WO2016144942A1

WO2016144942A1 - Common regenerative and environmentally benign methanol fuels for all internal combustion engines for transportation vehicles and other applications

Info

Publication number: WO2016144942A1
Application number: PCT/US2016/021340
Authority: WO
Inventors: George A. Olah; G.K. Surya Prakash
Original assignee: Olah George A; Prakash G K Surya
Priority date: 2015-03-09
Filing date: 2016-03-08
Publication date: 2016-09-15

Abstract

A method for producing and using common renewable, regenerative and environmentally benign methanol fuels for combustion engines reducing pollution and reliance upon petroleum oil by gradually replacing fossil based fuels in both gasoline and diesel type engines including spark assisted diesel (methanol) engines in order to simplify and reduce fuel manufacture, distribution and infrastructure costs and complexities, while also benefitting the environment by decreasing CO₂ emissions due to the renewable and regenerative nature of the used methanol.

Description

COMMON REGENERATIVE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY BENIGN METHANOL FUELS FOR ALL INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES AND OTHER APPLICATIONS BACKGROUND

An internal combustion engine (ICE) is an engine that operates by burning its fuel inside the engine. The most common ICEs are gasoline or diesel powered, but others include those fueled by compressed hydrogen, methane, propane, or other fuels. Typically, ICEs run on different types of fuels and require adaptations to adjust the air/fuel ratio. In a gasoline engine, for example, a mixture of gasoline and air is sprayed into a cylinder. This is compressed by a piston and at optimal point in the compression stroke, a spark plug creates an electrical spark that ignites the fuel. The combustion of the fuel results in the generation of heat, and the hot gases that are in the cylinder are then at a higher pressure than the fuel- air mixture and thus drive the piston back. The combustion gases are vented and the fuel-air mixture reintroduced to run the subsequent stroke of the engine. The outward linear motion of the piston is ordinarily harnessed by a crankshaft to produce circular motion. Valves control the intake of air-fuel mixture and allow exhaust gasses to exit at the appropriate times. In a diesel engine, the diesel fuel and air are compressed to such a high degree that auto-ignition takes place. Recently, spark-assisted diesel technology is also becoming available.

In the 20th century, ICEs have become an essential part of our increasingly technological society and in general of our everyday life. In the transportation field, the pioneering work of Benz in Germany and Ford in the US made the widespread use of automobiles possible using gasoline fueled ICEs and became an essential part of our life. These engines typically use fossil sources derived fuels, primarily originating from petroleum oil.

In addition to the common gasoline engines, diesel engines represent worldwide a significant part of all ICEs for cars, trucks, transportation equipment (e.g., ships,

locomotives, etc.) as well as other vehicles and equipment. In contrast to gasoline engines, diesel engines run on heavier fossil fuel derived hydrocarbon mixtures under high fuel-air compression leading to autoignition and resulting in significant environmental pollution problem of excessive emission of harmful nitrogen oxide, sulfur-oxide and other exhausts as well as particulate pollutants.

The combined use of gasoline and diesel fuel represents an overwhelming

dependence (some call it an addiction) on petroleum oil. Oil being a carbon fuel, upon its combustion (oxidative conversions) is used up irreversibly while emitting environmentally harmful carbon dioxide. Our oil reserves although significant are limited and we are increasingly depleting them. Oil prices in the last half-century have risen from $2 to around $30-100 USD per barrel representing a 25-50 fold increase! This occurred despite continuously finding new sources, savings and improved technologies. Prices fluctuate up and down with periodic steep drops and rises, but the increasing trend is clear. Thus, the need for alternate fuels is growing.

Certain gasoline fuels also contain some admixed amounts of alcohols, primarily bioethanol and generally at lower levels or some in combination with methanol, ethanol and other alcohols. Examples include US 4,398,920, US 4,384,872, US 8,353,269, US

2009/0172997 and US 2011/0120569, among others. These fuels require the production of alcohols separately from the gasoline fuels that are produced in refineries. Also, the distribution and dispensing of such gasoline and diesel combination fuels from gas stations requires separate pumps and handling of the various grades and types and this causes a great expense in maintaining the current distribution infrastructure.

