Onboard Gasoline Separation for Improved Vehicle Efficiency

ExxonMobil, Corning and Toyota have collaborated on an Onboard Separation System (OBS) to improve gasoline engine efficiency and performance. 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.