ENERGY STORAGE AND CONVERSION WITH HOT CARBON DEPOSITION
In one aspect, a method to convert a fuel into energy and specialized fuel includes, in a reactor, dissociating a fuel to produce hot carbon and hydrogen, the hot carbon having a temperature state in a range of 700 to 1500° C., in which the dissociating includes providing heat and/or electric energy to produce the hot carbon and the hydrogen; and removing the hot carbon and the hydrogen from the reactor, the removing including depositing the hot carbon to a chamber, in which the hot carbon includes an increased chemical potential energy and is capable of storing energy from an external source. In some implementations, the method can further include supplying an oxygen- and hydrogen-containing reactant to contact the hot carbon to produce carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H 2 ); and obtaining the produced CO and H 2 , which, after the supplying, remaining deposited carbon forms a durable carbon-based good or product.
1 . A method for converting a fuel into energy or specialized fuel, comprising:
in a reactor, dissociating a fuel to produce hot carbon and hydrogen, the hot carbon having a temperature state in a range of 700° C. to 1500° C., wherein the dissociating includes providing one or both of heat and electric current to produce the hot carbon and the hydrogen; and
removing the hot carbon and the hydrogen from the reactor, the removing including depositing the hot carbon to a chamber,
wherein the hot carbon includes an increased chemical potential energy and is capable of storing energy from an external source.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
supplying an oxygen- and hydrogen-containing reactant to contact the hot carbon to produce carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H 2 ); and
obtaining the produced CO and H 2 ,
wherein, after the supplying the steam, remaining deposited carbon forms a durable carbon-based good or product.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the supplying the steam occurs in the chamber.
4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the oxygen- and hydrogen-containing reactant includes at least one of steam, alcohol, or air.
5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the dissociating includes an endothermic conversion of the fuel to the hot carbon and hydrogen, and the supplying includes exothermic reaction to produce the CO and H 2 .
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the dissociating includes applying an electrical potential on one or more electrodes in the reactor to provide the electric current or to generate the heat to dissociate the fuel into the hot carbon and the hydrogen.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the electrodes are formed of a material including at least one of a metallic alloy, graphite, silicon carbide, or molybdenum disilicide.
8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
pressurizing the produced hydrogen using a galvanic cell with a proton membrane.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the removing includes endothermic precipitation of the hot carbon into the chamber.
10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
storing energy from a regenerative process using the hot carbon.
11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
supplying the stored energy to the reactor to provide the heat to produce the hot carbon and the hydrogen.
12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the regenerative process includes braking or absorbing shock in a vehicle application.
13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the removing the hot carbon includes depositing the hot carbon in the chamber on a substrate formed of a material including at least one of graphene, nickel, mica, silicon carbide, a ceramic material, or carbon with a silicon nitride coating or a boron nitride coating.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the deposited hot carbon is formed as amorphous carbon on the substrate.
15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the substrate includes one or more catalysts to initiate formation of a carbon allotrope from the deposited hot carbon, the formed carbon allotrope including at least one of a fullerene, graphene, graphite, diamond, carbon nanotube, carbon nanofiber, or carbon nanowhisker.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the one or more catalysts includes at least one of carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofoam, nickel, iron, tungsten, molybdenum, niobium, vanadium, copper, copper-based alloy, or one or more intermetallics, carbides, nitrides, or cermet compounds.
17 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
using the hot carbon as a fuel and air as an oxidant in a fuel cell, and
producing, in the fuel cell, one or more oxides of carbon and one or more nitrogenous substances.
18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
during the producing, separating the oxidant from nitrogen in the fuel cell.
19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the oxides of carbon include at least one of carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide, and the nitrogenous substances include at least one of ammonia or urea.
20 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
extracting electrical energy from the hot carbon as a fuel in a fuel cell.
21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the removing the hot carbon includes depositing the hot carbon on or proximate an electrode of the fuel cell.
22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the hot carbon is deposited on or proximate to an anode of a composite fuel cell assembly including the anode, a cathode, and a proton transport membrane between the anode and the cathode to separate ionized hydrogen.
23 . A system for converting a fuel into energy or specialized fuel, comprising:
a reactor to receive a feedstock fuel and dissociate the feedstock fuel to carbon constituents and hydrogen by applying one or both of heat and electric current, the carbon constituents including hot carbon having a temperature state in a range of 700° C. to 1500° C. and having an increased chemical potential energy such that it is capable of storing external energy; and
a chamber to receive the hot carbon, wherein the chamber is electrically or thermally insulated and structured to include a substrate where the hot carbon is deposited.
24 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the reactor is structured to include one or more electrodes to apply an electrical potential that provides the electric current or generates the heat to dissociate the fuel.
25 . The system of claim 24 , wherein the electrodes are formed of a material including at least one of a metallic alloy, graphite, silicon carbide, or molybdenum disilicide.
26 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the deposited hot carbon in the chamber is reacted with an oxygen- and hydrogen-containing reactant to produce a carbon oxide and additional hydrogen.
27 . The system of claim 26 , wherein the carbon oxide includes carbon monoxide.
28 . The system of claim 26 , wherein the oxygen- and hydrogen-containing reactant includes at least one of steam, alcohol, or air.
29 . The system of claim 26 , further comprising:
an engine to receive and utilize one or both of the produced carbon oxide and additional hydrogen as fuel or as reactants in reactions within the engine.
30 . The system of claim 26 , further comprising:
a fuel cell to receive and utilize one or both of the produced carbon oxide and additional hydrogen as fuel or as reactants in reactions within the fuel cell to extract electrical energy to produce electricity.
31 . The system of claim 23 , further comprising:
a fuel cell to receive and use the hot carbon as a fuel and air as an oxidant to (i) produce one or more oxides of carbon and one or more nitrogenous substances, or (ii) extract electrical energy from the hot carbon.
32 . The system of claim 31 , wherein the one or more oxides of carbon produced by the fuel cell include at least one of carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide, and the one or more nitrogenous substances produced by the fuel cell include at least one of ammonia or urea.