Electrolytic cell and hydrogen production apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020283916-A1
Application number	US-202016782126-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 5, 2020
Priority date	Mar 6, 2019
Publication date	Sep 10, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an electrolytic cell includes: a housing for retaining an electrolytic solution; a diaphragm that partitions an interior of the housing into an anode-side cell and a cathode-side cell; an anode electrode that is provided in the anode-side cell and has most of a surface in contact with an anode-side gas phase; and a cathode electrode that is provided in the cathode-side cell and has most of a surface in contact with a cathode-side gas phase. According to the other embodiment, a hydrogen production apparatus according to the present embodiment includes: an electrolytic solution tank that retains an electrolytic solution; and a pump that supplies the electrolytic solution between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode from the electrolytic solution tank.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electrolytic cell comprising:
a housing; a diaphragm that partitions an interior of the housing into an anode-side cell and a cathode-side cell; an anode electrode that is provided in the anode-side cell and has most of a surface in contact with an anode-side gas phase; and a cathode electrode that is provided in the cathode-side cell and has most of a surface in contact with a cathode-side gas phase, wherein an electrolytic solution is supplied between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode.

2 . The electrolytic cell according to claim 1 , the anode-side cell includes an anode-side space and the cathode-side cell includes a cathode-side space, each of the spaces is provided in an opposite side of the electrodes against the diaphragm.

3 . The electrolytic cell according to claim 1 , the diaphragm is a porous film that allows water molecules and ions to pass through but does not allow large air bubbles to pass through.

4 . The electrolytic cell according to claim 1 , each electrode has a plurality of holes, each hole penetrates from one surface of the electrode in contact with the diaphragm through to an opposite surface of the electrode in contact with the gas phase.

5 . An electrolytic cell comprising:
a housing; and a diaphragm that partitions an interior of the housing into an anode-side cell and a cathode-side cell, wherein the anode-side cell is filled with an anode-side gas phase, the cathode-side cell is filled with a cathode-side gas phase, and an electrolytic solution is supplied between the anode-side cell and the cathode-side cell.

6 . An electrolytic cell comprising:
a diaphragm that partitions an anode-side cell and a cathode-side cell; an anode electrode that is a plate-like body including a first anode surface, a second anode surface, and an anode end surface formed between an end portion of the first anode surface and an end portion of the second anode surface and in which the first anode surface is provided on the anode-side cell adjacent to the diaphragm; a cathode electrode that is a plate-like body including a first cathode surface, a second cathode surface, and a cathode end surface formed between an end portion of the first cathode surface and an end portion of the second cathode surface and in which the first cathode surface is provided on the cathode-side cell adjacent to the diaphragm; a first anode hole that is provided in the anode electrode and has one end opened in the first anode surface and the other end opened in the second anode surface; and a first cathode hole that is provided in the cathode electrode and has one end opened in the first cathode surface and the other end opened in the second cathode surface.

7 . The electrolytic cell according to claim 6 , further comprising a second anode hole that is provided in the anode electrode and has one end opened in the first anode surface and the other end opened in the anode end surface.

8 . The electrolytic cell according to claim 6 , further comprising a second cathode hole that is provided in the cathode electrode and has one end opened in the first cathode surface and the other end opened in the cathode end surface.

9 . The electrolytic cell according to claim 7 ,
Wherein the diaphragm is located between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode, the diaphragm is formed of an insulating porous material, and the electrolytic solution supplied between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode is movable between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode through a hole in the diaphragm.

10 . The electrolytic cell according to claim 6 ,
wherein the electrolytic solution is an alkaline aqueous solution, and the electrolytic solution has a mass percent concentration of potassium hydroxide used of 5% (w/w) or more.

11 . The electrolytic cell according to claim 6 ,
wherein at least one of the anode electrode and the cathode electrode has a gyroidal structure or a lattice structure.

12 . A hydrogen production apparatus comprising:
the electrolytic cell according to claim 5 , the electrolytic cell is partitioned by a diaphragm into an anode-side cell and a cathode-side cell and in which an anode electrode is provided in the anode-side cell and a cathode electrode is provided in the cathode-side cell; an electrolytic solution tank retaining the electrolytic solution; and a pump that supplies the electrolytic solution between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode from the electrolytic solution tank.

13 . The hydrogen production apparatus according to claim 12 , further comprising:
an electrolytic solution tank retaining an electrolytic solution in contact with a diaphragm; and a pump for supplying the electrolytic solution from the electrolytic solution tank.

14 . The hydrogen production apparatus according to claim 12 , further comprising:
a pipe that discharges the electrolytic solution from the electrolytic cell; a pipe that discharges an oxygen gas from the anode-side cell; and a pipe that discharges a hydrogen gas from the cathode-side cell.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Murayama Hirotoshi

Classifications

• Y02E60/36

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

• C25B11/03 Primary

  perforated or foraminous · CPC title

• C25B9/73

  of the filter-press type · CPC title

• C25B9/19

  with diaphragms · CPC title

• C25B11/00

  Electrodes; Manufacture thereof not otherwise provided for · CPC title