Hydrogen, lithium, and lithium hydride production

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017239633-A1
Application number	US-201715592289-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 11, 2017
Priority date	Aug 31, 2011
Publication date	Aug 24, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A hydrogen, lithium, and lithium hydride processing apparatus includes a hot zone to heat solid-phase lithium hydride to form liquid-phase lithium hydride; a vacuum source to extract hydrogen and gaseous-phase lithium metal from the liquid-phase lithium hydride; a cold zone to condense the gaseous-phase lithium metal as purified solid-phase lithium metal; and a heater to melt the purified solid-phase lithium metal in the cold zone and form refined liquid-phase lithium metal in the hot zone.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A hydrogen, lithium, and lithium hydride processing apparatus comprising:
a hot zone to heat a lithium hydride source material and decompose the lithium hydride source material to form gaseous-phase hydrogen and subsequently gaseous-phase lithium metal; a vacuum source to extract the gaseous-phase hydrogen and subsequently gaseous-phase lithium metal; a cold zone to condense the gaseous-phase lithium metal as purified solid-phase lithium metal; and a heater to melt the purified solid-phase lithium metal in the cold zone and form refined liquid-phase lithium metal in the hot zone.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a source of hydrogen connected to the hot zone to hydride the refined liquid-phase lithium metal.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a moderate zone disposed between the hot zone and the cold zone to capture a lithium condensate portion of the gaseous-phase lithium and to return the lithium condensate portion to the hot zone as liquid-phase lithium condensate.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the hot zone includes a process vessel for heating the solid-phase lithium hydride and collecting the refined liquid-phase lithium metal.

5 . The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a moderate zone disposed between the hot zone and the cold zone to return the refined liquid-phase lithium metal to the hot zone.

6 . The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the moderate zone is integrated into a lid of the process vessel, the lid having a cylinder extending through the lid for directing the refined liquid-phase lithium metal to a center can disposed in the process vessel.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the center can is elevated within the process vessel to prevent the refined liquid-phase lithium metal from converting to gaseous-phase lithium metal.

8 . The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a reverse funnel shaped portion disposed around an end of the cylinder in the hot zone.

9 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus comprises a filter to purify hydrogen extracted from the liquid-phase lithium hydride.

10 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an agitator to retard a formation of a barrier crust.

11 . The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the agitator comprises an inert gas sparge to sparge the liquid-phase lithium hydride.

12 . The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the agitator comprises an energy source having a periodic waveform to agitate the liquid-phase lithium hydride.

13 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cold zone comprises a counter flow gas to gas heat exchanger.

14 . A hydrogen, lithium, and lithium hydride processing apparatus comprising:
a hot zone to heat a lithium hydride source material and decompose the lithium hydride source material to form gaseous-phase hydrogen and subsequently gaseous-phase lithium metal; a vacuum source to extract the gaseous-phase hydrogen and subsequently gaseous-phase lithium metal; a moderate zone disposed above the hot zone to condense at least a portion of the gaseous-phase lithium metal to liquid-phase lithium metal and return the liquid-phase lithium metal to a center can disposed in the hot zone; a cold zone disposed above the moderate zone to condense gaseous-phase lithium metal that is not condensed to liquid-phase lithium metal in the moderate zone to solid-phase lithium metal.

15 . The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the cold zone further comprises a heater to melt the solid-phase lithium metal in the cold zone to be collected in the center can disposed in the hot zone.

16 . The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the hot zone includes a process vessel and the moderate zone is integrated into a lid of the process vessel.

17 . The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the moderate zone is held to a temperature between about 300° C. to about 450° C.

18 . The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the moderate zone is held to a temperature of about 400° C.

19 . The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the center can is elevated within the process vessel to prevent the liquid-phase lithium metal from converting to gaseous-phase lithium metal in the hot zone.

20 . The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the cold zone is a conduit having a diameter of at least four inches extending from the lid of the process vessel.

Assignees

• Cons Nuclear Security Llc

Inventors

• Brown Sam W
• Spencer Larry S
• Phillips Michael R
• Powell G Louis
• Campbell Peggy J

Classifications

• B01D53/002

  by condensation · CPC title

• C22B26/12

  Obtaining lithium · CPC title

• B01D53/22

  by diffusion (manufacturing semi-permeable membranes B01D67/00; form, structure or properties of semi-permeable membranes B01D69/00; material for semi-permeable membranes B01D71/00) · CPC title

• C22B9/006

  with use of an inert protective material including the use of an inert gas · CPC title

• F27D7/06

  Forming or maintaining special atmospheres or vacuum within heating chambers (supplying steam, vapour, gases or liquids F27D7/02) · CPC title