JPH08109001A - Hydrogen generation and system therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To continuously take out hydrogen through continuous thermal reactions by successively feeding reactive metal and water. CONSTITUTION: The molten metal (50a) prepared on one side (1a) of the reactor vessel (1) is subjected to the thermal reaction with water (55) at the bottom (8) and the hydrogen formed (56) is continuously taken out, while the metal oxide (16) is taken out of the vessel (1) with an extruder (17) outside so that the thermal reactions can be continued.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for generating hydrogen, and more particularly to a method for continuously extracting hydrogen by continuous thermochemical reaction by successively supplying a reaction metal body as a raw material and water. Regarding new improvements.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a hydrogen generator of this type which has been conventionally used, generally, high pressure hydrogen filled in a cylinder,
Although there are configurations using a hydrogen storage alloy, liquid hydrogen cylinders, and the like, for example, in the development of hydrogen automobiles, the hydrogen generators described above are all used. In addition, as a boiler, a structure in which energy generated by a large-scale chemical reaction or nuclear reaction is used to heat water by a boiler tank to generate high-pressure steam is generally adopted as a boiler.

[0003]

Since the conventional hydrogen generator is constructed as described above, there are the following problems. That is, when the above-mentioned cylinder was used, its weight was large and it was extremely difficult to stack it in a large amount. Further, when a hydrogen storage alloy was used, its generation capacity was small and it was unsuitable as a fuel for hydrogen automobiles. Further, in the conventional boiler device, among conventional boilers, those utilizing chemical reaction mainly use combustion heat as an energy source, and therefore, a thin film was indispensable between the combustion section and the steam generation section. Further, when applying the nuclear reaction, heat is exchanged across a thin membrane to obtain water vapor having no radioactivity in order to prevent the radioactivity from being emitted to the outside. Therefore, the conventional method has a drawback that the operating temperature is limited by the limiting strength of the membrane because the presence of a thin membrane is essential.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and in particular, hydrogen is taken out by a continuous thermochemical reaction by successively supplying a reaction metal body as a raw material and water. It is an object of the present invention to provide a hydrogen generating method and device.

[0005]

In the method for generating hydrogen according to the present invention, a reaction metal body supplied to one end of a container is melted via a heat source, and the melted reaction metal body is stored at the bottom of the container. Water is supplied to the molten reaction metal body to cause a thermochemical reaction, the obtained hydrogen is led to the outside, and the metal oxide body generated by the thermochemical reaction is discharged through the discharging means provided in the container. This is a method of discharging it out of the container.

More specifically, it is a method of continuously generating the hydrogen by discharging the metal oxide body by the discharging means.

More specifically, the discharging means uses a spiral gear and an impeller having a radius larger than the radius of the spiral gear, and sends the rising metal oxide body upward by the spiral gear. The sent metal oxide body hits the impeller and is discharged by centrifugal force.

More specifically, it is a method of using magnesium or aluminum as the reaction metal body.

The hydrogen generator according to the present invention is provided with a recess provided at one end of the container for accommodating the reaction metal body, a heat source and a fuel supply pipe provided near the recess, and provided at the other end of the container. A concave bottom, a discharge means provided in the container and above the bottom, and a water supply pipe, a hydrogen extraction pipe, and a discharge pipe provided in the container, and the melt stored in the bottom is provided. Hydrogen generated by a thermochemical reaction between the reaction metal body and water from the water supply pipe is taken out from the hydrogen take-out pipe, and the metal oxide body stored on the bottom is removed from the container via the discharge means and the discharge pipe. It is configured to be discharged to.

More specifically, the discharging means comprises a spiral gear and an impeller having a radius larger than the radius of the spiral gear, and the spiral gear and the impeller are integrally connected to each other. The fuel supply pipe and the discharge pipe are provided with an on-off valve.

More specifically, at the water outlet formed in the container and connected to the water supply pipe, a running water guide plate is formed in a ring shape along the outer periphery of the spiral gear in a state of covering the water outlet. The water supplied from the water supply pipe is guided to the bottom through the inner wall of the container.

More specifically, the outlet for guiding the molten reaction metal body formed between the concave portion and the bottom portion is provided with a trumpet-shaped ring body having a substantially trumpet shape as a whole, and is provided to the concave portion side. It is a structure that blocks the flow of water.

[0013]

In the method and apparatus for generating hydrogen according to the present invention, the reaction metal body supplied into the recess is heated and melted by the heat source, and the obtained molten reaction metal body is stored in the vicinity of the bottom. In this state, by supplying water to the bottom, hydrogen generated by the thermochemical reaction between the molten reaction metal body and water can be taken out from the hydrogen take-out pipe, and accumulated oxidation on the molten reaction metal body The metal body can be discharged to the outside from the discharge pipe by the discharge means, and hydrogen can be continuously taken out by successively supplying the reaction metal body and water.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the hydrogen generating method and apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG.
Reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 is a container which is formed into a substantially L-shape as a whole and which comprises a supply container 100 for supplying a reaction metal body and a main container 101. An end plug 1b and a concave portion 1c are provided, and a heat source 2 and a fuel supply pipe 3 made of any one of a heater, a gas burner, an explosive, and the like are provided above the concave portion 1c, and the heat source 2 is provided with a switch 4 Is connected to the power source 5 via.

The fuel supply pipe 3 is composed of a well-known water-cooled water-cooled pipe to protect the seal ring 3a thereof from heat, and a normally-closed ball valve type first valve 6 using a well-known handle 6a. At the periphery of the tubular outlet 7 of the feeder 100, a trumpet-shaped ring 9 serving as a trumpet-shaped water return is provided integrally with the feeder 100 (a separate body is also possible), and the main container It is formed so as to project into 101.
The feeder 100 and the main container 101 are not limited to the separate and integrated structure as described above, but may be integrated from the beginning.

Above the bottom portion 8 of the main container 101 at the other end 1d of the container 1, a spiral drive gear integrally connected to a rotary drive unit 10, for example, a rotary shaft 11 of a motor, is hung. (The same shape as a well-known drill for drilling) 12 and an impeller 13 are rotatably provided, and the impeller 13 has a radius larger than the radius of the spiral gear 12, and A hydrogen take-out pipe 14 and a discharge pipe 15 are provided near the position.

The spiral gear 12 and the impeller 13 constitute a discharging means 17 for discharging a metal oxide body 16 described later to the outside, and the metal oxide body 16 guided upward by the spiral gear 12 is It is rotated by the impeller 13 and discharged to the discharge pipe 15 side by its centrifugal force. The discharge pipe 15 is configured to protect the seal ring 15a from heat by a well-known water-cooled water-cooled pipe, and is provided with a second valve 18 which is a normally-closed ball valve using a well-known handle 19. ing. The discharge means 17 is not limited to the combination of the spiral gear 12 and the impeller 13 described above, and other means such as suction means may be used.

A water supply pipe 20 is connected to the side wall 19 of the container 1 corresponding to the discharge means 17, and along the outer circumference of the discharge means 17 in a state of covering the water outlet 21 of the water supply pipe 20. A running water guide plate 22 formed in a ring shape is formed, and the water discharged from the water outlet 21 is configured to surely flow down along the inner wall 19a of the side wall 19 via the running water guide plate 22.

Next, the operation will be described. First, when the reaction metal body 50 made of, for example, a magnesium body (aluminum body is also available) is supplied to the recess 6b of the first opening / closing valve 6 of the fuel supply pipe 3 and the handle 6a is rotated, the reaction metal in the recess 6b is The body 50 falls and is accommodated in the recess 1c.
Immediately, it is melted by the heat source 2 in the switch-on state and stored in the recess 1c. In this state, the reaction metal bodies 50 are successively
Is supplied, the molten molten reaction metal body 50a is melted from the outlet 7 of the feeder 100 through the trumpet ring body 9 into the main container 1
It accumulates at the bottom 8 of 01.

Here, when the on-off valve 20a of the water supply pipe 20 is opened, the water 55 is not guided from the water outlet 21 through the running water guide plate 22 and the trumpet ring 9 to the feeder 100 side, but on the inner wall. 19a flowed down and dropped into the molten reaction metal body 50a in the bottom portion 8 to immediately cause a thermochemical reaction to generate hydrogen 5
6 is generated and taken out from the hydrogen take-out pipe 14. By continuously supplying this water, a continuous thermochemical reaction can be obtained, and the water can be intermittently supplied to intermittently perform the thermochemical reaction.

In this case, in the bottom portion 8, the metal oxide body 16 made of magnesium oxide deposited by the thermochemical reaction rises upward and is formed in the spiral groove 12a of the spiral gear 12 of the discharging means 17. Then, when the spiral gear 12 is rotated by the rotation drive unit 10, for example, a motor, the metal oxide body 16 attached to the spiral groove 12a is removed from the inner wall 1
It is lifted up by 9a and moved to the portion of the impeller 13 in contact with the spiral gear 12. When the metal oxide body 16 is lifted up one after another from below, the metal oxide body 16 in contact with the spiral gear 12 of the impeller 13
Moves to the end of the impeller 13. Here, since the radius of the impeller 13 is larger than the radius of the helical gear 12, the rotation of the impeller 13 causes the centrifugal force to discharge the metal oxide body 16 to the discharge pipe 15 side, and the recess 18 a of the second valve 18 is provided. Store in. Although the radius of the impeller 13 is made larger than the radius of the spiral gear 12 in the above-mentioned embodiment, even if the radius of the impeller 13 and the spiral gear 12 are the same, the rotation speed of the impeller 13 is the rotation of the spiral gear. By making it faster than the number, the metal oxide body 1
6 can also be discharged to the discharge pipe 15. Next, when the handle 19 is rotated, the concave portion 18a faces downward, and the ash-like metal oxide body 16 drops and is discharged downward. Therefore, the normally closed valves 6 and 18 make it possible to continuously take out hydrogen 55 in a closed state of the container 1.

