JP2013519512A - Linked thermochemical reactor and engine and related systems and methods - Google Patents

Abstract

An interlocking thermochemical reactor and engine and related systems and methods. A system according to one particular embodiment includes a reaction vessel having a reaction zone, a hydrogen donor source connected in fluid communication with the reaction zone, and an engine having a combustion zone. The system can further include a transfer flow path that connects between the combustion zone and the reaction zone to transfer reactants and / or radiant energy to the reaction zone. The system may further include a product flow path connecting between the reaction zone and the combustion zone of the engine to deliver at least a portion of the components removed from the reaction zone to the combustion zone.

Description

[Cross-reference to related applications]
This application claims priority and benefit with respect to US patent application Ser. No. 61 / 304,403, filed Feb. 13, 2010 and entitled “FULL SPECTRUM ENERGY AND RESOURCE INDEPENDENCE”. This application is filed on July 21, 2010 and is entitled US METHOD OF SYSTEM OF THERMOCHEMICAL REGENERATION TO PROVIDE OXYGENATED FUEL, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH FUEL-COOLED FUEL INJECTORS. This is a continuation-in-part application of US Provisional Application No. 61/237425, filed August 27, 2009 and named “OXYGENATED FUEL PRODUCTION”, and filed August 27, 2009. US Provisional Application No. 61/237466 entitled “MULTIFUEL MULTIBURST” and US Provisional Application No. 61/237479 filed August 27, 2009 and named “FULL SPECTRUM ENERGY” PCT Application No. PCT / US09 / 6 filed December 7, 2009 and named “INTEGRATED FUEL INJECTORS AND IGNITERS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS OF USE AND MANUFACTURE” No. 7044, US Provisional Application No. 61/304403 filed February 13, 2010 and named “FULL SPECTRUM ENERGY AND RESOURCE INDEPENDENCE”, and filed “SYSTEM” US Patent Application No. 61/3012100 entitled "AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING HIGH VOLTAGE RF SHIELDING, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR USE WITH A FUEL INJECTOR". US patent application Ser. No. 12/84509 is also a part of US patent application Ser. No. 12 / 653,085 filed Dec. 7, 2009 and named “INTEGRATED INJECTORS AND IGNITERS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS OF USE AND MANUFACTURE”. No. 12/006774 filed Jan. 7, 2008 and entitled “MULTIFUEL STORAGE, METERING, AND IGNITION SYSTEM” (currently US Pat. No. 7,628,137). Claiming priority and benefit for US Provisional Application No. 61/237466, filed Aug. 27, 2009 and entitled “MULTIFUEL MULTIBURST”. US patent application Ser. No. 12/804509 is also a continuation of US patent application Ser. No. 12 / 58,825, filed Oct. 19, 2009 and entitled “MULTIFUEL STORAGE, METERING, AND IGNITION SYSTEM”. This is a divisional application of US Patent Application No. 12/006774 (currently US Pat. No. 7,628,137) filed on January 7, 2008 and named “MULTIFUEL STORAGE, METERING, AND IGNITION SYSTEM”. It is. Each of these applications is hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. In the event that any other material contained in this specification conflicts with the disclosure provided herein by reference to the foregoing application and / or reference, the disclosure herein shall control.

  The present application is generally directed to interlocking thermochemical reactors and engines and related systems and methods. In certain embodiments, such a system can be used to create clean-burning hydrogen-based fuels from a wide variety of feedstocks, and carbon and / or removed when forming hydrogen-based fuels. Or building blocks (eg, building structures) can be created from other elements.

  Renewable energy sources such as the sun, wind, waves, and rain, and biomass-based resources have tremendous potential as important energy sources, but are currently in a variety of ways that preclude widespread acceptance. I have a problem. For example, the use of renewable energy sources in the production of electricity depends on the availability of sources that may be intermittent. Solar energy is limited by solar availability (ie only during the day), wind power is limited by wind variability, rainfall energy is limited by drought, and biomass energy is limited by seasonal changes among others. Because of these results and other factors, much of the energy from renewable resources tends to be wasted, either taken up or not taken up.

