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

• US 8,790,604 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2013
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• 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:
  US13/961,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20140182267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 356 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 of removing carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle, the method comprising:

determining at least one attribute regarding removal of carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle;

removing in a first vessel carbon dioxide from the combustion gas;

storing in a second vessel material that contains carbon associated with the carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas; and

removing from the vehicle the material that contains carbon associated with the carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein removing from the vehicle the material that contains carbon associated with the carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas includes removing from the vehicle the second vessel.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

reinstalling on the vehicle an empty second vessel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein removing in a first vessel carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle includes performing at least one process chosen from absorbing the carbon dioxide in a liquid solution and adsorbing the carbon dioxide with an adsorption material.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one attribute includes at least one attribute chosen from position of a vehicle where the carbon dioxide is removed from the combustion gas, time when the carbon dioxide is removed from the combustion gas, governmental regulations regarding removing carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle, and an amount of pollution in air drawn into an engine from which the carbon dioxide is removed from the combustion gas.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

7. The method of claim 6, wherein processing the material that contains carbon associated with the carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas includes performing at least one process chosen from transforming the material that contains carbon associated with the carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas into a hydrocarbon and transforming the material that contains carbon associated with the carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas into at least one compound chosen from a carbonate and a bicarbonate.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

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

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

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

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

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

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

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

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording at least one parameter chosen from time when carbon dioxide is removed from the combustion gas and position of a vehicle where carbon dioxide is removed from the combustion gas.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein removing carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle includes removing carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle when a combustion gas exhaust rate is less than a predetermined exhaust rate.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

exhausting the combustion gas to atmosphere when the combustion gas exhaust rate is at least the predetermined exhaust rate.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

storing in a third vessel the combustion gas when the combustion gas exhaust rate is at least the predetermined exhaust rate.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying at least one parameter that is associated with removal of carbon dioxide from the combustion gas.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein modifying at least one parameter that is associated with removal of carbon dioxide from the combustion gas includes performing at least one process chosen from varying at least one setting of an engine, varying type of fuel, and varying a setting of a catalytic converter.

19. A system for removing carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle, the system comprising:

electrical circuitry configured to determine at least one attribute regarding removal of carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle;

a first vessel configured to remove carbon dioxide from the combustion gas;

a second vessel configured to store material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas; and

a removal mechanism configured to remove from the vehicle the material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the second vessel is removable from the vehicle.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the second vessel is removably replaceable on the vehicle.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the first vessel is further configured to perform at least one process chosen from absorbing the carbon dioxide in a liquid solution and adsorbing the carbon dioxide with an adsorption material.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one attribute includes at least one attribute chosen from position of a vehicle where the carbon dioxide is removed from the combustion gas, time when the carbon dioxide is removed from the combustion gas, governmental regulations regarding removing carbon dioxide from combustion gas from an engine of a vehicle, and an amount of pollution in air drawn into an engine from which the carbon dioxide is removed from the combustion gas.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one vessel chosen from the first vessel and the second vessel is further configured to process the stored material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein at least one vessel chosen from the first vessel and the second vessel is further configured to perform at least one process chosen from transforming stored material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas into a hydrocarbon and transforming the removed carbon dioxide into at least one compound chosen from a carbonate and a bicarbonate.

26. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a measurement system configured to measure an amount of stored material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the measurement system is further configured to determine an amount of storage capacity available for storing material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the measurement system is further configured to determine a rate of storing material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the measurement system is further configured to determine 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.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the measurement system is further configured to determine 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.

31. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a monitoring system configured to record at least one parameter chosen from time when carbon dioxide is removed from the combustion gas and position of a vehicle where carbon dioxide is removed from the combustion gas.

32. The system of claim 19, wherein the first vessel is further configured to remove carbon dioxide from the combustion gas when a combustion gas exhaust rate is less than a predetermined exhaust rate.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the first vessel is further configured to exhaust the combustion gas to atmosphere when the combustion gas exhaust rate is at least the predetermined exhaust rate.

34. The system of claim 32, further comprising:

a third vessel configured to store the combustion gas when the combustion gas exhaust rate is at least the predetermined exhaust rate.

35. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one parameter that is associated with removal of carbon dioxide from the combustion gas is modifiable.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the at least one modifiable parameter that is associated with removal of carbon dioxide from the combustion gas includes at least one parameter chosen from at least one modifiable setting of an engine, type of fuel, and a modifiable setting of a catalytic converter.

37. The system of claim 19, wherein the second vessel is configured to be disposed on a vehicle.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein:

the second vessel is configured to be removably replaceable; and

the removal mechanism includes the second vessel.

39. The system of claim 19, wherein the second vessel is configured to be disposed off a vehicle.

40. The system of claim 19, wherein the removal mechanism includes an outlet port.

41. A vehicle comprising:

a vehicle frame;

an engine disposed on the vehicle frame; and

a system for removing carbon dioxide from combustion gas from the engine, the system including;

electrical circuitry configured to determine at least one attribute regarding removal of carbon dioxide from the combustion gas;

a first vessel configured to remove carbon dioxide from the combustion gas;

a second vessel configured to store material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas; and

a removal mechanism configured to remove from the vehicle the material that contains carbon associated with carbon dioxide removed from the combustion gas.

42. The vehicle of claim 41, wherein the second vessel is removable from the vehicle.

43. The vehicle of claim 41, wherein the second vessel is removably replaceable.

44. The vehicle of claim 43, wherein the removal mechanism includes the second vessel.

45. The vehicle of claim 41, wherein the removal mechanism includes an outlet port.