Separated interface photo-thermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor

Abstract

The invention discloses a separated interface photo-thermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor which comprises a liquid storage container, a conveying conduit and a reactor. The liquid storage container is used for accommodating a reaction solution; one end of the conveying conduit is arranged below the liquid level of the reaction solution; the reactor comprises a shell and a porous material arranged in the shell, a thin-layer space is formed by the porous material and the inner wall of the shell, and the thin-layer space is filled with a reaction solution conveyed by the conveying guide pipe to form a thin liquid film; capillary force provided by the porous material is used for sucking the reaction solution in the thin-layer space to the surface of the porous material to carry out photo-thermal catalytic hydrogen production reaction, and the reaction solution in the liquid storage container is supplemented into the thin-layer space through the conveying guide pipe. The reactor separates and decouples a light source and a water source, and is better in space adaptability. The reaction solution is separated from the bulk phase solution, the reaction interface temperature is higher, and the controllability is better. And the photo-thermal catalytic reaction area is not limited by the free liquid surface area of the solution and can be freely expanded.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of photothermal hydrogen production, and in particular to a separate interface photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor. Background Art

[0002] Solar energy resources are abundant on Earth, widely distributed, easily exploitable, and environmentally friendly. Current uses of solar energy include solar thermal power generation and photovoltaic power generation. Directly converting sunlight into chemical energy through chemical conversion, such as converting solar energy into hydrogen energy, has emerged in recent years. Photothermal catalytic hydrogen production utilizes the photothermal effect to increase the temperature and, consequently, the reaction rate, of the photocatalytic reaction.

[0003] At present, in most photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reaction systems, powdered photocatalysts are dispersed in the reaction liquid in a suspended form, forming a three-phase suspension reactor of liquid water / solid photocatalyst / hydrogen. This mode can ensure sufficient contact between the catalyst and the reactants, but the catalyst is easily agglomerated when suspended in the solution during long-term operation, which reduces the hydrogen production performance. When the powdered photocatalyst is dispersed in the solution, the transmission of light in the entire reaction system is easily limited, and the light attenuation becomes extremely serious as the thickness / depth of the solution increases. In addition, when the catalyst powder is dispersed in the reaction solution, a large amount of heat generated by photothermal conversion will be dissipated in the solution, resulting in large heat losses, which limits the increase in reaction temperature and reduces the hydrogen production performance of the photo-thermal catalysis.

[0004] In recent years, to overcome the shortcomings of suspended reactors for photothermal hydrogen production, researchers have proposed placing micro-nano porous wicking materials, such as carbonized wood, carbonized melamine sponge, and hydrogel, on the free surface of the reaction solution. This allows the light, heat, catalysts, and reactants required for the reaction to be concentrated in a limited reaction area, thereby constructing an interfacial reactor for photothermal hydrogen production. Unlike the traditional three-phase reaction system of liquid water / solid photocatalyst / hydrogen, this interfacial reactor constructs a two-phase system of water vapor / solid photocatalyst / hydrogen at the reaction interface, which helps to significantly improve the efficiency of photothermal catalysis. On the one hand, it can reduce light transmission losses in the solution, thereby improving photocatalytic efficiency. On the other hand, it can promote photothermal conversion, improve the full spectrum utilization of sunlight, and reduce heat loss to the bulk solution, thereby increasing the reaction temperature and the photocatalytic reaction rate. In addition, it can also increase the removal rate of reaction gas products from the reaction interface, thereby increasing the photothermal reaction rate.

[0005] However, the existing interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reaction system requires the reaction solution, catalyst and light to be in the same space. Therefore, there are problems such as poor adaptability, difficulty in increasing the photothermal interface temperature, difficulty in controlling the reaction solution temperature and limited reaction area, which affect the application scope and hydrogen production efficiency of interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a separate interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor to address the problems of poor adaptability, difficulty in increasing the photothermal interface temperature, difficulty in controlling the reaction solution temperature, and limited reaction area in the existing interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reaction system.

