United States Patent Application: 0110281959
Sometimes, of course, our United States military has to prepare for and to undertake operations in secrecy.
And, if even just the preparations for an operation are so big that they can't be kept secret, the military disguises them so that their true intents and purposes can't be discerned; and, the enemy is thus misdirected, or at least confused.
The older, or more historically studious, among our readers might be familiar, at least in part, with the great charade that was fabricated to camouflage preparations for the D-Day invasion of Normandy; the signature turning point in WWII's western front.
Our United States Navy was the absolutely key participant in that historical turning point, of course; and, they participated in the obscuring facade leading up to the invasion as much as they could, all while helping to assemble a massive fleet both to carry the troops and to hammer out the beach heads.
As it happens, maybe the Navy didn't really need to bother being so secretive. People don't actually seem to pay as much attention to the things going on around them, right under their noses, as perhaps they should.
Maybe, as we were told by a source that has proven surprisingly, and for us tragically, knowledgeable, it is, simply, true that:
"Nobody cares".
For what appears to be about the last decade, the United States Navy has involved itself, successfully, in a another major undertaking; a major undertaking that has gone entirely unacknowledged and unnoticed by the press, anywhere; a major undertaking the results of which should already have changed the way we all think about energy, about our environment, about our national security, and, even in the land-locked states of US Coal Country, about our way of life.
Further, the Navy has, for all practical purposes, conducted that major undertaking openly, basically right out in front of the Good Lord and everybody; as plain as day; strewing a paper trail in their wake as they steamed ahead so bountiful it seems to us here almost like confetti.
Too bad the press, our more local Coal Country Press, has, apparently, pulled down their blinds, locked their doors, stuck their heads in their ovens, or into something, and turned on the gas.
They are missing the parade.
As we've reported, for two examples, in:
US Navy 2008 CO2 to Synfuel | Research & Development; concerning: "US Patent 7,420,004 - Producing Synthetic Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuels; 2008; Assignee: The USA, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy; Abstract: A process for producing synthetic hydrocarbons that reacts carbon dioxide, obtained from seawater or air, and hydrogen obtained from water, with a catalyst in a chemical process such as reverse water gas shift combined with Fischer Tropsch synthesis. The hydrogen is produced by nuclear reactor electricity, nuclear waste heat conversion, ocean thermal energy conversion, or any other source that is fossil fuel-free, such as wind or wave energy. The process can be either land based or sea based"; and:
US Navy Awarded September, 2011, CO2 Recycling Patent | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 8,017,658 - Synthesis of Hydrocarbons via Catalytic Reduction of CO2; 2011; Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy; Abstract: A method of: introducing hydrogen and a feed gas containing at least 50 % carbon dioxide into a reactor containing a Fischer-Tropsch catalyst; and heating the hydrogen and carbon dioxide to a temperature of at least about 190 C. to produce hydrocarbons in the reactor. An apparatus having: a reaction vessel for containing a Fischer-Tropsch catalyst, capable of heating gases to at least about 190 C.; a hydrogen delivery system feeding into the reaction vessel; a carbon dioxide delivery system for delivering a feed gas containing at least 50 % carbon dioxide feeding into the reaction vessel; and a trap for collecting hydrocarbons generated in the reaction vessel";
the United States Navy has been founding a complete technology for, on a practical basis, recovering Carbon Dioxide from the environment and, then, converting that Carbon Dioxide into liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
Herein, from essentially the same team of US Navy scientists responsible for bringing us, as above, United States Patents "7,420,004 - Producing Synthetic Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuels" and "8,017,658 - Synthesis of Hydrocarbons via Catalytic Reduction of CO2", we see, as excerpted from the initial link in this dispatch, with comment appended, that a complete and thorough technology has been developed for extracting Carbon Dioxide from the natural environment, and, then, converting that extracted CO2 into liquid hydrocarbons:
"United States Patent Application 20110281959 - Extraction of Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen from Seawater and Hydrocarbon Production Therefrom
(Should the initial link fail, as official US Patent and Trademark Office links often do, perhaps because of interference and code distortion during our transmissions, try:
Extraction of Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen From Seawater and Hydrocarbon Production Therefrom - The Government of the United St; or:
Patent US20110281959 - Extraction of Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen From Seawater and Hydrocarbon ... - Google Patents)
Publication Date: November, 2011
Inventors: Feice DiMascio, Dennis Hardy, et. al., CT, MD, VA and PA
(Well, we could at least report on it in "WV", couldn't we?)
