This application relates generally to system for generating power. More specifically, this application relates to a system and method wherein hydrogen may be produced using previously decommissioned maritime resources and an electrolysis system to produce hydrogen for use as a power source.
When a large organization takes on a large project away from reliable energy sources, such as the U.S. military in theatre they must consider the fuel and power for their machines; be they navel, air, or land vehicles. They must then find a friendly country that produces fuels and works with the US, or provide the logistics of shipping US produced fuels. In addition, becoming independent as a nation of all foreign oil is widely recognized as an important endeavor. There exists a number of decommissioned resources, for example maritime resources, for example U.S. Navy resources that are not be utilized, and are left to rust, and or otherwise deteriorate.
Therefore, there is a significant need for systems devices, and methods wherein energy may be produced by resources that may have been previously decommissioned and that may thereby be made useful again. There is also a significant need for a system the produce energy for example a system to produce energy in the form of hydrogen. There is also a significant need for systems devices, and methods wherein energy may be produced in a substantially self contained fashion system wide for a large organization such as the U.S. Navy, and/or the US Military.
This application discloses an energy production and distribution system, a hydrogen production and distribution system, and a method is disclosed. The energy production and distribution system may include one or more previously decommissioned maritime resources positioned in floating and/or adjacent disposition with a body of water. An electricity generating apparatus may be disposed in an off-grid configuration on each of the one or more previously decommissioned maritime resources to generate electricity. Electrolysis electrodes may be electrically coupled with the electricity generating apparatus and may disposed to make contact with water in the body of water to perform an electrolysis operation with the water to separate hydrogen from some of the water using the generated electricity from the electricity generating apparatus. A hydrogen capturing element may be disposed proximate to at least one of the electrolysis electrodes in order to capture the hydrogen separated from the water. A storage container may be supported at least partially by the one or more previously decommissioned maritime resources to hold the hydrogen, and a conduit may be provided to transfer the hydrogen from the hydrogen capturing element to the storage container.
The drawings, when considered in connection with the following description, are presented for the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected.
While the energy production and hydrogen production and distribution system and method is described with reference to several illustrative embodiments described herein, it should be clear that the present invention should not be limited to such embodiments. Therefore, the description of the embodiments provided herein is illustrative of the present invention and should not limit the scope of the invention. In addition, while the following description references drawings showing particular configurations and proportions, it will be appreciated that the invention may be configured to have other configurations and proportions.
The description may use perspective-based descriptions such as up/down, back/front, and top/bottom. Such descriptions are merely used to facilitate the discussion and are not intended to restrict the application of embodiments of the present invention.
Referring now to
An electricity generating apparatus 115 may be disposed in an off-grid configuration on each of the one or more previously decommissioned maritime resources 105 to generate electricity. The term “off-grid configuration” may be considered to mean not connected to a system, and/or infrastructure configured for, usually, bulk electric-power transmission of electrical energy, from generating power plants to electrical substations located near demand centers. The system, and/or infrastructure may be referred to as the “power grid”, or just “the grid”. Each of one or more electricity generating apparatuses 115 may be referred to as off-grid resources. In some cases the off-grid resources may be renewable energy resources. In some embodiments the electricity generating apparatus 115 may be one or more of a solar energy system 120, a wind energy system 125, and a wave energy system 130.
Electrolysis electrodes 135 may be electrically coupled with the electricity generating apparatus 115 and may be disposed to make contact with water 140 in the body of water 110 to perform an electrolysis operation with the water to separate hydrogen 145, as represented in the figures with bubbles, from some of the water 140 using the generated electricity from the electricity generating apparatus 115. A hydrogen capturing element 150 may be disposed proximate to at least one of the electrolysis electrodes 135 in order to capture the hydrogen 145 separated from the water 140. The hydrogen capturing element 150 may be, for example, a domelike element located above at least one of the electrolysis electrodes 135 to capture bubbles of hydrogen 145 that are separated from the water. The system 100 may also include an integrated, or separate, oxygen capturing element. The oxygen capturing element may also be a domelike element located above at least one of the electrolysis electrodes 135.
A storage container 155 may be supported, at least partially, by the one or more previously decommissioned maritime resources 105 to hold the hydrogen 145. A conduit 160 may be provided to transfer the hydrogen 145 from the hydrogen capturing element 150 to the storage container 155.
With some embodiments the electricity generating apparatus 115 may includes an electricity producing mechanism that uses some of the hydrogen produced by the electrolysis operation. For example the energy production and distribution system 100 may include a fuel cell 165 on the one or more previously decommissioned maritime resources 105 configured to use the hydrogen 145 as fuel to generate electricity for use, at least partially, by the electrolysis electrodes 135 to produce more hydrogen 145.
With some embodiments the energy production and distribution system 100 may also, or instead, include one or more steam turbines 170 configured for rotation on, or with, a shaft 175. An electric generator 180 may be driven by the shaft 175 to generate electricity wherein at least some of the hydrogen 145 captured by the hydrogen capturing element 150 may be used to boil water and/or to superheat steam, and the steam may be used to drive the or more steam turbines 170.
In various embodiments the electrolysis electrodes 135 may be located substantially below at least one of the previously decommissioned maritime resources 105. In other embodiments the electrolysis electrodes 135 may be located along side, or at a spaced apart distance from the previously decommissioned maritime resources 105.
As illustrated in
With some example embodiments the hydrogen 145 separated from the water may be used to power the one or more previously decommissioned US Navy ships 107 as transport ships 117 to transport the hydrogen 145 for use at the one or more land based facilities 185. The land based facilities 185 may be for example buildings 185 on land. In some cases the hydrogen 145 separated from the water may be used by the U.S. military. The buildings 185 may be on, or part of, a military base 190, for example, the buildings 185 may be one or more barracks 195.
Referring again to
With some embodiments the method 500 the selecting 510 may include acquiring the one or more previously decommissioned maritime resources by sale or by lease from the US Military, and/or from one or more companies involved in oil production. With some embodiments the method 500 may also include re-commissioning the one or more previously decommissioned maritime resources as US military energy producing resources. With some embodiments the method 500 may also include, transporting the hydrogen from the storage container to a land based facility, and generating electricity for use at the land based facility with the transported hydrogen. With some embodiments the method 500 may also include, transporting the hydrogen from the storage container to a U.S. military facility, and generating electricity for use at the U.S. military facility with the transported hydrogen.
While the present disclosure has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
The present application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/860,447, filed on Jul. 31, 2013. The entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.