Butanol Gasoline Blend Volatility Control for Driveability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for predicting and ensuring good cold start and warm-up driveability performance in gasoline blends with high concentrations of butanol are ineffective, as they fail to accurately account for the altered volatility characteristics caused by high butanol content.
Innovation Solution
A gasoline blend is formulated with a high concentration of at least one butanol isomer, preferably isobutanol, and maintained to have at least 35 volume percent evaporating at temperatures up to 200°F, which improves the blend's evaporation characteristics and driveability performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If a high concentration of butanol is added to gasoline to increase oxygen content and reduce emissions, then environmental performance is improved, but cold start and warm-up driveability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the volatility parameter of the gasoline blend by controlling the volume fraction evaporating at temperatures up to 200°F. This parameter change allows high butanol concentration (improving emissions) while maintaining adequate volatility for cold start and warm-up driveability through precise volatility management rather than changing butanol concentration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamic volatility management by adjusting the blend composition to maintain a specific evaporative fraction (at least 35 volume percent) at temperatures up to 200°F. This dynamic approach allows the fuel to adapt its evaporation characteristics to temperature conditions, ensuring good driveability across varying operating conditions while maintaining high butanol content for emissions reduction.
2Device complexity
If existing driveability prediction methods are used for high-butanol blends, then prediction simplicity is maintained, but prediction accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a new volatility parameter (volume fraction evaporating at temperatures up to 200°F) to replace existing driveability prediction methods. This parameter change provides accurate prediction of cold start and warm-up driveability for high-butanol blends, overcoming the inadequacy of traditional methods while maintaining practical applicability through a single controlling parameter.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method significantly enhances cold start and warm-up driveability by maintaining low driveability demerits, equivalent to blends without butanol, by ensuring a high volume fraction evaporates at 200°F, thereby improving the overall performance of high-butanol gasoline blends.
Implementation Method 1
maintaining at least 35 volume percent the volume fraction of the resulting gasoline blend that evaporates at temperatures up to about 200° F.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing a gasoline blend having a high concentration of a butanol isomer and having good cold start and warm-up driveability performance.