  The aforementioned inefficiencies associated with capturing and storing energy have limited the deployment of renewable energy sources to viable energy sellers in many parts of the world, for the reason they create This is because energy costs are often increased. Thus, government subsidies and other programs that support the development of technology related to fossil fuels make the world at least partly a major source of energy, as it makes it seemingly convenient and superficial to use such fuels. Continues to rely on oil and other fossil fuels. At the same time, replacement costs for the resources used and costs for environmental degradation and health effects and other by-products of the used fossil fuels are not included in the purchase price of energy resulting from these fuels.

  In light of the foregoing and other shortcomings associated with continuously creating renewable resources, there is still a need to improve the efficiency and commercial potential of producing products and fuels with such resources. is there.

  Several examples of instruments and systems and methods for efficiently creating hydrogen fuel and structural materials are described below. Efficiency can be provided by using the waste heat created by the combustion engine to heat the reactor and returning at least some reaction product to the engine for combustion or other purposes. This overall treatment can result in clean burning fuel and recycled carbon and / or other components for use in durable consumer materials including polymers and carbon composites. Although the following description provides many specific details of the following embodiments in a manner that will enable those skilled in the art to fully make, manufacture, and use them, some of the details and advantages described below are It may not be necessary to implement a particular form of this technique. In addition, the technology may include other embodiments that are within the scope of the claims but are not described in detail here.

  Particular embodiments of the technology described below can take the form of instructions executable by a computer, including procedures performed by a programmable computer or controller. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that this technique can be implemented on computers or control systems other than those shown and described below. This technique may be a special purpose computer, controller, or programmed in detail, configured or configured to execute one or more instructions executable by the computer described below, or It can be embodied in a data processing device. Thus, the terms “computer” and “controller” as generally used herein refer to any data processing device, such as Internet home appliances, portable terminals, multiprocessor systems, programmable consumer electronics, network computers, Can include a minicomputer. This technique can also be performed in a distributed environment where work or modules are performed by remote processing equipment connected via a communications network. The form of this technology described below is magnetically or optically readable, as well as computer readable including removable computer disks, as well as electronically distributed media throughout the network. Can be stored or distributed on media. In certain embodiments, data structures and data transmission specific to this form of technology are also encompassed within the scope of the technology. In addition to performing the steps, the art includes both methods of creating a computer readable medium program to perform a particular step.

  A system according to certain embodiments of the technology includes a reaction vessel having a reaction zone, a hydrogen donor source connected in fluid communication with the reaction zone, and an engine having a combustion zone. The system can further include a transfer channel for connecting the combustion zone and the reaction zone to transfer reactants and / or radiant energy to the reaction zone. The system may further include a product flow path for connecting at least a portion of the components removed from the reaction zone between the reaction zone and the combustion zone of the engine to the combustion zone. For example, in certain embodiments, the reactor can separate hydrocarbons such as methane using waste heat from the combustion process to facilitate the separation process. At least a portion of the resulting hydrogen fuel can be returned to the engine alone or in combination with carbon or carbon compounds for combustion and / or other purposes.

  A method according to another embodiment of the technology includes directing a hydrogen donor to the reaction zone of the reaction vessel and burning fuel at the engine to produce power and exhaust products. The method can further include directing exhaust products through a transfer flow path connecting between the engine and the reaction zone to transfer reactants and / or radiant energy to the reaction zone. The method can also further include separating the hydrogen donor into a separated product in the reaction zone, resulting in a non-hydrogen based building block and / or a hydrogen based fuel from the separated product. . The method can further include directing a portion of the components removed from the reaction zone to the engine. For example, in certain embodiments, the process includes separating methane into hydrogen and carbon monoxide and returning a portion of either or both of them together with the fuel components for combustion, for example.

1 is a partial schematic partial cross-sectional view of a reaction system that receives energy from a combustion engine according to an embodiment of the presently disclosed technique. FIG. 2 is a partial schematic cross-sectional view of a reaction system that receives energy from a combustion engine and returns reaction products to the engine according to an embodiment of the presently disclosed technique.

