Gas engine with a gas fuel reforming device

• US 6,079,373 A
• Filed: 05/12/1998
• Issued: 06/27/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Isuzu Motors Limited
• Original Assignee: Isuzu Ceramics Research Institute Co., Ltd. (Isuzu Motors Limited)
• Inventors: Kawamura, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Kwon, John
• Application Number:
  US09/075,956
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 123/3, 123/527, 123/DIG. 12
• US Class Current: 123/3
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/0857 Carbon oxides
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 37/00 Engines characterised by provision of pumps driven at least for part of the time by exhaust
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 43/10 Engines or plants characterised by use of other specific gases, e.g. acetylene, oxyhydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/30 Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 123/12 Hydrogen

Abstract

The gas engine with a gas fuel reforming device thermally decomposes CH₄, a major component of natural gas, into a reformed fuel of CO and H₂ to increase the heat produced and thereby reduce the CO₂ content in the exhaust gas and prevent the formation of NO_x. The gas engine mixes CH₄ with CO₂ and sends the gas mixture to the catalyst reactor installed in the exhaust passage where the gas mixture is thermally decomposed into a reformed fuel by using the thermal energy of the exhaust gas. CO₂ is extracted from the exhaust gas by the CO₂ supply device which in turn sends the CO₂ to the catalyst reactor. The CO₂ supply device comprises a CO₂ dissolving device that accommodates a solution to dissolve CO₂ of low-temperature exhaust gas and a CO₂ delivery device installed in the exhaust passage through which high-temperature exhaust gas flows and adapted to release CO₂ from the solution supplied from the CO₂ dissolving device. The CO₂ supply device can be formed of a CO₂ separation membrane that separates CO₂ from the exhaust gas.

Claims

1. A gas engine with a gas fuel reforming device, comprising:

a fuel tank containing a natural gas fuel having CH₄ as a major component;

an exhaust passage to discharge exhaust gas from combustion chambers;

a catalyst reactor installed in the exhaust passage to thermally decompose a gas mixture of CH₄ and CO₂ into a reformed fuel of CO and H₂ by using thermal energy of the exhaust gas;

a gas fuel supply device to supply the natural gas fuel from the fuel tank to the catalyst reactor;

a CO₂ supply device to supply to the catalyst reactor CO₂ separated from the exhaust gas by a CO₂ separator; and

a reformed fuel supply device to supply the reformed fuel to the combustion chambers;

wherein the combustion chambers are formed in a heat insulating structure of a ceramic member.

2. A gas engine according to claim 1, wherein the CO₂ supply device comprises:

a CO₂ dissolving device of the CO₂ separator containing a solution to dissolve CO₂ of a cooled, low-temperature exhaust gas;

a CO₂ delivery device installed in the exhaust passage through which high-temperature exhaust gas discharged from the combustion chambers flows, the CO₂ delivery device being able to release CO₂ from the solution, in which CO₂ was dissolved by the CO₂ dissolving device, by heating the solution with the high-temperature exhaust gas, the CO₂ delivery device being able to accommodate the solution and send the released CO₂ to the catalyst reactor; and

a circulation pump to circulate the solution between the CO₂ dissolving device and the CO₂ delivery device.

3. A gas. engine according to claim 2, wherein a solvent in the CO₂ dissolving device that absorbs CO₂ of the exhaust gas is β

-aminoethyl alcohol and the solution in the CO₂ delivery device that releases CO₂ is β

-oxyethyl ammonium.

4. A gas engine according to claim 2, wherein the solvent in the CO₂ dissolving device that dissolves CO₂ is diethanolamine.

5. A gas engine according to claim 1, wherein the CO₂ dissolving device dissolves CO₂ of the exhaust gas in a solvent to form a solution and releases N₂ and H₂ O of the exhaust gas out into the atmosphere.

6. A gas engine according to claim 1, wherein the CO₂ supply device supplies to the catalyst reactor CO₂ which was separated from the exhaust gas by a CO₂ separation membrane of the CO₂ separator arranged in the exhaust passage through which low-temperature exhaust gas flows.

7. A gas engine according to claim 6, wherein the CO₂ separation membrane in the CO₂ supply device is a polytetrafluoroethylene membrane.

8. A gas engine according to claim 6, wherein the CO₂ separation membrane in the CO₂ supply device is a polytetrafluoroethylene membrane bonded with ethylenediamine to enhance a CO₂ filtering performance.

9. A gas engine according to claim 6, wherein the CO₂ separation membrane is an inorganic separation membrane made of alumina-, silica- and zeolite-based porous ceramics.

