Internal combustion engine with a methanol reforming system. [hydrocarbon-hydrogen fuel mixture]

Patent · Tue Oct 28 04:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:6421273

Bunda, T; Noguchi, M; Sumiyoshi, M; Tanaka, T

An internal combustion engine has a primary fuel circuit for producing a lean mixture of air and hydrocarbon fuel to be fed into a combustion chamber and a secondary fuel circuit which includes a secondary carburetor for producing a mixture of air and methanol at an air-methanol ratio of less than 2.0. The air methanol mixture is fed into a reactor vessel having therein a catalyst bed which is heated to facilitate reaction between the components of the air-methanol mixture. By the reaction the air methanol mixture is converted into a reformed gaseous mixture rich with hydrogen which is then mixed with an air-hydrocarbon fuel mixture to form a composite mixture to be supplied into the combustion chamber. The existence of hydrogen in the composite mixture assures reliable spark-ignition and stable combustion of the composite mixture which is of a very large air-fuel ratio as calculated in terms of air-gasoline ratio, to thereby reduce the emission of harmful components of engine exhaust gas and improve the fuel consumption.

• Assignee: Nippon Soken Inc (Japan)
• Patent Number(s): US 4230072
• OSTI ID: 6421273
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

08 HYDROGEN
080103 -- Hydrogen-- Production-- Steam Reformer Processes
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
330101* -- Internal Combustion Engines-- Spark-Ignition
330800 -- Emission Control-- Alternative Fuels
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
ALCOHOLS
CATALYSTS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONTROL
DESIGN
ELEMENTS
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
ENGINES
FUEL CONSUMPTION
FUEL SYSTEMS
FUEL-AIR RATIO
FUELS
GAS GENERATORS
HEAT ENGINES
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN FUELS
HYDROGEN GENERATORS
HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
LIQUID FUELS
METHANOL
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION CONTROL
REFORMER PROCESSES
SPARK IGNITION ENGINES
SYNTHETIC FUELS