Patent Application
20140283761
The implementations disclosed herein generally relate to H2O heating methods, devices, and systems with no by-product emissions for use, inter alia, in electric power generation (driven by turbines, pistons, thermodynamic engines, or steam engines), mobile vehicle locomotion (driven by turbines, pistons, thermodynamic engines, or steam engines), environmental heating, environmental cleaning, cooking of materials, recycling of materials, cutting of materials, smelting, and drilling of materials.
Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, there have been many and varied embodiments of the conventional method of heating H2O, yet the operating principles underlying such embodiments have remained essentially the same. In an early example of the conventional method, Heron of Alexandria invented the first historically recorded version of a steam-driven turbine nearly 2,000 years ago. In conventional methods, H2O is heated within a vessel via convection into the vessel of the heat of combustion produced by burning a fuel, often inside a fire box, but located on the outside of the vessel, and the resultant heated H2O, often in vapor form, is conveyed out of the vessel for downstream use. Because of both its relatively high heat capacity and extremely high latent heat of vaporization, H2O is an ideal substance for concentrating energy as heat for conveyance and performing thermodynamic work.
The design, configuration, materials, shape, scale, mechanism, platform, location, controls, and material composition of conventional H2O heating methods have undergone a myriad of changes over time to improve the ease and efficiency of H2O heating, but the basic operating principles outlined above have remained standard practice in virtually every industrial application.
Conventional H2O heating methods are frequently fueled by burning carbon-based fuels, such as coal, fuel oil, ethanol, or natural gas. Wood and biomass fuels are other carbon-based fuels in common use, usually at relatively smaller scales.
Conventional combustion fuels are generally carbureted with ambient air to provide O2 as the oxidizer required for combustion, with the exhaust from combustion, predominantly consisting of H2O and carbon dioxide, vented into the ambient environment. While carbon dioxide can be considered the primary pollutant present in the exhaust (due to its role in contributing to global warming) the exhaust also contains non-trivial amounts of noxious pollutants, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, cyanides, lead, mercury, and soot particulates, all of which contribute to the polluting effect of venting combustion exhaust into the ambient environment. In some cases, the exhaust may be scrubbed prior to venting in order to reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide and noxious pollutants, but such scrubbing is expensive and incomplete due to the nature of the filtering processes involved.
Nuclear fission is a relatively modern means used to heat H2O, for example in large-scale electricity generating stations where H2O is heated into steam to drive turbines. Nuclear fission is often more economical than conventional fuels, in terms of heat generated per cost of fuel consumed, and it does not produce any significant amount of exhaust gases; in that sense nuclear fission as a means to heat H2O can be said to be less polluting than conventional fuels per amount of heat generated. However, nuclear fission does result in radioactive waste products, which can be even more costly to remediate and overall riskier for the ambient environment, long term, than conventional combustion exhaust. The short-term environmental costs of fission generating stations are also increased by the attendant security risks associated with nuclear fission installations and fissionable materials.
Electrical current resistance, while generally less energy and cost efficient than fuel combustion or nuclear fission, is also commonly used to heat H2O. For example, in modern apartment buildings where a single utility system may be easier to manage, or in outlying rural areas where fuel may not be readily at hand in sufficient volume to power local need. Heating H2O by electrical resistance does not generate pollutants at the point of use, however the generation of the electrical current that is consumed requires electricity-generating stations to be operated, and those generating stations normally do cause attendant pollution since the predominant conventional means of producing electrical current involve burning the aforementioned conventional fuels or nuclear fission. Further, the conveyance of electrical current from the generating site to the point of use results in loss of efficiency due to heat produced by electrical resistance in the wires, switches, and transformers along the way.
When H2 is carbureted with O2 and combusted under normal conditions, the only product is H2O and no pollutants are produced: no carbon dioxide, no carbon monoxide, no nitrogen oxides, no sulfur oxides, no cyanides, no lead, no mercury, no soot particulates, and no radioactive waste. However, the temperature of the H2O generated by normal stoichiometric combustion of H2 with O2 is about 3500° Centigrade, which is too hot to be contained, conveyed, or employed by conventional means, such as those involving unaided conventional tubes, manifolds, tanks, or turbines. The expected cost of engineering and replacing conventional components in H2O heating systems with components capable of withstanding the concentrated heat produced by efficient combustion of H2 with O2 is prohibitive, despite the attractively non-polluting nature of the combustion.
There is an urgent need for technology that efficiently generates heat and electricity without contributing to pollution and climate change. Harnessing the combustion of hydrogen in the context of conventional materials, apparatuses, and applications while producing no emissions will go a long way to satisfying this need.
Systems, devices, and methods for economically heating H2O are presented. The method uses the heat of combustion of H2 with O2 to heat H2O such that the temperature of the H2O output remains comfortably within useful ranges of conventional containment and conveyance materials, apparatuses, and applications. This method of H2 combustion becomes a viable alternative to conventional means of heating H2O for industrial applications including heating systems, steam turbines powering electrical current generators, heat and electricity cogeneration systems, and locomotive engines. The methods herein described naturally permit temperature modulation of output H2O in any degree from input H2O temperature on up to the maximum temperature consistent with the materials used to contain and convey the output H2O. In addition, the method facilitates new uses of H2O heretofore deemed uneconomical, such as environmental cleaning systems, recycling plants, cutting torches, and drilling devices, to name a few.
