Abstract: The present invention pertains to a pervaporation membrane process for the separation of high octane fuel components from a gasoline feed stream comprising feeding a mixed phase vapor-liquid feed to a cyclone separation means to separate the liquid from the vapor, then sending the saturated vapor to the membrane, thereby extending the useful life of the membrane.

Abstract: Methods for preparing a polymer membrane on a porous support may include providing a porous support having an outer wall, a first end, a second end, and porous channel surfaces that define a plurality of channels through the porous support from the first end to the second end. The plurality of channels includes membrane channels. The channel surfaces that define the membrane channels are membrane-channel surfaces. The polymer membrane may be coated onto the porous support by first establishing a pressure differential between the outer wall and the plurality of channels. Then, a pre-polymer solution may be applied to the membrane-channel surfaces and, optionally, the first and second ends, by slip coating or emulsion coating while the pressure differential is maintained. This results in formation of a pre-polymer layer on at least the membrane-channel surfaces. Then, the pre-polymer layer may be cured to form the polymer membrane.

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.

Abstract: A powertrain system for a vehicle includes an engine having a plurality of engine cylinders each having an inlet port and an exhaust port, an intake manifold in fluid communication with the inlet ports of each of the engine cylinders of the engine, and a forced induction system coupled to the engine increasing an intake pressure of air in the intake manifold above ambient pressure. The powertrain system also includes a fuel delivery system supplying fuel to each of the engine cylinders of the engine. The fuel delivery system includes at least one fuel injector per engine cylinder, a fuel tank storing fuel having an intermediate-RON, and an on-board separator separating the fuel into a high-RON component and a low-RON component. The high-RON component and the low-RON component are delivered to each of the engine cylinders of the engine based on an engine operating parameter.

Abstract: A device for separating fuel components comprises a separating membrane for separating high-octane fuel components from un-separated fuel, a heater for heating the un-separated fuel and a pressure apparatus for pressurizing the un-separated fuel. In the device, un-separated fuel is heated by the heater and is pressurized by the pressure apparatus such that the state of the un-separated fuel is changed to a mixed gas phase and liquid phase state of a gas weight ratio from 50% to 95% before coming into contact with the separating membrane.

Abstract: The present invention is a heat pipe having a specified volume of working fluid determined in relation to the interior volume of the heat pipe and a target temperature TT, to provide self-temperature regulation and pressure management. The heat pipe comprises at least a evaporator region and a condenser region having a known interior volume V and a mass of working fluid given by the relationship Mwf=Dwf at TT×V where Dwf is the density of the saturated vapor of the fluid at temperature TT plus an amount of additional working fluid sufficient to have the rate of evaporation about equal to the rate of condensation for the particular heat pipe configuration. The heat pipe has at least the condenser region having an interior coating of a hydrophobic material.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a replaceable fuel separation unit having a permeable substrate for separating a fluid source into at least two separate fluid streams, and delivering the two separated fluid streams to separate tanks.

Abstract: A pervaporation element includes a ceramic monolith having an array of parallel channels separated by porous channel walls extending along an axial length of the monolith, and a functional membrane coating a first plurality of the porous channel walls along the axial length of the monolith. The functional membrane functions to separate a fluid into a retentate portion and a permeate portion. The porous channel walls coated by the functional membrane define a plurality of discrete through segments, where each of the discrete through segments are separated from one another by a plurality of uncoated porous channel walls. Fluid entering the discrete through segments is separated into a retentate portion that exits in substantial portion through the discrete through segments and a permeate portion that exits the ceramic monolith radially outward through the uncoated porous channel walls and through a skin of the monolith.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a membrane for ethanol and aromatics separation that is stable in an alcohol containing environment. The membrane is a polyether epoxy resin having an aliphatic substituted epoxide. The invention also teaches a method to control the flux and selectivity of the membrane.

Abstract: A fuel separation apparatus comprises a stock fuel storage tank storing stock fuel, a separator provided with a separation film separating the stock fuel into high octane value fuel with an octane value higher than the stock fuel and a low octane value fuel with an octane value lower than the stock fuel, and a high octane value fuel storage tank storing the high octane value fuel separated by the separator. When the temperature of the separation film is lower than the high octane value fuel separation temperature, the high octane value fuel stored in the high octane value fuel storage tank is supplied to the separator. Due to this, vaporization of fuel is suppressed and the fuel can be quickly raised in temperature. Due to this, a vehicle mounted fuel separation apparatus able to quickly raise the temperature of the fuel supplied to the separation film so as to quickly raise the temperature of the separation film at the time of engine cold start can be provided.

