System for the extraction and utilization of oxygen from fluids

• US 4,761,209 A
• Filed: 04/25/1986
• Issued: 08/02/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: W.R. Grace & Co.-Conn. (WR Grace & Company)
• Original Assignee: Aquanautics Corporation
• Inventors: Van Ryzin, Joseph C., Zenner, Bruce D., Anderson, C. William, Bonaventura, Joseph, Bonaventura, Celia
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/855,706
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 204/129, 204/265, 204/266, 204/263, 204/DIG. 4, 204/DIG. 6, 123/2, 123/22, 123/DIG. 13, 429/12, 429/122, 55/16, 55/158
• US Class Current: 205/633
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 13/0251 by making use of membranes
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 13/0255 characterised by the type of membrane
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 13/0285 by absorption in liquids
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2210/005 Carbon monoxide
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 1/02 Hydrogen or oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/06 Combination of fuel cells with means for production of reactants or for treatment of residues regenerative fuel cells H01M8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0656 by electrochemical means H01M8/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/18 Regenerative fuel cells, e.g. redox flow batteries or secondary fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 123/13 Gas
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 204/04 Electrolysis cell combined with fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 261/28 Blood oxygenators

Abstract

A method for extracting oxygen from a fluid environment, which comprises the steps of (1) contacting a first fluid environment containing oxygen with a first surface of a first oxygen permeable membrane having a first and a second surface, wherein the membrane separates the environment from an interior space of a closed container, (2) transporting a carrier fluid into contact with the second surface of the membrane, wherein the carrier fluid is confined in the closed container and the carrier fluid contains a binding-state oxygen carrier, whereby oxygen which diffuses through the membrane binds to the carrier to give a bound oxygen complex, (3) transporting the carrier fluid containing the bound oxygen complex to a first electrode compartment of an electrochemical cell which forms a second portion of the closed container, (4) electrochemically modifying the binding-state oxygen carrier to an oxidation state having less binding affinity for oxygen, thereby releasing free oxygen into the carrier fluid and producing a nonbinding-state oxygen carrier, (5) removing oxygen from the carrier fluid, (6) transporting the carrier fluid containing the nonbinding-state oxygen carrier to a second electrode compartment of an electrochemical cell which forms a third portion of the closed container, and (7) electrochemically modifying the nonbinding-state oxygen carrier to the binding-state oxygen carrier, is disclosed along with an apparatus useful for carrying out the method of the invention.

Claims

1. An apparatus for extracting oxygen from an environment surrounding said apparatus, which comprises:

a container having

(1) a first portion which comprises a first oxygen permeable membrane which defines at least a portion of an inner space of said container, said oxygen permeable membrane having a first surface adapted to be in contact with said environment and a second surface facing said interior space;

(2) a second portion which comprises a first electrode compartment of an electrochemical cell;

(3) a third portion which comprises a second electrode compartment of said electrochemical cell; and

(4) means for removing oxygen from said container;

said container being adapted such that a fluid confined in said container passes from said first electrode compartment to said means for removing oxygen, from said means for removing oxygen to said second electrode compartment, from said second electrode compartment to said first portion of said container, and from said first portion of said container to said first electrode compartment.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 which further comprises:

pumping means for circulating said fluid through said interior space.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 which further comprises:

a first pair of manifolds; and

said first membrane comprises a plurality of gas permeable tubes connected in parallel by said first pair of manifolds, said manifolds disposed at opposite ends of each gas permeable tube.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said tubes comprise silicone rubber, polytetrafluoroethylene, an alkylcellulose, or an acetylcellulose.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein each said tube is a silicone rubber-polysulfone composite membrane.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said electrochemical cell comprises a plurality of parallel plate electrodes which form anode and cathode compartments therebetween, said electrodes having a plate separation of no more than 5 mm.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said apparatus further comprises means for supplying electrical bias to said electrode compartments.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said means for supplying electrical bias comprises a power cell or battery.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said means for supplying electrical bias comprises an oxygen-consuming fuel cell.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said means for supplying electrical bias comprises a generator or alternator.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for removing oxygen comprises an oxygen consuming fuel cell.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for removing oxygen comprises a second gas permeable membrane which at least in part defines said interior space of said container, said second gas permeable membrane having a first surface adapted to be in contact with an environment into which said oxygen is released and a second surface facing said interior space.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 which further comprises a second pair of manifolds, and said second membrane comprises a plurality of gas permeable tubes connected in parallel between the opposed manifolds of said second pair of manifolds.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said second membrane comprises silicone rubber, polytetrafluoroethylene, an alkylcellulose, or an acetyl cellulose.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said second membrane is a silicone rubber-polysulfone composite membrane.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 which further comprises an oxygen-consuming, hydrocarbon-consuming engine having an inlet for oxygen and an outlet for exhaust gases, wherein said means for removing oxygen comprises means for coupling removed oxygen to said inlet of said engine.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 which further comprises means for removing carbon dioxide coupled to said engine outlet.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the said container is a closed container.

23. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inner space of the said container is only one physically defined space.

25. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the said container comprises physically defined spaces.

27. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the said fluid confined in the said container is an aqueous fluid.

35. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the said means for removing oxygen from the said container comprises a means for electrochemically modifying a binding-state oxygen carrier contained in the said fluid confined in said container to an oxidation state having less binding affinity for oxygen, thereby releasing free oxygen into the said carrier fluid and producing a non-binding state oxygen carrier.

18. An apparatus for extracting oxygen from a fluid environment, which comprises

a man-made container having

(1) a first portion which comprises a first oxygen permeable membrane which defines at least a part of a first interior space of said container, said first oxygen permeable membrane having a first surface adapted to be in contact with said environment and a second surface facing said interior space, and

(2) a second portion which comprises a second oxygen permeable membrane which defines at least a part of a record interior space of said container, said second oxygen permeable membrane having a first surface facing said interior space and a second surface adapted to be in contact with a second environment into which oxygen is to be released,

said container being adapted such that a fluid confined in said container passes from said first portion to said second portion and from said second portion to said first portion.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 which further comprises pumping means for circulating said fluid.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 which further comprises

(1) a compressor having an inlet for low pressure gas and an outlet for high pressure gas, and

(2) coupling means for coupling said inlet to said second surface of said second membrane.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the said container is a closed container.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the inner space of the said container is only one physically defined space.

26. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the said container comprises physically defined spaces.

28. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the said fluid confined in the said container is an aqueous fluid.

36. The apparatus of claim 18, said apparatus comprising a means for removing oxygen from the said fluid in the said container.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the said means for removing oxygen from the said fluid in the said container is a means for removing oxygen from the said fluid by exposing said fluid to a sufficiently low pressure of oxygen to given an oxygen-depleted fluid.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein said means for extracting oxygen from the said oxygen-containing carrier fluid comprises a vacuum means.

39. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the said apparatus further comprises a means for removing carbon dioxide from the environment into which the oxygen is being released.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the said means for removing carbon dioxide comprises a carbonic anhydrase enzyme.

29. A method for extracting oxygen from a fluid environment, which comprises the steps of:

(1) contacting a first fluid environment containing oxygen with a first surface of a first oxygen permeable membrane having a first and a second surface, wherein said membrane separates said environment from an interior space of a man-made container,

(2) contacting a carrier fluid with said second surface of said membrane, wherein said carrier fluid is confined in said container and said carrier fluid is confined in said container and said carrier fluid contains a binding-state oxygen carrier, whereby oxygen which diffuses through said membrane binds to said carrier to give a bound oxygen complex,

(3) transporting said carrier fluid containing said bound oxygen complex to an unloading station; and

(4) removing oxygen from said carrier fluid to give an oxygen-depleted carrier fluid.

30. The method of claim 29, which comprises the steps of:

(1) contacting a first fluid environment containing oxygen with a first surface of a first oxygen permeable membrane having a first and a second surface, wherein said membrane separates said environment from an interior space of a container,

(2) contacting a carrier fluid with said second surface of said membrane, wherein said carrier fluid is confined in said container and said carrier fluid contains a binding-state oxygen carrier, whereby oxygen which diffuses through said membrane binds to said carrier to give a bound oxygen complex, and

(3) transporting said carrier fluid containing said bound oxygen complex to an unloading station where the oxygen is removed from said carrier fluid by exposing said binding-state oxygen carrier to an electrochemical cell which forms a second portion of said container.

31. The method of claim 29, which comprises the steps of:

(1) contacting a first fluid environment containing oxygen with a first surface of a first oxygen permeable membrane having a first and a second surface, wherein said membrane separates said environment from an interior space of a container,

(2) contacting a carrier fluid with said second surface of said membrane, wherein said carrier fluid is confined in said container and said carrier fluid contains a binding-state oxygen carrier, whereby oxygen which diffuses through said membrane binds to said carrier to give a bound oxygen complex,

(3) transporting the said carrier fluid cotaining bound oxygen to an unloading station where the oxygen is removed from said carrier fluid by exposing said carrier fluid to a sufficiently low pressure of oxygen to give an oxygen-depleted carrier fluid.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein the said carrier fluid is an aqueous carrier fluid.

33. The method of claim 30 wherein the said carrier fluid is an aqueous carrier fluid.

34. The method of claim 31 wherein the said carrier fluid is an aqueous carrier fluid.

41. The method of claim 29, comprising removing carbon dioxide from the environment into which the oxygen is being released.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the said carbon dioxide removal comprises contacting the said carbon dioxide with a carbonic anhydrase enzyme.