United States Patent: 7410717
First, keep in mind that "fuel cells" can be any size we want to make them.
In the case of this US Patent, awarded recently to Korean scientists, think of them more as industrial reactors, rather than as compact devices proposed in popular press science magazines as power sources for automobiles and space craft.
Also, although we won't, in our posts, delve much further into it, there seems to be a fairly rich body of literature "out there" concerning "solid oxide fuel cells", and their potentials for promoting reactions of the sort described herein; reactions that utilize Carbon Dioxide, as we have elsewhere documented to be feasible, to simultaneously produce both valuable hydrocarbons and electricity.
Comment follow excerpts from:
"Solid Oxide Fuel Cell for Co-producing Syngas and Electricity by ... Reforming Carbon Dioxide
United States Patent 7,410, 717
August 12, 2008
Inventor: Dong Ju Moon, et. al.
Assignee: Korea Institute of Science and Technology; Seoul
Abstract: The present invention relates to a solid oxide fuel cell for internal reforming of hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide, in particular, to a solid oxide fuel cell in which one side of solid oxide electrolyte (YSZ) is attached to an air electrode (La8Sr2MnO3) and its other side is attached to a catalyst electrode of Ni-YSZ type or perovskite type metal oxide. The electrochemical conversion system using the solid oxide fuel cell permits the occurrence of internal reforming of hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide concomitantly with the coproduction of a syngas and electricity, and overcomes the shortcomings associated with the catalytic deactivation due to carbon deposition and the high-energy consumption.
Claims:
1. A solid oxide fuel cell for coproducing syngas and electricity by internal reforming of methane and carbon dioxide, comprising an ion conductive solid oxide electrolyte, a catalyst electrode (anode) and an air electrode (cathode) contacting the electrolyte ... .
5. The electrochemical conversion system according to claim 4, wherein the feed of CO2 and CH4 to said system is at least partially from a process producing CO2 and CH4 as by-products.
Description Related Art: Reforming reactions of carbon dioxide and methane have been extensively studied as the importance of removal and emission control of greenhouse gases have been highlighted throughout the world. Furthermore, the reforming reactions of carbon dioxide and methane can generate hydrogen and carbon monoxide serving as important raw materials in the petrochemical industry and therefore a lot of researches have been made.
Summary: The present invention has developed a highly efficient electrochemical conversion system using a novel solid oxide fuel cell permitting to improve significantly the efficiency of energy utilization compared to conventional reforming reactions of CO2 by CH4 and to prevent catalyst deactivation due to carbon deposition through performing internal reforming reaction inside catalyst electrode of a solid oxide fuel cell. "
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We must, again, note that the Methane required herein to react with Carbon Dioxide can itself be synthesized from Carbon Dioxide, via the Nobel-winning Sabatier technology; or, from Coal, via processes of steam-, or hydro-, gasification.
They state this is a system not only for producing electricity, but "syngas", a mixture of "hydrogen and carbon monoxide", as well. And, it is just such synthesis gas that can be catalyzed in reactions such as the Fischer-Tropsch process to create liquid hydrocarbons that can be further refined into liquid fuels.
All of that, actually, is well-known and has been fully-explained in the available literature, some of which we have cited for you in our posts.
The "invention" herein seems to be a method for avoiding the problem of carbon deposition, and catalyst fouling, in the reforming of CO2; and, a method of generating electrical power as a co-product of the reaction that forms synthesis gas from CO2 and Methane. And, it might be a variant of the Tri-reforming technology for Carbon Dioxide conversion we have documented to be under development at Penn State University.
As with many of our submissions, this is just more evidence that, not only are the carbon conversion technologies that would enable us to utilize both our abundant Coal and our effluent CO2 to manufacture the liquid fuels we grow increasingly short of available, and, in certain, seemingly occult, circles well-known and well-understood, they are undergoing processes of continuing improvement to make them even more economical, even better.
