BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to internal combustion engines such as diesel engines, and more particularly to systems and methods for reducing emissions and improving the efficiency of diesel internal combustion engines.

2. Background and Related Art

Worldwide emissions, stemming primarily from the burning of fossil fuels, are reaching the highest levels ever recorded. By some measures, the emissions associated with burning fossil fuels have already reached nearly 5 metric tons per person per year. Internal combustion engines, including diesel engines, are a major contributor of fossil fuel emissions. By some measures, there are over 300 million diesel engines worldwide contributing to such emissions.

Internal combustion engines, and diesel engines in particular, emit particulate matter (PM) and governments around the world are realizing that these emissions are a cause for great concern. As a result, many countries/jurisdictions, including the United States, the European Union and China, are passing regulations which require significantly reduced emissions from internal combustion engines, including diesel engines.

Accordingly, more and more, businesses are forced to comply with these new air quality standards at their own expense. Sometimes, the costs for modifying large fleets of vehicles to meet new regulations can exceed US $30,000 per vehicle.

An attributable amount of emissions created by internal combustion engines is a result of the internal combustion engines failure to convert all of the energy available in the hydrocarbon fuel (e.g., gasoline and/or diesel fuel). This incomplete conversion is often a result of what is commonly referred to as incomplete combustion of the fuel. Incomplete combustion results in an unnecessary loss of fuel efficiency and an increase in pollution.

Accordingly, it is desirable to have a system and/or method for use with an internal combustion engine that aids in achieving more complete combustion of the hydrocarbon fuel, reduced emissions, and/or better fuel economy, or otherwise improves certain metrics of the internal combustion engine.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Implementation of the invention provides systems and methods for improving efficiency and reducing emissions of internal combustion engines, and in particular diesel internal combustion engines. Implementation of the invention may achieve an improvement in the fuel efficiency of an internal combustion engine, such as a gasoline engine, a diesel engine, a two-stroke engine, a four-stroke engine, combinations thereof, and the like. Implementation further provides for substantially complete combustion of fuel by the internal combustion engine, or at least more-complete combustion of fuel. Because of the more-complete combustion of fuel, the internal combustion engine may have improved operation, such as operating at a cooler temperature and with fewer emissions.

Implementation of the invention may produce a gas mixture from a water electrolysis process, and may deliver the gas mixture to an intake of the internal combustion engine. The generation of the gas mixture may be reliably controlled to provide a gas mixture for combustion according to engine needs (e.g., engine speed, etc.) so as to maximally enhance combustion. Additionally, the generation of the gas mixture may be reliably controlled to prevent a runaway condition in the gas generation system.

Implementation of the invention may alter combustion in the internal combustion engine to reduce particulate formation. The gas mixture generated may act as an accelerant to speed combustion, enhance combustion, and/or increase the extent of combustion. A shorter combustion process may be achieved according to implementation of the invention, which may lower engine temperatures and reduce the formation of nitrogen oxides.

An exemplary system for improving efficiency of an internal combustion engine includes an electronic controller generating an alternating-current (AC) signal having a frequency in a range between 10 MHz and 50 MHz and comprising a positive output and a negative output and an electrolysis reactor electrically connected to the electronic controller. The electrolysis reactor includes a plurality of substantially parallel plates arranged in a stack. The plurality of plates includes a central positive plate centrally located in the stack and electrically connected to the positive output, a first positive end plate electrically connected to the positive output, and a second positive end plate electrically connected to the positive output. The plurality of plates also includes a first negative plate located in the stack equidistantly between the central positive plate and the first positive end plate and electrically connected to the negative output, and a second negative plate located in the stack equidistantly between the central positive plate and the second positive end plate and electrically connected to the negative output. The plurality of plates further includes a plurality of neutral plates, each neutral plate being disposed between one of the positive plates and one of the negative plates, wherein each of the neutral plates is not electrically connected to either of the positive outlet or the negative outlet by a metallic electric connection. The system also includes an aqueous solution flowing through the electrolysis reactor, the solution containing an electrolyte.

An electrical connection between the positive output and each of the positive plates may include an electrical wire between the electronic controller and the electrolysis reactor and an electrical connection between the negative output and each of the negative plates may include an electrical wire between the electronic controller and the electrolysis reactor.

Each plate in the stack may be separated from each immediately adjacent plate in the stack by an incompressible non-conductive spacer. Each spacer may have a border portion extending along an outer edge of its adjacent plates and a central divider extending from one side of the spacer to an opposite side of the spacer. The central divider may divide an inter-plate space between immediately adjacent plates into two fluidly separate elongate chambers. Each plate except the central positive plate may include four fluid passage holes, with one fluid passage hole being disposed at a first end of each elongate chamber, and with one fluid passage hole being disposed at a second end of each elongate chamber. The central positive plate may be substantially impermeable to passage of fluid. A fluid-tight gasket may be disposed around an edge of each elongate chamber between immediately adjacent plates.

A pump may be fluidically connected to the electrolysis reactor to circulate the aqueous solution through the electrolysis reactor. The pump may be of a type having electrical components electrically insulated from the aqueous solution passed through the pump. The pump may have no metal parts in contact with the aqueous solution. The pump may be a diaphragm pump.

The AC signal may have a frequency of between 26 and 36 MHz.

In the system, all components of the system exposed to the aqueous solution may be electrically insulated from a vehicle containing or engine connected to the system, such that the only electrical input to or electrical output from the aqueous solution occurs at the stack of plates where the output of the electronic controller is received.

Another exemplary system for improving efficiency of an internal combustion engine includes an electronic controller generating an AC signal having a frequency in a range between 26 MHz and 36 MHz and comprising a positive output and a negative output and an electrolysis reactor electrically connected to the electronic controller. The electrolysis reactor includes a plurality of substantially parallel plates arranged in a stack. The plurality of plates includes a central positive plate centrally located in the stack and electrically connected to the positive output, a first positive end plate electrically connected to the positive output, and a second positive end plate electrically connected to the positive output. The plurality of plates also includes a first negative plate located in the stack equidistantly between the central positive plate and the first positive end plate and electrically connected to the negative output and a second negative plate located in the stack equidistantly between the central positive plate and the second positive end plate and electrically connected to the negative output. The plurality of plates further includes a plurality of neutral plates, each neutral plate being disposed between one of the positive plates and one of the negative plates, wherein each of the neutral plates is not electrically connected to either of the positive outlet or the negative outlet by a metallic electric connection. The electrolysis reactor also includes a plurality of incompressible non-conductive spacers, with one non-conductive spacer disposed between each pair of immediately adjacent plates. Each spacer includes a border portion extending along an outer edge of its adjacent plates and a central divider extending from one side of the spacer to an opposite side of the spacer and dividing an inter-plate space between immediately adjacent plates into two fluidly separate elongate chambers. The system further includes an aqueous solution flowing through the electrolysis reactor, the aqueous solution including an electrolyte.

A fluid-tight compressible gasket may be disposed around an edge of each elongate chamber between immediately adjacent plates. Each plate except the central positive plate may include four fluid passage holes, with one fluid passage hole being disposed at a first end of each elongate chamber, and with one fluid passage hole being disposed at a second end of each elongate chamber, and wherein the central positive plate is substantially impermeable to passage of fluid from any elongate chamber. A diaphragm pump may be fluidically connected to the fluid passage holes of the first positive end plate and the second positive plate, whereby the diaphragm pump circulates the aqueous solution through four sub-cells of the electrolysis reactor, beginning and ending for two sub-cells with the fluid passage holes of the first positive end plate and beginning and ending for two other sub-cells with the fluid passage holes of the second positive end plate.

The system may also include a tank storing a quantity of the aqueous solution and having a gaseous space above a liquid level in the tank. The system may further include a supply fluid circulation path between a lower end of the tank and the electrolysis reactor, a return fluid circulation path between the electrolysis reactor and an upper end the tank, and an engine supply line extending from the gaseous space of the tank to an engine inlet of an internal combustion engine, the engine supply line including a scrubber to remove liquid from a fluid flowing to the engine inlet from the tank.

The tank may be in close proximity to and vertically spaced above the electrolysis reactor, and the tank may be in close proximity to the internal combustion engine.

An exemplary method for improving efficiency of an internal combustion engine includes a step of providing an electrolysis reactor in close proximity to an internal combustion engine. The electrolysis reactor includes a plurality of substantially parallel plates arranged in a stack. The plurality of plates includes a central positive plate centrally located in the stack and electrically connected to the positive output, a first positive end plate electrically connected to the positive output, and a second positive end plate electrically connected to the positive output. The plurality of plates also includes a first negative plate located in the stack equidistantly between the central positive plate and the first positive end plate and electrically connected to the negative output and a second negative plate located in the stack equidistantly between the central positive plate and the second positive end plate and electrically connected to the negative output. The plurality of plates further includes a plurality of neutral plates, each neutral plate being disposed between one of the positive plates and one of the negative plates, wherein each of the neutral plates is not electrically connected to either of the positive outlet or the negative outlet by a metallic electric connection. The electrolysis reactor further includes a plurality of incompressible non-conductive spacers, with one non-conductive spacer disposed between each pair of immediately adjacent plates. Each spacer includes a border portion extending along an outer edge of its adjacent plates and a central divider extending from one side of the spacer to an opposite side of the spacer and dividing an inter-plate space between immediately adjacent plates into two fluidly separate elongate chambers. The method further includes a step of supplying an AC signal having a frequency in a range between 26 MHz and 36 MHz between the various positive and the various negative plates. The method also includes steps of flowing an aqueous solution including an electrolyte through the electrolysis reactor, whereby a water electrolysis product is formed in the solution and delivering the water electrolysis product to an intake of the internal combustion engine.

The method may include a step of controlling an amperage of the AC signal to prevent heat runaway of the aqueous solution.