  Throughout this specification, references to “an example”, “an example”, “an embodiment”, or “an embodiment” refer to specific features, structures, processes, or properties described in connection with this example. It is meant to be included in at least one example of technology. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one example”, “in one example”, “in one embodiment”, or “in one embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same example. Absent. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, procedures, steps, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner using one or more examples of this technique. The headings given herein are for convenience only and are not intended to limit or interpret the scope or meaning of the claimed technology.

[Typical reaction system]
1 and 2 illustrate an exemplary reaction system for producing hydrogen-based fuels and building blocks or building structures according to some embodiments of the technology. FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic configuration of a reactor that uses waste heat from a combustion process. FIG. 2 illustrates further details of the reaction system and illustrates a mechanism and configuration that can couple the combustion engine and reactor in a closed circuit fashion.

FIG. 1 is a partial schematic diagram of an exemplary system 100 that includes a reactor 110. The reactor 110 further includes a reaction vessel 111 that surrounds or partially surrounds the reaction region 112. In at least some examples, the reaction vessel 111 has one or more transmission surfaces arranged to facilitate chemical reactions occurring within the reaction region 112. The appropriate transmission plane is the copending U.S. application numbered `` REACTOR VESSELS WITH TRANSMISSIVE SURFACES FOR PRODUCING HYDROGEN-BASED FUELS AND STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS ''. No. (Attorney Docket No. 695455.8602 US), which was filed at the same time as this case and is incorporated herein by reference. In a representative example, the reaction vessel 111 contains a hydrogen donor that is provided to the donor inlet 113 by the donor source 130. For example, the hydrogen donor can include methane or other hydrocarbons. A donor distributor or manifold 115 within the reaction vessel 111 disperses or distributes the hydrogen donor into the reaction zone 112. Reaction vessel 111 also receives steam from steam / water source 140 via steam inlet 114. The vapor distributor 116 of the reaction vessel 111 distributes the vapor to the reaction region 112. The reaction vessel 111 may further include a heater 123 that applies heat to the reaction region 112 to promote an endothermic reaction. Output (eg, power) for this heater can be provided from a renewable energy source 165. This renewable energy source 165 can include solar, wind, water and / or other suitable sustainable sources. Reactions that occur in reaction zone 112 can include separating methane or other hydrocarbons into hydrogen or hydrogen compounds and carbon or carbon compounds. In other embodiments, the reactor 110 can separate other hydrogen donors, such as hydrogen donors containing nitrogen. A typical response is a co-pending U.S. application named `` CHEMICAL PROCESSES AND REACTORS FOR EFFICIENTLY PRODUCING HYDROGEN FUELS AND STRUCTURAL MATERIALS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS ''. No. (Attorney Docket No. 695455.8601 US), which was filed at the same time as this case and is incorporated herein by reference. The reaction product leaves the reaction vessel 111 via the outlet 117 and is collected by the reaction product collector 171a.

  The system 100 can further include a source 150 of radiant energy (eg, waste heat) and / or additional reactant that provides a composition to the flow path 118 in the reaction vessel 111. For example, the heat / reactant source 150 may include a combustion chamber 151 that provides hot combustion / exhaust product 152 to the flow path 118, as indicated by arrow A. Combustion product 152 and associated waste heat are produced by a process (eg, a power generation process) that is separate from the separation process. The combustion product collector 171b collects the combustion product exiting the reaction vessel 111 for further reuse and / or other uses. In one particular embodiment, the combustion product 152 may include hot carbon monoxide, water vapor, and / or other components. One or more transmission surfaces 119 are disposed between the reaction region 112 (which can be annularly positioned around the channel 118) and the inner region 120 of the channel 118. Thus, this transmission surface 119 allows radiant energy and / or chemical components to pass radially outward from the flow path 118 to the reaction region 112 as indicated by arrow B. By delivering radiant energy (eg, heat) and / or chemical components provided by the flow of combustion products 152, the system 100 can cause reactions that occur in the reaction zone 112 to occur, for example, in the reaction zone temperature and / or pressure, and thus It can be increased by increasing the reaction rate and / or the thermodynamic efficiency of the reaction. Thus, in addition to facilitating the reaction in the reaction force region 112, the foregoing process can recycle or reuse energy and / or components that would otherwise be wasted.

