A CHARCOAL FILTER AND PRESSURE RELEASE-APPARATUS FOR USE WITH AN APPARATUS FOR COMBUSTION ENHANCER FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates to a charcoal filter and pressure release apparatus to be used with an apparatus filed under PCT/SG96/00022 to improve the mass of air to mass of fuel ratio in an internal combustion engine. Recovered hydrocarbon gas vapours and radical hydrogen gas from the engine positive crankcase together with ambient air are mixed with the liquid mixture in the apparatus, dissociating the molecular chains of hydrocarbon gas vapours producing gas vapours of high octane hydrocarbon properties and hydroxide gases with oxygen gases. By charging negative electron ions to these gas vapours, negatively charged pre-oxidized hydrocarbon gas vapours are formed to mix with air and fuel in the combustion chamber of an engine. The negatively charged pre-oxidized hydrocarbon gas vapours improves the mass of air to mass of fuel ratio of an internal combustion engine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The internal combustion engine is used to convert the chemical energy of fuel into heat energy and then converts this heat energy into useful mechanical energy. This is achieved by combining the appropriate amounts of air and fuel and burning the mixture in an enclosed cylinder at a controlled rate.

An average mass of air to mass of fuel ratio of good combustion for Petrol engine is about 15 parts of air to 1 part of fuel by weight. Diesel engine operates on a much wider mass of air to mass of fuel ratio, since air intake is not regulated on most diesel engines. Ratio may range from about 20: 1 to about 100 : 1. This fact, plus the high compression of the diesel engine, makes it a fuel efficient engine.

But the ratio of air and fuel becomes insufficient due to the poor quality of oxygen and the different grades of fuel entering into the engine. These are the main factors that affect energy loss of an internal combustion engine.

The efficiency of existing internal combustion engine illustrated in Figure 1, in converting the potential energy in fuel to mechanical energy is only about 33%. Of the available fuel energy in an engine, about one-third is loss, due to the following factors: The main factor is pyrolysis, which is caused by the mixing of undesirable gas compounds with hydrocarbon gas vapours vented out from the positive crankcase vent and the fuel tank vent connected to the air induction system, of an engine. The mixing of undesirable gas compound upsets the ratio of oxygen for combustion process.

The other factor is loss of hydrocarbon gas vapours vented out to the atmosphere from the fuel tank vent, and the positive crankcase vent. These factors contribute to the loss of energy and the imbalance of the mass of air to mass of fuel ratio. The remaining one-third energy loss of hydrocarbon gas vapours is through the emission of unburnt hydrocarbon in the exhaust system.

These energy losses result to poor combustion.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an apparatus to produce negatively charged pre-oxidized hydrocarbon gas vapours to combine with the air and fuel mixture in the combustion chamber to improve the mass of air to mass of fuel ratio of an internal combustion engine.

In addition, the ambient air consisting of nitrogen and oxygen (N+O2), upon mixing with the negatively charged pre-oxidized hydrocarbon gas vapours (HC + OfF +0-2) combined with the vaporised hydrocarbon fuel (HC) in the combustion chambers, increasing oxygen content and addition pre-oxidized hydrocarbon to enhance combustion process by promoting greater expansion of the pistons during combustion process. After combustion, the emission of exhaust chemical formation have lower counts of hydrocarbons (<HC), carbon monoxide (<CO), lower oxides of nitrogen (<NOx), lower carbon particulate (<CP) with more compound gases of carbon dioxide (COZ), nitrogen dioxide (N02), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and extra oxygen (02).

Here is the equation that shows what happens after combustion in an engine with the negatively charged pre-oxidized hydrocarbon gas vapours from a combustion enhancer apparatus; HC+N+Q+ (HC+OIIF+W)-> <HC+<CO+<NO+<CP+CO2+NO+HD+SO2+02 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a charcoal filter and pressure release apparatus for the treatment of gases in a fuel tank ventilation system of an internal combustion engine in which the gases containing unburnt hydrocarbon gas vapours which can be utilised for combustion and normally directed to the air induction system of the engine are re-circulated through and for further combustion process in the engine.