Assignee: The Government of the United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Navy
Abstract: Apparatus for seawater acidification including an ion exchange, cathode and anode electrode compartments and cation-permeable membranes that separate the electrode compartments from the ion exchange compartment. Means is provided for feeding seawater through the ion exchange compartment and for feeding a dissociable liquid media through the anode and cathode electrode compartments. A cathode is located in the cathode electrode compartment and an anode is located in the anode electrode compartment and a means for application of current to the cathode and anode is provided. A method for the acidification of seawater by subjecting the seawater to an ion exchange reaction to exchange H+ ions for Na+ ions. Carbon dioxide may be extracted from the acidified seawater. Optionally, the ion exchange reaction can be conducted under conditions which produce hydrogen as well as carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide and hydrogen may be used to produce hydrocarbons.
(We won't attempt documenting for you what "cation-permeable membranes" and the related "ion exchange" facilities might be. But, someone who could tell you all about such things, and who might not be as secretive about them, and their use in Carbon Dioxide recycling processes, as the justifiably circumspect US Navy, is identified quite clearly in our reports of:
West Virginia Coal Association | Utah 2011 CO2 + H2O = Hydrocarbon Syngas | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 8,075,746 - Electrochemical Cell for Production of Synthesis Gas Using Atmospheric Air and Water; 2011; Inventors: Joseph Hartvigsen, et. al., Utah; Assignee: Ceramatec, Inc.; Abstract: A method is provided for synthesizing synthesis gas from carbon dioxide obtained from atmospheric air or other available carbon dioxide source and water using a sodium-conducting electrochemical cell"; and:
More USDOE CO2 "Syntrolysis" | Research & Development; concerning: "Co-Electrolysis of Steam and Carbon Dioxide for Production of Syngas; 2007; J.E. O'Brien, C.M. Stoots, et. al.; Idaho National Laboratory, USDOE; and Ceramatec, Inc., Utah; Abstract: An experimental study has been completed to assess the performance of single-oxide electrolysis cells ... simultaneously electrolyzing steam and carbon dioxide for the direct production of syngas. ... Syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, can be used for the production of synthetic liquid fuels via Fischer-Tropsch processes. Based on the results obtained to date, coelectrolysis of steam and carbon dioxide for direct production of syngas appears to be a promising technology that could provide a possible path to reduced greenhouse gas emissions and increased energy independence, without the infrastructure shift that would be required for a hydrogen-based transportation system".
A hint: Such "cation-permeable membranes", as in the process of our subject, "United States Patent Application 20110281959 - Extraction of Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen from Seawater and Hydrocarbon Production Therefrom", are often made of out of a high-tech ceramic.)
Claims: Apparatus for treatment of seawater comprising: an ion exchange compartment, a cathode electrode compartment including a cathode, an anode electrode compartment including an anode, cation-permeable membranes separating the cathode and anode electrode compartments from the ion exchange compartment, means for feeding seawater through the ion exchange compartment, means for feeding a liquid media capable of dissociating to the anode and cathode electrode compartments, and means for application of a current to the cathode and anode to create the driving force for the ion exchange process.
The apparatus ... wherein the means for application of current applies sufficient current the cathode and anode to acidify the seawater to a pH of about 6.5 or less.
(Don't be alarmed. They are acidifying the seawater only to a very small degree. By way of illustration, as can be learned via:
Seawater - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; the natural range of seawater pH, that is, level of acidity, is between, depending on where in the world you measure it, "7.5 to 8.4".
By way of perspective, as can be seen in:
What is the pH of vinegar; the pH of plain old vinegar, as you can pour on your salad, is typically between "2.40 to 3.40".
And, note especially that the pH of the seawater is not being changed by adding any chemicals to it; but, only by subjecting it to some electric current, which affects the nature and distribution of chemical ions that are already present in the seawater.
Further, the ocean is vast, and ocean water is a dense, complex solution of chemicals that would immediately react to buffer any slightly-acidified, relatively miniscule amount of, seawater discharged back into it. We won't, in other words, be causing any pollution.)
The apparatus ... wherein a current density resulting from applied current is from about 5 to about 200 mA/cm2.
(They're talking about the actual amount of electricity passing through an electrode, a transmitter or conductor of electricity, relative to the area of the conductor through which the electricity passes. A fair discussion of it can be found in:
Current density - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; with the upshot being, that, even though "5 mA", that is, five one-thousandths of an amp, isn't really a lot of juice - - the current density of the wires feeding household appliances is much higher - - that is only as it is coming through one square centimeter of the reactive surface serving to reduce the Carbon Dioxide. And, for any meaningful production, you would need a lot, really a lot, of those square centimeters, especially if the device, as seems perfectly feasible, were being powered by the conversion of a low-density environmental energy - - i.e., typically wind or solar; hydro can pump out some heavy duty juice - - and, thus, the available current density for a larger-size unit of genuinely significant Carbon Dioxide conversion capacity would fall definitely toward the lower end of that "5 to about 200 mA/cm2" range.
