Effective Emissions–Reduction Device

Executive Summary:

	Marcus Ashford - Inventor

Sixty to ninety-five percent of the total hydrocarbon emissions from gasoline engines are generated during the first one to two minutes of operation following a cold start. This occurs in part because of the difficulty in vaporiz­ing enough fuel in a cold engine to achieve stable combustion. Over-fueling currently overcomes the challenge but results in massive pollution.
Researchers have developed a gasoline distillation apparatus for an engine that includes a heated vapor separator, a condenser, and a controller. The heated vapor separator partially vaporizes the engine's primary fuel to generate a fuel vapor. The condenser cools the fuel vapor to produce a liquid secondary fuel that is more volatile than the primary fuel. The controller determines when the engine is supplied with either primary or secondary fuel. The secondary fuel is used only during an initial engine operation period, while the primary fuel is used all other times. After engine operation, the primary fuel is purged from the engine and replaced with the secondary fuel to maximize secondary fuel use during the initial engine operation period.


Advantages:

> Simple, cost-effective device for emissions reduction

> Transparent to the consumer – same performance, same fuel system, requirements

> Easy retrofit for existing fleets

> Reduces startup emissions by 80%

> Reduces total vehicle emissions by 50% to 75%


Applications:

This invention could be used as an effective emissions-reduction device in all liquid-fueled passenger vehicles, including automobiles and light-duty trucks. The market includes automakers and fuel system manufacturers.


Patent Status:

U.S. Patent Granted (No. 6,119,637).  Additional patents pending relative to the production design