Point-of-Sale Fuel Separation for On-Demand Octane and Cetane
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refinery operations are inflexible and costly, making it impractical to produce tailored fuels for modern internal combustion engines, as they require significant investments and infrastructure to produce multiple fuel grades, which is not economically viable for retail sale.
Innovation Solution
A point-of-sale fuel dispensing system that uses membrane-based or extractive separation processes to create octane-on-demand (OOD) and cetane-on-demand (COD) fuels from a single market fuel, allowing for continuous adjustment of fuel grades based on engine needs without the need for multiple storage tanks, using energy sources like solar power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional refinery operations produce multiple fuel grades, then fuel tailoring for different engines is improved, but infrastructure investment and operational complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the fuel customization process from the refinery to the point-of-sale location. Instead of producing all fuel grades at the refinery, the system separates the bulk fuel transport from the final grade customization, which occurs at retail stations using membrane separation technology. This allows multiple fuel grades to be available without requiring complex refinery infrastructure for each grade.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a temporal and spatial dimension to fuel customization by implementing on-demand separation at the point of sale. Rather than pre-producing all fuel grades simultaneously at the refinery, the system enables fuel grade adjustment to occur in real-time at retail locations based on actual customer demand and engine requirements.
2Productivity
If refinery operations are scaled to meet economy of scale, then production efficiency is improved, but flexibility to customize fuels for specific engines is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides fuel production into two stages: large-scale bulk production at the refinery maintaining economy of scale, and small-scale customization at point-of-sale locations providing flexibility. This segmentation allows both high-volume production efficiency and targeted fuel grade customization to coexist without compromising either objective.
3Adaptability or versatility
If on-site blending is implemented at retail stations, then fuel tailoring capability is improved, but number of storage tanks and infrastructure costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the separation function from traditional storage tanks and implements it through membrane separation technology integrated into the dispensing system. This eliminates the need for multiple separate storage tanks for different fuel grades, as a single tank can supply fuel that is separated into different grades on-demand at the point of dispensing.
Solution Approach 2:
The membrane separation system serves multiple functions: it separates fuel components, adjusts fuel grades, and adapts to different engine requirements all within a single integrated unit at the point of sale. This multi-functional approach replaces the need for separate storage and handling infrastructure for each fuel grade.
4Adaptability or versatility
If refinery infrastructure is retrofitted to produce tailored fuels, then fuel customization capability is improved, but capital investment and production downtime increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of modifying the refinery to provide fuel customization, the patent inverts the approach by placing the customization capability at the point of sale. This reversal eliminates the need for expensive and time-consuming refinery retrofits, as the flexibility is introduced at the retail level using compact membrane separation technology.
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
Enables instantaneous delivery of tailored fuels to vehicles, reducing waste and environmental impact, providing design flexibility for OEMs, and allowing for better fuel economy and performance without the need for large-scale fuel processing.
Implementation Method 1
a membrane-based or extractive separation unit downstream the pressurizing device to separate the pressurized market fuel into a first octane-rich fuel component and a second cetane-rich fuel component
Implementation Method 2
a membrane-based or extractive separation unit downstream the pressurizing device to separate the pressurized market fuel into a first octane-rich fuel component and a second cetane-rich fuel component
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
A point-of-sale fuel dispensing system, a pump assembly and a method of dispensing fuel at a point-of-sale. The system includes a market fuel storage tank, pump assembly, fuel conduit, separation unit, numerous enriched fuel product tanks and a controller. The separation unit may selectively receive at least a portion of market fuel and convert it into an octane-rich fuel component and a cetane-rich fuel component that may be subsequently dispensed to a vehicle being fueled, where a fuel grade selection and retail payment of a fuel containing the octane-rich or cetane-rich fuel components is provided to the vehicle based on user input at the customer interface.