Apparatus for improving the purification of exhaust gases from an internal combustion engine

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH AN ENGINE HAVING AN EXHAUST SYSTEM PROVIDED WITH AN EXHAUST PIPE FOR CONVEYING EXHAUST GASES FROM THE ENGINE, AIR SUPPLY MEANS AND AN EXHAUST PURIFIER HAVING AN INLET IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE EXHAUST PIPE AND AN OUTLET AND CONTAINING AN OXIDATION CATALYST FOR THE OXIDATION OF THE OXIDIZABLE CONSTITUENTS OF THE EXHAUST GASES, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: MEANS FORMING A COMBUSTION CHAMBER UPSTREAM OF THE EXHAUST PURIFIER, MEANS TO INTRODUCE AN AIR-FUEL MIXTURE INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER, IGNITING MEANS IN SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER TO IGNITE THE AIR-FUEL MIXTURE, A BY-PASS CONDUIT HAVING ITS INLET END CONNECTED TO THE EXHAUST PIPE UPSTREAM OF THE EXHAUST PURIFIER AND DOWNSTREAM OF THE AIR SUPPLY MEANS AND OF THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER, VALVE MEANS CONTROLLING THE EXHAUST PIPE AND BY-PASS LINE AND NORMALLY CLOSING OFF THE BY-PASS LINE AND DIRECTING THE FLOW OF EXHAUST GASES TO THE EXHAUST PURIFIER, MEANS FORMING A REACTION CHAMBER IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID BY-PASS LINE AND WITH THE OUTLET OF THE EXHAUST PURIFIER, CERAMIC MATERIAL IN SAID REACTION CHAMBER FOR CONTACT BY GASES PASSING THROUGH THE REACTION CHAMBER, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO A PREDETERMINED MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF THE OXIDATION CATALYST TO STOP THE INTRODUCTION OF THE AIR-FUEL MIXTURE INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND DEACTIVATE THE IGNITING MEANS,