Method and appratus for reducing emissions and/or reducing friction in an internal combusition engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017122147-A1
Application number	US-201615296827-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 18, 2016
Priority date	Jun 15, 2011
Publication date	May 4, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method and apparatus for reducing at least one of HC, CO, and NO x emissions from an operating internal combustion engine fueled by hydrocarbon or similar fuels, such as alcohols, wherein a portion of the internal combustion chamber has aluminum and/or titanium containing surfaces coated with a titanium dioxide coating further comprising a dopant in and/or on the adherent titanium dioxide coating.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method to reduce emissions from an apparatus comprising an operating internal combustion engine, said internal combustion engine comprising a combustion chamber, an air-intake valve and an exhaust gas valve; the method comprising depositing a chemically adherent amorphous titanium dioxide containing coating on a portion of aluminum surfaces of at least one of:
a portion of surfaces defining the combustion chamber; the air-intake valve; the exhaust gas valve; and an exhaust manifold in communication with the exhaust emission passage;
in the absence of oven treatment, such that, during operation of said engine, intake air, fuel/air mixture or exhaust gas contact said coating thereby increasing decomposition rate of HC, increasing decomposition rate of CO, increasing decomposition rate of NO x , reducing formation rate of CO, or reducing formation rate of NO x emissions resulting from combustion in the combustion chamber.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , comprising applying the coating to at least one surface of a piston.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , comprising applying the coating to a surface of walls of a cylinder.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , comprising applying the coating to a surface of a cylinder head exposed to the combustion chamber.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , comprising applying the coating to a surface of walls of a cylinder liner.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a dopant in and/or on the chemically adherent titanium dioxide containing coating.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the chemically adherent amorphous titanium dioxide containing coating is deposited electrolytically and exhibits an amorphous morphology comprising surface pores which extend only partially into the coating.

8 . An internal combustion engine comprising:
external surfaces and internal surfaces, said internal surfaces comprising a group of internal surfaces located on at least one of a combustion chamber, an exhaust passage, an exhaust manifold, a valve and combinations thereof; at least a portion of said group of internal surfaces being metal selected from aluminum and aluminum alloy; and at least some portions of the metal being coated metal surfaces having a chemically adherent amorphous metal oxide coating comprising TiO 2 electrolytically deposited and dried and further in the absence of any subsequent oven treatment, said coated metal surfaces positioned such that, during operation of said engine, intake air, fuel/air mixture or exhaust gas contact said chemically adherent coating thereby increasing decomposition rate of HC, or increasing decomposition rate of CO, increasing decomposition rate of NO x , reducing formation rate of CO, or reducing formation rate of NO x emissions resulting from combustion in the combustion chamber.

9 . The engine according to claim 8 , wherein the coated metal surfaces having a chemically adherent coating comprising TiO 2 are polished surfaces.

10 . The engine of claim 11 wherein at least a portion of the polished surfaces have an Ra of 0.01 to 1.0 micron.

11 . The engine according to claim 11 , wherein thickness of the amorphous coating is between 1 and 20 microns.

12 . An internal combustion engine comprising:
external surfaces and internal surfaces, said internal surfaces comprising a group of internal surfaces located on at least one of a cylinder, a cylinder liner, a piston, a valve and combinations thereof; at least a portion of said group of internal surfaces being metal selected from aluminum and aluminum alloy; and at least some portions of the metal being coated metal surfaces having a chemically adherent amorphous metal oxide coating comprising TiO 2 electrolytically deposited and dried and further in the absence of any subsequent oven treatment, said coated metal surfaces positioned such that, during operation of said engine, intake air, fuel/air mixture or exhaust gas contact said chemically adherent coating.

13 . The engine of claim 14 wherein the amorphous coating provides a surface area to a substrate that is in a range of about 20 to about 180 times greater than a surface area of the substrate in an uncoated state.

14 . The engine of claim 14 wherein the coated metal surfaces include the cylinder liner.

15 . The engine of claim 14 wherein the coated metal surfaces include the piston.

16 . The engine of claim 14 wherein the coated metal surfaces include the cylinder.

17 . The engine of claim 14 wherein the coated metal surfaces having a chemically adherent coating comprising TiO 2 are polished surfaces.

18 . The engine of claim 19 wherein at least a portion of the polished surfaces are selected have an Ra of 0.01 to 1.0 micron.

19 . The engine of claim 19 wherein thickness of the amorphous coating is between 1 and 20 microns.

20 . The engine of claim 14 wherein at least 0.001 wt. % up to at most 90 wt. % of the titanium dioxide coating is removed by polishing.

21 . The engine of claim 22 wherein thickness of the amorphous coating is between 1 and 20 microns.

22 . The engine of claim 14 wherein approximately 5-15 wt % of the titanium dioxide coating is removed by polishing.

Assignees

• Henkel Ag & Co Kgaa

Inventors

• Dolan Shawn E
• Golding James P

Classifications

• F01L2303/00

  Manufacturing of components used in valve arrangements · CPC title

• F01L2301/00

  Using particular materials · CPC title

• C25D9/12

  on light metals · CPC title

• F01N3/10

  by thermal or catalytic conversion of noxious components of exhaust · CPC title

• F02B77/02 Primary

  Surface coverings of combustion-gas-swept parts (of pistons F02F3/10; of cylinders and cylinder heads F02F1/00) · CPC title