Alcohol dissociation and waste heat recovery process for automobiles

摘要

A method of fuel treatment and distribution for an internal combustion engine including the steps as follows: (a) operating an adiabatic reactor without a substantial amount of exhaust heat within an operational temperature range, the catalyst bed reactor including a partial combustion catalyst and a dissociation catalyst; (b) providing a substantial amount of engine exhaust heat to an endothermic reactor having an endothermic dissociation catalyst therein, (c) vaporizing liquid alcohol to form alcohol vapor; (d) mixing the alcohol vapor with air to form a partial combustion mixture; (e) contacting the partial combustion mixture and the partial combustion catalyst whereby a dissociation mixture is formed and heat is evolved; (f) contacting the dissociation mixture and the dissociation catalyst to form a hydrogen rich fuel; (g) contacting the hydrogen-rich fuel and the endothermic dissociation catalyst to form a fuel product whereby at least a portion of any residual undissociated alcohol in the hydrogen-rich fuel is dissociated to hydrogen and carbon monoxide using the engine waste heat provided by the exhaust gas.