Combustion process

• US 20030234012A1
• Filed: 10/10/2002
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dominique Bosteels
• Original Assignee: Dominique Bosteels
• Inventors: Bosteels, Dominique
• Granted Patent: US 7,188,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 123/670
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/9431 Processes characterised by a specific device
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 21/18 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/10 of rare earths
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/009 having two or more separate purifying devices arranged in series
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2340/02 characterised by the distance of the apparatus to the engine, or the distance between two exhaust treating apparatuses
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2510/06 for exhaust purification, e.g. catalytic reaction
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2570/14 Nitrogen oxides
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/035 with catalytic reactors , e.g. catalysed diesel particulate filters
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/2803 characterised by structure, by material or by manufacturing of catalyst support
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 1/12 with compression ignition with fuel-air charge ignited by compression ignition of an additional fuel F02B7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 51/02 involving catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 26/15 in relation to engine exhaust purifying apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: F23C 13/00 Apparatus in which combustion takes place in the presence of catalytic material in a fluidised bed of catalytic particles F23C10/01; radiant gas burners using catalysis for flameless combustion F23D14/18
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

The combustion process is carried out in presence of a primary catalyst coating which is treated when required by means of cerium/europium compound in presence of water vapor and advantageously in presence of a refractory material, such as a clay, a hydrated clay.

Claims

18-1. The process of claim 1, in which a compound selected from the group consisting of compounds containing cerium, compounds containing europium, compounds containing cerium and europium, compounds containing ytterbium, compounds containing praseodymium, compounds containing cerium and ytterbium, compound containing cerium and praseodymium and mixtures thereof is contacted with a gaseous medium containing at least water vapor so as to form a gaseous medium containing at least one element selected from the group consisting of cerium, europium, ytterbium, praseodymium and mixtures thereof, whereby said gaseous medium containing at least one compound comprising at least one atom selected from the group consisting of cerium, europium, ytterbium, praseodymium and mixtures thereof is formed in the combustion chamber.

28. An internal combustion engine with ignition means, in which the combustion is catalyzed and controlled in a chamber with a time variable volume, said chamber being provided with at least one opening controlled by a means ensuring its closing or its opening, in which the working of the engine comprises:

at least one step for admitting an oxygen containing medium in the combustion chamber,

at least one step for admitting fuel in the combustion chamber,

a compression step of at least the oxygen containing medium in the combustion chamber,

at least a combustion step of the fuel, and

a step for exhausting flue gases of the combustion outside the chamber, whereby the step for admitting at least an oxygen containing medium in the combustion chamber is characterized by a filling rate of at least 80% of the chamber, and by an exhaust step characterized by a depression peak of less than 0.6 bar substantially immediately after the opening of the combustion chamber.

29. The engine of claim 28, in which the oxygen containing medium is air and in which the step for admitting at least an air containing medium in the combustion chamber is characterized by a filling rate of at least 90% of the chamber,

30. The engine of claim 28, in which during the intake step of at least an oxygen containing medium, a depression peak of less than 0.5 bar is created in the combustion chamber.

31. The engine of claim 28, in which the combustion step controlled for a torque of about 50 Nm comprises at least a first combustion step up to an average pressure below 25 bars and a second combustion step from a pressure of 25 bars up to an average pressure of about 40 bars, whereby said first and second combustion steps define a pressure line on a graph giving the pressure expressed in logarithm in function of the time, said graph having a scale such that the distance between log 1 bar and log 10 bar is equal to 2.71 cm, while the linear time scale is 10 cm for each 0.002 second, whereby the angle formed between the pressure line for the first combustion step and the pressure line for the second combustion step is greater than 120°

.

32. The engine of claim 28, in which a pressure of at least 50 bars is reached in the combustion chamber for a volume increase corresponding to at least 3% of the maximum volume of the chamber.

33. The engine of claim 28 using a liquid fuel selected from the group consisting of diesel and petrol, said engine having a maximal combustion volume of less than 3 liters and a shaft driven in rotation for producing a nominal torque, said nominal torque being selected from the group consisting of nominal torque measured at about 2000 rpm for diesel fuel, nominal torque measured at about 4000 rpm petrol fuel, whereby the ratio maximal combustion volume expressed in cm³/nominal torque expressed in Nm is less than 13.

34. An internal combustion engine in which the combustion is operated in a chamber with a variable volume, whereby the combustion is catalyzed and controlled so that the combustion gases at the outlet of the chamber have a hydrogen content of more than 0.5% by volume, substantially no NO content, substantially no HC, an oxygen content of more than 4% and a water content of more than 15%.

35. An internal combustion engine in which the combustion is operated in a chamber with a variable volume, whereby the combustion is catalyzed and controlled so that the combustion gases after the exhaust manifold have a hydrogen content of more than 0.5% by volume, substantially no NO content, substantially no HC, an oxygen content of more than 4% and a water content of more than 15%.

36. An internal combustion engine in which the combustion is operated in a chamber with a variable volume, whereby the combustion is catalyzed and controlled and whereby the combustion gases are at least treated in a catalytic converter, so that the combustion gases after the catalytic converter have a hydrogen content of more than 0.5% by volume, substantially no NO content, substantially no HC, an oxygen content of more than 4% and a water content of more than 15%.

37. A means for introducing cerium and/or europium into a gas flow intended to be introduced in a combustion chamber, said means being characterized by a chamber with a substantially ovoid form, the inner wall thereof being coated at least partly with a composition containing at least one element selected from cerium, europium and mixture thereof, said chamber being provided with a first opening intended to be connected with a gas admission means of the combustion chamber and with a second opening for introducing an aqueous medium in the substantially ovoid chamber.

38. The means of claim 37, in which the substantially ovoid chamber is provided with a third opening for the admission in the chamber of a gas, whereby a gas flow is formed between the third opening and the first opening.

39. The means of claim 37, which comprises a heating means.

40. An internal combustion engine in which the combustion is operated in a chamber with a variable volume, whereby the combustion is catalyzed and controlled, said engine comprising at least one means for injecting in the combustion chamber water from a supply in which the water to be injected contacts at least one compound comprising at least one atom selected from the group consisting of cerium, europium, ytterbium, praseodymium and mixtures thereof.