The present invention relates generally to system for delivering oxygen to an internal combustion engine of a vehicle and more specifically to a system that pulls oxygen from ambient air and concentrates the same for delivery to the internal combustion engine.
The automotive industry is in a constant search for methods and devices that will improve the fuel efficiency of their vehicles without sacrificing engine performance. Furthermore, governmental restrictions and guidelines serve to provide additional motivation to develop these products. The fruits of these efforts have consisted mainly of new fuel injected engines, computer-controlled fuel supplies, reduced emissions, and fuel additives. Other technologies such as superchargers and turbo chargers have resulted as well, with a widespread acceptance by both the public and manufacturers alike. Accordingly, there is a need for continuous development and improvement of the internal combustion engine with regards to horsepower increase, fuel consumption decreases and reliability increase. The development of the system for delivering oxygen to an internal combustion engine of a vehicle fulfills this need.
Embodiments of the present disclosure may include a system for delivering oxygen to an internal combustion engine of a vehicle including an air filter for removing contaminants from an ambient air source. Embodiments may also include a main air supply pump driven by a first rotational power source to produce pressurized high temperature air. In some embodiments, the first rotational power source may be powered by an internal combustion.
Embodiments may also include the engine of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the air filter may be in pneumatic communication with the main air supply pump generating the pressurized high temperature air. Embodiments may also include a heat exchanger for lowering a temperature of the pressurized high temperature air to produce pressurized cold temperature air.
In some embodiments, the pressurized high temperature air passes into the heat exchanger at a heat exchanger first end and passes out as pressurized high temperature cold air at a heat exchanger second end. Embodiments may also include a fractionating column for receiving the pressurized cold temperature air and producing a unit of liquid oxygen.
Embodiments may also include a liquid oxygen tank for storing the liquid oxygen. Embodiments may also include an expansion valve for transforming the liquid oxygen to a unit of oxygen gas. In some embodiments, the main air supply pump thus produces pressurized high temperature air from a filtered ambient air and transfers to the heat exchanger.
In some embodiments, the heat exchanger lowers a temperature of the pressurized high temperature air to produce pressurized cold temperature air. In some embodiments, the fractionating column produces liquid oxygen as a portion of the pressurized cold temperature air. In some embodiments, the liquid oxygen tank may be capable of storing the liquid oxygen.
In some embodiments, the expansion valve may be configured for being in fluid communication with an internal combustion engine and for delivering a gaseous oxygen thereinto. In some embodiments, the oxygen gas may be ready for usage in the internal combustion engine. In some embodiments, the system provides additional oxygen gas to the internal combustion engine to increase relative horsepower, thereby reducing fuel flow and fuel usage for a fixed operation scenario and reducing contaminants from operation.
In some embodiments, the system may include a pressure relief valve for preventing over pressurization of the liquid oxygen tank and venting excess oxygen gas to an ambient air. In some embodiments, the fractionating column further produces a non-oxygen by-product that may be capable of separate storage. Embodiments may also include a first non-oxygen by-product may be nitrogen oxide.
Embodiments may also include a second non-oxygen by-product, argon. In some embodiments, the system according to may include a cold water flow through an internal coil of the heat exchanger to lower the temperature of the pressurized high temperature air. In some embodiments, the cold water exits the heat exchanger as warm water.
Embodiments may also include a nitrogen output of the fractioning column may include approximately seventy-eight percent and a liquid oxygen output may include approximately twenty-one percent of the fractionating column's outputs. In some embodiments, the system according to may include a high energy freezer pump for producing cold water as an input for a heat exchanger.
In some embodiments, the high energy freezer pump may include a second rotational power source for mechanically powering the high energy freezer pump. In some embodiments, the high energy freezer pump generates cold water as an output. In some embodiments, the second rotational power source may be generated by an auxiliary power source selected from the group consisting of an electric motor, a pneumatic motor, and a hydraulic motor.
In some embodiments, the high energy freezer pump may include a reservoir for buffering a flow of warm water from the heat exchanger to the high energy freezer pump. In some embodiments, the reservoir functions to stabilize and regulate a flow of warm water to ensure consistent operation of the high energy freezer pump and the heat exchanger.
