The invention provides a fuel treatment system for cracking hydrocarbons in fuel for combustion engines. The system comprises a primary ducting component having an exhaust gas inlet zone, and a secondary ducting component which includes a fuel enrichment component and a processing chamber. The processing chamber may have an outlet zone connectable to the combustion engine. The inlet zone of the primary ducting component and the outlet zone of the processing chamber may be configured in a heat exchange relationship with each other and in a counter-current gas flow direction with respect to each other. During operation of the system, heat from hottest volumes of the exhaust gas flowing in a furthest upstream portion of the ducting arrangement may be transferred to fuel-enriched exhaust gas flowing in a furthest downstream portion of the processing chamber. The system may include turbulence-inducing formations, including vortex-inducing formations configured in accordance with mathematical sequences such as the Fibonacci sequence.

An engine includes a reformer, a reforming-air adjuster, a reforming-fuel supply unit, a reformed-gas adjuster, and a control unit. The reformer is configured to reform fuel into a reformed gas. When a start signal is input, the control unit controls the reforming-air adjuster and the reforming-fuel supply unit to a reformable state in which the fuel is reformable in the reformer, and the control unit controls the reformed-gas adjuster so that the reformed gas flows through the reformed-gas adjuster with a degree of opening smaller than a normal degree of opening that is a degree of opening of the reformed-gas adjuster when composition of the reformed gas is in a stable state before the composition of the reformed gas becomes in the stable state, for a given period of time including at least a period immediately after the engine starts.

The present invention relates to the photocatalysis unit (100) that reduces the exhaust emission while enriching the combustion properties of gasoline and other alternative fuels used in the internal combustion engines by means of photocatalysis and TiO2 The photocatalysis unit (100) is developed to more easily control the exhaust emissions by way of changing the fuel properties prior to combustion in the internal combustion engines and to increase the fuel combustion efficiency. Combustion is improved by means of the photocatalytic effect posed by said photocatalysis unit (100), thereby both reducing the fuel consumption and reducing the hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions resulting from the incomplete combustion, depending on the improvement of the combustion.

A fuel reformer for producing a steam reforming reaction between fuel and water on a reforming catalyst includes a fuel injection part that injects and supplies fuel into the reforming catalyst, and an injection control part that controls an injection amount of fuel by the fuel injection part. The injection control part controls the injection amount in order that a temperature of the reforming catalyst is not lower than a preset given temperature. The fuel reformer further includes a temperature obtaining part that measures or estimates the temperature of the reforming catalyst, and a target value calculation part that calculates a target value of the injection amount, such that the temperature of the reforming catalyst after fuel is injected by the fuel injection part is equal to or higher than the given temperature. The fuel injection part is controlled such that the injection amount coincides with the target value.

A fuel reformer for producing a steam reforming reaction between fuel and water on a reforming catalyst includes a fuel injection part that injects and supplies fuel into the reforming catalyst, and an injection control part that controls an injection amount of fuel by the fuel injection part. The injection control part controls the injection amount in order that a temperature of the reforming catalyst is not lower than a preset given temperature. The fuel reformer further includes a temperature obtaining part that measures or estimates the temperature of the reforming catalyst, and a target value calculation part that calculates a target value of the injection amount, such that the temperature of the reforming catalyst after fuel is injected by the fuel injection part is equal to or higher than the given temperature. The fuel injection part is controlled such that the injection amount coincides with the target value.

Provided is a fuel reforming system that can convert gasoline into alcohol in a vehicle. Provided is a fuel reforming system (1) equipped with a reformer (15) having a reforming catalyst (152) that uses air to reform gasoline to produce alcohol, a mixer (14) which mixes gasoline and air and supplies the mixture to the reformer (15), and a condenser (16) which separates the gas produced in the reformer (15) into a gas phase and a condensed phase of which reformed fuel is the primary constituent; wherein the fuel reforming system (1) is characterized in that the reforming catalyst (152) is configured including a main catalyst for extracting hydrogen atoms from the hydrocarbons in the gasoline to produce alkyl radicals, and a catalytic promoter for reducing alkyl hydroperoxides produced from the alkyl radicals to produce alcohol.

Provided is a fuel reforming system that can convert gasoline into alcohol in a vehicle. Provided is a fuel reforming system (1) equipped with a reformer (15) having a reforming catalyst (152) that uses air to reform gasoline to produce alcohol, a mixer (14) which mixes gasoline and air and supplies the mixture to the reformer (15), and a condenser (16) which separates the gas produced in the reformer (15) into a gas phase and a condensed phase of which reformed fuel is the primary constituent; wherein the fuel reforming system (1) is characterized in that the reforming catalyst (152) is configured including a main catalyst for extracting hydrogen atoms from the hydrocarbons in the gasoline to produce alkyl radicals, and a catalytic promoter for reducing alkyl hydroperoxides produced from the alkyl radicals to produce alcohol.

A fuel reformer for producing a steam reforming reaction between fuel and water on a reforming catalyst includes a fuel injection part that injects and supplies fuel into the reforming catalyst, a temperature measurement part that measures a temperature of the reforming catalyst, and a determination part that determines whether a process for recovering the reforming catalyst is necessary. The determination by the determination part is made based on a temperature change of the reforming catalyst when the steam reforming reaction is produced.

A fuel reformer for producing a steam reforming reaction between fuel and water on a reforming catalyst includes a fuel injection part that injects and supplies fuel into the reforming catalyst, a temperature measurement part that measures a temperature of the reforming catalyst, and a determination part that determines whether a process for recovering the reforming catalyst is necessary. The determination by the determination part is made based on a temperature change of the reforming catalyst when the steam reforming reaction is produced.

An internal combustion engine assembly is provided with a fuel tank for fuel including ethanol, and a reformer for steam reforming of ethanol that is with an outlet connected to a buffer tank. A first reformer supply duct extends from the fuel tank to the reformer via a fuel evaporator that is in heat exchanging contact with the exhaust gases, for supplying ethanol vapor to the reformer. A second reformer supply duct extends from a water reservoir to the reformer via a water evaporator that is in heat exchanging contact with the exhaust gases. The reformer is in heat exchanging contact with the catalytic converter and is adapted for reforming ethanol and water into syngas including carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and for supplying the syngas via the outlet to the buffer tank. The reformer and the catalytic converter may form an integrated unit.