Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus – product – and – Having magnetic field feature
Patent
1996-06-18
1997-08-26
Skapars, Anthony
Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus, product, and
Having magnetic field feature
429 17, H01M 820
Patent
active
056609400
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a method for producing electric energy in a biofuel-powered fuel cell.
PRIOR-ART TECHNIQUE
The most efficient technique so far of converting the chemical energy (combustion heat) of a fuel into electric energy has proved to be the effecting of the conversion in fuel cells. Several types of fuel cells are known. What essentially distinguishes the different fuel cells is the electrolyte which is responsible for the current transfer in the cell, as well as the fuel used. The electrolyte may be, for instance, concentrated alkali or concentrated H.sub.3 PO.sub.4. In a conventional fuel cell, the fuel is consumed at the negative pole of the cell, thereby forming oxidised products (products of combustion) and transferring electrons to the cathode. The oxidising agent necessary for the combustion, in most cases air or pure oxygen, is converted at the positive pole of the cell such that the oxygen molecule is reduced to water or components of water, such as hydrogen ions or hydroxide ions, electrons being transferred from the anode to the oxidising agent.
The advantage of these fuel cells is that the combustion can be effected at a low temperature, and that the available free energy change (Gibbs' free energy) is in the theoretical case directly converted into electric energy, thereby preventing the power losses which occur in processes in which differences in temperature are utilised, for example in a Carnot heat engine.
Regarding the fuel for fuel cells, practically nothing but hydrogen gas has been used so far. Fuels such as carbon monoxide or methanol may possibly also be used, but they have not yet been found to function in a satisfactory manner. Methanol involves the same drawback as when using hydrogen gas as fuel, i.e. in the production a when using hydrogen gas as fuel, i.e. in the production a considerable amount of carbon dioxide is formed. Hydrogen gas is now produced almost exclusively from natural gas, and the carbon dioxide formed in this process promotes the so-called greenhouse effect.
Prior-art techniques of utilising the energy content of biofuels have comprised, for example, direct combustion thereof, e.g. in the form of wood, and utilisation of the increase in temperature, i.e. the released heat. Moreover, the biofuels have been gasified, thereby obtaining a mixture of hydrogen gas and carbon monoxide, which may then be burnt directly in a suitable apparatus or be chemically combined under the action of a suitable catalyst for forming methanol, methane, paraffin-oil or other carbonaceous fuels. Besides, by a suitable reaction, the biofuel or part thereof can be converted into fermentable sugar, which is subsequently fermented to ethanol. This ethanol may then be used in e.g. internal combustion engines, either separately or mixed with petrol.
It is previously known to use vanadium sulphate or other vanadium compounds in electrochemical cells (see M. Skyllas-Kazacos and F. Grossmith, J. Electrochem. Soc. 134 (1987) 2950; M. Skyllas-Kazacos, M. Rychick and R. Robins, U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,567, 188; B. Sun and M. Skyllas-Kazacos, Electrochim. Acta, 36 (1991) 513; and M. Kazacos, M. Cheng and M. Skyllas-Kazacos, J. Appl. Electrochem. 12 (1982) 87). An electrically renewable accumulator is then involved, which has been developed by Skylla-Kazacos et al. If vanadium-based fuel cells are taken into consideration, and if the used fuel is hydrogen gas, reference can be made to the chemically renewable cells which have been developed by Kummer and Oei (see J. T. Kummer and D. G. Oei, J. Appl. Electrochem. 15 (1985) 619; and J. T. Kummer and D. G. Oei, J. Appl. Electrochem. 12 (1982) 87).
It is also known to use glucose as fuel in fuel cells (see J. R. Rao, G. J. Richter, F. von Sturm and E. Weidlich. Bioelectrochem. Bioenerg. 3 (1976) 139). These fuel cells are adapted to be implanted in the human body for driving a pacemaker. However, the glucose is oxidised to gluconic acid only, and only a small amount of the reducing capacity of the glucose is utilised. Fuel cells in
REFERENCES:
patent: 4159366 (1979-06-01), Thaller
patent: 4576878 (1986-03-01), Gahn
patent: 4661422 (1987-04-01), Marianowski et al.
Folkesson Borje
Larsson Ragnar
Skapars Anthony
Sufucell AB
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