Hydrogen gas fuel and management system for an internal combustion engine utilizing hydrogen gas fuel

• US 5,293,857 A
• Filed: 06/24/1992
• Issued: 03/15/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Marilyn Meyer
• Original Assignee: Stanley Meyer
• Inventors: Meyer, Stanley
• Primary Examiner(s): ARGENBRIGHT, TONY MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US07/863,281
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 123/1 A, 123/3, 123/539, 123/567, 123/568, 123/571, 123/DIG. 12, 138/111
• US Class Current: 123/568.18
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/042 Decomposition of water
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 43/10 Engines or plants characterised by use of other specific gases, e.g. acetylene, oxyhydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/023 to adjust the fuel mass or volume flow
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/029 Determining density, viscosity, concentration or composition
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/0206 Non-hydrocarbon fuels, e.g. hydrogen, ammonia or carbon monoxide
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 21/04 Gas-air mixing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 27/04 by electric means, ionisation, polarisation or magnetism
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/36 Hydrogen production from non-carbon containing sources, e.g. by water electrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/30 Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 123/12 Hydrogen

Abstract

A gas fuel for an internal combustion engine comprising a mixture of gases having a proportion of hydrogen to oxygen of approximately 2:1 and a regulated density of the hydrogen component of the mixture such that the burn rate of the mixture approximates that of a fossil fuel and a system for maintaining the foregoing gas fuel mixture and characteristics in an internal combustion engine.

Claims

1. A management system for a fuel gas mixture containing hydrogen that is introduced as a fuel to an internal combustion engine consisting of:

means for monitoring the composition of a fuel gas mixture introduced into the engine such that the proportion of hydrogen to oxygen in the mixture is approximately 2;

1; and

means for modulating the density of the hydrogen component of the introduced fuel gas mixture by the addition of other non-combustible gases to the mixture such that the burn rate of the fuel gas mixture approximates that of a fossil fuel.

2. The system of claim 1 in which the means for modulating includes a means for the mixing of a proportion of the exhaust gas of the engine into the fuel gas mixture introduced into the engine.

3. Apparatus for the distribution of a fuel gas mixture containing a hydrogen gas component comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending conduits having an internal diameter of 0.015 to 0.025 inch intrinsically formed in an otherwise solid matter.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 in which the conduit comprises a porous open celled foam.

5. A process for maintaining combustion in an internal combustion engine that is fueled by a fuel gas mixture containing hydrogen that is introduced as a fuel to consisting of:

monitoring the composition of a fuel gas mixture introduced into the engine such that the proportion of hydrogen to oxygen in the mixture is approximately 2;

1;

modulating the density of the hydrogen component of the introduced fuel gas mixture by adding other non-combustible gases to the mixture such that the burn rate of the fuel gas mixture introduced to the engine approximates the burn rate of a fossil fuel; and

maintaining the volume of the introduced fuel gas mixture at a predetermined quantity for each operating cycle of the engine, regardless of engine operating speed.

6. The process of claim 5 in which the step of modulating includes mixing a proportion of the exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine into the fuel gas mixture introduced into the engine.

7. The process of claim 5 including the step of ionizing ambient air gases and introducing said ionized gases to the fuel gas mixture.