US20200224322A1

US20200224322A1 - Solar enhanced high temperature electrolysis and storage

Info

Publication number: US20200224322A1
Application number: US16/717,894
Authority: US
Inventors: Reginald Parker
Original assignee: Optimal Solar Corp
Current assignee: Optimal Technology Corp; Optimal Solar Corp
Priority date: 2017-04-06
Filing date: 2019-12-17
Publication date: 2020-07-16

Abstract

A solid-oxide electrolysis cell using water, carbon dioxide, high temperature, and electricity to more efficiently generate Hydrogen and Carbon Monoxide may be powered and energized by a hybrid, solar concentrator (or array of concentrators) which separated solar energy into infrared (IR) for heat energy and ultraviolet (UV) light and visible light for electrical energy. The Hydrogen and Carbon Monoxide produced by the solid-oxide electrolysis unit (or an array of such units) can be used for, such beneficial purposes as fuels, alkyl-based products, and/or to store clean water and electricity. The high temperature and electricity can be enhanced through the use of solar power, even in remote areas not connected to an electric power grid. Further, the generated Hydrogen by the aforementioned methods and apparatus can be used as a storage medium that can be converted to water and/or electricity at a later time and/or a different location using such methods as combustion or

Description

This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/480,622, entitled “High Efficiency Hybrid Solar Energy Device,” filed Apr. 6, 2017, by Reginald Parker et al., and of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/588,290 filed Sep. 30, 2019, entitled “Upconverted Hybrid Solar Energy Device” of the same inventor. This application also claims the benefit of the right of priority to U. S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/780,424, filed Dec. 17, 2018. All the above-identified patent applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the invention and methods of use relate to the production of hydrogen (H₂) and carbon monoxide (CO) and, in particular, to the production of hydrogen and carbon monoxide from water and/or steam and/or carbon dioxide. The hydrogen and carbon monoxide may be used in chemical and/or fuel production.

BACKGROUND

Solid-oxide electrolysis cells are able to electrolytically reduce and split water and carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide, hydrogen and oxygen. These cells require energy in order to generate carbon monoxide, hydrogen and oxygen. Thusly, water and carbon dioxide may be converted into carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and oxygen, which may be combined to form a synthetic gas (syngas) or reacted to form synthetic fuels (synfuels) and other useful products using, for example, heat and electricity. When operated as a solid-oxide electrolysis cell, the anode of the cell is the oxidant-side electrode and the cathode is the reducing electrode. An electrolyte separates the anode from the cathode. The energy required to drive the reduction reaction can be provided by electricity and/or heat. That is, as temperature increases, the amount of electricity required linearly reduces as the temperature linearly increases. As described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/480,622 filed Apr. 6, 2017, (the '622 patent application) solar energy provides heat through the received solar energy at a Fresnel lens within the infrared (IR) regions and electricity from conversion of light within the ultraviolet (UV) and visible regions via a high efficiency hybrid solar energy concentrator device. Therefore, through concentration and separating the IR from the visible and UV light spectra, the solid-oxide electrolysis process can be improved using a decentralized, compact electrolysis unit such as the solid-oxide electrolysis cell described herein combined with a compact hybrid solar concentrator as described by the '622 patent application for generating at least heat and electricity. Furthermore, the production of hydrogen through the solid-oxide electrolysis cell can be run in reverse to efficiently generate pure water and electricity. Likewise, controlled combustion of hydrogen in oxygen can alternatively produce water and electricity by capturing the products of the combustion reaction and harnessing the work of expansion due to the combustion of the hydrogen gas into water,
The preceding and following discussion of the solar energy and electrochemistry arts comprising renewable energy generators and electrolysis cells should not be construed as an admission that the subject matter of the discussion is known to others.
Solid-oxide electrolysis cells may be used for high temperature electrolysis of water and carbon dioxide into hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Therefore, it would be beneficial to develop systems and methods for converting water and carbon dioxide into hydrogen and carbon monoxide for use in various fuels or alkyl-based products. The use of heat and electricity derived from renewable solar energy power makes a distributed or enhanced version of such systems, even in remote areas. Further, the generated hydrogen can be used as a storage medium for both water and electricity for later use in that remote location or another location. Here, renewable solar energy increases the efficiency of developing hydrogen as a storage medium. Therefore, the system allows for the production of fuels and/or products via a combined renewable energy generator and an electrolysis cell. Presently, no efficient combination or a renewable energy device and an electrolysis cell is known to be compact, efficient, and distributed. Furthermore, presently, there are known problems which exist with known choices of materials for electrolyte, cathode and anode.

SUMMARY OF THE METHODS AND EMBODIMENTS

The problems associated with providing sophisticated, efficient solid-oxide electrolysis cells either completely or partially powered by solar power in a maintainable, distributed, compact unit is solved by the methods and embodiments of the present invention. According to embodiments and methods of the invention, hydrogen (H₂) and carbon monoxide (CO) may be formed from water (H₂O) and/or steam (H₂O) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) using a solid-oxide electrolysis cell to decompose the water to hydrogen and oxygen, to decompose carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide and oxygen, and to react carbon dioxide with at least some of the produced hydrogen to form water and carbon monoxide powered by renewable solar energy. The hydrogen and carbon monoxide produced according to embodiments of the invention may be used as synthetic gas (syngas) components for the production of synthetic fuels (synfuels) and other products according to conventional methods. A solid-oxide electrolysis cell or array of cells may be fed electricity or heat from a renewable energy solar cell or array of solar cells. A hybrid solar concentrator is particularly useful for its capability of generating heat and/or electricity from solar power.
Solid-oxide electrolysis cells suitable for use with embodiments of the invention may include a porous cathode, a gas-tight electrolyte, and a porous anode. A power source such as a hybrid solar energy concentrator device for providing an electrical current across a solid-oxide electrolysis cell via a photovoltaic (PV) cell or integrated circuit or heat collector from collection of infrared light may also be incorporated with embodiments of the invention. The solid-oxide electrolysis cells used with particular embodiments of the invention may include any conventional solid-oxide electrolysis cell and any conventional materials such as zirconium dioxide for an electrolyte used to form the cathodes, anodes, and electrolytes of such solid-oxide electrolysis cells. On the other hand, yttria stabilized zirconia is a recommended electrolyte. Nickel zirconia cermet (ceramic and metal) is a recommended material for the cathode. Strontium-doped lanthanum manganite is a recommended material for the anode. These overcome deficiencies of known materials used.
In some embodiments of the invention, solid-oxide electrolysis cells may be grouped together to create one or more arrays of solid-oxide electrolysis cells, completely or partially powered by one or more sources of solar energy or other compact, reliable, efficient source of renewable energy for generating especially heat and electricity in the form of solar cell arrays. Water, such as water in the form of, preferably, high temperature steam, may be fed to the arrays of solid-oxide electrolysis cells where the water (steam) comes into contact with a cathode side of the solid-oxide electrolysis cells. An electrical current in the cathode of a solid-oxide electrolysis cell facilitates the decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen ions (O₂). Carbon dioxide (CO₂) may also be fed to the arrays of solid-oxide electrolysis cells, which may result in the decomposition of carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen ions. The oxygen ions pass through an electrolyte to an anode of the solid-oxide electrolysis cell where the oxygen ions combine to form oxygen (O₂), releasing electrons. The oxygen may be collected as a product stream of the process. The hydrogen and carbon monoxide may not pass through the electrolyte and may be collected as a useful product stream of the process.
In other embodiments of the invention, carbon dioxide may be introduced to the cathode side of a solid-oxide electrolysis cell with water, or steam. The carbon dioxide may react with hydrogen formed by the decomposition of water on the cathode side of the solid-oxide electrolysis cell. Reaction of carbon dioxide with hydrogen forms water and carbon monoxide. The water may be further decomposed into hydrogen and oxygen according to embodiments of the invention. The carbon monoxide formed by the reaction of carbon dioxide with hydrogen may be collected as another useful product of the process.
According to embodiments of the invention, carbon monoxide and hydrogen collected from the decomposition of water, carbon dioxide, or a combination of water and carbon dioxide and the reaction of carbon dioxide with hydrogen may be collected, stored, or otherwise provided to a synfuels production process. As noted previously, syngas is comprised of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The syngas components produced by embodiments of the invention may be used to form synfuels according to conventional methods. Syngas or synfuels may be used locally, for example, at a remote location (such as a remote African, Australian or South American village) or transported to another location by conventional pipelines or vehicular or other transportation methods.
According to particular embodiments of the invention, at least a portion of the feed streams, or at least a portion of the energy required to convert water and carbon dioxide to syngas components, hydrogen and carbon monoxide, are preferably provided by a radiant renewable energy power process or a process utilizing radiant power to produce the desired feed streams or energy. In some embodiments, radiant power, via an infrared light collection, heat being received via the collected IR energy, may be used to generate steam, which steam may be used as a water source for the production of syngas by the solid-oxide electrolysis cells. Steam produced by the radiant power process may also be used to heat the feed streams, the solid-oxide electrolysis cells, the product streams, or combinations thereof, to provide process temperatures above, for example, at least about 250° C., preferably 500° C. to 1000° C. Electricity produced by the radiant power process may also be used to provide heat to particular portions of the process and/or to provide electrical current required for operation of the solid-oxide electrolysis cells. Electricity and steam generated by the radiant process may also be used to promote a combustion process for the formation of carbon dioxide, such as by the combustion of fuels, wastes, for example, comprising carbon, or other products or materials found at the remote location. The produced carbon dioxide may then be used as a feed source for embodiments of the invention. In still other embodiments of the invention, carbon dioxide may be provided to a solid-oxide electrolysis cell from a carbon dioxide source. For example, stored carbon dioxide, in liquid, solid, or gaseous form, may be used as a carbon dioxide source. Carbon dioxide produced by combustion processes, such as by the burning of fuels, wastes, or other materials, by biological reduction processes, or by manufacturing processes, such as by the production of cement clinker, for example, formed by heating ground limestone with clay (and a small amount of gypsum) at temperatures in excess of 1000° C. or petrochemical refining processes, wherein carbon dioxide may be extracted from crude oil, may also be used with embodiments of the invention.
In still other embodiments of the invention, the generated hydrogen may be used for a storage medium for clean water and electricity. For example, the combustion of hydrogen produces water directly while energy can be generated as a result of the expansion of the combusted gases and converted into electrical energy. Alternatively, an electrolytic cell can be run in reverse wherein hydrogen and oxygen are fed into the system to generate water and electricity. As a result, hydrogen can be used as a storage medium for water and power for later use and if required the storage medium can be transported from one location to another for subsequent use. In summary, a hybrid solar concentrator device or array of such devices may provide electricity and heat or high temperature steam necessary for operating a solid-oxide electrolysis cell or array of cells to, for example, produce hydrogen, water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, syngas and synfuels in remote locations, typically off the electrical grid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Now, a solar-enhanced, high temperature electrolysis process and apparatus will be described with reference to the incorporated-by-reference patent application and following discussion of its use as an array or singularly with a solid-oxide electrolysis cell or array of cells to produce useful products at a remote location that may be off the electric grid where a solar cell and solid-oxide electrolysis cell may provide a compact, high efficient apparatus for producing the useful products.

FIG. 1 of the present invention shows a solar power generator combined with a solid-oxide electrolysis cell. A radiant light source (10) such as the sun or diffuse or reflected light from the sun transmits infrared (IR) and visible light and ultraviolet (UV) light onto a primary optic (15) such as a collimator or Fresnel lens. The incident light received at the primary optic (15) transmits from the primary optic (15) to a dichroic film (30) which splits the light regions between 1) the ultraviolet (UV) and visible regions and 2) the infrared (IR) regions as described by U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/480,622 incorporated by reference herein, the '622 patent application. Component 10 (the sun), Fresnel lens 15, collimator 20, and second Fresnel lens 30, dichroic lens 40, PV cell or heat collector 50 or electricity or

heat energy collector

60, 70 are taken from FIG. 1 of this or the '622 patent application. A generator of heat on the order of one thousand suns is described by FIGS. 5-15 of the '622 patent application. The electricity is generated and fed into the circuit (60) and stored via the leads (60) at (70) at battery (140) of FIG. 1 of the present patent application. Heat energy is conducted into the feed (60) comprised of water and/or steam and carbon dioxide. The fuel is transported through the cathode (110) of the solid-oxide electrolysis cell. Carbon monoxide and hydrogen exit the cathode (110) via a collection unit and transport device (150). Excess oxygen ions which are detached from the carbon dioxide to make carbon monoxide are transported through the electrolyte (120) to anode (130) as seen in FIG. 1 of the present invention. As the Oxygen exits the Anode (130) at collection and transport device (152), it is preferably converted into diatomic Oxygen, O₂.

FIG. 2 is a graph of the relationship between heat and electricity in the solid-oxide electrolysis process. As discussed above, as temperature increases above 100° C., steam is produced and solid-oxide electrical energy input decreases, but heat energy increases at a faster rate and the total energy ΔH increases to produce hydrogen H₂. These products are then used to produce further byproducts as discussed herein for use at off-the-grid remote locations.

FIGS. 1-15 have been taken from priority U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/480,622 (the '622 patent application) filed Apr. 6, 2017, renumbered and included herein for reference purposes as follows:

FIG. 3 of the present application, provides an overall system diagram showing a first embodiment of a radiant energy concentrator system including a hot or cool spectral separator, for example, dichroic lens 40.

FIG. 4 of the present application, provides an enlarged diagram of light devices including the spectral separator of FIG. 3 of the present application.

FIGS. 5(A)-5(C) of the present application, provide alternative embodiments of light devices including a collimator and Fresnel lens systems for separating received radiant energy into bands for electrical, chemical and mechanical energy generation.

FIGS. 6(A)-6(C) of the present application show a Fresnel lens system, wherein FIG. 6A shows a perspective view of an exemplary array of 2 by 2 Fresnel lens systems for delivering a first visible light band to respective photovoltaic cells and dichroic lenses for transmitting infrared light as heat to a central collector column of heat for delivery to various mechanical and chemical systems as will be further discussed herein; FIG. 6(B) shows a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 6(A) and FIG. 6(C) shows a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 6(A).

FIG. 7 of the present application in table and schematic forms shows what may be referred to herein as the Five C's or principles of operation of a preferred embodiment of a hybrid solar concentrator, namely, Capture, Concentrate, Collimate and Constructively Convert and more to show new domed lens and components taken from what Applicant has added to the '622 patent application. A domed concentrator Fresnel Lens receives diffuse and point source sun light and focuses the received light, for example, on to a spectral separator for focusing on a UV/visible PV cell and an IR p/n junction cell.

FIGS. 8 through 13 of the present application provide a step-by-step process of constructing a high efficiency hybrid solar concentrator. The structure described simultaneously manages both heat and optics to achieve the most efficient conversion. Collimation is used to uniformly apply both intensity and color to reduce hot spots and structural moieties. Also, spectral reduces heat generation on from visible and infrared on both photovoltaic devices, thus reducing the heat load required to manage. Lastly, use of the Al monoblock with heat fins easily radiates any excess heat from the system which produces a high efficiency, low cost solar technology.

FIG. 8 of the present application shows in perspective view a domed Fresnel lens for capturing direct sunlight as well as diffuse light from the sun and outputting and concentrating the light like a funnel for reception at collimator 615 in a structure comprising brackets 645 for holding a collimator/separator/PV cells assembly seen in FIG. 8 only as collimator 615. As can be seen from FIG. 8, the domed Fresnel lens comprises a circular domed portion and a flat portion for focusing received light on collimator 615.

FIG. 9 of the present application shows in side view the brackets 645 and the domed Fresnel lens 620 with electrical conductors coming from the bottom of an assembly for generating electricity (not shown) comprising the collimator, spectral separator (hot or cold), a UV/visible PV cell below and reflected IR is received by a IR p/n junction cell,

FIG. 10 of the present application shows the assembly of a collimator 615, a spectral separator such as a cold mirror 840 for reflecting infrared energy to IR detector 870 seen as a first rectangular chip and a UV/visible detector or PV cell 850. The entire assembly is preferably provided with a heat sink 885 for alleviating heat build-up and protecting the chips from damage.

FIG. 11 of the present application shows a side cut-away view of the assembly of FIG. 8 with the collimator 615 cut in half exposed at the top and with spectral separator 840 reflecting infrared to PV p/n junction 870 and UV/visible to a UV/visible PV multi-junction cell only visible because of a bolt for fixing the cell to the assembly. Again, the assembly is shown having a heat sink 885.

FIG. 12 of the present application exemplifies the reception at a UV/visible PV cell that is 10 mm by 10 mm such that the combination of the domed Fresnel lens, the collimator, the spectral separator (for example, a cold mirror) provides an even uniformity of irradiance within a 10 mm diameter circle at best focus. Because of the combination, multiplication magnitudes on the order of one to two thousand power are achieved and because of the dark regions, the integrated circuit assembly of the PV cell is left undisturbed by damaging heat.

FIG. 13 of the present application provides a top view of an aluminum monoblock assembly with the collimator and spectral separator removed. What is left are the heat sink 885, the UV/visible PV cell 850 and the IR p/n, junction cell 870 showing electrical and heat conduction.

FIG. 14 of the present application shows an assembly of four such electricity generators with their respective dome-shaped Fresnel lens 620-1 through 620-4 at the top.

FIG. 15 of the present application shows dual axis tracking where a motor may track the sun from sunrise to sunset and a second motor may operate the North/South axis for tilting the structure of four cells to match the changing seasons and height of the sun in the sky.

FIG. 16 of the present application shows a graph of angle of incidence (AOI) measured against power on a detector such as a UV/visible detector for a domed Fresnel lens versus a conventional flat Fresnel lens, the graph showing a great increase in power over an AOI of zero to 0.2 degrees.

FIG. 17 of the present application shows the geometry of dimensions between lenses, cold mirrors and detectors where A is the distance from the Fresnel lens to the detector (in the case of a domed lens, the distance from the maximum sag to the detector, B is the distance from the vertex of a custom negative lens to a detector and dimension C is the midpoint of the cold mirror (spectral separator) to the detector.

A detailed description of the drawings follows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of a high efficiency hybrid solar concentrator combined with a solid-oxide electrolysis cell may be described by way of introduction to what may be referred to as the five C's: capture, concentrate, collimate and constructively convert. See the '622 patent application incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for a more complete discussion of a high efficiency hybrid solar concentrator device for use, for example, at remote locations. Firstly, capture has as an object to capture diffuse light and solar origin light. In connection with one embodiment of the present invention and referring to FIG. 1 of either the '622 patent application (renumbered FIG. 3 of the present application) or the present patent application, by way of example, the function of capture is best performed by a circular domed, square Fresnel lens. A circular domed, square Fresnel lens may be laid on a flat square Fresnel lens surface as seen in and described by FIGS. 6 and 7 (renumbered FIGS. 8 and 9 of the present application) of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/480,622 (the '622 patent application) incorporated by reference as to its entire subject matter. FIG. 1 of the present application is reproduced from FIG. 1 of the '622 patent application (renumbered FIG. 3). On the other hand, any of the embodiments or arrays of embodiments of FIGS. 1-4C and 6-9 and 11-13 of the '622 patent application (renumbered as FIGS. 3-6C, 840 and 13-15 of the present application and other similar embodiments may be used to provide heat, electricity, and desirable bi-products of solid-oxide electrolysis to a remote location that is not connected to a power grid or able to produce useful compounds for more comfortable living in the remote location.
A high-magnification solar concentrator per FIGS.5-15 of the '622 patent application (renumbered FIGS. 7-17 of the present application) may use this specially shaped, domed Fresnel lens to obtain high concentration exceeding one thousand suns (or one thousand magnification of received solar energy). The Fresnel lens may be converging and bend incident light beans to converge on a collimator of a monoblock assembly. A spectral separator follows, for example, at a forty-five degree angle to direct infrared (IR) in one direction to an IR detector as a source of electricity or a heat collector for a source of heat energy and pass ultraviolet (UV)/visible light in another direction to a UV/visible light photovoltaic (PV cell) detector as a source of so that the IR for heat does not disrupt the collection of UV/visible light for electricity. Further, the monoblock can be constructed to efficiently radiate the unconverted solar power for use subsequent use in heating. The present solar renewable energy collection system preferably uses dual axis tracking of the sun as it moves across the sky to provide up to 40% higher electricity generation than a fixed tilt ground mounted-systems. Dual axis tracking typically involves the use of a first system for daily sunrise to sunset tracking and a second system for compensating for the height in the sky of the sun between winter and summer by tilting a solar panel comprised, preferably, of the dome-shaped, flat square Fresnel lens.
The second C stands for a collimator or Fresnel lens 15 of FIG. 1 which may comprise a diverging Fresnel lens or similar lens to straighten subtending solar rays from the dome-shaped, square Fresnel lens and so collect diffuse light for collection at a collimator. Subtending light may be transformed into collimated light by collimator 15. In more plain language, the collimator may make crooked light straight for passing to a spectrum separator 40 per FIG. 1 which may separate incident light into IR and visible and UV light. The collimator 15 assists in controlling the size or intensity of the light beam hitting each of two solar PV integrated circuits or the IR collector an/or heat conductors. The solar separator 40 may be a hot or cold mirror and the electronics or heat conductor placed wherever the infrared or visible and ultraviolet light are directed. Lack of control of the light, on the other hand, can cause the light to unintentionally reach parts of each integrated circuit, heat conductor or solar circuit card assembly that are unwanted. Over time, the concentrated light may diminish the production capability of a Chip resulting in significant power losses. It is therefore important that the light be reflected, diffused or otherwise passed to each energy producing component at which the light is intended to be received, for example, so the infrared is not received and damage a PV intended to produce electricity and not collect heat. The collimator also may ensure that light is cast uniformly on the solar detector chips of two types (infrared and UV/visible). If the light is not collimated, the lack of uniformity in distribution can cause hot spots and/or structural moieties in a semiconductor.
A spectrum separator 40 may be a cold (or hot) mirror having a dichroic film. In at least one embodiment, UV and visible solar radiation is separated from infrared solar energy. The UV/visible light energy is passed to a UV/visible photovoltaic device which may be, for example, ten millimeters in diameter (circular) or, in another example, ten millimeters square or comprise one square centimeter, approximately, for ideally receiving an even uniformity of both bandwidths across the UV/visible spectra and intensity.
On the other hand, the spectrum separator 40 may comprise a dichroic film for passing infrared radiation to an infrared photovoltaic cell of similar size to that of the UV/visible PV cell or ten millimeters by ten millimeters (one centimeter in diameter if circular or one centimeter square if square) or the heat collector and transporter device of similar size (for example, a copper plate and insulated copper wires). The concentrated light is split into UV/visible light and infrared radiation. The UV/visible light is directed to a double junction PV cell or integrated circuit assembly which may convert fifty-three percent of the UV/visible light into electricity. The infrared radiation may be directed to a p/n junction cell which may convert approximately thirty percent of infrared radiation into electricity. Conventional PV and concentrated PV (CPV) efficiency is reduced by the thermal effects of infrared photons. Thus, infrared radiation reduces efficiency by increasing the temperature of the cell which in turn reduces effective conduction of electrons thus reducing efficiency by ten to twenty-five percent on hot days. On the other hand, the infrared heat increase may be used to advantage to heat water into high. temperature steam for operating the solid-oxide electrolysis cell or array. As a result of the five Cs approach, the embodiments described herein may operate at a concentration ratio of approximately one thousand five hundred suns (or one thousand five hundred magnification), or even two thousand suns and generate electricity (using both infrared and UV/visible cells) at an efficiency of approximately forty percent compared with the state-of-the art eighteen percent. The generation of heat for developing steam that may be used in a number of ways is made possible by the spectrum separator 40 directing infrared (heat) to a heat collector and transported to the solid-oxide electrolytic cell or array of cells,
FIG. 1 of the '622 patent application (renumbered FIG. 3 of the present application) shows a portion of FIG. 1 of the present invention. It shows an overall renewable energy concentrator system diagram showing a first embodiment of a radiant energy concentrator system including a spectral separator. FIG. 1 of the present invention combines FIG. 1, of the '622 patent application, (now FIG. 3) with a solid-oxide electrolysis cell comprising an anode 110, an electrolyte 120 and a cathode 130. Electromagnetic radiation 10, for example, radiant energy from the sun, may transmit light onto a collimator or Fresnel lens 15 first or directly on to a Fresnel lens 20. Collimator/Fresnel lens 15 collects and multiplies energy incident on it by a predetermined factor. By electromagnetic radiation 10, for example, radiant energy from the sun is used herein to comprise polychromatic visible light, infrared, ultraviolet and all other energy received at the earth's surface from the sun either directly or by diffusion. A suitable collimator 15, for example, may be one obtained from Remote Light Inc. of Colorado, which may multiply incident radiation by a factor of up to ten or more (as well as straighten crooked light, for example, diffuse light from around the collimator as received from a much larger Fresnel lens (for example, the circular domed and flat square Fresnel lens of FIGS. 6 and 7 of the '622 patent application, (now FIGS. 8 and 9). In other words, in alternative embodiments, Fresnel lens/collimator 15 may collect, receive and multiply radiant energy from, for example, sun source 10, (or alternatively, Fresnel lens 20 may first receive radiant energy from sun source 10 or diffuse or reflected light). Each of the collimator and Fresnel lens devices may be a multiplier and a capturer of incident solar direct or diffuse energy. If the Fresnel lens 20 receives radiant energy from sun source (direct or diffuse), it can multiply incident radiation by a factor of up to one thousand or more.
The different systems of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the '622 patent application (now FIGS. 3, 4 and 5A through 5C) may multiply the received electromagnetic radiation 10 by a predetermined factor. The collimator acts as a funnel or light pipe for capturing light received from various directions including reflected light from sunlight bouncing off a building or any reflective materials nearby. An approximate distance between collimator 15 and Fresnel lens 20 or vice versa may be on the order of two to five centimeters in one embodiment, depending on the collimator and Fresnel lens placement, Characteristics and parameters.
Furthermore, for example, a converging Fresnel lens 20 may multiply the electromagnetic radiation it receives directly from the sun source one thousand times or from the collimator 15 by a further predetermined factor. In one example, if collimator 15 multiplies by up to ten or more and converging Fresnel lens 20 by up to one hundred or more then, incident radiant energy is multiplied by a total factor of up to one thousand or more. In an alternative embodiment, the concentrating Fresnel lens 20 may be a shaped Fresnel lens; (see the converging dome-shaped lens of FIGS. 6 and 7 shown in the '622 patent, now FIGS. 8 and 9) which concentrates both direct and indirect light onto a collimator (or a diverging Fresnel lens 30). A dome-shaped square lens being a domed-shape, square fiat lens of approximately 400 mm by 400 mm and the circular dome having a circular footprint having a diameter in a range from 250 mm to 300 mm with 283 mm a preferred value, clearly outperforms a conventional flat converging Fresnel lens by laboratory testing as seen in the graph of FIG. 14 of the '622 patent application (now FIG. 16) showing power of detector versus angle of incidence or degree by a factor of two, and the detector is moved to a position of best focus where a ninety percent power on detector is measured between 0° and eight degrees angle of incidence (AOI).
The domed-shaped, circular and square Fresnel lens may be 400 mm×400 mm×3 millimeters and be manufactured of Polymethyl Methacrylate, a form of plastic. A cold mirror at either 35 mm×35 mm×3.3 mm or 25×25×3.3 mm may be constructed of borofloat glass from Schott A G of Mainz, Germany, with a dichroic film coating to reflect a preferred band, for example, IR and pass UV/visible. A custom negative lens may be matched with a domed Fresnel lens and a cold mirror at 35×35 millimeters and dimension A from the Fresnel lens to the detector is 419.5. Dimension B is the distance from the vertex of the custom negative lens to the detector at 39 millimeters and dimension C may be the midpoint between the cold mirror and the detector or sixteen millimeters.
A conventional flat lens has been compared with a dome-shaped lens on a flat Fresnel lens surface and a twenty-five millimeters by twenty-five millimeters cold mirror and with a thirty-five millimeters by thirty-five millimeters cold mirror. With a 35×35 mm cold mirror, efficiency of energy conversion was greatly improved with a 10 mm×10 mm PV UV/visible detector. The hybrid solar concentrator provides high efficiency, low failure rate solar energy conversion in two separate solar bands, infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV)/visible to produce heat and/or electricity.
When a Fresnel lens is used as a concentrator, due to the light focusing characteristic of the Fresnel lens, a Fresnel lens is desirably used in conjunction with a motor system 80 or a plurality of light reflectors, not shown, for collecting and delivering the light to Fresnel lens 20 so that it may be further delivered without loss of radiant energy to system 30, 40, 50, 60, 70. The converging Fresnel lens 20, for example, may transmit light it receives onto a diverging Fresnel lens 30.
Converging Fresnel lens 20 and all elements shown below the Fresnel lens 20 in FIGS. 1 and 2 through 3C of the '622 patent application (now FIGS. 3, 4 and 5A through 5C) may be moved as the sun moves across the sky in the various seasons of the year (shorter or longer daylight hours) via a dual axis tracking motor system controlled according to a sun calendar. A processor and associated software for motor control are not shown but may be used to program the motor system, for example, using GPS to identify the coordinates of a system according to the present invention to be installed. The closer to the equator the remote location, the more heat and electricity may be generated. The motor system, in one embodiment, may be more conveniently used if the converging Fresnel lens 20 is used without a collimator 10. A similar motor system is known, for example, from the field of telecommunications transmission and reception, for example, satellite tracking motor control systems with a difference being that the present system may track the travel of the sun 10 or other source of electromagnetic radiation, if it is a moving source, for example, tracking the sun as it travels across the sky.
A plurality of stacked hot or cool spectrum separators, for example, dichroic lenses, 40 may receive light and transmit or reflect the light at different spectral bands to different photovoltaic cells or accumulators operable at different spectral bands at different receiving locations or may collect heat. On the other hand, infrared light may be reflected from the dichroic lens 40 either onto an accumulator 70, a further collimator, not shown, or is focused through an IR Fresnel lens 60 onto an accumulator 70. The accumulator 70 then may, for example, use heat to either distill liquid, expand a working fluid, produce mechanical energy, generate thermal energy, convert hazardous and carbon-containing waste into fuel and/or generate electrical energy. Hazardous waste that is radio-active may be separated such that the radioactive elements may be used to fuel a nuclear energy plant.
One or a plurality of embodiments of a system such as may be seen in FIG. 4(A) through FIG. 4(C) of the '622 patent application (now FIG. 6C) may be mounted, for example, on the roof of a manufacturing facility with hazardous waste as an output. The visible spectrum may be used for generating electricity for running the plant and the infrared energy for use as heat and chemical energy for treating the effluent waste output containing carbon and converting the waste to fuel, for example, a hydrocarbon fuel.
A model of an embodiment of a high efficiency hybrid solar concentrator and the performance of heat management arc discussed with reference to FIGS. 6 through 11 of the '622 patent application (now FIGS. 8 through 13).
FIG. 6 of the '622 patent application (now FIG. 8) shows in perspective view a domed Fresnel lens for capturing direct sunlight as well as diffuse light from the sun and outputting and concentrating the light like a funnel for reception at collimator in a structure comprising brackets for holding a collimatorseparator/PV cells assembly seen in FIG. 6 (now FIG. 8) only as a collimator. As can be seen from FIG. 6 (now FIG. 8), the domed Fresnel lens comprises a circular domed portion and a flat portion for focusing received light on a collimator of a monoblock assembly containing a collimator, a spectral separator and collectors for UV/visible and infrared for transporting heat or conversion to electricity.
FIG. 7 of the '622 patent application (now FIG. 9) shows in side view the side support brackets of the renewable energy collector and the domed Fresnel lens with electrical conductors coming from the bottom of a monoblock assembly for generating electricity or heat (not shown) comprising the collimator, spectral separator (preferably cold), a UV/visible PV cell below and reflected IR may be received by a IR p/n junction cell to the side.
FIG. 1 of the present patent application shows a solar renewable energy generator combined with a solid-oxide electrolysis cell. As already explained, the renewable energy source may be depicted as elements 10 through 70. A radiant light source (10) such as the sun (or diffuse or reflected light from the sun) transmits infrared and visible light and ultraviolet light onto a primary optics (15) such as a collimator or Fresnel lens. The incident light received at primary optics (15) transmits from the primary optics (15) to a dichroic film or Fresnel lens (30) which may split the light regions between 1) the ultraviolet (UV) and visible regions and 2) the infrared OR) regions as described by U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/480,622 incorporated by reference herein. Components 10 (the sun or diffuse of reflected light from the sun), Fresnel lens 15, collimator 20, and second Fresnel lens 30, dichroic lens or other reflective lens 40, PV cell or heat collector 50 or electricity or beat energy collector 60, 70 are taken from FIG. 1. A generator of heat on the order of one thousand suns is described by FIGS. 5-15 of the '622 patent application (now FIGS. 7-17). The electricity is generated and fed into the circuit (60) and stored via the leads (60) at (70) at battery (140). Battery (140) may store electricity for use at night and collects electric energy by day. The electrical current level of the generated electricity may be used to increase the concentration of the hydrogen produced by the at least one solid-oxide electrolysis cell to a preferable level of two amps. Heat energy is conducted into the feed (60) comprised of water and/or steam and carbon dioxide. The fuel is transported through the cathode (110) of the solid-oxide electrolysis cell. The cathode may comprise nickel-zirconia cermet a combination of the metal and ceramics. Carbon monoxide and hydrogen exit the cathode (110) via a collection unit and transport device (150). A portion of the hydrogen may be reacted with the carbon dioxide to produce carbon monoxide. Excess oxygen ions which are detached from the carbon dioxide to make carbon monoxide are transported through the electrolyte (120) to anode (130). Oxygen may be collected from the anode (130). The electrolyte (120) may comprise yttria stabilized zirconia. The anode (130) may comprise strontium doped lanthanum manganite. As the Oxygen exits the Anode (130) at collection and transport device (152), it is preferably converted into diatomic Oxygen. Page 18 of 23
Thus, there has been shown and described a method for producing one or more of Hydrogen, Oxygen, water, steam, syngas, synfuels, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Hydrogen may be used in remote locations to use to generate clean water and electricity for use. The hydrogen and carbon monoxide may be routed to a synfuel production process. The production method may comprise directly exposing one or more of water, steam and carbon dioxide to heat generated by a radiant power source and collected by a renewable energy generator to produce a feed stream comprising one of steam at a high temperature (such as at least 250° C.) and carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide may be produced by combusting materials such as carbon monoxide using the heat generated by the radiant heat and/or electrical power source. In the alternative, a carbon dioxide source (not shown) may be used to supply the carbon dioxide, wherein the carbon dioxide source is selected from the group consisting of a combustion process, a cement clinker process (heating ground limestone and clay at high temperature), a petrochemical refining process and a carbon dioxide storage facility. On the other hand, one may then introduce the feed stream to a cathode side of at least one solid-oxide electrolysis cell to decompose the steam into hydrogen and oxygen ions and the carbon dioxide of the feed stream into carbon monoxide, one may then provide an electrical current produced by the renewable energy generator to the at least one solid-oxide electrolysis cell. As a result, one may select a magnitude of an electrical current output of the radiant power source as well as hot steam provided to the at least one solid-oxide electrolysis cell to produce the hydrogen and the carbon monoxide.
The radiant power source or renewable power generator may be selected from the group consisting of renewable solar power generators, lasers, and ambient light from light sources.
FIG. 2 is a graph of the relationship between heat and electricity in the solid-oxide electrolysis process. As discussed above, as temperature of steam increases above 100° C., solid-oxide electrical energy input decreases but heat energy increases at a faster rate and the total energy ΔH increases to produce hydrogen H₂.
All patents and articles referenced herein should be deemed to be incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as to their entire subject matter. One of ordinary skill in the art should only deem the several embodiments of a solar concentrator and conversion apparatus and method described above to be limited by the scope of the claims which follow.
A method for producing one or more of Hydrogen, Oxygen and Carbon Monoxide, the method comprising:

