PRODUCTION OF HYDROGEN FROM WATER USING A THERMOCHEMICAL COPPER-CHLORINE CYCLE

摘要

A system for producing hydrogen gas from water decomposition using a
thermochemical
CuCl cycle, the improvement comprising the use of an insulated hydrogen
production
reactor comprising a reaction chamber and a separation chamber; the reaction
chamber
having a hydrogen chloride gas inlet and a solid copper inlet; one or more
levels provided in
the reaction chamber, the number of which is dependant on production scale and
pressure
drop; each level comprising a perforated plate with associated filter media,
the perforations
of the plate and media being of decreasing size from top to bottom of the
reaction chamber,
and being sized to permit downward flow of the hydrogen gas and molten CuCl
products, as
well as the HCL gas reactant, and to prevent entrainment of solid copper in
the molten CuCl;
the separation chamber being located below the reaction chamber and being of
greater cross
section than the reaction chamber and comprising a first hydrogen removal and
entrained
copper removal zone and a second molten CuCl removal zone; removal of the
reaction
products being controlled so as to substantially decrease the amount of
entrained copper in
the molten CuCl; and the first zone having outlets for removal of hydrogen gas
and
entrained copper particles, with the second zone having an outlet for removal
of molten
CuCl.