FUEL DILUTION

Abstract

A diluted fuel includes the addition to a base fuel of a volume increasing, non-reactive, inert gas as a diluter. A fuel tank, a tank of diluter and a tank of combustion enhancing additive are arranged to feed their respective products through control valves into an intermediate mixing tank. The mixed fuel is then metered into a tank which includes an interior aluminum mesh to improve the suspension of the diluter within the fuel.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of prior co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/894258, filed Jul. 19, 2004, which was a continuation-in-part of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/172,556, filed Jun. 14, 2002.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to fuels, such as propane, gasoline and the like, used for combustion in engines. More particularly, this invention relates to a method for improving fuel economy by increasing fuel volume with the addition of a non-reactive, inert diluter to the fuel.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In the prior art, fuel in an undiluted state is typically ignited in the combustion chamber of an engine where energy is extracted and used to operate machinery. In a typical automobile, gasoline is pumped from a fuel tank, mixed with air in a carburetor, and then ignited in a combustion chamber, thereby powering the engine but leaving extensive polluting byproducts.

Due to its cleaner combustion, propane has emerged in recent years as a cleaner alternative to gasoline for vehicles. Alternatively, CNG (compressed natural gas), methanol, and ethanol are also in use as fuels, but are not considered as effective as propane More recently, in U.S. Pat. No. #5,823,758, FUEL COMBUSTION ENHANCING CATALYTIC COMPOSITION AND METHODS OF FORMULATING AND UTILIZING SAME, there was described a catalytic fuel additive, known commercially as CGX-4. By mixing such an additive into a fuel, combustion takes place more completely and more effectively, thereby improving combustion efficiency and reducing pollution.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to economize on fuel consumption and reduce pollution resulting from the combustion of fuels.

These and other objects are accomplished, principally, by diluting a fuel with a non-reactive, volume increasing, inert diluter, such as neon, and preferably also adding a combustion enhancing additive.

Additionally, a metallic mesh is employed in the fuel tank to improve the suspension of the diluter. This metallic mesh is typically an expanded aluminum sheet that is either formed into multiple packets for insertion into the tank or otherwise rolled or folded to fit within the tank.

As a consequence of using this diluted fuel, less fuel (whether propane, gasoline, CNG, or other fuel) will be consumed, and this results in improved efficiency and reduced pollution emissions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a depiction of one embodiment of the apparatus employed for the mixing of the diluted fuel in accordance with the method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a portion of an expanded aluminum sheet used to form the aluminum mesh within the tank.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a packet formed from the expanded aluminum sheet of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a tank (partially cut away) showing packets of aluminum mesh positioned therein.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a tank (partially cut away) showing aluminum mesh rolled or folded and positioned therein.

While the invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that it is not the intent to limit the invention to that embodiment. On the contrary, it is the intent to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The method and apparatus described herein increases the volume of a liquid or gaseous fuel (e.g., propane, gasoline, CNG (compressed natural gas), methanol, ethanol) by the suspension of a non-reactive, inert diluter within the fuel; and this addition of a diluter is, preferably, also accompanied by the addition of a combustion enhancing additive. As will be discussed in detail below, the diluter, the additive, and the base fuel are injected into a tank which, in the preferred embodiment, has an aluminum mesh substantially filling the interior thereof.

The diluter of the present invention comprises a chemically non-reactive diluter which serves to increase the volume of the fuel without otherwise chemically affecting the fuel. In the preferred embodiment, the diluter is an inert gas (sometimes referred to as a noble gas), such as neon, helium, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon; and in the present invention neon gas is the preferred non-reactive diluter.

The above-mentioned combustion enhancing additive generally comprises a catalytic composition, such as the CGX-4 additive described in U.S. Pat. No. #5,823,758, entitled “FUEL COMBUSTION ENHANCING CATALYTIC COMPOSITION AND METHODS OF FORMULATING AND UTILIZING SAME”. This additive is a catalytic composition that employs a metal oxide catalyst dispersed in an organic carrier; and when it used with the diluted fuel herein, the energy output of the combustion is raised.

