METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR THERMAL DECOMPOSITION WITHIN A VACUUM OR A NONREACTIVE CHAMBER

The present invention is a system for thermal decomposition or material comprising: a release mechanism; a cooling surface positioned relative to the release mechanism; and a heat source, wherein the heat source is focused relative to the release mechanism and the cooling surface; wherein a quantity of material is released from the release mechanism and is heated by the heat source, wherein a product is produced and the product is transferred to the cooling surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to decomposition of a compound, and more particularly to the process of decomposing a compound in a vacuum.

Thermolysis is a process by which a material undergoes thermal decomposition into smaller molecules, without the need for oxygen or any other chemicals. Thermolysis of a given material can produce many different thermal decomposition products, called thermolysis products.

There is little-to-no state of the art for purifying metals in space besides the standard smelting process we have been using on Earth for thousands of years. As we continue to focus on establishing lunar and Martian bases, as well as asteroid mining, we need a non-smelting method of purifying metals and other chemicals in space.

The current solution for metal refining in a similar manner is smelting. Smelting involves a reduction reaction in which a metal oxide reacts with another chemical (usually carbon monoxide) to extract the metal from the ore. Thermal decomposition has no practice or development simply because smelting is more efficient and easier to perform on Earth. However, in space, carbon monoxide is rare (as are other chemicals for reduction). This method of metal purification will be an easier way to produce usable metals out of the metal oxides present.

It is desired to have a method and system that can perform the thermal decomposition of a substance that can operate in a vacuum, so that the method and system can be used on a celestial body or elsewhere beyond Earth, hereinafter “outer space”.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, in a first embodiment, the present invention is a system for thermal decomposition of material comprising; a release mechanism; a cooling surface positioned relative to the release mechanism; and a heat source, positioned relative to the release mechanism and the cooling surface; wherein a quantity of material is released from the release mechanism and is heated by the heat source, wherein a product is produced and the product is transferred to the cooling surface.

Accordingly, in a second embodiment, the present invention is a system for thermal decomposition of material comprising: a release mechanism; a cooling system positioned relative to the release mechanism, wherein the cooling system comprises, a conveyor belt, a drive mechanism connected to the conveyor belt, and a heat source, wherein the heat source is focused relative to the release mechanism and the cooling system; wherein a quantity of material is released from the release mechanism and is heated by the heat source, wherein a product is produced and the product is transferred to the cooling system.

Accordingly, in a first embodiment, the present invention is system for thermal decomposition of material comprising: release mechanism; a cooling system positioned relative to the release mechanism; a heat source, positioned relative to the release mechanism and the cooling system; a sorting system positioned relative to the heat source and the cooling system; and wherein a quantity of material is released from the release mechanism and is heated by the heat source, wherein a product is produced and the product is transferred to the cooling system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method and a system that allows for the decomposition of a compound to extract different materials or elements from the compound. The decomposition can be accomplished through the use of thermal energy or chemical reactions. The method and system are used, in some instances, to purify usable materials from an extraterrestrial object. This process can be performed within a vacuum or within a non-reactive or vacuum chamber.

This is advantageous for a number of reasons, in that the method can be performed on an extraterrestrial object to produce various metals, chemicals, or pure elements from matter found on said extraterrestrial object with minimal parts/components and do not require the transportation of said metals, chemicals, or pure elements to the extraterrestrial object. This removes the need to transport these materials to the extraterrestrial object. For example, if the extraterrestrial object has rich iron deposits in the soil, the present invention can extract that iron and collect it in a useable state. The present invention is described as being performed in a vacuum. This may be within a chamber or on an extraterrestrial object which has an atmosphere that is similar to a vacuum.

Another advantage to the present invention is if the system uses the sun (or a star) to provide the thermal energy, the system may only need small amounts of electricity to run, and in many embodiments, requires no electricity. The system can also incorporate solar panels or devices which can convert the sunlight into electricity to power the various electrical components of the system, which may include the heat source. This is advantageous because it creates a minimalist system that can be set up on an extraterrestrial object and operate independent without the need of non-renewable power sources.

Through the use of the method and system described herein, the thermal decomposition of a compound found on an extraterrestrial object can produce purified and usable metals or other materials from the decomposition process described below.

