Marine methanol inert gas blanketing

A system, comprising:

• an internal combustion engine mechanically connected to a generator through a shaft, wherein the internal combustion engine rotates the shaft to rotate windings of the generator to generate an electrical power output;
• a methanol tank for providing methanol to the engine and a reformer, wherein the reformer produces hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide from a reaction of the methanol and water vapor;
• a hydrogen selective membrane to separate the hydrogen gas from the carbon dioxide to produce a carbon dioxide/water mixture;
• a condenser/cooler to cool the carbon dioxide/water mixture to condense the water and cool the carbon dioxide, thereby separating the water from the carbon dioxide/water mixture to form a carbon dioxide concentrated gas mixture;
• and
• a blanket controller configured to:
• manipulate a control valve to direct the carbon dioxide concentrated gas mixture produced by the reformer into a vapor region of a tank to produce an inert blanket in the vapor region of the tank to reduce a flammability of gases in the vapor region;
• receive a signal from a pressure sensor that indicates a pressure of the vapor region;
• determine if the pressure is:
• above a high set point,
• at or below the high setpoint and at or above a low set point;
• or
• below the low setpoint;
• and
• reduce a production of the carbon dioxide concentrated gas mixture if the pressure is above the high setpoint by:
• increasing a first amount of the carbon dioxide concentrated gas mixture produced by the reformer ported to an overflow system and reducing a second amount of the carbon dioxide concentrated gas mixture produced by the reformer ported to the tank;
• or
• reducing a speed of or stopping a hydrogen production pump.

A system, comprising:

• an internal combustion engine mechanically connected to a generator through a shaft, wherein the internal combustion engine rotates the shaft to rotate windings of the generator to generate an electrical power output;
• a methanol tank for providing methanol to the engine and a reformer, wherein the reformer produces hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide from a reaction of the methanol and water vapor;
• a hydrogen selective membrane to separate the hydrogen gas from the carbon dioxide to produce a carbon dioxide/water mixture;
• a condenser/cooler to cool the carbon dioxide/water mixture to condense the water and cool the carbon dioxide, thereby separating the water from the carbon dioxide/water mixture to form a carbon dioxide concentrated gas mixture;
• and
• a blanket controller configured to:
• manipulate a control valve to direct the carbon dioxide concentrated gas mixture produced by the reformer into a vapor region of a tank to produce an inert blanket in the vapor region of the tank to reduce a flammability of gases in the vapor region;
• receive a signal from a pressure sensor that indicates a pressure of the vapor region;
• determine if the pressure is:
• above a high set point,
• at or below the high setpoint and at or above a low set point;
• or
• below the low setpoint;
• and
• maintain a production of carbon dioxide concentrated gas mixture if the pressure is at or below the high setpoint or above the low setpoint.

A system, comprising:

• an internal combustion engine mechanically connected to a generator through a shaft, wherein the internal combustion engine rotates the shaft to rotate windings of the generator to generate an electrical power output;
• a methanol tank for providing methanol to the engine and a reformer, wherein the reformer produces hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide from a reaction of the methanol and water vapor;
• a hydrogen selective membrane to separate the hydrogen gas from the carbon dioxide to produce a carbon dioxide/water mixture;
• a condenser/cooler to cool the carbon dioxide/water mixture to condense the water and cool the carbon dioxide, thereby separating the water from the carbon dioxide/water mixture to form a carbon dioxide concentrated gas mixture;
• and
• a blanket controller configured to:
• manipulate a control valve to direct the carbon dioxide concentrated gas mixture produced by the reformer into a vapor region of a tank to produce an inert blanket in the vapor region of the tank to reduce a flammability of gases in the vapor region;
• receive a signal from a pressure sensor that indicates a pressure of the vapor region;
• determine if the pressure is:
• above a high set point,
• at or below the high setpoint and at or above a low set point;
• or
• below the low setpoint;
• and
• increase a production of the carbon dioxide concentrated gas mixture if the pressure is below the low setpoint by:
• decreasing a first amount of the carbon dioxide concentrated gas mixture produced by the reformer ported to an overflow system and increasing a second amount of the carbon dioxide concentrated gas mixture produced by the reformer ported to the tank;
• or
• increasing a speed of or starting a hydrogen production pump.