Starting Fluid Patents (Class 123/179.8)
  • Patent number: 11635039
    Abstract: A power system for a work vehicle includes an alcohol tank configured to store alcohol; a catalytic converter fluidly coupled to receive alcohol from the alcohol tank and configured to convert the alcohol into ether; and an engine including one or more piston-cylinder sets configured to selectively receive the alcohol stored in the alcohol tank and the ether converted by the catalytic converter and to combust the alcohol and the ether with air to produce mechanical power and exhaust gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: Danan Dou, Craig W. Lohmann
  • Patent number: 10890120
    Abstract: A method for producing a fuel composition, including the following steps: providing special gas containing combustible substances; reforming a first part of the special gas by producing synthesis gas; producing dimethyl ether from the synthesis gas by producing a reaction mixture containing a dimethyl ether; separating methanol from the reaction mixture and producing a methanol-reduced dimethyl ether mixture; and bringing together a second part of the special gas with the methanol reduced dimethyl ether mixture in order to obtain the fuel composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: MTU FRIEDRICHSHAFEN GMBH
    Inventors: Marc Hehle, Philipp Klaas
  • Patent number: 10882145
    Abstract: Adsorption heat exchanger devices (11, 25) are provided for use in solid sorption refrigeration systems (1) together with methods for making such devices and adsorbent structures therefor. The methods include applying a curable binder, in solution in a solvent, to granular adsorbent material, and then evaporating the solvent and curing the binder. The curable binder solution is sufficiently dilute that, during evaporation of the solvent, the binder becomes concentrated around contact points between granules (18) of the adsorbent material whereby localized bonds (19) are formed around the contact points on curing of the binder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas J. Brunschwiler, Javier V. Goicochea, Bruno Michel, Patrick Ruch
  • Patent number: 10393070
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for fueling an engine with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). In one example, a method may comprise pumping (LPG) from a fuel tank to a direct injection rail and not to a port injection rail. The method may further comprise supplying LPG from the direct injection rail to a port injection rail without returning the LPG to the fuel tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Norman Ulrey, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
  • Patent number: 10196976
    Abstract: A system for providing hydrogen enriched fuel includes first and second gas turbines. The second gas turbine receives a fuel from a fuel supply and portion of compressed working fluid from the first gas turbine and produces a reformed fuel, and a fuel skid provides fluid communication between a turbine in the second gas turbine and a combustor in the first gas turbine. A method for providing hydrogen enriched fuel includes diverting a portion of a first compressed working fluid from a first compressor to a second compressor and providing a second compressed working fluid from the second compressor. Mixing a first portion of a compressed fuel with the second compressed working fluid in a reformer to produce a reformed fuel, flowing a second portion of the compressed fuel to a second turbine for cooling, and flowing the reformed fuel through the second turbine to cool the reformed fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Michael John Hughes, Jonathan Dwight Berry
  • Patent number: 9623376
    Abstract: A carrier gas supplied from a carrier gas source is injected from a carrier gas injection nozzle. Also, a fuel including a hydrocarbon-based liquid and supplied from a fuel source is supplied to a tip end of the carrier gas injection nozzle, whereby this fuel is atomized with the carrier gas injected from the carrier gas injection nozzle. Furthermore, an inlet of a reforming part that decomposes the atomized fuel and reforms the atomized fuel into a reducing gas including either or both of hydrogen and an oxygen-containing hydrocarbon is provided so as to face the carrier gas injection nozzle and the fuel supply nozzle, and a reducing gas supply nozzle that supplies the reducing gas discharged from an outlet of the reforming part is provided in an exhaust pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: HINO MOTORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Hirabayashi, Mitsuru Hosoya, Keiichi Hayashizaki, Shinya Sato, Yoshihiro Kawada, Satoshi Sato, Hiroshi Inoue
  • Patent number: 8176888
    Abstract: A method for improving starting of an engine that may be operated with fuels having varying alcohol concentrations is presented. In one embodiment, the method adjusts a compression ratio of an engine in response to a number of combustion events after an engine stop and a concentration of alcohol in a fuel supplied to the engine. The method may make engine starting more repeatable at lower engine temperatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: David Bruce Reiche, Jianwen James Yi, Steven Wooldridge, Foo Chern Ting, Thomas A. McCarthy
  • Publication number: 20110114068
    Abstract: An engine system includes a primary fuel source and a secondary fuel source. The secondary fuel source includes a secondary fuel with which the engine can be initially started in order to preheat the engine such that it is better able to combust the primary fuel. In some examples, the secondary fuel source is in-line with the primary fuel source, such that the first and secondary fuel sources share a fuel line that supplies fuel to the engine. In addition, in some examples, the secondary fuel source is removably attached to the fuel line, such that it can be removed from the fuel line in a relatively efficient manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2009
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Applicant: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Robert D. Habing, Jonathan M. Wong
  • Patent number: 7934696
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for injecting starting fluid into an internal combustion engine are provided, through use of a control valve having a two-stage filter apparatus disposed upstream of a metering device internal to the control valve, a valve arrangement for positively opening and closing a gas pathway through the valve having a conical-shaped valve poppet and seat arrangement, an electrical solenoid having an electrical coil thereof operatively attached to the control valve in such a manner that the electrical coil may be removed and replaced without disturbing operative connections between a valve outlet and/or a valve inlet, in a valve construction including a one-piece valve body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Inventor: John Gruben
  • Patent number: 7757651
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a method of operating an engine. The method may include injecting a primary fuel. The method may further include determining a need for a secondary fuel during starting of the engine and introducing the secondary fuel. The method may still further include determining an engine acceleration rate. The method may also include inhibiting the introduction of the secondary fuel when the engine acceleration rate is below an expected acceleration rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc
    Inventors: Curtis Lyle Fitchpatrick, Brian Gene Wheeler
  • Patent number: 7370610
    Abstract: A Fuel Fractionation System (FFS) and associated methods to generate and store a fuel for internal combustion engines is provided. FFS provides a distillation column assembly to distill liquid fuel to form a volatile light fraction secondary fuel. The distillation column assembly includes a vaporization module to vaporize a feed fuel in the distillation column and includes a condensation module to condense heavy fraction components of the vaporized feed fuel. FFS also provides a controller positioned to control the vaporization of feed fuel in the distillation column to thereby control the separation of the feed fuel into light fraction fuel and heavy fraction fuel components, and positioned to control the condensation of the heavy fraction components so that fuel exiting a light fraction output port in the distillation column is substantially light fraction fuel components by volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2008
    Assignee: The Board of Regents, The University of Texas System
    Inventors: Marcus Ashford, Ron Matthews
  • Patent number: 6972093
    Abstract: An onboard fuel separation apparatus separates a material fuel (gasoline) into a high-octane fuel having a higher octane value than the material fuel and a low-octane fuel having a lower octane value than the material fuel using a separation membrane which selectively allows high-octane value components (such as aromatic components) permeate through the membrane. The apparatus increases the ratio of the amount of the high-octane value components permeating through the membrane to the amount of the high-octane value components contained in the material fuel by, (A) Controlling the temperature of the material fuel supplied to the membrane (B) Increasing partial pressure of the low-octane value components on the high-octane fuel side of the membrane and removing volatiles from the permeate, and (C) Bypassing volatiles in the material feed around the membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignees: Exxonmobil Research and Engineering Company, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Randall D. Partridge, Walter Weissman, Takanori Ueda, Yoshihiro Iwashita