Abstract: A vehicle-mounted fuel separation system 24 is provided with a fuel heating device 56 heating stock fuel and a separator 57 separating stock fuel heated by the fuel heating device into a plurality of types of fuel. Furthermore, a forced exhaust device 66 forcibly exhausting the fuel in the fuel heating device from the fuel heating device when the temperature of the fuel in the fuel heating device becomes a reference temperature or more or is expected to become a reference temperature or more is provided. Due to this, a fuel separation system where excessive heating of the fuel by the fuel heating device of the fuel separation system is prevented is provided.

Abstract: A device for separating fuel components comprises a separating membrane for separating high-octane fuel components from un-separated fuel, a heater for heating the un-separated fuel and a pressure apparatus for pressurizing the un-separated fuel. In the device, un-separated fuel is heated by the heater and is pressurized by the pressure apparatus such that the state of the un-separated fuel is changed to a mixed gas phase and liquid phase state of a gas weight ratio from 50% to 95% before coming into contact with the separating membrane.

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.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a membrane for aromatics separation that is stable in an alcohol containing environment. The polymeric membrane is a epoxy amine based membrane.

Abstract: A fuel management system mounted on a vehicle is operative to feed individually or a mixture of grades of relatively low, intermediate, and high autoignition temperature fuels to an associated internal combustion engine. The system includes an on board separation unit (OBS unit) for receiving and separating intermediate autoignition temperature (IAT) fuel into low and high autoignition temperature fuels, LAT and HAT, respectively. The production rate of the LAT and HAT fuels by the OBS unit is controlled to substantially match the consumption requirements of the engine at any given time for the LAT and HAT fuels.

Abstract: This invention relates to a polymeric membrane composition comprising an associating polymer. The polymer coating is characterized as having hard and soft segments where the hard segment comprises TMPA, combined with HDPA. The membrane may utilize a porous substrate.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to a process for the separation of aromatics from a feed stream, including aromatics and non-aromatics by selectively permeating the aromatics through a membrane comprising feeding a mixed phase vapor-liquid feed to a membrane wherein said liquid phase preferentially wets the surface of the membrane.

Abstract: A vehicle-mounted fuel separation system 24 is provided with a fuel heating device 56 heating stock fuel and a separator 57 separating stock fuel heated by the fuel heating device into a plurality of types of fuel. Furthermore, a forced exhaust device 66 forcibly exhausting the fuel in the fuel heating device from the fuel heating device when the temperature of the fuel in the fuel heating device becomes a reference temperature or more or is expected to become a reference temperature or more is provided. Due to this, a fuel separation system where excessive heating of the fuel by the fuel heating device of the fuel separation system is prevented is provided.

Abstract: An exhaust heat recovery system 25 provided with a plurality of heat pipes 60, 61 provided with heat recovery parts 60a, 61a and heat exchange parts 60b, 61b. The heat pipes recover heat from exhaust gas exhausted from an internal combustion engine at the heat recovery parts and transfer this recovered heat to an object to be heated at the heat exchange parts. The heat recovery part 60a of the first heat pipe 60 recovers heat from the exhaust gas at an exhaust purification catalyst 20? provided in an engine exhaust passage or its upstream side. The heat recovery part 61b of the second heat pipe 61 recovers heat from the exhaust gas at the downstream side of the exhaust purification catalyst. Due to this, there is provided an exhaust heat recovery system which can recover at least a fixed amount of exhaust heat at all times while maintaining a warm-up performance of the exhaust purification catalyst.

Abstract: A fuel separation apparatus comprises a stock fuel storage tank storing stock fuel, a separator provided with a separation film separating the stock fuel into high octane value fuel with an octane value higher than the stock fuel and a low octane value fuel with an octane value lower than the stock fuel, and a high octane value fuel storage tank storing the high octane value fuel separated by the separator. When the temperature of the separation film is lower than the high octane value fuel separation temperature, the high octane value fuel stored in the high octane value fuel storage tank is supplied to the separator. Due to this, vaporization of fuel is suppressed and the fuel can be quickly raised in temperature. Due to this, a vehicle mounted fuel separation apparatus able to quickly raise the temperature of the fuel supplied to the separation film so as to quickly raise the temperature of the separation film at the time of engine cold start can be provided.