System and method of adding gaseous oxygen additive derived from an oxygen concentrator to diesel fuel to improve combustion

1 . A method of enhancing fuel combustion in an engine, comprising:

(a) providing a supply of liquid diesel fuel;

(b) providing an oxygen concentrator, wherein the oxygen concentrator receives air therein and removes nitrogen from the air to produce a concentrated oxygen gas;

(c) providing a first flow path for physically mixing the concentrated oxygen gas into the liquid diesel fuel in an infuser or mixer to form a homogeneous mixture of liquid diesel fuel and concentrated oxygen gas;

(d) providing a second flow path for chemically mixing the concentrated oxygen into the liquid diesel fuel upstream of the infuser or mixer; and then

(e) passing the homogeneous mixture of liquid diesel fuel and concentrated oxygen gas from the infuser or mixer into a combustion chamber of the engine.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the engine is a diesel engine.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the engine is a hydro-diesel engine, further comprising:

(f) providing a supply of hydrogen gas; and

(g) mixing the hydrogen gas into the liquid diesel fuel to form a homogeneous mixture of liquid diesel fuel, concentrated oxygen gas and hydrogen gas.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the hydrogen gas, concentrated oxygen gas and diesel fuel are mixed together in the infuser or mixer.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the hydrogen gas is provided through bottled hydrogen, electrolysis sourced hydrogen or reformed hydrogen.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentrated oxygen gas is bubbled into the liquid diesel fuel.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein passing the homogeneous mixture of liquid diesel fuel and concentrated oxygen gas into the combustion chamber of an engine comprises:

providing a lift pump and an injector;

using the lift pump to pump the homogeneous mixture of liquid diesel fuel and concentrated oxygen gas from the infuser or mixer into the injector; and then

using the injector to inject the homogeneous mixture of liquid diesel fuel and concentrated oxygen gas into:

(i) the combustion chamber of the engine, or

(ii) a common rail leading into the combustion chamber of the engine.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

passing ambient air into the combustion chamber through an air inlet valve on the engine;

compressing the ambient air in the combustion chamber with a piston moving upwardly thereby increasing the temperature of the ambient air; while

injecting the homogeneous mixture of liquid diesel fuel and concentrated oxygen gas into the combustion chamber at high pressure thereby causing spontaneous combustion of the ambient air and homogeneous mixture of liquid diesel fuel and concentrated oxygen gas in the combustion chamber, thereby causing the piston to move downwardly.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentrated oxygen gas has an oxygen concentration of greater than 50%.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the concentrated oxygen gas has an oxygen concentration of greater than 90%.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the oxygen concentrator:

is a pressure swing adsorption-type (PSA-type) oxygen concentrator,

uses zeolites to absorb nitrogen from ambient air, or

uses membrane gas separation to separate and remove nitrogen from the ambient air.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the engine is vehicle engine, and

wherein the supply of liquid diesel fuel is a tank of liquid diesel fuel onboard the vehicle, and

wherein the oxygen concentrator is onboard the vehicle.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the vehicle is an automobile, bus or locomotive.

14 . A system for enhancing fuel combustion in an engine, comprising:

(a) a diesel fuel tank;

(b) an oxygen concentrator for providing concentrated oxygen gas;

(c) an infuser or mixer for mixing liquid diesel fuel from the diesel fuel tank together with the concentrated oxygen gas from the oxygen concentrator to form a homogeneous mixture of liquid diesel fuel and concentrated oxygen gas;

(d) a first flow path for physically mixing the concentrated oxygen gas into the liquid diesel fuel in the infuser or mixer;

(e) a second flow path for chemically mixing the concentrated oxygen into the liquid diesel fuel upstream of the infuser or mixer; and

(f) the engine having a combustion chamber for receiving the homogeneous mixture of liquid diesel fuel and concentrated oxygen gas therein.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the engine is a vehicle engine, and wherein both the diesel fuel tank and the oxygen concentrator are onboard the vehicle.

16 . The system of claim 14 , further comprising:

(g) a hydrogen gas supply, wherein the hydrogen gas is mixed together with the concentrated oxygen gas and the liquid diesel fuel in the infuser or mixer.

17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the hydrogen gas supply is bottled hydrogen, electrolysis sourced hydrogen or reformed hydrogen.

18 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the oxygen concentrator:

is a pressure swing adsorption-type (PSA-type) oxygen concentrator,

uses zeolites to absorb nitrogen from ambient air, or

uses membrane gas separation to separate and remove nitrogen from the ambient air.

19 . The system of claim 14 , further comprising:

(e) a lift pump; and

(f) an injector,

wherein the lift pump pumps the homogeneous mixture of liquid diesel fuel and concentrated oxygen gas from the infuser or mixer into the injector; and

wherein the injector injects the homogeneous mixture of liquid diesel fuel and concentrated oxygen gas into:

(i) the combustion chamber of the engine, or

(ii) a common rail leading into the combustion chamber of the engine.

20 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second flow path for chemically mixing the concentrated oxygen into the liquid diesel fuel upstream of the infuser or mixer comprises premixing the concentrated oxygen and liquid diesel fuel immediately upstream of the infuser or mixer.

21 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the second flow path for chemically mixing the concentrated oxygen into the liquid diesel fuel upstream of the infuser or mixer comprises sending the concentrated oxygen into the tank of liquid diesel fuel.

22 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the second flow path for chemically mixing the concentrated oxygen into the liquid diesel fuel upstream of the infuser or mixer comprises premixing the concentrated oxygen and liquid diesel fuel immediately upstream of the infuser or mixer.

23 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the second flow path for chemically mixing the concentrated oxygen into the liquid diesel fuel upstream of the infuser or mixer comprises sending the concentrated oxygen into the diesel fuel tank.