Modular power station for the production primarily of hydrogen f

Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus – product – and – Having magnetic field feature

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429 13, 429 19, 429 26, 429 41, H01M 806

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active

057956669

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national phase of PCT/EP94/03766 filed 12 Nov. 1994 and based, in turn, upon German national application P4341438.9 of 4 Dec. 1993 under the International Convention.


FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a modular power station for the production primarily of hydrogen using solar energy. "The production primarily of hydrogen" means that hydrogen is the actual product for which the process is intended. "Modular power station" means that the power station comprises a number of modules serving various functions, and from which the power station can be assembled by a building-block system from such modules. The modules are mass-produced components. Of course, they are connected by operational lines and control lines. The invention also relates to a method of generating electric energy by means of such a modular power station.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There is no known modular power station primarily for the production of hydrogen from solar energy. However, known solar power stations comprise a number of similar components or solar collectors for collecting solar energy, which is converted into electric energy by a photoelectric effect or by a thermal effect using heat engines. Other known power stations comprise at least one reactor for gasifying fossil fuels and also biomass to obtain fuel gas, which is utilized, e.g. by circulation through heat engines.
"Biomass" is a general term denoting all regenerative raw materials, i.e. materials which can be repeatedly produced by biological means, at a substantially predictable production rate depending on the vegetation periods of a region. Biomass is therefore contrasted with fossil raw materials, which are formed much more slowly than used. A biomass can be made available with substantially intact cell structure or with a disintegrated structure, e.g. in the form of a fine powder. Biomass consists mainly of the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, and is low in protein and sulphur. In the invention, "biomass" is used particularly to mean C-4 plants and lignin-rich plants. In the invention, perennial plants in particular are used to produce biomass.
Molecular hydrogen is not available as a raw material for generating energy, but has to be obtained from hydrogen-containing raw materials. Production of hydrogen from water by normal electrolysis uses more current than can be generated by the hydrogen, and must therefore be ruled out from the start. Catalytic splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen is very slow and yields only small amounts of hydrogen at high cost, and is therefore unattractive for commercial use. It has long been known to use coal to generate synthesis gas, consisting mainly of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, and a plant required for this is also known. This process is called coal gasification. In a water-shift reaction, the carbon monoxide in synthesis gas can be converted to hydrogen and carbon dioxide by adding water vapor at elevated temperature. The carbon dioxide can easily be removed. The hydrogen produced can be used for the most diverse purposes, more particularly for generating electric energy by means of fuel-cells or for operating internal combustion engines.
Hydrogen has hitherto been produced centrally in large plants usually based on fossil fuels.


OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is converting solar energy decentrally and by a simple method into primarily hydrogen.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This object is attained according to the invention with a modular power station for the production primarily of hydrogen from solar energy comprising free from native sulphur, the conversion module being in the form of an agricultural cultivation surface for growing plants, particularly C4 plants, convertible into biomass, the presence of water vapor to obtain a hydrogen-containing fuel gas at temperatures, and at a residence time of the products for gasification in the gasification zone of the reactor, such as to suppress

REFERENCES:
patent: 4988580 (1991-01-01), Ohsaki et al.
patent: 5409784 (1995-04-01), Bromberg et al.
patent: 5554453 (1996-09-01), Steinfeld et al.
Fuel Cell Energy Recovery From Landfill Gas, by G.J. Sandelli, Journal of Power Sources, 37 (1992) 255-264 (Month N/A).
Potential Biomass Resources of Sicily for Electric-Power Generation, by Alderucci et al., Applied Energy 45 (1993) 219-240 (Month N/A).
Assessment of Biomass-Based Fuel Cell Power Systems, by Edward I. Wan, Energy Biomass Wastes 9(1995) (Month N/A).

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