Apparatus for the detoxification of exhaust gases in internal combustion engines

Claim 1

In an apparatus for detoxification of the exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine, including an exhaust system with an exhaust pipe and at least one thermal or catalytic reactor located in the path of the exhaust gases and including a bypass channel connected at its two ends to the exhaust gas pipe so that exhaust gases may be diverted to prevent overheating the reactor, the improvement comprising: means defining a branchoff location of the exhaust pipe to which one end of the bypass channel is connected thereby maintaining a continuous communication of the bypass channel with the exhaust gas flow at the branchoff location; cooling means, attached to said bypass channel for cooling the exhaust gases flowing through said bypass channel; means providing that said bypass channel is rejoined at its other end with the exhaust pipe upstream of said reactor; and a fluid flow control system including at least one control line channel connected at one end to the exhaust pipe in the region of said branchoff location and at its other end to the exhaust pipe downstream of said branchoff location and a cross section adjustment means contained within said control line channel so that said control line channel is in continuous communication with the flow of exhaust gas in the exhaust pipe; whereby conditions within said control line channel serve to effect fluidic control over the exhaust gas flowing in the region of said branchoff location in the exhaust pipe and as a result can divert at least part of the exhaust gas stream in the exhaust pipe into the bypass channel whenever a predetermined mass flow rate of the exhaust gas in the exhaust pipe is reached, achieving thereby an oscillation of this exhaust gas stream between the exhaust pipe and the bypass channel.