Gas separation: apparatus – Apparatus for selective diffusion of gases
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-14
2001-01-30
Spitzer, Robert H. (Department: 1724)
Gas separation: apparatus
Apparatus for selective diffusion of gases
C095S056000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06179902
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT
The present invention relates to an apparatus for recovering, refining, and storing hydrogen gas. The apparatus enables used hydrogen gas having a low purity to be reused for a hydrogen furnace or as a process gas by refining the used hydrogen gas and storing the refined hydrogen gas.
As hydrogen gas for a hydrogen furnace or as a process gas, or the like, there is used hydrogen gas having a high purity of 99.9% or more so as to avoid oxidation and carbonization of is products. However, the purity drops to 70-99.0% because impure gas, or the like, is mixed therein. Hydrogen gas of decreased purity has conventionally been regarded as an unreusable gas and disposed of by combustion.
When hydrogen gas is carried by a loader out of a hydrogen manufacturing operation to a tank, or when hydrogen gas is produced with an on-site hydrogen producing apparatus, disposal of hydrogen by combustion after every use has had a great loss in view of energy saving and cost.
There has been proposed an apparatus for refining hydrogen gas having a decreased purity with a hydrogen occlusion alloy as a technique to highly purify and reuse a hydrogen gas having a decreased purity by refining. In the apparatus, hydrogen gas having a decreased purity is introduced into a refinement container, only hydrogen gas is absorbed by a hydrogen occlusion alloy installed in the refinement container, the remaining impurity is discharged from the system, and then the hydrogen gas is released from the hydrogen occlusion alloy to be stored in a tank.
However, in the aforementioned apparatus, repeated occlusion of hydrogen gas pulverizes the hydrogen occlusion alloy, and it sometimes happens that the pulverized alloy is mixed in the hydrogen gas.
Release of hydrogen gas from the hydrogen occlusion alloy is an endothermic reaction, while occlusion of hydrogen gas by the hydrogen occlusion alloy is an exothermic reaction. Therefore, the hydrogen occlusion alloy has to be subjected alternatively to heating and cooling so as to occlude and release hydrogen gas. Thus, the apparatus requires a complex treatment.
Further, in the aforementioned apparatus, it has been difficult to continuously supply a certain amount of a refined gas because one refinement container is not sufficient for simultaneously conducting occlusion and release. Accordingly, two or more refinement containers have generally been used and operated by alternating the containers so that one is in an occlusion process when the other is in release process. Since a fluctuation of an amount of supply of a refined gas has been controlled to be small, the operation was complex, and the structure of the apparatus has become more intricate.
The present invention was made in consideration of the aforementioned conditions. The object of the present invention is to provide a recovery, refinement, and storage apparatus for hydrogen gas which is free from mixing with a pulverized alloy, which apparatus is easily operated, the structure of which is simple, and which can continuously supply a certain amount of refined gas.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for recovering, refining, and storing hydrogen gas, comprising:
a recovery and refinement line for recovering and refining hydrogen gas to be used for a hydrogen furnace or used as a process gas;
a storage tank for storing refined gas; and
a resupply line for resupplying gas stored in the storage tank to the hydrogen furnace or as a process gas;
wherein a palladium film is installed in the recovery and refinement line and allows hydrogen gas to permeate the palladium film so as to be refined.
Incidentally, in the present invention, hydrogen gas having a purity of 70-99.0% which is lowered by use can be refined so as to have a high purity of 99.9% or more.
Additionally, an oil-removal means for removing oil vapor mixed in the hydrogen gas is preferably arranged in the upstream portion of the palladium film installed in the recovery and refinement line.
Further, an oxygen-removal means for removing oxygen mixed in hydrogen gas is preferably arranged in the former portion of the palladium film installed in a recovery and refinement line.
Furthermore, a filter for removing metallic powder mixed in the hydrogen gas is preferably arranged in the upstream portion of the palladium film installed in the recovery and refinement line.
A pressure-increasing means is preferably arranged between the palladium film installed in the recovery and refinement line and the storage tank.
Furthermore, a heat exchanger is arranged in the upstream and/or downstream portion(s) of the palladium film installed in the recovery and refinement line.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3251652 (1966-05-01), Pfefferle
patent: 3336730 (1967-08-01), McBride et al.
patent: 3365276 (1968-01-01), Childs et al.
patent: 4063937 (1977-12-01), Goltsov et al.
patent: 4255591 (1981-03-01), Makin et al.
patent: 4548618 (1985-10-01), Linde et al.
patent: 4875945 (1989-10-01), Penzhorn et al.
patent: 4881953 (1989-11-01), Prasad et al.
patent: 4892564 (1990-01-01), Cooley
patent: 5131930 (1992-07-01), Vines
patent: 5157200 (1992-10-01), Mikkinen et al.
patent: 5181942 (1993-01-01), Jain
patent: 5217506 (1993-06-01), Edlund et al.
patent: 5318688 (1994-06-01), Najjar et al.
patent: 5393328 (1995-02-01), Barbe
patent: 5449848 (1995-09-01), Itoh
patent: 5470379 (1995-11-01), Garrett
patent: 5503657 (1996-04-01), Bouard et al.
patent: 0 715 880 (1996-06-01), None
patent: 1 195 852 (1970-06-01), None
patent: 63-282103 (1988-11-01), None
patent: 63-295402 (1988-12-01), None
patent: 6-345409 (1994-12-01), None
Uemiya et al., “Hydrogen permeable palladium-silver alloy membrane supported on porous ceramics”,Journal of Membrane Science, 56 (1991) 315-325.
Kawae Takayuki
Sakai Osamu
Takahashi Tomonori
Kubovcik & Kubovcik
NGK Insulators Ltd.
Spitzer Robert H.
LandOfFree
Apparatus for recovering, refining, and storing hydrogen gas does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Apparatus for recovering, refining, and storing hydrogen gas, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Apparatus for recovering, refining, and storing hydrogen gas will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2445111