Apparatus for catalytic treatment of internal combustion engine exhaust gases

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING THE EXHAUST GASES OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE AND THE LIKE COMPRISING A WALLED HOUSING DEFINING A CHAMBER HAVING AN INLET AT ONE END ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO AN EXHAUST MANIFOLD OF THE ENGINE AND AN OUTLET AT AN OPPOSITE END, A BASKET OF FORAMINOUS MATERIAL SUPPORTED IN SAID CHAMBER SO AS TO RECEIVE A FLOW OF SAID EXHAUST GAS THEREAROUND AND THERETHROUGH, A PLURALITY OF IRREGULARLY SHAPED CATALYTIC PELLETS IN SAID BASKET, EACH PELLET COMPRISING A CORE OF RELATIVELY POROUS AND HIGH REMPERATURE TOLERANT MATERIAL HAVING A RELATIVELY THIN COATING OF A METAL OXIDE CATALYTIC MATERIAL, AND EACH BEING RE-COATABLE WITH METAL OXIDE BY A FLUID MIXTURE OF SAID METAL OXIDE IN A RAPID SETTING CEMENTITIOUS ADHESIVE MATERIAL, MEANS DEFINING A PASSAGEWAY THROUGH SAID HOUSING FOR COMMUNICATING SAID FLUID MIXTURE THROUGH THE WALL OF SAID HOUSING AND IN CONTACT WITH SAID PELLETS FOR SELECTIVELY RECOATING SAID PELLETS WITH SAID FLUID MIXTURE OF METAL OXIDE WHILE SAID PELLETS RESIDE IN SAID BASKET, AND HEATING MEANS IN SAID CHAMBER FOR SELECTIVELY HEATING SAID CATALYTIC PELLETS TO ACCELERATE THE TEMPERATURE THEREOF SO AS TO OXIDIZE THE PARTIALLY BURNED AND UNBURNED HYDROCARBONS AND OTHER FRACTIONS OF SAID EXHAUST GASES FOR CHEMICAL DECOMPOSITION THEREOF, SAID HEATING MEANS INCLUDING HOUSING MEANS DEFINING A CYLINDRICAL AIR INTAKE CHAMBER MOUNTED ON SAID HOUSING AND HAVING A CYLINDRICAL COMBUSTION CHAMBER COMMUNICATING THEREWITH AND EXTENDING INWARDLY OF SAID FIRST CHAMBER ADJACENT SAID PELLETS AND BETWEEN SAID INLET AND OUTLET, SAID AIR INTAKE CHAMBER BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AMBIENT AIR, NOZZLE MEANS WITHIN SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A SOURCE OF RAW FUEL FOR SELECTIVELY INJECTING SAID FUEL INTO SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER TO BE MIXED WITH SAID AMBIENT AIR, IGNITING MEANS EXTENDING INTO THE SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT SO AS TO SELECTIVELY IGNITE AND BURN A MIXTURE OF SAID FUEL AND AIR, THE SIDE THROUGH COMMUNICATING WITH SAID FIRST METIONED CHAMBER, SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER HAVING AN OPEN END ADJACENT SAID CATALYTIC PELLETS, A BAFFLE IN SAID OPEN END FOR DISPERSING THE BURNING MIXTURE OVER SAID PELLETS, SAID CATALYTIC PELLETS BEING HEATED TO A RELATIVELY HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR BURNING THE PARTIALLY BURNED AND UNBURNED HYDROCARBONS AND OTHER NOXIOUS FRACTIONS OF SAID EXHAUST GAS FOR DECOMPOSITION THEREOF IN RESPONSE TO COMBUSTION OF SAID MIXTURE IN SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER. WALLS OF SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER HAVING PARTS THER

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR PURIFYING THE EXHAUST GASES OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE AND THE LIKE COMPRISING A WALLED HOUSING DEFINING A CHAMBER HAVING AN INLET AT ONE END ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO AN EXHAUST MANIFOLD OF THE ENGINE AND AN OUTLET AT AN OPPOSITE END, A BASKET OF FORAMINOUS MATERIAL SUPPORTED IN SAID CHAMBER SO AS TO RECEIVE A FLOW OF SAID EXHAUST GAS THEREAROUND AND THERETHROUGH, A PLURALITY OF IRREGULARLY SHAPED CATALYTIC PELLETS IN SAID BASKET, EACH PELLET COMPRISING A CORE OF RELATIVELY POROUS AND HIGH REMPERATURE TOLERANT MATERIAL HAVING A RELATIVELY THIN COATING OF A METAL OXIDE CATALYTIC MATERIAL, AND EACH BEING RE-COATABLE WITH METAL OXIDE BY A FLUID MIXTURE OF SAID METAL OXIDE IN A RAPID SETTING CEMENTITIOUS ADHESIVE MATERIAL, MEANS DEFINING A PASSAGEWAY THROUGH SAID HOUSING FOR COMMUNICATING SAID FLUID MIXTURE THROUGH THE WALL OF SAID HOUSING AND IN CONTACT WITH SAID PELLETS FOR SELECTIVELY RECOATING SAID PELLETS WITH SAID FLUID MIXTURE OF METAL OXIDE WHILE SAID PELLETS RESIDE IN SAID BASKET, AND HEATING MEANS IN SAID CHAMBER FOR SELECTIVELY HEATING SAID CATALYTIC PELLETS TO ACCELERATE THE TEMPERATURE THEREOF SO AS TO OXIDIZE THE PARTIALLY BURNED AND UNBURNED HYDROCARBONS AND OTHER FRACTIONS OF SAID EXHAUST GASES FOR CHEMICAL DECOMPOSITION THEREOF, SAID HEATING MEANS INCLUDING HOUSING MEANS DEFINING A CYLINDRICAL AIR INTAKE CHAMBER MOUNTED ON SAID HOUSING AND HAVING A CYLINDRICAL COMBUSTION CHAMBER COMMUNICATING THEREWITH AND EXTENDING INWARDLY OF SAID FIRST CHAMBER ADJACENT SAID PELLETS AND BETWEEN SAID INLET AND OUTLET, SAID AIR INTAKE CHAMBER BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AMBIENT AIR, NOZZLE MEANS WITHIN SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A SOURCE OF RAW FUEL FOR SELECTIVELY INJECTING SAID FUEL INTO SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER TO BE MIXED WITH SAID AMBIENT AIR, IGNITING MEANS EXTENDING INTO THE SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT SO AS TO SELECTIVELY IGNITE AND BURN A MIXTURE OF SAID FUEL AND AIR, THE SIDE THROUGH COMMUNICATING WITH SAID FIRST METIONED CHAMBER, SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER HAVING AN OPEN END ADJACENT SAID CATALYTIC PELLETS, A BAFFLE IN SAID OPEN END FOR DISPERSING THE BURNING MIXTURE OVER SAID PELLETS, SAID CATALYTIC PELLETS BEING HEATED TO A RELATIVELY HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR BURNING THE PARTIALLY BURNED AND UNBURNED HYDROCARBONS AND OTHER NOXIOUS FRACTIONS OF SAID EXHAUST GAS FOR DECOMPOSITION THEREOF IN RESPONSE TO COMBUSTION OF SAID MIXTURE IN SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER. WALLS OF SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER HAVING PARTS THER