Analysis system, analysis method, and analysis program

Abstract

Provided is an analysis system equipped with a terminal comprising an element-acquiring part for acquiring the amount of an element contained in an object in an electrolysis tank, and a server comprising a receiver for receiving the amount of the element acquired by the element-acquiring part, and a state-analyzing part for analyzing the state of the object on the basis of the amount of the element received from the receiver. The electrolysis tank may comprise an ion exchange membrane, and a positive electrode chamber and a negative electrode chamber partitioned by the ion exchange membrane. An aqueous solution of an alkali metal chloride or an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide may be introduced in the positive electrode chamber, and an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide may be drawn out from the negative electrode chamber. The state-analyzing part may: analyze the state of the object on the basis of a first predefined relationship between the current efficiency of the electrolysis tank and the amount of the element, analyze the state of the object on the basis of a second predefined relationship between the voltage of the electrolysis tank and the amount of the element, or analyze the state of the object on the basis of a third predefined relationship between the chlorine ion concentration in the aqueous solution of the alkali metal hydroxide and the amount of the element.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an analysis system, an analysis method, and an analysis program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe "a step of creating a correspondence table showing the relationship between X-ray analysis data and the cumulative fatigue level" (Claim 1). Patent Document 3 describes "a procedure for carrying out accelerated deterioration tests under predetermined conditions on a test specimen on which a film to be diagnosed is formed" (Claim 1). Patent Document 4 states that "the deterioration level and remaining life of the electronic device are estimated by comparing with a deterioration / life diagnostic curve and performing calculations" (claim 1). [Prior art document] [Patent documents] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6762818 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6762817 [Patent Document 3] JP 2005-009906 A [Patent Document 4] JP-A-10-313034 Problems to be solved

[0003] In the case of an electrolysis device equipped with an ion exchange membrane or the like, the production efficiency of the product produced by the electrolysis device is likely to decrease when the performance of the ion exchange membrane or the like deteriorates. For this reason, it is preferable to quickly recover the performance of the ion exchange membrane or the like. In order to quickly recover the performance of the ion exchange membrane or the like, it is preferable to quickly identify the cause of the performance deterioration of the ion exchange membrane or the like and to quickly take measures to recover the performance.

[0004] In order to take measures against the performance degradation of ion exchange membranes, etc., it is preferable to benchmark against past performance degradation so that the position of the performance degradation of the benchmark target can be recognized in comparison with past performance degradation. This makes it easier to determine the content of the performance recovery measures for ion exchange membranes, etc., and the timing of implementing the recovery measures. In addition, for this benchmarking, it is preferable to have as much data on past performance degradation as possible.

[0005] When the performance of an ion exchange membrane or the like is degraded, it is preferable to be able to recognize the time remaining until the end of the life of the ion exchange membrane or the like from the timing at which the performance degradation is recognized. This makes it easier to determine the timing to regenerate the ion exchange membrane or the like. In addition, when the ion exchange membrane or the like is to be replaced, it makes it easier to determine the timing to prepare the ion exchange membrane or the like. General Disclosure

[0006] In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an analysis system comprising: a terminal having an element acquisition unit that acquires the amount of an element contained in an object in an electrolytic bath, a server having a receiving unit that receives the amount of the element acquired by the element acquisition unit, and a state analysis unit that analyzes the state of the object based on the amount of the element received by the receiving unit.

[0007] The electrolytic cell may have an ion exchange membrane and an anode chamber and a cathode chamber separated by the ion exchange membrane. An aqueous solution of an alkali metal chloride or an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide may be introduced into the anode chamber, and an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide may be discharged from the cathode chamber. The state analysis unit may analyze the state of the object based on a predetermined first relationship between the current efficiency of the electrolytic cell and the amount of the element, or may analyze the state of the object based on a predetermined second relationship between the voltage of the electrolytic cell and the amount of the element, or may analyze the state of the object based on a predetermined third relationship between the chloride ion concentration in the aqueous solution of the alkali metal hydroxide and the amount of the element.

