METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ELECTRIC ENERGY

Abstract: There is disclosed a method and an apparatus (2) for producing electric energy by utilising the semiconductor properties of silicon in a galvanic/chemical process, where naturally occurring silicon (SiO2) is crushed or granulated and laid out in a tray (10) on a membrane (9) consisting of a semipermeable non-conductive plastic film, and which is covered by a solution with a mixture proportion of e.g. 11 anhydrous phosphoric acid (H3PO4), 0.25 g iodine (J), 50 g anhydrous boric adid (B2O3), 15 g titanium oxide (TiO4) under the membrane (9) at the bottom of the tray (10) there is supplied with a weak aqueous solution of e.g. potassium phosphate together with an electrode consisting of carbon which constitutes and electric terminal (7), the tray (10) being covered by a perforated or net-like plate member of electrically conducting material constituting a second electric terminal (12), that a number of the tray-shaped cells (8) are placed with mutual spacing in a supporting stand (6) in such a way that the single cells (8) are electrically separated, that a cell battery is formed by connection in parallel of the single cells (8), that the upper side of the respective cells are illuminated by means of flash lamps (14) disposed above the respective cells (8) and triggered in an aperiodic way by means of rigger circuits (15) as the triggering of the flash is controlled by means of a comparison circuit and a reference circuit, so that the triggering of respective flash lamps (14) is determined by the output voltage supplied by respective cells (8), that ht eproduced electric energy is preferably transformed to heat energy in an electric water heater, the control thermostat of which preferably forming a part of a control circuit, and that the cells, or at least their content of prepared silicon granulate, are replaced according to need.

Description: Method and Apparatus for the Production of Electric Energy The present invention concerns a method for producing electric energy and of the kind indicated in claim 1. With the purpose of producing electric energy by means of a mobile unit which in principle may be used at any imaginable locality, the invention has the purpose of indicating a method for producing electric energy in a new and simple way and by means of hitherto unknown technical measures. The method according to the invention is characterised in that naturally occurring silicon (SiO 2 ) is crushed or granulated and laid out in a tray on a membrane surface consisting of a semipermeable non-conductive plastic film, and which is covered by a solution with a mixture proportion of e.g. 1 1 anhydrous phosphoric acid (H 3 PO 4 ), 0.25 g iodine (J), 50 g anhydrous boric acid (B 2 O 3 ), 15 g titanium oxide (TiO 4 ), under the membrane at the bottom of the tray there is supplied a weak aqueous solution of e.g. potassium phosphate together with an electrode consisting of carbon which constitutes an electric terminal, the tray being covered by a perforated or net-like plate member of electrically conducting material constituting a second electric terminal, that a number of the tray-shaped cells are placed with mutual spacing in a stand in such a way that the single cells are electrically separated, that a cell battery is formed by connection in parallel of the single cells, that the upper side of the respective cells are illuminated by means of flash lamps disposed above the respective cells and triggered in an aperiodic way by means of trigger circuits as the triggering of the flash is controlled by means of a comparison circuit and a reference circuit, so that the triggering of respective flash lamps is determined by the output voltage supplied by respective cells, that the produced electric energy is preferably transformed to heat energy in an electric water heater, the control thermostat of which preferably forming a part of a control circuit, and that the cells, or at least their content of prepared silicon granulate, are replaced according to need. By means of simple measures is hereby achieved a new method for producing electric energy, where the special ability of silicon to produce electric energy under simultaneous galvanic/chemical decomposition initiated by light action, i.e. the supply of flash light acts as a catalyst for electric energy produced by the galvanic/chemical process. The invention also concerns an apparatus for producing electric energy by the method according to claim 1, i.e. by utilising the semiconductor properties of silicon in a galvanic/chemical process, the apparatus being characterised in that it is shaped as a pref- erably box-shaped cabinet in which is placed a stack of cells, each consisting of a tray of electrically insulating