Emission control means

Claim 2

An afterburner device for effecting substantially complete combustion of unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide which may be present in the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine, comprising, in combination: an elongate housing having an inlet for exhaust gas adjacent one end and an outlet for exhaust gas adjacent its other end, said housing also having an inlet chamber at said other end thereof; means for introducing incoming combustion-supporting air in swirling fashion into said inlet chamber; burner chamber means communicating at one end with said inlet and at its opposite end with said outlet and having a divergent portion spaced downstream from said inlet; passage means for conducting incoming air from said inlet chamber toward said one end of the housing in spiralling, heatexchange relation around said burner chamber means, and including a passage communicating with said inlet for exhaust gas upstream of said burner chamber means; and ignition means downstream of and adjacent to said divergent portion of the burner chamber means for igniting the mixture of exhaust gas and incoming air thereat, said ignition means including an externally powered ignition device for igniting the mixture and a plurality of circumferentially spaced and radially inwardly directed flame holding rods to sustain burning of the mixture.

Claim 3

A combined acoustical muffler and afterburner for effecting substantially complete combustion of unburned hydrocarbons and carBon monoxide which may be present in the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine, comprising in combination: an elongate outer housing forming an enclosure; an elongate inner housing disposed within said outer housing, said inner and outer housings having respective tubular walls disposed in substantially uniformly spaced relation defining a passageway therebetween extending along the length of said outer housing; an exhaust gas inlet conduit extending through said outer housing at one end thereof and discharging into the corresponding one end of said inner housing; a burner chamber having a tubular inlet end projecting through said one end of the inner chamber in surrounding, spaced relation to the inner end of said inlet conduit to communicate with said one end of the outer housing; means for introducing air into the other end of said outer housing to flow air through said passageway and into said burner chamber through said inlet end thereof whereby the incoming air and exhaust gas are intermixed thereat; said burner chamber inlet end being divergent in a downstream direction; means for igniting the gas mixture adjacent said inner end of the burner chamber; a flow reverser downstream of said burner chamber and including a transverse baffle plate and a tubular skirt extending toward said one end of the inner housing in inwardly spaced relation to the tubular wall of the latter; a sleeve nested within said skirt for directing burning gas from said burning chamber toward said baffle plate and forming a passage with said skirt for reversal of burning gas leading to the space between said skirt and said tubular wall of the inner housing; and an outlet conduit extending from said other end of the inner housing through said outer housing; said ignition means being in the form of a plurality of circumferentially spaced and radially inwardly directed flame holding rods, and an externally powered ignition device.

Claim 4

A combined acoustical muffler and afterburner for effecting substantially complete combustion of unburned hydrocarbons and carBon monoxide which may be present in the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine, comprising in combination: an elongate outer housing forming an enclosure; an elongate inner housing disposed within said outer housing, said inner and outer housings having respective tubular walls disposed in substantially uniformly spaced relation defining a passageway therebetween extending along the length of said outer housing; an exhaust gas inlet conduit extending through said outer housing at one end thereof and discharging into the corresponding one end of said inner housing; a burner chamber having a tubular inlet end projecting through said one end of the inner chamber in surrounding, spaced relation to the inner end of said inlet conduit to communicate with said one end of the outer housing; means for introducing air into the other end of said outer housing to flow air through said passageway and into said burner chamber through said inlet end thereof whereby the incoming air and exhaust gas are intermixed thereat; said burner chamber inlet end being divergent in a downstream direction; means for igniting the gas mixture adjacent said inner end of the burner chamber; a flow reverser downstream of said burner chamber and including a transverse baffle plate and a tubular skirt extending toward said one end of the inner housing in inwardly spaced relation to the tubular wall of the latter; a sleeve nested within said skirt for directing burning gas from said burning chamber toward said baffle plate and forming a passage with said skirt for reversal of burning gas leading to the space between said skirt and said tubular wall of the inner housing; and an outlet conduit extending from said other end of the inner housing through said outer housing; said ignition means being in the form of a plurality of circumferentially spaced and radially inwardly directed flame holding rods, and an externally powered ignition device.