Patent · US Active

Heat exchanger configuration for adsorption-based onboard octane on-demand and cetane on-demand

US10378462B1 · kind B1 · utility

8Cited by
48References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 31, 2018
Grant dateAug 13, 2019
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 31, 2038

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02T10/30
  • WIPO fieldChemical engineering
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

A vehicular propulsion system, a vehicular fuel system and a method of operating an internal combustion engine. A separation unit that makes up a part of the fuel system includes one or more adsorbent-based chambers such that the separation unit may selectively receive and separate at least a portion of onboard fuel into octane-enhanced and cetane-enhanced fuel components. A supply tank includes three compartments where the first contains the onboard fuel, the second receives a vaporized adsorbate from the separation unit and condenses at least a part of it into one of an octane-rich fuel component or a cetane-rich fuel component, while the third may either store the condensed and enriched fuel component or help condense more of the vaporized adsorbate. The condensing takes place through heat exchange between the onboard fuel and the vaporized adsorbate that are present within the various compartments of the supply tank. A controller may be used to determine a particular operational condition of the internal combustion engine such that the onboard fuel can be sent to one or more combustion chambers within the internal combustion engine without first passing through the separation u…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.