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Apparatus for increasing efficiency in fluid delivery systems using magnetic fieldsRelated Patent Categories: Pumps, Electrical Or Getter TypeApparatus for increasing efficiency in fluid delivery systems using magnetic fields description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070071611, Apparatus for increasing efficiency in fluid delivery systems using magnetic fields. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCES [0001] None. GOVERNMENTAL RIGHTS [0002] None. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Fluid delivery systems perform a large but mostly hidden role in modern society. For example, fuel lines pump liquid gasoline to internal combustion engines and pipes deliver water to homes and businesses. Due to their ubiquitous nature, fluid delivery systems have long been the subject of efforts directed towards increasing efficiency without altering the size or shape of previously-installed fluid delivery lines. An object of the present invention is to increase the efficiency in fluid delivery systems using an apparatus that requires no component modification to an existing system. [0004] One of the problems that affect all fluid delivery systems is the scaling, clumping, and/or buildup of contaminants within the fluid delivery lines. These problems are believed to be caused, in part, by weak inherent chemical attractive forces that form a bond between the fluid and contaminants, as well as similar bonds between contaminants in the fluid and other nearby contaminants. Several fluid molecules can bond with a single contaminant molecule, which creates a much larger molecule that is incapable of being normally expelled in certain fluid delivery systems. For instance, when gasoline is contaminated and then burned in an internal combustion engine, the contaminants are left behind as deposits on key engine parts or are expelled along with unburned gasoline via the exhaust system. More generally, these problems manifest as scaling and hard water stains in water delivery systems and as varnish deposits in internal combustion engines. [0005] The area in which fluid delivery efficiency is presently most active and most scrutinized is the internal combustion engine. The perpetual increase of petroleum-based fuel prices continually raises consumer demand for more fuel efficiency from engines and fuel delivery systems. As an added benefit, more fuel-efficient engines discharge less hydrocarbon-based pollution into the atmosphere and create more power using a given unit of fuel. It is an object of the present invention to improve upon a fuel delivery system such that the engine of which the system is comprised is more efficient and powerful and emits fewer pollutants. [0006] Magnets have long been used to affect the speed and direction of charged particles. The strength of the magnetic field required to exert a certain force on a particle depends upon the charge of the particle. The prior art fails to realize this difference, instead providing a one-size-fits-all solution to treat fluids using a magnetic field. It is an object of the present invention to realize that because the molecules comprising different types of fluid have different charges, the magnetic treatment of different types of fluid requires a different magnetic field. [0007] The reason that different magnetic fields are needed for different fluids is that the type of molecular forces at work dictates the charge of a molecule. For instance, water is a dipole, which means that water's two hydrogen atoms form strong, directional bonds with the lone oxygen atom, resulting in strong, oppositely-placed charge densities throughout the entire molecule. In contrast, nonpolar molecules such as hydrocarbons only interact via London dispersion forces and/or van deer Waal forces that cause weak, temporarily induced dipoles in adjacent molecules. Because water's dipole charge is much greater than a hydrocarbon molecule's induced dipole charge, water requires a much smaller magnetic field for effective magnetic treatment than gasoline. [0008] The prior art contains several devices that magnetically condition a flowing fluid and claim to provide benefits as a result of such conditioning. U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,901 (the "'901 patent") discloses an apparatus that is interposed between a fuel source and an engine. The '901 patent requires disconnecting an existing fuel line and reconnecting the fuel line between (1) the fuel source and the apparatus and the '901 patent apparatus and (2) between the '901 patent device and the engine. The '901 patent contains a deficiency that is pervasive in the prior art of magnetic fluid treatment; the '901 patent inventor strictly teaches and expressly limits the '901 patent to the use of a non-magnetic encapsulation for the apparatus, purportedly for the purpose of "focusing" the magnetic field. However, the use of non-magnetic encapsulation merely limits the strength of the magnetic field to the strength of the individual magnets comprising the apparatus. Measurements of the internal field strength of an apparatus marked as an embodiment of the '901 patent registered approximately 30 gauss. It is an object of the present invention to correct the teachings of the prior art by incorporating ferro- or paramagnetic materials into the encapsulating structures surrounding the magnets in order to increase the strength of the magnetic field acting upon the fluid inside the fluid delivery line. [0009] The inventor also considers the requirement in the '901 patent to disconnect the existing fuel line to be an additional deficiency as the prior art, as the points of connection in a fluid delivery system cause turbulent fluid flow. The '901 patent discloses a fuel line running through the apparatus that is surrounded by three magnets, which abut the fuel line. The fuel line is shaped with facets that allow the magnets to rest flush against the fuel line. The inventor considers the faceted fuel line of the '901 patent to be a deficiency in the prior art because by changing the shape of the fuel line, the smooth flow of fuel between the fuel source and the fuel consumption device is interrupted. The benefits of magnetic treatment, which creates a smooth fluid flow, are therefore substantially reduced due to the turbulent fuel flow through the faceted fuel line. It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that allows for the smooth, uninterrupted