JP6957327B2 - Fuel supply device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fuel supply device.

Biomass is expected to provide a relatively stable energy supply among renewable energies. Biomass includes wood, biogas such as methane fermentation, bio-oil extracted from spots, and bioethanol obtained by fermentation. Of these, bioethanol is a liquid fuel and is easy to store and transport. For this reason, the development and demonstration of distributed power sources and fuel cell vehicles using bioethanol are underway.

Bioethanol is often mixed with gasoline and used as a mixed fuel called E3 and E10. However, since it cannot be mixed with gasoline unless the concentration of ethanol is 90% or more, it requires a large amount of energy and equipment for high purification, which makes it an expensive fuel. Therefore, as a method for producing and using low-priced ethanol fuel, a method using low-concentration ethanol containing water as a fuel, which is different from the conventional use of ethanol mixed with gasoline, has been studied.

Regarding the fuel supply system for ethanol containing water (hydrous ethanol), the fuel specifications and distribution methods have not been sufficiently examined, and the development of an infrastructure for hydrous ethanol fuel including the fuel supply method is an urgent issue. Is required as.

Bioethanol is produced by fermentation of molasses from sugar cane, food-based fermentation such as corn and potatoes, and saccharification and fermentation of cellulose such as plants and paper. If it is a large-scale biofuel production plant, it is possible to recover the equipment of the production plant, but if fuel is produced in a small dispersion system, sufficient cost cannot be incurred. Biomass with a large amount of impurities such as cellulose and garbage as unused resources often has a low concentration of fermented liquid, and the development of a process capable of recovering a higher concentration of fermented liquid is underway.

The fuel of low-concentration hydrous ethanol is a safe fuel that does not burn and is not a dangerous substance. For this reason, the cost of infrastructure equipment for producing this fuel is considered to be lower than that of gasoline, and there are great expectations for cost reduction. Ethanol is not a dangerous substance if its concentration is less than 60% in Japan, but since it is drinkable, it may become a raw material for moonshine and other problems such as being subject to liquor tax apply. .. Therefore, a supply device is required in which an additive is added to low-concentration ethanol to make it non-drinkable and supplied.

Patent Document 1 describes that in producing an alcoholic beverage such as shochu or miso or a sweet beverage such as juice, the undiluted solution and water are continuously mixed and diluted to a predetermined alcohol content or sugar content, that is, a predetermined concentration. It relates to a concentration adjusting mixer, and describes that a tank of two liquids to be mixed is provided and a densitometer is used to adjust the mixing ratio of the two liquids.

Further, Patent Document 2 relates to a concentration adjusting device for a coating sealer used in manufacturing a decorative board, and uses two specific gravity detectors to change the input amount of a solvent or a raw material for a sealer to change the concentration of the sealer. Is described to be adjusted.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-2003 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-206573

With bioethanol, the concentration of the fermentation broth varies greatly due to differences in the raw material biomass resources and the fermentation process. In addition to variations in the concentration of the fermentation broth, the concentration also varies depending on the operating method of the distillation apparatus. In particular, when fuel is produced in a small dispersion fuel factory, there is a problem that the ethanol concentration of each factory varies and the calorie calorie of the fuel fluctuates.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a fuel supply device capable of adjusting the variation in the calorific value of ethanol fuel while suppressing capital investment.

The fuel supply device of the present invention is a device that obtains an ethanol solution containing water, adds an additive to the ethanol solution to prepare ethanol fuel, transports and supplies the ethanol fuel, and has a recovery unit for transferring the ethanol solution. , An additive tank for storing the additive, a flow control unit for adjusting the flow rate of the additive so that the calorific value of the ethanol fuel becomes a predetermined value, a mixing unit for mixing the ethanol solution and the additive, and ethanol. The additive includes a fuel storage tank for storing fuel, and the additive is an additive fuel for increasing the calorific value of a drug for preventing drinking or an ethanol solution.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a fuel supply device capable of adjusting the variation in the calorific value of ethanol fuel.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the fuel supply apparatus including a mixer. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the fuel supply apparatus which performs the separate supply by concentration. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the fuel supply apparatus which collects a fermented liquid and supplies fuel. It is a flow chart which shows the fuel supply method.

The present invention relates to fuel infrastructure.

