Ammonia cracking for multi-fuel engines
AssigneeCummins Power Generation Inc.
InventorsAndrew Guy Kitchen, Axel O. zur Loye
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle includes an engine to receive a cracked gas mixture. A cracker of the vehicle can receive ammonia and energy, crack the ammonia to form the hydrogen gas and a nitrogen gas, and convey the hydrogen gas to the engine. A controller for the vehicle can receive a predefined route for the vehicle. The controller can predict a future load demand of the vehicle based on the predefined route. The controller can adjust a flow rate of ammonia delivered to the cracker based on the future load demand.
Claims20
A multi-fuel vehicle comprising:
- an engine configured to combust hydrogen gas received from a hydrogen reservoir;
- a cracker coupled with the hydrogen reservoir and configured to supply the hydrogen gas to the hydrogen reservoir, the cracker configured to crack ammonia to generate the hydrogen gas;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- receive a route for the multi-fuel vehicle;
- predict a future load demand for a time period of the multi-fuel vehicle based on the route;
- determine a quantity of hydrogen demand based on the future load demand;
- determine a flow rate of ammonia to deliver a quantity of ammonia to the cracker prior to the completion of the time period to generate the quantity of hydrogen;
- generate a control signal to adjust the flow rate of ammonia delivered to the cracker to generate an amount of hydrogen gas exceeding the quantity of hydrogen demand, to cause the hydrogen gas to accumulate in the hydrogen reservoir;
- and
- provide, subsequent to the time period, a portion of the amount of hydrogen gas which exceeds the hydrogen demand to the engine, with the cracker in a non-operating state.
A method for operating an ammonia cracker in a vehicle having a hydrogen reservoir and an engine, the method comprising:
- predicting, by a controller, a future load demand of a vehicle;
- determining, by the controller, a quantity of hydrogen demand based on the future load demand of a time period;
- generating a control signal to adjust, by the controller, a flow rate of ammonia delivered to the ammonia cracker of the vehicle to generate an amount of hydrogen gas exceeding the quantity of hydrogen demand, to cause at least a portion of the hydrogen gas to accumulate in the hydrogen reservoir;
- cracking, by the ammonia cracker, the ammonia to form a cracked gas comprising the hydrogen gas and a nitrogen gas;
- and
- combusting, by the engine, a cracked gas mixture comprising the hydrogen gas.
A non-transient computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor for a vehicle, cause the processor to:
- predict a future load demand of a vehicle including an engine, a cracker, and a hydrogen reservoir therebetween;
- determine a first quantity of hydrogen demand based on the future load demand of a time period;
- determine a quantity of ammonia configured to generate the first quantity of hydrogen;
- and
- generate a control signal to adjust a rate of ammonia delivered to the cracker to generate an amount of hydrogen gas exceeding the quantity of hydrogen demand, to cause the hydrogen gas to accumulate in the hydrogen reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.