Fuel vaporizer

Claim 1

A fuel vaporizer for an internal combustion engine, comprising: an elongate, tubular heat exchange body formed of a thermally conductive material; a longitudinally extending exhaust gas passage formed centrally through the body, and a plurality of smaller longitudinally extending fuel vaporizing passages formed through the body in parallel, concentric relationship around the central passage, all of said passages opening axially through the opposite ends of the body; an inlet manifold connected with one end of the body, and an outlet manifold connected with the other end thereof, said inlet and outlet manifolds having centrally disposed, axially oriented exhaust gas inlet and outlet openings therein, respectively, for connecting the exhaust from an engine to the central passage for unimpeded flow of exhaust gas therethrough, said inlet and outlet manifolds further having annular chambers therein in communication, respectively, with the inlet and outlet ends of the fuel vaporizing passages, and a fuel inlet to the inlet manifold chamber and a fuel outlet from the outlet manifold chamber, said fuel vaporizing passages having a combined cross-sectional flow area approximately twice as great as the cross-sectional flow area of the fuel inlet, whereby vaporized fuel and air mixture is enabled to expand in said passages and the flow velocity thereof is decreased to promote heat exchange between the body and air/fuel mixture; a fuel atomizer and air/fuel mixing means connected with the fuel inlet to the inlet manifold chamber to supply atomized fuel and air mixture to the fuel vaporizing passages; a combination adapter and butterfly valve means connected with the fuel outlet from the outlet manifold chamber, said adapter being constructed to attach to the intake manifold of an engine in place of the conventional carburetor and to support the heat exchange body on the intake manifold, whereby the heated, vaporized air/fuel mixture flows directly into the intake manifold of the engine while in its heated, vaporized condition and before cooling of the mixture can take place, said butterfly valve means being adapted to be connected to the throttle linkage of an engine on which the vaporizer is mounted for controlling the flow of heated air and vaporized fuel mixture to the intake manifold of the engine; and a backfire relief valve on the outlet manifold in communication with the chamber therein for relief of pressure in the event of a backfire.