PHOTOCATALYST SUSPENSION REACTOR FOR SOLAR FUEL FORMATION

Abstract

A photocatalyst suspension reactor for solar fuel formation. The reactor may comprise a shallow pool filled with a first portion of an electrolyte solution. The electrolyte solution may comprise a solvent, a plurality of redox shuttle molecules, and a plurality of photocatalyst particles. The reactor may further comprise a plurality of tubes disposed on a surface of the shallow pool, each tube of the plurality of tubes comprising an upper half and a lower half. The upper half may comprise a transparent material configured to be minimally permeable to hydrogen gas and oxygen gas. The lower half may be configured to be filled with a second portion of the electrolyte solution and comprises an ion bridge material permeable to the plurality of redox shuttle molecules and minimally permeable to the plurality of photocatalyst particles.

Claims

1. A photocatalyst suspension reactor (100) for solar fuel formation comprising: a. a pool (110) filled with a first portion of an electrolyte solution; wherein the electrolyte solution comprises a solvent, a plurality of redox shuttle molecules, and a plurality of photocatalyst particles; b. a plurality of tubes (120) disposed on a surface of the pool (110), each tube of the plurality of tubes (120) comprising an upper half (121) and a lower half (122); wherein the upper half (121) comprises a transparent material configured to be minimally permeable to hydrogen gas and oxygen gas; wherein the lower half (122) is configured to be filled with a second portion of the electrolyte solution and comprises an ion bridge material permeable to the plurality of redox shuttle molecules and minimally permeable to the plurality of photocatalyst particles; wherein the plurality of photocatalysts are configured to catalyze an oxygen evolution reaction in the first portion of the electrolyte solution, yielding oxygen gas and a plurality of charged particles comprising ions, protons, and electrons; wherein the redox shuttle molecules are configured to transmit the plurality of charged particles from the first portion of the electrolyte solution to the second portion of the electrolyte solution such that the plurality of photocatalyst particles in the second portion of the electrolyte solution catalyze a hydrogen evolution reaction, yielding hydrogen gas; and c. a gas handling subassembly (130) fluidly coupled to the plurality of tubes (120), configured to accept the hydrogen gas and convert the hydrogen gas into energy.

2. The reactor (100) of claim 1, wherein the plurality of photocatalysts comprise particles comprising Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, TiO.sub.2, SrTiO.sub.3, ZnO, SnO.sub.2, WO.sub.3, BiVO.sub.4, TaON, BaTaO.sub.2N, (CuGa).sub.0.8Zn.sub.0.4S.sub.2, CuGaS.sub.2, Cu.sub.3Nb.sub.0.9V.sub.0.1S.sub.4, and Ta.sub.3N.sub.5.

3. The reactor (100) of claim 2, wherein each photocatalyst of the plurality of photocatalysts further comprise one or more cocatalysts deposited discontinuously on a surface of the photocatalyst.

4. The reactor (100) of claim 3, wherein the one or more cocatalysts comprise metals including Pt, Ru, Ni, etc., ion-permeable oxides, nitrides, sulfides, or a combination thereof.

5. The reactor (100) of claim 4 further comprising one or more coating materials deposited discontinuously on the surface of the photocatalyst, the one or more materials comprising ion-permeable oxides, nitrides, sulfides, any ion, electron, or mixed conducting materials, or a combination thereof.

6. The reactor (100) of claim 3, wherein the one or more cocatalysts are deposited with spatial control.

7. The reactor (100) of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of oxygen release components interdigitatably disposed between the plurality of tubes (120).

8. The reactor (100) of claim 7, wherein the plurality of oxygen release components comprise a plurality of perforated surfaces (140) such that oxygen gas transfers from the pool (110) through the plurality of perforated surfaces (140) to an external environment.

9. The reactor (100) of claim 1, wherein the upper half (121) of each tube of the plurality of tubes (120) comprises polypropylene, high-density polyethylene, or a combination thereof.

10. The reactor (100) of claim 1, wherein the lower half (122) of each tube of the plurality of tubes (120) comprises a transparent dialysis-type material or a filter membrane separator material.

11. The reactor (100) of claim 1, wherein the pool (110) comprises a rectangular shape.

12. The reactor (100) of claim 1, wherein the gas handling subassembly (130) is fluidly coupled to the plurality of tubes (120) by a steel hydrogen outlet manifold (150) disposed at an end of the plurality of tubes (120).

13. The reactor (100) of claim 1 further comprising one or more hydrogen gas pumps operatively coupled to the plurality of tubes (120) configured to pump the hydrogen gas from the plurality of tubes (120) to the gas handling subassembly (130).

14. A photocatalyst suspension reactor (100), comprising: a. a pool (110) containing a first portion of an electrolyte solution, wherein the electrolyte solution comprises redox shuttle molecules and a photocatalyst; and b. at least one tubular vessel partially submerged in the electrolyte solution, the tube comprising a floating portion (121) and a submerged portion (122), wherein the floating portion (121) comprises a transparent material configured to allow light to pass through and be minimally permeable to gasses, wherein the submerged portion (122) contains a second portion of the electrolyte solution, and comprises an ion bridge material permeable to the redox shuttle molecules and minimally permeable to the photocatalyst.

15. The reactor (100) of claim 14, wherein the photocatalyst comprises Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, TiO.sub.2, SrTiO.sub.3, ZnO, SnO.sub.2, WO.sub.3, BiVO.sub.4, TaON, BaTaO.sub.2N, (CuGa).sub.0.8Zn.sub.0.4S.sub.2, CuGaS.sub.2, Cu.sub.3Nb.sub.0.9V.sub.0.1S.sub.4, and Ta.sub.3N.sub.5.

16. The reactor (100) of claim 14, wherein the photocatalyst comprises nanoparticles.

17. The reactor (100) of claim 14, wherein the photocatalyst is configured to catalyze an oxygen evolution reaction in the first portion of the electrolyte solution, yielding oxygen gas and a second plurality of charged particles comprising ions, protons, and electrons, wherein the oxygen gas is vented out of the reactor (100), wherein the redox shuttle molecules are configured to transport the second plurality of charged particles from the first portion of the electrolyte solution to the second portion of the electrolyte solution such that the photocatalyst in the second portion of the electrolyte solution catalyzes a hydrogen evolution reaction, yielding hydrogen gas.

18. The reactor (100) of claim 14, wherein the floating portion (121) comprises polypropylene, high-density polyethylene, or a combination thereof.

19. The reactor (100) of claim 14, wherein the submerged portion (122) comprises a transparent dialysis-type material or a filter membrane separator material.

20. A photocatalyst suspension reactor (100) for solar fuel formation comprising: a. a pool (110) filled with a first portion of an electrolyte solution, having a rectangular shape; wherein the electrolyte solution comprises a solvent, a plurality of redox shuttle molecules, and a plurality of photocatalyst particles; b. a plurality of tubes (120) disposed on a surface of the pool (110), configured to partially float on a surface of the electrolyte solution, each tube of the plurality of tubes (120) comprising an upper half (121) and a lower half (122); wherein the upper half (121) comprises a transparent material configured to be minimally permeable to hydrogen gas and oxygen gas; wherein the lower half (122) is configured to be filled with a second portion of the electrolyte solution and comprises an ion bridge material permeable to the plurality of redox shuttle molecules and minimally permeable to the plurality of photocatalyst particles; wherein the plurality of photocatalysts are configured to catalyze an oxygen evolution reaction in the first portion of the electrolyte solution, yielding oxygen gas and a plurality of charged particles comprising ions, protons, and electrons; wherein the redox shuttle molecules are configured to transmit the plurality of charged particles from the first portion of the electrolyte solution to the second portion of the electrolyte solution such that the plurality of photocatalyst particles in the second portion of the electrolyte solution catalyze a hydrogen evolution reaction, yielding hydrogen gas; c. a plurality of perforated surfaces (140) interdigitatably disposed between the plurality of tubes (120) configured to allow the oxygen gas to transfer from the pool (110) through the plurality of perforated surfaces (140) to an external environment; d. a gas handling subassembly (130) fluidly coupled to the plurality of tubes (120) by a steel hydrogen outlet manifold (150) disposed at an end of the plurality of tubes (120), configured to accept the hydrogen gas and convert the hydrogen gas into energy; and e. one or more hydrogen gas pumps operatively coupled to the plurality of tubes (120) configured to pump the hydrogen gas from the plurality of tubes (120) to the gas handling subassembly (130).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

[0014] The features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description presented in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0015] FIG. 1 shows a side view and top view of a floating cylinder system.

