Emission control system

• US 5,168,836 A
• Filed: 08/08/1990
• Issued: 12/08/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IEC, LLC
• Original Assignee: Catalyst Health Solutions Incorporated (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kraus, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): ARGENBRIGHT, TONY MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US07/564,279
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 123/1 A, 123/3, 123/25 R, 123/25 A, 123/198 A, 123/25 B, 123/25 J, 123/25 K, 123/25 E, 123/25 F, 431/4, 261/91, 261/111, 261/115, 261/18.2
• US Class Current: 123/25.00F
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/00 Engine-pertinent apparatus for adding non-fuel substances or small quantities of secondary fuel to combustion-air, main fuel or fuel-air mixture adding secondary air to fuel-air mixture F02M23/00; adding exhaust gases F02M26/00; fuel-injection apparatus operating simultaneously on two or more fuels or on a liquid fuel and another liquid F02M43/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 27/02 by catalysts

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an emission control system including an air pretreatment system for enhancing the ability of air passing therethrough to absorb moisture, a humidification chamber having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet being attached to the air pretreatment system, the pretreated air passing from the air pretreatment system into the inlet and through the humidification chamber so that it is humidified at a consistently controllable rate in its passage through the humidification chamber to and out of the outlet.

Claims

1. A method of emission control through a system, said method comprising the steps of:

pretreating air to enhance its ability to absorb moisture;

passing said pretreated air through a humidification chamber to absorb humidity, said humidification chamber being comprised of solution in one part and of air in a second part, said pretreated air being passed through said air;

measuring the activities of said system through feedback means to ensure that the method provides consistently controllable results, said feedback means measuring changes in the system and external to the system, said measurements being compared with a preset requirement of delivering a controllable amount of solution to the combustion air stream and in accordance with the results of this comparison adjusting at least one of the following operating parameters in the system;

1) the pressure of the air as it passes through the system;

2) the temperature of the air as it passes through the system;

3) the pressure of the air as it passes through any single part of the system;

5) the amount of solution in the chamber;

6) the concentration of chemicals in the solution;

7) the flow rate of air through the system;

8) the flow rate of air through any one part of the system;

9) the humidity of the air as it leaves the system;

10) the humidity of the air as it leaves the areas wherein it is pretreated and enters the chamber;

11) the activity of the dissemination devices of the solution in the chamber.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said solution is agitated to disseminate it in the part of said chamber having air so that said solution is more readily absorbed by the pretreated air passing through said air in said chamber.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said pretreating of said air comprises exposing said air to at least one of the following:

1) pressurization;

     2) vacuum pressure;

     3) temperature change;

     4) dehumidification.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said agitation of said solution involves the use of any one of the following:

1) ultrasound frequencies;

     2) heat;

     3) spray;

     4) mixing;

     5) column absorption.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said vacuum is generated by one of 1) a fossil fuel combustion device;

2) an auxiliary vacuum generator.

5. A method of emission control comprising the steps of:

pretreating air to enhance it ability to absorb moisture, said pretreating step comprising at least dehumidifying said air;

passing said pretreated air through a humidification chamber to absorb humidity.

7. An emission control system comprised of:

an air pretreatment means for enhancing the ability of air passing therethrough to absorb moisture, said air pretreatment means at least dehumidifying the air passing therethrough;

a humidification chamber having an inlet and an outlet, said inlet being attached to said air pretreatment means, said pretreated air passing from said air pretreatment means into said inlet and out of said outlet.

8. The emission control system of claim 7 wherein in said air pretreatment means the air passing therethrough is pressurized.

9. The emission control system of claim 7 wherein in said air pretreatment means the air passing therethrough is pressurized and dehumidified to enhance its ability to absorb moisture.

10. The emission control system of claim 7 wherein in said air pretreatment means the air passing therethrough is pressurized and subject to vacuum pressure.

11. The emission control system of claim 7 wherein in said air pretreatment means the air passing therethrough is subject to at least one of the following:

1) pressurization,

2) heat,

3) vacuum pressure.

12. The emission control system of claim 7 wherein said humidification chamber contains in one part a solution and in another part air, said air being adjacent to said solution, said inlet and said outlet being in fluid communication with said part containing said air, said system also comprising solution dissemination means, said dissemination means acting to disseminate some of said solution into said air while said pretreated air is passed through said inlet into said air and out of said outlet, said dissemination means facilitating the consistently controllable absorption of said solution by said pretreated air.

13. The emission control system of claim 9 wherein said humidification chamber contains in one part a solution and in another part air, said air being located adjacent to said solution, said inlet and said outlet being in fluid communication with said air, said system also comprising solution dissemination means, and dissemination means acting to disseminate some of said solution into said air while said pretreated air is passed through said inlet into said air and out of said outlet, said dissemination means facilitating the consistently controllable absorption of solution by said pretreated air.

14. The emission control system of claim 12 wherein said dissemination means is comprised of a nozzle connected to a pump and an impingement surface, said pump being in fluid communication with said solution in said chamber, said nozzle being located in said chamber, said impingement surface being located in said chamber between said inlet and said outlet and in said part containing said air, said pump acting to pump said solution through said nozzle to be sprayed against said impingement surface thereby disseminating said solution in said air so that said pretreated air passing through said chamber may be humidified.

15. The emission control system of claim 12 wherein said dissemination means is comprised of a spraying means connected to a pump, said pump being in fluid communication with said solution in said chamber, said spraying means being located in said chamber, said pump acting to pump said solution through said spraying means and to be sprayed into said part containing said air thereby disseminating said solution in said air so that said pretreated air passing through said chamber may be humidified.

16. The emission control system of claim 12 wherein said dissemination means is comprised of a propeller within said solution, said propeller rotating in said solution to cause said solution to be agitated and to splash into said air, said propeller thereby disseminating said solution in said air so that said pretreated air passing through said chamber may be humidified.

17. The emission control system of claim 12 wherein said dissemination means is comprised of a spraying means connected to a pump and a packing located in said part containing said air, said pump being in fluid communication with said solution in said chamber, said spraying means being located in said chamber, said pump acting to pump said solution through said spraying means to be sprayed onto and through said packing, said packing being located between said inlet and outlet so that said pretreated air must pass through said packing to reach said outlet.

18. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

said pretreatement means is comprised of pressurizing and dehumidifying means;

said humidification chamber is of an upside down T shape with the horizontal portion thereof being partially filled with a solution and the remaining area in said horizontal portion serving as vapor space, the vertical part of said T containing a packing, said inlet and said outlet being in fluid communication with said vapor space; and

wherein the system further comprises a spray nozzle located in said vertical part of said T above said packing and in fluid communication with said solution, such that said spray nozzle sprays solution onto said packing while pretreated air from said pretreatment means passes through said inlet into said vapor space and up through said packing toward said nozzle and out of said outlet.

19. The emission control system of claim 7 further comprising feedback means associated with said pretreatment means, said feedback means measuring the level of humidity in the air passing into said pretreatment means and adjusting said pretreatment means so that said air processed in said pretreatment means and channeled to said humidification chamber is absorbent of humidity in said chamber.

20. The system of claim 18 further comprising humidification feedback means associated with said pretreatment means, said humidification feedback means measuring the moisture of the air coming into said pretreatment means and adjusting the heat and pressure used in said pretreatment means accordingly.

21. The emission control system of claim 7 further comprising humidification feedback means associated with said pretreatment means, said humidification feedback means measuring the moisture of the air coming into said pretreatment means and adjusting the heat and pressure used in said pretreatment means accordingly.

22. The emission control system of claim 12 further comprising humidification feedback means associated with said pretreatment means, said humidification feedback means measuring the moisture of the air coming into said pretreatment means and adjusting the heat and pressure used in said pretreatment means accordingly.

