US1732125A - Vaporizing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Oct. l5, 1929. 4 D. E. FowLEl 1,732,125

VAPORIZING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 13, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 www Lm @Howl/Mad Patented @et 15, 1929 UNrriznh sTATs P'raNT- OFFICE DANIEL E. FOVTLER, 0F EL PASO, TEXAS, ASSGNOR 0F ONE-THIRD TO FRANK R. MCKAY .AND ONE-THIRD TO NETTIE IVI.. I-IAWKINS, BOTH 0F EL PASO, TEXAS VAPORIZING APFARATUS Application filed August 13 The present invention relates to improvements in vaporizing devices, and has for an object to conserve fuel and promote economy in the operation of internal combustion engines.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved vaporizing device in which heated air is admitted to a liquid body of the fuel and circulated through suoli body in order to highly charge the air with this volatile fuel substance.

A further object of the invention resides in providing an improved vaporizing device in conjunction with the vacuum or other fuel receiving tanks, in which provision is made for the shutting olf of the air to the fuel body during the interval that the vacuum tank is being replenished withy fuel.

With the foregoing and other objects inl view, which will readily become apparent to those skilled in this art, the inventionV will be more fully described hereinafter and more fully pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like parts throughout the several views, y

Figure 1 is a vertical section taken through an improved vacuum tank constructed accoi-ding to the present invention,

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2-'-2 in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is also a vertical section takenA through the improved vacuum tank with the parts in another position, and

Figure A isa horizontal section taken on the line 1 4C in Figure 1. Referring more` particularly to the drawings, 5 designates a vacuum or other tank having a pipe connection 6 communicating with the fuel tank usually found at the rear of motor vehicles. The pipe 6 enters the upper portion of the vacuum tank 5 and is provided therein with a valve seat 7 forreceiving the needle valve 8 carried by andr movable with the float 9.

The stem of the needle valve 8 may be guided in any appropriate manner, as, for instance by the use of projecting pins 10 engaging in elongated slots 11 formed in the free end portions of the swinging guide bars 12 which are pivoted to brackets 13 mounted within the upper portions of the vacuum tank 5. The iioat- 9 is preferably housed within a separate compartment 14 constructed within the vacuum tank and having free communication with the liquid space of the vacuum tank as by means of the openings or perfor-ations 15 formed in the bottom of the compartment structure. This bottom of the compartment structure is also preferably provided with a bearing 16 for slidably receiving a rod 17 coupled to move with the float 9 and projecting downwardly from the lower portion thereof. The rod 17 at its lower end is provided with one or more pins 18 for engaging in t-he slot 19 provided in the end of the lvalve bar 20. This valve bar is pivoted upon a bracket 21 carried by any appropriate part within the vacuum tank, as, for instance, by the air inlet pipe 22. Affixed tol the bar 2O are a number of needle valves'23 projecting downwardly and positioned to engage seats formed upon the upper ends of hollow jet tubes 24;.

These jet tubes are preferably graduated in height to compensate for the swinging movement of the valve bar 20, whereby the valves may all be simultaneously moved to a closed position, as shown in Figure 3, or to an open position, as indicated in Figure 1. The hollow jets 2l1are mounted in the upper portion o f a horizontal air pipe 25 v.which communicates at one end with the vertical air pipe 22. The free end of the pipe 25 is closed as by a cap 26. A heating coil 27, or other form of heater, is mounted in the pipe 25 with its take-0E pipe 28 extending through the cap 26.

The vertical air inlet pipe 22, which is preferably'of considerably larger diameter than the horizontal airpipe 25, extends at it-s upper end through the roof of the vacuum tank and is in ldirect open communication with the outside atmosphere, except that an air screen or filter 29 is preferably carried by the inlet mouth of the pipe to avoid the entrance of dirt and other foreign matter which would be apt to clog the air jets, valves and other moving parts. A hot water inlet pipe 30, which is in communication with a suitable 'source of hot water supply as,y for instance, the npper portion of the engine water jacket, is brought down into the upper end of the air inlet pipe 22 and connected with a coil 31 having a rela- .tively large pipe diameter. This coil 31 extends for only a short distance in the upper portion of the air pipe 22. At its lower end, it connects with a similar coil 32v although it is preferably of a smaller pipe diameter.

The lower portion of the larger coil 31 also connects with a take-off pipe 33 which is extended substantially horizontally of the wall of the air tube 22 and to a position above the float compartment where the pipe is wound in one or more convolutions 34- about the valve stem 8 and directly beneath the discharge end 7 of the fuel inlet pipe 6, whereby the incoming liquid fuel will be sprayed. upon the hot coil 34. At 35 is represented the takeolf pipe for the coil 34. This take-olf pipe preferably extends down and connects with the take-off pipe 28 for the coil 27. A common return pipe 36 connects with both take-off pipes and acts to return the water to a low cold point inthe circuit from which it was taken when hot by the pipe 30.

