|
History / List of vapor carburetors
Class 545 is a type of carburetor for an internal combustion engine that vaporizes the gasoline using a heat exchanger. In the words of the Manuel: "& Class 545= Heating medium surrounds combustible mixture-subject matter under subclass 543 in which the heating medium completely surrounds a conduit or passage containing the combustible mixture." The reference 'under subclass 543' further clarifies the definition: "& the charge forming device or a part thereof for heating the combustible mixture formed by the charge forming means.[2] Most of these patents use the heat from exhaust gases to do this. There exists a system of International Classes that can be used to cross reference US patents to similar patents in other countries. There also exist special patents called 'International Patents' that use this classification system. The International Classification for these patents in US Patent Class 123[internal combustion engines] 545[heat exchanger /vaporizer carburetors] is: F02M 031/00 [Use this syntax when searching the IBM website, otherwise use: F02M 31/00 in USPTO website] There are three other subclasses that also contain many vaporizer patents. The USPTO site can also be searched using the International Classification. This brings up many vapor patents that for technical reasons are 'hidden' in other subclasses. To conduct a search on the USPTO website, follow this procedure: 1.Go to USPTO web page by entering its address: www.uspto.gov Click 'Search Patents'. 2.Under the category 'US Patent Bibliographic Database', click "Advanced Search". 3.In " Advanced Search" Page, click 'All' under Select Database subheading. 4.There are four US classes in total that contain vapor patents, and the International Class which acts as a cross reference to 'hidden' patents. These are listed in the following table: A)Patent Classes A)123/545 A)123/546 A)123/547 A)123/543 A)F02M 31/00 5.In the "Advanced Search" Page, enter under 'Query' the appropriate command line to search for patents under the Patent Classes. For example, enter ICL/F02M-31/00 after the flashing I-beam under 'Query' to access International Patent Classification database listed above under Definitions containing Patent Numbers of US Patents herein. Then Click 'Search' to bring these patents up onscreen on the USPTO Webpages. There is a website on the Internet maintained by IBM corporation that has a file of US Patents going back over twenty years. The user is able to call up an image-copy of the original patent-text and drawings-on this website ,if they type in the patent number. The internet address of this site is: http://patent.womplex.ibm.com The images of the patent page on the computer screen can be captured by a screen saver such as Hypersnap and stored on the 'C' drive of the users computer as readable image files in BMP,GIF or JPEG format. To save the patent images and text in readable format, it is advisable to save them as BMP or Windows Bitmap files. Hypersnap is shareware, and is fully functional. It is designed to work in the Windows95 and NT environment, and can be downloaded from: http://www.hyperionics.com/www.snap32.htm For users of Windows 3.1 there is wcaptr31.zip, or capture3.zip available as shareware from: http://www.rad.kumc.edu/win31/clipbrd.htm A Macintosh version of Hypersnap called Screen Catcher exists; there is a link for this on the Hypersnap WebPages. The full address for this is: http://www.stclairsw.com/ScreenCatcher/index.html The United States Patent Office maintains links to websites of Patent Offices throughout the world. This can be accessed at address: http://www.uspto.gov/web/menu/other.html On these other web pages, there are links as to yet other sites not given from the USPTO link. The user can also physically examine copies of the Official Gazette or actual US patents in the Patent Office of their respective country. By international treaty, the USPTO has a reciprocal agreement to exchange patent information with other countries . In Israel, for example, copies of the weekly Official Gazette (which contains a drawing and abstract of newly issued patents) are available from: *Israeli Patent Office Library There exist patents of recent vintage that deal with using heat to vaporize gasoline and intake air for fuel injection systems in internal combustion engines. The Chandler patent of 1995 is one of them, he even goes as far as to cite the patents and early work of the Canadian inventor CN Pogue on gasoline vaporization in the late l930's! [3] An index of US Patents in class123, subclass 