Patent Application
20110120105
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to car engine waste gas treatment technology and more particularly, to an engine waste gas treatment method and apparatus that effectively decompose volatile organic compounds discharged from a car engine, reducing air pollution.
2. Description of the Related Art
A car engine, either gasoline engine or diesel engine, discharges a big amount of waste gas to pollute the atmosphere during operation. Exhaust gases in the atmosphere cause a greenhouse effect, i.e., the rise in temperature that the Earth experiences. A strong greenhouse effect in the atmosphere makes the Earth warmer than usual. An extra warming of the Earth may cause problems for humans, plants, and animals. Since the late 20th century, the strong greenhouse effect in the atmosphere has aroused great concern among people around use. More particularly, the automotive industry has been continuously proposing new measures to reduce the exhaust amount of waste gas. One of the best way to reduce the exhaust amount of waste gas from the diesel engine of a diesel vehicle is to install an exhaust gas purifier in the exhaust pipe of the diesel vehicle. Further, a diesel vehicle uses compression ignition to burn fuel oil or substitute fuel, performing the diesel cycle to convert chemical energy into thermal energy and power output. During combustion, pollutants including PM (particulate matter), smoke, NOx (mono-nitrogen oxides), CO (carbon monoxide), SOx (sodium oxides), CO2 (carbon dioxide), NC (hydrocarbon) and other waste matters are produced and discharged out of the exhaust pipe into the atmosphere, causing damage to the ozone layer, occurrence of acidic rain and rise in greenhouse effect. In case PM (particulate matter) in exhausted waste gas contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or metal oxides, breathing in such exhausted waste gas may cause lung, bronchi or breathing passage diseases. According to a local air pollution source investigation, 46% of particulate matter and 51% of NOx of mobile source of air pollution came from diesel vehicles. Most big public transportation vehicles are of diesel vehicles. To control discharge of diesel engine waste gas is an important measure to improve air quality.
Further, the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere filters potentially damaging ultraviolet light from reaching the Earth's surface. Ozone is mainly located in the lower portion of the stratosphere from approximately 10 km to 50 km above Earth, though the thickness varies seasonally and geogaphically. Further, ozone is present in low concentrations (0.01˜0.04 ppm) throughout the Earth's atmosphere to prevent abnormal growth of bacteria. However, continuous increase of CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) gas in the atmosphere causes the ozone layer to be seriously weakened. According to investigation, the Earth's surface temperature has raised 2° C. when compared to the record 50 years ago. In consequence, the average environmental magnetic field has dropped from the early 0.5 Gauss to the present 0.45 Gauss.
Further, to meet new vehicle exhaust emission standards, electronic direct ignition system may be used with a nested ceramic filter element to filtrate carbon dioxide, hydrocarbon, mono-nitrogen oxides, sodium oxides and black ash particles. When the back pressure surpasses a predetermined value, diesel oil is added to the engine valve outlet to increase the combustion temperature, or added to the inside of the exhaust pipe near the filter element to increase the temperature of the filter element, causing cumulated carbon in the filter elements to be burned out. There is known a technique to add diesel oil to the engine valve outlet to increase the combustion temperature for burning out accumulated particles in the filter element. It is complicated to install an electronic direct ignition system and a nested ceramic filter element in a diesel vehicle. Further, these conventional methods simply reduce the carbon deposition problem. These methods show no effects on reduction of toxicity.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a measure that effectively reduces the toxicity of the discharged waste gas of a motor vehicle.
The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is the main object of the present invention to provide an engine waste gas treatment method and apparatus, which utilizes ozone to decompose volatile organic compounds carried in the waste gas discharged from a vehicle engine, reducing toxicity.
It is well known that ozone is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. Two atoms of oxygen form the basic oxygen molecule that is essential to life. The third oxygen atom can detach from the ozone molecule, and re-attach to molecules of other substances, thereby altering their chemical composition. Further, ozone has many industrial and consumer applications. For example, ozone can be used to remove manganese from water, forming a precipitate which can be filtered. Ozone will also turn cyanides to less toxic cyanates. Further, ozone will also completely decompose urea. Further, ozone generators are practical for use to sanitize and deodorize uninhabited buildings, rooms and motor vehicles. Ozone can be applied to kill bacteria. Ozone can minimize bacterial growth, control parasites and eliminate transmission of some diseases.
In view of the aforesaid ozone advantages, the invention uses the characteristics of ozone for treating the exhausted waste gas of a motor vehicle reduce the toxicity.
To achieve the objects of the present invention, an ozone generator is installed in a motor vehicle and electrically connected to the power circuit of the motor vehicle, and a shunt pipe is connected between the zone generator and the exhaust pipe of the motor vehicle. Thus, when the motor vehicle is started, the ozone generator starts to generate ozone that is guided by the shunt pipe into the exhaust pipe of the motor vehicle to mix with exhausted engine waste gas, decomposing volatile organic compounds.
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Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.
