Patent Application
20120325653
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hydrogen producing device and, more particularly, to a hydrogen producing apparatus using liquid water to produce liquid hydrogen.
2. Description of the Related Art
To reduce consumption of petroleum and emission of carbon, development of new energy is gradually booming due to the rise of the environmental protection. Hydrogen energy plays an important role in the future development of new energy, because hydrogen energy is light and not toxic, has excellent thermal conductivity, and can be converted into different forms for easy storage and transportation.
The conventional hydrogen producing device 9 produces liquid hydrogen from gaseous hydrogen. However, due to the bond strength of gaseous hydrogen in which hydrogen molecules normally exist in the gaseous state, the compressor 91 must consume considerable energy to compress normal pressure/normal temperature gaseous hydrogen into high pressure/high temperature gaseous hydrogen. Thus, the conventional hydrogen producing device 9 is not economic and can not fulfill the need of saving energy and reducing emission of carbon in the modern times. Furthermore, the conventional hydrogen producing device 9 using gaseous hydrogen as the reactant for obtaining liquid hydrogen can not be utilized to produce other products. As a result, the conventional hydrogen producing device 9 has limited function and, thus, provides limited utility.
As a whole, the conventional hydrogen producing device 9 includes the disadvantages of waste of energy and low utility. Improvement to the conventional hydrogen producing device 9 is required.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a hydrogen producing device using liquid water that is compressed and heated and then electrolyzed to produce liquid hydrogen, effectively saving energy.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a hydrogen producing device that uses liquid water to produce liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, effectively enhancing utility.
The present invention fulfills the above objectives by providing a hydrogen producing device including a pump, a heating assembly, an electrolyser, at least one radiator, and a converting unit. The heating assembly includes at least one front heater, a middle heater, and a solar heater. The at least one front heater is connected to the pump. The middle heater is located between the at least one front heater and the solar heater. The electrolyser is connected to the solar heater. The at least one radiator is connected to the electrolyser and the at least one front heater. The electrolyser is located between the solar heater and the at least one radiator. The converting unit is connected to the at least one radiator.
The hydrogen producing apparatus according to the present invention can further include at least one auxiliary radiator and an auxiliary converting unit. The at least one auxiliary radiator is located between the electrolyser and the auxiliary converting unit. The at least one auxiliary radiator is connected to the at least one front heater. Thus, normal temperature/low pressure liquid oxygen can be produced.
The present invention will become clearer in light of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments of this invention described in connection with the drawings.
The illustrative embodiments may best be described by reference to the accompanying drawings where:
All figures are drawn for ease of explanation of the basic teachings of the present invention only; the extensions of the figures with respect to number, position, relationship, and dimensions of the parts to form the preferred embodiments will be explained or will be within the skill of the art after the following teachings of the present invention have been read and understood. Further, the exact dimensions and dimensional proportions to conform to specific force, weight, strength, and similar requirements will likewise be within the skill of the art after the following teachings of the present invention have been read and understood.
The term “normal temperature” referred to hereinafter means the temperature of 300K, which can be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art. The term “high temperature” referred to hereinafter means a temperature higher than the “normal temperature”. The term “low temperature” referred to hereinafter means a temperature lower than the “normal temperature”.
The term “normal pressure” referred to hereinafter means 1 atm, which can be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art. The term “high pressure” referred to hereinafter means a pressure higher than the “normal pressure”. The term “low pressure” referred to hereinafter means a pressure lower than the “normal pressure”.
With reference to
The pump 1 is used to compress normal temperature/normal pressure liquid water H2O(l) (hereinafter referred to as “first liquid water”) into normal temperature/high pressure liquid water (hereinafter referred to as “second liquid water”). Namely, the pump 1 increases the pressure of the liquid water while the temperature of the liquid water remains the same. In this embodiment, the pump 1 compresses the first liquid water having a pressure of 1 atm and having a temperature of 300K into the second liquid water having a pressure of 20 atm and having a temperature of 300K.
The heating assembly 2 includes at least one front heater 21, a middle heater 22, and a solar heater 23. The at least one front heater 21, the middle heater 22, and the solar heater 23 are connected in sequence by the first piping. Namely, the at least one front heater 21 is connected to the pump 1, and the middle heater 22 is located between the at least one front heater 21 and the solar heater 23. Note that the at least one front heater 21 can be connected to the at least one radiator 4 to utilize the heat q released by the at least one radiator 4 while high temperature/high pressure gaseous hydrogen flows through the at least one radiator 4 so as to heat the second liquid water to a first temperature, which will be described in detail hereinafter. The middle heater 22 can utilize heat Q1 obtained from burning natural gas or kerosene to increase the temperature of the liquid water from the first temperature to a second temperature. The solar heater 23 utilizes the heat Q2 of solar energy to increase the temperature of the liquid water from the second temperature to a third temperature, obtaining high temperature/high pressure liquid water (hereinafter referred to as “third liquid water”) and assuring the thermodynamic state of the third liquid water to reach the critical point.
In this embodiment, a single front heater 21 is mounted between the pump 1 and the middle heater 22. The front heater 21 utilizes the heat q released from the enthalpy of the high temperature/high pressure gaseous hydrogen obtained from electrolysis to heat the second liquid water from 300K to 600K (the first temperature). The middle heater 22 increases the temperature of the liquid water from 600K to 1000K (the second temperature). The solar heater 23 increases the temperature of the liquid water from 1000K to 1010K (the third temperature).
The electrolyser 3 can be of any structure capable of electrolyzing the third liquid water at the critical point to produce high temperature/high pressure gaseous hydrogen H2(g) and high temperature/high pressure gaseous oxygen O2(g) and capable of directing the gaseous hydrogen and the gaseous oxygen into different pipes. In this embodiment, the electrolyser 3 cooperates with the solar heater 23 to electrolyze the third liquid water. A catalyst is added into the third liquid water to produce the gaseous hydrogen and the gaseous oxygen. Specifically, the electrolyser 3 includes an input 31, a first output 32, and a second output 32. The input 31 is connected to the solar heater 23. The first output 32 is connected to the at least one radiator 4 for outputting high temperature/high pressure gaseous hydrogen (hereinafter referred to as “first gaseous hydrogen”). The second output 33 is connected to another pipe (not shown) for outputting high temperature/high pressure gaseous oxygen (hereinafter referred to as “first gaseous oxygen”). Note that the temperature and pressure of the gaseous hydrogen and the gaseous oxygen are the same as those of the third liquid water after passing through the electrolyser 3. Namely, gaseous hydrogen and gaseous oxygen having a pressure of 20 atm and having a temperature of 1010K are obtained through the electrolyser 3.
The at least one radiator 4 is utilized to release the heat q of the first gaseous hydrogen, reducing the temperature of the first gaseous hydrogen while the pressure of the first gaseous hydrogen remains the same. Note that the number of the at least one radiator 4 can be the same as that of the at least one front heater 21, and each radiator 4 is connected to a corresponding front heater 21. However, the number of the at least one radiator 4 can be larger than that of the at least one front heater 21 according to need. Thus, in addition to releasing the heat q of the first gaseous hydrogen to the at least one front heater 21, the heat q of the first gaseous hydrogen can be applied to any suitable member or any suitable situation.
In this embodiment, the number of the at least one radiator 4 is the same as that of the at least one front heater 21. Specifically, only one radiator 4 is used in this embodiment. The first gaseous hydrogen having a pressure of 20 atm and having a temperature of 1010K is converted into a second gaseous hydrogen having a pressure of 20 atm and having a temperature of 300K after passing through the radiator 4. Of more importance, the front heater 21 and the radiator 4 together form a heat exchanger to preheat the second liquid water to the first temperature, so that a small amount of energy is required by the middle heater 22 for increasing the liquid water from the first temperature to the second temperature, saving the energy consumed by the middle heater 22.
