Precombustion conditioning device for internal combustion engines

Claim 1

In an internal combustion engine fired by a vaporizable liquid hydrocarbon fuel and air mixture and including, in combination, piston and cylinder assemblies within the engine, a carburetor to which the fuel and air are to be supplied to provide the fuel air mixture, said carburetor having an outlet, an engine intake manifold connected between the carburetor and the engine and defining a passageway for forming a fluid flow path for conducting the fuel-air mixture to the engine piston and cylinder assemblies from the carburetor to said assemblies, said manifold having an inlet connected to the outlet of the carburetor, whereby the fuel-air mixture passes into the manifold, and means for igniting the fuel-air mixture when supplied to said assemblies to drive the engine, the improvement wherein: the passageway is defined by electrically conductive surfaces, and including means for electric contact charging the liquid fuel particles of the fuel air mixture in passing through the passageway and comprising: a gasket of electrically insulating material secured about said passageway in circumambient relation thereto. a screen formed from electrically conductive material supported by, and electrically insulated from the carburetor and manifold by said gasket, and extending across said passageway in screening relation to the full bore defined by same coextensively of and across the width of said fluid flow path within the manifold, said screen having a mesh size lying in the range of from about 10 to about 30, said igniting means including battery means externally of said engine having a positive terminal and a negative terminal, with the positive terminal of the battery means being electrically connected to said screen and the negative terminal of said battery means being electrically connected to said electrically conductive surfaces, said battery means including means for providing a direct current positive charge through said electrical connections to said screen, coextensively of said screen, relative to said surfaces lying in the range of from about 2 to about 25 volts, whereby when said engine is operated and the fuel-air mixture moves from the carburetor through said passageway, the liquid fuel particles of said mixture are contact charged positively by engagement with said screen across the full width of said path for electrostatic attraction to and impingement against said surfaces for effecting electrostatically and by impact effect a high surface to volume ratio for such particles for maximumized evaporation effect, and whereby cleaning of said surfaces of engine deposits thereon is effected.