Fuel for internal combustion engines

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Drawing sheet — no readable text.

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Patented Sept. 8, 1942 2,295,209

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFICE

FUE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION

ENGINES

Paul A. Guiles and Basil Rawes Vaughan,

San Francisco, Calif.

Application December 27, 1939, Serial No. 311,152

The present invention relates to improvements The coil 7 connects, through a pipe i, with a in fuels for internal combustion engines, and its container 12, which is preferably made in the principal object is to provide a method of and form of an elongated tube, and which is provided means for rendering water available as Such a with movable end plates 3 and 6. This con fuel. 5 tainer is made to receive a body of Steel wool, More particularly it is proposed to use a bed indicated at 5, and the steam is made to pass of steel wool or other oxidizing agent for decomi through the same from end to end. posing water which has been turned into steam An outlet pipe 6 connects the end opposite the and for setting free hydrogen to be used as fuel point of entry with a conventional type of car for the engine. buretor, indicated at 7, preferably immediately It is further proposed to provide a convenient below the throttle valve 8 thereof. The car and simple apparatus whereby water is first buretor may be of any suitable construction. The heated to produce steam and the steam is passed pipe f6 is controlled by a suitable valve 9. through an enclosed body of steel Wool for lib The carburetor is connected to the engine 2 erating the hydrogen, which is delivered to the in the conventional manner. The engine may engine, in the presence of atmospheric air or be of any suitable type and, if desired, the car another suitable combustion Supporter, while, the buretor may be connected, in any conventional exhaust gases from the engine are used to supply manner, to a suitable gasoline fuel Supply so as heat to the steel wool and the heater so that the to be capable of operation by gasoline, particu entire apparatus may be run without the aid of 20 larly for starting purposes.

an external source of heat except for the initial The intake manifold of the engine is indicated stage. at 2 and the exhaust of the engine at 22. The Further objects and advantages of our inven exhaust gases of the engine are preferably utilized tion will appear as the specification proceeds and 25 for providing the necessary heat for the body the novel features thereof will be fully set forth of steel wool and the coil. To accomplish this in the claims hereto appended. the gases constituting the products of combus The preferred form of our invention is illus tion, are guided through pipe 23, into a jacket trated in the accompanying drawing, in which 24, surrounding the steel wool chamber and, the invention is shown diagrammatically. after having passed through the jacket, are While we have shown only the preferred form 30 guided through a pipe 25 into a housing 26 sur of our invention, we wish to have it understood rounding the heating coil to be finally ejected that various changes or modifications may be through the pipe 2 and the muffler 28. made within the scope of the claims hereto at In operation the water from the container tached without departing from the Spirit of the passes to the coil where it is converted into invention. steam, and the latter passes into and through Referring to the drawing in detail, our in the body of steel wool 5. The latter oxidizes in vention comprises, in its preferred form, a ves the presence of the steam, and takes oxygen from sel for holding water which may be filled to the latter, thereby freeing the hydrogen con a suitable height through an opening 2 adapted 40 tained therein. The hydrogen passes through to be closed by a cap 3. Suitable preSSure may the pipe 6 into the carburetor below the throt be produced in the tank through a pump 4 and tle valve and joins With air entering through the may be measured through a gauge 5. While We carburetor to form a fuel for the engine, do not wish to confine ourselves to a definite de For initial heating, the engine may be started gree of pressure, the same should be sufficient 45 on an auxiliary Supply of gasoline in the Con to force the water and steam Subsequently cre ventional manner, until the exhaust gases have ated through the system and we find in actual heated the body of steel wool and the coil Suf practice that three or four pounds are ordinarily ficiently to convert the water into steam, where Suficient for Our purpoSeS. upon the operation may be switched over to the A pipe 6 connecting with the bottom of the 5 Water, tank in the manner previously described. vessel leads to a heating coil and may be con If it is not desired to carry an auxiliary supply trolled through a shut-off valve 8 and a needle of gasoline, for starting purposes, special heaters valve 9. Any suitable means such as a burner or burners of any kind, may be relied on to fur or electrical heating means may be used for nish the initial heat for the steel Wool and the initially heating the coil and for turning the co, water passing there-through into steam. It is apparent that other materialis may be

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substituted for the steel wool, such as iron flings, and mounted to receive steam from the coil out scrap iron or other oxidizing agents, which will let and to discharge into the engine intake, take up oxygen from the passing steam and will means for heating the container whereby the liberate hydrogen. We find that after a certain steam passing Over the steel wool is reduced in amount of use the steel wool becomes heavily 5 part for producing free hydrogen and whereby oxidized and has to be renewed. mixed steam and free hydrogen is fed to engine The coil 7 is merely shown as one suitable intake, and means for adding air to the mixture means for converting the Water into steam, and after it leaves the container.

any other suitable means may be substituted for 2. A fuel feeding apparatus for an internal the same. During normal operation, the exhaust () combustion engine, comprising a coil, means for gases arranged to pass in heat-exchange rela forcing water therethrough under pressure, tion with the steel wool and the coil are suff means for heating the coil whereby the water is cient to furnish the necessary heat required. turned into steam, a container for steel wool The engine may be of any suitable kind. We having connections to receive steam from the coil have carried on our experimental work with a 5 outlet and to discharge into the engine intake, conventional automobile engine of the internal means for heating the container whereby the combustion type, using a spark for exploding the steam passing over the steel wool is reduced in mixture within the combustion chamber. part for producing free hydrogen and whereby We claimi: mixed steam and free hydrogen is fed to the 1. A fuel feeding apparatus for an internal 20 engine intake, and means for adding air to the combustion engine, comprising a tank for holding mixture after it leaves the container, the water water, and having means for placing the Water feeding means, the coil and the steel wool con under pressure, a closed conduit connecting the tainer with their connections forming a closed tank and the engine intake, a coil in the conduit conduit whereby all the water fed into the con for receiving water from the tank, means for 25 duit is made to pass through the same. heating the coil whereby the water is turned into PAUL. A. GUES. steam, a container for steel wool in the conduit BASL. RAWES WAUGHAN.