Abstract: A filter adapted to connect to an internal combustion engine in relatively close proximity to the engine. The filter will receive a stream of hot exhaust gas immediately as the latter passes from the engine's combustion chambers. The gas then passes through a filter bed disposed within a manifold system incorporated into the filter. The filter bed includes means for stabilizing the temperature thereof within a desired range, regardless of the operating condition of the engine, and the temperature of exhaust gas.

Abstract: Apparatus for controlling the emission of exhaust gas from a diesel engine used in mining operations consists of a purifier chamber within a water jacketed adaptor and having an inlet for connection to the outlet from the exhaust manifold of the engine. The purifier chamber contains a catalytic purifier for the reduction of carbon monoxide passing from the inlet of the purifier chamber to its outlet, which is connected to a water scrubber for the reduction of the temperature of exhaust gases, the removal of some of the products of combustion, and for quenching exhaust flames.

Abstract: A method for combustion of gaseous fuels and flue gases in which the heat content of the combustion products is partially recycled to the combustion process by heat exchange with combustion air and/or gas, and air and gas are fed to a reaction chamber, where a surface combustion takes place separating air and gas regions, and the combustion heat by heat exchange is partially transmitted to air and gas prior to and during their entering the reaction zone giving off the heat to the combustion process, the surface combustion being maintained by the temperature of air and gas being above the ignition point of the mixture and above the ignition point of carbon monoxide/air mixtures.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine and means to operate the same to produce minimal quantities and concentrations of oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbons (HC). The engine is operated with a lean air/fuel mixture at both low and high load conditions, thereby minimizing said emissions. Low load operation on lean mixtures is made possible by means and methods for maintaining at a suitably low numerical value the residual fraction which is defined as the ratio of gases in a cylinder from a previous cycle and the total gases in the cylinder for the next cycle (said gases from a previous cycle plus new mixture). Said means may comprise apparatus to shorten the duration of intake and exhaust valve overlap, or of opening the engine throttle wider than normal and retarding the ignition to reduce the engine speed at low loads. Means is preferably provided wherein the fuel in the air/fuel mixture is well-vaporized and the mixture is uniform and homogeneous.

Abstract: Purifier unit comprising a porous body coated with a substance having catalytic action to bring about purification of a medium, primarily a gas passing through the unit. A main field of use is the purification of hot exhaust gases from internal combustion engines. To render the porous purifier unit insensitive to the high temperature of the engine exhaust gases and the great variations of temperature particularly in winter time when starting a motor vehicle, and at the same time resistant to high mechanical stress and shock arising mainly from jolts and vibrations of a motor vehicle in motion, the porous body is comprised of a plurality of thin, at least partly corrugated, layers forming between themselves fine passageways extending from end to end for the medium to be purified and coated with the catalyst. The layers consist of a skeleton obtained from asbestos paper by precipitation of certain inorganic substances and subsequent heating to the fusing or slagging temperature for said substances.

Abstract: What follows is a description of an improvement in equipment for the exhaust gas detoxification of internal combustion engines. An insulated heat pipe is provided which transfers heat from the engine's exhaust manifold to an exhaust gas reactor. The heat pipe contains a first zone serving as an evaporation zone, a second zone serving as a transport zone for transporting a working medium between the first zone and a third zone. The third zone serves as a condensation zone. The heat pipe has an interior capillary tube along which the condensed heat transfer medium flows toward the heat source and within which the vaporized medium flows toward the heat sink.

Abstract: A catalytic device takes the form of a manifold connectible to the engine block of an internal combustion engine to receive the exhaust gases. The manifold has an outer jacket for receiving coolant, e.g., water, and within this jacket is provided a chamber containing a catalyst cartridge serving to treat the exhaust gases to remove carbon monoxide therefrom. The cartridge is replaceable and has a pipe at one end which forms an exhaust pipe and a tubular projection into which the gases are passed. The cartridge is spaced from the inner surface of the chamber wall and is thermally insulated therefrom.

Abstract: A spark-ignition multiple cylinder internal combustion engine for an automotive vehicle, comprising a first set of cylinders operative on a relatively rich air-fuel mixture and a second set of cylinders operative on a relatively lean air-fuel mixture and having a thermal reactor incorporated into the exhaust system, the internal combustion engine being characterized by a comprehensive emission control system uniting various subsystems of the engine such as the air-intake, mixture induction, exhaust and ignition systems which are provided with means for cooling the thermal reactor by forced air in response to an unusual rise of the temperature of the thermal reactor, means for warming up air in the air-intake system at a rate related to engine load and the temperature of air in the intake system, means for supplying secondary air in accordance with the varying operating conditions of the engine, and means for retarding ignition timing during driving a cold engine.

Abstract: In an outboard motor having an engine located above the water level, a lower unit is provided extending downwardly from the engine and includes an exhaust gas tube within the lower unit with its lower end positioned below the water level. Laterally enclosing the exhaust gas tube is a liquid jacket and a heat insulating jacket is positioned between the exhaust gas tube and the liquid jacket for maintaining the temperature of the exhaust gases at a level such that an afterburning of any oil residue in the exhaust gases is achieved before the gases are discharged from the exhaust gas tube.

