Reforming apparatus, internal combustion engine with reforming apparatus, and fuel cell system with reforming apparatus

• US 20070204813A1
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kubo, Masaaki, Arai, Kaori
• Granted Patent: US 7,597,068 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 123/25.A
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/0644 the gaseous fuel being hydrogen, ammonia or carbon monoxide
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/0671 Means to generate or modify a fuel, e.g. reformers, electrolytic cells or membranes
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/0692 Arrangement of multiple injectors per combustion chamber
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/081 Adjusting the fuel composition or mixing ratio; Transitioning from one fuel to the other
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 19/084 Blends of gasoline and alcohols, e.g. E85
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/0222 Water recovery or storage
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/0228 Adding fuel and water emulsion
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/028 into the charge intakes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/30 Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels

Abstract

A heat engine system includes a fuel reforming system for supplying a reformed gas to be combusted in an internal combustion engine or used to generate electricity in a fuel cell. An alcohol-containing fuel and water are mixed in a tank and separated into a hydrocarbon based fuel and the fluid mixture of alcohol and water. A reformer uses an endothermic reaction, such as a water vapor reforming process, to obtain the reformed gas from the fluid mixture.

Claims

1. A heat engine system comprising:

a fuel reforming apparatus including;

a first reservoir being adapted to store water;

a second reservoir being adapted to store alcohol-containing fuel, the alcohol-containing fuel including alcohol mixed in a hydrocarbon based fuel that is not alcohol;

a tank being coupled in fluid communication with the first and second reservoirs, the tank being adapted to;

mix water received from the first reservoir with alcohol-containing fuel received from the second reservoir so as to form a first supply of a fluid mixture and a second supply of the hydrocarbon based fuel, the fluid mixture including water and alcohol; and

separate the first supply of the fluid mixture from the second supply of the hydrocarbon based fuel; and

a reaction vessel being coupled in fluid communication with the first supply and being adapted to reform the fluid mixture received from the tank so as to form a reformed gas.

2. The heat engine system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an internal combustion engine being coupled to the fuel reforming apparatus, the internal combustion engine including;

a combustion chamber;

a first valve being adapted to provide to the combustion chamber the hydrocarbon based fuel supplied from the tank; and

a second valve being adapted to provide to the combustion chamber the reformed gas supplied from the reaction vessel.

3. The heat engine system according to claim 2, further comprising:

an accumulator being in fluid communication between the fuel reforming apparatus and the internal combustion engine, the accumulator being adapted to accumulate and pressurize the reformed gas from the reaction vessel, and the accumulator being adapted to provide the reformed gas to the second valve.

4. The heat engine system according to claim 3, wherein a quantity of water being adapted to be provided by the first reservoir is reduced in response to the reformed gas being pressurized to at least a predetermined pressure in the accumulator as compared to the quantity of water being adapted to be provided by the first reservoir in response to the reformed gas being pressurized to less than the predetermined pressure in the accumulator.

5. The heat engine system according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined pressure corresponds to a high engine load of the internal combustion engine.

6. The heat engine system according to claim 3, wherein the second valve being adapted to provide alcohol-containing fuel to the combustion chamber from the second reservoir in response to the reformed gas being pressurized to at least a predetermined pressure in the accumulator, and the first reservoir being adapted to stop providing water to the tank so as to discontinue separating the first and second supplies.

7. The heat engine system according to claim 2, wherein the combustion chamber comprises a main portion and an auxiliary chamber having a smaller volumetric capacity than the main portion, and the second valve is adapted to provide to the auxiliary chamber the reformed gas from the reaction vessel.

8. The heat engine system according to claim 2, wherein the fuel reforming apparatus has a heat generating device to heat the fluid mixture, and the reaction vessel reforms a heated reformed gas by a water vapor reforming process.

9. The heat engine system according to claim 8, wherein the heat generating device is a part of the internal combustion engine and is adapted to generate heat by burning fuel in the combustion chamber.

10. The heat engine system according to claim 9, wherein the heat generating device is a part of the internal combustion engine and is adapted to generate heat by burning at least one of the reformed gas and the hydrocarbon based fuel.