The concentration of ethanol produced by fermentation varies depending on the raw material and process, but is approximately 2 to 10%. In addition, the produced fermented liquor contains a large amount of impurities, and there are only a limited number of fermented liquors that can be drunk as they are. However, by distilling this fermented liquid once, the concentration can be increased to about 25% with 2% ethanol and about 40% with 6% ethanol. When the ethanol water distilled once is recovered as fuel, unlike the fermentation broth, most of the impurities are removed, and clear and clean drinkable ethanol water can be obtained. Therefore, when distilled ethanol water is used as fuel, it is necessary to prevent it from being used as a beverage by adding an additive at the manufacturing site.

Hereinafter, the case of recovering the distilled ethanol water and the case of recovering the fermented liquid will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a fuel supply device (Example 1) including a mixer. In the figure, the inner part of the wavy line is a component included in the fuel supply device. This figure shows the basic configuration in which additives are added from the recovery of ethanol from the manufacturing site.

In Example 1, a case where ethanol water distilled once is recovered as fuel will be described.

In FIG. 1, the fuel supply device 100 is a device that collects hydrous ethanol (ethanol solution) from the factory tank 50 and supplies fuel, and is a pump 1 that sends the hydrous ethanol from the factory tank 50, the factory. A flow meter 2 that measures the amount of hydrous ethanol recovered from the tank 50, a densitometer 3 that measures the concentration of ethanol in the factory tank 50, an additive tank 4 that stores additives, a pump 5 that feeds additives, A flow control device 6 (flow control unit) that controls the flow rate of the additive so that the calorific value of the ethanol fuel becomes a predetermined value, and a mixer 7 (flow control unit) that mixes the hydrous ethanol recovered from the factory tank 50 with the additive. Mixing section), tank 8 (fuel storage tank) for storing hydrous ethanol fuel (also simply referred to as "ethanol fuel") that has been mixed with additives to prevent drinking, and pump 9 for sending ethanol fuel to the utilization equipment tank 60. , And a flow meter 10 for measuring the amount of fuel supplied to the utilization equipment tank 60.

In order to prepare and supply ethanol fuel from an ethanol solution with a low ethanol concentration, it is differentiated from alcoholic beverages to prevent drinking, and the fuel heat is generated within a range that does not correspond to dangerous substances (concentration of less than 60% on a mass basis). The amount needs to be improved.

In order to prevent drinking, additives having effects such as coloring, odor, taste and denaturation are added.

Regarding coloring, a colorant is added, but there is no particular limitation on dyes, pigments and the like. As for the odor, those containing components such as ammonia, chlorine and sulfur are used. However, in the case of chlorine-based and sulfur-based additives, if there is concern about the effect on the fuel cell, the amount of the additive to be added will be minimized. Therefore, when applied to a fuel cell, it is limited to a fuel cell equipped with a dechlorination device or a desulfurization device. On the other hand, when supplying to an internal combustion engine, the chlorine-based and sulfur-based additives are not particularly limited. The taste is not particularly limited such as spiciness and bitterness, but in the case of additives made from solids such as salt, a separator is provided in the fuel supply device of the equipment to be used so that it is not directly supplied to the equipment to be used. Configuration is required. For denaturation, non-drinkable liquid organic compounds such as methanol and propanol can be added.

In order to improve the calorific value of the fuel, an additive for increasing the calorific value may be added. Of the above-mentioned additives, the colorant, odor, and taste components often do not have a large calorific value, so it is difficult to adjust the calorific value by coloration, odor, and taste. Therefore, it can be used in combination with the modification of adding a liquid organic compound having a large calorific value. If effects such as coloring and taste are expected and it is difficult to define the calorific value, adjust the calorific value with a modified non-drinkable liquid organic compound. For example, it is lightly colored with rhodamine B and an appropriate amount of propanol is added to correct the difference in calorific value due to the variation in ethanol concentration due to resources and manufacturing method.

In summary, as the additive, a drug for preventing drinking or an additive fuel for increasing the calorific value of hydrous ethanol (ethanol solution) can be used. The agent for preventing citation may also serve as an additive fuel for increasing the calorific value. Among the above-mentioned additives, it is preferable to add a liquid organic compound such as methanol or propanol which cannot be cited in order to make the beverage non-beverage and adjust the calorific value.

