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This is fun cause I've got a side project going on that does this, but without decomposition, and with direct electrochemical conversion. It uses solid oxide fu
by darksaints 7y ago
This is fun cause I've got a side project going on that does this, but without decomposition, and with direct electrochemical conversion. It uses solid oxide fuel cells, which can not only consume hydrogen, but can also generate electricity from the CO->CO2 oxidation. My current work is on developing a gliding arc plasma reactor that can take solid waste and convert it to syngas, which is then desulferized and fed directly into the SOFC. I'm hoping to build a 5-10kw system partnering with an SOFC manufacturer.
I'm a sailor and I'm targeting the sailing cruiser community with it, although I recognize potential markets elsewhere. The idea is that when you are remote, in locations where supply chains and infrastructure are undeveloped, it is incredibly risky to rely on ICEs for auxiliary propulsion and electricity. You may not have access to gasoline or diesel in the quantities or narrow quality specification that ICEs require. And you certainly don't have access to fuel when you are at sea on a long passage. This system would allow you to use pretty much any conventional fuel, but it would also allow you to use biowaste, garbage paper and plastic (including ocean plastics), wood pellets, and even wet biomass like seaweed (the moisture content reduces efficiency, but is still net positive for energy generation). And it can produce energy on demand, instead of waiting around for it to decompose and produce methane.
- pstuart 7y agoThat is fascinating and could be a real game-changer. Would you care to share more about this?
- darksaints 7y agoI'm using some of the research done by Drexel's Plasma Lab [0] as inspiration for the reactor design. There are lots of plasma reactors out there, in research as well as commercially available, but most of them are focused on breaking down gaseous or liquid matter. The research I've seen at Drexel was the first I've come across that focused on solid fuels. I have a friend who was an atomization engineer for a rocket fuel company who has some pretty good ideas for handling solid fuels that we're going to experiment with. But at least we know it is already possible. As far as the desulfurization and SOFC is concerned, we're not even close to that stage yet. Desulfurizers are pretty common, but most SOFC designs tend to be extremely large and heavy, more suitable for stationary generation. I'd like to work with NASA's Bi-Electrode Supported Cell concept, which has power densities suitable for transport applications [1], even better than most diesel engines. They are actively licensing the technology non-exclusively, so maybe we could get a license and produce it ourselves, but this is all bootstrapped so that is probably out of reach in the short term. [0] https://drexel.edu/nyheiminstitute/researchlabs/plasma-energy-lab/ https://drexel.edu/nyheiminstitute/researchlabs/plasma-energ... [1] https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/LEW-TOPS-120 https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/LEW-TOPS-120
- toomuchtodo 7y agoHave you considered working with S4 Energy/InEnTec to commercialize (they previously were a JV with Waste Management)? They've done some work in large scale gasification.
- darksaints 7y agoInEnTec looks interesting, looks like they're already working on plasma gasification. One of the problems I have run into with a lot of companies that I've contacted is that most of them are only interested in industrial scale systems, and have no interest in small scale production. Definitely worth getting in touch though.
- usrusr 7y agoIs that real? Because that would not be quite enough to power a DeLorian, but still come amazingly close! (you must be getting this reaction a lot)
- carapace 7y agoHave you checked out molten salt oxidation? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molten_salt_oxidation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molten_salt_oxidation