545- ' internal combustion engine carburetors that use heat to vaporize gasoline' is given from the years 1997 to 1900: Classification: 123/545 Total: 569 5606956 O 5598826 X 5555855 X 5396866 X 5353772 O 5335639 O 5327875 5327874 O 5291870 O 5247909 X 5146897 X 5134986 X 5123398 X 5101801 5086748 X 5086747 X 5048501 X 5042447 X 5040518 X 5040517 O 5038742 5027759 X 5019120 X 5012788 O 4984555 O 4979483 X 4971018 X 4955351 4883616 X 4883040 X 4865004 X 4862859 O 4829969 X 4768493 X 4718393 4717808 RX 4708100 X 4671245 O 4667643 O 4651702 X 4637365 O 4611567* 4603672 O 4593670 O 4592329 O 4583511 O 4574764 O 4548183 X 4534333 4524746 X 4513720 X 4513698 X 4503833 O 4491552 X 4478198 X 4469077 4467773 X 4465053 X 4463737 X 4452216 X 4438750 X 4434772 X 4425899 4420439 X 4416242 X 4407254 X 4404948 X 4401090 O 4399797 X 4399796 4399794 X 4388910 X 4379770 X 4377148 X 4372275 X 4366798 X 4357926 4351284 O 4338906 O 4327691 X 4318386 X 4302407 X 4300513 O 4286564 4256066 O 4212274 X 4192270 O 4167165* 4151820 X 4147144 O 4142481 4108953 X 4053013 X 4048969 X 4044741 O 4030457 X 4003357 O 3989014 3977366 X 3961616 O 3944634 X 3930476 O 3918423 X 3916859 X 3911881 3895617 O 3892211 X 3859971 X 3841284 O 3832985 O 3828736 X 3797468 3789817 O 3788292 O 3762385 O 3756022 X 3741180 O 3658042 X 3554174 3543736 X 3509860 O 3496919 X 3494342 X 3444848 X 3380442 O 3273550 3150652 X 3139874 X 3114357 X 3091229 X 3032023 O 3019781 O 2991778 2989956 O 2968297 O 2896658 X 2864355 O 2833262 X 2826183 O 2808041 2807245 X 2796855 X 2793633 O 2767699 O 2733698 O 2720197 X 2715520 2710605 O 2698613 O 2673446 O 2634983 X 2627257 X 2597977 O 2582916 2560197 X 2473808 O 2424723 X 2325850 X 2319752 O 2296790 O 2287593 2273957 X 2269930 O 2269706 O 2261493 O 2257047 X 2254775 O 2254634 2252415 O 2251999 O 2250786 O 2234901 X 2232413 O 2216801 X 2213154 2192067 X 2189022 X 2185573 X 2181058 O 2155162 O 2145029 O 2140254 2133775 O 2125216 O 2119885 O 2119179 X 2112568 X 2110806 O 2108639 2104013 X 2103902 X 2100466 O 2099278 X 2092246 O 2090823 X 2082666 2080662 O 2080420 X 2075330 O 2068952 O 2067292 O 2066922 X 2054997 2049596 X 2030508 O 2016881 O 2016695 O 2016694 X 2004093 O 2001669 2001466 O 2000669 X 1999237 X 1998497 X 1997497 X 1985271 O 1975093 1974722 X 1973889 O 1961249 O 1955242 X 1954586 X 1947048 O 1944396 1941487 X 1931781 X 1918380 O 1916952 O 1913684 O 1913497 O 1903433 1897540 O 1891768 O 1889648 X 1889619 X 1881671 O 1881562 O 1881434 1879551 O 1874327 O 1867457 O 1865515 X 1864608 X 1862723 X 1855129 1849135 O 1846008 O 1844298 O 1844041 O 1841740 O 1834202 O 1833552 1833183 O 1829400 X 1828899 O 1825225 O 1824926 O 1822147 O 1821047 1819284 O 1815432 O 1815178 X 1813406 X 1812950 O 1812939 X 1811540 1806581 X 1806045 X 1803461 X 1800426 O 1795037 O 1795036 X 1792828 1792367 O 1790812 O 1788929 O 1786233 X 1783781 O 1778190 O 1777554 1770689 O 1766794 O 1766781 O 1766709 O 1763948 O 1761960 O 1753788 1751511 O 1749035 O 1749029 O 1747361 X 1736003 O 1728421 O 1727605 1722846 O 1714210 X 1713701 O 1712465 O 1709968 X 1706492 O 1696881 1696761 X 1689942 O 1686609 X 1685564 O 1680373 O 1678045 X 1676955 1675870 O 1670550 O 1667886 O 1660609 O 1651393 O 1646779 O 1641619 1637768 O 1635266 O 1634968 X 1633909 O 1627671 X 1626783 O 1626727 1626561 O 1625135 O 1625134 O 1624249 O 1624229 X 1613029 O 1612377 1611299 X 1610541 O 1610000 O 1598289 X 1591071 X 1583584 O 1576301 1575859 X 1572747 X 1562670 X 1557657 X 1555807 X 1547474 X 1541431 1540144 O 1539963 O 1539126 O 1534290 O 1533855 O 1533432 O 1533196 1525956 X 1524680 O 1519516 X 1514189 X 1511820 X 1507315 O 1503900 1503821 O 1503805 X 1496102 X 1487234 O 1486058 O 1477724 O 1476316 1476281 X 1474359 O 1473999 X 1472899 O 1472326 X 1472264 X 1471600 1470659 O 1467759 X 1467225 X 1466647 O 1464759 O 1464466 O 1456572 1453007 X 1449333 X 1448781 O 1448641 O 1447975 O 1447089 X 1445194 1444852 O 1439146 O 1438877 X 1434353 O 1431327 O 1431326 O 1431281 1420684 X 1420616 X 1416977 X 1416352 X 1415086 O 1409093 X 1406598 1404215 X 1403350 X 1400955 X 1400485 O 1392168 X 1386376 X 1386297 1384281 X 1379437 X 1377990 O 1377369 O 1374927 X 1374280 O 1372194 1366831 X 1366018 X 1365564 X 1361503 X 1360098 X 1359168 O 1358686 1355076 X 1354484 O 1348066 O 1345927 X 1345378 X 1342950 O 1342869 1341141 X 1339870 X 1335990 X 1335665 O 1325998 O 1317709 X 1316346 1314872 X 1313639 X 1311417 O 1306496 O 1304987 X 1304205 X 1303559 1299648 X 1289605 X 1285652 X 1284643 X 1283125 X 1283068 X 1278558 1274707 X 1269252 X 1267924 X 1267139 O 1265735 X 1263259 X 1260388 1256738 O 1256186 X 1253682 O 1253681 