Patent · US Expired

PTC fuel heater for heating alcohol fuel

US4713524A · kind A · utility

20Cited by
5References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 21, 1986
Grant dateDec 15, 1987
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 21, 2006

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02T10/12
  • WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A fuel heater for vaporization of an alcohol fuel from a fuel line to an internal combustion engine for delivering vaporous fuel to a carburetor. The fuel heater includes a stack of generally planar foraminous PTC heaters that are arranged in a container having an insulated interior defining a fuel flow path having an inlet and an outlet and are separated from each other by generally flat ring-like conductive spacers with electrically conductive ears having conductor receiving holes therein. Alternate conductive spacers are disposed in two channels in a housing and connected to opposite sides of a power supply whereby said PTC heaters can raise the temperature of the incoming fuel and vaporize it. Alternative ears of the electrically conductive spacers are radially offset from each other whereby one row of ears is disposed in one channel and another row is disposed in the other channel.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.