Processing method and processing apparatus related to electrochemical cell, and non-transitory storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025192205-A1
Application number	US-202519056826-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 19, 2025
Priority date	Mar 8, 2023
Publication date	Jun 12, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

In an embodiment, a processing method related to an electrochemical cell, in which at least one of an anode and a cathode includes a catalyst, is provided. In the processing method, whether or not a target electrochemical cell can be reused as it is determined based on a sum of a cell membrane resistance caused by a membrane and a cell catalyst resistance caused by a catalyst. In the processing method, whether or not the target electrochemical cell can be regenerated without separating the anode and the cathode is determined based on the cell catalyst resistance when it is determined that the target electrochemical cell cannot be reused as it is.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A processing method related to an electrochemical cell in which at least one of an anode and a cathode includes a catalyst and an electrochemical reaction occurs by an input of power or power generated by an electrochemical reaction is output, the processing method comprising:
determining, for a target electrochemical cell, whether or not the target electrochemical cell can be reused as it is based on a sum of a cell membrane resistance caused by a membrane and a cell catalyst resistance caused by a catalyst; and determining whether or not the target electrochemical cell can be regenerated without separating the anode and the cathode based on the cell catalyst resistance when it is determined that the target electrochemical cell cannot be reused as it is.

2 . The processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising performing at least one of:
when it is determined that the target electrochemical cell cannot be regenerated in a state where the anode and the cathode are not separated, determining whether or not the catalyst of the anode of the target electrochemical cell can be reused as it is based on an anode catalyst resistance due to the catalyst of the anode; and determining whether or not the catalyst of the cathode of the target electrochemical cell can be reused as it is based on a cathode catalyst resistance caused by the catalyst of the cathode.

3 . The processing method according to claim 2 , further comprising recovering an element contained in the catalyst or a compound or a mixture of the elements by decomposing the catalyst determined to be unreusable as it is in the target electrochemical cell.

4 . The processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, for a target electrochemical module to which a plurality of the electrochemical cells are electrically connected, whether or not the target electrochemical module can be regenerated without separating the plurality of the electrochemical cells from each other based on a module catalyst resistance caused by a catalyst; determining whether or not each of a plurality of the electrochemical cells constituting the target electrochemical module can be reused as it is based on the sum of the cell membrane resistance and the cell catalyst resistance when it is determined that the target electrochemical module cannot be regenerated in a state where the plurality of the electrochemical cells are not separated from each other; and determining, when there is the electrochemical cell determined not to be able to be reused as it is, whether or not the electrochemical cell determined not to be able to be reused as it is can be regenerated without separating the anode and the cathode based on the cell catalyst resistance.

5 . The processing method according to claim 4 , further comprising
diagnosing the target electrochemical module and each of the plurality of electrochemical cells constituting the target electrochemical module by estimating the module catalyst resistance of the target electrochemical module and the cell membrane resistance and the cell catalyst resistance of each of the plurality of electrochemical cells constituting the target electrochemical module when the target electrochemical module is used, wherein in the determination for the target electrochemical module, the determination is made using the estimation result of the module catalyst resistance in the diagnosis at the time of use, and in the determination for each of the plurality of electrochemical cells constituting the target electrochemical module, the determination is made using the estimation results of the cell membrane resistance and the cell catalyst resistance in the diagnosis at the time of use.

6 . The processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising
diagnosing the target electrochemical cell by estimating the cell membrane resistance and the cell catalyst resistance of the target electrochemical cell at the time of use of the target electrochemical cell, wherein in the determination for the target electrochemical cell, the determination is made using the estimation results of the cell membrane resistance and the cell catalyst resistance in the diagnosis at the time of use.

7 . The processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising performing regeneration in a state where the anode and the cathode are not separated with respect to the target electrochemical cell determined to be able to be regenerated without separating the anode and the cathode.

8 . The processing method according to claim 1 , wherein in the determination for the target electrochemical cell, the determination is made using any one of a water electrolysis cell that electrolyzes water by input of the power, a P2C cell that electrolyzes carbon dioxide by input of the power, and a fuel battery cell that generates the power output by supply of oxygen and fuel, as the target electrochemical cell.

9 . A processing apparatus related to an electrochemical cell in which at least one of an anode and a cathode includes a catalyst and an electrochemical reaction occurs by an input of power or power generated by an electrochemical reaction is output, the processing apparatus comprising a processor configured to:
determine, for a target electrochemical cell, whether or not the target electrochemical cell can be reused as it is based on a sum of a cell membrane resistance caused by a membrane and a cell catalyst resistance caused by a catalyst; and determine whether or not the target electrochemical cell can be regenerated without separating the anode and the cathode based on the cell catalyst resistance when it is determined that the target electrochemical cell cannot be reused as it is.

10 . A non-transitory storage medium, a processing program related to an electrochemical cell in which at least one of an anode and a cathode includes a catalyst and an electrochemical reaction occurs by input of power or power generated by an electrochemical reaction is output being stored in the non-transitory storage medium, the processing program causing a computer to:
determine, for a target electrochemical cell, whether or not the target electrochemical cell can be reused as it is based on a sum of a cell membrane resistance caused by a membrane and a cell catalyst resistance caused by a catalyst; and determine whether or not the target electrochemical cell can be regenerated without separating the anode and the cathode based on the cell catalyst resistance when it is determined that the target electrochemical cell cannot be reused as it is.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Fukaya Taro
• Kondo Asato
• Kanai Yuta
• Yagi Ryosuke
• Sugano Yoshitsune
• Yoshinaga Norihiro

Classifications

• H01M8/186

  by electrolytic decomposition of the electrolytic solution or the formed water product · CPC title

• H01M8/04649 Primary

  of fuel cell stacks · CPC title

• H01M8/008

  Disposal or recycling of fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04679

  of fuel cell stacks · CPC title

• H01M8/04641 Primary

  of the individual fuel cell · CPC title