O 1253642 X 1252796 X 1248417 1247983 X 1245519 O 1244151 O 1242975 X 1238404 X 1237536 O 1233744 1233287 X 1230116 X 1230092 X 1228415 O 1227649 O 1227551 X 1222860 1222548 X 1220281 X 1218867 O 1217781 X 1217448 X 1213817 X 1213736 1211775 X 1207664 X 1205540 X 1201977 O 1201871 X 1201731 X 1199573 1198013 O 1195764 X 1193004 X 1190252 X 1190129 O 1178972 O 1178276 1176816 X 1171435 O 1170337 X 1165656 X 1160438 X 1158494 X 1155599 1154617 X 1145995 X 1143902 X 1143092 X 1140064 X 1137057 O 1136675 1135113 O 1132420 X 1129794 X 1128133 X 1121868 X 1114200 X 1111140 1108916 X 1106881 O 1105592 X 1102478 X 1099842 O 1099271 X 1098915 1080139 X 1079338 X 1078919 O 1072875 X 1061626 X 1056760 X 1049417 1042004 X 1038300 X 1032937 O 1021326 X 1016741 X 1013759 X 1006088 0994658 O 0983307 O 0976237 X 0970429 X 0946780 X 0906671 X 0906111 0896183 X 0869675 X 0868834 O 0862377 O 0800777 X 0796684 X 0765814 0762271 X 0749864 X 0662169 X 0657738 O 0620586 O 0609831 O 0600107 0571495 X 0541773 X 0535914 X 0433806 X 0385121 X 0287578 X 0276075 X 3640256* Several vaporizer devices using heat to vaporize fuel have been commercially produced in the first half of the twentieth century. Considering the Otto-cycle or four stroke internal combustion engine is mechanically the same since its invention before the turn of this century, could we not conclude that these vaporizer systems are practical and work? Material discussed in -the Vapipe-(US Patent 3,957,024)-leads us to this conclusion. We have not been able to find any such examples commercially produced and marketed after 1940. There are two types of heat-exchanger vaporizers-those that burn heavy oils and those that vaporize gasoline. Heavy oils and kerosene will run an internal combustion or 'gas' engine, if the heavy ends in the fuel can be put into a vapor state-either by heat or mechanical action. Before the 'gas crises' of the 1970's, kerosene cost from 1/2 to 1/3 the price of an equivalent quantity of gasoline in the USA. This made such vaporizers economically practical, since a farmer or machinery operator would save a considerable amount in fuel costs. The 1905 Scientific American has an advertisement on page 433 for 'The Meitz And Weiss Kerosene and Gas Engine'. It was "&belted or directly coupled to dynamo for electric lighting, charging storage batteries, pumping, and all power purposes&ADOPTED BY US GOVERNMENT & Highest award, direct coupled generator set Paris Exposition1900& Gold Metal, Pan American Exposition1901."[4] Gasoline engines were adopted in Great Britain for burning low grade kerosene and oils in generator and agricultural work as early as 1911.[5] Scientific American published further favorable comments on the development of 'distillate gasifiers' in 1913.[6] The Society Of Automotive Engineers was aware of vapor technology in 1913. N.B. Pope, Member of the Society says of this:
The process of using heat to vaporize fuel was accepted by mainstream engineers from the earliest period. [8] A retired mechanical engineer told us that the US Government Bureau Of Standards certified and tested fuel vapor systems submitted for inspection up to the early 1930's. In view of the claim 'ADOPTED BY THE US GOVERNMENT' made in the early Scientific American advertisement, we wondered if such records of tests conducted might still exist in Government archives. A Freedom Of Information Act(FOIA) request to the National Bureau Of Standards gave the following reply:
A practical vapor carburetor system for use on the internal combustion engine in the Fordson tractor enabling it to use "&the whole range of fuel oils, from benzol and gasoline down through kerosene to the very heavy fuels, such as black oil commonly used in Borneo." [10] The device was made by the Holly Carburetor Company, (which today makes carburetors for 'performance' cars or "hot rods") in the year 1925. The editors of Automotive Industries tested a Fordson tractor running the gasoline engine with waste crankcase lubricant! It was said of this:
