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Description  |
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This invention relates to a device for converting liquid fuel into fuel
vapor and microscopic liquid fuel particles prior to introduction into an
intake manifold of an internal combustion engine. More particularly, the
invention relates to the injection of macroscopic liquid fuel droplets
into a rotary vane vacuum chamber wherein some of the macroscopic liquid
fuel droplets are converted to a gaseous fuel and the rest are converted
to microscopic liquid fuel droplets. After discharge from the vacuum
chamber the gaseous fuel and microscopic liquid fuel droplets are mixed
with air and supplied to the intake manifold of the internal combustion
engine. An electronic control is provided for causing fuel injectors to
inject the macroscopic liquid fuel droplets into the vacuum chamber at an
appropriate time in its cycle and in relation to the position of the
engine crankshaft.
BACKGROUND ART
It is well understood that the greater the vaporization or gasification of
liquid fuel that can be accomplished the greater the surface area of the
fuel which is subject to oxidation and therefore the higher the rate of
combustion. Many individuals working in the field felt that if complete
conversion of the fuel to the gaseous state could be accomplished, a
highly efficient clean operating engine could be provided. Attempts to
completely gasify liquid hydrocarbon fuel go back many years. However, all
of these attempts have had significant shortcomings. In some instances,
the devices did not completely vaporize the fuel and therefore the
expected increase in efficiency did not materialize. In other cases, the
devices were of such a complex nature as to negate any real benefit from
them or require such high power inputs themselves that even though a
greater fuel efficiency was realized, the increased power needs negated
this benefit. The complete conversion of fuel to vapor created another
unexpected problem. Although the fuel would rapidly and completely burn,
it was discovered that the expansion of the fuel in forming a gas occurred
too early. Therefore, the density of the fuel, when mixed with air was so
low that not enough fuel could be directed into the combustion chambers of
the engine to generate power equal to other state of the art devices such
as carburetors, throttle body injection systems or direct port injection
systems.
One of the most noted prior art devices which was developed by Charles
Nelson Pogue in the 1930s was a carburetor for the vaporization of
gasoline which has been widely advertised as the "two hundred mile per
gallon carburetor". This device has never enjoyed wide commercial success
because it is nearly as large and cumbersome as the engine it is meant to
fuel and it requires an operating temperature which approaches the flash
point of the fuel, such as gasoline, so that the potential for an
explosion is quite great.
A device for vaporizing fuel, such as diesel fuel is disclosed in U.S. Pat.
No. 1,806,581 to Bethenod for "Fuel Supply System For Internal Combustion
Engines of Variable Load For Using Heavy Fuels". The diesel fuel is
supplied through a conventional gasoline carburetor and air is drawn
through an intake by means of a vacuum pump. This system is an open
system, i.e., air in large quantities is continuously drawn in from the
atmosphere by a first vacuum pump. A second vacuum pump is intended to
pull a vacuum on the air-fuel mixture in a reservoir to vaporize the fuel
whereupon it is fed into a manifold of an engine which is supplied with
still an additional air intake. Heat exchange means are provided around
the reservoir and again near the intake manifold to minimize fluctuations
in fuel temperature. Because the system is open, large quantities of air
are drawn through it making it very difficult to draw a sufficient vacuum
to substantially vaporize any fuel which is not vaporized directly by the
carburetor. In other words, for such a device to operate effectively it
would be necessary to provide such a huge vacuum pump that the fuel
savings, if any, would be negligible. Alternatively, with a smaller vacuum
pump the fuel is not properly vaporized in an open system because
atmospheric air is constantly being drawn into the system.
Another device for providing gaseous fuel to the carburetor of an internal
combustion engine is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,698 to Joseph H. Baldwin
for "Fuel System". In this device, gaseous vapors are drawn from a vacuum
chamber by means of a manifold vacuum. The vacuum chamber contains a
supply of liquid fuel which is replenished through a float valve. Two
potential problems are associated with this type of device. First, the
vacuum from the manifold may not be sufficient under certain load
conditions to provide sufficient fuel to the engine. Second, by drawing
the gaseous vapors off of a body of liquid gasoline the lighter
hydrocarbons are boiled off first, leaving a relatively heavy liquid
hydrocarbon, frequently referred to as "strip oil". Therefore, in order to
keep them working properly, means must be provided to regularly withdraw
the strip oil and replace it with fresh gasoline.
