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Low emissions diesel system and methodRelated Patent Categories: Power Plants, Internal Combustion Engine With Treatment Or Handling Of Exhaust Gas, Treated By Washing, Or Having Liquid Contact StructureLow emissions diesel system and method description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060201145, Low emissions diesel system and method. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/074,595, filed Mar. 8, 2005, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] This invention relates generally to diesel fuel systems, and more particularly to diesel systems and methods for reducing hydrocarbon and diesel particulate matter levels in diesel exhaust emissions to assure safe environmental operation of diesel engines particularly in underground mining. [0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art [0005] Internal combustion engines are designed to operate most efficiently on standard quality fuels, and the presence of impurities or non-combustible contaminates may result in poor engine performance or impairment as well as produce higher levels of exhaust impurities. Even small quantities of water in diesel fuel may prevent satisfactory operation of a diesel engine, and most diesel engines now have some type of water-separator in addition to filters for removing sediment or other solids that may have been introduced into the fuel tank. It is also now known that the presence of air entrained in diesel fuel delivered to a fuel injection system results in poorer engine performance since the amount of air required for optimum combustion is already precisely controlled by the fuel injection system itself. In addition, the sulfur content in petroleum-based diesel fuels, including No. 2 diesel products, is one of the major reasons the fuel injectors fail. It is thus clear that the presence of these non-fuel contaminates in a diesel fuel delivery system result in poor engine performance with the extended result of less complete fuel burning and an increase in deleterious exhaust pollutants. [0006] During operation even state-of-the-art diesel engines using conventional petroleum-based and so-called low sulfur (No. 2) diesel fuels produce various exhaust pollutants including unburned hydrocarbons, carbon and nitrogen oxides, sulfurous gases and other particulate matter generally called "diesel particulate matter" (DPM). Aside from the environmental interests in reducing such air pollution generally, there is an absolute necessity of doing so in certain diesel operating environments. There is a prevalent use of diesel engine powered equipment in fiery gaseous mining applications where methane gas is present; and the Federal government, through the Mine Safety Health Administration (MSHA), has set rigid regulations for the design and operation of all such class 32 diesel engines operating underground machinery (in the vicinity of the mining cut) as well as class 24 equipment which operates outby. [0007] The control of exhaust gas emissions has been a primary troublesome concern for health and safety reasons, and the Federal government has heretofore mandated the use of "soot trap filters" to reduce DPM emissions levels by filtering hydrocarbons out of the diesel exhaust gases. However, the use of dry filter soot traps on the end of a diesel exhaust has generally posed a fire hazard problem irrespective of what the filter material (steel, fibreglass, ceramic, etc.) is made of, since any buildup of DPM hydrocarbons at normal engine and exhaust operating temperatures may cause an explosion in a gaseous coal mine. For instance, diesel engine combustion temperatures may be 800.degree.-1100.degree. F., so significant engine and exhaust pipe cooling should be effected to reduce gas emissions temperatures below the ignition temperature of hydrocarbon accumulations in the soot trap. High exhaust gas temperatures are especially hazardous in the operation of class 32 diesel engines in coal mines or like closed environments where methane gas may be present. Methane has an ignition temperature of 302.degree. F. and, in past practice, the exhaust lines from class 32 diesel engines have been insulated with "Thermogram" or the like so that the high (800.degree. F.) combustion temperature of diesel exhaust gases would be carried past the catalytic converter to the soot trap thus producing the probability of fires and/or explosions therein. The result is that mine operators refuse to use the mandated soot traps for safety reasons and generally continue to operate under violation citations from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), which has promulgated a low--and heretofore unachievable--DPM emissions level of 2.5 gr/bhp-hr. [0008] It has been reported that dry soot traps are still fire hazards even after the engine is shut off because oxygen will flow from ambient back into the hot trap and ignite the carbon/hydrocarbon DPM accumulation therein. In short, any dry soot trap per se almost always poses a fire hazard and, in addition, soot traps are labor intensive and expensive. [0009] In the past the foregoing fire hazard problem has been approached by attempting to provide exhaust gas cooling means, generally in the form of a so-called gas scrubber consisting of a body of water into which the exhaust gases were passed and cooled. Typical prior art water scrubbers are the following U.S. Pat. No. 3,957,467 granted May 18, 1976 (Kim); U.S. Pat. No. 3,976,456 granted Aug. 24, 1976 (Alcock); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,629 granted Feb. 26, 1980 (Strachan). However, the apparatus of these patents primarily only cools the exhaust gas, but has no other major effect since only a small portion of DPM matter will be trapped in plain hard mine water, and also no significant carbon monoxide or sulfur will be removed. The Kim patent 3,957,467 states that a gas purification liquid may be used and, in addition to water alone, it is suggested that aqueous solutions may have additives such as detergent, surfactant or wetting agents, alcohol, glycol or alkalis, but no specific example or function is taught. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0010] The invention is embodied in systems for reducing diesel particulate matter (DPM) in diesel engine emissions by providing a synthetic paraffinic diesel fuel having a Cetane rating greater than 60 and substantially no sulfur, aromatics or nitrogen content, and using such fuel alone or in combination with filtration means comprising an aqueous filter apparatus forming a water bath having a major water portion and a minor portion of super-wetting agent with a high affinity for hydrocarbons. The invention is further embodied in a diesel emissions control methods including the features of synthetic diesel fuel selection, pre-filtering diesel fuel, and removing DPM from diesel emissions through an aqueous solution having a minor portion of a low foam super-wetting agent. [0011] A principal object of the invention is to provide systems, apparatus and methods for removing significant amounts of diesel particulate matter (DPM) from diesel engine gas emissions prior to final discharge thereof to ambient. [0012] Another object is to substantially reduce carbon monoxide levels in the final emission gases prior to discharge to ambient. [0013] Another object is to provide synthetic paraffinic diesel fuels to thereby achieve substantial reductions in particulate emissions from the engine. [0014] Still another object is to provide a synthetic high paraffinic diesel fuel formulated to produce substantially lower particulate emissions from diesel engines, and being used in combination with pre-filtration to remove non-combustible matter upstream of the engine and DPM filtration of emission gases downstream of the engine to thereby comply with the Federal Regulation levels prescribed for underground diesel. [0015] An object of the invention is to provide a diesel filtering method comprising pre-filtering diesel fuel to remove non-combustible matter upstream of the engine, and removing DPM and carbon monoxide from diesel exhaust gases downstream of the engine, and final filtering the exhaust gases before discharge to ambient. [0016] Another object of the invention is to provide more effective ways of removing DPM and carbon monoxide matter from diesel exhaust gases using economically priced synthetic fuel and low cost filtration systems and equipment and labor saving methods. [0017] It is another objective to greatly improve the working environment around diesel powered equipment, particularly in coal mines and like underground sites with potential methane gas or other hazardous gas presence. [0018] Another object is to provide a linear paraffinic-type synthetic diesel fuel for use with exhaust gas scrubber systems and methods that together are effective in removing DPM matter and carbon monoxide from diesel emissions prior to passing to any final filter mandated by MSHA, and which will thereby prolong the useable life and reduce the costs of using such final filters. It is a still further object to provide such fuels, systems, apparatus and methods whereby the present requirements for final exhaust filters may be ameliorated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0019] In the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts wherever they occur: [0020] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing a diesel fuel system embodying one aspect of the invention from fuel tank to emissions exhaust; Continue reading about Low emissions diesel system and method... 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