[0007] A separate interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor, comprising: a liquid storage container for containing a reaction solution; a delivery conduit, one end of which is placed below the liquid surface of the reaction solution; The reactor comprises a shell and a porous material disposed within the shell, wherein the porous material and the inner wall of the shell form a thin layer of space, the other end of the delivery conduit is connected to the thin layer of space, the reaction solution delivered by the delivery conduit fills the thin layer of space to form a thin liquid film, and the surface of the porous material is loaded with a photothermal hydrogen production catalyst; The capillary force provided by the porous material is used to draw the reaction solution in the thin layer space to the surface of the porous material for photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reaction, and to replenish the reaction solution in the liquid storage container into the thin layer space through the delivery conduit.

[0008] In one embodiment, the shell includes a bottom plate and a cover plate, the bottom plate and the cover plate are detachably connected, and the porous material and the inner wall of the bottom plate form the thin layer space.

[0009] In one embodiment, the reactor further includes an annular first seal, which is disposed between the porous material and the bottom plate. The surface of the porous material, the inner wall of the bottom plate and the first seal form the thin layer space.

[0010] In one embodiment, the thickness of the thin liquid film is controlled by controlling the axial thickness of the first sealing member.

[0011] In one embodiment, a heat preservation or heating unit is provided on the bottom plate to control the temperature of the reaction solution in the thin layer space.

[0012] In one embodiment, the cover plate is made of a light-transmitting material and is provided with a discharge hole for the product to be discharged.

[0013] In one embodiment, the reactor further includes an annular second sealing member, the second sealing member is disposed between the porous material and the cover plate, and the exhaust hole is located in the area enclosed by the second sealing member.

[0014] In one embodiment, the method further comprises a solar tracking system, wherein the solar tracking system is configured to enable the reactor to track changes in the incident angle of light.

[0015] In one embodiment, there are multiple reactors, and the multiple reactors are connected to the same liquid storage container through multiple delivery conduits.

[0016] In one embodiment, the porous material is carbonized melamine sponge, black hydrophilic carbon cloth or silicon carbide foam ceramic; or The pore size of the porous material is 0.1-100 μm.

[0017] In the above-mentioned separated interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor, the porous material in the reactor receives light, and the surface temperature of the material is increased through photothermal conversion, thereby accelerating the evaporation of the reaction solution. The reactants contact the catalyst on the surface of the porous material in gaseous form to produce a photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reaction. As the reaction proceeds, the reactants on the surface of the porous material are gradually consumed, and the reaction solution in the liquid storage container is automatically replenished to the thin layer space in the reactor under the action of capillary force. The whole process occurs on its own without the participation of external work. The above-mentioned separated interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor has a light source-water source separation and decoupling, and has better spatial adaptability to actual photothermal hydrogen production scenarios. The reaction solution is separated from the bulk solution, and the reaction interface temperature is higher and more controllable. The photothermal catalytic reaction area is not limited by the free liquid surface area of ​​the solution and can be freely expanded, so that a large area of ​​photothermal hydrogen production can be achieved under a limited liquid surface area of ​​the liquid storage tank. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the specific embodiments. In all the drawings, each element or part is not necessarily drawn according to the actual scale.

[0019] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of a separate interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor in one embodiment; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the separated interface photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor shown; Figure 3 for Figure 1 An exploded view of the separated interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor is shown; Figure 4 for Figure 2 A partial enlarged view of point A in the middle; Figure 5 Schematic diagram of multiple reactors connected to the same liquid storage container.

[0020] Reference numerals: 10 - liquid storage container, 20 - delivery conduit, 30 - reactor, 31 - shell, 311 - bottom plate, 312 - cover plate, 313 - positioning boss, 314 - discharge hole, 32 - porous material, 33 - thin layer space, 34 - first sealing member, 35 - second sealing member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more readily apparent, specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description sets forth numerous specific details to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in many other ways than those described herein, and those skilled in the art may make similar modifications without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0022] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" another element, it may be directly attached to the other element or there may be an intermediate element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intermediate element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only implementation methods.

[0023] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the present invention. The terms used in this specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0024] In recent years, to overcome the shortcomings of suspended reactors for photothermal hydrogen production, researchers have proposed placing micro-nano porous wicking materials, such as carbonized wood, carbonized melamine sponge, and hydrogel, on the free surface of the reaction solution. This allows the light, heat, catalysts, and reactants required for the reaction to be concentrated in a limited reaction area, thereby constructing an interfacial reactor for photothermal hydrogen production. Unlike the traditional three-phase reaction system of liquid water / solid photocatalyst / hydrogen, this interfacial reactor constructs a two-phase system of water vapor / solid photocatalyst / hydrogen at the reaction interface, which helps to significantly improve the efficiency of photothermal catalysis. On the one hand, it can reduce light transmission losses in the solution, thereby improving photocatalytic efficiency. On the other hand, it can promote photothermal conversion, improve the full spectrum utilization of sunlight, and reduce heat loss to the bulk solution, thereby increasing the reaction temperature and the photocatalytic reaction rate. In addition, it can also increase the removal rate of reaction gas products from the reaction interface, thereby increasing the photothermal reaction rate.

[0025] However, the existing interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reaction system has the following problems: ① Poor adaptability. First, the existing interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor requires that the hydrogen production reaction, sunlight and reaction solution are in the same space. When the reaction solution cannot receive sunlight or cannot directly contact the active sites of the catalytic reaction, the photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reaction cannot proceed. Therefore, the existing interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor requires that the reaction solution, catalyst and light are in the same space, and the actual application scope is limited. Secondly, in the process of floating on the liquid surface, the porous material in the existing interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor is difficult to adjust the reaction interface angle to adapt to different solar azimuths due to the effect of the gravity field. Therefore, direct sunlight on the photothermal interface cannot be guaranteed, the sunlight is not fully utilized, and the photothermal catalytic hydrogen production efficiency is low. In addition, the interfacial porous materials in most existing interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactors must float on the surface of the solution. In actual applications, the surface of the reaction solution fluctuates strongly, and there are disturbances and water level changes, which have a certain degree of impact on the stability of the reactor.

[0026] ②The photothermal interface temperature is difficult to increase. Most of the existing interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reaction systems achieve photothermal catalytic hydrogen production through a porous catalytic reaction layer floating on the surface of the solution. Among them, heat is transferred to the bottom solution through the porous material and the continuous reaction medium, and dissipated through the heat conduction of the reaction solution and the internal heat convection. That is, the thermal insulation performance of the porous material and the thermal insulation performance of the bottom liquid have a great influence on the photothermal reaction interface temperature. Although studies have proposed insulating porous materials with low thermal conductivity, such as carbonized melamine foam, porous hydrogel nanocomposites, etc., which effectively reduce the loss of heat through porous materials, it is difficult to take effective measures to control the transfer of heat through the continuous reaction medium to the bottom solution. Therefore, there is still room for improvement in the photothermal interface temperature and the photothermal hydrogen production rate.

[0027] ③ The temperature of the reaction solution is difficult to control. Most existing interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactors float directly on the liquid surface. In practical applications, the liquid reservoir is large and the temperature of the liquid inside changes slowly, making it difficult to preheat the reaction solution in the reservoir before it is pumped into the porous material. The temperature difference between the liquid and the photothermal interface is large, and the heat required for solution evaporation is provided by the porous material, making it difficult to increase the evaporation rate and the photothermal hydrogen production reaction rate.

[0028] ④ Limited reaction area. The cross-sectional area of ​​the porous material used to pump the reaction solution in existing interfacial photothermal hydrogen production reactors is large, resulting in the reaction area being limited by the free liquid surface, making it difficult to apply to liquid storage tanks with smaller opening areas.

