High pressure hydrogen electrical power generator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021396429-A1
Application number	US-202117402776-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 16, 2021
Priority date	Feb 9, 2018
Publication date	Dec 23, 2021
Grant date	—

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; wherein the heating device heats the plurality of metal hydride reservoirs 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.

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 solar heating device is a solar hot water heater and wherein hot water is produced by the solar hot water heater and wherein the hot water heats the plurality of metal hydride reservoirs.

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

5 . The hydride heat engine of any of the previous claims, 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 any of the previous claims, 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 metal hydride reservoirs are cooled by a flow of cold water.

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

14 . 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.

15 . 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.

16 . The hydride heat engine of claim 15 , wherein the metal hydride reservoirs are cooled by a flow of cold water and wherein the flow of cold water is from a body of water selected from the group consisting of: ocean, sea, river and lake.

17 . The hydride heat engine of claim 15 , 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.

18 . The hydride heat engine of claim 17 , 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.

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

20 . The hydride heat engine of claim 19 , 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

• Y02P20/133

  Renewable energy sources, e.g. sunlight · CPC title

• Y02E60/32

  Hydrogen storage · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• Y02E10/40

  Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers · CPC title

• H01M16/00

  Structural combinations of different types of electrochemical generators · CPC title