KR20070053198A - Apparatus for generating hydrogen gas - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hydrogen generating apparatus, and an object thereof is to provide a hydrogen generating apparatus to obtain hydrogen from water. In order to achieve the above object, the hydrogen generating apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a working fluid supply unit for supplying water, which is a working fluid, to a high purity and pressurized to a predetermined pressure; A body having a passage through which the working fluid can flow; A dielectric insert inserted into a passage within the body, passing the working fluid through a through hole, the dielectric insert generating a high potential electric impulse by a cavity release phenomenon; Separating means for separating ions according to electrical polarity by applying a magnetic field to the working fluid ionized by the electrical impulse; And concentrating means for concentrating the hydrogen ions separated by the separating means to extract the hydrogen gas.

Hydrogen, Dielectric, Cavitation, Lorentz Force, Catalyst Plate, Palladium

Description

Hydrogen generator {APPARATUS FOR GENERATING HYDROGEN GAS}

1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a hydrogen generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the body of the hydrogen generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the hydrogen generator body according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4A and 4B are top views and cross-sectional views showing separation means of the heat generating apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a conceptual view showing the principle of the separating means;

6 is a schematic view showing a working fluid supply unit of a hydrogen generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention relates to a hydrogen generator, and more particularly to a hydrogen generator suitable for producing hydrogen gas from water.

In general, hydrogen has the potential to be used in almost all fields used in current energy systems, including industrial fuels, hydrogen vehicles, hydrogen airplanes, fuel cells, and fusion energy.

Combustion of hydrogen while controlled under appropriate conditions can be used as an energy source like ordinary city gas. Hydrogen and oxygen burn at a volume ratio of 2: 1 to produce water (vapor), which generates 2,820 kcal per kilogram of heat. This calorie amount is the amount which can raise 0.3 to 0 degreeC water to 100 degreeC.

Hydrogen can also generate electrical energy through fuel cells, and nuclear fusion can generate enormous energy, such as hydrogen bombs. Energy can be obtained by directly burning hydrogen, and it is also easy to use as a fuel such as a fuel cell. In addition, hydrogen can produce almost infinite amount of water present on Earth as a raw material, and after use, it is recycled back into water, so it is an infinite energy source that is not depleted.

Hydrogen contains a very small amount of 0.1 ppm in the atmosphere, but almost infinite amounts exist in the form of compounds throughout the earth. The most compound containing hydrogen on earth is water (H ₂ O). In addition, crude oil or natural gas is composed of several kinds of hydrocarbon compounds in which carbon and hydrogen are combined, so they can be a good raw material for hydrogen production.

Among the methods for generating hydrogen gas in the related art, there are two representative methods. One is a method of obtaining hydrogen gas by electrolyzing water, and the other is a process such as pyrolysis from carbon compounds such as natural gas or crude oil. It is a method of obtaining a hydrogen gas through.

In order to obtain a hydrogen gas from water, hydrogen and oxygen must be separated from a water molecule composed of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. By using electrolysis as a method of decomposing hydrogen and oxygen, 4g of hydrogen can be obtained from 36g of water. The electrolysis is theoretically possible at a voltage of 1.23 V (volts), but in reality, a higher voltage is required due to the internal resistance of the device.

However, since electricity is energy that can be directly used industrially as such, decomposing water into such electricity and using hydrogen obtained as an energy source again lowers the efficiency of energy use. Therefore, limited utilization is possible such as electrolysis of water by using surplus power such as midnight power, storing hydrogen obtained therefrom in an appropriate manner, and then obtaining electricity again in the same manner as a fuel cell.

