Device for separating fuel components
AssigneesToyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Exxon Mobil Research and Engineering Company
InventorsRandall D. Partridge, George Walchuk, Kouseki Sugiyama
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device for separating fuel components comprising a separating membrane for separating high-octane fuel components from un-separated fuel and a heat exchanger between first liquid passing through the heat exchanger and second liquid passing through the heat exchanger, is provided. The first liquid is un-separated fuel passing through the heat exchanger before being supplied to the separating membrane. The second liquid is low-octane fuel remaining when the high-octane fuel components are separated from the un-separated fuel, passing through the heat exchanger after changing to an almost liquid phase.
Claims5
A device for separating fuel components comprising:
- an un-separated fuel tank in which un-separated fuel is stored;
- a high-octane fuel tank in which high-octane fuel is stored, said high-octane fuel having an octane level greater than an octane level of said un-separated fuel;
- a low-octane fuel tank in which low-octane fuel is stored, said low-octane fuel having an octane level less than said octane level of said un-separated fuel and said octane level of said high-octane fuel;
- a separation chamber having a separating membrane that separates the separation chamber into a first section and a second section, said separating membrane separates said un-separated fuel in said first section into said high-octane fuel in said second section, said low-octane fuel remains in said first section after said high-octane fuel is separated from said un-separated fuel;
- an un-separated fuel pathway in which said un-separated fuel flows from said un-separated fuel tank to said first section of said separation chamber;
- a high-octane fuel pathway in which said high-octane fuel flows from said second section of said separation chamber to said high-octane fuel tank;
- a low-octane fuel pathway in which said low-octane fuel flows from said first section of said separation chamber to said low-octane fuel tank;
- a heat exchanger positioned between said un-separated fuel tank, said high-octane fuel tank and said low-octane fuel tank and said separation chamber such that said un-separated fuel pathway, said high-octane fuel pathway and said low-octane fuel pathway pass through said heat exchanger, said heat exchanger exchanges heat from said low-octane fuel in a liquid state to said un-separated fuel in a liquid state prior to said un-separated fuel being supplied to said first section of said separation chamber;
- and
- a cooling apparatus through which said high-octane fuel pathway and said low-octane pathway extend through, said cooling apparatus being positioned between said separation chamber and said heat exchanger, said cooling apparatus cooling said low-octane fuel to an almost liquid state prior to said low-octane fuel entering said heat exchanger.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.