Another device for vaporizing gasoline is disclosed in Rose, et al. U.S.
Pat. No. 4,040,403 for "Air Fuel Mixture Control System". In this device,
fuel is supplied to a vaporizer wherein the level of the liquid fuel in
the vaporizer is controlled by a float valve. Hot exhaust gases from the
engine are boiled through the liquid gasoline causing a portion of it to
be vaporized and carried to the engine. The device includes a complex
amplifying system for adjusting the air-fuel mixture and a separator for
taking out any fuel droplets from the fuel as it is vaporized in the
vaporizer. With this device, the lighter hydrocarbons will be vaporized
leaving behind the heavier hydrcarbons or strip oil.
Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,525 for "Fuel Vaporizer System For Internal
Combustion Engines" discloses a sealed vaporization system connected
between a fuel supply line and the intake manifold of an internal
combustion engine and operated in parallel with a carburetor. A float
valve is provided in this device to control the flow of liquid fuel to a
chamber wherein it is vaporized and fed to a carburetor. The lighter
hydrocarbons will be boiled off the liquid fuel before the heavier
hydrocarbons, leaving strip oil in the chamber.
Additional devices for vaporizing fuel are disclosed in James E. Gilmor
U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,305 for "Fuel Vaporization Device" and James E. Gilmor
U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,307 for "Fuel Vaporization Device For Internal
Combustion Engine". These devices are designed to instantaneously vaporize
all of the fuel.
Meier et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,183 for "Method For Converting a
Retrograde Substance to the Gaseous State" is directed to a method wherein
the fuel is prepressurized and heated and the pressure released for
abruptly converting a retrograde fuel to a gaseous state. While the method
may be effective to accomplish its intended result, it is not believed
that sufficient fuel can be provided to an internal combustion engine by
the practice of this method to operate it satisfactorily, particularly
under load.
The ultimate carburetion system would be one in which a small percentage of
the fuel is vaporized and the rest of the fuel is converted to microscopic
liquid fuel droplets prior to introducing the fuel into the intake
manifold of an internal combustion engine. When mixed with air in the
manifold the vaporized fuel and the microscopic fuel droplets disperse
with some additional vaporization.
For convenience, gaseous fuel will be referred to as "vapor" or "vaporized
fuel"; liquid fuel droplets of a size not visible with the naked eye,
under normal lighting conditions, will be referred to as "microscopic"
particles or droplets and liquid fuel droplets of a size which is visible
with the naked eye will be referred to as "macroscopic" droplets. Ideally,
macroscopic liquid fuel droplets from a suitable source, such as one or
more fuel injectors, are converted to a mixture consisting of a small
percentage of fuel vapor and a large percentage of microscopic fuel
droplets. This mixture will be referred to as "converted fuel".
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a device for converting a
combustible liquid fuel into converted fuel having a smaller proportion of
vapor and a larger proportion of microscopic fuel droplets, mixing the
converted fuel with air in a manifold to convert more of the converted
fuel to a vapor and transferring the converted fuel and air mixture into a
combustion chamber is provided. The device includes a vacuum chamber
formed as a cylindrical housing wall having a longitudinal axis with at
least one fuel inlet in the housing wall and a fuel outlet in the housing
wall offset from the inlet. An eccentrically mounted cylindrical rotor is
provided within the housing wall for rotation about a longitudinal axis
about bearings mounted in opposite end walls. The rotor has a plurality of
radial slots and a generally rectangular vane slidably received in each of
the slots. The vanes are urged outwardly against the housing wall when the
rotor is rotated.
For lubrication the inner surface of the housing may be coated with a
lubricous material. This may be a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) matrix
such as Teflon.RTM.. Alternatively a sleeve may be used inside of the
housing which is made of a polyamid, such as Torlon.RTM.. The vanes are
made of a polyamide having a durometer or hardness which is less than that
of the lining. If desired, spring means can be provided for urging the
vanes outwardly against the housing wall. The vanes are arranged in
opposing relationship and the spring means can include a pin positioned
between opposite springs to urge the vanes against the housing wall.
