# US 10,119,500 B2 · Internal combustion engine having exhaust gas recirculation loop with catalyzed heat exchanger for steam reformation

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- Number: US 10,119,500 B2
- Document ID: US10119500B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/284,284
- Filed: 2016-10-03
- Published: 2018-04-05
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-10-03
- Assignees: Southwest Research Institute
- Applicants: Southwest Research Institute
- Inventors: Cary A. Henry
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10119500B2

## CPC

- F02M 26/35: with means for cleaning or treating the recirculated gases, e.g. catalysts, condensate traps, particle filters or heaters
- B01J 23/42: Platinum
- B01J 23/44: Palladium
- B01J 23/464: {Rhodium}
- B01J 23/63: with rare earths or actinides
- B01J 23/755: Nickel
- B01J 23/83: with rare earths or actinides
- F01N 3/0205: {using heat exchangers}
- F01N 3/101: {Three-way catalysts}
- F01N 5/02: the devices using heat
- F01N 13/107: {More than one exhaust manifold or exhaust collector}
- F02M 26/05: High pressure loops, i.e. wherein recirculated exhaust gas is taken out from the exhaust system upstream of the turbine and reintroduced into the intake system downstream of the compressor
- F02M 26/06: Low pressure loops, i.e. wherein recirculated exhaust gas is taken out from the exhaust downstream of the turbocharger turbine and reintroduced into the intake system upstream of the compressor
- F02M 26/36: with means for adding fluids other than exhaust gas to the recirculation passage; with reformers
- F02M 26/42: having two or more EGR passages; EGR systems specially adapted for engines having two or more cylinders
- B01J 37/0215: {Coating}
- Y02T 10/12: Improving ICE efficiencies
- F02M: SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- F01N: GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES (arrangements in connection with gas exhaust of propulsion units in vehicles B60K13/00; combustion-air intake silencers specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines F02M35/00; protecting against, or damping, noise in general G10K11/16)
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A method of providing recirculated exhaust to an internal combustion engine. The engine has an EGR (exhaust gas recirculation loop) which may be a high pressure loop, a low pressure loop, or a dedicated cylinder loop. A catalyzed heat exchanger on the EGR loop has a steam reformation catalyst and a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger uses hot exhaust gas from the main exhaust line to heat the catalyst. A methane fuel source adds methane to the recirculated exhaust stream before it enters the catalyst, and the catalytic reaction increases the amount of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the recirculated exhaust.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of providing recirculated exhaust to an internal combustion engine having a number of cylinders, the cylinders receiving an intake charge via an intake line, with at least one cylinder being a dedicated EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) cylinder and the remaining cylinders being main cylinders whose exhaust is emitted via an exhaust manifold to a main exhaust line, comprising:
providing an EGR loop to route recirculated exhaust from the dedicated EGR cylinder to a point on the intake line;
installing a catalyzed heat exchanger on the EGR loop; wherein the catalyzed heat exchanger has a catalyst reactor and a heat exchanger;
wherein the catalyst reactor is operable to perform a steam reformation process;
installing a fuel injector on the EGR loop upstream of the catalyzed heat exchanger;
receiving a hydrocarbon fuel via the fuel injector into the EGR loop upstream of the catalyzed heat exchanger;
receiving exhaust from the main exhaust line into the heat exchanger and using the exhaust from the main exhaust line to heat the catalyst reactor;
wherein the heat exchanger has at least one loop around the catalyst reactor, such a given portion of exhaust gas is heated simultaneously with the steam reformation process of that portion of exhaust, and the exhaust from the main exhaust line is used to keep the surface of the catalyst reactor at the same temperature as the main exhaust stream; and
using the catalyzed reactor to increase the amount of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the recirculated exhaust.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon fuel is gasoline, diesel, methane, propane, or ethanol.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon fuel is delivered from the same fuel reservoir as the used for the engine.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the catalyst reactor is a membrane or packed bed reactor.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the catalyst has catalyst material comprising nickel, platinum, palladium, or rhodium.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the engine has an exhaust aftertreatment device, and the catalyzed heat exchanger receives exhaust downstream of the aftertreatment device.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the engine has an exhaust aftertreatment device, and the catalyzed heat exchanger receives exhaust upstream of the aftertreatment device.

### Claim 8

A method of providing recirculated exhaust to an internal combustion engine having a number of cylinders, the cylinders receiving an intake charge via an intake line, and the cylinders emitting exhaust via a main exhaust line, comprising:
providing an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) loop to route recirculated exhaust from at least one cylinder to a point on the intake line;
installing a catalyzed heat exchanger on the EGR loop upstream of the catalyzed heat exchanger;
wherein the catalyzed heat exchanger has a catalyst reactor and a heat exchanger;
wherein the catalyst reactor is operable to perform a steam reformation process;
installing a fuel injector on the EGR loop upstream of the catalyzed heat exchanger;
receiving a hydrocarbon fuel via the fuel injector into the EGR loop;
receiving exhaust from the main exhaust line into the heat exchanger and using the exhaust from the main exhaust line to heat the catalyst reactor;
wherein the heat exchanger has at least one loop around the catalyst reactor, such a given portion of exhaust gas is heated simultaneously with the steam reformation process of that portion of exhaust, and the exhaust from the main exhaust line is used to keep the surface of the catalyst reactor at the same temperature as the main exhaust stream; and
using the catalyzed reactor to increase the amount of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the recirculated exhaust.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the EGR loop is a low pressure EGR loop.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the EGR loop is a high pressure EGR loop.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the engine has at least one cylinder that is a dedicated EGR cylinder and wherein the EGR loop receives exhaust from the dedicated EGR cylinder.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the hydrocarbon fuel is gasoline, diesel, methane, propane, or ethanol.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the hydrocarbon fuel is delivered from the same fuel reservoir as the used for the engine.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the catalyst reactor is a membrane or packed bed reactor.

### Claim 15 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the catalyst has catalyst material comprising nickel, platinum, palladium, or rhodium.

### Claim 16 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the engine has an exhaust aftertreatment device, and the catalyzed heat exchanger receives exhaust downstream of the aftertreatment device.

### Claim 17 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the engine has an exhaust aftertreatment device, and the catalyzed heat exchanger receives exhaust upstream of the aftertreatment device.