[0029] In view of this, in order to solve the above problems, the present application provides a separated interface photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor, which decouples the light source and water source, and has better spatial adaptability for actual photothermal hydrogen production scenarios. The reaction solution is separated from the bulk solution, and the reaction interface temperature is higher and the controllability is better. The photothermal catalytic reaction area is not limited by the free liquid surface area of ​​the solution and can be freely expanded, so that a large area of ​​photothermal hydrogen production can be achieved under a limited liquid surface area of ​​the liquid reservoir.

[0030] To better understand the technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present application, the present application is further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments: See also Figure 1 In one embodiment, a separate interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor includes a liquid storage container 10 , a delivery conduit 20 and a reactor 30 .

[0031] The liquid storage container 10 is used to hold the reaction solution. In one embodiment, the liquid storage container 10 can be any closed, semi-closed, or open container, and the reaction solution can be open rivers, lakes, groundwater, indoor water, etc. The water source can be located on the surface or tens or even hundreds of meters underground. Of course, in other embodiments, the reaction solution is not limited to water and can also be other liquids that can undergo photothermal catalytic reactions to produce hydrogen.

[0032] One end of the delivery conduit 20 is placed below the liquid level of the reaction solution in the liquid storage container 10, and the other end of the delivery conduit 20 is connected to the bottom of the reactor 30. The delivery conduit 20 can adopt a flexible or rigid delivery pipe according to actual conditions. Specifically, when the reactor 30 is fixed, the delivery conduit 20 can adopt a rigid pipe; when the delivery conduit 20 needs to adapt to the movement or rotation of the reactor 30, the delivery conduit 20 adopts a flexible pipe. The length of the delivery conduit 20 is determined by the capillary pressure provided by the capillary structure and can be up to 100 m. The diameter range of the delivery conduit 20 is not limited and can be specifically designed according to the size of the reactor 30.

[0033] Please also refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The reactor 30 includes a shell 31 and a porous material 32, wherein the porous material 32 is disposed within the shell 31. The shell 31 is connected to the other end of the delivery conduit 20, so that the delivery conduit 20 delivers the reaction solution into the shell 31. The shape of the shell 31 can be specifically designed as needed and can be regular or irregular in shape, preferably a regular shape to facilitate the processing of the reactor 30. In one embodiment, the shell 31 is circular to ensure that the reactor 30 is evenly illuminated by light.

[0034] The porous material 32 and the inner wall of the housing 31 form a thin space 33. The other end of the delivery conduit 20 is connected to the thin space 33. The reaction solution delivered by the delivery conduit 20 fills the thin space 33 to form a thin liquid film. The surface of the porous material 32 is loaded with a photothermal hydrogen production catalyst. The capillary force provided by the porous material 32 is used to draw the reaction solution in the thin space 33 to the surface of the porous material 32 for photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reaction. The reaction solution in the liquid storage container 10 is replenished into the thin space 33 through the delivery conduit 20.

[0035] The thin liquid film between the bottom plate 311 and the lower surface of the porous material 32 evenly supplies the reaction solution to the porous material 32. The larger the contact area between the thin liquid film and the porous material 32, the greater the number of micropores involved in liquid transport, the greater the overall capillary effect, and the higher the liquid column that can be maintained, surpassing the distance and scale of traditional capillary transport. Furthermore, the liquid film connection can significantly shorten the transport distance, eliminating the need for lateral diffusion.

[0036] In one embodiment, the housing 31 includes a bottom plate 311 and a cover plate 312. The bottom plate 311 and the cover plate 312 are detachably connected. The porous material 32 and the inner wall of the bottom plate 311 form a thin space 33. The detachable structure of the housing 31 facilitates the installation and removal of the internal components of the reactor 30, thereby facilitating the repair and maintenance of the reactor 30.

