Patent ID: 8628725

Claim:
An apparatus for the production of hydrogen gas from the thermal decomposition of water using a Cu—Cl cycle comprising: an upper reaction chamber opening into a lower separation chamber of greater cross section than the upper reaction chamber; separate inlets for a solid reactant and a gaseous reactant in the upper reaction chamber, the solid reactant inlet being in communication with a solid reactant feeder, the gaseous reactant inlet being in communication with an adjustable gaseous reactant feeder that provides gas at a higher pressure than the pressure in the reaction chamber; the reactants and the reaction products flowing downwardly and concurrently through a plurality of filter layers, each of the filter layers comprising packing materials arranged on a perforated plate or mesh support, with the dimensions of the packing materials, the perforations and the mesh decreasing in size from top to bottom, from layer to layer, so that a uniform pressure drop is provided through each layer; the lower separation chamber being divided into two separation zones by a separation baffle whereby products and reactants are separated by virtue of their respective densities and by gravity; a first separation zone having an upper first outlet for removal of unreacted gaseous reactant and gaseous reaction product, and a lower second outlet for removal of unconsumed solid reactant; and a second separation zone having a third outlet positioned below the upper first outlet for removal of molten reaction product; wherein the first and third outlets, and the separation baffle are not in the area of the separation chamber into which the reaction chamber opens, so that unconsumed solid reactant can fall freely to the bottom of the first separation zone in the separation chamber through the molten reaction product and be removed therefrom.