EQUIPMENT FOR THE ETHYL ALCOHOL'S CATALYTIC THERMO-FISSION TO HYDROGEN AND CARBONIC OXIDE FOR THE FEEDING OF FUEL CELLS
DESCRIPTION of the industrial invention bearing the title "Equipment for the ethyl alcohol's catalytic thermo-fission to hydrogen and carbonic oxide for the feeding of fuel cells" The technique of using hydrocarbons reforming systems (petrol, aromatic compounds, etc) or methyl-alcohol to obtain hydrogen to feed fuel cells e consequently electric motors, has been subject of several researches and experimental or proto-industrial applications. On practical plan these applications have shown also the feasibility of the system, but meantime they have drawn attention to critical sides due to the fact that they use products of petroliferous or fossil origin and they make use of reactors that aim to carry out the full conversion of chemical energy to electrical energy, then necessarily withdrawing an important quantity to feed the different devices required to keep running the fission equipment, thus reconverting it to thermal and mechanical energy, causing an overall reduction of the efficiency of final conversion. The equipment of catalytic thermo-fission of this industrial invention uses ethyl alcohol coming from renewable source as raw material and it has the peculiarity that from the reactor we obtain gaseous hydrogen and carbonic oxide. The obtained hydrogen after a suitable clearing feeds directly and exclusively the fuel cell of conversion to electrical energy, while the carbonic oxide is used to feed all the catalytic thermo-fission process with the different and compact ancillary devices related to the process itself, thus obtaining a satisfactory conversion of the ethanol chemical energy to traction electrical energy without using catalysts made from precious materials. Fig. 1 shows the equipment overall layout, the ethyl alcohol is stocked in the tank Sl from which a certain quantity Ia is taken out and is measured by the flux meter
Fl. Then the pump Pl driven by the hydraulic motor Ml generates the delivery pressure Pa and introduces the certain quantity Ia inside the heat exchanger El shown in Fig. 2 where the diathermic fluid fτ flows at temperature Te. The ethanol vapours coming out from the heat exchanger get into the catalytic reactor Rc (shown in Fig. 3) that is at temperature Tu. Inside the reactor the ethanol vapours are separated in hydrogen (H2) and carbonic oxide (CO), both at gaseous state. The gaseous mixture goes through a separator at molecular sieves σm (shown in Fig. 5) that separates the two gases introducing them in two separated output ducts. Inside the first one the hydrogen goes in the clearing device Λ (shown in Fig. 4) and is stocked up in the holding tank S3, from which, after a pressure reduction, it flows, with a specific delivery measured by the flux meter F2, to fuel cell (Fuel cell). The generated electric energy is introduced to a proper circuit controlled by a PLC composed by a group of storage batteries and ultra-capacitors that supply the traction electric motor Me. From the second duct of the separator the carbon monoxide is introduced to the holding tank S2 and then, after a pressure reduction and with a specific delivery Ig, it goes into the tubular burner, Philips type, (shown in Fig. 6) in which preheated air Ea is introduced as combustive (the preheated air comes from the heat exchanger E2 under force carried out by the fan v driven by the small motor m3). The burner, radiant tube type, is immersed in the diathermic fluid fτ to which it transfers the thermal energy Q at temperature Tl. The combustion products, carbon dioxide and steam, go out through the discharge duct Sc, without any increase in the atmospheric rate as the carbon dioxide is the one derived from the vegetative carbonation of biomass from which the ethyl alcohol used for the thermo-fission process is obtained. The diathermic fluid fτ through the tube system heat exchanger E3 produces steam Vm at temperature T2 and delivery pressure Pe that are the suitable conditions
necessary to drive the rotary steam motor Mv, which by a silent chain controls the rotation of the hydraulic pump Pi that allows the driven of the hydraulic motors ml, ml, m3, m4. The steam coming out from the motor Mv at temperature ts flows inside the heat exchanger E2 (preheater of combustive air) through the pump p2 driven by the hydraulic motor ml. The steam, after having transferred some of its heat, returns inside the tube system heat exchanger E3 that feeds the motor Mv at closed circuit. The thermal oil pump P3, driven by the hydraulic motor m4, makes the diathermic fluid fτ circulate toward the heat exchanger El and the catalytic reactor Rc producing the working optimum temperature. Fig. 2 shows in detail the sectional view of the evaporator El in which the ethyl alcohol flux Ia goes through the check valve 6, connected to the head 3, inside the coil S5 fixed to the bottom plate 2, reaching the outgoing temperature Te inside the flange compartment 1, and then going out through the output duct Uv. On one side of the tube container 5 the diathermic oil at temperature Tk goes in through the duct Efτ, then flowing it makes the exchange Q with the coil S and finally it goes out through the duct Sfτ. The whole device, bounded by the end bottom plates 4, is contained inside aluminium concentric tubes Ci (reflecting for thermal radiations) with an hollow space made by thermal-insulation material Jτ. Fig. 3 shows in detail the sectional view of the catalytic reactor Rc placed in sequence to the evaporator El. The alcohol vapours Ev at temperature Te go in the catalytic reactor Rc through the entry duct 9 and then going out at pressure Pe from a series of small holes laid out in radial mode at the edge of the duct. In the head 12 there is an opening that includes a special catalytic net Rc* consisting of a metallic thread composed by a ternary alloy 70% tin, 20% germanium, 10% lead.
