A method and apparatus for the oxy-combustion of fuel in an internal combustion engine (ICE) used to power a vehicle includes one or more air separation devices that separate oxygen from the atmospheric air to mix with the fuel and return the nitrogen to the atmosphere and converts the free energy available in the form of waste heat from the engine exhaust gas stream and coolant system on board the vehicle into electrical and/or mechanical energy, which energy is used to separate oxygen from air to eliminate or significantly reduce the volume of nitrogen entering the ICE's combustion chamber, and thereby reduce NO.sub.x pollutants released into the atmosphere and increase the concentration of CO.sub.2 in the engine exhaust stream for capture using an integrated system to compress and increase the density of the captured CO.sub.2 for temporary on-board storage until it is discharged at a recovery station, e.g., during vehicle refueling.

In various implementations, methanol is produced using a (CO+H.sub.2) containing synthesis gas produced from a combined PDX plus EHTR or a combined ATR plus EHTR at a pressure of 70 bar to 100 bar at the correct stoichiometric composition for methanol synthesis so that no feed gas compressor is required for the feed to the methanol synthesis reactor loop.

A composite oxygen transport membrane having a dense layer, a porous support layer and an intermediate porous layer located between the dense layer and the porous support layer. Both the dense layer and the intermediate porous layer are formed from an ionic conductive material to conduct oxygen ions and an electrically conductive material to conduct electrons. The porous support layer has a high permeability, high porosity, and a microstructure exhibiting substantially uniform pore size distribution as a result of using PMMA pore forming materials or a bi-modal particle size distribution of the porous support layer materials. Catalyst particles selected to promote oxidation of a combustible substance are located in the intermediate porous layer and in the porous support adjacent to the intermediate porous layer. The catalyst particles can be formed by wicking a solution of catalyst precursors through the porous support toward the intermediate porous layer.

A method for controlling an oxygen liquefaction device includes measuring a flow rate from an oxygen concentration subsystem to a liquefaction subsystem, comparing the flow rate to a flow rate setpoint, and adjusting a cycle timing of the oxygen concentration subsystem in accordance with the comparing. A device for producing liquid oxygen, includes an oxygen concentrator, a liquefaction system, that receives oxygen enriched gas from the concentrator, and condenses it to produce a liquid product. The device further includes a liquid product storage tank, a sensor, that measures a flow rate from the oxygen concentrator to the liquefaction system and a controller that adjusts an oxygen concentrating cycle time in response to the measured flow rate.

An electrochemical cell that receives an inlet stream of air and produces an outlet stream of a high oxygen concentration of gas. The cell is made up of a plurality of layers and preferably a porous electrolyte comprised of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) that allows only oxygen ions to pass therethrough and which is covered on its sides with electrodes comprised of lanthanum strontium manganate (LSM) which in turn are coated with a layer of platinum to aid in the even distribution of the electrical current. An electrical current is passed through the electrodes to produce a voltage difference therebetween. The layers of YSZ and LSM are formed by a sol-gel process.

Disclosed is a method for purifying a main gas, in particular helium, from a source gas stream comprising the main gas, a main impurity, in particular nitrogen, and optionally another, secondary impurity, in particular oxygen, the method comprising a step of partial condensation of the gas stream in order to extract therefrom impurities in liquid form, in particular the main impurity, and to produce a gas stream enriched with main gas, characterized in that the method comprises, before the partial condensation step, a step of injecting into the gas stream a compound in which the main impurity of the gas to be treated is soluble and having a saturation vapor pressure lower than the saturation vapor pressure of the main impurity.

The present invention provides systems and methods for simultaneously producing a high-purity helium gas product, a methanol-water liquid mixture, and a methane-rich fuel product from a hydrogen-rich feedstock gas containing helium by treating the hydrogen-rich feedstock gas containing helium and carbon dioxide in a reverse water gas shift unit (1500) to produce carbon monoxide, which is then treated in a methanol production unit (300) and a methanol absorption unit (400) to produce a methanol-aqueous solution and a methanol-free gas. The methanol-free gas is then treated in a methane production unit (500) to produce methane, which is then treated in a carbon dioxide recovery membrane unit (1100) and a cryogenic nitrogen rejection unit (600) to produce the methanol-water liquid mixture, the methane-rich fuel product, and a helium-rich gas. The helium-rich gas is then treated to produce the high-purity helium gas product.

Systems and methods are provided for separation of a high purity hydrogen stream from methane pyrolysis effluents when using a plurality of adsorbent beds. The methods can allow for increased recovery of hydrogen from the methane pyrolysis effluent while maintaining a target purity for the hydrogen product stream of 98.0 vol % or more.

A method for separating hydrogen from methane in a component mixture containing light components, wherein a feed stream is formed at a first pressure level, wherein the feed stream is subjected to a pressure step, wherein a high-pressure product at the first pressure level and a low-pressure product at a second pressure level below the first pressure level are withdrawn from the pressure step, wherein a membrane stream is formed at a third pressure level using the low-pressure product or a part thereof, wherein the membrane feed-stream is subjected to a separation step, wherein a retentate and a permeate are withdrawn from the separation step, wherein the feed stream is formed using the permeate or a part thereof, and wherein the feed stream and/or the membrane stream is formed using the component mixture or a part thereof.

A process to purify helium from a feed gas stream containing a mixture of at least nitrogen, methane and helium including introducing the feed gas stream into a first helium membrane separation unit, thereby producing a first helium membrane permeate and a first helium membrane residue; introducing at least part of the first residue into a first nitrogen membrane separation unit thereby producing a first nitrogen membrane permeate stream; introducing a stream derived from the first helium membrane permeate into a hydrogen PSA unit thereby producing a helium rich product stream. Wherein a stream derived from the first nitrogen membrane permeate stream exits the system as a fuel gas product stream. Wherein the feed gas stream has a higher heating value, and wherein the first nitrogen membrane permeate stream has a higher heating value at least 5% higher than the higher heating value of the feed gas.