Process and system of power generation

A process and system of power generation utilizes the instantaneous combustion nature of hydrogen gas with oxygen gas, which are generated from a dissociation of water by an electrolysis process, in a combustion chamber to heat up liquid flowing through a boiling chamber surrounding around the combustion chamber to produce hot vapor for outputting as a kind of power source, which can be used to drive a power generating device such as a turbine to produce electricity or an engine to produce mechanical power. The boiling of water is carried out in the boiling chamber of a boiler that requires no purge streams for waste gases. Furthermore, throughout this power generation process and system, water being condensed or regenerated is recycled back into the process, such that the utility cost is minimized.

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Description
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to power generation, and more particularly to a water power generator that uses water as a raw element, which is abundant and environmental friendly, to produce vapor as an environment, renewable and economical power source.

2. Description of Related Arts

For decades, power has been generated by driving turbines with steam. The reason that turbines are driven by steam is that water is clean and low in viscosity, such that mechanical parts of the turbines can be kept clean and easily maintained, such that turbines have longer life spans, and produce electricity more efficiently. The most common steam generation to produce power is by heating water with the burning of coal to form steam, which is then used for driving turbines to generate electricity.

Originally, this power generation method was relatively cheap when coal was abundant. However, the demand of coal and other sources of fossil fuel have rocketed ever since, due to economical and industrial development of the human race. As a result, after all these years of coal mining and oil drilling, the reserve of such fossil fuel is down to an alarming level, such that many experts kept warning us that the supplies of fossil fuels will run out in less than half a century's time.

Scientists are therefore working very hard on the research of other sources of energy, especially renewable sources for human use.

Abundance is not the only problem encountered by power generation by the burning of fossil fuels. As known, we are experiencing an environmental problem named global warming, which is caused by the emission of green house gases such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and even dioxin due to the excess burning of fossil fuels. The mining and extraction process of such fossil fuels are also dangerous and pollutes the environment.

Impacts of the rising of temperature caused by global warming include the raising of sea level, changing of precipitation and other local climate conditions. Regional climate are also affected such that forests, crop yields, and water supplies are altered. Global warming also affects human and animal health, and many ecosystems. Over time, deserts are expected to expand into existing rangelands, and features of much greenery throughout the word will be permanently altered. Furthermore, the emission of green house depleted the thickness of the ozone layer, causing a lot of health problems with living beings on Earth.

It is therefore the mission for most environmental scientists to find sources of energy to generate electricity with the problems of abundance and emissions eliminated. Many sources of renewable energy have been identified, including solar energy, geothermal energy, nuclear energy, wind energy and hydroelectric energy. However such sources have draw backs.

Even though the energy obtained from the sun is renewable, its intensity, however, is not strong enough. Also, solar energy is not reliable since it is not a continuous supply. There would be no solar power in dark. Furthermore, it has to be collected, stored and converted to electrical energy by means of solar panels, which are expensive and land consuming. The cost effectiveness and reliability of the utilization of solar energy is therefore low.

Geothermal energy is the drawing of underground heat energy provided by the core of the Earth, by means of heat pumps. As the heat extracted is usually not very high, it is usually used directly for heating and cooling purposes. Very seldom will they be used for boiling water into steam to drive turbines to produce electricity. It not only fails to provide a solution for electricity generation purposes, but also causes a certain degree of destruction of the natural environment due to the fact that we must dig and drill to the underground reserves before we can enjoy the heat energy provided by the core of the Earth.

Nuclear energy is, indeed, a very stable renewable source of energy. The quality of the energy provided is also very reassuring. However, the potential danger of the use of nuclear energy outruns all its benefits. The reason is that nuclear energy is the controlled use of the chain reaction of radioactive substances. The system has to be very well controlled and maintained due to the chain reaction characteristic of such radioactive substances. The result of a tiny upset to the system or malfunction is devastating, as evidenced by the accident in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986, which caused immediate death to many and left many others with the suffering of leukemia.

Same as solar energy, the cost effectiveness and the reliability of wind energy is relatively low. In order to make use of wind energy, large, expensive and space consuming wind mills must be erected in open area. And the energy supply can never be accurately estimated or guaranteed since it depends solely on the strength and period of the blowing of wind.

