272results about How to "Save on fuel costs" patented technology

An engine with cylinder deactivation (Displacement on Demand or DOD™) includes standard (STD) cylinders which are not deactivated and DOD cylinders which can be deactivated by closing their intake and exhaust valves and shutting off their fuel supply. To provide smooth transitions, the STD and DOD cylinders form separate groups each supplied with charge air through one or more separate throttles. When switching to DOD operation, the throttles are oppositely actuated to cut out the DOD cylinders and maintain torque in the active cylinders prior to deactivation of the cylinder valves. When returning to STD operation, the valves are reactivated before oppositely actuating the throttles to enable full cylinder operation. In DOD operation, a small supercharger may be operated to boost torque of the operating STD cylinders and thus increase the DOD operating range.

A hull cleaning robot includes at least one cleaning apparatus for cleaning the hull of a vessel, at least one drive track holding the robot on the hull as the robot maneuvers about the hull, and at least one turbine actuatable by water flowing past the hull for operating the at least one drive track and, optionally, the cleaning apparatus.

A new class of light or reactive elements and monophase α′-matrix magnesium- and aluminum-based alloys with superior engineering properties, for the latter being based on a homogeneous solute distribution or a corrosion-resistant and metallic shiny surface withstanding aqueous and saline environments and resulting from the control during synthesis of atomic structure over microstructure to net shape of the final product, said α′-matrix being retained upon conversion into a cast or wrought form. The manufacture of the materials relies on the control of deposition temperature and in-vacuum consolidation during vapor deposition, on maximized heat transfer or casting pressure during all-liquid processing and on controlled friction and shock power during solid state alloying using a mechanical milling technique. The alloy synthesis is followed by extrusion, rolling, forging, drawing and superplastic forming for which the conditions of mechanical working, thermal exposure and time to transfer corresponding metastable α′-matrix phases and microstructure into product form depend on thermal stability and transformation behavior at higher temperatures of said light alloy as well as on the defects inherent to a specific alloy synthesis employed. Alloying additions to the resulting α′-monophase matrix include 0.1 to 40 wt. % metalloids or light rare earth or early transition or simple or heavy rare earth metals or a combination thereof. The eventually more complex light alloys are designed to retain the low density and to improve damage tolerance of corresponding base metals and may include an artificial aging upon thermomechanical processing with or without solid solution heat and quench and annealing treatment for a controlled volume fraction and size of solid state precipitates to reinforce alloy film, layer or bulk and resulting surface qualities. Novel processes are employed to spur production and productivity for the new materials.

Systems and methods for the provisioning of price protection contracts which provide price protection against adverse fluctuations in the retail price of a commodity to a consumer are disclosed. While these price protection contracts may pertain to almost any type of commodity, certain embodiments of the present invention may provide systems and method for allowing a consumer to obtain price protection on the purchase of fuel. Specifically, embodiments of the present invention may provide the ability for fleet managers to obtain a price protection contract for the purchase of fuel where the price protection contract specifies at least one lock price, quantity, locale and time period such that the price protection contract may guarantee the right to aggregately purchase the quantity of fuel in the locale at the lock price during the time period.

A fuel purchase incentive is provided incident to the sale of a vehicle. With respect to the sale of an automobile, the incentive consists of a program price, for example a discount price or a capped maximum price, for a specified quantity of a specified brand and type of gasoline. The incentive is calculated as a function of the anticipated fuel use factors of the automobile buyer. The incentive information is provided to the buyer at the time of purchase of the automobile and stored for use by an incentive program operator. When the buyer purchases gasoline pursuant to the incentive program, the buyer recognizes the program price through the provision of a rebate, credit, real-time discount or other appropriate mechanism. Program sponsors may participate in the fuel incentive program, for example providing a payment(s) to the program operator in exchange for establishing a relationship with a customer under the program. The program operator may hedge the financial risks associated with the volatility of fuel prices. Different mechanisms are provided whereby the customer may identify himself as a program participant, select a payment mechanism or account under the program and receive the program price. The invention has application to vehicles other than automobiles and fuels other than gasoline. In one embodiment, a hedge program may be developed to offset the risk associated with guaranteeing the price of the fuel.

