Reducing and/or harvesting drag energy from transport vehicles, including for chemical reactors, and associated systems and methods

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for reducing and/or harvesting drag energy from transport vehicles. A system in accordance with a particular embodiment includes a mobile transport platform, a donor substance source carried by the platform, and a thermochemical reactor carried by the platform and coupled to the donor substance. The reactor is configured to carry out a non-combustion dissociation process that dissociates the donor substance into a first constituent and a second constituent. An energy extraction system carried by the transport platform and positioned to extract energy from an airstream passing the transport platform is coupled to the reactor to provide energy for the dissociation process.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A reactor system, comprising:
 a mobile transport platform;   a source of a donor substance carried by the transport platform;   a thermochemical reactor carried by the transport platform and coupled to the source of donor substance, the thermochemical reactor being configured to carry out a non-combustion dissociation process that dissociates the donor substance into a first constituent and second constituent; and   a conduit operatively coupled between the thermochemical reactor and a payload volume of the mobile transport platform to preserve cargo in the payload volume via at least one of the first and second constituents.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a refrigerator carried by the transport platform, the refrigerator being in thermal communication with the payload volume, and wherein the conduit is operatively coupled to the refrigerator to provide at least one of the first and second constituents to the refrigerator in the form of a refrigerant. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the conduit is coupled to the payload volume to direct at least one of the first and second constituents into the payload volume. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the at least one constituent includes carbon monoxide. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the at least one constituent includes carbon dioxide. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the at least one constituent includes nitrogen. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the donor substance includes a hydrogen-bearing compound, and wherein the second constituent includes gaseous hydrogen. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising an energy extraction system carried by the transport platform and positioned to extract energy from an airstream passing the transport platform, the energy extraction system being operatively coupled to the thermochemical reactor to provide energy for the dissociation process. 
     
     
         9 . A method for braking a vehicle, comprising:
 in a first mode of operation:
 propelling the vehicle with an internal combustion engine; 
   in a second mode of operation:
 compressing gas with the internal combustion engine to place a braking force on the vehicle; 
 storing the compressed gas onboard the vehicle; and 
 releasing the compressed gas to perform work via a device carried by the vehicle. 
   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein performing work includes deploying a fairing. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  wherein performing work includes blowing snow away from a region adjacent to the vehicle. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9  wherein performing work includes powering an alternator. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9  wherein performing work includes deploying a jack. 
     
     
         14 . A transport system, comprising:
 a vehicle;   an internal combustion engine carried by the vehicle;   a compressed gas storage tank carried by the vehicle and coupled to the internal combustion engine;   a pneumatically-driven device carried by the vehicle and coupled to the compressed gas storage tank;   a control system carried by the vehicle and programmed with instruction that, when executed:
 direct the internal combustion engine to provide a propulsive force to the vehicle, in response to an acceleration signal; 
 direct the internal combustion engine to provide a braking force to the vehicle by compressing gas and directing the compressed gas to the compressed gas storage tank; and 
 direct compressed gas from the compressed gas storage tank to the pneumatically-driven device to actuate the pneumatically-driven device. 
   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14  wherein the vehicle includes an over-the-road truck. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14  wherein the pneumatically-driven device includes a deployable fairing. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14  wherein the pneumatically-driven device includes a deployable jack. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 14  wherein the pneumatically-driven device includes a turbine-driven alternator.