Reactor assembly to reduce automotive emissions from an internal combustion engine

Claim 1

An assembly for reducing the level of contaminants in exhaust gases emitted from The exhaust ports of an internal combustion engine containing a fuel enrichment device for increasing the fuel:air ratio in the engine during the warm-up period of the engine''s operation which comprises: a. means for introducing air to said exhaust ports to mix with said exhaust gases; b. combustion stabilizing means, separate and independent of said air introduction means and located adjacent to said exhaust ports and entirely downstream of said air introduction means, for stabilizing the combustion of the air-exhaust gas mixture which occurs in the region of said exhaust ports thereby providing, during said warm-up period, reduced levels of unburned contaminants emitted into the atmosphere and rapid warm-up of reactor means located downstream of said combustion stabilizing means; and c. reactor means, located downstream of said combustion stabilizing means, for combusting any uncombusted air-exhaust gas mixture, said reactor means comprising wall means defining a generally annular combustion chamber having inner and outer boundaries, exhaust inlet means defined in the wall means comprising the outer boundary of said chamber, said inlet means being disposed to tangentially introduce said air-exhaust gases mixture into said combustion chamber, and exhaust outlet means defined in the wall means comprising the inner boundary of said chamber, said exhaust outlet being positioned and proportioned relative to said inlet means so that the exhaust gases leaving the reactor through said exhaust outlet means are substantially completely combusted.