10. A gas engine according to claim 1, wherein the catalyst reactor uses Ni or Pt as a catalyst.

11. A gas engine according to claim 1, wherein the catalyst reactor is a heat exchanger installed in the exhaust passage, and the heat exchanger comprises exhaust gas passages through which the exhaust gas flows and gas fuel passages that contains porous members coated at their surfaces with the catalyst, the catalyst being incorporated inside separation walls between the exhaust gas passages.

12. A gas engine according to claim 1, wherein a turbocharger is installed in the exhaust passage downstream of the catalyst reactor, an energy recovery turbine is installed in the exhaust passage downstream of the turbocharger, and a heat exchanger is installed in the exhaust passage downstream of the energy recovery turbine to generate steam.

13. A gas engine according to claim 1, wherein the catalyst reactor includes a heat exchanger comprising an exhaust gas passage and a gas fuel passage.

14. A gas engine with a natural gas reforming device, comprising:

a fuel tank containing a natural gas fuel having CH₄ as a major component;

a catalyst reactor installed in an exhaust passage to thermally decompose CH₄ supplied from the fuel tank into a reformed fuel by using exhaust gas discharged from combustion chambers;

a reformed fuel supply device to supply the reformed fuel to the combustion chambers;

a turbocharger installed in the exhaust passage downstream of the catalyst reactor;

a first-stage heat exchanger installed in the exhaust passage downstream of the turbocharger;

a steam turbine driven by steam generated by the first-stage heat exchanger;

a condenser to convert steam discharged from the steam turbine into water;

a second-stage heat exchanger installed in the exhaust passage downstream of the first-stage heat exchanger to convert water delivered from the condenser into steam and supply the steam to the first-stage heat exchanger; and

a CO₂ supply device to separate CO₂ from the exhaust gas by a CO₂ separation membrane installed in the exhaust passage downstream of the second-stage heat exchanger and to supply the separated CO₂ to the catalyst reactor.

15. A gas engine according to claim 14, wherein the CO₂ separation membrane is an inorganic separation membrane made of alumina-, silica- and zeolite-based porous ceramics.

16. A gas engine according to claim 14, wherein the catalyst reactor reacts CH₄ with CO₂ to thermally decompose them into CO and H₂ by using Ni or Pt as a catalyst.

17. A gas engine according to claim 14, wherein the catalyst reactor is a catalyst device having a heat exchange function, and comprises an exhaust gas passage through which the exhaust gas flows and a gas fuel passage containing a porous member coated at its surface with the catalyst, the catalyst being incorporated inside a partition wall of the exhaust gas passage.

18. A gas engine according to claim 14, wherein the first-stage heat exchanger comprises a steam passage installed in a first casing and containing porous ceramic members through which the steam heated by the second-stage heat exchanger flows, and an exhaust gas passage installed in the steam passage and containing porous ceramic members through which the exhaust gas flows.

19. A gas engine according to claim 14, wherein the second-stage heat exchanger comprises a water-steam passage installed in a second casing provided adjacent to the first casing and containing porous ceramic members through which steam flows, the water-steam passage being capable of retaining water, and an exhaust gas passage arranged around the water-steam passage and containing porous ceramic members through which the exhaust gas from the first-stage heat exchanger flows.

20. A gas engine according to claim 14, wherein the exhaust passage upstream of the first-stage heat exchanger is provided with a fuel nozzle to inject a part of the reformed fuel from the catalyst reactor.

21. A gas engine according to claim 14, wherein the combustion chambers are formed in a heat insulating structure of a ceramic member.

22. A gas engine with a gas fuel reforming device, comprising:

a fuel tank containing a natural gas fuel having CH₄ as a major component;

an exhaust passage to discharge exhaust gas from combustion chambers;

a catalyst reactor installed in the exhaust passage to thermally decompose a gas mixture of CH₄ and CO₂ into a reformed fuel of CO and H₂ by using thermal energy of the exhaust gas;

a gas fuel supply device to supply the natural gas fuel from the fuel tank to the catalyst reactor;

a CO₂ supply device to supply CO₂ separated from the exhaust gas to the catalyst reactor; and

a reformed fuel supply device to supply the reformed fuel to the combustion chambers;

wherein the CO₂ supply device comprises;

a CO₂ dissolving device containing a solution to dissolve CO₂ of a cooled, low-temperature exhaust gas;

a CO₂ delivery device installed in the exhaust passage through which high-temperature exhaust gas discharged from the combustion chambers flows, the CO₂ delivery device being able to release CO₂ from the solution, in which CO₂ was dissolved by the CO₂ dissolving device, by heating the solution with the high-temperature exhaust gas, the CO₂ delivery device being able to accommodate the solution and send the released CO₂ to the catalyst reactor; and

a circulation pump to circulate the solution between the CO₂ dissolving device and the CO₂ delivery device.