U.S. patent application number 13/875605 was filed with the patent office on 2013-09-19 for systems and methods for sustainable economic development through integrated full spectrum production of renewable energy.
This patent application is currently assigned to MCALISTER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is MCALISTER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC. Invention is credited to Roy Edward McAlister.
Application Number | 20130240369 13/875605 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43823419 |
Filed Date | 2013-09-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130240369 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
McAlister; Roy Edward |
September 19, 2013 |
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH
INTEGRATED FULL SPECTRUM PRODUCTION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY
Abstract
In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for
providing an energy supply using a renewable energy source is
provided comprising: providing a first source of renewable energy,
wherein the first source of renewable energy is intermittent or
does not provide a sufficient amount of energy; providing energy
from the first source of renewable energy to an electrolyzer to
produce an energy carrier through electrolysis; selectably
reversing the electrolyzer for use as a fuel cell; and providing
the energy carrier to the electrolyzer for the production of
energy.
Inventors: |
McAlister; Roy Edward;
(Phoenix, AZ) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MCALISTER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC |
Phoenix |
AZ |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
MCALISTER TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Phoenix
AZ
|
Family ID: |
43823419 |
Appl. No.: |
13/875605 |
Filed: |
May 2, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12857541 |
Aug 16, 2010 |
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13875605 |
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12707651 |
Feb 17, 2010 |
8075748 |
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12857541 |
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12707653 |
Feb 17, 2010 |
8172990 |
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12857541 |
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12707656 |
Feb 17, 2010 |
8075749 |
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12857541 |
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61304403 |
Feb 13, 2010 |
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61153253 |
Feb 17, 2009 |
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61237476 |
Aug 27, 2009 |
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61304403 |
Feb 13, 2010 |
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61234476 |
Aug 17, 2009 |
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61304403 |
Feb 13, 2010 |
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61153253 |
Feb 17, 2009 |
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61237476 |
Aug 27, 2009 |
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61304403 |
Feb 13, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
205/343 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02E 60/50 20130101;
H02J 2300/10 20200101; H01M 8/186 20130101; H02J 3/386 20130101;
Y02E 10/563 20130101; F03D 9/007 20130101; H02J 3/381 20130101;
C25B 3/00 20130101; C25B 11/03 20130101; Y02E 10/56 20130101; Y02E
70/10 20130101; Y02P 20/134 20151101; H02J 15/00 20130101; Y02E
10/76 20130101; C25B 1/12 20130101; Y02E 10/72 20130101; C25B 13/02
20130101; H02J 2300/30 20200101; Y02E 10/763 20130101; Y02E 60/36
20130101; H02J 3/383 20130101; F03D 9/19 20160501; F03D 9/25
20160501; C25B 1/00 20130101; C25B 15/02 20130101; Y02E 60/563
20130101; H02J 2300/24 20200101; Y02E 60/366 20130101; H02J 2300/20
20200101; H02J 2300/40 20200101; Y02E 70/20 20130101; Y02E 70/30
20130101; H02J 2300/22 20200101; Y02P 20/133 20151101; H01M
2250/407 20130101; H02J 2300/28 20200101; H02J 3/382 20130101; Y02E
60/528 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
205/343 |
International
Class: |
H01M 8/18 20060101
H01M008/18 |
Claims
1. A method for providing an energy supply using a renewable energy
source comprising: providing a first source of renewable energy,
wherein the first source of renewable energy is intermittent or
does not provide a sufficient amount of energy; providing energy
from the first source of renewable energy to an electrolyzer to
produce an energy carrier through electrolysis; selectably
reversing the electrolyzer for use as a fuel cell; and providing
the energy carrier to the electrolyzer for the production of
energy.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first source of renewable
energy is solar energy and the steps of reversing the electrolyzer
for use as a fuel cell and providing an energy carrier to the
electrolyzer for the production of energy is performed when the
first source of renewable energy is not sufficiently available.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first source of renewable
energy is selected from the group consisting of solar, wind, moving
water, organic or geothermal sources of energy.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the energy carrier comprises
hydrogen.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the energy carrier comprises a
carbon-based material.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the energy carrier comprises a
nitrogen-based material.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the energy carrier comprises
ammonia.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the energy carrier comprises
hydrocarbons.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first source of renewable
energy, the electrolyzer or the energy carrier receives
supplemental heat from a first heat source.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the first heat source is selected
from the group comprising geothermal, solar, or other heat
engine.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein the first heat source comprises a
second source of renewable energy.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the second source of renewable
energy comprises a geological formation.
13. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of storing
the energy carrier prior to providing the energy carrier to the
electrolyzer.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of storing the energy
carrier comprises storing the energy carrier in a geological
formation.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein the step storing the energy
carrier in a geological formation further comprises the energy
carrier receiving supplemental heat from the geological
formation.
16. The method of claim 1 further comprising: providing an expander
configured to capture work from expansion, wherein the expander is
coupled to the electrolyzer or the energy carrier storage;
providing the energy carrier to the expander under pressure; and
capturing work from expansion of the energy carrier.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the energy carrier storage
transfers heat to the energy carrier prior to capturing work from
expansion of the energy carrier.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the energy carrier storage
comprises a geological formation.
19. The method of claim 18 where an energy value of the energy
carrier is increase during energy carrier storage.
20. The method of claim 18 where an energy value of the energy
carrier is increase during energy carrier storage by adding heat to
the energy carrier from the geological formation.
21. The method of claim 18 where an energy value of the energy
carrier is increase during energy carrier storage by adding
hydrocarbons or other compounds having an energy value to the
energy carrier flushed from the geological formation.
22. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a source of
organic materials to the electrolyzer for electrolysis of the
organic materials.
23. The method of claim 22 wherein the source of organic materials
comprises biomass or biowaste.
24-43. (canceled)
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to and the benefit
of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/304,403, filed Feb. 13, 2010
and titled FULL SPECTRUM ENERGY AND RESOURCE INDEPENDENCE. The
present application is a continuation-in-part of each of the
following applications: U.S. patent application Ser. No.
12/707,651, filed Feb. 17, 2010 and titled ELECTROLYTIC CELL AND
METHOD OF USE THEREOF; PCT Application No. PCT/US10/24497, filed
Feb. 17, 2010 and titled ELECTROLYTIC CELL AND METHOD OF USE
THEREOF; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/707,653, filed Feb.
17, 2010 and titled APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING NUCLEATION
DURING ELECTROLYSIS; PCT Application No. PCT/US10/24498, filed Feb.
17, 2010 and titled APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING NUCLEATION
DURING ELECTROLYSIS; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/707,656,
filed Feb. 17, 2010 and titled APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR GAS CAPTURE
DURING ELECTROLYSIS; and PCT Application No. PCT/US10/24499, filed
Feb. 17, 2010 and titled APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING
NUCLEATION DURING ELECTROLYSIS; each of which claims priority to
and the benefit of the following applications: U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 61/153,253, filed Feb. 17, 2009 and titled
FULL SPECTRUM ENERGY; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.
61/237,476, filed Aug. 27, 2009 and titled ELECTROLYZER AND ENERGY
INDEPENDENCE TECHNOLOGIES; U.S. Provisional Application No.
61/304,403, filed Feb. 13, 2010 and titled FULL SPECTRUM ENERGY AND
RESOURCE INDEPENDENCE. Each of these applications is incorporated
by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Renewable resources for producing electricity are often
intermittent. Solar energy is a daytime event and the daytime
solar-energy-concentration potential varies seasonally. Wind energy
is highly variable. Falling water varies seasonally and is subject
to extended drought. Biomass is seasonally variant and subject to
droughts. Dwellings have greatly varying demands including daily,
seasonal, and occasional energy consumption rates. Throughout the
world, energy that could be delivered by hydroelectric plants, wind
farms, biomass conversion and solar collectors is neglected or
wasted because of the lack of a practical way to save energy or
electricity until it is needed. Demand by a growing world
population for energy has grown to the point of requiring more oil
and other fossil resources than can be produced. Cities suffer from
smog and global climate changes caused by the combustion of fossil
fuels.
[0003] Also, burgeoning demands have developed for hydrogen,
oxygen, carbon, and other products that can be provided by
thermochemistry or electrolytic dissociation of feedstocks such as
water, biomass wastes, or organic acids derived from biowaste. For
example, the global market for hydrogen is more than $40 billion,
and includes ammonia production, refineries, chemical manufacturing
and food processing.
[0004] Electro-chemical production of fuels, metals, non-metals,
and other valuable chemicals has been limited by expensive
electricity, low electrolyzer efficiency, high maintenance costs,
and cumbersome requirements for energy intensive operations such as
compressive pumping of produced gases to desired transmission,
storage, and application pressures. Efforts to provide technology
for reducing these problems are noted and incorporated hereby in
publications such as "Hydrogen Production From Water By Means of
Chemical Cycles," by Glandt, Eduardo D., and Myers, Allan L.,
Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. 19174; Industrial Engineering
Chemical Process Development, Vol. 15, No. 1, 1976; "Hydrogen As A
Future Fuel, by Gregory, D.P., Institute of Gas Technology; and
"Adsorption Science and Technology": Proceedings of the Second
Pacific Basin Conference on Adsorption Science and Technology:
Brisbane, Australia, 14-18 May 2000, By D. Do Duong, Duong D. Do,
Contributor Duong D. Do, Published by World Scientific, 2000; ISBN
9810242638, 9789810242633.
[0005] Electrolyzers that allow hydrogen to mix with oxygen present
the potential hazard of spontaneous fire or explosion. Efforts
including low and high pressure electrolyzers that utilize
expensive semi-permeable membrane separation of the gas production
electrodes fail to provide cost-effective production of hydrogen
and are prone to degradation and failure due to poisoning by
impurities. Even in instances that membrane separation is utilized,
the potential danger exists for membrane rupture and fire or
explosion due to mixing of high-pressure oxygen and hydrogen.
[0006] Some commercial electrolyzers use expensive porous
electrodes between which is an electrolytic proton exchange
membrane (PEM) that only conducts hydrogen ions. (See Proton Energy
Company and the Electrolyzer Company of Canada.) This limits the
electrode efficiency because of polarization losses, gas
accumulation, and reduction of available electrode area for the
dissociation of water that can reach the interface of the
electrodes and PEM electrolyte. Along with the limited electrode
efficiency are other difficult problems including membrane ruptures
due to the pressure difference between the oxygen and hydrogen
outlets, membrane poisoning due to impurities in the make-up water,
irreversible membrane degradation due to contaminants or slight
overheating of the membrane, membrane degradation or rupture if the
membrane is allowed to dry out while not in service, and
degradation of electrodes at the membrane interface due to
corrosion by one or more inducements such as concentration cell
formation, galvanic cells between catalysts and bulk electrode
material, and ground loops. Layering of electrode and PEM materials
provide built in stagnation of the reactants or products of the
reaction to cause inefficient operation. PEM electrochemical cells
require expensive membrane material, surfactants, and catalysts.
PEM cells are easily poisoned, overheated, flooded or dried out and
pose operational hazards due to membrane leakage or rupture.
[0007] In addition to inefficiencies, problems with such systems
include parasitic losses, expensive electrodes or catalysts and
membranes, low energy conversion efficiency, expensive maintenance,
and high operating costs. Compressors or more expensive membrane
systems are situationally required to pressurize hydrogen and
oxygen and other products of electrolysis. Corollaries of the last
mentioned problem are unacceptable maintenance requirements, high
repair expenses, and substantial decommissioning costs.
[0008] It is therefore an object of some embodiments of the present
invention to provide systems and methods for sustainable economic
development through integrated full spectrum production of
renewable energy, which can include the use of an electrochemical
or electrolytic cell, and a method of use thereof, for separated
production of gases, including pressurized hydrogen and oxygen,
that tolerates impurities and products of operation and that is
reversible to address one or more of the problems with current
methods set forth above.
SUMMARY
[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for
providing an energy supply using a renewable energy source is
provided comprising: providing a first source of renewable energy,
wherein the first source of renewable energy is intermittent or
does not provide a sufficient amount of energy; providing energy
from the first source of renewable energy to an electrolyzer to
produce an energy carrier through electrolysis; selectably
reversing the electrolyzer for use as a fuel cell; and providing
the energy carrier to the electrolyzer for the production of
energy.
[0010] In another embodiment, a system for providing a
substantially continuous energy supply using renewable energy
resources is provided comprising: a first source of renewable
energy; an electrolyzer coupled to the first source of renewable
energy for producing an energy carrier, wherein the electrolyzer is
configured for selectably reversible operation as a fuel cell using
the energy carrier as a fuel; a energy carrier storage coupled to
the electrolyzer for receiving the energy carrier from the
electrolyzer or providing the energy carrier to the electrolyzer;
and an energy storage coupled to the first source of renewable
energy and the electrolyzer for selectively receiving energy from
the first source of renewable energy and the electrolyzer and for
selective providing energy from the first source of renewable
energy and the electrolyzer.
[0011] In yet another embodiment, a system for providing a
substantially continuous energy supply using renewable energy
resources is provided comprising: a first source of renewable
energy; an electrolyzer coupled to the first source of renewable
energy for producing methane, wherein the electrolyzer is
configured for selectably reversible operation as a fuel cell; a
methane storage coupled to the electrolyzer for receiving the
methane from the electrolyzer or providing the methane to the
electrolyzer; and an energy storage coupled to the first source of
renewable energy and the electrolyzer for selectively receiving
energy from the first source of renewable energy and the
electrolyzer and for selective providing energy from the first
source of renewable energy and the electrolyzer.
[0012] Other features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent from the following detailed description. It should
be understood, however, that the detailed description and the
specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiments of
the present invention, are given by way of illustration only, since
various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of
the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the
art from this detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0013] FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating a system of
integrated energy, agribusiness and industrial sustainable economic
development in accordance with aspects of the disclosure.
[0014] FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating a system of
integrated production of sustainable economic development in
accordance with aspects of the disclosure.
[0015] FIG. 1C is a schematic illustrating a land-based system of
integrated production of sustainable economic development in
accordance with aspects of the disclosure.
[0016] FIG. 1D is a schematic diagram illustrating an ocean-based
system of integrated production of sustainable economic development
in accordance with aspects of the disclosure.
[0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of certain components of
a system operated in accordance with the principles of the present
invention.
[0018] FIG. 2 provides partial longitudinal sections of system
components of an embodiment that is operated in accordance with the
present invention.
[0019] FIG. 3 provides partial longitudinal sections of system
components of an embodiment that is operated in accordance with the
present invention.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of integrated components
of a system operated in accordance with the principles of the
present invention.
[0021] FIG. 5 shows a section view of an embodiment of the system
of FIG. 4.
[0022] FIG. 6 shows a section view of another embodiment of the
system of FIG. 4.
[0023] FIG. 7 shows a schematic illustration of an embodiment that
is operated in accordance with the principles of the present
invention.
[0024] FIG. 8 shows details of an embodiment of FIG. 7.
[0025] FIG. 9 shows details of processes to accomplish objectives
in accordance with the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 10 illustrates processes operations in accordance with
the present invention.
[0027] FIG. 11 shows processes in accordance with the purpose of
the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 12 schematically illustrates embodiments of the present
invention.
[0029] FIG. 1B shows an electrolytic cell in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0030] FIG. 2B shows a magnified view of a portion of the
embodiment of FIG. 1.
[0031] FIG. 3B shows a variation of the embodiment of FIG. 2.
[0032] FIG. 4B shows an electrolytic cell in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0033] FIG. 5B a magnified view of an alternative embodiment for a
portion of electrolytic cell of FIG. 4.
[0034] FIG. 6B shows a cross-section of a spiral electrode for use
in a reversible fuel-cell.
[0035] FIG. 7B shows a system for converting organic feedstocks
such as those produced by photosynthesis into methane, hydrogen,
and or carbon dioxide.
[0036] FIG. 8B shows a system for converting organic feedstocks
such as those produced by photosynthesis into methane, hydrogen,
and or carbon dioxide.
[0037] FIG. 9B shows a system for converting organic feedstocks
such as those produced by photosynthesis into methane, hydrogen,
and or carbon dioxide.
[0038] FIG. 10B shows a method for manufacturing an electrode in
accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0039] The present application incorporates by reference in its
entirety the subject matter of U.S. Provisional Patent Application
No. 60/626,021, filed Nov. 9, 2004 and titled MULTIFUEL STORAGE,
METERING AND IGNITION SYSTEM (Attorney Docket No. 69545-8013US).
The present application incorporates by reference in their entirety
the subject matter of each of the following U.S. patent
applications, filed concurrently herewith on Aug. 16, 2010 and
titled: METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR DETECTION OF PROPERTIES OF
FLUID CONVEYANCE SYSTEMS (Attorney Docket No. 69545-8003US);
COMPREHENSIVE COST MODELING OF AUTOGENOUS SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES FOR
THE PRODUCTION OF ENERGY, MATERIAL RESOURCES AND NUTRIENT REGIMES
(Attorney Docket No. 69545-8025US); ELECTROLYTIC CELL AND METHOD OF
USE THEREOF (Attorney Docket No. 69545-8026US); SUSTAINABLE
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INTEGRATED PRODUCTION OF RENEWABLE
ENERGY, MATERIALS RESOURCES, AND NUTRIENT REGIMES (Attorney Docket
No. 69545-8040US); SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH
INTEGRATED FULL SPECTRUM PRODUCTION OF RENEWABLE MATERIAL RESOURCES
(Attorney Docket No. 69545-8042US); METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR
INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF SUPPLEMENTED OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY
CONVERSION (SOTEC) (Attorney Docket No. 69545-8044US); GAS HYDRATE
CONVERSION SYSTEM FOR HARVESTING HYDROCARBON HYDRATE DEPOSITS
(Attorney Docket No. 69545-8045US); APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR
STORING AND/OR FILTERING A SUBSTANCE (Attorney Docket No.
69545-8046US); ENERGY SYSTEM FOR DWELLING SUPPORT (Attorney Docket
No. 69545-8047US); ENERGY CONVERSION ASSEMBLIES AND ASSOCIATED
METHODS OF USE AND MANUFACTURE (Attorney Docket No. 69545-8048US);
and INTERNALLY REINFORCED STRUCTURAL COMPOSITES AND ASSOCIATED
METHODS OF MANUFACTURING (69545-8049US).
[0040] In order to fully understand the manner in which the
above-recited details and other advantages and objects according to
the invention are obtained, a more detailed description of the
invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments
thereof.
[0041] FIG. 1A shows the Full Spectrum Integrated Production System
100, composed of three interrelated systems, that include The Full
Spectrum Energy Park 200 for Renewable Energy Production and
Materials Resource Extraction, The Full Spectrum Agribusiness
Network 300 for Renewable Nutrient Regimes (human, animal and plant
nutrition) and Energy Feedstock Production (biomass, biowaste and
biofuel), and Full Spectrum Industrial Park 400 for Sustainable
Materials Resource Production and Zero Emissions Manufacturing.
[0042] FIG. 1A shows system 100 as the integration of systems 200,
300, and 400 to enable exchange of energy, materials and
information among these systems. System 100 integration, and
particularly methods within system 200, utilizes the thermodynamic
properties of multiple interrelated heat engines thermally coupled
to form a thermodynamic whole-system in order to function
effectively as a very large heat engine, which is able to achieve
increased beneficial production capacity and efficiency. Within
system 100, system 200 is particularly dedicated to achieve
synergistic linkage among solar thermal, geothermal, ocean thermal,
and engine thermal sources so as to increase the total available
renewable energy output of the particular site location, and to
provide energy and extracted material resources to systems 300 and
400.
[0043] The Full Spectrum Energy Park 200 is thermally coupled to
function effectively as a single large heat engine, whose systems
and subsystems are interrelated to establish energy cascades, using
working fluids that are heated in two or more stages. The total
available renewable energy output of system 200 is increased by
systematically moving working fluids between solar, geologic,
engine, and other thermal sources to achieve a cascade effect to
optimize the thermodynamic properties (such as temperature,
pressure, purity, phase shift, and efficiency of energy conversion)
of a working fluid. Energy output of one stage is re-invested in
key processes of another stage so as to operate in a regenerative
or autogenous manner with increased efficiency and economy of
operation.
[0044] Full Spectrum Energy Park 200 functions include: harvesting,
conversion and storage of kinetic, thermal, and radiant energy
forms among renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, moving
water, geothermal, biomass, and internal combustion engines so as
to establish autogenous or regenerative energy cascades among the
systems to create aggregating and synergistic benefits that cannot
be achieved by harvesting, conversion and storage of any one
renewal energy source alone. Autogenous or regenerative energy
methods are practiced in systems 200, 300, and 400. Further, system
200 is directed to materials resource extraction of numerous
chemicals for use in systems 300 and 400. For example,
thermochemical regeneration is used as a means of extracting carbon
as a raw material (extraction can take place in systems 200, 300
and 400) for subsequent manufacturing production of durable goods
at system 400. In another example, thermochemical regeneration can
also be used as a means of extracting nitrogen and trace minerals
for subsequent manufacturing production of plant fertilizers for
use in system 300. Further, system 200 is directed to biowaste,
biomass and biofuel conversion, typically to achieve bio-methane
gas and/or hydrogen gas storage, transport and use on-demand at
systems 200, 300 and 400 as fuels for internal combustion engines
and/or fuel cells for electrical power generation and/or
transportation.
[0045] The manipulation of solar thermal, geothermal, ocean
thermal, and engine thermal sources provides a highly adaptive
integrated platform for installations of system 100 at various
climate regions of location, and installations that are both
land-based and ocean-based. Engineering for increased location
adaptability thereby significantly increases the total availability
of renewable energy harvesting, and thus provides an economically
viable solution for local, regional, national and global
economies.
[0046] Food production at system 300 can be installed on both land
and ocean sites. Crop farms, cattle farms, ranches, industrial
production facilities for pork and chicken, fresh water fisheries,
ocean fisheries, dairy farms, and so on can be linked to system 200
as consumers of the energy produced in system 200, but in turn
produce waste by-products which are diverted to system 200 for
conversion to renewable energy and renewable materials resources.
Further, system 300 is directed to increased Energy Feedstock
Production for such biofuel crops, such as algae, switch grass and
other crops to increase the viability of photosynthesis-based
energy harvesting. Method and apparatus for water production,
purification, and conservation are used in each of the systems of
production 200, 300 and 400. However, these are important
components of system 300 in order to satisfy requirements for large
quantities of water in food production and to overcome the
documented problem of unsustainability due to waste and fouling of
water by conventional food production practices.
[0047] System integration increases capacity for
"sustainability"--defined as increased production of energy,
material resources and nutrient regimes using renewable methods to
avoid depletion of natural resources and reduce or eliminate
destructive environmental impact such as pollution and toxic
emissions as by-products of production. Sustainability requires
methods of production for energy, materials, and food that are
viable for the long-term wellbeing of future generations, not just
the immediate short-term benefit of current consumers.
[0048] System integration enables the increase in production
capacity for "economic scalability"--defined as significant
increase of production of energy, materials, and food that is
achieved by the ability to replicate numerous aggregative
installation sites, and to increase the number of available site
locations by greatly improved adaptability to the diverse climate
regions (i.e., adaptively harvesting renewable energy by
accommodating the varied resource characteristics of temperate,
tropical and arctic climates). Such economic scalability is
required to increase the earth's carrying capacity to sustain
continued rapid human population growth, and rapidly increasing
energy requirements of developing nations. For successful use, such
production methods and locations must be immediately usable, and
must present an economically viable alternative to current
production means of energy, materials, and food production as
compared to using conventional fossil fuel and/or nuclear energy
sources.
[0049] System integration further enables a zero-emissions and
zero-waste method of energy production 200, materials production
400, and food production 300, wherein: organic waste generated in
the system 300 that would otherwise be burned, buried, or dumped in
landfills, aquifers, streams, oceans, or emitted into the
atmosphere as pollutants is instead systematically channeled into
biomass, biowaste, and biofuel conversion systems as found in
system 200; energy and material resource extraction in system 200
is passed to system 400 for production of durable goods; energy and
material resource extraction in system 200 is also passed to system
300 for production of nutrient regimes for humans, animals and
plant life on land and ocean.
[0050] System integration establishes a single unit of economic
production that intentionally links energy production with food
production and materials resource production in such a way that
these function as an interdependent whole.
