Apparatuses and methods for storing and/or filtering a substance

• US 8,641,810 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2012
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: McAlister Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAlister Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: McAlister, Roy Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): LAWRENCE JR, FRANK M
• Application Number:
  US13/437,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20120199209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 673 Days
• Field of Search: 961/08, 961/34, 961/35, 961/53, 961/54, 502/526, 206/0.7, 423/648.1, 429/515
• US Class Current: 96/154
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2259/40088 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/94 by catalytic processes
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/12 characterised by a layer of regularly- arranged cells, e.g. a honeycomb structure
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 9/007 comprising carbon, e.g. graphite, composite carbon
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 11/005 for hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 11/007 for hydrocarbon gases, such as methane or natural gas, propane, butane or mixtures thereof [LPG]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/32 Hydrogen storage
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 502/526 Sorbent for fluid storage, other than an alloy for hydrogen storage
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0318 Processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/794 With means for separating solid material from the fluid

Abstract

Apparatuses, systems, and methods for loading and/or unloading a substance into or from a sorption media. A substance is presented at an edge of the sorption media, which comprises parallel layers of a sorption material. To load (i.e., via absorption and/or adsorption) the substance into the sorption media, heat is transferred away from the sorption media, a loading voltage is applied to the sorption media, and/or a pressure is increased relative to the sorption media. To unload the substance from the sorption media, heat is transferred into the sorption media, a voltage of an opposite polarity from the loading voltage is applied to the sorption media, and/or a pressure is decreased relative to the sorption media. In some embodiments, the sorption media includes surface structures that may load molecules of the substance.

Claims

1. An apparatus for loading a substance, the apparatus comprising:

a first layer of a sorption material having a first edge;

a second layer of the sorption material having a second edge, and a catalyst on the first layer and the second layer, wherein;

the catalyst is located proximate to the first edge and the second edge,

the second layer of the sorption material is configured parallel to the first layer of the sorption material,

the first layer and the second layer of the sorption material are separated by a distance that enables a substance to be loaded between the first and second layers of the sorption material, and

the distance enables the substance to be loaded between the first and second layers of the sorption material by the adsorption of a portion of the substance onto a surface of the first layer and/or the second layer and the absorption of a portion of the substance into a zone between the first layer and the second layer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the catalyst is located on a surface of at least one of the first layer of the sorption material and the second layer of the sorption material.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the catalyst includes a refractive carbide.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the catalyst includes a titanium carbide or an iron carbide.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the catalyst is a compound that includes iron and titanium.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the catalyst further includes yttrium.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the catalyst includes chromia.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the catalyst includes at least one of copper, zinc, zirconia promoted with manganese, or zirconium doped with manganese.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the catalyst includes zirconium or manganese doped and promoted with copper or zinc.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the catalyst includes an oxide of iron, manganese, nickel, chromium, or vanadium.

11. A system for filtering a substance, the system comprising:

a sorption media configured to load a substance; and

a passageway configured to provide the substance to an edge of the sorption media, wherein;

the sorption media includes parallel layers of a sorption material,

the parallel layers of the sorption material are separated by distances,

the distances enable the loading of the substance in the sorption media by the adsorption of a portion of the substance onto a surface of at least one of the parallel layers and the absorption of a portion of the substance into a zone between at least two of the parallel layers, and

the sorption media includes a catalyst proximate to the edge of the sorption media.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the catalyst is selected to facilitate the loading of the substance by the sorption media.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the catalyst is selected to facilitate a chemical reaction near the edge of the sorption media, wherein the substance results from the chemical reaction.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the catalyst includes a refractive carbide.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the substance includes hydrogen and the catalyst is selected to facilitate the loading of hydrogen from natural gas.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the catalyst includes iron, titanium, and yttrium.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the substance includes oxygen or methanol and the catalyst includes chromia.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the sorption media includes a second edge and the sorption media includes a second catalyst proximate to the second edge of the sorption media.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the second catalyst is selected to facilitate a chemical reaction near the second edge of the sorption media.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the catalyst includes at least one of copper, zinc, zirconia promoted with manganese, or zirconium doped with manganese.

21. The system of claim 11, wherein the catalyst includes zirconium or manganese doped and promoted with copper or zinc.

22. The system of claim 11, wherein the catalyst includes an oxide of iron, manganese, nickel, chromium, or vanadium.