APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR GENERATING HYDROGEN FROM A CHEMICAL HYDRIDE

• US 20080025880A1
• Filed: 07/26/2007
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Molly Alonso
• Original Assignee: Trulife Incorporated (Trulife)
• Inventors: Brydon, Chris, Patton, John, Shurtleff, Kevin, Ladd, Eric, Pearson, Ken
• Granted Patent: US 7,651,542 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/112
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 7/02 by wet methods
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 8/0271 in a spiral shaped bed
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/066 with fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/065 from a hydride
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 11/005 for hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/32 Hydrogen storage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/36 Hydrogen production from non-carbon containing sources, e.g. by water electrolysis

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed to generate hydrogen. A liquid permeable material with one or more cavities contains a solid anhydrous chemical hydride and an anhydrous activating agent. A housing that is heat and pressure resistant houses the liquid permeable material, and a liquid. One or more liquid sources inject the liquid into the housing such that the liquid contacts at least a portion of the liquid permeable material. A gas outlet port releases hydrogen gas produced by a reaction comprising the solid anhydrous chemical hydride, the anhydrous activating agent, and the liquid. A hydrogen output regulator controls the amount of hydrogen gas that the gas outlet port releases.

Claims

1. An apparatus to generate hydrogen, the apparatus comprising:

a liquid permeable material comprising one or more cavities, each cavity configured to contain a solid anhydrous chemical hydride and an anhydrous activating agent;

a housing comprising a heat and pressure resistant material, the housing configured to receive the liquid permeable material, and a liquid;

one or more liquid sources configured to inject the liquid into the housing such that the liquid contacts at least a portion of the liquid permeable material;

a gas outlet port configured to release hydrogen gas produced by a reaction comprising the solid anhydrous chemical hydride, the anhydrous activating agent, and the liquid; and

a hydrogen output regulator configured to control the amount of hydrogen gas that the gas outlet port releases.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hydrogen output regulator comprises a check valve that allows the hydrogen gas to exit the gas outlet port, but substantially prevents the hydrogen gas from entering the gas outlet port.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hydrogen output regulator is further configured to regulate a gas pressure of the hydrogen gas that the gas outlet port releases such that the gas pressure remains at or below a predetermined gas pressure.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more liquid sources comprise a liquid reservoir and one or more pumps, each of the one or more pumps configured to pump liquid from the liquid reservoir into the housing at a liquid injection rate.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the hydrogen output regulator comprises a controller configured to manage the liquid injection rate.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a liner disposed between the housing and the liquid permeable material, the liner configured to protect the housing from corrosion and damage.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a crimp substantially circumscribing an end cap seated within a housing opening, the crimp configured to release the hydrogen gas in response to a gas pressure above a predetermined gas pressure.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises an activated charcoal filter configured to absorb impurities from hydrogen gas exiting the housing.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more housing alignment features configured to ensure that the housing is disposed in a predetermined position and alignment relative to one or more receiving alignment features of an apparatus receiver.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more housing alignment features comprise a handle.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more housing alignment features engage the gas outlet port.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid comprises water.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cavities comprise one or more tubular pouches in a side-by-side configuration.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the housing is cylindrical and wherein the one or more tubular pouches are rolled such that a longitudinal axis of the rolled one or more tubular pouches is oriented coaxial with a longitudinal axis of the housing.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the housing is configured to receive a plurality of tubular pouches having a plurality of lengths, the plurality of tubular pouches stacked and arranged in alternating courses such that a course gap between two stacked tubular patches does not line up with a course gap in an adjacent course of liquid permeable pouches.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid sources further comprise one or more liquid conduits disposed within the housing.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an O-ring substantially circumscribing the gas outlet port to produce a seal between the gas outlet port and a receiver gas port, the O-ring configured to break the seal and release the hydrogen gas in response to a gas pressure above a predetermined gas pressure.