- directly exposing one or more of water, steam and carbon dioxide to heat generated by a radiant power source and collected by a renewable energy generator to produce a feed stream comprising one of steam at a high temperature and carbon dioxide;
- introducing the feed stream to a cathode side, of at least one solid-oxide electrolysis cell to decompose the steam into hydrogen and oxygen ions and the carbon dioxide of the feed stream into carbon monoxide; and
- providing an electrical current produced by the renewable energy generator tri the at least one solid-oxide electrolysis cell; and
- selecting a magnitude of an electrical current output of the radiant power source provided to the at least one solid-oxide electrolysis cell to produce the hydrogen and the carbon monoxide.

Claims

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the radiant power source or renewable power generator from the group consisting of renewable solar power generators, lasers, and ambient light from light sources.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein introducing the feed stream to a cathode side of at least one solid-oxide electrolysis cell in proximity to a collection of renewable energy from the radiant power source.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring the at least one solid-oxide electrolysis cell to comprise:
a cathode;

an anode; and

an electrolyte positioned between the cathode and anode.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising selecting a nickel-zirconia cermet material to comprise the cathode.
6. The method of claim 4, further comprising selecting a strontium doped lanthanum manganite material to comprise the anode.
7. The method of claim 4, further comprising selecting yttria stabilized zirconia material to comprise the electrolyte.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising increasing the electrical current to increase the concentration of the hydrogen produced by the at least one solid-oxide electrolysis cell.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising routing the hydrogen and carbon monoxide to a synfuel production process.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising reacting at least a portion of the hydrogen with the carbon dioxide to produce carbon monoxide.
11. The method of claim 1, further comprising producing the carbon dioxide by combusting materials using the heat generated by the radiant heat and/or electrical power source.
12. The method of claim 10, further comprising collecting the carbon monoxide.
13. The method of claim 1, further comprising producing the carbon dioxide as an off-gas or waste gas in a manufacturing process.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein directly exposing water and carbon dioxide to heat generated by a radiant power source via a renewable energy concentrator to produce a feed stream comprising directly exposing one or more of water, steam and carbon dioxide to heat generated by a radiant power source to produce a feed stream having a temperature of preferably above 250° C.
15. The process of claim 1, further comprising combusting a fuel using the heat from the radiant power source to produce the carbon dioxide.
16. The process of claim 1, further comprising providing a carbon, dioxide source to supply the carbon dioxide, wherein the carbon dioxide source is selected from the group consisting of a combustion process, a cement clinker process, a petrochemical refining process and a carbon dioxide storage facility.
17. The method of claim 4, further comprising collecting oxygen from the anode.
18. The method of claim 1, further comprising increasing the electrical current provided to at least one solid-oxide electrolysis cell to increase a concentration of the hydrogen and the carbon monoxide produced by the at least one solid-oxide electrolysis cell.
19. The method of claim 1, further comprising exposing at least one of the Hydrogen and the carbon monoxide to heat from the radiant power source.
20. The method of claim 1 further comprising keeping and/or transporting hydrogen to later use to generate clean water and electricity for use.