Internal combustion engine as a chemical reactor to produce synthesis gas from hydrocarbon feeds
AssigneeResearch Triangle Institute
InventorsJohn Reeves Carpenter, III, David Douglas Barbee, Apoorv Agarwal
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An internal combustion engine is operated at fuel-rich conditions by adjusting one or more operating parameters such as, for example, a throttle, an ignition timing, a load coupled to the engine, a fuel pressure, power to a supercharger, and power to a preheater to maintain a specified engine speed and a temperature of an exhaust gas. Operating the engine under these conditions allows the engine to function as a reformer producing a synthesis gas comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
Claims26
A method for using an internal combustion engine as a reactor under fuel-rich conditions, comprising:
- starting the engine using a feed gas having an initial fuel-air equivalence ratio wherein the feed gas comprises natural gas;
- increasing the fuel-air equivalence ratio incrementally to generate a fuel-rich feed gas;
- and
- while increasing the fuel-air equivalence ratio, adjusting one or more of a throttle, an ignition timing, a load coupled to the engine, a fuel pressure, power to a supercharger acting on the feed gas or part of the feed gas, and power to a preheater acting on the feed gas to maintain a fuel-air equivalence ratio to about 1.6 to 2.4.
A gas reformer system, comprising:
- an internal combustion engine comprising a fuel gas inlet, an exhaust gas outlet, a plurality of cylinders, an ignition timing system, a throttle, a fuel gas preheater, and a supercharger;
- wherein the internal combustion engine is configured for operating with (i) a natural gas fuel gas and (ii) a fuel-air equivalence ratio of between about 1.6 and 2.4.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.