JP-7855287-B1 - Hydrogen gas generator and hydrogen gas generation method

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a hydrogen gas generation apparatus and a hydrogen gas generation method that can produce clean hydrogen at low cost. [Solution] The hydrogen gas generator 10 comprises a supply pipe 12 for supplying raw materials M for hydrogen gas generation, with one end 12a protruding above ground and the other end 12b reaching a geothermal storage layer underground, and a recovery pipe 14 for recovering the generated hydrogen gas, with one end 14a protruding above ground and the other end 14b reaching a geothermal storage layer. The supply pipe 12 penetrates the side wall of the recovery pipe 14 at a penetration portion 18, and is located inside the recovery pipe 14 from the penetration portion 18 to the other end 12b side. The raw materials M are characterized by containing iron and water. [Selection Diagram] Figure 1

Inventors

• 沼田 昭二

Assignees

• 株式会社町おこしエネルギー

Dates

Publication Date

20260508

Application Date

20251208

Claims (5)

1. A supply pipe for supplying raw materials for hydrogen gas generation, with one end protruding above ground and the other end reaching the underground geothermal reservoir, A recovery pipe for recovering generated hydrogen gas, with one end protruding above ground and the other end reaching the geothermal reservoir, Equipped with, The supply pipe penetrates the side wall of the recovery pipe at the penetration point, and is positioned inside the recovery pipe from the penetration point to the other end. The hydrogen gas generator is characterized in that the raw materials include iron and water.
2. In the hydrogen gas generator according to claim 1, A hydrogen gas generating apparatus characterized in that the tip of the other end of the supply pipe has a slit.
3. In the hydrogen gas generator according to claim 1, The hydrogen gas generating apparatus is characterized in that the raw material is a slurry-like mixture containing iron powder and water.
4. The process involves supplying raw materials for hydrogen gas generation to a geothermal reservoir underground, The steps include: reacting the raw materials in the geothermal reservoir to generate hydrogen gas; The steps include raising the generated hydrogen gas to the ground and recovering it, Includes, A method for producing hydrogen gas, characterized in that the raw materials include iron and water.
5. In the hydrogen gas generation method according to claim 4, A method for producing hydrogen gas, further comprising the step of mixing iron powder and water to produce a slurry-like mixture which is the raw material.

Description

This invention relates to a hydrogen gas generator and a hydrogen gas generator. In recent years, hydrogen has attracted attention as a clean energy source that does not emit carbon dioxide, and its application in fuel cell vehicles and other applications is being considered. As a technology related to the present invention, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a hydrogen gas production method comprising the steps of: circulating alcohol and water through a pipe; pressurizing the alcohol and water as a mixture within the pipe using the weight of the circulating alcohol and water, and heating the mixture through the pipe with an external heat source to form a region of the mixture containing supercritical or subcritical water in at least a portion of the pipe; generating hydrogen gas from the mixture in the formed region; and recovering the generated hydrogen gas through the pipe. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-81664 This figure shows a hydrogen gas generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.This is an enlarged view of the other end of the supply pipe and the recovery pipe in a hydrogen gas generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.This flowchart shows the procedure for generating hydrogen in a hydrogen gas generation method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following, similar elements will be denoted by the same reference numerals in all drawings, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Furthermore, in the text, reference numerals previously mentioned will be used as necessary. Figure 1 shows a hydrogen gas generator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the other end of the supply pipe 12 and the recovery pipe 14 in the hydrogen gas generator 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure for generating hydrogen in the hydrogen gas generation method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The hydrogen gas generator 10 includes a supply pipe 12 for supplying raw material M for hydrogen gas generation, and a recovery pipe 14 for recovering the generated hydrogen gas. The supply pipe 12 has one end 12a protruding above ground and the other end 12b reaching the geothermal reservoir 20 underground. The one end 12a of the supply pipe 12 is the input port for the raw material M. The raw material M, introduced from the one end 12a, falls under its own weight, passes through the other end 12b, and is supplied to the geothermal reservoir 20. The supply pipe 12 is, for example, a steel pipe. The geothermal reservoir 20 is a permeable rock layer located several hundred to several thousand meters underground, where high-temperature geothermal fluids (hot water or steam) are stored or circulated. The geothermal reservoir 20 is composed of volcanic rocks (e.g., andesite and rhyolite) containing numerous fractures and fault structures, and is heated by magma heat supplied from underground. Furthermore, the geothermal reservoir 20 is surrounded by a relatively impermeable caprock layer (e.g., tuff and mudstone), preventing heat and fluid from escaping to the outside. In this specification, the geothermal reservoir 20 is located at a depth of approximately 1,000 to 4,000 m and has a high-temperature, high-pressure environment (temperature T ≥ 374°C, pressure P ≥ 22.1 MPa) where water becomes supercritical. The raw material M contains iron and water, and in the geothermal reservoir 20, the water in raw material M becomes supercritical (hereinafter, water in a supercritical state is referred to as supercritical water). Supercritical water possesses properties of both liquid and gaseous states and is characterized by its extremely high reactivity. The iron is, for example, iron powder. Generally, under strongly acidic conditions with a pH of around 1 to 3, iron reacts with hydrogen ions in water as follows to produce hydrogen gas along with iron ions. Fe + 2H + → Fe²⁺ + H²⁺ ↑ ... Reaction equation (1) In addition to the above reaction equation (1), iron and water react as follows to produce hydrogen gas along with iron oxide. 3Fe + 4H₂O → Fe₃O₄ + 4H₂ ↑ ... Reaction equation (2) The reaction in equation (2) can occur not only under strongly acidic conditions of pH 1-3, as in equation (1), but also under weakly acidic to neutral conditions. However, when using ordinary water, the reaction rate is extremely slow, and virtually no hydrogen gas is produced. Because supercritical water has significantly higher reactivity (oxidizing power) compared to ordinary water, the reaction in reaction equation (2) above proceeds particularly efficiently when iron and supercritical water are present together, greatly improving hydrogen production efficiency. In other words, by supplying raw material M containing iron and water to the