RADIAL COUNTERFLOW MUFFLER FOR NO REDUCTION AND POLLUTANT COLLECTION

• US 20120193221A1
• Filed: 02/01/2012
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vorsana, Inc.
• Original Assignee: McCutchen Co.
• Inventors: McCutchen, David J., McCutchen, Wilmot H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,961,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 204/242
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/404 Nitrogen oxides other than dinitrogen oxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/326 in electrochemical cells
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 11/034 Rotary electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 9/30 Cells comprising movable electrodes, e.g. rotary electrodes; Assemblies of constructional parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 1/083 using transversal baffles defining a tortuous path for the gases or successively throttling gas flow
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 1/18 having rotary movement
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2240/34 an electrolyser
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/01 by means of electric or electrostatic separators
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/0892 Electric or magnetic treatment, e.g. dissociation of noxious components electric filters F01N3/01; regeneration of exhaust filters F01N3/023; heating catalytic converters F01N3/2006
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 5/04 the devices using kinetic energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

A scrubbing muffler for internal combustion engines comprises coaxial counter-rotating disk pairs stacked in a cascade. Acoustic pulses are attenuated by doing work and dissipated by the circuitous path through the dynamic cascade. A motor and/or Venturi effect from slipstream over a vehicle assists exhaust and reduces backpressure for greater fuel economy. Exhaust gas fed at the axis is sheared between the disks of the first stage of the cascade as it passes radially outward into a shrouding tank disposed about the cascade. Vortex rebound at the tank wall advects flow radially inward back through the workspace between the first stage disks to axial extraction as feed for the second stage of the cascade. N2 and H2O, along with CO and NO, can pass radially inward to successive stages. Soot and CO₂ stay in the tank. NO and CO are reduced at a Faraday disk cathode.

Claims

1. A muffler for attenuating acoustic pulses in a flow of exhaust gas from an internal combustion engines while simultaneously collecting soot, the muffler comprising:

at least one pair of rotatable coaxial disks, rotation being about an axis of rotation at the center of the disks, the disks defining a radial workspace between them, the radial workspace having an axial feed port at the center of one of the disks and an axial extraction port at the center of the other disk;

a baffle disposed between the axial feed port and the axial extraction port, the baffle and the disks disposed such that gas flows continuously through the axial feed port, radially out from the axial feed port under the baffle, radially in to the axial extraction port over the baffle, and through the axial extraction port out of the workspace;

a wall disposed around the periphery of the workspace such that soot advected out of the workspace impinges the wall;

means for advecting nitrogen ballast through the axial extraction port; and

a soot hopper.

2. The muffler of claim 1, further comprising electrolytic means for NO reduction.

3. The muffler of claim 2 wherein said electrolytic NO reduction means comprise a conductive disk rotating through an axial magnetic field.

4. The muffler of claim 3, wherein the edge of the rotating disk is a cathode.

5. The muffler of claim 1, further comprising a motor advecting gas flow through the axial extraction port.

6. The muffler of claim 5, further comprising means for switching the motor to act as a generator.

7. The muffler of claim 1, further comprising means for advecting gas flow through the axial extraction port by the slip stream of a vehicle.

8. The muffler of claim 1, comprising a cascade of said disk pairs having baffles between their axial feed ports and axial extraction ports, the cascade disposed in a shrouding tank and co-rotatable about the axis of rotation, and a motor connected to the baffles for rotating the baffles about the axis of rotation.

9. The muffler of claim 8, further comprising means for converting the motor to act as a generator.

10. Apparatus for electrolytic reduction of gases, comprising

a disk comprising conductive material, the disk connected to means for rotation of the disk about an axis of rotation,

opposed poles of magnets straddling the disk, said poles having between them a magnetic field;

means for continuous extraction away from the disk of gases produced by electrolytic reduction of gases which are caused to pass over the a cathode which is created in a region of said conductive material by said rotation of said conductive material through said axial magnetic field.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the edge of the disk is a cathode.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising means for separating soot from the gas upstream of the apparatus and for advecting flow of gas over the cathode.

13. A dynamic soot collector for cleaning exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine, comprising:

coaxial disks defining a radial workspace between them, the workspace having an inlet at its center for a feed of exhaust gas through a central axial feed port in one disk and having an outlet for extraction of a cleaned gas stream through a central axial extraction port in the other disk, said inlet and outlet separated by a baffle;

a motor connected to at least one of said disks for causing counter-rotation of the disks or the motor connected to the baffle with the disks driven in counter-rotation to the baffle;

a shrouding tank disposed about the workspace and spaced apart from the disks such that soot in the exhaust gas impinges the shrouding wall.

14. The soot collector of claim 13, further comprising means for electrostatic precipitation of soot.

15. A muffler comprising means for collection of carbon dioxide in exhaust gas from internal combustion engines, said means comprising:

rotatable coaxial disks defining a radial workspace between them, the workspace having an inlet at its center for a feed of exhaust gas through a central axial feed port in one disk and having an outlet for extraction of nitrogen ballast through a central axial extraction port in the other disk, said inlet and outlet separated by a baffle;

a shrouding tank disposed about the disks, the shrouding tank having an outlet connected to means for compression of carbon dioxide;

a motor for causing radial counterflow in the workspace of carbon dioxide radially out and nitrogen ballast radially in toward the axis of rotation and out of the axial extraction port.