Differential pressure water electrolysis system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016130708-A1
Application number	US-201514931745-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 3, 2015
Priority date	Nov 6, 2014
Publication date	May 12, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A differential pressure water electrolysis system includes high-pressure water electrolysis cells and a high pressure hydrogen manifold. The high-pressure water electrolysis cells are stacked in a stacking direction. Each of the high-pressure water electrolysis cells includes an electrolyte membrane, an anode current collector, a cathode current collector, a tabular anode separator, a tabular cathode separator, a sealing member, and a resin frame member. The resin frame member is disposed between the tabular anode separator and the tabular cathode separator so as to surround the sealing member and the anode current collector. The resin frame member includes a water supply port to introduce water for electrolysis and a water discharge port to discharge a surplus of the water after electrolysis. The high pressure hydrogen manifold is provided so as to distribute hydrogen in the stacking direction and so as to be encircled by the sealing member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A differential pressure water electrolysis system, comprising:
an electrolyte membrane; an anode current collector and a cathode current collector that hold the electrolyte membrane in between; a tabular anode separator that includes an anode chamber in which the anode current collector is accommodated; a tabular cathode separator that includes a cathode chamber in which the cathode current collector is accommodated; a sealing member that is disposed in the cathode chamber so as to encircle the cathode current collector; a high-pressure water electrolysis cell that electrolyzes water that has been supplied, the high-pressure water electrolysis cell generating oxygen on an anode current collector side and generating hydrogen, on a cathode current collector side, that has a pressure that is higher than a pressure of the oxygen; and a plurality of the high-pressure water electrolysis cells being stacked, and a high pressure hydrogen manifold that distributes the hydrogen, having a high pressure, in the stacking direction of the high-pressure water electrolysis cell being provided so as to be encircled by the sealing member, wherein a resin frame member is disposed between the tabular anode separator and the tabular cathode separator so as to surround the sealing member and the anode current collector, and a water supply port that introduces water for electrolysis and a water discharge port that discharges a surplus of the water after electrolysis are formed in the resin frame member.

2 . The differential pressure water electrolysis system according to claim 1 , wherein
a tabular water plate is disposed in an inner peripheral surface of the resin frame member, and the tabular water plate includes
a water flow passage that is in communication with the water supply port and the water discharge port and that distributes the water along an inside of the tabular water plate, and
a plurality of hole portions that are in communication with the water flow passage and that supply the water to the anode current collector.

3 . The differential pressure water electrolysis system according to claim 2 , wherein
the tabular water plate includes
protrusions that protrude outwards with respect to a surface of the water plate and towards either of the water supply port and the water discharge port are formed in the tabular water plate, and
projecting portions that bulge in a water plate thickness direction are provided in the protrusions.

4 . The differential pressure water electrolysis system according to claim 1 , wherein
a first sealing member is provided between the resin frame member and the tabular anode separator, and a second sealing member is provided between the resin frame member and the tabular cathode separator, and the first sealing member and the second sealing member are disposed such that a load on the first sealing member and a load on the second sealing member are the same.

5 . A differential pressure water electrolysis system comprising:
high-pressure water electrolysis cells stacked in a stacking direction, each of the high-pressure water electrolysis cells comprising:
an electrolyte membrane;
an anode current collector and a cathode current collector that hold the electrolyte membrane between the anode current collector and the cathode current collector;
a tabular anode separator defining an anode chamber in which the anode current collector is accommodated;
a tabular cathode separator defining a cathode chamber in which the cathode current collector is accommodated;
a sealing member disposed in the cathode chamber so as to encircle the cathode current collector; and
a resin frame member disposed between the tabular anode separator and the tabular cathode separator so as to surround the sealing member and the anode current collector, the resin frame member comprising:
a water supply port to introduce water for electrolysis; and
a water discharge port to discharge a surplus of the water after electrolysis;

each of the high-pressure water electrolysis cells being to electrolyze the water that has been supplied to each of the high-pressure water electrolysis cells to generate oxygen on an anode current collector side and generate hydrogen having a pressure higher than a pressure of the oxygen on a cathode current collector side; and a high pressure hydrogen manifold provided so as to distribute the hydrogen in the stacking direction and so as to be encircled by the sealing member.

6 . The differential pressure water electrolysis system according to claim 5 ,
wherein each of the high-pressure water electrolysis cells includes a tabular water plate disposed inside an inner peripheral surface of the resin frame member, and wherein the tabular water plate includes
a water flow passage that is in communication with the water supply port and the water discharge port and that distributes the water along an inside of the tabular water plate, and
hole portions that are in communication with the water flow passage and that supply the water to the anode current collector.

7 . The differential pressure water electrolysis system according to claim 6 ,
wherein the tabular water plate includes
protrusions that protrude outwards with respect to a surface of the tabular water plate and towards either of the water supply port and the water discharge port are provided in the tabular water plate, and
projecting portions that bulge in a thickness direction of the tabular water plate are provided in the protrusions.

8 . The differential pressure water electrolysis system according to claim 5 ,
wherein each of the high-pressure water electrolysis cells includes
a first sealing member provided between the resin frame member and the tabular anode separator, and
a second sealing member provided between the resin frame member and the tabular cathode separator, and
wherein the first sealing member and the second sealing member are disposed such that a load on the first sealing member and a load on the second sealing member are the same.

9 . The differential pressure water electrolysis system according to claim 8 , p 1 wherein the first sealing member comprises a first inner sealing member which encircles a first inner peripheral edge portion of the resin frame member and a first outer sealing member which encircles a first outer peripheral edge portion of the resin frame member, and
wherein the second sealing member comprises a second inner sealing member which encircles a second inner peripheral edge portion of the resin frame member and a second outer sealing member which encircles a second outer peripheral edge portion of the resin frame member.

10 . The differential pressure water electrolysis system according to claim 9 ,
wherein the first inner sealing member, the first outer sealing member, the second inner sealing member, and the second outer sealing member are disposed such that a sum of a load on the first inner sealing member and a load on the first outer sealing member is equal to a sum of a load on the second inner sealing member and a load on the second outer sealing member.

11 . The differential pressure water electrolysis system according to claim 5 ,
wherein the high pressure hydrogen manifold is provided in center portions of the high-pressure water electrolysis cells and extends through the high-pressure water electrolysis cells in the stacking direction.

12 . The differential pressure water electrolysis system according to claim 11 ,
wherein the resin frame member includes a first bulging portion bulging outward with respect to the high pressure hydrogen manifold and h

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Daimon Hayato
• Haryu Eiji

Classifications

• C25B1/06

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C25B1/12 Primary

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C25B9/18

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C25B9/00

  Cells or assemblies of cells; Constructional parts of cells; Assemblies of constructional parts, e.g. electrode-diaphragm assemblies; Process-related cell features · CPC title

• C25B9/70

  Assemblies comprising two or more cells · CPC title