Patent Publication Number: US-2012037510-A1

Title: Process and apparatus for the preparation of combustible fluid

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The field of the present invention is hydrocarbon refining. 
     Electrolysis of water to generate hydrogen and oxygen is well known. Also known are HHO generators which use electrolysis to transform water into its component parts but not to separate the hydrogen and oxygen once released. Such devices have been employed to directly feed internal combustion engines to improve combustion. In modern engines, oxygen sensors are used to control air fuel mixture as they sense variations in oxygen. Even though the oxygen introduced from an HHO generator is in a stoichiometric ratio with the hydrogen also introduced, the oxygen sensor does not account for the added combustible hydrogen and senses an excess of oxygen. As a result, the tuning of the engine must be amended to account for the introduction of hydrogen with the additional oxygen from such a generator. Further, as a stoichiometric mixture of oxygen and hydrogen is explosive with a threshold input of energy, such generators are typically employed to immediately feed combustion so that the explosive mixture is not accumulated. The HHO supplied to the intake of internal combustion engines for boosting the operation of liquid hydrocarbon fuels is intended to operate in various ways to increase performance, increase efficiency and/or reduce exhaust pollutants. Mixed results have led to further study without yet establishing a compelling need to commercialize such devices. 
     Hydrocarbon liquid fuels employed in internal combustion engines range broadly with the most conventional fuels being gasoline, diesel and kerosene. These liquids are blended hydrocarbons of various molecular weight and configuration. The size and configuration of such molecules can affect burn rate and exhaust products. Additives have been employed to modify those effects. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to the creation of reformed fuel from liquid hydrocarbon fuel such as gasoline, diesel and kerosene that appears to burn cleaner and provide substantial energy for combustion in an internal combustion engine with a lighter blend of hydrocarbons. 
     In a first separate aspect of the present invention, a process for the preparation of combustible fluid includes conducting electrolysis in a bath consisting essentially of water, electrolyte and liquid hydrocarbons with removal of the gas from the bath during electrolysis and adding makeup water and liquid hydrocarbons to effect a continuous process. In implementing this process, the volumetric ratio of hydrocarbon fuel to water may range from about 6:1 down to a very small ratio with only a small amount of hydrocarbon fuel to define an oxygen barrier above the water. Different ratios can impact the final blend of resulting hydrocarbon constituents. 
     In a second separate aspect of the present invention, a process for the preparation of combustible fluid includes conducting electrolysis in a bath consisting essentially of water, electrolyte and liquid hydrocarbons. The process further includes the circulation of the liquid phase to maintain intermediate products in suspension for further processing. The electrolysis contemplates electrodes of opposite polarity extending into the hydrocarbons and to the water in the bath. Both regulation of the voltage across the electrodes and the recirculation may be used to maintain ambient temperatures in the bath. Neutral electrodes may additionally be used to match impedance with the power source to gain efficiency. 
     In a third separate aspect of the present invention, a plurality of baths consisting essentially of water, electrolyte and liquid hydrocarbons are arranged serially with different ratios of liquid hydrocarbon fuel to water. Serial association of the baths are understood to impact the ratio of products derived. 
     In a fourth separate aspect of the present invention, a fuel generator employs a closed vessel, water, liquid hydrocarbon fuel, electrolyte and electrodes of opposite polarity extending into the hydrocarbons and water in the vessel. The electrolysis causes the transformation of water and liquid hydrocarbon fuel into hydrogen and reformulated fuel. A vacuum pump in communication with the gas space in the closed vessel removes products which can be volatilized without significantly volatilizing the original liquid hydrocarbon fuel. 
     In a fifth separate aspect of the present invention, any of the foregoing aspects may be combined to greater result. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel process for the generation of reformulated hydrocarbon fuel. Other and further objects and advantages will appear hereinafter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
       The drawing is a schematic of the process and apparatus of one embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Turning to the schematic, a first closed vessel  10  includes an arrangement of anodes and cathodes  12  in a cavity  14 . Neutral electrodes may also be used to match the impedance with the power source to maximize efficiency as may be empirically determined. The electrodes employed in the preferred embodiment are plates  12  of alternating polarity extending across the cavity  14 . Stainless steel has been used but more exotic metals are known to increase plate longevity. Electrical feeds  16  conventionally communicate with the electrodes  12 . This first closed vessel  10  contains a bath in the cavity  14  consisting essentially of water, electrolyte, and a thin layer of liquid hydrocarbon fuel. The electrolyte may be introduced as potassium hydroxide. The fuel may be any combustible hydrocarbon which would be liquid in the environment of the bath, most typically gasoline, diesel fuel or kerosene. The layer of liquid hydrocarbon fuel is sufficient to form an oxygen barrier above the water. Less than one quarter inch is sufficient in most cases. The electrodes  12  extend through the hydrocarbon layer to the water. 
     The electrolysis is driven by a power source which may be a battery,  110  AC or other voltage source which is rectified as needed. The system operates well at 19 volts, drawing about 3 amps for the closed vessel  10 . The power is subjected to the voltage being pulsed on and off to reduce the generation of heat in the bath. 
     For feedstock, makeup water is introduced through a port  18  and liquid hydrocarbon fuel is made up through a port  20 . Gas generated within the closed vessel  10  is drawn off through a port  22  located above the level of liquid. 