Instead of heating H2O in the fashion of conventional methods, where fuel is typically burned in a fire box on the outside of an H2O-containing vessel, with the resultant heat transferred to the H2O in the vessel by convection, the method inverts the conventional set up by burning its fuel directly within the H2O-containing vessel. The method combusts H2 with O2 such that the combustion occurs immersed within H2O flowing through a combustion vessel. The H2O from combustion diffuses into and heats the input H2O. The H2 input rate determines how much heat is generated and how much H2O from combustion supplements the input H2O. The O2 input rate is consistent with efficient combustion of the H2 input. Given the H2 input rate and the combustion vessel pressure, the H2O output rate and temperature are controlled by varying the H2O input rate. Because the combustion product is H2O, there is no need to segregate the combustion function from the H2O containment function and there is no need for a smokestack as no foreign byproducts are produced—the water produced by combustion is of laboratory purity and can be harvested and used as such.
Because the systems, devices, and methods disclosed herein combust fuel immersed in H2O directly within a combustion vessel, and because the combustion product is H2O, the method produces no by-product exhausts, requires no smokestack or other form of ventilation, and efficiently captures virtually all of the heat of fuel combustion, thereby maximizing the amount of H2O heated per unit of fuel consumed. None of the heat of combustion is lost in venting hot exhaust gases out of the system via a flue as in conventional fuel-fired H2O heating designs. A minimal amount of heat may be lost due to convection from the combustion vessel into the ambient environment but it will not be more than the heat normally lost by convection from the surface of conventional H2O heating vessels. The combustion vessel may be designed to further minimize convective heat loss, for example by judicious selection of combustion vessel geometry and the layering of insulating flashing on the outside of the combustion vessel. A requisite combustion vessel will have much less surface area per unit of water heated than does a conventional H2O heating vessel, further reducing the potential convective heat loss. Furthermore, combustion of H2 with O2 produces H2O, which may be siphoned off and used downstream as an additional value-adding byproduct in the natural course of applying the method.
Combustion of H2 with O2 liberates more energy as heat per mass of fuel consumed than any other known chemical reaction. The method captures virtually all of this heat, does not produce byproduct exhaust, and produces pure H2O, making the operational efficiency of the method well beyond any other known process for heating H2O.
The magnitude of the enthalpy of combustion of H2 with O2 at standard temperature and pressure is 286 kilojoules per mole (kJ/mol) of H2 fuel burned, and the mass of H2 is 2 grams per mol (g/mol), so that combustion of H2 has a heat-liberated-to-fuel-mass ratio of 143 kJ/g. For comparison, the concomitant ratio for methane is 56 kJ/g, for heating oil the ratio is about 45 kJ/g, for coal the ratio is about 35 kJ/g, and for ethanol the ratio is 30 kJ/g. Hz's efficiency per unit mass is very attractive.
Unlike combustion of carbon-based fuels, combustion of H2 with O2 naturally produces no carbon-based exhaust, no carbon dioxide, and no carbon monoxide, because there is no carbon in the fuel. The only product of combustion is H2O and the H2O produced can be siphoned off and used downstream as a value-added by-product of the combustion. Because the combustion produces no greenhouse gases, the operation of devices and systems based on the method will not directly contribute to global warming.
Unlike combustion of conventional fuels and nuclear fission, combustion of H2 naturally produces no noxious or radioactive wastes. Because the combustion of H2 produces only H2O and is free of foreign byproducts, the operation of systems and devices disclosed herein does not directly contribute to environmental pollution.
Accordingly, in one implementation, a method of heating H2O includes:
immersing the combustion of H2 and O2 to produce H2O and heat within a flow of H2O;
wherein the H2O produced by the combustion diffuses into and supplements the flow of H2O; and
wherein the heat increases the temperature of the flow of H2O.
In another implementation, an H2O heating device includes:
a combustion vessel capable of containing heated H2O at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure;
at least one combustion unit for forming heated H2O, each of the combustion units including:
an H2 supply in fluid communication with the H2 conduit;
an O2 supply in fluid communication with the O2 conduit;
an H2O supply in fluid communication with the H2O conduit; and
at least one output conduit.
In yet another implementation, an H2O heating device includes:
a combustion vessel;
an H2 conduit configured to deliver H2 into the combustion vessel;
an O2 conduit configured to deliver O2 into the combustion vessel, wherein the O2 conduit and the H2 conduit are arranged such that an O2 flow path from the O2 conduit and an H2 flow path from the H2 conduit define a point of confluence, wherein the point of confluence corresponds to a location within the combustion vessel in which at least a portion of the O2 flow path intersects with at least a portion of the H2 flow path;
an H2O conduit arranged to deliver H2O into the combustion vessel and toward the point of confluence;
an ignition device positioned substantially near the point of confluence; and
an output conduit.
In yet another implementation, an H2O heating device includes:
a combustion chamber, the combustion chamber defining a fluid flow path and an axis passing substantially along the fluid flow path;
a first plurality of fluid inlets configured to deliver a first fluid into the combustion chamber, wherein the first plurality of fluid inlets are positioned radially about the axis at a first radius; and
a second plurality of fluid inlets configured to deliver a second fluid into the combustion chamber, wherein the second plurality of fluid inlets are positioned radially about the axis at a second radius.
In yet another implementation, an H2O heating system includes:
a plurality of H2O heating modules, each H2O heating module including:
a collector conduit, wherein the collector conduit is configured to receive heated H2O from an output conduit of each of the plurality of H2O heating modules.
In yet another implementation, an H2O heating device includes:
a plurality of H2O heating modules, each H2O heating module including:
a collector conduit, wherein the collector conduit is configured to receive heated H2O from an output conduit of each of the plurality of H2O heating modules.
