Hydrogen-oxygen generation system and hydrogen-oxygen generation method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021355590-A1
Application number	US-201917287304-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 24, 2019
Priority date	Oct 26, 2018
Publication date	Nov 18, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A hydrogen-oxygen generation system includes an electrolytic cell configured to generate hydrogen and oxygen by electrolyzing supplied water, and to discharge the generated hydrogen and oxygen as separate generated gasses. An accumulator includes a water storage chamber in which water is stored, and a gas chamber to which pressurized gas is supplied, and the water storage chamber and the gas chamber are separated from each other by an elastic body membrane. The accumulator is configured to transfer water stored in the water storage chamber toward the electrolytic cell at a transfer pressure in accordance with the pressure of the pressurized gas in the gas chamber. A water supply unit is configured to supply water to the water storage chamber, and a gas supply unit is configured to supply the pressurized gas to the gas chamber.

First claim

1 . A hydrogen-oxygen generation system comprising:
an electrolytic cell configured to generate hydrogen and oxygen by electrolyzing supplied water and discharge the generated hydrogen and oxygen as separate generated gasses; an accumulator including a water storage chamber in which water is stored and a gas chamber to which pressurized gas is supplied, the water storage chamber and the gas chamber being separated from each other by an elastic body membrane, the accumulator being configured to transfer the water stored in the water storage chamber toward the electrolytic cell at transfer pressure in accordance with a pressure of the pressurized gas in the gas chamber; a water supply unit configured to supply water to the water storage chamber; and a gas supply unit configured to supply the pressurized gas to the gas chamber.

2 . The hydrogen-oxygen generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the gas supply unit supplies one of the generated gasses generated by electrolyzing water at the electrolytic cell to the gas chamber as the pressurized gas.

3 . The hydrogen-oxygen generation system according to claim 2 , wherein the gas supply unit merges the pressurized gas discharged from the gas chamber into a gas transfer pipe through which the generated gas is supplied to the gas chamber.

4 . The hydrogen-oxygen generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the gas supply unit supplies stock gas to the gas chamber as the pressurized gas.

5 . The hydrogen-oxygen generation system according to claim 4 , wherein
the stock gas is nitrogen, and the gas supply unit merges nitrogen discharged from the gas chamber into a gas transfer pipe for oxygen generated by electrolyzing water at the electrolytic cell.

6 . The hydrogen-oxygen generation system according to claim 1 , further comprising a transfer pump disposed on a transfer pipe for water between the water storage chamber of the accumulator and the electrolytic cell to transfer, toward the electrolytic cell, water transferred from the accumulator, wherein
the transfer pump includes a casing connecting an inlet and an outlet for water, and an impeller disposed inside the casing, and an upper limit of transfer pressure of water is set to be a predetermined pressure by setting a gap distance between an inner wall of the casing and a front end of the impeller to be a predetermined distance.

7 . The hydrogen-oxygen generation system according to claim 1 , further comprising an impedance meter configured to measure an impedance of the electrolytic cell, wherein
transfer pressure of water transferred to the electrolytic cell is changed based on the impedance measured by the impedance meter.

8 . The hydrogen-oxygen generation system according to claim 1 , further comprising a dehumidifier configured to dehumidify each generated gas generated by the electrolytic cell.

9 . The hydrogen-oxygen generation system according to claim 1 , further comprising a vacuum discharge line disposed on a transfer pipe for water between the water storage chamber of the accumulator and the electrolytic cell to vacuumize inside of the transfer pipe.

10 . A hydrogen-oxygen generation method comprising:
storing water in a water storage chamber by supplying water from a water supply unit to the water storage chamber in which water is stored, the water storage chamber being separated by an elastic body membrane from a gas chamber to which pressurized gas is supplied in an accumulator; adjusting a pressure of pressurized gas in the gas chamber by supplying pressurized gas from a gas supply unit to the gas chamber; and transferring the stored water toward an electrolytic cell at transfer pressure in accordance with the pressure of the adjusted pressurized gas; generating hydrogen and oxygen by electrolyzing, at the electrolytic cell, the water supplied to the electrolytic cell; and discharging the generated hydrogen and oxygen as separate generated gasses.

11 . The hydrogen-oxygen generation method according to claim 10 , further comprising measuring an impedance of the electrolytic cell and changing the transfer pressure based on the measured impedance.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd
• Japan Aerospace Exploration
• Univ Kyushu Nat Univ Corp

Inventors

• Homma Atsuko
• Nagamoto Kenichi
• Ogawa Naoki
• Nakatsuchi Yuta
• Tajima Hidehiko
• Nasu Yusaku
• Sone Yoshitsugu
• Matsumoto Hiroshige

Classifications

• C25B15/023

  Measuring, analysing or testing during electrolytic production · CPC title

• C25B9/23

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

• Y02E60/36

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

• C25B15/02

  Process control or regulation · CPC title

• C25B15/08 Primary

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