[0051] The Full Spectrum Integrated Production System is thus
suitable for installation in locations or communities where no
comparable renewable energy infrastructure currently exists, or
where manufacturing capabilities are deficient and unemployment is
the norm, or where food production is deficient and poverty and
malnourishment is the norm. The goal of introducing this unified
method of economic production is to enable increases in gross
domestic product (GDP) with the increased quality of life that
accompanies GDP, and systematic job creation with the improved
quality of life that accompanies meaningful employment.
[0052] Furthermore, system integration establishes a single unit of
economic production that intentionally links waste management with
energy conversion practices so that they function as an
interdependent whole to interrupt conventional waste practices of
burn, bury, and dump that lead to pollution and environmental
degradation.
[0053] The Full Spectrum Integrated Production System introduces
use of sustainable waste-to-energy conversion as an integrated
practice across the whole system. The goal of this integrated
system is to protect the natural environment, conserve finite
natural resources, reduce communicable disease, and reduce land,
water and air pollution (including reduction in greenhouse gas
drivers of climate change, such as methane and CO2).
[0054] The Full Spectrum Integrated Production System 100 provides
a means to achieve an "industrial ecology," in which the
human-systems production environment mimics natural ecosystems:
where energy and materials flow among systems and wastes become
inputs for new processes in a closed-loop manner, yet the whole
system is open to the renewable, sustainable energy provided by sun
(solar thermal), earth (geothermal), ocean (ocean thermal), and
biomass conversion (engine thermal) systems.
[0055] FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating a Full Spectrum
Integrated Production System 100 of sustainable economic
development, which includes the production of energy (e.g.,
electricity and fuels) concurrent with the production of nutrient
regimes (e.g., products for human, animal, or plant nutrition) and
the production of materials resources (e.g., hydrogen and carbon).
The system 100 is comprised of integrated and interdependent
sub-systems with adaptive control of autogenous cascading energy
conversions that captures and reinvests some or all of the energy,
substances and/or byproducts of each sub-system. Thus, the
continued operation of the system 100 is sustained with the
introduction of minimal or no external energy or materials
resources. The system 100 is an example of industrial ecology which
facilitates sustainable economic development, such as the
harnessing of renewable energy, the production of foods, and the
production of materials resources, which is greater production of
energy, foods, and materials resources than is achievable using
conventional techniques, among other benefits.
[0056] A Full Spectrum Energy Park 200 coordinates methods of
capturing energy from renewable sources 210 (e.g., solar, wind,
moving water, geothermal, rejected heat) with methods of producing
energy from renewable feedstocks 220 (e.g., biowaste 320, biomass
310) and methods of producing materials resources (e.g., hydrogen
230, carbon 240, other materials resources such as trace minerals
250, pure water 260). Energy is stored, retrieved, and transported
using methods of adaptive control of autogenous cascading energy
conversions that generate a multiplier effect in the production of
energy. During the energy harvesting and production processes,
materials resources (e.g., hydrogen and carbon) are extracted from
biowaste and biomass feedstocks used in the production of renewable
energy. The Full Spectrum Energy Park 200 stores, retrieves,
transports, monitors, and controls said energy and said resources
to achieve improved efficiencies in the production of energy,
materials resources, and nutrient regimes.
[0057] Some of the produced energy 210, 220 is provided to the Full
Spectrum Agribusiness Network 300. Some of the produced energy 210,
220 is provided to the Full Spectrum Industrial Park 400. Some of
the produced energy 210, 220 is reinvested in the Full Spectrum
Energy Park 200. Some of the produced energy 201, 220 is provided
to external recipients and/or added to the national electricity
grid and/or the national gas pipeline.
[0058] A Full Spectrum Agribusiness Network 300 receives renewable
energy produced by the Full Spectrum Energy Park 200 to power the
functions of farming, animal husbandry, and fishery sub-systems.
This includes renewable fuels for farm equipment, vehicles, boats
and ships, and electricity for light, heat, mechanical equipment,
and so on.
[0059] The Full Spectrum Agribusiness Network 300 receives
materials resources and byproducts such as other materials
resources (e.g., trace minerals 250) and pure water 260 produced by
the Full Spectrum Energy Park 200 to enrich nutrient regimes in
farming, animal husbandry, and fishery sub-systems and to produce
increased efficiencies in the production of plant crops 340 and
animal crops 350.
[0060] The Full Spectrum Agribusiness Network 300 harvests energy
feedstock and supplies it to the Full Spectrum Energy Park 200 for
use in the production of renewable energy. Suitable feedstock
includes biomass 310 (e.g., crop slash), biowaste 320 (e.g.,
sewage, agricultural waste water, meat packing wastes, effluent
from fisheries), biofuel stock 330 (e.g., algae, switchgrass), and
so on.
[0061] A Full Spectrum Industrial Park 400 ruses renewable energy
produced by the Full Spectrum Energy Park 200 to power the
functions of sustainable materials resources production and
zero-emissions manufacturing. This includes renewable fuels for
internal combustion engines (e.g., stationary engines, vehicles)
and electricity for light, heat, mechanical equipment, and so
on.
[0062] The Full Spectrum Industrial Park 400 invests materials
resources 230, 240 and byproducts 250 received from the Full
Spectrum Energy Park 200 to produce additional materials resources
(e.g., designer carbon 420 and industrial diamonds 430).
[0063] The Full Spectrum Industrial Park 400 uses materials
resources and byproducts received from the Full Spectrum Energy
Park 200 to manufacture products such as carbon-based green energy
machines 410, including solar thermal devices 410, wind turbines
410, water turbines 410, electrolyzers 410, internal combustion
engines and generators 410, automobile, ship and truck parts 440,
semiconductors 450, nanotechnologies 460, farm and fishery
equipment 470, and so on.
[0064] The Full Spectrum Industrial Park 400 provides some or all
of these products and byproducts to the Full Spectrum Energy Park
200 and the Full Spectrum Agribusiness Network 300.
[0065] The Full Spectrum Energy Park 200 uses solar thermal devices
410, wind turbines 410, water turbines 410, electrolyzers 410,
internal combustion engines and generators 410, and so on that are
produced and provided by the Full Spectrum Industrial Park 400 to
produce renewable energy.
[0066] The Full Spectrum Agribusiness Network 300 uses internal
combustion engines and generators 410, farm and fishery equipment
470 and other devices produced and provided by the Full Spectrum
Industrial Park 400 to produce nutrient regimes.
[0067] The energy produced by the Full Spectrum Integrated
Production System 100 provides power for all the sub-systems,
including reinvesting energy to drive the further production of
renewable energy. Concurrently, some or all of the products and
byproducts produced in the system 100 are invested in the functions
of all the sub-systems. At the same time, the wastes produced by
the system 100 are captured and used as feedstock for the functions
of all the sub-systems. The integrated and interdependent
sub-systems use adaptive controls to manage autogenous cascading
energy conversions and autogenous regeneration of materials
resources. Thus, the system constantly reinvests renewable energy,
sustainable materials resources, and other byproducts into the
different sources and processes of the sub-systems (Energy Park,
Agribusiness Network, Industrial Park). In this manner, the system
100 harnesses larger amounts of the supplied energy and resource
from various resources within the system than is achievable with
conventional means. This industrial symbiosis generates a
multiplying effect on the amounts of various resources and energy
harvested from renewable feedstock and byproduct sources within the
system, adding value, reducing costs, and improving the
environment, among other benefits.
[0068] FIG. 1C is a schematic illustration of a Full Spectrum
Integrated Production System 100 showing various exemplary
functional zones for a land-based system; FIG. 1D is a schematic
illustration of a Full Spectrum Integrated Production System 100
showing various exemplary functional zones for an ocean-based
system. The systems shown include an integrated production system
on land or ocean with adaptive control of cascading energy
conversions and autogenous regeneration of materials resources and
production of nutrient regimes. The system includes functional
zones for purposes of harvesting and/or generating energy from
renewable sources and harvesting material resources from renewable
feedstocks that store, retrieve, transport, monitor and control the
energy and material resources to achieve improved efficiencies in
the production of energy, material resources, and nutrient regimes.
Table 1 below expands on exemplary outputs, systems and means
associated with the illustrative functional zones.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Full Spectrum Integrated Production System
Functional Zones Full Spectrum An integrated production system on
land or ocean with adaptive control Integrated of cascading energy
conversions and autogenous regeneration of materials Production
System resources and production of nutrient regimes. The system
includes Functional Zones functional zones for purposes of:
harvesting and/or generating energy from renewable sources
harvesting material resources from renewable feedstocks that
stores, retrieves, transports, monitors, and controls said energy
and material resources to achieve improved efficiencies in the
production of energy, material resources, and nutrient regimes.
Zone Outputs Systems and Means Energy Harvesting Harvested
renewable energy solar thermal devices Zone from sources such as:
wind turbines solar moving water turbines wind, heat conversion
devices geothermal electrolyzers moving water adaptive control of
autogenous biomass & biowaste cascading energy conversions
engine thermal rejected heat Energy Production Renewable:
hydrogen-fueled internal Zone electricity combustion engines
gaseous fuels (e.g., hydrogen, generators methane, CNG)
biomass/biowaste conversion liquid fuels (e.g., methane, systems
biodiesel, HyBoost) electrolyzers energy carrier feedstock Geologic
Storage amplification of heat energy geothermal reservoirs and
Retrieval in stored gases wind turbines Zone reclamation of
existing gas pressurization systems chemical and trace mineral heat
conversion devices resources mitigation of the variability of
renewable energy sources (e.g., solar, wind) Energy Transport
Delivery of: energy storage and filtration Zone scalable on-demand
electricity system gaseous fuels (e.g., hydrogen, pressurized
hydrogen and methane, CNG) other gases liquid fuels (e.g., methane,
hydrogen-fueled trucks, biodiesel, hydrogen-enriched barges, ships,
and trains fuel) gas pipeline grid energy carrier feedstock
electricity grid materials resources feedstock Biowaste/Biomass
energy biodigesters Conversion Zone fuels electrolyzers energy
carrier feedstock materials resources feedstock Agricultural Zone
human, animal, and plan Farms and fisheries with: nutrition
controlled micro-climates plant crops nutrient regimes such as
trace animal crops minerals and other materials biofuel resources
to enrich soil and biomass water biowaste water reclamation
integrated biomass and biowaste harvesting Material Resources
chemical and mineral autogenous regeneration of Production Zone
byproducts (e.g., hydrogen, materials resources from methane,
oxides of carbon, carrier feedstock oxides of nitrogen,
petrochemicals, ash, nitrogen) additional byproducts (e.g.,
hydrogen, carbon, designer carbons, oxygen, ammonia, fertilizer,
methanol) Industrial Park Green machines such as: pre-manufacturing
preparation Manufacturing solar thermal devices of feedstock Zone
wind turbines materials resources production moving water turbines
zero-emissions manufacturing heat conversion devices using
renewable hydrogen- electrolyzers fueled internal combustion
polymer thin films engines (stationary, vehicle) engines and
generators Other industrial goods: designer carbon industrial
diamonds auto, truck, train, & ship parts semiconductors
nanotechnologies farm & fishery equipment Consumer durable
goods Water water production of new water Management Zone
controlled aquatic micro- purification of water climate for system
processes reclamation of water conservation of water heat sink
using water adaptive control of water within the system Control and
Macro coordination of embedded sensing devices in Coordination Zone
information across zones to all zones achieve task of zero
emissions computer monitoring and production of energy, material
control using the embedded resources and nutrient regimes sensing
devices automation robotics information/data management at
microscopic levels Education specialized cross-disciplinary
integrated training in cross- Technology Zone skill development of
disciplinary fields workforce application, monitoring, and job
creation at each performance support in the installation site Full
Spectrum Integrated new kinds of energy sector Production System
jobs appropriate to integrated environment renewable energy
production, renewable material resource production, and renewable
nutrient regime production
[0069] FIG. 1 shows a system 2 by which a suitable gas-expansion
motor or engine 4 drives a load such as an electricity generator 5
as shown. Vapors and/or gases leaving expander 4 are conveyed by
conduit 6 to heat exchanger 8 for delivery of heat not converted
into work by expander 4. Heat exchanger 8 is representative and
typical of one or more suitable subsystems to deliver heat to
applications such as anaerobic digestion regarding heat additions
that may be needed for operation of embodiment 72 of FIG. 2,
clothes drying, water heating and space heating for dwellings,
melting ice on sidewalks and roadways, various industrial
applications requiring heat, drying, curing, and/or
dehumidification, and commercial applications such heating water
and heat-driven refrigeration, and/or rejection to atmospheric air,
evaporatively-cooled atmospheric air, a stream, a lake, or sea
water.
[0070] Upon removal of sufficient heat by one or more heat
exchanges typified at (8), the working fluid is conditioned as a
condensate to develop a fluid column or "head" for delivery by
conduit 10 to propel fluid motor 14 which is at a lower elevation
such as a location below a formation seal 12 in an application with
an integral electrical generator. After establishment of the liquid
pressure head in conduit 10 fluid motor 14 converts the potential
energy of fluid in column 10 into shaft power. In instances that
fluid delivered to motor 14 receives heat from a suitable source
such as a geothermal formation the working fluid may be vaporized
or superheated as it propels motor 14. After this energy conversion
step, liquid and/or vapor working fluid exiting from motor 14 is
then delivered to further extents of the geothermal formation for
re-heating as generally shown by travel path 16. In certain
formations it is preferred to utilize one or more horizontal bores
towards or to a collection well at 18 for return of heated fluid by
insulated conduit 20 to the surface 22. In other instances with
suitable geothermal formations it is adequate to provide a
side-by-side or coaxial flow of heated working fluid in the same
well that down flow of liquid occurs.
[0071] After reaching the surface the heated working fluid is
routed by conduits 23 and 25 to valves 34 and 24 to one or more
optional heat sources such as heat engine 32 or another heat source
such as solar heater 30. During times that further heating can be
gainfully achieved, the working fluid is routed through valves 34
or 24 to one or more heat exchangers such as 28 and or 36 to
receive heat additions from higher temperature sources such as a
heat engine 32 or by a suitable solar trap or concentrator 30 as
shown. This enables system 2 to achieve higher annual energy
conversion capacity and thermal efficiency as a result of such
hybridized augmentation of heat transfers of situationally
available heat after primary geothermal heat transfer at formation
16.
[0072] The hybridized system components shown also enable many new
modes of operation including much longer dwell time of working
fluid that is reheated as it is stored in formation 16 between peak
periods of demand for fuel or electricity. This enables a greater
portion of the geothermal formation to deliver heat to the working
fluid and thus a higher temperature to be achieved. Further
improvements in the efficiency of system 2 occurs when engine
generator 32 is used for meeting peak demands and thus greater
amounts of heat can be supplied to the working fluid through heat
exchanger circuits provided by operation of valve 34 and heat
exchanger 36 as shown for recovery of heat rejected by a heat
source such as engine 32.
[0073] An embodiment of the invention is delivery of vapors and/or
gaseous working fluid to provide expansive work in a suitable motor
4 or 52 which delivers depressurized fluid to the highest practical
altitude such as applications with combined functions with suitable
broadcast towers 50 and wind generators 38, hill tops or mountain
ridges 25 to facilitate condensation by heat exchanger(s) 8 or 40
for the purpose of conditioning the working fluid by development
the greatest fluid head or vertical height above mixed phase or
liquid motor(s) such as 14 or 44. Important improvements on the
thermodynamic cycle such as the Rankine-cycle are achieved by
development of a dense if not liquid working fluid at considerable
height from the zone where work is done by the pressure and kinetic
energy of such working fluid at a location near the area where the
working fluid is reheated and vaporized. Thus the down-hole energy
conversion subsystem 44 can be a liquid impelled motor, a device
that harnesses the kinetic energy and pressure of mixed phases of
working fluid, or a vapor expansion device that is located in a
zone that receives sufficient geothermal heat to produce the
desired phase or phases while maintaining or increasing the
pressure of such phases. This considerably increases the energy
conversion capacity and efficiency of system 2 and similar
arrangements that accomplish such hybridization improvements of
Rankine-cycle operation wherein such liquid is produced at an
altitude provided by an embodiment such as a wind turbine tower, a
hill or other topographical feature at elevated altitude, a
communication tower, and an erected tower.
[0074] Generally wind turbine-generators 38 produce more energy if
they are placed high above the surface to receive the highest
velocity winds. Placing heat exchanger 40 at or near the top of
such wind turbine towers improves the cooling capacity for
appropriately conditioning the desired phase of the working fluid
and avoids many of the causes of ground-level fouling and it
provides greater height of fluid column 42 which is delivered to
motor-generator 44 by an insulated conduit within coaxial conduit
48 as shown. After energy conversion by motor generator 44 such
expansively-cooled liquids and or vapors leaving 44 are heated by
the surrounding geothermal formation 46 to produce vapors that are
conveyed by insulated conduit 48 to motor generator 52 as shown,
Fluids exiting from expander 52 are delivered to condenser 40 by
conduit 54 as shown.
[0075] It is preferred to provide for reversible operation of fluid
motor 14 as a fluid pump or motor for purposes of enabling it to
occasionally operate as an electric motor driven pump to deliver
fluids including chemical agents from source 128 of FIG. 2 into the
geoformation served. By providing the appropriate manifolding and
valve operation, the purposes of improving performance and
maintenance operations that may be needed by the various
geoformations as described regarding the systems of FIGS. 1, 2, and
3 are achieved.
[0076] In many instances the systems of FIGS. 1, 2 and/or 3 are
sufficiently related by operations and the subsurface formation to
provide considerable improvement by such operations. However it is
practical and often anticipated and encouraged to the operate
system of FIG. 1 at considerable distance from the system of FIG. 2
and to provide agents from a subsystem with storage similar to
supply tank 128 with occasional use of pump 14 to assist the
delivery of such agents to improve the operation of the systems of
FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0077] As an illustration of hybridization opportunities on nearly
every continent for seasonal enhancement of geothermal energy,
Table 1 shows that substantial summer energy is available in the
longer days and relatively clear-sky conditions such as the
Fairbanks area of central Alaska and other northern plains areas
compared to warmer areas such as Gainesville, Fla. The Fairbanks
area of Alaska and similar areas in Canada receive more solar
energy during the long days of sunny summers than eight of the
"seemingly warmer" cities of North America as shown.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 1 Comparisons of Kilowatt-Hours/Square Meter
At Various U.S. Locations STATE CITY HIGH LOW AVERAGE AK Fairbanks
5.87 2.12 3.99 AL Montgomery 4.69 3.37 4.23 AR Little Rock 5.29
3.88 4.69 CA Davis 6.09 3.31 5.10 CO Boulder 5.72 4.44 4.87 FL
Gainesville 5.81 4.71 5.27 IN Indianapolis 5.02 2.55 4.21 OR
Astoria 4.76 1.99 3.72 PA Pittsburgh 4.19 1.45 3.28 WV Charleston
4.12 2.47 3.65
[0078] Thus, where substantial geothermal energy is available,
including wells for purposes such as producing oil and natural gas,
disposing of brine or returning natural gas, and in the instances
of depleted oil and natural gas wells that access formations that
are at elevated temperature, it is worthwhile to provide primary
geothermal heating of the working fluid followed by further heating
by situationally available higher temperature solar-collection
sources. Such opportunities may also involve occasional heat
rejection by industrial plants or by heat engines such as piston
engines, gas turbines and/or steam turbine systems 32 including
heat engines that operate to meet peak loads and must reject large
amounts of heat.
[0079] Such solar, industrial or peaking-engine augmentation of
geothermal energy that provides heating of selected working fluids
such as mixture of 2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropanol and water and/or
alcohols such as methanol, ammonia, propane, or Freon to a higher
temperature can substantially increase the annual energy production
and efficiency of energy conversion systems such as shown in FIG.
1. In many instances that sufficient depth of geothermal formation
exists with desired thermal diffusivity it is preferred to deliver
liquid working fluid to fluid motor 44 by conduit 42 for energy
conversion and to return the heated and vaporized working fluid
through conduit 48 for vapor expansion and energy conversion by
motor 52 as a closed working fluid system without allowing the
working fluid to contact the formation. In other instances it is
preferred to arrange for intimate contact of selected working
fluids with the geothermal formation to encourage the formation to
yield valuable substances that may be extracted or separated from
the working fluid at the surface.
[0080] In addition there are critical needs for improved
utilization of renewable energy along with energy conservation in
southern area climates of the southern hemisphere such as Patagonia
and the Kalahari and similarly in northern area climates of the
northern hemisphere such as found in parts of Alaska, Canada,
Scotland, Scandinavia, Russia and in parts of western Asia. These
areas often encounter peak demands in the winter season instead of
the summer when abundant solar energy is available.
[0081] In such instances it is opportune to improve on or overcome
Brayton-cycle limitations due to the large fraction of internally
provided motive potential to power a gas or vapor compressor
devices. FIG. 2 shows how a high pressure gas is produced
substantially by conversion of a liquid to a gas at sufficiently
elevated pressure for compact storage and/or for storage in a
geological formation that has considerable down-hole pressure
and/or impedance to fluid entry. Electrolyzer 66 provides
pressurized hydrogen and/or carbon dioxide to establish a formation
drive and to pressurize deliveries of inventories of methane and/or
carbon dioxide from sources such as digester 72. Fluids including
mixtures of substances that receives heat from formation 86 provide
much greater net capacity for work by expansion in device 94 as
shown in FIG. 2.
[0082] FIG. 2 shows a system 60 for generating a storable fuel such
as hydrogen or methane from methane hydrate deposits and/or
anaerobic digester 72 and such hydrogen and/or methane is
preferably cyclically or continuously pressurized by higher
pressure gases produced by electrolyzer 66 and/or a suitable
mechanical compressor 122 and delivered through valves 130 and/or
68 to pressure regulator 104 for distribution by pipeline 102 to
markets at considerable distance or delivered to geological
formation 86 by conduit 82 for intermittent short-term or long-term
storage. In operation, electricity generated by system 2 and/or
other sources is transmitted through grid 62 to power conditioner
system 64 to provide the proper voltage and rectified current to
power electrolyzer 66 to produce hydrogen from the liquor of
anaerobic digester 72 and or water taken from a local aquifer 80 by
pump 76 and delivered by conduit 74 as shown.
[0083] Controller 70 optimizes the system including production of
pressurized hydrogen from liquors provided by action of
microorganisms in anaerobic digester 72 or by electrolysis of water
delivered by conduit 78. Disclosures of such operations and the
energy conversion advantages of using liquors provided by action of
microorganisms as a function of anaerobic digestion of organic
matter are provided in the co-pending patent applications and U.S.
Pat. No. 6,984,305 and these disclosures are included herein by
reference to technology for greatly reducing the energy required to
produce hydrogen compared to conventional electrolysis of
water.
[0084] It is also contemplated that industrial operation 108 or
refining operation 112 would occasionally produce pressurized
carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and/or hydrogen by partial
oxidation of a carbon donor or by reaction of a carbon donor with
steam as generally shown in Equations 1 and 2.
2C+1.5O.sub.2.fwdarw.CO+CO.sub.2 Equation 1
CH.sub.4+H.sub.2O.fwdarw.CO+3H.sub.2 Equation 2
[0085] Utilization of such gases in the process consisting of
delivery for storage and/or heat gain in reservoir 86 followed by
expansion in motor-generator 94 as shown is an important
situational opportunity to provide additional storage and/or heat
extraction capacity and further improve the overall
energy-utilization efficiency of an energy center such as disclosed
in the co-pending patent application 60/847,063; including dairies,
canneries, slaughter houses, manufacturing businesses, industrial
parks, or communities.
[0086] Table 2 compares the functions and atmospheric-pressure
boiling temperatures of various candidates for serving as working
fluids and/or as chemical and pressurizing agents for facilitating
extraction of heat along with other values from geothermal
formations. These working fluids may be used as closed cycle fluids
that are contained in heat exchange systems or in appropriate
instances are delivered into the geothermal formation for enabling
intimate contact and improved heat exchange rates.
[0087] Throughout the embodiments it is the purpose to cascade
energy from the highest availability, temperature, and pressure
circumstances in "full-spectrum" energy conversion operations to
greatly improve the return on investment and overall
energy-utilization efficiency. This includes new results from old
technologies and known materials including recycled materials and
subsystems that are thus employed.
[0088] In many applications it is practical to expend X amount of
energy to produce and deliver a fluid to a geothermal formation and
achieve storage of X amount of energy. Upon return of the stored
fluid a greater amount of energy can be delivered in the
combination of thermal, pressure, and chemical potential
energy.