The converting unit 5 converts the second gaseous hydrogen into low temperature/low pressure liquid hydrogen H2(l) and low temperature/low pressure gaseous hydrogen H2(g). Thus, the liquid hydrogen can be stored for use, achieving production of hydrogen. The gaseous hydrogen can be directed into an anodic passageway of a fuel cell (not shown) for outputting electricity to the electrolyser 3 through electrochemical reaction. Specifically, the converting unit 5 includes a turbine 51 and a rear heater 52. The turbine 51 is located between the radiator 4 and the rear heater 52. The rear heater 52 is located between the turbine 51 and a separator (not shown). The turbine 51 is used to expand the second gaseous hydrogen and to reduce the pressure and the temperature of the second gaseous hydrogen, converting the second gaseous hydrogen into a mixture of liquid hydrogen (hereinafter referred to as “first liquid hydrogen”) and gaseous hydrogen (hereinafter referred to as “the third gaseous hydrogen”). Both of the first liquid hydrogen and the third gaseous hydrogen have a much lower temperature and a low pressure. The rear heater 52 can utilize the heat Q3 obtained from ordinary industrial waste heat to heat the first liquid hydrogen and the third gaseous hydrogen at a constant pressure, converting the first liquid hydrogen into low temperature/low pressure liquid hydrogen (hereinafter referred to as “second liquid hydrogen”) and converting the third gaseous hydrogen into low temperature/low pressure gaseous hydrogen (hereinafter referred to as “fourth gaseous hydrogen”). Note that when the second gaseous hydrogen enters the turbine 51, the turbine 51 outputs shaft power to drive a heat machine (not shown).
In this embodiment, the turbine 51 converts the second gaseous hydrogen having a pressure of 20 atm and having a temperature of 300K into the first liquid hydrogen and the third gaseous hydrogen both having a pressure of 0.1 atm and having a temperature of 20K. The rear heater 52 heats the first liquid hydrogen at a constant pressure to convert the first liquid hydrogen into the second liquid hydrogen having a pressure of 0.1 atm and having a temperature of 66K. Also, the rear heater 52 heats the third gaseous hydrogen at a constant pressure to convert the third gaseous hydrogen into the fourth gaseous hydrogen having a pressure of 0.1 atm and having a temperature of 66K.
With reference to
After the radiator 4 discharges the first gaseous hydrogen having a pressure of 20 atm and having a temperature of 1010K, the second gaseous hydrogen having a pressure of 20 atm and having a temperature of 300K is directed into the turbine 51 and expands in the turbine 51 to reduce the pressure and temperature, obtaining the first liquid hydrogen and the third gaseous hydrogen both having a pressure of 0.1 atm and having a temperature of 20K. Each of the first liquid hydrogen and the third gaseous hydrogen is heated by the rear heater 52 at a constant pressure to obtain the second liquid hydrogen and the fourth gaseous hydrogen both having a pressure of 0.1 atm and having a temperature of 66K, obtaining hydrogen energy having characteristics of light weight, excellent thermal conductivity, non toxicity, and capability of conversion into different forms for easy storage and transportation.
The main feature of the hydrogen producing apparatus according to the present invention is that since the bond strength of liquid water is much weaker than that of the gaseous hydrogen, it is much easier to compress the normal temperature/normal pressure liquid water into normal temperature/high pressure at a constant temperature. The energy consumed by the pump 1 is, thus, saved. Furthermore, by the cooperation of the solar heater 23 and the heat exchanger that is comprised of the front heater 21 and the radiator 4, the liquid water can be heated in an environment close to the critical state with a small amount of energy, such that high temperature/high pressure liquid water can be electrolyzed to produce high temperature/high pressure gaseous hydrogen. As such, the hydrogen producing apparatus according to the present invention can effectively save energy.
The separator 53 is connected to the rear heater 52 and the fuel cell P. The rear heater 52 is located between the turbine 51 and the separator 53. The separator 53 directs the second liquid hydrogen into a storage unit (not shown) for storage purposes and directs the fourth gaseous hydrogen to the anodic passageway of the fuel cell P.
The at least one auxiliary radiator 6 discharges the heat q′ of the first gaseous oxygen to reduce the temperature of the first gaseous oxygen at a constant pressure, obtaining normal temperature/high pressure gaseous oxygen (hereinafter referred to as “second gaseous oxygen”). Note that the number of the at least one auxiliary radiator 6 can be equal to that of the at least one front heater 21, and each auxiliary radiator 6 is connected to a corresponding front heater 21. However, the number of the at least one auxiliary radiator 6 can be more than that of the at least one front heater 21. Thus, in addition to releasing the heat q′ of the first gaseous oxygen to the at least one front heater 21, the heat q′ of the first gaseous oxygen can be applied to any suitable member or any suitable situation.
