JPH0411942A - Production of fuel absorber - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a fuel absorber having superior durability and evaporated fuel capturing ability by allowing an org. high molecular compd. having fuel capturing function to react with a cross-linking agent in a soln. of a dispersant and granulating the resulting fine particles of polymer gel. CONSTITUTION:An org. high molecular compd. having fuel capturing function such as PP or PE is dissolved in a solvent such as benzene or toluene and the resulting soln. is added to a soln. contg. a dispersant such as PVA or gelatin under stirring. A reaction is allowed to take place in the presence of a cross- linking agent such as benzoyl peroxide. After the end of the reaction, fine particles 50 of polymer gel are collected and granulated without removing the dispersant 52 sticking to the particles 50 to obtain a fuel absorber 5 having superior durability to the cycle of absorption and desorption and superior evaporated fuel capturing ability.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a fuel absorber used in a fuel evaporation prevention device.

[Prior Art] When fuel is supplied into the fuel tank of an automobile by a refueling gun, a relatively large amount of fuel evaporates.

Additionally, a portion of the fuel in the fuel tank and the float chamber of the carburetor evaporates both when the vehicle is running and when it is stopped.

Therefore, in order to prevent these evaporated fuels from leaking into the atmosphere, canisters (fuel evaporation prevention devices) filled with a fuel absorber are connected to these tanks and the like. This fuel absorber is for capturing evaporated fuel. In addition, smoked fuel from fuel storage tanks, etc. is not limited to automobiles,
Further, in order to capture leaked fuel liquid, a fuel evaporation prevention device similarly filled with a fuel absorber is used.

Activated carbon has conventionally been used as the fuel absorber. The fuel adsorbed on the activated carbon is released from the activated carbon during purge (detachment). Therefore, activated carbon is used by repeatedly adsorbing and desorbing fuel (see FIG. 7, which will be described later).

[Problem to be solved]

However, canisters using the activated carbon described above often fail to capture evaporated fuel, and the evaporated fuel ends up being released into the atmosphere.

When the cause of this was investigated, it became clear that when activated carbon came into contact with liquid gasoline, the gasoline vapor trapping ability of activated carbon was significantly reduced.

Furthermore, what causes activated carbon to come into contact with liquid gasoline?

It turned out that this was because liquid gasoline condensed on the piping connected to the canister and on the wall above the canister came into contact with the activated carbon.

Note that the condensation of gasoline vapor as described above occurs in the surrounding pipes and the space above the canister, especially when the outside temperature is high and the vapor pressure of gasoline in the fuel tank or vaporizer is very high.

In addition, the vapor trapping ability (working capacity) of activated carbon
Another reason for the decline is that among the evaporated fuel molecules adsorbed on activated carbon, small molecules with less than 4 or 5 carbon atoms are easily released during the canister purging process.
Molecules larger than this are difficult to release. Also, therefore, the vapor trapping capacity decreases as the time of use of the canister increases.

It has also been proposed to use organic polymers such as polypropylene and styrene-butadiene copolymers as fuel absorbers instead of activated carbon (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications No. 1-67222 and No. 1-227861). The fuel absorption capacity of the fuel absorber decreases while repeating a cycle of fuel absorption and H desorption (adsorption/desorption cycle).

The reason for this is thought to be as follows. Intensity of primary particles, 1
Since the binding force between the primary particles (strength of the secondary particles) is weak, swelling during absorption and contraction during separation occur repeatedly, and furthermore, due to vibration, etc., the primary particles are destroyed and the secondary particles collapse. Such fine particles tend to scatter and cause unevenness of the absorbent, resulting in a decrease in absorption capacity. Furthermore, when the two particles are made finer, the porosity decreases, so that clogging occurs more easily during swelling, and the absorption capacity decreases.

In view of these conventional problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a fuel absorber that has excellent durability against the above-mentioned adsorption/desorption cycle and has an excellent ability to capture evaporated fuel.

