(586d) Onboard Fuel Separation

ExxonMobil, Corning and Toyota have collaborated on an Onboard Separation System (OBS) to improve gasoline engine efficiency and performance [1]. OBS is a membrane based process that separates gasoline into higher and lower octane fractions, allowing optimal use of fuel components based on engine requirements. The novel polymer -ceramic composite monolith membrane has been demonstrated to be stable to E10 gasoline, while typically providing 20% yield of high octane product when using regular unleaded gasoline. The OBS system makes use of wasted exhaust energy to effect the fuel separation and provides a means for managing the separated fuels. This presentation illustrates how the principles of Process Intensification (PI) were applied in the OBS project.