In yet another implementation, a method of heating H2O includes:
flowing H2 and O2 into a combustion vessel and into a flow of H2O to produce a homogeneous mixture of H2, O2, and H2O within the combustion vessel;
igniting the H2 and O2 within the homogeneous mixture to produce heated H2O; and
flowing the heated H2O out of the combustion vessel.
In yet another implementation, a method of heating H2O includes:
flowing a first body of H2O into a combustion vessel, the first body of H2O having a first temperature;
immersing a combustion reaction of H2 and O2 within the first body of H2O to produce a second body of H2O having a second temperature, wherein the second temperature is greater than the first temperature; and
flowing the second body of H2O out of the combustion vessel.
In yet another implementation, a system includes at least one H2O heating device as described herein.
The methods, devices, and systems may be used in any application requiring heated H2O, such as in electric power generation driven by turbines or pistons, mobile vehicle locomotion driven by turbines or pistons, environmental heating, environmental cleaning, cooking of materials, recycling of materials, cutting of materials, and drilling of materials. The applications may be stationary or mobile.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the implementations disclosed herein and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate implementations together with the description that serve to explain the principles of operation. In the drawings:
Although the implementations disclosed herein are applicable to numerous and various types of steam generation systems, the various implementations have been found to be particularly useful in the environment of steam-turbine power generation systems where limiting carbon dioxide and other fossil-fuel-sourced emissions into the atmosphere is desirable. Therefore, various implementations disclosed herein will be described in the context of such environments, and it is to be understood that these implementations are not limited as such.
The implementations disclosed herein provide devices, systems, and methods of heating H2O and hence generating steam that produces no foreign by-products. Also provided are devices, systems, and methods of steam generation that contain the heat of combustion within the process of steam generation with minimal loss to the exterior of the device and system. Combustion occurring within the interior of the device ejects neither mass nor energy into the surroundings, which makes the power generation both emission and energy efficient.
The combustion reaction of hydrogen and oxygen has an inherently high reaction enthalpy and flame temperature. The vaporization of water requires 2,260 kilojoules of energy per kilogram of liquid water converted into steam. The combustion of fuel (hydrogen) and oxidizer (oxygen) within a body of water is contained within a vessel composed of heat-and-pressure-resistant materials, such as the conventional metallic materials used in steam boilers, steam paths, and steam turbines. High-temperature applications, such as cutting torches and drilling devices, may leverage more specialized heat-resistant materials, including ceramics and evolving graphene-based materials techniques. Such materials are able to withstand temperatures and pressures consistent with manufacturer-recommended steam conditions at a turbine inlet that can vaporize the water surrounding the combustion reaction in proportion to the volume of fuel and oxidizer combusted.
As employed above and throughout the disclosure, the following terms, unless otherwise indicated, shall be understood to have the following meanings.
As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural reference, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
As used herein, the terms “H2O” or “water” refer to the substance H2O in any fluid form, including any mixture or melding of fluid forms. For example, liquid water, steam, and supercritical states where the distinction between liquid and vapor phases is not meaningful are each considered H2O as the term is used herein.
As used herein, the term “flow,” as it is used in reference to H2O, refers to either a moving or stationary body of H2O.
While the implementations disclosed are capable of being embodied in various forms, the description below is made with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the various implementations, and is not intended to be limiting to the specific implementations illustrated. Headings are provided for convenience only and are not to be construed to limit the implementations in any manner. Implementations illustrated under any heading may be combined with implementations illustrated under any other heading.
The use of numerical values in the various quantitative values specified in this application, unless expressly indicated otherwise, are stated as approximations as though the minimum and maximum values within the stated ranges were both preceded by the word “about.” In this manner, slight variations from a stated value can be used to achieve substantially the same results as the stated value. For example, the word “about” may indicate within 10% of a stated value due to error, or within a standard deviation of an average value. Also, the disclosure of ranges is intended as a continuous range including every value between the minimum and maximum values recited as well as any ranges that can be formed by such values. Also disclosed herein are any and all ratios (and ranges of any such ratios) that can be formed by dividing a recited numeric value into any other recited numeric value. Accordingly, the skilled person will appreciate that many such ratios, ranges, and ranges of ratios can be unambiguously derived from the numerical values presented herein and in all instances such ratios, ranges, and ranges of ratios represent various implementations disclosed herein.
The methods, devices, and systems disclosed herein may be used in any application requiring heated H2O, such as in electric power generation driven by turbines or pistons, mobile vehicle locomotion driven by turbines or pistons, environmental heating, environmental cleaning, cooking of materials, recycling of materials, cutting of materials, and drilling of materials. The applications may be stationary or mobile.
Reference will now be made to
Output conduit 104 provides a conduit for H2O under pressure to be vented out of combustion vessel 102 and is sufficient to convey the H2O under pressure at the temperature within combustion vessel 102 out of combustion vessel 102 so that the output H2O can be used in downstream applications. In certain implementations, output conduit 104 may include a valve apparatus sufficient to regulate, measure, meter, and control output of H2O under pressure from combustion vessel 102 into output conduit 104. In certain implementations, output conduit 104 may include a sensor apparatus sufficient to detect and report flow rate, pressure, temperature, chemical composition, and structural stress within output conduit 104.
