Solid polymer membrane-type water-electrolysis apparatus

Abstract

A solid polymer membrane-type water-electrolysis apparatus according to the present invention includes a solid polymer electrolyte membrane, an oxygen electrode mounted in contact with one side of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, a hydrogen electrode mounted in contact with the other side of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, separator plates mounted adjacent the outsides of the oxygen electrode and the hydrogen electrode and serving as current collector plates having passages for water and generated gasses, fixing plates disposed outside the separator plates and made of a non-conductive material, and reservoirs disposed outside said fixing plates for storing water and the generated gasses. The fixing plates include pressing members build therein for pressing the oxygen electrode and the hydrogen electrode against the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, and flow passages are included in the pressing members. The reservoirs are fixed integrally by tie bolts by clamping the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, the oxygen electrode, the hydrogen electrode, the separator plates and the fixing plates together from outside the fixing plates. Further, the reservoirs have water supply bores provided at locations higher in level than the position of the water electrolysis level, and discharge bores for discharging the generated gasses. In this apparatus, storage tanks for the produced oxygen and hydrogen gasses are formed integrally into a compact structure. Thus, the apparatus is convenient for movement and preservation, and the oxygen and hydrogen gasses stored can be brought into a pressure equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure and supplied to a remote place.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to a water-electrolysis apparatus for producing hydrogen and oxygen gasses, and particularly, to a solid polymer membrane-type water-electrolysis apparatus having a compact structure and convenient for transportation and storage. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART [0002] There is a water-electrolysis apparatus using a solid polymer membrane to produce hydrogen and oxygen gasses, including an apparatus as shown in FIG. 3, which is intended for education and demonstration. This electrolysis apparatus includes a solid polymer membrane-type electrolytic cell 100 which comprises a solid polymer electrolyte membrane 1 interposed between an oxygen electrode 2 and a hydrogen electrode 3, separator plates 4 mounted outside the oxygen electrode 2 and the hydrogen electrode 3 and having passages for permitting generated gasses to pass therethrough, and fixing plates mounted outside the separator plates 4, so that these members are integr...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0026] Yet additionally, in the solid polymer membrane-type water-electrolysis apparatus, the fixing plates are provided with the through-bores serving as the flow passages for the water or the generated gasses, and further, the reservoirs have the maintenance bores for drainage of water provided in their bottoms or in near their bottoms, in addition to the water supply bores and the passages for the generated gasses, and the through-bores serving as the gas flow passages are also provided in the fixi...

Problems solved by technology

Therefore, the amounts of hydrogen and oxygen stored are limited to the volume of the tanks.

In this case, however, it is necessary to mount a regulator, resulting in increases in size and weight of the entire apparatus.

Thus, the transportation and storage of the apparatus are limited.

The water-electrolysis apparatus described in JP-A-09-143778 suffers from the following problems: The oxygen and hydrogen gas chambers each divided into a number of sections are formed into an integral structure and for this reason, it is not only difficult to provide a force of close contact between the crosspiece and the ion...

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