Typical apparatus for accomplishing the method of the present invention for diluting the fuel is generally depicted in FIG. 1. Particularly, in the embodiment shown, a tank 12 of the base fuel is arranged to feed a predetermined measured quantity of fuel through its outlet pipe 14 via a control valve 16. Similarly, a tank 22 of diluter feeds a predetermined measured quantity of diluter through its outlet 24 by way of a control valve 26. Finally, an outlet pipe 32 from a tank 34 of the combustion enhancing additive feeds a predetermined measured quantity of additive through a controlled valve 36. In the preferred embodiment, the above-mentioned control valves are electronically calibrated and electronically controlled to provide the desired ratio of the volumes of diluter and combustion enhancing additive to the volume of the base fuel.

The components of the diluted fuel mixture are finally fed through piping 37 to a staging tank 38 where they are combined. From this intermediate staging tank the diluted fuel mixture is metered to the consumer's tank 40. Alternatively, the mixture may be injected directly into the consumer's tank 40, omitting the intermediate staging tank.

Turning now to FIG. 2 there is shown a portion 50 of an expanded metallic sheet, the nature of which is well known in the art (see for example U.S. Pat. No. #3,356,256). In the preferred embodiment a sheet of aluminum is provided with an array of slits and then expanded to form the expanded sheet 50. Once expanded, it forms a mesh that displays open areas 52 surrounded by aluminum walls 54. When folded or rolled, this mesh forms interior spaces for holding diluted fuel which are substantially surrounded by the aluminum walls. A packet 60 of mesh, formed from the folded and/or rolled aluminum mesh of FIG. 2, is shown in FIG. 3. Such packets are described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. #6,604,644.

In accordance with the present invention, the interior of a tank, such as the tank 40 of FIG. 1, is substantially filled with the filler packets 60 (see FIG. 4) or substantially filled with a folded or rolled mesh sheet 70 (see FIG. 5). Similarly, the intermediate tank 38 may, likewise, be provided with an interior filler mesh to improve suspension of the diluter within that tank. Consequently, when the diluted fuel is added to either tank, the internal metallic mesh interacts with the diluter and serves to assist in the suspension of the diluter.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that modifications can be made to the apparatus, method, and product without departing from the teachings of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is only to be limited as necessitated by the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A fuel mixture comprising:

a combination of a fuel and a non-reactive diluter suspended in said fuel for increasing the volume thereof.

2. The fuel mixture of claim 1 wherein said diluter comprises an inert gas.

3. The fuel mixture of claim 2 wherein said fuel comprises propane and said diluter comprises neon gas.

4. The fuel mixture of claim 1 further comprising a combustion enhancing additive having a catalytic composition.

5. The fuel mixture of claim 4 wherein said diluter comprises an inert gas.

6. The fuel mixture of claim 5 wherein said fuel comprises propane and said diluter comprises neon gas.

7. A tank of a fuel mixture comprising:

a tank body;

a combination of a fuel and a non-reactive diluter within said tank, wherein said diluter is suspended in said fuel for increasing the volume thereof; and

a metallic mesh positioned within said tank body, wherein said mesh acts to improve the suspension of said diluter within said fuel.

8. The tank of claim 7 further comprising a combustion enhancing additive added to said combination of fuel and diluter, wherein said combustion enhancing additive comprises a catalytic composition.

9. The tank of claim 8 wherein said combustion enhancing additive comprises a metal oxide catalyst dispersed in an organic carrier.

10. The tank of claim 7 wherein said metallic mesh comprises packets of aluminum mesh.

11. The tank of claim 7 wherein said metallic mesh comprises one or more sheets of aluminum mesh rolled or folded to substantially fill the interior of said tank.

12. The tank of claim 11 wherein said diluter comprises an inert gas; and further comprising a combustion enhancing additive added to said combination of fuel and diluter, wherein said combustion enhancing additive comprises a metal oxide catalyst dispersed in an organic carrier.

13. A method for preparing a tank with a diluted fuel mixture, comprising the steps of:

injecting predetermined measured quantities of a non-reactive diluter and fuel into a tank, wherein said diluter is suspended in said fuel for increasing the volume thereof.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising injecting a combustion enhancing additive into said tank.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said tank comprises a tank body having an aluminum mesh positioned therein.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said diluter comprises an inert gas.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein said tank comprises a tank body having a metallic mesh positioned therein to improve the suspension of said diluter within said fuel.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising injecting a combustion enhancing additive into said tank.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said wherein said combustion enhancing additive comprises a metal oxide catalyst dispersed in an organic carrier.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said fuel is propane and said diluter is comprised of an inert gas.