11. The heat engine system according to claim 8, wherein the combustion chamber comprises a main portion and an auxiliary chamber having a smaller volumetric capacity than the main portion, the second valve is adapted to provide to the auxiliary chamber the reformed gas from the reaction vessel, and the auxiliary chamber is adapted to provide heat to the fluid mixture.

12. The heat engine system according to claim 11, wherein the auxiliary chamber is defined by a wall including a cooling passage in fluid communication between the tank and the reaction vessel, and the cooling passage is adapted to provide heat to the fluid mixture flowing through the cooling passage.

13. The heat engine system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a condenser being in fluid communication between the combustion chamber and the first reservoir, the condenser being adapted to liquefy water vapor in combustion products exhausted from the combustion chamber and to provide the liquefied water vapor to the first reservoir.

14. The heat engine system according to claim 13, further comprising:

a filter being in fluid communication between the condenser and the first reservoir, the filter being adapted to remove impurities from the liquefied water vapor.

15. The heat engine system according to claim 2, wherein a relative quantity of the reformed gas with respect to a total quantity of the reformed gas and the hydrocarbon based fuel adapted to be provided to the internal combustion engine is inversely proportional to engine load of the internal combustion engine.

16. The heat engine system according to claim 2, wherein a quantity of the reformed gas that is adapted to be provided to the internal combustion engine is inversely proportional to engine load of the internal combustion engine.

17. The heat engine system according to claim 2, further comprising:

an exhaust catalyst in fluid communication with the internal combustion engine, the exhaust catalyst being adapted to purify combustion products exhausted from the combustion cylinder, wherein a quantity of the reformed gas that is adapted to be provided to the internal combustion engine is increased in response to the exhaust catalyst being not activated relative to the exhaust catalyst being activated.

18. The heat engine system according to claim 2, wherein the second valve being adapted to provide the fluid mixture and one of the alcohol-containing fuel and the hydrocarbon based fuel to the combustion chamber in response to a high engine load of the internal combustion engine and the reforming the fluid mixture being discontinued.

19. The heat engine system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a combustion chamber being in fluid communication with the fuel reforming apparatus, the combustion chamber being adapted to combust an oxidizable gas other than hydrogen, and the oxidizable gas being adapted to be separated from the reformed gas formed by the fuel reforming apparatus.

20. The heat engine system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a fuel cell being in fluid communication with the fuel reforming apparatus, the fuel cell being adapted to generate electricity in response to being provided the reformed gas formed by the fuel reforming apparatus.

21. The heat engine system according to claim 20, wherein the fuel cell is adapted to generate electricity in response to being provided hydrogen separated from the reformed gas.

22. A method of operating a heat engine system, the method comprising:

mixing water with alcohol-containing fuel so as to form a first supply of a fluid mixture and a second supply of a hydrocarbon based fuel that is not alcohol, the alcohol-containing fuel including alcohol mixed with the hydrocarbon based fuel, and the fluid mixture including water and alcohol;

separating the first and second supplies; and

reforming the fluid mixture to form a reformed gas.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:

combusting the hydrocarbon based fuel in a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine; and

combusting the reformed gas in the combustion chamber.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising:

generating heat with the internal combustion engine.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the reforming comprises an endothermic reaction including the fluid mixture and the heat.

26. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:

pressurizing the reformed gas.

27. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:

condensing water vapor in combustion products exhausted from the combustion chamber.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the mixing uses liquefied water from the condensing.

29. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:

generating electricity by providing the reformed gas to a fuel cell.

30. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:

separating hydrogen from the reformed gas; and

generating electricity by providing the hydrogen to a fuel cell.

31. A heat engine system comprising:

mixing and separating means for forming water and alcohol-containing fuel as a fluid mixture and a hydrocarbon based fuel that is not alcohol, the alcohol-containing fuel including alcohol mixed with the hydrocarbon based fuel, and the fluid mixture including water and alcohol; and

reforming means for reforming the fluid mixture as a reformed gas.

32. The heat engine system according to claim 31, further comprising:

engine means for internally combusting the hydrocarbon based fuel and the reformed gas.