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Apparatus with in situ fuel reformer and associated methodRelated Patent Categories: Power Plants, Internal Combustion Engine With Treatment Or Handling Of Exhaust Gas, By Means Producing A Chemical Reaction Of A Component Of The Exhaust Gas, Condition Responsive Control Of Reactor Feed, Pressure, Or By-passApparatus with in situ fuel reformer and associated method description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070033929, Apparatus with in situ fuel reformer and associated method. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE [0001] The present disclosure relates generally to exhaust systems and fuel reformers. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE [0002] Fuel reformers may be used for a variety of purposes. In some cases, for example, fuel reformers are used in the process of regenerating emission abatement devices such as NOx traps and particulate traps. In other cases, fuel reformers are used to provide hydrogen (H.sub.2) to an internal combustion engine to enhance the fuel combustion process. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE [0003] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus having parallel and coaxial first and second exhaust gas passageways. A fuel reformer is positioned in the first exhaust gas passageway and configured to partially combust fuel supplied to the first exhaust gas passageway with oxygen from exhaust gas present in the first exhaust gas passageway to generate partial combustion product. Placement of the fuel reformer in the first exhaust gas passageway facilitates control of the air-to-fuel ratio of the flow delivered to the fuel reformer and thus facilitates generation of the partial combustion product. [0004] A component is fluidly coupled to the first and second exhaust gas passageways to receive the partial combustion product from the first exhaust gas passageway and exhaust gas from the second exhaust gas passageway. The component may be, for example, an emission abatement device (e.g., a NOx trap, a particulate abatement device, a selective catalytic reduction device, or any combination thereof) or an internal combustion engine. [0005] According to a second aspect of the disclosure, the fuel reformer is a catalyst. The catalyst is activated by the heat of the exhaust gas in the first exhaust gas passageway and catalyzes a chemical reaction to partially combust the fuel into hydrogen (H.sub.2) and carbon monoxide (CO) which are useful in the regeneration of NOx traps and particulate abatement devices and may also be useful with selective catalytic reduction devices. The hydrogen (H.sub.2) is also useful for enhancement of combustion of an internal engine. [0006] The above and other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description and the attached drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0007] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram showing a first apparatus with an "in situ" fuel reformer positioned in an exhaust gas passageway to generate partial combustion product (e.g., H.sub.2 and CO) for use in conjunction with an emission abatement device; [0008] FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram showing a second apparatus with the "in situ" fuel reformer configured to generate partial combustion product provided to an internal combustion engine to enhance the combustion process in the engine; [0009] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing a first coaxial parallel flow arrangement for use with the first and second apparatus; [0010] FIG. 3a is a diagrammatic view showing a second coaxial parallel flow arrangement for use with the first and second apparatus; and [0011] FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing a non-coaxial parallel flow arrangement for use with the first and second apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0012] While the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific exemplary embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives following within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. [0013] Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an apparatus 10 configured to generate partial combustion product such as hydrogen (H.sub.2) and/or carbon monoxide (CO) for use in conjunction with a downstream component such as an emission abatement device 12. It does so by diverting a portion of a stream of exhaust gas ("EG" in the drawings) to flow into a first exhaust gas passageway 14 containing an "in situ" fuel reformer 16 configured, for example, as a catalyst. The fuel reformer 16 partially combusts a hydrocarbon fuel (e.g., diesel fuel) supplied to the passageway 14 with oxygen from exhaust gas present in the passageway 14 to produce the partial combustion product for delivery to the emission abatement device 12. The remainder of the exhaust gas passes through an exhaust gas passageway 18 parallel to the passageway 14. [0014] Such an arrangement facilitates control of the air-to-fuel ratio of the flow delivered to the fuel reformer 16 and thus facilitates generation of the partial combustion product. Further, since oxygen of the exhaust gas is used, it avoids the need for a supplemental source of oxygen. In addition, an ignition source is not needed because the heat of the exhaust gas is sufficient for the partial combustion reaction. [0015] The system 10 includes an internal combustion engine 20 (e.g., a diesel engine), a parallel flow arrangement 22, and the emission abatement device 12. The engine 20 produces the exhaust gas which flows through an exhaust gas supply passageway 24. The parallel flow arrangement 22 then divides the exhaust gas stream to flow into the parallel passageways 14, 18. A portion of the exhaust gas flows into the passageway 14 containing the fuel reformer 16. The other portion of the exhaust gas flows into the passageway 18. The passageways 14, 18 recombine downstream from the fuel reformer 16 into a downstream exhaust gas passageway 25 which delivers the H.sub.2 and/or CO produced by the fuel reformer 16 and the exhaust gas from the passageway 18 to the emission abatement device 12. [0016] The emission abatement device 12 may be, for example, a NOx trap, a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) device, or a particulate abatement device. A NOx trap is used to remove NOx from the exhaust gas. It does so by trapping NOx present in the exhaust gas under lean conditions (as is normally the case in diesel exhaust) and reducing the trapped NOx to nitrogen under rich conditions when the fuel reformer 16 is operated to produce the partial combustion product. The partial combustion product (e.g., H2, CO) is thus useful as a NOx-reducing agent. If the fuel reformer 16 is operated to produce the partial combustion product for a longer time, the partial combustion product can be used to desulphate the NOx trap 16. [0017] An SCR device operates in conjunction with the partial combustion product to convert NOx into nitrogen without the need to first trap the NOx and then release and reduce the NOx. The SCR device is "selective" in the sense that it catalyzes a reaction between the partial combustion product (e.g., H.sub.2, CO) generated by the fuel reformer 16 and NOx present in the exhaust gas. The NOx is thereby removed from the exhaust gas. [0018] A particulate abatement device is used to remove particulates from the exhaust gas. It may take the form of a particulate trap (catalyzed or uncatalyzed) alone or in combination with an upstream oxidation catalyst (e.g., diesel oxidation catalyst). The partial combustion product (e.g., H.sub.2, CO) may be oxidized in the presence of the catalyst of a catalyzed particulate trap or in the presence of an upstream oxidation catalyst to generate heat useful for burning off particulate matter trapped by the particulate trap so as to regenerate the particulate trap. [0019] It is within the scope of this disclosure for the emission abatement device 12 to include any combination of a NOx trap, an SCR device, and a particulate abatement device. One such combination example is an SCR device and a particulate trap. Continue reading about Apparatus with in situ fuel reformer and associated method... Full patent description for Apparatus with in situ fuel reformer and associated method Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Apparatus with in situ fuel reformer and associated method patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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