US 11,719,200 B2
Separating a fuel on-board a vehicle
Esam Z. Hamad, Dhahran (SA); and Ahmad A. Khan, Khobar (SA)
Assigned to Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran (SA)
Filed by Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran (SA)
Filed on Jan. 21, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/154,222.
Application 17/154,222 is a division of application No. 15/445,257, filed on Feb. 28, 2017, granted, now 10,927,799.
Prior Publication US 2021/0172407 A1, Jun. 10, 2021
Int. Cl. F02M 33/00 (2006.01); F02M 31/02 (2019.01); B01D 3/06 (2006.01); B01D 3/40 (2006.01); B01D 3/42 (2006.01); B01D 3/32 (2006.01); B01D 61/00 (2006.01); B01D 15/08 (2006.01); B01D 65/00 (2006.01); C10G 7/08 (2006.01); F02D 19/08 (2006.01); F02D 41/00 (2006.01); F02D 19/06 (2006.01); C10L 1/06 (2006.01)
CPC F02M 33/00 (2013.01) [B01D 3/06 (2013.01); B01D 3/32 (2013.01); B01D 3/40 (2013.01); B01D 3/42 (2013.01); B01D 15/08 (2013.01); B01D 61/00 (2013.01); B01D 65/00 (2013.01); C10G 7/08 (2013.01); C10L 1/06 (2013.01); F02D 19/0649 (2013.01); F02D 19/0671 (2013.01); F02D 19/081 (2013.01); F02D 41/0025 (2013.01); F02M 31/02 (2013.01); C10G 2300/4068 (2013.01); F02D 2200/0611 (2013.01); Y02T 10/12 (2013.01); Y02T 10/30 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
in a mixer, mixing a fuel stream with a solvent to form a mixed stream, the solvent having a higher affinity for a second component of the fuel stream than for a first component of the fuel stream;
in a first separator downstream from the mixer, separating the mixed stream into a first fuel fraction including the first component of the fuel stream and a mixed fraction including the second component of the fuel stream based on a difference in volatility of the first fuel fraction and the mixed fraction;
in a second separator downstream from the first separator and in fluid communication with the mixer, separating the mixed fraction into a second fuel fraction including the second component of the fuel stream and a solvent fraction;
in a heat exchanger, transferring heat from the second fuel fraction to the mixed fraction, thereby condensing the second fuel fraction and pre-heating the mixed fraction upstream of the second separator; and
recycling the solvent fraction from the second separator to the mixer to mix with the fuel stream to form the mixed stream.