H2O supply 106 supplies the H2O that is conveyed under pressure into combustion vessel 102 and contains H2O under pressure in sufficient quantity to supply a mass of H2O for replacing H2O as needed within combustion vessel 102. For example, the mass of H2O supplied by supply 106 replaces H2O within combustion vessel 102 as it vents out of combustion vessel 102 under pressure into output conduit 104. In certain implementations, H2O supply 106 may include requisite storage, regulation, plumbing, pumping, valving, measuring, and metering of H2O. In certain implementations, H2O from H2O supply 106 may be distilled or deionized, so that it is substantially mineral-free, and may additionally be de-aerated so that it contains substantially no dissolved gases that may otherwise cause damage to components of downstream applications. In certain implementations, H2O supply 106 may include valve apparatus sufficient to regulate, measure, meter, and control output of H2O under pressure from H2O supply 106. In certain implementations, H2O supply 106 may include sensor apparatus sufficient to detect and report mass, pressure, temperature, chemical composition, and structural stress within H2O supply 106.
H2O conduit 108 provides a conduit for H2O into combustion vessel 102 and is sufficient to convey the requisite mass of H2O under pressure from H2O supply 106 into combustion vessel 102. In certain implementations, H2O conduit 108 may include a valve apparatus sufficient to regulate, measure, meter, and control input of H2O under pressure from H2O supply 106 into combustion vessel 102. In certain implementations, H2O conduit 108 may include a sensor apparatus sufficient to detect and report flow rate, pressure, temperature, chemical composition, and structural stress within H2O conduit 108.
Combustion unit 110 provides initiation, control and maintenance of the combustion reaction of H2 with O2 within combustion vessel 102, and is capable of operating while immersed in H2O at the temperatures and pressures produced within combustion vessel 102. Combustion unit 110 may be located on any side or at any point in the interior of combustion vessel 102. In certain implementations, combustion unit 110 may include a valve apparatus sufficient to regulate, measure, meter, and control input of O2 under pressure and H2 under pressure to combustion unit 110. In certain implementations, combustion unit 110 may include sensor apparatus sufficient to detect and report flow rates, pressure, temperature, chemical composition, and structural stress within combustion unit 110. In certain implementations, combustion unit 110 is a sub-chamber of combustion vessel 102 and may be made of the same material or a different material than combustion vessel 102. Combustion unit 110 may be designed to include openings for H2O from H2O supply 106 to penetrate, which allows for a portion of the mass of H2O to engulf a combustion reaction occurring within combustion unit 110, while the other portion of the mass of H2O surrounds combustion unit 110 and may serve as a heat sink to the outer walls of combustion unit 110. In some implementations, combustion unit 110 may be designed to include baffles or other mixing components disposed in the interior of the combustion unit to promote homogeneous mixing of H2, O2, and H2O within combustion unit 110.
Ignition device 112 protrudes into combustion unit 110 and permits initiation of the combustion reaction (“startup”). In certain implementations, ignition device 112 is, for example, a piezo-electric spark or glow plug with a source of electric current. In certain implementations, ignition device 112 is positioned at a point of confluence in which flows from each of conduits 108, 116, and 120 intersect. In general, any device capable of providing a concentrated burst of energy can be used as ignition device 112. For example, a small incendiary device that can be replaced for each startup may be used in certain implementations. The ignition device may be used to initiate the reaction; once the combustion reaction starts, the heat produced will be sufficient to sustain further combustion reaction, so long as appropriate proportions of fuel, oxygen, and water are fed into the combustion unit. Thus, the ignition device will be optimized to perform its functions on device startup and economic concerns may dictate, in any given application, whether the ignition device will be reusable for successive startups, or replaced prior to each startup operation. Ignition device may be reusable to the extent that it is temperature resistant to the conditions present in any given implementation. However, in certain implementations it may be more economically favorable to replace the device with each startup. For example, a glow plug is an inexpensive-to-replace part in a properly designed device for generating steam to drive long-running turbines that are stopped and restarted for occasional maintenance. On the other hand, in a small-scale building heating application, which may start and stop frequently and/or may have relatively low temperature output for which an appropriately temperature resistant ignition device can be inexpensively attached, such implementations may use such a reusable piezo-electric device as the ignition device. In certain implementations, a control system may monitor the conditions of the chamber to determine if the ignition device needs to re-ignite the reaction, for example, by determining that one or more of the flow rates, temperature, and pressure of the chamber falls below a threshold condition for which the reaction is sustainable.
H2 supply 114 supplies the H2 that is conveyed under pressure into combustion unit 110 and contains H2 under pressure in sufficient quantity to supply the mass of H2 used for combustion within combustion unit 110. In certain implementations, H2 supply 114 may source H2O from H2O supply 106. In certain implementations, H2 supply 114 may include a valve apparatus sufficient to regulate, measure, meter, and control output of H2 from H2 supply 114. In certain implementations, H2 supply 114 may include a sensor apparatus sufficient to detect and report mass, pressure, temperature, chemical composition, and structural stress within H2 supply 114. In certain implementations, H2 supply 114 may include requisite storage, regulation, plumbing, pumping, valving, measuring, and metering of H2. In certain implementations, H2 supply 114 may be stocked with H2 obtained via delivery from offsite vendors. In certain implementations, H2 supply 114 may source heated H2O, directly or indirectly, from output conduit 104. In certain implementations, H2 supply 114 may be stocked with H2 as a result of in situ production of H2 by any available means including producing H2 via electrolysis of H2O and producing H2 via steam reformation of hydrocarbon substrates such as natural gas. In certain implementations, H2 supply 114 may include a supply of hydrocarbon substrate for in situ production of H2 via steam reformation, and may therefore also include requisite storage, regulation, plumbing, pumping, valving, measuring and metering of a hydrocarbon substrate such as natural gas. In certain implementations, H2 supply 114 may produce and capture CO2 for downstream sequestration and use, and may therefore include requisite storage, regulation, plumbing, pumping, valving, measuring, and metering of CO2.