The utilization equipment tank 60 is a fuel tank provided in the utilization equipment that uses hydrous ethanol fuel as an energy source. Further, the pump 1, the flow meter 2, and the density meter 3 are collectively used as a component of the "recovery unit" for transferring the ethanol solution. In the mixing portion, mixing of the two liquids is promoted by a method such as stirring with a stirrer or the like, or turbulent flow formation by merging the hydrous ethanol and the additive.

The flow rate control device 6 calculates the ethanol concentration and the calorific value from the density of the ethanol solution measured by the densitometer 3. Then, from the calculated calorific value, the amount of additive required to obtain a predetermined calorific value is calculated. Based on the amount of additive required, the flow rate of the additive is adjusted so that the calorific value of the ethanol fuel becomes a predetermined value. The additive is added so that the ethanol fuel maintains a concentration that does not correspond to a dangerous substance. Specifically, the ethanol fuel is prepared so that the ethanol concentration is less than 60% on a mass basis. In this specification, "%", which is a unit of "concentration", is based on mass.

Next, the procedure from collection to mixing will be described.

Pump 1 is operated to recover low-concentration ethanol containing water from the factory tank 50. At this time, while measuring the flow rate per minute of the hydrous ethanol collected by the flow meter 2, the density and temperature of the hydrous ethanol are measured by the density meter 3 to calculate the ethanol concentration. At this time, the amount of heat that is insufficient for the amount of heat generated per liter of fuel, which is set in advance as the fuel standard, is calculated.

For example, when the calorific value of the fuel standard is equivalent to 40% of the concentration of ethanol water and the concentration of the recovered liquid is 38%, an additive corresponding to the calorific value of 2% of ethanol is added. Correct the calorific value per liter of fuel. Therefore, the flow rate of the additive is adjusted, supplied, and mixed according to the concentration and amount of the hydrous ethanol recovered from the factory tank 50.

A predetermined additive is stored in the additive tank 4. The additive can be treated with a commercially available reagent or the like, but it may be used as it is or diluted. Physical property values such as the concentration of the additive stored in the additive tank 4 and the calorific value may be input to the control device in advance. The pump 5 is operated to send the additive from the additive tank 4, and the flow control device 6 is used to mix the additive according to the amount of the additive required to correct the calorific value of the collected hydrous ethanol. Supply to 7. The hydrous ethanol fuel recovered by the mixer 7 and the additive are mixed, drinking prevention measures and calorific value correction are performed, and the prepared hydrous fuel is stored in the tank 8 for transportation and supply. Since the fuel of the present invention does not correspond to a dangerous substance in the tank 8, there is no limitation on the storage amount or the tank material. The tank 8 may be made of metal or plastic.

The fuel supply device 100 may include an arithmetic unit (arithmetic unit) that determines at least one of the price of the ethanol solution to be paid to the factory and the price of the ethanol fuel.

The arithmetic unit is provided with a storage unit that stores the price per liter of ethanol in anhydrous conversion and the price of the ethanol solution, and the anhydrous stored in the storage unit according to the amount of ethanol in anhydrous conversion calculated from the measured value of the densitometer. The price of the ethanol solution is determined from the converted price per liter of ethanol. Instead of such price determination, the price of the ethanol fuel may be determined from the price of the ethanol solution and the amount of the additive added.

The amount of recovered anhydrous ethanol (ethanol content, that is, ethanol concentration) can be calculated from the measured values of the flow meter 2 and the density meter 3. The anhydrous equivalent price per liter of ethanol stored in the storage unit is a value set in advance by a contract or the like.

As the price per liter of ethanol in terms of anhydrous value, information on the market price of ethanol at that time may be used, which is obtained via the Internet by a mobile terminal or the like of a person who operates the fuel supply device 100.

The price for supplying to the equipment to be used may be set as the fuel price corrected for the calorific value by charging according to the price of hydrous ethanol paid to the manufacturing plant and the amount of the added additive.

The fuel supply device of this embodiment can be installed in a manufacturing facility and directly supplied to a device or the like used, or can be supplied to a tank brought in by a user. Further, a vehicle such as a tank lorry or a means of transportation such as a ship itself can be used as a fuel supply device, transported from a manufacturing plant, and fuel can be supplied to the equipment to be used.

As described above, in the fuel supply device according to the first embodiment, the variation in the calorific value of the ethanol fuel in the dispersion plant can be controlled not on the dispersion plant side but on the distribution side, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced. .. In addition, when ethanol containing water is used as fuel, it is possible to reduce capital investment, treat and standardize the produced ethanol with large variations to prevent drinking, and supply low-priced fuel to distributed power sources and automobiles. be able to.

