Patent ID: 7051518

Claim:
A system for supplying fuel to both an internal combustion engine and an exhaust purification system disposed in an exhaust line of said internal combustion engine, the system comprising: a tank to store raw fuel; a hydrogen generator to convert the raw fuel to a gaseous hydrogen-rich fuel; a raw fuel feed line between the tank and the hydrogen generator; a pump disposed in the raw fuel feed line; a hydrogen-rich fuel feed line between the hydrogen generator and the internal combustion engine; a hydrogen-rich fuel bypass line configured to connect the hydrogen-rich fuel feed line to one of the exhaust purification system and the exhaust line upstream of the exhaust purification systems; and a valve disposed within the hydrogen-rich fuel bypass line; wherein, the hydrogen generator is in thermal contact with the exhaust line; the system further comprises an evaporator disposed in the raw fuel feed line between the pump and the hydrogen generator; the evaporator is in thermal contact with the exhaust line; the exhaust line comprises a main exhaust line that includes the exhaust purification system, and is in thermal contact with the hydrogen generator and an exhaust bypass line; the exhaust bypass line branches off the main exhaust line upstream of the hydrogen generator and rejoins the main exhaust line between the hydrogen generator and the evaporator; and the exhaust bypass line is coupled to supply exhaust flowing through the exhaust bypass line to the evaporator.