Alcohol dissociation process for automobiles

Patent · Tue Apr 24 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:6379760

Yoon, H

A method is disclosed for methyl alcohol treatment and distribution for an automobile internal combustion engine including the sequence of steps as follows: (a) heating a catalyst bed reactor to a start-up temperature using exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine being operated on atomized methyl alcohol; the catalyst bed reactor including a partial combustion catalyst and a methanol dissociation catalyst; (b) isolating the catalyst bed reactor from the exhaust; (c) vaporizing liquid methyl alcohol to form alcohol vapor; (d) mixing the alcohol vapor with air in a constant ratio of oxygen to alcohol at variable alcohol flow rates, to form a partial combustion mixture; (e) contacting the partial combustion mixture and the partial combustion catalyst to exothermically form dissociation mixtures the dissociation mixture including methanol vapor, water vapor, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen each in substantial proportion; (f) contacting the dissociation mixture and the dissociation catalyst to endothermically form hydrogen-rich fuel the hydrogen-rich fuel including hydrogen and carbon monoxide each in substantial proportion, the hydrogen rich fuel being formed from the alcohol vapor substantially adiabatically; (g) mixing air and the hydrogen-rich fuel to form a total combustion mixture; (h) burning the total combustion mixture in an internal combustion engine.

• Assignee: Conoco Inc.
• Patent Number(s): US 4444158
• OSTI ID: 6379760
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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ADIABATIC PROCESSES
ALCOHOL FUELS
AUTOMOBILES
CATALYTIC COMBUSTORS
CHEMICAL REACTORS
COMBUSTION CONTROL
COMBUSTORS
CONTROL
DISSOCIATING GASES
DISSOCIATION
ELEMENTS
ENGINES
FLUIDIZED BED
FLUIDS
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
FUEL-AIR RATIO
FUELS
GASES
HEAT ENGINES
HYDROGEN
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
METHANOL FUELS
NONMETALS
SYNTHETIC FUELS
VEHICLES