When providing ethanol fuel, a certificate of concentration of ethanol and additives may be issued. By certifying the ethanol concentration, it is possible to supply and sell ethanol fuel at an appropriate price.

The density and calorific value are physical property values peculiar to each material, and both change in the same manner depending on the mixing ratio. That is, if the mixing ratio changes according to the density, the calorific value also changes accordingly. Therefore, if the mixing ratio of ethanol is determined by the density, the calorific value is inevitably determined. However, unlike high-purity ethanol, ethanol for fuel, especially hydrous ethanol fuel produced by the fermentation method, varies greatly depending on the raw material and distillation operation. Therefore, simply specifying the concentration and standardizing the calorific value is not enough. In order to suppress the price increase, it is preferable to select a usage method according to the fuel concentration.

In this example, 20% or more of ethanol water purified by distilling the fermented liquid once at the manufacturing plant is recovered, measures to prevent drinking and calorific value correction are performed, and a low-concentration hydrous ethanol fuel of less than 38% is used. A case will be described in which the fuel is separated into a hydrous ethanol fuel having a high concentration of 38% or more, the low concentration is supplied to the distributed power source, and the high concentration is supplied to the fuel station for automobiles.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the fuel supply device according to the second embodiment.

The fuel supply device according to the second embodiment includes two fuel storage tanks. Each fuel storage tank has a different ethanol concentration of the stored ethanol fuel.

In FIG. 2, the fuel supply device 200 is a device that recovers hydrous ethanol from the factory tank 50 and supplies fuel, and is from a pump 101 that feeds hydrous ethanol from the factory tank 50 and a factory tank 50. A flow meter 102 for measuring the amount of water-containing ethanol recovered, a densitometer 103 for measuring the concentration of the water-containing ethanol, an additive tank 104 for storing the additive, a pump 105 for sending the additive, and a flow rate of the additive. The flow control device 106 to control, the mixer 107 that mixes the hydrous ethanol recovered from the factory tank 50 with the additive, the switching valve 108, and the hydrous ethanol fuel of less than 38% (low concentration) that mixes the additive to prevent drinking. Tank 109 for storing (water-containing ethanol fuel), tank 112 (fuel storage tank) for storing 38% or more of water-containing ethanol fuel (high-concentration water-containing ethanol fuel) mixed with additives to prevent drinking, low-concentration water-containing ethanol fuel A pump 110 that sends liquid to the equipment tank used, a pump 113 that sends high-concentration hydrous ethanol fuel to the equipment tank 113, a flow meter 111 that measures the amount of low-concentration water-containing ethanol fuel, and a flow meter 111 that measures the amount of high-concentration water-containing ethanol fuel. The flow meter 114 is provided.

Next, the procedure from collection to mixing will be described.

First, the pump 101 is operated to recover the water-containing low-concentration ethanol from the factory tank 50. At this time, while measuring the flow rate per minute of the hydrous ethanol collected by the flow meter 102, the density and temperature of the hydrous ethanol are measured by the density meter 103, and the ethanol concentration is calculated. At this time, if the concentration of hydrous ethanol calculated from the value of the density meter 103 is less than 38%, the flow path is connected to the tank 109 side by the switching valve 108. If the concentration of hydrous ethanol is 38% or more, the flow path is connected to the tank 112 side by the switching valve 108. In this way, the recovery tank is selected by sorting according to the fuel concentration.

In the case of hydrous ethanol fuel of less than 38%, it is assumed to be supplied to a distributed power source. Therefore, even if the calorific value of the fuel is different, it is used as a support fuel. Therefore, the output of the generator can be adjusted by the supply amount of the base fuel. Therefore, as a measure to prevent drinking, the additive may be mixed by adjusting the addition amount with the flow rate control device 106 so as to have a concentration corresponding to about 1% with respect to the amount of hydrous ethanol.

On the other hand, for 38% or more of hydrous ethanol, which is used as a fuel for automobiles, the amount of heat that is insufficient for the calorific value per liter of fuel, which is set in advance as a fuel standard, is calculated. For example, when the calorific value of the fuel standard is equivalent to 40% of the concentration of ethanol water and the concentration of the recovered liquid is 38%, an additive corresponding to the calorific value of 2% of ethanol is added. Correct the calorific value per liter of fuel. Therefore, the flow rate of the additive is adjusted, supplied, and mixed according to the concentration and amount of the hydrous ethanol recovered from the factory tank 50.