We're not explaining it very well, we know, but, the point is that you can probably do this on a small scale with just about any electricity you can generate; it's pretty efficient. But, it might take quite a lot of "renewable"-source electricity to accomplish genuinely meaningful amounts, or volumes, of conversion in a meaningful amount of time.
Such sources of environmental energy and places where it can be harvested are available; and, as we've said before, recycling CO2 extracted from the environment into hydrocarbon fuels might be one way to transform abundant, but remote, sources of environmental energy into a form of stored energy, i.e., hydrocarbons, which would be more versatile and more easily transported to where the energy is actually needed - - maybe your car's gasoline tank.
And, keep in mind that we're not just using the juice to liberate Carbon Dioxide, but, to electrolyze Hydrogen from seawater, as well.)
The apparatus ... wherein the means for feeding seawater to the ion exchange compartment feeds the seawater at a velocity of from about 20 to about 500 cm/min.
(Given our rather peculiar personal disabilities and insufficiencies, we had to get some, hopefully competent, help figuring that out. If correct, we don't need a high rate of flow since "20 to about 500 cm/min", as a couple of math whizzes we asked assure us, translates to from a little under one foot to a little over sixteen feet per minute. The implication being, to us, that natural convection or gravity currents in which the water is already moving can drive this thing.)
The apparatus ... wherein the means for applying current applies sufficient current to generate excess hydrogen in the anode and cathode compartments.
The apparatus ... wherein the means for applying current is capable of reversing the polarity of the anode and cathode to regenerate the apparatus.
The apparatus ... wherein the means for application of current applies sufficient current the cathode and anode to acidify the seawater to a pH of about 4.5 or less.
(Again, the acidification is mild and reversible. It's a part of the Hydrogen generation process and also makes it easier to extract the dissolved CO2 from the water.)
The apparatus ... further comprising a device for separating carbon dioxide from acidified seawater obtained from the ion exchange compartment.
A method for treatment of seawater comprising the step of subjecting the seawater to an ion exchange reaction to exchange H+ ions for Na+ ions in the seawater under conditions sufficient to lower a pH of the seawater to less than about 6.5.
The method ... wherein sufficient current is applied in the ion exchange reaction to generate excess hydrogen.
The method ... further comprising the step of reversing the polarity of the anode and cathode.
The method ... further comprising the step of separating carbon dioxide from acidified seawater obtained from the ion exchange reaction.
The method ... further comprising the step of separating hydrogen from a liquid ion exchange media obtained from the ion exchange reaction.
The method ... further comprising the step of producing hydrocarbons from the carbon dioxide obtained in the carbon dioxide separation step.
The method ... further comprising the step of producing hydrocarbons from the carbon dioxide obtained in the carbon dioxide separation step and the hydrogen obtained from the liquid ion exchange media.
The method ... wherein the carbon dioxide is separated from the acidified seawater by vacuum stripping.
The method ... wherein the hydrogen is separated from the liquid ion exchange media by vacuum stripping.
Background and Field: The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for extracting carbon dioxide and hydrogen from seawater and to processes for hydrocarbon production including the carbon dioxide extraction method.
It is desirable to be able to produce jet fuel at sea to support aircraft carrier flight operations. In-theater, synthetic fuel production would offer significant logistical and operational advantages by reducing dependence on increasingly expensive fossil fuels and by reducing the vulnerabilities resulting from unprotected fuel delivery at sea. A ship's ability to produce a significant fraction of the battle group's fuel for operations would increase the operational flexibility and time on station by reducing the mean time between refueling.
Technologies currently exist to synthesize hydrocarbon fuel on land, given sufficient primary energy resources such as coal.
Summary: In a first aspect, the present invention relates to an apparatus for seawater acidification. The seawater acidification apparatus includes an ion exchange compartment, a cathode electrode compartment, an anode electrode compartment and cation-permeable membranes, which separate the cathode and anode electrode compartments from the ion exchange compartment.
The apparatus includes a means for feeding seawater through the ion exchange compartment and means for feeding a liquid media capable of dissociating to provide acidic ions through the anode and cathode electrode compartments. The device also includes a cathode located in the cathode electrode compartment, an anode located in the anode electrode compartment and a means for application of current to each of the cathode and anode to create the driving force for the ion exchange process.
In a second aspect, the present invention relates to a method for the acidification of seawater. In this method, seawater is subjected to an ion exchange reaction to exchange H+ ions for N+ ions to thereby acidify the seawater.
