Backup power system with controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11814286-B2
Application number	US-202217585098-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2022
Priority date	Jan 26, 2022
Publication date	Nov 14, 2023
Grant date	Nov 14, 2023

Abstract

A system is disclosed. The system can store a fuel reagent such as methanol for conversion into hydrogen to power one or more facility systems via a backup power system. A reactor controller can monitor a power demand of the one or more facility systems and determine whether the power demand is met by a primary power system. The fuel reagent can be provided to a fuel reactor in response to the reactor controller determining that the one or more facility systems are operating at a power deficit to generate an amount of hydrogen that, when provided to the backup power system, causes the backup power system to generate an amount of power that meets or exceeds the power deficit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a storage tank configured to store methanol, the storage tank including an outlet valve operable to fluidly connect the storage tank with an output line;
a reagent mixer fluidly connected to the output line and a water line, the reagent mixer being configured to form a feed solution by combining methanol received via the output line and water received via the water line;
a reactor fluidly connected to the reagent mixer, the reactor being configured to:
receive the feed solution from the reagent mixer, and
extract hydrogen from the feed solution;

a backup power system fluidly connected to the reactor, the backup power system being configured to receive the hydrogen from the reactor and convert the hydrogen into power; and
a controller programmed to:
determine a power demand of a facility system;
determine a power supply of a primary power system associated with the facility system;
determine, at a first time, a first power deficit equal to an amount by which the power demand of the facility system exceeds the power supply of a primary power system associated with the facility system;
determine a first amount of the hydrogen that, when supplied to the backup power system, will cause the backup power system to generate a second amount of power greater than or equal to the first power deficit;
determine, based on the first amount of hydrogen, a first amount of methanol that, when supplied to the reactor, will cause the reactor to extract the first amount of hydrogen from the feed solution;
cause the outlet valve to direct the first amount of methanol to the reagent mixer, the mixer forming a first amount of the feed solution using the first amount of methanol;
cause the reactor to:
extract the first amount of hydrogen from the first amount of the feed solution, and
direct the first amount of hydrogen to the backup power system;

cause the backup power system to generate the second amount of power using the first amount of hydrogen;
while the backup power system is generating the second amount of power, determine, at a second time, a second power difference equal to a difference between the power demand of the facility system and a combined power provided by the power supply of a primary power system and the second amount of power generated by the backup power system; and
adjust, based upon the second power difference, the amount of power generated by the backup power system.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensor that is associated with the storage tank, the temperature sensor being configured to determine a storage temperature of the methanol and transmit an indication of the storage temperature to the controller.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the temperature sensor is configured to determine the storage temperature of the methanol based on at least one of a temperature request received from the controller, a continuous temperature measurement schedule, a periodic temperature measurement schedule, or an aperiodic temperature measurement schedule.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is further programmed to:
receive the indication of the storage temperature from the temperature sensor;
determine, based at least on the indication of the storage temperature an amount of thermal energy that raises the first amount of methanol from the storage temperature to a reactor temperature associated with the reactor; and
cause a methanol heater to provide the amount of thermal energy to the first amount of methanol such that the methanol is provided to the reactor at the reactor temperature.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the reactor is a catalyst bed reactor, the catalyst bed reactor comprising:
a reactor wall that encloses a catalyst bed of the catalyst bed reactor, the reactor wall being configured to direct the feed solution through the catalyst bed and substantially prevent the feed solution from bypassing the catalyst bed;
a reactor input that receives the feed solution from the reagent mixer and provides the feed solution to the catalyst bed; and
a reactor output that receives the first amount of hydrogen from the catalyst bed and provides the first amount of hydrogen to the backup power system.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein:
the catalyst bed reactor is configured as a continuous reactor that receives the first amount of methanol and convert the first amount of methanol into the first amount of hydrogen substantially continuously; and
the controller is programmed to cause the catalyst bed reactor to substantially continuously provide the first amount of hydrogen to the backup power system while the power demand of the facility system exceeds the power supply of the primary power system.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein:
the catalyst bed reactor is configured as a batch reactor that receives the first amount of methanol and convert the first amount of methanol into hydrogen;
the catalyst bed reactor is configured to output the hydrogen to a buffer tank; and
the controller is programmed to cause the first amount of hydrogen to be substantially continuously provided to the backup power system while the power demand of the facility system exceeds the power supply of the primary power system.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
if the controller determines that the second amount of power generated from the first amount of hydrogen and the power supply of the primary power system is less than the power demand of the facility system at the second time,
the controller causes a second amount of methanol to be provided to the reactor via the feed solution to generate a second amount of hydrogen, wherein the second amount of hydrogen is provided to the backup power system to generate a third amount of power that is greater than or equal to the power demand of the facility system at the second time.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the controller is programmed to operate a methanol pump to direct the first amount of methanol from the storage tank to the reagent mixer; and
the controller is programmed to operate one or more valves to direct the feed solution from the reagent mixer to the reactor.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the controller is programmed to determine a first amount of water that is to be provided to the reagent mixer with the first amount of methanol, the first amount of water determined to enable substantially complete conversion of the first amount of methanol into the first amount of hydrogen by the reactor; and
the controller is programmed to operate a water pump to extract the first amount of water from the water line and direct the first amount of water to the reagent mixer.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein if, at the second time, the power demand of the facility system exceeds the combined power provided by the power supply of the primary power system plus the second amount of power generated by the backup power system, the controller is programmed to increase production of hydrogen.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein if, at the second time, the power demand of the facility system exceeds the combined power provided by the power supply of the primary power system plus the second amount of power generated by the backup power system, the controller is programmed to:
determine a second power deficit equal to an amount by which the power demand of the facility system exceeds the power supply of a primary power system associated with the facility system;
determine a second amount of the hydrogen that, when supplied to the backup power system, will cause the backup power system to generate a third amount of p

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Bardell Michael
• Montgomery David T

Classifications

• H02J15/50

  using stored hydrogen · CPC title

• C01B3/323 Primary

  Catalytic reaction of gaseous or liquid organic compounds other than hydrocarbons with gasifying agents · CPC title

• C01B3/52

  by contacting with liquids; Regeneration of used liquids · CPC title

• C01B2203/0233

  the reforming step being a steam reforming step · CPC title

• C01B2203/04

  containing a purification step for the hydrogen or the synthesis gas · CPC title