Another method for producing a hydrogen gas is a method of reacting high temperature water vapor with hydrocarbons such as naphtha obtained by refining natural gas and crude oil. However, fossil fuels, such as natural gas and crude oil, have high value for their use as energy sources and have a limited resource in obtaining hydrogen using them because they are finite resources.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a hydrogen generating apparatus capable of obtaining hydrogen from infinitely present water on the earth without consuming a fossil fuel which is a hydrocarbon.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a hydrogen generator that can obtain a large amount of hydrogen using a relatively small amount of energy, without using an electrolysis method that requires a considerable amount of electrical energy.

Hydrogen generating apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object, the operating fluid supply unit for supplying the water is a working fluid purified by high purity and at a predetermined pressure; A body having a passage through which the working fluid can flow; A dielectric insert inserted into a passage within the body, passing the working fluid through a through hole, the dielectric insert generating a high potential electric impulse by a cavity release phenomenon; Separating means for separating ions according to electrical polarity by applying a magnetic field to the working fluid ionized by the electrical impulse; And focusing means for focusing ions separated by the separating means, respectively, to generate hydrogen gas.

The body has a body formed of a dielectric, ie, ceramic, ruby or sapphire, which is durable against cavitation emission occurring therein. The passage inside the body is provided with a dielectric insert having one or two or more holes through which the working fluid can flow, and an inner wall of the hole and its periphery is provided with a dielectric, ie, asbestos, which tends to cause a cavity release phenomenon. In addition, an expansion portion having a cross-sectional area is formed at the outlet side of the through hole. The expansion part serves to rapidly drop the pressure of the working fluid flowing inside.

Following the body is provided a separating means. The separating means extends from the body and has a channel of a predetermined length having magnetic bodies of N and S poles on both sides thereof, and is formed at an end of the channel and flows in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field by the magnetic body. A separation tube for separating into forks.

The converging means is a closed tank, which is connected to both rear ends of the separation pipe at a lower part thereof, and is provided with an inlet through which a working fluid including a large amount of H ⁺ or OH ^- ions is supplied, and the working fluid is contacted with a large surface area. It includes a catalyst plate formed in the structure that the gas generated from the surface can rise and a membrane (membrane) for selectively passing through the hydrogen gas generated in the catalyst plate rises.

A first discharge port formed at an upper end of the tank, that is, an upper portion of the membrane and discharging high purity hydrogen gas having passed through the membrane, and connected to the first hydrogen tank; A second outlet for discharging low-purity hydrogen gas and a second outlet connected to the second hydrogen tank, and a third outlet formed at an upper level of the catalyst plate and recovering the water passing through the catalyst plate and returning it to the working fluid supply unit; It includes.

The first hydrogen tank stores high purity hydrogen gas, the second hydrogen tank stores low purity hydrogen gas mixed with oxygen or water vapor, and checks to prevent backflow of gas at each inlet of each hydrogen tank. It is desirable to have a valve.

The catalyst plate is preferably formed of palladium (Pd) or rhodium (rhodium, Rh). The catalyst plate has a property of absorbing or permeating a large amount of hydrogen, and the hydrogen released from the catalyst plate is very active and can cause a very active reduction at room temperature.

The operation of the hydrogen generator according to the present invention is as follows.

The hydrogen generator according to the present invention first ionizes water, which is a working fluid. A magnetic field is applied to the flow of the ionized working fluid, and the flow of ions is separated according to polarity by using the Lorentz force generated by the magnetic field. At this time, it is characterized by generating hydrogen gas by installing each focusing means in both directions to reach the ions separated by the anode and the cathode.

The working fluid supply unit supplies water of high purity through a water purification process. The water is pressurized to a constant pressure by a pump provided at the outlet side of the working fluid supply portion and supplied to the inlet of the body. At this time, a pulse generator of a predetermined frequency can be applied by connecting a pulse generator to the outlet pipe, and the frequency is related to the natural frequency of the dielectric insert through hole causing a cavitation emission.

The water enters a passage within the body and passes at high speed through the through hole of the dielectric insert installed within the passage. When the water passes through the expansion portion formed at the outlet side of the through hole, the pressure decreases rapidly as the inner diameter is enlarged, thereby lowering the boiling point. Therefore, minute bubbles are generated in the flow of the fluid, and the bubbles expand in the early stages of development and eventually burst.

