Exhaust gas purifying thermal reactor

Claim 1

A reactor apparatus for use with an internal combustion engine for purifying the exhaust gases emitted therefrom, said apparatus comprising in combination: a first reaction chamber comprised of a substantially cylindrical inner shell having both ends open; a second reaction chamber comprised of an intermediate sHell enclosing said inner shell, ends closed and fillet welded to said inner shell at a position intermediate to the length of said inner shell; an outer shell completely enclosing said intermediate shell and separated therefrom by an adiabatic space therebetween; at least one pair of guide tubes, each tube having one end operatively connected to the internal combustion engine and the other end extending through said outer shell and said intermediate shell, and into said inner shell, said guide tubes being located on opposite sides of the position at which said inner shell is connected to said intermediate shell and each tube further having in that portion of the tube located in the first reaction chamber an opening in the sidewall thereof opposing the opening in the opposite guide tube; a first supporting strip having both ends fillet welded to the top portion of said intermediate shell, with the intermediate portion thereof connected to said outer shell by a circular welded fillet at the intermediate portion of the length of said intermediate shell, whereby said intermediate shell is held in position within said outer shell; a second supporting strip fillet welded at the intermediate position thereof to the inner shell at a position 180* circumferentially from the position where the inner shell is connected to the intermediate shell and with the ends of said second supporting strip fillet welded to the inside of the intermediate shell in a horizontal plane above the horizontal plane containing the fillet weld connecting the intermediate portion of the strip to the inner shell; at least one exhaust duct having one end open into the second reaction chamber and the other end directed outwardly and passing through the outer shell for discharging the purified exhaust gas from the apparatus; and duct support means in the outer shell for supporting the exhaust duct as it passes therethrough.