Hydroelectric energy makes use of the natural flowing movement of water from a higher place to a lower place. The kinetic energy of water converted from potential energy is used to drive turbines for producing electrical energy. And yet, since dams have to be built across rivers, lakes and oceans, the cost is high and the natural appearance of such places will nevertheless be destroyed.

As a result, a better form of renewable energy is demanded to provide the human race with a renewable and reliable power source that would have least harmful effect to the environment and health of all beings on Earth.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

A main object of the present invention is to provide a process and system of power generation that utilizes water as a raw element to produce hydrogen gas and oxygen gas as fuel gas to generate vapor power that can be used to generate electricity output by means of turbines or mechanical power output by means of steam engine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a process and system of power generation which utilizes water as its raw element, wherein water is an abundant raw element that requires no complicated extraction process to obtain.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a process and system of power generation, wherein the conventional steam turbines or engines can be equipped in the present invention.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a process and system of power generation, wherein no by-products harmful to the environment are produced, so that energy loss due to purging of harmful by-products is minimized.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a process and system of power generation, wherein the hydrogen gas production and the combustion of hydrogen gas can be operated in a single system to eliminate the need and the cost of transportation of hydrogen gas.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a process and system of power generation, which utilizes a renewable and stable source of raw element, such that a reliable source of energy is produced.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a process and system of power generation, which requires only a small energy input to produce a great amount of heat, such that the energy efficiency of the process is maximized.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a process and system of power generation, which employs a catalyst to enhance the efficiency of the dissociating of water, such as to maximize the hydrogen gas and oxygen gas production and minimize the energy consumption in the dissociating of water.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a process and system of power generation, wherein the catalyst is not consumed and is therefore recycled.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a process and system of power generation, wherein after driving the turbine, the steam is condensed back to form a recycled water that can be heated again to produce the steam again, such that the cost on water consumption is minimized.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a process and system of power generation, such that the steam produced has a substantially higher temperature than the steam produced by conventional coal burning method.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a system of power generation which comprises a chimneyless boiler having a combustion chamber and a boiling chamber thermal-communicating with the combustion chamber, wherein the hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas produced from water electrolysis are combusted in the combustion chamber to generate heat which is all used to boil a liquid flowing into the boiling chamber through a liquid inlet thereof into a vapor that exits through a vapor outlet as a power source which can be used to drive turbines to generate electricity or engines to generate mechanical power.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a system of power generation which comprises a chimneyless boiler, wherein water is used as the liquid to be boiled into steam by heat dissipated by the spontaneous reaction of hydrogen gas and oxygen gas.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a system of power generation which comprises a chimneyless boiler, wherein no purge stream is required for the purging of waste gases, as no waste gases are produced by the spontaneous combustion of hydrogen gas and oxygen gas.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a system of power generation which comprises a chimneyless boiler, wherein all the heat generated from the spontaneous combustion of the hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas is wholly used for the boiling of the inletting liquid in the boiling chamber to form the outputting vapor, in which since no waste gas is formed, no chimney is required and no heat will escape through the chimney.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a system of power generation which comprises a chimneyless boiler, wherein the water vapor (steam) formed during the combustion of the hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas is collected and condensed back to form recycled water.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a system of power generation, wherein the surrounding surfaces of the combustion chamber of the chimneyless boiler is made of porcelain enamel, such that the heat produced by the spontaneous combustion of hydrogen gas and oxygen gas is withstood by the boiler body and the boiler body is protected against acidic content in the water.

Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a process of power generation, comprising the steps of:

(a) dissociating a water to form a hydrogen gas and an oxygen gas;

(b) transferring the hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas to a combustion chamber of a boiler, wherein the hydrogen gas instantaneously combusts with the oxygen gas to produce heat in the combustion chamber; and

(c) heating a liquid flowing into a boiling chamber which is arranged in a thermal-conduction manner with respect to the combustion chamber of the boiler by the flame to produce a vapor for outputting as power source.

In addition, the vapor outputted from the boiling chamber can be used to drive turbines to generate electricity or engines to generate mechanical power.

The present invention also provides a system of power generation which comprises a boiler for generating vapor power, wherein the boiler comprises a boiler body surrounding a combustion chamber having a combustion agent inlet, wherein the boiler body has a boiling chamber arranged in a thermal conduction manner with respect to the combustion chamber, wherein the boiling chamber has a liquid inlet and a vapor outlet.

