Hydrogen Extraction Reactor Phase Change Heat Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydrogen extraction reactors face challenges in maintaining a constant temperature during hydrogen extraction reactions, leading to decreased thermal efficiency and limited design flexibility due to uneven heat distribution.
Innovation Solution
A hydrogen extraction reactor design featuring a chamber with a reaction unit, a heating unit spaced apart, and a heat transfer material that undergoes phase transition between gas and liquid phases to control temperature and allow for various heat sources, including combustion, electric heating, and induction, ensuring uniform heat transfer and maintaining a constant internal temperature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If heat sources are arranged in various places to evenly transfer heat inside the reactor, then thermal efficiency is improved, but reactor design freedom is greatly limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a heat transfer medium as an intermediary substance between the heat source and the reaction zone. This medium absorbs heat from the heat source and distributes it uniformly throughout the reactor, eliminating the need for multiple heat sources while maintaining thermal efficiency. The intermediary substance enables uniform heat transfer without constraining reactor design freedom.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the heat distribution function from the heat source arrangement and transfers it to a separate heat transfer medium. By separating the heat generation function (heat source) from the heat distribution function (heat transfer medium), the system achieves uniform heat transfer without requiring multiple heat sources positioned throughout the reactor, thus preserving design freedom.
2Device complexity
If heating is performed locally near a heat source, then the structure is simple, but heat cannot be evenly transferred to the entire reactor
Solution Approach 1:
The heat transfer medium acts as an intermediary that receives heat locally from a single heat source and distributes it uniformly throughout the reactor. This simple local heating structure, combined with the heat transfer medium, achieves both structural simplicity and temperature uniformity by decoupling the location of heat generation from heat distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state or properties of the heat transfer medium to optimize heat distribution. By selecting appropriate parameters for the heat transfer medium (such as thermal conductivity, heat capacity, or phase change characteristics), the system achieves uniform temperature distribution while maintaining a simple heating structure.
3Loss of energy
If multiple heat sources are used to evenly distribute heat, then thermal efficiency improves, but the reactor design becomes highly constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The heat transfer medium serves as a single intermediary system that replaces multiple heat sources. This medium circulates or distributes heat uniformly throughout the reactor, achieving the thermal efficiency benefits of multiple heat sources while avoiding their structural complexity and design constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat transfer medium performs multiple functions simultaneously: it absorbs heat from the heat source, transports it through the system, and distributes it uniformly to the reaction zone. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for multiple specialized heat sources, reducing structural complexity while maintaining thermal efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enhances reaction efficiency by maintaining a constant temperature and provides high flexibility in reactor design, allowing for efficient hydrogen extraction and use of diverse heat sources.
Implementation Method 1
a heat transfer material which is provided between the reaction unit and the heating unit in the chamber, wherein the heat transfer material undergoes a phase transition between a gas phase and a liquid phase according to the entry and exit of heat from the heating unit or the reaction unit
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a hydrogen extraction reactor, comprising a chamber including an inner space; a reaction unit which is provided to pass through the inside of the chamber and where an endothermic reaction for hydrogen extraction occurs; a heating unit which is provided to be spaced apart from the reaction unit inside the chamber and transfers heat to the inside of the chamber; and a heat transfer material which is provided between the reaction unit and the heating unit in the chamber, wherein the heat transfer material undergoes a phase transition between a gas phase and a liquid phase according to the entry and exit of heat from the heating unit or the reaction unit.