flow of fuel. [0010] U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,512 (the "'512 patent") discloses a magnetic fluid conditioning apparatus that has several sets of magnets surrounding a fuel line, with the angles between each magnet in a set being the same such that the magnets form an equilateral triangle, square, etc. The orientation of each set of magnets rotates in a helical manner with respect to the axis that runs along the fuel line. The purpose of this rotation is to impart a spin upon the fuel flow. The inventor named in the '512 patent also invented the apparatus disclosed in the '901 patent and essentially described the '512 patent as an improvement upon the '901 patent. Thus, the inventor of the present invention considers the '512 patent to be subject to the same deficiencies as the '901 patent, i.e., the express teaching away from ferro- or paramagnetic encapsulation materials and the turbulent fuel flow. The inventor also considers the '512 patent to contain the additional deficiency of being a much larger apparatus; each additional set of magnets extends the length of the apparatus. Thus, it is an object of the present invention to impart spin upon a fluid without the need for multiple sets of magnets or for lengthening the apparatus. [0011] U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,520 (the "'520 patent") discloses a magnetic fluid treating device that is interposed in a fluid flow line. As in the '901 and '512 patents, the '520 patent device must be connected in two places to the fluid flow line. Additionally, the '520 patent device does not allow fluid to flow unimpeded through the invention. Rather, the '520 patent device diverts fluid around an internal tubular member and claims the resulting turbulent fluid flow as a feature of the invention due to the "mixing" induced by the turbulent flow. The inventor considers any turbulent flow in a fluid delivery system designed to deliver a substantially homogenous fluid to be a detriment, not a feature. The '520 patent also teaches placing the magnets in direct contact with the fluid moving through the device. The inventor considers this an additional deficiency of the '520 patent device due to the likelihood of the introduction of magnetic particles into the internal workings of an engine. Magnetic particles inside an engine attract metallic particles; for instance, most oil drain plugs in automobiles have magnetic tips designed to capture rogue metallic particles. A magnetic particle between moving engine parts has a tendency to grow larger by attracting rogue metal particles, which can lead to engine damage. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a barrier between the magnets of the present invention and the fluid flowing through the apparatus. [0012] The apparatus in accordance with the present invention provides a reliable, non-invasive, non-turbulent, and non-contaminating magnetic fluid treatment apparatus. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0013] The apparatus of the present invention utilizes magnetic fields to increase efficiency in fluid delivery systems. The fluid delivery line forms a central axis about which the invention is situated. The magnets of the invention are positioned parallel to the central axis, and these magnets exude a magnetic field that exerts a force upon the particles moving through the field. [0014] The magnetic force exerted on the fluid moving through the fluid delivery line serves a multitude of purposes. First, the magnetic force breaks weak bonds between the fluid and contaminants and between contaminants and contaminants, thereby preventing clumping and scaling. The magnetic force also aligns the fluid molecules in substantially the same direction, thereby smoothing the flow of the fluid. The magnetic force can also impart a spin upon the fluid, thereby further facilitating the smooth and rapid entry of the fluid into a fluid consumption device. [0015] The factors affecting a magnetic field are such that different magnitudes of magnetic fields are required for different applications of the present invention. Accordingly, the inventor has provided as a feature of the present invention a modular magnet holder and encapsulating structure design that allows the quick and simple replacement of the magnets, the encapsulating structures, or both, which allows the properties of the magnetic field to be greatly altered with ease. [0016] These and other advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description which, when viewed in light of the accompanying drawings, disclose the embodiments of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. A plurality of magnets are held in place by an equal number of magnet holders attached to a ferro- or paramagnetic encapsulating structures using magnet holder tabs, and the entire magnetic treatment apparatus surrounds the fluid delivery line. [0018] FIG. 2 is a section view of the apparatus down the axis of the fluid delivery line shown in FIG. 1. [0019] FIG. 3 is a partial section view of line 3-3 as shown in FIG. 2 showing a single magnet inside a magnet holder mounted to a single ferro- or paramagnetic encapsulating structure. This view shows the portion of the encapsulating structure that is mounted facing towards the fluid delivery line to two adjacent encapsulating structures using screws or bolts. Continue reading about Apparatus for increasing efficiency in fluid delivery systems using magnetic fields... Full patent description for Apparatus for increasing efficiency in fluid delivery systems using magnetic fields Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Apparatus for increasing efficiency in fluid delivery systems using magnetic fields patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Apparatus for increasing efficiency in fluid delivery systems using magnetic fields or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Method for controlling the drive motor of a positive displacement vaccum pump Next Patent Application: Electric submersible pumps Industry Class: Pumps ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Apparatus for increasing efficiency in fluid delivery systems using magnetic fields patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.21761 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Canon USA , Celera Genomics , Cephalon, Inc. , Cingular Wireless , Clorox , Colgate-Palmolive , Corning , Cymer , 174 |
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