18. A system to generate hydrogen, the system comprising:

a fuel cartridge;

a cartridge interface comprising an interface gas outlet port disposed on the cartridge interface, the interface gas outlet port in fluid communication with an interior of the fuel cartridge;

a fuel cartridge receiver configured to receive the cartridge interface, the fuel cartridge receiver comprising a receiver gas port disposed on the fuel cartridge receiver, the receiver gas port configured to mate with the interface gas outlet port;

the fuel cartridge comprising;

a liquid permeable material comprising one or more cavities, each cavity configured to contain a solid anhydrous chemical hydride;

a housing comprising a heat and pressure resistant material, the housing configured to receive the liquid permeable material and a liquid; and

one or more liquid sources configured to inject the liquid into the housing such that the liquid contacts at least a portion of the liquid permeable material, the liquid reacting with the solid anhydrous chemical hydride to release hydrogen gas.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a cartridge cooling module comprising a blower configured to blow air and an air guide configured to direct air blown by the blower into contact with the fuel cartridge.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the air guide comprises a helical rib formed in the fuel cartridge receiver, the helical rib forming a helical path for air flow around a fuel cartridge positioned within the fuel cartridge receiver.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the air guide comprises an air intake port positioned near one end of the fuel cartridge receiver and an air exhaust port positioned near an opposite end of the fuel cartridge receiver, the air intake port in fluid communication with the blower, and the air exhaust port integrated with the fuel cartridge receiver.

22. The system of claim 18, further comprising a condenser in fluid communication with exiting hydrogen gas, the condenser configured to remove water from the exiting hydrogen gas.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the condenser is further configured to convey the removed water to the one or more liquid sources.

24. The system of claim 18, further comprising one or more alignment sensors configured to determine whether the fuel cartridge has a predetermined alignment relative to the fuel cartridge receiver.

25. The system of claim 18, further comprising one or more temperature sensors configured to monitor a temperature of the fuel cartridge.

26. The system of claim 18, further comprising one or more pressure sensors configured to monitor a gas pressure of the hydrogen gas exiting the fuel cartridge.

27. The system of claim 18, further comprising a state of fill module configured to calculate an estimate of an amount of hydrogen gas producible by the fuel cartridge.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the state of fill module calculates the estimate based on an amount of liquid that the one or more liquid sources inject into the housing.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the state of fill module is further configured to store the estimate and a cartridge identifier uniquely associated with the fuel cartridge in a memory.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the state of fill module is further configured to retrieve the unique identifier from the fuel cartridge.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the fuel cartridge further comprises a radio frequency identification tag configured to communicate the unique identifier to the state of fill module.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the fuel cartridge further comprises a bar code configured to communicate the unique identifier to the state of fill module.

33. The system of claim 29, wherein the state of fill module comprises the memory.

34. The system of claim 29, wherein the fuel cartridge comprises the memory.

35. The system of claim 18, wherein the liquid sources comprise a liquid reservoir and one or more pumps, each of the one or more pumps configured to pump a substantially consistent amount of liquid from the water reservoir into the housing in each pumping cycle.

36. An apparatus to generate hydrogen, the apparatus comprising:

a water reservoir comprising liquid water;

one or more pumps in fluid communication with the water reservoir, the pumps configured to pump the liquid water at a liquid injection rate;

a water permeable pouch comprising one or more cavities, each cavity configured to contain a solid anhydrous chemical hydride and an anhydrous activating agent, the anhydrous activating agent comprising a salt having a metal selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth metals and alkali metals;

a fuel cartridge comprising a heat and pressure resistant material, the fuel cartridge configured to receive the water permeable pouch and the liquid water;

an end cap seated within an opening in the fuel cartridge, the end cap comprising one or more water injection tubes and a gas outlet port, the one or more water injection tubes in fluid communication with the one or more pumps, the one or more water injection tubes configured to inject the liquid water into the fuel cartridge at the liquid injection rate such that the liquid water contacts at least a portion of the water permeable pouch, and the gas outlet port configured to release hydrogen gas produced by a reaction comprising the solid anhydrous chemical hydride, the anhydrous activating agent, and the liquid water;

a hydrogen output regulator configured to control the amount of hydrogen gas that the gas outlet port releases; and

one or more fuel cartridge alignment features configured to ensure that the fuel cartridge is disposed in a predetermined position and alignment relative to one or more receiving alignment features of a cartridge receiver.