

Engine NOx reduction

A method and apparatus are provided for reducing pollutants and especially nitrogen oxides, or NOx, in the exhaust gases of an engine. The apparatus includes a device for injecting ammonia into a conduit that extends between cylinder exhaust valves and a catalytic converter, to mix the ammonia with the exhaust gases. Ammonia injection occurs at a location a plurality of inches downstream of the exhaust valves to avoid burning of the ammonia by flames. The injection preferably occurs at a location where the exhaust gases are at a temperature of at least about 1200.degree.F. to cause considerable reaction of the ammonia with NOx in the exhaust gases prior to the gases reaching the catalyst, so less NOx must be removed along the catalyst. To minimize ammonia use, it is injected only for a limited period such as a minute after a cold engine is started when the catalyst is too cold to cause significant reactions, and during operation of the engine at high power levels when the greatest amounts of NOx are produced.

Engine NOx reduction system

An apparatus for separating almost all fine particles, including particles less than 10 microns in diameter, from a gas stream, which requires the input of only a small amount of water and which discharges a correspondingly small amount of particle-water slurry. The apparatus includes a vertical cylindrical chamber having a relatively wide upstream portion that gradually narrows in a transition portion into an elongated throat portion. A central core member extends axially along the throat portion and forms an elongated annular passage. A high velocity gas stream containing fine particles is generally tangentially introduced into the wide upstream portion of the conduit to provide a circulatory flow. Water is introduced through a plurality of parts in the transition portion downstream therefrom, to provide a thin layer of water along the outer walls of the throat. The high velocity circulatory flow of the particle-laden gas along the annular throat region causes fine particles to migrate radially outwardly under high centrifugal forces into the water layer. The water-particle slurry is discharged through a slot in the outer wall of the lower portion of the throat region. The substantially particle-free gas passes through a radial diffuser section therebelow.

Fine particle separation apparatus

A combustible mixture of air and minute fuel droplets is produced for supply to the cylinders of an internal combustion engine. This mixture is formed by accurately controlling both the atomization of fuel and the mass flow rate of air over substantially the entire operating range of the engine. These controls are accomplished by introducing liquid fuel into a stream of intake air and uniformly distributing the fuel in the air followed by passing the air and fuel mixture through a constricted zone to increase the velocity of the mixture to sonic. The sonic velocity air at the constricted zone divides the fuel into minute droplets that are uniformly entrained throughout the air stream. The area of the constricted zone and the quantity of fuel introduced are adjustably varied in correlation with operating demands imposed upon the engine. Downstream from the constricted sonic zone, the air and fuel mixture is accelerated to supersonic velocity in a supersonic zone without imparting substantial turbulent flow thereto. Thereafter the mixture is decelerated to subsonic velocity in a subsonic zone to produce a shock zone where the fuel droplets entrained in the air are believed to be further subdivided and uniformly distributed throughout the combustible mixture before the mixture is supplied to the engine cylinders. The supersonic and subsonic velocities occur in a gradually increasing cross-sectional area corresponding to that of a conical section having an apex angle in the range of about 6 to 18 degrees.

Method for controlling mass flow rate

A flow device and method delivers a gaseous medium to utilization equipment having variable pressure conditions at its intake. A gaseous medium intake zone connects with structure defining a variable area throat zone for constricting the flow of the gaseous medium to increase the velocity thereof to sonic. The throat zone is adjustably varied in correlation with operating demands imposed upon the utilization equipment. Wall structure downstream from the throat zone provides a gradually diverging zone for efficiently recovering the kinetic energy of the high velocity gaseous medium as static pressure. Through such efficient recovery the velocity of gaseous medium through the throat zone is sonic over a wide range of pressure conditions at the intake of the utilization equipment. A flow splitter is spaced from the adjustable throat zone and the splitter is arranged to divide the downstream end portion of gradually diverging zone into multiple zones of reduced divergence. The multiple zones have reduced divergence compared to the divergence of the upstream end portion of the gradually diverging zone and also the downstream end portion if the splitter were not present.

Flow device and method

An exhaust gas recirculation valve for installation in the recirculation flow path between the exhaust and intake manifolds of an internal combustion engine. A metering control in the form of an axially displaceable pintle is operative in the flow path of a throat body to form an annular convergent-divergent nozzle. Pintle movement is responsive to predetermined engine variables to vary the throat flow area for continuously maintaining sonic gas flow therethrough. By the pintle being disposed toward closing the throat in a direction counter to the direction of incoming gas flow, sonic flow can be maintained at high efficiency throughout the full range flow capacity required of the valve.

Automotive exhaust gas recirculation valve

A combustible air-liquid fuel mixture having a substantially constant air-to-fuel ratio is produced for delivery to the intake manifold of an engine. Air is passed through a fluid flow device having a variable area throat zone to increase the velocity of the air to sonic, and the area of the throat zone is varied in correlation with operating demands imposed upon the engine for which the mixture is produced. Liquid fuel is metered from a supply into the air stream at or before the throat zone in direct proportion to the cross-sectional area of the throat zone. The pressure of the high velocity air stream is sensed at a point where it bears a predictable relationship to atmospheric pressure, and the rate of fuel delivered into the air stream is adjusted in response to changes in the air pressure sensed so that the air-to-fuel ratio of the mixture is maintained substantially constant. Due to the particular design of the fluid flow device, air at sonic velocity passes through the throat zone over substantially the entire operating range of the engine down to low manifold vacuum levels. During the relatively brief subsonic mode of operation when the manifold vacuum levels are quite low, the fluid flow device functions as a metering venturi to introduce the liquid fuel into the varying velocity air stream.

Fluid flow device and liquid metering

A combustible mixture of air and minute fuel droplets is produced for supply to the cylinders of an internal combustion engine. This mixture is formed by accurately controlling both the atomization of fuel and the mass flow rate of air over substantially the entire operating range of the engine. These controls are accomplished by introducing liquid fuel into a stream of intake air and uniformly distributing the fuel in the air followed by passing the air and fuel mixture through a constricted zone to increase the velocity of the mixture to sonic. The sonic velocity air at the constricted zone divides the fuel into minute droplets that are uniformly entrained throughout the air stream. The area of the constricted zone and the quantity of fuel introduced are adjustably varied in correlation with operating demands imposed upon the engine. Downstream from the constricted sonic zone, the air and fuel mixture is accelerated to supersonic velocity in a supersonic zone without imparting substantial turbulent flow thereto. Thereafter the mixture is decelerated to subsonic velocity in a subsonic zone to produce a shock zone where the fuel droplets entrained in the air are believed to be further subdivided and uniformly distributed throughout the combustible mixture before the mixture is supplied to the engine cylinders.

Fluid flow device

Discharge velocity of the air-fuel mixture being supplied through a variable venturi flow passage device to an internal combustion engine at idle to near idle operation of the engine is optimized by controllably varying the area ratio between the throat and exit planes of the device. Opposite jaw faces of the device define the flow passage that is gradually opened and closed in correlation to demand imposed on the engine between idle and full throttle operation. Area ratio control in one form is achieved by apparatus operative to selectively vary the diffuser angle between the opposing jaw faces. Area ratio control in another form is achieved by apparatus operative to effect a localized passage opening at idle of selectively different aspect ratio than the aspect ratio defined over the full longitudinal extent of the jaw faces.

Growing community of inventors

Irvine, CA, United States of America

Lester P Berriman