The Holley Vaporizer installed in the Fordson Tractor was so popular with farmers around the world that Bates and Strettell in the Proceedings Of the Institution Of Mechanical Engineers report on its widespread use in Great Britain in 1962! [12] In the intervening period, we found two other references to a multifuel vaporizer that was marketed to the public in the literature. In 1936, the Italian company Fiat developed a vaporizing system for heavy fuels known as the "Naftoil". It was two carburetors in one, starting on gasoline and switching to heavy oils such as kerosene and gas oil when the motor was warm enough to run the vaporizer carburetor. [13] The Italian engineer A.P. Castellini used fuel oil in a gasoline engine by using a high pressure pump which forced the fuel at a pressure of 3600 pounds through very fine jets into the intake passage. The oil is vaporized by mechanical means instead of heat. The engine was said to be readily started when cold, a problem with these systems. [14] This was in 1936, and we could find no more references to the production of such devices in the literature. This system will work on the internal combustion engines of today. Refer to recently granted US Patent # 5,555,853. The possible practical result of further research into this is that so called 'waste oil' that is normally is discarded (recycled=given back to the oil companies) can be used to power a gas engine. This might be important if political crises like the oil price hikes of the early 1970's take place again. The Abstract of the Patent says:
A conversation with one of the inventors in Canada by telephone revealed some interesting points. He was familiar with the 1925 Holley Vaporizer and said that his unit would also run on (filtered and strained) crankcase oil or other wastes of this type. As described in the Abstract, this would make it practical for an infantry unit in a wartime environment, since the group could use almost any petroleum distillate as fuel. He also said it could be used in larger engines, such as an alternator/generator or stationery engines on a farm. Pollution levels were at or below United States Environmental Protection Agency requirements for conventional gasoline engines. It was easy to start in cold weather-overcoming a major disadvantage of older units. Vaporizer carburetors for gasoline using exhaust heat have been commercially produced in the past in the United States and elsewhere. In 1923, the Stewart-Warner Corporation sold an exhaust gas operated heat exchanger carburetor vaporizer system commercially in the United States. The system was favorably reported on in the technical literature of the time. [15] It was said:
In 1924, a vaporizer was produced and sold by a group of Chicago engineers. It used exhaust gas to vaporize the gasoline, and claimed to be self adjusting inasmuch as it enriched the fuel for high speed and heavy pull and leaned it otherwise. "& A decrease in the CO(ie: carbon monoxide) content of the exhaust combined with a greater fuel efficiency was noted in the article. [17] A gasoline vaporizer was developed in 1925 in Canton, Ohio . It was said of this device:
This principle is the same as that given in the writings of inventor R. Covey in his patent 4,611,567 and in literature privately printed and circulated by him. [19] Covey referred to the Voight patent 2,733,698 column 3, lines 40-45. He also referred to the Spindler patent 2,185,573 page1,column 2,lines 20-30 on 'dry' gas. He said that an understanding of these patents is essential to successfully designing an efficient vapor system. Charles Nelson Pogue of Winnipeg, Canada produced a highly efficient vaporizer carburetor using exhaust gas as a source of heat for tractor and vehicle usage in the late 1930's. CN Pogue was issued US patents 1,750,354 1,997,497 and 2,026,798. The final design based on his last patent would cut the gasoline consumption of a tractor under conditions of maximum load down to between one half and one third of what it was equipped with a 'stock' carburetor. It obtained 130 miles per Imperial gallon on a subcompact car with an 80 cubic inch engine cruising at 65mph under ideal climatic conditions-early September-in Winnipeg and surrounding areas. This claim was made by the head of an auto firm in Winnipeg, Canada who has physical possession of part of a Pogue carburetor system. [20] In this article, the reader must be mindful that an Imperial gallon used in Canada in the 1930's equals five US quarts of gasoline. This becomes one hundred miles per US four quart gallon using a little arithmetic. The carburetor was sold to farmers until the beginning of WWII, and then its production and distribution stopped for undetermined reasons. [21] It has been said that the Pogue carburetor was used under conditions of strict military secrecy in the North African desert inside of the Bren Gun Carrier against General Irwin Rommel's Afrika Korps and may have been a reason for his defeat. It was also said to have doubled the effective range of these vehicles under conditions of desert warfare-making them superior to Rommel's technically better equipment. [22] Former USPresident