Embodiments may also include a method of use of a system according to procuring the system as part of a new internal combustion engine or as an add-on aftermarket performance product. Embodiments may also include installing the system on or near the internal combustion engine of a vehicle according to specific capacity requirements, configuration, and parameters specific to each utilization scenario.
Embodiments may also include providing mechanical power connections at a first rotational power source and a second rotational power source. Embodiments may also include making piping or tubing interconnects as indicated in
In some embodiments, the system provides additional oxygen gas to the internal combustion engine to increase relative horsepower, thereby reducing fuel flow and fuel usage for a fixed operation scenario and reducing contaminants from operation. Embodiments may also include turning off the internal combustion engine after use, leaving the system ready for operation in subsequent engine operation cycles. Embodiments may also include monitoring a pressure of the liquid oxygen tank using an oxygen pressure gauge on a dashboard of the vehicle. Embodiments may also include maintaining a desired pressure in the liquid oxygen tank through a release pressure valve.
The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:
The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, herein depicted within
The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one (1) of the referenced items.
Referring now to
Internal operation of the heat exchanger 40 is well known in the art which lowers the temperature of the pressurized high temperature air 35 to produce pressurized cold temperature air 60 as an output. The pressurized cold temperature air 60, with a maximum temperature of negative two hundred degrees Celsius (−200° C.), is then routed to a fractionating column 65 which produces liquid oxygen (O2) 70 as an output. The liquid oxygen (O2) 70 is stored in a liquid oxygen tank 75 at a low volume for safety reasons. The liquid oxygen (O2) 70 is transformed to oxygen (O2) gas 80 by use of an expansion valve 85. A pressure relief valve 90 prevents over pressurization of the liquid oxygen tank 75 and vents excess oxygen (O2) gas 80 to ambient air 15, where it is harmlessly absorbed. The oxygen (O2) gas 80 is then ready for usage in an internal combustion engine 125 as will be shown below. It is noted that solid carbon dioxide (CO2) 95 is produced by the fractionating column 65 as a by-product.
The fractionating column 65 receives the pressurized cold temperature air 60 as an input as aforementioned described. In addition to the liquid oxygen (O2) 70 output from the fractionating column 65, a nitrogen (N2) output 100, and an argon (Ar) output 105, are produced as well. The relative percentages are approximately seventy-eight percent (78%) for the nitrogen (N2) output 100 and twenty-one percent (21%) for the liquid oxygen (O2) 70 output. The remaining approximately one percent (1%) will be released through the argon (Ar) output 105 along with other gases fractionated out from the cold temperature air 60 such as carbon dioxide (CO2), helium (He), methane (CH4), hydrogen (H2) and the like. The nitrogen (N2) output 100 and the argon (Ar) output 105 may be vented (as shown in
Referring now to
Referring to
The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by the common user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training. It is envisioned that the system 10 would be constructed in general accordance with
After procurement and prior to utilization, instances in which the system 10 is installed on an existing internal combustion engine 125 would be prepared in the following manner: the various components would be installed on or near the internal combustion engine 125 of the vehicle 150, perhaps as indicated in
During utilization of the system 10, the operation of the internal combustion engine 125 would occur in a transparent manner with the system 10 installed. The system 10 will provide additional oxygen (O2) gas 80 to the internal combustion engine 125 thus increasing relative horsepower. This allows fuel flow to be reduced, thus lowering fuel usage for a fixed operation scenario. As fuel flow is reduced, contaminants from operation are reduced as well.
After use of the system 10, the internal combustion engine 125 is turned off, leaving the system 10 ready for operation the next time the internal combustion engine 125 is operated. The liquid oxygen (O2) tank may also comprise a release pressure valve maintaining a desired pressure and an oxygen pressure gauge in the dashboard of the vehicle 150 to monitor the pressure thereof.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
The present invention was first described in and is a continuation of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/345,090, filed May 24, 2022, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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63345090 | May 2022 | US |