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OwnerDale Allen Shepherd, Radenko Stefanovicinventors
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This invention relates to a unique cycle for generating electricity at high efficiency and with zero carbon emissions. The cycle's fundamental energy carrier is hydrogen (H2), with H2 undergoing each unit process in the cycle either within water (H2O) molecules or as H2 gas. The heat source driving the cycle, through generation of steam, is a small nuclear reactor known in the industry as a small modular reactor (SMR). This steam's primary purpose is to provide the feed source for H2 production, which occurs in an Underground Coal Gasifier (UCG). The invention's high generation efficiency, accompanied by zero carbon emissions, derive from the UCG's steam/coal reactions and from conversion of the H2 into electricity by solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). These SOFCs produce, as their only waste stream, pure H2O. This H2O is then fed back for steam generation using the SMR's heat, which re-initiates the cycle. All unit processes use proven, commercially available technologies. The invention is directly applicable to any location where significant coal deposits exist.
An H2 cycle for producing electricity with no accompanying carbon emissions, comprising a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) as a heat source to drive the cycle, a Steam Generator to phase change water to steam using heat from the SMR, an Underground Coal Gasifier (UCG) to react this steam with in-situ coal to generate H2, Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) to generate electricity using the UCG-produced H2 as a fuel, and a recycle of the SOFCs' byproduct H2O back to the steam generator to repeat the cycle, where the cycle uses H2 as its working element, and wherein water supplied from the SOFCs to the Steam Generator is the sole water source for the cycle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.