[0089] In many instances it is intended to mix and mingle mixtures
in geothermal formations for purposes of increasing the extent of
thermal participation of the formation in the energy conversion and
value extraction opportunities that some embodiments of the
invention provide. Illustratively it is intended to mix
hydrocarbons shown such as ethane, propane, butane, carbon dioxide
and/or hydrogen to improve heat transfer and extraction of values
in many formations that contain hydrocarbons.
[0090] A particularly full spectrum of opportunities results
including practical harnessing of full the full solar and subsoil
IR spectrum by a wide spectrum of energy conversion principles and
components.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 2 TYPICAL WORKING FLUIDS Boiling Point at
Substance Atmospheric Pressure SUBSTANCE Functions (.degree. C.)
(.degree. F.) Acetone L, S, V, M, A 50.5 133 Ethanol L, V, M, A 79
172.4 C.sub.2H.sub.5OH Allyl Alcohol L, V, M, A 97.2 207 Butyl-n L,
V, M, A 117 243 Alcohol - Methyl L, V, M, A 64.7 151 Alcohol Propyl
L, V, M, A 97.5 207 Alcohol Ammonia NH.sub.3 L, V, M, A -35.5 -28.1
Butane-n L, V, M -0.5 31.1 Carbon V, M -78.5 -109.3 dioxide
Chloroform L, S, V, M, A 62.2 142 Diethyl ether L, V, M, A 34.7
94.4 Dowtherm H 258 496 Ether L, S, V, M, A 35 95 Ethane
C.sub.2H.sub.6 S, V, M -88 -127 Ethyl acetate L, S, V, M 77.2 171
Ethyl bromide L, S, V, M 38.4 101 Freon R-11 L, V, M 23.8 74.9
Freon R-12 L, V, M -29.8 -21.6 Freon R-22 L, V, M -41.2 -42.1
Heptane-n L, S, V, M 98.4 209.2 Hexane-n L, S, V, M 68.7 155.7
Hydrogen S, V, H, F -253 -423 Methane (CH.sub.4) S, V, M, F -161
-258 Methyl acetate L, S, V, M 57.2 135 Methyl iodide L, S, V, M
42.6 108 Pentane-n L, S, V, M 36 96.9 Propane L, S, V, M -43 -45
Water L, S, V, H, 100 212 M, A L (Liquid head); S (Solvent); V
(Vapor Expansion); A (Azeotrope) M (Miscible Agent); H (Heat
transfer agent); F (Fuel)
[0091] Mixtures and solutions of various substances may be utilized
to prevent blockage by frozen solids. Ethanol freezes at
-117.3.degree. C. (-179.degree. F.). Methanol freezes at
-97.degree. C. (-143.degree. F.). Working fluid mixtures and
azeotropes illustrate how to provide freeze protection against the
coldest temperatures on earth and to create expansion vapors by
heat transfer from relatively cool geothermal sources of about
79.degree. C. (174.degree. F.) or warmer. Water boils at
100.degree. C. (212.degree. F.) and ethanol boils at 78.3.degree.
C. (173.degree. F.). The binary azeotrope mixture of 95% ethanol
and 5% water by volume boils at 78.2.degree. C. (172.8.degree. F.).
A ternary azeotrope of 52% methanol, 44% acetonitrile, and 4% water
boils at about 67.degree. C. (153.degree. F.) to enable even cooler
geothermal formations to be utilized as the liquid azeotrope drives
motor-generator 44 and the vapor drives motor-generator 52 in the
system embodiments of FIG. 1.
[0092] Downhole utilization of hydrogen and/or hydrogen and
hydrocarbon mixtures called "HyBoost" fuels in mines and in
geothermal formations to drive engine-generators 131 or fuel cells
including high temperature fuel cell 137 provides additional heat
at a higher temperature than the host formation to further improve
the rate and efficiency of overall energy conversion by the systems
of FIGS. 1 and 2. Combined heat and power (CHP) engine 109 can be
operated at optimum conditions to meet varying electricity and heat
requirements with load leveling as reversible fuel cell 137
produces or is supplied with electricity and heat rejected by the
engine or fuel cell is utilized for applications such as drying,
cooking, canning, and water heating or sterilization. Very pure
supplies of hydrogen and or oxygen produced and pressurized by
reversible electrolyzer 135 are preferably utilized for commercial
and industrial priorities in the industrial park or community.
[0093] Pressurized oxygen from high pressure reversible
electrolyzer 135 is also delivered by line 133 to engine generator
131 and/or to fuel cell 137 to produce electricity or drive other
loads along with adding heat to formation 86 and/or to provide
steam to heat and insulate vapors or gases passing through line 92
to expander-generator 94 as shown. Depending upon the formation
temperature, depth, and availability of values such as hydrocarbons
that some embodiments of the invention can help extract or produce,
such engines or fuel cells 131 and 137 may be closer to the surface
along line 92 or at considerable depth, or within the formation
where heat addition results in greater extraction and production of
values such as hydrocarbons from tars and other resources.
[0094] FIG. 3 depicts a new technology embodiment 138 for further
reducing the energy required to produce hydrogen and/or methane
from anaerobic processing such as thermal dissociation or digestion
of organic materials. Activated carbon and exfoliated graphene
media have been prepared to catalytically cause release of hydrogen
from anaerobic digestion liquors.
[0095] It is apparent that certain organic substances such as
enzymes produced by microbial digestion of organic materials are
more effective in charge transfer processes and/or are aided by the
low energy removal of hydrogen by or into the activated carbon
and/or are more efficiently presented and/or have longer useful
life after being adsorbed and thus modified by activated carbon or
exfoliated graphene materials. After such processing to achieve
"enzymic activation" these materials cause releases of hydrogen and
carbon dioxide from pressurized anaerobic digestion liquors.
Further, use of such enzyme activated carbon media in conjunction
with electrical impetus as disclosed copending patent applications
and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,984,305 or at reduced constant voltage
compared to the voltage required for optional electrolysis of water
substantially improves the yield of hydrogen per unit of electrical
work.
[0096] Production of hydrogen with reduced energy expenditure is
particularly advantageous for improving the economics of hydrogen
extraction from energy crops and organic feedstocks including
wastes. Process efficiency improvements are provided by the use of
anaerobic digester 140 to produce methane fuel and carbon dioxide
while a portion of the liquor that is constantly produced by the
digestive process is transferred through filter 152 and
preconditioner 154 to pressure pump 156 for delivery to pressure
vessel 158 that is packed with enzyme activated carbon media for
presentation of the digestion liquor and extraction of hydrogen
and/or carbon dioxide for delivery through valve 160 or valve 162
depending upon the pressure and temperature of operation of the
separator at the top of 158 as shown.
[0097] If desired, gaseous hydrogen can be substantially separated
from the carbon dioxide as needed for applications such as
nourishment for green plants. Such separation is preferably
provided by the process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,984,305 and
hydrogen is conveyed by a conduit and check valve 162 for delivery
through well 174 past formation seals 175 to geothermal and/or
hydrocarbon reservoir 176. Liquor leaving pressure vessel 158 with
substantial amounts of carbon dioxide in solution is delivered to
pressure vessel 159 by a conduit and check valve 160 circuit as
shown for electrically-stimulated production of additional hydrogen
which may be similarly separated, by a suitable process such as
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,984,305 from carbon dioxide and other
gases that are present. The system for catalyst aided release of
hydrogen from substances prepared by action of microorganisms on
biomass includes the organic catalyst(s) disclosed along with
inorganic catalysts such as the transition metals and
intermetallics involving transition metals. It is a feature to
enable further increases in the rate and equipment efficiency for
such hydrogen production by application of vibrational, radiative,
electromotive, and or magnetic force(s) in sequence with or in
conjunction with such catalyst(s) as shown.
[0098] Relatively pure hydrogen is delivered through check valve
166 and valve (not shown) to industrial, commercial, and
transportation applications delineated for eliminating or
minimizing production of carbon dioxide. Remaining hydrogen is
added to the hydrogen sourced through check valve 166 for charging
formation 176 through well 174. In this process, expander-generator
168 generates electricity as it converts the pressure and kinetic
energy in fluid being depressurized as shown.
[0099] Depressurized carbon dioxide gas is utilized for various
purposes including growing aquatic crops such as algae in converter
184 and enrichment of the atmosphere in greenhouse 186 for
increasing the rate and efficiency of photosynthesis and/or as a
greenhouse gas constituent along with lesser amounts of
co-separated methane to trap solar energy for desired thermal gain
in converter 184 or greenhouse 186 as shown. Carbon dioxide in
solution in the depressurizing liquid fluid is delivered for
enrichment of aqueous plants such as algae in hydroponics converter
pond 184 as shown. Spent liquor along with occasionally harvested
aqueous crops such as algae may be fed into digester 140 or
portions of the harvested crop can be delivered through valve
manifold 201 and conduit 206 by pump 200 for processing into
various supplements, vitamins, nutrients, fuel alcohols, fats etc,
by process plant 202 as shown. Wastewater from plant 202 and other
area sources is routed through line 208 to digester 140 by valve
manifold 201 as shown.
[0100] Methane and carbon dioxide produced by anaerobic digester
140 is delivered through filter 142 and conduit 146 to compressor
148 and through check valve 172 to well 174 for storage and/or to
increase the extraction and yield of hydrocarbons from formation
176 and/or to gain geothermal energy for production of work and/or
electricity by expander-generator 178 as shown. The flow metering
circuit of pressure regulator 150 controls the amount of gaseous
recirculation needed to mix, stir, control temperature, and agitate
the anaerobic digestion process facilitated in 140 as shown.
[0101] Important improvements in energy conversion efficiency for
the systems shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 result from pressurization
of liquids by pumping followed by further pressurization and/or
delivery of gaseous substances derived from such pressurized
liquids as a result of electrolysis of water, catalytic gas
releases from anaerobic digestion liquors and/or reduced energy
releases of gases by electrolysis. Illustrative of the hybridized
and improved Brayton-cycle and/or Rankine-cycle efficiency, results
from pressurization of fluid from digester tank 72 by pump 73 of
the digestion liquor produced in 72 for delivery through valve 75
to electrolyzer 66 because it provides gaseous hydrogen and/or
carbon dioxide at essentially the pressure produced by liquid pump
73 as shown.
[0102] The electrical power requirement to produce hydrogen from
liquors including compounds such as urea along with acetic and
buteric acids separated from or produced by digester 72 is greatly
reduced compared to conventional electrolysis of water and further
improvement is achieved by the development of the desired hydrogen
delivery pressure as a result of liquid pressurization by pump 73
compared to application of a gas compressor after such gases are
released. Similarly it is advantageous to produce pressurized
carbon dioxide for purposes such as sequestration of heat and/or
additional hydrocarbons from formation 86 of FIG. 2, separation
processes, energy conversion as an expansive gas, and/or for
compact storage.
[0103] At times that the amount of hydrogen that can be produced by
system 60 exceeds the demand by CHP and other applications served
by pipeline 102 including loads such as home(s) 106, commercial and
manufacturing buildings 108, and farming or transportation needs
110, including very pure hydrogen delivered from electrolyzer 135
by line 111 for fuel cell applications such as hybridized vehicles
110, the surplus hydrogen, methane and or carbon dioxide methane
from 72 and 66 are delivered at the pressure required to recharge
depleted oil and/or natural gas reservoirs 86 or similar geological
formations at greater distance with sufficient overburden and seals
to store hydrogen and other gases as shown. In many instances
formation 84 is at sufficiently elevated temperature to enable
hydrogen and other gases stored in 84 to return to the surface at
such elevated temperatures for powering turbogenerator 94 after
which hydrogen is delivered through line 102 at lower pressure as
established by pressure regulators 104 and/or 105.
[0104] Advantages of storing hydrogen and/or methane and/or carbon
dioxide in geological formations that contain hydrocarbons include
increased production of such hydrocarbons as a result of increased
drive pressure, enhanced permeability resulting from the action of
very low viscosity and high thermal capacity of hydrogen and/or
methane along with increased fluidity of the hydrocarbon values. In
addition some embodiments of the invention facilitate delivery of
other fluids to enhance production including agents such as
propane, carbon dioxide, solvents, and detergent solutions
representatively illustrated as being delivered from storage
containers such as 128 through pump 126 and valve 124 to a suitable
manifold for charging formation 86 through well conduit 82.
[0105] Enhanced hydrocarbon production from reservoir 86 resulting
from such hydrogen and/or methane and/or carbon dioxide storage
and/or related treatment operations as delineated by Table 2 is
preferably separated at 95 or 180 into hydrogen characterized fuels
for delivery by pipeline 102 and hydrocarbon-rich constituents that
are delivered by pipeline 103 for further separation and/or
refinement of values by an appropriate system 112 to provide
extraction of various constituents and taken to market, storage, or
further refinement by pipelines represented by 114, 116, 118, and
120 as shown.
[0106] The systems shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 thus greatly increase
storage efficiency, the net electricity and/or fuel energy
conversion capacity, rate, and efficiency as measured by the total
amount of electricity, hydrogen and/or methane fuel and/or
hydrocarbon production. Production of electricity, particularly
peak power to meet quickly developing demands is readily provided
by utilization of hydrogen and/or methane as a fuel for piston,
rotary or turbine ICE engine(s) 32 and/or 107 and/or 109. In each
instance it is of great advantage to utilize heat rejected by such
engines to improve the overall energy utilization efficiency by
increasing the temperature of expansive gas to drive
motor-generators 4 and/or 178 and to deliver heat for agricultural,
industrial, or domestic applications such as the combined heat and
power applications shown.
[0107] These processes for energy conversion generally comprise the
steps of subjecting one or more fluid substances to a suitably
prepared and maintained geological formation for purposes selected
from the group comprised of heat gain, intermittent storage of
chemical and or pressure energy, and extraction of valuable
substances from the geological formation followed by hybridized
Rankine-cycle or Brayton-cycle expansion of one or more of such
fluid substances in an engine to accomplish work, wherein at least
one of the fluid substances may be cooled for operation of an
improved Brayton cycle and/or condensed to produce liquid that is
delivered to an expansion motor or to a lower altitude to drive a
liquid or fluid motor to accomplish work.
[0108] The embodiments shown are particularly beneficial for
extraction and conversion of geothermal thermal energy and/or
values such as hydrocarbons from suitable formations while
co-producing electricity and or chemical fuel values. The invention
embodiments enable plentiful summer energy to be used to produce
storable fuels for later use in the winter along with improved
extraction and conversion efficiency of geothermal energy. Some
embodiments of the invention facilitate re-use of certain depleted
mines along with oil and natural gas wells and enables regeneration
of economic opportunities in communities that have been blighted by
coal, oil and natural gas depletion or distressed by greenhouse
warming problems.
[0109] The invention embodiments disclosed provide improved waste
disposal operations and greatly reduced energy requirements to
produce hydrogen from wastes to improve air and water quality and
greatly reduce dependence upon fossil fuels and fissionable fuels
that plague communities with radioactive wastes. In areas that have
variable wind, tidal or wave conditions it is important to locally
convert such renewable energy to chemical fuel potentials such as
hydrogen or methane for storage and heat gain in a suitable
geothermal formation.
[0110] Geothermal formations suitable for fuel and/or carbon
dioxide storage may also be linked to distant sites where renewable
resources such as solar, wind, wave, or tides are harnessed as
shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 by pipelines or electricity grids in
addition to rail and truck deliveries.
[0111] In instances that large-scale conversion of renewable energy
is needed to replace dependence upon fossil and fissionable fuels
the system embodiment 400 of FIG. 4 provides full spectrum solar
conversion with geothermal energy enhancement and storage. FIG. 5
shows a section view of an assembly of support cables 402 and
glazings 404, 406 and 408 for trapping virtually all wavelengths of
the full solar spectrum of energy to heat air within the zone
underneath assembly 412 or that passes through passageways 414 and
416 as shown. Cable(s) 402, which may be made of any suitable
material such as bar, wire, or fibers of steel, glass, ceramic,
polymer, carbon, or combinations of such materials, supports one or
more transparent glazings 404 and 406 along with film 410 to
convert a large area of solar and/or geothermal energy for
production of energy. Solar radiation enters the trap of FIG. 5
along with infrared radiation from the earth below and is converted
into thermal energy to heat air in passageways 414 and 416 and
below as shown.
[0112] FIG. 4 shows a system 400 for utilizing glazings such as
shown in FIGS. 5 and/or 6 for producing electricity and/or
hydrogen. Air is heated by geothermal and/or solar and/or heat
rejected by various energy conversion processes and is drafted
upward to impel vertical shaft turbines. Rotors 490, 432 and/or 434
in conjunction with a stator such as 450 as shown deliver air into
the plenum between the ground or some other suitable boundary and
membrane(s) 410 or 421 as shown. Such moving air collects solar
energy and removes heat rejected from geothermal sources, other
generator(s) and heat engines such as solar engine-generator 470 by
heat exchanger 476 and internal combustion turbine, piston or
rotary engine(s) 460, 481 and heat exchanger 480, as shown. Such
rejected heat includes engine jacket and oil cooling along with
heat removed from electricity generators preferably by hydrogen
after which it is combusted in a heat engine or recycled through
heat exchangers. It is preferred to add higher quality heat from
the exhaust stream of internal combustion engines after the last
stages of solar heating by insulated exhaust pipes 461 and 464 as
shown to increase the work achieved by expansion turbines 440 and
444 and/or in conjunction with one or more stators such as 442.
[0113] It is preferred to operate internal combustion piston and
rotary engines with an integral exhaust turbine that drives an
electrical generator or a compressor before the exhaust is then
added to the gases at one or more power rotors as depicted at 440
and 444. The output from power rotors 440 and 444 may be increased
or decreased in speed and used to drive compressor/motor rotors 432
and 434 along with electricity generator(s) 438 as shown.
[0114] In many areas it also advantageous to provide heat gain from
natural geothermal sources and/or from subterranean heat storage
and exchange at the depth of heat exchanger 484 as shown. Heat
exchanger 480 rejects heat from geothermal energy conversion
systems such as fluid pump 482 and engine 481, and/or
thermo-electric and/or a thermochemical processes that ultimately
reject heat after performing mechanical work, operation of chemical
processes, and/or production of electricity. Such rejected heat
adds to the energy that is extracted at turbines 440 and 444 and
increases the capacity of the combined plant systems while
improving the heat rejection process and thus synergistically
improving the efficiency of the solar and geothermal energy
conversion processes.
[0115] After performing such synergistically beneficial cooling by
accepting additions from heat exchanges within the zone beneath
membranes 410 and 421, air is circuited into the channels between
membranes 410 or 421 and 406 or 420 as shown to gain additional
solar energy. Heated air is then delivered to one or more power
rotors, which are depicted as 440 and 444. Variable pitch flow
controllers 443, 441 and 442 are coordinated with rotors 490, 440
and 444, which may also provide variable pitch as needed to
optimize the energy conversion process. Air velocity at flow
directors 443, 441 and 450 is substantially influenced by the
availability of solar energy and heat from other contributors, and
humidity in this multiply combined and hybridized cycle system.
[0116] When solar, geothermal and/or rejected heat from the other
devices shown is adequate and the ambient air is relatively dry, it
is advantageous to create greater humidity in the air moving
through the system. Water transpired and/or sprayed on crops within
and/or surrounding the system 560 and/or distributed by suitable
sprayers 500 and 504 into air passing within down-flow structure(s)
502 and 510 to cool the ambient air masses and thus creates
increased impetus in down draft air past turbines 432, 434, and 490
to power generators 438 and 492 and to cool photovoltaic collectors
403 as shown. Humidifying the air is also highly advantageous for
increasing the energy delivery to turbines 490. 440 and 444 as
shown and these operations are adaptively optimized by computer
controller 401.
[0117] Providing a wide variation in pitch by flow directors 443,
441 and 442 along with rotors 432, 434, 440, 444, and 490 enables
synchronous operation of generators 492 and 438 throughout the heat
gain range of weather, geothermal, and combined-cycle
operations.
[0118] This precision adaptive control of heated airflow thus
produces maximum turbine efficiency at all levels and combinations
of solar intensity, geothermal, and ambient conditions. An
important advantage of flow controllers 441, 442, and 450 along
with 443 is the delivery of denser directed air at higher velocity
to power turbines 490, 434, 432, 440, and 444 as shown. This
includes increased air speed and delivery at the optimum portion of
variable pitch blades of rotors 490, 440, and 444 to maximize
torque production and conversion of molecular kinetic energy and
flow into shaft energy.
[0119] Providing positive airflow when needed from pump(s) 432 and
434 within the plenum(s) that are formed reduces the temperature at
which heat is rejected from peaking or base-load heat engines 460,
470, and 480 to improve the thermal efficiency of such engines and
thus the overall system efficiency. Solar engines 470 such as
Stirling cycle engines and thermochemical processes in 522 may be
of any suitable type including those disclosed in the co-pending
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/700,577.
[0120] Further improvements in the efficiency of solar engines 470
is provided by collection of rainwater that falls in the area of
application including runoff from sloping membrane(s) 404 and/or
426 into reservoir(s) 471 and 473 as shown. Rainwater is collected
in lined reservoir 473 and delivered by pump 550 to one or more
electrolyzer(s) 702 and 704. Collected water is also used to
improve heat transfer rates and to cool in-ground heat exchangers
472 within well(s) 471 after as much heat as can be delivered by
heat exchangers 476 to air proceeding towards solar and/or
geothermal heating below and in channels served by membranes 404,
406, 408 and 410 as shown.
[0121] Depending upon the thermal stability of the membrane
materials selected, and the geothermal energy available from the
ground below, it is preferable to provide membrane 410 as an
infrared trapping membrane and 421 as a flat black membrane with
considerable angularity in the surface or to serve in conjunction
with membranes of such angularity. FIG. 6 illustrates incorporation
of multitudes of radiation trapping and heat transferring wrinkled
or generally "W" shaped folds to considerably increase the solar
and/or geothermal absorptivity, heat transfer area, and the air
temperature achieved by heat transfer membranes 515, 424 and 425.
One or more transparent parallel membranes may be placed in
membrane 417 spans as shown, and one or more transparent membranes
may be provided in the span shown for membrane 415 to establish
separated air cell channels. These air channels may be provided
with suitable valves to controllably provide restricted airflow to
insulate and increase dwell time in the central channel that houses
membrane 423 to produce much higher temperature air. This enables
rapid achievement of substantially warmed air such as 94.degree. C.
(200.degree. F.) to 204.degree. C. (400.degree. F.) in the central
channel that gains heat from contact and by radiation from opaque
extended surface membranes 423 and 424 as shown.
[0122] In the embodiment of FIG. 6 it is generally preferred to
provide membrane 419 with one or more reflective layers between
alternating dielectric layers and to place this membrane somewhat
separated from gas seal membrane 427 as shown. This increases solar
trapping and heating of extended surface membrane 424 and thus
improves the efficiency of the solar to thermal energy conversion
process. Heat that escapes into the zone below reflective membrane
419 is trapped by the air cell below or the extended surface
membrane 423 that is constructed more or less as described for
membrane 424 and air is heated as it passes through the channels
that are formed. Restriction of the rate of airflow through the air
channels that are heated by extended surface membrane 421 provides
for improvements in achieving the desired temperature for delivery
to rotors 440 and 444 as shown. Generally it is desirable to
control airflow rates through insulating air channels above
membrane 421 at velocities that minimize heat losses to the ambient
outside air. Flow rates through all air channels can be adjusted
according to available solar and/or geothermal and/or heat rejected
by peaking engines and/or base load engines to achieve optimized
temperatures at turbines 440 and 444 as shown.
[0123] Some commonly produced materials suitable for membranes of
embodiments shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 include high temperature,
U.V. protected nylon, polyester, various fluoropolymers, and
silicones. Where membranes are required to reflect radiation and
develop insulative qualities, very thin coatings of aluminum,
silver, chromium, nickel, zinc, copper, gold or rhodium and/or
materials to provide dichromatic reflection may be utilized. It is
generally desired to sandwich reflective surfaces between thin
layers of protective polymer. Efficient insulation or blocking of
heat transfer can be provided by using 1 to 8 layers of reflective
surfaces with clear polymers between each layer.