H2 conduit 116 connects to combustion unit 110, permitting injection of H2 under pressure into combustion unit 110, and is sufficient to convey the requisite mass of H2 under pressure from H2 supply 114 into combustion unit 110. In certain implementations, H2 conduit 116 may include valve apparatus sufficient to regulate, measure, meter, and control input of H2 under pressure from H2 supply 114 into combustion unit 110. In certain implementations, H2 conduit 116 may include a sensor apparatus sufficient to detect and report flow rate, pressure, temperature, chemical composition, and structural stress within H2 conduit 116.
O2 supply 118 supplies the O2 that is conveyed under pressure into combustion unit 110 and contains O2 under pressure in sufficient quantity to supply the mass of O2 used for combusting the H2 within combustion unit 110. O2 supply 118 may consume H2O from H2O supply C. In certain implementations, O2 supply 118 may include a valve apparatus sufficient to regulate, measure, meter, and control output of O2 under pressure from O2 supply 118. In certain implementations, O2 supply 118 may include a sensor apparatus sufficient to detect and report mass, pressure, temperature, chemical composition, and structural stress within O2 supply 118. In certain implementations, O2 supply 118 may include requisite storage, regulation, plumbing, pumping, valving, measuring, and metering of O2. In certain implementations, O2 supply 118 may be stocked with O2 obtained via delivery from offsite vendors. In certain implementations, O2 supply 118 may be stocked with O2 via in situ production of O2 by any available means including electrolysis of H2O and extraction from air in various ways including separation techniques based on distillation from liquefied air and pressure-swing adsorption techniques.
O2 conduit 120 connects to combustion unit 110, injecting O2 under pressure into combustion unit 110, and is sufficient to convey the requisite mass of O2 under pressure from O2 supply 118 into combustion unit 110. In certain implementations, O2 conduit 120 may include valve apparatus sufficient to regulate, measure, meter, and control input of O2 under pressure from O2 supply 118 into O2 conduit 120. In certain implementations, O2 conduit 120 may include a sensor apparatus sufficient to detect and report flow rate, pressure, temperature, chemical composition, and structural stress within O2 conduit 120.
Combustion unit 110 uses H2 from the H2 supply 114 via the H2 intake conduit 116 and O2 from the O2 supply 118 via the O2 intake conduit 120, in approximately stoichiometric proportion, with the ignition device 112 to initiate a combustion reaction between the H2 and O2. The combustion unit 110 is immersed within H2O inside combustion vessel 102 and kept immersed by continued intake of H2O into combustion vessel 102 from H2O supply 106 via the H2O intake conduit(s) 108. Upon entering the body of H2O resident in combustion vessel 102 and surrounding in open contact with combustion unit 110, the H2 and O2 are mixed by the turbulence imparted to the fluid-flows by their respective intakes, into a relatively homogeneous mix at the intended point of confluence. Appropriate control systems for amount and flow rate of H2 and O2, respectively, may be regulated by a process-control computer of conventional design. The heated water produced is vented out of combustion vessel 102 via one or more output conduits 104 for downstream use, for example as a source of steam to drive steam turbines in electricity generating stations.
Certain implementations of the method may include a computerized control system to permit automation and optimization of the operation of such implementations via computer assisted management of the various mechanical operations, material supplies, variable states, and state momentum of such implementations. The control system runs control software to inspect the data collected by sensor apparatus within such implementations, and to integrate, optimize, startup, test, run, shutdown, and generally streamline the operation of such implementations. The control system is not diagrammed in
Certain implementations of the method that may include a control system may also require control software to operate the system and abstract the parameterized control models necessary to determine and manage the state of such implementations. The control software is not diagrammed in
In certain implementations, combustion vessel 102 may be conical as diagrammed schematically in
In certain implementations as shown for example in
In certain implementations, combustion vessel 102 may be cylindrical and relatively horizontal as shown schematically in
In certain implementations, six high-pressure H2O inlet attachment ports are symmetrically arrayed in a hexagonal configuration horizontally around the vertical body of the cylinder, at about four inches above the base, each permitting H2O conduits to be screwed in or otherwise appropriately attached to provide pressure-tight flow of H2O during operation, with requisite valving controls and a high pressure H2O source feeding the H2O conduits included. On the interior side of each H2O inlet port, within the cylinder body, is situated a high-pressure H2O dispersal nozzle, such as a Coast Guard fog-head nozzle. Further up the vertical sides of the combustion vessel 702, above the H2O ports, at about six inches above the base, in horizontal hexagonal array around the cylinder, are six H2 gas inlet ports 710. Each H2 gas inlet port 710 permits the attachment of pressurized H2 inlet lines, with the H2 inlet lines backed by requisite valve controls and pressurized H2 gas source. Above the H2 inlet ports 710, at about eight inches vertically above the cylinder base, also in horizontal hexagonal array around the cylinder, are six O2 gas inlet ports 712, each permitting attachment of pressurized O2 inlet lines, with the O2 inlet lines backed by requisite valve controls and pressurized O2 gas source. As
At the topmost vertical end of the heating device 700, opposite the ignition device port, is a valved port 716 to control the output flow of steam 718 generated during operation, which is attached to a pressurized steam path in order to convey the steam generated by the heating device 700 during operation out and away from the combustion vessel 702 and route the steam generated to its downstream application, for example to drive a turbine. In certain implementations, to start the device, the H2O inlet flow is brought to pressure first, followed by the H2 gas flow, followed by the O2 flow, and then the ignition device 706 (e.g., a glow plug) is fired to ignite the mixture of H2, O2, and H2O under pressure in the combustion vessel 702. The temperature within the combustion vessel 702 spikes and then levels off as the combustion reaction takes hold, and the ambient heat of the combustion of reaction within the combustion vessel 702 provides the necessary free energy to sustain continuing combustion as H2, O2, and H2O are streamed into the inlets in the correct proportions to drive the output steam temperature and pressure to required levels for downstream application. The ignition device 706 may be inexpensive and can replaced prior to each startup rather than requiring it to be heat resistant to the temperatures involved. As a failsafe, a hard shutoff of O2 at the supply source and immediate detachment from the inlet ports of the O2 lines may be utilized.
