JP2008095666A - Fuel component separation device for internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure the quality of separation fuel and to stably secure a generation amount of the separation fuel without increasing the size of a fuel component separation device 1 for an internal combustion engine having a separation means. <P>SOLUTION: The fuel component separation device 1 separating a kind of pre-separation liquid fuel stored in a main tank Tm into two kinds of fuel components each having a different boiling point and thereafter individually storing them into sub-tanks Ta, Tb as post-separation liquid fuel, and a controller supplying the liquid fuel suitable for the operation state of an engine 3 of the pre-separation liquid fuel and the post-separation liquid fuel stored in the three tanks of the main tank Tm and the sub-tanks is supplied to an injector 2 according to the operation state of the engine 3 are equipped. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuel component separation apparatus including a separation unit that separates one type of liquid fuel into different fuel components, and more particularly, to an internal combustion engine that uses a separation unit to separate the fuel liquid according to the operating state of the internal combustion engine. The present invention relates to a fuel component separator.

In an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine, one type of liquid fuel stored in a main tank is supplied as it is into a cylinder of the internal combustion engine and burned. However, it is known that the operating performance of the internal combustion engine such as the starting performance and the acceleration performance can be improved by appropriately selecting the fuel component to be supplied into the cylinder in accordance with the operating state. Based on such a background, technologies relating to a separation device for separating one type of liquid fuel stored in a main tank into two different types of fuel components have been disclosed (for example, Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 1). 2).
JP-A-56-143323 Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 61-11445 discloses a separation apparatus that separates liquid fuel supplied to a diesel engine into two types of fuel components having different cetane numbers. This separation device has a higher cetane number than the filler by adsorbing a component having a higher cetane number than that in the liquid fuel with the filler, and aerating air through the filler having the higher cetane number adsorbed. A separation step of separating the gaseous fuel containing the component; and a liquefaction step of cooling the gaseous fuel separated by the separation step to obtain a separated fuel. Each of these steps is performed in the order described above with a predetermined treatment time. That is, the adsorption step and the separation step are pretreatment steps for generating separated fuel in which no liquid fuel is generated after separation, and the separated fuel is generated in the liquefaction step.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a separation device that selectively separates alcohol components from an alcohol-mixed fuel obtained by mixing alcohol and gasoline as one liquid fuel contained in a main tank. In this separation device, a liquid alcohol mixed fuel is accommodated in one chamber separated from the inside of a main tank by a separation membrane. The alcohol component of the liquid alcohol mixed fuel permeates the separation membrane in a liquid state and is accommodated in the other separated chamber.

  However, the separation apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes an adsorption process as a pretreatment process that does not generate separated fuel, a separation process, and a liquefaction process that generates separated fuel. As a result, the time required for the pretreatment process in which no liquid fuel is generated after separation and the time required for the liquefaction process in which liquid fuel is generated after separation are alternately performed, and the liquid fuel is generated discontinuously after separation. Therefore, it is difficult to ensure a stable production amount of the liquid fuel after separation.

  Further, in the separation apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, the fuel that has permeated through the separation membrane contains a component other than the alcohol component in the separated fuel as described in the description that the fuel contains a large amount of the alcohol component. It is difficult to ensure quality.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to ensure the stability of the amount of separated fuel produced and the quality of the separated fuel in a fuel component separation device for an internal combustion engine provided with separation means.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an internal combustion engine comprising separation means for separating one type of pre-separation liquid fuel stored in the main tank into two different types of fuel components so as to be selectively used according to the operating state of the internal combustion engine. In the engine fuel component separator,
Vaporization means for vaporizing the pre-separation liquid fuel into gaseous fuel, and permeation whose pore size is adjusted so as to selectively permeate specific components from the components of the gaseous fuel vaporized by the vaporization means Separation means including a separation membrane having pores, a gaseous fuel of a specific component that permeates the separation membrane, and a gaseous fuel that does not permeate the separation membrane are classified into 2 types of liquids of the first type and the second type, respectively. And a liquefying means for liquefying as a liquid fuel after separation separated into types.