Systems and methods for the provisioning of price protection contracts which provide price protection against adverse fluctuations in the retail price of a commodity to a consumer are disclosed. While these price protection contracts may pertain to almost any type of commodity, certain embodiments of the present invention may provide systems and method for allowing a consumer to obtain price protection on the purchase of fuel. Specifically, embodiments of the present invention may provide the ability for fleet managers to obtain a price protection contract for the purchase of fuel where the price protection contract specifies at least one lock price, quantity, locale and time period such that the price protection contract may guarantee the right to aggregately purchase the quantity of fuel in the locale at the lock price during the time period.

The Bluetooth tire pressure monitor system (10) is provided to mount on the various tires (11) of a vehicle, The system (10) includes a pressure sensor (12), a signal emitter (13), a display screen (14) and a signal receiver (15). The pressure sensor (12) and emitter (13) are integrated with a customized inflating valve (21) and installed in the tire (11). The signal receiver (15) and display screen / user interface (14) are placed in the driver's compartment (16) of the vehicle in a highly visible location, usually on the dashboard. The pressure sensor (12) senses the pressure in the tire (11). The signal emitter (13) collects and converts the pressure signal from the pressure sensor (12) and transmits the signal wirelessly (using the Bluetooth protocol) to signal receiver (15) which converts the signal and delivers it to the user interface / display screen (14) which displays the signal. The signal receiver (15) and display screen (14) are shared components, signal receiver (15) distinguishes and identifies all frequencies (50) from the associated signal emitter (13) of each tire (11) first, then addresses the signals to the matching tire of display screen (14). The display screen (14), usually in the from of an adhesively attached film-shape, indicates the position and pressure condition of all tires. The condition is preferably shown in red, yellow and green colors based on the air pressure range. When the range is 76-100%, the indicating light is green (38), when the range is 50-75%, the indicating light is yellow (39) and when it is lower than 50%, indicating light is red (40. The inflating valve (21) of the Bluetooth Tire Pressure Monitor System (10), includes a valve cap 31, a valve rod 32, a single direction valve 33, a spring 34, a support 35, the pressure sensor 12 and the emitter 13, along with a battery 36 to power the sensor and emitter.

Disclosed herein are two separate processes that do not require a propellant and do not produce an equal and opposite reaction against any external form of matter in the Local Inertial Reference Frame and do not violate Newton's Laws in the Universal Reference Frame. The first process produces horizontal motion, relies on the earth's gravitational field as an external force, and has been successfully tested. The second process produces vertical motion and relies only on the aether. It has been successfully tested considering the effect of the earth's gravity. Due to the law of conservation of angular momentum, the first process is considered by some to not be possible, but with the proper use of an external field (for example, gravity) and the phenomenon of precession, it is clearly possible. A clear distinction is made between a simple rotor and a gyroscope which is a far more complex device.

Provided is directed to reduce unnecessary fuel consumption due to unnecessary rapid acceleration when a vehicle drives between intersections, and it is an object to allow for economical driving by reducing the fuel cost, and minimize environmental pollution by minimizing the exhaust gas of vehicle, by providing an economical speed for drivers such that vehicles that have passed through an intersection in accordance with the present traffic light economically drives to the next intersection.

The invention discloses a hybrid car driving system which comprises a driving motor operating mode switching device, and belongs to the technical field of vehicle engineering, wherein, an engine is connected with an integral start generator coaxially; the integral start generator is connected with a first automatic clutch driving disc; a first automatic clutch driven disc is connected with a planetary gear mechanism by a driving motor; one side of the planetary gear mechanism is connected with the driving motor by a second automatic clutch, and the other side thereof is connected with a main reducer-differential mechanism; the main reducer-differential mechanism is connected with wheels by a driving axle; a power battery pack is respectively connected with a motor controller and an external power supply plug by cables; and the motor controller is respectively connected with the integral start generator and the driving motor by the cables. An outer gear ring of the planetary gear mechanism is connected with a frame fixedly. The hybrid car driving system reserves the traditional vehicle structure to a maximum extent and optimizes the working point of the engine by using double motors, thus leading the engine to operating stably in a high-efficiency and low-discharge area, simultaneously optimizing the working condition of the driving motor and prolonging the service life of the motor.