[Means for solving problems]

In the present invention, an organic polymer compound having a fuel trapping function is dissolved in a solvent, and then the solution is added to a separately prepared dispersant-containing solution with stirring, and a crosslinking agent for the organic polymer compound reaction is present. The method for producing a fuel absorber is characterized in that a reaction is carried out below, and after one reaction is completed, polymer gel fine particles are collected, and the dispersant is dried and granulated with the dispersant remaining.

What is most noteworthy about the present invention is that an organic polymer compound having a fuel trapping function is reacted in a dispersant solution using a crosslinking agent, and then the polymer gel particles obtained by the reaction are collected. Granulation is performed without removing the dispersant adhering to the polymer gel fine particles, or with a portion of the dispersant remaining.

The purpose is to manufacture fuel absorbers.

In the present invention, an organic polymer compound having a fuel trapping function refers to an organic polymer compound having a function of trapping evaporated fuel (including leaked fuel liquid) and capable of crosslinking at least to the extent of forming a gel. In addition, the capture function herein refers to the property of being dissolved in or swollen by fuel.

In addition, the above-mentioned reaction refers to any chemical reaction including crosslinking and/or polymerization reaction of the above-mentioned organic polymer compound.
These reactions are carried out in a suspension polymerization or emulsion polymerization vessel in the presence of the above-mentioned dispersant.

As an organic polymer compound having the above properties.

For example, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyisoprene, polybutadiene, polyisobutylene polystyrene,
Polynorbornene, polysiloxane, ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, ethylene-propylene copolymer, isobutylene-
An isoprene copolymer, a butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymer, an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, an acrylic polymer, a styrene-isoprene copolymer, and polyepichlorohydrin are used.

In addition, the solvents used when reacting these organic polymer compounds include toluene, quince, dimethylbenzene, trimethylbenzene, isoclohexane, pentane, hexane, heptane, methylene chloride, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride.

Examples include trichlorethylene.

Further, the ratio of the organic polymer compound to the solvent is 2 to 50% (weight ratio, the same applies hereinafter).

The solvent content is preferably 50 to 98%.

Next, as a crosslinking agent, benzoyl peroxide,
Diacyl peroxides such as lauroyl peroxide, hydroperoxides such as 2,4.4-)limethylbenzene-2-hydroperoxide, dialkyl peroxides such as dicumyl peroxide I! , 1. 1-di-t-butyl peroxy-3
Peroxyketals such as ,3,5-)limethyl cyclohexane, alkyl peresters such as t-butyl peroxylene neodecanoate, bis(4-t-butyl
There are peroxide-based crosslinking agents such as percarbonates such as (cyclohexyl) peroxy and dicarpocarbonate, and ketone peroxides such as methyl, ethyl, and ketone peroxide.

Further, crosslinking agents commonly used in boat fishing, such as sulfur, sulfur compounds, amine compounds, epoxy compounds, and carboxy compounds, can also be used.

If one reaction is insufficient, a crosslinking aid is added.

Such crosslinking aids include tetrahydrofurfuryl methacrylate, ethylene dimethacrylate, 1,3-butylene dimecacrylate, polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate, and 2-2 bis( 4-methacryloxy jetoxy phenyl) propane, aluminum methacrylate calcium dimethacrylate triallyl isocyanurate. Diallyl phthalate, divinyl Hensen, P-quinone dioxime] 2 Polybutadiene, sulfur, etc. are used. On the other hand, for crosslinking agents other than the above-mentioned peroxide-based crosslinking agents, commonly used crosslinking aids are used.

In addition, the crosslinking agent is 1 to 20% of the organic polymer compound,
Similarly, the crosslinking aid is added in an amount of 0 to 20%.

Further, it is preferable that the organic polymer compound solution is subjected to deoxidation treatment before performing the above reaction. Such a deoxidation treatment method includes adding 5% to the organic polymer compound solution.
For example, there is a method of bubbling nitrogen (N2) gas.

There is also a method of repeating the operation of evacuating the container containing the solution and then filling it with N2 gas. This causes dissolved oxygen to be released from one reaction solution.