  According to the above configuration, the liquid fuel before separation is permeated through the separation membrane after being vaporized by the vaporizing means. From this, a plurality of types of molecules having different sizes are separated, and a separation means is configured in which molecules that permeate the separation membrane are selected according to the size of the molecules. Molecules collected with an increased accuracy of the sorting are liquefied by the liquefaction means to ensure the quality of the separated fuel.

  In addition, since each of the vaporization means, the separation means, and the liquefaction means can perform treatment in parallel, the separated fuel can be continuously generated.

  In the invention of claim 2, the separation means first converts the liquid fuel before separation into a first type liquid fuel as a fuel having a low boiling point component and a second type liquid fuel as a fuel other than a low boiling point component. It is characterized by comprising a separation membrane that separates based on the difference in molecular size between the seed liquid fuel and the second type liquid fuel.

  According to the above configuration, there is a difference in the molecular size between the molecular size of the first type liquid fuel as the low boiling point component fuel and the molecular size of the second type liquid fuel as the component fuel other than the low boiling point component. Therefore, it is possible to satisfactorily separate the first type liquid fuel and the second type liquid fuel by the separation membrane that separates based on the difference in molecular size.

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the separation membrane includes the permeation holes adjusted to have a pore diameter of 0.39 nm or more and 0.57 nm or less.

  When one type of liquid fuel is employed as a fuel for an internal combustion engine, n-paraffin is assumed as a preferable low-boiling component. The molecular size of n-paraffin is about 0.38 nm. On the other hand, components other than the low boiling point component of the second type liquid fuel are aroma components such as benzene having a molecular size of about 0.58 nm. From this, it is possible to improve the accuracy of separation by employing the above-described separation membrane that can transmit molecules having a molecular size of 0.38 nm or less and cannot transmit molecules having a molecular size of 0.58 nm or more. .

  The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the separation membrane is formed of zeolite (silicalite).

  According to the said structure, the separation membrane comprised from the zeolite by which the hole diameter of the permeation hole was controlled can be illustrated. It is easy to control the size of the pore diameter of zeolite according to the production conditions and composition, and the zeolite separation membrane adjusted to the size aiming at the pore diameter can increase the separation accuracy of the controlled fuel component.

  The invention of claim 5 includes vaporizing means for gasifying the liquid fuel using a heating action, and liquefying means for liquefying the gaseous fuel gasified by the vaporizing means using a cooling action. And

  According to the above configuration, the transformation to fuel vaporization and the transformation to fuel liquefaction can be stabilized by using the heating action and the cooling action.

  The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the pre-separation liquid fuel is light oil.

  According to the above configuration, light oil has a large number of different types of molecules, and the operating performance of the internal combustion engine such as starting performance and acceleration performance at low temperatures is improved. An improvement is desired. From this, light oil as liquid fuel before separation is separated into two types of fuel after separation by a separation membrane, and the operation performance of the internal combustion engine is improved by using the fuel after separation according to the operating state of the internal combustion engine. it can.

  The invention of claim 7 is characterized by comprising a sub-tank that individually accommodates two types of liquid fuel after separation.

  According to the above configuration, the two types of post-separation liquid fuels of the first type liquid fuel and the second type liquid fuel liquefied as liquid fuel by the liquefaction means are individually accommodated in the sub tank. Stable supply can be made immediately in response to operating conditions.

  The invention according to claim 8 further includes a control unit for adjusting a fuel supply amount to an injector for injecting fuel into the internal combustion engine, and the control unit is a liquid before separation accommodated in each of the main tank and the sub tank. An amount detection means for detecting the amount of fuel and the amount of liquid fuel after separation; an operation state detection means for detecting the operating state of the internal combustion engine; and a detection value of each of the amount detection means and the operation state detection means. And a selection switching means for selecting and switching the pre-separation liquid fuel stored in each tank and the liquid fuel supplied to the injector from the post-separation liquid fuel.

