Energy converter material and galvanic cell

Abstract

The invention relates to a material that can be produced by means of the following method: • triglycerides are stirred with 0.1 to 0.5% sulfuric acid (of 99% concentration), the reaction process being able to be accelerated by cavitation, • 1 to 3% water is added and the mixture is left standing until the water settles, • this settled aqueous solution is heated in the presence of a material composed of an iron-containing alloy, for example an alloy comprising iron, nickel, chromium and manganese, in particular approximately 70% iron, 18% chromium, 8% nickel and 1.5% manganese, • the mixture, which boils at 80°C, is heated to just under 100°C, until the water has evaporated, and is held at this temperature further until the then viscous mass releases water of crystallization; thereupon, the supply of heat is stopped.

Description

[0001] Energy converter material and galvanic cell

[0002] Description:

[0003] The present invention relates to a material capable of absorbing thermal energy, storing it in the form of chemical energy, and releasing it again in the form of electrical energy. It further relates to a galvanic cell comprising the energy conversion material as an electrolyte.

[0004] There is a need for sustainable options for converting and storing energy, especially different forms of energy.

[0005] The invention is therefore based on the object of providing a material that is capable of storing energy and releasing it when needed.

[0006] This problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent patent claims. Advantageous embodiments and further developments are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

[0007] In particular, two different materials (called material 1 and material 2) are specified with the aid of a possible manufacturing process, which are capable of absorbing thermal energy, storing it in the form of chemical energy and releasing it again in the form of electrical energy, whereby materials 1 and 2 are usable as electrolytes in galvanic cells.

[0008] Production of the liquid electrolyte, also known as Material 1:

[0009] - Mix 30 liters of water with 2 liters of low-sulfur biodiesel, add methanol (approx. 1 liter). This mixture must be processed in the Heion reactor to form aldehyde structures. Then, add 10 liters of sulfur-laden (approx. 50 ppm) biodiesel. Then, process again in the Heion reactor. The processed mixture is then centrifuged. The result is a biodiesel with reduced sulfur content and a tailings water.

[0010] The released sulfur is present in the wastewater as a water-soluble compound (e.g. sulfonic acid).

[0011] - To this supernatant (settlement water) 0.5% to 1.5%, for example approx.

[0012] 1% sulfuric acid (99%) was added and stirred.

[0013] - The mixture is heated. The heating takes place in the presence of iron, chromium, nickel, and / or manganese. In one embodiment, the heating was carried out in a vessel consisting of an alloy containing approximately 70% iron, 18% chromium, 8% nickel, and 1.5% manganese. Alternatively, such a material could also be added, for example, as a powder or in the form of flakes or in another form.

[0014] The mixture boils at around 60 °C. It is heated to 70 to 100 °C. Formaldehyde escapes and can be used for other purposes. Once the formaldehyde has escaped, the mixture boils peacefully, and a black layer forms on the added material containing iron, chromium, nickel, and / or manganese, for example, on the vessel wall. This layer dissolves in the liquid, which is subsequently removed as the electrolyte, after the heat supply is interrupted and the liquid cools.

[0015] When producing material 1, multiples of the specified quantities can be used to obtain a larger or smaller amount of material 1.

[0016] A Heion reactor is understood here and below to mean a reactor as disclosed, for example, in WO 2020 098984 A1. Such a reactor for a chemical reaction comprises a housing and a reaction chamber, a nozzle element with an inlet for the flow of at least one reactant into the reaction chamber, wherein the nozzle element is movably mounted relative to the housing, and a sensor device by which at least one measured variable can be detected during the chemical reaction. Furthermore, the reactor comprises an actuating device by which at least one bearing parameter influencing the movement of the nozzle element can be adjusted, and a control unit which is designed to receive a measurement signal from the sensor device based on the measured variable from the sensor device and to generate a control signal for the actuating device as a function of the measurement signal.

[0017] The nozzle element can be set into vibration, and the sensor can detect the vibration frequency. In such a reactor, for example, a mixture of water and diesel fuel can be caused to vibrate. The vibrations mean that the energy released when cavitation occurs can be used for a chemical reaction between the water and the hydrocarbon compounds in the diesel. The result is a diesel fuel with more favorable properties. The reaction can be influenced by adjusting the vibration frequency.