An improved lightweight, portable and compact combination seat and serape' for travel ease and safety while traveling with a small child. The device is releasably attached to the telescoping handle upon wheeled luggage, is disposable in an unfolded position for use wherein it functions as a seat and when used as a serape' for travel safety is draped over the head and shoulders of the juvenile to be secured with the parent into the airline seatbelt, and when in its storage condition is separated from and compactly contained within the luggage for carry-on in an airliner or other public transportation.

A design of a dual energy solar thermal power plant is proposed. It can be built on a piece of land where sunshine is abundant and the moisture in the air is relatively low. The desert corridor starting at Las Vegas and to the south is the best in the whole U.S. The power plant design is simple, using the equipment and material commonly available at reasonable costs. No particularly complicated equipment and material are required. The optimized plant size will be one MVA up to 300 MVA depending on the available land size in acres. The transmission line voltage can be from 13.8 kV up to 230 kV, depending on the MVA capacity. The land for a plant can be up to 600 acres.

A fuel supply device includes a subtank in a fuel tank, a fuel pump in the subtank having a first pump unit suctioning fuel in the subtank to supply fuel to an external equipment and a second pump unit suctioning fuel outside the subtank to pump fuel into the subtank, and a filter connected to a first suction port of the first unit and a second suction port of the second unit and filtering supply fuel supplied to the equipment and pump fuel pumped into the subtank. The filter includes a case, a first filter, and a second filter. The first filter in a first passage of the case directing fuel in the subtank into the first port filters the supply fuel. The second filter in a second passage of the case directing fuel outside the subtank into the second port filters the pump fuel.

A reusable space vehicle docked in an intermediate orbit for rescue missions allows a satellite to be serviced with less delay, energy expenditure, and cost than a space vehicle launched from Earth for each mission. The reusable repair vehicle can be moved from one orbit to another with minimal energy expense while not having to wait for a launch window. Once a servicing need is identified, a destination orbit is identified for the space vehicle and a minimum energy path is identified. If the time to the next launch window between the docking orbit and the destination orbit happens to be near enough to allow for a timely rendezvous, the space vehicle is moved directly to the destination orbit. The space vehicle can be a vehicle designed to be piloted by humans or telerobotically. In one implementation, the inactive space vehicle is docked in an Intermediate LEO orbit (altitudes of approximately 250 km to approximately 500 km) and is used to rendezvous with objects in High LEO orbits (altitudes of approximately 500 km to approximately 1500 km) or objects in Low LEO orbits (altitudes of approximately 250 km or less). The space vehicle can be a modified lunar lander.

Inertial propulsion is a largely undeveloped field. Inertial propulsion is defined as propelling a vehicle without the use of a propellant such as rocket fuel or ions, or by the application of an external force.Disclosed herein are two separate processes that do not require a propellant and do not produce an equal and opposite reaction against any external form of matter in the Local Inertial Reference Frame and do not violate Newton's Laws in the Universal Reference Frame. The first process produces horizontal motion, relies on the earth's gravitational field as an external force, and has been successfully tested. The second process produces vertical motion and relies only on the aether. It has been successfully tested considering the effect of the earth's gravity. The two processes referenced above are examples of converting the rotary motion of a spinning rotor into unidirectional linear motion. Due to the law of conservation of angular momentum, the first process is normally considered not possible, but with the proper use of an external field (for example, gravity) and the phenomenon of precession, it becomes possible. A clear distinction is made between a simple rotor and a gyroscope which is a far more complex device.