More particularly, the rotor has a surface which comes into near contact,
e.g., within two-thousandth of an inch, with the cylindrical wall along a
near contact line lying in a common plane with the axis of the rotor to
form a vacuum chamber between the rotor and the cylindrical wall. A liquid
fuel inlet in the form of a fuel injector can be mounted through each end
wall in opposing relationship with each other. The injectors are angularly
spaced within the vacuum chamber to the upstream side of the plane and as
close to the near contact line as the introduction of fuel through the
injectors will permit. Alternatively, the injectors can be mounted in the
cylindrical wall of the housing in the same angular relationship. The
converted fuel outlet extends through the cylindrical wall of the vacuum
chamber into communication with an air-fuel mixing chamber just upstream
of the near contact line.
The fuel injectors inject macroscopic droplets of liquid fuel through the
inlets into the vacuum chamber where it is converted to microscopic fuel
and vaporized fuel. This is accomplished by a combination of vacuum,
expanding absorbed gases and water vapor in the macroscopic fuel droplets,
and mechanical and heat energy from the action of the vacuum pump.
An air plenum has an air-fuel mixing chamber connected to the vacuum pump
outlet port for receiving and mixing the converted fuel with air
introduced through an air inlet port in the air plenum. An air intake
passageway connects at one end of the mixing chamber to the air inlet port
and is at substantially right angles to the converted fuel outlet from the
vacuum chamber. An air-fuel discharge passageway is provided on the
opposite side of the intake passageway for supplying the mixture of air
and converted fuel to the manifold and then to the engine for combustion.
The mixing chamber is larger in area than the intake passageway so that
the air slows down as it passes through the mixing chamber creating a
tumbling effect to allow for thorough mixing with the converted fuel. In
addition, a diverter is provided in the center of the mixing chamber to
further create turbulent flow of the air to assure thorough mixing.
Additionally, an electronic fuel injector control is provided for
selectively activating the fuel injectors for introducing macroscopic
liquid fuel droplets into the vacuum chamber of the fuel conversion
device. The control has a rotatably mounted rotor shaft connectable to the
rotor in the vacuum chamber, and fuel conversion device signal means to
provide first periodic signal pulses responsive to the angular rotational
position of the rotor shaft. Engine sensor electronics is responsive to
input signals from engine sensors indicative of engine condition and is
further responsive to the output signal pulses from the fuel conversion
device signal means. A signal pulse is provided each time a vane sweeps
past the fuel injector. A sensor is provided which is responsive to the
desired angular position of the engine crankshaft to provide second
periodic signal pulses. An electric motor connected to the rotor shaft,
when running, provides a blocking signal to the engine sensor electronics
to block the first signal pulses from the fuel conversion device signal
means so that the fuel injectors are activated only in response to the
crankshaft pulses. The signal device for the fuel conversion device signal
means can be an optical sensing device wherein a disk is mounted for
rotation on the rotor shaft and has a pair of apertures adjacent its
periphery spaced 180.degree. apart and a light beam is directed toward the
peripheral edge of the disk for transmission of a light beam through the
apertures to activate a light switch in response to the correct position
of the vanes within the vacuum chamber.
From the foregoing, the advantages of this invention are readily apparent.
A very simple, and therefore economical, device has been provided for
converting microscopic liquid fuel particles into converted fuel having
the proper ratio of vaporized fuel and microscopic fuel particles. By use
of vacuum, expanding absorbed gases, mechanical energy and thermal energy
the converted fuel is formed. The converted fuel is mixed with air in a
novel mixing chamber which causes-thorough mixing with some additional
evaporization and droplet breakup. Thus, the combustion of the fuel in the
engine will be enhanced, thereby minimizing the amount of unburned
hydrocarbons and maximizing fuel economy. By utilizing a lubricous
material, the problems of lubricating the parts in a fuel-rich vacuum
environment, wherein the lubricant would be dissolved and may vaporize, is
minimized. Also the fuel injectors can be activated at the most
advantageous time during the cycle of the fuel conversion device.