[0016] FIG. 2 shows a top view of a floating raceway with the proposed piping network.

[0017] FIG. 3 shows a high-level side-view of some key features of the present invention in an alternative format.

[0018] FIG. 4 shows a detailed cross-section of some of the key features of the “pool-cover”-inspired top bed.

[0019] FIG. 5 shows a flow chart for generating catalyst-coated doped metal oxides for use as the active material in the present invention. In some embodiments, species-selective coatings can be deposited along with, or sequentially after, cocatalysts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, the present invention features a photocatalyst suspension reactor (100) for solar fuel formation. In some embodiments, the reactor (100) may comprise a shallow pool (110) filled with a first portion of an electrolyte solution. The electrolyte solution may comprise a solvent, which is typically water, a plurality of redox shuttle molecules, and a plurality of photocatalyst particles. The reactor (100) may further comprise a plurality of tubes (120) disposed on a surface of the shallow pool (110), each tube of the plurality of tubes (120) comprising an upper half (121) and a lower half (122).

[0021] The upper half (121) may comprise a transparent material configured to be minimally permeable to hydrogen gas and oxygen gas. The lower half (122) may be configured to be filled with a second portion of the electrolyte solution and comprises an ion bridge material permeable to the plurality of redox shuttle molecules and minimally permeable to the plurality of photocatalyst particles.

[0022] The plurality of photocatalysts may be configured to catalyze an oxygen evolution reaction in the first portion of the electrolyte solution, yielding oxygen gas, a plurality of charged particles (i.e. protons, ions, electrons). The redox shuttle particles may be configured to transmit the plurality of charged particles from the first portion of the electrolyte solution to the second portion of the electrolyte solution such that the plurality of photocatalyst particles in the second portion of the electrolyte solution catalyzes a hydrogen evolution reaction, yielding hydrogen gas. The reactor (100) may further comprise a gas handling subassembly (130) fluidly coupled to the plurality of tubes (120), configured to accept the hydrogen gas and convert the hydrogen gas into energy.

[0023] In some embodiments, the plurality of photocatalysts may comprise metal oxides comprising Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 particles, SrTiO.sub.3 (Al doped, Rh doped, Ir doped, Rh—La co-doped), TiO.sub.2, WO.sub.3, BiVO.sub.4, oxynitrides comprising TaON and BaTaO.sub.2N, metal sulfides comprising (CuGa).sub.0.8Zn.sub.0.4S.sub.2, CuGaS.sub.2 and Cu.sub.3Nb.sub.0.9V.sub.0.1S.sub.4, nitrides comprising Ta.sub.3N.sub.5, or a combination thereof, each particle having a cocatalyst (discontinuous material), a species-selective coating on top of the cocatalysts (probably conformally coating the cocatalyst selectively and not the entire particle), or a combination thereof. This can be accomplished using photochemical deposition. In some embodiments, the cocatalyst may comprise a discontinuous anodic region of materials and/or molecules or a discontinuous cathodic region of materials and/or molecules. In some embodiments, the reactor may further comprise a plurality of oxygen-release components interdigitatably disposed between the plurality of tubes (120). In some embodiments, the plurality of oxygen release components may comprise a plurality of oxygen gas pumps configured to pump the oxygen gas from the shallow pool (110) to an external environment. In other embodiments, the plurality of oxygen release components may comprise a plurality of perforated surfaces (140) such that oxygen gas transfers from the shallow pool (110) through the plurality of perforated surfaces (140) to an external environment.

[0024] In some embodiments, the upper half (121) of each tube of the plurality of tubes (120) may comprise polypropylene, high-density polyethylene, or any commercial plastic that is minimally permeable to H.sub.2 and maximally transparent and stable to sunlight. In some embodiments, the lower half (122) of each tube of the plurality of tubes (120) may comprise a transparent dialysis-type or a filter membrane separator material. In some embodiments, the reactor (100) may further comprise a solvent replenishment receptacle (160) configured to collect rainwater and direct the rainwater into the shallow pool (110). In some embodiments, an average amount of rainfall for a desert environment is sufficient. In some embodiments, the shallow pool (110) may comprise a rectangular shape. In some embodiments, the gas handling subassembly (130) may be fluidly coupled to the plurality of tubes (120) by a steel hydrogen outlet manifold (150) disposed at an end of the plurality of tubes (120). In some embodiments, the reactor (100) may further comprise one or more hydrogen gas pumps operatively coupled to the plurality of tubes (120) configured to pump the hydrogen gas from the plurality of tubes (120) to the gas handling subassembly (130). These pumps may be configured to pump out only the overpressurized hydrogen gas from the plurality of tubes (120) so as not to deflate the tubes.