Next, the above solution is added to a solution containing 1 dispersant while stirring, and a dispersion liquid is prepared while heating and keeping at 40 to 55°C. Then, heating and stirring are continued for 9 reactions until the crosslinking agent is almost completely decomposed.

As the dispersant, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)
, gelatin, gum tragacanth, gum arabic, starch 7-methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose,
There are polyacrylates, etc. Further, it is preferable that the solution containing the dispersant 1 is also subjected to deoxidation treatment in the same manner as above. Furthermore, water is usually used as the solvent for the solution.

Also.

The concentration of the dispersant in the solution is about 1 to 5%.

After the reaction is completed, when it is cooled, the polymer obtained by the reaction and the solution are separated into upper and lower parts. By collecting the upper polymer phase, a fresh cream-like paste is obtained. This is the polymer gel fine particles. The polymer gel fine particles contain two fine particles of polymer having a particle size of 10 to 100 μm, a solvent, a dispersant, and the like.

Therefore, by drying the polymer gel fine particles, the solvent is released, and polymer gel fine particles consisting of the fine polymer and the dispersant attached to the surface thereof are obtained.

After that, polymer gel fine particles containing the dispersant were added.

The mixture is granulated using a granulator such as a high-speed mixer or a spray dryer to form a particulate fuel absorbent having a particle diameter of about 1 to 5 mm. The fuel absorber has the fine particulate polymers bonded to each other by a dispersant such as PVA remaining on the surface thereof (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

That is, the above-mentioned dispersant has a role as a binder.

Further, when the fresh cream-like polymer gel fine particles immediately after reaction 2 are washed with warm water of 50 to 70°C, 3 dispersant, unreacted organic polymer compound, and crosslinking agent are removed.

A finely divided polymer from which the crosslinking aid has been removed is obtained. Therefore,
There is a method in which this washing is interrupted when a small amount of the dispersant remains, and then the polymer gel particles are dried and granulated.

In this case as well, the two dispersants serve as a binder, and a fuel absorber in which finely particulate polymers are bonded to each other is obtained.

In addition to the above method, there is a method of washing using a solvent in which the dispersant is insoluble. In this method, the above-mentioned fresh cream-like polymer gel fine particles are used immediately after the reaction.

By washing with the above solvent, a fine particulate polymer with residual dispersant adhering to one surface is obtained. By granulating this, it is possible to obtain a fuel absorber in which fine particulate polymers are joined to each other by the dispersant 9.

Examples of solvents in which the above dispersant is insoluble include toluene ethyl alcohol. Further, by the above-mentioned washing, unreacted organic polymer compounds, crosslinking agents, and crosslinking aids are removed, and the dispersant 9 remains.

Next, it is preferable to further coat the surface of the above fuel absorber with a reactive substance.This coating further increases the strength of the fuel absorber and improves its durability during adsorption and desorption cycles. . If it is important to ensure the strength of the absorber as well as its porosity, it is also effective to coat the fuel absorber in a mesh pattern, for example, to prevent the primary particle pores inside the absorber from being blocked by the coating. . What are such reactive substances?

A substance that has reactivity such as crosslinking or chain extension.

Specifically, urethane-based, epoxy-based, silicone-based,
It is preferable to use a thermosetting resin such as an amino type resin.

Further, coating methods include a method of spraying a solution (1 to 50%) of the above-mentioned reactive substance onto the surface of the fuel absorber, a method of immersing the fuel absorber in the solution, and the like. In addition, as a solvent for this solution, aromatic hydrocarbons,
Aliphatic hydrocarbons, alcohols, ketones, water, etc. are used. Further, the coating layer preferably has flexibility and can follow excessive deformation.

Further, the thickness of the coating is preferably 0.1 to 500 μm. If it is less than 0.1 μm, there will be little improvement in strength, and if it exceeds 500 μm, there is a risk that the fuel trapping ability of the fuel absorber will be significantly reduced.

Further, it is preferable that the above coating is applied in the same manner to the fuel absorber manufactured from the polymer gel fine particles washed with hot water, and also to the fuel absorber manufactured from the polymer gel fine particles washed with the dispersion side insoluble solvent. .

Furthermore, the fuel absorber obtained as described above is basically in the form of particles, but it can also be shaped into a desired shape, such as a honeycomb shape, a plate shape, a film shape, etc. However, when the thickness increases, only the surface swells, and absorption does not proceed to the inside, which may reduce absorption capacity. Therefore, it is preferable that the diameter or thickness of the fuel absorber is 51II11 or less.

Furthermore, the fuel absorber according to the present invention captures evaporated fuel (
(absorption), but is insoluble in fuel. Therefore, once the captured fuel is purged (de-M), it can be regenerated and its use can be repeated.

Note that the fuel absorber of the present invention can be used not only for automobile canisters but also for various fuel evaporation prevention devices such as boiler fuel tanks.

The porous fuel absorber obtained in the present invention is as follows.

The primary particles of an organic polymer compound having a fuel-trapping function are bound together by a binder to form coarse secondary particles that fill the pores.

What should be noted in this invention is that when one absorbent body is filled into an absorption container, fine pores between the primary particles and coarse pores between the secondary particles are ensured, and a high absorption efficiency is achieved by filling the pores. It is to become an absorber.

Moreover, such a pore structure is supported by the binder.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8A, the porous fuel absorber 5 can absorb The theoretical porosity when the agent container 10 is filled is 1
Approximately 73% of primary particle pores and secondary particle pores combined
It is. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the particulate polymer 50 is filled as it is, the porosity is only about 48% because there are only primary pores.

[Action and effect]

In the present invention, since the fuel absorber obtained by the above manufacturing method has the above-mentioned organic polymer compound as a base material, it has a high trapping ability for all W fuel.

This high trapping ability is based on the ability of this organic polymer compound to absorb fuel such as gasoline and swell. this is.

This is because the organic polymer compound has a high affinity with the evaporated fuel.

Further, the fuel absorber is obtained by reacting the organic polymer compound with a crosslinking agent, and the dispersant used in this reaction is used as it is as a binder for the fuel absorber. . Therefore, there is no need to separately add or mix a binder when producing a fuel absorber.

Furthermore, in the fuel absorber according to the second aspect of the present invention, the fine particulate polymers are bonded to each other by the dispersant, so that the overall strength is improved. Therefore, it has excellent durability against the adsorption/desorption cycle of fuel capture and release.

Further, since the organic polymer compounds are chemically bonded to each other through a reaction, the obtained fuel absorber has a three-dimensional structure. Therefore, the whole structure is highly flexible and has a high fuel capture ability.

The fuel absorber, which has swollen due to absorbing evaporated fuel, releases the trapped fuel during the process of purging the inside of the fuel evaporation prevention device, restores its evaporative fuel absorption ability, and can be used continuously. can.

As described above, according to the two aspects of the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing a fuel absorber that has excellent durability against fuel adsorption/desorption cycles and has an excellent ability to capture evaporated fuel.

(Example) First Example This is an example of the present invention. The method for manufacturing the fuel absorber will be explained.

First, as an organic polymer compound with fuel capture function,
Ethylene-propylene-ethylidene norbornene polymer (Japan Synthetic Rubber EP33゜ethylene-propylene-
Diene copolymer) was dissolved in toluene to make a 10% (weight ratio, same hereinafter) solution (solution amount: 800 g).

To this solution, 20 parts of benzoyl peroxide as a crosslinking agent was added and dissolved in terms of pure product (100%) based on 100 parts (parts by weight, same hereinafter) of the polymer. Further, 20 parts of divinylhenzene as a crosslinking aid was added and dissolved in 100 parts of the polymer. Bubbling N2 gas into the polymer solution prepared in this way,
Deoxygenation treatment was performed to remove dissolved oxygen in each method.

On the other hand, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a dispersant (polymerization degree 500, saponification degree 86.5) was placed in a pressure-resistant container.
Prepare a 1% aqueous solution of ~89 mol%) (solution volume 220
0g). Then, a dispersion stirrer was fixed to the top of the pressure container, and the container was sealed. Next, after evacuating the inside of the pressure-resistant container, the operation of filling it with N2 gas was performed three times, and the PV
Deoxygenation treatment was performed to remove dissolved oxygen in the A aqueous solution.

Then, while pouring the deoxidized polymer solution into the PVA aqueous solution in the pressure container.

One dispersion was prepared by stirring at high speed using the dispersion stirrer described above.

Further, after the polymer solution had finished flowing in, the inside of the pressure-resistant container was subjected to deoxidation treatment in the same manner as described above, and stirring was continued for 15 minutes.

Next, the dispersion stirrer was replaced with a simple propeller stirrer, and the reaction solution in the pressure-resistant container was stirred at 120 to 300 rpm while increasing the temperature to 92°C. After reaching 92°C, the above stirring was continued for another 6 hours, and then the antioxidant (
A 20% toluene solution of polymerization inhibitor) was added to the reaction solution.
The reaction was stopped.

After the reaction was completed, the pressure container was cooled with ice water and left at room temperature for 3 hours. As a result, fresh cream-like polymer gel particles are separated into the upper phase and an aqueous solution is separated into the lower layer. Therefore, the upper phase polymer gel particles are collected.

Thereafter, the polymer gel fine particles were put into a high-speed mixer little by little without being washed, dried, and granulated. Due to this.

A spherical suspended fuel absorber with a diameter of 1 to 3 m was obtained.

This fuel absorber is designated as sample N[LL.

The fuel absorber manufactured in this way, as shown in the model in FIG. 1, consists of a particulate polymer 50 produced by a crosslinking reaction of a polymeric compound, and a particulate polymer 50 attached to the periphery thereof. PVA52 as a dispersant. Then, the PVA 52 acts as a binder to bond each particulate polymer 50 to the fuel absorber 5.
It consists of

In addition, regarding the dried polymer gel fine particles,
Photographing the particle state using a scanning electron microscope (magnification 2)
The results are shown in FIG. 2. In the same figure, 9 spheres indicate fine particulate polymer in a dry state. The surface of the fine polymer particles is coated with PVA and adhered to the surface.

Second Example 100g of the fresh cream-like polymer gel fine particles produced in the first example above was collected and soaked in 60°C hot water with 0.
Washed at 21. Then, the fine polymer gel particles with PVA still remaining were obtained.Then, the fine polymer gel particles were dried and granulated in the same manner as in the first example to obtain a fuel absorber.

The rest was the same as in the first example. This fuel absorber is designated as sample N[L2.

Also, regarding the polymer gel microparticles in a dry state.

A scanning electron micrograph similar to that of the first example is shown in FIG.
It can be seen that some remains and is attached.

Third Example 100 g of the fresh cream-like polymer gel microparticles produced in the first example were collected and washed with isopropyl alcohol-soluble W0.4z that was insoluble on the dispersion side.

As a result, the unreacted organic polymer compound, crosslinking agent, and crosslinking agent were washed away, and PVA as a dispersant remained on the surface of the finely divided polymer. After that.

It was dried and granulated in the same manner as in the first example to obtain a fuel absorber.

The rest was the same as in the first example. This fuel absorber is designated as sample N113.

On the surface of the fine particulate polymer after washing and drying.

PVA remained to cover it.

Fourth Example The fuel absorber obtained in the first example was further coated with a reactive substance.

That is, first, a polyurethane adhesive (Nippon Polyurethane Kogyo ■, Nipporan 3124/Coronate L = 100 parts/10 parts) as a reactive substance was mixed in toluene to form a 20% solution to form a homogeneous solution. Thereafter, the fuel absorber obtained in Example 1 was immersed in the solution for 2 minutes, taken out, and left in a hot air circulation constant temperature bath at 60"C for 70 hours to harden the polyurethane adhesive on one surface. .

This resulted in a fuel absorber coated with two reactive substances. This fuel absorber is designated as sample floor 4.