A predetermined additive is stored in the additive tank 104. The additive can be treated with a commercially available reagent or the like, but it may be used as it is or diluted. Physical property values such as the concentration of the additive and the calorific value stored in the additive tank 104 may be input to the flow rate control device 106 in advance.

In order to send the additive from the additive tank 104, the pump 105 is operated, and the amount of the additive required for correcting the calorific value of the recovered hydrous ethanol is supplied to the mixer 107 by the flow rate control device 106. The hydrous ethanol fuel recovered by the mixer 107 and the additive are mixed, drinking prevention measures and calorific value correction are performed, and the prepared hydrous fuel is stored in the tank 109 or the tank 112, transported and supplied. Since the fuel of the present invention does not constitute a dangerous substance, the tanks 109 and 112 are not limited in the amount of storage or the material of the tank, and may be made of metal or plastic.

When supplying low-concentration hydrous ethanol fuel to the utilization equipment tank 61, the pump 110 is operated to supply the fuel of the tank 109. On the other hand, when supplying high-concentration hydrous ethanol fuel to the utilization equipment tank 62, the pump 113 is operated to supply the fuel of the tank 112. The supply amount is measured by the flow meters 111 and 114, respectively.

It is preferable to select the method of using the bioethanol fuel according to the fuel concentration.

If the equipment that uses fuel is a moving object such as an automobile or ship, use fuel with a high ethanol concentration, and if the equipment that uses fuel is a stationary type such as a distributed power source or an emergency generator, use fuel with a low ethanol concentration. It is preferable to distribute and share each. In many cases, the higher the concentration of an aqueous ethanol solution, the higher the cost. Since it is desirable to use the cheapest fuel possible for stationary use equipment, use low-concentration fuel. On the other hand, since the size of the tank held by the moving body is small, a fuel having a high energy density is preferred. Therefore, it is preferable to use a fuel having a high ethanol concentration.

Similar to the first embodiment, the fuel supply device according to the second embodiment may include an arithmetic device for determining at least one of the price of the ethanol solution paid to the factory and the price of the ethanol fuel.

The fuel supply device of this embodiment can be installed in a manufacturing facility and directly supplied to the equipment used, or can be supplied to a tank brought in by the user. Further, a vehicle such as a tank lorry or a means of transportation such as a ship itself can be used as a fuel supply device, transported from a manufacturing plant, and fuel can be supplied to the equipment to be used.

According to the second embodiment, it is possible to supply the fuel as a low-priced fuel by producing and distributing the ethanol as a low-concentration ethanol in consideration of the selectivity of the usage destination according to the ethanol concentration and the like. The additive may be added in the apparatus even when it is not transported.

This example shows a supply device for supplying fuel by performing only fermentation at a manufacturing plant, collecting about 2 to 10% of a fermented liquid, taking measures to prevent drinking and correcting the calorific value, and an operation method thereof.

In a small-scale dispersion system, it is difficult to recover the capital investment even if a distillation apparatus is installed to produce ethanol. Further, with unused resources that are difficult to ferment, there are cases where only about 2% of the fermented liquid can be produced, which further increases the cost such as performing distillation several times.

This embodiment is intended to effectively utilize unused bioresources even in such a situation. Fermentation equipment will be introduced to producers such as farmers and garbage collectors, and the fermented liquid will be collected as it is by using a collection vehicle. The recovery vehicle is equipped with a distillation apparatus. As a result, it is possible to increase the concentration and adjust the calorific value in the recovery vehicle. As a result, the equipment burden on the manufacturer can be reduced, equipment such as distillation can be shared, and fuel can be supplied at a low price.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the fuel supply device according to the third embodiment.

10% or less of ethanol water is recovered and distilled, and it is separated into low-concentration hydrous ethanol fuel of less than 38% and high-concentration hydrous ethanol fuel of 38% or more. Will be described in the case of supplying fuel to a fuel station for automobiles.