[0124] It is preferred to utilize one or more coatings or provide
surface geometry on membranes 404 and/or 406 to increase solar
entry transmission at low angles of incoming radiation and to
provide membranes 415 and 428 as transparent windows for trapping
the solar spectrum entry but serve as a reflector or blocker of
longer-wave infrared radiation from below. It is also preferred to
provide reflective membrane 421 below membrane 423 for the purpose
of preventing heat loss and providing increased heat addition to
air in the cell channels formed above 423. Membrane 421 is
preferably made of multiple films that have very thin layers of
aluminum or similar reflective substances sandwiched between two
dielectric layers. This enables very thin vacuum deposited or
sputtered layers of mirror bright aluminum to be protected from
oxidation and damage.
[0125] Cables 402 and 422 preferably provide a support network for
membranes such as 404, 406, 410, 420, 421, and 426 including
square, parallelogramic and hexagonal patterns similar to a
"chicken fence" support network. This provides strong but flexible
support and enables such membranes to allow very high solar
radiation admission to the energy trap that is supported and
enables a large amount of accommodation for thermal contraction and
expansion while assuring the ability to withstand and shed large
rain or snow loads and high winds. Thus the diameters of the cables
in the resulting networks and ultimate tensile strengths may be the
same or different to meet strength of materials requirements to
span across supports and to withstand virtually any wind condition
or heavy snow loading. However, in most instances it is intended
that such cable networks are permanent and that relatively
inexpensive membranes would be recycled and replaced as needed.
[0126] During conditions of relatively low ambient humidity is it
preferred to admit air through towers 502 and to add humidity as
disclosed for purposes of extracting electricity from turbine
generators 490-492. During high ambient humidity conditions it is
preferred to admit air into central inlet 510 for
motors/compressors 432 and 424 by passage between exhaust towers
443. The hot air rising from towers 443 causes cool air to travel
along and parallel to membrane 404 to minimize mixing of rising hot
exhaust air with entry air passing between the towers to 510. Cool
ambient air thus travels along membranes 404 or 426, around and
between towers 22 to enter the inlets for air-handlers 432 and 434
as shown.
[0127] Overall energy conversion efficiency is limited by entropy
gain and the temperatures delivered by the various heat-gathering
and energy conversion systems that comprise some embodiments of the
invention. The overall hybrid system operates as a giant heat
engine with one or multiple heat sources and energy conversion
operations at any instant. On a typical summer day of operation the
ambient air at the intake to compressor 432 and/or tower(s) 502 of
about 311.degree. K or 38.degree. C. (100.degree. F.) and if the
air delivered to turbine(s) 440 is heated to 422.degree. K or
149.degree. C. (300.degree. F.), the Carnot limit of one sub-system
for energy conversion efficiency would be:
Efficiency=1-(T.sub.L/T.sub.H) or 1-( 311/422)=26% Equation 3
[0128] In the winter, ambient air delivered to compressor 432 might
be about 283.degree. K or 10.degree. C. (50.degree. F.) and if the
air delivered to turbine(s) 440 is heated to 422.degree. K or
149.degree. C. (300.degree. F.), the Carnot limit to energy
conversion efficiency would be:
Efficiency=1-(T.sub.I/T.sub.H) or 1-( 283/422)=33% Equation 4
[0129] Solar engine 470 is similarly benefited by cooler conditions
for rejecting heat. A typical temperature for heated working fluid
within engine 470 is about 1088.degree. K or 815.degree. C.
(1500.degree. F.) and if the heat rejection temperature is
311.degree. K or 38.degree. C. (100.degree. F.), the Carnot limit
to energy conversion efficiency would be:
Efficiency=1-(T.sub.L/T.sub.H) or 1-( 311/1088)=71% Equation 5
[0130] In the winter and at times that water cools heat exchanger
472, heat can be rejected at about 283.degree. K or 10.degree. C.
(50.degree. F.) or lower and the Carnot limit to energy conversion
efficiency would be improved as shown by Equation 4:
Efficiency=1-(T.sub.L/T.sub.H) or 1-( 283/1088)=74% Equation 6
[0131] In instances that the system is utilized for base load
supplies of electricity it is preferred to combine solar energy
with several other sub-systems that utilize renewable energy
resources. Heat engines 460 are preferably fueled with fuels such
as hydrogen and/or mixtures of hydrogen and methane or natural gas
that are stored or sourced from geothermal formations as previously
disclosed and to exhaust the products of combustion into or near
the first stage power turbine 440 as shown to effectively increase
turbine efficiency. Such heat engines typically have exhaust
temperatures of 815.degree. K, 538.degree. C. (1000.degree. F.) or
greater and can energize an attached exhaust turbine 462 to drive a
generator or compressor. Exhaust, typically between 450 and
600.degree. K, from the attached gas turbine driven by the internal
combustion engine's waste heat is still sufficiently warm to
substantially increase the temperature achieved by the solar
trapping glazing systems of FIGS. 5 and 6.
[0132] Table 3 shows the comparative advantage of using such
exhaust waste heat to increase the temperature of gases entering
power turbine(s) 440.
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 3 SUBSYSTEM CARNOT EFFICIENCY LIMITS Turbine
Entry Exhaust Efficiency Temperature Temperature Limit 422.degree.
K or 149.degree. C. 311.degree. K, 38.degree. C. 26% (300.degree.
F.) (100.degree. F.) 477.degree. K or 204.degree. C. 311.degree. K,
38.degree. C. 34% (400.degree. F.) (100.degree. F.) 533.degree. K
or 260.degree. C. 311.degree. K, 38.degree. C. 41% (500.degree. F.)
(100.degree. F.) 588.degree. K or 315.degree. C. 311.degree. K,
38.degree. C. 46% (600.degree. F.) (100.degree. F.)
[0133] In addition to increasing the temperature of gases entering
turbine 440 and 444 it is preferred to add considerable velocity in
the solar heated air column by transfer of the momentum of high
velocity gases exiting the internal combustion engines 460 and/or
exhaust turbine(s) 462. This increases the torque development,
thermal efficiency and thus the output of rotors 440 and 444.
[0134] Electricity production in excess of base-load requirements
is used to electrolyze water or organic electrolytes in
electrolyzer 102 as provided in the copending U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/969,860. Hydrogen thus produced is stored
in suitable containers, in delivery pipelines such as 534 by
pressure regulator or turboexpander 536, or in distant or local
underground reservoirs 543 as shown. Potential energy in heat and
pressurized flow of hydrogen and/or Hy-boost fuels is extracted by
turbognerator 537 as shown to deliver the desired pressure drop as
needed to operate engines such as 460 as shown. In the alternative
such pressure drops are delivered to the expansion stroke of
engines as disclosed in the copending patent application
disclosures.
[0135] In many local and distant hydrogen storage formations it is
preferred to provide distribution to and from the formation by a
pipe or access perforation that extends through the formation as
illustrated by the horizontal extent of access 542 to reservoir
storage 543 as shown.
[0136] Utilization of on-site and pipeline accessed underground
storage of hydrogen enables the use of fuel cells such as
reversible electrolyzer 702 in the regenerative mode and/or heat
engines including 460, 470, and 481 to be powered by fuel or
supplemented with working fluid as needed to meet electricity
generation needs. Similarly such hydrogen is the preferred working
fluid to cool electrical equipment including generators 492 and 438
along with electrolyzer 702 and various transformers and inverters
that are utilized throughout the balance of plant equipment and
operations. After performing windage drag reduction for such
equipment and cooling it is preferred to use such hydrogen to fuel
the heat engines shown.
[0137] It is preferred to size pipeline 534 for considerable
storage of hydrogen that is produced. During times of low solar
gain and at night it is preferred to meet electricity demands by
utilizing hydrogen from the pipeline and/or storage reservoir to
power engines such as 460, 481 and reversible fuel cell(s) 702.
Additional storage is preferably provided by geothermally benefited
and/or depleted petroleum formations and by other suitable
formations such as salt or limestone caverns.
[0138] Virtually every area of North America and every other
continent have geological formations that are suitably porous and
sealed at a depth sufficient to safely and efficiently store
hydrogen. Many of these formations are coincidental with
considerable geothermal energy sourcing. Illustratively such
formations have stored methane for millions of years in instances
that organic materials were deposited at the time of their
geological development. In other instances hydrogen has been
produced by continental drift induced collision of hot olivine and
limestone and stored for millions of years in such formations.
[0139] It is preferred to provide engines 460 as rapid start
engines that can quickly provide electricity and additional heat to
turbines 440 and 444 to improve output as may be needed to meet
rapidly increased demand for electricity generation. Another fast
response can be provided if needed by direct combustion of hydrogen
and/or other fuels in the output of stator(s) 441.
[0140] A particularly efficient utilization of solar energy is
accomplished by application of solar energy to dissociate
hydrocarbons into hydrogen and carbon. Hydrogen can be used as
disclosed in heat engines and/or fuel cells to provide shaft work
and/or electricity. Carbon provided by the process can be utilized
to manufacture durable goods including equipment to harness wind,
wave, hydro and solar resources. This includes the invention
embodiments disclosed in my copending U.S. patent applications
concerning dissociation of carbon and/or hydrogen donors. In the
instance that hydrogen and/or other fuels are utilized in a heat
engine or fuel cell at or near the location of embodiment 400 it is
preferred to add heat rejected by such energy conversion systems to
the air moving through the system at a point that minimizes entropy
increase.
[0141] In another embodiment the invention reduces entropy gain by
addition of solar energy to reduce the electrical energy required
for electrolysis. About 18 grams (one gram mole) of water is
decomposed by electrical work equivalent to the free energy of
formation .DELTA.G which is 237.13 kJ. This process is endothermic
and consumes additional energy equal to (T.DELTA.S) of 48.7 kJ/mol
which the work done in expanding the produced hydrogen and oxygen
to standard temperature and pressure.
.DELTA.H=.DELTA.G+T.DELTA.S Equation 7
285.83 kJ/mol=237.13 kJ/mol+48.7 kJ/mol. Equation 5.2
[0142] Because the dissociation process is endothermic, it is
advantageous to add solar energy and/or waste heat from other
processes. Such heat addition is particularly advantageous if it
elevates the temperature of electrolysis because it reduces the
amount of Gibbs free energy (.DELTA.G) that must be provided as
electrical work. Thus the total voltage that must be applied is
less than required to dissociate water at room temperature.
[0143] Assuming that the endothermic energy comes from a waste heat
source or the environment, the minimum voltage that must be applied
to dissociate water is:
.DELTA.G=-nFE.degree. Equation 8
[0144] As this minimum voltage requirement (E.degree.) is dependent
upon the change in free energy (.DELTA.G), E.degree. is equivalent
to .DELTA.G divided by the number of electrons exchanged (n) times
the Faraday constant (F=9.648.times.10.sup.4) or (nF). As the
electrolysis temperature increases above standard temperature of
25.degree. C., the free energy approaches zero as the temperature
of electrolysis approaches the temperature that would be produced
by and adiabatic stoichiometric combustion reaction.
[0145] Increasing the pressure of electrolysis is desirable to
produce pressurized hydrogen and oxygen storage at desired density.
Increasing the pressure requires higher voltage for electrolysis.
Equation 5.4 illustrates the relationship of pressure and voltage
requirements. Electrolysis voltage (Ep) can be found by adding the
Nernst adjustment for pressure rise to E.degree..
Ep=E.degree.+RT/nF ln P.sub.H2(P.sub.O2)/P.sub.H2O Equation 9
[0146] Assuming that the hydrogen and oxygen are produced at the
same pressure and the feed water is liquid at the same pressure,
Equation 9 is simplified to:
Ep=E.degree.+3RT/4F(ln P.sub.i/P.sub.atm) Equation 10
[0147] The increase in voltage to produce 10,000 PSI oxygen and
hydrogen from 10,000 PSI water is:
3RT/4F ln P.sub.i/P.sub.atm=3RT/4F ln 680.3=3(8.3144
J/molK)298K(6.522)/4(9.648.times.10.sup.4)=0.125 V Equation 5.
[0148] Elevating the temperature to produce steam lowers the
voltage required to dissociate water as noted by Nernst and/or
Gibbs energy accounting
(.DELTA.G.degree..sub.T=.DELTA.H.degree..sub.T(298K)-T.DELTA.S.degree..su-
b.298K).
[0149] Thus the voltage required for dissociation approaches zero
as T.DELTA.S.degree..sub.298K approaches
.DELTA.H.degree..sub.T(298K), which is 285.83 kJ/mol. The change in
entropy at standard temperature (.DELTA.S.degree..sub.298K) is
0.1634 kJ/mol, therefore:
285.83 kJ/mol/0.1634 kJ/mol=1,749K or 1,476.degree. C.
(2,689.degree. F.)
[0150] As an illustration of hybridization opportunities on nearly
every continent for seasonal enhancement of geothermal energy,
Table 1 shows that substantial summer energy is available in the
longer days and relatively clear-sky conditions such as the
Fairbanks area of central Alaska and other northern plains areas
compared to warmer areas such as Gainesville, Fla. The Fairbanks
area of Alaska and similar areas in Canada receive more solar
energy during the long days of sunny summers than eight of the
"seemingly warmer" cities of North America as shown.
[0151] FIG. 7 shows an embodiment 522 for solar heat addition to a
hydrogen donor such as methane or water supplied by delivery line
530 in the focal point of a parabolic collector 520 to provide for
dissociation of such pressurized hydrogen donors at reduced or no
voltage. Pressurized hydrogen thus provided is delivered by line
532 for storage and/or delivery by pipeline 534 as shown. In one
aspect the electrolyzer, including those disclosed herein can
provide the feedstock, including pressurized hydrogen.
[0152] FIG. 7 generally shows components of the process circuit
including a solar concentrator 520 that tracks the sun to
constantly focus the reflected solar energy received by minor 712
on receiver zone 730 of reactor 714 to produce a high operating
temperature. Stationery base 704 houses a drive system and provides
transfer of materials to and from reactor 714. Fuels and feedstocks
such as landfill methane for reactor 714 are delivered by
connection to pipeline 718 and/or 530.
[0153] In instances that a fluid feedstock such as sewage
components is processed by reactor 714 it is preferably delivered
by connection to appropriate pipeline 715. Electricity produced or
delivered is transferred by cable group 717. Hydrogen and/or other
fluids produced by reactor 714 is delivered to pipeline 716 to
geothermal reservoir 543 for local or distant storage and
distribution to meet market demands. Stage 706 rotates around a
central vertical axis to provide sun tracking of reactor 714, which
is assembled with minor 712 as shown. Coordinated rotation around
horizontal axis 709 in support 710 as shown is provided to track
the sun and produce point focused solar energy that is reflected
from mirror assembly 712. Organic solids and semisolids to be
heated are loaded into hopper 708, which feeds such materials into
screw conveyer 724 a portion of which is shown in FIG. 8.
[0154] FIG. 8 shows details of embodiment 720 of receiver 714
including stationery receiver tube 722 and rotary screw conveyer
and extruder tube 724 in which integral helical screw flights 726
force reactive ingredients such as organic material into zone 730
where it is rapidly heated to a high temperature by concentrated
solar energy. Sufficient concentration of solar energy is readily
achieved by parabolic, spherical, or arrayed heliostatic mirrors to
produce typical operating temperatures of 500.degree. C. to
2500.degree. C. as allowed by the physical and chemical properties
provided by the material and configuration specifications of
containment tube 722.
[0155] Other forms of renewable heating are readily adapted such as
inductive or resistive heating using electricity from a generator
powered by falling water, wind, wave action, or by photovoltaic
arrays 403 that receive concentrated or non-concentrated solar
energy or by solar engine-generator 470 or an internal combustion
engine such as 460 using fuel produced by the various operations
described herein. Similarly, it is contemplated to combust a
portion of the fuel produced by reactor 714 to adequately heat zone
730 for accomplishing the reactions of Equations 11, 12 and 15.
This group of alternate heat sources to zone 730 illustrate
preferred provisions for supplementation or replacement of solar
energy as needed to assure continued operation in case of down time
for repairs, intermittent cloud cover, or nightfall.
[0156] Supplemental heating or replacement of solar heat for zone
730 by partial combustion of previously produced hydrogen and/or
carbon monoxide is preferably accomplished by delivering oxygen
through tube 737 from electrolyzer 707 within bore 731 of tube 732.
An important synergistic benefit is provided by operation of heat
engine 7033 on landfill methane and/or hydrogen and powering
electricity generator 705. Any surplus electricity generating
capacity can be used to produce oxygen and hydrogen in electrolyzer
707. Hydrogen produced by such operation can readily be stored in
pipeline 716 and/or 534 for contract sales and oxygen can be used
to greatly improve the process efficiency of heat generation by
partial combustion of fuel produced by reactor 714.
[0157] Elimination of nitrogen ordinarily supplied by air greatly
reduces the cost of hydrogen purification by condensing or
filtering water from the gas mixture within tube 732 when oxygen is
used to produce heat by partial combustion. Tube 737 delivers
oxygen as shown to combust the amount of fuel needed with minimum
heat loss and minimum heating of nitrogen which would be present if
air is used as an oxidant.
[0158] Tube 722 thus performs the functions of containing organic
feedstocks in an anaerobic condition and transferring solar energy
to biomass that is conveyed into the concentrated flux heating zone
730 to facilitate the following general reactions:
C.sub.nH.sub.mO.sub.x+HEAT.sub.1.fwdarw.xCO+m/2H.sub.2+(n-x)C
Equation 11
C.sub.6H.sub.10O.sub.5+HEAT.sub.2.fwdarw.5CO+5H.sub.2+C Equation
12
[0159] Small amounts of NH.sub.3, H.sub.2S, N.sub.2, and H.sub.2O
may also be found in the gaseous products with the CO and H.sub.2
that are forced by the compacted solids into the center bore 731 of
rotary screw tube 732 as shown. H.sub.2S is preferably reacted with
iron to form iron sulfide or collected in carbon produced by the
process as hydrogen is released. It is preferred to collect fixed
nitrogen typically as ammonia and sulfur as iron sulfide and to
utilize these substances as soil nutrients along with ash collected
by the invention.
[0160] Solids such as carbon and ash 736 are extracted from zone
730 by the rotating motion of screw tube 732 along flights 734 as
shown. High temperature insulation 740 is preferably used to cover
the end of receiver 714 as shown and insulated area 742 provides
heat conservation along the countercurrent exchange of heat made
between carbon rich solids being extracted by screw conveyer 732
and biomass moving towards the heated zone 730 of the receiver and
reactor assembly. During times that solar energy is not available,
insulator sleeve 748 is used to cover zone 730 and is preferably
supported and guided to and from the stored position shown by
telescoping tube guides which are removed to enable illustration of
other components as shown.
[0161] Water and other gases removed at early stages of compaction
and countercurrent pre-heating are preferably vented through
louvers or holes 744 to allow extraction through collection tube
746. For many feedstocks such as manure and sewage, this water
generally contains fixed nitrogen and other soil nutrients and
preferably is utilized to replenish soil tilth and
productivity.
[0162] In instances that pure carbon and pure hydrogen are
preferred, the biomass may be pre-treated to remove ash forming
materials such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and other
minerals. Ash ingredients of biomass are often wastefully impounded
in landfills or allowed to escape to the rivers, lakes and oceans
as effluent is dumped from sewage and garbage disposal operations.
Some embodiments of the invention provide for ash minerals to be
readily collected and returned to useful applications as a soil
nutrient. This may be accomplished by a combination of mechanical
separation and dissolution of the biomass in a suitable solvent to
separate ash components.
[0163] As previously disclosed, embodiment 72 provides anaerobic
digestion of biomass such as carbohydrates and cellulose according
to the following general reactions:
n(C.sub.6H.sub.10O.sub.5)+nH.sub.2O+HEAT.sub.3.fwdarw.n(C.sub.6H.sub.12O-
.sub.6) Equation 13
n(C.sub.6H.sub.12O.sub.6).fwdarw.3n(CH.sub.4)+3nCO.sub.2+HEAT.sub.4
Equation 14
[0164] Soil nutrients captured in the aqueous liquor remaining
after the processes of Equations 13 and 14 are efficiently
transferred to depleted soils by various techniques including
addition to irrigation water. Carbon dioxide is readily removed
from the products of Equation 14 by cooling to produce phase change
separation or by adsorption in a suitable solvent such as water.
Carbon dioxide is soluble in water to the extent of about 21.6
volumes of gas per volume of water at 25 atmospheres pressure and
12.degree. C. (54.degree. F.). Increasing the pressure and/or
decreasing the temperature increases the amount of carbon dioxide
dissolved per volume of water. After separation of carbon dioxide
from methane, lowering the pressure or increasing the temperature
releases dissolved carbon dioxide.
[0165] FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of process 760 including
photosynthesis 762 to produce organic materials, anaerobic
dissociation and or digestion 764 to produce methane and carbon
dioxide, cooling and phase separation or a pressure swing
adsorption system 768 for separating carbon dioxide from methane
and/or hydrogen by differential absorption of carbon dioxide within
a suitable medium such as water or a hindered amine. Mixed gases
including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen and other gases are
forced into the liquid solution. After removal of methane and other
gases that are not absorbed or condensed, the carbon dioxide
collected from separation system is preferably utilized to prepare
polymer foam insulation and lightweight concrete for construction
of energy-efficient dwellings.
[0166] Hydrocarbons such as methane added to tube 722 of reactor
720 is decomposed in hot zone 730 to form carbon and release
hydrogen as shown by Equation 15:
CH.sub.4+HEAT.sub.5.fwdarw.C+2H.sub.2 Equation 15
[0167] Production of carbon by processes characterized by Equation
15 provides a source of carbon for storage or specialization into
various forms for enhancing the performance of durable goods and
products. Carbon produced from hydrocarbons by the general process
of Equation 15 avoids the production of about 3.67 tons of carbon
dioxide per ton of carbon that is utilized in such durable goods.
Hydrogen that is produced from hydrocarbons by the general process
of Equation 15 can be reacted with nitrogen from the atmosphere to
form ammonia or with a suitable source of carbon dioxide such as a
power plant, brewery, bakery or calcining plant to produce
methanol. Such ammonia and methanol thus serve as hydrogen storage
substances that provide more hydrogen per volume than cryogenic
liquid hydrogen and this embodiment performs as a net carbon
dioxide reduction system by avoidance of 3.67 tons of carbon
dioxide per ton of carbon collected by processes such as summarized
by Equation 15.
[0168] Substances such as ammonia and methanol can be injected into
geothermal formations at relatively low pressure and after gaining
heat are transformed to vapors at considerably higher pressure.
This enables much greater return of energy for operations such as
described regarding FIGS. 1-6 than the amount of energy that could
be obtained by burning the hydrocarbon feedstock of Equation 15. In
addition this embodiment provides far more profitable business
opportunities along with avoiding more than three tons of carbon
dioxide per ton of carbon that is utilized for production of
durable goods.
[0169] The amount of heat required in the process of Equation 15 to
produce a given amount of sequestered carbon is considerably less
than the energy required to collect and dissociate carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere. The apparatus required to practice the process
of Equation 15 is far less involved and much simpler and more
rugged than would be required to extract carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere and break it into carbon and oxygen. Similarly the
amount of energy to produce hydrogen by dissociation of a
hydrocarbon such as methane is much less than the requirement to
produce hydrogen from water. Such hydrogen can be utilized locally
or at great distance including local or distant intermittent
storage in one or more geothermal formations such as 86, 176, or
543 along with subsequent expansion in motor-generators 94, 178, or
537 to ultimately fuel combined heat and power (CHP) applications
such as 107, 109, 131, 137, and or 460 to provide much greater
overall energy utilization efficiency than prior-art conventional
approaches.
[0170] In the process of converting hydrocarbons including biomass
solids and methane into carbon and hydrogen, the products of
dissociation reactions such as those shown regarding Equations 11,
12, and 15 tend to occupy more volume than the reactants. Apparatus
720 of assembly 714 for carrying out these endothermic reactions
can readily seal the reaction zone 730 with carbon rich material
that is compacted by extruder flights 726 along the inlet to zone
730 and with carbon rich material along extruder flights 734 of the
outlet of zone 730 so that the hydrogen and other gases passing out
through bore 731 may be pressurized to the desired extent and
maintained by a rotary union and pressure regulation means on the
outlet of bore 731.
[0171] It is preferred to pressurize cool methane to the desired
delivery pressure of hydrogen from reactor 720 with a suitable
pressurization technique before methane entry into reactor 720. If
the gases produced in anaerobic digestion are separated by
liquefaction, this is readily accomplished by vaporizing the
methane to the pressure desired. Pressurization by various pumps
and compressors 770 may also be used for this purpose.
