268results 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.