  According to the above configuration, the selection switching means supplies the liquid fuel suitable for the operation state of the internal combustion engine to the injector from the tanks that store different fuel components. Further, when the fuel supplied to the injector is selected from any one of the tanks, the detection value of the accommodation amount detection means is adopted. Thus, the liquid fuel can be supplied to the injector in response to the excess or deficiency of the liquid fuel accommodation state in each tank.

  Hereinafter, based on an embodiment, a fuel component separation device for an internal combustion engine of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment)
(Constitution)
A fuel component separation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a liquid fuel that is supplied to a cylinder of a diesel engine (hereinafter referred to as an engine) as an internal combustion engine. This is a device that separates into two types of liquid fuels (liquid fuels after separation) of different fuel components.

  FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an overall configuration of an engine fuel component separation device. In this overall configuration diagram, the fuel components stored in the main tank Tm are separated into two types of fuel components having different boiling points and then separately stored in the two sub-tanks Ta and Tb as liquid fuel after separation. Depending on the separation apparatus 1 and the operating state of the engine, the main tank Tm, the liquid fuel before separation stored in each of the three sub-tanks Ta and Tb, and the liquid fuel after separation are separated from the liquid fuel after separation. A control device for supplying liquid fuel suitable for the operating state to the injector 2 is shown.

  The present invention uses the fuel component separation device 1 and the control device shown in FIG. 1 to ensure the stability of the amount of liquid fuel after separation and the quality of the liquid fuel after separation. This is a technique for supplying the liquid fuel after separation according to the operating condition of the engine, and greatly improving the operating performance of the engine 3.

  The fuel component separation device 1 includes a main tank Tm, a vaporization unit 4, a component separation unit 5, liquefaction units 6a and 6b, and sub tanks Ta and Tb. The main tank Tm contains one type of pre-separation liquid fuel. The vaporizer 4 introduces liquid fuel before separation from the main tank Tm and vaporizes it into gaseous fuel. The component separator 5 selectively separates a specific component from the components of the gaseous fuel vaporized by the vaporizer 4. The liquefying units 6a and 6b liquefy each gaseous fuel separated into two different components by the component separating unit 5 as liquid fuel after separation. The sub tanks Ta and Tb individually store the two types of post-separation liquid fuels generated by the liquefaction units 6a and 6b.

  The engine 3 is supplied with light oil fuel Fm as a liquid fuel before separation. The main tank Tm includes a main liquid amount detector 7m that detects the amount of light oil fuel Fm stored in the main tank Tm. The vaporization unit 4 is configured to introduce the liquid light oil fuel Fm from the main tank Tm into the vaporization unit 4 and to send the light oil fuel Fm as gaseous fuel from the flow path outlet of the vaporization unit 4. Is done.

  The heater 8 which heats the vaporization part 4 from the exterior is provided, The liquid light oil fuel Fm inside the vaporization part 4 is vaporized by this heater 8 to gaseous fuel. The heater 8 includes therein an electric heating section (not shown) in which the amount of energization is controlled by an ECU 9 described later to adjust the amount of heat generation. In addition to the heating action by the electric heating unit, the exhaust heat generated by the engine 3 may be used.

  The component separation unit 5 has a separation membrane 10a, and is configured to selectively permeate specific components from the components of the gaseous fuel vaporized by the vaporization unit 4, and the detailed configuration will be described later.

  The liquefying units 6a and 6b are composed of a first liquefying unit 6a and a second liquefying unit 6b. The first liquefying unit 6a liquefies the gaseous fuel of a specific component that permeates the separation membrane 10a by using a cooling action to form the first type liquid fuel Fa. The second liquefaction unit 6b liquefies gaseous fuel that does not permeate the separation membrane 10a by using a cooling action to form a second type liquid fuel Fb. The cooling action in the first liquefaction unit 6a and the second liquefaction unit 6b can be any of natural cooling, air cooling with a radiator, and forced cooling with a cooling device. Well, the illustration and explanation of these cooling devices are omitted.

