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  Apparatus and method for creating a hydrogen network using water treatment facilitiesUSPTO Application #: 20070084718Title: Apparatus and method for creating a hydrogen network using water treatment facilities Abstract: The invention is an apparatus and method for producing two chemical products, hypochlorite for use as a sanitizing solution and hydrogen as a fuel source for vehicles, and a system to create a hydrogen fuel network therefrom. (end of abstract) Agent: Renner, Kenner, Greive, Bobak, Taylor & Weber - Akron, OH, US Inventor: Edward Andrew Fleming USPTO Applicaton #: 20070084718 - Class: 204232000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Chemistry: Electrical And Wave Energy, Apparatus, Electrolytic, Cells With Electrolyte Treatment Means The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070084718. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/810,551, filed Mar. 29, 2004, currently pending, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein be reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention is in the field of hydrogen and hypochlorite production and distribution. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Hydrogen is widely used for industrial purposes and its production is concentrated in large facilities, in a small number of geographic locations. Hydrogen and hydrogen production is not widely distributed geographically. Geographic distribution of hydrogen is essential for the development of transportation or distributed power generation applications. [0004] Hydrogen is a difficult substance to transport from location to location due to its chemical properties. At room temperature its density is very low and must be compressed or chilled to achieve a useable energy density. Hydrogen is highly combustible and explosive. It is a gas at atmospheric pressure, and becomes a liquid only at extremely high pressures. Hydrogen can embrittle steel and other metals, making it difficult to handle. [0005] Transportation via rail or truck is also inefficient as the amount of energy used in transportation can make up a large percentage of the energy available from the hydrogen itself. Hydrogen is dangerous to transport due to the requirement to store it at high pressures along with the explosiveness of the gas. [0006] Local production of hydrogen, mostly for transportation, is used on a very small scale, generally as pilot projects. Without sufficient demand for local hydrogen production the growth of these stations will be limited. Without sufficient supply of local hydrogen the adoption of hydrogen fueled devices and local power generation applications will be limited. [0007] Current hydrogen vehicles have limited range and typically require large fuel tanks to store compressed hydrogen. Hydrogen can be stored either as a gas, as a liquid, or in a solid state storage. Gas storage requires energy to compress the gas for storage in a high-pressure vessel, and typically requires relatively large tanks. Because of the increased pressure, gas storage may pose a greater threat of leakage and the possibility of an explosion. Liquefaction of hydrogen consumes a significant amount of energy. Hydrogen can also be stored using solid state hydrogen storage technology, such as metal hydride solid hydrogen storage. A metal hydride is formed when hydrogen reacts with the metal ions in a storage alloy, in an exothermic reaction. When heat is applied to the system, the reverse reaction occurs, and hydrogen is released from the metal hydride alloy for use. [0008] Hydrogen is typically used to generate power for transportation needs either by using a process of combustion with oxygen to generate mechanical energy and heat, or fuel cell technologies, where typically protons, but not electrons, are diffused through a membrane, generating an electrical current and heat. [0009] There is a need to provide a geographically distributed network of hydrogen production, storage, and dispensing to facilitate the development of a hydrogen fuel infrastructure network and a distributed hydrogen power generation network. Hydrogen fuel stations need to be abundant and accessible. [0010] One of the most geographically distributed industries is the water and wastewater treatment industry. A large number of these treatment plants use hypochlorite in their processes, or could use it as a substitute for other products. As shown by the art of this field, hypochlorite can be produced on-site at individual water or wastewater treatment plants through an electrolytic process that evolves hydrogen as a waste by-product. [0011] Chlorine in the form of hypochlorite, typically sodium hypochlorite, has been used in the field of water treatment for over a century. Hypochlorite is an alternative to the use of chlorine gas for disinfecting water. Prior to the use of hypochlorite, chlorine gas was primarily used as a chlorine source for disinfecting water. The transportation of chlorine gas is a safety concern, so sodium hypochlorite is now often used as an alternative source of chlorine, as it is relatively safe to transport. [0012] On-site sodium hypochlorite generation has been used as a relatively safe and cost efficient way of providing chlorine for water treatment applications. Sodium hypochlorite is made by reacting sodium chloride and water in the presence of a DC current according to the following equation 1: NaCl+H.sub.2O+2e.sup.