Method and apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas discharged from internal or external combustion engine by using high voltage electric field

• US 6,168,689 B1
• Filed: 06/26/1998
• Issued: 01/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seondo Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Seondo Electric Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Yong-Hee, Park, Chan-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Mayekar, Kishor
• Application Number:
  US09/105,649
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 204/164, 204/177, 422/186.04, 422/186.3, 588/227
• US Class Current: 204/164
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/323 by electrostatic effects or by high-voltage electric fields
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 2201/14 the gas being moved electro-kinetically
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 3/38 Particle charging or ionising stations, e.g. using electric discharge, radioactive radiation or flames
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2230/00 Combination of silencers and other devices
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2240/28 a plasma reactor
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2240/38 an ozone (O3) generator, e.g. for adding ozone after generation of ozone from air
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/00 Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust electric control F01N9/00; monitoring or diagnostic devices for exhaust-gas treatment apparatus F01N11/00 ; collecting or removing exhaust gases of vehicle engines in workshops B08B15/00, on highways E01C1/005
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/01 by means of electric or electrostatic separators
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/08 for rendering innocuous using electric or electrostatic separators F01N3/01; chemical aspects B01D53/92
• 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: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for cleaning smoke and reducing noises of an internal combustion engine or external combustion engine by using a high voltage field. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus which can clean exhaust gases and reduce noise, wherein it comprises the step of burning up the granular particles with corona discharge after changing particles into plasma state, the step of removing gaseous materials with negative ions, the step of eliminating NOx with ultraviolet rays and the step of reducing noise.

Claims

1. A method for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field, which comprises the successive steps:

(a) partitioning granular particles in the exhaust gas by means of ionizing the granular particles present in the exhaust gas by using electric discharge and then diffusing the exhaust gas at high speed by using a bottle-necked attractor electrode and burning up large granular particles with corona discharge;

(b) burning minute granular particles, which are not removed in step (a), under plasma atmosphere;

(c) further burning the minute particles by using AC voltage and DC voltage;

(d) removing noxious gas component present in the exhaust gas with negative ions generated by an ionization unit; and

(c) oxidizing NO_x present in the exhaust gas with ozone generated by an ultraviolet ray and removing oxidized NO_x by dissolving the same in H₂O generated from heat exchange with PN diodes.

2. A method of cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 1, wherein step (a) additionally comprises;

(a′

) diffusing the thus-ionized particles to a collector electrode (130) at high speed by using the bottle-necked attractor electrode (120);

(a″

) partitioning the diffused particles, wherein small diffused particles pass thorough the collector electrode (130) and large diffused particles drop down to be deposited in a manhole; and

(a″

′

) burning up the deposited large particles with electric discharge.

3. A method for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 1, wherein the particles in the plasma state in the step (b) are burned up by using oscillary corona discharge.

4. A method for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 3, wherein corona discharge is a streamer corona having a large discharge area.

5. A method for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 1, wherein after step (b), step (c) comprises:

(c′

) burning up the minute particles by using corona discharge generated by AC voltage; and

(″

) burning again minute particles which are not burned up in the step (c′

) by using DC voltage.

6. A method for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 5, wherein corona discharge is a streamer corona having a large discharging area.

7. A method for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 1, wherein the step (d) comprises:

(a) generating a great deal of negative ions; and

(b) decomposing noxious gas by using the negative ions.

8. A method for cleaning exhaust gas buy using a high voltage field as in claim 1, wherein the step (e) comprises:

(a) generating ultraviolet rays;

(b) oxidizing NO_x with the ultraviolet rays; and

(c) dissolving oxidized NO_x in H₂O which is generated by using heat exchange with PN diodes.

9. A method for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 8, wherein the step of generating ultraviolet rays comprises:

(a) printing an electrode circuit pattern with metal on a plate;

(b) printing an electrode circuit pattern on an opposite electrode in a same way; and

(c) supplying high voltage to each electrode for generating ultraviolet rays.

10. A method for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage filed as in claim 9, wherein the electrode circuit pattern on the plate is printed with metal having a thickness of 10 μ

m-50 μ

m.

