High pressure hydrogen electrical power generator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11940183-B2
Application number	US-202117402776-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2021
Priority date	Feb 9, 2018
Publication date	Mar 26, 2024
Grant date	Mar 26, 2024

Abstract

A hydride heat engine produces electricity from a heat source, such as a solar heater. A plurality of metal hydride reservoirs are heated by the heating device and a working fluid comprises hydrogen is incrementally move from one metal hydride reservoir to a success metal hydride reservoir. The working fluid is passed, at a high pressure, from the last of the plurality of metal hydride reservoirs to an electro-chemical-expander. The electro-chemical-expander has an anode, a cathode, and an ionomer therebetween. The hydrogen is passed from the anode at high pressure to the cathode at lower pressure and electricity is generated. The solar heater may be a solar water heater and the hot water may heat the metal hydride reservoirs to move the hydrogen. The working fluid may move in a closed loop.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hydride heat engine comprising:
a) a hot water source;
b) a multi-stage metal hydride compressor comprising:
i) a plurality of metal hydride reservoirs comprising a metal hydride forming compound;
ii) wherein the plurality of metal hydride reservoirs are coupled in series:
c) an electrochemical-expander comprising:
i) an anode;
ii) a cathode;
iii) an ionomer configured between and anode and cathode:
d) a working fluid comprising hydrogen;
e) a heating device that heats water to produce said hot water source, wherein the heating device heats the plurality of metal hydride reservoir to move the working fluid from a first metal hydride reservoir at a first pressure to a second metal hydride reservoir at a second pressure; wherein the second pressure is higher than the first pressure;
wherein the working fluid is passed to the electro-chemical-expander and wherein the hydrogen is transported from the anode to the cathode of the electro-chemical-expander to produce electricity;
wherein the metal hydride reservoirs are cooled by a flow of cold water.

2. The hydride heat engine of claim 1 , wherein the heating device comprises a renewable heating device.

3. The hydride heat engine of claim 2 , wherein the renewable heating device comprises a solar heating device and wherein the solar heating device is a solar hot water heater that produces the hot water source and wherein the hot water source heats the plurality of metal hydride reservoirs.

4. The hydride heat engine of claim 2 , wherein the hot water source is in a closed loop and flows from the plurality of metal hydride reservoirs to the solar hot water heater.

5. A hydride heat engine comprising:
a) a hot water source;
b) a multi-stage metal hydride compressor comprising:
i) a plurality of metal hydride reservoirs comprising a metal hydride forming compound;
ii) wherein the plurality of metal hydride reservoirs are coupled in series;

c) an electrochemical-expander comprising:
iii) an anode;
iv) a cathode;
v) an ionomer configured between and anode and cathode;

d) a working fluid comprising hydrogen;
e) a heating device that heats water to produce said hot water source,
wherein the heating device heats the plurality of metal hydride reservoir to move the working fluid from a first metal hydride reservoir at a first pressure to a second metal hydride reservoir at a second pressure; wherein the second pressure is higher than the first pressure;
wherein the working fluid is passed to the electro-chemical-expander and wherein the hydrogen is transported from the anode to the cathode of the electro-chemical-expander to produce electricity;
wherein the working fluid is in a closed loop and flows from the cathode of the electro-chemical-expander through the plurality of metal hydride reservoirs, to the anode of the electro-chemical-expander and finally through the ionomer to said cathode.

6. The hydride heat engine of claim 1 , wherein the ionomer comprises a perfluorosulfonic acid ionomer.

7. The hydride heat engine of claim 6 , wherein the ionomer is a supported ionomer having a support layer coupled thereto.

8. The hydride heat engine of claim 7 , wherein the support material is configured in the ionomer.

9. The hydride heat engine of claim 1 , wherein the ionomer has a thickness of no more than about 30 microns.

10. The hydride heat engine of claim 1 , wherein the ionomer has a thickness of no more than about 20 microns.

11. The hydride heat engine of claim 1 , wherein the ionomer has a thickness of no more than about 10 microns.

12. The hydride heat engine of claim 1 , wherein the flow of cold water is from a body of water.

13. The hydride heat engine of claim 1 , further comprising a battery and wherein the electricity produced by the electrochemical-expander is stored in said battery.

14. The hydride heat engine of claim 1 , wherein the heating device comprises a solar heating device and wherein the solar heating device is a solar hot water heater that produces the hot water source and wherein the hot water source heats the plurality of metal hydride reservoirs.

15. The hydride heat engine of claim 1 , wherein the flow of cold water is from a body of water selected from the group consisting of: ocean, sea, river and lake.

16. The hydride heat engine of claim 14 , wherein the working fluid is in a closed loop and flows from the cathode of the electrochemical-expander through the plurality of metal hydride reservoirs, to the anode of the electrochemical-expander and finally through the ionomer to said cathode.

17. The hydride heat engine of claim 16 , further comprising a series of valves to control the flow of the working fluid from a first metal hydride reservoir to a second metal hydride reservoir of the plurality of metal hydride reservoirs.

18. The hydride heat engine of claim 17 , comprising at least two electrochemical-expander configured in series.

19. The hydride heat engine of claim 18 , wherein the first metal hydride reservoir is coupled with the anode of a first electrochemical-expander and wherein the second metal hydride reservoir is coupled with the cathode of the first electrochemical-expander.

Assignees

• Xergy Inc

Inventors

• Bahar Bamdad
• Golben Peter
• Parmelee William
• Fackler Scott

Classifications

• F24S60/30 Primary

  storing heat in liquids · CPC title

• C01B3/0026 Primary

  Metals or metal hydrides · CPC title

• H01M8/065

  by dissolution of metals or alloys; by dehydriding metallic substances · CPC title

• H01M8/182

  Regeneration by thermal means · CPC title

• H02N3/00

  Generators in which thermal or kinetic energy is converted into electrical energy by ionisation of a fluid and removal of the charge therefrom (discharge tubes functioning as thermionic generators H01J45/00) · CPC title