INJECTION SYSTEM OF LIQUID PROPANE-GAS (LPG) INTO THE AIR- INTAKE SYSTEM OF A DIESEL ENGINE, WHICH REDUCES BOTH TOXIC GASES EXPELLED INTO THE ENVIRONMENT AND FUEL CONSUMPTION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is related to a system that injects liquid propane gas (LPG) into the air-intake system of a diesel engine, achieving the reduction of toxic gases that are expelled into the environment and the reduction of fuel consumption.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Although the internal combustion of a diesel engine is efficient because it transforms the chemical energy of diesel into powerful mechanical energy, it has important disadvantages that relate to the negative effect it has over the environment. It is caused by the incomplete combustion of diesel that occurs during the process of its use. This produces an important quantity of toxic gases that, if accumulated in high quantities, are harmful to the people's health. On the other hand, very well-known are the shortage problems of nonrenewable energy sources such as fossil fuels, which are more expensive and scarce everyday.
One of the solutions that have come up for this problem has been presented. It is the development of clean technologies that can be used in car engines, such as engines that work with electricity and others that work with natural liquid gas. However, these solutions have the important disadvantage of having to make great modifications to the existing engine or even having to replace the complete thing. Well, this problem does not occur with the following invention because it proposes a device that is added and adapted to a diesel engine, without having to modify the engine in any major way. As a consequence, the engines continue to work the same way but with better performance because this device injects liquid propane gas into the air- intake system with which it accomplishes a better and more complete combustion of the diesel and reduces the quantity of fuel needed to give the engine the same power. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Due to the great contamination with which we live everyday and the more frequent problems of high prices and shortage of fuels, the following invention proposes a system that allows a reduction of toxic emissions and at the same time it produces a saving of fuel specially in vehicle that use diesel, such as public transportation, trucks used in industries, etc. The gases that are emitted by city traffic are considered highly contaminating and undesirable. A good solution would be to incorporate technologies that translate into a reduction of those toxic gases produced by the combustion of fossil fuels.
The solution that the following invention proposes is based in a system that injects (LPG) liquid propane gas directly into the air- intake system of a vehicle without having to modify the engine which is what is done when you completely change the engine to another type of fuel. This invention incorporates a device to the engine and the LGP acts as a complement of the diesel, maintaining the engine's own characteristics, improving the energy performance and decreasing the harmful emissions. The characteristics offered by the new system are possible through the injection of LPG into the air-intake system which mixes with air.
In the engine, when a piston goes down inside the cylinder, it sucks the air that has already been mixed with the LPG. When the piston goes up, it squeezes the gas-air mixture increasing its temperature to very high degrees. At this moment the injectors throw the pulverized diesel inside the cylinder, causing a more complete combustion of the fuel diesel. As a consequence, it decreases the quantity of residual particles that occur in an incomplete combustion (as in normal diesel engines.)
Also, the quantity of diesel injected into de cylinder decreases intentionally, because part of the total amount of the diesel is replaced by the LPG to achieve the same power in the engine. For example, if an engine initially works with 100% diesel and 100% air, with the addition of the LPG, you now run the engine with 80% diesel, 20% LPG and 100% air. The savings of diesel achieves a savings in the consumption of fuel without the engine losing power. One of the benefits of this system is the ability to lower the emissions of toxic gases produced by the incomplete combustion of diesel engines by more than 50%. As a result, it lowers the opacity by 70%, obtains an economy of 35% and it also increases the power of the engine by 25%. Another advantage of this system is the high safety that it works in due to the low pressure that all its components work with, a reduced p.s.i. of only 1. The LPG system that is installed on a diesel engine is made up of a gas- storing container for the LPG, flexible , shielded conductors of gas from the container to the engine, a device that regulates the pressure inside the conductors that transport the gas, a way to measure the pressure of the gas while it is flowing, systems to control the flow of gas while it goes to the point of injection, a system that activates the regulating-valve of gas flow and an injection system at the air-intake of the diesel engine. The storing container for the LPG is a pressurized tank typically used by loading cranes which will be located inside the car at a safe place where it won't receive hits.
The device to regulate the pressure of the LPG inside the flexible, shielded conductors that carry the gas consists of a pressure-regulating valve that receives the gas from the tank at 120 psi and reduces it to 1 psi. The transporting of the gas from the tank to the intake of the engine consists of flexible, shielded conductors that can withstands pressures of 200 PSI. They are located in the following points: the first conductor goes from the tank to the pressure - regulating valve. A second conductor goes from the pressure - regulating valve to the flow- regulating valve. A third conductor goes from the pressure - regulating valve to the pressure-measuring device and a forth flexible conductor goes from the flow- regulating valve to the connector of the injection.
The devices that measure the pressure are the same traditional instruments such as manometers, which are installed at the output of gas at the gas tank and the point where the gas comes out of the pressure regulator.
