Apparatus and method for generating hydrogen gas for use as a fuel additive in diesel engines

Patent · Tue Mar 04 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:5899609

Shelton, G F

This patent describes an apparatus and a method for generating hydrogen gas for use as a fuel additive in diesel engines. The method for improving the fuel economy and emission quality of a diesel engine consists of: delivering water from a pressurized water source to the water inlet of a heat exchanger at a controlled rate determined responsive to the delivery of diesel fuel to the diesel engine; collecting the hot exhaust gases from the diesel engine and delivering them to the exhaust gas inlet of the heat exchanger; separating the exhaust gases into tubes or pipes extending through the heat exchanger and having heat conducting walls; spraying water through the water inlet onto the surface of the heat conducting walls at such a rate as to reform the atomized water droplets into hydrogen gas, oxygen gas, and water vapor; the ratio of water delivered to the heat exchanger relative to diesel fuel delivered to the combustion chamber of the diesel engine being substantially in the range of 1:10 to 1:20; delivering the hydrogen gas, oxygen gas, and water vapor to the air intake of the diesel engine where it is mixed with air, introduced into the combustion chamber, and compressed prior to the introduction of the diesel fuel for combustion. The apparatus for generating and delivering a mixture of hydrogen gas, oxygen gas, and steam for mixture with diesel fuel in the combustion chamber of a diesel engine consists of a pressurized source of water; a heat exchanger having means associated therewith for receiving water from the water source and exhaust gases from the diesel engine in non-contacting, heat exchange relation to each other; means for controlling the flow of water to the heat exchanger responsive to the delivery rate of diesel fuel to the combustion chamber of the diesel engine; means connecting the interior of the heat exchange compartment with the combustion chamber for circulating air through the heat exchange compartment and on to the combustion chamber.

• Assignee: NOV; EDB-86-102015
• Patent Number(s): US 4573435
• OSTI ID: 5899609
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

08 HYDROGEN
080102 -- Hydrogen-- Production-- Thermochemical Processes
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
330102* -- Internal Combustion Engines-- Diesel
500200 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ADDITIVES
COMBUSTION CHAMBERS
DIESEL ENGINES
DIESEL FUELS
ELEMENTS
EMISSION
ENGINES
EXHAUST GASES
FLUIDS
FUEL ADDITIVES
FUEL ECONOMY
GASEOUS WASTES
GASES
HEAT ENGINES
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
NONMETALS
OXYGEN
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PIPES
STEAM
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
VAPORS
WASTES
WATER
WATER VAPOR