JP2013155652A - Oxidation inhibition mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable preservation of such oxidation-phobic substances easily deteriorated by oxidation represented by fuel in a fuel tank, in an inactive atmosphere, without hindering mountability to a vehicle, and without causing deterioration in fuel efficiency.SOLUTION: An oxidation inhibition mechanism keeps insides of storage parts in an inactive atmosphere, by supplying nitrogen-rich air 5 to the storage parts (a fuel tank 2, a reservoir tank 13, a transmission casing 14 and a differential casing 15) for storing oxidation-phobic substances easily deteriorated by the oxidation in a vehicle, is aimed at the vehicle mounted with an air tank 1 for storing compressed air as an operation source of a pneumatic operation device, and is constituted so that parts between the air tank 1 and the storage parts are connected by an air feeding pipe 3 and the nitrogen-rich air 5 generated by a film separation type nitrogen gas generator 4 can be supplied to the storage parts by interposing the film separation type nitrogen gas generator 4 of using a nitrogen-rich film in the middle of the air feeding pipe 3.

Description

  The present invention relates to an oxidation suppression mechanism for keeping an accommodating portion containing an anodized substance that is easily oxidized and deteriorated in a vehicle in an inert atmosphere.

  In recent years, biodiesel fuel made from bio-derived oil has attracted attention as one of the measures against global warming. Various fats and oils obtained are used.

  However, oils and fats have characteristics such as high viscosity, and when used as fuel for diesel vehicles as they are, there is a concern that deposits may adhere to the fuel pump and cause problems with the engine. By converting glycerin from raw oils and fats by chemical treatment such as chemical conversion, the oils and fats are converted to properties close to those of light oils such as fatty acid methyl esters (abbreviated as FAME) Is used.

  Specifically, methanol and a catalyst are added to fats and oils to cause a transesterification reaction, and then an acid is added to neutralize the oils and fats. Then, the fatty acid methyl esters and glycerin are separated, and the separated fatty acid methyl esters are washed with water. Then, the catalyst is removed, and further the methanol is removed by performing a distillation process, which becomes a biodiesel fuel.

  This type of biodiesel fuel has the property that it easily oxidizes in the presence of oxygen, and if the vehicle is left for a long time with the biodiesel fuel left in the fuel tank, the fuel There is a risk of oxidative degradation of the fuel in the tank and corroding the fuel tank, generating polymer and clogging the fuel injection system and lubrication system, causing serious damage, There is a need for measures to prevent oxidation of biodiesel fuel in the fuel tank.

  For example, a technique for reducing the oxygen concentration by supplying nitrogen-rich air from a nitrogen cylinder into a fuel tank already exists as Patent Document 1 below. In Patent Document 1, a nitrogen-enriched film (oxygen-enriched film) : The same but the same name) is used to separate the intake air into oxygen-rich air and nitrogen-rich air and store the nitrogen-rich air in a nitrogen cylinder.

  In addition, not only biodiesel fuel but also existing fuel such as light oil has been regarded as a problem from the past due to oxidation degradation from the surface layer due to oxygen contained in the air layer in the fuel tank. When the fuel is oxidized and deteriorated in the tank, acid and polymer are easily generated, which may cause corrosion and clogging of fuel system parts. Already exists.

  That is, in Patent Document 2, outside air is sucked through the gas phase portion of the fuel tank by using the intake negative pressure in the intake pipe in the intake stroke of the engine, and passes through the gas phase portion of the fuel tank. A nitrogen-enriched membrane (oxygen-enriched membrane: the same name is different) is provided at the tank outlet of the outside air, and only the oxygen-rich air that has permeated the nitrogen-enriched membrane is sent to the intake pipe to fuel the nitrogen-rich air It is left in the gas phase part of the tank.

JP 2008-286033 A JP 2010-248928 A

  However, in the former Patent Document 1, a large-scale device configuration such as a pressure pump and a nitrogen cylinder (and an oxygen cylinder) is required, which hinders mounting on a vehicle, and the latter Patent Document 2 In this case, since the engine is always operated using the intake stroke of the engine, there is a problem that the friction is increased and the fuel consumption is deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is liable to be oxidized and deteriorated as represented by the fuel in the fuel tank without causing trouble in mounting on a vehicle or causing deterioration in fuel consumption. The object is to be able to keep an anaerobic substance in an inert atmosphere.

  The present invention provides an oxidation suppression mechanism for supplying nitrogen-rich air to a housing portion containing an oxidative substance that is likely to be oxidatively deteriorated in a vehicle to keep the inside of the housing portion in an inert atmosphere. Membrane-separated nitrogen using a vehicle equipped with an air tank that stores compressed air as a source, connecting the air tank and the housing portion with an air supply pipe, and using a nitrogen-enriched membrane in the middle of the air supply pipe It is characterized in that the nitrogen-rich air generated by the membrane separation type nitrogen gas generator can be supplied to the housing part through a gas generator.