As will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading this disclosure, each of the individual embodiments described and illustrated herein has discrete components and features which may be readily separated from or combined with the features of any of the other several embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particular embodiments described, as such may, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting, since the scope of the present invention will be limited only by the appended claims.

FIGS.1and2depict illustrations of the decomposition system200A, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The decomposition system200A consists of an energy source either a sun or star500(FIG.1) or a heating element202B (FIG.2), a release mechanism201, and a cooling system203. In the present embodiment, the energy source500uses a parabolic (or non-parabolic) reflector302to capture the sun's500direct solar radiation over a large surface area and focus or concentrate it onto a focal point or area (hereinafter referred to as “focal point”) increasing the magnitude of the solar radiation to perform the decomposition of the compound or input material102(hereinafter “input material102”) through the heat generated. Various types of reflectors302can be used. In one embodiment, the concentrated light reaches temperatures of up to and/or beyond 4770K. Through the use of the parabolic reflector302, the energy is able to be focused to a predetermined area and a predetermined location based on the parabolic reflector302design. In the depicted embodiment, the reaction site202A is located based on the material release mechanism201and the cooling surface203position. The release mechanism201releases the input material102(soil, regolith, bedrock, etc.) through the focused thermal energy to allow the reaction to occur which produces the product which is captured on the cooling surface203. The energy source500of the sun may be replaced with another heat source or heating element202B capable of producing the required heat to perform the decomposition process of the input material102. In one embodiment, the heating element202B may be a heating coil, furnace, or the like which heats the input material102falling through it to the desired temperature and to the desired state.

The release mechanism201is positioned relative to the cooling surface203so as to not interfere with the reaction site202. The release mechanism201may operate in a variety of methods to produce the desired flow rate of the input material102, such as, but not limited to, a hopper, an Archimedes screw, or a conveyor belt. Based on the overall design of the system and the energy requirements, the release mechanism201can have a variety of designs. The release mechanism201may be manually operated or may have an integrated system to control the operation of the device.

Based on the desired particle size, the temperature at the focal point, and the area of the focal point, the release mechanism201releases the input material102at a predetermined rate per second that allows the decomposition of the input material102to occur. As the input material102passes through the reaction site202, the chemical/physical change of the input material102occurs and the by-product(s) is/are captured on the cooling surface203or in additional devices or storage containers.

In some embodiments, the release mechanism201has a mechanism or system to alter the state of the input material102so that a desired particle size is achieved through either smashing or crushing the input material102. The release mechanism201is able to determine the particle size of the input material102to confirm that a desired particle size is achieved.

The cooling surface203is made of a material either similar to the by-product, product, or purified product (hereinafter “product103”) or of a material which is able to withstand the heat of the product103and allow for the extraction of the by-product from the cooling surface203. In the depicted embodiments, the cooling surface203is a stationary object which catches the product103as it falls. In the depicted embodiment, there is a chamber207surrounding the cooling surface203to recapture other by-products of the decomposition. For example (as shown below) oxygen may be a by-product and is able to be captured within the chamber207. The by-product, in this example oxygen, is then able to be extracted from the chamber207and stored remotely in a tank or the like.

On an extraterrestrial object, the surface soil, regolith, or if accessible bedrock may have metal(s) as a component of the surface soil, regolith, or if accessible bedrock and this method and system can extract said metal(s) to create a pure and usable embodiment of the metal(s).

In one embodiment, on the Moon, which on the surface is a near perfect vacuum, the method and system can be used to extract metals from the surface of the moon. The chemical composition of lunar regolith is shown below:

The regolith from the Moon's surface is placed within the release mechanism201, which releases the input material102at a predetermined flow rate over the cooling surface203which passes through the focal point (within the reaction site202A) of the thermal energy. As the input material102falls from the release mechanism201to the cooling surface203, the input material102passes through the reaction site202and the input material102is heated to or above the required temperature for the decomposition of the input material102to occur to form the product103. The product103then interacts with the cooling surface203and solidifies, where other gaseous by-products are released into the environment or are captured in chamber(s)207.

