Exhaust control apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR MINIMIZING THE COMBUSTIBLE CONTENT OF INCOMPLETELY BURNED EXHAUST GAS DISCHARGED FROM AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE, COMPRISING: (A) MEANS FOR MIXING AMBIENT AIR WITH SAID EXHAUST GAS; (B) A SELF-SUSTAINING AFTERBURNER; (C) A SUBSTANTIALLY LAMINAR FLOW HEAT EXCHANGER HAVING ONE SET OF PASSAGES DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO SAID AFTERBURNER FOR SUPPLYING THE MIXTURE OF AIR AND INCOMPLETELY BURNED EXHAUST GAS TO SAID AFTERBURNER AND ANOTHER SET OF PASSAGES SEPARATE FROM SAID ONE OF PASSAGES AND DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO SAID AFTERBURNER FOR RECEIVING BURNED EXHAUST GAS FROM SAID AFTERBURNER; (D) SAID AFTERBURNER COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET FOR RESPECTIVE RECEIPT OF SAID MIXTURE FROM SAID HEAT EXCHANGER AND DELIVERY OF BURNED EXHAUST GAS TO SAID HEAT EXCHANGER, SAID INLET AND OUTLET BEING AT A COMMON INNER END OF SAID HOUSING WHEREBY GAS BURNING THEREIN IS IN COUNTERCURRENT FLOW RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FLOW OF SAID MIXTURE ENTERING AND INITIALLY FLOWING IN SAID HOUSING, GAS DIRECTLY MEANS POSITIONED WITHIN SAD HOUSING FOR SEPARATING THE FLOW OF SAID MIXTURE FROM THE COUNTERCURRENT FLOW OF SAID BURNING GAS, A MAIN BURNER CHAMBER FORMED IN THE OUTER END OF SAID HOUSING, A SECONDARY BURNER CHAMBER FORMED IN THE INNER END OF SAID HOUSING BETWEEN SAID FIRST BURNER CHAMBER OF SAID OUTLET, MEANS FOR MIXING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID BURNING GAS WITH SAID MIXTURE IN SAID FIRST BURNER CHAMBER.