SISTEMA E MÉTODO DE IDENTIFICAÇÃO DE FLUIDOS

Abstract

System for the identification of fluids and method applicable to the aforementioned system that allows for the improved detection of fluids in general, but also of fuels, being applicable not only to homogeneous substances or fuels subject to standards, but also to mixtures of fuels (mixtures of gasoline with ethanol) and also to mixtures of fuels subject to standards (gasoline, ethanol and diesel) with other fluids, such as water, solvents, methanol and others, besides indicating which type of fuel has been adulterated, and including the percentage of the adulterating fluid / substance.

Description

1 / 16 Fluid Identification System and Method

[001] The present invention relates to a system and method for identifying fluids inside a container, by means of a resistive element associated with a control unit, preferably used to identify fluids in open or pressurized systems, vehicles, industrial and / or commercial installations, or even in laboratories. STATE OF THE ART

[002] One of the greatest challenges is trying to identify the purity, the composition of homogeneous fluids, such as liquids, or even what fluid is in a given container or system.

[003] An example of such situations is trying to identify beverage brands merely by observing the visual aspects, taste or smell of the liquid itself, where competing brands try to get as close as possible to the market-leading brand in order to take advantage, in a kind of parasitic competition.

[004] Another situation in which it is extremely difficult to identify the liquid is in vehicle refueling. Many gas stations, in order to deceive their customers and maximize their profits, adulterate the fuel by adding solvents or an amount of ethanol above that stipulated by law.

[005] Commonly known as adulterated gasoline, gasoline that has undergone a process to alter its original state. That is, it is when other cheaper solvents are mixed with the fuel. Among them is hydrated alcohol (ethanol), which is frequently used for this purpose. However, according to the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), the Brazilian body responsible for regulating, contracting and overseeing economic activities in the petroleum, natural gas and biofuel industries. Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, page 33 / 63 2 / 16 fuels, the permitted percentage of anhydrous ethanol in gasoline is up to 27%. And what some gas stations do is create the mixture with a quantity far exceeding that.

[006] Even though many people don't know or think that it's only possible to adulterate gasoline, ethanol can be adulterated in two ways. The first, and most common, is by adding more water to hydrated ethanol, exceeding the limit specified by law. Although visually imperceptible, it alters and impairs the vehicle's performance. Another method of adulterating ethanol is by adding water to anhydrous alcohol, the same as the mandatory mixture in gasoline. Currently, anhydrous alcohol has an orange dye precisely to make this adulteration more difficult. Therefore, fuel alcohol must be colorless. In addition to these methods, ethanol can be adulterated by adding solvents, methanol, or other substances.

[007] In some countries, especially in the Brazilian market, the use of engines that can run on two different fuels has become very popular. Bi-fuel engines can run on gasoline and ethanol, or any mixture of the two. In these so-called flex or flex fuel engines, a desired advantage is that the system recognizes the fuel in the tank so that the vehicle's electronic management can adjust the engine parameters to the fuel being used.

[008] The need to install a fuel sensor so that the injection system management can properly control the fuel flow is necessary. Since the air / fuel ratio is different for each type of fuel, correctly identifying the fuel ensures that the engine always has combustion close to the stoichiometric ratio, through the adjustment of the opening and closing of the fuel injection valves. If this fuel recognition is not done correctly, Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, page 34 / 63 3 / 16 If fuel is not properly supplied, engine operation may be compromised, and some components may be damaged. Supplying more fuel than necessary can reduce engine efficiency and increase the amount of polluting gases. Supplying less fuel than necessary can cause the engine to misfire, stall, or even stop working.

[009] Additionally, fuel adulteration occurs in the market. The use of fuel with other substances can reduce engine efficiency and cause premature wear of components, and in the worst case, component failure.

[0010] Current sensors available on the market are expensive and have low fuel identification accuracy.

[0011] Therefore, identifying the fuel is of fundamental importance for the correct functioning of the engine.

