Gasket for electrolysis vessels, and electrolysis vessel using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11982007-B2
Application number	US-202017597107-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2020
Priority date	Jul 19, 2019
Publication date	May 14, 2024
Grant date	May 14, 2024

Abstract

There are provided an electrolyzer gasket, which can accommodate and hold a separator inside an electrolyzer by a simple handling, can more surely prevent leakage of an electrolyte and an electrolytically generated gas from the inside of the electrolyzer, can keep the separator in such a state that the separator is held at a position that is in contact with one of electrodes and is located along the electrode and therefore can suppress damage of the separator and makes it possible to use the separator stably for a long period of time, and an electrolyzer. An electrolyzer gasket including a picture-frame-shaped thin-plate-like frame having a first surface being in contact with an anode metal frame and a second surface being in contact with a cathode metal frame, wherein the gasket has a structure in which a notch having a difference in level of approximately the same thickness as the thickness of the separator, the notch obtained by thinly scraping off, in a uniform thickness, a region including the edge on the anode chamber side or the cathode chamber side, is formed on any one of the first surface and the second surface, and the edge part of the separator is accommodated and held in the notch, and an electrolyzer using the electrolyzer gasket.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrolyzer comprising:
an electrolyzer gasket for the electrolyzer, the electrolyzer gasket comprising: a single frame in a shape of a picture frame in a plate form, wherein the electrolyzer gasket is incorporated in the electrolyzer;
an anode;
a cathode;
a separator that is in a sheet shape and isolates the anode and the cathode from each other, wherein the separator is held by a single gasket that is the electrolyzer gasket;
an anode metal frame in a shape of a picture frame, the anode metal frame having an opening in a central part thereof and receiving therein the anode, and the anode metal frame, the anode, and an anode chamber frame forming an anode chamber; and
a cathode metal frame having the same shape as the anode metal frame, the cathode metal frame having an opening in central part thereof and receiving therein the cathode, and the cathode metal frame, the cathode, and a cathode chamber frame forming a cathode chamber, so that the electrolyzer gasket is sandwiched between the anode metal frame and the cathode metal frame,
wherein the electrolyzer gasket has substantially the same shape as the anode metal frame and the cathode metal frame,
the picture-frame-shaped electrolyzer gasket has:
a first surface being in contact with the anode metal frame, and
a second surface being in contact with the cathode metal frame, so as to prevent leakage of an electrolyte or an electrolytically generated gas from the electrolyzer, and

the electrolyzer gasket has a structure obtained by forming a notch by thinly scraping off a region of the gasket on the first surface or the second surface, the notch having substantially the same width as a thickness of the separator such that upper and lower edges of the separator are tightly accommodated in the notch, and that the separator is held in the notch by:
the anode metal frame in which a first surface of the separator that faces the anode is in contact with and held by the anode metal frame if the notch is formed on the first surface of the electrolyzer gasket, or
the cathode metal frame in which a second surface of the separator that faces the cathode is in contact with and held by the cathode metal frame if the notch is formed on the second surface of the electrolyzer gasket.

2. The electrolyzer according to claim 1 ,
wherein the gasket further comprises a gasket stopper having an electrical insulation property, and
the gasket stopper is attached onto an outer peripheral surface of the electrolyzer gasket.

3. The electrolyzer according to claim 1 , wherein the electrolyzer gasket is formed of a material comprising an elastic body having corrosion resistance property against an electrolyte placed in the electrolyzer and gas generated electrolytically therein.

4. The electrolyzer according to claim 1 , wherein
(i) the anode comprises a coating of an anode activating catalyst on a separator side thereof, or comprises an anode mesh having the coating of the anode activating catalyst, the anode mesh being attached to the separator side of the anode, or
(ii) the cathode comprises a coating of a cathode activating catalyst on a separator side thereof, or comprises a cathode mesh having the coating of the cathode activating catalyst, the cathode mesh being attached to the separator side of the cathode, or
the electrolyzer comprises both the anode of the (i) and the cathode of the (ii).

5. The electrolyzer according to claim 4 , wherein a spring material is attached to at least one position selected from the group consisting of a position between the anode mesh and the anode and a position between the cathode mesh and the cathode so that the spring removes gap between the anode mesh and the separator, and a gap between the cathode mesh and the separator.

6. The electrolyzer according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the anode and the cathode comprises a material each independently selected from the group consisting of (a) an expanded mesh, (b) a perforated plate, (c) a metal wire, and (d) an electrically conductive electrode porous material having a shape of the expanded mesh, a shape of the perforated plate, or a shape of the metal wire.

7. The electrolyzer according to claim 1 , wherein
the anode chamber frame is connected to a rear surface of the anode metal frame, and
the cathode chamber frame is connected to a rear surface of the cathode metal frame.

8. The electrolyzer according to claim 7 , wherein the anode metal frame is formed as a part of the anode chamber frame, and the cathode metal frame is formed as a part of the cathode chamber frame.

9. The electrolyzer according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electrolyzer further comprises: a mesh attached to the anode, or a mesh attached to the cathode, or both,
the separator is held in a state in which a whole surface of one surface of the separator other than a portion thereof accommodated in the notch of the gasket, is in contact with the anode or the anode mesh attached to the anode, or is held in a state in which a whole surface of one surface of the separator other than a portion thereof accommodated in the notch, is in contact with the cathode or the cathode mesh attached to the cathode.

10. The electrolyzer according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the anode, the anode metal frame, the anode chamber frame, the cathode, the cathode metal frame, and the cathode chamber frame comprises a material comprising at least one material selected from the group consisting of nickel, stainless steel, iron, and alloys thereof,
the separator comprises a porous separator having aqueous solution permeability,
each of electrolytes to be introduced into the anode chamber and the cathode chamber respectively is a caustic alkali metal aqueous solution, and
the electrolyzer is an alkaline water electrolyzer.

11. The electrolyzer according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the anode, the anode metal frame, and the anode chamber frame comprises a material comprising titanium or a titanium alloy,
each of the cathode, the cathode metal frame, and the cathode chamber frame comprises a material comprising at least one material selected from the group consisting of nickel, stainless steel, iron, and alloys thereof,
the separator comprises a cation exchange membrane,
an electrolyte to be introduced into the anode chamber comprises an anolyte, and an electrolyte-introduced into the cathode chamber comprises a catholyte,
the catholyte comprises a caustic alkali metal aqueous solution,
the anolyte comprises an alkali metal halide aqueous solution, and
the electrolyzer is a brine electrolyzer.

12. The electrolyzer according to claim 1 , wherein the electrolyzer performs electrolysis while pressurizing an electrolyte.

13. The electrolyzer according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first surface of the gasket is bonded, with an adhesive, to the anode frame that is in contact with the first surface, or the second surface of the gasket is bonded to the cathode frame that is in contact with the second surface.

14. The electrolyzer according to claim 1 , wherein the electrolyzer comprises only one electrolyzer gasket.

Assignees

• De Nora Permelec Ltd

Inventors

• Manabe Akiyoshi

Classifications

• C25B9/60 Primary

  Constructional parts of cells · CPC title

• C25B1/46

  in diaphragm cells · CPC title

• C25B9/05

  Pressure cells · CPC title

• C25B9/19

  with diaphragms · CPC title

• C25B9/23 Primary

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