| 摘要 |
1513744 Hydrogen S L LEACH 14 May 1975 [4 Nov 1974] 20328/75 Heading CIA [Also in Division Fl] H 2 is generated from water by heating a reactant comprising a metal or oxide thereof capable of displacing H 2 from water exothermically to form an oxide of said metal at a higher oxidation number, said metal oxide of higher oxidation number being capable of disassociation or disproportionation spontaneously in the absence of free O 2 , continuously passing steam over the reactant and continuously removing H 2 generated, raising the temperature of the metal oxide of higher oxidation number thus formed to a temperature at which it disassociates or disproportionates to thereby reform the metal or oxide thereof and O 2 , removing said O 2 and then repeating the passage of the steam over the heated reactant. The cycle may be repeated ad infinitum. The reactant is monitored, e.g. by measurement of its electric resistance determined when the conversion of metal or oxide thereof to higher metal oxide has reached a predetermined percentage, usually 80%, at which point passage of steam is discontinued and is similarly monitored during the heating to determine when conversion of the higher metal oxide back to metal or oxide thereof has been completed. The reactant which is preferably Fe, Mn or an alloy of Fe and Mn may be in the form of a mesh, continuous thread, or ribbon which is heated by passage of an electric current therethrough or in the form of particles which is heated by an element embedded therein. The process is preferably carried out in a plurality of reaction chambers containing the reactant, wherein H 2 is generated in half the chambers and the reactant is regenerated simultaneously in the other half, and intermittently the regeneration is performed in the first half and the H 2 generation in the second half, this cycle being repeated. Details of suitable apparatuses are given. |