[0018] When producing material 1 in the manner described, vibration frequencies between 15 and 25 kHz are chosen and the process is carried out at room temperature.

[0019] The described procedure is advantageous to additionally obtain a desulfurized diesel fuel, ie material 1 can be obtained as a by-product during the desulfurization of diesel.

[0020] Alternatively, short-chain alcohols can be mixed with sulfuric acid and water to produce material 1. The procedure is then as described above:

[0021] - Add 0.5% to 1.5%, for example approx. 1% sulfuric acid (99%) and stir.

[0022] - The mixture is heated. The heating takes place in the presence of iron, chromium, nickel, and / or manganese. In one embodiment, the heating was carried out in a vessel consisting of an alloy containing approximately 70% iron, 18% chromium, 8% nickel, and 1.5% manganese. Alternatively, such a material could also be added, for example, as a powder or in the form of flakes or in another form.

[0023] The mixture boils at around 60 °C. It is heated to 70 to 100 °C. Formaldehyde escapes and can be used for other purposes. Once the formaldehyde has escaped, the mixture boils peacefully, and a black layer forms on the added material containing iron, chromium, nickel, and / or manganese, for example, on the vessel wall. This layer dissolves in the liquid, which is subsequently removed as the electrolyte, after the heat supply is interrupted and the liquid cools.

[0024] Production of the solid or plasticine-like electrolyte, also known as material 2:

[0025] • Triglycerides are stirred with 0.1% to 1.5%, for example approximately 0.5% or 1%, sulfuric acid (99%). Cavitation can accelerate the reaction. Sulfonic acids are formed.

[0026] • Add 1 to 3% water, let stand until the water settles.

[0027] • This settled aqueous solution is heated in a metal container with a suitable alloy (containing iron). It boils at 80 °C. It is further heated to just under 100 °C until the water evaporates. It is held at this temperature until the liquid releases water of crystallization or hydration (or a portion of the water of hydration) – possibly explosively (audibly). The material must be viscous. Then, the heat is stopped.

[0028] • The result is a green, clay-like mass called Material 2.

[0029] • If the material is contaminated, especially visibly, the impurities can be washed out with oil, methyl ester or paraffin oil at 80 to 100 °C until the mass clumps.

[0030] • The oil is poured off and the mass is deoiled by squeezing out the oil.

[0031] • The resulting mass can be applied to a carbon electrode and covered with an aluminum foil as a second electrode to form a cell. It has been found that the materials can be used as an electrolyte in a galvanic cell. According to one embodiment, such a galvanic cell comprises the following:

[0032] - a first electrode having a first main surface and a second main surface;

[0033] - a second electrode having a first main surface and a second main surface;

[0034] - at least one layer of the material 2, wherein the layer is arranged between the second main surface of the first electrode and the first main surface of the second electrode.

[0035] Such a cell can be provided in any size and format. For example, it can have a base area of ​​45 x 70 mm and then delivers a voltage of just under 1 V. If the circuit is closed, a current of a few milliamperes flows for a few seconds, for example 20 seconds. After that, the cell is almost discharged (but cannot be fully discharged, as the ambient heat is always converted directly into electrical energy and released without being stored). However, if the cell or the electrolyte is heated, for example for a period of 30 minutes to a temperature of 25 degrees, the cell is fully charged again, i.e., capable of delivering the aforementioned electrical voltage. The heating of the cell or the electrolyte can be achieved, for example, by solar radiation or heat conduction, i.e.in particular by bringing it into contact with a warm material or by the influence of the ambient temperature.

[0036] Alternatively, material 1 is used as the electrolyte. Such a galvanic cell has the following features:

[0037] - a first electrode;

[0038] - a second electrode;

[0039] - Material 1 as the electrolyte, with the two electrodes in contact with material 1. In both cases, the first electrode can comprise, in particular, carbon and optionally copper, and the second electrode aluminum. However, it has been shown that the cell delivers an electrical voltage even when both electrodes are made of carbon. It can therefore be assumed that the energy storage is not based on, or at least not solely on, an electrochemical process such as a redox reaction.

[0040] In the following, the course of charging and discharging processes is described using an embodiment of a cell which has the material 2 as electrolyte.

[0041] Figure 1 shows a schematic cross-section of a galvanic cell 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention. The cell 1 has a first electrode 2 with a first main surface 12 and a second main surface 14. A layer 4 of an electrolyte is arranged adjacent to the second main surface 14 of the first electrode 2. The electrolyte, in the form of a viscous mass, is the material also referred to as material 2 and described above. On the side facing away from the first electrode 2, a second electrode 3 adjoins the layer 4 of the electrolyte. The second electrode 3 also has a first main surface 13 and a second main surface 15 and is arranged such that the layer 4 of the electrolyte is arranged between the second main surface 14 of the first electrode 2 and the first main surface 13 of the second electrode 3.

[0042] In the embodiment shown, the first electrode 2 comprises carbon and at least small amounts of copper; in particular, it can consist primarily of carbon. The second electrode 3 comprises aluminum or is formed essentially of aluminum (e.g., aluminum foil).

[0043] The galvanic cell 1 is able to absorb heat energy from its surroundings and store it in the form of chemical energy. If the first electrode 2 is connected to the second electrode 3 via a consumer, an electric current flows until the galvanic cell 1 is (almost) discharged. Figure 2 shows the cell 1 according to Figure 1 after it has been in operation for a while, i.e. after it has been charged and discharged several times. In the process, a layer 5 formed in layer 4 of the electrolyte adjacent to the first main surface 13 of the second electrode 3. This layer 5 is visually different from layer 4 and is no longer greenish but rather gray.

[0044] As demonstrated by mass spectroscopic analyses, layer 5 contains more sulfur than layer 4 in the discharged state, but less sulfur (in the form of sulfur trioxide SO3) than layer 4 in the charged state. During charging and discharging of cell 1, sulfur moves between layers 4, 5, and electrode 3. It was further demonstrated that the sulfur content of a used second electrode 3, made of aluminum foil, is lower than in the initial state, i.e., an unused electrode.

[0045] Furthermore, mass spectroscopic studies have shown that copper, particularly in the form of copper(II) oxide, is mobile between the first electrode 2 and layer 4 during the charging and discharging process. In particular, copper migrates increasingly from the electrolyte into layer 5 during the discharging process and into the first electrode 2 during the charging process.

[0046] Figures 3 to 10 show diagrams for the charging and discharging of the galvanic cell 1, in which the measured current intensity is plotted as a function of the charging and discharging time.

[0047] Figures 3 and 4 refer to a galvanic cell with an area of ​​45 mm by 70 mm, whereby the cell was charged at a temperature of 9.5 °C, i.e. it was exposed to a temperature of 9.5 °C for 30 minutes after it had initially been (almost) discharged. Starting from a cell voltage of approximately 0.05 V, which delivered a current of 0.98 mA, the cell voltage after a charging time of 30 minutes was 0.782 V, which delivered a current of 1.1 mA. During the discharge process, which is shown in Figure 4, the cell voltage fell back to its initial value within 7 seconds. However, as other studies have shown, the cell voltage rises again to a voltage close to the initial voltage within a few seconds solely due to the influence of the ambient temperature.

[0048] Figures 5 and 6 show a similar charge and discharge process of the same cell at 9.5 °C, but with the charging time doubled. In this case, as can be seen in Figure 6, the cell is discharged again after approximately 10 seconds.

[0049] Figures 7 and 8 show a charging and discharging process of the same cell, also at a temperature of 9.5 °C, with the charging time further increased to 6 hours. In this case, as can be seen in Figure 8, the cell is discharged again after 15 seconds (discharge due to maximum short circuit).

[0050] Figures 9 and 10 show another charge and discharge process of the same cell at 9.5 °C, with the charge time increased to 17 hours. In this case, as shown in Figure 10, the cell is discharged after 17 seconds.

[0051] Figure 11 shows a diagram summarizing the charging processes of the cell at 9.5 °C according to Figures 3 to 10. It can be seen that the cell voltage achieved by charging approaches the saturation value, which is reached after approximately 15 hours.

[0052] Figure 12 shows a diagram for the same cell as Figure 11, but charging took place at 26.2°C instead of 9.5°C. As can be seen from Figure 12, under these conditions, the saturation value for the cell voltage is reached sooner, namely after one to two hours. Figure 13 shows another diagram for charging the same cell, but charging took place at 37°C. Under these conditions, the saturation value is reached after only about half an hour of charging.

[0053] Figure 14 shows another diagram of a charging process for the same cell, where the charge occurred at 44.3 °C. A saturation value for the cell voltage or the delivered current is reached in less than half an hour.

[0054] Figure 15 summarizes the results of different charging and discharging processes of the same cell at different temperatures and times.

[0055] Curve A shows the cell discharge after a 30-minute charge at 9.5°C. Curve B shows the cell discharge after a 60-minute charge at 9.5°C. Curve C shows the cell discharge after a one-hour charge at 9.5°C. Curve D shows the cell discharge after a 17-hour charge at 9.5°C. Curve E shows the cell discharge after a 30-minute charge at 26.2°C. Curve F shows the cell discharge after a 40-minute charge at 26.2°C. Curve G shows the cell discharge after a 60-minute charge at 26.2°C. Curve H shows the cell discharge after a 15-minute charge at 37°C. Curve I shows the cell discharge after a 30-minute charge at 37°C. Curve J shows the discharge of the cell after a 60-minute charging process at 37 °C.Curve K shows the discharge of the cell after a 15-minute charge at 44.3 °C and curve L shows the discharge of the cell after a 30-minute charge at 44.3 °C.

[0056] It has been found that such cells can be charged by exposure to an ambient temperature of at least 9.5 °C to 40 °C, but also by exposure to sunlight or contact with a warm object. It has been shown that longer charging times and / or higher

[0057] Charging temperatures lead to higher cell voltages.

Claims

Patent claims:

1. Material obtainable by the following process: • Triglycerides are stirred with 0.1 to 0.5% sulfuric acid (99%), the reaction process can be accelerated by cavitation, • 1 to 3% water is added and the mixture is left to stand until the water settles, • This settled aqueous solution is heated in the presence of a material made of an iron-containing alloy, for example an alloy comprising iron, nickel, chromium and manganese, in particular approximately 70% iron, 18% chromium, 8% nickel and 1.5% manganese, • the mixture boiling at 80 °C is heated to just under 100 °C until the water has evaporated, and is kept at this temperature until the now viscous mass begins to release water of crystallization; then the heat supply is stopped.

2. Cell, having - a first electrode (2) having a first main surface (12) and a second main surface (14); - a second electrode (3) having a first main surface (13) and a second main surface (15); - at least one layer of the material according to claim 1, wherein the layer is arranged between the second main surface (14) of the first electrode (2) and the first main surface (13) of the second electrode (3).

3. Material obtainable by the following process: - 30 l of water are mixed with 2 l of low-sulfur biodiesel, - approximately 1 liter of methanol is added, - this mixture can be processed with the Heion reactor for the formation of aldehyde structures, - then 10 liters of sulfur-laden (approx. 50 ppm) biodiesel are added, - then further processing takes place with the Heion reactor, - the processed mixture is then centrifuged, the result is a biodiesel with reduced sulphur content and settling water, whereby the separated sulphur is present in the settling water as a water-soluble compound (e.g. sulphonic acid), - 0.5% to 1.5% sulphuric acid (99%) is added to this supernatant (settlement water) and stirred, - The mixture is heated in the presence of a material made of an iron-containing alloy, for example an alloy comprising iron, nickel, chromium and manganese, in particular approximately 70% iron, 18% chromium, 8% nickel and 1.5% manganese, for example in a metal container of corresponding composition, and boils from approximately 60 °C, - the mixture is heated to 70 to 100 °C, formaldehyde is released, a black layer settles and dissolves in the liquid after the heat supply is interrupted and the liquid cools down, - the liquid is taken as liquid electrolyte.

4. Cell, having - a first electrode (2); - a second electrode (3); - the material according to claim 3 as electrolyte, wherein the two electrodes are in contact with the material.

5. Cell according to claim 2 or 4, wherein the first electrode (2) comprises carbon.

6. Cell according to claim 5, wherein the first electrode (2) comprises copper.

7. Cell according to claim 2, 4, 5 or 6, wherein the second electrode (3) comprises aluminum.

8. Cell according to claim 5, wherein the first electrode (2) and the second electrode (3) are formed substantially from carbon.

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