Abstract: An internal-combustion spark-ignition V-8 piston engine has an exhaust gas reaction chamber body positioned between its two banks of cylinders. Each cylinder has a main combustion chamber communicating with an auxiliary combustion chamber by means of a torch opening. A main intake manifold with branching portion over the reaction chamber communicates with main intake passages to supply a lean air-fuel mixture to the main combustion chambers. An auxiliary intake manifold with branching portion directly below the central portion of the branching portion of the main intake manifold communicates with auxiliary intake passages to supply a rich air-fuel mixture to the auxiliary combustion chambers. Exhaust passages supply hot exhaust gases from the cylinders to exhaust gas conduits, each of which receives hot exhaust gases from two adjacent cylinders and projects through an insulated wall of the reaction chamber to discharge into it toward an end wall thereof.

Abstract: An apparatus according to the invention utilizes an elongated combustion chamber at least partially surrounded by a cooling air chamber receiving cooling air, directing a portion of the heated cooling air into the combustion chamber, and discharging the remaining heated cooling air into the atmosphere. A number of separated ducts discharge afterburned exhaust gas and are connected to a combustion chamber discharge pipe. Each duct has a wall forming a joint heat exchange surface with the cooling air chamber and the openings of the ducts into the atmosphere are separate from the air chamber opening. The ducts may each be formed of a corrugated metal shell with the corrugation peaks connected with the exterior wall of the cooling air chamber.

Abstract: A reaction chamber for combustion of the carbon monoxide content of flue gas, comprising a casing and a catalyst of austenite steel for ignition of the carbon monoxide content of the flue gas, wherein said catalyst of austenite steel is located in said casing downstream the mixing point of said flue gas with combustion air, so that a reliable catalytic ignition of the streaming flue gas is given without the use of any support fire and without any admixture of heating gases.

Abstract: An emission control system for an internal combustion engine cools the exhaust gases sufficiently to condense a substantial portion of the pollutants as a separable liquid or solid phase. The engine exhaust gases are initially cooled and then compressed, again cooled, and work-expanded in an open reversed Brayton cycle to obtain a significant temperature decrease. The resulting cooled gases from this the pollutants are readily separated may be employed to provide refrigeration or air-conditioning for moving vehicles.

Abstract: Air is pumped into the engine exhaust manifold to promote oxidation of unburned remnants in exhaust gas when the temperature in a catalytic converter is below a safe level. The air supply to the exhaust manifold is shut off and air is pumped into the catalytic converter to cool it if the temperature goes above the safe level. The catalytic converter includes a catalytic means, having an outer periphery, which is resiliently supported away from the inner circumference of the converter casing. Upon the catalytic means reaching a predetermined maximum temperature, air is pumped into the annular space located between the outer periphery of the catalytic means, which may comprise either a particulate or a monolithic catalyst, and the inner circumference of the casing.

Abstract: A system for purifying heated exhaust gases discharged from an internal combustion engine, a furnace, or the like. The system includes a novel rotating finned tube heat exchanger of generally cylindrical configuration. The exchanger has a plurality of longitudinally extending conduits which direct the exhaust gases back and forth between opposite end chambers of the heat exchanger. The gases are additionally passed, as required depending upon the type of pollutants they contain, through a series of purification devices which may include a novel afterburner to rid the gases of entrained unburned fuel, one or more water bath devices to cleanse the gases, and a separator to removed unburned compounds.

Abstract: An insulated heat pipe is provided which transfers heat from the engine's exhaust manifold to an exhaust gas reactor. The heat pipe contains a first zone serving as an evaporation zone, a second zone serving as a transport zone for transporting a working medium between the first zone and a third zone. The third zone serves as a condensation zone. The heat pipe has an interior capillary tube along which the condensed heat transfer medium flows toward the heat source and within which the vaporized medium flows toward the heat sink.

Abstract: An anti-pollution device for treatment of the gases exhausted from a fuel burning internal combustion engine which comprises a reactor housing through which the exhaust gases are circulated from an inlet to an outlet, means for admixing an oxygen containing gas with the exhaust gases during passage through the housing, means for cooling down the gaseous mixture whereby moisture condenses from the moisture vapor contained in the gaseous mixture to form an alkaline medium from the wet nitrogenous gases and in which surfaces contacted by the gaseous mixture under the conditions described within the housing are formed of a metal containing nickel, cobalt or other metal having a catalytic action to convert pollutants to their more highly oxidized state under the conditions to which the hot gaseous mixture is exposed within the housing.

Abstract: Internal combustion exhaust gases are catalytically treated and cleaned in a catalyst bed in contact with the exhaust gas conduit of the engine while avoiding overheating and thermal distriction of the catalyst bed according to the present invention by selectively directing a continuous source of heated, secondary air into the catalyst bed then, when the catalyst reaches a predetermined temperature value, the heated air is discharged directly to the atmosphere cooling the exhaust gases, and reducing the temperature of the catalyst bed. The exhaust pipe, upstream of the catalyst, is provided with a double walled conduit and the secondary air is continuously passed through the outer conduit and selectively directed into the catalyst bed or vented to the atmosphere depending upon temperature conditions in the catalyst bed.