Claims
- 1. A system for generating hydrogen from an exhaust stream from an internal combustion engine, the system comprising:
a venturi in fluid communication with an exhaust stream; a condenser in fluid communication with said venturi, said condenser extracting water from said exhaust stream; and, an electrolyzer in fluid communication with said condenser, said electrolyzer producing hydrogen gas.
- 2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a fluid reservoir for storing said water, said reservoir in fluid communication with said condenser and said electrolyzer.
- 3. The system of claim 1 wherein said electrolyzer utilizes a proton exchange membrane to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen.
- 4. The system of claim 1 wherein said condenser is a thermo-electric cooler.
- 5. A system for generating hydrogen for use with an internal combustion engine, the system comprising:
an exhaust venturi; a condenser in fluid communication with said venturi and said air inlet, said condenser extracting water from said ambient air; an air inlet between said venturi and condenser; and, an electrolyzer in fluid communication with said condenser, said electrolyzer producing hydrogen gas.
- 6. The hydrogen generating system of claim 5 further comprising a reservoir, said reservoir being in fluid communication with said condenser and said venturi.
- 7. The hydrogen generating system of claim 6 further comprising a polisher, said polisher in fluid communication with said reservoir and said electrolyzer.
- 8. A system for generating hydrogen for use with an internal combustion engine, the system comprising:
a means for removing a portion of an exhaust gas; a means for condensating water from said exhaust gas; a means for storing said condensated water, said storage means coupled to said condensating means; a means for electrolyzing said stored condensated water; and a means for storing said hydrogen gas;
- 9. The hydrogen generating system of claim 8 wherein said means for condensating is a thermo-electric cooler.
- 10. The hydrogen generating system of claim 9 wherein said gas is exhaust from an internal combustion engine.
- 11. The hydrogen generating system of claim 10 wherein said gas is air.
- 12. The hydrogen generating system of claim 8 wherein said electrolyzing means is a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer.
- 13. The hydrogen generating system of claim 8 further comprising a gas inlet means, said gas inlet means including an ambient air inlet and a exhaust gas inlet.
- 14. The hydrogen generating system of claim 13 further comprising a means for determining required condenser energy, said determining means coupled to said inlet means.
- 15. The hydrogen generating system of claim 8 further comprising a means for providing a reserve reservoir.
- 16. A system for generating hydrogen, said system comprising:
an internal combustion engine; an exhaust pipe coupled to said internal combustion engine; a tube in fluid communication with said exhaust pipe; an air inlet in fluid communication with said tube; a condenser in fluid communication with said tube; and, an electrolyzer in fluid communication with said condenser.
- 17. The hydrogen generating system of claim 16 wherein said electrolyzer is in fluid communication with said internal combustion engine.
- 18. The hydrogen generating system of claim 17 further comprising a reservoir, said reservoir in fluid communication with said condenser and said electrolyzer.
- 19. The hydrogen generating system of claim 18 wherein said reservoir is in fluid communication with said exhaust pipe.
- 20. The hydrogen generating system of claim 18 further comprising a polisher in fluid communication with said reservoir and said electrolyzer.
- 21. A method for generating hydrogen for use with an internal combustion engine comprising the steps of:
generating pressure using an exhaust pipe from an internal combustion engine; condensating reactant water from a gas; and, generating hydrogen from said reactant water.
- 22. The method of generating hydrogen of claim 21 wherein said gas is exhaust gas.
- 23. The method of generating hydrogen of claim 21 wherein said gas is air.
- 24. The method of generating hydrogen of claim 21 further comprising the step of flowing said gas through a condenser.
- 25. The method of generating hydrogen of claim 22 further comprising the step of storing said reactant water.
- 26. The method of generating hydrogen of claim 25 further comprising the step of polishing said reactant water to remove contaminants.
- 27. The method of generating hydrogen of claim 26 further comprising the step of separating oxygen from said reactant water.
- 28. The method of generating hydrogen of claim 26 further comprising the step of regulating the flow of hydrogen to the internal combustion engine.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/081,666 which was filed on Feb. 22, 2002.
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10081666 |
Feb 2002 |
US |
Child |
10605286 |
Sep 2003 |
US |