System and method for producing, dispensing, using and monitoring a hydrogen enriched fuel

• US 7,497,191 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2006
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eden Energy (UK) Ltd. (Eden Innovations Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Eden Innovations Ltd.
• Inventors: Egan, Gregory J., Fulton, Justin, Marmaro, Roger W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cronin; Stephen K
• Assistant Examiner(s): COLEMAN, KEITH A
• Application Number:
  US11/348,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20070181083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 62/7, 62/48, 123/492, 123/436, 123/443, 123/527, 705/14
• US Class Current: 123/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0606 with means for production of gaseous reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0662 Treatment of gaseous reactants or gaseous residues, e.g. cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

A system for producing, dispensing, using and monitoring a hydrogen enriched fuel includes a producing system configured to produce the hydrogen enriched fuel, a vehicle having an engine configured to use the hydrogen enriched fuel, and a dispensing system configured to store and dispense the hydrogen enriched fuel into the vehicle. The system also includes a fuel delivery system on the vehicle configured to deliver the hydrogen enriched fuel to the engine, and a control system configured to control the producing system and to monitor the use of the hydrogen enriched fuel by the vehicle. A method includes the steps of producing hydrogen gas and a hydrocarbon fuel, blending the hydrogen gas and the hydrocarbon fuel into the hydrogen enriched fuel, using the hydrogen enriched fuel in the engine, and tracking emissions during the producing step and during the using step.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a producing system configured to produce a hydrogen enriched fuel by blending hydrogen from a hydrogen source and hydrocarbon from a hydrocarbon source;

source data comprising information on the hydrogen source and on the hydrocarbon source and on transportation of the hydrogen and the hydrocarbon from the hydrogen source and the hydrocarbon source to the producing system;

a vehicle configured to use the hydrogen enriched fuel; and

a control system in signal communication with the producing system and the vehicle,

the control system configured to control production of the hydrogen enriched fuel by the producing system, to sense, retrieve and store emission data, fuel consumption data and mileage data during use of the hydrogen enriched fuel by the vehicle,

the control system configured to quantify emissions and air quality trading credits using the source data, the emission data, the fuel consumption data and the mileage data.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of vehicles configured to use the hydrogen enriched fuel, and wherein the control system is configured to sense, retrieve and store the emission data, the fuel consumption data and the mileage data during use of the hydrogen enriched fuel by each of the vehicles, and to aggregate the emissions and the air quality trading credits for all of the vehicles.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a dispensing system in signal communication with the control system configured to dispense the hydrogen enriched fuel into the vehicle and wherein the control system is configured to sense the emissions produced by the dispensing system.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the control system includes baseline vehicle fleet information and is adapted to compare the emission data, the fuel consumption data and the mileage data for the vehicle to the baseline vehicle fleet information.

5. A system comprising:

a producing system configured to produce a hydrogen enriched fuel by blending hydrogen from a hydrogen source and hydrocarbon from a hydrocarbon source;

source data comprising information on the hydrogen source and on the hydrocarbon source and on transportation of the hydrogen and the hydrocarbon from the hydrogen source and the hydrocarbon source to the producing system;

a plurality of vehicles, each vehicle comprising a first control module and an engine configured to use the hydrogen enriched fuel;

a dispensing system configured to dispense the hydrogen enriched fuel into the vehicles, the dispensing system comprising a second control module in signal communication with the first control module; and

a control system in signal communication with the first control module and the second control module configured to sense, retrieve and store emission data, fuel consumption data and mileage data during use of the hydrogen enriched fuel by the vehicles and to quantify emissions and to compare the emission data, the fuel consumption data and the mileage data to baseline vehicle information,

the control system configured to calculate air quality trading credits using the emission data, the baseline vehicle information and the source data.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the hydrogen source and the hydrocarbon source are selected to minimize emissions and energy consumption during production of the hydrogen and the hydrocarbon.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the plurality of vehicles comprises a fleet of buses.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the control system is configured to calculate the air quality trading credits during dispensing of the hydrogen enriched fuel by the dispensing system, and the use of the hydrogen enriched fuel by the vehicles.

9. The system of claim 5 wherein signal communication between the first control module and the second control module comprises wireless communication.

10. The system of claim 5 wherein signal communication between the first control module and the second control module comprises a card reader or a hardwired connection.

11. A system comprising:

a producing system configured to produce a hydrogen enriched fuel by blending hydrogen from a hydrogen source and hydrocarbon from a hydrocarbon source;

source data comprising information on the hydrogen source and on the hydrocarbon source and on transportation of the hydrogen and the hydrocarbon from the hydrogen source and the hydrocarbon source to the producing system;

a vehicle having an engine configured to use the hydrogen enriched fuel;

a dispensing system configured to dispense the hydrogen enriched fuel into the vehicle; and

a control system in signal communication with the producing system, the vehicle and the dispensing system, the control system configured to control the producing system,

the control system configured to sense, retrieve and store emission data from the producing system, the dispensing system, and the vehicle, and to calculate air quality trading credits using the emission data and the source data.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the hydrogen source and the hydrocarbon source are selected and operated to reduce emissions relative to a base line fuel.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the hydrogen source is selected from the group consisting of electrolysis, exotic water splitting, industrial waste streams, wells, reforming and gasification.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the hydrocarbon source is selected from the group consisting of wells, industrial waste streams, and biogas.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the hydrocarbon comprises methane.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the producing system includes a blending system in signal communication with the control system configured to blend the hydrogen and the hydrocarbon into the hydrogen enriched fuel.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the control system includes an engine control module on the vehicle configured to provide emission and energy consumption data by the vehicle during use of the hydrogen enriched fuel, and a control and audit module on the dispensing system in signal communication with the engine control module configured to receive the data.