A screen 37 is shown as stretched substantially horizontally across the vacuum tank through which the incoming gasoline may descend and through which the rising air bubbles are required to pass von their way to the outlet pipe 38 which communicates with the engine. This outlet pipe 38 extends into the upper portion of the t-ank, and it is provided with a convex baille plate 39 held by appropriate means in spaced relation below the end of the pipe 38. This convex baffle plate 39 is mounted in conjunction with a companion baffle plate 40 held by the straps, or other fastenings, 41 from the vacuum tank, and spaced below the first-mentioned baffle plate 39. A central opening 42 is made in the lower baffle plate 40 to admit the rising carbureted air particles against the convex surface of the upper plate 39, which will deflect same about the edges of the plate 39 and have a tendency to precipitate any foreign matter or liquid, preventing same from getting into the outlet pipe 38. -At the bottom of the tank is the take off pipe 43 for the liquid gasoline to the float chamber of the carburetor. n

Tn the operation of the device, if we assume that the vacuum tank is full of liquid fuel,

' such liquid fuel raises the float 9 to the posi.-

tion shown in Figure 1, closing the valve 8 against the valve seat 7, and preventing further inflow of liquid fuel through the pipe 6. ln this position of the parts, the valve rod 20 is raised and the various valves 23 have been lifted from their respective seats on the jets 24, thus exposing the jets and permitting the free influx of air from the jets innumerous minute bubbles upwardly through the body of liquid fuel contained in the vacuum tank. It will be remembered that this rising air has been previously heated by contact, first, with the large coil 31,. and. subsequentlv. by circulation in and about and in contact with the subsequent coils 32 and 27. Due to the relatively long course which the air is required to traverse in and about the lengthy coils, this air is preheated to a high degree before it is permitted to issue from the jets 24.k The heated condition of the air promotes a ready vaporization of the liquid fuel, and the air becomes more readily carbureted; that is, it more readily absorbs the liquid fuel. The rising bubbles from the ets, having passed through the body of gasoline, ascend to the upper vapor space of the tank and are drawn ofi' from the tank through the pipe 38 in accordance with the suction demands of the motor. I

When the liquid level of the fuel in the i tank 5 recedes below a predetermined minimum, the float 9 will fall, as indicated in Figure 3, thus opening the valve 8 and permitting the entrance of fuel through the pipe 6, and at the same time close the valves 23 against the air jets 24. By closing the air jets, the entire force of the vacuum devolves upon the gasoline liquid in the supply tank at the rear of the automobile, and thus, this gasoline is more readily raised through the pipe 6 than would be the case if partial loss of this vacuum were allowed to go on through the suction of air from the atmosphere through the airtube 22.

j The incoming liquid gasoline, striking upon the hot coil 34, will tend to become promptly vaporized. The pipe 33 and coil 35 are also preferably yof smaller pipe diameter than the large coil 31, it being the purpose for this large coil 31 to carry sufficient volume of hot liquid to supply both the coil 34 and the coil 32 without loss of efnciency in either coil. It will be appreciated that the device is wholly independent in its operation of springs or other parts that are apt to become crystallized, and for this and other reasons, less faithful in operation. The construction is simple, the parts few, and the operation of the device dependable. Low grade fuels may be more readily and thoroughly vaporized by the use of the device, and gasoline mileage of motor vehicles is considerably raised. The device improves the operation of motor vehicles and renders the startingof internal combustion engines much more prompt, particularly in cold weather. 'e

Although vaporization is necessarily slower in cold weather, overnight or after the motor vehicle has been standing for a considerable length of time, fuel vapors will have accumulated in a dense mass at the top of the vacuum tank, and as soon as the internal combustion motor is started, a `highly rich mixture will be promptly drawn into the motor to facilitate starting.

It will be obvious that many changes in the construction, combination and arrangement bar,

of parts could be made, which could be used without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not mean to limit the invention to such details, except as particularly pointed out in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A vaporizing apparatus comprising a tank in communication with a source of liquid fuel supply and with the intake of an engine, an air conduit to the tank below the liquid level, a heating coil having large and small portions in the air conduit, and a heating coil for the incoming fuel tapped into the large portion of the first heating coil.

2. A Vaporizing apparatus comprising a tank in communication with a source of liquid fuel supply and with the intake of an engine, an air conduit to the tank below the liquid level, a heating coil in the air tube, jets leading from the air tube, valves for the jets, a pivoted bar carrying the valves, a float, a rod depending from the float and coupled to said a valve extending upwardly from the float to control the inlet of fuel and closed when the irst-named Valves are open, guide means'for the last-named valve, and a compartment for the float.

DANIEL E. FOWLER.

Images