Ronald Reagen issued an Executive Order declassifying all activities and information recorded or experienced before the end of World War II in 1945;so these adventures are no longer under a security classification. If any readers know more and had actually been involved in these military operations, please contact us. Since CN Pogue in the late 1930's, no heat exchanger type vapor system has been commercially produced in the United States or Canada. The large energy and automobile companies have constructed working prototypes and done research on heat exchanger vaporizer carburetors since the oil crises of the 1970's, although these have not been brought to public attention in the mass media. Douglas R. Hamburg of Ford Motor Company was awarded a patent for an 'Electric Fuel Vaporizer' in 1977. [23] He published SAE paper760288 on his work with this patent. [24] He claims -as a significant innovation- an electric vaporizer in series with the exhaust operated system for an easy start from vapor. A gasoline vaporizer system described in the August,1923 SAE Journal makes a similar claim: "special efforts have been made in the design oft the carburetor to facilitate starting in cold weather; to this end, for starting, the gasoline is vaporized and superheated electrically." [25] The inventor Ray Covey solved the problem by leaving the conventional carburetor attached to the engine and placing the vaporizer in series with it connected by a heat insulated tube. The engine could be started from the regular carburetor and then switched over to vapor mode once the heat exchanger had reached the proper temperature by use of a two way electric solenoid switch in series with the carburetor fuel line. This had the added advantage of being able to switch back to the 'stock' carburetor if there was a malfunction in the vapor system. Less complexity means fewer mechanical problems Engineer Hamburg says:
Such technology has been well known to those skilled in the Art for over half a century. The SAE Journal for August,1923 has an extensive discussion of this concept by one of its members in the article "Exhaust Heated Vaporizer." [27] One of the favorable results from this was :
Figure 13 of SAE paper760288 shows an inverse relationship between the percentage of NO(, HC and Carbon Monoxide emissions from the exhaust and an increase in the Air-Fuel Ratio between 12:1 and 22:1. The heat exchanger 26 in Figure One of Hamburgs' 'Electric Fuel Vaporizer' patent was granted a separate patent#4,161,931 in 1979. [29] Hamburg and Giardini conclude:
If the more complete combustion of gasoline made possible by heat exchanger technology makes workable lower polluting emissions because these elements in gasoline are now vaporized and used to power the engine, why hasn't the public learned of this new technology? [31] Would its use make a catalytic converter last the life of the engine? There are many other patents issued to energy and automotive companies. [32] A minor but very important point-the intake manifold must also be heated to prevent the gasoline vapor from condensing. See General Motors Patent 3,892,214. Also see 'Manifold Vaporization And Exhaust Gas Temperatures' in the SAE Journal. [33] Both the United States and British governments hold gasoline vapor patents. US Patent 3,640,256 'System For Preconditioning A Combustible Vapor' was invented by George M. Low in 1970 and is held by the National Aeronautics And Space Administration. Using a FOIA petition, we found that the project was shelved by a memorandum written by a John Brogan of the EPA office in Ann Arbor,Michigan citing SAE paper 670485. It is interesting to note in spite of results indicating a drop in pollutants consistent with all the literature cited previously, paper 670485 comes to an ambivalent conclusion. Could it be poor design of the apparatus- the vapor storage tank is the size of a home hot water heater(9 cubic feet in size) when the one in Covey's successful system was only a fraction of its size? Why did not the bureaucrat Brogan cite other SAE papers giving successful results that coincided with the lab tests on the NASA device? The British Government holds United States Patent 4,167,165. [34] A look at the illustrations of the device-this patent bears an uncanny physical resemblance to the Bursley-Trask Fuel Adjuster in the March 1926(p.185) Scientific American Digest article 'Doubling The Automotive Mileage Per Gallon' If this older system can double the mileage of an automotive engine, then what can Ian C. Findlay's British patent do? We have found another