     A second closed vessel  24  is coupled with the closed vessel  10  through the port  22  by which the closed vessel  24  receives gas generated from the first vessel  10  at a port  26 . The closed vessel  24  includes a cavity  28  with electrodes  30  of alternating polarity extending through the hydrocarbon fuel and to the water in a bath consisting essentially of water, electrolyte and liquid hydrocarbon fuel. The electrodes  30  in this embodiment are stainless steel plates extend through the hydrocarbon fuel and to the water in the bath. More exotic metals will likely improve longevity as noted above. The port  26  is located below the bath in the closed vessel  24  to introduce the hydrogen into the electrolysis process. The same electrolyte may be employed in the second bath but the liquid hydrocarbon fuel is at a much higher volumetric ratio with the water than in the first bath. Efficiency in the preferred embodiment appears to be maximized with a ratio of about 6 to 1. Again, power to the electrolysis process is as described above for the first closed vessel  10  with 19 volts drawing about 3 amps in the closed vessel  24  with the power pulsed. Each of these parameters is subject to empirical tuning to maximize efficiency in the environment of each reactor vessel. 
     During the electrolysis process in the second closed vessel  24 , the liquid contained therein is recirculated from a port  32  through a recirculation pump  34  to a tank  36 . The tank  36  has the ingredients of the second bath including some intermediate hydrocarbon material which is to be circulated with the water back into the bath. From the tank  36 , recirculation continues through a heat exchanger  38  and back into the bath of the second closed vessel  24  through a port  40 . 
     As feedstock, a water tank  42  feeds makeup water to the tank  36  as electrolysis lowers the quantity of water in the system. A hydrocarbon fuel tank  44  also makes up liquid fuel ingredients as needed. Solenoids  46  and  48  control the water tank  42  and fuel tank  44 , respectively. The same sources may be used to provide feedstock to the first closed vessel, as shown in the schematic. 
     A further port  50  located above the liquid level within the second closed vessel  24  draws gas into a safety bubbler  52  and then to a vacuum pump/compressor assembly  54 . The vacuum pump/compressor assembly  54  draws a vacuum on the closed vessel  24  and compresses a fraction of the gasified product into liquid delivered to a tank  56 . The vacuum drawn is moderated. At start-up, foaming is an issue and operation of the vacuum pump/compressor  54  is delayed. Once the bath has been operating for a while, foaming decreases and a vacuum can be drawn. As the bath is a blend of liquid hydrocarbons, the level of vacuum will impact the constituents volatilized. A maximum of 10 pounds per square inch below atmospheric has been used. This avoids volatilizing any of the feedstock water at the bottom of the bath or flashing off the feedstock liquid hydrocarbon fuel before it has been subjected to a time of residence in the bath. The degree of vacuum can be used to vary the residence time of the volatile hydrocarbons in the second bath, which is understood can impact the final mix as may be desired. The compressor side is unable to liquefy the hydrogen generated during this process, which is separately conveyed to a second tank  58 . Of course, each of these fractionated products may be directed to other devices for processing or use. 
     Looking to the process directly, the bath in the first closed vessel  10  is subjected to electrolysis and, being principally water, generates hydrogen and oxygen. Power is directed to the electrolysis process such that overheating does not occur, as discussed above. The hydrogen passes through the port  22  above the liquid level and from the vessel  10 . Because of the thin layer of liquid hydrocarbon fuel on the surface of the water in the closed vessel  10 , oxygen is prevented by this barrier from escaping from the bath. 
     The hydrogen from the closed vessel  10  is fed to the second closed vessel  24  into the port  26 . The second vessel  24  conducts electrolysis in an environment with the bath containing much larger ratios of liquid hydrocarbon fuel to water with an electrolyte and with the hydrogen gas delivered from the closed vessel  10 . The electrolysis is accomplished by the electrodes  30  of alternating opposite polarity which extend through the hydrocarbon fuel to the water. The electrolysis process is run on a cycle of about 50% on and 50% off. Efficiency appears to be maximized at around this 50% power supply cycle and the controls keep temperature within the bath down. It has been found that cycling the power such that the electrodes  30  are charged about 50% of the time creates a greater efficiency of operation. 
     To further maintain temperature and to retain all components of the process entrained in the bath, the constituents of the bath are recirculated through the pump  34  and tank  36 . Cooling is included in this recirculating flow by the heat exchanger  38 . It is advantageous to maintain the bath at ambient temperature. The intermediate hydrocarbon material is circulated with the water back into the bath as this appears to ultimately convert dark hydrocarbon material, intermediate in the conversion process, into the desired volatile hydrocarbons. 
     Gas is drawn off above the bath in the second closed vessel  24  by the vacuum pump/compressor  54  through the safety bubbler  52 , compressed and then cooled again if necessary to create a stable liquid at atmospheric pressure. The hydrogen gas is naturally fractionated from the hydrocarbon fuel thus derived. As noted above, the vacuum is regulated to not gasify the feedstock water and allow residence time for the liquid hydrocarbon fuel. The operation of electrolysis in the second vessel  24  reduces the hydrocarbons to a lighter blend of constituents in the resulting liquid fuel. By controlling residence time in the second bath, the resulting blend of hydrocarbon constituents volatized is understood to vary in weight. 
     Thus, a gas and fuel generator and the process of using same to generate reconstituted liquid hydrocarbon fuel has been disclosed. While embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown and described, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The invention, therefore is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.