Bypassing properly operating cells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025154675-A1
Application number	US-202318506776-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 10, 2023
Priority date	Nov 10, 2023
Publication date	May 15, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for operating an electrolyzer. The systems and methods include operations comprising: determining that a first electrolytic cell in a first electrolyzer stack is associated with a first set of performance criteria that fails to satisfy one or more operating conditions; identifying a second electrolytic cell that is associated with a second set of performance criteria that satisfies the one or more operating conditions; and bypassing the first electrolytic cell and the second electrolytic cell in response to determining that the first electrolytic cell in the first electrolyzer stack is associated with the first set of performance criteria that fails to satisfy the one or more operating conditions and based on identifying the second electrolytic cell that is associated with the second set of performance criteria that satisfies the one or more operating conditions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system comprising:
a first electrolyzer stack comprising a first plurality of electrolytic cells; and control circuitry coupled to the first electrolyzer stack and configured to perform operations comprising:
determining that a first electrolytic cell in the first electrolyzer stack is associated with a first set of performance criteria that fails to satisfy one or more operating conditions;
determining that a second electrolytic cell is associated with a second set of performance criteria that satisfies the one or more operating conditions; and
bypassing the first electrolytic cell and the second electrolytic cell in response to determining that the first electrolytic cell in the first electrolyzer stack is associated with the first set of performance criteria that fails to satisfy the one or more operating conditions and based on determining that the second electrolytic cell is associated with the second set of performance criteria that satisfies the one or more operating conditions.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the second electrolytic cell is in the first electrolyzer stack and is adjacent to the first electrolytic cell on a first side of the first electrolytic cell.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the operations further comprise:
identifying a third electrolytic cell in the first electrolyzer stack that is adjacent to the first electrolytic cell on a second side of the first electrolytic cell in response to determining that the first electrolytic cell in the first electrolyzer stack is associated with the first set of performance criteria that fails to satisfy the one or more operating conditions.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining that the third electrolytic cell is associated with a third set of performance criteria that satisfies the one or more operating conditions; and bypassing the third electrolytic cell along with the first electrolytic cell and the second electrolytic cell in response to determining that the first electrolytic cell in the first electrolyzer stack is associated with the first set of performance criteria that fails to satisfy the one or more operating conditions and based on identifying the third electrolytic cell in the first electrolyzer stack that is adjacent to the first electrolytic cell on a second side of the first electrolytic cell.

5 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the operations further comprise:
bypassing multiple adjacent electrolytic cells along with the first electrolytic cell in response to determining that the first electrolytic cell in the first electrolyzer stack is associated with the first set of performance criteria that fails to satisfy the one or more operating conditions, the multiple adjacent electrolytic cells being on a same side relative to the first electrolytic cell and being associated with respective sets of performance criteria that satisfies the one or more operating conditions.

6 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the operations for bypassing the first electrolytic cell and the second electrolytic cell comprise closing a single switch that is associated with the first electrolytic cell for routing current from a first bipolar plate of the second electrolytic cell around a second bipolar plate of the first electrolytic cell to a third bipolar plate of the first electrolytic cell, the single switch preventing current from passing through an individual bipolar plate of the second electrolytic cell to the second bipolar plate when the single switch is closed.

7 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second electrolyzer stack comprising a second plurality of electrolytic cells coupled to the control circuitry, the second plurality of electrolytic cells comprising the second electrolytic cell, and the first electrolyzer stack being electrically coupled in parallel with the second electrolyzer stack.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining that the first electrolyzer stack is aging at a different rate from the second electrolyzer stack, wherein the first electrolytic cell and the second electrolytic cell are bypassed to balance aging across the first and second electrolyzer stacks.

9 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining that the first electrolyzer stack is associated with a different amount of current or voltage from the second electrolyzer stack, wherein the first electrolytic cell and the second electrolytic cell are bypassed to balance current or voltage across the first and second electrolyzer stacks.

10 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining that the second electrolytic cell has been bypassed with the first electrolytic cell for a threshold period of time; and in response to determining that the second electrolytic cell has been bypassed with the first electrolytic cell for the threshold period of time:
identifying a third electrolytic cell in the second electrolyzer stack that is associated with a third set of performance criteria that satisfies the one or more operating conditions; and
bypassing the third electrolytic cell instead of the second electrolytic cell to bypass the first electrolytic cell and the third electrolytic cell in response to determining that the first electrolytic cell in the first electrolyzer stack is associated with the first set of performance criteria that fails to satisfy the one or more operating conditions.

11 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise:
selecting the second electrolytic cell from the second plurality of electrolytic cells of the second electrolyzer stack to bypass based on one or more cell selection criteria.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more cell selection criteria comprises at least one of voltage or current associated with the second electrolytic cell relative to voltage or current of other electrolytic cells, an alignment property associated with the first and second electrolyzer stacks, or an aging profile of the second electrolytic cell.

13 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining that a third electrolytic cell of the second plurality of electrolytic cells of the second electrolyzer stack is associated with a third set of performance criteria that fails to satisfy the one or more operating conditions; and in response to determining that the third electrolytic cell of the second plurality of electrolytic cells of the second electrolyzer stack is associated with the third set of performance criteria that fails to satisfy the one or more operating conditions:
bypassing the third electrolytic cell instead of the second electrolytic cell to bypass the first electrolytic cell and the third electrolytic cell.

14 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise:
initializing operation of the first and second electrolyzer stacks by bypassing a first good electrolytic cell of the first electrolyzer stack and bypassing a second good electrolytic cell of the second electrolyzer stack; after initializing operation of the first and second electrolyzer stacks, determining that the first electrolytic cell in the first electrolyzer stack is associated with the first set of performance criteria that fails to satisfy one or more operating conditions; and replacing bypass of the first good electrolytic cell of the first electrolyzer stack with bypass of the first electrolytic cell in response to determining that the first electrolytic cell in the first electrolyzer stack is associa

Assignees

• Analog Devices Inc

Inventors

• Seidel Sheila Patricia
• Harrington Brian
• Zheng Sue
• Marathe Radhika

Classifications

• C25B9/75

  having bipolar electrodes · CPC title

• C25B15/06

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

• C25B1/04 Primary

  by electrolysis of water · CPC title

• C25B15/023

  Measuring, analysing or testing during electrolytic production · CPC title

• C25B15/02 Primary

  Process control or regulation · CPC title