Systems and methods for managing emissions from an engine of a vehicle

• US 8,647,596 B1
• Filed: 08/07/2013
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Enterprise Science Fund, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hyde, Roderick A., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Kare, Jordin T., Weaver, Thomas A., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): VANOY, TIMOTHY C
• Application Number:
  US13/961,551
• Time in Patent Office: 188 Days
• Field of Search: 423/212, 423/213.2, 423/220, 422/108, 602/72, 602/74, 602/76, 602/82, 700/90, 700/274, 701/1, 701/29.1, 705/1.1, 705/14.1
• US Class Current: 423/212
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2252/20478 Alkanolamines
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/504 Carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2258/01 Engine exhaust gases
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/1412 Controlling the absorption process
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/1475 Removing carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/1493 Selection of liquid materials for use as absorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/18 Absorbing units; Liquid distributors therefor B01D3/16, B01D3/26, B01D3/30 take precedence; packing elements B01J19/30, B01J19/32
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/62 Carbon oxides
• 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: B01D 53/94 by catalytic processes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/9495 Controlling the catalytic process
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 6/00 Restoring or reconditioning objects straightening or restoring form of sheet metal, metal rods, metal tubes, metal profiles, or specific articles made therefrom B21D1/00, B21D3/00; repairing defective or damaged objects by casting techniques B22D19/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60V 3/00 Land vehicles, waterborne vessels, or aircraft, adapted or modified to travel on air cushions
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2570/10 Carbon or carbon oxides
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/00 Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust electric control F01N9/00; monitoring or diagnostic devices for exhaust-gas treatment apparatus F01N11/00 ; collecting or removing exhaust gases of vehicle engines in workshops B08B15/00, on highways E01C1/005
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/0857 Carbon oxides
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/10 by thermal or catalytic conversion of noxious components of exhaust by using other chemical processes, chemical aspects of catalytic conversion, e.g. using specified catalysts, B01D53/34
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/18 characterised by methods of operation; Control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 21/00 Systems involving sampling of the variable controlled G05B13/00 - G05B19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/40 : of CO2
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4973 : Replacing of defective part

Abstract

Disclosed embodiments include methods of removing carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle, systems for removing carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle, vehicles, methods of managing carbon dioxide emissions from an engine of a vehicle, and computer software program products for managing carbon dioxide emissions from an engine of a vehicle.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

modifying at least one parameter that is associated with removal of carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying at least one parameter that is associated with removal of carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle includes varying at least one setting of an engine.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one setting of an engine includes richness of a fuel-air mixture.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying at least one parameter that is associated with removal of carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle includes varying type of fuel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying at least one parameter that is associated with removal of carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle includes varying a setting of a catalytic converter.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein varying a setting of a catalytic converter includes varying temperature of combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle.

7. A method comprising:

storing in a removably replaceable vessel material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas includes carbon dioxide removed from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas is stored as a pressurized gas.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas is stored as a liquid.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas includes adsorbed carbon dioxide.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

processing the stored material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein processing the stored material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas includes transforming the stored material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas into a hydrocarbon.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein processing the stored material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas includes transforming the stored material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas into at least one compound chosen from a carbonate and a bicarbonate.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

measuring an amount of stored material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

displaying the amount of stored material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining an amount of storage capacity available for storing material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

displaying the amount of storage capacity available for storing material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining a rate of storing material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining an amount of time remaining to fill the storage capacity available for storing material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

displaying the amount of time remaining to fill the storage capacity available for storing material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining a distance travelable in a vehicle with the amount of storage capacity available for storing material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

displaying the distance travelable in a vehicle with the amount of storage capacity available for storing material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

24. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining a value for the amount of stored material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

25. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transferring the stored material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas from the removably replaceable vessel.

26. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

removing the removably replaceable vessel from the vehicle.

27. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

replacing the removably replaceable vessel in a vehicle.

28. A method comprising:

communicating data indicative of removal of carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein communicating data indicative of removal of carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle includes wirelessly transmitting from a vehicle the data indicative of removal of carbon dioxide from the combustion gas.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein communicating data indicative of removal of carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle includes displaying from a vehicle a visual indicator of the data indicative of removal of carbon dioxide from the combustion gas.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the data indicative of removal of carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle is further indicative of identification of a vehicle.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the data indicative of removal of carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle is further indicative of identification of a user.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein the data indicative of removal of carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle is further indicative of amount of carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein the data indicative of removal of carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle is further indicative of location at which carbon dioxide is removed from the combustion gas.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein the data indicative of removal of carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle is further indicative of time at which carbon dioxide is removed from the combustion gas.

36. The method of claim 28, wherein the data indicative of removal of carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle is further indicative of form in which material that contains carbon associated with the carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas is stored.