For example, the reactions (below) show how the Hematite, Magnetite, and Wustite, all found in the regolith of the moon, through thermal decompositions, produce a product (e.g. a metal, alloy, or metal compound) and oxygen.

Ellingham Diagrams can be used to show the temperature dependence of the stability of compounds to determine the desired heat required for the reduction of metal oxides and sulfides. Some other thermal decompositions are shown for exemplary purposes that this design can be used for are shown in various Ellingham diagrams based on the metal or compounds involved in the reaction. This shows the relationship between a reaction, the temperature, and the partial pressure of oxygen. Here we can see that at a partial pressure of oxygen=10−27.5, the temperature required for Al2O3to thermally decompose into Al and O2is approximately 1290° C. These diagrams can be used for titanium dioxide, carbon dioxide, silicon dioxide, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, and all of the iron oxide reactions. All of the oxides in these Ellingham diagrams can be thermally decomposed using the method this patent describes. For additional elements, different Ellingham diagrams can be used to determine the relationship between the partial pressure of oxygen and the temperature required at the focal point.

The product103that is formed from the reaction comes in contact with the cooling surface203, and in some of the examples above oxygen is a product. Based on the location of where the reaction occurs relative to the release mechanism201and the cooling surface203, the product103may fall a distance before it comes in contact with the cooling surface203. This distance from where the product103is formed and the cooling surface203is of a predetermined distance so that the product103is at predetermined temperature before coming in contact with the cooling surface203. This may be because the product103is in a molten material or plasma so that it continuously adds to the previously accumulated product103on the cooling surface203to create one large mass of the product103. In other embodiments, where multiple masses of the product103are desired the distance from the reaction site to the cooling surface203may be different. As shown in the depicted embodiment inFIG.1, a chamber207surrounds the cooling surface203to capture the oxygen (or other gaseous) by-product. Once the desired amount of the product103is collected, it can either be removed from the cooling surface, or in some embodiments the cooling surface may be said product103and thus the newly collected purified material is added to the cooling surface203which is either removed in sections or in its entirety and a new cooling surface203is placed to begin the collection of the newly formed product103.

Depicted inFIGS.3and4are embodiments of the decomposition system200B, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The decomposition system200B has the release mechanism201, the reaction site202A (e.g. focal point) (FIG.3) or the heating element202B (FIG.4) for the chemical or physical reaction to occur and a cooling surface system400. The cooling surface system400has a ribbon401that passes underneath the reaction site202A or the heating element202B and the product103which interfaces with the ribbon401is moved away from the falling product103. The ribbon401may be made from various materials, having varying thickness and width based on the product103properties. The ribbon401can be made from the same material as the product103. So that the ribbon401can be flattened or reshaped (by the reshaping tool403) to be fed back into the cooling surface system400or removed and used as desired. The ribbon401may be made from a flexible material. In the embodiments where the ribbon401is made from the same material as the product103, the ribbon is of a thickness to allow for bending and flexing of the ribbon401without breaking. There is a drive mechanism402to control the speed and direction at which the ribbon401moves. The drive mechanism402either has a mechanical or electrical system to move the ribbon401. The drive mechanism402may have integrated solar panel406or devices which can convert the sunlight into electricity to power the drive mechanism402and other electrical components within the system. In the depicted embodiment, the solar panel406is shown electrically connected to the drive mechanism402. The solar panel406in the depicted embodiment incorporates the necessary components to collect, store, and convert the electricity for use within the system and for all the connected devices, this may include, but not limited to, a charge controller, a battery, an inverter, and the like. The solar panel406may be a single panel or an array of panels based on the required electricity to run the system or each component.

A reshaping tool403is incorporated into the cooling surface system400to provide a post processing of the product103. This may be flattening, reshaping, smoothing, cutting, or otherwise modifying the product103which is produced at the reaction site202. In the depicted embodiment, the ribbon401extends beyond the reshaping tool403to allow for cooling of the product103and/or removal of the product103from the cooling surface. In the depicted embodiment, a chamber207is shown around a section of the ribbon401to allow for the capture of gaseous by-products but may also be used to keep the product103at a predetermined temperature or physical state to allow for the reshaping tool403to be able to reshape the product103before it cools and hardens. The present invention can also be used to induce both physical and chemical reactions, such as, but not limited to non-oxide compounds and non-chemical changes in a material. For example, this invention can be used to produce gasses or can be used to reform the input material102to be used for sputtering or the like. The reshaping tool403may be connected to the solar panels406if electricity is required to operate the reshaping tool403.

In other embodiments, layers of different or similar products103can be deposited on top of one another (or accelerated into) to create more complex final products. The thickness of these layers can be adjusted. For example, this can be used to create the different layers of photovoltaic cells.

In other embodiments, the ribbon401(or other product) from one of the implementations of this design can be input into another implementation of this design to allow for more complicated products.

Depicted inFIG.5is another embodiment of the decomposition system200D, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. A particle accelerator205is incorporated into the system to accelerate the particles before or after they are energized. Given that the energized (or unenergized) products may be ionized or magnetic, an electric field, a magnetic field, or any other mechanism to accelerate the particles into the cooling surface can be used. In particular, this can be used for ion implantation of silicon using a dopant.

Depicted inFIG.6is another embodiment of the decomposition system200C, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. A sorting mechanism204is incorporated into the system below the reaction site202where different products103are formed, and it is desired to separate these different products103into separate cooling surfaces203A,203B, and203C. In additional embodiments the number of cooling surfaces/systems can be adjusted based on the number of products103which are formed. In the depicted embodiment, the cooling surfaces are shown but similar toFIGS.3and4a cooling system400may be incorporated in. The sorting mechanism204sorts the products103through, but not limited to, the use of magnetic and/or electrical fields separate these different products103to the respective cooling surface (203A,203B, or203C). This is possible due to the products103being in plasma and where each product has distinct properties which the sorting mechanism204is able to distinguish. For example a mass spectrometers can be used to sort the different products103based on ions using electric and magnetic fields based on the ions' mass, velocity, and magnetism. Given that the energized (or unenergized) products103may be ionized, magnetic, at different temperatures, or have different masses, an electric field, a magnetic field, or any other mechanism based on the different properties of these products103can be used to sort them before they come into contact with any of the cooling surfaces203A,203B, or203C.

In another embodiment, the release mechanism201may be removed and a quantity of the input material102(in a predetermined particle size and layering setup) is placed on the cooling surface203and the energy source400is designed to articulate and allow the focal point to moves across the layer of the input material102to thermally decompose (or otherwise chemically or physically change) the input material102to leave behind the purified metal in a predetermined shape, pattern, or design. The energy source has a system to allow for the movement and repositioning of the energy source's heat. The movement of the energy source is at a predetermined speed based on the heat produced, the focal size of the light and the like. It is desired that the energy source moves at a speed which does not overheat or affect the cooling surface. In a similar embodiment, the cooling surface can be removed, and the energy source's heat is directed towards a quantity of the input material102. In a similar embodiment, the input material102can be left on the cooling surface in any arrangement and the energy source is directed towards this input material102.

As shown inFIGS.7and8, an embodiment of the decomposition system200E, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.FIG.7shows the reflector302with the necessary support structure301to position the reflector302relative to the apparatus200E. The reflector203is made from a reflective material such as mylar or a metal. Wherein the metal may be a product103of the reaction. The depicted embodiment shows a large parabolic reflector302with large support structures301. This is due to the necessary size of the reflector302to be able to concentrate the solar energy to produce the heat required for the reaction. The support structure301may be fixed or may be able to articulate the parabolic reflector302as needed through integrated motors and the like. The support structure may also be able to move through integrated motors and the like which could be powered by the solar panels406. The apparatus200E is positioned relative to the focal point created by the reflector.

As shown inFIG.8, a close-up view of the apparatus200E is shown. The release mechanism600is shown having a conveyor belt assembly structure to transfer the input material102up to the discharge mechanism601to be poured through the reaction site202. In the depicted embodiment this is a hopper, funnel or the like. Positioned below the discharge mechanism601is the ribbon401to receive the product103, which is then feed down the ribbon401to the reshaping tools403A and403B. In the depicted embodiment, a roller403A is used to flatten the product103, and the cutter403B removes the excess product103to limit the size of the product103to that of the cutter403B. The excess which is removed by the cutter403B is caught in container404to be either discarded or used as needed.