[0037] Specifically, the bottom plate 311 and the cover plate 312 are detachably connected using fixing bolts. It is understood that in other embodiments, the bottom plate 311 and the cover plate 312 may be detachably connected in other ways, such as screws, buckles, or threaded fastenings, as long as the bottom plate 311 and the cover plate 312 can be detachably connected.

[0038] Please also refer to Figure 4 In one embodiment, the reactor 30 further includes a first sealing member 34 in an annular shape. The first sealing member 34 is disposed between the porous material 32 and the bottom plate 311. The surface of the porous material 32, the inner wall of the bottom plate 311, and the first sealing member 34 form a thin space 33. The first sealing member 34 can not only seal the porous material 32 and the bottom plate 311 to prevent leakage of the reaction solution, but also serve to enclose the thin space 33. In one embodiment, the axial thickness of the first sealing member 34 can be controlled to control the thickness of the thin liquid film, thereby reducing the liquid film thickness while ensuring liquid transport, thereby reducing heat loss.

[0039] In one embodiment, a positioning boss 313 is formed on the surface of the bottom plate 311 and protrudes upward. The first sealing member 34 is mounted on the positioning boss 313. The height of the positioning boss 313 is less than that of the first sealing member 34 to ensure that the thin space 33 is formed. The positioning boss 313 ensures accurate positioning and installation of the first sealing member 34 and also ensures a good seal between the bottom plate 311 and the first sealing member 34.

[0040] In one embodiment, a heat preservation or heating unit is provided on the bottom plate 311 to control the temperature of the reaction solution within the thin space 33 and maintain or increase the temperature of the thin liquid film below the porous material 32. The heat source for this heat preservation or heating can be high-quality energy sources such as electric heating and fuel combustion, or low-quality energy sources such as solar heating and industrial waste heat. Specifically, the heat preservation or heating unit can be equipment such as insulation foam and a heat exchanger.

[0041] In one embodiment, to reduce heat loss from the thin liquid film at the bottom of the porous material 32, the bottom plate 311 can be made of a thermally insulating material for passive insulation. For example, the bottom plate 311 can be made of a material with poor thermal conductivity, such as acrylic. Of course, to maintain or increase the temperature of the thin liquid film at the bottom, the bottom plate 311 can be made of a material with good thermal conductivity, such as metal, and either be insulated or actively heated by a heat preservation or heating unit. Therefore, the material selection for the bottom plate 311 can be tailored to actual needs.

[0042] In one embodiment, the capillary force of the porous material 32 is provided by the tiny pores within the hydrophilic porous material 32. According to the Laplace equation, the smaller the pore size, the greater the capillary force. Therefore, to ensure the height of the liquid column, the pore size of the porous material 32 is generally in the micrometer range. Specifically, the pore size of the porous material 32 can be 0.1-100 μm.

[0043] In one embodiment, in order to achieve a high-temperature reaction environment at the photothermal interface of the reactor 30, the porous material 32 generally has good photothermal conversion performance, such as carbonized melamine sponge, black hydrophilic carbon cloth, silicon carbide foam ceramics, etc. Its function is to increase the surface temperature through photothermal conversion, convert liquid reactants into gaseous reactants, form a surface gas-solid two-phase interface, accelerate the product removal rate, and improve the photothermal hydrogen production efficiency.

[0044] In one embodiment, the photothermal hydrogen production catalyst loaded on the surface of the porous material 32 may be Pt-TiO2, Ru-TiO2, AuCu / g-C3N4, etc., which realizes interfacial photothermal hydrogen production with the gaseous reactants under a relatively high temperature surface environment.

[0045] In one embodiment, to achieve more efficient photothermal conversion and increase the surface temperature, the cover plate 312 is made of a light-transmitting material. Specifically, the cover plate 312 can be made of a material with good light transmittance, such as acrylic or quartz glass. The cover plate 312 is provided with an exhaust hole 314 for the product to be discharged. The mixed gas produced by the photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reaction can be discharged through the exhaust hole 314. The upper portion of the cover plate 312 can be equipped with a gas collection device to collect the product.

