US-12624460-B2 - System and method for making green hydrogen

US12624460B2US 12624460 B2US12624460 B2US 12624460B2US-12624460-B2

Abstract

A system and method of making hydrogen from water. A reaction vessel is provided with an outer shell, a central shaft, and concentric inner tubes separated by annular spaces. Water is delivered to the annular spaces by a water pump through an inlet defined in the reaction vessel. The water courses along a tortuous flow path. That path begins at an inner annular space around a central shaft. It ends at an outer annular space. The water emerges from the reaction vessel through an outlet associated with a manifold. A vibratory stimulus is applied to the reaction vessel and water. Water molecules are dissociated into hydrogen molecules and oxygen atoms. These reaction products are delivered through the manifold along an effluent flow path to a receiving pressure vessel before deployment to a sub-assembly for harnessing clean energy.

Inventors

Richard CHRYSLER
Marlon EKHOFF

Assignees

Power & Concepts, LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20250902

Claims (9)

1 . A system for generating hydrogen, comprising: a reaction vessel having an outer shell, a central shaft, and one or more concentric inner tubes separated by annular spaces, wherein the annular spaces define a flow path within the reaction vessel, wherein the flow path constrains an aqueous solution to circulate within the annular spaces beginning at an inner annular space around the central shaft and ending at an outer annular space beneath the outer shell, and wherein the central shaft and the outer shell serve as electrodes; a pump configured to pump an aqueous solution to the reaction vessel; and a power converter in communication with a source of alternating current and configured to convert the alternating current to direct current, wherein the power converter is electrically connected to the electrodes and is configured to pass a current through the aqueous solution via the electrodes so that at least some molecules within the aqueous solution dissociate into hydrogen and oxygen.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous solution comprises an electrolyte.
3 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a pressure vessel in fluid communication with the reaction vessel, wherein the aqueous solution is stored in the pressure vessel prior to being delivered to the reaction vessel.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the reaction vessel comprises at least six concentric inner tubes.
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the reaction vessel further comprises end caps holding the outer shell, the central shaft, and the one or more concentric inner tubes in place, and wherein the end caps are positioned on both ends of the reaction vessel.
6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the end caps include a non-conductive material.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the flow path comprises a first flow direction along the inner annular space and opposite flow directions in adjacent annular spaces.
8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the reaction vessel is inclined at an angle relative to a horizontal reference line, where the angle is between 15 degrees and 90 degrees.
9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the outer shell, the central shaft, and the one or more concentric inner tubes includes stainless steel.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 18/422,842 filed Jan. 25, 2024, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 18/202,150 filed May 25, 2023, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated in their entirety by reference herein. TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure lies in the field of making hydrogen gas on demand from an aqueous solution that is subjected to electrical energy and a vibrational disturbance. BACKGROUND The quest for low carbon emissions has made hydrogen an attractive source of energy because it is found in large quantities, mainly in the form of water. When used as a fuel, hydrogen produces water vapor, making it a clean energy source. Hydrogen can be produced from renewable sources such as solar, wind, and hydropower. But the sun does not always shine, and the wind may not blow as desired. Overall, hydrogen has the potential to be a key component in a sustainable energy future, as it is a clean, efficient, and versatile energy source that can be produced from renewable sources. In practice, hydrogen gas is difficult to store compactly and efficiently because it has a very low density. This means that a large amount of space is needed to store even a small amount of hydrogen. Because hydrogen gas is a collection of small molecules, it can easily leak through minute gaps in storage containers, valves, or pipes. This can result in hydrogen loss, waste, and potential danger because hydrogen is flammable. To meet spatial constraints, hydrogen gas must often be stored at high pressures to achieve the required density before use. Such high pressures require storage containers to be heavier and are thus expensive to manufacture. Another adverse consequence of hydrogen storage is embrittlement. It is known that hydrogen can cause embrittlement in metals, making it difficult to store hydrogen safely in metal containers for long periods of time. Against this backdrop, it would be desirable to have a system and method to make hydrogen gas on-demand, thereby minimizing or eliminating the need to store hydrogen between its production and use. Further, it would be desirable to make hydrogen using a system that is relatively compact and if necessary, readily transportable. Of particular interest is green hydrogen. Green hydrogen is hydrogen gas resulting from water splitting into hydrogen and oxygen, conventionally using electricity and electrolysis. The term “green” refers to the fact that the production of hydrogen does not produce any greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases are said to negatively impact the environment when their concentrations in the atmosphere are excessive. Such gases trap heat from the sun, which causes the Earth's temperature to increase. This is thought to lead to changes in climate patterns and rising sea levels, more frequent and intense heat waves, droughts, floods, and extreme weather events. Making green hydrogen is a promising alternative to traditional methods of producing hydrogen, which typically rely on fossil fuels and can contribute to climate change. Prior art electrolysis involves the decomposition of water by passing a low-voltage current through liquid water to produce hydrogen and oxygen, which can be burned in a combustion engine or fed into a fuel cell to generate energy. Conventional electrolysis systems require electrolytes (e.g., sodium hydroxide or sulfuric acid) added to the water. Then an electrical current is passed through the water until enough energy is supplied to dissociate the hydrogen ions from the oxygen ions. Oxygen ions are attracted to the anode (+) and hydrogen ions are attracted to the cathode (−). Prior art systems and methods for dissociating hydrogen from water molecules tend to be relatively inefficient and consume more energy than can be recaptured. Therefore, it would be desirable to have an improved hydrogen generation system that consumes less energy than conventional approaches to hydrogen generation. In some cases, supplementing electrolysis with a 10-MHz hybrid sound wave may benefit hydrogen production. See, e.g., newatlas.com/energy/hydrogen-sound-vibration-electrolysis, which is incorporated by reference. That approach used gold electrodes and an electrolyte with a neutral pH level contained in a glass electrolyte chamber. See also, 13 Advanced Energy Materials 7, Feb. 17, 2023—onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aenm.202203164, which is also incorporated by reference. Against this background, it would be beneficial to make hydrogen on-demand practically from an abundant fuel—water—without resorting to solar power or wind energy. Among the patent references considered before filing this patent application are: EP2433902, EP3907181, PE20211530, US2012/0222954, US2017/0275160, and US2020/0376459. SUMMARY In light of the shortcomings and challenges presented by the prior art, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide an improved hydroge