Hydrogen system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12146227-B2
Application number	US-202016953195-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2020
Priority date	Apr 9, 2019
Publication date	Nov 19, 2024
Grant date	Nov 19, 2024

Abstract

A hydrogen system includes: a water electrolysis apparatus including a water electrolysis cell; an electrochemical hydrogen pump that increases the pressure of hydrogen-containing gas produced by the water electrolysis apparatus; a gas flow path that supplies the hydrogen-containing gas produced by the water electrolysis apparatus to the electrochemical hydrogen pump; and a first flow path through which a first heat medium that is a liquid and has collected waste heat of the water electrolysis cell flows. The electrochemical hydrogen pump is capable of performing heat exchange with the first heat medium having collected waste heat of the water electrolysis cell.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hydrogen system comprising:
a water electrolysis apparatus including a water electrolysis cell;
an electrochemical hydrogen pump that increases a pressure of hydrogen-containing gas produced by the water electrolysis apparatus;
a gas flow path that supplies the hydrogen-containing gas produced by the water electrolysis apparatus to the electrochemical hydrogen pump; and
a first flow path through which a first heat medium that is a liquid and has collected waste heat of the water electrolysis cell flows, wherein:
the electrochemical hydrogen pump is configured to be heated by heat exchange with the first heat medium after collecting the waste heat of the water electrolysis cell,
one end of the first flow path is connected to the water electrolysis apparatus, and
another end of the first flow path is connected to the electrochemical hydrogen pump so that the first heat medium flows into the electrochemical hydrogen pump.

2. The hydrogen system according to claim 1 , wherein the first flow path is arranged in such a way that the first heat medium performs heat exchange with each of the water electrolysis cell and the electrochemical hydrogen pump, and after the first heat medium collects waste heat of the water electrolysis cell, the first heat medium performs heat exchange with the electrochemical hydrogen pump.

3. The hydrogen system according to claim 2 , further comprising a first cooler that cools the first heat medium having collected waste heat of the water electrolysis cell before the first heat medium performs heat exchange with the electrochemical hydrogen pump.

4. The hydrogen system according to claim 3 , further comprising a controller that causes the first cooler to increase a degree of cooling when a temperature of an electrochemical cell included in the electrochemical hydrogen pump increases.

5. The hydrogen system according to claim 3 , wherein the first cooler is a first thermal storage that stores heat collected from the first heat medium.

6. The hydrogen system according to claim 1 , wherein the first heat medium is liquid water for water electrolysis supplied to the water electrolysis apparatus.

7. The hydrogen system according to claim 1 , wherein the first heat medium is coolant that cools the water electrolysis cell, and the coolant is different from liquid water for water electrolysis supplied to the water electrolysis apparatus.

8. The hydrogen system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first cooler that cools the first heat medium having collected waste heat of the water electrolysis cell before the first heat medium performs heat exchange with the electrochemical hydrogen pump;
a first branch path that branches off from the first flow path, passes through the first cooler, and merges into the first flow path; and
a first flow-rate controller that controls a flow rate of the first heat medium flowing into the first branch path.

9. The hydrogen system according to claim 8 , further comprising a controller that, when a temperature of an electrochemical cell included in the electrochemical hydrogen pump increases, causes the first flow-rate controller to increase the flow rate of the first heat medium flowing into the first branch path.

10. The hydrogen system according to claim 1 , further comprising a first deliverer that delivers the first heat medium to the first flow path, wherein the first deliverer is caused to start operation when the electrochemical hydrogen pump starts operation.

11. The hydrogen system according to claim 1 , further comprising a tank that is provided on the gas flow path and stores the hydrogen-containing gas.

12. The hydrogen system according to claim 1 , further comprising a fuel cell provided on the gas flow path downstream of the electrochemical hydrogen pump.

13. A hydrogen system comprising:
a water electrolysis apparatus including a water electrolysis cell;
an electrochemical hydrogen pump that increases a pressure of hydrogen-containing gas produced by the water electrolysis apparatus;
a gas flow path that supplies the hydrogen-containing gas produced by the water electrolysis apparatus to the electrochemical hydrogen pump;
a first flow path through which a first heat medium that is a liquid and has collected waste heat of the water electrolysis cell flows; and
a gas-liquid separator provided on the gas flow path, wherein:
the first heat medium is liquid water separated from the hydrogen-containing gas by the gas-liquid separator,
one end of the first flow path is connected to a reservoir in which liquid water in the gas-liquid separator collects, and
another end of the first flow path is connected to the electrochemical hydrogen pump so that the first heat medium flows into the electrochemical hydrogen pump.

14. The hydrogen system according to claim 13 , further comprising a second cooler that cools the hydrogen-containing gas flowing through the gas flow path upstream of the gas-liquid separator or the hydrogen-containing gas flowing inside the gas-liquid separator.

15. The hydrogen system according to claim 14 , further comprising a controller that increases a degree of cooling by the second cooler when a temperature of an electrochemical cell included in the electrochemical hydrogen pump increases.

16. The hydrogen system according to claim 13 , further comprising:
a gas branch path that branches off from the gas flow path upstream of the gas-liquid separator and merges into the gas flow path downstream of a position where the gas branch path branches off and upstream of the gas-liquid separator;
a second cooler that cools the hydrogen-containing gas flowing through the gas branch path; and
a gas flow-rate controller that controls a flow rate of the hydrogen-containing gas flowing into the gas branch path.

17. The hydrogen system according to claim 16 , further comprising a controller that, when a temperature of an electrochemical cell included in the electrochemical hydrogen pump increases, causes the gas flow-rate controller to increase the flow rate of the hydrogen-containing gas flowing into the gas branch path.

18. A hydrogen system comprising:
a water electrolysis apparatus including a water electrolysis cell;
an electrochemical hydrogen pump that increases a pressure of hydrogen-containing gas produced by the water electrolysis apparatus;
a gas flow path that supplies the hydrogen-containing gas produced by the water electrolysis apparatus to the electrochemical hydrogen pump;
a first flow path through which a first heat medium that is a liquid and has collected waste heat of the water electrolysis cell flows;
a back-flow path that branches off from the first flow path and returns to the water electrolysis apparatus;
a back-flow-rate controller that controls a flow rate of the first heat medium flowing into the back-flow path; and
a controller that controls the back-flow-rate controller, wherein:
the electrochemical hydrogen pump is configured to be heated by heat exchange with the first heat medium after collecting the waste heat of the water electrolysis cell, and
the first flow path is arranged in such a way that the first heat medium performs heat exchange with each of the water electrolysis cell and the electrochemical hydrogen pump, and after the first heat medium collects waste heat of the water electrolysis cell, the first heat medium performs heat exchange with the electrochemical hydrogen pump.

19. The hydrogen system according to claim 18 , wherein when the water electrolysis apparatus per

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Oto Takashi
• Kita Hiromi

Classifications

• C25B15/08

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

• B01D53/26

  Drying gases or vapours · CPC title

• C25B9/70

  Assemblies comprising two or more cells · CPC title

• C25B15/021

  of heating or cooling · CPC title

• C25B15/02

  Process control or regulation · CPC title