[0008] The multiple electrolytic baths may be disposed at different positions. Each of the element acquisition units in the multiple terminals may acquire an amount of an element contained in each of the multiple objects. The receiving unit may receive the amount of the element acquired by each of the element acquisition units in the multiple terminals. The status analysis unit may analyze the status of one object based on the amount of the element acquired by each of the element acquisition units in the multiple terminals and received by the receiving unit.

[0009] The server may further have a state prediction unit that predicts when the object will reach a predetermined first state based on the change in the amount of the element over time and the first relationship, predicts when the object will reach a predetermined second state based on the change in the amount of the element over time and the second relationship, or predicts when the object will reach a predetermined third state based on the amount of the element and the third relationship.

[0010] The state prediction unit may predict when an object in one electrolytic cell or another electrolytic cell will reach a first state based on the change over time in the amount of an element in one electrolytic cell and a first relationship, or may predict when an object in one electrolytic cell or another electrolytic cell will reach a second state based on the change over time in the amount of an element in one electrolytic cell and the second relationship, or may predict when an object in one electrolytic cell or another electrolytic cell will reach a third state based on the change over time in the amount of an element in one electrolytic cell and a third relationship.

[0011] The element acquisition unit may further acquire a type of element. The receiving unit may further receive the type of element. The state prediction unit may predict a time when the object will be in a first state for each type of element, predict a time when the object will be in a second state for each type of element, or predict a time when the object will be in a third state for each type of element.

[0012] The server may further include an operating condition acquisition unit that acquires operating conditions for each of the electrolytic cells. The state prediction unit may predict when the object will be in a first state for each operating condition, or when the object will be in a second state for each operating condition, or when the object will be in a third state for each operating condition.

[0013] The first state may be a first state predicted based on a change over time in the amount of an element and the first relationship. The state prediction unit may predict a time when the object will be in the first state for each operating condition and for each type of element, a time when the object will be in the second state for each operating condition and for each type of element, or a time when the object will be in the third state for each operating condition and for each type of element.

[0014] The state prediction unit may predict the state of the object when a first measure in response to the state of the object is implemented, the first measure being a measure to restore the current efficiency of the electrolytic cell, or may predict the state of the object when a second measure in response to the state of the object is implemented, the second measure being a measure to restore the voltage of the electrolytic cell, or may predict the state of the object when a third measure in response to the state of the object is implemented, the third measure being a measure to restore the chloride ion concentration in an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide.

[0015] When the state analysis unit analyzes that the state of a target object in one electrolytic bath is at least one of a first state and a second state, the element acquisition unit may acquire the amount of an element contained in another target object in the one electrolytic bath.

[0016] The analysis system may further comprise an information terminal that is placed at the position where the electrolytic cell is placed, and that has a first transmission unit that transmits the amount of the element acquired by the element acquisition unit.

[0017] The server may further include a second transmission unit that transmits the analysis result analyzed by the state analysis unit to the information terminal. The element acquisition unit may acquire the amount of the element based on the analysis result transmitted by the second transmission unit.

[0018] An introduction pipe through which a liquid to be introduced into the electrolytic bath passes may be connected to the electrolytic bath. When the state analysis unit analyzes that the target object is in a fourth state in which the element contained in the introduction pipe is contained in a predetermined amount or more, the second transmission unit may transmit an instruction to the element acquisition unit to acquire the element contained in the introduction pipe.

[0019] The server may further have at least one of a first state learning unit that generates a first state inference model that outputs a first inference state of the object based on the current efficiency and the amount of the element by machine learning the relationship between current efficiency and the amount of the element, and a second state learning unit that generates a second state inference model that outputs a second inference state of the object based on the voltage and the amount of the element by machine learning the relationship between voltage and the amount of the element.

[0020] The element acquisition unit may acquire the amount of the element for each position of the element in the object. The receiving unit may receive the amount of the element for each position of the element. The state analysis unit may analyze the state of the object based on the amount of the element for each position of the element.

[0021] The element acquisition unit may acquire the amount of an element for each element position and each element type in the object. The receiving unit may receive the amount of an element for each element position and each element type. The state analysis unit may analyze the state of the object based on the amount of an element for each element position and each element type.

[0022] The electrolytic bath may be provided with an opening through which a liquid to be introduced into the electrolytic bath passes. The state analyzing unit may analyze the state of the object based on the position of the opening and the position of the element in the object.

[0023] In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an analysis method comprising an element acquisition step in which an element acquisition unit acquires an amount of an element contained in an object in an electrolytic bath, a receiving step in which a receiving unit receives the amount of the element acquired in the element acquisition step, and a condition analysis step in which a condition analysis unit analyzes a condition of the object based on the amount of the element received in the receiving step.

[0024] The electrolytic cell may have an ion exchange membrane, and an anode chamber and a cathode chamber separated by the ion exchange membrane. An aqueous solution of an alkali metal chloride or an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide may be introduced into the anode chamber, and an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide may be drawn out from the cathode chamber. The state analysis step may be a step in which the state analysis unit analyzes the state of the object based on a predetermined first relationship between the current efficiency of the electrolytic cell and the amount of the element, analyzes the state of the object based on a predetermined second relationship between the voltage of the electrolytic cell and the amount of the element, or analyzes the state of the object based on a predetermined third relationship between the chloride ion concentration in the aqueous solution of the alkali metal hydroxide and the amount of the element.

[0025] The analysis method may further include a state prediction step in which the state prediction unit predicts when the object will reach a predetermined first state based on the change in the amount of the element over time and the first relationship, predicts when the object will reach a predetermined second state based on the change in the amount of the element over time and the second relationship, or predicts when the object will reach a predetermined third state based on the change in the amount of the element over time and the third relationship.

[0026] In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an analysis program, which causes a computer to function as an analysis system.

[0027] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the features of the present invention. Also, subcombinations of these features may also be inventions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an electrolysis device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of details of one electrolysis cell 91 in FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of an ion exchange membrane 84 in the electrolysis cell 91 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 shows an example of a block diagram of an analysis system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the results of obtaining the amounts and types of elements obtained by the element obtaining unit 12. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the intensity of X-rays 114 and the current efficiency CE in a case where the terminal 10 is a portable X-ray fluorescence analysis terminal and the target object 110 is an ion exchange membrane 84. FIG. [Figure 7] 13 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the intensity of the X-rays 114 and the voltage CV in a case where the terminal 10 is a portable X-ray fluorescence analysis terminal and the target object 110 is an ion exchange membrane 84. FIG. [Figure 8]1 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the intensity of X-rays 114 and the Cl− (chloride ion) concentration of a liquid 75 in a case where the terminal 10 is a portable X-ray fluorescence analysis terminal and the target object 110 is an ion exchange membrane 84. FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the intensity of the X-rays 114 and the voltage CV when the terminal 10 is a portable X-ray fluorescence analysis terminal and the target object 110 is at least one of the anode 80 and the cathode 82. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing another example of the analysis system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 2 is a block diagram showing another example of the analysis system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an analysis result Ra. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing another example of the analysis system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] 3 is a view of the ion exchange membrane 84 and the introduction pipe 92 in FIG. 2, viewed in the direction from the anode 80 to the cathode 82. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing another example of a block diagram of the server 20 in the analysis system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] A figure showing an example of a first state inference model 122. [Figure 17] A figure showing an example of a second state inference model 132. [Figure 18] 1 is a flowchart including an example of an analysis method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] FIG. 22 illustrates an example of a computer 2200 in which analysis system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in whole or in part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention according to the claims. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0030] 1 is a diagram showing an example of an electrolysis apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electrolysis apparatus 200 of this example includes an electrolysis cell 90, an inlet pipe 92, an inlet pipe 93, an outlet pipe 94, and an outlet pipe 95.