As the fine bubbles burst at a position near the distal end of the inflation portion formed at the outlet side of the through hole, a very high pressure wave of up to about 10,000 atmospheres is generated, and the pressure wave affects the dielectric insert having the through hole. Crazy

Due to this effect, minute cracks are formed on the inner wall of the through-hole of the dielectric insert, and electrons are released from the cracks due to the nature of the material that is likely to cause cavitation. As the emitted electrons diffuse in the fluid, so-called Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation occurs, which can be confirmed by a photograph.

By emitting negatively charged electrons as above, the through-hole exit side of the dielectric insert is positively charged. The inner wall of the through hole of the dielectric insert and its periphery can be charged to a very high potential without causing discharge due to the properties of the material. A portion of the water is ionized by the high potential electric shock generated through this process.

This phenomenon occurs not only with the working fluid water but also with a dielectric liquid containing hydrogen, that is, mineral oil, kerosene, acetone, and the like, so that the present invention operates other dielectric liquids including hydrogen. It can also be used as a fluid.

H ⁺ ions and OH ^- ions move along the flow of the working fluid, and by applying a magnetic field to the flow of the working fluid containing the ions, the ions are subjected to Lorentz forces in the direction perpendicular to the magnetic field during movement, Thus, cations are separated on one side and anions are separated on the other side.

The ions thus separated are directed to their respective focusing means. In the tank-type focusing means, a working fluid containing the ions is in contact with the catalyst plate, which absorbs hydrogen as described above, and generates hydrogen gas by releasing hydrogen having a very strong reducing property. .

Hydrogen gas is raised in the converging means and stored in the first hydrogen tank through the membrane provided at the top, or in the second hydrogen tank when the hydrogen gas does not pass through the membrane.

The foregoing objects, features, and advantages will become more apparent from the following examples taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a hydrogen generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a hydrogen generator includes a body 10 having a passage through which water as a working fluid flows, and inserted into the body 10 and passed through the working fluid through a through-hole 21, A dielectric insert 20 for generating a high potential electric impulse by the emission phenomenon, a separation means 50 for separating ions according to the electrical polarity by applying a magnetic field to the flow of the working fluid ionized by the electric impulse, and And a concentrating means 60 for concentrating the hydrogen ions separated by the magnetic field to generate hydrogen gas.

The separating means 50 is a magnetic body 52 for applying a magnetic field to the channel 51 is provided on the opposite side of the channel 51 flows the ionized working fluid and the N and S poles respectively opposite the channel 51 and In accordance with the influence of the magnetic field is provided with a separation pipe 53 for separating the flow of the working fluid separated in accordance with the electrical polarity in two each.

The converging means 60 is an enclosed tank, which is connected to both rear ends of the separation pipe 53 at the lower part thereof, and an inlet 61 to which a working fluid including a large amount of H ⁺ or OH ^- ions is supplied, respectively. A catalytic plate 62 is formed in a zigzag shape so as to be in contact with the working fluid at a large surface area and the gas generated on the surface thereof may rise, and a hydrogen gas generated and raised in the catalyst plate 62 may be selectively provided. And a membrane 63 to pass through.

A first discharge port 64 formed at an upper end of the tank, that is, an upper side of the membrane 63 and exhausting high purity hydrogen gas having passed through the membrane and connected to the first hydrogen tank 71; The second outlet 65 is formed in the lower portion of the low-purity hydrogen gas that does not pass through the membrane and connected to the second hydrogen tank 72, and the upper level of the upper portion of the catalyst plate 62 And a third discharge port 66 formed to recover the water having passed through the catalyst plate 62 and return it to the working fluid supply unit.

