System and method for the production of natural gas utilizing a laser
AssigneePet Projects Inc.
InventorThomas Merritt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for producing a fuel gas is provided. In particular, a combustion product of an internal combustion engine is converted by a catalytic converter heated by the beam of the laser to a subject component of a fuel gas. Other gases can be formed simultaneously in other catalytic converters heated by the laser beam. The resulting converted gases can be used to produce a fuel gas which can be stored and/or used to further fuel the internal combustion engine.
Claims16
A device for producing a fuel gas from a combustion byproduct of an internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a flowing gas laser for creating a laser beam;
- a catalytic converter section heated by the laser beam, said catalytic converter section receiving a first gas, to produce a first component of a fuel gas;
- said catalytic converter section additionally receiving a second gas exhausted from the internal combustion engine, to produce a second component of a fuel gas, the second gas being different from the first gas;
- a mixer for mixing the first component of the fuel gas with the second component of the fuel gas to produce the fuel gas;
- and
- a portion of the second gas exhausted from the internal combustion engine is provided to the laser to create the laser beam.
A device for producing a fuel gas from a combustion byproduct of an internal combustion engine, comprising:
- a laser for creating a laser beam;
- a catalytic converter section including a plurality of catalytic converter elements heated by the laser beam, said catalytic converter section receiving a first gas, to produce a first component of a fuel gas;
- said catalytic converter section additionally receiving a second gas exhausted from the internal combustion engine, to produce a second component of a fuel gas, the second gas being different from the first gas;
- a mixer for mixing the first component of the fuel gas with the second component of the fuel gas to produce the fuel gas;
- at least a first catalytic converter element including the catalyst carbon;
- at least a second catalytic converter element including at least one catalyst chosen from the group consisting of iron, magnesium and zinc;
- and
- said first gas is steam and said second gas is carbon dioxide, the device thus producing the fuel gas methane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.