System and methods of water electrolysis

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025389033-A1
Application number	US-202418956030-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 22, 2024
Priority date	Jun 25, 2024
Publication date	Dec 25, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure generally provides systems and methods of water electrolysis. The methods include providing a first power between a first terminal plate of a first section and a second segment plate of a second section. The first section is defined by the first terminal plate and a first segment plate. The second section is defined by the first segment plate and the second segment plate. A first power fluctuation is determined from the first power to a second power. The second voltage is transmitted from the first terminal plate to the first segment plate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for electrolyzing water, the system comprising
an electrolyzer stack having at least two sections, wherein the at least two sections include:
a first section defined by a first terminal plate and a first segment plate, the first section comprising at least one electrolyzer cell, wherein the at least one electrolyzer cells comprises:
a first electrode disposed adjacent to the first terminal plate and in electrical contact with the first terminal plate;
a second electrode disposed adjacent to a first side of the first segment plate and in electrical contact with the first segment plate;

a second section defined by the first segment plate and a second segment plate, the second section comprising a second electrolyzer cell, wherein the second electrolyzer cell comprises:
a third electrode disposed adjacent to a second side of the first segment plate and in electrical contact with the first segment plate, the first side of the first segment plate opposite the second side of the first segment plate;
a fourth electrode disposed adjacent to a first side of the second segment plate and in electrical contact with the first side of the second segment plate; and

a power source electrically coupled to the first terminal plate, the first segment plate, and the second segment plate.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the power source is configured to transmit power, in a first configuration, between the first terminal plate and the second segment plate, and, in a second configuration, between one of the first terminal plate and the second segment plate and the first segment plate.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises a third section defined by the second segment plate and a second terminal plate, the third section comprising a third electrolyzer cell, wherein the third electrolyzer cell comprises:
a fifth electrode disposed adjacent to a second side of the second segment plate and in electrical contact with the second segment plate, the first side of the second segment plate opposite the second side of the second segment plate; and a sixth electrode disposed adjacent to the second terminal plate and in electrical contact with the second terminal plate.

4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the power source is electrically coupled to the second terminal plate.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the power source is configured to further transmit power, in a third configuration, between the first and second terminal plates.

6 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor configured to detect a power fluctuation.

7 . The system of claim 6 , further comprising a computing device communicatively coupled to the first section, and the second section, wherein the computing device is configured to:
receive one or more inputs from the sensor; and transmit a signal to a first power source terminal electrically coupled to the first terminal plate, a second power source terminal electrically coupled to the first segment plate, or a third power source terminal electrically coupled to a second segment plate to denote a switch from a power being transmitted between the first power source terminal and the third power source terminal to a power being transmitted between the first power source terminal and the second power source terminal.

8 . A method of electrolyzing water, the method comprising:
providing an electrolyzer stack having a plurality of sections including at least a first and a second section, wherein the first section is defined by a first terminal plate and a first segment plate and the second section is defined by the first segment plate and a second segment plate; providing an input power at a first power value between the first terminal plate and the second segment plate, thereby powering the first and second sections; determining a power fluctuation from the first power value to a second power value; and transmitting the second power value from the first terminal plate to the first segment plate.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the second power value is less than the first power value.

10 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising determining a second power fluctuation from the second power value to a third power value.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein third power value is greater than the second power value.

12 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising transmitting the input power between the first terminal plate and the second segment plate, thereby powering the first and second sections.

13 . A method of electrolyzing water, comprising:
providing an electrolyzer stack having a plurality of sections including at least a first and a second section, wherein the first section is defined by a first plate and a second plate and the second section is defined by the second plate and a third plate; sensing an input power transmitted to the electrolyzer stack from an external power source; selecting, based on the input power, a power transmission configuration between at least a first and a second configuration, wherein the first configuration comprises transmitting power to the first and the second sections via the first plate and the third plate, and wherein, the second configuration comprises transmitting power to the first section via the first and second plates; and transmitting the input power to the power transmission configuration.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the electrolyzer stack comprises a third section defined by the third plate and a fourth plate.

15 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising selecting, based on the input power, a power transmission between at least the first, the second and a third configuration.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the third configuration comprises transmitting power to the first, second and third sections via the first plate and the fourth plate.

17 . The method of claim 11 , wherein selecting the power transmission configuration comprises comparing the input power to one or more thresholds.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the input power is transmitted in the second configuration when the input power is below a first threshold.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the input power is transmitted in the first configuration when the input power is below a second threshold.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the second threshold is above the first threshold.

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Zhang Wenlin
• Fejervary Rafael
• Nelson Alan
• Lavrut Eric

Classifications

• C25B9/73

  of the filter-press type · CPC title

• C25B15/00

  Operating or servicing cells · CPC title

• C25B15/023

  Measuring, analysing or testing during electrolytic production · CPC title

• C25B9/77

  having diaphragms · CPC title

• C25B9/75

  having bipolar electrodes · CPC title