Engine Modification

In such cases the development scheme for the original reserves may have to be modified to make processing capacity available for the new hydrocarbons. The economics of such a scheme can be affected negatively if substantial engineering modifications have to made to meet new safety legislation. For more background to ERD refer to Section 3. 

Serious research in catalytic reduction of automotive exhaust was begun in 1949 by Eugene Houdry, who developed mufflers for fork lift trucks used in confined spaces such as mines and warehouses (18). One of the supports used was the monolith—porcelain rods covered with films of alumina, on which platinum was deposited. California enacted laws in 1959 and 1960 on air quality and motor vehicle emission standards, which would be operative when at least two devices were developed that could meet the requirements. This gave the impetus for a greater effort in automotive catalysis research (19). Catalyst developments and fleet tests involved the partnership of catalyst manufacturers and muffler manufacturers. Three of these teams were certified by the California Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board in 1964-65 American Cyanamid and Walker, W. R. Grace and Norris-Thermador, and Universal Oil Products and Arvin. At the same time, Detroit announced that engine modifications by lean carburation and secondary air injection enabled them to meet the California standard without the use of catalysts. This then delayed the use of catalysts in automobiles. 

The catalyst companies were encouraged to resume their research activities in automotive catalysis in the late 1960 s as further tightening of automotive emissions standards became imminent, and it appeared that mere engine modifications might be inadequate to meet the new standards. A systems approach was first used upon the formation of the Inter-Industry Emission Control Program by the Ford Motor Company and the Mobil Oil Corporation in 1967, which was joined by a number of oil companies in the U.S. and a number of automobile companies in Italy, Japan, and Western Germany. 

ARS [Advanced Recovery System] An integrated set of engineering modifications for upgrading catalytic crackers for making ethylene, developed jointly by Mobil Chemical Co. and Stone and Webster Engineering Corp. The first plant was planned for an AMOCO plant in S. Korea for completion in 1994. 

Bioethanol can be used as a 10% blend with gasohne without need for any engine modification. However, with some engine modification, bioethanol can be used at higher levels, for example, E85 (85% bioethanol). 

When ethanol is used in a standard spark ignition or compression ignition engine designed to bum conventional hydrocarbon-based fuels, ethanol performance varies substantially if no engine modifications are made, and it becomes difficult to rate the value of ethanol as an effective fuel. Consequently, flexible fueled vehicles (FFVs) or variable fueled vehicles (VFVs) have been developed to operate on either gasoline or alcohol-based fuels. These vehicles are equipped with on-board sensors and controls to adjust the spark advance and the fuel injector timing to help correct for the differences in fuel performance. 

The NSR technology has been also applied to diesel engines, and is most reliable and attractive method for lean-burn combustion vehicles. Diesel particulate-NOx reduction system (DPNR) method is used to realize the simultaneous and continuous reduction of particulate and NOx is also recommended. This catalyst system is DPF combined with NSR catalyst. Soot on catalyst is removed during NOx reduction by occasional rich engine modification. Many other catalyst systems with NSR catalyst have been also developed. With decreasing S content in fuel and successive development of... 

Biodiesel is believed to be a promising alternative fuel to substitute petroleum-derived diesel fuel in diesel engines, and essentially no engine modifications are required to substitute biodiesel for diesel fuel. In addition, biodiesel is better than diesel fuel in terms of sulfur content, flash point, aromatic content, and biodegradability (1). Research on the commercial application of biodiesel has therefore been started in European countries, the United States, and Japan (2,3). 

Gasoline substitution. Two General Motors vehicles are operating in their normal work, using methanol as a fuel. One has a 6 cylinder engine, the other a 4 cylinder engine. Modifications were ... 

Environmental Protection Agency without any modifications or accessories.32 However, concerns over cancer from Diesel exhaust have made the issue quite complicated in recent years, but those concerns are only for long-term effects. In any event, Diesels have always produced far less than 1%/vol. carbon monoxide, which is still the CO standard for all internal combustion engines. Gasoline engines have only met the same standard after many years of intensive research and the addition of many engine modifications and complex accessories including catalytic converters. 

HyCycle An advanced hydrocracking process that maximizes the yield of diesel fuel. Several engineering modifications are involved. Also known as HyCycle Unicracking. Developed by UOP in 2000. 

MAXOFIN [MAXimize OleFIN] Also called MAXOFIN FCC. A modification to the FCC process, which maximizes the production of propylene. A proprietary additive containing zeolite ZSM-5 is used (MAXOFIN-3), together with engineering modifications. Developed by ExxonMobil and Kellog Brown and Root and now licensed by KBR. See also Superflex. 

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