[0022]

The method and apparatus for generating hydrogen according to the present invention are
Since it is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained. That is, since the metal oxide body, which is the residue generated by the continuous thermochemical reaction between the molten reaction metal body and water, is taken out one after another by the discharging means, by supplying the metal reaction body and water. Hydrogen can be continuously taken out, continuous operation can be performed, and clean fuel for automobiles and various power equipment can be obtained inexpensively and easily. Further, by extracting the steam at high pressure, it can be applied as a boiler.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an apparatus to which a hydrogen generation method according to the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Container 1a One end 1c Recess 1d Other end 2 Heat source 3 Fuel supply pipe 8 Bottom 12 Spiral gear 13 Impeller 14 Hydrogen extraction pipe 15 Discharge pipe 16 Metal oxide body 17 Discharge means 6,18 Valve 19a Inner wall 20 Water supply pipe 21 Water Outlet 22 Flowing water guide plate 50 Reactive metal body 50a Molten reactive metal body 55 Water 56 Hydrogen

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A reaction metal body (50) supplied to one end (1a) side of a container (1) is melted via a heat source (2), and the molten reaction metal body (50a) is melted in the container (1). )) And water (55) is supplied to this molten reaction metal body (50a) to generate a thermochemical reaction, and the resulting hydrogen (56) is discharged to the outside, and by the thermochemical reaction, Generate the metal oxide body (16) in the container
(1) A hydrogen generating method characterized in that the hydrogen is discharged to the outside of the container (1) through a discharging means (17) provided inside. 2. The metal oxide body (1) in the discharging means (17)
The hydrogen generating method according to claim 1, wherein the hydrogen (56) is continuously generated by discharging 6). 3. The discharging means (17) uses a spiral gear (12) and an impeller (13) having a radius larger than the radius of the spiral gear (12), and the rising metal oxide body 3. The spiral gear (12) is used to send the (16) upward, and the sent metal oxide body (16) hits the impeller (13) and is discharged by centrifugal force. The hydrogen generation method described. 4. The hydrogen generating method according to claim 1, wherein magnesium or aluminum is used as the reactive metal body (50). 5. A recess (1c) provided on one end (1a) side of the container (1) for accommodating the reactive metal body (50), a heat source (2) and a fuel provided near the recess (1c). Supply pipe (3) and the container (1)
The concave bottom portion (8) provided at the other end (1d) of the container and the container (1)
Discharge means (17) provided inside and above the bottom (8)
And a water supply pipe (20), a hydrogen extraction pipe (14) and a discharge pipe (15) provided in the container (1), and the molten reaction metal body (50a) stored in the bottom portion (8). And hydrogen (56) generated by a thermochemical reaction of water (55) from the water supply pipe (20) with the hydrogen take-out pipe (14) and the metal oxide (() stored on the bottom (8) ( 16) the discharge means (17) and discharge pipe (15)
A hydrogen generator characterized in that it is configured to be discharged to the outside of the container (1) via the. 6. The discharge means (17) comprises a spiral gear (12) and an impeller (13) having a radius larger than the radius of the spiral gear (12), and the spiral gear (12). ) And the impeller (1
6. The fuel supply pipe (3) and the discharge pipe (15) are provided with valves (6, 18), which are integrally connected to each other and are rotatable. Hydrogen generator. 7. The water supply pipe (2) formed in the container (1)
At the water outlet (21) to which (0) is connected, a running water guide plate (22) is formed in a ring shape along the outer periphery of the spiral gear (12) so as to cover the water outlet (21). 7. The hydrogen generator according to claim 6, wherein the water (55) supplied from the supply pipe (20) is guided to the bottom (8) through the inner wall (19a) of the container (1). 8. A trumpet-shaped wheel body having a substantially trumpet shape as a whole at an outlet (7) formed between the recess (1c) and the bottom (8) for guiding the molten reaction metal body (50a). 8. The hydrogen generator according to claim 5, wherein the hydrogen generator is provided with (9) to prevent the flow of water (55) to the recess (1c) side.