Via the combustion agent inlet, a combustion agent is guided into the combustion chamber and combusts in the combustion chamber to produce heat which is conducted to the boiling chamber to boil a liquid flowing into the boiling chamber through the liquid inlet to a vapor that exits the boiling chamber via the vapor outlet. A reaction agent inlet is connected to the combustion chamber of the boiler body, guiding a reacting agent to the combustion chamber of the boiler body, such that the reacting agent combusts in said combustion chamber, producing the heat.

These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a flow chart illustrating a process of power generation according to the a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a flow chart illustrating the substeps of dissociating water to form hydrogen gas and oxygen gas according to the above preferred embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a chimneyless boiler according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 2 of the drawings, a process of power generation according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, wherein the process comprises the following steps:

(a) Dissociate a water W to form a hydrogen gas and an oxygen gas.

(b) Deliver the hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas to a combustion chamber 31 of a chimneyless boiler 3, wherein the hydrogen gas instantaneously combusts with the oxygen gas in the combustion chamber 31 to produce a blazing flame in the combustion chamber 31.

(c) Heat a liquid L flowing into a boiling chamber 32 of the boiler 3 by the blazing flame in the combustion chamber 31 to produce a vapor V outputted from the boiling chamber 32.

The vapor V outputted from the boiling chamber 32 can be used as power source to drive a power generating device 40, as shown in FIG. 2, such as a turbine to produce electricity or an engine to generate mechanical power.

Practically, although the liquid L in this process can be any liquid, it is preferred to be water due to its low viscosity and its nature of clean, abundant and easy to obtain.

In the step (b), the blazing flame is produced when the hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas produced by the dissociation of water 10 are guided to the combustion chamber 31 of the boiler 3 respectively, due to the chemical properties of hydrogen and oxygen. In the combustion chamber 31, the hydrogen gas instantaneously combusts with the oxygen gas, giving out a large amount of heat energy, and water or water vapor under the high temperature.

In the step (c), the blazing flame produced by the instantaneous combustion of the hydrogen gas with the oxygen gas is then used to heat up a flow of water guided into the boiling chamber 32 of the boiler 3 for boiling, wherein the boiling chamber 32 is in thermal-conduction with the combustion chamber 31. Due to the high temperature of the heat produced by the combustion of hydrogen gas with oxygen gas, the water for boiling in the boiling chamber 32 of the boiler 3 will be heated up above its boiling point, changing its state to the vapor V, i.e. water steam.

The steam V produced will then be guided out of the boiling chamber 32 of the boiler 3 and used for driving the power generating device 40, such as a turbine to generate electricity or an engine to generate mechanical power.

The hydrogen gas and oxygen gas used for heat generation by combustion came from the dissociation of water by an electrolysis process. In the step (a) of dissociating water to form the hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas, it further comprises the substeps of (a-1) providing a predetermined amount of water 10 for dissociation in a water dissociation pool 11, (a-2) adding a predetermined amount of catalyst into the water dissociation pool 11, (a-3) disposing a pair of electrical conductors 12, 13 into the water 10 for dissociation in the water dissociation pool 11, and (a-4) connecting the pair of electrical conductors 12, 13 to an electric power source 14, such that a closed electrical circuit is formed.

One of the pair of electrical conductors 12, 13 is connected to a positive terminal of the power source 14; the other to a negative terminal of the power source 14, wherein the electrical conductor connected to the positive terminal acts as the anode 13 and that to the negative terminal acts as the cathode 12.

Theoretically, without the presence of the catalyst, upon the completion of the electrical circuit, water molecules, H2O, undergo an electrolysis process, where the H2O molecules dissociates to H+ ions and OH− ions. Since the H+ ions are now positively charged, meaning that each H+ ion is short of one electron, they are not physically stable. As a result, they are attracted to the cathode 12, where electrons are provided for them to discharge and neutralize, returning to a stable state. When H+ ions are discharged, hydrogen gas is formed at the cathode 12 and collected by an inverse tubular U-shape hydrogen collector 15 surrounding the cathode 12.

Analogously, since the OH− ions are now negatively charged, meaning that each ion has one electron in excess, they are not physically stable. As a result, they are attracted to the anode 13, where the electrons are taken away, such that the OH− ions are discharged and neutralized, returning to a stable state. When OH− ions are discharged, oxygen gas and water is formed and collected by an inverse tubular U-shape oxygen collector 16 surrounding the anode 13.

Dissociation of H2O molecules is illustrated in the following chemical equation:
H2O(l)⇄H+(aq)+OH−(aq)

The discharge and neutralization of H+ ions are illustrated in the following chemical equation:
2H+(aq)+e−→H2(g)

The discharge and neutralization of OH− ions are illustrated in the following chemical equation:
4OH−(aq)+4e−→2H2O(l)+O2(g)

However, due to the fact that water molecule is a covalent compound, the dissociation of water molecule is relatively slow. The production of hydrogen gas and oxygen gas is slow, rendering the process not so energy efficient.

In order to enhance the production of hydrogen gas and oxygen gas from water, so as to make use of the abundant, environmental friendly substance as an energy source, in the step (a-2), a catalyst is added into the water 10 in the water dissociation pool 11. By adding the catalyst, the rate of water dissociation is augmented and the catalyst itself is not being consumed.

According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the catalyst comprises iodine (I2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). Iodine (I2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) will aid the dissociation of water molecules in the following manner by first reacting with the water molecules to form hydrogen iodide (HI) and hydrogen sulphate (H2SO4(aq)). The overall chemical equation of this reaction is as follows:
2I2(g)+2SO2(g)+4H2O(l)→4HI(aq)+2H2SO4(aq)

Then, the hydrogen sulphate (H2SO4(aq)) dissociates to a generated water, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and oxygen gas (O2) is produced at the anode 13. The overall chemical equation of this reaction is as follows:
2H2SO4(aq)2H2O(g)+2SO2(g)+O2(g)

The hydrogen iodide (HI) dissociates into iodine (I2) and hydrogen gas (H2) is produced at the cathode 12. The overall chemical equation of this reaction is as follows:
4HI→2I2(g)+2H2(g)

The ratio between the water for dissociation, the iodine (I2) and the sulfur dioxide (SO2) may vary, but is best to be 2:1:1 by mole.

The oxygen gas produced by this water dissociation process is at a temperature as high as 800° C. The hydrogen gas produced by this water dissociation process is at a temperature as high as 400° C.

According to this preferred embodiment of the present invention, an electrical circuit with a voltage of 25V and a current of 4 A is sufficient to start up the entire process, such that energy consumption is minimized and energy efficiency of the entire system maximized.

The hydrogen gas and oxygen gas are then guided and delivered to the combustion chamber 31 of the boiler 3 for the process of power generation by means of combustion.

Since the iodine and sulfur dioxide are only for aiding the dissociation of water molecules and will be generated upon the completion of the dissociation of water to form the hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas, the iodine and the sulfur dioxide are recycled and added into the water 10 in the water dissociation pool 11 again. The generated water is also returned to the water dissociation pool 11 again.

The instantaneous combustion of hydrogen gas with oxygen gas produces the high temperature blazing flame at about 3000° C., which is much higher than the around 1000° C. produced by conventional coal burning process.

The combustion of the hydrogen gas with the oxygen gas is illustrated in the following chemical equation:
2H2(g)+O2(g)→2H2O(g)+energy

The energy here is given out as the flame at about 3000° C., which is used for the heating of water in the boiling chamber 32 of the boiling 3. The water, upon being heated by the flame produced turns into water steam V. The water steam V is then used for driving the power generating device 40 such as the turbine to generate electricity or the engine to generate mechanical power.

According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the turbine can be any existing turbines for the purpose of electricity generation. After going through electricity generation in the turbines, the steam V is condensed back to form a condensed water, wherein the condensed water is then recycled back into the boiling chamber 32 of the boiler 3.

The combustion process between oxygen gas and hydrogen gas produces no environmental harmful by-products. In fact, the only product of the combustion process is the team V. As oppose to conventional coal burning heat generation process, which requires the purging of waste gases including carbon dioxide and other harmful by-products, due to the presence of impurities in coal, such as NOx, SOx, CH4, energy lost due to purging of waste gases is minimal. As a result, the energy efficiency of the present combustion process is much better than conventional coal burning combustion process.

It can be easily seen that, by recycling the condensed water from the effluent of the turbine, and the recycling of iodine, sulfur dioxide and generated water back into the dissociation tank, the utility cost of this entire power generation process is minimized. Together with the maximized energy efficiency, this process can achieve its goal of providing a clean, renewable, energy efficient and environmental friendly energy source.

Since there is no gas storage required by this power generation process, the total amounts of hydrogen gas and oxygen gas produced by the water dissociation step (a) are fully used by the flame producing step (b). As a result, the combustion between the hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas can easily be controlled by simply controlling the voltage and current of the electrical circuit used in the step (a) of dissociating water, which in turns controls the production of the hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas.

Referring to FIG. 2 of the drawings, the system of power generation according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises the water dissociation pool 11, the electrical conductor (cathode) 12, the electrical conductor (anode) 13, the electric power source 14, the hydrogen collector 15, the oxygen collector 16, and the boiler 3. The boiler 3 comprises the boiler body 30, the combustion chamber 31 and the boiling chamber 32, wherein boiling chamber has a liquid inlet 301 and a vapor outlet 302 provided on the boiler body 30 and the combustion chamber 31 has a reacting agent input 21.

The combustion chamber 31 is a space defined and surrounded by the boiler body and the boiling chamber 32 in the boiling body 30 is formed around the combustion chamber 31 in a thermal-conduction manner with respect to the combustion chamber 31. The liquid inlet 301 connects to the boiling chamber 32 of the boiler body 30, wherein the liquid inlet 301 guides a liquid for boiling into the boiling chamber 32. The vapor outlet 302 connects to the boiling chamber 32 of the boiler body 30, wherein the vapor outlet 302 guides a vapor produced in the boiling chamber 32 out of the boiling chamber 31.

The reacting agent input 21 guides the reacting agent into the combustion chamber 31, such that the reacting agent combusts in the combustion chamber 31 of the boiler 3.

According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, this boiler 3 is for the combustion process of oxygen gas and hydrogen gas to heat up the water until the water is heated to form a high temperature steam for driving a power generating device 40 such as a turbine or an engine, wherein the oxygen gas and hydrogen gas are high temperature gases produced by the water dissociation process. The reacting agent therefore comprises oxygen gas and hydrogen gas. The liquid to be guided into the boiling chamber 32 is therefore water.

In order to separately guide the oxygen gas and the hydrogen gas into the combustion chamber 31 of the boiler body 30, the reacting agent input 21 comprises two reacting agent inlets 211 for guiding the hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas into the combustion chamber 31 respectively.

When the hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas are guided into the combustion chamber 31 through the reacting agent inlet 21, the hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas instantaneously combust into a blazing flame. Since the combustion chamber 31 and the boiling chamber 32 are arranged in a thermal conduction manner between each other, the liquid inside the boiling chamber 32 is therefore heated by the blazing flame produced by the combustion of hydrogen gas and the oxygen gas in the combustion chamber 31.

Since the liquid to be heated up in the boiling chamber 32 is water, upon being heated, the water changes its physical state to steam V. No chemical reactions, dissociations or associations of elements are involved and no by-products are produced through the boiling process of the step (c). The boiler 3 therefore does not require a purge stream for the release of by-products. As can be seen, energy lost due to the formation and purging of by-products is minimized. Furthermore, by having no purge stream, the steam V produced in the boiling chamber 32 will only leave the boiling chamber 32 through the vapor outlet 302, such that no energy is lost due to the lost of steam through the purge stream, should there be a purge stream. As a result, the heat produced by the combustion of reacting agent in the combustion chamber 31 will be totally utilized for the heating of the water flowing into the boiling chamber 32 to form steam, such that an energy efficient system is provided.

According to this preferred embodiment of the present invention, in order to withstand the heat produced by the blazing flame and the hot steam V, as well as acidic impurities in water, a combustion chamber wall 311 of the combustion chamber 31 and a boiling chamber wall 321 of the boiling chamber 32 are coated with porcelain enamel respectively.

One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting.

It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. It embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A process of power generation, comprising the steps of:

(a) dissociating a water to form a hydrogen gas and an oxygen gas;
(b) transferring said hydrogen gas and said oxygen gas to a combustion chamber of a boiler, wherein the hydrogen gas instantaneously combusts with the oxygen gas to generate heat in the combustion chamber; and
(c) heating a liquid flowing into a boiling chamber arranged in a thermal-conduction manner with respect to said combustion chamber by said heat generated in said combustion chamber to produce a vapor for outputting as power source.

2. The process, as recited in claim 1, wherein the step (c) further comprises the steps of:

(c1) inletting said liquid to flow around said combustion chamber;
(c2) conducting heat generated in said combustion chamber to said liquid surrounding said combustion chamber;
(c-3) vaporizing said liquid flowing through said boiling chamber arranged surrounding said combustion chamber by said heat conducted from said combustion chamber to form said vapor; and
(c-4) outputting said vapor from said boiling chamber.

3. The process, as recited in claim 2, wherein said combustion chamber is a space defined and surrounded by said boiler and said boiling chamber in said boiler is formed around said combustion chamber in a thermal-conduction manner with respect to the combustion chamber, wherein said boiler chamber has a liquid inlet for guiding said liquid for boiling into said boiling chamber, a vapor outlet for guiding said vapor produced in said boiling chamber out of said boiling chamber.

4. The process, as recited in claim 1, wherein said liquid is water and said vapor is water steam.

5. The process, as recited in claim 2, wherein said liquid is water and said vapor is water steam.

6. The process, as recited in claim 3, wherein said liquid is water and said vapor is water steam.

7. The process, as recited in claim 1, the step (a) further comprises the steps of:

(a1) containing a predetermined amount of said water for dissociation in a water dissociation pool;
(a2) mixing said water in said water dissociation pool with a predetermined amount of catalyst to augment a rate of water dissociation;
(a3) electrolyzing said water with said catalyst by means of a cathode and an anode disposed therein and an electric power source connected to said cathode and said anode forming an electrical circuit; and
(a4) collecting said hydrogen gas generated at said cathode and said oxygen gas generated at said anode.

8. The process, as recited in claim 2, the step (a) further comprises the steps of:

(a1) containing a predetermined amount of said water for dissociation in a water dissociation pool;
(a2) mixing said water in said water dissociation pool with a predetermined amount of catalyst to augment a rate of water dissociation;
(a3) electrolyzing said water with said catalyst by means of a cathode and an anode disposed therein and an electric power source connected to said cathode and said anode forming an electrical circuit; and
(a4) collecting said hydrogen gas generated at said cathode and said oxygen gas generated at said anode.

9. The process, as recited in claim 5, the step (a) further comprises the steps of:

(a1) containing a predetermined amount of said water for dissociation in a water dissociation pool;
(a2) mixing said water in said water dissociation pool with a predetermined amount of catalyst to augment a rate of water dissociation;
(a3) electrolyzing said water with said catalyst by means of a cathode and an anode disposed therein and an electric power source connected to said cathode and said anode forming an electrical circuit; and
(a4) collecting said hydrogen gas generated at said cathode and said oxygen gas generated at said anode.

10. The process, as recited in claim 7, wherein in the step (a2), said catalyst includes an iodine and a sulfur dioxide.

11. The process, as recited in claim 8, wherein in the step (a2), said catalyst includes an iodine and a sulfur dioxide.

12. The process, as recited in claim 9, wherein in the step (a2), said catalyst includes an iodine and a sulfur dioxide.

14. The process, as recited in claim 11, wherein a ratio between said water for dissociation, said iodine and said sulfur dioxide is 2:1:1 by mole.

15. The process, as recited in claim 12, wherein a ratio between said water for dissociation, said iodine and said sulfur dioxide is 2:1:1 by mole.

16. The process, as recited in claim 13, wherein said iodine, said sulfur dioxide and a portion of said water for dissociation are regenerated and recycled into said water dissociation pool.

17. The process, as recited in claim 14, wherein said iodine, said sulfur dioxide and a portion of said water for dissociation are regenerated and recycled into said water dissociation pool.

18. The process, as recited in claim 15, wherein said iodine, said sulfur dioxide and a portion of said water for dissociation are regenerated and recycled into said water dissociation pool.

