KR102589454B1 - Metal Powder Feeding Apparatus for Hydrogen Generator and Feeding Method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a metal powder supply device and method for producing hydrogen, which controls the hydrogen production reaction by consistently supplying metal in powder form to a hydrogen reactor that produces hydrogen by reacting metal and water.
The metal powder supply device for hydrogen production according to the present invention supplies the metal in powder form to a reactor that produces hydrogen by hydrolysis of metal and water, and supplies the metal powder to the reactor. Temporarily storing the body before; and an inert gas supply unit that supplies an inert gas to the main body, wherein the inert gas supply unit is controlled to open when the main body is filled with a set amount of the metal powder, and controls the inflow of the inert gas by opening and closing control. It is characterized in that the metal powder filled in the main body is supplied to the reactor by the inert gas.

Description

Metal Powder Feeding Apparatus for Hydrogen Generator and Feeding Method}

The present invention relates to a metal powder supply device for hydrogen production, which controls the hydrogen production reaction by consistently supplying metal in powder form to a hydrogen reactor that produces hydrogen by reacting metal and water.

The current energy system relies heavily on fossil fuels, but fossil fuel reserves are limited and are expected to be depleted in the near future. Additionally, global warming is accelerating due to carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) generated from the combustion of fossil fuels. Therefore, research on the development of environmentally friendly alternative energy is steadily progressing around the world.

Among these, hydrogen energy is environmentally friendly and has high energy density, so it can be used as a fuel for automobile power sources and fuel cells for portable electronic devices. The price of fuel cells that use hydrogen as fuel is decreasing every year, entering the era of hydrogen energy. It's getting ahead. As the paradigm shift toward an energy economy centered on hydrogen, such as hydrogen fuel cells, is underway, the demand for hydrogen is increasing.

In addition, hydrogen fuel is a clean fuel that emits almost no environmental pollutants even when burned directly, and is expected to be an ideal energy source in the near future in that it can be used as fuel for high-efficiency fuel cells that convert hydrogen into electricity. .

In order to use hydrogen energy efficiently, economical and simple hydrogen production technology and hydrogen storage technology that can store and safely transport the produced hydrogen are needed.

The most widely used hydrogen production method is a method of reforming hydrocarbon-based fuel. Typically, hydrogen is produced through two reactions: a steam reforming method that extracts hydrogen contained in steam (water) by reacting hydrocarbons with steam, a partial oxidation method that obtains hydrogen by reacting hydrocarbons with oxygen, and a steam reforming reaction and partial oxidation reaction. There is an autothermal reforming method that combines the operability of the partial oxidation method and the efficiency of the steam reforming method by producing .

These reforming methods have the advantage of being able to obtain a large amount of hydrogen from a certain amount of hydrocarbon and the technology level is commercialized, but since they use hydrocarbon as a raw material, the emission of carbon, an environmental pollutant, is inevitable.

To solve this problem, a method of producing hydrogen by hydrolyzing active metals such as aluminum, magnesium, zinc, and sodium is attracting attention. In addition, hydrogen production using metal hydrolysis is an environmentally friendly method that produces zero emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO _x ), sulfur oxides (SO _x ), and carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ).

In particular, aluminum is not only a rich resource and inexpensive, but when hydrogen is produced through a hydrolysis reaction with aluminum, the amount of hydrogen generated is high, a storage medium for hydrogen storage is not required, and water itself produces and stores hydrogen. There is an advantage to being a substance.

The hydrolysis reaction of aluminum occurs actively in an alkaline solution. The by-products, oxides or hydroxides, form a film on the surface of aluminum, and the aluminum inside the film cannot come into contact with water, so the hydrogen production reaction only occurs on the surface of aluminum. There is a problem that the hydrogen generation rate is low because it is generated and then stopped.

To make up for these shortcomings, a method of providing aluminum in powder form and reacting it with water has also been proposed. The advantage of using aluminum powder for hydrogen production is that the surface area is very large and the hydrogen generation rate is high.

However, aluminum powder is not easy to handle because its reactivity is very explosive, and it is difficult to control its explosive reactivity, so there is a lack of technology for controlling the rate of hydrogen generation.

Therefore, the present invention aims to solve the above-described problems, and its purpose is to provide a metal powder supply device and method for hydrogen production that can produce hydrogen without emitting carbon and can control the hydrogen production rate. Do it as

According to one aspect of the present invention for achieving the above-described object, in the metal powder supply device for supplying the metal in powder form to a reactor that generates hydrogen by hydrolysis of metal and water, the metal powder is supplied to the reactor. Temporarily storing the body before; and an inert gas supply unit that supplies an inert gas to the main body, wherein the inert gas supply unit is controlled to open when the main body is filled with a set amount of the metal powder, and controls the inflow of the inert gas by opening and closing control. A metal powder supply device for hydrogen production is provided, including a ball valve that supplies the metal powder charged in the main body to the reactor by the inert gas.

Preferably, it may further include a butterfly valve that opens and closes the connection between the main body and the reactor so that the metal powder in the main body is discharged into the reactor.

Preferably, it may include a metal powder supply unit that supplies metal powder to the main body, and the metal powder supply unit may include a rotor provided with wings to allow the metal powder to flow into the main body at a constant speed.

Preferably, when the metal powder supply unit stops operating, the control unit controls the ball valve to be opened so that the inert gas is supplied to the main body.

Preferably, the control unit controls the ball valve to be in an open state until the entire metal powder stored in the main body is discharged into the reactor, so that the ball valve is inert until the entire metal powder stored in the main body is discharged into the reactor. Gas can be supplied to the main body.

Preferably, it may include a control unit that controls the butterfly valve to be opened when the internal pressure of the main body reaches the set value so that the metal powder in the main body is supplied to the reactor by the inert gas.

Preferably, the control unit may control the butterfly valve to close when all of the metal powder stored in the main body is discharged into the reactor.

According to another aspect of the present invention for achieving the above-described object, the metal powder supply device; a reactor that receives metal powder from the metal powder supply device and produces hydrogen through hydrolysis; and a catalyst storage tank for storing the catalyst to be supplied to the reactor, wherein the hydrogen gas generated by the reaction is supplied to the reactor until a set amount of metal powder is completely supplied from the metal powder supply device. An apparatus for producing hydrogen that does not exit the reactor is provided.

In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention for achieving the above-described object, the steps include supplying metal powder to the main body; And when the metal powder is charged into the main body to a set value, stopping the supply of the metal powder and supplying an inert gas to the main body to supply the metal powder in the main body to a reactor that generates hydrogen. In the step of supplying the metal powder to the reactor by supplying an inert gas to the main body, the inert gas is continued to be supplied until the entire amount of the metal powder in the main body is supplied to the reactor, thereby generating the metal powder while the metal powder is supplied to the reactor. A method of supplying metal powder for hydrogen production is provided, which prevents hydrogen from flowing back into the body.

Preferably, supplying an inert gas to the main body to increase the internal pressure of the main body; and opening a path connecting the main body and the reactor so that the metal powder is supplied to the reactor when the internal pressure of the main body reaches the set value.

Preferably, in the step of supplying metal powder to the main body, the rotor is operated to supply the metal powder to the main body at a constant speed, and the rotor stops operating when the main body is filled with a set value of metal powder. And, the inert gas can be supplied to the main body after the rotor stops operating.

The metal powder supply device and method for hydrogen production according to the present invention is environmentally friendly by producing hydrogen using metal, and can increase the hydrogen generation rate and amount of hydrogen by providing metal in powder form to the reactor.

In addition, metal powder can be supplied to the reactor at a constant rate, so the explosive reaction of the metal powder can be controlled, and by allowing the reaction to occur continuously, hydrogen can be stably produced.

In addition, by using an inert gas, it is possible to prevent the hydrogen generated by hydrolysis in the reactor from flowing back into the metal powder supply device, which reduces the problem of lowering the hydrogen production yield and preventing the continuous supply of metal powder from the hydrogen flowing back. The problem can be solved.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a hydrogen generation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a metal powder supply device for hydrogen production according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram sequentially showing a method of supplying hydrogen to a reactor using a metal powder supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2.

In order to fully understand the operational advantages of the present invention and the objectives achieved by practicing the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating preferred embodiments of the present invention and the contents described in the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, the structure and operation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Here, in adding reference numerals to components in each drawing, it should be noted that identical components are indicated with the same reference numerals as much as possible, even if they are shown in different drawings. Additionally, the following examples may be modified into various other forms, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

In the present embodiments described later, the metal will be aluminum (Al) as an example. In addition, the catalyst will be described using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as an example.

First, referring to FIG. 1, the hydrogen generation device includes a reactor 100 in which a reaction between a metal and water occurs and hydrogen is generated by the reaction between the metal and water; A catalyst storage tank (200) that stores the catalyst required for the hydrogen production reaction in the reactor (100); A catalyst recovery tank (400) that temporarily stores the catalyst and by-products discharged after completion of the reaction in the reactor (100) and separates the catalyst and by-products; and a catalyst circulation pump 300 for supplying the separated liquid catalyst to the catalyst storage tank 200, and a metal powder supply device 500 for supplying metal in powder form to the reactor 100. Includes.

In this embodiment, the reactor 100 may be installed with a stirrer 120 that promotes the reaction rate by agitating the fluid charged in the reactor 100. Additionally, the stirrer 120 includes a rotating shaft; and an electric motor that drives the rotating shaft.

When the stirrer 120 of this embodiment is operated, the fluid (catalyst and water) in the reactor 100 is stirred to facilitate contact between the aluminum powder introduced into the reactor 100 and the fluid, thereby promoting the reaction.

In other words, when the stirrer 120 is operated, the hydrogen generation rate can increase and the amount of hydrogen generated per hour can increase. The stirrer 120 may be continuously operated while the reaction is in progress, or its operation may be controlled as needed by a control unit (not shown).

The control unit can control whether the stirrer 120 operates and can control the operating speed of the stirrer 120. For example, the control unit may control the operation of the stirrer 120 according to the amount of hydrogen supplied by the hydrogen demand source (not shown) that receives the hydrogen gas (H ₂ ) generated in the reactor 100.

The catalyst storage tank 200 of this embodiment may be installed at a higher position than the reactor 100. Since the catalyst storage tank 200 is installed at a higher position than the reactor 100, the catalyst can be supplied from the catalyst storage tank 200 into the reactor 100 by gravity without any additional power.

In this embodiment, the catalyst may be an alkaline solution or an aqueous alkaline solution. For example, the catalyst in this example may be sodium hydroxide (NaOH). However, it is not limited to this, and the catalyst can be any material that can keep the water stored in the reactor 100 alkaline.

The flow rate of the catalyst supplied from the catalyst storage tank 200 to the reactor 100 can be adjusted by controlling the opening amount of the catalyst supply valve (not indicated). By controlling the flow rate of the catalyst supplied to the reactor 100, the explosive reactivity of aluminum can be suppressed, and thus the reaction rate of the hydrogen production reaction occurring within the reactor 100 can be controlled.

Additionally, according to this embodiment, the catalyst introduced into the reactor 100 can be discharged from the reactor 100 after completion of the reaction. The catalyst discharged from the reactor 100 can be recirculated to the catalyst storage tank 200 by the catalyst circulation pump 300 and supplied to the reactor 100 for reuse.

In the reactor 100, hydrogen is produced through a hydrolysis reaction between aluminum powder and water, and the reaction produces not only hydrogen but also by-products such as oxides. For example, when sodium hydroxide is supplied as a catalyst as in this embodiment, aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH) ₃ ) may be produced as a by-product.

That is, when the catalyst is discharged from the reactor 100, the catalyst may contain aluminum hydroxide, a by-product. Therefore, according to this embodiment, before recovering the catalyst discharged from the reactor 100 to the catalyst storage tank 200, it can be stored in the catalyst recovery tank 400 to separate the catalyst and by-products.

Only the liquid catalyst, that is, sodium hydroxide, from which the by-products have been separated in the catalyst recovery tank 400, can be recovered to the catalyst storage tank 200 using the catalyst circulation pump 300.

Hydrogen generated by the hydrolysis reaction in the reactor 100 is discharged from the reactor 100 along a hydrogen discharge line (not shown) connected from the top of the reactor 100 to a hydrogen demand source (not shown) such as a fuel cell. It can be discharged and supplied to hydrogen consumers.

Although not shown in the drawing, a mist removal filter (not shown) may be installed on the upper side of the reactor 100, which removes liquid components such as mist contained in hydrogen gas discharged through the hydrogen discharge line.

A certain amount of aluminum powder may be supplied to the reactor 100 through the metal powder supply device 500 through a metal supply line (AL) connecting the reactor 100 and the metal powder supply device 500.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 2, a metal powder supply device 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The metal powder supply device 500 of this embodiment includes a metal powder supply unit 510 that transfers and supplies aluminum powder to the metal powder supply device 500; A body 520 in which the metal powder transferred through the metal powder supply unit 510 is temporarily stored before being supplied to the reactor 100; an inert gas supply unit 530 that supplies an inert gas to the main body 520; and a metal powder discharge unit 540 that supplies the aluminum powder stored in the main body 520 to the reactor 100.

The metal powder supply unit 510 of this embodiment may be a rotary feeder. The metal powder supply unit 510 includes a rotor; and a case; and the rotor with wings is rotated within the case so that the aluminum powder falling from the aluminum powder inlet located above the wings flows into the main body 520 while passing between the wings. Since the wings rotate at a constant speed, the aluminum powder flowing into the main body 520 through the metal powder supply unit 510 is stably supplied at a constant speed.

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 2 , the metal powder supply unit 510 may be installed at a mid-height of the main body 520, or at a position higher than the mid-level, slanting downward from the aluminum powder inlet toward the main body 520. That is, the aluminum powder flowing into the main body 520 while passing between the wings is allowed to flow into the main body 520 along the inclined wall of the metal powder supply unit 510, thereby descending vertically into the main body 520. It is more stable than expected.

The main body 520 of this embodiment may be provided in a vertical cylindrical shape, as shown in FIG. 2.

The inert gas supply unit 530 of this embodiment may include a ball valve. The supply of inert gas into the main body 520 can be controlled by controlling the opening and closing of the ball valve by the controller or manually. That is, when the ball valve is opened, inert gas flows into the main body 520.

In this embodiment, the inert gas may be nitrogen (N ₂ ).

Although not shown in the drawing, nitrogen flowing into the main body 520 through the inert gas supply unit 530 may be transferred from a nitrogen storage tank (not shown) to the inert gas supply unit 530, and may be transferred to a nitrogen generating device (not shown). ) can be transferred from the inert gas supply unit 530. In addition, a compressor (not shown) that compresses the inert gas transferred to the inert gas supply unit 530; or a fan; by compressing nitrogen above a certain pressure and supplying it to the inert gas supply unit 530 at a certain pressure, the aluminum powder can be quickly and easily transferred from the main body 520 to the reactor 100. It may be possible to allow it to be transferred.

Additionally, the inert gas supply unit 530 may be installed at the top of the main body 520.

The metal powder discharge unit 540 of this embodiment may include a butterfly valve. By controlling the opening and closing of the butterfly valve through the controller or manually, the aluminum powder stored in the main body 520 can be controlled to be transferred from the main body 520 to the reactor 100. That is, when the butterfly valve is opened, the aluminum powder is discharged from the main body 520 together with the inert gas and transferred to the reactor 100.

The metal powder supply device 500 of this embodiment may further include a pressure measuring unit (not shown) that measures the internal pressure of the main body 520. A control unit (not shown) may control one or more of the inert gas supply unit 530 and the metal powder discharge unit 540 using the measured value of the pressure measurement unit.

For example, when the measured value of the pressure measuring unit exceeds the set value, the control unit opens the butterfly valve of the metal powder discharge unit 540, and the inert gas and aluminum powder inside the main body 520 are released into the main body by its own pressure. It can be transferred from 520 to the reactor 100.

The ball valve of the inert gas supply unit 530 and the butterfly valve of the metal powder discharge unit 540 may be controlled by a control unit or may be manually controlled, and whether the rotor of the metal powder supply unit 510 operates or not, the main body It may be an automatic valve set to automatically control opening and closing according to the internal pressure of (520).

For example, when the internal pressure of the main body 520 reaches the set value, the butterfly valve of the metal powder discharge unit 540 may be automatically opened.

For example, when the rotor of the metal powder supply unit 510 stops operating, the ball valve of the inert gas supply unit 530 may be automatically opened.

For example, when the rotor of the metal powder supply unit 510 operates, the butterfly valve of the metal powder discharge unit 540 and the ball valve of the inert gas supply unit 530 may be closed.

With reference to FIG. 3, the operating principle of the above-described metal powder supply device 500 will be described.

(step 1) Aluminum powder is supplied to the main body 520 at a constant speed through the metal powder supply unit 510. At this time, the rotor of the metal powder supply unit 510 may be operated, and the ball valve of the inert gas supply unit 530 and the butterfly valve of the metal powder discharge unit 540 may be closed.

(Step 2) The above-described step 1 is performed until the main body 520 is filled with aluminum powder equal to the amount to be supplied to the reactor 100.

(Step 3) When the main body 520 is filled with the amount of aluminum powder to be supplied to the reactor 100, the rotor of the metal powder supply unit 510 is stopped, and the ball valve of the inert gas supply unit 530 is opened, Nitrogen gas is supplied to the main body 520.

(step 4) As nitrogen gas is supplied to the main body 520, the internal pressure of the main body 520 increases and reaches the set value, the butterfly valve of the metal powder discharge unit 540 is opened, and the main body 520 Aluminum powder is transferred from to the reactor 100.

(Step 5) The ball valve of the inert gas supply unit 530 may be opened until all the aluminum powder in the main body 520 is transferred to the reactor 100. When it is confirmed that all the aluminum powder in the main body 520 has been transferred to the reactor 100, the butterfly valve of the metal powder discharge unit 540 is closed.

The inert gas of this embodiment serves to increase the internal pressure of the main body 520 and transfer a certain amount of aluminum powder stored in the main body 520 to the reactor 100. In addition, the aluminum powder is transferred to the reactor 100. During this process, a reaction occurs in the reactor 100, thereby preventing the generated hydrogen gas from flowing back toward the metal powder supply device 500.

When aluminum powder is supplied to the reactor 100, a hydrolysis reaction is initiated within the reactor 100, and hydrogen gas is released by the hydrolysis reaction before the entire amount of aluminum powder stored in the main body 520 is supplied into the reactor 100. can be created.

According to this embodiment, the inert gas continues to flow into the main body 520 until it is confirmed that the entire amount of aluminum powder in the main body 520 has been transferred to the reactor 100, that is, until the butterfly valve is closed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the hydrogen gas generated in the reactor 100 from flowing back into the metal powder device 500, so that a set amount of aluminum powder can be continuously supplied to the reactor 100.

If hydrogen gas backflows before all of the aluminum powder is supplied to the reactor 100, preventing the supply of aluminum powder, the set amount of aluminum powder is not supplied to the reactor 100, resulting in a decrease in hydrogen production yield and the reaction continuing. Problems that do not occur may occur. According to this embodiment, these problems can be solved.

As described above, the embodiments according to the present invention have been examined, and the fact that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms in addition to the embodiments described above without departing from the spirit or scope thereof will be recognized by those skilled in the art. It is self-evident. Therefore, the above-described embodiments should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and the present invention is therefore not limited to the above description, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

100: reactor
120: stirrer
200: Catalyst storage tank
300: Catalyst circulation pump
400: Catalyst recovery tank
500: Metal powder supply device
510: Metal powder supply unit
520: main body
530: Inert gas supply unit
540: Metal powder discharge unit
AL: Metal supply line

Claims (11)

In the metal powder supply device for supplying the metal in powder form to a reactor that generates hydrogen by hydrolysis of metal and water,
a main body for temporarily storing the metal powder before supplying it to the reactor; and
It includes an inert gas supply unit that supplies an inert gas to the main body,
The inert gas supply unit,
Including a ball valve that is controlled to open when the metal powder is filled in the main body by a set amount and controls the inflow of inert gas by opening and closing control.
The metal powder filled in the main body is supplied to the reactor by the inert gas,
A control unit that controls the ball valve to prevent the hydrogen generated in the reactor from flowing back into the main body so that an inert gas is supplied to the main body until all of the metal powder stored in the main body is discharged to the reactor. Metal powder supply device for hydrogen production. In claim 1,
A butterfly valve that opens and closes the connection between the main body and the reactor so that the metal powder in the main body is discharged into the reactor. A metal powder supply device for hydrogen production, further comprising a. In claim 1,
It includes a metal powder supply unit that supplies metal powder to the main body,
The metal powder supply unit,
A metal powder supply device for hydrogen production, comprising: a rotor provided with wings to allow the metal powder to flow into the main body at a constant speed. In claim 3,
When the metal powder supply unit stops operating, a control unit that controls the ball valve to open so that the inert gas is supplied to the main body. delete In claim 2,
When the internal pressure of the main body reaches the set value, a control unit that controls the butterfly valve to open so that the metal powder in the main body is supplied to the reactor by the inert gas; supplying metal powder for hydrogen production, including a Device. In claim 6,
The control unit,
A metal powder supply device for hydrogen production that controls the butterfly valve to close when the entire amount of metal powder stored in the main body is discharged to the reactor. The metal powder supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and 6 to 7;
a reactor that receives metal powder from the metal powder supply device and produces hydrogen through hydrolysis; and
It includes a catalyst storage tank for storing the catalyst to be supplied to the reactor,
In the reactor, hydrogen gas generated by the reaction is not discharged from the reactor until a set amount of metal powder is fully supplied from the metal powder supply device. Supplying metal powder to the body; and
When the metal powder is charged into the main body to a set value, stopping the supply of the metal powder and supplying an inert gas to the main body to supply the metal powder in the main body to a reactor that generates hydrogen;
The step of supplying metal powder to the reactor by supplying an inert gas to the main body,
Supplying metal powder for hydrogen production by continuing to supply the inert gas until the entire amount of metal powder in the main body is supplied to the reactor, thereby preventing hydrogen generated while the metal powder is supplied to the reactor from flowing back into the main body. method. In claim 9,
supplying an inert gas to the main body to increase the internal pressure of the main body; and
When the internal pressure of the main body reaches a set value, opening a path connecting the main body and the reactor so that the metal powder is supplied to the reactor; further comprising: a metal powder supply method for hydrogen production. In claim 9,
The step of supplying metal powder to the main body,
Operate the rotor to supply the metal powder to the main body at a constant speed,
The rotor stops operating when the main body is filled with a set value of metal powder,
The inert gas is supplied to the main body after the rotor stops operating.

Images