As shown schematically in FIG. 4, this coated fuel absorber consists of a main body portion in which particulate polymer 50 is bonded with PVA 52 on the surface, and a coating layer 6 covering the main body portion.

Furthermore, regarding the particle state of the fuel absorber before the above coating, a micrograph similar to that of the first example (magnification: 60
(times) is shown in Figure 5. Also, regarding the particle state of the fuel absorber after coating.

A similar photograph (60x magnification) is shown in FIG.

As can be seen from Figure 5, in the fuel absorber before coating, fine particulate polymer (1 to 50 μm)
are bonded by PVA.

It constitutes a granular fuel absorber (1 to 3 m). Further, as shown in FIG. 6, it can be seen that in the coated fuel absorber, the periphery of the two particulate fuel absorbers is coated with a reactive substance (compared with FIG. 5).

Fifth Embodiment This is shown in the second embodiment. A fuel absorber obtained by washing the polymer gel fine particles' with hot water was coated in the same manner as in the fourth example. A coated fuel absorber was thus obtained. This fuel absorber is designated as sample N[15.

Sixth Embodiment This is shown in the third embodiment. About a fuel absorber obtained by washing polymer gel particles with a dispersant-insoluble solvent.

Coating was performed in the same manner as in the fourth example.

A coated fuel absorber was thus obtained. This fuel absorber is designated as sample Nt16.

Seventh Example The characteristics of the fuel absorbers of samples N111-6 obtained in the first to sixth examples above were measured.

That is, first, regarding the fuel adsorption/desorption cycle durability, each fuel absorber was placed in a 100-mesh stainless wire mesh container, and these were immersed in toluene for 24 hours. Then, a load was applied from above to the fuel absorber immediately after it was taken out, and the load (g f ) at the time of pulverization was measured.

Regarding the fuel capture ability of the fuel absorber, first about 0.2 g of each sample was placed in the same wire mesh container (weight ■) as above and weighed. The 2 weight at this time is assumed to be W. and each sample along with a wire mesh container.

It is immersed in toluene as a fuel, taken out at intervals shown in Table 1, and its weight Y is weighed. And according to the formula below,
The fuel absorption degree (%) was calculated for each hour.

W-■ The measurement results are shown in Table 1.

For comparison, fresh cream-like polymer gel particles were collected in Example 1 and thoroughly washed with warm water. Then, the mixture was made into a state in which no PVA remained, dried, and granulated to obtain a fuel absorber. This is sample Nl1lC
Set to 1. The measurement results are also shown in Table 1.

As can be seen from Table 1, the fuel absorbers according to the present invention (samples 1 to 6) all exhibit higher crushing loads than the comparative sample NllCl. This is because each particulate polymer is bonded by PVA, which is a dispersant, and the strength of the fuel absorbent body as a whole is high.

In addition, sample N112 has less PVA than 1st floor 1 and 3, so the 2 strength is slightly lower. In addition, Samples N114 to N114-6 were obtained by applying coating to Samples Nos. 1 to 3, and it can be seen that the strength of the fuel absorber was considerably improved by the coating.

Therefore, the fuel absorber of the present invention exhibits excellent durability against fuel adsorption and desorption cycles.

Furthermore, regarding the fuel trapping performance, it can be seen that it exhibits a high degree of absorption.

On the other hand, comparative sample C1 in which PVA was completely removed by washing
Although the absorbance is very high, the fine particulate polymer is PV
Since they are not connected by A, the crushing load during fuel absorption is quite low. Therefore, the durability of the adsorption/desorption cycle is poor.

Eighth Embodiment An example in which the fuel absorber of the present invention is used in an automobile canister will be explained with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, the present canister 1 consists of a main body 10 which is a container for accommodating a fuel absorber, and a fuel absorber 20 filled in an absorption chamber 2 within the main body 10.

The main body 10 has a cylindrical shape, and a lid 11 is provided at the upper end of the main body 10.
and a bottom plate 12 provided on the bottom surface. The lid 11 also has a second introduction pipe 14 with its tip 141 inserted up to the vicinity of the center of the absorption chamber 2. First introduction pipe 1 inserted in the same way
3. and fix the purge pipe 16.

The first introduction pipe 13 communicates with the space above the carburetor float chamber 81, and the second introduction pipe 14 communicates with the fuel tank 82. Further, the purge pipe 16 communicates with a purge boat 85. Further, a purge air pipe 15 is opened in the bottom plate 12. Each of the above pipes has a valve 131, 142, 151, 161, respectively.

Further, in the main body 10, a perforated plate 17 is provided below the absorption chamber 2, and a perforated plate 18 is provided above the absorption chamber 2.

Further, the perforated plate 17 is pressed upward by a spring 101, and the perforated plate 18 is pressed downward by a spring 102. In addition, in the same figure, 8 is gasoline.

Therefore, the capture of evaporated fuel by this canister 1 is as follows:
As mentioned above, the carburetor float chamber 81 or the fuel tank 8
Gasoline vapor evaporated in step 2 enters the absorption chamber 2 in the canister 1 through the first or second introduction pipe 13, 14, contacts the fuel absorber 20, and is absorbed therein. During this absorption, the valves 131, 142 of the introduction pipe 13, 14 are open, and the valve 161 of the purge pipe 16 and the valve 151 of the purge air vibe 15 are closed.

The above absorption occurs when the fuel absorber 20 traps gasoline and swells.

When these fuel absorbers have absorbed a large amount of gasoline vapor, the fuel absorbers are regenerated, and after repeated use, the lid 11 is removed and replaced with a new fuel absorber.

The above reproduction is based on the above answer 131, 142, 151.16.
Open and close 1 in the opposite direction to the above for absorption.

This is done by supplying air from the purge air vibrator 15. Then, exhaust gas is discharged from the upper purge pipe 16 to the purge port 85. At this time, the introduced air serves to separate the gasoline absorbed by the fuel absorber and discharge it as described above.

By carrying out the adsorption/desorption cycle of absorption and regeneration as described above, the fuel absorber can be used repeatedly and gasoline vapor as evaporated fuel can be captured with high efficiency.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 show the first example, FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the bonding state of particles, FIG. 2 is a scanning electron micrograph showing the particle structure of the finely divided polymer after drying, and FIG. The figures are electron micrographs similar to Figure 2 in the second embodiment, Figures 4 to 4.
FIG. 6 shows the fourth embodiment, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the particle bonding state, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are electron microscopes similar to those described above, showing the particle structure in the fuel absorber before and after coating. The photograph, FIG. 7, is an explanatory diagram of the canister in the eighth embodiment, and FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams illustrating the porosity of the porous fuel absorber and the particulate fuel absorber. 1゜2゜20゜5゜50゜52゜6゜8゜canister. Absorption chamber fuel absorber fuel absorber. Fine particulate polymer VA coating layer gasoline Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. Toyota Central Research Institute Co., Ltd. Patent attorney Yoshiyasu Takahashi

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) An organic polymer compound having a fuel capture function is dissolved in a solvent, and then the solution is added to a separately prepared dispersant-containing solution with stirring, and in the presence of a crosslinking agent for organic polymer compound reaction. A method for producing a fuel absorber, which comprises carrying out a reaction, collecting fine particles of polymer gel after the reaction is completed, and drying and granulating the particles in a state in which the dispersant remains. (2) In the first claim, the polymer gel fine particles contain 50
A method for manufacturing a fuel absorber, which comprises washing with warm water at ~70°C until a small amount of dispersant remains, followed by drying and granulation. (3) In the first claim, the polymer gel fine particles are washed with a solvent in which the dispersant is insoluble, and dried while the dispersant remains.
A method for producing a fuel absorber, comprising granulation. (4) A method for producing a fuel absorber according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the particulate material obtained by granulation is coated with a reactive substance. (5) In the fourth claim, the reactive substance is urethane-based,
A method for producing a fuel absorber characterized by using an epoxy-based or silicone-based thermosetting resin.