Sludge formation detection and prevention within a water electrolysis installation and related process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2026092378-A1
Application number	US-202319112203-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 14, 2023
Priority date	Sep 16, 2022
Publication date	Apr 2, 2026
Grant date	—

Abstract

Water electrolysis installation, comprising of an electrochemical stack device comprising at least a stack having at least two electrodes immersed in an electrolyte; a balance of plant defining an inner fluid handling volume of the balance of plant to convey an incoming fluid to the electrochemical stack device and to recover an outcoming fluid from the electrochemical stack device; at least one sensor comprising at least one optical fiber probe having a sensing region, the sensing region measuring at least an information representative of sludge formation in the vicinity of the sensor; characterized in that the sensing region of the optical fiber probe is located inside the inner fluid handling volume of the balance of plant outside of the electrochemical stack device.

First claim

1 . A water electrolysis installation, comprising:
an electrochemical stack device comprising at least a stack having at least two electrodes immersed in an electrolyte and having optionally one or more separator separating the two electrodes; a balance of plant comprising fluid handling components including pipes and tanks defining an inner fluid handling volume of the balance of plant to convey an incoming fluid to the electrochemical stack device and to recover an outcoming fluid from the electrochemical stack device; at least one sensor comprising at least one optical fiber probe having a sensing region, the sensing region measuring at least an information representative of sludge formation in the vicinity of the sensor; wherein the sensing region of the optical fiber probe is located inside the inner fluid handling volume of the balance of plant outside of the electrochemical stack device.

2 . An installation according to claim 1 , wherein a sensing region of at least one sensor is placed inside a pipe of the balance of plant.

3 . The installation according to claim 2 , wherein a local axis of the sensing region is substantially orthogonal to a local axis of the pipe at the location receiving the sensing region or/and wherein at least a local axis of the sensing region is substantially parallel to a local axis of the pipe at the location receiving the sensing region.

4 . The installation according to claim 1 , wherein the sensing region is placed along a wall of the fluid handling component.

5 . The installation according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least two optical fiber probes, at least one optical fiber probe having its sensing region placed along a wall of the fluid handling component and at least one optical fiber probe having its sensing region protruding from the wall in a direction transverse to the wall local surface.

6 . The installation according to claim 1 , wherein one fluid handling component is a gas/liquid separator or a liquid/liquid separator, at least one sensor being placed inside the gas/liquid separator or liquid/liquid separator.

7 . The installation according to claim 6 , wherein the at least one handling component is a gas/liquid separator connected to an outlet of the electrochemical stack device, to receive an outcoming fluid comprising gas and liquid from the electrochemical stack device.

8 . The installation according to claim 1 , wherein one fluid handling component is a fluid tank, at least one sensor being placed inside the fluid tank.

9 . The installation according to claim 8 , wherein the fluid tank is an electrolyte tank connected to an inlet of the electrochemical stack device, to convey electrolyte to the electrochemical stack device.

10 . The installation according to claim 1 , wherein one fluid handling component is a fluid filter, at least one sensor being placed inside the filter.

11 . The installation according to claim 9 , wherein the filter is a lye filter interposed between the electrolyte tank and the electrochemical stack device. cm 12 . The installation according to claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical stack device comprises an enclosure containing the at least one stack, the inner fluid handling volume of the balance of plant being outside of the enclosure and being connected to the enclosure.

13 . The installation according to claim 1 , wherein the sensing region-of the at least one sensor is placed at a distance of the electrodes of the electrochemical stack device greater than 10 cm, in particular greater than 1 m.

14 . The installation according to claim 1 , wherein the information representative of sludge formation is a fluid turbidity within the measured fluid.

15 . Monitoring process of a water electrolysis installation according to claim 1 , comprising the steps of:
measuring, via the sensing region at least an information representative of sludge formation in the fluid handling volume of the balance of plant in the vicinity of the sensor and transmitting the information to a processing apparatus; processing the information with the processing apparatus to determine a sludge concentration in the fluid handling volume of the balance of plant; optionally comparing the sludge concentration with a predetermined threshold.

Assignees

• Totalenergies Onetech

Inventors

• Dubouis Nicolas
• Ayme-Perrot David

Classifications

• Y02E60/36

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

• C25B15/087

  Recycling of electrolyte to electrochemical cell · CPC title

• C25B15/027

  Temperature · CPC title

• C25B15/085

  Removing impurities · CPC title

• C25B15/083

  Separating products · CPC title