An electrical transmission line is provided which employs the conductive and structural material usually formed into current carrying cables to form the tubes of a pressurized pipeline which is then suspended from insulators on tall poles to create a low impedance electrical conductor and a high volume gas pipeline. The poles of wind generator towers may be employed to support the conductors and to store the gas from the pipeline. Auxiliary electrical generation may be added at the towers to assist in voltage or VAR support at times of peak load. Electrolysers may also be employed to increase electrical power consumption during offpeak times and supply the fuel gas or compressed air generated into the pipeline for sale or into storage for later re-conversion back into electricity at times of peak demand. A novel line layout plan is provided which reduces the cost of the transmission line.

A low emission, direct injection, compression ignition, internal combustion engine operates with reduced charge-air oxygen concentration levels to control localized peak combustion temperatures and reduce NOx formation. Low cetane fuel, below 43 cetane, and most preferably with a cetane rating below 30, is utilized with the combustion system to reduce smoke and PM formation simultaneously with the reduced NOx formation. In a preferred embodiment, FCC Naptha fuel, with a cetane rating below 30 and an end boiling point below 120 degrees Celsius, is used with the combustion system together with the reduced charge-air oxygen concentration levels to produce engine-out NOx emissions of 0.2 g / bhp-hr or lower, and PM emissions at 0.01 g / bhp-hr or lower, without the need for NOx (and potentially PM) aftertreatment. Potential commercial applications of the fuel and combustion system are discussed, including application to vehicle fleets, with novel methods of operating a vehicle fleet (and of providing fuel to such fleets) to meet motor vehicle emissions regulations at a reduced cost also being disclosed.

A fuel supply device includes a subtank in a fuel tank, a fuel pump in the subtank having a first pump unit suctioning fuel in the subtank to supply fuel to an external equipment and a second pump unit suctioning fuel outside the subtank to pump fuel into the subtank, and a filter connected to a first suction port of the first unit and a second suction port of the second unit and filtering supply fuel supplied to the equipment and pump fuel pumped into the subtank. The filter includes a case, a first filter, and a second filter. The first filter in a first passage of the case directing fuel in the subtank into the first port filters the supply fuel. The second filter in a second passage of the case directing fuel outside the subtank into the second port filters the pump fuel.

A computer-implemented method of providing a discount for fuel to a customer is disclosed. The method includes identifying a customer to a retail store using a first reader device in operative communication with a host computer, which is communication with an identification module. The identification module creates and associates a customer with a customer identification record. A preliminary award record is created and maintained, which includes a discount-per-gallon award for fuel associated with the customer identification record in response to a purchase recognized by the host computer. The host computer adds subsequent preliminary award records to the preliminary award record associated with a customer identification to create an intermediate award record, which includes all the discount-per-gallon awards associated with the customer. A purchase of fuel is initiated by the purchaser at a fuel station with at least one fuel pump. The customer is identified by the fuel pump controller in operative communication with both a second reader device and a second identification module. The intermediate award record is retrieved by the host computer from a database and the host computer recognizes that the customer is eligible for a fuel station supplementary discount. A final discount record received by the customer and the customer is provided with the final discount associated with the final discount award record.

A method for operating an engine direct injection fuel system is provided. The direct injection fuel system includes a mechanical fuel pressure regulator that has a spring actuatable by an electric motor. The method includes adjusting a preload of the spring by operating the electric motor to adjust a set-point fuel pressure from a first set-point fuel pressure to a second set-point fuel pressure in response to an operating condition, and maintaining the preload of the spring mechanically when the electric motor is not operating.

This disclosure describes various configurations and components of a molten fuel fast or thermal nuclear reactor for managing the operating temperature in the reactor core. The disclosure includes various configurations of direct reactor auxiliary cooling system (DRACS) heat exchangers and primary heat exchangers as well as descriptions of improved flow paths for nuclear fuel, primary coolant and DRACS coolant through the reactor components.

