Electric power production using aqueous multi-electron oxidants

Abstract

A method for producing electric power and regenerating an aqueous multi-electron oxidant (AMO) and a reducer in an energy storage cycle is provided. A discharge system includes a discharge unit, an acidification reactor, and a neutralization reactor. The acidification reactor converts an oxidant fluid including the AMO into an acidic oxidant fluid. The discharge unit generates electric power and a discharge fluid by transferring electrons from a positive electrode of an electrolyte-electrode assembly (EEA) to the AMO and from a reducer to a negative electrode of the EEA. The neutralization reactor neutralizes the discharge fluid to produce a neutral discharge fluid. The regeneration system splits an alkaline discharge fluid into a reducer and an intermediate oxidant in a splitting-disproportionation reactor and releases the reducer and a base, while producing the AMO by disproportionating the intermediate oxidant. The regenerated AMO and reducer are supplied to the discharge unit for power generation.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An oxidant fluid composition comprising one or more anion, one or more cation, and one or more buffer, said anion selected from a group consisting of perchlorate, chlorate, chlorite, hypochlorite, perbromate, bromate, bromite, hypobromite, periodate, iodate, iodite, and hypoiodite, said cation selected from a group consisting of hydroxonium, lithium, sodium, magnesium and calcium, and said buffer selected from a group consisting of phosphate, hydrogen phosphate, dihydrogen phosphate, 3-(N-morpholino)propanesulfonate, 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonate, other ω-(N-morpholino)alkanesulfonate, methanesulfonate, trifluoromethanesulfonate, substituted sulfonate, substituted phosphonate, alkylphosponate, arylphosphonate, phosphoric acid derivatives, a molecule comprising at least one sulfonic group and at least one phosphonic group, amines, nitrogen heterocycles, and bases with an acid dissociation constant pKa between 4 and 9.