Certain implementations may be used to drive an electricity generating station as schematically shown in
Initiating the combustion of H2 and O2 immersed within H2O flowing through a combustion vessel, as described in connection with the implementations disclosed herein, has at least two beneficial effects in addition to the aforementioned lack of effluents produced. First, precise control of the temperature of the resultant heated H2O is attainable by variation of the relative flow rates of H2, O2, and H2O into the combustion vessel. Second, the devices may be designed such that the bulk of the heated H2O is the result of heating the flow of input H2O rather than the product of combustion. Using the heat of H2 combustion with O2 to heat H2O, the combustion product being H2O, permits the combustion to occur directly within the combustion vessel with the bulk mass percent of the heated H2O output being the H2O originally entering the combustion vessel. In certain implementations, a mass percent of combustion-product-H2O (i.e., the product of H2 and O2 combustion within the combustion vessel) in the heated H2O output is between about 1% and about 40%. In certain implementations, the mass percent of combustion-product-H2O in the heated H2O output is between about 15% and about 25%. In certain implementations, the mass percent of combustion-product-H2O in the heated H2O output is between about 15% and 25% (or is about 20%). In certain implementations, a mass percent of combustion-product-H2O (i.e., the product of H2 and O2 combustion within the combustion vessel) in the heated H2O output is greater than or equal to about 40%. Note that in certain implementations, particularly for cutting and drilling applications, the output H2O will be predominantly from combustion, nearer to or even above 80% of the volume or mass percent of the output. The range of volume percent or mass percent of combustion-product-H2O in the heated H2O output may be regulated (e.g., by a control system) by adjusting the flow rates of each of H2, O2, and H2O flowing into the combustion vessel.
The temperature and pressure of the H2O output at any given pressure by the method may be tuned to be consistent with any use of heated H2O in liquid or vapor or supercritical phase that is within the range of temperatures and pressures obtainable via the method. The temperature of the H2O output by the method can be varied by controlling the ratio of H2-input-rate-to-H2O-input-rate, while varying the O2 input rate in proportion to the H2 input rate to ensure efficient combustion.
For Heated H2O:
The temperature and pressure of the H2O output produced any implementation of the method may be tuned to produce heated H2O consistent with use in environmental or industrial heating, cleaning, or recycling.
For Electricity Generation:
The temperature and pressure of the H2O output in any implementation of the method may be tuned to produce heated H2O at temperatures and pressures consistent with generating electricity by methods where the heated H2O may be used to drive a turbine or engine that in turn may power an electrical-current generator.
For Thermodynamic Engines:
The temperature and pressure of the H2O output in any implementation of the method may be tuned to produce heated H2O at temperatures and pressures consistent with driving a thermodynamic engine.
For Locomotion Engines:
The temperature and pressure of the H2O output in any implementation of the method may be tuned to produce heated H2O at temperatures and pressures consistent with driving an engine that provides locomotion for a vehicle.
For Cutting Torches:
The temperature and pressure of the H2O output in any implementation of the method may be tuned to produce heated steam consistent with cleanly cutting through materials.
For Drilling Tools:
The temperature and pressure of the H2O output in any implementation of the method may be tuned to produce heated steam consistent with cleanly drilling through materials.
For Other Uses:
The temperature and pressure of the H2O output in any implementation of the method may be tuned to produce heated steam consistent with at least one boiling tool that uses the heated H2O output to evaporate liquid materials or boil away unwanted bodies of H2. The temperature and pressure of the H2O output in any implementation of the method may be tuned to produce heated steam consistent with at least one vaporization chamber used to vaporize materials. The temperature and pressure of the H2O output in any implementation of the method may be tuned to produce fog or clouds.
For Mobile Implementation:
Any implementation of the method may be performed on a vehicle to provide geographic mobility, on an as-needed basis.
H2O heating methods, devices employing such methods, and systems including such devices are disclosed, wherein the methods include the combustion of H2 with O2 immersed in flowing H2O such that H2O from the combustion diffuses into the flowing H2O and accordingly supplements and heats the flowing H2O. In the method, H2 and O2 gases are fed into a combustion unit that initiates and maintains the combustion resident within a body of H2O into which H2O to be heated flows and out of which supplemented and heated H2O flows. The H2 feed rate into the combustion unit determines the maximum rates of heat and H2O generated by the combustion; the O2 feed rate is consistent with efficient combustion of H2 by the combustion unit. The heated H2O output rate and temperature are then controlled by varying the H2O feed rate and containment pressure. The implementations disclosed herein are also directed to the devices that employ the methods disclosed herein and to systems that employ at least one of the devices disclosed herein. Furthermore, the implementations disclosed herein are directed to extended systems that source heated H2O employing at least one implementation of the method for use, inter alia, in electric power generation driven by turbines or pistons, mobile vehicle locomotion driven by turbines or pistons, environmental heating, environmental cleaning, cooking of materials, recycling of materials, cutting of materials, drilling of materials, and portable implementations of the method.
