Solar powered gas generation

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United

Brown

States Patent (19) (11) 4,080,271

54 SOLAR POWERED GAS GENERATION 4,011, 148 3/1977 Goudal ................................. 204/129 4,011,149 3/1977 Nozik ................................... 204/129 76) Inventor: Howard D. Brown, 96 Mark St., 4,021,323 5/1977 Kilby et al. .......................... 204/129 Bristol, Conn. 06010 (21) Appl. No.: 803,863 Primary Examiner-R. L. Andrews

This invention relates to the utilization of solar energy by means of a reflector, a boiler and a turbogenerator

C25B 1/26 whereby solar heat is concentrated and electric power 52 U.S.C. ...................................... 204/98; 204/128; is produced, utilization of the exhaust heat from the 204/129 power cycle in the distillation of sea water, and utiliza 58) Field of Search .......................... 204/129,98, 128 tion of the electric power in a plurality of electrolytic 56) References Cited cells whereby hydrogen and oxygen are extracted from

tracted from the sea water.

3,616,334 10/1977 Aker et al. ........................... 204/129 4,010,080 3/1977 Tsay et al. ............................. 203/10 4 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure

SOLAR HEAT SEAWATER RESERVOR

TURBINE - ALTERNATOR

BOLER FEED PUMP FLUID HEAT

RESERVOIR EXCHANGER

CHAMBER

O DISTILLED WATER RESERVOR

PRIMARY TRANSFORMER SECONDARY TRANSFORMER

PRIMARY RECTFER SECONDARY RECTFER

HYDROGEN RESERVOIR

PRIMARY GAS GENERATOR SECONDARY GAS GENERATOR

OXYGEN RESERVOR CHLORINE RESERVOR

SODIUM HYDROXDE SODUM HYDROXIDE RESERVOIR

PUMP

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DISTILLED WATER RESERVOR

PRIMARY TRANSFORMER SECONDARY TRANSFORMER

PRIMARY RECTFER SECONDARY RECTFER

HYDROGEN RESERVOIR

PRIMARY GAS GENERATOR SECONDARY GAS GENERATOR

OXYGEN RESERVOR CHLORINE RESERVOIR

SODIUM HYDROXDE SODIUM HYDROXDE RESERVOR

PUMP

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SOLAR POWERED GAS GENERATION usual arrangements are well known to those skilled in the pertinent arts.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED EMBODIMENT

APPLICATION

This application relates to my co-pending patent ap For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects plication covering an improvement in a Solar Energ of my invention, reference may be made to the follow Concentrator. ing, detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which the representation of 10 each functional component is both labeled and num

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

bered. With reference to the details of the drawing, it is

Aside from the elements of the earth itself, the two stressed that the particulars shown are for explanatory most plenteous endowments of this planet are sunshine and illustrative purposes only, with the intent of provid and the waters of the sea. These limitless resources, ing what is believed to be a readily understood descrip hitherto largely neglected, can be jointly utilized, one as 15 tion of the principles and sequences of steps whereby input energy and the other as input raw material, in the objects of the invention may be fulfilled. order to produce, by a process of refinement and extrac Referring to the drawing, solar heat 1 is the energy tion, three elements of universal utility to mankind, input, and a reflector 2 concentrates said solar heat namely, hydrogen, oxygen and chlorine. upon a boiler3. A boiler feed pump 4 supplies fluid from A distinction should be made at the outset between 20 a boiler fluid reservoir 5 to said boiler, wherein said water, usually taken to be fresh or potable, and sea fluid is heated to a high temperature which causes it to water. In those areas of the earth where sunshine is most plentiful, water is nearly totally absent, but many of vaporize, ters a

The expanded vapor, at a high pressure, en turbine 6, causing the turbine blades and shaft to those areas of intense insolation are reasonably close to rotate, and exits from the turbine to a primary heat the sea. Thus if sea water be taken as the raw material 25 exchanger 7, wherein it is cooled and condensed, being and if solar energy be utilized both to refine said sea returned thence to reservoir 5. The said boiler fluid will water by distillation and to produce electricity whereby preferably be mercury or some other element or com both distilled water and raw sea water may be electro pound having a heat of vaporization higher than that of lyzed, all three of the gaseous elements can be ex Sea Water.

tracted. 30 Sea water, the incoming raw material, is piped from In the prior art, electrolysis of water is well known, as an external source into a sea water reservoir 8 and is fed is the utilization of solar energy in this process. Solar thence at ambient temperature into a secondary heat heat was successfully utilized in the distillation of sea water, in order to produce potable water, during a per exchanger 9, wherein it is heated and whence it is fed to iod of nearly 40 years, starting over one hundred years 35 is further heated to aprimary the aforementioned heat exchanger, wherein it high temperature which causes it ago, and this process is continued today in many hot, to evaporate, leaving in the primary heat exchanger a arid parts of the world. Yet, to the best of my knowl residue comprising an aqueous solution of sodium chlo edge and belief, no-one has hitherto combined this en ride, which is periodically drained from said primary ergy, this raw material and these arts into one process. heat exchanger through a valve 10 to a residue chamber 40 11. Water vapor from the primary heat exchanger is

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

returned to the said secondary heat exchanger, wherein

The general object of my invention is to utilize solar it is cooled and condensed as distilled water, flowing energy to extract gaseous elements from sea water. thence to a distilled water reservoir 12. A more specific object of my invention is to collect An alternator 13, mechanically driven by the afore heat from the rays of the sun, to utilize this heat in the 45 mentioned turbine, generates an electrical potential in generation of electric power, to distill sea water during the form of an alternating electric current at a suitable said heat/power cycle, and to utilize a portion of said output voltage. The said electric current is conducted in electric power in the electrolytic separation of the thus parallel circuits to a primary transformer 14 and to a distilled water into its elements, namely, hydrogen and secondary transformer 15, in each of which the voltage Oxygen. 50 is stepped down to a lower magnitude suitable for utili Another specific object of my invention is to utilize a zation as hereinafter described. The alternating currents further portion of said electric power electrolytically to leaving said transformers are conducted in separate separate from sea water two of its elements, namely, circuits respectively to a primary rectifier 16 and to a hydrogen and chlorine. secondary rectifier 17, wherein they are rectified to Other objects of my invention will become apparent 55 direct from the following, detailed description thereof and circuitscurrents, which are conducted thence in separate respectively to a primary gas generator 18, from the accompanying drawing. comprising a plurality of electrolytic cells, and to a BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING secondary gas generator 19, comprising a further plural ity of electrolytic cells.

The accompanying drawing is a schematic represen Distilled water from reservoir 12 is electrolyzed in tation of the combination of means whereby the objects the primary gas generator, thus producing hydrogen of my invention may be achieved. In this drawing no and oxygen, which are separately and respectively attempt is made to show structural details of the appara piped to a hydrogen reservoir 20 and to an oxygen tus, as all of the mechanical, electrical and electro reservoir 21.

chemical components, with the exception of the reflec 65 Sea water from reservoir 8 is electrolyzed in the tor and boiler, which are covered in a co-pending patent secondary gas generator, thus producing chlorine, a application, are available in various forms, and it is further quantity of hydrogen, and a solution of sodium believed that both their physical embodiments and their hydroxide in water, which are separately and respec

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tively piped to a chlorine reservoir 22, to hydrogen distilled water in the primary gas generator. The pur reservoir 20 and to a sodium hydroxide reservoir 23. pose of this is to increase the rate of electrolysis of the A small quantity of sodium hydroxide, pumped from distilled water. While an electrolyte other than sodium reservoir 23 by a sodium hydroxide pump 24, may be hydroxide can be utilized, with substantially the same added as an electrolyte to the distilled water in primary result, sodium hydroxide, being a by-product of the gas generator 18. overall process, is the preferred embodiment of said Boiler fluid reservoir 5 and sea water reservoir 8 are electrolyte. Since the electrolyte merely increases the each provided with inlet pipes, indicated in the drawing rate of the process and does not affect the outcome of by an entrance arrow to each, whereby the contents of the process, the electrolyte may be omitted within the each reservoir may be replenished. 10 intent of this specification. Residue chamber 11 and the aforesaid hydrogen, I claim as my invention:

oxygen, chlorine and sodium hydroxide reservoirs are 1. A solar powered gas generation process which each provided with valve means and piping, indicated comprises the steps of concentrating solar heat upon a in the drawing by an exit arrow from each, whereby the boiler by means of a reflector, heating a fluid in said product stored in each may be drawn off. 15 boiler, producing vapor at a high pressure by means of In the foregoing description the turbine and alterna said application of heat to said fluid, driving a turbogen tor were treated as separate units because this treatment erator by means of said vapor and thus generating an facilitated the orderly explanation of the function of electrical potential, evaporating sea water by means of a each in relation to the various preceding and succeeding primary heat exchanger into which said vaporized functions. It is the applicant's understanding that either 20 boiler fluid passes from said turbogenerator, condensing of the terms, “turbogenerator' or “turboalternator', is the thus produced water vapor by means of a secondary commonly accepted as being descriptive and definitive heat exchanger into which said sea water passes at ambi of the combination of a turbine and an alternator when ent temperature, distilling said sea water by means of these two units are permanently joined by mechanical said evaporation and condensation, electrolyzing the means, "turbogenerator' being the more general and 25 thus distilled water by means of a gas generator which more widely used term, and "turboalternator' being the is activated by said electrical potential, producing hy more accurate in this context. These terms are herein drogen and oxygen by means of said electrolysis of said used interchangeably with the terms for the individual distilled water, and recovering separately in a plurality units. While a direct current generator and some other of suitable containers the thus produced hydrogen and type of heat engine may be utilized instead of alternator 30 OXygen.

13 and turbine 6, respectively, the turbine and alternator 2. A process as described in claim 1 wherein said are the preferred embodiments of these means for rea boiler fluid is a volatile fluid which has a heat of vapori sons of efficiency and flexibility of operation. zation higher than that of sea water. Also, in the foregoing description two transformers, 3. A process as in claim 1 which comprises the addi two rectifiers and two gas generators are mentioned. 35 tional steps of electrolyzing a separate quantity of said The quantity of two gas generators is stated because this sea water by means 13 a second gas generator which is is the minimum needed to distinguish between two units also activated by said electrical potential, producing which differ in both function and structure. However, hydrogen, chlorine and an aqueous solution of sodium this description is not intended to limit the process to hydroxide by means of said electrolysis of said sea wa utilization of one of each type of gas generator. The ter, and recovering separately in a plurality of suitable electrical characteristics of each combination of trans containers the thus produced hydrogen, chlorine and former and rectifier will conform to the respective input sodium hydroxide.

requirements of each gas generator; hence a minimum 4. A process as in claim 1 which comprises the further of two transformers and two rectifiers is required. step of adding a small quantity of electrolyte to said Lastly the foregoing description included the addi 45 distilled water in said gas generator. tion of a small quantity of sodium hydroxide to the is is is as

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION

Patent No. 4,080.271 Pated March 21, 1978 - Inventor(s). Howard D. Brown

It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below: Column 2, line 28, "higher," should read --- lower. ---. Column 4, line 33, "higher," should read --- lower ---.

signed and sealed this

Twenty-fourth D ay of October 1978

Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks