School of Chemistry

November 22 1994

Mr. Chris Patience
Head of Product Evaluation
The Automobile Association
Norfolk House
Basingstoke, Hants RG2 9NY

Dear Mr. Patience:

I was very interested to read your evaluation of the Texaco Clean System 3 in the latest issue of the AA magazine. I normally read it as soon as it appears but this time I was heavily involved with new students activities student Activities, hence you, have had other letters on the subject by now, but not one like this.

I thoroughly agree with your statement "The ultimate aim must be total engine cleanliness - and I can tell you that the necessary technology has been developed and the clean engine has arrived. This is no sales pitch but something that I as a professional scientist can intuitively say must be right, and have seen work. The first page of the enclosure which you have probable already glanced at shows a copy of a photo of a diesel engine head which you can clearly read the part number on the top of the valve and the engine has done 40,000 miles! No clean up was performed; it had only been wiped with a rag before photographing.

Permit me to describe briefly the system, you can then study the scientific literature enclosed, and then we can talk on the phone and I can explain further as necessary, answer your questions and we take it from there.

Platinum acts as a catalyst to make for an (almost) complete burn of the air and fuel mixture. The problem is to get the platinum into the combustion chamber, and not as a "long stop" on the catalyst, Mobile, as no doubt you know, has spent millions on research into this problem. They platinum coated the inside of an engine and essentially eliminated carbon monoxide emission until the platinum was removed by function, etc. Mobile knew that only traces of platinum were required but could not develop a delivery system and have abandoned this research.

But it can be done. The technology is non-foaming absorptive bubble fractionation. (see reprints 2 and 3). Note in fig. 2 in reprints 3 that the amount of solute carried out of the solution into the air (or air intake) is constant and the independent of the amount in the solution. Thus if air is bubbled or pumped through a non-foaming solution containing platinum the concentration in the emerging bubbles is constant until the platinum is dispensed this way. The amount required is around 70 parts per billion for each firing stroke of each cylinder and is achieved with a bubble rate of 2-3 bubbles per second. This equates to 6000 miles of driving for a quarter of a gram of platinum

The system called Platinum Vapor Injection, is patented American invention developed over 15 years ago and constantly refined since then (the latest modification under test essentially eliminates all smoke from diesel s, currently they achieve 50% or better reduction).

PVI is not a fuel additive; it is a combustion modifier ( though enhancer would be a better description). Various investigations have attempted to add platinum compound to fuel but have come up against the twin problems of the right dosage for the various engines and finding a platinum compound that will dissolve in a hydrocarbon and then, in the combustion chamber, react before and during combustion to form metallic platinum: the latter, speaking as a chemist is the most intractable, if not impossible problem

The Texaco Clean System 3 has been in operation in the states for three years. As you will know it uses the most powerful fuel detergent cleaner. Tecron manufactured by Chevron I am told that while it does slowly remove carbon deposits inside the engine, and thereby gives some fuel economy, this is not maintained after the deposits are removed. This is because it causes the light volatiles in the fuel to undergo incomplete combustion, i.e., burn dirty, and thus leaves a soft carbon deposit around the valves. This is thought to act as a "sponge" and absorb some of the fuel entering the chamber, and release it during the exhaust stroke, so motorists eventually find a significant step towards the goal of a clean engine. The PVI system also removes carbon including hard carbon in diesel, but continues to keep the engine clean and partially plates the inside with platinum.

The PVI system also contains two other noble metals, rhenium and rhodium. The former makes for a much smoother burn. In the petrol engines the ignition can be advanced to 10? without pinking, and the motorist will experience a more lively engine and increased fuel economy of 20% is common, unless the driver "enjoys " the extra power! The rhenium also helps reduce the smell from diesels. The rhodium reduces the Nox emissions ? the manufactures were the first to use rhodium for this purpose long before rhodium was incorporated into the catalytic converters.

I am sending a similar letter to your colleague Roy Staunton, Head of Technical Advice, since he wrote an article on the care of cars in the same issue, and because as you might expect, the PVI system coupled with the cat system, extends the life of the cat by giving it less work to do. It also removes or plates over any lead that gets on the platinum thereby regenerating a poisoned cat. I do not think that there is anything on the market that will do that!

The action of the platinum metal particles in the combustion chamber is to rapidly convert more of the oxygen molecules into oxygen molecules into oxygen radicals so that there are more radicals available for reacting with the hydrocarbon (fuel) vapor, In addition the catalyst enables the flame to remain burning at a lower temperature. Whereas the flame normally goes out when the piston still has about 25% of its travel to go, and the flame temperature is about 250? C, the presence of the platinum catalysts keep it burning longer. This is the basic reason the Platinum Vapor injection fuel is burnt completely in the chamber, thereby reducing the carbon monoxide emissions to negligible amounts (it also therefore reduces engine vibrations, a point remarked upon as you will see in the report on diesel engines.

Once your patrol men to a friend of mine that the Maestro diesel is no longer being made because of problems with passing the new diesel emissions test, with PVI fitted I am sure it would.

Any move towards only electricity driven cars in inner cities can be resisted, especially since the conversion of coal to electricity is the best around 35% and thus more carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere in recharging batteries than if petrol was used to cover the same mileage. (I have not done a detailed evaluation but the evidence certainly points that way).

I was researching in the States recently while on sabbatical leave from Leeds and got to know one of the researchers and top men in the company, and immediately approached why the system would work (the way it does). I have it now fitted to my car . It is not available over here yet, but has been tested by the Government labs in Poland and the Czech Republic, the letter by an EC approved lab and been approved and recommended ( I have copies and translations of there reports).

I should add that I am working with colleagues in the School of Chemistry at Leeds University on identifying the potential carcinogenic PAH's on emitted carbon particles (which research could now become less critical!)

I only meant to write two pages but there is so much to say I will end by telling you that I met Sir John Houghton just before report came out and showed and explained the PVI system. He said that he wished he had known that this technology was available because his report was going to say that the improvement in fuel economy and emission reduction was what was needed. He would have included an amount of this report it it had not then been at the printers.

With the PVI system the British motorists will be able to reduce pollutants emitted and gain in fuel economy to off set future price increases, but most important be driving with cleaner engines.

I will give you time to digest this and then be in touch.

Yours Sincerely,

Trevor R. Griffiths
BSc, PhD. CChem, FRSC. MICorr
Senior Lecturer