The system to regulate the flow of gas that goes to the point of injection consists of a flow-regulating valve that is connected to the acceleration system of the vehicle. This valve is activated by a lever or plate that connects to the pedal of the accelerator which moves in relation to the pressure applied to it by the driver. This opens the flow-regulating valve letting the gas pass to the injection system.
The way to inject the gas into the air-intake system of the diesel engine consists of a connector placed at the end of the gas conductor that comes from the flow-regulating valve. This connector is fixed to the air- intake system of the car, through which the gas that comes from the flow-regulating valve is injected to the air-intake system.
The safety system of the gas flow consists of electromagnetic safety valves that open and close the pass of gas depending on if the engine is on or off. When the engine is on, the electromagnetic valves open and permit the flow of gas and when the engine is turned off, the valves automatically close and stop the flow of gas so it does not continue to come out of the tank and does not come out of the gas conductors. A safety valve is located at the output of the gas tank and another in the injection system. While operating, the system works the following way: once the engine has been started, the safety valve opens at the tank and in the injection system. At the moment when the driver steps on the gas pedal, the connecting lever mechanically gives the order to the flow-regulating valve to open up the gas flow according to the pressure put on the gas pedal. The gas that comes from the tank at 120 p.s.i, through a flexible shielded conductor, reaches the pressure-regulating valve where the pressure is lowered to 1 p.s.i. The gas comes out of the pressure regulating valve and goes to a flow-regulating valve which sends the gas in the quantity ordered by the connecting lever fixed at the gas pedal. Through the injection system, the gas is blown into the air-intake system of the car where both, the gas and air, are mixed and injected into the cylinders where the combustion of the diesel takes place.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
A detailed description will take place together with the figures that are part of this presentation, where:
Fig. 1 shows a top perspective of the injection system. Fig. 2 shows a side view of the injection system.
Fig. 3 shows a close up perspective of the injection system and the flow- regulating device of the injection system Fig. 4 shows a close up perspective of the pressure-regulating system and the gas conductors of the injection system.
Fig. 5 shows a close up of the gas-storing container of the injection system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The LPG injection system installed to a diesel engine is composed of a LPG storing container, flexible- shielded conductors from the tank to the air-intake of the engine, pressure-regulating devices in the flexible conductors, devices to measure the pressure during the transit of the gas, activation devices that regulate the passing of the gas, safety devices for the transit of the gas and devices for injecting the gas into the air-intake system of the diesel engine. The storage for the LPG consists of a pressurized tank (2) of the traditional type used in loading cranes. It will be placed in a safe place of the vehicle, free from possible hits. The pressure-regulating system consists of a pressure-regulating valve (3) that receives the gas from the tank (2) with a pressure of 120 p.s.i. and lowers it to 1 p.s.i.
The conductors of gas from the tank to the air-intake system of the engine consist of flexible shielded conductors (4) that can withstand 200 p.s.i. They are located in the following places: one from the tank to the pressure- regulating valve, a second one from the pressure-regulating valve to the flow- regulating valve, a third one from the pressure-regulating valve to the pressure-measuring device and a forth one from the flow-regulating valve to the injection connector. The system for measuring the pressure of the LPG consist of traditional instruments that are used for these purposes, such as manometers (5) which, in this system, are located at the output of the storing tank and another at the output of the pressure-regulating valve. The system for activating the injection consist of a flow-regulating valve (6) for LPG that is connected to the acceleration system of the vehicle and more specifically, connected to the gas pedal through a plate or lever connection (7) which moves in relation to the pressure put on the gas pedal by the driver. This produces the opening of the valve permitting gas to pass at measured quantities to the injection system. The injection system consist of a connector (8) that is connected to the air- intake system of the vehicle through which the gas coming from the flow- regulating valve is injected in the air-intake system.
The safety system for the gas flow consists of electromagnetic safety valves that open and close the flow of gas depending if the engine is on or off. When the engine is on, the electromagnetic valves open and permit the flow of gas and when the engine is turned off, the valves automatically close and stop the flow of gas so it does not continue to come out of the tank and does not come out of the gas conductors. A safety valve is located at the output of the gas tank and another in the injection system.
While operating, the system works the following way: once the engine has been started, the safety valve opens at the tank and in the injection system. At the moment when the driver steps on the gas pedal, the connecting lever mechanically gives the order to the flow-regulating valve to open up the gas flow according to the pressure put on the gas pedal. The gas that comes from the tank at 120 p.s.i, through a flexible shielded conductor, reaches the pressure regulating valve where the pressure is lowered to 1 p.s.i. The gas comes out of the pressure regulating valve and goes to a flow-regulating valve which sends the gas in the quantity ordered by the connecting lever fixed at the gas pedal. Through the injection system, the gas is blown into the air-intake system of the car where both, the gas and air, are mixed and injected into the cylinders where the combustion of the diesel is produced.