Method and a system for removing particulates and toxic substances from an exhaust of an engine that use hydrocarbons as a fuel

• US 6,625,977 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2000
• Issued: 09/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Lehman, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Denion, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TU MINH
• Application Number:
  US09/742,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20020073695A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 602/72, 602/74, 602/82, 602/95, 603/10, 603/11, 603/07, 603/17, 60/393.3, 68/18.R, 134/10, 264/3.1, 952/30, 952/32, 952/37, 963/72, 422/168-171, 422/173, 423/210, 423/212, 423/215.5, 423/235, 423/243.02, 423/243.12, 423/245.1, 423/246, 528/487, 626/17, 626/32, 626/37, 588/256
• US Class Current: 60/311
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/92 of engine exhaust gases exhaust or silencing apparatus for internal combustion engines, machines or engines in general, having means for purifying, rendering innocuous or otherwise treating exhaust gases F01N3/00
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/02 for cooling, or for removing solid constituents of, exhaust by means of electric or electrostatic separators F01N3/01 ; mixing air with exhaust in tailpipes F01N13/082, F01N13/20
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/08 for rendering innocuous using electric or electrostatic separators F01N3/01; chemical aspects B01D53/92
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

A method and a system for treating an internal combustion engine exhaust gas using a hydrocarbons as fuel. The internal combustion engine exhaust gas contains particulates and toxic substances. Such particulates and toxic substances being liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and No_x. The system uses carbon dioxide to interact with the exhaust gas. The carbon dioxide is stored within a container at its triple state. The carbon dioxide and the exhaust gas are conducted through an emission exchanger. The exhaust gas is scrubbed or cleaned by the carbon dioxide and the hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, No_x, and particulate emissions are carried away by a carbon dioxide gas stream. The cleaned exhaust gas can be discharged into the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide gas stream can be cleaned by passing the same through separator components which remove the pollutants therefrom. The cleaned carbon dioxide gas is processed further to restore the carbon dioxide to its triple state for reuse within another operative cycle of the method or system.

Claims

1. A system for treating and cleaning an exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine from atmospheric pollutants, said internal combustion engine using hydrocarbons as fuel, said system comprising:

an emission exchanger;

an apparatus which conducts exhaust gas from said internal combustion engine into said emission exchanger; and

an apparatus which conducts carbon dioxide (CO₂) into said emission exchanger such that said carbon dioxide (CO₂) interacts with said internal combustion engine exhaust gas such that a hydrocarbon is removed from said internal combustion engine exhaust gas by a stream of carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas, said cleaned exhaust gas being discharged into the atmosphere.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said carbon dioxide (CO₂) interacts with said internal combustion engine exhaust gas such that at least one of carbon monoxide, NO_x, and particulate matter is removed from said internal combustion engine exhaust gas by said stream of carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1, including an apparatus which stores said carbon dioxide (CO₂) in a storage container at its triple state, said triple state being a solid, liquid, and gaseous phases, prior to conducting said carbon dioxide (CO₂) into said emission exchanger.

4. The system as set forth in claim 3, wherein said carbon dioxide (CO₂) is disposed within said storage container at a pressure level of about five atmospheres (5 atm) and a temperature level of about −

57°

C.

5. The system as set forth in claim 3, including an exhaust gas cooler/conditioner for treating said engine exhaust gas prior to conveyance of said engine exhaust gas into said emission exchanger so as to render the temperature and pressure parameters of said engine exhaust gas compatible with the temperature and pressure parameters of said carbon dioxide (CO₂) as both said engine exhaust gas and said carbon dioxide (CO₂) are conducted into said emission exchanger.

6. The system as set forth in claim 3, including an apparatus which separates said hydrocarbon from said stream of carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas so as to permit said stream of carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas to be recycled for reuse within said system.

7. The system as set forth in claim 6, including an apparatus which restores said stream of carbon dioxide gas (CO₂) to said triple state so as to be able to be stored in said triple state prior to conveyance into said emission exchanger.

8. A method for treating and cleaning an exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine from atmospheric pollutants, said internal combustion engine using hydrocarbons as fuel, said system comprising:

providing an emission exchanger;

conducting exhaust gas from said internal combustion engine into said emission exchanger;

conducting carbon dioxide (CO₂) into said emission exchanger such that said carbon dioxide (CO₂) interacts with said internal combustion engine exhaust gas such that a hydrocarbon is removed from said internal combustion engine exhaust gas by a stream of carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas; and

discharging said cleaned exhaust gas into an atmosphere.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said step of conducting carbon dioxide (CO₂) into said emission exchanger includes interacting said carbon dioxide (CO₂) with said internal combustion engine exhaust gas such that at least one of carbon monoxide, NO_x, and particulate matter is removed from said internal combustion engine exhaust gas by said stream of carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas.

10. The method as set forth in claim 8, including the step of storing said carbon dioxide (CO₂) in a storage container at its triple state, said triple state being a solid, liquid, and gaseous phases, prior to conducting said carbon dioxide (CO₂) into said emission exchanger.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, including the step of storing said carbon dioxide (CO₂) within said storage container at a pressure level of about five atmospheres (5 atm) and a temperature level of about −

57°

C.

12. The method as set forth in claim 10, including the step of conducting said internal combustion engine exhaust gas through an exhaust gas cooler/conditioner for treating said internal combustion engine exhaust gas prior to conducting said internal combustion engine exhaust gas into said emission exchanger so as to render the temperature and pressure parameters of said internal combustion engine exhaust gas compatible with the temperature and pressure parameters of said carbon dioxide (CO₂) as both said internal combustion engine exhaust gas and said carbon dioxide (CO₂) are conducted into said emission exchanger.

13. The method as set forth in claim 10, including the step of separating said hydrocarbon from said stream of carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas so as to permit said stream of carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas to be recycled for reuse within said method.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13, including the step of restoring said stream of carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas to said triple state so as to be able to be stored in said triple state prior to conveyance into said emission exchanger.

15. A system for treating and cleaning an exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine from atmospheric pollutants, said internal combustion engine using hydrocarbons as fuel, said system comprising:

an emission exchanger;

an apparatus which conducts exhaust gas from said internal combustion engine into said emission exchanger;

an apparatus which conducts carbon dioxide (CO₂) into said emission exchanger such that said carbon dioxide (CO₂) interacts with said internal combustion engine exhaust gas such that a hydrocarbon is removed from said internal combustion engine exhaust gas by a stream of carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas, said cleaned exhaust gas being discharged into the atmosphere; and

an exhaust gas cooler/conditioner for treating said engine exhaust gas prior to conveyance of said engine exhaust gas into said emission exchanger so as to render the temperature and pressure parameters of said engine exhaust gas compatible with the temperature and pressure parameters of said carbon dioxide (CO₂) as both said engine exhaust gas and said carbon dioxide (CO₂) are conducted into said emission exchanger.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said carbon dioxide (CO₂) interacts with said internal combustion engine exhaust gas such that at least one of carbon monoxide, NO_x, and particulate matter is removed from said internal combustion engine exhaust gas by said stream of carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas.