KR100748349B1 - Hydrogen generation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A hydrogen generating system which is constructed in a simple structure, obtains a high hydrogen generating ratio, and can supply hydrogen gas stably and economically such that the hydrogen gas can be easily utilized as a power source of an automobile or a portable electronic equipment is provided. A hydrogen generating system comprises: a case(11) which maintains airtightness, and is made from heat resistant and pressure resistant materials; a metal salt-containing matrix(12) which is accommodated in the case, and contains chlorides, nitrides, sulfides or acetic acid chlorides of aluminum, zinc or nickel, or mixtures thereof as metal salts that generate hydrogen by reacting with a hydroxide alkali compound flown into the case; at least one partition(13) for dividing an inner space of the case; a first pump(14) for supplying the hydroxide alkali compound into the case; and a second pump(15) for supplying hydrogen gas generated in the case to a fuel cell. The hydrogen generating system further comprises a pH indicator(16) adhered to an outer surface of the case.

Description

Hydrogen generation device {Hydrogen generation apparatus}

1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing one embodiment of a hydrogen generator according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the hydrogen generating apparatus according to the present invention.

※ Explanation of code for main part of drawing

11: case 12: metal salt matrix

13: diaphragm 14: first pump

15: second pump 16: pH indicator

17: check valve

The present invention relates to a hydrogen generator. More specifically, the present invention enables the generation of electricity by supplying hydrogen to a fuel cell, and in particular, a simple structure, high hydrogen generation rate, stable supply of hydrogen gas, and economical hydrogen so as to be easily used as a power source for automobiles or portable electronic devices. The present invention relates to a hydrogen generator that enables supply of.

Fuel cells are being used for power supply of portable electronic devices such as hybrid cars and laptop computers. Unlike conventional power generation apparatuses that burn fuel and convert it into thermal energy, and then rotate turbines to generate electricity, fuel cells that produce electricity and thermal energy by using a chemical reaction between hydrogen gas in fuel and oxygen in air are manufactured in the 21st century. It is expected to play a leading role in opening up the coming era of hydrogen energy as a representative source of clean energy.

The operating principle of a fuel cell, unlike a cell, cannot be stopped or charged during operation. It is characterized by the generation of energy by generating electricity and heat during use. The fuel cell consists of two electrodes between the electrolytes. Fuel cell power systems use hydrogen gas to produce electricity. This means that any fuel capable of supplying hydrogen gas, including petroleum, naphtha, natural gas, methanol and biomass, can be employed. Middle-British thermal unit (Btu) grade gas from coal gasification or other synthetic fuels is also an acceptable fuel.

On the other hand, a disadvantage is that no hydrogen production method is established for commercialization of fuel cells. In the United States, starting with the direct use of methanol or by reforming hydrocarbons to produce hydrogen, it has reached a practical level.However, in Korea, where most of the primary energy is dependent on imports, the point of view of energy utilization Adopting the US method in a country is not necessarily useful. It is no exaggeration to say that how the fuel cell development system will be developed in the future depends on the hydrogen storage method. In addition, hydrogen, which has recently been used as fuel in relation to fuel cells, has the advantage of being clean energy and having no problem of environmental pollution. However, it has drawbacks in storage and compressibility, and includes the vulnerability to fire in use.

Therefore, how to supply hydrogen gas as fuel stably and economically is a problem to be solved in commercialization of fuel cells.

An object of the present invention is to supply power to the fuel cell and the like, so that power generation is possible, and in particular, the simple structure and high hydrogen generation rate, stable supply of hydrogen gas, and economical supply of hydrogen to be easy to use as a power source for automobiles or portable electronic devices It is to provide a hydrogen generating device that enables.

Hydrogen generating device according to the present invention, the airtight, the case made of a heat-resistant, pressure-resistant material; A metal salt matrix contained in the case and including a metal salt which reacts with an alkali hydroxide compound introduced into the case to generate hydrogen; At least one or more diaphragms defining an inner space of the case; A first pump for supplying an alkali hydroxide compound into the case; And a second pump for supplying hydrogen gas generated in the case to a fuel cell.

The metal salts may be chlorides, nitrides, sulfides or acetates of aluminum, zinc or nickel or mixtures thereof.

The metal salt may be fixed to the surface of granular activated carbon, activated carbon fiber, activated carbon fiber woven fabric, activated carbon fiber nonwoven fabric, porous ceramic or zeolite as a matrix.

A pH indicator may be further attached to the outer surface of the case.

The pH indicator may be a pH indicator or a pH meter.

A check valve may be further installed between the case and the first pump or the second pump.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Hydrogen generator according to the present invention, as shown in Figure 1, the airtight, the case 11 made of a material of heat resistance and pressure resistance; A metal salt matrix 12 contained in the case 11 and including a metal salt which reacts with an alkali hydroxide compound introduced into the case 11 to generate hydrogen; At least one diaphragm 13 defining an inner space of the case 11; A first pump (14) for supplying an alkali hydroxide compound into the case (11); And a second pump 15 for supplying hydrogen gas generated in the case 11 to the fuel cell.

In the case 11 is airtight, made of a material of heat resistance, pressure resistance, and constitutes the main body of the hydrogen generating device according to the present invention. The case 11 may be preferably made of a metal material such as stainless steel. The case 11 may be any shape as long as a space having a predetermined volume is formed therein, but preferably, may have a hexahedron shape. The shape of the hexahedron has an advantage in that it is possible to easily stack and use a plurality of hydrogen generators according to the amount of hydrogen generation required. However, the present invention is not limited to the case 11 is made of the stainless steel, it is a material having a heat resistance to withstand the heat of reaction in the hydrogen generator and a pressure resistance to withstand the pressure of the generated hydrogen gas, in particular the It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that any material may be used as long as it does not chemically react with or react with alkali hydroxide compounds as reactants.

The metal salt matrix 12 is accommodated in the case 11. The metal salt matrix 12 functions to generate hydrogen by reacting with an alkali hydroxide compound introduced into the case 11. The metal salts may be chlorides, nitrides, sulfides or acetates of aluminum, zinc or nickel or mixtures thereof.

The reaction of these metal salts with alkali hydroxide compounds may be represented by the following formula (1).

2M + 2KOH (aq) + 6H ₂ O → 2KM (OH) ₄ + 3H ₂ (g)

The metal salt may be fixed to the surface of granular activated carbon, activated carbon fiber, activated carbon fiber woven fabric, activated carbon fiber nonwoven fabric, porous ceramic or zeolite as a matrix. Although the term "fixation" is used herein, it is not limited to the meaning of fixation, and it can be naturally understood by those skilled in the art that the metal salt may be performed by fixing the metal salt to the surface of the matrix by known impregnation, coating or plating. It is. The matrix constituting the metal salt matrix functions to temporarily store hydrogen generated in addition to the function of supporting the metal salt. The metal salt may be fixed to the matrix to be an amount within the range of 0.01 to 1M as a metal. If the metal salt is fixed to less than 0.01M as a metal, there may be a problem that the amount of hydrogen generated is less, on the contrary, if the metal salt exceeds 1M, hydrogen storage properties to temporarily store the hydrogen already generated by blocking the pores of the matrix There may be a problem with this falling.

At least one diaphragm 13 is fixed inside the case 11, and the diaphragm 13 divides the inner space of the case 11 uniformly so that the metal matrix 12 and the case 11 are fixed. It prevents the alkali hydroxide compounds from entering the side or flows to one side and increases the stability. The diaphragm 13 may be made of the same material as the case 11.

The first pump 14 functions to supply the alkali hydroxide compound into the case 11, and a conventional electric pump known to be commercially available and available to those skilled in the art, preferably to supply a constant flow rate A metering pump can be used.

The second pump 15 is also the same as or similar to the first pump 14, and serves to supply hydrogen gas generated in the case 11 to a fuel cell.

As shown in FIG. 1, a pH indicator 16 may be further attached to the outer surface of the case 11. The pH indicator 16 may be a pH indicator or a pH meter. The pH indicator functions to visually identify acidity or basicity according to the degree of discoloration according to pH by the use of a pH indicator. Indicators are generally used to determine the equivalence point of titration or to determine the hydrogen ion concentration. Color change indicator (change of color), fluorescent indicator (change of fluorescence), chemiluminescence indicator (generating luminescence), turbidity indicator (cloudy generation), which can be observed directly with the naked eye due to the rapid change ), Sedimentation indicators (precipitation formation), and other current indicators and surface activity indicators that indicate the end point in the change of physical and chemical properties. Among these, the most widely used color indicators include one-color indicators that change from colorless to colored or colored to colorless when they end, and two-color indicators that change from one color to another when the end point. In the present invention, an acid base reagent may be used. The acid base reagent changes color with the change of hydrogen ion concentration. The most widely used, also known as neutralizing reagent, hydrogen ion indicator. This type of indicator is itself a weak acid or a weak base and differs from the time when the color becomes ions and does not dissociate, so that the color clearly responds to the change in the concentration of hydrogen ions in the solution. The color changes in a nearly constant range. The color that changes at a lower value than the pH at that time is called an acidic color and the color that changes at a high value is called a basic color or an alkaline color. It is also called acid indicator (phenolphthalein, thymol blue, etc.) and basic indicator (methyl orange, methyl red, etc.) by dividing into acid and base. Acid base reagents are based on S.P.L. Because of the first systematic research done by Sörensen, there is also what is called the Sörensenji reagent after him. In terms of the structure, there are phthalein-based, sulfone-phthalane-based, benzoin-based, azo-based, triphenylmethane-based, nitro-based, etc., all of which are rapidly discolored and reversible. The pH indicator may also be understood to be well known to those skilled in the art to be commercially available. pH meter (pH meter) is also commercially supplied by leading manufacturers at home and abroad, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that it is known enough to purchase and use it. The pH meter is a device for measuring the pH value. In order to measure the pH value, a glass electrode and a reference electrode are required. The potential difference generated between the two electrodes is measured by a voltmeter. The pH value can be obtained by doing this.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, a check valve 17 may be further installed between the case 11 and the first pump 14 or the second pump 15. The check valve 17 allows the flow of the fluid passing therein to flow in only one direction, and prevents the fluid from flowing in the opposite direction, also referred to as a check valve. The check valve 17 prevents the backflow of the alkali hydroxide compound supplied to the case 11 so as to be stably supplied into the case 11, and prevents the fluid from being drawn out of the case 11 upside down. Function In FIG. 2, only the check valve 17 is installed between the case 11 and the first pump 14, but for the sake of simplicity, the case 11 and the second pump are illustrated in FIG. 2. It can be understood, of course, that a check valve can be provided between (15).

In addition, in the case 11 or the second pump 15 installed in the case 11 of the hydrogen generating apparatus according to the present invention, a conventional accumulator for temporarily storing hydrogen and maintaining a constant pressure of hydrogen. An accumulator may be further connected. The accumulator is a container or container capable of maintaining airtightness, which will be understood by those skilled in the art.

1 and 2, the alkali hydroxide compound is simply referred to as 'alkalide'.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments and comparative examples of the present invention will be described.

The following examples are intended to illustrate the invention and should not be understood as limiting the scope of the invention.

Example  1 to 3

Activated charcoal was supported by metal aluminum (Example 1), metal zinc (Example 2) and metal nickel (Example 3) in amounts of 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5 and 1M, respectively, as a metal and fixed to activated carbon. After fixing 100 g of the activated activated carbon in the case of the hydrogen generator according to the present invention, 0.1 M potassium hydroxide (KOH) was supplied at a constant rate as an alkali hydroxide compound, and the amount of hydrogen generated at that time was measured. Table 1 shows the volume of hydrogen per ml of alkali hydroxide compound (ml).

Metal throughput Al / AC Zn / AC Ni / AC 0.01 0.7 1.6 0.6 0.05 1.9 2.5 1.8 0.1 2.9 3.6 2.7 0.5 3.7 3.6 3.4 1.0 4.6 4.4 4.2  Al / AC = aluminum impregnated with activated carbon, Zn / AC = zinc impregnated with activated carbon Ni / AC = nickel impregnated with activated carbon

As shown in Table 1, the metals supported on the activated carbon quantitatively reacted with the alkali hydroxide compound, and it was confirmed that the amount of hydrogen generated increased according to the amount of the supported metals.

Therefore, the hydrogen generating apparatus according to the present invention having the configuration as described above can adjust the amount of hydrogen generated according to the supply amount of the aqueous solution of the alkali hydroxide compound, and generates hydrogen simultaneously with the supply of the aqueous solution of the alkali hydroxide compound to immediately hydrogen Because it can be used immediately where required, it does not require the storage of hydrogen as a gas state, thereby improving the stability significantly. Hydrogen can be supplied to fuel cells and the like to be used for direct generation.

In addition, after the metal salt is exhausted in the hydrogen generating apparatus according to the present invention, the case 11 may be opened, and may be regenerated by reducing to the metal or metal salt as described above as it is supported on the matrix in an appropriate environment. In this way, resources can be recycled accordingly.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to generate electricity by supplying hydrogen to a fuel cell and the like, and in particular, a simple structure, high hydrogen generation rate, stable supply of hydrogen gas, and economical supply of hydrogen to be easily used as a power source for automobiles or portable electronic devices. There is an effect of providing a hydrogen generating device that enables.

Although the present invention has been described in detail only with respect to the described embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations are possible within the technical scope of the present invention, and such modifications and modifications are within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (5)

A case which maintains airtightness and is made of a material of heat resistance and pressure resistance; A metal salt matrix contained in the case and containing a chloride, nitride, sulfide or acetate chloride of aluminum, zinc or nickel, or a mixture thereof as a metal salt that reacts with an alkali hydroxide compound introduced into the case to generate hydrogen; ; At least one or more diaphragms defining an inner space of the case; A first pump for supplying an alkali hydroxide compound into the case; And a second pump for supplying hydrogen gas generated in the case to a fuel cell. The method of claim 1, Hydrogen generating device characterized in that the metal salt is fixed to the surface of the granular activated carbon, activated carbon fiber, activated carbon fiber woven fabric, activated carbon fiber nonwoven fabric, porous ceramics or zeolite as a matrix. The method of claim 1, Hydrogen generator characterized in that the pH indicator is further attached to the outer surface of the case. The method of claim 3, wherein The pH indicator is a hydrogen generator, characterized in that the pH indicator or pH meter (pH meter). The method of claim 1, Hydrogen generating device characterized in that the check valve is further installed between the case and the first pump or the second pump.

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