The first hydrogen tank 71 and the second hydrogen tank 72 may be provided with check valves 74 to prevent backflow of gas at each inlet.

2 is a perspective view showing a body of a hydrogen generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hydrogen generator according to an embodiment of the present invention has a body 10 having a hollow pipe or channel shape and the inlet 11 side pipe and the outlet 12 side pipes connected to both ends of the body 10. . The body 10 is coupled to the inlet and outlet side pipe and the flange 15 and the bolt 17 to prevent the high-pressure working fluid from leaking. The flange 15 may include a high pressure sealing member in the connection portion.

Herein, the body 10 is formed of a material that is resistant to cavitation emission, that is, does not easily emit electrons when a cavitation occurs, for example, ceramic, sapphire, ruby, or the like. Preferably, the ceramic material may be a silicon carbide (SiC) sintered body or the like.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the hydrogen generator body according to an embodiment of the present invention. The hydrogen generating apparatus according to the present embodiment has a body 10 having a passage through which a working fluid can flow, and an expansion in which an inner diameter is enlarged at an outlet 23 and inserted into the body 10 to pass the working fluid. And at least one through hole 21 having a portion 22 formed therein, the dielectric insert 20 generating a high potential electric impulse by a cavity emission phenomenon. The electrical impulse ionizes water, etc., which is a working fluid.

The dielectric insert 20 is formed of sapphire or ruby, and the inner wall of the through-hole 21 contacting the working fluid is sensitive to cavitation emission such as asbestos or fluorine-containing synthetic polymer, that is, cavitation. It is made of a dielectric that is easy to emit electrons. At least one through hole 21 is formed in the dielectric insert 20, and the through hole 21 has a cylindrical shape having a length of 25 mm to 30 mm and a diameter of 1 mm to 2 mm.

In another embodiment, the dielectric insert 20 itself may be formed of a material such as asbestos.

Figure 4a is a top view showing the separation means of the heat generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4b is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional view taken along line AA 'of Figure 4a. As shown in the figure, a magnetic body 52 for applying a magnetic field along the channel 51 which is a passage of the working fluid is provided facing the N pole and the S pole. The magnetic body 52 has an induction level of 1T (Tesla) to 2T (Tesla), and the channel 51 has a length of the side provided with the magnetic body 52 in order to maximize the influence of the magnetic field on the flow of the working fluid. It is desirable to have a long rectangular cross-sectional area.

5 is a conceptual diagram showing the principle of the separating means. As shown in the figure, when a magnetic field B in a direction perpendicular to the flow of a working fluid including a cation and an anion is applied, a Lorentz force F is generated by interaction with a current I caused by the flow of ions. do. Thus, the cation hydrogen ion (H ⁺ ) is separated upwardly perpendicular to the flow and the anion hydroxide ion (OH ⁻ ) is separated downwardly perpendicular to the flow. This separated flow leads to a bifurcated split tube.

6 is a schematic view showing a working fluid supply unit of a hydrogen generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. The working fluid supply part receives the working fluid from the outside through the inlet 41 or from the third outlet of the converging means, the primary water purifying part 31 for primary purification, and the first fluid storing the working fluid having passed through the primary water purifying part. Reservoir 32, a secondary water purification unit 33 for secondarily purifying the working fluid temporarily stored in the first water storage tank, a second water storage tank for temporarily storing the high-purity working fluid passed through the secondary water purification unit 33 ( 34) and an output pump which is provided at the outlet side of the second reservoir and pressurizes the high-purity working fluid to a pressure of 5 to 7 MPa and supplies it to the inlet 11 of the body 10 through the outlet 43. (35).

The working fluid stored in the second reservoir after passing through the primary and secondary water purification units is water of high purity, and preferably has an electrical resistance of about 10 ¹² Ω · m. The primary and secondary water purification unit may be configured to include a micro filter, an insertion pressure filter, or a combination filter like a conventional super water purifying device, and may further include one or several intermediate pressure pumps 36. Various pumps, such as a rotary pump, a reciprocating pump, or a centrifugal pump, may be used as the intermediate pressure pump 36, and the output pump 35 may preferably use a rotary pump to maintain a constant pressure.

The hydrogen generator according to another embodiment of the present invention may further include a pulse generator (not shown) in a path through which the pressurized working fluid is supplied to the inlet 11 of the body 10 through the output pump 35. Can be. The pulse generator may apply a pressure wave of a constant frequency to the working fluid supplied to the body (10).

The present invention described above is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the accompanying drawings, and it is common knowledge in the field of the present invention that various substitutions and modifications and changes can be made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. It will be evident to those who have.

As described above, the present invention has the effect of obtaining hydrogen from water that exists infinitely on the earth without consuming fossil fuel which is a hydrocarbon.

In addition, the present invention has the effect of obtaining a large amount of hydrogen using a relatively small amount of energy, without using an electrolysis method that requires the consumption of a considerable amount of electrical energy.

Claims (20)

A working fluid supply unit for supplying the working fluid with high purity and pressurized to a predetermined pressure; A body having a passage through which the working fluid can flow; A dielectric insert inserted into a passage within the body, passing the working fluid through a through hole, the dielectric insert generating a high potential electric impulse by a cavity release phenomenon; Separating means for separating ions according to electrical polarity by applying a magnetic field to the flow of the working fluid ionized by the electrical impulse; And Focusing means for generating hydrogen gas by focusing the ions separated by the separating means, respectively Hydrogen generator comprising a. The method of claim 1, The body is formed of any one of a group consisting of ceramic, ruby and sapphire Hydrogen generator. The method of claim 2, The body is formed of a silicon carbide sintered body which is a ceramic material Hydrogen generator. The method of claim 1, The dielectric insert is formed of ruby or sapphire, and the inner wall of the through hole in contact with the working fluid has a layer formed of a dielectric sensitive to the cavity release phenomenon. Hydrogen generator. The method of claim 4, wherein The dielectric sensitive to the cavity release phenomenon is asbestos. Hydrogen generator. The method of claim 1, The through hole of the dielectric insert has an expansion portion on the outlet side thereof in which the cross-sectional area of the hole is enlarged so that the pressure of the working fluid passing through the through hole is rapidly lowered. Hydrogen generator. The method of claim 1, The separating means, A channel through which the working fluid flows; A magnetic material provided on the side of the channel and provided with an N pole and an S pole facing each other to apply a magnetic field to the flow of the working fluid; And A separation tube for guiding each of the ions vertically separated in the direction of the magnetic field according to the electrical polarity from the flow of the working fluid into two branches; Hydrogen generator. The method of claim 1, The focusing means is made of a closed tank, The tank, An inlet to which a working fluid including a large amount of H ⁺ or OH ⁻ ions separated by the separating means is supplied; A catalyst plate formed in a zigzag shape to be in contact with the working fluid at a large surface area and allowing gas generated at the surface thereof to rise; A membrane provided at an upper portion to selectively pass hydrogen gas generated in the catalyst plate to rise; A first outlet formed at an upper side of the membrane and discharging high purity hydrogen gas having passed through the membrane; A second outlet formed at a lower side of the membrane and discharging low purity hydrogen gas not passing through the membrane; And And a third outlet for recovering the water having passed through the catalyst plate and returning it to the working fluid supply unit. Hydrogen generator. The method of claim 8, The focusing means, A first hydrogen tank connected to the first outlet for storing hydrogen gas of high purity; A second hydrogen tank connected to the second outlet for storing hydrogen gas of low purity; And Further provided to each of the hydrogen tank inlet side check valve for preventing the back flow of gas Hydrogen generator. The method of claim 8, The catalyst plate is formed of rhodium or palladium Hydrogen generator. The method of claim 1, The working fluid is water Hydrogen generator. The method of claim 1, The working fluid supply unit includes an output pump for supplying the purified water of high purity