The composition and structure of the transmission surface 119 can be selected so that radiant energy can easily pass from the inner region 120 of the flow path 118 to the reaction region 112. Accordingly, the transmission surface 119 can include glass, graphene, or re-radiating components. A suitable re-radiating component is a co-pending US application entitled “CHEMICAL REACTORS WITH RE-RADIATING SURFACES AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS”. Which is filed simultaneously with the present application and is incorporated herein by reference.

  As described above, the combustion products 152 may include steam and / or other components that can serve as reactants in the reaction zone 112. Accordingly, the transmission surface 119 can be manufactured such that such components can be selected into the reaction region 112 in addition to or instead of allowing radiant energy to enter the reaction region 112. In certain embodiments, the transmission surface 119 can be formed from a carbon crystal structure, such as a stacked graphene structure. The carbon-based crystal structure can include voids that are carefully selected to allow water molecules to pass through (eg, parallel layers arranged across the flow direction A). At the same time, this void can be selected to prevent useful reaction products created in the reaction zone 112 from exiting the reaction zone. In certain embodiments, the transmission surface 119 can be formed by using the same type of building structure created or promoted by the reactor 110.

  The system 100 can further include a controller 190 that receives an input signal 191 (eg, from a sensor) and provides an output signal 192 (eg, a control command) based on at least a portion of the input 191. Thus, the controller 190 can include a suitable processor, memory, and I / O capabilities. The controller 190 can receive signals corresponding to the measured or detected pressure, temperature, flow rate, chemical concentration and / or other suitable parameters, and can include reactant delivery rate, pressure and temperature, heater actuation, valve Commands can be issued to control settings and / or other suitable actively controllable parameters. The operator can provide additional input to change, adjust and / or cancel commands issued autonomously by the controller 190.

  FIG. 2 is a partial schematic diagram of a system 100 that includes a reactor 110 in combination with a radiant energy / reactant source 150 according to another embodiment of the technology. In this embodiment, the radiant energy / reactant source 150 includes an engine 180, for example, an internal combustion engine having a piston 182 that reciprocates within a cylinder 181. In other embodiments, the engine 180 may have other forms, such as an external combustion form. In one embodiment shown in FIG. 2, engine 180 includes an intake port 184a that is opened and closed by an intake valve 183a for controlling the air flowing into cylinder 181 through air filter 178. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, this air flow can be prevented from being restricted, and in other embodiments, it can be restricted. The fuel injector 185 directs the fuel to the combustion zone 179 where it is mixed with air and ignites, producing a combustion product 152. Additional fuel can be introduced by the injection valve 189a. Combustion product 152 exits cylinder 181 through exhaust port 184b controlled by exhaust valve 183b. Further details of a representative engine and ignition system are disclosed in copending US application Ser. No. 12 / 653,085 (Attorney Docket No. 69455.8304 US) filed Dec. 7, 2010, by reference. Included in this specification.

  Engine 180 may include features specifically designed to integrate engine operation with reactor 110 operation. For example, engine 180 and reactor 110 may share fuel from a common fuel source 130, described in more detail below. This fuel is supplied to the fuel injector 185 via the regulator 186. Engine 180 also passes the final product from reactor 110 via a first conduit or flow path 177a and water (eg, liquid or vapor) from reactor 110 via a second conduit or flow path 177b. Can accept. Further forms of these features are described in further detail below in accordance with the description of other features of the overall system 100.

