US5647203A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Exhaust gas purification system and exhaust gas purification method
Assignee: NGK Insulators Ltd
•
Filing: 1994-08-11
•
Granted: 1997-07-15
•
Expires: 2014-08-11
Abstract
Abstract An exhaust gas purification system for an internal combustion engine is herein disclosed which comprises an exhaust system having an adsorption flow path provided with an adsorbent capable of adsorbing harmful components such as hydrocarbons in an exhaust gas, and a catalyst flow path provided with at least one catalyst for decreasing the harmful components in the exhaust gas, the exhaust gas purification system being characterized in that an outlet of the adsorption flow path is joined to the catalyst flow path at a predetermined position on the upstream side of the catalyst to form a joint portion; the exhast gas produced at least at the time of the operation start of the internal combustion engine is divided so as to flow through the adsorption flow path and the catalyst flow path in a predetermined ratio, so that part of harmful components such as the hydrocarbons are adsorbed by the adsorbent in the adsorption flow path; and when the adsorbed harmful components begin to desorb from the adsorbent with the temperature rise of the adsorbent, the catalyst on the downstream of the joint portion is activated.
Inventors
- 👤 Fumio Abe
- 👤 Shigeharu Hashimoto
- 👤 Masato Ogawa
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 02:31
CPC Classifications
B; B01; B01D; B01D53/00; B01D53/34; B01D53/92; B01D53/94; B01D53/9481; F; F01; F01N; F01N13/00; F01N13/009; F01N13/011; F01N3/00; F01N3/08; F01N3/0807; F01N3/0828; F01N3/0835; F01N3/0871; F01N3/0878; F01N3/10; F01N3/18; F01N3/20; F01N3/2006; F01N3/2013; F01N3/2026; F01N3/2053; F01N13/08; F01N13/10; F01N13/107; F01N2250/00; F01N2250/12; F01N2330/00; F01N2330/02; F01N2510/00; F01N2510/06; F01N2510/063; F01N2570/00; F01N2570/16; F01N3/24; F01N3/30; Y; Y02; Y02T; Y02T10/00; Y02T10/10; Y02T10/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 32
Claim 1
Independent Claim
202 words
An exhaust gas purification system for purifying exhaust gas flowing therethrough from an internal combustion engine, comprising: separate exhaust manifold outlet sections extending from the internal combustion engine that respectively separately receive exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine, the separate exhaust manifold outlet sections respectively forming an adsorbent flow path and a catalyst flow path, the catalyst flow path including at least one catalyst for treating harmful components in the exhaust gas, and the adsorbent flow path including an outlet and an adsorbent for adsorbing harmful components in the exhaust gas, wherein the outlet of the adsorbent flow path is connected to the catalyst flow path at a position upstream of the catalyst, thereby forming a joint portion; and means for maintaining separate flow of the exhaust gas such that the exhaust gas flows through both the catalyst flow path and the adsorbent flow path at a predetermined ratio of flow rates, whereby harmful components in the exhaust gas are adsorbed by the adsorbent in the adsorbent flow path during cold-start of the engine, and the catalyst of the catalyst flow path is activated when harmful components adsorbed by the adsorbent are desorbed with a rise in temperature of the adsorbent.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
202 words
An exhaust gas purification system for purifying exhaust gas flowing therethrough from an internal combustion engine, comprising: separate exhaust manifold outlet sections extending from the internal combustion engine that respectively separately receive exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine, the separate exhaust manifold outlet sections respectively forming an adsorbent flow path and a catalyst flow path, the catalyst flow path including at least one catalyst for treating harmful components in the exhaust gas, and the adsorbent flow path including an outlet and an adsorbent for adsorbing harmful components in the exhaust gas, wherein the outlet of the adsorbent flow path is connected to the catalyst flow path at a position upstream of the catalyst, thereby forming a joint portion; and means for maintaining separate flow of the exhaust gas such that the exhaust gas flows through both the catalyst flow path and the adsorbent flow path at a predetermined ratio of flow rates, whereby harmful components in the exhaust gas are adsorbed by the adsorbent in the adsorbent flow path during cold-start of the engine, and the catalyst of the catalyst flow path is activated when harmful components adsorbed by the adsorbent are desorbed with a rise in temperature of the adsorbent.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one of oxidizing gas feed means and fuel-combustion air adjustment means for providing an oxygen-excessive exhaust gas composition.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system of claim 2, wherein said system comprises the oxidizing gas feed means, the oxidizing gas feed means being provided upstream of the catalyst.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
The system of claim 1, further comprising detecting means for detecting desorption of harmful components from the adsorbent, said detecting means being installed at least between the adsorbent and the joint portion.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
74 words
The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one of oxidizing gas feed means and fuel-combustion air adjustment means for providing an oxygen-excessive exhaust gas composition, and detecting means for detecting desorption of harmful components from the adsorbent, said detecting means being installed at least between the adsorbent and the joint portion and generating a signal for control of said at least one of oxidizing gas feed means and fuel-combustion air adjustment means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
The system of claim 1, wherein each of said catalyst and adsorbent comprises a honeycomb structure having a large number of passages which are formed by partition walls, said passages extending parallel with a flow direction of the exhaust gas.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