[0172] Types of carbon that may be produced vary greatly depending
upon market demand and the corresponding temperature and pressure
at which the process of Equation 15 is accomplished. Methane
delivered to manufacturing stage 772 may be processed as needed to
produce fibers, carbon black, diamond-like plating on suitable
substrate, graphite crystals and in many other forms corresponding
to the copending disclosures including those of U.S. patent
application Ser. Nos. 08/921,134; 08/921,134 and 09/370,431.
[0173] It is also contemplated as a heat conservation advantage for
certain applications that screw conveyer 732 would be designed as
the feed path and preheater with hydrogen being delivered through
bore 731 and carbon produced by the reaction in zone 730 conveyed
by appropriately designed extruder 724 in countercurrent heat
exchange with incoming feedstock. This arrangement provides for
countercurrent heating of the incoming feedstock from inside and
from the outside before reaching zone 730 by parallel flows of
products passing in the opposite direction of feedstock.
[0174] Carbon formed by the reaction of Equation 15 is carried by
screw conveyer 732 in countercurrent heat exchange with tube 724 to
preheat the incoming methane and thus increase the overall
efficiency and rate that solar energy completes the process of
Equation 15. Hydrogen produced is collected in bore 731 of tube
conveyer 732 and heat is removed in countercurrent heat exchange
with reactants passing towards zone 730. Renewable hydrogen
produced can be used fuel cells or in existing engines that
actually clean the air and provide cleaner exhaust than the ambient
atmosphere.
[0175] Carbon continuously forms a gas-tight seal between conveyer
flights 726 and the inner wall of tube 722 as it is produced by the
process summarized in Equation 15. This is preferably assured by
making the extruder screw flight lead shorter where the greatest
compaction is desired. It is generally desired to provide the
greatest carbon compaction and sealing effect after the material
undergoing conversion to hydrogen passes zone 730 on the outlet in
screw conveyer past zone 730.
[0176] It is contemplated that conveyance of reactants in processes
shown in Equations 11, 12, 15, 16, and 18 would be by numerous
other means in addition to screw conveyers as shown. Illustratively
biomass could be forced to the reaction zone by a reciprocating
plunger in place of screw conveyer 724 and carbon can be extracted
from the hot end by other extraction methods including a chain
drive conveyer in place of screw conveyer 732.
[0177] In instances that it is desired to produce a liquid fuel or
vapors of a solvent such as one or more turpenes along with other
valuable products, the reaction temperature may be adjusted usually
to reduced temperature or the throughput rate of ingredients
increased. Useful compounds such as hydrogen, carbon, methanol, and
turpentine may be produced and collected in tube bore 731 as
summarized in Equation 16 for a portion of a typical biomass waste
feedstock with the average compound formula shown:
C.sub.6H.sub.10O.sub.5+HEAT.sub.6.fwdarw.CH.sub.3OH+4CO+3H.sub.2+C
Equation 16
[0178] If a greater yield of liquid fuel and/or solvent is desired,
carbon monoxide and hydrogen produced in the typical process of
Equation 16 may be reacted, preferably in the presence of a
suitable catalyst, to produce additional methanol and hydrogen.
4CO+3H.sub.2.fwdarw.4CH.sub.3OH+H.sub.2+HEAT.sub.7 Equation 17
[0179] The rate of biomass travel into zone 730 and the rate of
extraction of solid residues by helical conveyer 32 is preferably
controlled by a computer that responds to instrumentation of the
pressure, temperature, and other indicators of the kind and quality
of products in the gas, vapor and solid residue streams.
[0180] Carbon monoxide may be decomposed or converted to desired
forms of sequestered carbon by disproportionation as shown by the
process summarized in Equation 18:
2CO.fwdarw.C+CO.sub.2+HEAT.sub.8 Equation 18
[0181] Dissociation or disproportionation as in Equation 18 is
exothermic and will proceed under conditions of 10-40 Atmospheres
pressure at 500.degree. C. to 800.degree. C.
[0182] If market conditions favor hydrogen production for fuel
cells or heat engines that clean the air, carbon monoxide can be
reacted with steam in an exothermic reaction to produce hydrogen as
shown in Equation 19:
CO+H.sub.2O.fwdarw.CO.sub.2+H.sub.2+HEAT.sub.9 Equation 19
[0183] Carbon monoxide produced by the processes summarized in
Equations 11 and 12 can be converted into numerous products to meet
market demand as selected from processes requiring hydrogen and/or
carbon production as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. It is preferred
to utilize heat released by the processes of Equations 17, 18, and
19 as part of the heat additions needed for endothermic reactions
like the processes of Equations 12, 15 and 16.
[0184] FIG. 10 shows the preferred process steps for producing
valuable fuels, solvents, chemical precursors, and a wide variety
of sequestered carbon products starting with photosynthesis through
which organic feedstocks such as manure, garbage and sewage are
produced as denoted in 782 and converted by countercurrent
regenerative preheating and anaerobic pyrolysis to carbon-rich
residues and fluids such as methanol, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide
in the process depicted as 784 preferably by the embodiment
disclosed regarding FIGS. 7 and 8.
[0185] Gases such as hydrogen and carbon monoxide produced by
anaerobic pyrolysis are delivered by pump 783 and separated to
produce the desired degree of purification in 786. Pump 788
delivers carbon monoxide to be appropriately proportioned by
metering pumps 790 and 792 and further converted into a wide
variety of products such as those depicted in processes 794, 796,
and 798.
[0186] In process 794 Heat.sub.8 is produced as carbon monoxide
dissociates into carbon and carbon dioxide. In process 796
Heat.sub.7 is released as carbon monoxide is combined with hydrogen
to produce methanol. Process 798 reacts steam with carbon monoxide
in an exothermic reaction to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
Heat released by these exothermic processes is utilized to produce
steam used in process 798, to dry biomass feedstocks before
additional heat is provided in process 784, for heating anaerobic
digester 764 to increase the rate of methane and/or hydrogen
production, in process 772, and for many other useful purposes.
[0187] Thus some embodiments of the invention offer a practical
process for sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere consisting
of photosynthesis, collection of photosynthesized biomass, and
heating the biomass to yield products selected from the group
including carbon, hydrogen, methanol, turpenes, and ash. Biomass
wastes that are ordinarily allowed to rot into the atmosphere and
which contribute to carbon dioxide and/or methane buildup can now
be utilized to efficiently produce hydrogen, carbon and soil
nutrients. Practical systems with thermodynamic and thermochemical
advantages extract carbon and or hydrogen from a hydrogen and or
carbon donor compound and provide for such hydrogen to be utilized
in one or more local subsystem applications or at considerable
distance after one or more occasions of intermittent storage in one
or more geothermal formations. Such hydrogen excels in facilitating
heat exchanges and expansion in one or more expansion motors prior
to ultimately being utilized in a fuel cell or combusted by
internal combustion engines, external combustion engines, combined
cycle heat engines, and/or in combined heat and power
applications.
[0188] A disturbing trend of warming the air and soil has developed
in zones of the Earth's surface that have previously stored organic
substances in swamps, lakes, on the ocean floors, as frozen
components of polar ice masses, tundra, and permafrost. Such
deposits particularly including methane hydrates and organic
materials preserved in ice and frozen organic deposits may in
places be 2000 feet deep and have been estimated to contain far
more carbon than all the carbon presently in deeper deposits of
coal, oil and natural gas. Even relatively small conversions of
such organic carbon sources into releases of carbon dioxide or
methane would more than double the concentration of carbon
substances in the global atmosphere.
[0189] Global warming produced by millions of tons of carbon
dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases that are being
released each year is warming the planet's permafrost and enabling
bacteria and other microorganisms to convert the organic contents
into products such as methane and carbon dioxide along with other
greenhouse gases and releases of phosphates and nitrates.
[0190] Illustratively, natural habitats are threatened by quick
growths of plant species that die and cause waters that previously
supported fish to be anaerobic dead zones. Losses of fisheries due
to such sediments from melting of sea ice and thawing permafrost
exacerbate erosion of costal areas cause villages to be abandoned
or moved.
[0191] FIG. 11 shows an embodiment 800 may be employed on a large
area of the ocean floor to collect methane from anaerobic
production of methane or that provides for collection of methane
and carbon dioxide from thawing permafrost by porosity or
perforations 814 in pipes 812 that are beneath an impervious
membrane 830 that may have one or more layers such as 810 that in
some applications may be metalized to provide reflectivity of
radiation at selected wavelengths. Membrane 830 may include
multiple layers of insulating material such as polymer films and
each layer may include suitable reflective coatings or films such
as aluminum, silver, chromium, zinc or diachromatic reflective
coatings to control the passage of radiation. In other applications
membrane 830 may facilitate radiative transfer for purposes such as
allowing rejection of heat to night sky conditions or to gain
radiation for adding heat to the materials contained below membrane
830.
[0192] Heat pipes such as 840 may be utilized to move heat from
below membrane 830 to the surface for purposes of removing heat and
preserving the permafrost 822 that is below membrane 830 as shown
in FIG. 12. Heat is transferred or removed as a suitable liquid is
evaporated in zone 842 and the evaporant condenses in zone 844 to
release heat to the ambient. Condensate produced in zone 844 drains
to zone 842 to remove more heat by evaporation as the cycle
continues. Thus when the ambient temperature in zone 844 is below
the temperature in zone 842 heat is removed to the surface. When
the temperature in zone 844 is equal or exceeds the temperature in
zone 842 heat pipe 840 stands by until conditions conducive for
continued heat transfer develop. Modulation of the rate of heat
removal may be provided by operation of valves such as 846 to
control thermal expansion or contraction in zones such as roadways
over permafrost 822 to prevent road damage due to heaving or gas
pockets that destroy roadways.
[0193] In operation a top layer of snow, gravel, dirt, or soil 802
may be utilized to hold membrane 830 in place and or to protect it
from penetration by passing caraboo or other surface traffic.
Methane that is released from the zone below membrane 830 may be
collected and processed by equipment that performs the steps such
as the illustrative procedures summarized in Equations 20, 21 and
22.
CH.sub.4+Heat.fwdarw.C+2H.sub.2 Equation 20
CH.sub.4+C.fwdarw.C.sub.2H.sub.4 Equation 21
nC.sub.2H.sub.4.fwdarw.(C.sub.2H.sub.4)n Equation 22
[0194] Methane is collected and dissociated to produce carbon and
hydrogen. Such hydrogen may be used to store energy and or in a
suitable energy conversion process to produce power for operation
of equipment that performs the processes summarized in Equations 21
and 22. Carbon provided by the process of Equation 20 may be
reacted with methane to produce ethylene as shown that is
polymerized to produce dense storage of carbon or as various
polymers that may be suitable for production of pipe, fittings and
valves that are utilized in the present processes.
[0195] In other aspects, storage of energy as potential energy of
various forms such as thermal, chemical, pressure, and height in a
suitable geological formation can provide numerous advantages
including interaction with the formation to increase the
temperature, pressure, and chemical potential of stored substances.
This enables an energy conversion system that subjects one or more
substances of a fluid to a geological formation for purposes
including storage of chemical potential energy, storage of pressure
potential energy, storage of chemical and pressure potential
energy, heat transfer from the formation to such fluid, transfer of
substances from said formation to such fluid, and production of
substances from said formation as a result of the presence of said
fluid.
[0196] This further enables work production by at least one of the
substances in one or more energy conversion devices wherein at
least one of the fluid substances is conditioned to provide a state
such as liquid, mixed liquid and vapor, vapor, or gas that is
delivered to drive appropriate energy conversion devices.
[0197] In geological formations that contain hydrocarbons, the
system can provide substances that generally or specifically
extract one or more types of hydrocarbons from the geological
formation.
[0198] The working fluid can be further heated by solar or heat
rejected from industrial, commercial, fuel cell and heat engine
sources whereby one or more fluid substances receives supplemental
heat from transfers from solar, industrial, commercial, fuel cells
and heat engine sources.
[0199] Developing and conditioning the working fluid at a
considerable height increases the process efficiency. The height
develops a pressure head and more kinetic energy of the falling
working fluid. This enables one or more fluid substances to be
provided or produced at an altitude such as a wind turbine tower, a
hill or other topographical feature at elevated altitude, a
communication tower, and an erected tower including instances in
which the fluid rises to the altitude as a vapor or gas and after
condensation serves as a liquid that falls to gain kinetic energy
that is harnessed by a suitable motor.
[0200] The fluid or working fluid can be produced by extracting the
hydrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, etc. through a
variety of processes. The conditioning involves converting the
working fluid into the desired state. This enables a process for
producing and conditioning a fluid including a process such as
catalytic release from an anaerobic digester liquor, electrolytic
production from a compound containing hydrogen, and combined
electrical and catalytic impetus of working fluid production from
anaerobic digester liquor. This enables sewage, garbage, farm
wastes and forest slash to be converted into working fluid
constituents that may be stored in a geological formation for the
purpose increasing energy security and enabling dispatchable energy
conversion on demand. The working fluid may be delivered to a
geological formation for purposes such as storage of chemical
potential energy, storage of pressure potential energy, storage of
chemical and pressure potential energy, heat transfer from said
formation to such fluid, transfer of substances from such formation
to such fluid, and production of substances from the formation as a
result of the presence of such fluid. The working fluid can be
comprised of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, or hydrogen and carbon
dioxide mixtures or methane, or it may be comprised of other
selections such as those illustratively listed in Table 2. This
enables a process for combined storage, delivery of a substance,
and production of work production by at least one fluid substance
in one or more energy conversion devices wherein at least one of
the fluid substances is conditioned to provide a state such as
liquid, mixed liquid and vapor, vapor, or gas that is delivered to
drive the energy conversion devices.
[0201] The system may develop a working fluid that it delivers it
to operate or drive an energy conversion device followed by
utilization of heat supplied by or stored in a geological formation
including surface, near surface or deeper strata to condition the
working fluid for purposes such as providing further energy
conversion steps and supporting or nourishing a variety of plant
types.
[0202] Further the system may store and or produce and utilize
geothermal heat to develop and deliver conditioned fluid such as
carbon dioxide, methane, and hydrogen for a purpose such as
increasing the temperature and supplying carbon dioxide for aqueous
plant production including types selected for fuel, chemical
extraction, and food production purposes, greenhouse plant
production, a hydroponics plant production.
[0203] This system provides for the extraction of hydrogen or fluid
fuels from organic materials and is economically more efficient
because it takes less energy to make polymers from selected crops
compared to the replacement of fossil petrochemical substances.
Such systems also enable the return of fixed nitrogen and trace
minerals to the soil of farming, landscaping and other agricultural
operations.
[0204] In another aspect the system includes converting organic
material into one or more fluid substances such as methane, ethane,
propane, methanol, ethanol, hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, carbon
monoxide, and carbon dioxide to provide an effective economic
development engine that incorporates farm practices to produce
value added activities for agriculture. This can overcome the
overcome the inefficient practice of delivering one calorie of
edible substance at the expenditure of more than ten petroleum
calories to plant, fertilize, cultivate, harvest, and process such
edibles.
[0205] Another embodiment provides for collection and storage of
rainwater to produce crops, provide evaporative cooling and
humidification benefits in energy conversion processes.
[0206] Another embodiment provides a system that separates selected
constituents of fluid substances by selective removals by suitable
filters, pressure swing absorption, temperature swing absorption,
solution absorption, and membrane separation and includes such
selective removals to return fixed nitrogen and or trace minerals
to agricultural operations or selective removal of chemical
substances for value added applications.
[0207] Another embodiment provides a system that provides
extraction of hydrogen or fuel fluids from an organic material by
use of heat for thermal dissociation and stores such extracted
substance in a geological formation.
[0208] Another embodiment provides a system that provides counter
current heat exchange for converting organic material into one or
more fluid substances that are derived by endothermic processes
utilizing heat sources such as combustion of a portion of one or
more said fluid substances, solar heating, electrical heating, and
heat exchange with an energy conversion device such as an internal
combustion engine, an external combustion engine, an expansion
motor, and a fuel cell.
[0209] Another embodiment provides a system in which organic
material is converted into a fluid substance such as hydrogen and
or a fluid hydrocarbon for energy conversion operations and carbon
is extracted for manufacturing and production of durable goods to
prevent such carbon from entering the environment as a constituent
of pollution.
[0210] An improvement of the system above includes the conversion
is done at site where the organic materials collected at one site
and the fluid substance is transported to another site to have the
carbon extracted.
[0211] In another embodiment said organic materials are converted
into said fluid substances at a location where said organic
materials are plentiful and one or more of said fluids are
transported to locations where carbon is separated from one or more
of said fluids to produce solid products for purposes of preventing
said carbon from entering the atmosphere as a gaseous compound.
Heat exchange is used to dry the organic materials prior to
conversion into the fluid substances. Sources of the heat exchange
include combustion of the fluid substances, high temperature of
fluid substances, and an energy conversion device such as an engine
or fuel cell.
[0212] In an aspect of this embodiment said organic materials are
dried prior to conversion into said fluid substances by
countercurrent heat exchange from sources selected from combustion
of a portion of one or more of said fluid substances, one or more
of said fluid substances after being produced at a temperature
higher than said organic material, one or more said fluid
substances after being heated to a temperature higher than said
organic material, and heat exchange with an energy conversion
device selected from the group including an internal combustion
engine, an external combustion engine, an expansion motor, and a
fuel cell.
[0213] Another aspect of this embodiment includes pressurization of
said fluid substances by one or more processes selected from the
group including compaction by compaction by a screw conveyer,
compaction by a ram, and phase change from a solid to a more
voluminous fluid.
[0214] Another embodiment provides a system for countercurrent heat
exchange comprising a hydrogen donor exchanging heat with the
products of dissociation of said hydrogen donor. In an aspect of
this embodiment dissociation is caused by heat selected from the
population of sources comprised of trapped solar heat, concentrated
solar heat, combustion heat, geological formation heat, rejected
heat from a noncombustion source.
[0215] Another embodiment provides extracting carbon or hydrogen
from a carbon or hydrogen donor compound wherein said hydrogen is
utilized in one or more subsystem applications locally or at a
distance after one or more occasions of intermittent storage in one
or more geologic formations. In an aspect of this embodiment said
hydrogen performs expansion in one or more expansion means prior to
ultimately being utilized in a fuel cell or combusted by means
selected from the group comprised of internal combustion engine,
external combustion engine, combined cycle heat engine, and means
for combined heat and power applications.
[0216] Another embodiment provides a catalyst aided release of
hydrogen from a substance prepared by action of microorganisms on
biomass. In an aspect of this embodiment said catalyst is organic.
Another aspect of this embodiment includes an impetus selected from
the group including radioactive, vibrational, electromotive, and
magnetic force is utilized in conjunction with said catalyst.
[0217] Another embodiment provides an energy conversion apparatus
comprising elements as described herein, including features
associated with wind column updrafts and downdrafts, wells,
geologic formations, pipelines, watershed collection and polymer
material. In an aspect of this embodiment the apparatus supports
varied micro-climate zones; and said zones further comprise
sub-zones; and said sub-zones that contain unique thermal,
humidity, natural resources, or energy transfer characteristics
that can be manipulated for work.
[0218] Another embodiment provides a sustainable economic
development engine system comprising: a method for economic
incentives that increase productivity; a method for removing
disincentives that decrease productivity; a method for creating
jobs in plant husbandry, manufacturing, energy production,
information and energy management; and a method for implementing a
macro-economic algorithm of sustainability.
[0219] Another embodiment provides a farming process comprising a
method to improve crop yields by decreasing the cost of energy used
to produce crops; a method to decrease the need for fertilizers by
returning trace minerals to the soil; a method of fertilizing crops
with algae; a system for water management; a system for energy
production and management; and the use of CO2 to increase crop
potential.
[0220] Another embodiment provides a system for raising crops in a
micro climate that can be enclosed as necessary or monitored access
to the environment to add air (up/down draft) or precipitation; and
a macro food production system to harvest the crop waste (stem,
stalk, stover) into carbon or hydrogen.
[0221] Another embodiment provides a fish spawning system
comprising: a method to provide nutrients, oxygen, and clean water
for supporting fish spawning; a system for monitoring and
controlling temperature to support environment; and a system to
extract protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals from
biomass/liquor as nutrition for fish.
[0222] Another embodiment provides a poultry, swine, bovine (animal
husbandry) system comprising: a system to raise animals in a
controlled environment; and a system for raising feed crops without
pesticides or fertilizers; and a water management system to purify
water by extraction of hydrogen from acid rain and other sources of
acidified water including water conditioned to an acidified state
by reducing agents.
[0223] Another embodiment provides a process for energy conversion
comprising the steps of subjecting one or more fluid substances to
a geological formation for purposes selected from the group
comprised of heat gain, intermittent storage of chemical and or
pressure energy, and extraction of valuable substances from said
formation wherein work production is accomplished by at least one
of said one or more fluid substances in one or more energy
conversion devices, wherein at least one of said one or more fluid
substances is conditioned to provide a state selected from the
group consisting of liquid, mixed liquid and vapor, vapor, or gas
that is delivered to drive said one or more energy conversion
devices. Another aspect of this embodiment includes wherein said
geological formation contains hydrocarbons. Another aspect of this
embodiment includes wherein after subjecting one or more fluid
substances to a geological formation said one or more fluid
substances receives supplemental heat from sources selected from
the group comprised of solar, industrial, commercial and heat
engine sources. Another aspect of this embodiment includes wherein
said liquid is produced at an altitude provided by an embodiment
selected from the group comprised of a wind turbine tower, a hill
or other topographical feature at elevated altitude, a
communication tower, and an erected tower.
[0224] Another embodiment provides a process for producing and
conditioning a fluid by a process selected from the group comprised
catalytic release from an anaerobic digestion liquor, electrolytic
production from a compound containing hydrogen, combined electrical
and catalytic impetus of working fluid production from anaerobic
digestion liquor. Another aspect of this embodiment includes said
fluid is selected from the group comprised of hydrogen, carbon
dioxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Another aspect of this
embodiment includes wherein said fluid is delivered to a geological
formation for purposes selected from the group comprised of storage
of chemical potential energy, storage of pressure potential energy,
storage of chemical and pressure potential energy, heat transfer
from said formation to said fluid, transfer of substances from said
formation to said fluid and production of substances from said
formation as a result of the presence of said fluid. Another aspect
of this embodiment includes said fluid is used to propel an energy
conversion device.
[0225] Another embodiment provides a process for producing and
utilizing geothermal heat to develop, and deliver fluids selected
from the group comprised of carbon dioxide, methane, and hydrogen
for a purpose selected from a group comprised of an aqueous plant
production, a greenhouse plant production, a hydroponics plant
production and use as the working fluid for operation of one or
more energy conversion devices. Another aspect of this embodiment
includes said aqueous plant is selected from the group comprised of
algae.
[0226] Another embodiment provides a system for converting organic
materials into one or more fluid substances selected from the group
including methane, ethane, propane, methanol, ethanol, hydrogen,
hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide wherein
removal of a portion of said substances selected from the group
including hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide is
accomplished by a selective removal process selected from the group
including pressure swing absorption, temperature swing absorption,
solution absorption, and membrane separation, and wherein said
process for conversion of organic material into fluids is
accomplished with countercurrent heat exchange from sources
selected from combustion of a portion of one or more of said
substances, one or more of said substances after being produced at
a temperature higher than said organic material, one or more of
said substances after being heated to a temperature higher than
said organic material, and heat exchange with an energy conversion
device selected from the group including an internal combustion
engine, an external combustion engine, an expansive motor, and a
fuel cell. Another aspect of this embodiment includes said energy
conversion device utilizes a substance selected from said fluid
substances. Another aspect of this embodiment includes said organic
materials are converted into said fluid substances and carbon is
sequestered from one or more of said substances to produce solid
products for purposes of preventing such carbon from entering the
atmosphere as a gaseous compound. Another aspect of this embodiment
includes said organic materials are converted into said fluid
substances at a location where such organic materials are plentiful
and one or more of said fluids are transported to locations where
carbon is sequestered from one or more of said fluids to produce
solid products for purposes of preventing such carbon from entering
the atmosphere as a gaseous compound. Another aspect of this
embodiment includes said organic materials are dried prior to
conversion into said fluid substances by countercurrent heat
exchange from sources selected from combustion of a portion of one
or more of said fluid substances, one or more of said fluid
substances after being produced at a temperature higher than said
organic material, one or more said fluid substances after being
heated to a temperature higher than said organic material, and heat
exchange with an energy conversion device selected from the group
including an internal combustion engine, an external combustion
engine, an expansion motor, and a fuel cell. Another aspect of this
embodiment includes pressurization of said fluid substances by one
or more processes selected from the group including compaction by
compaction by a screw conveyer, compaction by a ram, and phase
change from a solid to a more voluminous fluid.
[0227] Another embodiment provides a process for operation of an
internal combustion engine means in which a fluid fuel is
introduced into said engine at times controlled by a normally
closed valve means that is actuated by a mechanical motion means
that occurs at a frequency equivalent to the power production event
in said engine wherein said fuel introduction is controlled to
accomplish tasks selected from the group including idle of the
engine, power production that exceeds idle conditions, full power
production. Another aspect of this embodiment includes said valve
means is controlled by a means selected from the group including an
electromagnetic means that is operable before said actuation by a
mechanical motion means, an electromagnetic means that is operable
during said actuation by a mechanical motion means, after said
actuation by an electromotive means wherein said electromotive
means is selected from the group including an electromagnetic
solenoid, a piezoelectric device, a magnetic fluid device. Another
aspect of this embodiment includes said valve means is actuated by
said mechanical motion means provided by a process means selected
from the group including a rotary cam means, a rotary cam means
coupled with mechanical push-rod means to enable substantial
separation of said valve means from said cam means, a rotary cam
means coupled to rocker arm means that actuates said normally
closed valve means to enable substantial separation of said valve
means from said cam means. Another aspect of this embodiment
includes said fuel is introduced into locations and according to
conditions selected from the group including a combustion chamber
means after said combustion chamber means has been closed in
preparation for combustion, said combustion chamber means at a site
that ignition occurs by spark ignition means, said combustion
chamber means at a site that ignition by catalytic ignition means
occurs, the combustion chamber means at a site in which ignition by
thermal ignition means occurs, a location selected for the purpose
of utilizing the momentum of said fuel to induce enhanced flow of
gaseous oxidant into said combustion chamber means.
[0228] Another embodiment provides a process for operation of an
internal combustion engine in which a fluid fuel is introduced into
a combustion chamber means of said engine by means that distributes
said fuel to locations within a gaseous oxidant to provide
conditions selected from the following: distribution of said fuel
within said oxidant that is in surplus of the amount that can be
chemically combined with said fuel, distribution to of said fuel
within said oxidant so as to complete combustion of said fuel with
said oxidant before said fuel contacts any solid surface that
defines said combustion chamber in addition to said fuel
introduction means, and distribution by said fuel introduction
means to asymmetric locations within said combustion chamber.
[0229] Another embodiment provides a system for countercurrent heat
exchange by a hydrogen donor and products of dissociation of said
hydrogen donor. Another aspect of this embodiment includes
dissociation is caused by heat selected from the population of
sources comprised of trapped solar heat, concentrated solar heat,
combustion heat, geological formation heat, rejected heat from a
noncombustion source.
[0230] Another embodiment provides an extraction system comprising:
extracting carbon or hydrogen from a carbon or hydrogen donor
compound wherein said hydrogen is utilized in one or more subsystem
applications locally or at a distance after one or more occasions
of intermittent storage in one or more geologic formations. Another
aspect of this embodiment includes said hydrogen performs expansion
in one or more expansion means prior to ultimately being utilized
in a fuel cell or combusted by means selected from the group
comprised of internal combustion engine, external combustion
engine, combined cycle heat engine, and means for combined heat and
power applications.
[0231] Another embodiment provides a hydrogen release system
comprising: a catalyst aided release of hydrogen from substances
prepared by action of microorganisms on biomass. Another aspect of
this embodiment includes said catalyst is organic. Another aspect
of this embodiment includes an impetus selected from the group
including radioactive, vibrational, electromotive, and magnetic
force is utilized in conjunction with said catalyst.
[0232] Another embodiment provides an energy conversion apparatus
comprising elements as described herein, including features
associated with wind column updrafts and downdrafts, wells,
geologic formations, pipelines, watershed collection, and polymer
material. Another aspect of this embodiment includes said apparatus
supports varied micro-climate zones; and said zones further
comprise sub-zones; and said sub-zones that contain unique thermal,
humidity, natural resources, or energy transfer characteristics
that can be manipulated for work.
[0233] Another embodiment provides a sustainable economic
development engine system comprising: a method for economic
incentives that increase productivity; a method for removing
disincentives that decrease productivity; a method for creating
jobs in plant husbandry, manufacturing, energy production,
information and energy management; and a method for implementing a
macro-economic algorithm of sustainability; farming within
microclimates (man-made) communities (cities that are sustainable);
farm equipment from carbon extracted; and health benefits.
[0234] Another embodiment provides a farming process comprising: a
method to improve crop yields by decreasing the cost of energy used
to produce crops; a method to decrease the need for fertilizers by
returning trace minerals to the soil; a method of fertilizing crops
with algae; a system for water management; a system for energy
production and management; CO2 to increase crop potential; a system
for raising crops in a micro climate that can be enclosed as
necessary or monitored access to the environment to add air
(up/down draft) or precipitation; a macro food production system to
harvest the crop waste (stem, stalk, stover) into carbon or
hydrogen.
[0235] Another embodiment provides a fish spawning system
comprising: a method to provide nutrients, oxygen, and clean water
for supporting fish spawning; a system for monitoring and
controlling temperature to support environment; and a system to
extract protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals from
biomass/liquor as nutrition for fish.
[0236] Another embodiment provides a poultry, swine, bovine (animal
husbandry) system comprising: a system to raise animals in a
controlled environment; a system for raising feed crops without
pesticides or fertilizers; water management system to purify water
by extraction of hydrogen from acid rain and other sources of
acidified water including water conditioned to an acidified state
by reducing agents a system for utilizing drip irrigation of
crops.
[0237] Another embodiment provides a water management system
comprising: a system to purify water, a method of neutralizing and
purifying acid rain; a method to extract hydrogen from acid rain; a
system for utilizing drip lines with crop.
[0238] In another aspect, a method for sustainable economic
development comprising a means for conversion of solar, wind,
moving water, organic or geothermal resources into electricity,
hydrogen, compounds containing hydrogen, or compounds containing
carbon wherein said carbon is utilized to produce durable goods
means, equipment means to enable said conversion, or transportation
component means. The method can further include a means for adding,
storing, and distributing said hydrogen or said compounds
containing hydrogen or said compounds containing carbon in natural
gas pipeline means and for storing said hydrogen or said compounds
containing hydrogen or said compounds containing carbon in
petroleum geological formation means or in other geological
formation means. The method can further include a means for
removing, adding, storing, and distributing substances from said
petroleum geological formation means or other geological formation
means along with said hydrogen or said compounds containing
hydrogen or said compounds containing carbon. In another aspect,
the method can further include a means for removing heat from said
petroleum geological formation means or other geological formation
means along with said hydrogen or said compounds containing
hydrogen or said compounds containing carbon. In another aspect,
the method can further include a means for conversion of said heat
from said petroleum geological formation means or other geological
formation means into motive work. The method can further include a
means for combining the conversion of solar, wind, moving water,
organic or geothermal resources into electricity, hydrogen,
compounds containing hydrogen, or compounds with conversion of said
heat from said petroleum geological formation means or other
geological formation means into motive work. The method can further
include a means for conversion of said solar energy into biomass
means selected from the group including food means, fiber means,
fuel means, and feedstock means for manufacturing means.
[0239] The following embodiments disclose an electrolyzer for use
in the above embodiments.
[0240] In one embodiment of the present invention an electrolytic
cell is provided comprising a containment vessel; a first
electrode; a second electrode; a source of electrical current in
electrical communication with the first electrode and the second
electrode; an electrolyte in fluid communication with the first
electrode and the second electrode; a gas, wherein the gas is
formed during electrolysis at or near the first electrode; and a
separator; wherein the separator includes an inclined surface to
direct flow of the electrolyte and the gas due to a difference
between density of the electrolyte and the combined density of the
electrolyte and the gas such that the gas substantially flows in a
direction distal to the second electrode.
[0241] In another embodiment, an electrolytic cell is provided
comprising a containment vessel; a first electrode; a second
electrode; a source of electrical current in electrical
communication with the first electrode and the second electrode; an
electrolyte in fluid communication with the first electrode and the
second electrode; a gas, wherein the gas is formed during
electrolysis at or near the first electrode; a gas extraction area;
and a separator wherein separator comprises two inclined surfaces
forming a "V" shape; wherein the separator directs flow of the
electrolyte and the gas due to a difference between density of the
electrolyte and the combined density of the electrolyte and the gas
such that the gas substantially flows in a direction distal to the
second electrode, and wherein the separator is further configured
to promote circulation of the electrolyte between the first
electrode, the gas extraction area, and the second electrode to
provide fresh electrolyte to the first electrode and the second
electrode.
[0242] In yet another embodiment, an electrolytic cell is provided
comprising a containment vessel; a first electrode; a second
electrode; a source of electrical current in electrical
communication with the first electrode and the second electrode; an
electrolyte in fluid communication with the first electrode and the
second electrode; a gas, wherein the gas is formed during
electrolysis at or near the first electrode; and a separator;
wherein the separator includes an inclined surface to direct flow
of the electrolyte and the gas due to a difference between density
of the electrolyte and the combined density of the electrolyte and
the gas such that the gas substantially flows in a direction distal
to the second electrode.
[0243] In another embodiment, an electrolytic cell and method of
use is provided. While the electrolytic cell may be used in many
applications, it is described in this embodiment for use in the
production of hydrogen and oxygen. An electrolytic cell according
to the present embodiment provides for reversible separated
production of pressurized hydrogen and oxygen and tolerates
impurities and products of operation. The embodiment further
provides the option for operating an electrolysis process which
comprises the steps of supplying a substance to be dissociated that
is pressurized to a much lower magnitude than desired for compact
storage, applying an electromotive force between electrodes to
produce fluid products that have less density than the substance
that is dissociated and restricting expansion of the less dense
fluid products until the desired pressure for compact storage is
achieved. This and other embodiments can improve the energy
utilization efficiency of dwellings such as homes, restaurants,
hotels, hospitals, canneries, and other business facilities by
operation of heat engines or fuel cells and to utilize heat from
such sources to cook food, sterilize water and deliver heat to
other substances, provide space heating or to facilitate anaerobic
or electrically induced releases of fuel for such engines or fuel
cells. Moreover, one skilled in the art will appreciate that
aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein can apply to other
types of electrochemical cells to provide similar advantages.
[0244] Contrary to conventional electrochemical electrodes which
depend largely upon relatively slow diffusion, convection, and
concentration gradient processes to produce mass transport and/or
deliver ions for production of desired constituents, the present
embodiment provides more efficient mass transport including rapid
ion replenishment processes and deliveries to desired electrodes by
pumping actions of low-density gases escaping from a denser liquid
medium as described herein. This assures greater electrical
efficiency, more rapid dissociation, and greater separation
efficiency along with prevention of undesirable side reactions.
Increasing the rate and efficiency of ion production and delivery
to electrodes increases the system efficiency and current limit per
electrode area.
[0245] Referring to FIG. 1B, an electrolytic cell 2b in which a
container 4b such as a metallic tube serves as a containment vessel
is shown. Optionally, the container 4b may also serve as an
electrode as shown in FIG. 1B. A porous electrode such as
cylindrical conductive wire screen electrode 8b is coaxially
located and separated from tubular electrode 4b by an electrolytic
inventory of liquid such as an acid or base. Liquid electrolyte
occupies the interior space of container 4b to the liquid-gas
interface in insulator 24b. A layer of plated, plasma sprayed, or
composited electrode material on a dielectric sleeve or a
conductive cylindrical inner liner electrode 4b' (not shown) may be
provided within container 4b to serve as an electrically separated
element of the assembly to enable convenient replacement as a
maintenance item or to serve as one of a number of segmented
electrode elements for purposes of optional polarity, and/or in
series, parallel, or series-parallel connections. In the present
reversible embodiment for the electrolysis of water, electrode 8b
may be considered the electron source or cathode such that hydrogen
is produced at electrode 8b, and electrode 4b may be considered the
anode such that oxygen is produced at electrode 4b. Container 4b
may be capable of pressurization. Pressurization of the contents of
container 4b is restrained by sealed caps 30b and 46b. Support,
electrical insulation, and stabilization of components including
electrode 8b, gas separator 10b, and electrical connection 32b are
provided by dielectric insulator bodies 20b and 24b as shown.
Pressurization of the electrolytic cell 2b can be accomplished by
self-pressurization due the production of gas(es) during
electrolysis, by an external source such as a pump or by any
combination thereof.
[0246] Separator 10b is configured to be liquid permeable but to
substantially prevent gas flow or transport from the cathode side
of the separator to the anode side of the separator and vice versa,
include substantially preventing the flow of gas dissolved in the
electrolyte or after nucleation of gas bubbles. Optionally,
electrode 8b may be configured to act as separator 10b such that a
distinct separator is not necessary. Alternatively, separator 10b
may include the electrode 8b or electrode 8b may include separator
10b. In addition, separator 10b may also include the anodic
electrode 4b or anodic electrode 4b may include separator 10b.
[0247] Insulator 24b is shaped as shown and as needed to separate,
collect and/or extract gases produced by electrodes such as 4b and
8b including utilization in combination with separator 10b. In the
concentric cylindrical geometry shown, insulator 24b has a central
conical cavity within which gases released on electrode 8b are
collected. Concentrically surrounding this central cavity is an
annular zone that collects the gases released from the surfaces of
electrode 4b' or from the inside of container electrode 4b.
[0248] Optionally, a catalytic filter 48b may be placed in the
upper collection passage of 24b as shown. Oxygen that manages to
reach catalytic filter 48b including travel by crossing separator
10b can be catalytically induced to form water by reacting with
hydrogen, which may then return to the electrolyte. The vast excess
of hydrogen can serve as a heat sink to prohibit the heat released
by this catalytic reaction from affecting the electrolytic cell.
Purified hydrogen is supplied at fitting 26b as shown. Similarly it
may be preferred to provide a catalytic filter 49b in the upper
region of the circumferential annulus that collects oxygen as
shown, for converting any hydrogen that reaches the oxygen annulus
into water. Oxygen is removed at fitting 22b as shown.
Alternatively, the catalytic filters may be placed at, near or
inside fittings 22b and 26b.
[0249] In illustrative operation, if water is the substance to be
dissociated into hydrogen and oxygen, a suitable electrolyte is
prepared such as an aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate, sodium
caustic, potassium hydroxide, or sulfuric acid and is maintained at
the desired level as shown by sensor 50b that detects the liquid
presence and signals controller 52b to operate pump 40b to add
water from a suitable source such as reservoir 42b as needed to
produce or maintain the desired inventory or pressure. Controller
52b is thus responsive to temperature or pressure control sensor
58b which may be incorporated in an integrated unit with liquid
level sensor 50b or, liquid inventory sensor 51b and control pumps
36b and 40b along with heat exchanger 56b which may include a
circulation pump of a system such as a radiator or heater (not
shown) to receive or deliver heat. Similarly, a heating or cooling
fan maybe utilized in conjunction with such operations to enhance
receipt or rejection of heat from sources associated with the
electrolytic cell 2b.
[0250] In some embodiments where the electrolytic cell 2b is to be
applied cyclically, e.g., when surplus electricity is inexpensive
and not otherwise demanded, electrolytic cell 2b can be operated
with considerable variation of the water inventory. At times that
surplus electricity is not available or it is turned off, hydrogen
and oxygen supplies may be extracted from container 4b and the
system is allowed to return to ambient pressure. Ambient pressure
water can then be added to fully load the system, which can be
provided to have a large annular volume around the circumference of
insulator 24b as may be desired to facilitate such cyclic
low-pressure filling and electrolysis operations to deliver
hydrogen or oxygen at the desired high pressure needed for pressure
or chemical energy to work conversions, compact storage, and
provide rapid transfers to vehicles, tools, or appliance
receivers.
[0251] Upon application of current and generation of voluminous
gaseous supplies of hydrogen and oxygen from a much smaller
inventory of liquid, the system may be pressurized as desired and
remains pressurized until the inventory of water in solution is
depleted to the point of detection by sensors 50b or 51b which
enables controller 52b to either interrupt the electrolysis cycle
or to add water by pressure pump 40b from reservoir 42b as shown.
It may be preferable to add water across a valve such as check
valve 44b as shown to allow multiple duties or maintenance on pump
40b as needed.
[0252] Referring to FIGS. 1B, 2B and 3B, FIG. 2B shows one
embodiment of the separator 10b of FIG. 1B in which the separator
includes two inclined surfaces 14b forming a "V" shape. If the
electrolyte is water based, electrons are added to porous electrode
8b such as a woven wire cylinder through connection 32b and are
removed from container 4b through electrical connection 6b to
continuously convert hydrogen ions into hydrogen atoms and
subsequently diatomic molecules that can nucleate to form bubbles
on or near electrode 8b. Hydrogen and oxygen bubbles are typically
much less dense than water based electrolytes and are buoyantly
propelled upward. Oxygen bubbles are similarly propelled upward and
separated from hydrogen by the geometry of coaxial separator 10b as
shown in the magnified section view of FIG. 2B. The configuration
shown in FIG. 2B may be used in any application in which the flow
of gas formed during operation of the electrolytic cell 2b is
desirable. Further, said separator configuration may be employed in
other configurations of electrochemical cells known in the art.
Alternatively, if the materials formed during electrolysis is of a
higher density than the electrolyte, separator 10b may be inverted
forming a "A" shape. Similarly if one material formed at the
cathode by electrolysis is less dense than the electrolyte and
another material formed at the anode is more dense that the
electrolyte, separator 10b may be comprised of a slanted "/" or "\"
shapes to deflect the less dense material away from the more dense
material.
[0253] Mixing of hydrogen with oxygen that is released from 4b' or
the inside of container 4b is prevented by a liquid-permeable
barrier, separator 10b which efficiently separates gases by
deflection from the surfaces 12b' and 14b which are inclined
against oxygen and hydrogen entry, flow, or transmission as shown.
Alternatively, separator 10b may include a helical spiral that is
composed of an electrically isolated conductor or from inert
dielectric material such as 30% glass filled
ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene in which the cross section of the
spiraled strip material is in a "V" configuration as shown to serve
as an electrical insulator and gas separator.
[0254] Passageways for fluid travel can be increased as desired to
meet fluid circulation and distribution needs by corrugating the
strip occasionally or continuously particularly at each edge to
produce clearance between each layer of the helix, or alternatively
at the stack of formed disks that make up the section shown in FIG.
2B as a magnified corrugations as shown at 13b in section view. It
is generally advantageous to have each of such corrugations
undulate about an appropriately inclined radial axis more or less
as shown with respect to axis 15b and 15b'. This allows the overall
liquid-porous but gas-barrier wall thickness of separator 10b that
is formed to be a desired thickness, for example, about 0.2 mm
(0.008'') thick or less.
[0255] Separator 10b may be of any suitable dimensions including
very small dimensions and with respect to surface energy conditions
sufficient to allow the liquid electrolyte to pass toward or away
from electrode 8b while not allowing passage of gases because of
the buoyant propulsion and upward travel of the gas. An alternative
embodiment applicable in, for example, relatively small fuel cells
and electrolyzers, is provided by a multitude of closely-spaced
flattened threads with the cross section shown in FIG. 2B in which
such threads are woven or adhered to threads that provide mostly
open access of liquids and are disposed in the mostly vertical
direction on one or both sides of the "V" shaped threads. This
allows the overall liquid-porous but gas-barrier wall thickness of
separator 10b that is formed to be about 0.1 mm (0.004'') thick or
less.
[0256] Upward buoyant propulsion deflects gas bubble collisions on
the inclined surfaces 12b and 14b. This feature overcomes the
difficulties and problems of the prior art conventional approaches
that cause inefficiencies due to one or more of electrical
resistance, fouling, stagnation, corrosion, and polarization
losses. Moreover, some configurations can promote electrolyte
circulation in concentric layers due to the buoyant pumping action
of rising bubbles that produces flow of electrolyte upward and, as
the gas(es) escape at the top of the liquid, the relatively
gas-free and denser electrolyte flows toward the bottom as it is
recycled to replace the less dense electrolyte mixed with bubbles
or including dissolved gas. A heat exchanger 56b may be operated as
needed to add or remove heat from electrolyte that is circulated
from the top of container 4b to the bottom as shown. Pump 36b may
be used as needed to increase the rate of electrolyte circulation
or in conjunction with pump 40b to add make up water.
[0257] In some embodiments high current densities are applied,
including systems with rapid additions of organic material. In such
embodiments, it may be advantageous to circulate the electrolyte
with pump 36b which returns relatively gas free electrolyte through
fitting 28b through line 34b to pump 36b to return to container 4b
through line 38b and fitting 16b as shown. It may be preferred to
enter returning electrolyte tangentially at fitting 16b to produce
a swirling delivery that continues to swirl and thus
synergistically enhances the separation including the action by
separator 10b that may be utilized as described above. Depending
upon the pressure of operation, hydrogen is about fourteen times
less dense and more buoyant than the oxygen and tends to be readily
directed at higher upward velocity by separator 10b for pressurized
collection through filter 48b at fitting 26b. At very high current
densities and in instances that electrolytic cell 2b is subjected
to tilting or G-forces as might be encountered in transportation
applications, the velocity of electrolyte travel is increased by
pump 36b to enhance swirl separation and thus prevents gases
produced on an anode from mixing with gases produced by a
cathode.
[0258] Some embodiments of non-conductive gas barrier and liquid
transmitting embodiments including separator 10b enable much less
expensive and far more rugged and efficient reversible
electrolyzers to be manufactured than previous approaches including
those that depend upon proton exchange membranes to separate gases
such as hydrogen and oxygen. In one aspect, separator 10b can be
designed to improve electrolyte flow during electrolysis. For
example, separator 10b can be configured to promote the spiral flow
of ions in liquid electrolyte inventories traveling upward from
port 16b to port 28b. This assures that each portion of the
electrodes receives freshly replenished ion densities as needed for
maximum electrical efficiency. Such electrode washing action can
also rapidly remove bubbles of hydrogen and oxygen as they form on
the respective electrodes of the electrochemical cell.
[0259] FIG. 3B shows the edge view of representative portions of
component sheets or helical strips of another aspect of separator
10b for providing electrical isolation adjacent electrodes
including flat plate and concentric electrode structures while
achieving gas species separation as described above. In assembly
11b, sheets 12b' and 14b' form a cross section that resembles and
serves functionally as that of separator 10b. Flat conductive or
non-conductive polymer sheet 12b' is prepared with multitudes of
small holes on parallel centerlines that are inclined to form
substantial angles such as shown by first angle 15b of
approximately 35.degree. to 70.degree. angles with the long axis of
sheet 12b' as shown. Polymer sheet 14b' is similarly prepared with
multitudes of small holes on parallel centerlines that are
substantially inclined as shown by second angle 15b' to form
approximately 35.degree. to 70.degree. angles with the long axis of
sheet 14b' as shown.
[0260] In other embodiments the angles 15b and 15b' can be varied
depending on the material to be separated during the electrolysis
process. For example the angles could be declined, for electrolysis
of compounds that have no gaseous constituent or only one gaseous
constituent. If a compound such as Al.sub.2O.sub.3 is dissociated
by electrolysis in cryolite-alumina electrolyte to form aluminum
and oxygen, the aluminum is more dense than the cryolite-alumina
electrolyte and the aluminum separating cathode electrode or
associated separator would be configured (by, e.g., declined
angles) to send the aluminum downward and away from the oxygen
traveling upward.
[0261] Multitudes of such small holes with diameters of about 1/12
to 1/3 of the sheet thickness dimension can readily be made in
sheets 12b' and 14b' by suitable technologies including laser
drilling, hot needle piercing, or by high-speed particle
penetrations. Sheets 12b' and 14b' each of which are typically
about 0.025 to 0.25 mm (0.001'' to 0.10'') thick can be held
together by welding or otherwise bonding, thread ties, elastic
bands, or one or more spiral wraps of conductive or nonconductive
wire on the resulting outside diameter to form as an assembly with
electrode 8b. Sheets 12b' and 14b' may also be joined occasionally
or continuously by adhesives or by thermal or solvent fusion. Thus,
where the inclined holes of sheet 12b' overlap the holes of sheet
14b' passageways are formed to enable liquid and/or electrolyte
travel while prohibiting gas transmission through the gas barrier
membrane that is formed. Referring to FIGS. 1B and 4B, tubular
constructions of the assembled gas barrier sheets may be formed
with the appropriate diameter for embodiments 2b or 100b by
adhering or welding the butt seam or by providing an overlapped
seam that performs as the intended separation gas barrier.
[0262] For electrolysis of water, a variety of electrolytes are
suitable. In one embodiment potassium hydroxide may be used with
low carbon steel for the containment vessel 4b. Extended life with
increased corrosion resistance may be provided by nickel plating
cylinder 4b or by utilization of a suitable stainless steel alloy.
In other aspects, increased containment capacity can be provided by
overwrapping cylinder 4b with high-strength reinforcement such as
glass, ceramic, or carbon filaments or a combination thereof.
[0263] Depending upon the particular application and strength
requirements it may be advantageous to use about 30% glass filled
ethylene chlorotrifluoro-ethylene for insulating separators 20b and
24b. Electrode 8b may be made of woven nickel or type 316 stainless
steel wires. Separator 10b may be made from about 30% glass filled
ethylene-chlorotrifluoro-ethylene strip.
[0264] In another embodiment, it is also intended to utilize
controlled applications of electricity to produce methane or
hydrogen separately or in preferred mixtures from organic
electrolytes. In some aspects, the embodiment can operate in
conjunction with the embodiments of copending patent application
including Ser. No. 09/969,860, which is incorporated herein by
reference. Anaerobic digestion processes of organic materials that
ordinarily produce methane can be controlled to produce an
electrolyte that releases hydrogen at considerably lower voltage or
by a reduced on-time of a pulse-width modulated duty cycle and
resulting electricity expenditure than that required to dissociate
water.
[0265] Acidity or pH of the organic solution that is produced by
microbial digestion can be maintained by a natural bicarbonate
buffered interaction. The bicarbonate buffer may be supplemented by
co-production of carbon dioxide in the digestion process. The
process may be generalized for various steps in anaerobic digestion
processes of organic compounds by illustrative digestion of a
simple carbohydrate or glucose that may have many competing and
complementary process steps such as:
C.sub.6H.sub.12O.sub.6+(Anaerobic Acid formers, Facultative
bacteria).fwdarw.CH.sub.3COOH Equation 1
CH.sub.3COOH+NH.sub.4HC.sub.6O.sub.3.fwdarw.CH.sub.3COONH.sub.4+H.sub.2O-
+CO.sub.2 Equation 2
3CH.sub.3COONH.sub.4+3H.sub.2O
(Bacteria).fwdarw.3CH.sub.4+3NH.sub.4HCO.sub.3 Equation 3
[0266] In instances that methane from such solutions is desired, pH
control near 7.0 may be needed. At ambient pressure, pH of about
7.0, and 35-37.degree. C. (99.degree. F.), methanogenesis is
favored. Most domestic wastewater contains biowastes with both
macro and micronutrients required by the organisms that provide
methanogenesis. Maintaining relatively large concentrations of
dissolved and distributed hydrogen or monosaccharides present in
the anaerobic reactor may inhibit operations of methane-forming
microorganisms.
[0267] In another aspect, increased production of fuel values from
organic substances can be accomplished by application of an
electric field to cause dissociation of substances such as acetic
acid (CH.sub.3COOH) that are produced by bacterial breakdown of
glucose and other organic compounds and by other acid-production
processes that yield hydrogen ions.
CH.sub.3COOH.fwdarw.CH.sub.3COO.sup.-+H.sup.+ Equation 4
[0268] Hydrogen ions migrate or are delivered to the negatively
charged electrode and gain electrons to produce hydrogen gas.
2H.sup.++2e.sup.-.fwdarw.H.sub.2 Equation 5
[0269] Two electrons are supplied by the negatively charged
electrode. At the other electrode the electrochemical reaction
includes oxidation of the acetate ion to carbon dioxide and
hydrogen ions as summarized in Equation 6.
CH.sub.3COO.sup.-+2H.sub.2O.fwdarw.2CO.sub.2+7H.sup.++Electrons
Equation 6
[0270] In this electrode reaction, acetate ions lose electrons,
subsequently react with the water and break up into carbon dioxide
gas and hydrogen ions. Carbon dioxide saturates the solution and is
released from the liquid solution interface as set forth in the
above embodiments. Hydrogen ions are circulated and/or migrate
until electrons are received from the opposite electrode to produce
hydrogen atoms and then diatomic molecules as summarized in
Equation 5 for separate co-collection in such systems. Separated
collection is highly advantageous, for example, separated
collection to cause pressurization or at high pressure as a result
of liquid pumping instead of gas compression, is especially
efficient and greatly reduces the capital equipment ordinarily
required to separate and then mechanically compress the hydrogen,
methane or carbon dioxide produced.
[0271] Decomposition by anaerobic digestion of compounds such as
acetic acid to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide requires much
less energy than electrolysis of water, because, in part, the
digestion reactions yield hydrogen ions and exothermic energy.
Initialization and maintenance of the exothermic decomposition of
acids such as acetic acid may be accomplished at lower voltage
applications or by intermittent or occasional electrolysis instead
of continuous electrolysis as typically required to decompose
water. The free energy of formation of water at ambient temperature
is quite large (at least 1 KWH=3,412 BTU of released hydrogen)
compared to the electrolysis of digester substances and acids such
as urea and acetic acid to hydrogen and carbon dioxide, which
requires relatively minimal activation and/or catalytic action
particularly by organic catalysts. Accordingly, selected catalysts
including modifications to Raney-Nickel catalysts,
nickel-tin-aluminum alloys, selections from the platinum metal
group, platinum-nickel and other platinum-transition metal single
crystal alloy surfaces, and various organic catalysts utilized in
conjunction with the electrode systems set forth herein further
improve the rate and/or efficiency of hydrogen production.
[0272] In another aspect, it may be preferred to utilize numerous
cells of electrode pairs connected in switchable series or parallel
or series-parallel for purposes of matching the available source
amperage and voltage with the voltage required for dissociation by
series connection of cells such as shown in FIG. 1B. In one aspect
of this embodiment, each cell may require about 0.2 to 2 volts
depending upon the aqueous electrolyte chosen or biochemically
produced from organic substances so a home-size 6-volt photovoltaic
source could have 3 to 30 cells in series and an industrial
220-volt service may have about 100 to 1,000 electrode cells
connected in series. Product gases could readily be delivered by
parallel or series collection arrangements. Depending upon the
desired flexibility for adjusting the number of series and/or
parallel connections, support and flow control feature 18b may be
by an insulating or non-insulating material selection.
[0273] At various current densities, including at medium and low
current densities, it may be preferred to allow buoyant propulsion
of the bubbles that are generated to accomplish circulation of the
electrolyte to prevent ion depletion and stagnation problems. At
start-up or higher current densities one can operate pump 36b and
heat exchanger 56b to provide the desired operating temperature and
presentation of ion-rich electrolyte at the electrode surfaces.
This enables extremely high rates of energy conversion in which
energy such as off-peak electricity available from solar, wind,
falling water, or wave resources is utilized to quickly and
efficiently produce high-pressure supplies of oxygen and hydrogen
or hydrogen and carbon dioxide or hydrogen and methane along with
carbon dioxide for separated storage and use.
[0274] In one aspect of this embodiment, the problem of
regenerative braking of vehicles or power-plant spin-down in which
sudden bursts of large amounts of energy must be quickly converted
into chemical fuel potential is addressed. A conventional fuel cell
for truck, bus, or train propulsion cannot tolerate high current
densities that are suddenly applied to the fuel cell electrodes.
This embodiment overcomes this limitation and provides extremely
rugged tolerance of high current conditions while achieving high
electrolysis efficiency without the problems of PEM degradation or
electrode-interface failures that regenerative PEM fuel cells
suffer. Because of the rugged construction and extremely ample
opportunities for cooling that are provided, extremely high current
operations are readily accommodated. Conversely, this embodiment
readily starts up and operates efficiently in severe cold or hot
conditions without regard for various PEM-related difficulties,
limitations, and failures.
[0275] In another aspect, in order to achieve much higher return on
investment in energy conversion systems such as a hydroelectric
generating station, wind farm, system of wave generators, or
conventional power plants, the embodiment allows off-peak
electricity to be quickly and efficiently converted into hydrogen
and oxygen by dissociation of water or hydrogen and carbon dioxide
by dissociation of substances generated by anaerobic digestion or
degradation of organic matter. A compact version of the embodiment
can occupy a space no larger than a washing machine and convert
off-peak electricity that might otherwise go to waste into enough
hydrogen to operate two family size vehicles and provide the energy
requirements of the home.
[0276] As set forth above, some embodiments provided herein provide
more efficient mass transport including rapid ion replenishment
processes and deliveries to desired electrodes by pumping actions
of low-density gases escaping from denser liquid medium. This
assures greater electrical efficiency, more rapid dissociation, and
greater separation efficiency along with prevention of undesirable
side reactions. Increasing the rate and efficiency of ion
production and delivery to electrodes increases the system
efficiency and current limit per electrode area. Applications that
convert organic substances into carbon dioxide and hydrogen or
methane are particularly benefited by: enhanced rates of delivery
of organic substances to microorganisms that participate in the
process, incubation and delivery of incubated microorganisms to
extend and self-repair biofilm media, more rapid separation of
produced gases and delivery of organic substances along with more
efficient delivery of intermediate ions to electrodes.
[0277] Referring to FIG. 4B, another embodiment, electrolytic cell
100b is shown that is particularly beneficial in applications in
which it is not desired to apply voltage or to pass current through
the inside walls of containment vessel 102b. The embodiment also
facilitates series connections of bipolar or multiple electrode
sets or cells such as 110b and 114b within the electrolytic cell
100b to simplify gas collection and voltage matching needs.
[0278] In one aspect in which that containment vessel 102b is
cylindrical and the components within are concentric, electrode
assemblies 110b and 114b may be formed from numerous nested
truncated conical components or one or both electrodes may be
formed as a helical electrode as described above. Electrodes 110b
and 114b may be of the same, similar or different configurations.
In another aspect, electrode 114b may be assembled from nested
truncated conical sections or it may be a spiral electrode that
continuously encircles electrode 110b.
[0279] Electrical separation of electrodes 110b and 114b to prevent
short circuits may be accomplished by various means including by
controlled tolerances for the operating dimensions and/or by the
use of dielectric threads or filaments placed between electrodes
110b and 114b and/or by another form of separator 10b or 111b as
disclosed regarding FIGS. 2B and 5B.
[0280] The electrolytic cell 100b may be pressurized. Pressure
containment is provided by upper and lower caps 104b and 106b as
shown. Insulators 120b and 122b are supported by caps 104b and 106b
as shown. The circuit components and hardware for electrical and
fluid connections are illustrative and can be accomplished by
penetrations through caps 104b and 106b as needed to meet specific
application needs.
[0281] In the current embodiment, both electrodes 110b and 114b are
formed to have inclined surfaces that direct the substance produced
such as gas released to respective collection zones as shown.
Illustratively, if water is to be dissociated from a suitable
electrolyte, electrode 110b may receive electrons that are supplied
through connection 108b, which is sealed in cap 106b by plug seal
132b. Electrons are thus taken from electrode 114b through plug
seal 130b, which provides insulation of contact 124b as a gas such
as carbon dioxide or oxygen is released on electrode 114b.
[0282] Such gases are thus propelled by buoyant forces and travel
more or less upward as delivered by electrode 114b and along the
inside wall of container 102b. Hydrogen is propelled upward as
delivered by electrode 110b and within the center core formed by
numerous turns or conical layers of electrode 110b and collected as
shown at insulator 120b. Purified hydrogen at design pressure is
delivered by pressure fitting 116b. Catalytic filter 134b may be
used to convert any oxidant such as oxygen that reaches the central
core to form water. A similar catalytic filter material may be used
to produce water from any hydrogen that reaches the outer
collection annulus in insulator 120b as shown. Pressurized filtered
oxygen is delivered by pressure fitting 118b.
[0283] Optionally, to improve the efficiency of the electrolytic
cell 100b, one or more gas collection vessels (not shown) may be in
fluid communication with electrolytic cell 100b to collect gas
formed during electrolysis. The gas collection vessel can be
implemented to capture the gas at an elevated pressure prior to
substantial expansion of the gas. The gas collection vessel can be
further configured to capture work as the gas expands according to
methods known in the art. Alternatively, the gas collection vessel
can be configured to provide gas at pressure for storage, transport
or use wherein the gas is desired to be delivered at an elevated
pressure. It is further contemplated that said aspect can be
implemented in various electrochemical cells.
[0284] Referring to FIG. 2B, in another aspect, a gas expander may
be included at, near or inside fitting 22b, fitting 26b or in a gas
collection vessel in fluid communication with fitting 22b or
fitting 26b. Similarly, referring to FIG. 4B, a gas expander may be
included at, near or inside fitting 116b, 118b or in a gas
collection vessel in fluid communication with fitting 116b or
fitting 118b.
[0285] In another aspect, a method and apparatus for electrolysis
to pressurize a fluid coupled with a device to extract work from
such pressurized fluid is provided. The fluid may be pressurized
liquid, liquid-absorbed gas, vapor or gas. Conversion of
pressurized fluid to vapor or gas may occur in or after fitting
116b and a device to convert the pressure and flow from such
fittings could be selected from a group including a turbine,
generator, vane motor, or various piston motors or an engine that
breathes air and injects pressurized hydrogen from 116b. Similarly
conversion of pressurized fluid to vapor or gas could be in or
after fitting 118b and a device to convert the pressure and flow
from such fittings could be selected from a group including a
turbine, generator, vane motor, or various piston motors or an
engine that expands and/or combusts pressurized fluid such as
oxygen from 118b.
[0286] In another aspect, an apparatus and method to overcome the
high cost and power losses of a transformer and rectifier circuit
is provided. This is accomplished by adjusted matching of load
voltage with source voltage by series connection of electrode cells
or electrodes within a cell, such as connecting the negative
polarity of a DC source to the lowest three turns of electrode 110b
to the next three turns of electrode 114b to the next three turns
of electrode 110b to the next three turns of electrode 114b and to
the next three turns of electrode 110b et seq. and starting from
the opposite (highest) end to connect the positive lead from the DC
source to three turns of electrode 114b to the next three turns of
electrode 110b to the next three turns of electrode 114b to the
next three turns of electrode 110b to the next three turns of
electrode 114b et seq. Turns and/or stacks of truncated cones may
be adjusted to develop the area needed to match the source
amperage.
[0287] In another aspect of this embodiment, in addition to
providing separation of the gases produced by electrolysis, the
pumping action developed by some embodiments of the invention
provide for delivery of nutrients to microorganisms that, depending
upon the relative scale of operations, are hosted in suitable media
such as carbon cloth, activated carbon granules, expanded silica,
graphite felt, coal, charcoal, fruit pits, wood chips, shredded
paper, saw dust, and/or mixtures of such selections that are
generally located within portions of electrode 110b and/or between
portions of electrode 114b and container 102b. Corresponding
functions and benefits include thermal stabilization of the system,
circulation of feedstocks and removal of products such as carbon
dioxide and production of hydrogen from acids that may be produced
by the incubation, nutrition, and growth of such
microorganisms.
[0288] At low and medium current densities, buoyant forces induced
by low density solutions and bubbles can circulate the electrolyte
within container 102b. At higher current densities it is
advantageous to adaptively control temperature, pressure, and
circulation of the electrolyte as previously disclosed. External
circulation of electrolyte may be from fitting 126b to fitting 138b
as shown and includes situations in which one or numerous electrode
cells connected in optional series and/or series-parallel circuits
are contained within container 102b.
[0289] In another aspect, the embodiment can be optimized for high
current densities to deliver commensurately higher electrolyte
fluid flow rates through one or more holes or grooves 139b, which
direct fluid at a tangent to the annular space between electrodes
110b and 114b. Electrolyte flows upward along the helical spaces
formed by the electrodes and is replenished by electrolyte entering
helical paths provided by 110b and 114b from the annular space
between 110b and 114b. The angular momentum of the electrolyte
entering the space between electrodes 110b and 114b increases the
impetus of bubble lift pumping by electrolytic products such as
hydrogen and oxygen respectively produced on electrodes 110b and
114b and adds to such momentum.
[0290] This circulation of electrolyte is highly beneficial for
purposes of assuring rapid replacement of ions that become hydrogen
and oxygen atoms or other gases such as carbon dioxide upon charge
exchanges to and from electrodes 110b and 114b and for removing
such gases for collection and removal with minimum electrical
polarization loss during electrolysis. Thus very high current
densities are readily accepted to efficiently electrolyze the
circulated fluid. In another aspect, further accommodation of high
current densities is provided by the vast cooling capacity of the
design resulting from improved electrolyte circulation, which
prevents harmful stagnation of products of electrolysis and/or
phase changes such as steam nucleation, and reduction of effective
electrode areas.
[0291] In another aspect, electrodes 110b and 114b may constitute
spring forms that can be advantageously operated at a resonant
frequency or perturbed by various inducements including
piezoelectric drivers, rotating eccentrics, and the action of
bubble formation and the acceleration thrust by less-dense mixtures
of electrolyte and bubbles as higher density electrolyte
inventories are delivered to the surfaces of electrodes 110b and
114b by the pumping action that results. In response to
perturbation, electrodes 110b and 114b vibrate at natural or
induced frequencies to further enhance dislodgement of bubbles from
surfaces including nucleation sites and thus enable higher current
densities and greater energy-conversion efficiency.
[0292] Induced vibration of helical spring-form electrodes such as
110b and 114b can also cause peristaltic mechanical action to
enhance bubble acceleration toward the respective collection paths
and exit ports of electrolytic cell 100b. During this vibration,
cyclic increases and decreases of the average distance and angle
between adjacent layers of electrode turns produce fixed or
traveling nodes depending upon the magnitude and frequency of the
inducement(s).
[0293] FIG. 5B shows a representative section view of a set of
electrodes 110b' and 114b' for operation in conjunction with an
electrically insulative spacer 111b between 110b' and 114b'
including selections such as insulator 10b shown in FIG. 2B that
includes a helical flow delivery configuration for various
applications or electrolytes. The assembly of concentric electrode
110b', spacer 111b, and electrode 114b' provides a very rugged,
self-reinforcing system for enabling efficient dissociation of
fluids such as water, liquors from anaerobic digesters, or seawater
with improved efficiency and resistance to fouling. Electrodes
110b' and 114b' may be constructed from conductive carbon papers,
cloth, or felt; woven or felt carbon and metal filaments, graphite
granules sandwiched between woven carbon or metal filaments; or
metal-plated polymers or metallic sheet stocks such as mild steel,
nickel plated steel, or stainless steel that are drilled more or
less as previously disclosed with multitudes of holes on parallel
centerlines that are inclined as shown for respective separations
of hydrogen from co-produced gases such as oxygen, chlorine, or
carbon dioxide depending upon the chemical make up of the
electrolyte.
[0294] In instances that electrode 110b', spacer 111b, and
electrode 114b' are utilized in concentric electrode deployments
such as shown in FIG. 4B, hydrogen is delivered to port 116b and
depending upon the substance undergoing dissociation, products such
as oxygen, chlorine or carbon dioxide delivery is provided at port
118b. In some instances it is preferred to provide the multitude of
holes in 110b' and 114b' such that each hole is slightly tapered
from the hole diameter on surface contacting spacer 111b to a
larger diameter at the exit surface away from spacer 111b.
[0295] It is preferred to select the helical pitch, width between
electrodes, and thickness of the strip comprising spacer 111b for
delivery of electrolyte from 138b to and through electrodes 110b'
and 114b' to fitting 126b at rates that are commensurate with the
electrical power available and the system heat transfer
requirements to optimize the resulting width space between
electrodes. This results in abundant deliveries of ions for
electrolysis processes at electrodes 110b' and 114b' while assuring
separation of hydrogen to the zone within electrode 110b' and
delivery of co-produced gases such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, or
chlorine to the space outside of electrode 114b'.
[0296] In another aspect, it is possible to operate the system
regeneratively by providing gas flow grooves in the hydrogen
electrode and gas flow grooves in the oxygen electrode along with
appropriate fittings for adding hydrogen to the bottom of the
hydrogen electrode and oxygen at the bottom of the oxygen
electrode. In this case it may be advantageous to utilize
concentric spiral electrodes particularly in small fuel cells where
a single canister assembly meets energy needs.
[0297] Referring to FIG. 6B, a cross-section of a spiral
electrode(s) for use in instances that reversible fuel-cell
operation is shown. This provides improvement of the surface to
volume ratio, section modulus, and column stability of electrode
114b or of a similar helical version of electrode 110b. Electrode
114b is illustrated in the section with gas 152b flowing along
spiral grooves formed by corrugating the strip stock that is used
to form the spiral and provide delivery of oxygen for fuel-cell
operation and in electrolysis operation to deliver oxygen to
annulus 136b and fitting 118b. The same configuration works well
for electrode 110b in fuel-cell and electrolysis modes for
conversion of organic acids into carbon dioxide and hydrogen and in
the electrolysis mode and assures plentiful gas delivery to the
desired collection or source ports as previously described.
[0298] In another aspect, improved electrode performance is
provided by facilitating the growth and maintenance of
microorganisms that convert aqueous derivatives of organic
substances such as carbonic, acetic, butyric and lactic acids along
with compounds such as urea into hydrogen. On the electrode chosen
for production of hydrogen ions and/or the release of carbon
dioxide, increased microbe productivity is facilitated by preparing
such electrode surfaces with topographical enhancements that
increase the effective surface area including high aspect ratio
filaments or whiskers that reduce electrical resistance to the
substrate electrode and help hold microbes and biofilm in place
along with the desired film substances provided by digestive
processes.
[0299] Without being limited by theory, it is believed that the
specific features of the electrode and/or separator, such as the
topographical treatments or enhancement, promote turbulence,
including cavitation or super cavitation, of the electrolyte at a
desired location which in turn promotes nucleation at the location.
Conversely, the specific configuration of the electrode and/or
separator can inhibit turbulence, including cavitation or super
cavitation at a desired location, for example, the point of
electron transfer, which in turn inhibits nucleation at that
location. It is contemplated that elements including these features
can be implemented at any location in the electrolytic cell at
which nucleation is desired. Moreover these same features and
principles can be applied to a gas collection vessel or similar in
fluid communication with the electrolytic cell, or to fluid
communication with passages or valves there between.
[0300] Suitable filaments and or whiskers include metals or doped
semiconductors such as carbon, silicon or nano-diameter filaments
of carbon or boron nitride to provide increased surface area,
reduce ion-transport and ohmic loses, increased microbe
productivity and more effective nucleation activation for more
efficient carbon dioxide release. Such filaments may also be
utilized to anchor graphite granules that further improve microbe
productivity, enhanced efficiency of enzyme and catalyst
utilization, and related beneficial hydrogen ion production
processes. Similarly, at the electrode where hydrogen ions are
provided with electrons to produce hydrogen atoms and nucleate
bubbles of diatomic hydrogen, filaments and whiskers may be
utilized to increase the active area and reduce the voltage
required for the overall process.
[0301] In addition to carbon whiskers, filaments grown from metals
such as tin, zinc, nickel, and refractory metals deposited from
vapor or grown from plating on suitable substrates such as iron
alloy electrodes, have been found to provide reduced electrical
resistance and improved process efficiency. Such filaments or
whiskers may be made more suitable for biofilm support and process
enhancement by addition of conducive surfactants and or surface
plating with suitable substances such as carbon, boron nitride, or
silicon carbide deposited by sputtering or from decomposition of a
substance such as a carbon donor from illustrative precursors such
as acetylene, benzene, or paraffinic gases including methane,
ethane, propane, and butane.
[0302] The embodiment of FIG. 4B and variation thereof can provide
advantageous separation of low density gaseous derivatives of fluid
dissociation including hydrogen separation from organic liquors as
summarized in Equations 1-6 to deliver hydrogen or selections of
hydrogen-enriched mixtures to port 116b while carbon dioxide or
carbon dioxide enriched mixtures including fixed nitrogen
components are delivered to port 118b. In some applications it may
be desirable to reverse the polarity of these electrodes to reverse
the delivery ports for gases that are separated. Such reversals may
be long term or intermittent to accomplish various purposes.
Depending upon selections of helical pitch(es) of electrodes 110b
and 114b and each electrode's resonant or imposed frequency of
vibration, and the relative fluid velocity at each electrode,
hydrogen may be delivered to port 116b but the system may be
operated to include methane and carbon dioxide. However, carbon
dioxide delivered to port 118b may include methane and other gases
of greater density than hydrogen. In applications that it is
desired to provide Hy-Boost mixtures of hydrogen and methane to
enable unthrottled operation of internal combustion engines,
various burners, furnaces or fuel cells, the embodiment of FIG. 4B
operating with hydraulic and electrical circuit control provisions
such as provided by pump 36b and controller 52b, facilitates the
option of producing and separating desired fuel mixtures with
controlled ratios of hydrogen and methane for delivery at port
116b.
[0303] An unexpected but particularly beneficial arrangement for
production of vigorous anaerobic colonies of microbes that produce
the desired conversion of organic feedstocks to hydrogen and/or
methane is provided by adding media such as colloidal carbon,
carbon filaments including nanostructures, exfoliated carbon
crystals, graphene platelets, activated carbon, zeolites, ceramics
and or boron nitride granules to the electrochemical cell. Such
media may be doped or compounded with various agents to provide
enhanced catalytic productivity. Illustratively, desirable
functionality may be provided by doping with selected agents having
electron structures more or less like boron, nitrogen, manganese,
sulfur, arsenic, selenium, silicon, tellurium, and or phosphorous.
Circulation induced by the gases released by the electrolysis
process can promote sorting of such media into advantageous
locations and densities for more efficient charge current
utilization.
[0304] Without being limited to a particular theory, it is
hypothesized that such synergistic results relate to increased
surface areas in critical locations and development of stringers,
regions, or filaments that enhance nucleation processes and or
conduct electrons or hydrogen ions along with advantageous
adsorption of enzymes, hydrogen, methane or carbon dioxide in
biofilms and reaction zones that result. It is also indicated that
microbes are incubated for circulation to efficiently utilized
locations in the operations performed and flow paths produced in
various embodiments disclosed herein.
[0305] In addition to whiskers and filaments such as carbon,
graphite, various metal carbides, and silicon carbide and other
inorganic substances and particles that catalytically enhance
performance, it is beneficial to utilize activated substances and
particles that present desired nutrients or catalysts to assist
microbial processes. Illustratively, porous and/or exfoliated
substrates of polymers, ceramics or activated carbon may adsorb
conductive organic catalysts such as
co-tetramethoxyphenylporphirine (CoTMPP) or
poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and or favorably orient
and present other catalytic substances including enzymes and graft
polymers that may also be utilized to incorporate and present
catalytic substances including additional enzymes.
[0306] Suitable substances or graft polymers may include those of
conventional, dendrimers, fiberforms, and other organic functional
materials to minimize or replace platinum and other expensive
catalysts and conductors. Such replacement substances and their
utilization includes mixtures or staged locations with respect to
the fluid circulation resulting from some embodiments disclosed
herein. Variously specialized conductive and or catalytic
structures include acicular deposits and fibers that may be grown
or attached to the electrodes 4b, 8b, 110b, or 114b and/or to
overlaid carbon felts or woven structures or dispersed into
developing biofilms. Illustratively, conductive and/or catalytic
functionalities may be provided by filaments that retain and
present hydrogenase and other enzymes, CoTMPP and or other
catalysts such as poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) as
fibers that are synthesized from aqueous surfactant solutions as
self-organized thin-diameter, nanofibers with an aspect ratio of
more than 100 and provide low resistance to charge conductivity.
Synthesis in aqueous solutions including anionic surfactant sodium
dodecyl sulfate (SDS) can be adapted to produce various
configurations by changing the concentrations of SDS and
furthermore by adding FeCl.sub.3 to produce polymerized structures.
(An exemplary procedure is described in Moon Gyu Han et al., Facile
Synthesis of Poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) Nanofibers
from an Aqueous Surfactant Solution, Small 2, No. 10, 1164-69
(2006), incorporated herein by reference.) Other examples include
functional catalysts and micro-conductors in the form of
nanocomposites derived from cellulose nanofibers and semiconducting
conjugated polymers including polyaniline (PANI) and a
poly(p-phenylene ethynylene) (PPE) derivative with quaternary
ammonium side chains. Cellulose, carbon, or ceramic whiskers with
anionic surface charges can be combined with positively charged
conjugated polymers to form stable dispersions that can be solution
cast from polar solvents such as formic acid.
[0307] Preparations include graft polymers and end caps of
organometallic alkoxides, metal alkyls and application of the
catalytic benefits of acetic acid and a polymeric catalyst
containing COOH end group. Special function and bifunctional end
groups along with mixtures of end groups may be chosen to produce
multi-functional characteristics including catalytic functions,
reactive stabilizers, grafting agents, and promoters of dispersion
polymerization. Similarly, specialized activation of carbon or
other substrates by hydrogen and or enzymes produced by anaerobic
microorganisms provides a locally hydrogen-rich environment to
enhance or depress methane production and enhance additional
hydrogen production from various organic substances.
[0308] Referring to FIGS. 1B-3B, optionally it may be advantageous
to provide one or more supplemental felts and or woven screens of
carbon filaments to the outside and inside surfaces of cylindrical
components 8b, 10b, 11b, 110b, and/or 114b. Such supplemental felts
and or woven screens may commensurately collect or distribute
electrons in conjunction with electrodes 4b, 8b, 110b, and or 114b
and or separators 10b or 11b and help anchor or preferentially
locate granules, filaments, and or other structures to reduce
pressure losses or more equally distribute liquor flows and
facilitate microbial functions in the desired energy conversion
operations.
[0309] Among the complementary and competing reactions and
processes to provide net production of hydrogen and carbon dioxide
are various steps of processes summarized in Equation 8.
Carbon+2H.sub.2O.fwdarw.CO.sub.2+4H.sup.++4 Electrons Equation
8
[0310] Carbon is consumed as summarized in Equation 8 including
carbon that may be supplied as a constituent or a carbonaceous
substance mixed with liquor from an anaerobic digester or
electrolyzer or as a result of various manufacturing outcomes.
Illustratively, carbon may include scrap from grinding, machining,
electro-discharge-machining (EDM), and various thermochemical
operations to produce electrodes, electrode coatings on electrodes
including tank liners, or particles, or filaments, or flocculants,
or selected carbides by thermal dissociation and reaction
processes, including colloidal or other suspensions as an outcome
of various degrees of dehydrogenization of organic substances.
[0311] Such carbon and/or carbon-donor feedstocks may be renewably
supplied by bacteria, phytoplankton, or larger algae that receive
carbon dioxide and other nutrients from the liquor supplied or by
circulation of carbon dioxide to hydroponic and or soil-supported
plants. It is advantageous to utilize such forms of carbon with
high surface to volume ratios and to provide a voltage gradient to
zones where they are delivered for the purpose of driving the
reaction indicated and for delivering hydrogen ions to electrode
surfaces including complementary conductive media such as filaments
and conductive filter substances for production, nucleation, and
release of hydrogen bubbles to increase the overall rate of
hydrogen production.
[0312] Suitable provisions for increasing active surfaces and or
flocculants include those with organic constituents such as
bacteria, proteins, simple and complex sugars, cellulose, thermally
dissociated cellulose, live and dissociated phytoplankton along
with various forms of colloidal carbons, activated carbons, and
carbides. Illustratively, phytoplankton and or larger algae may be
grown, dried, mixed with a binder such as corn syrup, thermally
dehydrogenated to various extents and milled to provide finely
divided flocculants. Alternatively, activated carbon feedstocks may
be milled to provide finely divided particles that are utilized as
enzyme receivers or flocculent media or it may be used in
conjunction with the previously disclosed substances to enhance the
desired production or efficiency of enzymes, to support incubation
of desired microorganisms, or to increase hydrogen or methane
production and or consumption of carbon to produce hydrogen ions
for electrolysis as indicated by Equation 8.
[0313] If needed, occasional use of salt water or additions of
small amounts of salt to water-based electrolytes can produce
chlorine to quickly disinfect or to prevent harmful fouling of the
electrolyzer systems shown. Utilization of some embodiments, for
example FIG. 5B, enables the resulting system to be inherently free
of harmful fouling even when utilizing electrolytes such as
wastewater, commercial process water, wood-ash water, sea water,
fly-ash water, canal and ditch water, or anaerobic digester liquor.
Further, such systems can be quickly cleaned if needed by backflow
of electrolyte or cleaning water from fitting 118b to 138b to
dislodge particles that may have been delivered to the
electrodes.
[0314] Applications of some embodiments include large community
waste disposal operations to nano-size electrolyzers, include
improvements to conventional waste digesters from which solutions
or "liquor" containing organic substances is supplied for
production of hydrogen and/or methane and or carbon dioxide and
other plant nutrients. In this capacity some embodiments can
provide rapid and efficient conversion of byproducts produced by
anaerobic digesters and convert hydrogen ions into hydrogen and
overcome acid degradation of the methane production operations. In
operation, liquor from an anaerobic digester is utilized to produce
hydrogen and carbon dioxide to provide beneficial restoration and
or maintenance of pH near 7.0 instead of more acidic conditions
that may stymie methane production systems. This enables increased
overall energy conversion efficiency as it overcomes the
requirement for expensive provisions for addition of chemical
agents to adjust the pH in digesters. In such medium and large
applications it is beneficial to design and engineer
multifunctional components including electron distribution circuits
that may also provide desired retention of granules such as carbon,
boron nitride, zeolites, polymers, and ceramics including such
substances in variously activated conditions for enhanced
performance.
[0315] In another aspect, an electrolyzer such as disclosed herein
may be applied to provide rapid conversion of acids that are
typically produced by anaerobic digestion including applications
with municipal waste water and landfills along with wastes form
slaughter houses, dairies, egg farms, and other animal feeding
centers or similar. Production of methane is slowed or inhibited if
acids that are produced by anaerobic conditions cause the pH to
fall much below 7. Such acids can form if the feed rate of organic
material exceeds the capacity of the methanogenic colony of
microorganisms. By extracting hydrogen from such acids the rate of
organic material processing by anaerobic digestion can be
increased. The combination of methane and hydrogen provides much
greater net energy production per ton of wastes, and the wastes are
processed faster to increase the capacity of the process.
[0316] A particularly useful embodiment of the some embodiments is
in waste-to-energy applications that utilize organic substances
such as sewage along with hydrolyzed garbage, farm wastes, and
forest slash in the anaerobic electro-digestion process summarized
in Equations 1-6 to produce hydrogen with minimal or no oxygen
production. The rugged configuration and recirculation operations
enable great tolerance for dissolved solids including organic
solids and particles in anaerobic process liquors that are utilized
as electrolytes. Production of hydrogen without commensurate
release of oxygen as would be released by electrolysis of water
facilitates higher efficiency and safety for utilization of the
waste-sourced hydrogen as a cooling gas in electrical equipment
such as an electricity generator.
[0317] In another application of some embodiments disclosed herein,
electrolyzer system 900b as shown in FIG. 7B provides for tissue
and/or cellular disruption of biomass by enzyme, mechanical,
thermal, acoustic, electrical, pressure and/or chemical actions and
processes in conditioner 950b to enable faster or more complete
processing, digestion and/or support of incubator purposes. Fluid
including such disrupted cells from conditioner 950b and related
feedstocks that are produced by converter 902b is circulated to
electrolyzer 914b through annular distributor 922b of base 910b as
shown. Anaerobic microorganisms are supported by media 940b and
942b and receive liquid recirculated from hydrogen separator 904b
through conduit 910b and liquid recirculated from carbon dioxide
separator 906b through conduit 908b as shown. Electrode 918b and/or
media 942b releases hydrogen and electrode 916b and/or media 940b
releases carbon dioxide. Electromotive bias is provided to
electrodes 916b and 918b through circuit 926b by source 924b which
may range from 0.1 to about 3 VDC depending upon the compound
dissociation requirement and occasional needs for increased voltage
to overcome insulating films that form. Hydrogen is ducted to
collection and delivery to separator 904b by travel along the more
or less conical surface 925b, which may be a conductive surface
depending upon the desired series/parallel variations or contained
and supported by insulator 930b as shown.
[0318] In operation, liquors are mingled in distributor annulus
922b and travel upwards to provide process reactants and nutrients
to microorganisms hosted in activated carbon cloth and/or granules
940b and 942b and or conductive felts that encase and substantially
retain such granules proximate to electrode 916b and or 918b.
Smaller particles and filaments may be added to infiltrate
locations throughout the electrolyzer system to enhance electrical
charge conductivity, enzyme, and catalytic functions including
those previously disclosed. Separator 902b may be a reverse osmosis
membrane or a cation or anion exchange membrane or it may be
constructed according to the embodiments shown in FIG. 2B, 3B, 4B,
or 5B and in some instances such separators may be used in
conjunction with each other as may be desired to provide for
various liquor circulation pathways and/or to produce hydrogen and
carbon dioxide at different pressures or with a pressure
differential between hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
[0319] Similarly, numerous circulation options are available if
electrode 916b along with adjacent felt and or media 940b operate
as electron sources to produce hydrogen from ions delivered from
liquors that are circulated by the action of gas production lifts,
convection currents, or by pump deliveries as shown. In this
option, carbon dioxide is released as hydrogen ions are produced
from acids delivered from 902b and 950b or that are produced by
microorganisms hosted in fibrous or granular media 942b and
associated felt materials that are electrically biased by electrode
918b to be opposite to electrode 916b as shown. Another exemplary
option results if electrons are supplied by electrode 918b to
produce hydrogen that is collected by insulator 930b for delivery
to gas collector 904b as shown. In this instance electrode 916b and
the media electrically associated with it are electron collectors
as carbon dioxide is released to provide pumping in the fluid
circuit shown as carbon dioxide is delivered past insulator 930b to
collector 906b as shown.
[0320] Referring to FIG. 7B, system 900b can be used for converting
organic feedstocks such as those produced by photosynthesis into
methane, hydrogen, and/or carbon dioxide and/or by microorganisms.
Depending upon the microorganisms that are hosted, liquors that
typically include acids such as acetic and butyric acids along with
compounds such as urea are dissociated in electrolyzer 914b.
Electrolyzer 914b provides current at sufficient voltage to produce
hydrogen from such compounds and acids and may provide operation as
a digester and an electrolyzer, or may be operated within an
anaerobic digester (not shown) or may utilize liquors produced by
anaerobic digestion in 914b as shown. Such operation is
particularly useful for converting organic wastes from a community
and or industrial park for purposes of supplying the community with
fuel and feed stocks for manufacturing carbon enhanced durable
goods.
[0321] Referring to FIG. 8B, in another aspect an arrangement of
one or more electrically conductive electrodes for utilization in
an electrolyzer, including those disclosed herein, is shown as
including flat sheets (not shown) or concentric electrodes 1002b,
1003b, 1004b, or 1005b, as shown that may be electrically connected
as mono-polar or di-polar components of an electrolyzer. Some or
all of such conductive electrodes provide extensive surfaces as
high surface to volume materials such as spaced graphene or layers
of other thicknesses (e.g., carbon and/or BN "filters"). This
serves the purpose of hosting microbes that decompose various
organic materials including volatile fatty acids to release
electrons and protons for production of hydrogen at cathode
surfaces and can be implemented for use with any of the above
embodiments.
[0322] In another aspect the essential enzymes that microbes
produce to decompose volatile fatty acids and various other organic
are added to activated carbon or polymer particles or filaments
that are incorporated in the high surface to volume materials that
comprise electrodes 1002b, 1004b, 1006b, 1008b. Alternatively, any
microbe, enzyme or promoter described here can be incorporated into
said surface. As such enzymes or other materials or promoters are
depleted, degraded, or destroyed supplemental amounts of such
enzymes, materials or promoters may be added as needed. This system
allows optimization of the promoters, including allowing microbes
to thrive at a location that is separated but to provide such
enzymes to be utilized in the operation of the electrolyzer as
shown.
[0323] In another embodiment the essential enzymes, microbes or
promoters are artificially produced as duplicates or variously
altered "designer enzymes" which are grafted to suitable natural
polymers such as cellulose or lignocellulose or to various factory
produced polymers or compounds.
[0324] In maintained enzyme systems that host live colonies of
microbes, or enzymes that are transferred from live colonies of
microbes, or factory duplicated or variously altered designer
enzymes it is desired to minimize the electrical resistance of the
electrolyte in the electrolyzer. This facilitates processes such as
generally depicted in Equation 9 for acetic acid along with various
acids and other substances such as urea that are consumed as
hydrogen is produced at the desired elevated pressure, which again,
can be implemented in any embodiment disclosed herein.
CH3COOH+2H2O=2CO2+4H2 Equation 9
[0325] In another aspect systems for detection of chemically active
substances and identification of the presence, capability, and
viability of such substances or enzymes for the purpose of enabling
an adaptive control system that adjusts the operating conditions
including the amounts of chemically active nutrients and other
operating conditions for purposes of optimizing the operation of
maintained enzyme systems can be used with the present embodiments.
Again, said systems can be implemented with any of the embodiments
disclosed herein.
[0326] In other embodiments or aspects of any embodiment disclosed
herein, it is desirable to operate with selected microbes and/or
maintained enzymes at sufficient pressure to increase the amount of
CO.sub.2 that is dissolved or otherwise retained in solution for
the purpose of increasing the conductivity of the electrolyte. This
improves the system efficiency and operational capabilities in
several ways including: [0327] 1) Hydrogen that is produced at
elevated pressure can be delivered to compact, pressurized storage
without incurring the capital cost, maintenance, or energy expense
to operate a multistage hydrogen gas compressor. [0328] 2) Hydrogen
that is produced at elevated pressure can be directly admitted into
a pressurized pipeline for transmission to market. [0329] 3)
Hydrogen that is produced at elevated pressure can be used to
pressurize other reactants to enable or accelerate reactions.
Illustratively pressurized hydrogen can be added to nitrogen in a
suitable reactor to produce ammonia or other products. [0330] 4)
Pressurization to prevent or minimize carbon dioxide releases on
the electrode surfaces of the electrolyzer greatly simplifies the
electrolyzer design. [0331] 5) Separation of hydrogen and carbon
dioxide production by collection of hydrogen at elevated pressure
from the pressurized electrolyzer or a suitable subsystem and
collection of carbon dioxide upon depressurization at another
location or by another sub-system.
[0332] Referring to FIG. 9B, a system 1100b is shown including
elevated pressure electrolyzer 1102b, which may receive pressurized
electrolyte and/or precursor fluids that form suitable electrolytes
within electrolyzer 1102b from suitable pump 1114b. Pressurized
hydrogen is produced as a result of the action of microbes and/or
otherwise maintained enzymes on one or more electrodes depicted
such as 1002b, 1004b, 1006b, 1008b etc., or 1104b along with
voltage applied across taps 1106b and 1124b as shown. Elevated
pressure hydrogen is delivered to a suitable application through
conduit 1122b by pressure regulator 1120b.
[0333] Pressurized electrolyte containing carbon dioxide flows
through fluid motor-generator 1126b to produce work by harnessing
the kinetic energy of the flowing electrolyte and the expansion of
carbon dioxide to ambient pressure as it is diverted to a suitable
carbon dioxide use such as a hydroponic system or greenhouse 1130b
for growing algae switch grass, kudzu or various other crops 1132b
and/or 1134b. Electrolyte that has been depleted of carbon dioxide
is recycled by pump 1114b through three way valve 1112b.
[0334] Biomass including materials grown in 1130b is ground or
otherwise made into a slurry of activated substances consisting of
broken cellular material that is produced by suitable mechanical,
acoustic, chemical, thermal or radiation treatment in processor
1136b. Such activated organic feedstock is added to accumulator
1108b for suitable passage through filter 1110b and passage through
three-way valve 1112b to pump 1114b for entry into pressure
electrolyzer 1102b as shown.
[0335] Operation of system 1100b is provided by controller 1101b in
response to pressure, temperature, and pH sensors 1142b, 1144b,
1146b along with chemically active agent sensors 1140b and 1150b as
shown. This enables corrective substances to be added through port
1118b for purposes of providing the maintained enzyme conditions
desired for optimized performance.
[0336] In another embodiment, suitable electrodes include systems
that are formed from circular or other cross sections of wire such
as square or rectangular or various "star" shapes or flat strip for
providing plastically formed woven embodiments or helical
embodiments as disclosed herein. Material selections such as iron
or other transition metal based alloys are then heat treated to
carburize and produce various amounts of carbon in solid solution
including saturated zones that are further defined or grown by
additional heat treatment to enable growth of such saturated zones
particularly near the surface. The carbon zones that develop
accelerate the deposition of additional carbon as a carbon donor
such as a hydrocarbon or carbon monoxide is decomposed on such
surfaces. Equations 10 and 11 show such overall processes of
providing heat to the substrate being heat treated in an amount
that is equal or greater than the heat of formation of the carbon
donor:
CxHy+HeataxC+0.5yH2 Equation 10
CO+HeataC+0.5O2 Equation 11
[0337] In some aspects it is desirable to continue carbon
deposition to produce carbon film of effectively coat the entire
electrode at sufficient depth with bonding at initial saturation
zones to produce a very durable composite of the desired shape and
surface to volume ratio.
[0338] In another embodiment initial preparation and the
orientation of the carbon rich zones that approach saturation
conditions are modified by hot or cold working the embodiment to
provide sufficiently uniform orientation of the carbon crystalline
structure to provide a significantly epitaxially influenced deposit
of the subsequent carbon deposition. The oriented carbon thus
deposited such as predominantly edge exposed or as graphene layers
that are more parallel to the original surface are competitively
tested to provide support of the desired microbial processes. This
allows "designer carbon" to be selected for each type of microbial
process desired.
[0339] Referring to FIG. 10B, in another aspect, the manufacture of
carbon/steel electrodes for use in the embodiments disclosed herein
is disclosed. These electrodes can include surface treated carbon
for attachment to selective enzymes, microbes or other promoters
for improved operation of the electrolyzer. To manufacture
electrodes according to this embodiment, a steel or steel alloy
substrate is saturated with carbon. The grains of the saturated
carbon are aligned by, for example, heat treating through induction
to provide a desired grain orientation for the carbon as shown in
phase I. Other known heat treating method may be employed. During
this step the electrode can also be subjected to liquid cooling to
prevent damage to the electrode or provide other benefits.
[0340] As shown in phase II, the electrode is then shaped through
known processes, including pinch rolling. The shaping can be
implemented in a manner to further align, flatten or modify the
oriented carbon grains as desired.
[0341] As shown in phase III, carbon is then deposited on the
electrode through known carbon deposition techniques including
vapor deposition, by which the carbon is deposited or grown on the
surface of the electrode. During this step the carbon can be
deposited or grown in a manner to further enhance the grain
orientation or selectively deposit the carbon at selected locations
on the electrode depending on the desired use of the electrode. For
example, the enzyme, microbe, or promoter can be deposited at one
location and another enzyme, microbe or promoter can be deposited
at another location for controlled use of the enzyme, microbe and
promoter. In addition, the electrode with the deposited carbon can
be further treated through heating by induction or other means to
further align or orient the grains, and which again can include
liquid cooling. This process can be repeated until the desired
carbon amount and/or grain orientation and/or grain location is
achieved.
[0342] As shown in Phase IV, upon completion of the surface
treatment, the electrode is then exposed to one or more enzymes,
microbes or promoters selected for the particular application of
the electrode, for example enzymes that enhance the production of
desired compounds during electrolysis such as hydrogen. In any of
the above steps the method can target specific locations of the
electrode. Moreover, different treatment conditions can be applied
to different locations such that different enzymes can be deployed
or different enzyme densities can be implemented at different
locations depending on the desired configuration or use of the
electrode. In this manner an electrode is manufactured to include
carbon constructs having an affinity for particular enzymes,
microbe or promoters, and to bond the enzymes, microbes or
promoters to the electrodes at desired locations to permanently or
substantially retain the enzymes at the desired locations for use
during electrolysis or other operation of the electrode.
[0343] Although the invention has been described with respect to
specific embodiments and examples, it will be readily appreciated
by those skilled in the art that modifications and adaptations of
the invention are possible without deviation from the spirit and
scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present
invention is limited only by the following claims.
* * * * *