An Adsorption-Regeneration Approach to the Problem of Evaporative Control

An approach to the containment of evaporative emissions of hydrocarbon fuel from automotive vehicles, using an adsorption system, is described. The concept of the system is based upon controlled adsorption-desorption cycling phased to engine operation modes. Feasibility is shown for both the containment of hydrocarbon vapors which would normally be lost to the atmosphere, and the feeding of these vapors to the engine under conditions such that both exhaust emissions and engine operation are unaltered. Extensive performance data are furnished on three cars equipped with exhaust control devices, and system design is treated in a semiempirical fashion demonstrating the flexibility of the approach.