The fuel supply device 300 is a device that recovers the fermented liquid from the factory and supplies the fuel, and has a pump 201 for sending the fermented liquid from the factory tank 50, a primary recovery tank 202, and a high ethanol concentration of the ethanol solution. Distilling device 203 (distillation unit), flow meter 204 for measuring the amount of hydrous ethanol recovered in the factory tank 50, densitometer 205 for measuring the concentration of ethanol in the factory tank 50, and additives for storing additives. Tank 206, pump 207 for sending additives, flow control device 208 for controlling the flow rate of additives, mixer 209 for mixing hydrous ethanol recovered from factory tank 50 and additives, switching valve 210, additives Tank 211 that stores less than 38% hydrous ethanol fuel that is mixed and non-drinkable, tank 214 that stores 38% or more hydrous ethanol fuel that is mixed with additives and is non-drinkable, equipment that uses low-concentration hydrous ethanol fuel Pump 212 that sends liquid to tank 61, pump 215 that sends liquid to high-concentration hydrous ethanol fuel to equipment tank 62, flow meter 213 that measures the amount of low-concentration hydrous ethanol fuel, measures the amount of high-concentration hydrous ethanol fuel It is equipped with a flow meter 216 and a distillation residue recovery tank 217. As the distillation apparatus 203, it is preferable to use a pot still from the viewpoint of miniaturization.

Next, the procedure from collection to mixing will be described.

First, the pump 201 is operated to collect the fermented liquid from the factory tank 50 into the primary recovery tank 202. Next, the primary recovery tank 202 is heated to a predetermined temperature, and the vapor of the fermentation broth is supplied to the distillation apparatus 203. It is desirable that the distillation apparatus 203 uses the energy of the engine as a heat source. When the fuel supply device is installed in a vehicle, a ship, or the like, the waste heat of the engine, which is the power source for movement, can be used as the heat source required for distillation. This allows distillation to be carried out during transportation. In this case, the method of installing a heat exchanger in the exhaust pipe of the engine to heat the recovered liquid, the method of supplying the waste heat directly to the outside of the recovery tank and heating the entire tank, etc. are particularly limited to the usage of the waste heat. There is no. Further, when the engine generator is provided, the electric power generated by the generator can be used in addition to the waste heat of the engine. The exhaust heat of the engine may be used in combination and heated by an electric heater provided in the recovery tank, or the recovery liquid may be directly heated by irradiating the inside of the recovery tank with microwaves.

With respect to the distillate obtained from the distillation apparatus 203, the density and temperature of the hydrous ethanol are measured by the densitometer 205 while measuring the flow rate of the hydrous ethanol flowing out by the flow meter 204 per minute, and the ethanol concentration is calculated. A considerable amount of impurities are mixed in the fermentation broth. Therefore, in the density measurement for measuring the ethanol concentration, it is preferable to recover the density of the recovered liquid after distillation. Distillation can recover the fraction at a high concentration in the initial stage, but the concentration decreases in the latter half. Therefore, while measuring the density of the recovered fraction, it is preferable to switch the flow path and switch the recovery line from the fuel tank for the automobile to the fuel tank for the distributed power source when the density reaches a predetermined level for separate recovery. Further, even if the concentration of the cellulosic fermented liquid is about 2%, it may be recovered in a tank for a dispersed power source after distillation.

If the concentration of hydrous ethanol calculated from the value of the densitometer 205 is less than 38%, the mixer 209 is connected to the tank 211 side by the switching valve 210. If it is 38% or more, the mixer 209 is connected to the tank 214 side by the switching valve 210. In this way, tanks 211 and 214 are selected by sorting according to the fuel concentration.

If the fuel content is less than 38%, it is assumed to be supplied to a distributed power source. Therefore, even if the calorific value of the fuel is different, it will be used as a support fuel. Therefore, the output of the generator can be adjusted by the supply amount of the base fuel. Therefore, as a measure to prevent drinking, the additive may be mixed by adjusting the addition amount with the flow rate control device 208 so that the concentration corresponds to about 1% with respect to the amount of hydrous ethanol.

On the other hand, in the case of 38% or more hydrous ethanol, which is used as a fuel for automobiles, the calorific value for the shortage is calculated based on the calorific value per liter of fuel, which is set in advance as a fuel standard. For example, when the calorific value of the fuel standard is equivalent to 40% of the concentration of ethanol water and the concentration of the recovered liquid is 38%, an additive corresponding to the calorific value of 2% of ethanol is added. Correct the calorific value per liter of fuel. Therefore, the flow rate of the additive is adjusted by the flow rate control device 208 according to the concentration and amount of the hydrous ethanol recovered from the primary recovery tank 202, and the hydrous ethanol and the additive are mixed and supplied.

