OLIVIA Cycle: SMR-UCG Hydrogen Production for SOFC Power
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power generation technologies, such as Rankine and Brayton cycles, are limited by Carnot efficiency and produce significant carbon emissions due to combustion processes, while existing coal gasification methods release carbon into the atmosphere.
Innovation Solution
A thermodynamic cycle utilizing a small modular reactor (SMR) for zero-carbon heat input to an underground coal gasifier (UCG) to produce hydrogen (H2) underground, which is then used in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) for electricity generation, capturing and storing CO2 and CO underground to form limestone, thereby avoiding atmospheric emissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If steam cycles or gas turbine cycles are used for power generation, then electricity can be produced, but the efficiency is limited to 30-35% due to Carnot limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical turbine expansion system with electrochemical energy conversion in solid oxide fuel cells. Instead of using thermal energy to mechanically spin turbines (Rankine or Brayton cycles), the system uses hydrogen fuel to directly generate electricity through electrochemical reactions in SOFCs, achieving 60-65% efficiency and overcoming Carnot limitations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental operating parameters from thermal-mechanical conversion to electrochemical conversion. By operating SOFCs at high temperatures (700-1000°C) and using hydrogen as fuel, the system achieves efficiency levels unattainable by conventional thermal cycles, transforming the energy conversion paradigm entirely.
2Power
If fossil fuel combustion is used to generate heat for power cycles, then electricity production is enabled, but significant carbon emissions are produced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful carbon-containing coal resource into beneficial hydrogen fuel through underground coal gasification. The coal is transformed into H2, CO, and CO2 gases underground, with the hydrogen then used as a clean fuel in SOFCs. This converts a carbon-intensive resource into a carbon-free energy carrier, eliminating emissions while utilizing the same resource.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces hydrogen as an intermediary substance between coal and electricity generation. Coal undergoes gasification to produce hydrogen, which then serves as the clean fuel for SOFCs. This intermediary transformation allows the system to utilize coal's energy while eliminating direct carbon emissions, as the hydrogen fuel cycle produces only water as exhaust.
3Use of energy by moving object
If coal gasification is pursued to produce methane for combustion, then energy utilization is achieved, but carbon is released into the atmosphere
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the hydrogen component from coal gasification products, separating it from carbon-containing compounds. Through underground coal gasification followed by aboveground gas processing, the system extracts H2 for clean energy generation while leaving CO and CO2 to be sequestered underground, effectively separating the useful energy carrier from the harmful carbon byproducts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the carbon-containing gases (CO and CO2) that would normally be harmful emissions into a beneficial storage mechanism. These gases are injected back into underground formations where they can be sequestered or potentially utilized, transforming what would be waste emissions into a resource management solution while the hydrogen is used for clean energy generation.
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
The cycle generates six times more electricity than traditional methods with the same heat input and achieves zero carbon emissions by leveraging endothermic chemical reactions and direct energy conversion in SOFCs, overcoming Carnot limitations.
Implementation Method 1
SMR heat input... nuclear fission followed by a series of chemical oxidation and reduction reactions
Implementation Method 2
the additional energy that is provided to the working H2 by the endothermic chemical reactions between coal and steam in the UCG reactor
Implementation Method 3
nuclear fission followed by a series of chemical oxidation and reduction reactions in order to generate electricity
Implementation Method 4
uses the H2 aboveground to generate electricity in SOFCs... direct energy conversion technology
Data Source
AI summary
This invention relates to a unique cycle for generating electricity at high efficiency and with zero carbon emissions. The cycle's fundamental energy carrier is hydrogen (H2), with H2 undergoing each unit process in the cycle either within water (H2O) molecules or as H2 gas. The heat source driving the cycle, through generation of steam, is a small nuclear reactor known in the industry as a small modular reactor (SMR). This steam's primary purpose is to provide the feed source for H2 production, which occurs in an Underground Coal Gasifier (UCG). The invention's high generation efficiency, accompanied by zero carbon emissions, derive from the UCG's steam/coal reactions and from conversion of the H2 into electricity by solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). These SOFCs produce, as their only waste stream, pure H2O. This H2O is then fed back for steam generation using the SMR's heat, which re-initiates the cycle. All unit processes use proven, commercially available technologies. The invention is directly applicable to any location where significant coal deposits exist.