System and method for on-board catalytic upgrading of hydrocarbon fuels

A system comprising:

• a point-of-sale fuel tank,
• an operator accessible point-of-sale fuel filling port that is structurally configured to transfer hydrocarbon fuel from a point-of-sale fuel dispenser to the point-of-sale fuel tank,
• an internal combustion engine,
• an unreformed fuel subsystem that is structurally configured to transfer unreformed hydrocarbon fuel from the point-of-sale fuel tank to the internal combustion engine along an unreformed fuel supply pathway,
• a reformed fuel subsystem that is structurally configured to reform hydrocarbon fuel from the point-of-sale fuel tank and transfer reformed fuel to the internal combustion engine along a reformed fuel supply pathway separated from the unreformed fuel supply pathway, and
• fuel system control architecture comprising a reformate flow control device and a cetane rating controller, wherein:
• the reformed fuel subsystem comprises a catalytic reactor, a diverted hydrocarbon fuel inlet configured to direct a diverted portion of hydrocarbon fuel originating from the point-of-sale fuel tank to the catalytic reactor, an oxidizing gas inlet configured to direct an oxidizing gas to the catalytic reactor, an unreacted oxidizing gas outlet configured to direct at least a portion of an unreacted oxidizing gas from the catalytic reactor, and a reformed hydrocarbon fuel outlet configured to direct reformed hydrocarbon fuel to the internal combustion engine;
• the catalytic reactor comprises a reforming catalyst and is structurally configured to alter a native cetane rating of the diverted hydrocarbon fuel in the presence of oxidizing gas from the oxidizing gas inlet of the reformed fuel subsystem;
• the unreacted oxidizing gas outlet further comprises a hydrocarbon vapor removal device and a vapor recycle line connecting the hydrocarbon vapor removal device to an intake of the internal combustion engine where the hydrocarbon vapor removal device is structurally configured to separate hydrocarbon vapors from unreacted oxidizing gasses and discharge the hydrocarbon vapors into the vapor recycle line;
• and
• the cetane rating controller and the reformate flow control device cooperate to deliver an upgraded hydrocarbon fuel to a combustion zone of the internal combustion engine by controlling a volumetric ratio of unreformed hydrocarbon fuel from the unreformed fuel subsystem to reformed hydrocarbon fuel from the reformed fuel subsystem.

A method for on-board catalytic upgrading of hydrocarbon fuels, the method comprising:

• passing a hydrocarbon fuel along a reformed fuel subsystem from an on-board point-of-sale fuel tank into a catalytic reactor;
• passing an oxidizing gas through an oxidizing gas inlet into the catalytic reactor;
• contacting the oxidizing gas, a reforming catalyst, and the hydrocarbon fuel to alter the native cetane rating of the hydrocarbon fuel and thereby produce a reformed hydrocarbon fuel;
• passing an unreacted oxidizing gas from the catalytic reactor into a hydrocarbon vapor removal device and separating hydrocarbon vapors from the unreacted oxidizing gas;
• discharging the hydrocarbon vapors separated from the unreacted oxidizing gas into a vapor recycle line connecting the hydrocarbon vapor removal device to an intake of the internal combustion engine;
• contacting an unreformed hydrocarbon fuel from the on-board point-of-sale fuel tank with the reformed hydrocarbon fuel at a controlled volumetric ratio to produce an upgraded hydrocarbon fuel;
• and
• introducing the upgraded hydrocarbon fuel into a combustion zone of an internal combustion engine.