[0012] Still within existing solutions, there are already some fuel sensor solutions. Patent document PI0800192-8 discloses an existing ethanol sensor, which uses the heating system to identify the ethanol content of the fuel by measuring the heater current. Due to the heater's PTC element, the current stabilizes at different levels for each fuel, due to the thermal physical properties of each fuel.

[0013] Another existing patent document is PI0701674-3, which discloses another class of ethanol sensor that uses the heating starter device to vaporize the fuel within a volume defined by the heating chamber.

[0014] A variant of the ethanol sensor, using a heating system, identifies the fuel through the critical heat flow is described in patent PI1015785-9.

[0015] Yet another variant, the patent document Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, page 35 / 63 4 / 16 BR102016009975-7 reveals a sensor that identifies the fuel through pressure variation.

[0016] As can be seen, the previous solutions have a number of limitations, such as exclusive use in engines and imprecision regarding identification.

[0017] In this sense, none of the present solutions solves the problem of identifying whether a given fluid is pure, blended, or adulterated, even when homogeneous, with a very high degree of accuracy or precision, and also with the versatility of being applicable in open or pressurized systems, engines in general, vehicles, industrial and / or commercial installations, or even in laboratory benches and quality controls. OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The present invention aims to provide a fluid identification system that allows for more refined detection of fluids in general, but also of fuels, considering not only homogeneous substances or fuels specified by standard, but also mixtures between fuels (mixtures between gasoline and ethanol) and also mixtures between the fuel determined by standard (gasoline, ethanol and diesel) with other fluids, such as water, solvents, methanol and others, in addition to indicating what type of fuel has been adulterated, including the percentage of the adulterating fluid / substance.

[0019] The present invention also aims to provide a fluid identification method applicable by the system in question, which allows for more refined detection of fluids in general, but also of fuels, considering not only homogeneous substances or fuels specified by standard, but also mixtures between fuels (mixtures between gasoline and ethanol) and also mixtures between the fuel determined by standard (gasoline, Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, page 36 / 63 5 / 16 ethanol and diesel) with other fluids, such as water, solvents, methanol and others, in addition to indicating what type of fuel was adulterated, including the percentage of the adulterating fluid / substance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Aiming to solve the technical problem presented and overcome the drawbacks of the prior art, the present invention aims to provide a fluid identification system comprising • at least one heating device having at least one heating element fluidically associable with at least one fluid and at least one container having an internal region that includes an internal volume fluidically associable with at least one fluid and cooperating with the heating element; • at least one source of electricity; • at least one control unit electrically connected to the heating device and electrically connected to the power source.

[0021] Furthermore, the present invention also aims to provide a fluid identification method applicable to the fluid identification system executable by the respective system and comprising the steps of • determining at least one base value of at least one electrical parameter; • Enable the heating device; • To provide and apply a quantity of electrical power to the heating device; • Take a reading of at least one electrical parameter at the current moment; • Process at least one electrical parameter at the current instant; Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, page 37 / 63 6 / 16 • Interrupt the power supply to the heating device; • compare at least one electrical parameter at the current instant and at least one baseline value of at least one electrical parameter; • issue at least one alert. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0022] Figure 1 - Example of the object of the present invention for a vehicular application.

[0023] Figure 2 - Example of the object of the present invention for a vehicular application.

[0024] Figure 3 - Graph with an example of calculating the results of using the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4 - Graph with an example of calculating the results of using the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0026] The present invention described herein in the form of a system and its respective method aims to enable a more refined detection of fluids in general, but also of fuels, considering not only homogeneous substances or fuels specified by standard, but also mixtures between fuels (mixtures between gasoline and ethanol) and also mixtures between the fuel determined by standard (gasoline, ethanol and diesel) with other fluids, such as water, solvents, methanol and others, in addition to indicating what type of fuel has been adulterated, including the percentage of the adulterating fluid / substance. For example, the present invention allows distinguishing between gasoline with added water and ethanol with added water. Furthermore, due to its greater precision in detecting the fluid being monitored, the system and method of this invention allow distinguishing between different types of gasoline, such as regular gasoline, Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, page 38 / 63 7 / 16 premium gasoline and super premium gasoline.

