Monolithic natural gas storage delivery system based on sorbents

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9452380-B2
Application number	US-201514696425-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2015
Priority date	Oct 12, 2012
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

The invention provides methods for producing a strong, light, sorbent-based storage/dispenser system for gases and fuels. The system comprises a porous monolithic material with an adherent strong impervious skin that is capable of storing a gas under pressure in a safe and usable manner.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas storage and delivery device comprising a porous gas sorbent monolith contained within an adherent skin, wherein:
the skin is impervious to the gas at >35 atm and comprises a port capable of providing a fluid connection between the monolith and a gas charge/discharge manifold; and
the monolith comprises properties:
(a) a surface area of >100 m 2 /g;
(b) a density of ≧0.5 g/cc;
(c) interconnected pores with some hierarchical structure and of typical diameter larger than 0.5 and smaller than 1.5 nm;
(d) tensile modulus >2 Mpsi, tensile strength >1 kpsi and flexural strength >2 kpsi; and
(e) chemical stability in that it does not degrade, or is not significantly attacked by species present, in a gas that is natural gas, hydrogen or CO 2 .

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the monolith comprises a material that is mostly one or more light elements selected from C, B, Si, Mg, Al and Ti.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the monolith is made of carbon and the surface area is over 1000 m 2 /g.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the monolith is made of carbon that is a pyrolysis product of a natural product, or a polymeric precursor.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the skin comprises a material selected from a polymer, metal and carbon.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the skin comprises a material selected from metals, metal alloys, or any graded or layered composite thereof.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the skin is less than 5 mm thick.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein where the skin is reinforced by a second layer of gas tank material.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the device comprises the manifold in the form of a tube with a valve that sustains at least 35 bar of pressure.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the device comprises the manifold in the form of a tube with a flange, and a ring of a metal around the port configured so that the ring and flange can be mated so that manifold is gas tight to pressures over 35 bar.

11. The device of claim 1 further comprising a circulating conductive fluid that bathes the monolith and is contained by an external casing, which provides heat transfer during charging and discharging the gas.

12. The device of claim 1 comprising resistance heaters which provide heating during gas discharge and heat pipes in the monolith which provide cooling.

13. The device of claim 1 comprising the gas at >35 atm.

14. A gas storage and delivery device comprising a microporous or nanoporous, gas sorbent monolith contained within an adherent skin, wherein:
the skin is impervious to the gas at >35 atm, and comprises one or more ports, each capable of providing a fluid connection between the monolith and a gas charge/discharge manifold; and
the monolith comprises microporous or nanoporous carbon.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein the microporous carbon comprises properties:
Bulk Density 1.12 g/cm 3 ;
Heat Capacity 0.9-1.2 cal/g.K;
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion 3.2×10 −6 /K;
Ash Content (ASTM D2866-94) <0.1%;
Thermal Conductivity 1.2 W/mK;
Pore Size Distribution 0.5-0.8 nm w/0.02 nm precision;
BET-N2 Surface Area 1026 m 2 /g; and
Micropore Volume (fraction) 0.41 cm 3 /g (45%).

16. A method of using the device of claim 1 for storing and delivering a gas comprising:
introducing the gas into the device under pressure >35 atm.

17. A method of making the device of claim 1 comprising the step of forming the skin on the monolith by coating.

18. The gas storage and delivery device of claim 1 wherein the monolith comprises material encased in a macroscopic sponge wherein:
a) the material is a high surface area carbon or a carbon precursor and the sponge is a SiC sponge; or
b) the material is a high surface area carbon or a carbon precursor or zeolite or MOF and the sponge is a foam of Al or Ti metal.

19. A gas storage and delivery device of claim 1 wherein:
a) the monolith comprises a composite or several blocks joined together; and/or,
b) the skin provides a tank of several blocks joined together to form larger tanks capable of forming a variety of shapes that can be conforming to and fill selected spaces.

20. A gas storage and delivery device of claim 1 further comprising multiple components distributed in smaller units interconnected wherein several impermeable block units are joined together by compatible pipes in distributed geometry that matches available spaces in the system.

Assignees

• Stanford Res Inst Int

Inventors

• Hornbostel Marc
• Krishnan Gopala N
• Sanjurjo Angel

Classifications

• B01J20/20

  comprising free carbon; comprising carbon obtained by carbonising processes · CPC title

• B01J20/3291

  Characterised by the shape of the carrier, the coating or the obtained coated product · CPC title

• B01D2253/311

  Porosity, e.g. pore volume · CPC title

• Y10T428/249979

  Specified thickness of void-containing component [absolute or relative] or numerical cell dimension · CPC title

• B01J20/28045

  Honeycomb or cellular structures; Solid foams or sponges · CPC title