  Thus, in this way, the compressed air in the air tank is sent to the membrane separation type nitrogen gas generator due to the pressure difference, and is supplied to the accommodating portion as low-oxygen nitrogen-rich air containing a large amount of nitrogen. The inside of the housing portion is filled with nitrogen-rich air and maintained in an inert atmosphere, and the oxidative deterioration of the anoxidizing substance in the housing portion is suppressed.

  At this time, the air tank stores compressed air of a specified pressure as an operating source of a pneumatic operating device mounted on the vehicle, so that pressure is applied to the air to the membrane separation type nitrogen gas generator. Even without providing a separate pumping device for sending in, it becomes possible to generate nitrogen-rich air by sending compressed air from the air tank to the membrane separation type nitrogen gas generator without power using the pressure difference, A large-scale apparatus configuration such as a nitrogen cylinder (and oxygen cylinder) is also unnecessary.

  Moreover, it is possible to prevent unnecessary consumption of compressed air in the air tank by appropriately opening and shutting off the air supply pipe so that nitrogen-rich air is fed into the housing as much as necessary. As a result, the operation for maintaining the inside of the air tank at a specified pressure can be suppressed to the minimum necessary, and deterioration of fuel consumption due to an increase in friction can be suppressed.

  As a supplementary explanation of the existing mechanism in which compressed air of a specified pressure is stored in the air tank, in vehicles such as trucks and buses equipped with pneumatic actuators such as air brakes and air suspensions, etc. When the existing air compressor is driven by the engine, compressed air is sent to the air tank, and when the pressure inside the air tank exceeds the specified pressure, the pressure regulator opens and the air pressure is sent to the air compressor. In response to this, when the pressure in the air tank decreases and the pressure regulator closes, the air compressor starts operating again.

  Further, in the present invention, a fuel tank that contains fuel as an anaerobic substance is connected as an air supply pipe, or an air supply pipe is connected as a reservoir tank that contains a coolant as an anaerobic substance, It is possible to connect the air supply pipe with the transmission casing containing the transmission oil as an anaerobic substance as an accommodating part, or connect the air supply pipe with the differential casing containing the differential oil as an anodizing substance as an accommodating part.

  According to the oxidation suppression mechanism of the present invention described above, the oxidation anxiety easily deteriorated as represented by the fuel in the fuel tank without causing trouble in mounting on a vehicle or causing deterioration in fuel consumption. The substance can be maintained in an inert atmosphere by supplying nitrogen-rich air to the housing portion, and an excellent effect can be obtained that the oxidative deterioration of the deoxidizing substance can be remarkably suppressed.

It is the schematic which shows an example of the form which implements this invention. It is the schematic which shows an example of the membrane separation type | formula nitrogen gas generator of FIG. It is a schematic diagram explaining the principle of nitrogen rich air production | generation by the hollow fiber membrane of FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of an embodiment for carrying out the present invention. In this embodiment, a vehicle equipped with an air tank 1 for storing compressed air as an operation source of a pneumatic actuator such as an air brake or an air suspension is used. The air tank 1 and the fuel tank 2 are connected by an air supply pipe 3, and a membrane separation type nitrogen gas generator 4 using a nitrogen-enriched membrane is interposed in the air supply pipe 3. Nitrogen-rich air 5 generated by the membrane separation type nitrogen gas generator 4 is sent to the fuel tank 2 through a valve 6 having a pressure adjusting function.

  The membrane-separated nitrogen gas generator 4 employs a method of generating nitrogen-rich air 5 using a special polymer membrane called a nitrogen-enriched membrane. By selectively permeating from the air, low-oxygen nitrogen-rich air 5 containing a large amount of nitrogen is generated.

  For example, in the membrane separation type nitrogen gas generator 4 as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a large number of hollow fiber membranes 7 made of a polymer polyimide forming a tube of a long and narrow nitrogen-enriched membrane are placed in the pressure vessel 8. When the compressed air of the air tank 1 is introduced from the inlet 9 of the pressure vessel 8 to each hollow fiber membrane 7, oxygen is permeated in advance to each hollow fiber membrane 7. As a result, the compressed air remaining up to the end of the hollow fiber membrane 7 and discharged from the outlet 10 of the pressure vessel 8 becomes low-oxygen nitrogen-rich air 5, and oxygen-rich oxygen rich in oxygen that has escaped to the outside of each hollow fiber membrane 7. The air 11 is exhausted from the exhaust port 12 on the side surface of the pressure vessel 8.

  That is, the pressure around each hollow fiber membrane 7 in the pressure vessel 8 with the exhaust port 12 opened is relatively lower than the internal pressure of each hollow fiber membrane 7 into which the compressed air from the air tank 1 is introduced. Therefore, gas molecules (oxygen molecules, nitrogen molecules) are pulled into the film side and dissolved (dissolved) in the film, diffused into the film and separated to the low pressure side of the film. Since the speed of passing through the membrane is faster than that of nitrogen, the oxygen concentration of the air taken out on the low pressure side is high, and the nitrogen concentration of the air remaining on the high pressure side is high (the oxygen concentration is low).