[0027] What makes this invention completely new and full of inventiveness is the fact that the system proposed by this invention is equipped with a thermal sensor that is able to identify the fuel or fluid, through the thermodynamic and physical properties of said fluid.

[0028] In general terms, the fluid detection sensor that integrates this invention is equipped with: • a heater containing an electrical resistance with a PTC (positive temperature coefficient) effect, that is, an electrical resistance that varies with temperature, which is in contact with the fluid to be detected and will heat the fluid; • a chamber or container with a known volume, which is filled with the fluid to be detected and in which the electrical resistance is inserted; • a temperature sensor which is inserted inside the chamber and is in contact with the fluid to be detected, so that this sensor is preferably located in the upper portion of the chamber in relation to gravity; • a control electronics connected to the electrical resistance and the temperature sensor, capable of supplying electrical current to the resistance, and measuring the electrical characteristics of this resistance and the temperature sensor throughout the measurement and with the ability to calculate, through the acquisition of these characteristics, what fluid is inside the container, comparing it with pre-determined values.

[0029] In this case, the fluid (fuel or liquid to be detected) is inserted into the chamber containing the heating device. The fluid must fill the entire volume of the chamber, expelling all air previously contained in the chamber.

[0030] The fluid may be pressurized (closed system with Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, page 39 / 63 8 / 16 determined pressure) or simply exposed to ambient pressure.

[0031] Next, the measurement is initiated by applying a pre-determined voltage to the heater, starting the temperature measurement measured by the temperature sensor that is in contact with the fluid.

[0032] The voltage applied to the heater can be constant over time or variable over time, depending on the desired detection accuracy, the duration of the measurement (shorter or longer) and the type of fluid to be detected.

[0033] The electronic controller measures and acquires the following quantities over time: electric current and voltage applied to the heater, as well as the fluid temperature. In a preferred form, at each acquisition instant, the electrical resistance value of the heater is calculated and compared with a predetermined value defined as the detection resistance. When the resistance reaches the value of the detection resistance, the electronic controller stops supplying voltage, switching off the heater.

[0034] The detection resistance is reached when the heated fluid changes from the liquid to the vapor phase. Due to the PTC characteristic of the heater, when it is heating a liquid, it has a lower resistance compared to when it is heating a vapor. This occurs because vapor has a higher resistance to heat transfer than liquid, making the heater hotter and consequently increasing its resistance.

[0035] In another approach, the electric current or voltage in the heaters can be monitored at any given moment, and a predetermined value can be set which, when reached, switches off the heating. After the heater switches off, the controller calculates the energy supplied to the heater, using its electrical characteristics, integrating the power dissipated by the heater over time, from the start of the measurement until the instant the detection resistance is reached. A Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, pages 40 / 63 9 / 16 Energy can also be obtained using the discrete formula E = U . I . AT and its variations, including electrical resistance.

[0036] In addition to calculating the energy, the temperature value of the fluid is obtained at the instant the detection resistance is reached. This value indicates the temperature of the fluid at the moment of its vaporization.

[0037] Thus, both the energy supplied to the heater and the fluid temperature at the moment the detection resistance is reached are compared with pre-established and previously stipulated values ​​to determine the type of fluid that was heated. In this way, it is possible to identify the fluid in question.

[0038] In this sense, as can be seen from figure 1, the present invention describes a fluid identification system comprising • at least one heating device 1 having at least one heating element 11 fluidically associable with at least one fluid and at least one container 12 having an internal region that includes an internal volume fluidically associable with at least one fluid and cooperating with the heating element; • at least one source of electricity 2; • at least one electrically connected control unit 3 associated with the heating device 1 and electrically connected to the power source 2.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment, the present invention discloses a fluid identification system comprising at least one temperature sensor 4 cooperating with the internal region of the container 12 and electrically connected to the control unit 3. However, this embodiment is not mandatory, and embodiments without the temperature sensor are permitted, where the vaporization temperature of the fluid is calculated.

