Monitoring condition of electrochemical cells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018245226-A1
Application number	US-201815900343-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 20, 2018
Priority date	Feb 24, 2017
Publication date	Aug 30, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and computer programs that relate to monitoring condition of one or more electrochemical cells or a group of the electrochemical cells in one or more electrolyzers.

First claim

1 . A method for monitoring condition of one or more electrochemical cells in an electrolyzer, the method comprising:
characterizing a reference voltage range for one or more electrochemical cells in an electrolyzer during operation, wherein the one or more electrochemical cells comprise an anode in contact with an anolyte comprising metal ions, and wherein the reference voltage range is dynamic dependent on factors comprising current density and concentration of the metal ions in the anolyte of the one or more electrochemical cells; acquiring a voltage of the one or more electrochemical cells during the operation; comparing the acquired voltage with the reference voltage range based on the factors; and generating an alarm trigger when the acquired voltage deviates from the reference voltage range, thereby monitoring the condition of the one or more electrochemical cells in the electrolyzer.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining the concentration of the metal ions in the anolyte of the one or more electrochemical cells and based on the determination, characterizing the reference voltage range for the one or more electrochemical cells.

3 . The method of claim 2 , comprising determining the concentration of the metal ions in the feed anolyte and/or exit anolyte from the one or more of the electrochemical cells in the electrolyzer.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the anolyte further comprises salt ions and the factors further comprise concentration of the salt ions in the anolyte during the operation of the one or more electrochemical cells.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the salt ions are alkali metal salt ions or alkaline earth metal salt ions.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentration of the metal ions in the anolyte comprises concentration of the metal ions in the lower oxidation state, concentration of the metal ions in the higher oxidation state, ratio of the concentration of the metal ions in the lower oxidation state to the metal ions in the higher oxidation state, or combinations thereof.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal ion is copper (Cu).

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentration of the metal ions comprises concentration of Cu(I), concentration of Cu(II), concentration of total Cu(I) and Cu(II), ratio of the concentration of Cu(I) to Cu(II), or combinations thereof.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising obtaining data from in-situ or ex-situ analytical techniques and based on the data determining the concentration of the metal ions and/or the concentration of the salt ions in the anolyte during the operation.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the in-situ or ex-situ analytical techniques comprise coriolis meter, titration of the anolyte, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) technique, ultra-microelectrode (UME) technique, or combinations thereof.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the operation comprises start-up, shut-down, steady state, transient state, or combinations thereof.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the alarm trigger comprises generating an alarm to analyze the one or more electrochemical cells in the electrolyzer; generating interlock protocol; generating shut-down protocol; or combinations thereof.

13 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising classifying the one or more electrochemical cells as significantly damaged, damaged, or undamaged, based on the comparison or the alarm trigger.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising measuring a physical parameter of the one or more electrochemical cells classified as significantly damaged or damaged, wherein the physical parameter comprises current distribution, coloration of liquid exiting the cells, pressure of gas in the cells, pressure or flow of liquid entering the cells, pressure or flow of liquid exiting the cells, or combinations thereof.

15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising based on the measurement, evaluating: size and position of a pinhole in a membrane in the cell; position of blockage of the flow in the cell; position of a pinch in feed line; fouling of the membrane; construction of the cell; welded points in the cell; or combinations thereof.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising taking a maintenance action on the one or more electrochemical cells based on the evaluation.

17 . A system for monitoring condition of one or more electrochemical cells in an electrolyzer, the system comprising:
a voltage acquisition module coupled to each one of electrochemical cells or a group of the electrochemical cells in an electrolyzer and adapted for characterizing a reference voltage range and for acquiring voltage for each one of the electrochemical cells or the group of the electrochemical cells during operation, wherein each one of the electrochemical cells comprise an anode in contact with an anolyte comprising metal ions, and wherein the reference voltage range is dynamic dependent on factors comprising current density and concentration of the metal ions in the anolyte of the one or more electrochemical cells; a factor acquisition module adapted for acquiring data related to the factors comprising the current density and the concentration of the metal ions in the anolyte of the one or more electrochemical cells; a comparison module coupled to the voltage acquisition module and the factor acquisition module, the comparison module adapted to compare the acquired voltage with the characterized reference voltage range based on the factors; and trigger an alarm when the acquired voltage deviates from the reference voltage range.

18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the factor acquisition module is adapted to acquire data related to the factors comprising the current density, concentration of the metal ions in the lower oxidation state, concentration of the metal ions in the higher oxidation state, ratio of the concentration of the metal ions in the lower oxidation state to the metal ions in the higher oxidation state, and/or concentration of the salt ions.

19 . The system of claim 17 , further comprising a damage evaluation module coupled to the comparison module, the damage evaluation module adapted to obtain information from one or more sensors adapted for measuring a physical parameter of each one of the cells classified as significantly damaged cells or damaged cells, wherein the physical parameter comprises current distribution, coloration of liquid exiting the cells, pressure of gas in the cells, pressure or flow of liquid entering the cells, pressure or flow of liquid exiting the cells, or combinations thereof.

20 . A computer program product encoded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, which when executed, causes a computer to monitor condition of one or more electrochemical cells in an electrolyzer, the computer program product comprising:
instructions executable to characterize reference voltage range for each one of electrochemical cells in an electrolyzer during operation, wherein each one of the electrochemical cells comprise an anode in contact with an anolyte comprising metal ions, and wherein the reference voltage range is dynamic dependent on factors comprising current density and concentration of the metal ions in the anolyte of the one or more electrochemical cells; instructions executable to acquire voltage for each one of electrochemical cells in an electrolyzer during operation; instructions executable to acquire data related to the factors comprising the current density and the conc

Assignees

• Calera Corp

Inventors

• Gilliam Ryan J

Classifications

• C25C7/06 Primary

  Operating or servicing · CPC title

• C25C1/12

  of copper · CPC title

• C25B15/027

  Temperature · CPC title

• C25B15/021

  of heating or cooling · CPC title

• C25B9/75

  having bipolar electrodes · CPC title