material, where a layer of naturally occurring granulated silicon prepared with phosphoric acid, titanium oxide, iodine and anhydrous boric acid is laid out upon a membrane of a semipermeable, non-conducting plastic film, and which is covered by means of a perforated or net-like plate member of electrically conducting material constituting an electric terminal for the tray-shaped cell, that the cells are connected in parallel for forming a cell battery, that at the bottom of the trays, under the membrane, there is supplied an aqueous solution of potassium phosphate and disposed a plate-shaped electrode of carbon constituting a second electric terminal of the cells, that flash lamps triggered in an aperiodic way by means of a trigger circuit are disposed above the respective cells as the triggering of the flash is controlled by means of a comparison circuit and a reference circuit, so that the triggering of the respective flash lamps is determined by the output voltage supplied by respective cells, and that the apparatus preferably comprises an electric water heater connected with the output voltage of the cell battery. The voltage produced by the cells by the galvanic/chemical process will preferably be used for operating an electric water heater which is built into the top of the same cabinet in which the cell stack is placed so that the apparatus according to the invention appears as a cabinet-shaped heating unit known per se, where a door may be opened opposite the cells so that the cells may easily be replaced according to need, or so that at least the content of prepared silicon of the cells may easily be replaced according to need. The invention is explained more closely in the following in connection with the drawings on which: Fig. 1 shows an schematic electric diagram for illustrating an embodiment of an apparatus for use in performing the method according to the invention, Fig. 2 shows a view of an embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention, Fig. 3 shows a partial view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2 according to the invention, and Fig. 4 shows an outline sectional view of a tray-shaped cell for an apparatus according to the invention. The shown apparatus 2 comprises a box-shaped cabinet 4 in which is placed a support stand 6 for a stack of cells 8, each consisting of a tray 10 (Fig. 4) which consist of electrically insulating material or which has an internal coating of electrically insulating material. Upon a semiperrneable membrane 9 of an electrically non-conducting plastic film, the trays 10 contain a layer 5 of crushed or granulated silicon which has been prepared with anhydrous phosphoric acid, titanium oxide, iodine and anhydrous boric acid, and which is covered by a perforated or net-like plate member constituting an electric terminal 12. Under the membrane 9 is supplied an aqueous solution 24 of e.g. potassium phosphate and a carbon plate constituting a second electric terminal 7. About the centre above each of the cells 8 there are mounted xenon flash lamps 14 on arms 13 projecting from a rear wall 11, the lamps 14 being connected with and controlled by each their trigger circuit 15 (Fig. 1) with associated condensators for trigger- ing aperiodic flashes. The apparatus 2 furthermore comprises a power supply 16 (Fig. 1) provided in the cabinet 4 for supplying a comparison circuit 17 for each of the cells 8 and a reference circuit 18, which together control the triggering of the flash lamps 14 determined by the return signal from the respective comparison circuits 17 which are constantly measuring and comparing the output voltage from the respective cells 8. This control principle ensures that unnecessary illumination of the cells 8 by untimely triggering of the respective flash lamps 13 is avoided so that the respective cells 8 are only illuminated when their respective output voltages go under a pre-set level. The power supply 16 is furthermore connected to a not shown external accumulator, e.g. a small 12 V motorcycle accumulator 19 which is only used when starting a "cold" system, i.e. a system which has not yet produced any power. The trays 10 for the single cells 8 are mutually electrically separated. Electrically viewed, the cells 8 are connected in parallel via the respective terminals 12 and 7 so that the cells 8, of which there are preferably 16 pieces in all, form a cell battery with an output voltage of about 25 V and a total power of about 3 kW. The present apparatus 2 is used for supplying an electric heating element in a water heater, the electric thermostat of which is forming a part of the control circuit, i.e. the produced electrical energy is utilised in making hot water for domestic use. Such an electric water heater will preferably be built into the top