The apparatus comprises a housing which sealably encloses a gas filtering media, which is capable of absorbing hydrocarbon gas vapours. The apparatus further includes a first chamber for absorbing vented hydrocarbon gas vapours connected to the fuel tank vent, which are drawn by vacuum effect by the air induction system and a second chamber for air pressure release of the combustion enhancer apparatus which absorbs hydrocarbon gas vapours during air pressure release condition and filters the ambient air entering combustion enhancer apparatus.

The main objective is to provide a charcoal filter and adsorbing apparatus for filtering and absorbing vented hydrocarbon vapours from fuel tank vent. The temporary absorption of hydrocarbon gas vapours into the filtering media are recovered and made use of. At the same time hydrocarbon gas vapours are prevented from exiting from the combustion enhancer apparatus during high air pressure release condition and these recovered hydrocarbon gas vapours and filtered air are combined with the liquid mixture to form negatively charged hydrocarbon gas vapors for enhancing the ignition of the vaporized fuel in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine.

A first inlet means is arranged in a first chamber to direct the vented gas from the fuel tank to the fine charcoal filtering and adsorbing media and into the combustion enhancer apparatus.

The hydrocarbon gas vapours passes through the filtering and adsorbing media, exits as hydrocarbon gases through an outlet, then fed into the inlet means of the combustion enhancer apparatus for processing before being fed back into the air induction system in an internal combustion engine. A vent opening in the form of pressure release means takes in the ambient air and filter it through a coarse charcoal filter for introduction into the combustion enhancer apparatus. The coarse charcoal filter absorbs hydrocarbon gas vapours during the high air pressure release condition. The hydrocarbon gas vapours from the filters are released back to the combustion enhancer apparatus during the flow of incoming ambient air caused by the vacuum effect of air flowing through the air induction system of an engine.

The second objective is to provide a fine charcoal filter adsorbing the vented hydrocarbon gas vapours, all of which are drawn from the fuel tank, the fine charcoal filter trapping the hydrocarbon gas vapours to be adsorbed into the charcoal filter material. By the vacuum effect of the air flowing in the air induction system at open throttle position of an internal combustion engine, these hydrocarbon gas vapours are released to be mixed with the liquid solution.

The third objective is to provide a coarse charcoal filter apparatus for absorbing hydrocarbon gas vapours. During a high air pressure release condition, the hydrocarbon gas vapours in the combustion enhancer apparatus are absorbed by the coarse charcoal filter while allowing air to exit. This high air pressure is due to engine idle condition at closed throttle valve position.

Another objective is to provide a coarse charcoal filter for filtering ambient air. Foreign materials in the ambient air are filtered before entering the combustion enhancer apparatus. This condition is when the engine is at open throttle position which creates vacuum effect, drawing air into the combustion enhancer apparatus to mix oxygen with the liquid solution.

The recovered hydrocarbon gas vapours and filtered air are combined with the liquid mixture fully described in PCT/SG97/00032 in the combustion enhancer apparatus to produce methane, ethane hydrocarbon, hydroxides and oxygen gas vapours to form a negatively charged pre- oxidized hydrocarbon gas vapours in a combustion enhancer apparatus for internal combustion engine. The recovered radical hydrogen gases and the hydrocarbon gas vapours from the positive crankcase together with hydrocarbon gas vapours vented from fuel tank are mixed into a liquid mixture containing the lowest molecular weight alcohol; methanol, CH3 OH and ethanol, C2H3 OH which is ideal as it can be easily converted to all-gas state ; the alcohol possesses radical hydrogen which are readily dissociated and which contain organic oxygen that can be easily combined with introduced hydrocarbon, radical hydrogen, and oxygen gases and vapours to produce pre-oxidized hydrocarbon gas vapours to be charged with negative electron ions to form into negatively charged pre-oxidized hydrocarbon gas vapours.