  The system 100 shown in FIG. 2 also includes a heat exchanger and separator configured to transfer heat and separate reaction products according to the techniques disclosed herein. In one particular form of this embodiment, the system 100 includes a steam / water source 140 for supplying steam to the reaction vessel 111 to facilitate product build-up. Steam from this steam / water source 140 can be supplied to the reactor 110 via at least two paths. The first path includes a first water passage 141a that passes through the first heat exchanger 170a and proceeds to the reaction vessel 111 via the first vapor distributor 116a. The product removed from the reaction vessel 111 travels along the product passage 161 through the reactor product outlet 117. The product passage 161 passes through the first heat exchanger 170a in a countercurrent or reverse flow manner, cools the product and heats the steam entering the reaction vessel 111. The product proceeds to a reaction product separator 171a that separates useful end products (eg, hydrogen and carbon or carbon compounds). Next, at least a portion of the product is directed to the original engine 180, and then other products are collected in the product collector 160a. A first valve 176a regulates product flow. The water remaining in the product passage 161 can be separated by the reaction product separator 171 a and returned to the steam / water supply 140.

  The second path for supplying steam from the steam / water supply source 140 to the reactor 110 includes a second water passage 141b that penetrates the second heat exchanger 170b. The water traveling along the second water passage 141b enters the reactor 110 via the second flow distributor 16b in the form of steam. This water is heated by the combustion products leaving the combustion zone 179 and passes along the combustion product passage 154 and through the transfer flow path 118 (which may include a transmission surface 119). Spent combustion product 152 is collected in combustion product collector 160b and nitrogen compounds, phosphates, reusable phosphor additives (eg, sources of sodium, magnesium and / or potassium). And / or other compositions that can be utilized or recycled for other purposes (eg, agricultural purposes). A phosphor additive can be added to the combustion product 152 (and / or fuel used by the engine 180) upstream of the reactor 110 to increase the amount of radiant energy available for transmission to the reaction zone 112. Let

  The second heat exchanger 170b heats the water along the second water passage 141b and cools the combustion product along the combustion product passage 154, as well as a donor disposed in the reaction vessel 111. The hydrogen donor passing along the donor passage 131 to the distributor 115 can be heated. The donor container 130 contains a hydrogen donor, for example a hydrocarbon such as methane or a nitrogen donor such as ammonia. The donor container 130 includes one or more heaters 132 (shown as first heater 132a and second heater 132b) that can evaporate and / or pressurize the hydrogen donor therein. The three-way valve 133 and regulator 134 control the amount of fluid and / or steam that exits the donor vessel 130, passes through the second heat exchanger 170 b, and into the reaction vessel 111 along the donor passage 131. As described above, the hydrogen donor can also serve as fuel for the engine 180 in at least some embodiments and can be delivered to the engine 180 via a third conduit or flow path 177c.

  In the reaction vessel 111, the combustion product 152 passes through the combustion product flow path 118 and simultaneously delivers radiant energy and / or reactants to the reaction region 112 via the transmission surface 119. The combustion product 152 may enter the combustion product separator 171b that separates water from the combustion product after passing through the second heat exchanger 170b. This water returns to the steam / water supply 140 and the remaining combustion products are collected in the combustion product collector 160b. In certain embodiments, the separator 171b can include a centrifuge driven by the kinetic energy of the combustion product stream. If the kinetic energy of the combustion product stream is insufficient to separate water by centrifugal force, the motor / generator 172 can apply energy to the centrifuge 171b to provide the necessary centrifugal force. If the kinetic energy of the combustion product stream is greater than needed to separate the water, the motor / generator 172 can produce energy for use with other components of the system 100, for example. The controller 190 receives input from various components of the system 100 and controls flow rate, pressure, temperature and / or other parameters.

  The controller 190 can also control the return of reaction products to the engine 180. For example, the controller can direct reaction products and / or recaptured water to the original engine 180 through a series of valves. In certain embodiments, the controller 190 directs operation of the first valve 176a that directs the hydrogen and carbon monoxide obtained from the first separator 171a to the engine 180 via the first conduit 177a. Can do. These components can be burned in the combustion zone 179 to provide additional output from the engine 180. In some cases, it may be desirable to cool the combustion region 179 and / or other components of the engine 180 as shown. In such a case, the controller 190 can control the flow of water or steam to the engine 180 via the second and third valves 176b, 176c and the corresponding second conduit 177b.