  The sub tanks Ta and Tb are constituted by a first sub tank Ta and a second sub tank Tb. The first sub tank Ta stores the first type liquid fuel Fa generated by the first liquefaction unit 6a. The second sub tank Tb accommodates the second type liquid fuel Fb generated by the second liquefaction unit 6b. The first sub tank Ta includes a first liquid amount detection unit 7a that detects the amount of the first type liquid fuel Fa stored in the first sub tank Ta. The second sub tank Tb includes a second liquid amount detector 7b that detects the amount of the second type liquid fuel Fb stored in the second sub tank Tb.

  The control device includes a fuel switching unit 11, an ECU 9, a water temperature meter 12, a main liquid amount detecting unit 7m, a first liquid amount detecting unit 7a, a second liquid amount detecting unit 7b, and the like. The water temperature gauge 12 detects a warm-up state as an operation state of the engine 3. In the present embodiment, the water temperature gauge 12 detects whether or not the engine 3 is in an operation state including a low temperature start state.

  The fuel flow paths connecting the three tanks, the fuel switching unit 11 and the injector 2 are liquid fuels before separation, which are accommodated in three main tanks including one main tank Tm and two sub tanks Ta and Tb. The liquid fuel is configured to be supplied to the injector 2 from among the three types of liquid fuels after the separation.

  Specifically, a high-pressure pump 14 that pressurizes liquid fuel from the fuel switching unit 11 and pumps it to the common rail 13 is disposed, and high-pressure liquid fuel is sent from the common rail 13 to the injector 2.

  The fuel switching unit 11 switches the flow path based on a command from the ECU 9. The ECU 9 determines the fuel switching unit 11 based on the detected values of the respective liquid levels of the main liquid level detecting unit 7m, the first liquid level detecting unit 7a, and the second liquid level detecting unit 7b, and the detected value of the water thermometer 12. In response, a fuel type command to be sent to the injector 2 is transmitted.

  FIG. 2A is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the component separation unit 5 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is an arrow view of the configuration diagram of FIG. 2A viewed from the A direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the component separating unit 5 accommodates a separating body 10 and divides the inside into two chambers, a front chamber 15 b and a rear chamber 15 a, through the separating body 10. The gaseous fuel from the vaporization unit 4 is guided to the front chamber 15b via the inlet channel 16. The separator 10 allows only the gaseous fuel of a specific component to pass through the rear chamber 15a out of all the components of the gaseous fuel guided to the front chamber 15b.

  A gaseous fuel of a specific component that passes through the separator 10 is guided to the first outlet channel 17, and a gaseous fuel other than the specific component that does not pass through the separator 10 is guided to the second outlet channel 18. .

  As shown in FIG. 2 (b), the separator 10 plugs a plurality of passages divided by a passage wall 19 in a lattice shape between adjacent passages between the front chamber 15b side and the rear chamber 15a side. The plugs are alternately formed by plugging portions. By providing the separators 10 that are alternately plugged, only the gaseous fuel of a specific component is guided to the rear chamber 15a.

  A detailed configuration of the separator 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining a state in which the gaseous fuel permeates the separation membrane 10a in FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a part (part C) of the separation membrane 10a shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view in which a part (part D) of the separation membrane 10a shown in FIG. 4 is further enlarged. The separator 10 is formed by the passage wall 19 and the plugging portion 20. The passage wall 19 and the plugging portion 20 have the same configuration, and the configuration of the passage wall 19 will be described as a representative.

  The passage wall 19 includes a support 21 made of a stainless steel porous body or mullite, and a separation membrane 10a formed of silicalite which is a kind of zeolite formed on one wall of the support 21. The One wall is a wall facing the front chamber 15b side. Silicalite is provided with a large number of permeation holes 22 having a pore diameter adjusted to about 0.55 nm, and is formed so as to be able to separate low boiling point fuel. In addition to silicalite, molecular sieve 5A or the like may be employed. The support 21 is provided with a plurality of pores 21 a, and the pore diameter of the pores 21 a is set to several to several tens of times larger than the diameter of the transmission holes 22.