19. The process, as recited in claim 1, after the step (c), further comprising a step of:

(d) driving a power generating device to produce power by said vapor transferred from said boiling chamber.

20. The process, as recited in claim 2, after the step (c), further comprising a step of:

(d) driving a power generating device to produce power by said vapor transferred from said boiling chamber.

21. The process, as recited in claim 5, after the step (c), further comprising a step of:

(d) driving a power generating device to produce power by said vapor transferred from said boiling chamber.

22. The process, as recited in claim 16, after the step (c), further comprising a step of:

(d) driving a power generating device to produce power by said vapor transferred from said boiling chamber.

23. The process, as recited in claim 17, after the step (c), further comprising a step of:

(d) driving a power generating device to produce power by said vapor transferred from said boiling chamber.

24. The process, as recited in claim 18, after the step (c), further comprising a step of:

(d) driving a power generating device to produce power by said vapor transferred from said boiling chamber.

25. The process, as recited in claim 22, wherein step (b) further comprises the steps of:

(b1) condensing a water vapor product produced along with said combustion in said combustion chamber to form a condensed water; and
(b2) recycling said condensed water into said water dissociation pool.

26. The process, as recited in claim 23, wherein step (b) further comprises the steps of:

(b1) condensing a water vapor product produced along with said combustion in said combustion chamber to form a condensed water; and
(b2) recycling said condensed water into said water dissociation pool.

27. The process, as recited in claim 24, wherein step (b) further comprises the steps of:

(b1) condensing a water vapor product produced along with said combustion in said combustion chamber to form a condensed water; and
(b2) recycling said condensed water into said water dissociation pool.

28. A system of power generation, comprising a boiler for generating vapor power, wherein said boiler comprises a boiler body surrounding a combustion chamber having a combustion agent inlet, wherein said boiler body has a boiling chamber arranged in a thermal conduction manner with respect to said combustion chamber, wherein said boiling chamber has a liquid inlet, wherein via said combustion agent inlet, a combustion agent is guided into said combustion chamber and combusts in said combustion chamber to produce heat which is conducted to said boiling chamber to boil a liquid flowing into said boiling chamber through said liquid inlet to a vapor that exits said boiling chamber via said vapor outlet.

29. The system, as recited in claim 28, wherein said combustion chamber is a space defined and surrounded by said boiler body and said boiling chamber in said boiler body is chimneyless and made surrounding around said combustion chamber so as to ensure said heat generated in said combustion chamber being conducted to said liquid flowing in said boiling chamber.

30. The system, as recited in claim 28, wherein said combustion agent includes a hydrogen gas and an oxygen gas which are obtained from a dissociation of water by an electrolysis process, wherein said hydrogen gas and said oxygen gas are delivered to said combustion chamber and instantaneously combust in said combustion chamber to produce a blazing flame in said combustion chamber to heat said liquid in said boiling chamber.

31. The system, as recited in claim 29, wherein said combustion agent includes a hydrogen gas and an oxygen gas which are obtained from a dissociation of water by an electrolysis process, wherein said hydrogen gas and said oxygen gas are delivered to said combustion chamber and instantaneously combust in said combustion chamber to produce a blazing flame in said combustion chamber to heat said liquid in said boiling chamber.

32. The system, as recited in claim 28, wherein said liquid is water and said vapor is water steam.

33. The system, as recited in claim 30, wherein said liquid is water and said vapor is water steam for driving a power generating device to generate power.

34. The system, as recited in claim 31, wherein said liquid is water and said vapor is water steam for driving a power generating device to generate power.

35. The system, as recited in claim 30, further comprising a water dissociation pool containing a predetermined amount of said water, a cathode and an anode disposed in said water in said water dissociation pool, and an electric power source electrically connected with said cathode and said anode to form a closed electrical circuit for said water electrolysis process, wherein said hydrogen gas is generated and collected at said cathode and delivered to said combustion chamber via said combustion agent inlet and said oxygen gas is generated and collected at said anode and delivered to said combustion chamber via said combustion agent inlet.

