System and method for on-board electrochemical upgrading of hydrocarbon fuels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020217281-A1
Application number	US-201916241371-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 7, 2019
Priority date	Jan 7, 2019
Publication date	Jul 9, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

Vehicles, systems, and methods for the on-board, electrochemical upgrading of hydrocarbon fuels are provided. In one embodiment, a vehicle is provided where the reformed fuel subsystem comprises an electrochemical cell, a hydrocarbon fuel inlet, an oxidizing gas inlet, an unreacted gas outlet, and a reformed hydrocarbon fuel outlet. The hydrocarbon fuel inlet is configured to direct at least a portion of hydrocarbon fuel originating from the on-board point-of-sale fuel tank to the electrolyte of the electrochemical cell. The oxidizing gas inlet is configured to direct an oxidizing gas to the positive electrode of the electrochemical cell. The positive electrode of the electrochemical cell is configured to form a reduced mediator species from the oxidizing gas. The electrochemical cell is structurally configured to contact the reduced mediator species and hydrocarbon fuel from the hydrocarbon fuel inlet with the electrolyte of the electrochemical cell to upgrade a native octane rating of the hydrocarbon fuel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle comprising
an on-board point-of-sale fuel tank, an operator accessible point-of-sale fuel filling port that is structurally configured to transfer hydrocarbon fuel from a point-of-sale fuel dispenser to the on-board point-of-sale fuel tank, an internal combustion engine that is configured to provide motive force to the vehicle, a reformed fuel sub-system that is structurally configured to reform hydrocarbon fuel from the on-board point-of sale fuel tank and transfer reformed fuel to the internal combustion engine along a reformed fuel supply pathway, wherein: the reformed fuel subsystem comprises
an electrochemical cell capable of producing electrical energy, and comprising a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an electrolyte disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode,
a hydrocarbon fuel inlet configured to direct at least a portion of hydrocarbon fuel originating from the on-board point-of sale fuel tank to the electrolyte of the electrochemical cell,
an oxidizing gas inlet configured to direct an oxidizing gas to the positive electrode of the electrochemical cell,
an unreacted gas outlet configured to direct at least a portion of an unreacted gas from the electrochemical cell towards the atmosphere, and
a reformed hydrocarbon fuel outlet configured to direct reformed hydrocarbon fuel towards the internal combustion engine;
the positive electrode is configured to form a reduced mediator species from the oxidizing gas; the electrochemical cell is structurally configured to contact the reduced mediator species and hydrocarbon fuel from the hydrocarbon fuel inlet to upgrade a native octane rating of the hydrocarbon fuel; and the reformed fuel subsystem is structurally configured to deliver the upgraded hydrocarbon fuel to a combustion zone of the internal combustion engine.

2 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the negative electrode is selected such that when paired with oxygen, the Gibbs Free Energy of reaction will be negative and the negative electrode will be the anode.

3 . The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising an electric motor that is configured to provide motive force to the vehicle; wherein the positive electrode of the electrochemical cell and the negative electrode of the electrochemical cell, are electrically connected to the electric motor.

4 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein:
the reformed fuel subsystem further comprises a carbon dioxide inlet; and the carbon dioxide inlet is structurally configured to introduce a gas comprising carbon dioxide into the electrolyte.

5 . The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein hydrocarbon liquids from the hydrocarbon fuel inlet form a heterogeneous liquid hydrocarbon water impermeable barrier layer atop the electrolyte to protect the electrolyte from the intrusion of water or water vapor.

6 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the carbon dioxide inlet comprises a device for removing water, water vapor, or both.

7 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the composition of the electrolyte is selected to complex with carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide inlet and store carbon dioxide as a carbon dioxide-electrolyte complex, oxalate, ester, formate, or carbonate.

8 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the negative electrode comprises a metal material and the positive electrode comprises a porous material.

9 . The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the metal material of the negative electrode comprises lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, aluminum, zinc, calcium, copper, silicon, iron, or a combination thereof.

10 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein:
the oxidizing gas inlet is structured to direct the oxidizing gas to the positive electrode, and the positive electrode is structured to pass at least a portion of the oxidizing gas to the electrolyte disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

11 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein:
the oxidizing gas inlet is structured to direct the oxidizing gas to the positive electrode, the positive electrode is structured to convert at least a portion of the oxidizing gas to the reduced mediator species, and the positive electrode is structured to pass at least a portion of the reduced mediator species to the electrolyte disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

12 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte comprises an ionic liquid.

13 . The vehicle of claim 12 , wherein the ionic liquid comprises an imidazolium.

14 . The vehicle of claim 12 , wherein the ionic liquid comprises AlCl 3 and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride.

15 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte comprises a solvent and a salt, homogeneous catalyst, ionic liquids, suspended heterogeneous catalysts, or a combination thereof.

16 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical cell comprises a separator material disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

17 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical cell is structurally configured to elevate a concentration of one or more of, aromatic, oxygenated, or carboxylic acid groups in the hydrocarbon fuel.

18 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the reformed fuel subsystem further comprises a separation unit structurally configured to separate the upgraded hydrocarbon fuel from the electrolyte.

19 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the reformed fuel subsystem further comprises a distillation unit structurally configured to separate the upgraded hydrocarbon fuel from the electrolyte.

20 . The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the electrochemical cell is configured to upgrade one or more liquid hydrocarbon fuels.

21 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the reformed fuel subsystem comprises a reformed fuel storage tank in a reformed fuel flow path between the electrochemical cell and the internal combustion engine.

22 . A vehicle comprising
an on-board point-of-sale fuel tank, an operator accessible point-of-sale fuel filling port that is structurally configured to transfer hydrocarbon fuel from a point-of-sale fuel dispenser to the on-board point-of-sale fuel tank, an internal combustion engine that is configured to provide motive force to the vehicle, an electric motor that is configured to provide motive force to the vehicle, a reformed fuel sub-system that is structurally configured to reform hydrocarbon fuel from the on-board point-of sale fuel tank and transfer reformed fuel to the internal combustion engine along a reformed fuel supply pathway, wherein: the reformed fuel subsystem comprises
an electrochemical cell capable of producing electrical energy, and comprising a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an electrolyte disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode,
the negative electrode comprises a metal material,
the electrolyte comprises an ionic liquid,
the negative electrode is selected such that when paired with oxygen, the Gibbs Free Energy of reaction will be negative and the negative electrode will be the anode,
a hydrocarbon fuel inlet configured to direct at least a portion of hydrocarbon fuel originating from the on-board point-of sale fuel tank to the electrolyte of the electrochemical cell,
an oxidizing gas inlet configured to direct an oxidizing gas to the positive electrode of the electrochemical cell,
an unreacted gas outlet configured to direct at least a portion of an unreacted gas from the electroch

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Al Sadat Wajdi I

Classifications

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• B60K15/03006

  Gas tanks (B60K15/07 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M2250/407

  Combination of fuel cells with mechanical energy generators · CPC title

• H01M2300/0045

  Room temperature molten salts comprising at least one organic ion · CPC title

• F02M21/0224

  Secondary gaseous fuel storages · CPC title