at a pressure of 5 ~ 7MPa as a working fluid Hydrogen generator. The method of claim 12, The working fluid supply unit further includes a pulse generator connected to a rear end of the output pump to apply a pressure wave having an arbitrary frequency to the flow of the working fluid. Hydrogen generator. A working fluid supply unit for supplying water as a working fluid by purifying water with high purity and pressurizing it to a predetermined pressure; A body formed of a ceramic material having a strong resistance to the co-emission phenomenon and having a passage through which the working fluid can flow; A cavity generated in the inflation section, which passes through the working fluid through a through-hole inserted into a passage in the body and having an inflation section having an enlarged cross-sectional area at the outlet side and an inner wall formed of a layer of dielectric sensitive to the cavity release phenomenon; Dielectric inserts that generate high potential electrical impulses by emission phenomena; The magnetic fluid flowing through the channel flows the working fluid ionized by the electrical impulse, and is provided on the side of the channel, and the N and S poles face each other to apply a magnetic field to the flow of the working fluid, and the flow of the working fluid. Separation means including a separation tube for guiding each of the ions vertically separated from the direction of the magnetic field in accordance with the electrical polarity from the two branches; And And a concentrating means for concentrating the ions separated by the separating means, respectively, to generate hydrogen gas. Hydrogen generator. The method of claim 14, The focusing means is made of a closed tank, The tank, An inlet through which a working fluid including a large amount of H ⁺ or OH ⁻ ions is supplied from both rear ends of the separation tube; A catalyst plate formed in a zigzag shape to be in contact with the working fluid at a large surface area and allowing gas generated thereon to rise; A membrane provided at an upper portion to selectively pass hydrogen gas generated in the catalyst plate to rise; A first outlet formed at an upper side of the membrane and discharging high purity hydrogen gas having passed through the membrane; A second outlet formed at a lower side of the membrane and discharging low purity hydrogen gas not passing through the membrane; And And a third outlet for recovering the water having passed through the catalyst plate and returning it to the working fluid supply unit. Hydrogen generator. The method of claim 14, The focusing means, A first hydrogen tank connected to the first outlet for storing hydrogen gas of high purity; A second hydrogen tank connected to the second outlet for storing hydrogen gas of low purity; And Further provided to each of the hydrogen tank inlet side check valve for preventing the back flow of gas Hydrogen generator. The method of claim 14, The body is formed of a silicon carbide sintered body which is a ceramic material Hydrogen generator. The method of claim 14, The dielectric insert is formed of ruby or sapphire, and the inner wall of the through hole is formed of an asbestos layer. Hydrogen generator. The method of claim 15, The catalyst plate is formed of rhodium or palladium Hydrogen generator. A working fluid supply unit for supplying water as a working fluid by purifying water with high purity and pressurizing it to a predetermined pressure; A body formed of a ceramic material having a strong resistance to the co-emission phenomenon and having a passage through which the working fluid can flow; A cavity generated in the inflation section, which passes through the working fluid through a through-hole inserted into a passage in the body and having an inflation section having an enlarged cross-sectional area at the outlet side and an inner wall formed of a layer of dielectric sensitive to the cavity release phenomenon; Dielectric inserts that generate high potential electrical impulses by emission phenomena; The magnetic fluid flowing through the channel flows the working fluid ionized by the electrical impulse, and is provided on the side of the channel, and the N and S poles face each other to apply a magnetic field to the flow of the working fluid, and the flow of the working fluid. Separation means including a separation tube for guiding each of the ions vertically separated from the direction of the magnetic field in accordance with the electrical polarity from the two branches; And And a focusing means connected to both rear ends of the separation pipe and having a catalyst plate formed of rhodium or palladium to contact a working fluid including hydrogen ions or hydroxide ions to generate hydrogen gas. Hydrogen generator.

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