[0040] As the system object of the present invention presents the Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, page 41 / 63 10 / 16 versatility to be applicable in open or pressurized systems (with the fluid being displaced by means of a pump 5), vehicular systems (in the line that carries fuel to the engine 6), industrial and / or commercial installations, or even in laboratories, the electricity source for the entire system object of the present invention to function can be either a conventional AC electrical network or any battery. Thus, the present invention contemplates an embodiment of a fluid identification system, where the electricity source 2 comprises an alternating current type source. The present invention also contemplates an embodiment of a fluid identification system, where the electricity source 2 comprises a direct current type source.

[0041] In yet another preferred embodiment, the present invention discloses a fluid identification system wherein the heating device 1 is provided with at least one PTC type heating element 11. Alternatively, in yet another preferred embodiment, the present invention discloses a fluid identification system wherein the heating device 1 is provided with at least one NTC type heating element 11 (negative temperature coefficient).

[0042] In yet another preferred embodiment, this invention includes an embodiment of a fluid identification system, wherein the heating device 1 is provided with at least one heating element 11 of the exposed resistive filament type.

[0043] This invention also preferably, but not necessarily, contemplates a fluid identification system, such that the heating device 1 is provided with at least one container 12 comprising at least one chamber. However, the heater may be immersed in a cup, tank, basin or any other type of open or pressurized container 7. Furthermore, the invention may be in a fluid supply or injection line. Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, pp. 42 / 63 11 / 16 fuels, for example, it being essential that the heating element 11 is immersed in the fluid.

[0044] In this sense, the present invention describes a fluid identification system, where the heating element 11 is positioned completely surrounded by the fluid.

[0045] The heater control, that is, the determination of the amount of energy required for the fluid to vaporize, comprises a control unit or a control and processing unit, such as a computer or notebook, with local or remote processing in the cloud or remote processors being permitted. In the case of an embedded system, the control must be carried out by a vehicle parameter processing control unit, which is primarily responsible for the overall intelligence of the engine. This control unit may comprise either the ECU (Electronic Control Unit - responsible for electronically managing all engine operation) already present in the vehicle, or it may comprise a dedicated unit (HCU - Heating Control Unit) exclusively for the fuel heating system.

[0046] The method that is the subject of the present invention is performed by the control unit, which may be either the ECU or the HCU.

[0047] Additionally, the present invention also describes a fluid identification method applicable to said fluid identification system in order to comprise the steps of • determining at least one baseline value of at least one electrical parameter; • Enable heating device 1; • to provide and apply a quantity of electrical power to the heating device 1; • Take a reading of at least one electrical parameter at the current moment; Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, pages 43 / 63 12 / 16 • Process at least one electrical parameter at the current instant; • Interrupt the power supply to heating device 1; • compare at least one electrical parameter at the current instant and at least one baseline value of at least one electrical parameter; • issue at least one alert.

[0048] In one embodiment, the present invention describes a method for identifying fluids, wherein the step of enabling the heating device 1 occurs after the fluid has fully enveloped the heating element 11.

[0049] In a further preferred embodiment, the present invention describes a method for identifying fluids, such that at least one electrical parameter comprises at least one parameter among the parameters related to the temperature of the fluid contained in the container 12 at the current instant; • electric current consumed by the heating element 11 at the current instant; • voltage consumed by the heating element 11 at the current instant.

[0050] In another alternative embodiment, the present invention describes a method for identifying fluids, such that the step of interrupting the power supply to the heating device 1 comprises an action between • ceasing the power supply to the heating device 1; • Turn off the heating device 1.

[0051] In yet another embodiment, the present invention describes Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, pp. 44 / 63 13 / 16 a fluid identification method, where the step of comparing at least one electrical parameter at the current instant and at least one baseline value of at least one electrical parameter includes at least one action of processing the comparison between at least one electrical parameter at the current instant and at least one baseline value of at least one electrical parameter.