In this embodiment, the number of the at least one auxiliary radiator 6 is the same as that of the at least one front heater 21. Specifically, only one auxiliary radiator 6 is used in this embodiment. The first gaseous oxygen having a pressure of 20 atm and having a temperature of 1010K is converted into the second gaseous oxygen having a pressure of 20 atm and having a temperature of 300K after passing through the auxiliary radiator 6. Of more importance, the front heater 21, the radiator 4, and the auxiliary radiator 6 together form a heat exchanger to preheat the second liquid water to the first temperature, so that a small amount of energy is required by the middle heater 22 for increasing the liquid water from the first temperature to the second temperature.
The auxiliary converting unit 7 converts the second gaseous oxygen into normal temperature/low pressure liquid oxygen O2(l) and normal temperature/low pressure gaseous oxygen O2(g). The liquid oxygen can be stored for use, increasing the utility of the hydrogen producing apparatus. The gaseous oxygen can be directed into a cathodic passageway of the fuel cell P. More specifically, the auxiliary converting unit 7 includes an auxiliary turbine 71, an auxiliary rear heater 72, and an auxiliary separator 73. The auxiliary turbine 71 is mounted between the auxiliary radiator 6 and the auxiliary rear heater 72. The auxiliary rear heater 72 is located between the auxiliary turbine 71 and the auxiliary separator 73. The auxiliary turbine 71 is used to expand the second gaseous oxygen and to reduce the pressure and the temperature of the second gaseous oxygen, converting the second gaseous oxygen into a mixture of low temperature/low pressure liquid oxygen (hereinafter referred to as “first liquid oxygen”) and low/temperature/low pressure gaseous oxygen (hereinafter referred to as “the third gaseous oxygen”). The auxiliary rear heater 72 can utilize the heat Q4 obtained from ordinary industrial waste heat to heat the first liquid oxygen and the third gaseous oxygen at a constant pressure, converting the first liquid oxygen into normal temperature/low pressure liquid oxygen (hereinafter referred to as “second liquid oxygen”) and converting the third gaseous oxygen into normal temperature/low pressure gaseous oxygen (hereinafter referred to as “fourth gaseous oxygen”). The auxiliary separator 73 is connected to the auxiliary rear heater 72 and the fuel cell P. Furthermore, the auxiliary rear heater 72 is located between the auxiliary turbine 71 and the auxiliary separator 73. The auxiliary separator 73 directs the second liquid oxygen into a storage unit (not shown) for storage purposes and directs the fourth gaseous oxygen into the cathodic passageway of the fuel cell P. Note that when the second gaseous oxygen enters the auxiliary turbine 71, the auxiliary turbine 71 outputs shaft power to drive a heat machine (not shown).
In this embodiment, the auxiliary turbine 71 converts the second gaseous oxygen having a pressure of 20 atm and having a temperature of 300K into the first liquid oxygen and the third gaseous oxygen both having a pressure of 0.1 atm and having a temperature of 66K. The auxiliary rear heater 72 heats the first liquid oxygen at a constant pressure to convert the first liquid oxygen into the second liquid oxygen having a pressure of 0.1 atm and having a temperature of 300K. Also, the auxiliary rear heater 72 heats the third gaseous oxygen at a constant pressure to convert the third gaseous oxygen into the fourth gaseous oxygen having a pressure of 0.1 atm and having a temperature of 300K.
In addition to providing the operation and effect of the first embodiment, the second embodiment of the hydrogen producing device according to the present invention further produces normal temperature/low pressure liquid oxygen and further saves the energy consumed by the middle heater 22. Furthermore, the electrolyser 3 is activated by the fuel cell P in the second embodiment.
In this embodiment, more than one front heater 21, more than one radiator 4, and more than one auxiliary radiator 6 are used. Specifically, a first front heater 21a and a second front heater 21b are mounted between the pump 1 and the middle heater 22. The first front heater 21a is connected to the pump 1, and the second front heater 21b is connected to the middle heater 22. Four radiators 4 are used in this embodiment. Specifically, first, second, third, and fourth radiators 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d are connected in sequence to the first output 32 of the electrolyser 3. The fourth radiator 4d is connected to the turbine 51. Two auxiliary radiators 6 are used in this embodiment. Specifically, first and second auxiliary radiators 6 are connected in sequence to the second output 33 of the electrolyser 3. The second auxiliary radiator 6 is connected to the auxiliary turbine 71.
