COMBUSTION SYSTEM

• US 3,664,134 A
• Filed: 08/10/1970
• Issued: 05/23/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Joseph R.M. Seitz
• Original Assignee: Joseph R.M. Seitz
• Inventors: Seitz, Joseph R. M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hart, Douglas
• Application Number:
  US05/062,329
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 123/1A 60/3L 48/4,38 23/284,2C
• US Class Current: 60/274
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/927 Successive elimination of carbon monoxide or hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 1/04 with fuel-air mixture admission into cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/08 for non-gaseous fuels
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/30 Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels

Abstract

An internal combustion system comprising structure defining a reaction zone for reacting calcium carbide and water to obtain acetylene and calcium hydroxide, structure defining a combustion zone for burning acetylene and producing motive power, including means for transferring acetylene to said combustion zone, and means for passing combustion products of the combustion zone through the calcium hydroxide slurry produced by the reaction zone.

Claims

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further including an afterburner, and means for transferring said combustion products out of said combustion zone first to said afterburner, and means for transferring afterburner products through said calcium hydroxide slurry.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said combustion zone includes means for compressing and heating said acetylene to provide conditions for trimerizing said acetylene to benzene, and a chamber for explosively igniting and burning said benzene.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said reaction zone includes a hydraulic tank having a porous barrier, a charge of calcium carbide supported on said barrier, a supply of water capable of being maintained beneath said barrier, and control means for exposing said calcium carbide to said water at a controlled rate.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said control means varies the height of said water supply in said tank so as to raise the water level to and above said porous barrier for exposing calcium carbide to water to generate acetylene, and lowering said water level beneath said barrier to cease generation of acetylene.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said tank also includes a supply of a second liquid, immiscible with and lighter than water, and non-reactive with calcium carbide, said second liquid and water resulting in a two phase liquid system immersing at all times said porous barrier and said calcium carbide charge, said control means varying the height of the interface of said phases for exposing said calcium carbide to wateR.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said second liquid is liquified natural gas.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said porous barrier is of frusto-conical shape, with the apical end adjacent said interface.

9. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said porous barrier comprises at least two perforated discs, disposed in face-to-face relation, and mounted for relative rotation with the perforations in said discs mutually arranged to provide composite axial passages through said discs of varying sizes and to be completely closed, and said control means regulates the size of said passages.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said discs are arranged to provide passages of diameter less than that of the smallest calcium carbide particles, and including a rotary crusher arranged to rotate closely adjacent the upper disc so as to crush said smallest particles between said disc and said crusher to reduce said particles to a size capable of passing through said passages into water beneath, and said control means regulates the speed of rotation of said rotary crusher.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 including a scrubbing zone wherein said exhaust products are passed through calcium hydroxide, and said reaction zone includes fluid discharge means for discharging calcium hydroxide slurry accumulating at the bottom thereof during generation of acetylene to said scrubbing zone, and gas discharge means for transferring generated acetylene gas from said reaction zone.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 including a water reservoir, and said reaction zone includes means for adding replacement water to said zone to replace water removed with said calcium hydroxide slurry.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 including transfer means for transferring steam generated in said scrubbing zone during reaction of hot exhaust products therein back to said reaction zone.

14. A motor vehicle comprising the engine apparatus of claim 1, and drive means utilizing the motive power produced by said engine apparatus to propel said vehicle.

15. A pollution control device for removing noxious components from the exhaust products of an internal combustion engine comprising structure defining a reaction zone for reacting calcium carbide and water to produce acetylene and a calcium hydroxide slurry, and means for passing said exhaust products of said engine through the said calcium hydroxide to remove said noxious components from said exhaust products.

16. The device of claim 15 also including an afterburner, wherein said exhaust products are led first to said afterburner for complete combustion, and thereafter to said scrubber to reduce CO2 in said exhaust.

17. The device of claim 15 for removing substantial amounts of noxious sulfur and nitrogen components, also including an afterburner, wherein said exhaust products are led first to said scrubber and thereafter to said afterburner for complete combustion of products not removed in said scrubber.

18. A method for propelling an automobile comprising providing a source of calcium carbonate, chemically reducing said calcium carbonate to calcium carbide, reacting calcium carbide with water in an automobile to produce acetylene and calcium hydroxide, burning said acetylene in an internal combustion engine of said automobile to propel said automobile, passing the exhaust products of acetylene combustion, including CO2, through said calcium hydroxide to react said exhaust products with said calcium hydroxide, including reacting carbon dioxide with said calcium hydroxide to produce calcium carbonate, and utilizing the produced calcium carbonate as said calcium carbonate source for producing calcium carbide.