A predetermined additive is stored in the additive tank 206. The additive can be treated with a commercially available reagent or the like, but it may be used as it is or diluted. Physical property values such as the concentration of the additive and the calorific value stored in the additive tank 206 may be input to the control device in advance. The pump 207 is operated to send the additive from the additive tank 206, and the flow control device 208 is used to mix the additive according to the amount of the additive required to correct the calorific value of the collected hydrous ethanol. Supply to 209. The hydrous ethanol fuel recovered by the mixer 209 and the additive are mixed, drinking prevention measures and calorific value correction are performed, and the prepared hydrous fuel is stored in the tank 211 or the tank 214, transported, and supplied. Since the fuel of the present invention does not constitute a dangerous substance in the tanks 211 and 214, there are no restrictions on the storage amount or the tank material. It may be made of metal or plastic.

When supplying low-concentration hydrous ethanol fuel to the utilization equipment tanks 61 and 62, the pump 212 is operated to supply the fuel of the tank 211. On the other hand, when supplying high-concentration fuel, the pump 215 is operated to supply the fuel in the tank 214. The supply amount is measured by the flow meters 213 and 216, respectively.

Similar to the first embodiment, the fuel supply device according to the third embodiment may include an arithmetic device for determining at least one of the price of the ethanol solution to be paid to the factory and the price of the ethanol fuel.

The fuel supply device of this embodiment recovers the dispersed fermented liquid, and is a mobile supply device for vehicles, ships, and the like. From this device, it is possible to supply to the tank brought in by the user. Further, a vehicle such as a tank lorry or a means of transportation such as a ship itself can be used as a fuel supply device, transported from a manufacturing plant, and fuel can be supplied to the equipment to be used.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the fuel supply method of the present invention.

The fuel supply method shown in this figure includes a step of recovering the hydrous ethanol (S110), a step of adding an additive to the hydrous ethanol (S120), and a step of supplying the hydrous ethanol to the utilization equipment (S130). It is desirable that these steps (S110 to S130) be performed using the above fuel supply device.

In addition to these steps (S110 to S130), the fuel supply method of the present invention may include steps such as calculation and collection of charges associated with fuel supply as described above.

The fuel supply method of the present invention can be summarized as follows.

A method of obtaining an ethanol solution containing water, adding an additive to the ethanol solution to prepare an ethanol fuel, and supplying the ethanol fuel. The additive is a chemical for preventing drinking or the calorific value of the ethanol solution. The amount of the additive is adjusted so that the calorific value of the ethanol fuel becomes a predetermined value, and the price of the obtained ethanol solution is determined according to the ethanol concentration of the ethanol solution. The price of ethanol fuel is a fuel supply method that is set based on the price of the ethanol solution and the amount of additives.

Furthermore, it is desirable to distill the ethanol solution in order to increase the ethanol concentration of the ethanol solution.

The price of the ethanol solution and the price of the ethanol fuel may be determined based on the price per liter of ethanol in terms of anhydrous fuel. At that time, the information on the market price of ethanol at that time may be used by a person operating the fuel supply device or the like acquired via the Internet using a mobile terminal or the like. In this case, the mobile terminal or the like may be provided in the fuel supply device, or may be owned by a person or the like who operates the fuel supply device.

According to the fuel supply method of the present invention, when ethanol fuel is prepared from a low-quality hydrous ethanol solution and supplied, ethanol fuel whose concentration of ethanol and additives is proved is sold (supplied) at an appropriate price. be able to.

1: Pump, 2: Flow meter, 3: Density meter, 4: Additive tank, 5: Pump, 6: Flow control device, 7: Mixer, 8: Tank, 9: Pump, 10: Flow meter, 50: Factory tank, 60, 61, 62: Equipment tank used, 100, 200, 300: Fuel supply device, 101: Pump, 102: Flow meter, 103: Densitometer, 104: Additive tank, 105: Pump, 106: Flow control device, 107: Mixer, 108: Switching valve, 109: Tank, 110: Pump, 111: Flow meter, 112: Tank, 113: Pump, 114: Flow meter, 201: Pump, 202: Primary recovery tank, 203: Distiller, 204: Flow meter, 205: Density meter, 206: Additive tank, 207: Pump, 208: Flow control device, 209: Mixer, 210: Switching valve, 211: Tank, 212: Pump, 213 : Flow meter, 214: Tank, 215: Pump, 216: Flow meter, 217: Distillation residue recovery tank.