  In some cases, it may be desirable to balance the energy provided to the reactor 110 with the energy drawn from the engine 180 used for other purposes. Thus, the system 100 is in a stream of combustion products that can direct a portion of the combustion products 152 to an output extractor 188, such as a turbine alternator, an exhaust turbocharger, or a mechanical supercharger. A proportioning valve 187 can be included. If the power extractor 188 includes an exhaust turbocharger, it operates to compress air entering the engine cylinder 181 via the intake port 184a. If the extractor 188 includes an exhaust turbocharger, it may include an additional fuel injector 189b that directs fuel into the combustion product mixture for further combustion that produces additional output. This output can supplement the output provided by the engine 180, i.e., it can be provided separately via, for example, a separate generator.

  As is apparent from the foregoing description, one feature of the system 100 is that it is specifically configured to save energy from the combustion products 152 for reuse. Accordingly, the system 100 can include additional features designed to reduce energy loss from the combustion products 152. Such features may include thermal insulation disposed around the cylinder 181, the top of the piston 182 and / or the ends of the valves 183a, 183b. Therefore, this heat insulating material prevents or at least suppresses heat being transferred away from the engine 180 via any heat transfer path other than the flow path 118.

One feature of at least some of the embodiments described above is that the reaction system can include a reactor and an engine connected in an interdependent manner. In particular, the engine can provide waste heat that is introduced into the reactor to facilitate a separation process that produces hydrogen-based fuel and non-hydrogen-based building blocks. The building block material can include molecules including carbon, boron, nitrogen, silicon and / or sulfur and can be used to form a building structure. In addition to the polymers and composites described above, a representative example of a building structure is the copending U.S. application numbered ARCHITECTURAL CONSTRUCT HAVING FOR EXAMPLE A PLURALITY OF ARCHITECTURAL CRYSTALS. No. (Attorney Docket No. 695455.8701), which is filed at the same time as this case and is incorporated herein by reference. The advantage of this configuration is that it can provide a synergistic effect between the engine and the reactor. For example, the energy input normally required by the reactor to introduce the separation process described above can be reduced thanks to the additional energy provided by the combustion products. Engine efficiency can be improved by adding clean combustion hydrogen to the combustion chamber and / or supplying water to cool the engine (eg, in the form of vapor or liquid). Although both steam and hydrogen based fuels are produced by the reactor, they can be delivered to the engine at different rates and / or different schedules and / or otherwise varied in different ways.

  From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that although particular embodiments of the technology have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various changes may be made without departing from the technology. For example, the particular embodiment of the process described above has been described in the context of methane. In other embodiments, other hydrocarbon fuels or non-carbon containing hydrogen donors can undergo similar processes to form hydrogen-based fuels and building structures. Heater 123 can be activated, or other waste heat sources that can be appropriately coupled to reactor 110 in other ways, such as waste heat from regenerative braking, can supplement the waste heat coming from the engine. .

  Certain forms of this technology described in connection with a particular embodiment may be combined or omitted in other embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, the engine can accept hydrogen-based fuel, but the water from the reactor 110 may not be cooled or vice versa. Further, although advantages associated with particular embodiments of the technology have been described in connection with these embodiments, other embodiments can also exhibit such advantages, and all embodiments are disclosed in this disclosure. It is not necessary to show such advantages to be included within the scope of. Accordingly, the present disclosure and related techniques may encompass other embodiments not explicitly shown or described herein.