23. The emission control system of claim 12 further comprising feedback means associated with the consistently controllable humidification of said pretreated air passing through said chamber wherein if the amount of humidification of said pretreated air with said solution varies outside of a certain range at least one of the following changes is effected by said feedback system to maintain the consistently controllable humidification of said pretreated air;

(1) the concentration of said solution is altered;

(2) the flow rate of air into the chamber is altered;

(3) the dehumidification of the air prior to entrance into the chamber is altered;

(4) the pressurization of the air prior to entrance into the chamber is altered.

24. The emission control system of claim 18 further comprising feedback means associated with the consistently controllable humidification of said pretreated air passing through said chamber wherein if the amount of humidification of said pretreated air with said solution varies outside of a certain range at least one of the following changes is effected by said feedback system to maintain the consistently controllable humidification of said pretreated air;

(1) the concentration of said solution is altered;

(2) the flow rate of air into the chamber is altered;

(3) the dehumidification of the air prior to entrance into the chamber may be altered;

(4) the pressurization of the air prior to entrance into the chamber is altered.

25. An emission control system for use with fossil fuel combustion devices comprising:

an air pretreatment means for enhancing the ability of air passing therethrough to absorb moisture;

a humidification chamber having an inlet and an outlet, said inlet being attached to said air pretreatment means, said pretreated air passing from said air pretreatment means into said inlet and through said humidification chamber, said pretreated air being humidified at a consistently controllable rate in its passage through said humidification chamber to and out of said outlet.

26. A method of introducing a sustainable, and consistently controllable amount of aqueous solution containing catalytic chemicals into the combustion air stream of fossil-fuel combustion devices for the purpose of controlling the emissions from said fossil-fuel combustion devices, said method comprising the steps of:

pretreating air to make it highly moisture absorbent; and

passing said pretreated air through a humidification chamber to absorb humidity therein at a consistently controllable rate.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising the step of obtaining feedback information of the emissions obtained with the use of said steps of pretreating and passing, and using said feedback information to alter said steps of pretreating and passing wherein additional control of the amount of aqueous solution containing catalytic chemicals contained in said humidification chamber is delivered into the combustion air stream of said fossil fuel combustion device.

28. A method of emission control comprising the steps of:

pretreating at least through a process of dehumidification air to enhance said air'"'"'s ability to absorb moisture; and

passing said pretreated air through a humidification chamber to absorb humidity.

29. A method of emission control comprising the steps of:

pretreating at least through a process of dehumidification air to enhance the ability of said air to absorb moisture; and

passing said pretreated air through a humidification chamber to absorb humidity, said humidification chamber being comprised in part of solution and in part of air, said pretreated air being passed through said air.

30. An emission control system comprised of:

an air pretreatment means for enhancing the ability of air passing therethrough to absorb moisture, said air pretreatment means acting at least to dehumidify said air passing therethrough;

a humidification chamber having an inlet and an outlet, said inlet being attached to said air pretreatment means, said pretreated air passing from said air pretreatment means into said inlet and out of said outlet.

31. An emission control system for use with fossil fuel combustion devices comprising:

an air pretreatment means for enhancing the ability of air passing therethrough to absorb moisture, said air pretreatment means at least dehumidifying said air;

a humidification chamber having an inlet and an outlet, said inlet being attached to said air pretreatment means, said pretreated air passing from said air pretreatment means into said inlet and through said humidification chamber, said pretreated air being humidified at a consistently controllable rate in its passage through said humidification chamber to and out of said outlet.

32. A method of introducing a sustainable and consistently controllable amount of aqueous solution containing catalytic chemicals into the combustion air stream of fossil-fuel combustion devices for the purpose of controlling the emissions from said fossil-fuel combustion devices, said method comprising the steps of:

pretreating air at least by dehumidifying said air to make it highly moisture absorbent; and

passing said pretreated air through a humidification chamber so that said air absorbs humidity at a consistently controllable rate.