36. The system, as recited in claim 31, further comprising a water dissociation pool containing a predetermined amount of said water, a cathode and an anode disposed in said water in said water dissociation pool, and an electric power source electrically connected with said cathode and said anode to form a closed electrical circuit for said water electrolysis process, wherein said hydrogen gas is generated and collected at said cathode and delivered to said combustion chamber via said combustion agent inlet and said oxygen gas is generated and collected at said anode and delivered to said combustion chamber via said combustion agent inlet.

37. The system, as recited in claim 33, further comprising a water dissociation pool containing a predetermined amount of said water, a cathode and an anode disposed in said water in said water dissociation pool, and an electric power source electrically connected with said cathode and said anode to form a closed electrical circuit for said water electrolysis process, wherein said hydrogen gas is generated and collected at said cathode and delivered to said combustion chamber via said combustion agent inlet and said oxygen gas is generated and collected at said anode and delivered to said combustion chamber via said combustion agent inlet.

38. The system, as recited in claim 34, further comprising a water dissociation pool containing a predetermined amount of said water, a cathode and an anode disposed in said water in said water dissociation pool, and an electric power source electrically connected with said cathode and said anode to form a closed electrical circuit for said water electrolysis process, wherein said hydrogen gas is generated and collected at said cathode and delivered to said combustion chamber via said combustion agent inlet and said oxygen gas is generated and collected at said anode and delivered to said combustion chamber via said combustion agent inlet.

39. The system, as recited in claim 35, wherein a catalyst is added to said water in said water dissociation pool to augment a rate of water dissociation during said water electrolysis process.

40. The system, as recited in claim 36, wherein a catalyst is added to said water in said water dissociation pool to augment a rate of water dissociation during said water electrolysis process.

41. The system, as recited in claim 37, wherein a catalyst is added to said water in said water dissociation pool to augment a rate of water dissociation during said water electrolysis process.

42. The system, as recited in claim 38, wherein a catalyst is added to said water in said water dissociation pool to augment a rate of water dissociation during said water electrolysis process.

43. The system, as recited in claim 39, wherein said catalyst includes an iodine and a sulfur dioxide.

44. The system, as recited in claim 40, wherein said catalyst includes an iodine and a sulfur dioxide.

45. The system, as recited in claim 41, wherein said catalyst includes an iodine and a sulfur dioxide.

46. The system, as recited in claim 42, wherein said catalyst includes an iodine and a sulfur dioxide.

47. The system, as recited in claim 43, wherein a ratio between said water for dissociation, said iodine and said sulfur dioxide is 2:1:1 by mole.

48. The system, as recited in claim 44, wherein a ratio between said water for dissociation, said iodine and said sulfur dioxide is 2:1:1 by mole.

49. The system, as recited in claim 45, wherein a ratio between said water for dissociation, said iodine and said sulfur dioxide is 2:1:1 by mole.

50. The system, as recited in claim 46, wherein a ratio between said water for dissociation, said iodine and said sulfur dioxide is 2:1:1 by mole.

51. The process, as recited in claim 43, wherein said iodine, said sulfur dioxide and a portion of said water for dissociation are regenerated and recycled into said water dissociation pool.

52. The process, as recited in claim 50, wherein said iodine, said sulfur dioxide and a portion of said water for dissociation are regenerated and recycled into said water dissociation pool.

53. The system, as recited in claim 35, wherein a hydrogen collector and an oxygen collector each having an inverse tubular U-shape are disposed to surround said cathode and said anode to collect said hydrogen gas and said oxygen gas respectively.

54. The system, as recited in claim 38, wherein a hydrogen collector and an oxygen collector each having an inverse tubular U-shape are disposed to surround said cathode and said anode to collect said hydrogen gas and said oxygen gas respectively.

55. The system, as recited in claim 47, wherein a hydrogen collector and an oxygen collector each having an inverse tubular U-shape are disposed to surround said cathode and said anode to collect said hydrogen gas and said oxygen gas respectively.

56. The system, as recited in claim 50, wherein a hydrogen collector and an oxygen collector each having an inverse tubular U-shape are disposed to surround said cathode and said anode to collect said hydrogen gas and said oxygen gas respectively.

Patent History
Publication number: 20060029893
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 9, 2004
Publication Date: Feb 9, 2006
Inventor: Kuai-Teng Hsu (Irvine, CA)
Application Number: 10/915,582
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: 431/2.000
International Classification: C10L 1/12 (20060101);