Solid oxide electrolyzer systems containing hydrogen pump and method of operating thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022349076-A1
Application number	US-202217734423-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 2, 2022
Priority date	May 3, 2021
Publication date	Nov 3, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of operating a solid oxide electrolyzer system includes providing a water inlet stream to at least one solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC), generating a wet hydrogen product stream from the at least one SOEC, providing the wet hydrogen product stream to at least one hydrogen pump, generating a compressed hydrogen product and an unpumped effluent in the at least one hydrogen pump, and recycling at least a portion of the unpumped effluent upstream of the at least one hydrogen pump.

First claim

1 . A method of operating a solid oxide electrolyzer system, comprising:
providing a water inlet stream to at least one solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC); generating a wet hydrogen product stream from the at least one SOEC; providing the wet hydrogen product stream to at least one hydrogen pump; generating a compressed hydrogen product and an unpumped effluent in the at least one hydrogen pump; and recycling at least a portion of the unpumped effluent upstream of the at least one hydrogen pump.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising condensing water and exhausting the water from the wet hydrogen product stream prior to providing the wet hydrogen product stream to the at least one hydrogen pump.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least the portion of the unpumped effluent is recycled by a blower to an inlet of the at least one hydrogen pump.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least the portion of the unpumped effluent is recycled by a blower through at least one condenser into the water inlet stream.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one hydrogen pump comprises an electrochemical hydrogen pump which generates the compressed hydrogen product comprising greater than 99 volume percent hydrogen.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing the compressed hydrogen product from the at least one hydrogen pump to at least one additional higher pressure hydrogen pump; generating an additional higher pressure compressed hydrogen product and additional unpumped effluent in the least one additional higher pressure hydrogen pump; and recycling at least a portion of the additional unpumped effluent into the water inlet stream.

7 . A solid oxide electrolyzer system, comprising:
a water inlet conduit fluidly connected to a hot box containing at least one solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC); at least one hydrogen pump; at least one product conduit fluidly connecting a product outlet of the hot box to an inlet of the at least one hydrogen pump; a compressed hydrogen product conduit connected to a compressed hydrogen product outlet of the at least one hydrogen pump; and at least one recycle conduit connected to an unpumped effluent outlet of the at least one hydrogen pump and configured to recycle at least a portion of the unpumped effluent upstream of the at least one hydrogen pump.

8 . The solid oxide electrolyzer system of claim 7 , further comprising a condenser fluidly connected to the at least one product conduit.

9 . The solid oxide electrolyzer system of claim 7 , further comprising a blower configured to recycle at least the portion of the unpumped effluent to an inlet of the at least one hydrogen pump.

10 . The solid oxide electrolyzer system of claim 7 , further comprising a blower configured to recycle at least the portion of the unpumped effluent to the water inlet conduit.

11 . The solid oxide electrolyzer system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one hydrogen pump comprises an electrochemical hydrogen pump which generates a compressed hydrogen product comprising greater than 99 volume percent hydrogen.

12 . The solid oxide electrolyzer system of claim 7 , further comprising:
at least one additional higher pressure hydrogen pump fluidly connected to the compressed hydrogen product conduit and configured to generate an additional higher pressure compressed hydrogen product and additional unpumped effluent; and at least one hydrogen recycle conduit fluidly connected between an additional unpumped effluent outlet of the at least one additional higher pressure hydrogen pump and the water inlet conduit.

Assignees

• Bloom Energy Corp

Inventors

• Weingaertner David
• Perry Martin
• Gasda Michael

Classifications

• Y02E60/36

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

• C01B3/501

  by diffusion · CPC title

• C25B15/083 Primary

  Separating products · CPC title

• C25B15/08 Primary

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

• C25B9/67

  Heating or cooling means · CPC title