The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 20, 1996
Filed:
Jan. 25, 1995
Arnold O Isenberg, Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Roswell J Ruka, Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and method for storing electrical energy as chemical energy and recovering electrical energy from stored chemical energy. A solid oxide electrolyte electrochemical cell is operated in two modes. The first, energy storage, mode comprises steps of: (A) supplying electrical energy and steam to a solid oxide electrolyte electrochemical cell operating between 600.degree. C. and 1200.degree. C. as an electrolysis cell, to produce H.sub.2 and O.sub.2 ; (B) passing the H.sub.2 gas so produced into an energy storage reactor containing iron oxide, to produce iron metal and steam; (C) recirculating the steam produced in the energy storage reactor to the cathode of the electrolysis cell; and (D) repeating steps (A) to (C) until the iron oxide is converted to iron metal, for chemical storage of electrical energy. The second, energy recovery, mode comprises steps of: (E) supplying steam to the energy storage reactor containing iron metal, to produce iron oxides and H.sub.2 gas; (F) passing this H.sub.2 gas to the fuel anode of an electrochemical cell operating as a fuel cell, and supplying O.sub.2 gas to the air cathode of the electrochemical cell, to produce electrical energy and steam at the fuel anode; (G) recirculating the steam so produced to the energy storage reactor bed; (H) repeating steps (E) to (G) until the iron metal is converted to iron oxide and H.sub.2 gas; and (I) recovering the electrical energy produced.