The continuous use of the charcoal filter apparatus appears to absorb hydrocarbon gas vapours from the vented hydrocarbon gases for mixing with liquid solution mixture and filtering the impurities in the ambient air preventing the unfiltered air from contaminating and interfering with the liquid mixture in the combustion enhancer apparatus.

Particularly, but not limited, for improving the mass of air to mass of fuel ratio of an internal combustion engine.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent in light of the accompanying specifications, drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS An embodiment of the invention described in PCT/SG96/00022 will now be described to illustrate the working of the charcoal filter and pressure release apparatus with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an illustration of energy loss in a typical combustion engine.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the apparatus being an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 is a part sectional perspective view of the combustion enhancer apparatus.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of a charcoal filter of the embodiment of Figure 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The charcoal filter and pressure release apparatus has to be used with the combustion enhancing apparatus described in PCT/SG96/00022. The charcoal filter and air pressure release apparatus is connected and takes hydrocarbon gas vapours from the fuel tank vent, and from the ambient air. The hydrocarbon gas vapours, radical hydrogen gases and ambient air are mixed and bubbled through the liquid mixture described in PCT/SG97/00032 in the combustion enhancing apparatus venting out gases of methane, ethane, hydroxide and oxygen gases which are then exposed to a negative ionization process adding negatively charged ion to these gas vapours and then fed into the air induction system mixing with the introduced air supply for combustion process of an internal combustion engine.

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms there is shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail, an embodiment, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated.

An internal combustion engine system is shown, in Figure 2 engine 100 maybe of any known configuration. The fuel tank ventilation (FTV) 152 is arranged on the engine 100, which includes the fuel tank in the configuration of Figure 1, the FTV venting port 12 is venting hydrocarbon gas vapours into the atmosphere and other configuration, the venting port of the FTV is connected into the air induction system (not shown).

The fuel tank fumes which are drawn by the suction of the air induction system of the engine contain, in addition to the air containing oxygen unburnt and partially burnt hydrocarbon gas vapours, creating oxygen dilution and incomplete combustion and can therefore contribute to pyrolysis, detonation, and poor combustion process of an engine. The charcoal filter 170 is illustrated in Figure 4 and comprises a housing 300 having an inlet 302 connected to FTV 152 and outlet 308. Inlet 302 gases flow through channel 306. Adjacent charcoal absorbing element 307 comprised of pressed fine charcoal which on the downstream side is provided with an outlet 308 leading to pipe 204 of the apparatus 200. An air pressure release means in the form of an opening 304 is provided at the opposed end of the channel 310. Volatile hydrocarbon gas vapours which evaporates from the fuel tank vent are fed through to an inlet 302. These hydrocarbon gas vapours are absorbed and lightly held by the charcoal 307. When the engine starts, the hydrocarbon gas vapours are drawn through opening 308 and air flows through opening 304. Since the hydrocarbon gases are lightly held in the charcoal, they are drawn out by the vacuum pressure to an inlet pipe 204, both charcoal element are separated by a plate 315.

The coarse charcoal filter 311, is an air filter and hydrocarbon trapping element and as well as an air high pressure release, path 215 of the apparatus 200.

The vented hydrocarbon gas vapour mixtures of fuel tank processed through the combustion enhancer apparatus, are formed into negatively charged pre-oxidized hydrocarbon gas vapours, to improve the air and fuel entering the combustion chamber for a more efficient use of this FTV gas vapours. The result is the opposite if the vented hydrocarbon gas vapour directly mixes with the air flowing through the air induction system, which decreases the oxygen ratio or the process use conventional means of venting out the gases into the atmosphere which pollutes the air in our environment and brings wastage of energy. The embodiment of the invention described is not to be construed as limitative. For example, although shown in Figure 1 used with a venting out fuel tank vapour is equally of use with a fuel tank vent connected into the air induction system in an internal combustion engine.