[0052] In a further preferred, but not mandatory, embodiment, the present invention describes a method for identifying fluids, wherein the step of emitting at least one alert comprises emitting at least one alert among • audible alert; • visual alert.

[0053] Such alerts (or alert) may indicate the start, end or occurrence of the fluid identification process, as well as indicate the result of the fluid identification in a graphic, nominative, visual or even audible way.

[0054] In a further embodiment, the present invention describes a method for identifying fluids, wherein the fluid comprises at least one engine fuel for combustion engines.

[0055] In yet another embodiment, the present invention describes a method for identifying fluids, whereby a quantity of at least one electrofuel associated with the engine fuel is evaluated.

[0056] In yet another embodiment, the present invention describes a method for identifying fluid, wherein the fluid comprises hydrogen.

[0057] In yet another embodiment, the present invention describes a fluid identification method where the purity level of hydrogen is evaluated.

[0058] As can be seen, in one of the concretizations of the pre Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, pp. 45 / 63 14 / 16 sense invention, the fluid identification system is used to assess the purity level of hydrogen, for example, hydrogen produced by an electrolysis system. In the case of pure hydrogen, the amount of hydrogen in the fluid must be 98% or more. In the case of very pure hydrogen, since it is used for, for example, PEM (proton replacement membrane) fuel cells, the amount of hydrogen in the fluid must be 99.97% or more (DIN EN 17124). Assuming the other component of the liquid is water or water vapor, the amount of water and water vapor must be less than 2%, respectively, less than 0.03%.

[0059] In another alternative application, the fluid identification system integrates an electrolysis system, for example, a PEM water electrolysis system or an AEM (anion replacement membrane) water electrolysis system. In this way, said system is positioned downstream of a cathode of the electrolysis system, where the hydrogen produced is supplied to the consumer or to a hydrogen storage device. Thus, the purity of said hydrogen produced can be determined by the liquid identification system.

[0060] Thus, the present invention discloses a method for identifying fluids, wherein the fluid comprises hydrogen and the purity level of the hydrogen is evaluated.

[0061] With regard to fuel-related legislation, there is a possibility that, in the future, engine fuel will have to conform to a minimum number of electric fuels, especially green electric fuels (obtained from renewable sources). For example, engine fuel could be a mixture of 50% green-generated electric fuel and 50% fossil fuel, for example, gasoline. Preferably, the fluid identification system is used within an engine control system, where the said Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, pages 46 / 63 The 15 / 16 identification system is used to assess the amount of electrofuel and / or fossil fuel within the engine's fuel. The result thus assessed will be used for further actions: for example, if the amount of electrofuel is too low, and the amount of fossil fuel is too high, a warning signal may be generated. This warning signal may be used to determine financial or similar penalties.

[0062] Thus, in yet another embodiment, the present invention discloses a method for identifying fluids, wherein the fluid comprises at least one fuel for combustion engines. In this embodiment, said method may include evaluating a quantity of electrofuel associated with the engine fuel.

[0063] Thus, the present invention fulfills the objective of providing a fluid identification system that allows for a more refined detection of fluids in general, but also of fuels, considering not only homogeneous substances or fuels specified by standard, but also mixtures between fuels (mixtures between gasoline and ethanol) and also mixtures between the fuel determined by standard (gasoline, ethanol and diesel) with other fluids, such as water, solvents, methanol and others, in addition to indicating what type of fuel was adulterated, including the percentage of the adulterating fluid / substance.

[0064] Similarly, the present invention also fulfills the objective of providing a fluid identification method applicable by the system in question, which allows for a more refined detection of fluids in general, but also of fuels, considering not only homogeneous substances or fuels specified by standard, but also mixtures between fuels (mixtures between gasoline and ethanol) and also mixtures between the determined fuel. Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, page 47 / 63 16 / 16 by standard (gasoline, ethanol and diesel) with other fluids, such as water, solvents, methanol and others, in addition to indicating what type of fuel was adulterated, including the percentage of the adulterating fluid / substance. Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, pages 48 / 63

Claims

1 / 4 CLAIMS 1. Fluid identification system characterized by comprising • at least one heating device (1) having at least one heating element (11) fluidly associable with at least one fluid and at least one container (12) having an internal region that includes an internal volume fluidly associable with at least one fluid and cooperating with the heating element; • at least one electricity source (2); • at least one electrically associated control unit (3) associated with the heating device (1) and electrically associated with the electricity source (2), wherein • the control unit (3) measures and acquires over time the value of the fluid temperature, the electric current and voltage applied to the heating element (11), in order to establish a predetermined value of detection resistance, which when reached, shuts off the heating, wherein the detection resistance is reached when the heated fluid changes from the liquid to the vapor phase.

2. Fluid identification system, according to claim 1, characterized by comprising at least one temperature sensor (4) cooperating with the internal region of the container (12) and electrically associated with the control unit (3).

3. Fluid identification system according to claim 1, characterized in that the electricity source (2) comprises an alternating current type source.

4. Fluid identification system according to claim 1, characterized in that the electricity source (2) comprises a direct current type source.

5. Fluid identification system, according to claim 1, characterized in that the heating device Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, page 50 / 63 2 / 4 (1) is provided with at least one heating element (11) of the PTC type.

6. Fluid identification system according to claim 1, characterized in that the heating device (1) is provided with at least one NTC type heating element (11).

7. Fluid identification system according to claim 1, characterized in that the heating device (1) is provided with at least one heating element (11) of the exposed resistive filament type.

8. Fluid identification system according to claim 1, characterized in that the heating device (1) is provided with at least one container (12) comprising at least one chamber.

9. Fluid identification system, according to claim 1, characterized in that the heating element (11) is positioned completely surrounded by the fluid.

10. Fluid identification method applicable to the fluid identification system as defined in claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: • determining at least one base value of at least one electrical parameter; • enabling the heating device (1); • making available and applying a quantity of electrical power to the heating device (1); • reading at least one electrical parameter at the current instant; • processing at least one electrical parameter at the current instant; • interrupting the power supply to the heating device (1); • comparing at least one electrical parameter at the current instant. Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, page 1.51 / 63 3 / 4 current and at least one base value of at least one electrical parameter; • issue at least one alert, where • the at least one electrical parameter is one of the parameters related to the temperature of the fluid contained in the container (12) at the current instant; the electrical current consumed by the heating element (11) at the current instant; and the voltage consumed by the heating element (11) at the current instant.

11. Fluid identification method according to claim 10, characterized in that the step of enabling the heating device (1) occurs subsequent to the fluid fully enveloping the heating element (11).

12. Fluid identification method according to claim 10, characterized in that the step of interrupting the power supply to the heating device (1) comprises an action between • ceasing the power supply to the heating device (1); • switching off the heating device (1).

13. A fluid identification method according to claim 10, characterized in that the step of comparing at least one electrical parameter at the current instant and at least one baseline value of at least one electrical parameter includes at least one action of processing the comparison between at least one electrical parameter at the current instant and at least one baseline value of at least one electrical parameter.

14. Method for identifying fluids, according to claim 10, characterized in that the step of issuing at least one alert comprises issuing at least one alert between • audible alert; Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, page 52 / 63 4 / 4 • visual alert.

15. Method for identifying fluids, according to claim 10, characterized in that the fluid comprises at least one engine fuel for combustion engines.

16. Method for identifying fluids, according to claim 15, characterized in that a quantity of at least one electrofuel associated with the engine fuel is evaluated.

17. Method for identifying fluids, according to claim 10, characterized in that the fluid comprises hydrogen.

18. Method for identifying fluids, according to claim 17, characterized in that the purity level of the hydrogen is evaluated. Petition 870250029513, dated 11 / 04 / 2025, pp. 53 / 63

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