US4397958A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Hydrocarbon analysis
Assignee: Schneider Electric Systems USA Inc
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Filing: 1981-09-08
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Granted: 1983-08-09
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Expires: 2001-09-08
Abstract
Abstract Analysis of hydrocarbon mixtures to determine desired characteristics, particularly a determination of octane number of gasolines, undergoing partial oxidation/cool flame reactions. Pre-analysis performed on a target fuel sample of known composition and octane number is utilized to arrive at an optimum point of the reaction, a point believed to represent a condition where a maximum of the fuel is oxidized during the reaction. In the preferred embodiment disclosed, the optimum point is the reactor block temperature that generates a maximum peak temperature rise of the cool flame reaction of the target fuel. This optimum reactor temperature is utilized in further analyses of other known samples to develop a matrix of peak temperature rise versus time to reach peak coordinates. Any unknown fuel sample whose peak amplitude/time coordinate is within the matrix is compared with matrix values to determine its octane number as well as an indication of its composition. The overall arrangement is embodied in a microprocessor controlled octane analyzer suitably interconnected with a refinery process stream to provide continuous on-line octane number monitoring.
Inventors
- 👤 Theo Vroom
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 15:47
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N33/00; G01N33/26; G01N33/28; G01N33/2829; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T436/00; Y10T436/10; Y10T436/21; Y10T436/214
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
221 words
A method of determining the value of a desired characteristic of a hydrocarbon substance comprising the steps of: injecting a known hydrocarbon substance into a reaction cavity of a reactor block; reacting said substance with a gas at a known reactor block temperature so as to undergo a cool flame reaction within said cavity; measuring at least two parameters relating to said cool flame reaction that are each correlatable with the value of said desired characteristic; varying the reactor block temperature about said known temperature and then repeating the steps above to determine an optimum point for said reaction where a maximum of the fuel components is oxidized during said reaction; controlling subsequent cool flame reactions with different, known hydrocarbon substances at or near said optimum point to develop a plurality of measured values corresponding to said two parameters; mapping said measured values onto a multi-dimensional matrix whose array include said two parameters such that a coordinate point in the domain of said matrix is uniquely correlatable to said desired characteristic; subsequently performing at said otimum point a cool flame reaction on an unknown hydrocarbon substance to yield a measured value correlatable with said matrix; and correlating said measured value of said unknown hydrocarbon substance with said matrix to determine the value of said desired characteristic of said unknown hydrocarbon substance.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
221 words
A method of determining the value of a desired characteristic of a hydrocarbon substance comprising the steps of: injecting a known hydrocarbon substance into a reaction cavity of a reactor block; reacting said substance with a gas at a known reactor block temperature so as to undergo a cool flame reaction within said cavity; measuring at least two parameters relating to said cool flame reaction that are each correlatable with the value of said desired characteristic; varying the reactor block temperature about said known temperature and then repeating the steps above to determine an optimum point for said reaction where a maximum of the fuel components is oxidized during said reaction; controlling subsequent cool flame reactions with different, known hydrocarbon substances at or near said optimum point to develop a plurality of measured values corresponding to said two parameters; mapping said measured values onto a multi-dimensional matrix whose array include said two parameters such that a coordinate point in the domain of said matrix is uniquely correlatable to said desired characteristic; subsequently performing at said otimum point a cool flame reaction on an unknown hydrocarbon substance to yield a measured value correlatable with said matrix; and correlating said measured value of said unknown hydrocarbon substance with said matrix to determine the value of said desired characteristic of said unknown hydrocarbon substance.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
63 words
The method of claim 1 wherein peak temperature amplitudes and the time to reach peak for each analysis of known hydrocarbon substances are measured to determine a plurality of reaction peak temperature amplitudes versus time to reach peak points and including the step of correlating the peak temperature amplitude and the time to reach peak for said unknown hydrocarbon substance with said matrix.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said optimum point represents the temperature of said reactor block at which the maximum peak temperature amplitude versus time to reach peak of the reaction occurs.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said hydrocarbon substance is gasoline and said desired characteristic is either octane number or an indication of the composition of said gasoline.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 4 wherein said gas is air continuously supplied at a constant flow rate through said reaction cavity and wherein a fixed volumetric sample of said gasoline is periodically injected to mix with said air prior to entering said cavity.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
