Electrochemical hydrogen pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12203178-B2
Application number	US-202418598841-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2024
Priority date	Jun 14, 2018
Publication date	Jan 21, 2025
Grant date	Jan 21, 2025

Abstract

An electrochemical hydrogen pump includes at least one hydrogen pump unit including an electrolyte membrane, an anode on one main surface of the electrolyte membrane, a cathode on the other main surface of the electrolyte membrane, an anode separator on the anode, and a cathode separator on the cathode, the at least one hydrogen pump unit transferring, to the cathode, hydrogen supplied to the anode and pressurizing the hydrogen, a first fixing member for preventing movement of the cathode separator in a direction in which the cathode separator is stacked, a first end plate on the anode separator at one end in the stacking direction, a second end plate on the cathode separator at the other end in the stacking direction, and a first gas flow channel through which hydrogen in the cathode is supplied to a first space between the second end plate and the cathode separator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrochemical hydrogen pump comprising:
at least one hydrogen pump unit including an electrolyte membrane, an anode in contact with one main surface of the electrolyte membrane, a cathode in contact with another main surface of the electrolyte membrane, an anode separator stacked on the anode, and a cathode separator stacked on the cathode, the at least one hydrogen pump unit transferring, to the cathode, hydrogen contained in a hydrogen-containing gas supplied to the anode and pressurizing the hydrogen;
an anode end plate disposed on the anode separator positioned at one end in the stacking direction;
a cathode end plate disposed on the cathode separator positioned at another end in the stacking direction;
a first fixing member for preventing movement of a member which is located at least from the anode end plate to the anode separator located at one end in the stacking direction; and
a first gas flow channel through which hydrogen in the cathode is supplied to a first space formed between the anode end plate and the anode separator.

2. The electrochemical hydrogen pump according to claim 1 , wherein the first space is formed parallel to a main surface of the anode.

3. The electrochemical hydrogen pump according to claim 1 , wherein an area of an opening of the first space that is parallel to a main surface of the anode separator is equal to or larger than an area of a main surface of the anode.

4. The electrochemical hydrogen pump according to claim 1 , wherein an area of an opening of the first space that is parallel to a main surface of the anode separator is equal to or smaller than an area of the main surface of the anode separator.

5. The electrochemical hydrogen pump according to claim 1 ,
wherein the anode includes an anode gas diffusion layer,
the cathode includes a cathode gas diffusion layer, and
an elastic modulus of the anode gas diffusion layer is higher than an elastic modulus of the cathode gas diffusion layer.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ukai Kunihiro
• Kawabata Norihiko
• Sakai Osamu
• Wakita Hidenobu
• Zhang Jin
• Kani Yukimune

Classifications

• B01D53/326

  in electrochemical cells · CPC title

• C25B9/23

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

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• F04B45/047

  Pumps having electric drive · CPC title

• Y02E60/36

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