Additional advantages will become apparent from the description which
follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a vehicle having the fuel
conversion device of this invention installed therein;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the fuel conversion device of this
invention connected to the intake manifold of an internal combustion
engine;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section, taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2,
showing the fuel converter of this invention and associated drive
mechanism therefor;
FIG. 4 is a horizontal section, taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 3, showing
details of a one-way clutch and bearing mounts for the fuel converter;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged horizontal section, taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 4,
showing details of the air-fuel mixing chamber and rotor;
FIG. 6 is a horizontal section, taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 5, showing
additional details of the mixing chamber and rotor;
FIG. 7 is a vertical section, taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 5, showing
further details of the mixing chamber;
FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the rotor showing the vanes and associated
parts;
FIG. 9 is a diagrammatical view of the fuel converter of this invention
connected to an internal combustion engine, showing typical electronic
sensing devices to control the fuel converter;
FIG. 10 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section, similar to FIG. 5, but
showing the vane in the desired position for fuel injection;
FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the fuel converting device of
this invention showing the electronic fuel injector control; and
FIG. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary section, taken along line 12--12 of FIG.
11 showing details of the optical sensor.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the fuel converter 10 of this invention is
installed in a vehicle 12 adjacent the engine 14. The fuel converter
includes a generally cylindrical housing 16 having a longitudinal axis A
and opposed front end plate 18 and rear end plate 20, as shown in FIG. 4,
to form a vacuum chamber 22. Suitable lubrication within the vacuum
chamber is a problem. Liquid lubricants, i.e., oils and greases, will not
work because they will be dissolved and removed by the fuel and will tend
to evaporate, particularly when gasoline is used as a fuel because of the
higher temperatures. To overcome this, the housing has a lining 17 made
from a lubricous material, such as a polyamide. One such polyamide which
is suitable is Torlon.RTM.. Alternatively, a PTFE coating, such as a
Teflon.RTM. matrix can be used. Fuel is supplied by means of a fuel pump
24 through a fuel line 26 to fuel atomizing devices, such as fuel
injectors 28. A fuel pressure regulator 30 is located in return fuel line
32 for returning fuel which is not used by the fuel injectors to the fuel
tank (not shown).
Rotor 34, shown in FIG. 4, is journaled in a front bearing 36 mounted in
front end plate 18 and a rear bearing 38 mounted in rear end plate 20. The
rotor is mounted for rotation about a longitudinal axis A spaced laterally
from housing axis B, as best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5. The rotor makes near
contact with the housing wall 16 along line C. In one form of the
invention, the spacing along line C is approximately one-thousandth of an
inch. Conveniently, the heat generated by these bearings during operation
of the fuel converter 10 will heat the end plates and the respective
injectors 28 to preheat the fuel before it passes into vacuum chamber 22.
Also, heating coils 40 can be provided around each fuel injector 28 to
pre-heat the fuel for cold starts when the ambient temperature is
extremely low. Alternatively, heating coils (not shown) could be provided
in the walls or ends of vacuum chamber 22 to reheat the fuel. The
injectors 28 lie on the upstream side of a plane D formed by axis A and
line C and as near to line C as is possible and still inject the fuel. The
reason for this is so the fuel remains in the vacuum chamber as long as
possible to more greatly facilitate the formation of converted fuel.
The rotor 34 is connected by coupling 42 to a driven shaft 44. The forward
end of driven shaft 44 is connected through a one-way slip clutch 46 to a
drive shaft 48. This drive shaft is supported in bearing 50 at the forward
end of cylindrical housing 52. The other end of housing 52 is provided
with a flange 54 attached to front end plate, as by bolts 56 spaced around
the periphery thereof. Drive shaft 48 is driven by pulley 58 which in turn
is driven by belt 60 driven from pulley 62 attached to pully shaft 64 of
engine 14, as best seen in FIG. 2.
During cold weather, the starter motor of the vehicle may not turn the
engine and the fuel converter 10 at sufficient speed to create sufficient
vacuum to convert the fuel from macroscopic liquid droplets to vapor and
microscopic liquid particles at a sufficient rate to start the engine.
Therefore, if required, an electric motor 66 can be mounted behind the
fuel converter 10 which will be operated directly off the battery (not
shown) to drive the rotor through a stub shaft 68 connected thereto at a
much higher speed so that enough fuel will be converted and supplied to
the engine to start it. This is possible because one-way clutch 46 allows
driven shaft 44 and rotor 34 to turn faster than drive shaft 48. By way of
example, electric motor 66 may rotate rotor 34 at 750 rpm or more while
the engine is turning at 150 rpm during starting. After starting, electric
motor 66 will be turned off and the engine and rotor will rotate at the
same speed.
