Operating an electrolysis device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023374682-A1
Application number	US-202118030852-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 9, 2021
Priority date	Oct 12, 2020
Publication date	Nov 23, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electrolysis device having at least one electrolytic cell and an electrolysis energy source connected to the at least one electrolytic cell. A method for operating an electrolysis device includes applying an electrical electrolysis current to at least one electrolytic cell of the electrolysis device during normal operation in order to perform electrolysis of a substance located in a reaction chamber of the electrolytic cell, and detecting the electrical electrolysis current by a sensor unit. A protective voltage is applied to at least one electrolytic cell according to the detected electrical electrolysis current, which protective voltage is provided individually for the at least one electrolytic cell.

First claim

1 . A circuit arrangement for at least one electrolytic cell of an electrolysis device, comprising:
an electrical auxiliary voltage source which is designed to provide an electrical auxiliary DC voltage, connection contacts for electrical connection to cell connections of the at least one electrolytic cell, a protective voltage unit which is electrically coupled to the electrical auxiliary voltage source and is designed to provide an individual protective voltage for the at least one electrolytic cell, and a switching unit which is connected to the protective voltage unit and to the connection contacts and is designed to electrically couple the protective voltage unit for providing the protective voltage at the connection contacts to the connection contacts depending on a switching state of the switching unit.

2 . The circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the switching unit comprises at least one individual switching element for each of the connection contacts.

3 . The circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the protective voltage unit for providing the protective voltage comprises an electronic voltage converter electrically connected to the electrical auxiliary voltage source.

4 . The circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 3 ,
wherein the voltage converter is in the form of an in-phase regulator.

5 . The circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 3 ,
wherein the voltage converter has at least one diode and/or at least one electrical resistor which is used to provide the protective voltage.

6 . The circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a sensor unit which is connected at least to the switching unit and is designed to capture an electrolysis current of the at least one electrolytic cell and to transmit a corresponding sensor signal at least to the switching unit.

7 . An electrolysis device, comprising:
at least one electrolytic cell and an electrolysis energy source connected to the at least one electrolytic cell, and a circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1 , which is connected to the at least one electrolytic cell.

8 . The electrolysis device as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising:
a control unit which is designed to capture an operating state of the electrolysis energy source and to transmit a state signal to the circuit arrangement depending on the captured operating state, wherein the circuit arrangement is designed to provide a protective voltage for the at least one electrolytic cell depending on the state signal.

9 . The electrolysis device as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising:
an isolating unit which is designed to electrically isolate the electrolysis energy source from the at least one electrolytic cell depending on a switching state of the isolating unit.

10 . A method for operating an electrolysis device, comprising:
applying an electrical electrolysis current to at least one electrolytic cell of the electrolysis device during intended operation in order to electrolyze a substance arranged in a reaction chamber of the electrolytic cell, capturing the electrical electrolysis current by a sensor unit, and applying a protective voltage, which is individually provided for the at least one electrolytic cell, to the at least one electrolytic cell depending on the captured electrical electrolysis current.

Assignees

• Siemens Energy Global Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Utz Peter

Classifications

• C25B15/06 Primary

  Detection or inhibition of short circuits in the cell · CPC title

• C25B15/023

  Measuring, analysing or testing during electrolytic production · CPC title

• C25B1/34

  Simultaneous production of alkali metal hydroxides and chlorine, oxyacids or salts of chlorine, e.g. by chlor-alkali electrolysis · CPC title

• C25B9/65

  Means for supplying current; Electrode connections; Electric inter-cell connections · CPC title

• H02J1/106 Primary

  for load balancing, symmetrisation, or sharing · CPC title