Hydrogen production apparatus and hydrogen production system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11162181-B2
Application number	US-202016784772-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2020
Priority date	Sep 30, 2015
Publication date	Nov 2, 2021
Grant date	Nov 2, 2021

Abstract

The hydrogen production apparatus includes: a rectifier supplied with first electrical power from outside, and that outputs direct-current second electrical power; an electrolyzer supplied with the second electrical power and that carries out electrolysis of an alkaline aqueous solution; a pure water tank that retains a pure water; a pure water pipe connected between the pure water tank and an electrolyzer, allowing the pure water to be distributed from the pure water tank to the electrolyzer; an inert gas cylinder that contains an inert gas; and a first valve connected between the inert gas cylinder and the pure water pipe, is the first valve being closed when the first electrical power is supplied, and being open when the first electrical power is not supplied. The inert gas is introduced into the pure water pipe by opening the first valve.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hydrogen production apparatus, comprising:
a rectifier supplied with first electrical power from outside, and that outputs direct-current second electrical power;
an electrolyzer supplied with the second electrical power and that carries out electrolysis of an alkaline aqueous solution;
an electrolyzer tank that retains the alkaline aqueous solution;
a pump that circulates the alkaline aqueous solution between the electrolyzer and the electrolyzer tank;
a pure water tank that retains a pure water; and
a pure water pipe connected between the pure water tank and the electrolyzer tank, allowing the pure water to be distributed from the pure water tank to the electrolyzer tank,
wherein
an inert gas is introduced into the pure water pipe and at least a part of the pure water within the pure water pipe is discharged from the pure water pipe, when supply of the first electrical power has stopped.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the pure water discharged from the pure water pipe moves into the electrolyzer tank and the pure water tank.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein pressure of the inert gas is not less than 0.2 MPa.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inert gas is a nitrogen gas.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a control device that switches the electrolyzer and the pump off when the supply of the first electrical power has stopped; and
a storage battery that supplies the second electrical power to the control device.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a hydrogen pipe to introduce hydrogen gas from the electrolyzer, wherein the inert gas is introduced into the hydrogen pipe and at least a part of the hydrogen gas within the hydrogen pipe is discharged from the hydrogen pipe, when the supply of the first electrical power has stopped.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a hydrogen leak detector; and
a control device that stops the electrolyzer and the pump, and introduces the inert gas into the hydrogen pipe, when the hydrogen leak detector has detected a hydrogen leak.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising;
an earthquake detector; and
a control device that stops the electrolyzer and the pump, and introduces the inert gas into the hydrogen pipe, when the earthquake detector has detected an earthquake.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a fire detector; and
a control device that stops the electrolyzer and the pump, and introduces the inert gas into the hydrogen pipe, when the fire detector has detected a fire.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrical power is generated by renewable energy.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrical power is an alternating-current power generated by water power.

12. A hydrogen production system, comprising:
a hydrogen production apparatus according to claim 1 ;
a building that houses the hydrogen production apparatus;
an air conditioner that adjusts temperature within the building using a third electrical power supplied from the rectifier; and
a hydrogen tank that stores hydrogen gas obtained from the electrolyzer.

13. The system according to claim 12 , further comprising a transport container that transports pure water from outside to the pure water tank.

14. The system according to claim 13 , wherein the transport container is formed from stainless steel.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Harano Tomomi
• Higuchi Masatoshi

Classifications

• C25B15/00

  Operating or servicing cells · CPC title

• C25B9/73

  of the filter-press type · CPC title

• Y02P20/133

  Renewable energy sources, e.g. sunlight · CPC title

• C25B15/08

  Supplying or removing reactants or electrolytes; Regeneration of electrolytes · CPC title

• G08B17/10

  Actuation by presence of smoke or gases {, e.g. automatic alarm devices for analysing flowing fluid materials by the use of optical means} · CPC title