Dynamic combustion chamber

Abstract

A system for converting potential energy into heat including a tower configured to contain a fluid and to permit the formation of a substantially nitrogen-free combustion chamber defined by the tower and the surface of the fluid in the tower and at a pressure less than ambient, a first tower outlet in fluid communication with a first fuel valve configured to regulate a flow of the fluid out of the tower, an oxygen source in fluid communication with an oxygen valve in fluid communication with an oxygen inlet in fluid communication with the tower, a source of combustible fuel including hydrogen in fluid communication with a fuel valve in fluid communication with a fuel inlet in fluid communication with the tower, and an ignition source positioned so that it resides within the combustion chamber and is configured to initiate a reaction between oxygen and fuel.

1 . A method of generating electricity while producing minimal impurities, the method comprising:
 obtaining hydrogen produced at least in part from either an uncertain power source or a pollution producing power source, the power source at a first location;   directing oxygen and the hydrogen into a combustion chamber at a second location, the combustion chamber substantially free of nitrogen and at a pressure less than an ambient pressure outside and proximate to the combustion chamber;   igniting a reaction between the oxygen and the hydrogen within the combustion chamber, thereby generating heat and steam; and   utilizing at least one of the heat and the steam to generate electricity at the second location.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pollution producing power source comprises a coal, oil, or natural gas power plant. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pollution producing power source comprises a nuclear power plant. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the uncertain power source comprises a solar, wind, or wave power plant. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first location is remote from the second location. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen is stored in a tank. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen is transported to the second location along a pipeline. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein utilizing at least one of the heat and the steam to generate electricity comprises directing steam through a turbine. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein utilizing at least one of the heat and the steam to generate electricity comprises:
 at least partially vaporizing a fluid in a heat exchanger in thermal communication with the combustion chamber; and   directing the vaporized fluid through a turbine.   
     
     
         10 . A method of generating heat from an exothermic reaction of oxygen with a combustible fuel, the reaction products comprising minimal impurities, the method comprising:
 providing a combustion chamber substantially free of nitrogen and at a pressure less than an ambient pressure outside and proximate to the combustion chamber;   directing a flow of oxygen into the chamber through an oxygen inlet in fluid communication with the combustion chamber;   directing a flow of the combustible fuel into the chamber through a fuel inlet in fluid communication with the combustion chamber; and   igniting the reaction between the oxygen and the combustible fuel, thereby generating heat.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the step of generating heat comprises generating a quantity of heat sufficiently to at least partially vaporize a fluid in a heat exchanger in thermal communication with the combustion chamber, and the method further comprising directing the vaporized fluid through a turbine. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein directing the vaporized fluid through a turbine comprises generating electricity. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the combustible fuel comprises hydrogen and wherein the reaction products comprise H 2 O. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein at least some of the H 2 O produced in the reaction comprises steam. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising directing the steam through a turbine. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the combustion chamber is defined by the enclosed end of a tower and the top surface of a fluid contained in the tower. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the fluid comprises water and wherein at least some of the heat generated by the reaction at least partially vaporizes the water, thereby generating steam. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising directing the steam through a turbine. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein directing the steam through the turbine comprises generating electricity. 
     
     
         20 . A method of creating a dynamic combustion chamber substantially free of nitrogen and at a pressure less than an ambient pressure outside and proximate to the chamber, the chamber adapted to house a combustion reaction between oxygen and a fuel comprising hydrogen that produces heat and reduced impurities, the method comprising:
 providing a sealable vertically-oriented tower comprising combustion reactant inlets deliverable to an enclosed top end of the tower, the tower height being greater than the ratio of the ambient pressure to the density of a fluid adapted to absorb the reaction products;   completely filling the tower with the fluid; and   opening an outlet proximate to the bottom of the tower and in fluid communication with the tower so as to allow the fluid to flow out of the tower, thereby creating the dynamic combustion chamber defined by the enclosed top end of the tower and the top surface of the fluid remaining in the tower.