  The separation membrane 10a separates the n-paraffin component contained in the vaporized light oil fuel Fm component. Specifically, n-paraffin having a molecular diameter of about 0.38 nm can pass through the separation membrane 10a made of silicalite. On the other hand, an aroma component having a molecular diameter of about 0.58 nm cannot pass through the separation membrane 10a.

(Liquid fuel before separation and liquid fuel supply method after separation)
FIG. 6 shows a method of supplying only liquid fuel of a specific component (low boiling point component including n-paraffin component) that improves the startability separated from the light oil fuel Fm to the injector 2 when starting the engine 3 at a low temperature. Will be described. FIG. 6 is a control flowchart showing a control procedure of the control unit (ECU 9) shown in FIG.

  In step 1 (denoted as S1 in the figure), the key switch 23 for starting the engine 3 is switched to the IG position as a previous stage for starting the engine 3. In step 2, the ECU 9 takes in the detected value from the water temperature gauge 12 by switching to the IG position, and detects the water temperature. In step 3, it is determined based on this water temperature detection whether the engine 3 is in a low temperature operating state. If it is determined in step 3 that the operation is at a low temperature, the process proceeds to step 4. In step 4, it is confirmed whether or not the first type liquid fuel Fa in the first sub tank Ta is in an empty state. If it is determined in step 4 that the state is not empty, the process proceeds to step 5.

  In step 5, the flow path connection of the fuel switching unit 11 is switched so as to select the fuel in the first sub tank Ta. In step 6, the high-pressure pump 14 pumps the first type liquid fuel Fa to the common rail 13. In step 7, after the key switch 23 is switched to the ST position (starting position), the fuel pressure is supplied to the injector 2 and injected into the cylinder of the engine 3. In step 8, it is confirmed whether or not the start of the engine 3 has been completed. When the completion of the start is confirmed, in step 10, the fuel supply to the first sub tank Ta is stopped and the fuel is switched to switch to the light oil fuel Fm. The flow path connection of the part 11 is switched.

  If it is determined in step 3 that the operation is not in the low temperature state, the process proceeds to step 13. In step 13, it is confirmed whether or not the first type liquid fuel Fa in the first sub tank Ta is full. If it is determined in step 13 that the fuel tank is full, the process proceeds to step 5 where the flow path connection of the fuel switching unit 11 is switched so as to select the fuel in the first sub tank Ta. By confirming this step 13, it is possible to prevent the first type liquid fuel Fa from overflowing from the first sub tank Ta.

  In order to prevent the first type liquid fuel Fa from overflowing from the first subtank Ta, the vaporization of the light oil fuel Fm in the vaporization unit 4 is suppressed, and the gaseous fuel is sent to the front chamber 15b of the component separation unit 5. A treatment that is substantially interrupted may be employed.

  If it is determined in step 13 that it is not full, the process proceeds to step 14. In step 14, it is confirmed whether or not the second type liquid fuel Fb in the second sub tank Tb is in an empty state. If it is determined in step 14 that the state is empty, the process proceeds to step 15. In step 15, since the second type liquid fuel Fb is in an empty state, the flow path connection of the fuel switching unit 11 is switched so that the light oil fuel Fm is selected, and the high pressure pump 14 pumps the light oil fuel Fm to the common rail 13. To do.

  If it is determined in step 14 that there is no empty state, the process proceeds to step 16. In step 16, the flow path connection of the fuel switching unit 11 is switched so as to select the fuel in the second sub tank Tb, and the high pressure pump 14 pumps the light oil fuel Fm to the common rail 13. Although not shown, when the fuel in the second sub tank Tb is pumped to the common rail 13 based on the treatment in step 16 and the second type liquid fuel Fb in the second sub tank Tb becomes empty, the light oil fuel Fm The flow path connection of the fuel switching unit 11 is switched so as to select.

  If it is determined in step 4 that the state is empty, the process proceeds to step 11. In step 11, since the first type liquid fuel Fa is empty, the flow path connection of the fuel switching unit 11 is switched so as to select the light oil fuel Fm as an alternative fuel to the first type liquid fuel Fa. In step 12, alarm means such as a warning lamp (not shown) that indicates that the light oil fuel Fm as the alternative fuel of the first type liquid fuel Fa is in the selected abnormal state is activated.

(Function and effect)
One type of pre-separation liquid fuel stored in the main tank Tm is vaporized by the vaporization unit 4 and then permeated through the separation membrane 10a which is one of the structural features of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the separation membrane 10a is a separation membrane 10a that can adjust the pore diameter of the permeation hole 22 so that the low boiling point component and other components can be separated from the viewpoint of improving the low temperature starting performance of the engine 3. Adopted. Thereby, the quality of the liquid fuel after separation can be secured, and the low temperature start performance of the engine 3 can be remarkably improved.

  As the separation membrane 10a, zeolite is employed. Zeolite is easy to control the size of the pore size depending on the production conditions and composition, etc., so the separation accuracy can be improved by adjusting the size of the pore size according to the fuel component to be separated. .

  The two types of gaseous fuel separated by permeation through the separation membrane 10a are liquefied into liquid fuel after separation by the first liquefaction unit 6a and the second liquefaction unit 6b immediately after the separation. Thus, the fuel storage volume can be reduced. In addition, the two types of liquid fuels after separation, which are separated from each other, are in a liquid state, and the fuel switching unit 11 that switches the fuel type of only three types of liquid fuels, the light oil fuel Fm that is the liquid fuel before separation, has a small and simple configuration. The fuel adjustment accuracy can be improved.

  The fuel components sequentially pass through the vaporization unit 4, the component separation unit 5, and the liquefaction units 6a and 6b, and the liquid fuels separated into two different components (first type liquid fuel Fa and second type liquid fuel Fb) are continuously supplied. Thus, it can be sent to the sub-tanks Ta and Tb, and the amount of separated fuel produced can be secured stably.

  As described above, the fuel component separation device 1 of the present invention can be used in association with the engine 3 when generating two types of post-separation liquid fuels Fa and Fb from the light oil fuel Fm as the pre-separation liquid fuel. By using energy, the device 1 is compact.

  Examples of the energy that can be used include electric power used as a heating source and exhaust heat when vaporizing the liquid light oil fuel Fm into gaseous fuel. Further, there are air cooling used as a cooling source and forced cooling using a cooling device when liquefying a gaseous fuel of a specific component that has permeated the separation membrane 10a and a gaseous fuel that has not permeated the separation membrane 10a.

(Other embodiments)
In the above-described embodiment, the two types of gaseous fuel separated from each other are liquefied into liquid fuel (liquid fuel after separation), but in this embodiment, of the two types of gaseous fuel separated into components, Only one gaseous fuel is liquefied, and the other gaseous fuel is supplied to the engine 3 as the gaseous fuel.

  The configuration of the present embodiment that is the same as that of the above-described embodiment is denoted by the same reference numeral, description thereof is omitted, and the configuration of the present embodiment that is different from the above-described embodiment is described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is an overall configuration diagram showing an overall configuration of a fuel component separation device 1A of the engine 3 according to another embodiment.

  The fuel component separation device 1 </ b> A includes a gas pressure pump 24. The gas pressure pump 24 pressurizes and pressure-feeds the gaseous fuel obtained by vaporizing the light oil fuel Fm by the vaporization unit 4 to the component separation unit 5 while maintaining the gaseous state. The component separation unit 5 selectively separates a specific component (low boiling point component) from the components of the gaseous fuel under pressure. The low-boiling component gaseous fuel separated by the component separation unit 5 is supplied in a gaseous state to the sub-injector 2 disposed in the intake passage 25 of the engine 3. The sub-injector 2 is an injector 2 that supplies additional fuel into the cylinder as auxiliary fuel with respect to the fuel supplied from the injector 2. In this sub-injector 2A, since gaseous fuel is injected, mixing with the intake air in the intake passage 25 can be promoted, and the operation performance of the engine 3 such as startability and emission can be improved.

