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US 2013/0219870 A1Published application
System and method for on-board waste heat recovery
AssigneeCummins Inc.
InventorsWayne Goodman, Aleksey Yezerets, Neal W. Currier, Cheryl Klepser
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A technique is described including receiving a hydrocarbon stream, and heating the hydrocarbon stream with an exhaust steam from an internal combustion engine. This technique may include reacting the hydrocarbon stream catalytically to produce hydrogen and a modified hydrocarbon stream having a lower saturation state than the hydrocarbon stream, recovering energy from the hydrogen stream, and/or providing the modified hydrocarbon stream to a fuel supply for the internal combustion engine.
Claims22
-9. (canceled)
A system, comprising:
- an internal combustion engine operationally coupled to a fuel supply and producing an exhaust stream;
- a heat exchanger structured to transfer heat from the exhaust stream to a hydrocarbon stream;
- a catalyst receiving the hydrocarbon stream and structured to react the hydrocarbon stream to produce hydrogen and modified hydrocarbons, the modified hydrocarbons comprising hydrocarbons having a lower saturation state than the hydrocarbon stream;
- a separator that divides the hydrogen and modified hydrocarbons into a hydrogen stream comprising primarily the hydrogen and a modified hydrocarbon stream comprising primarily the modified hydrocarbons;
- and
- a means for recovering energy from the hydrogen.
3 more elements
-27. (canceled)
A system, comprising:
- an internal combustion engine operationally coupled to a fuel supply and producing an exhaust stream;
- a heat exchanger structured to transfer heat from the exhaust stream to a hydrocarbon stream;
- a catalyst receiving the hydrocarbon stream and structured to react the hydrocarbon stream to produce hydrogen and modified hydrocarbons, the modified hydrocarbons comprising hydrocarbons having a lower saturation state than the hydrocarbon stream;
- a separator that divides the hydrogen and modified hydrocarbons into a hydrogen stream comprising primarily the hydrogen and a modified hydrocarbon stream comprising primarily the modified hydrocarbons;
- a controller including a recycling module structured to recycle a fraction of the hydrogen stream to a catalyst inlet in response to a catalyst activity value, a composition of the hydrocarbons, a catalyst composition and an operating temperature;
- and
- a means for recovering energy from the hydrogen.
4 more elements
A system, comprising:
- an internal combustion engine operationally coupled to a fuel supply and producing an exhaust stream;
- a means for exchanging heat from the exhaust stream to a hydrocarbon stream;
- a means for evaporating the hydrocarbon stream;
- a means for reacting the hydrocarbon stream with a catalyst to produce hydrogen and modified hydrocarbons having a lower saturation state than the hydrocarbon stream;
- a means for separating the hydrogen and the modified hydrocarbons into a hydrogen stream and a modified hydrocarbon stream;
- a means for recycling a fraction of the hydrogen stream to a catalyst inlet in response to a catalyst activity value, a composition of the hydrocarbons, a catalyst composition, and an operating temperature to slow degradation of the catalyst;
- and
- a means for recovering energy from a remaining fraction of the hydrogen.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.