Co-producing hydrogen and power by biomass gasification

Abstract

A method for co-producing hydrogen and electrical power comprises utilizing an intermittent renewable energy source to generate energy for producing hydrogen and oxygen and subsequently transferring at least a portion of the energy to a production system to produce the hydrogen and the oxygen. The current technique further comprises channeling at least a portion of the hydrogen to a hydrogen-delivery system configured to deliver the hydrogen from the hydrogen-delivery system to at least one of a power generation system or a hydrogen-storage system and channeling at least a portion of the oxygen to an oxygen delivery system configured to deliver the oxygen from the oxygen delivery system to a biomass gasification system that produces a synthesis gas by partial oxidation of a biomass feedstock. Further, this technique includes channeling at least a portion of the synthesis gas to the power generation system to produce electrical power therefrom.

1 . A method for co-producing hydrogen and electrical power comprising: 
 utilizing an intermittent renewable energy source to generate energy for producing hydrogen and oxygen;    transferring at least a portion of said energy to a production system to produce said hydrogen and said oxygen;    channeling at least a portion of said hydrogen to a hydrogen-delivery system configured to deliver the hydrogen from said hydrogen-delivery system to at least one of a power generation system or a hydrogen-storage system;    channeling at least a portion of said oxygen to an oxygen delivery system configured to deliver the oxygen from said oxygen delivery system to a biomass gasification system to produce a synthesis gas by partial oxidation of a biomass feedstock; and    channeling at least a portion of said synthesis gas to said power generation system to produce electrical power therefrom.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprises the steps of: 
 channeling at least a portion of said synthesis gas from said biomass gasification system to said hydrogen-reforming system to reform hydrogen; and    channeling said hydrogen from said hydrogen-reforming system to said hydrogen-delivery system further configured to deliver the hydrogen to at least one of said power generation system or said hydrogen-storage system.    
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said power generation system comprises a hydrogen-based electricity production system.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said hydrogen-based electricity production system comprises at least one of a fuel cell-based electricity production system or a micro-turbine-based electricity production system or an internal combustion engine-based electricity production system or combinations thereof.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said intermittent renewable energy comprises at least one of wind energy or solar energy or tidal energy.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said energy comprises at least one of thermal energy or electrical energy.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said production system is selected from the group consisting of an electrolysis system, a thermal splitting system, an electro-thermal splitting system, a thermo-chemical splitting system, a photo-chemical splitting system, a photo-electrochemical splitting system and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said biomass gasification system comprises at least one of a fixed bed biomass gasification system or a fluidized bed biomass gasification system.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said biomass feedstock is selected from the group consisting of industrial wastes, agricultural wastes, municipal wastes, organic wastes, energy crops and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         10 . A method for co-producing hydrogen and electrical power comprising: 
 utilizing an intermittent renewable energy source to generate energy for producing hydrogen and oxygen;    transferring at least a portion of said energy to a production system to produce said hydrogen and said oxygen;    channeling at least a portion of said hydrogen to a hydrogen-delivery system configured to deliver the hydrogen from said hydrogen-delivery system to a hydrogen-based electricity production system to produce electrical power therefrom; and    channeling at least a portion of said oxygen to an oxygen delivery system configured to deliver the oxygen from said oxygen delivery system to a biomass gasification system to produce a synthesis gas by partial oxidation of a biomass feedstock.    
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprises the step of: 
 channeling said synthesis gas from said biomass gasification system to said hydrogen-reforming system to reform hydrogen; and    channeling said hydrogen from said hydrogen-reforming system to said hydrogen-delivery system configured to deliver the hydrogen from the hydrogen-delivery system to said hydrogen-based electricity production system to produce electrical power therefrom.    
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said hydrogen-based electricity production system comprises at least one of fuel cell-based electricity production system or a micro-turbine-based electricity production system or an internal combustion engine-based electricity production system or a combination thereof.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said intermittent renewable energy comprises at least one of wind energy or solar energy or tidal energy.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said energy comprises at least one of thermal energy or electrical energy.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said production system is selected from the group consisting of an electrolysis system, a thermal splitting system, an electro-thermal splitting system, a thermo-chemical splitting system, a photo-chemical splitting system, a photo-electrochemical splitting system and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         16 . A method for co-producing hydrogen and electrical power comprising: 
 utilizing an intermittent renewable energy source to generate energy for producing hydrogen and oxygen;    transferring at least a portion of said energy to a production system to produce said hydrogen and said oxygen;    channeling said hydrogen to a hydrogen-delivery system configured to deliver the hydrogen from said hydrogen-delivery system to a power generation system to produce electrical power therefrom;    channeling said oxygen to an oxygen delivery system configured to deliver the oxygen from said oxygen delivery system to a biomass gasification system to produce a synthesis gas by partial oxidation of a biomass feedstock; and    channeling said synthesis gas to said power generation system to produce electrical power therefrom.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said power generation system comprises a hydrogen-based electricity production system.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein said hydrogen-based electricity production system comprises at least one of fuel cell-based electricity production system or a micro-turbine-based electricity production system or an internal combustion engine-based electricity production system or a combination thereof.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said intermittent renewable energy comprises at least one of wind energy or solar energy or tidal energy.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said energy comprises at least one of thermal energy or electrical energy.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein said production system is selected from the group consisting of an electrolysis system, a thermal splitting system, an electro-thermal splitting system, a thermo-chemical splitting system, a photo-chemical splitting system, a photo-electrochemical splitting system and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         22 . A system for co-producing hydrogen and electrical power comprising: 
 an energy generating system for generating energy from an intermittent renewable energy source;    a production system in energy communication with said energy generating system for producing hydrogen and oxygen;    a hydrogen-delivery system in fluid communication with said production system for receiving at least a portion of said hydrogen from said production system; said hydrogen-delivery system further configured to channel at least a portion of said hydrogen to at least one of a power generation system or a hydrogen storage system; and    an oxygen delivery system in fluid communication with said production system for receiving at least a portion of said oxygen from said production system; said oxygen delivery system further configured to channel at least a portion of said oxygen to a biomass gasification system;    wherein said biomass gasification system is further configured to channel at least a portion of a synthesis gas to said power generation system.    
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 22  further comprising a hydrogen-reforming system for reforming said hydrogen from at least a portion of said synthesis gas; 
 wherein said hydrogen-reforming system is further configured to channel said hydrogen from said hydrogen-reforming system to said hydrogen-delivery system.  
 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein said power generation system comprises a hydrogen-based electricity production system.  
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein said hydrogen-based electricity production system comprises at least one of fuel cell-based electricity production system or a micro-turbine-based electricity production system or an internal combustion engine-based electricity production system or a combination thereof  
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein said intermittent renewable energy comprises at least one of wind energy or solar energy or tidal energy.  
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein said energy comprises at least one of thermal energy or electrical energy.  
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein said production system is selected from the group consisting of an electrolysis system, a thermal splitting system, an electro-thermal splitting system, a thermo-chemical splitting system, a photo-chemical splitting system, a photo-electrochemical splitting system and combinations thereof  
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein said biomass gasification system comprises at least one of a fixed bed biomass gasification system or a fluidized bed biomass gasification system.  
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein said biomass feedstock is selected from the group consisting of industrial wastes, agricultural wastes, municipal waste, organic wastes, energy crops and combinations thereof.