In an effort to reduce particulates and the substantial the polluting gases generated by diesel engines, certain biodiesel fuels have been developed using vegetable oils. These fuels are typically mixtures of diesel fuel with different biofuels and are used still on a relatively very small scale. An overwhelming plurality of diesel automobiles and varied heavy vehicles, ships, locomotives, etc. as well as in electricity generating turbines, emergency generators and varied other devices use commercial petroleum-based diesel oil. While use of biofuels do decrease some of the pollutants that are otherwise generated, they are not considered on their own to be able to affect a significant overall change in the demand for the relatively larger proportion of petroleum based components of such fuels.

The present inventors have previously developed the concept and much needed new chemistry for the technological applications of methanol to replace fossil fuels, (primarily petroleum oil) in many uses and applications through what is called the "methanol economy" (see, e.g., US 7,605,293 and US 8,697,759). This also enables methanol to be produced from carbon dioxide that is either separated from the atmosphere or that is collected from industrial effluents before being emitted into the atmosphere. The resulting benefits include the relatively inexpensive production of methanol as a renewable fuel and chemical raw material with the additional benefit that the harmful carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced. More recently the development by MIT and others of modified spark assisted diesel type engines using methanol fuel (now called by MIT methanol engines) has started to gain practical use. Thus, there is also a need for methanol-based fuels for use in such modified diesel type vehicles as well as in gasoline powered vehicles to partially or fully substitute dominant oil based petroleum fuels.

In addition, it would be highly desirable to have a methanol based fuel that can be used as a substitute for both diesel as well as gasoline fuels in all vehicles in order to take advantage of a single infrastructure for production and distribution of a common fuel on a larger scale and in economic and universal manner to further reduce production, operation and infrastructural costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention now provides a common single fuel that resolves the problems of the prior art by providing methanol as part or all of the fuel. Methanol is a renewable, regenerative, clean and economic fuel, which now can be universally used for all internal combustion engines or other applications. Methanol fuels can be used both in new and existing gasoline and modified diesel engines. In addition to replacing or reducing the reliance upon petroleum oil and to mitigate the resultant pollution that is generated by combustion of conventional fossil-based fuels, the universal use of regenerative methanol is economical and environmentally benign.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for reducing pollution and reliance upon petroleum oil by using renewable or regenerative methanol as a convenient universal common fuel for all types of internal combustion engines. It will gradually replace fossil based fuels in both gasoline and diesel type internal combustion engines including spark assisted diesel (methanol) engines. At the same time it will also simplify and reduce manufacture, distribution and infrastructure costs and complexities.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention in particular now discloses a method for providing renewable methanol in or as convenient universal common fuels for all types of internal combustion engines to replace fossil based fuels by gradually converting such engines to operate on methanol fuels. The methanol content of these fuels can vary from 5 to 85% but it also can be up to 100%) (neat methanol). The remaining component of the fuel is gasoline, ethanol or other alcohols, diesel fuel or mixtures thereof. For using such fuels, the gasoline engine vehicles are typically modified with methanol resistant plastic fuel delivery components in order to avoid deterioration from methanol during operation and use. Some engine seal materials are also modified accordingly. The engines that can operate on these methanol containing fuels includes besides gasoline also diesel engines that need to be modified to work as methanol engines with spark assistance.

The disclosed technology further allows elimination of existing separate gasoline and diesel fuel infrastructures for the production, distribution and dispension of only for a common methanol-based fuels. Modified or new engines that can utilize methanol fuels can be used without any limitations in vehicles, such as cars, trucks, heavy and other

construction equipment, as well as locomotives, ships, electricity generators or turbines as well as multitude of various applications.

In one embodiment, the invention is preferably applicable to the use with very high methanol content fuels (greater than 85%) including neat methanol as a convenient fuel for all types mentioned applications.

A significant advantage of the disclosed renewable or regenerative methanol fuels for gasoline type cars is their high octane numbers of methanol fuels (e.g., RON 129-134, MON 97-104). The engine performance can be further significantly increased by direct injection of methanol because of its high latent heat of vaporization and higher flame speed. This renders admixing of any high octane refined component such as isooctane or other additives unnecessary.

In the present method, reliance upon petroleum oil can be reduced by substituting renewable methanol for all or part of the gasoline provided by the petroleum oil. Pollution can be reduced by collecting carbon dioxide generated by combustion of petroleum oil or a fuel derived from petroleum oil, and then converting the carbon dioxide to regenerated methanol to thus avoid releasing the carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Pollution can also be reduced by collecting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or a geothermal source and then converting the carbon dioxide to regenerated methanol to thus reduce carbon dioxide that would otherwise be released to or present in the atmosphere.