vaporizer patent granted to Ian C. Findlay assigned to the Shell Oil Corporation! [35] Mr. Findlay is a British subject.and so are the other two inventors Rodger Lindsay and John Wilson of the patent assigned to the Shell Oil Corporation. Findlay holds the British Government patent with a George Gallacher, who is also a British subject. Why has the public never heard of these patents? These systems will not work with leaded gasoline, or gasoline having "detergent" additives. For experimentation, be sure to use 'white gasoline', or gasoline containing NO additives. High efficiency may have been achieved by some vapor systems using thermo catalytic cracking, the breakdown of large multiple chain molecules down into singular carbon molecules such as vaporous natural gas and methanol. These molecules have similar and lower vaporization temperatures than the 'heavy ends' in gasoline. They will burn instantaneously and completely on ignition. The heat exchanger will have to reach a high temperature (400-430F in manifold vacuum) for this reaction to occur [36]. Many exhaust systems on an internal combustion engine may not be able to provide the exhaust heat to do this, since metals like steel have a low thermal conductivity. There is a solution. Weld a catalytic converter in series between the exhaust manifold of the gasoline engine and the exhaust input to the heat exchanger/vaporizer that is described in the patents cited. The catalytic converter acts as a heat amplifier and its output is at a much higher temperature than its input. The thermal conductivity of steel is lower than that of copper or brass, but this will compensate. Ray Covey(USP#4611567) used this with his system, as building a heat exchanger of1/8 or 1/4 inch dia.brass plate is very expensive. [37] To control the exhaust heat temperature to the exhaust input of the vaporizer heat exchanger, put two y-couplings and a pipe in parallel with the catalytic converter. A flapper valve in series with the parallelexhaust gas diverter pipe can be used to precisely control the temperature at the output of the catalytic converter/input to the heat exchanger/vaporizer. Opening the flapper valve allows the exhaust gas to flow around the catalytic converter, closing theflapper valve forces the exhaust gas to flow through the catalytic converter. Partial adjustments can also be made. Covey recommendeda catalytic converter from a Triumph sports car or VW Rabbit. "Junk"catalytic converters can be used, provided they are not fouled. Thermo catalytic cracking may be achieved by having nickel present in the steel walls of the heat exchanger vaporizing chamber, either as plating or as an alloy of the steel in a substantial percentage. [preferred] The nickel is a catalyst-it promotes the breakdown reaction but does not change chemically itself. Hastelloy C2-76 Stainless Steel(UNS#N01276) is approximately 60-65 per cent nickel. Inconel 625 is half nickel(UNS#N06625) and could also be used to build a heat exchanger vaporizer chamber that could exhibit the thermo catalytic effect on gasoline[38]. This concept is completely described in US Patent 5,156,114 [39]. Having the thermo catalytic cracking metal element/vaporizer separate and external from the engine/cylinder head itself is to be preferred as a design consideration. An inventor,Paul Pantoine has developed a device that performs similarly to Gunnerman's, but achieves the thermo catalytic cracking effect on an attachment mounted externally to the engine. He has applied for a US patent, but this has not been granted. Several US newspapers have described his device. His invention, which he calls the GEET device,has not been by any official or corporate labs, as the Gunnerman device has, although it apparently runs on similar principles [40]. Other patents cited here may or may not run on the principle of thermo catalytic cracking of gasoline,(pyrolysis)or the inventors might have hidden this information in the patent application for legal reasons. The late Ray Covey(US Patent 4611567)observed this process in his device but was unaware of exactly what was happening-more than just vaporization of the fractions ofgasoline was occurring [41]. This vaporization using heat is as described in the drawings of most of the patents cited. In conclusion we have found information that might also be of interest to farmers. In the USA, a farmer can obtain a permit to convert waste vegetable material to alcohol for fuel. The Mobil Oil Corp. published a paper describing work on the conversion of ethyl alcohol to gasoline. [42] The Environmental Protection