After conversion, the fuel passes from vacuum chamber 22 into a plenum 70
where it is mixed with air supplied through conduit 72 so that the air
flow is at right angles to the converted fuel to assure maximum mixing as
more fully described below. Conveniently, the air is drawn through-a
filter 74, connected to the other end of conduit 72.
Turning now to FIGS. 5-9, the rotor 34 has a plurality of vanes, such as
two opposed vanes 76 which are urged apart as by a pair of leaf springs 78
received in recesses 80 of the vanes. A pin 82 has opposite ends bearing
against leaf springs 78 and reciprocated within passageway 84 extending
through rotor 34 between vanes 76. The vanes are coated with the same
lubricous material as the housing liner, but having a lesser hardness or
durometer than the housing liner. This assures that most of the wear that
occurs will be along the edge of the vanes, which can be easily replaced.
As can be seen, with rotor 34 mounted for rotation eccentrically with
respect to housing 16, the vanes will be urged against the inner surface
of the housing but will move reciprocally back and forth as the rotor
rotates. Since the spacing of the two vanes remains substantially
constant, there will be little flexure of springs 78 and therefore the
chance of failure of the springs through extended use is very minimal. In
fact, when the pump is in operation centrifugal force will hold the vanes
outwardly. However, for starting purposes it is desirable to have the
springs in place to keep the vanes extended. With the use of starter motor
66, for most applications springs 78 and pin 82 will not be needed since
the centrifugal force on the vanes created when motor 66 is energized will
be sufficient.
The fuel injected into vacuum chamber 22 as macroscopic liquid fuel
droplets is converted to vapor and microscopic fuel particles which are
moved around the chamber by the vanes and discharged through a pair of
outlet ports 86, located downstream of plane D.
As best understood at the present time, a number of forces act upon the
macroscopic liquid fuel droplets introduced by the fuel injectors. These
are:
1. Vacuum, which is a direct result of the vacuum environment of the
device, causes rapid vaporization of fuel from the surface of the droplets
thereby causing some reduction in the sizes of all droplets.
2. Absorbed gas expansion, which also is a direct result of the vacuum
environment of the device, caused absorbed gases such as nitrogen, oxygen,
water vapor and other atmospheric gases to expand within the macroscopic
droplets blowing them apart into smaller microscopic droplets thereby
exposing more surface area for further boiling off of liquid fuel from the
microscopic droplets. Evaporization alone is not sufficient to cause both
significant vaporization and droplet size reduction, particularly with
less volatile fuels such as alcohols and alcohol mixtures. The
vaporization is a self-limiting process because the evaporation process
absorbs heat from the droplets which rapidly reduces their temperatures
such that the evaporation rate rapidly decreases to an insignificant
level. The absorbed atmospheric gases and most volatile species of the
fuel rapidly expand causing eruptive boiling of the droplets breaking them
into much smaller droplets.
3. Mechanical energy from vanes, rotor and housing agitate the macroscopic
liquid droplets to distort and spread them out and break the surface
tension within the droplets to further release absorbed gases.
4. Heat energy from contact with vanes, rotor and housing raises the
temperature of liquid droplets to enhance vaporization and expansion and
release of absorbed gases.
The foregoing explanation is believed to be accurate, to the extent that
the forces acting upon the fuel droplets are understood at the present
time. However, it should be understood that there may be additional forces
acting on the droplets and/or the magnitude of the effect of the forces
described above may be greater or lesser than presently understood.
Turning to FIG. 7, air flows through conduit 72 past a butterfly valve 88
controlled through a butterfly linkage 90 connected to the accelerator
(not shown). This intake air passes through a throat 92 in plenum 70 and
into a larger mixing chamber 94 which includes outlet ports 86 from vacuum
chamber 22 and also a center dividing wall 96 between outlet ports 86 and
curved wall 97 opposite ports 86. Thus, as the air-moves from throat 92
into larger chamber 94, its flow will slow down. The dividing wall 96 and
curved wall 97 cause turbulence in the air so that it mixes thoroughly
with the gaseous fuel and microscopic fuel particles being discharged into
chamber 94 from discharge openings 86 which are at right angles to the
flow of air through chamber 94. The relatively warm air which is mixed
with the fuel will heat the microscopic fuel droplets causing additional
evaporation and droplet size reduction. By injecting the converted fuel
into the air at right angles, good mixing of the air and fuel is assured
which will improve the burning of the fuel in the cylinders of the engine.
