Water electrolysis reactor (soec) or fuel cell (sofc) with an increased rate of water vapour use or fuel use, respectively

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019348691-A1
Application number	US-201716335546-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 20, 2017
Priority date	Sep 22, 2016
Publication date	Nov 14, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention relates to arranging a new seal within a porous substrate which forms the contact element of each hydrogen circulating electrode, such as the cathode for an SOEC reactor and the anode for an SOFC fuel cell, and in the periphery of the electrode beyond the ducts for supplying and recovering gases, in order to force the gases to circulate into the only useful zone of the cell which corresponds to the electrochemically active surface of the electrode. Thus, all of the gases supplied can be converted.

First claim

1 . A device, comprising:
an individual solid oxide electrolysis cell comprising a cathode, an anode and an electrolyte inserted between the cathode and the anode, a first and a second electrical and fluid interconnector, each consisting of a component made of electron-conducting and gastight material, the first and second interconnectors being arranged on either side of the individual cell; the first interconnector being pierced with a steam supplying conduit for supplying steam, which opens at a periphery of one side of the cathode, and with a hydrogen recovery conduit for recovering hydrogen produced, which opens at a periphery of the cell on a side of the cathode opposite the side on which the steam supplying conduit opens, so as to distribute the steam supplied and the hydrogen produced, in a first compartment; the second interconnector being pierced with an oxygen recovery conduit for recovering oxygen produced, which opens at a periphery of the cell on a side of the anode so as to distribute the oxygen produced to the oxygen recovery conduit in a second compartment; a first electrical contact element, different from the interconnectors, which is in mechanical contact on the one hand with the first interconnector and on the other hand with the cathode; the first electrical contact element being a porous substrate; a first seal arranged at a periphery of the individual cell and bearing both against the first interconnector and against the second interconnector; a second seal arranged at a periphery of the anode of the individual cell and bearing both against the second interconnector and against the electrolyte; and a third seal, inserted in the porous substrate of the first contact element and bearing against the first interconnector and the cathode by being arranged at a periphery of the steam supplying conduit and hydrogen recovery conduit, respectively, thus delimiting the first compartment for distributing the steam supplied and the hydrogen produced.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the second interconnector is pierced with a draining gas suppling conduit for supplying draining gas on the cell on a side of the anode opposite the side on which the oxygen recovery conduit opens, so as to distribute respectively the draining gas supplied and the oxygen produced, from the draining gas supplying conduit to the oxygen recovery conduit.

3 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising a second electrical contact element, which is in mechanical contact on the one hand with the anode and on the other hand with the second interconnector.

4 . A device, comprising:
an individual solid oxide electrochemical cell formed of an anode, a cathode and an electrolyte inserted between the cathode and the anode, a first and a second electrical and fluid interconnector, each consisting of a component made of electron conducting and gastight material, the first and second interconnectors being arranged on either side of the individual cell; the first interconnector being pierced with a fuel supplying conduit for supplying fuel, which opens at a periphery of one side of the anode, and with a water recovery conduit for recovering water produced, which opens at a periphery of the cell on a side of the anode opposite the side on which the fuel supplying conduit opens, so as to distribute the fuel supplied and the water produced, respectively, in a first compartment; the second interconnector being pierced with an air or oxygen supplying conduit for supplying air or oxygen, which opens at a periphery of the cell on one side of the cathode and with an air or oxygen recovery conduit for recovering surplus air or oxygen, which opens at a periphery of the cell on a side of the cathode opposite the side on which the air or oxygen supplying conduit opens, so as to distribute the air or oxygen to the air or oxygen recovery conduit in a second compartment; a first electrical contact element, different from the interconnectors, which is in mechanical contact on the one hand with the first interconnector and on the other hand with the anode; the first electrical contact element being a porous substrate; a first seal arranged at the periphery of the individual cell and bearing both against the first interconnector and against the second interconnector; a second seal arranged at the periphery of the cathode of the individual cell and bearing both against the second interconnector and against the electrolyte; a third seal, inserted into the porous substrate of the first contact element and bearing against the first interconnector and the anode by being arranged at a periphery of the fuel supplying conduit and the water recovery conduit, respectively, thus delimiting the first compartment for distributing the fuel supplied and the water produced.

5 . The device of claim 4 , further comprising a second electrical contact element, which is in mechanical contact on the one hand with the cathode and on the other hand with the second interconnector.

6 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the third seal being is arranged substantially in a vertical line with the second seal, the first contact element being considered to be above the electrolyte.

7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the third seal at the periphery of the conduits is a bead based on glass and/or glass-ceramic inserted into the porous substrate of the first contact element.

8 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the third seal at the periphery of the conduits consists of a bead based on a solder inserted into the porous substrate of the first contact element.

9 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the third seal at the periphery of the conduits has the same height as that of the porous substrate of the first contact element.

10 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the porous substrate of the first contact element is a metal screen.

11 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the porous substrate of the first electrical contact element has a surface area identical to that of the electrode with which it is in contact.

12 . An HTE electrolysis or co-electrolysis reactor, of comprising a stack of a plurality of devices claim 1 .

13 . A fuel cell, comprising a stack of a plurality of devices of claim 4 .

14 . A system, comprising the HTE electrolysis or co-electrolysis reactor of claim 12 , wherein the HTE electrolysis or co-electrolysis reactor is operable reversibly as a fuel cell.

15 . A system, comprising the fuel cell of claim 13 , wherein the fuel cell is operable reversibly as an HTE electrolysis or co-electrolysis reactor.

16 . The device of claim 4 , wherein the third seal additionally is arranged substantially in a vertical line with the second seal, the first contact element being considered to be above the electrolyte.

17 . The device of claim 4 , wherein the third seal at the periphery of the conduits is a bead based on glass and/or glass-ceramic inserted into the porous substrate of the first contact element.

18 . The device of claim 4 , wherein the third seal at the periphery of the conduits consists of a bead based on a solder inserted into the porous substrate of the first contact element.

19 . The device of claim 4 , wherein the third seal at the periphery of the conduits has the same height as that of the porous substrate of the first contact element.

20 . The device of claim 4 , wherein the porous substrate of the first contact element is a metal screen.

21 . The device of claim 4 , wherein the porous substrate of the first electrical contact element

Assignees

• Commissariat Energie Atomique

Inventors

• Di Iorio Stephane
• Roux Guilhem
• Oresic Bruno
• Reytier Magali

Classifications

• H01M8/0273 Primary

  with sealing or supporting means in the form of a frame · CPC title

• C25B15/08

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

• H01M2008/1293

  Fuel cells with solid oxide electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/1213

  characterised by the electrode/electrolyte combination or the supporting material · CPC title

• H01M8/1231

  with both reactants being gaseous or vaporised · CPC title