{
  "patent_number": "US 10145018",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How a Special Reactor Makes Methane Fuel Without Constant Electricity",
  "original_title": "Method for operating an SOEC-type stack reactor for producing methane in the absence of available electricity",
  "summary": "This patent describes a method for a Solid Oxide Electrolyser Cell (SOEC) reactor to produce methane, even when electricity is scarce, by switching from electrolysis to a heat-generating chemical reaction.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent details a two-step process for operating a Solid Oxide Electrolyser Cell (SOEC) stack reactor, where the cathodes are made of catalytic material. First, when electricity is available (step a/ of claim 1), the reactor performs high-temperature electrolysis, splitting steam or a mix of steam and carbon dioxide to produce hydrogen or a mix of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Second, when the electricity supply becomes insufficient for electrolysis (step b/ of claim 1), the reactor switches modes. It is then supplied with a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide (synthesis gas) or hydrogen and carbon dioxide. This mixture undergoes a methanation reaction at the same cathodes, producing methane. This methanation reaction is exothermic, meaning it releases heat, which helps keep the reactor at its operating temperature without needing continuous electricity. For example, a reactor powered by solar panels could produce hydrogen during the day and then use that hydrogen to make methane at night, keeping itself warm.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover methanation processes that do not occur within an SOEC-type stack reactor where the cathodes are specifically made of methanation catalyst material(s).",
    "Does not cover systems where the reactor is only used for electrolysis or only for methanation, without the ability to switch between these two modes based on electricity availability.",
    "Does not cover methanation reactions that are not performed by 'heterogeneous catalysis' at the cathode.",
    "Does not cover producing methane when electricity is fully available for electrolysis, as the patent specifically addresses operating when the electric current is 'insufficient' for electrolysis.",
    "Does not cover reactors that lack the specific arrangement of electrical and fluid interconnectors between adjacent elemental cells as described in claim 1."
  ],
  "filed": "2014-11-19",
  "granted": "2018-12-04",
  "expires": "2034-11-19",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Commissariat a lEnergie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives CEA",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/commissariat-a-lenergie-atomique-et-aux-energies-alternatives-cea",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Magali REYTIER",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/magali-reytier"
    },
    {
      "name": "Guilhem Roux",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/guilhem-roux"
    },
    {
      "name": "Marie PETITJEAN",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/marie-petitjean"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 0,
  "tags": [
    "energy",
    "chemical_manufacturing",
    "materials",
    "telecommunications"
  ],
  "abstract": "A method for the operation of an SOEC stack reactor ( Solid Oxide Electrolyser Cell ), according to which, in the absence of electricity, synthesis gas H 2 +CO or a mixture H 2 +CO 2 is injected at the cathode inlet of the reactor in such a way as to produce methane inside the reactor. Since the catalytic methanation reaction is exothermic, the stack reactor can therefore be held at temperature, without loss of fuel. The fuel used for the methanation (synthesis gas or hydrogen) can advantageously be that which has been previously produced during the operating phases with available electricity.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10145018/method-for-operating-an-soec-type-stack-reactor-for-producing-methane-in-the-abs",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10145018/method-for-operating-an-soec-type-stack-reactor-for-producing-methane-in-the-abs/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US10145018",
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