A fuel injection control apparatus, for a variable-fuel engine, includes a plurality of stored maps for determining a basic fuel injection time corresponding to a state of an engine and alcohol concentration in the fuel. The apparatus includes a memory storage region which stores the fuel injection control maps. The apparatus also includes an oxygen sensor disposed in an exhaust pipe for detecting oxygen concentration in an exhaust gas; a basic fuel injection time calculator which determines the basic fuel injection time using the currently selected fuel injection control map; a correction coefficient calculator which determines an air-fuel ratio correction coefficient for correcting the basic fuel injection time; a fuel injection quantity calculator; and a map changeover part which selects the fuel injection control map of the concentration of alcohol close to the concentration of alcohol of the fuel based on the air-fuel ratio correction coefficient.

A cargo carrying flooring system, made of planks of wood arranged side by side. Each plank is made of a plurality of rows of wood strips, the strips being connected end to end by shaped coupling portions, and side by side. At least some of the rows of wood strips are made of machine graded softwood lumber.

This disclosure describes various configurations and components of a molten fuel fast or thermal nuclear reactor in which one or more primary heat exchangers are located above the reactor core of the nuclear reactor.

The invention provides a drive control device for a hybrid vehicle capable of reducing the discomfort of an occupant by releasing a shock in applying the driving force of an internal combustion engine. In the drive control device for a hybrid vehicle including an electric motor (2) and an internal combustion engine (3), when a load is less than a predetermined reference value, the drive wheels are driven only by driving force of the electric motor (2); when the load is the reference value or more, the drive wheels are driven by driving force of both the electric motor (2) and the internal combustion engine (3). A drive force detecting sensor (16) for detecting the drive force is arranged in midway of a drive force transmission system from the internal combustion engine (3) to the drive wheel (4). During the drive wheels are driven by driving force of both the electric motor (2) and the internal combustion engine (3), the controller preferably controls the electric motor to reduce the drive force provided by the electric motor when the drive force detected by the drive force detecting sensor (16) changes to a rising direction based on a rate of change over a predetermined reference value.

A engine control device for a construction machine of the present invention is configured so that the engine control device comprises an engine, a hydraulic pump driven by the engine serving as a power source, a hydraulic actuator actuated by pressure oil discharged from the hydraulic pump, working state determining means for determining whether the construction machine is in a working state or a non-working state, and engine control means for automatically stopping the engine upon the working state determining means determining that the construction machine is in the non-working state, including stop history storing means for readably storing a stop history of the engine stopped by the engine control means.

The invention relates to a methanol gas oil modification alcohol additive that uses acetone, toluol, isobutyl alcohol, benzoic acid, ferrocene and zinc peroxide as raw material, and whisking equal in the volume under room temperature and normal pressure to gain the product. It adds 1-3% additive into methanol to gain modified mellow after whisking, and adding the mellow into naphtha or 90# diesel oil to gain the 90#, 93#, 97# and 98# methanol gas oil. The gas oil condensation point would be decreased by adjusting the methanol gas oil and the pollution would be sharply decreased. It has great social benefits and economic benefits.

A molten chloride fast reactor (MCFR) includes a plurality of reflectors defining a central core having a core geometric center. A flow channel fluidically connected to the central core. The flow channel includes an outlet flow channel downstream of the central core and an inlet flow channel upstream from the central core. A primary heat exchanger (PHX) disposed outside the central core and between the outlet flow channel and the inlet flow channel. The MCFR also includes a decay heat heat exchanger (DHHX). At least a portion of the DHHX is disposed above the core geometric center, and a fuel salt is configured to circulate at least partially through the outlet flow channel, the DHHX, the PHX, the inlet flow channel, and the central core.

A hydrogen compressor system comprises a hydrogen generating apparatus for generating hydrogen gas to be supplied to a fuel cell vehicle and a multi-stage reciprocating compressor for pressurizing the hydrogen gas generated by the hydrogen generating apparatus. High pressure tanks having maximum use pressure of 20 MPa are connected to middle stages of the multi-stage reciprocating compressor by gas supplying lines via valves. By opening / closing the valves, hydrogen gas in the high pressure tanks can be selectively supplied to the middle stages of the multi-stage reciprocating compressor.