Electrochemical conversion system

• US 6,709,778 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2001
• Issued: 03/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JTEC Energy, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Johnson Electro Mechanical Systems LLC
• Inventors: Johnson, Lonnie G.
• Primary Examiner(s): KALAFUT, STEPHEN J
• Application Number:
  US09/972,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20020012824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 429/11, 429/17, 429/20, 429/26, 429/96-100, 429/120
• US Class Current: 429/421
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 14/00 Electrochemical current or voltage generators not provided for in groups H01M6/00 - H01M12/00; Manufacture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/30 Fuel cells in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/383 Hydrogen absorbing alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04007 related to heat exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04089 of gaseous reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/065 by dissolution of metals or alloys; by dehydriding metallic substances
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/10 Applications of fuel cells in buildings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

An electrochemical conversion system (70) is disclosed having a housing divided by a hydrogen electrochemical cell (79) so as to define a first chamber (73) and a second chamber (74). A first mass of hydride material (90) is contained within the first chamber while a second mass of hydride material (91) is contained within the second chamber. The hydrogen concentration cell has a first gas diffusion electrode (20), a second gas diffusion electrode (21) and a proton conductive membrane (22) therebetween. The release of hydrogen from one of the masses of hydride material and its redox reaction creates an electrical potential across the cell. The housing first chamber (73) is adapted to transfer from the skin of a wearer.

Claims

1. An electrochemical conversion system to be worn upon the skin of an animal, the system comprising:

a first mass of hydrogen absorbent material;

a second mass of hydrogen absorbent material spaced from said first mass of hydrogen absorbent material;

a first electrode;

a second electrode;

a proton conductive membrane positioned between said first electrode and said second electrode,

said first electrode, second electrode and said proton conductive membrane being operably between said first mass of hydrogen absorbent material and said second mass of hydrogen absorbent material;

a housing containing said first mass of hydrogen absorbent material, said second mass of hydrogen absorbent material, said first electrode, said second electrode and said proton conductive membrane, said housing having a first chamber containing said first mass of hydrogen absorbent material and adapted to thermally transfer heat between said first mass of hydrogen absorbent material and the skin of an animal wearing the electrochemical conversion system, said housing also having a second chamber containing said second mass of hydrogen absorbent material adapted to thermally transfer heat to ambience;

a supply of hydrogen; and

mounting means for mounting said housing to the skin of an animal,

whereby the first and second masses of hydrogen absorbent material are in fluid communication with each other through the first and second electrodes and through the proton conductive membrane and whereby the hydrogen may be desorbed by one mass of hydrogen absorbent material and absorbed by the other mass of hydrogen absorbent material while passing past and reacting with the electrodes and the proton conductive membrane so as to cause an electric potential difference between the first and second electrodes.

2. The electrochemical conversion system of claim 1 wherein said mounting means is a layer of adhesive.

3. The electrochemical conversion system of claim 1 wherein said housing includes a heat sink in thermal communication with said first mass of hydrogen absorbent material.

4. The electrochemical conversion system of claim 1 wherein said first and second masses of hydrogen absorbent material are comprised of hydrogen absorbent metal material.

5. An electrochemical conversion system comprising:

a housing having a first chamber and a second chamber, an electrochemical cell mounted within said housing in fluid communication with said first chamber within said housing and said second chamber within said housing;

a first mass of hydrogen absorbent material positioned within said first chamber;

a second mass of hydrogen absorbent material position within said second chamber;

a supply of hydrogen absorbable and desorbable by said first and second masses of hydrogen absorbent material, and

mounting means for mounting said housing to the skin of an animal,

whereby the first chamber is mounted to the skin of an animal so as to provide a stable temperature heat source to the first chamber while the second chamber is exposed to ambience so that the temperature of the second mass of hydrogen absorbent material fluctuates over time a temperature differential is created between the first mass and the second mass.

6. The electrochemical conversion system of claim 5 wherein said electrochemical cell includes a first electrode, a second electrode and a proton conductive membrane positioned between said first electrode and said second electrode.

7. The electrochemical conversion system of claim 5 wherein said hydrogen absorbent material is comprised of a hydrogen absorbent metal material.

8. The electrochemical conversion system of claim 5 wherein said mounting means is a layer of adhesive.

9. The electrochemical conversion system of claim 5 wherein said housing includes a heat sink in thermal communication with said first mass of hydrogen absorbent material.

10. A method of producing electricity comprising the steps of,

mounting a housing first portion into the skin of an animal so as to transfer body heat from the animal to a first mass of hydrogen absorbent material contained within the first portion while simultaneously exposing a housing second portion to ambience so as to transfer ambient heat to a second mass of hydrogen absorbent material contained within the second portion,

flowing hydrogen from one mass of hydrogen absorbent material to the other mass of hydrogen absorbent material and through an electric conversion cell having two spaced apart electrodes and a proton conductive membrane positioned between the electrodes which selectively passes hydrogen protons therethrough, the hydrogen protons being produced from the oxidation of hydrogen gas passing past one of the electrodes, the hydrogen flow being induced by a temperature differential between the masses of hydrogen absorbent materials created by the temperature differential between the first housing portion and the second housing portion, and therefore a pressure differential across the cell resulting from the release of hydrogen from a mass of hydrogen absorbent material, whereby an electric current is induced through a load coupled to the electrodes.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first housing portion is mounted with an adhesive.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said hydrogen absorbent material is a metal hydride material.

13. A method of producing electricity, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) mounting a first housing to the skin of an animal, the first housing portion containing a metal hydride in thermal communication with the skin through the housing;

(b) thermally decomposing and separating a metal hydride with heat transferred from the skin of the animal at a first temperature to produce hydrogen gas and a metal;

(c) directing the hydrogen gas to a first electrode of a conversion cell having two spaced apart electrodes and a proton conductive membrane positioned between the electrodes;

(d) oxidizing the hydrogen gas to produce hydrogen protons; and

(e) passing the hydrogen protons through the proton conductive membrane and adjacent the second electrode so as to cause the hydrogen protons to reduce back to hydrogen gas thereby providing an electric energy to an external circuit across the first and second electrodes.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of (f) reacting the hydrogen gas passed through the conversion cell with the metal to reform the metal hydride.