[0025] In some embodiments, the same photocatalyst particles may be used in the first portion of the electrolyte solution and the second portion of the electrolyte portion. In other embodiments, the first portion of the electrolyte solution may comprise photocatalyst particles suitable for an oxygen evolution reaction and the second portion of the electrolyte solution may comprise photocatalyst particles suitable for a hydrogen evolution reaction. In other embodiments still, any number of photocatalysts with differing band gaps may be dispersed throughout an entirety of the electrolyte solution. The photocatalyst particles may be dense enough to gather at a bottom of the shallow pool (110)/the plurality of tubes (120), completely soluble in the electrolyte solution, or a combination thereof. The photocatalyst particles may be on the scale of microns, the scale of nanometers, the size of molecules, or a combination thereof.

[0026] In some embodiments, the plurality of tubes (120) may be disposed horizontally adjacent to each other in the shallow pool (110), allowing for each tube of the plurality of tubes (120) to contact an equal amount of sunlight. This is useful for embodiments where the same photocatalyst is used throughout the entirety of the electrolyte solution, allowing all particles to operate at maximum efficiency. In other embodiments, the plurality of tubes (120) may be disposed vertically in a stack in the shallow pool (110), allowing for sunlight to penetrate higher tubes into lower tubes. This is useful for embodiments where different photocatalysts with different band gaps are implemented, allowing the number of tubes in use to be maximized and each working at maximum efficiency for each photocatalyst used.

[0027] In some embodiments, the present invention features a photocatalyst suspension reactor (100). The reactor (100) may comprise a pool (110) containing a first portion of an electrolyte solution. In some embodiments, the electrolyte solution may comprise redox shuttle molecules and a photocatalyst. The reactor (100) may further comprise at least one tubular vessel partially submerged in the electrolyte solution, the tube comprising a floating portion (121) and a submerged portion (122). The floating portion (121) may comprise a transparent material configured to allow light to pass through and be minimally permeable to hydrogen gas and oxygen gas. The submerged portion (122) may contain a second portion of the electrolyte solution and comprises an ion bridge material permeable to the redox shuttle molecules and minimally permeable to the photocatalyst. The photocatalyst may be configured to catalyze an oxygen evolution reaction in the first portion of the electrolyte solution, yielding oxygen gas and a plurality of charged particles (i.e. protons, ions, electrons). The redox shuttle molecules may be configured to transport the plurality of charged particles from the first portion of the electrolyte solution to the second portion of the electrolyte solution such that the photocatalyst in the second portion of the electrolyte solution catalyzes a hydrogen evolution reaction, yielding hydrogen gas.

[0028] In some embodiments, the photocatalyst may comprise Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, TiO.sub.2, SrTiO.sub.3, ZnO, SnO.sub.2, WO.sub.3, BiVO.sub.4, TaON, BaTaO.sub.2N, (CuGa).sub.0.8Zn.sub.0.4S.sub.2, CuGaS.sub.2, Cu.sub.3Nb.sub.0.9V.sub.0.1S.sub.4, and Ta.sub.3N.sub.5. In some embodiments, the photocatalyst may be light activated. In some embodiments, the oxygen may be vented out of the reactor. In some embodiments, the floating portion (121) may comprise polypropylene, high-density polyethylene, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the submerged portion (122) may comprise a transparent dialysis-type material or a filter membrane separator material.

[0029] In some embodiments, the photocatalysts may be coated with a cocatalyst material comprising metals (e.g. Pt, Ru, Ni, etc.) and ion-permeable oxides, nitrides, sulfides, etc. In some embodiments, the photocatalysts may be coated with a coating material comprising ion, electron, or mixed conducting materials, such as oxides, or any of the above materials used as the cocatalysts.