The present invention also relates to the use of renewable or regenerative methanol as or in a convenient universal common fuel for all types of internal combustion engines for reducing pollution and reliance upon petroleum oil as well as to simplify and reduce fuel manufacture, distribution and infrastructure costs and complexities, while also benefitting the environment by decreasing C0₂ emissions due to the regenerative nature of the methanol that is included in the fuel. An additional use of the renewable or regenerative and clean methanol fuels is as sufficiently high octane transportation fuels without the addition of any other octane boosting refined fuel component or toxic additives.

The present invention discloses the use of renewable methanol as a single common fuel for all types of ICE engines with great technological and economic advantages.

Methanol is produced presently from natural gas or coal but can also be made from carbon dioxide recycling, wastes and cellulosic materials (wood chips, etc.) or other natural sources (biomethanol). Methanol was even originally called wood alcohol, as it is made by heating and distilling woodchips. In contrast to bioethanol (made from fermenting wheat, corn, sugar cane, etc.) biomethanol does not interfere with crops or related products for the food chain and thus does not cause price increases or economic difficulties in the production, distribution or sale of foodstuffs derived from such crops or related products.

The terms "renewable methanol" or "regenerative methanol" are used herein to mean methanol that is produced using carbon dioxide captured from point sources and recycling. The regenerative production of methanol is typically conducted at a static, large-scale operation to provide economically sufficient carbon dioxide to reductively form methanol. In particular, the carbon dioxide is captured and recycled to product methanol by the bireforming process as disclosed in US 8,697,759 or by hydrogenative conversion. Carbon dioxide can also be captured from all other sources including the atmosphere (US 7,459,590) or from geothermal wells (US 8,791,196) with the use of a selective adsorbent such as that disclosed in US patent 7,795, 175. It also may conveniently be collected from the exhausts of power generating or industrial plants (US 7,605,293). All of these sources serve to provide renewable or regenerative methanol generated by production processes with recycled carbon dioxide.

The present invention recognizes the advantage of renewable methanol as an economic and sustainable transportation fuel in all internal combustion engines. The recent development of modified spark assisted diesel engines by MIT and others for varied applications such as ongoing development and use of maritime engines in Sweden and engines for electric power generating turbines in Israel represent the beginning of commercialization of a new generation of modified more efficient methanol engines. These engines are to be used without limitations for varied applications in passenger cars, airplanes, trucks, ships, barges and other transportation vehicles, electricity generators, etc.

The present invention now discloses the significant concept and general common use of renewable methanol in all types of ICEs will eventually eliminating the presently needed dual infrastructure for use of gasoline and diesel oil, their separate production as well as storage, transportation and dispensation. In addition, these methanol fuels are rendered regenerative by overall carbon dioxide capture and recycling at sources of major emission and larger static installations (i.e., at power plants or other large installations that run on methanol fuels along with or instead of petroleum oils as disclosed in US 2011/0086928). Methanol is thus rendered regenerative, environmentally benign, clean, economic and broad range transportation fuel for universal use replacing oil products as disclosed herein.

Methanol is already proven as an excellent transportation fuel in millions of cars and trucks in China and Sweden is extending its use in ship engines replacing bunker and heavy diesel oil. As mentioned it is also a high octane fuel. A simple methanol derived derivative, dimethyl ether (DME), can also replace not only diesel fuel but also as a substitute for heating oil as well as household gas as already proven in different countries such as China, Japan, etc. but none of these use renewable or regenerative methanol as an additive or as a source for conversion to dimethyl ether. Accordingly, the present invention provides a significant advantage relating to the continued removal or prevention of carbon dioxide buildup in the atmosphere by utilizing carbon dioxide as a reactant to produce regenerative methanol.

All presently used fossil fuels once combusted irreversibly form carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas. In order to make methanol overall regenerative (or in a sense renewable) and environmentally benign, carbon dioxide is captured at larger installations and recycled by catalytic hydrogenation or by bireforming (see US 8,697,759) with methane (natural gas) at the major production or user facilities. This overall mitigates and

compensates for carbon dioxide emissions from individual vehicles and devices, which is difficult to capture and recycle. Gasoline and diesel engines until now necessitate fundamentally different fuels, production and infrastructure making necessary separate expensive production, storage and distribution facilities. The present invention eliminates or simplifies these issues.

