Solar-powered, liquid-hydrocarbon-fuel synthesizer
US7752845B2 · kind B2 · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 2, 2008 |
| Grant date | Jul 13, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 2, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02P20/133
- WIPO fieldBasic materials chemistry
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A synchronous reaction cell, rotating as a unit, disassociates hydrogen from water, traps and filters hydrogen, mixes and pressurizes hydrogen and ingested carbon, hydrogenates carbon by surface catalysis, isolates and exhausts liquid hydrocarbon products above a desired density, recirculates gaseous products for further reaction, and expands steam through a turbine to produce rotation and turn an electrical generator. Solar energy focused by heliostats is one means of supplying process heat. Burning natural gas or another fossil fuel in oxygen freed by the disassociation of water provides alternative sources of heat. The reaction cell has a vertical axis-of-rotation making it conducive to mounting on a tower disposed at the center of an array of heliostats. The rotating reaction cell has a large, cylindrical heat-absorbing surface. Electrical output might be used to aim heliostats. Excess electrical generation might be added to the local electrical grid and sold for its value.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.