System and method for power generation with a closed-loop photocatalytic solar device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10103416-B2
Application number	US-201615065235-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2016
Priority date	Mar 9, 2016
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

A photocatalytic power generation system including a solar housing, a photoanode, an electrolyte membrane, a cathode, an oxygen diffusion membrane, and an external power generation circuit. The photoanode and the cathode are each positioned within the solar housing and electrically coupled to the external power generation circuit. The electrolyte membrane is positioned between and electrochemically engaged with the photoanode and the cathode forming a photocatalytic cell. The solar housing comprises a closed-loop water chamber having an anode side flow channel, a cathode side flow channel, a recombined water channel, and an oxygen diffusion membrane. Further, the oxygen diffusion membrane is positioned and configured to inhibit recombined water generated at the cathode from flowing from the cathode side to the anode side along the oxygen transport channel and permit recombined water generated at the cathode from flowing from the cathode side to the anode side along the recombined water channel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A photocatalytic power generation system comprising a solar housing, a photoanode, an electrolyte membrane, a cathode, an oxygen diffusion membrane, and an external power generation circuit, wherein:
the solar housing comprises an input window transparent to photoanode activating radiation;
the solar housing comprises an anode side and a cathode side;
the photoanode is positioned within the solar housing at the anode side and is electrically coupled to the external power generation circuit;
the cathode is positioned within the solar housing at the cathode side and is electrically coupled to the external power generation circuit;
the electrolyte membrane is positioned between and electrochemically engaged with the photoanode and the cathode forming a photocatalytic cell;
the solar housing comprises a closed-loop water chamber having an anode side flow channel positioned at the anode side and a cathode side flow channel positioned at the cathode side;
the solar housing comprises a recombined water channel extending from the anode side flow channel to the cathode side flow channel;
the solar housing comprises an oxygen transport channel extending from the anode side flow channel to the cathode side flow channel; and
the oxygen diffusion membrane is positioned between the anode side flow channel and the oxygen transport channel and is structurally configured to inhibit recombined water generated at the cathode from flowing from the cathode side flow channel to the anode side flow channel along the oxygen transport channel and permit recombined water generated at the cathode from flowing from the cathode side flow channel to the anode side flow channel along the recombined water channel.

2. The photocatalytic power generation system of claim 1 , wherein water is housed within the closed-loop water chamber of the solar housing and the photocatalytic cell is hermetically sealed within the solar housing.

3. The photocatalytic power generation system of claim 1 , wherein the input window is positioned at the anode side of the solar housing and is transparent to photoanode activating radiation.

4. The photocatalytic power generation system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first cell wall coupled to the photocatalytic cell and positioned between the photocatalytic cell and the recombined water channel; and
a second cell wall coupled to the photocatalytic cell and positioned between the photocatalytic cell and the oxygen transport channel, wherein the oxygen diffusion membrane is positioned between and coupled to the second cell wall and the solar housing.

5. The photocatalytic power generation system of claim 1 , wherein the photoanode is structurally configured to receive photoanode activating radiation and, upon exposure to photoanode activating radiation, output an electron receivable by the external power generation circuit and generate an electron hole such that water housed within the closed-loop water chamber oxidizes into a hydrogen ion and an oxygen molecule at the electron hole.

6. The photocatalytic power generation system of claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte membrane is structurally configured to provide a proton pathway between the photoanode and the cathode.

7. The photocatalytic power generation system of claim 1 , wherein the cathode is structurally configured to receive a hydrogen ion from a proton pathway provided by the electrolyte membrane, receive an oxygen molecule, and combine the hydrogen ion and the oxygen molecule into recombined water via reduction of the hydrogen ion and the oxygen molecule.

8. The photocatalytic power generation system of claim 1 , wherein the photoanode is doped with a photon upconversion doping material and is structurally configured to (i) receive photoanode activating radiation comprising a first photon having a first photon energy and a second photon having a second photon energy and (ii) combine the first photon energy and the second photon energy.

9. The photocatalytic power generation system of claim 1 , wherein the photoanode is doped with a photon downconversion doping material and is structurally configured to (i) receive photoanode activating radiation comprising a first photon and, upon exposure to the first photon, output two electrons receivable by the external power generation circuit and (ii) generate two electron holes such that water housed within the closed-loop water chamber oxidizes into a hydrogen ion and an oxygen molecule at each electron hole.

10. The photocatalytic power generation system of claim 1 , further comprising a solar irradiation heat trap positioned within the solar housing, wherein:
the input window is transparent to solar irradiation heat trap activating radiation; and
the solar irradiation heat trap is structurally configured to absorb solar radiation and, upon absorption of solar radiation, increase in temperature, increasing a chemical efficiency of the photocatalytic cell.

11. The photocatalytic power generation system of claim 10 , wherein the photoanode is structurally configured to absorb solar radiation within a first wavelength range and the solar irradiation heat trap is structurally configured to absorb solar radiation within a second wavelength range that is at least partially exclusive of the first wavelength range.

12. The photocatalytic power generation system of claim 1 , further comprising an infrared heating layer structurally configured to absorb solar radiation comprising an infrared wavelength range of solar radiation and, upon absorption of the infrared wavelength range of solar radiation, increase in temperature, increasing a chemical efficiency of the photocatalytic cell, wherein the input window is transparent to infrared heating layer activating radiation.

13. The photocatalytic power generation system of claim 1 , further comprising a solar irradiation heat trap thermally coupled to the cathode, wherein the input window is transparent to solar irradiation heat trap activating radiation.

14. The photocatalytic power generation system of claim 13 , wherein the solar irradiation heat trap comprises a plurality of porous strips affixed to the cathode in an intermittent arrangement.

15. The photocatalytic power generation system of claim 1 , wherein the external power generation circuit comprises:
a power generation unit structurally configured to receive current generated by electrons output by the photoanode and, upon receiving current, generate power; and
a circuit pathway electrically coupled to the photoanode, the power generation unit and the cathode.

16. The photocatalytic power generation system of claim 1 , wherein:
the photoanode comprises a first photoanode and a second photoanode; and
the second photoanode is electrochemically engaged with the first photoanode and is positioned between the first photoanode and the electrolyte membrane.

17. The photocatalytic power generation system of claim 16 , wherein:
the first photoanode is structurally configured to absorb solar radiation within a first wavelength range; and
the second photoanode is structurally configured to absorb solar radiation within a second wavelength range that is at least partially exclusive of the first wavelength range.

18. The photocatalytic power generation system of claim 16 , wherein the photoanode further comprises a third photoanode electrochemically engaged with the second photoanode and positioned between the second photoanode and the electrolyte membrane.

19. The photocatalytic power generation system of claim 18 ,

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Souentie Stamatios
• Hammad Ahmad D
• Kotsovos Konstantinos
• Yusuf Zaki

Classifications

• H01M14/005 Primary

  Photoelectrochemical storage cells (light sensitive devices H01G9/20, semiconductors sensitive to light H10F) · CPC title

• C25B1/04

  by electrolysis of water · CPC title

• H01G9/2027

  comprising an oxide semiconductor electrode · CPC title

• H01G9/20

  Light-sensitive devices · CPC title

• H01M16/003 Primary

  of fuel cells with other electrochemical devices, e.g. capacitors, electrolysers · CPC title