There are nearly 100 million car and trucks operating in North America, and no matter what is invented for the future, those vehicles will continue operating for several years.

This means our denizens of the highways will continue polluting and guzzling fuel at then same pace which has caused our present day fuel shortage and outrageously inflated costs.

An invention that improves fuel economy and at the same time helps curb noxious exhaust emissions is needed.

Exchange reports on two such devices -- and they would work well together. One is the electronic device invented by Ben Polo ( featured in Exchange issue # 5/6 ) and the other is the Power Pak, a device invented by Charlie brown and Robert Whipkey of New York.

Brown, a retired Air Force pilot, adn his partner have recently completed three years of detailed and complex research into fuel consumption and polluting emissions.

The Power Pak evolved from an earlier device called the "Ring of Power", and it is literally an air conditioner for combusion chambers. The inexpensive, easy-to-install devices works on any car or truck to improve performance, increase mileage and control emissions.

Vaporizers and the like have been tried, but they don't do the job. Our equipment humidifies the air so that combustion takes place under optimum conditions", Brown explained.

"You cannot see humidity like you can vapor, and that's probably the reason it works so much better."

Brown heads the firm of Charlie Brown Enterprises and also a group called Mobile Energy Research Center in Miami.

Everyone knows that a car seems to run better in the rain or when the air is moist. brown explains it this way:

"Precisely what happens within the engine with humid versus dry air has not been scientifically proven; there are two theories, but nothing positive. We do know, however, that air between 90 and 95% humidity gets the best performance.

The fuel/air ratio is optimum, the rate of burn is slower and more effective and we see a reduction of carbon deposits in the engine, a reduction of carbon monoxide and a drastic reduction of oxides of nitrogen (NOx( that pollutes so badly.

"Additionally, our system results in less engine vibration, longer spark plug life, longer engine life, a quiter engine and increase effective road horsepower and signficantly improved gasoline mileage."

That statement sounds like an auto-makers dream commercial. Can it be true?

"We have spent thousands of hours and many thousands of dollars in very thorough and precise testing", Brown stressed.

"Despite the promise shown by our testing, we have been totally ignored by the various branches of our government that are supposed to be concerned about the problems of fuel economy and pollution", Brown said with obvious smouldering frustration.

"We have offered to supply our units, at no cost whatsoever to anyone except ourselves, to more than a dozen supposedly concerned institutions", Brown added.

Letters offering the device for testing without cost have been sent to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation; the State of Floida; General Motors Corporation; Ford Motor Company; Chrysler Corporation [ ... &c... ]

It would seem that if our pollution and fuel problems are so pressing as the powers that be claim they are, then any one or all of the above organizations would have excitedly tested a rpomising device.

Evidently that's not how it works in our system.

"I don't think all those bureaucrats buzzing around up in Washington have any sort of system", Brown complained. "Both the EPA and the Transportation department flatly refused to test our device or discuss our concept.

"The state of Florida advises us that they cannot test the concept on one of their vehicles because the manufacturer would void the warrantty -- can you imagine that?", Brown said with a shake of his head.

"We're protected by patents so the auto manufacturers can surely look into it without threat of a nuisance suit", Brown added. "But they ignore us. It's a mystery to me".

One of the reasons the auto manufacturers may be choosing to ignore Brown and his device -- hoping he'll go away -- is the political pork barrel foisted on the public a few seasons ago known as the "catalytic converter".

American consumers are paying the additional cost of these emissisons control units that lower auto efficiency and shave time off engine life.

"If I've ever seen a boondoggle, those catalytic converters are it", Brown noted.

"The thing is expensive -- but profitable for the automakers -- it has no effect on oxides of nitrogen and I've seen tests which indicate the catalytic converters actually add another pollutant to the air -- sufluric acid .

"They only reduce carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons, and then only on cars using unleaded gas. For this we have to pay a price? Beats me!" commented the exasperated pilot and engineer.

The EPA ordered the catalytic converters and the auto moguls feigned frustration at being told to install them, when all along it added to profitablility and a great deal of free advertizing via media stories.

One might ask, why not take the thing down to your local auto dealer and get him to test it?

"The manufacturers have a policy that forbids dealers from testing new devices or concepts", Brown pointed out.

Meanwhile, millions of Americans are subject to televised propaganda about EPA mileage estimates designed to sell cars and major oil companies advertise how hard they are striving to provide the "energy needed to keep America rolling".

Brown admits that his earlier device, the "Ring of Power" caused rust problems and was expensive because it was made of ceramic tile. But the Power Pak solves both problems and fits easily on all vehicles.

"One of our problems certainly must be the rash of gas-saving gimmicks that popped up across the country over the last few years. These useless gimmicks have given all such devices a bad name".

Carburetion devices have come and gone throughout the history of automotive engines, and teh auto makers steadfastly deny that anything more efficient than what they manufacture has ever come forth.

Some of the "better ideas" did turn out to have major drawbacks. The famed Fish carburetor invented by John Fish was indeed more efficient for racing cars and hotrods, but for around-town driving it left much to be desired.

The equally noted Pogue carburetor invented by Canadian Nelson Pogue could indeed obtain fantastic mileage -- but it did not give the car the necessary performance standards American drivers demand.

However, Brown's Power Pak is in a class by itself. it is not a mere gimmick; it works and has impressive test credentials -- and it can be inexpensively installed on present vehicles.

Rather than attempting to force new carburetion sytems down industry's throat -- as several inventors have tried to do and failed -- Charlie Brown has found a way to make today's fuel systems, in both gasoline and diesel engines work cleaner and more efficiently.

California has at least acknowledged Polo's Equalizer; Brown has been totally ignored. his Power Pak deserves a fair hearing and trial.

Brown repeated his statement, still incredulous that the powers that be do not act:

"Here is something that can be inexpensively installed on existing cars; giving them longer life and better performance for the investment.

"In addition we help clean up the air and save fuel".

The automakers certainly cannot say that!

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A search of www.espacenet.com  ( the European Patent Office online ) yielded no results for Charlie Brown, &c... except for this related fuel humidifaction system:

                                                                           
2009-11-11
Inventor(s):     BROWN ALLAN [GB]
Classification:  - international:     F02M25/07; F02D21/08; F02M25/028; F02M25/07; F02D21/00; F02M25/00

Abstract -- A humidity amplification system for an internal combustion engine 1 comprises a conduit 10, eg of heat resistant silicone plastics material, for conveying a portion of exhaust gas to a point 19 in an air intake 6 upstream of a throttle plate 24 forming part of the air intake. The conduit 10 may take exhaust gases from a collector 4 located between a catalytic converter 3 and a silencer 5 to a vaporising chamber 7 which is heated eg by thermal connection 8 to the exhaust manifold 2. In a diesel engine, a vacuum pump may be used to draw recycled exhaust gas through the conduit 10. The amount of exhaust gas to be recycled may be determined using a humidity sensor 29. In a modification, the exhaust collector 4 is located upstream of the catalytic converter 3 and an auxiliary catalytic converter (14, fig.3) is provided in the tube 10. An EGR tube (33, fig.4) may be provided between the exhaust and inlet manifolds so that the engine management system 22 can select humidity amplification, eg at high engine speeds, or EGR, eg at low engine speeds.