41 words
The system of claim 1, wherein said catalyst comprises a honeycomb structure comprising (i) a heat-resistant inorganic material, and (ii) a catalyst layer provided on the honeycomb structure, the catalyst layer comprising a heat-resistant oxide containing at least one noble metal.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system of claim 1, wherein said adsorbent comprises a honeycomb structure containing a heat-resistant inorganic material supporting an adsorbent layer comprised mainly of zeolite.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
The system of claim 8, wherein said zeolite has an Si/Al molar ratio of not less than 40.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
13 words
The system of claim 8, wherein said adsorbent layer contains a catalyst component.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
15 words
The system of claim 8, further comprising a catalyst layer provided on the adsorbent layer.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one electrical heater provided in the system.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
28 words
The system of claim 12, wherein said electrical heater comprises a honeycomb structure having a pair of electrodes connected thereto, said honeycomb structure comprising a heat-resistant metal material.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
15 words
The system of claim 12, wherein the electrical heater is coated with a catalyst layer.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
13 words
The system of claim 14, wherein said catalyst layer contains a noble metal.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
15 words
The system of claim 12, wherein the electrical heater is coated with an adsorbent layer.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
13 words
The system of claim 16, wherein said adsorbent layer contains a catalyst component.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 12, wherein said electrical heater is provided downstream of the joint portion.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 12, wherein said electrical heater is provided upstream of the joint portion.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
37 words
The system of claim 12, further comprising another catalyst in the catalyst flow path, wherein said heater and said another catalyst are provided upstream of the joint portion, said heater being provided upstream of the another catalyst.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
205 words
A method for purifying exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine, comprising: providing an exhaust gas purification system including separate exhaust manifold outlet sections extending from the internal combustion engine that respectively separately receive exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine, the separate outlet sections forming parallel flow paths that respectively form an adsorbent flow path and a catalyst flow path, the catalyst flow path including at least one catalyst for treating harmful components in the exhaust gas, and the adsorbent flow path including an outlet and an adsorbent for adsorbing harmful components in the exhaust gas, wherein the outlet of the adsorbent flow path is connected to the catalyst flow path at a position upstream of the catalyst, thereby forming a joint portion; flowing exhaust gas into the exhaust gas purification system at least during cold start of the engine such that the exhaust gas flows simultaneously through both the catalyst flow path and the adsorbent flow path at a predetermined ratio of flow rates, whereby harmful components are adsorbed by the adsorbent in the adsorbent flow path; and activating the catalyst in the catalyst flow path upon desorption of the harmful components from the adsorbent with a rise in temperature of the adsorbent.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
205 words
A method for purifying exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine, comprising: providing an exhaust gas purification system including separate exhaust manifold outlet sections extending from the internal combustion engine that respectively separately receive exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine, the separate outlet sections forming parallel flow paths that respectively form an adsorbent flow path and a catalyst flow path, the catalyst flow path including at least one catalyst for treating harmful components in the exhaust gas, and the adsorbent flow path including an outlet and an adsorbent for adsorbing harmful components in the exhaust gas, wherein the outlet of the adsorbent flow path is connected to the catalyst flow path at a position upstream of the catalyst, thereby forming a joint portion; flowing exhaust gas into the exhaust gas purification system at least during cold start of the engine such that the exhaust gas flows simultaneously through both the catalyst flow path and the adsorbent flow path at a predetermined ratio of flow rates, whereby harmful components are adsorbed by the adsorbent in the adsorbent flow path; and activating the catalyst in the catalyst flow path upon desorption of the harmful components from the adsorbent with a rise in temperature of the adsorbent.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 21, further comprising a step of feeding oxidizing gas to the exhaust gas system to provide an oxygen-excessive exhaust gas composition, thereby accelerating activation of the catalyst.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 21, further comprising a step of adjusting amounts of fuel and combustion air to the engine to provide an oxygen-excessive exhaust gas composition, thereby accelerating activation of the catalyst.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 21, further comprising a step of detecting desorption of harmful components from the adsorbent, via a detecting means.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 24, further comprising a step of feeding oxidizing gas to the system, via a signal generated by the detecting means, thereby effectively burning desorbed harmful components by the catalyst.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 24, further comprising a step of adjusting amounts of combustion air and fuel to the engine, via a signal generated by the detecting means, thereby effectively burning desorbed harmful components by the catalyst.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
204 words
An exhaust gas purification system for purifying exhaust gas flowing therethrough from an internal combustion engine, consisting essentially of: separate exhaust manifold outlet sections extending from the internal combustion engine that respectively separately receive exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine, the separate exhaust manifold outlet sections respectively forming an adsorbent flow path and a catalyst flow path, the catalyst flow path including at least one catalyst for treating harmful components in the exhaust gas, and the adsorbent flow path including an outlet and an adsorbent for adsorbing harmful components in the exhaust gas, wherein the outlet of the adsorbent flow path is connected to the catalyst flow path at a position upstream of the catalyst, thereby forming a joint portion; and means for maintaining separate flow of the exhaust gas such that the exhaust gas flows through both the catalyst flow path and the adsorbent flow path at a predetermined ratio of flow rates, whereby harmful components in the exhaust gas are adsorbed by the adsorbent in the adsorbent flow path during cold-start of the engine, and the catalyst of the catalyst flow path is activated when harmful components adsorbed by the adsorbent are desorbed with a rise in temperature of the adsorbent.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
204 words
An exhaust gas purification system for purifying exhaust gas flowing therethrough from an internal combustion engine, consisting essentially of: separate exhaust manifold outlet sections extending from the internal combustion engine that respectively separately receive exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine, the separate exhaust manifold outlet sections respectively forming an adsorbent flow path and a catalyst flow path, the catalyst flow path including at least one catalyst for treating harmful components in the exhaust gas, and the adsorbent flow path including an outlet and an adsorbent for adsorbing harmful components in the exhaust gas, wherein the outlet of the adsorbent flow path is connected to the catalyst flow path at a position upstream of the catalyst, thereby forming a joint portion; and means for maintaining separate flow of the exhaust gas such that the exhaust gas flows through both the catalyst flow path and the adsorbent flow path at a predetermined ratio of flow rates, whereby harmful components in the exhaust gas are adsorbed by the adsorbent in the adsorbent flow path during cold-start of the engine, and the catalyst of the catalyst flow path is activated when harmful components adsorbed by the adsorbent are desorbed with a rise in temperature of the adsorbent.
Claim 31
Independent Claim
204 words
A method for purifying exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine, consisting essentially of: providing an exhaust gas purification system including separate exhaust manifold outlet sections extending from the internal combustion engine that respectively separately receive exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine, the separate exhaust manifold outlet sections respectively forming an adsorbent flow path and a catalyst flow path, the catalyst flow path including at least one catalyst for treating harmful components in the exhaust gas, and the adsorbent flow path including an outlet and an adsorbent for adsorbing harmful components in the exhaust gas, wherein the outlet of the adsorbent flow path is connected to the catalyst flow path at a position upstream of the catalyst, thereby forming a joint portion; flowing exhaust gas into the exhaust gas purification system at least during cold start of the engine such that the exhaust gas flows simultaneously through both the catalyst flow path and the adsorbent flow path at a predetermined ratio of flow rates, whereby harmful components are adsorbed by the adsorbent in the adsorbent flow path; and activating the catalyst in the catalyst flow path upon desorption of the harmful components from the adsorbent with a rise in temperature of the adsorbent.
Claim 32
Independent Claim
204 words
A method for purifying exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine, consisting essentially of: providing an exhaust gas purification system including separate exhaust manifold outlet sections extending from the internal combustion engine that respectively separately receive exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine, the separate exhaust manifold outlet sections respectively forming an adsorbent flow path and a catalyst flow path, the catalyst flow path including at least one catalyst for treating harmful components in the exhaust gas, and the adsorbent flow path including an outlet and an adsorbent for adsorbing harmful components in the exhaust gas, wherein the outlet of the adsorbent flow path is connected to the catalyst flow path at a position upstream of the catalyst, thereby forming a joint portion; flowing exhaust gas into the exhaust gas purification system at least during cold start of the engine such that the exhaust gas flows simultaneously through both the catalyst flow path and the adsorbent flow path at a predetermined ratio of flow rates, whereby harmful components are adsorbed by the adsorbent in the adsorbent flow path; and activating the catalyst in the catalyst flow path upon desorption of the harmful components from the adsorbent with a rise in temperature of the adsorbent.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
EP0532803A1
Cited
JPH0531359A
Cited
EP0485179B1
Cited
DE4207005A1
Cited
US5184462A
Cited
US5379586A
Cited
US5388405A
Cited
US5271906A
Cited
FR2686375A1
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-07-14 | 2001-01-13 | 2001-07-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-07-14 | 2005-01-13 | 2005-07-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-07-14 | 2009-01-13 | 2009-07-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |