Fuel endothermic reaction to cool a load

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11912946-B2
Application number	US-202117215498-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2021
Priority date	Mar 29, 2021
Publication date	Feb 27, 2024
Grant date	Feb 27, 2024

Abstract

Various embodiments that pertain to fuel processing are described. A fuel processor can produce an endothermic reaction that cools a substance and produces a processed fuel from a raw fuel. A generator can employ the processed fuel to produce an electricity. The generator can supply the electricity to a load that uses the electricity to function. The load can become hot due to its functioning and can benefit from being cooled. The substance cooled by the fuel processor can cool load and in the process the substance can rise in temperature. This warmer substance can be transferred to the fuel processor to be cooled again and this cycle can continue. Further, the fuel processor can use the warmer substance to achieve the endothermic reaction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel controller, that is at least partially hardware, comprising:
an input component configured to manage reception of a quantity of a raw fuel;
an exchange component configured to cause engagement with a heated substance at a first temperature;
a reaction component configured to cause the raw fuel to experience an endothermic reaction through employment of the heated substance such that the raw fuel is converted into a processed fuel; and
an output component configured to cause output of the processed fuel,
where the endothermic reaction causes the heated substance to cool to a second temperature lower than the first temperature,
where the quantity of the raw fuel is a first quantity,
where the output component causes output of the processed fuel to a generator,
where the generator employs the processed fuel and a second quantity of the raw fuel to produce an electricity,
where the electricity powers a load,
where the load being powered produces the heated substance being at the first temperature, and
where the heated substance at the second temperature is returned to the load.

2. The fuel controller of claim 1 ,
where the processed fuel is hydrogen-based.

3. The fuel controller of claim 2 ,
where the endothermic reaction comprises thermal cracking.

4. The fuel controller of claim 2 ,
where the endothermic reaction comprises steam reforming.

5. A system, comprising:
a reaction chamber configured to experience an endothermic reaction for a raw fuel that produces a fuel resultant, the endothermic reaction is achieved by a rise in a temperature of the raw fuel caused by exposure of the raw fuel to a heated substance;
a generator configured to generate an electricity from fuel resultant;
a load configured to function with the electricity such that the load produces the heated substance; and
a loop configured to transfer the heated substance between the load and the reaction chamber,
where the endothermic reaction cools the heated substance into a cooled substance,
where the cooled substance cools the load,
where the load functioning causes the cooled substance to rise in temperature to a re-heated substance, and
where the loop supplies the re-heated substance to the reaction chamber.

6. The system of claim 5 ,
where the loop is a first loop,
where the load employs a refrigerant from a second loop to function, and
where the cooled substance and the refrigerant cool the load.

7. The system of claim 5 ,
where the reaction chamber is configured to experience the endothermic reaction for a first portion of the raw fuel,
where the generator configured to generate an electricity from the fuel resultant and a second portion of the raw fuel, and
where the fuel resultant is greater than the second portion of the raw fuel when the generator generates the electricity.

8. The system of claim 5 ,
where the fuel resultant is hydrogen-based and
where the endothermic reaction comprises thermal cracking.

9. The system of claim 5 ,
where the fuel resultant is hydrogen-based and
where the endothermic reaction comprises steam reforming.

10. The system of claim 6 ,
where the reaction chamber is configured to experience the endothermic reaction for a first portion of the raw fuel,
where the generator configured to generate an electricity from the fuel resultant and a second portion of the raw fuel, and
where the fuel resultant is greater than the second portion of the raw fuel when the generator generates the electricity.

11. The system of claim 10 ,
where the fuel resultant is hydrogen-based and
where the endothermic reaction comprises thermal cracking.

12. The system of claim 10 ,
where the fuel resultant is hydrogen-based and
where the endothermic reaction comprises steam reforming.

13. The fuel controller of claim 1 ,
where the exchange component comprises tubing that coils around a reaction chamber.

14. The fuel controller of claim 2 ,
where the reaction component is configured to cause the raw fuel to experience the endothermic reaction at a reaction chamber that is part of a fuel processor,
where the exchange component comprises tubing that coils around the reaction chamber,
where a physical loop functions as a pathway upon which the heated substance travels between the fuel processor and the load,
where the heated substance at the at the second temperature travels from the fuel processor to the load by way of the physical loop, and
where the heated substance at the at the first temperature travels from the load to the fuel processor by way of the physical loop.

15. The fuel controller of claim 14 ,
where the fuel processor is integrated into the load and
where the physical loop is a wall such that heat transfer occurs though induction.

16. A system, that is at least partially hardware, comprising:
an input component configured to manage reception of a substance at a first temperature, in association with a reaction chamber, by way of a physical loop;
a reaction component configured to cause a first endothermic reaction for a first raw fuel that produces a first fuel resultant, the first endothermic reaction is achieved by a rise in a temperature of the first raw fuel caused by exposure of the first raw fuel to the substance at the first temperature and the first endothermic reaction causes the substance to go from the first temperature to a second temperature with the second temperature being cooler than the first temperature;
an output component configured to manage supply of the substance to a load at the second temperature by way of the physical loop; and
a generation component configured to enable generation of an electricity from first fuel resultant such that the load is powered with the electricity from the first fuel resultant, the load being powered causes the load to function and causes the substance to change from the second temperature to a third temperature, with the third temperature being warmer than the second temperature; and
where the input component is configured to cause the substance at the third temperature to cycle back, by way of the physical loop, to the reaction chamber.

17. The system of claim 16 ,
where the reaction component is configured to cause a second endothermic reaction for a second raw fuel that produces a second fuel resultant, the second endothermic reaction is achieved by a rise in a temperature of the second raw fuel caused by exposure of the second raw fuel to the substance at the third temperature and the second endothermic reaction causes the substance to go from the third temperature to a fourth temperature with the fourth temperature being cooler than the third temperature,
where the output component is configured to manage supply of the substance to the load at the fourth temperature by way of the physical loop; and
where the generation component is configured to enable generation of an electricity from second fuel resultant such that the load is powered with the electricity from the second fuel resultant, the load being powered causes the load to function and causes the substance to change from the fourth temperature to a fifth temperature, with the fifth temperature being warmer than the fourth temperature, and
where the input component is configured to cause the substance at the fifth temperature to cycle back, by way of the physical loop, to the reaction chamber.

18. The system of claim 17 ,
where the third temperature is about equal to the first temperature and
where the fifth temperature is about e

Assignees

• Us Gov Sec Army

Inventors

• Seibert Michael
• Scenna Richard
• Dubois Terry

Classifications

• C10G9/40 Primary

  by indirect contact with preheated fluid other than hot combustion gases · CPC title

• C01B3/34

  by reaction of hydrocarbons with gasifying agents · CPC title

• F02C1/05

  characterised by the type or source of heat, e.g. using nuclear or solar energy · CPC title

• C01B2203/0233

  the reforming step being a steam reforming step · CPC title

• C01B2203/06

  Integration with other chemical processes · CPC title