  To the extent that it is not included in this specification by reference earlier, this application incorporates all of these by reference to the entire contents of each of the following documents. That is, US patent application No. 12/857553 filed on August 16, 2010 and named “SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INTEGRATED PRODUCTION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY, MATERIALS RESOURCES, AND NUTRIENT REGIMES”, August 2010 US Patent Application No. 12/857553, filed on August 16, and named “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INTEGRATED FULL SPECTRUM PRODUCTION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY” and filed on August 16, 2010 SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INTEGRATED FULL SPECTRUM PRODUCTION OF RENEWABLE MATERIAL RESOURCES USING SOLAR THERMAL US patent application Ser. No. 12 / 857,502 entitled “DWELLING SUPPORT” and Agent number 69545-8505.US00, which was filed on February 14, 2011 and named “DELIVERY SYSTEMS WITH IN-LINE SELECTIVE EXTRACTION DEVICES AND ASSOCIATED METHODS OF OPERATION”, on August 16, 2010 US Patent Application No. 61/401699, filed February 14, 2011, with the name “COMPREHENSIVE COST MODELING OF AUTOGENOUS SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ENERGY, MATERIAL RESOURCES AND NUTRIENT REGIMES” Agent number 69545-8601.US00 with the name “CHEMICAL PROCESSES AND REACTORS FOR EFFICIENTLY PRODUCING HYDROGEN FUELS AND STRUCTURAL MATERIALS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS” was submitted on February 14, 2011 and “REACTOR VESSELS WITH TRANSMISSIVE SURFACES FOR PRODUCING HYDROGEN-BASED FUELS AND STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS Attorney reference number 69545-8602.US00 and “CHEMICAL REACTORS WITH RE-RADIATING SURFACES AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS” submitted on February 14, 2011 No. 69545-8603.US00 and agent reference number 69545-8604.US00, filed February 14, 2011 and named “THERMAL TRANSFER DEVICE AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS”, February 14, 2011 Attorney reference number 69545-8605.US00 with the name “CHEMICAL REACTORS WITH ANNULARLY POSITIONED DELIVERY AND REMOVAL DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS” submitted on February 14, 2011, A representative named `` REACTORS FOR CONDUCTING THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES WITH SOLAR HEAT INPUT, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS '' No. 69545-8606.US00, and agent number 69545-8608.US00, filed February 14, 2011 and named “INDUCTION FOR THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS”, September 2010 US Patent Application No. 61/385508, filed on February 22 and named “REDUCING AND HARVESTING DRAG ENERGY ON MOBILE ENGINES USING THERMAL CHEMICAL REGENERATION”, and “REACTOR VESSELS” filed February 14, 2011 The agent reference number 69545-8616.US00 with the name “WITH PRESSURE AND HEAT TRANSFER FEATURES FOR PRODUCING HYDROGEN-BASED FUELS AND STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS, AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS” was submitted on February 14, 2011 Agent reference number 6 named “ARCHITECTURAL CONSTRUCT HAVING FOR EXAMPLE A PLURALITY OF ARCHITECTURAL CRYSTALS” 545-8701.US00, US patent application Ser. No. 12/806634 filed Aug. 16, 2010 and labeled “METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR DETECTION OF PROPERTIES OF FLUID CONVEYANCE SYSTEMS”, February 2011 Agent reference number 69545-8801.US01 filed on the 14th and named “METHODS, DEVICES, AND SYSTEMS FOR DETECTING PROPERTIES OF TARGET SAMPLES”, and submitted on February 14, 2011 to the “SYSTEM FOR Agent reference number 69545-9002.US00 with the name PROCESSING BIOMASS INTO HYDROCARBONS, ALCOHOL VAPORS, HYDROGEN, CARBON, ETC. And the agent reference number 69545-9004.US00 with the name “and“ OXYGENA Attorney Docket No. 69545-9006.US00 labeled “TED FUEL” and US Patent Application No. 61/237419 filed August 27, 2009 and labeled “CARBON SEQUESTRATION”; US patent application No. 61/237425 filed on August 27, 2009 and named “OXYGENATED FUEL PRODUCTION” and “MULTI-PURPOSE RENEWABLE FUEL FOR ISOLATING CONTAMINANTS” filed February 14, 2011 Attorney reference number 69545-9102.US00 named "AND STORING ENERGY" and "LIQUID FUELS FROM HYDROGEN, OXIDES OF CARBON, AND / OR NITROGEN; AND PRODUCTION OF CARBON" submitted on December 8, 2010 US Patent Application No. 61/421189 entitled “FOR MANUFACTURING DURABLE GOODS” and “ENGINEERED FUEL STORAGE, RESPECI” filed February 14, 2011 The agent reference number 69545-9105.US00 with the name “ATION AND TRANSPORT” is included.