[0030] In some embodiments, the ion bridge may be electrically conductive and perform a pair of redox reactions (one on each side) to pass electrons across—which can move faster than the redox shuttle—as well as ions or protons, possibly achieving more rapid effective mixing of the shuttle than if the shuttle had to permeate. In some embodiments, a species-selective coating over the plurality of photocatalysts may be deposited selectively over cocatalysts for H.sub.2 evolution, cocatalysts for O.sub.2 evolution, or the photocatalyst surface to facilitate selective reactivity. The electrons must reduce protons and/or water to make H.sub.2, but kinetically and thermodynamically it is more favored and faster to reduce the oxidized version of the redox shuttle over making H.sub.2 so that has to be inhibited.

[0031] In some embodiments, the plurality of tubes may comprise 4 to 1000 tubes arranged in series, parallel, or a combination thereof. Each tube of the plurality of tubes may have a diameter of 10 cm or less and a length of 1 to 50 m. The upper half/floating portion of each tube of the plurality of tubes may have a transparency to sunlight of 50% to 99%. In some embodiments, the term “shallow” may refer to a pool with a depth of 2 to 30 cm. The pool may have dimensions of 5 to 200 m×5 to 200 m. In some embodiments, the term “minimally permeable” may refer to less than 5% of hydrogen/oxygen gas passage through the surface.

Example

[0032] The following is a non-limiting example of the present invention. It is to be understood that said example is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Equivalents or substitutes are within the scope of the present invention.

[0033] The present invention may be termed photocatalytic, and separate the H.sub.2 evolution reaction (HER) and the O.sub.2 evolution reaction (OER) into separate compartments by locating only HER or OER photocatalysts in each compartments. This design is applicable to a large central plant producing 10-100 tonnes of H.sub.2 per day composed of independent production modules operating in parallel. Each module is designed for a production rate of 1,000 kg H.sub.2/day. Namely, the module will be a solar collection field with the photocatalytic technology of choice. In some embodiments, pumps will feed an aqueous electrolyte solution to the reactor. The O.sub.2 can be vented to the atmosphere as waste or to storage (for pressurization and resale). The H.sub.2 is pressured to 20 bar (300 psi) consistent with a typical pipeline pressure. The product H.sub.2 is saturated with water vapor and purified to industrial grade quality (two 9's purity) using one condenser and two intercoolers. Further drying is not considered within this invention but could be achieved using a refrigeration cycle or a Temperature Swing Adsorption (TSA) system. The standard purity specification is five 9's purity.

[0034] The H.sub.2 production rate per photon capture area can be calculated using the average annual insolation rate and the solar-to-hydrogen efficiency. Using Equation 1, the mass flow rate of H.sub.2 generated can be found on a per area basis.

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}\frac{m}{A}\left(\frac{{gH}_2}{\sec .Math.m^2}\right)=\frac{{\eta }_{\mathrm{STH}}.Math.{\mathrm{MW}}_{H_2}.Math.I_r}{n_{H_2}.Math.F.Math.E_{\mathrm{Eq}}}& \left(\mathrm{Equation}1\right)\end{array}$

E.sub.Eq=1.229 V, represents the Equilibrium potential at standard conditions. F=96,485 C mol.sub.electron.sup.−1 as the Faraday constant. η.sub.STH=Solar To Hydrogen (STH) efficiency. n.sub.H2=2, electrons per mol H.sub.2 atom. I.sub.r=Irradiance (W m.sup.−2). MW.sub.H2=2.016 g/mol, Molecular Weight of H.sub.2. m=mass flow rate (kg/day). I.sub.s represents the insolation across a given photon capture area (HER bed size or concentrator platform area).

[0035] The present invention average annual irradiance rates (averaged over 24 h/day, 365 days/yr), are 240 W m.sup.−2 and 311 W m.sup.−2, respectively. With the area specific mass flow rate and a module mass flow rate (average of 1,000 kg H.sub.2/day) the total Photon Capture Area (PCA) can be calculated (Equation 2).

[00002]$\begin{array}{cc}\mathrm{PCA}\left(m^2\right)={\left(\frac{m}{A}\right)}^{-1}\frac{1,000\mathrm{kg}{H}_2}{\mathrm{day}}\frac{1\mathrm{day}}{24\mathrm{hrs}}\frac{1\mathrm{hr}}{3,600\mathrm{secs}}& \left(\mathrm{Equation}2\right)\end{array}$

[0036] The bulk raceway pool hosts the OER process, with the HER process occurring within long cylinders floating on the surface. Their locations could be switched, if desired. A schematic of the proposed design is shown in FIG. 1. For example, the top transparent window is made from High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) film while the bottom ion bridge is made from polypropylene filter membrane. Other plastic materials can also be used for these components. It is hypothesized that the cylinders can be manufactured from a large sheet of HDPE and a large sheet of polypropylene filter membrane that are heated in a pattern so as to fuse the two materials together into long cylinders. The buoyancy of the evolved H.sub.2 gas and the weight of the polypropylene ion bridge are expected to keep a generally circular cross-sectional shape to the HER baggie. The spacing between cylinders is perforated to allow O.sub.2 evolved from raceway particles to vent to the atmosphere, in addition to allowing rainwater to pass into the raceway if desired due to costs and/or inconvenience if located remotely (i.e. in the middle of the desert) for physically transporting water to the reactor. In this design, it is assumed that the perforated region is 25% of the total surface area, i.e. a 3.3 cm span between cylinders. The specific dimensions of the pool height, the HER cylinders, the tubing spacing, and the amount of perforated region are subject to revision as a function of STH efficiency, transport distance of redox shuttle molecules, and light collection effectiveness. The ability of the system to promote passive mixing of suspended particles is particularly important to maximize light collection and improve ion diffusion efficiency.

[0037] A top-down view of the entire raceway is shown in FIG. 2. Since the liquid level is only ˜10 cm, the current raceway does not assume a paddlewheel is necessary, and natural convection will help mix the electrolyte and particles without added components. If further mixing of particles and ions is necessary, an additional system to induce mixing may be required, and options exist that may not increase the cost of H.sub.2 too greatly.

[0038] Two piping networks are used to distribute water and the slurry and to collect the H.sub.2 product. Each piping network consists of a main branch that connects all the raceways together and a branch pipe that is directly connected to each cylinder via a port valve. The water network has an additional branch that is connected to the pool. The water network provides clean water to both the pool and the cylinders, whereas the H.sub.2 network collects H.sub.2 product from the cylinders. During installation and maintenance of the raceways, it is imagined that an isolation valve will close off the main water pipe with the branching water pipes and the catalyst slurry can be distributed into the branches. A water purge can then be run into the pipe branches to clear them of slurry prior to normal operation.

[0039] Light extinction analysis suggests that a bed depth of 10 cm for a nanoparticle size of tens to hundreds of nm and a particle concentration of hundreds of nm equivalent thickness is sufficient to capture most above bandgap light entering the bed for prototypical photocatalyst particles. Equivalent thickness is defined as the depth of the particle layer if all particles settled to the bottom. For purposes of cost estimation, the nanoparticles are modeled as metal-oxide particles with Pt cocatalysts deposited on their surfaces at either high or low loading.

[0040] The present design comprises 1 condenser and 2 intercoolers coupled with an H.sub.2 compressor to achieve product gas output purity of 99.6% H.sub.2 and 0.4% water vapor. The hydrogen is cooled to 40° C. using cooling water to achieve this product purity. This is consistent with the hydrogen purity required for industrial applications but may be insufficient for transportation applications, which typically specify 99.999% H.sub.2 purity.

[0041] In some embodiments, the present invention may implement a bed depth of 10 cm for a nanoparticle size of 40 nm and a particle concentration of 200 nm equivalent thickness of 40 nm particles is sufficient to capture a majority of the light entering the bed. Equivalent thickness is defined as the depth of the particle layer if all particles settled to the bottom. In a non-limiting embodiment, the PEC nanoparticles may comprise 40 nm particles upon which 5 nm layers of cocatalyst/coating materials have been deposited. Assuming even distribution, the required particle areal density is 0.00105 kg/m.sup.2 for near-complete light extinction.

[0042] In some embodiments, the present invention may use 1 condenser and 2 intercoolers coupled with a hydrogen compressor to achieve a product gas output purity of 99.6% H.sub.2 and 0.4% water vapor. The hydrogen is cooled to 40° C. using cooling water to achieve this product purity.

[0043] Although there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims. In some embodiments, the figures presented in this patent application are drawn to scale, including the angles, ratios of dimensions, etc. In some embodiments, the figures are representative only and the claims are not limited by the dimensions of the figures. In some embodiments, descriptions of the inventions described herein using the phrase “comprising” includes embodiments that could be described as “consisting essentially of” or “consisting of”, and as such the written description requirement for claiming one or more embodiments of the present invention using the phrase “consisting essentially of” or “consisting of” is met.