of the cabinet 4 so that this appears as a closed unit which in size may be compared with a common heater unit for a small house or a summer house. The cabinet 4 is designed with a door opposite the cells 8 so that the tray-shaped cells 8 may easily be pulled out for replacement with new complete cells 8, or so that at least the content of prepared silicon granulate may easily be replaced as the apparatus according to the invention is preferably provided with an external indicator showing the status of the cell battery and the single cells, respectively. With a total power of 3 - 5 kW it is expected that the cells 8, or at least the content of prepared silicon granulate of the cells, is to be replaced by time intervals of 2 - 4 months. The voltage produced by the cells 8 by the galvanic/chemical process is supplied to the power supply circuit 16 via terminal 21 a series regulator 20, e.g. a high voltage power transistor, as the produced voltage may contain uncontrolled "current impulses" which, however, in the actual situation of use (water heater) do not have to be smoothed. As a matter of course, it will be within the scope of the invention to couple necessary voltage regulators and smoothing circuits if the electric voltage produced by the cells is to be used for supply purposes with more sensitive equipment.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A method for producing electric energy by utilising the semiconductor properties of silicon in a galvanic/chemical process, c h a r a c t e r iz e d in that naturally occur- ring silicon (SiO 2 ) is crushed or granulated and laid out in a tray on a membrane surface consisting of a semipermeable non-conductive plastic film, and which is covered by a solution with a mixture proportion of e.g. 1 1 anhydrous phosphoric acid (H 3 PO 4 ), 0.25 g iodine (J), 50 g anhydrous boric acid (B 2 O 3 ), 15 g titanium oxide (TiO 4 ), under the membrane at the bottom of the tray there is supplied a weak aqueous solution of e.g. potassium phosphate together with an electrode consisting of carbon which constitutes an electric terminal, the tray being covered by a perforated or net-like plate member of electrically conducting material constituting a second electric terminal, that a number of the tray-shaped cells are placed with mutual spacing in a stand in such a way that the single cells are electrically separated, that a cell battery is formed by con- nection in parallel of the single cells, that the upper side of the respective cells are illuminated by means of flash lamps disposed above the respective cells and triggered in an aperiodic way by means of trigger circuits as the triggering of the flash is controlled by means of a comparison circuit and a reference circuit, so that the triggering of respective flash lamps is determined by the output voltage supplied by respective cells, that the produced electric energy is preferably transformed to heat energy in an electric water heater, the control thermostat of which preferably forming a part of a control circuit, and that the cells, or at least their content of prepared silicon granulate, are replaced according to need. 2. An apparatus for producing electric energy by the method according to claim 1 by utilising the semiconductor properties of silicon, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it is shaped as a preferably box-shaped cabinet in which is placed a stack of cells, each consisting of a tray of electrically insulating material, where a layer of naturally occurring granulated silicon prepared with phosphoric acid, titanium oxide, iodine and anhydrous boric acid is laid out upon a membrane of a semipermeable, nonconducting plastic film, and which is covered by means of a perforated or net-like plate member of electrically conducting material constituting an electric terminal for the tray-shaped cell, that the cells are connected in parallel for forming a cell battery, that at the bottom of the trays, .under the membrane, there is supplied an aqueous solution of potassium phosphate and disposed a plate-shaped electrode of carbon constituting a second electric terminal of the cells, that flash lamps triggered in an aperiodic way by means of a trigger circuit are disposed above the respective cells as the triggering of the flash is controlled by means of a comparison circuit and a reference circuit, so that the triggering of the respective flash lamps is determined by the output voltage supplied by respective cells, and that the apparatus preferably comprises an electric water heater connected with the output voltage of the cell battery.

Inventors: RASMUSSEN HARRY, RASMUSSEN, HARRY
Applicants: NTH PRODUKTION APS, RASMUSSEN HARRY, RASMUSSEN, HARRY
Application year: 2000
Main classification: H01M14
IPC codes: H01G9, H01M4, H01M14