Energy conversion system

• US 6,756,140 B1
• Filed: 08/03/1998
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Advanced Green Innovations, LLC
• Original Assignee: Emergent Corp (NTT DATA Group Corp.)
• Inventors: McAlister, Roy E.
• Primary Examiner(s): KALAFUT, STEPHEN J
• Application Number:
  US09/128,673
• Time in Patent Office: 2,157 Days
• Field of Search: 429/19, 429/20
• US Class Current: 429/411
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2075/125 Direct injection in the combustion chamber for spark ignition engines, i.e. not in pre-combustion chamber
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2275/14 Direct injection into combustion chamber
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 43/08 Plants characterised by the engines using gaseous fuel generated in the plant from solid fuel, e.g. wood
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 43/10 Engines or plants characterised by use of other specific gases, e.g. acetylene, oxyhydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F02G 2254/11 Catalytic burners
• CPC Class Codes: F02G 5/00 Profiting from waste heat of combustion engines, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 25/12 the apparatus having means for generating such gases using rays and simultaneously generating ozone F02M27/06
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 27/02 by catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 27/042 by plasma
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 27/06 by rays , e.g. infrared and ultraviolet
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 31/08 the gases being exhaust gases adding exhaust gases to the air intake passage F02M26/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 31/10 by hot liquids, e.g. lubricants or cooling water
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 57/06 the devices being sparking plugs
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 61/08 the valves opening in direction of fuel flow F02M61/047 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 63/0007 using electrically actuated valves injection valves F02M51/06
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/14 Combined heat and power generation [CHP]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/16 Combined cycle power plant [CCPP], or combined cycle gas turbine [CCGT]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/30 Use of alternative fuels, e.g. biofuels

Abstract

A process for performing energy conversion which comprises the steps of converting a fuel precursor containing hydrogen to produce substantial amounts of engine-fuel containing free hydrogen and utilizing substantial amounts of hydrogen in one or more devices selected from the group including a fuel cell, heat engine, and heat releasing combustor. Waste energy resources selected from the group including off-peak power, engine-cooling-system heat, exhaust-gas heat, and stopping energy, are utilized to produce engine-fuel from feedstocks selected from the group (of Equations 1-14) including fuel alcohols, phenols, ammonia, ammonium compounds, gasoline, diesel fuel, cyanoacetic acid, cyanocarbons, carbon, and water.

Claims

1. A hybrid energy conversion system comprising a fuel cell and a heat engine selected from the group consisting of externally heated engines and internal combustion engines, in which waste heat from said engine is utilized to produce hydrogen from a feedstock, and wherein a portion of said hydrogen is supplied to said fuel cell for energy conversion.

2. The hybrid energy conversion system of claim 1, in which the production of hydrogen also produces byproducts, which are separated from said hydrogen and fed into the combustion zone of said engine.

3. The hybrid energy conversion system of claim 1, also including a pressurized electrolysis cell or a non-pressurized electrolysis cell, and in which heat from said engine is utilized via countercurrent heat exchange means in either of said electrolysis cells.

4. The hybrid energy conversion system of claim 1, in which heat from said engine is used for production of work by means selected from the group consisting of a turbine, a piston engine, a piston motor, an expansive chamber motor, and an expansive chamber engine.

5. The hybrid energy conversion system of claim 3, in which said pressurized electrolysis cell or said non-pressurized electrolysis cell produces hydrogen or oxygen.

6. The hybrid energy conversion system of claim 3 in which said pressurized electrolysis or said non-pressurized electrolysis cell produces hydrogen and wherein said hydrogen is stored under pressure to provide potential energy for a subsequent energy conversion process selected from the group consisting of a turbine, a piston engine, a piston motor, an expansive chamber motor, and an expansive chamber engine.

7. The hybrid energy conversion system of claim 1, in which said feedstock is selected from the group consisting of water, methane, ammonia, ammonium hydroxide, cyanoacetic acid, a mixture of a hydrocarbon and hydrogen peroxide, a mixture of methanol and ethanol, a mixture of methanol and propanol, an mixture of methanol and butanol, a mixture of ethanol and amyl alcohol, a mixture of methanol and phenol, 144-proof ethanol, 130-proof ethanol, a mixture of gasoline and wet methanol, and a mixture of diesel and wet methanol.

8. The hybrid energy conversion system of claim 2, in which hydrogen is separated from said byproducts by means selected from the group consisting of a membrane, adsorption, condensation, distillation and absorption.

9. The hybrid energy conversion system of claim 8, in which hydrogen is separated from said byproducts by a membrane, said membrane being formed of palladium, a palladium-silver alloy, an iron-titanium-copper alloy, or a ceramic material.

10. The hybrid energy conversion system of claim 1, in which said feedstock receives heat from said engine via countercurrent heat exchange means.

11. The hybrid energy conversion system of claim 1, in which said feedstock is reacted with a substance selected from the group consisting of air, hydrogen peroxide, and oxygen.

12. A hybrid energy conversion system comprising a heat engine, a fuel cell, means for producing hydrogen from a feedstock, and means for separating hydrogen from byproducts also produced from said feedstock, a gas expansion motor, where said hydrogen is supplied to said fuel cell, and where a portion of heat from said heat engine is used by said gas expansion motor either to drive a device selected from the group consisting of an electrical generator, a compressor for turbocharging said engine, a pump for supplying fuel to said fuel cell, a pump for supplying air to said fuel cell, or for propulsion.

13. The hybrid energy conversion system of claim 12, wherein said means for producing hydrogen is selected from the group consisting of a non-pressurized electrolysis cell and a pressurized electrolysis cell.

14. The hybrid energy conversion system of claim 12, further comprising a heat exchanger which removes heat from the exhaust gases of said engine and dissipates acoustical sound energy from said engine.

15. The hybrid energy conversion system of claim 13, further comprising either an electrical generator powered by said engine or means for generating power from the regenerative slowing of a vehicle, wherein either of said electrolysis cells occasionally receives electricity from either said electrical generator or said regenerative slowing.

16. The hybrid energy conversion system of claim 14, wherein said heat exchanger is selected from the group consisting of a heat exchanger which accepts the flow of exhaust gases from said engine on the outside of a substantially helical coil of flattened tubing, and a heat exchanger which includes a twisted tube and an outer containment tube having an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of said twisted tube.

17. The hybrid energy conversion system of claim 12, in which said means for producing hydrogen uses heat from said engine.