[0031] The electrolysis device 200 is a device that electrolyzes an electrolytic solution. The electrolytic cell 90 is a cell that electrolyzes an electrolytic solution. The electrolytic solution is, for example, an aqueous solution of NaCl (sodium chloride). The electrolytic cell 90 electrolyzes, for example, an aqueous solution of NaCl (sodium chloride) to produce Cl 2 (Chlorine) and NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide) and H 2 (hydrogen). The electrolytic cell 90 may include a plurality of electrolytic cells 91 (electrolytic cells 91-1 to 91-N, where N is an integer of 2 or more). N is 50, for example.

[0032] In this example, the inlet pipe 92 and the inlet pipe 93 are connected to each of the electrolytic cells 91-1 to 91-N. The liquid 70 is introduced into each of the electrolytic cells 91-1 to 91-N. The liquid 70 may be introduced into each of the electrolytic cells 91-1 to 91-N after passing through the inlet pipe 92. The liquid 70 is an aqueous solution of an alkali metal chloride or an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide. An alkali metal is an element belonging to Group 1 of the periodic table. When the liquid 70 is an aqueous solution of an alkali metal chloride, the liquid 70 is, for example, an aqueous solution of NaCl (sodium chloride). When the liquid 70 is an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide, the liquid 70 is, for example, an aqueous solution of KOH (potassium hydroxide) or an aqueous solution of NaOH (sodium hydroxide).

[0033] Liquid 72 is introduced into each of electrolytic cells 91-1 to 91-N. Liquid 72 may pass through introduction pipe 93 and then be introduced into each of electrolytic cells 91-1 to 91-N. Liquid 72 is an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide. Liquid 72 is, for example, an aqueous solution of NaOH (sodium hydroxide). When liquid 70 is an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide, liquid 72 is an aqueous solution of the same alkali metal hydroxide (for example, KOH).

[0034] In this example, the outlet pipe 94 and the outlet pipe 95 are connected to each of the electrolytic cells 91-1 to 91-N. A liquid 76 and a gas 78 (described later) are discharged from each of the electrolytic cells 91-1 to 91-N. The liquid 76 and the gas 78 (described later) may be discharged to the outside of the electrolysis device 200 after passing through the outlet pipe 95. The liquid 76 is an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide. When the liquid 72 is an aqueous solution of NaOH (sodium hydroxide), the liquid 76 is an aqueous solution of NaOH (sodium hydroxide). The gas 78 (described later) is H 2 (hydrogen).

[0035] A liquid 74 and a gas 77 (described later) are discharged from each of the electrolytic cells 91-1 to 91-N. The liquid 74 and the gas 77 (described later) may pass through the discharge pipe 94 and then be discharged to the outside of the electrolysis device 200. The liquid 74 is an aqueous solution of an alkali metal chloride or an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide. When the liquid 70 is an aqueous solution of NaCl (sodium chloride), the liquid 74 is an aqueous solution of NaCl (sodium chloride). When the liquid 70 is an aqueous solution of KOH (potassium hydroxide), the liquid 74 is an aqueous solution of KOH (potassium hydroxide). When the liquid 70 is an aqueous solution of NaCl (sodium chloride), the gas 77 (described later) is Cl 2 (chlorine). If the liquid 74 is a KOH (potassium hydroxide) solution, the gas 77 (described below) is O 2 (oxygen).

[0036] 2 is a diagram showing an example of details of one electrolytic cell 91 in FIG. 1. The electrolytic cell 90 has an anode chamber 79, an anode 80, a cathode chamber 98, a cathode 82, and an ion exchange membrane 84. In this example, one electrolytic cell 91 has an anode chamber 79, an anode 80, a cathode chamber 98, a cathode 82, and an ion exchange membrane 84. The anode chamber 79 and the cathode chamber 98 are provided inside the electrolytic cell 91. The anode chamber 79 and the cathode chamber 98 are separated by the ion exchange membrane 84. The anode 80 is disposed in the anode chamber 79. The cathode chamber 98 is disposed in the cathode chamber 98.

