Patent ID: 11931712
Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
Field: Basic materials chemistry (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC B  C | IPC B  C

Claim 0:
1. A fuel synthesis device comprising:
a supplier arranged upstream of a main path and configured to supply CO2 gas and H2 gas;
a fuel synthesis catalyst located downstream of the supplier and configured to chemically react the CO2 gas and the H2 gas to synthesize fuel;
a gas-liquid separator arranged downstream of the fuel synthesis catalyst and configured to liquefy the fuel into liquid and separate the liquid from a gas containing the CO2 gas and the H2 gas, which have not yet reacted with the fuel synthesis catalyst, and gas of CH4 as a side product;
a return path configured to return the gas separated by the gas-liquid separator to a point in a flow path between the supplier and the fuel synthesis catalyst;
a bypass path configured to bypass, and merge downstream of, the return path, and including a CH4 separator to separate the CH4 and a CH4 oxidation catalyst to oxidize the CH4 separated by the CH4 separator;
a switching valve provided at a junction of the return path and the bypass path and configured to selectively switch between communication with the return path and communication with the bypass path; and
a CH4 density detector arranged in the return path and configured to detect density of CH4 contained in the gas separated by the gas-liquid separator,
wherein whether the switching valve communicates with the return path or the bypass path is controlled based on the density of CH4 detected by the CH4 density detector.