Examples

For use of oil-based fuels (gasoline, diesel oil) in gasoline and diesel IC engines separate production and infrastructure for distribution is needed. According to the present invention, methanol, a readily and economically produced and distributed common single fuel can be used in all types of internal combustion engines. The amount of methanol in mixed gasoline fuels is expected initially to be in the range of 5 to 30% with only needed minor adjustments to the ICEs to possibly as much as 85% and even 100% (neat methanol) as vehicles and other engines are converted or produced for such use.

Regular gasoline powered ICE engine cars are produced for a decade with oxygen sensors, which adjust the needed air for combustion of the fuel. The needed modification for the use of mixed methanol fuels require only alcohol resistant plastic tubing and connectors costing 200-300 USD per car. Majority of the passenger cars are already available as Flexfuel cars, which can use methanol fuels.

Existing diesel engines for using methanol fuels will need to be specifically converted or designed for optimum performance.

The use of renewable or regenerative methanol as a convenient fuel for gasoline based internal combustion engines can thus be readily introduced with a single infrastructure at a relatively modest cost with obvious advantages. The new generation of spark assisted methanol engines can further replace diesel engines for wide applications allowing the use of single common fuel and infrastructure for all combustion engines.

In summary, the present invention allows the general common use of methanol as a single fuel in an economic and environmentally benign way for all types of internal combustion engines or other combustion processes or equipment to replace fossil fuels in order to substantially decrease or eliminate our dependence in particular on fuels based on petroleum oil.

Claims

THE CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A method for reducing pollution and reliance upon petroleum oil by providing renewable or regenerative methanol in or as a convenient universal common fuel for all types of internal combustion engines and other applications, thus replacing fossil based fuels in both gasoline and diesel type internal combustion engines including spark assisted diesel (methanol) engines in order to simplify and reduce fuel manufacture, distribution and infrastructure costs and complexities, while also benefitting the environment by decreasing C0₂ emissions due to the regenerative nature of the methanol that is included in the fuel.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the methanol content of the common methanol containing fuel is from 5 to 100%.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the common methanol containing fuel includes as additional components gasoline, ethanol or other alcohols, diesel fuel, or mixtures thereof, with the methanol content representing between 5 and 85% of the fuel.

4. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the common methanol containing fuel is a high octane (RON 129-134, MON 97-104) transportation fuel that does not contain any other octane boosting refined fuel component or toxic additives.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein production, distribution and dispension of the common methanol fuels are carried out in a single methanol fuel infrastructure which replaces existing separate gasoline and diesel fuel infrastructures.

6. The method of claim 1 which further comprises providing or modifying fuel tubing and connectors to vehicle engines to be or contain methanol resistant plastics or metals in order to avoid corrosion and degradation from the common methanol containing fuel during use.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the methanol resistant plastic or metal fuel tubing and connectors are modified or provided in engines that are used in cars, trucks, airplanes, construction equipment, locomotives, ships, electricity generators, turbines or other applications.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the methanol that is present in the fuel is regeneratively produced by capture and chemical recycling of carbon dioxide formed from the combustion of carbon containing sources.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the combustion of the methanol or varied carbon containing materials is conducted at a static, large scale production facility to provide for sufficient carbon dioxide capture and recycling to economically and regeneratively produce the methanol that is to be present in the fuel to further mitigate methanol fuel combustion caused carbon dioxide emissions from cars, trucks, ships, locomotives, turbines, etc.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the carbon dioxide is captured and stored for subsequent chemical recycling to methanol by hydrogenative conversion or through a bireforming process.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein reliance upon petroleum oil is reduced by substituting methanol for all or part of the gasoline provided by the petroleum oil.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein pollution is reduced by collecting carbon dioxide generated by combustion of petroleum oil or a fuel derived from petroleum oil, and then converting the carbon dioxide to methanol to thus avoid releasing the carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein pollution is reduced by collecting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or a geothermal source and then converting the carbon dioxide to methanol to thus reduce carbon dioxide that would otherwise be released to or present in the atmosphere.

14. Use of renewable or regenerative methanol as or in a convenient universal common fuel for all types of internal combustion engines for reducing pollution and reliance upon petroleum oil as well as to simplify and reduce fuel manufacture, distribution and infrastructure costs and complexities, while also benefitting the environment by decreasing C0₂ emissions due to the regenerative nature of the methanol that is included in the fuel.

15. Use of renewable or regenerative and clean methanol fuels as sufficiently high octane transportation fuels without the addition of any other octane boosting refined fuel component or toxic additives.