In a third aspect, the present invention relates to a method for extracting carbon dioxide from seawater. In the method, seawater is subjected to an ion exchange reaction to acidify the seawater to a pH of 6.5 or below by exchange of H+ ions for Na+ ions in the seawater. Once the seawater has been acidified, carbon dioxide is extracted as bound carbon dioxide in the form of bicarbonate, or the acidified seawater is degassed to obtain gaseous carbon dioxide. Optionally, the ion exchange reaction can be conducted under conditions which produce hydrogen as well as carbon dioxide.
In a fourth aspect, the present invention relates to a method for the production of hydrocarbons from seawater. In the method, seawater is subjected to an ion exchange reaction to acidify the seawater to a pH of 6.5 or below by exchange of H+ ions for Na+ ions in the seawater. Once the seawater has been acidified, the acidified seawater is degassed to obtain gaseous carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide obtained by degassing is fed to a reactor with hydrogen to produce hydrocarbons. Optionally, the ion exchange reaction can be conducted under conditions which produce hydrogen as well as carbon dioxide and the hydrogen produced by the ion exchange reaction can be used as a feed stream to the hydrocarbon production step."
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We don't, of course, have a lot of sea water to work with in West Virginia and eastern Pennsylvania, or in many other parts of United States Coal Country.
And, even though, as can be learned in:
http://desline.com/articoli/8968.pdf; Desalination; 2008; "Parameters Affecting The Solubility Of Carbon Dioxide In Seawater"; Khalid Al-Anezi, et. al., School of Chemical, Environmental and Mining Engineering,
University of Nottingham, UK";
fresh water, at rather average conditions of temperature and pressure, can hold twice as much Carbon Dioxide in solution as seawater, we won't be able in this fashion to extract CO2 from our rivers for hydrocarbon synthesis, since the high concentrations of Sodium, "Na+", ions present in seawater, with which the Carbon Dioxide interacts via formation of "bicarbonate", are needed to make the whole electrolytic system possible.
But, don't miss the real point, the true import:
The process of our subject is one designed only to obtain Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen from the environment, so that the "carbon dioxide and hydrogen may be used to produce hydrocarbons".
The inference to be made is, that, our US Navy was intent on finding an efficient way to get their hands on some Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen because, as in our above citations of our US Navy's technologies of "United States Patent 7,420,004 - Producing Synthetic Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuels" and "United States Patent 8,017,658 - Synthesis of Hydrocarbons via Catalytic Reduction of CO2", they knew that once they did get their hands on some Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen, they could darned-well efficiently make liquid hydrocarbon fuels out of them.
Now, as in our reports of:
West Virginia Coal Association | USDOE Efficient Hydrogen for Liquid Fuel Synthesis | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent Application 20120149789 - Apparatus and Methods for the Electrolysis of Water; Date: June 14, 2012; Assignee: UT-Battelle, LLC; Oak Ridge, TN ... (a limited liability partnership between the University of Tennessee and Battelle Memorial Institute that manages the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the United States Department of Energy); Abstract: An apparatus for the electrolytic splitting of water into hydrogen and/or oxygen"; and:
West Virginia Coal Association | Efficient Power Plant CO2 Capture for CO2-to-Fuel Conversion | Research & Development; concerning the: "Development of an Economic Post-Combustion Carbon Capture Process; 2008; Siemens AG ... develops an improved CO2 capture process with minimized energy demand, optimized for integration in conventional coal-fired power plants";
we know, or should know, how to get our own hands on some Hydrogen and some Carbon Dioxide of our very own in United States Coal Country.
And, through our United States Navy, via, by extension, our United States Government, We The People own technologies, i.e., the processes of "United States Patent 7,420,004 - Producing Synthetic Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuels" and "United States Patent 8,017,658 - Synthesis of Hydrocarbons via Catalytic Reduction of CO2", that would, if we were allowed to put them to work, enable us to use that Hydrogen and that Carbon Dioxide to free our vital Coal-use industries from counter-productive nonsense like Cap and Trade taxation and from almost criminally deceptive exploitations, like the mandated sequestration of Carbon Dioxide in nearly-depleted, and potentially leaky, natural geologic petroleum reservoirs to subsidize Big Oil's secondary scrounging of residual petroleum still clinging to the rocks in those leaky reservoirs.
More than that, they would help us to free the United States, the U.S., let's just say US, and our children, and their children, from what seems fated to be an endless, ongoing economic enslavement to the often inimical, and sometimes truly alien, nations of OPEC.
We might even create a few more decent-paying, and permanent, Coal Country job opportunities, while preserving and expanding those we already have in our vital Coal mining and Coal use industries.
The choice is ours, it seems. But, we can't make a choice if we don't even know, haven't even been informed, that we do have such a choice that we can make.
It's far, far past time we, all of us, especially all of us resident in US Coal Country, were so informed.