Agency at the China Lake Naval Weapons Research Center developed a system that converts cellulosic(ie:green plant) type solid wastes or biomass(ie:plant material) to gasoline. [43] Could the farmer use this to co operatively make his/her own gasoline for farm equipment from wastes normally discarded? Has further work been done on this? The Ray Covey Patent 4611567* has been highlighted and underlined, and marked with an asterisk to bring it to the reader's attention. So have US(3,640,256*)& British Government(4,157,165*) held patents. Footnotes: [1] US Patent Office Internet version of Manuel Of Classification: http://app1.1uspto.gov/cgi-bin/iftech4?index+CLASS+1+17392+257+0+ 19+OF+39+78+1+123%2f545 [2] Ibid. [3] US Patent 5,394,838 'Vaporized Fuel Injection System'. Also see: US Patent 5,056,495(Texas Instruments) [4] Scientific American Volume XCII, Number 21 May 27,1905 pp.433 [5] Engineering (Great Britain),February 17,1911. 'The Davis Paraffin Carburettor', page216 [6] Scientific American August 2,1913 Article: 'Distillate Gasifiers For Motor Vehicles' page95. [7] SAE Transactions,1913 Part I, Volume VIII, pages 118-119. Article: "Low Grade Motor Fuel For Trucks" [8] SAE Transactions, 1911 'Carburetor Division Report',1911 page 648. [Here the SAE sets construction standards for vaporizer carburetors!] Article:'Kerosene Carburetors', AC Bennett. [discussion and extensive bibliography. An early system, the 'Wilcox Bennet Vaporizer' illustrated. Source: University of Rochester Libraries. Dewey Decimal Classification: TL2 S678t v.6 Also, see Scientific American June 3,1916 page 584 Article: 'Plain Facts About Kerosene Carburetors', Victor W Page M.S.A.E. [9] Karl E. Bell, Deputy Director Of Administration, F.O.I.A. Officer, FOIA request, 9/15/83 [10] Automotive Industries.,April 16,1925. page 698-699. Article: 'New Holly Vaporizer Permits Use of Any Grade Of Fuel' [11] Automotive Industries Ibid., page698 [12] Proc.Instn. Mech. Engrs.(A.D.) (Great Britain)No.4,1961-62 pages 146-157.[cite:pp147] 'The Influence Of Tractor Service Conditions On The Quality Of Fuels,Lubricants,and Protective Materials', E.S.Bates&R.P. Strettell [13] Automotive Industries. January 17,1924, pp.141. "Vaporizing System For Heavy Fuels Designed By Fiat" [14] Motor., January 1936, page 62 Article: 'High -Pressure carburetor Uses Fuel Oil' [15] Automotive Industries, June 30,1923 pp. 1004-1006 'Atomization Takes Place In Tank In New Fuel System', A.F. Denham. [16] Automotive Industries., June 30,1923 pp.1006 [17] Automotive Industries, December 18,1924. pp. 1049-1050 'New Device Enriches Charge For High Speed and Heavy Pull And Leans It Otherwise'. By W.L. Carver. [18] Automotive Industries., September 24, 1925 pp.516 'Designs New Fuel Vaporizer' [19] R.Covey, personal communication [20] Winnipeg Free Press., August 18, 1973 page 6 Article: 'Auto Firm Head Recalls That F"Legendary" Carburetor By Greg Shilliday. [21] Winnipeg Free Press.,April 30,1942 page8. 'Hints Pogue Carburetor Sabotaged' [22] personal communication-war veteran [23] US Patent 4.047,512 Electric Fuel Vaporizer Douglas R. Hamburg and Jerome F. Hough Assignee: Ford Motor Company International Claims: F02M 031/00 US Classification: 123/122 [24] SAE Paper #760288 A Vaporized Gasoline Metering System For Internal Combustion Engines D.R. Hamburg and J.E. Hyland Engineering and Research Staff, Ford Motor Company. [25] Journal Of The Society Of Automotive Engineers., August,1923. Vol.XIII.,Number 2. Page 131. [26] SAE Paper#760288., pp.3 [27] The Journal Of The Society Of Automotive Engineers August,1923. pages 130-132. Article: 'Exhaust Heated Vaporizer' [28] SAE Paper #760288 page7. [29] US Patent 4,161,931 Douglas R. Hamburg, Dante S. Giardini, 'Vapor Temperature Controlled Gas Heat Exchanger' Asignee: Ford Motor Corporation [30] US Patent 4,161,931, column2,line20 [31] SAE Paper 720462 'Ethics Of The Professional Automotive Engineer'. [32] Examples given are US Patents, assignee in parenthesis: 4,085,721(Exxon), 3,996,906(GM), 3,763,839(Phillips Petroleum), 3,957,024(Shell Oil), 3,927,651(Shell Oil) , 4,087,512(Ford), 4,022,172(American Motors), 3,851,633(General Motors) [33] SAE Journal., March,1922, Volume X, Number 3.,pages 171-176 "Manifold Vaporization And Exhaust Gas Temperatures", O.C.Berry and C.S. Kegerreis(Purdue University) [34] US Patent 4,167,165 Fuel Vaporizer For Internal Combustion Engines. Ian C. Findlay and George C. Gallagher, both of Glasgow, Scotland., assignors to The Secretary Of State For Industry In Her Britannic Majesty's Government Of The United Kingdom Of Great