The temperature of the H2O output at given pressure by the method can be varied by controlling the ratio of H2-input-rate-to-H2O-input-rate, while varying the O2 input rate in proportion to the H2 input rate to ensure efficient combustion. At relatively low ratios the output H2O will be predominantly in the liquid phase and can be used for environmental heating. At somewhat higher ratios the output H2O will be predominantly in the vapor phase at relatively low temperatures and pressures and can be used to provide steam for heating or cleaning. At relatively high ratios, the output H2O will be predominantly in the vapor or supercritical phase at relatively high temperatures and pressures and can be used to provide steam to drive turbines or engines. At extremely high ratios, the output H2O will be at extremely high temperatures, hot enough to cut through igneous rock and vaporize most. Overpressure of O2 may lead to even higher combustion temperatures should such extremes be required and supportable by the materials of a considered use, for example, such as for use in making a steam cutting torch. Table 1 summarizes example output conditions for which the embodiments described herein may be utilized in the foregoing examples.
For each implementation, the design, shape, scale, mechanism, platform, location, controls, sensors, various software, networks, and composition of an implementation and any of its parts may be of any configuration and materials consistent with the stated nature, intent, and function of the implementation within the method, device, or system.
Certain implementations of the method, device, or system may involve integrating multiple instances of one or more of the implementations in any composite or complex configuration such as, inter alia, in parallel or series.
Certain implementations of the method, device, or system may involve integrating multiple implementations of the method, device, and/or system in any composite or complex configuration such as, inter alia, in parallel or series.
Certain implementations of the method, device, or system may involve substitution of one or more implementations, in favor of functionally equivalent implementations of said implementations, for example and for motivation, if and when a more efficient version of any given implementations may be or becomes available. The use of any given substitution of any given implementation in any given method, device, or system does not preclude the use of a different substitution in any other implementation of the method, device, or system.
Certain implementations of the method, device, or system may involve integration of two or more implementations into a more comprehensive implementations, such that, as integrated and employed in any given implementation of the method, device, or system said integration is functionally equivalent to the implementations replaced by said integration. In particular, multiple instances of any given implementation may be integrated to form the functional equivalent of a larger scale version of said implementation. The use or omission of any given integration of any given implementation in any method does not preclude different integrations of implementations or any other given specific integrations of implementations in any other method, device, or system.
Certain implementations of the method, device, or system may involve decomposition of one or more implementations into two or more less comprehensive implementations, such that said decomposition results in implementations that, when integrated into any given implementation, result in functionally equivalent substitution relative to the implementations that were decomposed. The use or omission of any given specific decomposition of implementations in any given implementation does not preclude different decompositions of said implementations or any other specific decompositions of implementations.
Each implementation of any given method, device, or system may consume electrical current, whether or not explicitly stated in its description.
Hydrogen fuel (H2) can be generated from methane, the primary component of commercially-available natural gas, and virtually the only component of re-gasified, commercially-available liquid natural gas. In the process, two molar volumes of water are required to process each molar volume of methane into four molar volumes of hydrogen fuel and one molar volume of carbon dioxide. In continuous operation, excess water will be generated by the combustion of fuel and oxidizer, half of which will be ported to the hydrogen-generation subsystem, to replace water used in the steam reformation of methane; the balance of water generated in the combustion process will be excess, resulting in two molar volumes of excess water generation for each molar volume of methane consumed by the system. H2 can be obtained from external producers or produced in situ by various means including via electrolysis of H2O and more economically by conventional steam reformation of common hydrocarbon substrates such as natural gas.
Oxygen can be harvested from ambient air using pressure swing adsorption or vacuum pressure swing adsorption or other related technologies of conventional design for oxygen volumes required of lower-output power generation systems. Oxygen can be obtained from external producers or produced in situ by various means including via electrolysis of H2O and more economically by separation from ambient air. There are a number of conventional paths for separation of O2 from air, including cryogenic liquefaction and subsequent distillation of O2 from the other components of air as based on their differential boiling points, or by pressure-swing adsorption technologies, some of which leverage nitrogen preferentially binding to a zeolite substrate under overpressure relative to normal atmospheric pressure, allowing the O2 to be harvested with less input of energy than used in cryogenic liquefaction-based techniques.
While the process of hydrogen generation in the methods described herein is largely dependent upon the cost of natural gas to remain economical, the process of oxygen generation using air separation technology is entirely dependent on the cost of electric power required in the compression and refrigeration of air into liquid form, a necessary prerequisite to the separation of oxygen from the other components of ambient air. Oxygen generated during off-peak hours using electricity sourced from inexpensive hydro-electric generating stations, or off-peak wind generation projects can be stored in bulk during periods of low demand, and then used by the power generation system to generate electricity during periods of high demand, effectively creating an electric power storage system in concert with the power generation system described.
In certain implementations, the H2O heating device generates heated H2O at a temperature of about 350° C. to about 800° C., preferably about 400° C. to about 750° C.
In certain implementations, the H2O heating device generates heated H2O at a pressure of about 145 psi to about 5,000 psi or greater, preferably to about 2,500 psi.
In certain implementations, the H2O heating device generates heated H2O further includes a process control means, such as one or more computers that control:
the amount and flow rate of H2 gas into the combustion unit;
the amount and flow rate of O2 gas into the combustion unit;
the timing of the ignition source;
the amount and flow rate of H2O; and/or
the temperature and/or pressure of product H2O generated as heated H2O motive flow for use in specific end use applications (such as steam temperature and pressure conditions at a turbine inlet consistent with manufacturer's requirements).