-.fwdarw.NaOCl+H.sub.2 [0013] Previous systems of on-site sodium hypochlorite generation have vented away the H.sub.2 produced into the atmosphere. [0014] U.S. Pat. No. 6,468,412 illustrates a hypochlorite production system. The system includes an electrolyzer that requires a source of brine which may be either a synthetic source such as a salt saturator or a natural source such as sea water. The brine is metered by a pump into the electrolyzer containing electrolytic cell where electrolysis occurs. The electrolytic cell contains cathodes and anodes. A separate softened water supply may be provided to the electrolyzer to optimize the brine concentration within. The resultant hypochlorite solution is transferred past product outlet and travels through solution line to storage tank. [0015] Hydrogen gas, produced in addition to hypochlorite in the electrolyzer, passes with the hypochlorite solution through solution line into the storage tank where it separates from the liquid product. In other embodiments some separation may occur in the electrolyzer itself with a gas vent connected to the top of the electrolyzer allowing for the venting of hydrogen gas directly from the electrolyzer into the atmosphere. An air blower may also be connected to the storage tank to provide a forced flow of air to purge the hydrogen in the storage tank into atmosphere. In further embodiments a fan may be attached to individual electrolyzers. In the prior art, hydrogen is thus not collected for future use. [0016] There is a need to provide a way to collect and use the hydrogen produced during hypochlorite production such as to remove or minimize the disadvantages mentioned above. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0017] The invention relates to apparatus and method for producing hypochlorite for use as a sanitizing solution in water and waste-water treatment and hydrogen as a fuel source for vehicles, as part of a hydrogen infrastructure. By producing and collecting hydrogen as part of water and waste-water treatment, a network of fueling stations can be provided near inhabited areas to supply hydrogen to vehicles without the problems typically associated with mass hydrogen fuel transportation and production. [0018] The proximity of treatment plants to population centers make these locations ideal for producing hydrogen locally, to address local demand without the costs and dangers associated with hydrogen transportation. When a number of treatment plants have been adapted to conform to the invention, a wide area network of hydrogen production, storage, and dispensing can be created. Given the existing technologies available for use in the water and wastewater treatment industry that produce hydrogen as a waste gas, one can intuitively see the inventive and valuable nature of this invention as a means of creating a hydrogen production, storage, and dispensing network through the capture of what was formerly considered a waste gas currently produced at a large number of water or wastewater treatment plants. [0019] An apparatus for producing hypochlorite and hydrogen from brine to enable the transfer of hydrogen to another location comprising: [0020] an electrolyzer that generates hypochlorite and hydrogen, which received brine from a source of brine, and, using electricity from a source of electrical energy, evolves hydrogen and hypochlorite from the brine by passing a electrical current through the brine, the electrolyzer having an electrolyzer outlet for transporting hypochlorite in solution with spent brine, and generated hydrogen; [0021] a separator that receives the hypochlorite in solution with spent brine, and generated hydrogen from the electrolyser, and separates spent brine in solution with hypochlorite from hydrogen; [0022] a hydrogen conduit coupled to the separator that transports hydrogen separated by the separator to a hydrogen storage system; and [0023] a hydrogen transfer device coupled to the hydrogen storage system for transferring hydrogen from the hydrogen storage system. [0024] A method for producing hypochlorite and hydrogen comprising the steps of: [0025] producing hypochlorite and hydrogen in an electrolyzer from brine received from a source of brine, using electricity from a source of electrical energy, evolves hydrogen and hypochlorite from the brine by passing a electrical current through the brine; [0026] separating in a separator spent brine and hypochlorite in solution, and generated hydrogen received from the electrolyzer; [0027] directing generated hypochlorite from the separator to a hypochlorite storage, [0028] directing generated hydrogen from the separator to a hydrogen storage, and [0029] filling a storage tank in or on a vehicle with hydrogen from the hydrogen storage. Continue reading... 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