Claims (21)

A reaction vessel having a reaction zone;
A hydrogen donor source connected in fluid communication with the reaction zone of the reaction vessel;
An engine having a combustion region;
A transfer flow path for connecting at least one of (a) a reactant and (b) radiant energy to the reaction region by connecting between the combustion region and the reaction region;
A chemical reaction system comprising: a product flow path for connecting at least a part of a component removed from the reaction region by connecting between the reaction region and the combustion region of the engine. .   The system of claim 1, further comprising a vapor source connected in fluid communication with the reaction zone.   The apparatus further comprises a transmission surface disposed between the reaction region and an inner region of the transfer channel, and the transmission surface is capable of transmitting at least one of the reactant and the radiant energy. Item 4. The system according to Item 1.   The system of claim 1, further comprising a separator operably connected between the reaction zone and the combustion zone of the engine to separate components removed from the reaction zone.   The system according to claim 1, further comprising a heater arranged in a heat transfer state with the reaction vessel to heat a reaction product in the reaction vessel.   The system of claim 1, further comprising a thermal insulator disposed to at least limit heat conducted away from the engine other than through the transfer flow path.   The system of claim 6, wherein the insulation is disposed around a cylinder of the engine. A method for operating an engine and a chemical reactor comprising:
Directing a hydrogen donor to the reaction zone of the reaction vessel;
Combusting engine fuel to produce power and combustion products;
Directing the combustion products through a transfer flow path connecting between the engine and the reaction zone; (a) transferring at least one of the reactants and (b) radiant energy to the reaction zone;
Separating the hydrogen donor into separated products in the reaction zone;
From the separated product
(a) non-hydrogen based building blocks and
(b) providing a hydrogen-based fuel;
Directing components removed from the reaction zone to the engine.   9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of directing the hydrogen donor includes the step of deriving methane.   The step of directing components removed from the reaction zone includes the step of directing a portion of at least one of the non-hydrogen based building block and the hydrogen based fuel to the engine. The method described in 1.   9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of burning the fuel includes the step of burning the fuel in an internal combustion engine.   9. The method of claim 8, wherein combusting the fuel comprises combusting a fuel having the same chemical component as the chemical component of the hydrogen donor.   9. The method of directing the combustion product comprises directing steam and radiant energy to the reaction zone, the method further comprising directing additional portions of steam to the reaction zone. The method described in 1. Directing the components includes directing the hydrogen-based fuel to the engine for burning, the method directing water recovered from the reaction zone to the engine for cooling;
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising automatically controlling and varying the ratio of the hydrogen-based fuel and the water entering the engine.   The method of claim 8, further comprising providing heat to the reaction zone from a renewable energy source.   The method of claim 15, wherein the step of applying heat includes the step of applying heat resulting from regenerative braking.   The method of claim 8, wherein the step of providing heat includes the step of providing heat derived from solar energy.   9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of at least limiting heat transferred away from the engine by a thermal path other than combustion products via insulation provided to the engine. A method for operating an engine and a chemical reactor comprising:
Directing methane to the reaction zone of the reaction vessel;
Combusting a hydrocarbon fuel in an internal combustion engine to produce an output and a combustion product comprising water and radiant energy;
The combustion product is guided through a transfer flow path connecting between the internal combustion engine and the reaction zone, and (a) a first portion of water in the form of steam and (b) radiant energy is transferred to the reaction zone. And steps to
Separating the methane to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the reaction zone;
Removing the hydrogen and carbon monoxide and water from the reaction zone;
Separating at least a portion of the water from the hydrogen and carbon monoxide;
Directing a portion of the hydrogen and carbon monoxide to the engine for combustion;
Introducing at least some water separated from the hydrogen and carbon monoxide to the internal combustion engine to cool the internal combustion engine. Recovering a portion of the combustion product upstream of the reaction zone;
Providing a portion of the combustion product and a portion of hydrogen to an exhaust turbocharger;
The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of generating an additional output at the exhaust turbocharger.   The method of claim 19, further comprising forming graphene from carbon monoxide removed from the reaction zone.

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