Britain And Northern Ireland. [35] US Patent 3,763,838. Ian C. Findlay, Rodger Lindsay, John Wilson 'Carburetor Having A Heat Pipe For Vaporizing Fuel' Asignee: Shell Oil Company, New York, New York. Oct 9,1973 [36] McGraw-Hill Encyclopaedia Of Science And Technology, 8th Edition, 1997 McGraw-Hill Pub.Corp. N.Y.. N.Y.. Volume 13,page 327 Aviation Gasoline=33 degrees to 170 degrees Centigrade, 100 degrees to 392 degrees Fahrenheit. Automobile Gasoline=-1 degree to 200 degrees Centigrade,or 30 degreesto 390 degrees Fahrenheit. [page 325] Kirk-Othmer Encyclopaedia Of Chemical Technology. J.Wiley&Sons.Corp,N.Y.,N.Y.. Vol..11,pp.661 Light Gas Oil=200-300 degrees Centigrade= [324-572 degrees Fahrenheit] Heavy Gas Oil=300-400 degrees Centigrade= (572-752 degrees Fahrenheit.) [37] 7030 Brass.CDA260 Cartridge Brass Used in rifle ammo.= Copper68%,.07%Lead,.05%Iron, rest is zinc Cost: Metal plate,1 square foot, 1/8 inch-$89.95(US) Takes nickel plating well, will not decompose at 400F [38] Inconel625=61%Nickel,21%Chrome,9.5%Molybdenum,3.6%Niobium, plus tantalum. Cost,one square foot 3/16 inch is:$11.00/100 pound lot. One square foot is 8 1/2 lbs. Hastelloy G30=65%Nickel,35%chromium,molybdenum,silicon, carbon(trace),copper(trace) 310 Stainless Steel= 20%Nickel,25%Chrome, 1%Manganese,1/2%Silicon,Iron One square foot 3/16 inch plate is @$9 [39]Business Week, August 8,1994 "Engines That Run On Water?"Author:Otis Port of New York. Science and Technology Section. To search and retrieve on the Internet: http://bwarchive/businessweek.com/ Business Week says that Gunnerman's company "A-55LP" has formed a joint venture with Caterpillar, Incorporated-the tractor company. In tests,Reno,Nevada powered a city bus with Gunnermans' system for five months. The United States Air Force tested it at the Elmdorf Base in Alaska. The Minnesota Transportation Department sponsered a five vehicle journey from Reno to Minnesota using vehicles equipped with his system. We quote Business Week:
There is a 'hidden' aspect of his patent application, the nickel is NOT a small piece attached to the top of the cylinder.[Column7,line10] Instead, it is a nickel screen made of 22 or 24 AWG mesh pure nickel. This is inserted between two pieces of a head gasket made of asbestos or other insulating material, and is thermally and electrically insulated from the engine block. The nickel screen CANNOT physically touch any of the head bolts on the engine, and a tab leads out from the gasket. This tab is attached to a negative direct current voltage potential, the positive pole being attached to the block of the engine and serving as electrical ground. These "electrodes" are completely electrically insulated from each other! The catalytic reaction described in his patent -the breakdown of the water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen is caused by an electrical potential in the nickel catalyst and the heat liberated by the gasoline exploding in the cylinder of the engine. We do not know the DC voltage that must be applied to the catalyst in order to start this reaction. This is an electrical potential, no appreciable current is drawn. It is simple enough to find out-start from 12VDC and increase the voltage on the catalyst/crankcase "electrodes" until the reaction described in the patent starts to happen. The nickel wire screen is important because the screen gives a relatively large surface area for this to occur within the cylinder of the engine. [40] See: Emery County Progress(UT.) Tuesday, Friday 20,1996(Utah) "Inventor Proposes Revolutionary Engine" By Scott Niendorf Progress Editor. Page 2A Also see: Marin Independent Journal(Ca.) November 7, 1992 Nurturing, Inventions, Ideas. Section/A-11. "In Quest Of Perfect Engine" By Tom Nelson, IJ Business Editor. Also See: El Dorado Gazette(Ca.) Vol. IV, Nr.5. November 7,1984. "Garden Valley Inventor Fights Uphill Battle" By Dorothy Ingram. The inventor can be contacted: Geet Management, LLC. 213 West 4800 South, Salt Lake City Utah 94107. Tel#(801)281-4577, FAX(801)281-4578. A fully working model, the 'University Special' is available for US$1850 for research purposes by faculty in an accredited University. [41] Personal communication to author. [42]'Engineering Index Annual, 1982 Citation04372, page 3210Thermochemical Conversion Of Wastes/Biomass To Gasoline'. Abstract:
reference: [43]Liberick Walter W,Jr. (US EPA,Cincinnati Ohio,USA) Symposium Paper:Energy From BiomassAnd Waste#4,Buena Vista FlaUSA January21-25. 1980. Published by the Institute of Gas Technology Chicago,Illinois,USA pages 747-763.
|
||||||||
|
|