Thus, a very efficient and clean burn is assured.
As best seen in FIG. 9, an electronic fuel management (EFM) control module
104 is provided. This control module receives various signals from RPM
sensor 106 mounted on engine 14 through a wire 108. A temperature sensor
110 on engine 14 provides a signal through wire 112 to the control module.
The control module processes these signals and provides a signal through
wire 114 to fuel injectors 28, which provides fuel to the converter in
accordance with the parameters sensed by the control module. Thus, if
butterfly valve 88 is opened to provide more air to the engine, the
manifold pressure sensor 116 will provide a signal to control module 104
which will cause the control module to send a signal through wire 114 to
the fuel injectors to open them further to provide more fuel to pump 10.
When the butterfly valve 88 is closed due to releasing the accelerator,
the reverse will occur. The temperature sensor 110 is provided for cold
starts. It is useful for engines fueled by alcohol and provides further
input to the control module for regulating the fuel injection when the
engine is initially started. A suitable system has been found, an engine
management system manufactured by Digital Fuel Injection Incorporated at
37732 Hills Tech Drive, Farmington Hills, Mich. 48331, which has external
program capabilities to adjust fuel ratio across the entire range, for
various fuels. Also, most original equipment automobile manufacturers'
management systems can be modified to manage the fuel converter of this
invention.
Additionally, a manifold vacuum sensor 116 is connected to control module
through wire 118 and an oxygen sensor 120 on engine tailpipe 122 is
connected by wire 124 to control module 104. Many other sensors (not
shown) may be provided to measure other engine conditions or functions for
electronic fuel management.
As of the date of this application, applicant's fuel conversion device has
only been operated at an elevation of approximately five-thousand feet
above sea level. Thus, the parameters set forth below are for this
elevation and would vary at either higher or lower elevations in
accordance with well-known physical laws. In a fuel conversion device
wherein the vacuum chamber 22 is formed within housing 16 which has an
interior diameter of 2.60 inches and a length of 3.00 inches and the
diameter of rotor 34 is 2.50 inches. When the rotor is rotating at an idle
speed of between 700 and 750 rpm, the device draws approximately 24.5
inches of mercury at an ambient temperature of 80.degree. F. before
introduction of fuel. At operating speeds between 1700 and 2000 rpm, after
fuel is introduced in sufficient quantity to operate the engine at these
speeds, the device stabilized at 23.5 to 23.7 inches of mercury. At these
speeds and at ambient temperatures of between 45.degree. F. and 80.degree.
F., the device will produce at the outlet converted fuel, a smaller
portion of which is vapor, and a larger portion of which is microscopic
liquid droplets. As the microscopic fuel droplets move through the vacuum
chamber, the mixing chamber and the manifold, additional microscopic fuel
droplets are vaporized as previously described.
By way of example, vacuum chamber 22, of the size described above, is
connected to mixing chamber 94, wherein throat 92 has a diameter of 1.50
inches and an outlet into the manifold of 1.90 inches. The outlet ports 86
which communicate the vacuum chamber with the mixing chamber each are
1.0625 inches wide by 1,375 inches high. The dividing wall 96 is 1.9375
inches long and 0.50 inches wide.
The invention has been described as utilizing a single vacuum pump with an
engine. However, it is contemplated that a very small vacuum pump could be
used to supply fuel to each cylinder to the engine for some applications.
It is important for the most efficient operation of the fuel converter 10
that fuel injectors 28 be activated at an appropriate time during the
rotation of rotor 34 and its associated vanes 76. This appropriate time is
just after the trailing edge of one of the vanes 76 has swept past fuel
injectors 28, such as the position shown in FIG. 10. At this point in the
rotation of rotor 34, the fuel will be introduced into an intake area 100
just before converted fuel is discharged from discharge area 102 which is
the area bounded by the leading edge of that same vane and the trailing
edge of the opposite vane. By injecting the fuel at that this point, the
physical time that the fuel is in fuel converter 10 is maximized so that
as much fuel as possible can be converted from macroscopic fuel droplets
to microscopic fuel droplets and fuel vapor in | | |
