Method and apparatus for oxidizing organic fats within an internal combustion engine

Abstract

It is widely appreciated that renewable sources of energy are desirable. In particular, in recent years the development of biodiesel has been encouraged in order to find a replacement for fossil fuels in internal combustion engines. Typically, such biodiesel is based on triacylglycerols of vegetable origin. Animal fat, due to its different chemical composition and production process presents additional challenges when attempted to be used as a source of fuel. Most known methods require extensive processing of naturally occurring fats in order for them to be usable in conventional engines. According to the present invention, there is provided a method of oxidizing organic fats within an internal combustion engine to generate power by applying a first electrical charge to an oxidizer (e.g. air) and applying a second electrical charge to the organic fat opposite in polarity to the first electrical charge. In this way, constituents of the organic fat to be oxidized are attracted to the oxidizer, in preference to an interior surface of the combustion chamber. Thus, carbonization of the interior surface of the combustion chamber is reduced, as material contributing to carbonization is retained within exhaust gas.

Claims

1. A method of oxidizing organic fats within an internal combustion engine to generate power, comprising the steps of: providing an internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber, a fuel intake to the combustion chamber, and an oxidizer intake to the combustion chamber; providing an oxidizer to be used within the internal combustion engine, the oxidizer comprising a combination of air and hydrogen peroxide; vaporizing the hydrogen peroxide; applying a first electrical charge to the oxidizer; introducing the charged oxidizer into the combustion chamber via the oxidizer intake; providing organic fat to be oxidized within the internal combustion engine applying a second electrical charge to the organic fat; introducing the charged organic fat into the combustion chamber via the fuel intake; and oxidizing the charged organic fats in the combustion chamber to generate power; wherein the first electrical charge has a substantially opposite polarity to the second electrical charge.

2. The method of oxidizing organic fats within an internal combustion engine to generate power of claim 1, further comprising the step of pre-heating the organic fat prior to introduction into the combustion chamber.

3. The method of oxidizing organic fats within an internal combustion engine to generate power of claim 1, wherein the step of applying a first electrical charge to the oxidizer comprises passing the oxidizer adjacent to at least one first charged electrode.

4. The method of oxidizing organic fats within an internal combustion engine to generate power of claim 1, wherein the step of applying a second electrical charge to the organic fat comprises passing the organic fat adjacent to at least one second charged electrode.

5. An internal combustion engine for oxidizing organic fats therein, comprising: a combustion chamber; an organic fat intake to the combustion chamber; an oxidizer intake to the combustion chamber configured to receive a combination of air and vaporized hydrogen peroxide; an oxidizer charging device for applying a first electrical charge to oxidizer to be introduced into the combustion chamber via the oxidizer intake; and an organic fat charging device for applying a second electrical charge to organic fat to be introduced into the combustion chamber via the fuel intake; wherein the first electrical charge has a substantially opposite polarity to the second electrical charge.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The above and other characteristics, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. This description is given for the sake of example only, without limiting the scope of the invention. The reference FIGURES quoted below refer to the attached drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 is schematic representation of an internal combustion engine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(3) The present invention will be described with respect to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. Each drawing may not include all of the features of the invention and therefore should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention.

(4) Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking or in any other manner. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other sequences than described or illustrated herein.

(5) Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

(6) It is to be noticed that the term comprising, used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It is thus to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression a device comprising means A and B should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B.

(7) Similarly, it is to be noticed that the term connected, used in the description, should not be interpreted as being restricted to direct connections only. Thus, the scope of the expression a device A connected to a device B should not be limited to devices or systems wherein an output of device A is directly connected to an input of device B. It means that there exists a path between an output of A and an input of B which may be a path including other devices or means. Connected may mean that two or more elements are either in direct physical or electrical contact, or that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other but yet still co-operate or interact with each other. For instance, wireless connectivity is contemplated.

(8) Reference throughout this specification to an embodiment or an aspect means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or aspect is included in at least one embodiment or aspect of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases in one embodiment, in an embodiment, or in an aspect in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or aspect, but may refer to different embodiments or aspects. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics of any embodiment or aspect of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments or aspects.

(9) Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the description various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, FIGURE, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Moreover, the description of any individual drawing or aspect should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in fewer than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

(10) Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form yet further embodiments, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

(11) In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practised without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

(12) In the discussion of the invention, unless stated to the contrary, the disclosure of alternative values for the upper or lower limit of the permitted range of a parameter, coupled with an indication that one of said values is more highly preferred than the other, is to be construed as an implied statement that each intermediate value of said parameter, lying between the more preferred and the less preferred of said alternatives, is itself preferred to said less preferred value and also to each value lying between said less preferred value and said intermediate value.

(13) The use of the term at least one may mean only one in certain circumstances.

(14) The principles of the invention will now be described by a detailed description of at least one drawing relating to exemplary features of the invention. It is clear that other arrangements can be configured according to the knowledge of persons skilled in the art without departing from the underlying concept or technical teaching of the invention, the invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

(15) FIG. 1 is schematic representation of a portion of an internal combustion engine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The internal combustion engine comprises a cylinder 10, inside which is located a reciprocating piston 12 complete with sealing piston ring 14. A connecting rod 16 couples the piston 12 to the crankshaft (not shown), such that movement of the piston 12 by virtue of explosive combustion of fuel within the cylinder 10 causes the crankshaft to rotate.

(16) The cylinder 10 is provided with an air intake 18, which can be selectively sealed by an intake valve 20 in a conventional manner. Similarly, an exhaust 22 is provided, which is similarly selectively sealed by an exhaust valve 24.

(17) Upstream of the air intake 18 is provided an air charging unit 26 composed of a container 28 in which are disposed a series of four coiled steel wires 30 each charged by a voltage of +35 kV. In this way, air supplied to the cylinder 10 is first positively charged as it passes over the coiled steel wires. An air supply pipe 32 feeding the air charging unit 26, the air charging unit 26 itself, the air intake 18, the air intake valve 20 together with the cylinder 10, piston 12, piston ring 14, exhaust valve 24 and exhaust are all substantially electrically non-conducting. In this way, the positive charge of the air can be ensured.

(18) A fuel injector 34 is provided to inject fuel into the cylinder 10 in a manner similar to that in a conventional diesel engine. A pump 36 is provided to supply the fuel to the fuel injector 34. Prior to introduction to the pump 36, the fuel (in this case organic fats) is pre-heated to approximately 90 degrees centigrade in a pre-heater (not shown) before being passed through a section of pipe 38 in which is contained a further coiled steel wire 40 charged by a voltage of 35 kV. In this way, organic fat supplied to the cylinder 10 is first negatively charged as it passes over the coiled steel wire.

(19) The pipe 38, pump 36 and fuel injector 34 are all substantially electrically nonconducting. In this way, the negative charge of the organic fat can be ensured.

(20) The positively charged air is combined with the negatively charged organic fat at high temperature and pressure within the electrically non-conducting cylinder such that matter within the organic fat (i.e. either being fat, oil or other impurities) is preferentially attracted to the air, in preference to the cylinder 10 or other non-conducting components of the internal combustion engine. Thus, the organic fat, and combustion products, have a tendency to become entrained within the air fluid flow such that deposition within the engine, including carbonization, is reduced.