# US 12,215,647 B1 · Method and system for controlling diesel engine emissions by fuel blending

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- Number: US 12,215,647 B1
- Document ID: US12215647B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 18/753,500
- Filed: 2024-06-25
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2024-06-25
- Assignees: Clear Torque, LLC
- Applicants: Clear Torque, LLC
- Inventors: Daniel W. Sonnek
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12215647B1

## CPC

- F02D 41/0025: {Controlling engines characterised by use of non-liquid fuels, pluralities of fuels, or non-fuel substances added to the combustible mixtures}
- F02D 41/30: Controlling fuel injection {(F02D41/182, F02D41/24 take precedence)}
- F01N 3/2066: {Selective catalytic reduction [SCR]}
- F01N 3/208: {Control of selective catalytic reduction [SCR], e.g. by adjusting the dosing of reducing agent}
- F01N 9/00: Electrical control of exhaust gas treating apparatus (monitoring or diagnostic devices for exhaust-gas treatment apparatus F01N11/00; conjoint electrical control of two or more combustion engine functions F02D43/00)
- F02D 19/081: {Adjusting the fuel composition or mixing ratio; Transitioning from one fuel to the other}
- F02D 41/1439: {characterised by the position of the sensor}
- F02D 41/1461: {of the exhaust gases emitted by the engine}
- F01N 2610/02: the substance being ammonia or urea
- F02D 19/0655: {at least one fuel being an alcohol, e.g. ethanol (F02D19/084 takes precedence)}
- F02D 2250/36: Control for minimising NOx emissions
- F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W)
- 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)

## Abstract

A system and method for controlling diesel engine emissions include blending diesel with ethanol to provide reduced NOx emissions generated from a combustion reaction in an internal combustion engine. The system and method incorporate a feedback system that monitors the NOx levels in the exhaust system and adjusts the flow of ethanol and fuel automatically, thereby maintaining the overall efficiency and performance of the engine system while reducing operation costs and significantly lowering the NOx emissions generated from the combustion of the fuel blend in the engine.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system for controlling nitrogen oxide (NOx) production in an engine, the system comprising:
a first control module connected to a first fuel pump that is configured to route diesel from a first fuel tank into an engine cylinder;
a second control module connected to a second fuel pump that is configured to route ethanol from a second fuel tank into the engine cylinder producing a mixture comprising the diesel and ethanol in the engine cylinder; and
an exhaust system comprising a first NOx sensor positioned at an outlet of the engine cylinder, a diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) pump positioned downstream of the first NOx sensor, and a second NOx sensor positioned downstream of the DEF pump;
wherein the ethanol has a concentration in a range from about 140 proof to about 190 proof; and
when the system is operating, the mixture combusts in the engine cylinder to produce exhaust gas comprising NOx, and the exhaust gas routes from the engine cylinder through the exhaust system, wherein the DEF pump provides a vaporized DEF stream to the exhaust gas.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the mixture comprises total ethanol content of about 5% v/v to about 85% v/v.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein:
the first NOx sensor measures a NOx level in the exhaust gas prior to exposure to the vaporized DEF stream; and
wherein the NOx sensor outlet measures the NOx level in the exhaust gas after the exposure to the vaporized DEF stream.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the first control module is connected to the DEF pump, and wherein the first NOx sensor and the second NOx sensor communicate with the first control module to modulate flow of the vaporized DEF stream.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The system of claim 4, wherein the flow of the vaporized DEF stream is increased at a NOx level above a threshold NOx level and decreased at a NOx level below the threshold NOx level.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the first NOx sensor and the second NOx sensor communicate with the first control module to modulate flow of the diesel into the engine cylinder.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein the flow of the diesel is decreased at a NOx level above a threshold NOx level and increased at a NOx level below the threshold NOx level.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the first control module is connected to the second control module.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the first control module sends data received from the first NOx sensor and the second NOx sensor to the second control module to adjust flow of the ethanol into the engine cylinder.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the flow of the ethanol is increased at a NOx level above a threshold NOx level and decreased at a NOx level below the threshold NOx level.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the first control module is further connected to the DEF pump, and the second control module sends data to the first control module to adjust diesel flow to the engine cylinder and vaporized DEF stream flow to the exhaust system when the ethanol is not available.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

A vehicle comprising the system of claim 1.

### Claim 13

A method of controlling nitrogen oxide (NOx) production in an engine, the method comprising:
routing diesel from a first fuel tank to an engine cylinder;
routing ethanol from a second fuel tank to the engine cylinder to produce a diesel-ethanol mixture in the engine cylinder; and
combusting the diesel-ethanol mixture in the engine cylinder in presence of atmospheric air to produce exhaust gas comprising NOx;
wherein the ethanol has a concentration in a range from about 140 proof to about 190 proof.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, further comprising:
routing the exhaust gas to an exhaust system to convert NOx in the exhaust gas to N2 and H2O by selective catalytic reduction (SCR) using a vaporized diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) stream;
monitoring NOx level data in the exhaust system;
routing the NOx level data in the exhaust system to a first control module to modulate flow of vaporized DEF stream into the exhaust system; and
routing the NOx level data in the exhaust system to the first control module to modulate flow of diesel to the engine cylinder.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, further comprising sending the NOx level data in the exhaust system from the first control module to a second control module to modulate flow of ethanol into the engine cylinder.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the flow of ethanol is increased at a NOx level above a threshold NOx level and decreased at a NOx level below the threshold NOx level in the exhaust system.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the flow of the vaporized DEF stream is increased at a NOx level above a threshold NOx level and decreased at a NOx level below the threshold NOx level in the exhaust system.

### Claim 18 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the flow of diesel is decreased at a NOx level above a threshold NOx level and increased at a NOx level below the threshold NOx level in the exhaust system.

### Claim 19 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the diesel-ethanol mixture comprises total ethanol content of about 5% v/v to about 85% v/v.