11. A method for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 8, wherein the heat exchange for condensing H₂O is induced by arranging the PN diodes in series or in parallel between plates.

12. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas of granular particles and noxious gas competent by using a high voltage field, which comprises is sequence orders:

(a) a partition unit, which takes in the exhaust gas, ionizes particles present in the exhaust gas and then diffuses to a collector electrode where the particles are partitioned, and large particles are burned up with a corona discharge;

(b) a plasma unit, which burns granular particles which pass through the partition unit by using a streamer corona;

(c) an electron unit, which burns gas-borne particles by using AC voltage and DC voltage;

(d) an ionization unit, which removes the noxious gas component by using negative ions; and

(e) a screen unit, which oxidizes NO_x present in the exhaust gas with ozone generated by an ultraviolet ray and removes the oxidized NO_x by dissolving the same in H₂O generated by a temperature drop induced by PN diodes.

13. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas as in claim 12, comprising a further union unit in addition to said units, wherein the union unit shields from electromagnetic waves and reduces noise.

14. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 13, wherein the outer part of said union is formed as ferrite core for shielding electromagnetic wave and an electric field in the air.

15. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 14, wherein said ferrite core is connected in 2 stages serially, of which the first stage is operated in a positive magnetic field and of which the second stage is operated in a negative magnetic field.

16. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 12, wherein said partition unit comprises

(a) as ion pin for ionizing particles with a high voltage to remove particles;

(b) a partition unit guide to provide a smooth flow of exhaust gas;

(c) a partition unit plate with a plurality of air inlet holes to provide a smooth flow of air;

(d) an attractor electrode to supply voltage to a bottle-necked nozzle where the flow of exhaust gas accelerates;

(e) a collector electrode for filtering particles; and

(f) a partition unit pole mounted with discharge electrodes to burn up large particles dropped in a manhole.

17. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 16, wherein the nozzle part acts as an electrode in whole tube.

18. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 16, wherein said partition union pole is in the shape of sphere to enhance ignition of particles.

19. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 12, wherein said plasma unit contains a plurality of plasma unit cells comprising

(a) a plasma unit pole to generate a streamer corona;

and

(b) a meshed not to act as discharge electrode.

20. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 19, wherein said streamer corona occurs between said plasma unit pole and said meshed net.

21. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 19, wherein said plasma unit pole is hemispheric and has one side which is flat to cause streamer corona.

22. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 12, wherein said electron unit contains a plurality of sets, wherein one set comprises

(a) an ion pin plate having an air inlet hole mounted with ion pins to generate an electric wind;

(b) a hole plate having an air inlet hole mounted with meshed net which acts as an opposite electrode; and

(c) a pole plate mounted with plasma unit poles generating a steamer corona.

23. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 22, wherein said ion pin plate is a matrix structure comprising

(a) an ion pin to generate electric wind;

and

(b) an air inlet hole for smooth air flow.

24. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 22, wherein said hole plate is formed with a number of air inlet holes of meshed net for smooth air flow.

25. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 12, wherein said ionization unit cells generating negative ions and ultraviolet rays by plasma jet formed as a cylindrical outer pipe and cylindrical inner pipe with a sharp pointed-end.

26. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 25, wherein said ionization unit comprises

(a) a cell plate with an ionization cell having a matrix form;

and

(b) a hole plate having an air inlet hole in which meshed net is cross-sectionally mounted.

27. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 12, wherein said screen unit comprises a first plate and a second plate and arranged with PN diodes to drop temperature.

28. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 27, wherein each plate has a great deal of polygonal holes for generating ultraviolet rays effectively.

29. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 28, wherein the ultraviolet rays are generated from hexagonal holes when supplying power to the plates.

30. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 27, wherein said first plate and second plate used as an electrode have a plurality of hexagonal holes.

31. Apparatus for cleaning exhaust gas by using a high voltage field as in claim 27, wherein said PN diodes are connected in a serial or parallel to induce a Sellen'"'"'s effect temperature drop.