Hydrogen-oxygen generation system and hydrogen-oxygen generation method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11618958-B2
Application number	US-201917287304-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2019
Priority date	Oct 26, 2018
Publication date	Apr 4, 2023
Grant date	Apr 4, 2023

Abstract

A hydrogen-oxygen generation system includes an electrolytic cell configured to generate hydrogen and oxygen by electrolyzing water, and discharge the hydrogen and the oxygen as separate generated gasses. An accumulator includes a water storage chamber configured to store the water, and a gas chamber configured to receive a pressurized gas, and the water storage chamber and the gas chamber are separated from each other by an elastic body membrane. The accumulator is configured to transfer the water stored in the water storage chamber toward the electrolytic cell at a transfer pressure in accordance with a pressure of the pressurized gas in the gas chamber. A water supply unit is configured to supply the water to the water storage chamber, and a gas supply unit is configured to supply the pressurized gas to the gas chamber.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hydrogen-oxygen generation system comprising:
an electrolytic cell configured to generate hydrogen and oxygen by electrolyzing water and discharge the hydrogen and the oxygen as separate generated gasses;
an accumulator including a water storage chamber configured to store water and a gas chamber configured to receive a pressurized gas, the water storage chamber and the gas chamber being separated from each other by an elastic body membrane, and the accumulator being configured to transfer the water stored in the water storage chamber toward the electrolytic cell at a transfer pressure in accordance with a pressure of the pressurized gas in the gas chamber;
a water supply unit configured to supply the water to the water storage chamber;
a gas supply unit configured to supply the pressurized gas to the gas chamber; and
a vacuum discharge line disposed on a water transfer pipe for the water between the water storage chamber of the accumulator and the electrolytic cell, the vacuum discharge line being configured to create a vacuum inside the water transfer pipe.

2. The hydrogen-oxygen generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the gas supply unit is configured to supply one of the separate generated gasses to the gas chamber as the pressurized gas.

3. The hydrogen-oxygen generation system according to claim 2 , wherein the gas supply unit includes:
a gas supply pipe connected to a gas transfer pipe, the gas transfer pipe being configured to transfer the one of the separate generated gasses to the gas supply pipe and the gas supply pipe being configured to supply the one of the separate generated gasses as the pressurized gas to the gas chamber; and
a gas discharge pipe connected to the gas transfer pipe, the gas discharge pipe being configured to merge the pressurized gas discharged from the gas chamber into the gas transfer pipe.

4. The hydrogen-oxygen generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the gas supply unit is configured to supply stock gas to the gas chamber as the pressurized gas.

5. The hydrogen-oxygen generation system according to claim 4 , wherein:
the stock gas is nitrogen; and
the gas supply unit is configured to merge the nitrogen discharged from the gas chamber into a gas transfer pipe for the oxygen.

6. The hydrogen-oxygen generation system according to claim 1 , further comprising a transfer pump disposed on the water transfer pipe, the transfer pump being configured to transfer the water from the accumulator to the electrolytic cell,
wherein:
the transfer pump includes a casing connecting an inlet for the water and an outlet for the water, and an impeller disposed inside the casing; and
an upper limit of the transfer pressure of the water is a predetermined pressure based on a gap distance between an inner wall of the casing and a front end of the impeller being a predetermined distance.

7. The hydrogen-oxygen generation system according to claim 1 , further comprising an impedance meter configured to measure an impedance of the electrolytic cell for changing the transfer pressure of the water transferred to the electrolytic cell based on the impedance.

8. The hydrogen-oxygen generation system according to claim 1 , further comprising a dehumidifier configured to dehumidify each of the separate generated gasses.

9. A hydrogen-oxygen generation method comprising:
storing water in a water storage chamber by supplying the water from a water supply unit to the water storage chamber, the water storage chamber being separated, in an accumulator, by an elastic body membrane, from a gas chamber to which a first pressurized gas is supplied;
adjusting a pressure of the first pressurized gas in the gas chamber by supplying a second pressurized gas from a gas supply unit to the gas chamber; and
transferring the water stored in the water storage chamber toward an electrolytic cell at a transfer pressure in accordance with the pressure of the first pressurized gas which has been adjusted;
generating hydrogen and oxygen by electrolyzing, at the electrolytic cell, the water supplied to the electrolytic cell;
discharging the hydrogen and the oxygen as separate generated gasses; and
creating a vacuum inside a water transfer pipe for water between the water storage chamber of the accumulator and the electrolytic cell.

10. The hydrogen-oxygen generation method according to claim 9 , further comprising measuring an impedance of the electrolytic cell and changing the transfer pressure of the water transferred to the electrolytic cell based on the impedance.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd
• Japan Aerospace Exploration
• Univ Kyushu Nat Univ Corp

Inventors

• Homma Atsuko
• Nagamoto Kenichi
• Ogawa Naoki
• Nakatsuchi Yuta
• Tajima Hidehiko
• Nasu Yusaku
• Sone Yoshitsugu
• Matsumoto Hiroshige

Classifications

• Y02E60/36

  Hydrogen production from non-carbon containing sources, e.g. by water electrolysis · CPC title

• C25B15/02

  Process control or regulation · CPC title

• C25B15/08 Primary

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

• C25B9/23

  comprising ion-exchange membranes in or on which electrode material is embedded · CPC title

• C25B1/04 Primary

  by electrolysis of water · CPC title