Claims (14)

A device for obtaining an ethanol solution containing water and adding additives to the ethanol solution to prepare, transport, and supply ethanol fuel, which is a means of transportation.
A recovery unit for transferring the ethanol solution and
An additive tank for storing the additive and
A flow rate control unit that adjusts the flow rate of the additive so that the calorific value of the ethanol fuel becomes a predetermined value.
A mixing part that mixes the ethanol solution and the additive,
Includes a fuel storage tank for storing the ethanol fuel.
The additive is a fuel supply device which is a drug for preventing drinking or an additive fuel for increasing the calorific value of the ethanol solution. The fuel supply device according to claim 1, wherein the recovery unit includes a density meter for measuring the concentration of the ethanol solution. The fuel supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the recovery unit includes a flow meter that measures the flow rate of the ethanol solution. The flow control unit calculates the calorific value of the ethanol solution from the concentration of the ethanol solution measured by the densitometer, and the calorific value of the ethanol fuel is calculated from the calorific value of the calculated ethanol solution. The fuel supply device according to claim 2, wherein the amount of the additive required to obtain a predetermined value is calculated, and the flow rate of the additive is adjusted based on the calculated amount of the additive. The fuel supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a distillation unit for increasing the ethanol concentration of the ethanol solution. In addition, it includes the engine, which is the power source for movement.
The fuel supply device according to claim 5, wherein the distillation unit uses the energy of the engine as a heat source. The fuel supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising another fuel storage tank for storing ethanol fuel having a concentration different from that of the ethanol fuel. The fuel supply device according to claim 7, wherein one of the plurality of fuel storage tanks is for a mobile body and the other is for a distributed power source. The fuel supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the ethanol fuel is adjusted to a concentration that does not correspond to a dangerous substance by mixing the additives. An arithmetic unit that determines at least one of the price of the ethanol solution and the price of the ethanol fuel.
It further includes a storage unit that stores the price per liter of ethanol in terms of anhydrous water.
The calculation unit determines the price of the ethanol solution from the price per liter of ethanol stored in the storage unit according to the amount of ethanol in the anhydrous conversion calculated from the measured value of the densitometer. The fuel supply device according to claim 2, wherein the price of the ethanol fuel is determined from the price of the ethanol solution and the amount of the additive added. A device that obtains an ethanol solution containing water and adds additives to this ethanol solution to prepare ethanol fuel.
The additive is a drug for preventing drinking or an additive fuel for increasing the calorific value of the ethanol solution.
A recovery unit for transferring the ethanol solution and
An additive tank for storing the additive and
A mixing part that mixes the ethanol solution and the additive,
A fuel storage tank for storing the ethanol fuel and
A densitometer that measures the density of the ethanol solution,
In order to calculate the calorific value of the ethanol solution from the concentration of the ethanol solution measured by the densitometer, and to set the calorific value of the ethanol fuel to a predetermined value from the calorific value of the calculated ethanol solution. calculating the amount of the additive required, based on the amount of the calculated the additive, saw including a flow control unit for adjusting the flow rate of the additive,
A fuel supply device in which the concentration of the ethanol fuel is 20% or more and less than 60% on a mass basis. Further comprising a distillation unit to increase the ethanol concentration of the ethanol solution, according to claim 1 1 Symbol placement of the fuel supply device. An arithmetic unit that determines at least one of the price of the ethanol solution and the price of the ethanol fuel.
A storage unit that stores the price per liter of ethanol in terms of anhydrous water, and further includes
The calculation unit determines the price of the ethanol solution from the price per liter of ethanol stored in the storage unit according to the amount of ethanol in the anhydrous conversion calculated from the measured value of the densitometer. The fuel supply device according to claim 11 or 12 , wherein the price of the ethanol fuel is determined from the price of the ethanol solution and the amount of the additive added. The fuel supply device according to claim 13 , further comprising another fuel storage tank for storing ethanol fuel having a concentration different from that of the ethanol fuel.

Images