Open-cycle magnetohydrodynamic power plant with CO.sub.2 recycling

Patent · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:868017

Berry, Gregory F ^[1]

---

1. Naperville, IL

A method of converting the chemical energy of fossil fuel to electrical and mechanical energy with a MHD generator. The fossil fuel is mixed with preheated oxygen and carbon dioxide and a conducting seed of potassium carbonate to form a combustive and electrically conductive mixture which is burned in a combustion chamber. The burned combustion mixture is passed through a MHD generator to generate electrical energy. The burned combustion mixture is passed through a diffuser to restore the mixture approximately to atmospheric pressure, leaving a spent combustion mixture which is used to heat oxygen from an air separation plant and recycled carbon dioxide for combustion in a high temperature oxygen preheater and for heating water/steam for producing superheated steam. Relatively pure carbon dioxide is separated from the spent combustion mixture for further purification or for exhaust, while the remainder of the carbon dioxide is recycled from the spent combustion mixture to a carbon dioxide purification plant for removal of water and any nitrous oxides present, leaving a greater than 98% pure carbon dioxide. A portion of the greater then 98% pure carbon dioxide stream is recovered and the remainder is recycled to combine with the oxygen for preheating and combination with the fossil fuel to form a combustion mixture.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• Assignee: United States Department of Energy (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 5055724
• OSTI ID: 868017
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

open-cycle
magnetohydrodynamic
power
plant
recycling
method
converting
chemical
energy
fossil
fuel
electrical
mechanical
mhd
generator
mixed
preheated
oxygen
carbon
dioxide
conducting
seed
potassium
carbonate
form
combustive
electrically
conductive
mixture
burned
combustion
chamber
passed
generate
diffuser
restore
approximately
atmospheric
pressure
leaving
spent
heat
air
separation
recycled
temperature
preheater
heating
water
steam
producing
superheated
relatively
pure
separated
purification
exhaust
remainder
removal
nitrous
oxides
98
portion
stream
recovered
combine
preheating
combination
potassium carbonate
magnetohydrodynamic power
pure carbon
relatively pure
superheated steam
chemical energy
electrical energy
carbon dioxide
combustion chamber
electrically conductive
power plant
atmospheric pressure
mhd generator
air separation
fossil fuel
mechanical energy
nitrous oxide
temperature oxygen
nitrous oxides
open-cycle magnetohydrodynamic
heated steam
heating water
generate electric
/310/