A closed vessel capable of containing steam at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure may be any suitable shape and size. The size at a minimum should be large enough to handle the maximum diameter of the source of the H2O and combustion unit with the product outlet.
The combustion unit may be located on any side or portion of the closed vessel, or may constitute the whole vessel. In certain implementations, the combustion vessel is conical shaped, with the base of the conical shape serving as the bottom of the chamber. In certain implementations, fluid is delivered through a bottom of the combustion vessel and delivered in a vertical direction relative to the bottom of the combustion vessel. In certain implementations, the combustion vessel, whether vertically or otherwise aligned, is anchored and braced against the back-pressure thrust produced by output of steam under pressure from the device. In certain implementations, the H2O supply is distilled or deionized, so that it contains substantially no minerals, and may additionally be de-aerated, so that it contains substantially no dissolved gases that can cause damage to turbine blades, for example.
In certain implementations of the H2O heating device, the H2O conduit includes a nozzle and an optional nebulizer. In preferred implementations, the H2O conduit supplies H2O in a high surface area pattern (e.g., using a fog-head nozzle).
As described earlier, the methods, devices, and systems disclosed herein may use any suitable H2 gas source, including, but not limited to, steam methane reforming, pressure swing adsorption-assisted (PSA) steam methane reforming, distillation of liquefied air, water reactive compounds (such as diborane and certain metal hydrides and boro-hydrides, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,101,592, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety), electrolysis of water, and the like. Any CO2 produced in the steam methane reforming is captured and may be sequestered or sold.
As described earlier, the methods, devices, and systems disclosed herein may use any suitable O2 gas source, including, but not limited to, a pressure swing adsorption device, a vacuum pressure swing adsorption device, distillation of liquefied air, catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide or metallic peroxide or a superoxide that is reactive with water (such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,101,592), electrolysis of water, and the like.
The H2 gas supply may be vendor supplied, an H2 generation sub-system or some combination thereof. The H2 gas supply may be compressed or cryogenic.
The O2 gas supply may be vendor supplied, a O2 generation sub-system (i.e., an electrolyzer unit array) or O2 harvesting sub-system (i.e., cryogenic air separation system, a PSA system, or a vacuum-PSA system), or some combination thereof. The O2 gas supply may be compressed or cryogenic.
In another implementation, a system includes a condenser loop for the heated H2O. The condenser loop may include at least one de-aerator unit.
In another implementation, a system may include a rotating turbine shaft. The heated H2O or steam generated by the H2O heating device is ducted from the device to the rotating turbine shaft. A generator can use the rotating turbine shaft to generate electricity or to drive an inductive motor propulsion system for a railroad locomotive.
In another implementation, a system may include a steam engine.
In another implementation, a system includes:
at least one H2O heating device described herein; and
at least one rotating turbine shaft.
In another implementation, a system includes:
at least one H2O heating device described herein; and
at least one steam engine.
In certain implementations, at least one implementation of the device is mounted on at least one steam engine. In certain implementations, the at least one steam engine is stationary, such as those used in buildings. In certain implementations, the at least one steam engine is mobile or portable, such as those used in steam locomotives, steam ships, tractors, and the like.
In certain implementations, the system may contain multiple devices in communication with associated multiple turbine sections, each using the same or different manufacturer-recommended steam conditions of temperature and pressure. Heated H2O at different conditions can be produced using a separate H2O heating device of appropriate vessel size and volume configuration (e.g., a high pressure steam generation system, an intermediate pressure steam generation system, and/or a low pressure steam generation system). Each separate system could accept the exhaust steam from the preceding stage in a reheat-type system to maximize overall turbine efficiency.
In another implementation of the method, device, or system may involve integrating multiple implementations of the method, device, and/or system in any composite or complex configuration such as, inter alia, in parallel or series.
The system may further include:
a turbine system including a plurality of stages having the same or different temperature and pressure requirements;
wherein each of the H2O heating devices provides heated H2O at a pressure and temperature corresponding to the temperature and pressure requirements of each of the stages.
In the specific implementation of a railroad locomotive system, an H2O heating device for a steam turbine may be located within the interior of a railroad locomotive body with fuel and oxidizer contained within tank-car storage vessels located as rolling stock behind the locomotive with means to deliver fuel and oxidizer from respective tank cars by suitable flexible hose lines to the gas to the appropriate H2 fluid source and O2 fluid source.
In certain implementations, methods may include condensing at least a portion of the heated H2O to form condensate H2O. In certain implementations, the condensate H2O is used as at least of a portion of the H2O supply. In certain implementations, methods may include condensing at least of a portion of the heated H2O to form the H2O supply.
The disclosures of each patent, patent application, and publication cited or described in this document are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
From the above discussion and figures, one skilled in the art can ascertain the essential characteristics of the implementations disclosed herein, and without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications to adapt the implementations to various usages and conditions. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that numerous changes and modifications can be made to the implementations and that such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the various implementations. It is, therefore, intended that the appended claims cover all such equivalent variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of the disclosed implementations.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/803,589, filed Mar. 20, 2013, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/825,456, filed May 20, 2013, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/825,463, filed May 20, 2013, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/837,934, filed Jun. 21, 2013, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61803589 | Mar 2013 | US | |
| 61825456 | May 2013 | US | |
| 61825463 | May 2013 | US | |
| 61837934 | Jun 2013 | US |