  The gaseous fuel other than the specific component that does not pass through the separator 10 includes a return flow path 26 that is returned to the main tank Tm. A return passage restricting portion 27 (with a pressure adjusting function) is disposed on the return passage, and is cooled to be liquid fuel in the return passage until it is returned to the main tank Tm.

1 is an overall configuration diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an engine fuel component separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) is a block diagram which shows the structure of the component separation part in FIG. 1, (b) is the arrow line view which looked at the block diagram of (a) from the A direction. It is a schematic diagram explaining the state which a gaseous fuel permeate | transmits the separation membrane in FIG. It is the enlarged view to which a part of separation membrane shown in FIG. 3 was expanded. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view in which a part of the separation membrane shown in FIG. 4 is further enlarged. It is a control flowchart which shows the control procedure of the control part shown in FIG. It is a whole block diagram which shows the whole structure of the fuel component separation apparatus of the engine in other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

5 component separation part (separation means)
1A Fuel component separator 4 Vaporization section (vaporization means)
6a 1st liquefaction part (liquefaction means)
6b 2nd liquefaction part (liquefaction means)
22 Permeation hole 10a Separation membrane Fm Light oil fuel (one kind of liquid fuel)
Fa First type liquid fuel Fb Second type liquid fuel Tm Main tank Ta First sub tank (sub tank)
Tb Second sub tank (sub tank)
9 ECU (control unit)
2 Injector 7m Main liquid level detector (accommodated amount detection means)
7a 1st liquid amount detection part (accommodation amount detection means)
7b Second liquid amount detection unit (accommodated amount detection means)
11 Fuel switching part (selection switching means)
12 Water temperature gauge (Operating state detection means)
3 Engine

Claims (8)

In a fuel component separation apparatus for an internal combustion engine comprising separation means for separating one type of pre-separation liquid fuel stored in a main tank into two different types of fuel components so as to be selectively used according to the operating state of the internal combustion engine ,
Vaporizing means for vaporizing the liquid fuel before separation into gaseous fuel;
A separation means comprising a separation membrane having a permeation hole whose size is adjusted so as to selectively permeate a specific component out of the components of the gaseous fuel vaporized by the vaporization means;
A liquid fuel after separation in which the gaseous fuel of a specific component that permeates the separation membrane and the gaseous fuel that does not permeate the separation membrane are separated into two types, a first type liquid fuel and a second type liquid fuel. And a liquefying means for liquefying as a fuel component separation device for an internal combustion engine. The separation means converts the pre-separation liquid fuel into the first type liquid fuel as a fuel having a low boiling point component and the second type liquid fuel as a fuel other than a low boiling point component. 2. The fuel component separation device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, further comprising the separation membrane that separates based on a molecular size difference between the fuel and the second type liquid fuel. 3. The fuel component separation device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 2, wherein the separation membrane includes the transmission hole having a hole diameter adjusted to 0.39 nm or more and 0.57 nm or less. The fuel component separation device for an internal combustion engine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the separation membrane is formed of zeolite. The vaporizing means for gasifying the pre-separation liquid fuel using a heating action;
The fuel component separation device for an internal combustion engine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: a liquefying unit that liquefyes the gaseous fuel gasified by the vaporizing unit using a cooling action. 6. The fuel component separation device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the pre-separation liquid fuel is light oil. The fuel component separation device for an internal combustion engine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a sub-tank that individually accommodates two types of the separated liquid fuels. A control unit for adjusting a fuel supply amount to an injector for injecting fuel into the internal combustion engine;
The controller is
A storage amount detecting means for detecting a storage amount of the pre-separation liquid fuel and the post-separation liquid fuel stored in each of the main tank and the sub tank; and
Operating state detecting means for detecting the operating state of the internal combustion engine;
Based on the detection values of the storage amount detection means and the operating state detection means, the liquid fuel supplied to the injector from the pre-separation liquid fuel and the post-separation liquid fuel stored in the tanks The fuel component separation device for an internal combustion engine according to claim 7, further comprising selection switching means for selecting and switching.

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