Modified Leclanche cell's power system

Modified Leclanché cell’s power system

Author: David Judbarovski, judbarovski@gmail.com

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My present conceptual invention is a new look on power generation. Here just below I disclose such systems. It generates electricity by USD 0.01/kWh (CAPAX + OPEX), with CO2 exhaust of 0.23 kg/kWh vs. USD 0.09 and 1.0 kg CO2 for coal TPP, or USD 0.09 and 0.46 kg for NG TPP correspondingly, if USD 80.0/ton coal and if domestic USD 100.0/1000 m3 NG. Energy efficiency of electrochemistry was supposed as 70% and for TPP as 40%.

The Leclanché cell is a battery invented and patented by the French engineer
Georges Leclanché in 1866. I slightly modified his cell to turn the big problem of his ECG for the earliest age of electrochemistry into pretty advantage for our present level of technologies. Mr. Georges had developed a special technological trick being a usage of composite electrode containing manganese oxide for his Zn-battery to avoid its hydrogen being a byproduct of his battery. In my turn, I offer to utilize such hydrogen for additional electricity production up to 3.7 kWh per 1.0 kg of the Zink vs. about 2.0 kWh/kg Zn if the Leclanché original (theoretically). Moreover, my buttery is cheaper and simpler and much simpler recyclable. Moreover, if being recycled by CH4 instead of the coal, we are adding additionally 2.3 kWh/kg Zn as high temperature water vapor can be converted in additional electricity and sufficiently diminish the CAPEX  vs. Zn recycling by coal

Being summarized, my battery
anode reaction: Zn – 2 e (-) = Zn(+2)
electrolyte: 2 NH4(+) + 2 OH(-) + 2 H2O + Zn(+2) = 2 H3O(+) + Zn(OH)2 solid + 2 NH3..
Cathode reaction: 2 H3O(+) + 2 e(-) = H2 + 2 H2O
And totally:
Zn + 2NH4OH = Zn(OH)2 + 2 NH3 + H2 + 2.45 kWh/kg Zn (theoretically)
H2 + air = (Fuel cell) = additional and practically free electricity of 1.22 kWh/kg Zn, so totally 3.7 kWh/kg Zn., while the said H2-air Fuel cell is in order of magnitude cheaper than H2O-electrolizer per kW, so it allows to produce additional electricity practically free.

For comparison, the Zn-air battery is 1.5 kWh/kg Zn (theoretically).

  

Further we’ll thermo-chemically recycle the Zn from Zn(OH)2 consuming the coal or NG both as a chemical and as a energy source, and restore NH4OH from NH3 by it dissolving in the water.

(A) Zn(OH)2 +  0.91* C  + n * O2 = Zn + 0.91 CO2 + H2O + 0.0 kJ

Zn(OH)2 + ½ C = 950 C =  Zn + ½ CO2 – 163 kJ 

and in sum it is 163 kJ, can be added by

C + O2 = CO2 + 393 kJ, and 163 / 393 = 0.41 C

And totally

Zn(OH)2  + (0.5 +0.41) C + 0.41 O2 = Zn  + (0.5 + 0.41) CO2, or

Zn (OH)2 + 0.91 C = Zn recycled + 0.91 CO2

If supposing C to be USD 80.0/ton = 8.0 USA cents per kg, so

Zn can be recycled by cost of 8 * 12 * 0.91 /( 65 * 3.7 * 0.7) = 0.5 cent USA/kWh + CAPEX

(B) 2 NH3 + 2 H2O = 2 NH4OH – 504 kJ = 2.15 kWh heat/kg Zn.  

The said heat can be created by solar energy at low concentration, e.g. by two mirrors system made of cheap thin foils and providing a motionless focal spot. It can be as cheap as less than USD 20.0/kW, or less than USD 0.0005/kWh heat.