The ethyl alcohol vapours going out from the duct small holes crossing the net mesh are subjected to a partial fission to carbonic oxide and hydrogen. The gaseous mixture flux goes out through the large number of very small holes of the diaphragm di to reach the chambers K3-K2-K1 spaced by stainless steel bored diaphragms inside which there are the catalytic separators made by a siliceous support with active places of a mix of microcrystalline porous powders of 60% nickel, 20% titanium, 15% cobalt, 5% iron. During the sequential crossing of these chambers the gaseous mixture undergoes a progressive dissociative action to carbonic oxide and hydrogen moving to the last chamber where there is the catalytic net Rc*. Through a series of small holes laid out in the edge of the jacket 11, the gaseous mixture separated in the two components CO and H2 goes out from reactor through the duct Ug. The thermo-fission device is located between the edge heads 7 and 12 heated at temperature Tr by the thermal fluid Fτ flowing inside the block 10. The concentric aluminium tubes Ci and the insulation hollow space Jτ act as reactor container. Fig. 5 shows in detail the sectional view of the separator that split the two components CO and H2 coming from the catalytic reactor Rc. The molecular sieve 20 (σm) is inside the body 19, it allows the passage of H2 molecules and it convoys them in the annular hollow space to exit through the port Eδ, while the kept CO is convoyed in the opening that leads to the exit duct and then it is stored in the stock tank S2. Fig. 4 shows in detail the sectional view of the device for the purification of the hydrogen coming from thermo-fission. The gas goes into the tank 16 through the check- valve 14, it passes through the solution 17 (Sa absorption solution ppm of residual CO) and it is convoyed in the duct 15 to which edge 13 there is a clearing the fog net rs and it goes out from the
dome through the duct Uf that is suitable to feed the fuel cell for the electrical energy generation. From the ecological point of view, the system is equal to zero emission conditions, while from the energetic point of view, the conversion to electricity allows an higher average yield because the efficiency of a fuel cell is around 65% while the one of the associated electric motor is higher than 90%, consequently the overall yield for the traction is about two times the efficiency of heat engines. From the manufacturing and engineering point of view, it is possible to draw attention to the fact that despite a certain relevant complexity of the devices composing the thermo-fission equipment a simplification in the electrical drive, compared to the one with heat engine, appears. Generally it can be said that, since it requires several and different devices, the use of the system of conversion ethanol-electrical energy, increases the production costs in the first part of the fission, but the simplifications that follow in the second part of the drive (lack of gearbox, energy recovery while braking, energy storage, etc.) counterbalance the costs, giving an overall advantage to the propulsive system under the economic and industrial profile, since the raw material used is not of fossil origin (it is ethanol coming from biomass) and the drive comes from renewable source.
Compact equipment unit for continuous ethyl alcohol catalytic thermo-fission suitable to produce hydrogen and carbonic oxide and composed by five devices placed in series from which one obtaines hydrogen suitable to feed fuel cells and carbonic oxide that is used to feed all the ancillary devices required to run the system. The equipment allows the conversion of ethanol to electrical energy to supply electric motors of auto-traction. CLAIMS 1) CLAIM 1 the catalytic thermo-fission system of ethanol to hydrogen and carbonic oxide, inside the heterogeneous catalytic reactor, carried out during vapour phase at temperature between 1100C and 2400C with proportionate pressure between 1.3 and 2.8 bar. 2) AS CLAIMED IN CLAIM 1 the composition of the wire used to compose the net mesh of the first and the last stage of the reactor at transverse crossing; alloy made by between 55% and 85% of tin but preferably 70% - between 15% and 35% of germanium but preferably 20% - between 5% and 20% of lead but preferably 10%. 3) AS CLAIMED IN CLAIM 1 the composition of the catalytic separators made by a siliceous support with active places of a mix of microcrystalline porous powders composed by between 30% and 75% of nickel but preferably 60% - between 10% and 35% of titanium but preferably 20% - between 5% and 30% of cobalt but preferably 15% - between 2% and 20% of iron but preferably 5%. 4) AS CLAIMED IN CLAIM 3 the temperature value between 95°C and 2200C but preferably 1800C to which the separators mentioned at point 3) operate. 5) AS CLAIMED IN CLAIM 1 the use of a closed circuit for the steam generation that drives the rotary engine using the heat of the combustion of carbonic oxide with the air pre-heated inside the heat exchanger by the steam discharge.
6) CLAIM 6 the schematic configuration steam rotary engine - hydraulic pump for the actuation of all hydraulic motors, both primary and of service, making a closed and independent circuit for the thermo-fission device operation.