82 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said known hydrocarbon substances are gasolines of predetermined composition and octane number, said two parameters are the reaction peak temperature amplitude and the time to reach peak, and said two parameters being interconnected within said matrix such that points of equal reactor block temperatures between substances of the same octane number, but different composition and correspondingly of different octane number and similar composition serve to define said matrix in terms of composition and octane number values.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 6 wherein within said matrix the lines joining points of equal block temperature of same octane number substances represent a value of a specific, constant octane number and the lines joining points of equal block temperatures of said composition substances represent a value of a specific composition.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
89 words
The method of claim 6 including the steps of storing a series of digital values corresponding to the slopes of lines formed by interconnecting said equal reactor block temperature points between samples of the same octane number in a memory means of a digital processor; providing to said processor an input signal representative of a coordinate of peak severity amplitude versus time to reach peak of an unknown sample; computing within said processor the location of said coordinate within said matrix to provide a value of said desired characteristic.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 8 wherein said desired characteristic is octane number and including the further step of producing an analog output control signal representative of the octane number of said unknown sample.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
268 words
A method of performing octane number analysis on an unknown sample of gasoline comprising the steps of: injecting a fixed volume of a sample fuel whose composition and octane number are known together with a combustion-supportible carrier gas into a reactor block to produce a cool flame reaction therein; detecting both the peak temperature rise of said cool flame reaction and the time to reach peak; varying the temperature of said reactor block and repeating the steps above to find the optimum reactor block temperature defined by that block temperature which produces a maximum peak temperature rise for said sample fuel; determining a matrix of octane number and composition values by: (a) repeating the above steps of injecting and detecting for samples of other known fuels of different octane number and composition at said optimum temperature, to develop a plurality of data points, each of said data points corresponding to both said peak temperature rise and the time to reach peak, (b) interconnecting data points between samples of the same octane number, but different composition, the slopes of the lines joining said data points defining in one dimension a range of octane number values, and (c) interconnecting data points between samples of the same fuel composition, but different octane number, the slopes of the lines joining said data points defining a range of fuel composition values; and performing an analysis on an unknown fuel sample at said optimum temperature and comparing its peak temperature rise and time to reach peak parameters to said matrix values to determine either the octane number or composition of said unknown fuel sample.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
268 words
A method of performing octane number analysis on an unknown sample of gasoline comprising the steps of: injecting a fixed volume of a sample fuel whose composition and octane number are known together with a combustion-supportible carrier gas into a reactor block to produce a cool flame reaction therein; detecting both the peak temperature rise of said cool flame reaction and the time to reach peak; varying the temperature of said reactor block and repeating the steps above to find the optimum reactor block temperature defined by that block temperature which produces a maximum peak temperature rise for said sample fuel; determining a matrix of octane number and composition values by: (a) repeating the above steps of injecting and detecting for samples of other known fuels of different octane number and composition at said optimum temperature, to develop a plurality of data points, each of said data points corresponding to both said peak temperature rise and the time to reach peak, (b) interconnecting data points between samples of the same octane number, but different composition, the slopes of the lines joining said data points defining in one dimension a range of octane number values, and (c) interconnecting data points between samples of the same fuel composition, but different octane number, the slopes of the lines joining said data points defining a range of fuel composition values; and performing an analysis on an unknown fuel sample at said optimum temperature and comparing its peak temperature rise and time to reach peak parameters to said matrix values to determine either the octane number or composition of said unknown fuel sample.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
104 words
The method of claim 10 including the steps of: providing as an input to a microprocessor an octane signal representative of the severity of said cool flame reaction from the output of a differential amplifier whose inputs are the temperature rise of said reaction and the temperature of said reactor block; determining the time at which the maximum temperature rise occurred and storing a digital value indicative of said time in memory means of said microprocessor; storing in said memory means a series of digital values corresponding to said matrix values; and computing in said microprocessor a numerical value corresponding to said octane signal.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 11 including the step of producing an analog output signal indicative of said octane signal.
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| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
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| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1986-08-08 | 1987-02-07 | 1987-08-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1990-08-08 | 1991-02-07 | 1991-08-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1994-08-08 | 1995-02-07 | 1995-08-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |