Preheat fuel delivery system
OwnerMark S. Lahti, Donald L. Johnsoninventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A preheat fuel delivery system includes a fuel processor and a source of vaporized fuel. Vaporized fuel is feed into the inlet fuel port of the fuel processor. An outlet fuel port of the fuel processor is connected to an intake port of a combustion source. An exhaust port of the combustion source is attached to an exhaust intake port of the fuel processor. The heat from the exhaust gases of the combustion source heat the vaporized fuel inside the fuel processor. A first embodiment of the fuel processor contains a plurality of plates. A second embodiment of the fuel processor utilizes a plurality concentric tubes. A third embodiment of the fuel processor includes two concentric tubes.
Claims24
A method of superheating vaporized fuel comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing at least one heater plate with two sides;
- (b) providing at least one exhaust transfer plate, one of said at least one exhaust transfer plate being adjacent one side of said at least one heater plate;
- (c) providing at least one fuel transfer plate, one of said at least one fuel transfer plate being adjacent the other side of said at least one heater plate;
- (d) flowing exhaust gas across one side of said at least one heater plate;
- and
- (e) flowing vaporized fuel across the other side of said at least one heater plate.
A method of superheating vaporized fuel comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing at least one heater plate with two sides;
- (b) providing at least one exhaust transfer plate, one of said at least one exhaust transfer plate being adjacent one side of said at least one heater plate;
- (c) providing at least one fuel transfer plate, one of said at least one fuel transfer plate being adjacent the other side of said at least one heater plate;
- (d) terminating each end of said at least one fuel transfer plate, said at least one exhaust transfer plate, and said at least one heater plate with two inlet/outlet plates;
- (e) flowing exhaust gas across one side of said at least one heater plate;
- and
- (f) flowing vaporized fuel across the other side of said at least one heater plate.
A preheat fuel delivery system in combination with a combustion source comprising:
- a source of vaporized fuel;
- and
- a fuel processor including a first inlet/outlet plate, a second inlet/outlet plate, at least one heater plate, at least one exhaust transfer plate, and at least one fuel transfer plate, said first inlet/outlet plate receiving vaporized fuel from said vapor outlet, said second inlet/outlet plate being connected to an intake port and an exhaust port of the combustion source, exhaust gases from the exhaust port passing through said at least one exhaust transfer plate and heating said at least one heater plate, the vaporized fuel passing through said at least one fuel transfer plate and absorbing heat from said at least one heater plate.
A preheat fuel delivery system for a combustion source comprising:
- a source of vaporized fuel;
- and
- a fuel processor including a first end cap, a second end cap, a center tube, a middle tube, and an outside tube, said middle tube being disposed between said center tube and said outside tube, exhaust gases from an exhaust port of the combustion source entering said center tube through said second end cap, the exhaust gases being routed to an exhaust space between said middle and outside tubes by said first end cap, the exhaust gases exiting said exhaust space through an exhaust outlet port in said second end cap, vaporized fuel entering a fuel space between said center and middle tubes through said first end cap, the vaporized fuel absorbing heat from said center and outside tubes, the vaporized fuel exiting said second end cap into an intake port of the combustion source.
A preheat fuel delivery system for a combustion source comprising:
- a source of vaporized fuel;
- and
- a fuel processor including two end caps, an inner tube, an outer tube, and an insulation layer, said inner tube being disposed in said outer tube, said inner and outer tubes being retained by said two end caps, exhaust gases entering one of said two said end caps, traveling through said inner tube, and exiting through the opposite one of said two end caps, vaporized fuel entering through one of said two end caps, said vaporized fuel traveling through a space between said outer tube said inner tube, said vaporized fuel exiting through the opposite one of said two end caps, said insulation layer being formed around an outer diameter of said outer tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.