18. A system comprising:

a producing system comprising a blender configured to blend a hydrogen gas from a hydrogen source and a hydrocarbon fuel from a hydrocarbon source into a hydrogen enriched fuel;

source data comprising information on the hydrogen source and on the hydrocarbon source and on transportation of the hydrogen gas and the hydrocarbon fuel from the hydrogen source and the hydrocarbon source to the producing system;

a vehicle having an engine configured to use the hydrogen enriched fuel, and a first control module configured to sense operating conditions and calculate emissions from the engine; and

a control system including a second control module in signal communication with the first control module configured to control the blender, to sense, retrieve and store emission data, fuel consumption data and mileage data during the use of the hydrogen enriched fuel by the vehicle, and to quantify emissions and air quality trading credits using the source data and the emission data.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising a dispensing system configured to dispense the hydrogen enriched fuel into the vehicle, and wherein the second control module is located on the dispensing system.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein signal communication between the first control module and the second control module comprises wireless communication, a card reader or a hard wired connection.

21. The system of claim 20 further comprising a storage system in flow communication with the dispensing system configured to store the hydrogen enriched fuel.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the hydrocarbon comprises methane in a supercritical state.

23. A system comprising:

a producing system configured to produce a hydrogen enriched fuel by blending hydrogen from a hydrogen source and hydrocarbon from a hydrocarbon source;

source data comprising information on the hydrogen source and on the hydrocarbon source and on transportation of the hydrogen and the hydrocarbon from the hydrogen source and the hydrocarbon source to the producing system;

a dispensing system configured to dispense the hydrogen enriched fuel;

a vehicle comprising an engine, a fuel delivery system on the vehicle in fluid communication with the dispensing system configured to deliver the hydrogen enriched fuel to the engine, and an engine control module configured to calculate emissions from the engine during combustion of the hydrogen enriched fuel; and

a control system having an audit and control module on the dispensing system in signal communication with the engine control module configured to control dispensing of the hydrogen enriched fuel by the dispensing system, to store emission data during use of the hydrogen enriched fuel by the vehicle, and to calculate air quality trading credits using the emission data and the source data.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the hydrocarbon comprises natural gas.

25. The system of claim 23 further comprising a wireless communication system for providing signal communication between the audit and control module and the engine control module.

26. A method for producing, dispensing, using and monitoring a hydrogen enriched fuel comprising:

providing a hydrogen gas from a hydrogen source and a hydrocarbon fuel from a hydrocarbon source;

providing source data comprising information on the hydrogen source and on the hydrocarbon source and on transportation of the hydrogen gas and the hydrocarbon fuel from the hydrogen source and the hydrocarbon source;

blending the hydrogen gas and the hydrocarbon fuel into the hydrogen enriched fuel;

dispensing the hydrogen enriched fuel into a vehicle having an engine configured to use the hydrogen enriched fuel;

using the hydrogen enriched fuel in the vehicle engine;

sensing, retrieving and storing emission data, fuel consumption data and mileage data during the using step; and

quantifying emissions and air quality trading credits using the source data, the emission data, the fuel consumption data and the mileage data.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising quantifying the emissions and the air quality trading credits produced during the blending step, the dispensing step and the using step.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the quantifying step quantifies the emissions over a life cycle of the hydrogen enriched fuel.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the quantifying step quantifies the air quality trading credits over a life cycle of the hydrogen enriched fuel.

30. The method of claim 26 further comprising performing the dispensing step, the using step, the sensing step and quantifying step on a fleet of vehicles having baseline vehicle fleet information, and using the data and the information to reduce the emissions and the fuel consumption of the vehicle.

31. A method for producing, using and monitoring a hydrogen enriched fuel comprising:

providing a producing system configured to produce the hydrogen enriched fuel from hydrogen from a hydrogen source and a hydrocarbon fuel from a hydrocarbon source;

providing source data comprising information on the hydrogen source and on the hydrocarbon source and on transportation of the hydrogen gas and the hydrocarbon fuel from the hydrogen source and the hydrocarbon source;

producing the hydrogen enriched fuel using the producing system;

providing a vehicle configured to use the hydrogen enriched fuel;

providing a control system in signal communication with the producing system and the vehicle, the control system configured to store the source data, to control production of the hydrogen enriched fuel, to monitor emissions produced by the producing system, and to monitor emissions produced by the vehicle during use of the hydrogen enriched fuel at specific environmental and engine operating conditions;

using the hydrogen enriched fuel in the vehicle; and

monitoring emissions during the producing step and the using step using the control system to estimate and track the emissions over a life cycle of the hydrogen enriched fuel.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the control system is configured to monitor a quality of the hydrogen enriched fuel and to monitor safety during production of the hydrogen enriched fuel.

33. The method of claim 31 further comprising providing a dispensing system in signal communication with the control system configured to dispense the hydrogen enriched fuel into the vehicle, dispensing the hydrogen enriched fuel into the vehicle using the dispensing system, and monitoring the emissions during the dispensing step using the control system.

34. The method of claim 31 further comprising auditing tradable emission credits using the control system.