Energy and/or material transport including phase change
View Patent ↗Techniques, systems and material are disclosed for transport of energy and/or materials. In one aspect a method includes generating gaseous fuel (e.g., from biomass dissociation) at a first location of a low elevation. The gaseous fuel can be self transported in a pipeline to a second location at a higher elevation than the first location by traveling from the first location to the second location without adding energy of pressure. A liquid fuel can be generated at the second location of higher elevation by reacting the gaseous fuel with at least one of a carbon donor, a nitrogen donor, and an oxygen donor harvested from industrial waste. The liquid fuel can be delivered to a third location of a lower elevation than the second location while providing pressure or kinetic energy.
1. A method for transporting energy and/or material, comprising:
providing or forming a first gaseous material at a first location;
transporting by expansion the first gaseous material from the first location to a second location having a higher elevation than the first location;
reacting the first gaseous material to form a first liquid material at the second location;
transporting by gravitational acceleration the first liquid material from the second location to a third location having a lower elevation than the second location;
reacting the first liquid material to form a second gaseous material at the third location;
transporting the second gaseous material to a fourth location having a higher elevation than the third location;
reacting the second gaseous material to form a second liquid material at the fourth location; and
transporting the second liquid material to a fifth location having a lower elevation than the fourth location.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein reacting the first liquid material includes reacting the first liquid material anaerobically.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a pressure from providing or forming the first gaseous material accounts for all or a portion of an energy used to transport the first gaseous material from the first location to the second location.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein a pressure from forming the second gaseous material accounts for all or a portion of an energy used to transport the second gaseous material from the third location to the fourth location.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising extracting energy with a turbine from flow of the first liquid material from the second location to the third location.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising extracting energy with a turbine from flow of the second liquid material from the fourth location to the fifth location.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein transporting the second liquid material from the fourth location to the fifth location includes gravity transporting the second liquid material.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first gaseous material and the second gaseous material include hydrogen, methane, ethane, butane, propane, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, or a combination thereof.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first liquid material and the second liquid material include an alcohol, an alkyne, a ketone, an ether, ammonia, or a combination thereof.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first gaseous material and the second gaseous material include hydrogen, methane, or a combination thereof, and the first liquid material and the second liquid material include methanol, ammonia, or a combination thereof.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first gaseous material and the second gaseous material include sulfur dioxide, chlorine, or a combination thereof, and the first liquid material and the second liquid material include sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, or a combination thereof.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein a distance between the first location and the fifth location is between about 1 km and about 1,000 km.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein an elevation difference between the first location and the second location and an elevation difference between the third location and the fourth location are between about 100 m and about 4 km.
14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating a supplemental gaseous material and injecting the supplemental gaseous material into the first gaseous material to increase a pressure of the first gaseous material as it travels from the first location to the second location or injecting the supplemental gaseous material into the second gaseous material to increase a pressure of the second gaseous material as it travels from the third location to the fourth location.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the supplemental gaseous material includes hydrogen, and the method further comprises generating oxygen in conjunction with generating the supplemental gaseous material, and delivering the oxygen to a point-of-use location.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first gaseous material, the second gaseous material, the first liquid material, and the second liquid material are a first gaseous fuel, a second gaseous fuel, a first liquid fuel, and a second liquid fuel, respectively.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first liquid fuel includes less than about 25% hydrocarbons.
18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fifth location is a point-of-use location and gravity provides all or a portion of a pressure head of the second liquid material at the point-of-use location.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the point-of-use location is a first point-of-use location, and the method further comprises transporting the second liquid material from the fourth location to a second point-of-use location having a lower elevation than the fourth location, wherein gravity provides all or a portion of a pressure head of the second liquid material at the second point-of-use location.
20. A method for transporting energy and/or material, comprising:
providing or forming a first gaseous fuel at a first location and a first elevation;
transporting the first gaseous fuel from the first location to a second location having a second elevation;
reacting the first gaseous fuel to form a first liquid fuel at the second location;
transporting the first liquid fuel from the second location to a third location having a third elevation;
extracting energy with a turbine from flow of the first liquid fuel from the second location to the third location;
reacting the first liquid fuel to form a second gaseous fuel at the third location;
transporting the second gaseous fuel to a fourth location having a fourth elevation;
reacting the second gaseous fuel to form a second liquid fuel at the fourth location;
transporting the second liquid fuel to a fifth location having a fifth elevation; and
extracting energy with the turbine from flow of the second liquid fuel from the fourth location to the fifth location, wherein a pressure from providing or forming the first gaseous fuel accounts for all or a portion of an energy used to transport the first gaseous fuel from the first location to the second location, and a pressure from forming the second gaseous fuel accounts for all or a portion of an energy used to transport the second gaseous fuel from the third location to the fourth location.
21. The method of claim 15 , wherein generating the supplemental gaseous material includes generating the supplemental gaseous material by electrolysis of water.
22. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first gaseous material is carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide; and
the first liquid material is an alcohol.
23. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first location is a base of a building; and
the second location is a top of a building.
24. The method of claim 1 , wherein an elevation difference between the first and second locations is due to natural topography.
25. The method of claim 1 , wherein transporting the first gaseous material includes transporting the first gaseous material through a pipeline directly connecting a first reactor or storage chamber at the first location to a second reactor or storage chamber at the second location.
26. The method of claim 1 , further comprising dissolving a hazardous contaminant into the first liquid material.
27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the first liquid material is a fuel.
28. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first gaseous material is hydrogen;
the first liquid material is ammonia; and
reacting the first gaseous material to form the first liquid material includes reacting the hydrogen with nitrogen from air at the second location.
29. The method of claim 28 , wherein providing or forming the first gaseous material includes reforming methane from biomass dissociation at the first location.