  Furthermore, in the example shown here, not only is the air supply pipe 3 connected to the fuel tank 2 containing the fuel as an anoxic substance but also the storage section, the air supply pipe 3 is connected to the membrane separation type nitrogen gas generator. 4, the branched air supply pipe 3 is connected to the coolant reservoir tank 13, the transmission casing 14, and the differential casing 15 via valves 16, 17, 18 having a pressure adjusting function. It is.

  In other words, the reservoir tank 13 corresponds to a storage portion that stores the coolant as an oxidant, the transmission casing 14 corresponds to a storage portion that stores the transmission oil as an oxidant, and the differential casing 15 stores the differential oil. Corresponds to a housing part that is housed as an oxidizing substance.

  It should be noted that the existing mechanism in which compressed air of a specified pressure is stored in the air tank 1 will be explained supplementarily in vehicles such as trucks and buses equipped with pneumatic actuators such as air brakes and air suspensions. The engine 19 is driven by an existing air compressor (not shown) provided in the engine 19 so that compressed air is sent to the air tank 1.

  When the pressure in the air tank 1 exceeds the specified pressure, the pressure regulator opens and the air pressure is sent to the air compressor. The air compressor receives the air pressure and stops operating, and the pressure in the air tank 1 decreases. When the pressure regulator is closed, the air compressor starts to operate again.

  Thus, if the oxidation suppression mechanism is configured in this way, the compressed air in the air tank 1 is sent to the membrane separation type nitrogen gas generator 4 due to the pressure difference, and becomes low-oxygen nitrogen-rich air 5 containing a large amount of nitrogen. As a result, the fuel tank 2, the reservoir tank 13, the transmission casing 14, and the differential casing 15 are supplied to the fuel tank 2, the reservoir tank 13, the transmission casing 14, and the differential casing 15. And an inert atmosphere is maintained, and the oxidative deterioration of the fuel in the fuel tank 2, the coolant in the reservoir tank 13, the transmission oil in the transmission casing 14, and the differential oil in the differential casing 15 is suppressed. Na .

  At this time, the air tank 1 stores compressed air of a specified pressure as an operating source of a pneumatic operating device mounted on the vehicle. Therefore, a membrane separation type nitrogen gas generator is applied by applying pressure to the air. Even without providing a separate pumping device for feeding into the gas generator 4, it is possible to generate the nitrogen-rich air 5 by sending the compressed air in the air tank 1 to the membrane separation type nitrogen gas generator 4 without power using the pressure difference. Therefore, a large-scale apparatus configuration such as a pressure feed pump and a nitrogen cylinder (and an oxygen cylinder) is not required.

  In addition, by appropriately opening and closing the air supply pipe 3, the nitrogen-rich air 5 is sent to the fuel tank 2, the reservoir tank 13, the transmission casing 14, and the differential casing 15 as necessary to supply the air tank 1 as necessary. It is also possible not to waste the compressed air inside, thereby suppressing the deterioration of fuel consumption due to an increase in friction by minimizing the operation for maintaining the inside of the air tank 1 at a specified pressure. It becomes possible.

  Therefore, according to the above embodiment, the fuel in the fuel tank 2, the coolant in the reservoir tank 13, the coolant in the transmission casing 14 is not affected without causing trouble in mounting on a vehicle or causing deterioration in fuel consumption. The transmission oil and the differential oil in the differential casing 15 can be maintained in an inert atmosphere by supplying the nitrogen-rich air 5, and the oxidative deterioration of the fuel, the coolant, the transmission oil, and the differential oil can be remarkably suppressed.

  In addition, the oxidation suppression mechanism of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1 Air tank 2 Fuel tank (Oxidizing substance container)
3 Air Pipe 4 Membrane Separation Type Nitrogen Gas Generator 5 Nitrogen Rich Air 7 Hollow Fiber Membrane (Nitrogen Enriched Membrane)
13 Reservoir tank (Oxidizing substance container)
14 Transmission casing (accommodating part for oxidizing substances)
15 Differential casing (Oxidizing substance storage)

Claims (5)

  An oxidation suppression mechanism that supplies nitrogen-rich air to a housing portion containing an oxidative substance that is easily oxidized and deteriorated in a vehicle to keep the inside of the housing portion in an inert atmosphere, and includes compressed air as a working source of a pneumatic actuator. A membrane-separated nitrogen gas generator using a nitrogen-enriched membrane in the middle of the air supply pipe while connecting the air tank and the housing portion with an air supply pipe. An oxidation suppression mechanism, characterized in that it is configured to be able to supply nitrogen-rich air generated by the membrane-separated nitrogen gas generator to the housing part.   The oxidation suppression mechanism according to claim 1, wherein an air supply pipe is connected with a fuel tank containing fuel as an oxidant substance as a storage portion.   The oxidation suppression mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an air supply pipe is connected with a reservoir tank containing a cooling liquid as an oxidant substance as an accommodating portion.   The oxidation suppression mechanism according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein an air supply pipe is connected with a transmission casing containing transmission oil as an oxidant substance as a receiving portion.   The oxidation suppression mechanism according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein an air supply pipe is connected with a differential casing containing differential oil as an anaerobic substance as an accommodating portion.

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