An exhaust heater system includes an exhaust heater and an air supply tube disposed within the exhaust heater. Relatively hot exhaust gas from an engine is directed into the exhaust heater, whereby heat from the exhaust heats the interior of the air supply tube. The heat partially vaporizes liquid methanol injected into the air supply tube. To control the amount of heating, the exhaust can be directed to the air supply tube as well as an exhaust bypass, whereby exhaust directed to the exhaust bypass does not heat the interior of the air supply tube.

The present invention relates to a combination of components suitable to break down liquid fuels into short chain molecules and gaseous states of matter by heating and pressurizing the combustible/flammable liquids to the point where they phase change into a supercritical fluid, then releasing some fluid as needed into a vapor accumulation tank that has a lower pressure. This subsequent drop in pressure phase changes the fluid from a supercritical state into a consistent and safe gaseous state. From there, the fuel can be delivered to the engine via direct injectors, gaseous fuel carburetors, or a regulating valve such as a needle valve. Because gaseous fuels readily homogenize with intake air and oxidizers, the present invention allows any engine to cleanly, reliably, and consistent use any fuel without adjustment. This allows any engine to run off any combustible liquid, in effect creating the ultimate multifuel system.

The invention relates to a hybrid electric drive system (10) for multi-motor aircraft (20). The hybrid electric drive system comprises at least a first and a second hybrid electric drive unit (31, 32), each of which comprises: an internal combustion engine (41, 42), a motor-generator unit (71, 72) and a gear box (51, 52) for transmitting drive power to a propeller (61, 62). In order to supply the motor-generator units (71, 72) with electrical energy, the drive system (10) has a fuel cell (73), which in turn is supplied with hydrogen by means of a fuel tank (74). In the fuel cell (73), hydrogen is converted into electricity, which then supplies the motor-generator unit (71, 72) with electrical power by means of the transmission device (80) and power converters (81) and (82), in order to drive the propellers (61, 62). Advantages: On the basis of a turboprop aircraft (20) with approximately 40 to 90 passengers, approximately 40% of the energy during a 1-hour mission can be provided emission-free by means of hydrogen and fuel cell. This means no CO2 emissions at all during the cruising flight and also no climate-damaging exhaust-gas and contrail effects at cruising altitude (FL250), which are a significant share of aviation emissions.

There are provided systems and methods for using fuel rich partial oxidation to produce an end product from waste gases, such as flare gas. Lambda sensor modifications and other control parameters that provide closed-loop mixture control at extremely fuel-rich operating conditions utilizing feed-forward and feedback approaches, physics-based engine models, novel use of a lambda sensor (O.sub.2-based sensor), sensors with intermittent contact with the gas stream. In an embodiment the system and method use air-breathing engines having control systems, control parameters, sensors and input/output (I/O) for the fuel rich (ER of 1.2 and greater), partial oxidation of the flare gas to form syngas. In embodiments the syngas is further converted into an end product. In an embodiment the end product is methanol.

The present invention relates to an intake system for natural gas engine. An intake system for an engine is provided. A conduit is configured to direct a combustible mixture to a cylinder head. A mixing unit is coupled to the conduit. The mixing unit includes a fuel doser configured to dispense fuel into the conduit and a first mixer positioned downstream of the fuel doser. The first mixer is configured to mix air and the fuel. The mixing unit further includes a exhaust gas doser configured to dispense exhaust gas into the conduit and a second mixer positioned downstream of the exhaust gas doser. The second mixer is configured to mix the exhaust gas with the air and the fuel to make the combustible mixture. An air intake throttle is configured to direct the air into the mixing unit.

An engine system includes an engine having a combustion chamber, an intake gas passage through which air to be supplied to the combustion chamber flows, an exhaust gas passage through which exhaust gas generated from the combustion chamber flows, a reformer configured to reform the fuel to generate a reformed gas containing hydrogen, a gas supply passage through which air to be supplied to the reformer flows, a bypass passage connected to the gas supply passage and the exhaust gas passage so as to bypass the reformer and through which the fuel having passed through the reformer is circulated to an upstream of the reformer, and a switching valve switched between a normal position that does not allow the fuel having passed through the reformer to flow to the bypass passage and a circulating position that allows the fuel having passed through the reformer to flow to the bypass passage.

The present invention relates to an intake system for natural gas engine. An intake system for an engine is provided. A conduit is configured to direct a combustible mixture to a cylinder head. A mixing unit is coupled to the conduit. The mixing unit includes a fuel doser configured to dispense fuel into the conduit and a first mixer positioned downstream of the fuel doser. The first mixer is configured to mix air and the fuel. The mixing unit further includes a exhaust gas doser configured to dispense exhaust gas into the conduit and a second mixer positioned downstream of the exhaust gas doser. The second mixer is configured to mix the exhaust gas with the air and the fuel to make the combustible mixture. An air intake throttle is configured to direct the air into the mixing unit.

A piston arrangement for a clean combustion engine, such as a hydrogen engine. The piston arrangement comprises a piston configured for reciprocal movement inside a cylinder having a cylinder wall, the piston having a piston head configured to face a first compartment with pressurized gas, a sealing arrangement comprising at least one sealing ring configured to be arranged to seal the piston to the cylinder wall and separating the first compartment from a second compartment, and a water channel extending from an interior of the piston to the sealing ring to provide water for lubricating the sealing ring. The piston head comprises a pumping element configured to be arranged to pressurize the water in the water channel by pressurised gas in the first compartment.

Compressed rich natural gas is divided into a cooling gas stream and a fuel gas stream. The cooling gas stream is depressurized. The cooling gas and the fuel gas are then heat exchanged to provide a first cooling step to the fuel gas. The cooled fuel gas continues into a second cooling step in a second heat exchanger, and then flows into a separator vessel where liquids are removed from the bottom of the separator and conditioned fuel gas exits the top of the separator. The conditioned fuel gas from the separator and produced from its influent is depressurized and heat exchanged to provide the second cooling fluid for the second heat exchanger.

An engine system includes a first cylinder including a first piston, a second cylinder including a second piston, and a fuel injector fluidly connected to the first cylinder. The first cylinder is a combustion cylinder, and the second cylinder is an expansion cylinder. The second cylinder is fluidly connected to the first cylinder when the first piston is in at least one position in the first cylinder. The fuel injector is configured to deliver hydrogen gas to the first cylinder.