Note that the first front heater 21a is connected to the second radiator 4b and the second auxiliary radiator 6b and that the second front heater 21b is connected to the first radiator 4a and the first auxiliary radiator 6a. By such an arrangement, the heat of first gaseous hydrogen and the first gaseous oxygen can be discharged in a multi-level manner, such that the first and second front heaters 21a and 21b can heat the first liquid water at a constant pressure in a multi-level manner. Furthermore, the fourth radiator 4d is connected to the auxiliary rear heater 72 of the auxiliary converting unit 7, such that the heat released during the constant-pressure heating procedure of the first gaseous hydrogen can be utilized to heat the first liquid oxygen and the third gaseous oxygen. Thus, the energy consumed by the auxiliary rear heater 72 can be saved.
The first heat machine 8a is connected to the turbine 51 of the converting unit 5, such that the shaft work outputted by the turbine 51 drives the first heat machine 8a. Thus, the first heat machine 8a can supply power to any member or any place. Specifically, the first heat machine 8a includes a first compressor 81a, a first evaporator 82a, a first steam turbine 83a, and a first condenser 84a. The first compressor 81a, the first evaporator 82a, the first steam turbine 83a, and the first condenser 84a are connected with each other in sequence by a piping filled with a first working fluid. The first compressor 81a is connected to the turbine 51. Thus, the shaft work outputted by the turbine 51 can drive the first compressor 81a to compress the first working fluid so that the first working fluid can undergo a first power cycle to cause the first steam turbine 83a to output shaft work W1. Note that the first condenser 84a is connected to the second front heater 21b in this embodiment, so that the low-quality sensible heat of the first working fluid can be discharged to the second front heater 21b, saving the energy consumed by the middle heater 22.
The second heat machine 8b is connected to the auxiliary turbine 71 of the auxiliary converting unit 7. Thus, the shaft work outputted by the auxiliary turbine 71 can drive the second heat machine 8b to provide power to any member or any place. Specifically, the second heat machine 8b includes a second compressor 81b, a second evaporator 82b, a second steam turbine 83b, and a second condenser 84b. The second compressor 81b, the second evaporator 82b, the second steam turbine 83b, and the second condenser 84b are connected with each other in sequence by a piping filled with a second working fluid. The second compressor 81b is connected to the auxiliary turbine 71. Thus, the shaft work outputted by the auxiliary turbine 71 can drive the second compressor 81b to compress the second working fluid so that the second working fluid can undergo a second power cycle to cause the second steam turbine 83b to output shaft work W2.
Note that the second evaporator 82b is connected to the third radiator 4c to receive the heat discharged by the third radiator 4c, effectively saving the energy supplied to the second heat machine 8b. Of more importance, the second condenser 84b is connected to the first front heater 21a, so that the low-quality sensible heat of the second working fluid can be discharged to the first front heater 21a, significantly saving the energy consumed by the middle heater 22.
In addition to providing the operation and effect of the second embodiment, the third embodiment of the hydrogen producing device according to the present invention utilizes the shaft work outputted by the turbine 51 and the auxiliary turbine 71 to drive the first and second heat machines 8a and 8b to operate. Furthermore, the first and second heat machines 8a and 8b can undergo heat exchange with the first and second front heaters 21a and 21b to save the energy consumed by the middle heater 22.
Conclusively, less energy is required to operate the hydrogen producing apparatus according to the present invention, because the energy required for converting normal temperature/normal pressure liquid water into high temperature/high pressure liquid water is much less than that required for converting normal temperature/normal pressure gaseous hydrogen into high temperature/high pressure gaseous hydrogen. Furthermore, the hydrogen producing apparatus according to the present invention can produce liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen at the same time. Thus, the hydrogen producing apparatus according to the present invention effectively saves energy and provides enhanced utility.
Thus since the invention disclosed herein may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or general characteristics thereof, some of which forms have been indicated, the embodiments described herein are to be considered in all respects illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is to be indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100122048 | Jun 2011 | TW | national |