[0046] In one embodiment, the reactor 30 further includes an annular second seal 35 disposed between the porous material 32 and the cover 312. The discharge hole 314 is located within the area enclosed by the second seal 35. A closed space is formed between the second seal 35 and the cover 312 to prevent leakage of the product. Furthermore, the discharge hole 314 is located within the area of ​​the second seal 35, allowing the product in the closed space to be discharged through the discharge hole 314.

[0047] In one embodiment, the separated interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor further includes a solar tracking system, which is used to enable the reactor 30 to track changes in the incident angle of light. Since the liquid storage container 10 and the reactor 30 do not need to be in the same space, the reactor 30 is highly flexible, and its height from the ground can be controlled, as can the orientation of the reactor 30 surface. By cooperating with the solar tracking system, the orientation of the reactor 30 surface can be automatically adjusted, fully utilizing solar energy to achieve direct solar photothermal catalytic hydrogen production under various lighting conditions. The specific structure of the solar tracking system adopts an existing tracking system and will not be described in detail here.

[0048] See also Figure 5 In one embodiment, multiple reactors 30 are provided, each connected to the same liquid storage container 10 via multiple delivery conduits 20. This decoupling of the liquid storage container 10 from the light source and reactors 30 is achieved, so the reaction area of ​​the reactor 30 is no longer limited to the surface parameters of the free liquid surface within the liquid storage container 10. The cross-sectional area of ​​the solution delivery conduit 20 is much smaller than the reaction area, so a given liquid storage tank can sustain the operation of multiple reactors 30.

[0049] The working principle of the above-mentioned separated interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor is as follows: The reaction solution is poured into the reactor 30, filling the interior of the delivery conduit 20 and the porous material 32 with the reaction solution. After the liquid is ceased, the capillary action of the liquid within the pores of the porous material 32 prevents the solution from flowing back into the liquid storage container 10. Furthermore, a thin liquid film is formed between the bottom plate 311 and the lower surface of the porous material 32, evenly supplying the reaction solution to the porous material 32. This generates a strong capillary force, effectively maintaining the height of the liquid column and the continuity of the reaction solution.

[0050] The upper surface of the porous material 32 in the reactor 30 receives light, which increases the surface temperature of the material through photothermal conversion, accelerating the evaporation of the reaction solution. The reactants, in gaseous form, come into contact with the catalyst on the surface of the porous material 32, causing a photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reaction. As the reaction proceeds, the reactants on the surface of the porous material 32 are gradually consumed, and the reaction solution in the liquid storage container 10 is automatically replenished into the reactor 30 under the action of capillary forces. The entire process occurs autonomously, without the need for external work.

[0051] The above-mentioned separated interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor has at least the following advantages: 1. A delivery conduit 20 of a certain length allows the liquid storage container 10 and reactor 30 to be separated, eliminating the need for them to reside in the same space. Capillary action allows the liquid storage container 10 to deliver reactants to the reactor 30, ultimately allowing the reactor 30 to react under illumination. This allows for flexible positioning of the liquid storage container 10, regardless of the light source, making it suitable for photothermal hydrogen production on liquid surfaces that are not directly exposed to sunlight.

[0052] 2. The liquid storage container 10 and the reactor 30 do not need to be in the same space. The reactor 30 maintains only a thin liquid film under capillary action to maintain the reaction, overcoming the interference caused by the fluctuation of the reaction solution under natural conditions on the photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reaction and improving the stability of photothermal catalytic hydrogen production.

[0053] 3. The reactor 30 is highly flexible and can control its height from the ground and the orientation of its surface. By cooperating with the solar tracking system, the orientation of the reactor 30 surface can be automatically adjusted to make full use of solar energy and realize direct solar photothermal catalytic hydrogen production under various lighting conditions, thereby improving photothermal conversion efficiency and hydrogen production capacity.

[0054] 4. Since there is only a thin liquid film inside the reactor 30, when heat is transferred to the thin liquid film through the porous material 32 and the continuous reaction medium, the heat conduction and heat convection losses inside the liquid are relatively small. Therefore, the photothermal surface temperature is higher than that of the traditional interface reactor, and the photothermal catalytic hydrogen production effect is better.

[0055] 5. The thickness of the liquid film can be controlled by controlling the height of the first seal 34, thereby optimizing the liquid level to achieve a balance between reactant transport and heat loss, thereby achieving an optimal reaction state.

[0056] 6. Unlike traditional interfacial reactors, there is only a thin liquid film inside the reactor 30, so the temperature of the reaction solution can be controlled by external heating and insulation measures, such as setting insulation cotton, heat exchanger and other equipment on the lower bottom plate 311, thereby reducing heat loss from the photothermal surface and increasing the evaporation rate of the reaction solution, thereby increasing the photothermal hydrogen production rate.

[0057] 7. This application achieves decoupling of the liquid reservoir from the light source and reactor 30, so the reaction area of ​​the reactor 30 is no longer limited to the free liquid surface parameters. The cross-sectional area of ​​the delivery conduit 20 is much smaller than the reaction area. Therefore, a liquid reservoir 10 of a given area can support the operation of multiple reactors 30, enabling photothermal hydrogen production over a larger area within a limited liquid surface area of ​​the liquid reservoir 10.

[0058] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit the same. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some or all of the technical features therein. These modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and they should all be included in the scope of the claims and description of the present invention.

Claims

1. A separate interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor, characterized in that: include: a liquid storage container for containing a reaction solution; a delivery conduit, one end of which is placed below the liquid surface of the reaction solution; The reactor comprises a shell and a porous material disposed within the shell, wherein the porous material and the inner wall of the shell form a thin layer of space, the other end of the delivery conduit is connected to the thin layer of space, the reaction solution delivered by the delivery conduit fills the thin layer of space to form a thin liquid film, and the surface of the porous material is loaded with a photothermal hydrogen production catalyst; The capillary force provided by the porous material is used to draw the reaction solution in the thin layer space to the surface of the porous material for photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reaction, and to replenish the reaction solution in the liquid storage container into the thin layer space through the delivery conduit.

2. The separated interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shell includes a bottom plate and a cover plate, the bottom plate and the cover plate are detachably connected, and the porous material and the inner wall of the bottom plate form a thin layer space.

3. The separated interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor according to claim 2, characterized in that: The reactor further includes a first annular sealing member, which is disposed between the porous material and the bottom plate. The surface of the porous material, the inner wall of the bottom plate and the first sealing member form the thin layer space.

4. The separated interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor according to claim 3, characterized in that: The thickness of the thin liquid film is controlled by controlling the axial thickness of the first sealing member.

5. The separated interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bottom plate is provided with a heat preservation or heating unit to control the temperature of the reaction solution in the thin layer space.

6. The separated interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cover plate is made of a light-transmitting material and is provided with a discharge hole for discharging the product.

7. The separated interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor according to claim 6, characterized in that: The reactor further includes an annular second sealing member, which is disposed between the porous material and the cover plate. The discharge hole is located within an area enclosed by the second sealing member.

8. The separated interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The invention also includes a sun tracking system, which is used to enable the reactor to track changes in the incident angle of light.

9. The separated interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple reactors, and the multiple reactors are connected to the same liquid storage container through multiple delivery conduits.

10. The separated interfacial photothermal catalytic hydrogen production reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The porous material is carbonized melamine sponge, black hydrophilic carbon cloth or silicon carbide foam ceramic; or The pore size of the porous material is 0.1-100 μm.

Images