초록 ▼

Inlet air (15) humidified in an air bubbling (or other) humidifier (35) that receives water from a tank (36) is sent to a hydrogen generator (27) along with vaporized (23) diesel fuel (22) to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide (28) for either (a) mixing with the mainstream of exhaust (18) fed to a

Inlet air (15) humidified in an air bubbling (or other) humidifier (35) that receives water from a tank (36) is sent to a hydrogen generator (27) along with vaporized (23) diesel fuel (22) to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide (28) for either (a) mixing with the mainstream of exhaust (18) fed to a catalytic converter (30) or (b) regenerating a pair of NOx adsorption traps (38, 39), thereby reducing oxides of nitrogen (NOx), to provide system exhaust (32) which may have less than 0.40 grams/bhp/hr of NOx and 0.28 grams/bhp/hr of non-methane hydrocarbons. In other embodiments, unhumidified air mixed with fuel feeds a homogeneous non-catalytic partial oxidizer (27) to provide the required hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method of diminishing oxides of nitrogen (NOx) in the exhaust of a system including a hydrocarbon-fueled engine that provides engine exhaust containing NOx, said method comprising:generating reformate from a mixture of air humidified by an air bubbling humidifier receiving water from a tank of

1. A method of diminishing oxides of nitrogen (NOx) in the exhaust of a system including a hydrocarbon-fueled engine that provides engine exhaust containing NOx, said method comprising:generating reformate from a mixture of air humidified by an air bubbling humidifier receiving water from a tank of water and engine fuel, to provide a flow of reformate including hydrogen and carbon monoxide; andusing the flow of reformate for reducing NOx in said engine exhaust to provide system exhaust with diminished NOx.2. A method according to claim 1 wherein:said generating step comprises reforming a mixture containing vaporized fuel.3. A method according to claim 1 wherein:said generating step comprises vaporizing fuel by heat exchange with said exhaust.4. A method according to claim 1 wherein:said generating step comprises humidifying air in an air bubbling humidifier which serves as said tank for said water.5. A method according to claim 1 wherein:said step of reducing NOx comprises applying said exhaust and said flow, contemporaneously, to a NOx reducing catalytic converter.6. A system according to claim 1 wherein:said step of reducing NOx comprises alternately applying said engine exhaust and said flow to at least one NOx trap, separately.7. A system using reformate for reducing oxides of nitrogen (NOx) in the exhaust of a hydrocarbon-fueled, internal combustion engine which operates with fuel from a source and air from an air inlet and which provides engine exhaust in an exhaust pipe, comprising:reformate means having an inlet and an outlet for providing at said outlet a flow of said reformate including at least hydrogen, said means comprising a hydrogen generator and a tank of water, said hydrogen generator receiving, at an inlet of said hydrogen generator, fuel from said source and a mixture comprising air from said air inlet humidified by an air bubbler which humidifies air with moisture from said tank; andNOx reducing means receiving said engine exhaust and said reformate for reducing the NOx in said engine exhaust to provide system exhaust with diminished NOx.8. A system according to claim 7 wherein said output of said reducing means comprises no more than about 0.4 grams/bhp/hr NOx.9. A system according to claim 7 wherein said output of said reducing means comprises no more than about 0.28 grams/bhp/hr of non-methane hydrocarbons.10. A system according to claim 7 further comprising:a heat exchanger for vaporizing engine fuel before said fuel is added into said mixture.11. A system according to claim 7 wherein said air bubbler is separate from said tank.12. A system according to claim 7 further comprising:a heat exchanger receiving humidified air out of said air bubbler to heat the humidified air with hot engine exhaust.13. A system according to claim 7 wherein said NOx reducing means comprises at least one NOx trap, each NOx trap alternately trapping NOx in said exhaust and being regenerated by said outflow of reformate.14. A system according to claim 7 wherein said NOx reducing means comprises an NOx reducing catalytic converter.15. A system according to claim 7 wherein said hydrogen generator is selected from an auto-thermal reformer, a catalytic partial oxidizer and a homogeneous non-catalytic partial oxidizer.