[0037] An inlet pipe 92 and an outlet pipe 94 are connected to the anode chamber 79. An inlet pipe 93 and an outlet pipe 95 are connected to the cathode chamber 98. A liquid 70 is introduced into the anode chamber 79. A liquid 72 is introduced into the cathode chamber 98.

[0038] The ion exchange membrane 84 is a membrane-like material that blocks the passage of ions of the same sign as the ions arranged in the ion exchange membrane 84 and allows only ions of the opposite sign to pass through. + (sodium ions) and Cl - It is a membrane that prevents the passage of chloride ions.

[0039] The anode 80 and the cathode 82 may be maintained at a predetermined positive and negative potential, respectively. The liquid 70 introduced into the anode chamber 79 and the liquid 72 introduced into the cathode chamber 98 are electrolyzed by the potential difference between the anode 80 and the cathode 82. The following chemical reaction occurs at the anode 80: [Chemical formula 1] 2Cl - →Cl 2 +2e -

[0040] When the liquid 70 is an aqueous solution of NaCl (sodium chloride), NaCl (sodium chloride) is + (sodium ion) and Cl - At the anode 80, Cl is ionized by the chemical reaction shown in Chemical Formula 1. 2(Chlorine) gas is produced. Gas 77 (Cl 2 The (chlorine) gas and liquid 74 may be led out of the anode chamber 79. + (Sodium ions) move from the anode chamber 79 through the ion exchange membrane 84 due to the attractive force from the cathode 82 and then move to the cathode chamber 98 .

[0041] In the anode chamber 79, a liquid 73 may remain. The liquid 73 is an aqueous solution of an alkali metal chloride or an alkali metal hydroxide. In this example, the liquid 73 is an aqueous solution of NaCl (sodium chloride). + (Sodium ion) concentration and Cl - (Chloride ion) concentration is Na in liquid 70 + (Sodium ion) concentration and Cl - (chloride ion) concentration may be smaller.

[0042] At the cathode 82, the following chemical reactions take place: [Chemical formula 2] 2H 2 O+2e - →H 2 +2OH -

[0043] When the liquid 72 is an aqueous solution of NaOH (sodium hydroxide), NaOH (sodium hydroxide) is + (sodium ion) and OH - (hydroxide ion) at the cathode 82, H 2 (Hydrogen) gas and OH - (hydroxide ion) is produced. Gas 78 (the H 2 The (hydrogen) gas and liquid 76 may be conducted away from the cathode chamber 98 .

[0044] In the cathode chamber 98, the liquid 75 may remain. The liquid 75 is an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide. In this example, the liquid 75 is an aqueous solution of NaOH (sodium hydroxide). In this example, the cathode chamber 98 contains OH produced by the chemical reaction shown in Chemical Formula 2.- (hydroxide ion) and Na that migrated from the anode chamber 79 + A liquid 75 containing dissolved sodium ions (sodium ions) is retained.

[0045] 3 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the ion exchange membrane 84 in the electrolysis cell 91 shown in FIG. 2. In this example, an anion group 86 is fixed to the ion exchange membrane 84. Anions are repelled by the anion group 86 and therefore do not easily pass through the ion exchange membrane 84. In this example, the anion is Cl. - (chloride ions). The cations 71 are not repelled by the anion groups 86 and can therefore pass through the ion exchange membrane 84. When the liquid 70 (see FIG. 2) is an aqueous solution of NaCl (sodium chloride), the cations 71 are Na + (sodium ion).

[0046] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a block diagram of an analysis system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The analysis system 100 includes a terminal 10 and a server 20. The terminal 10 has an element acquisition unit 12. The server 20 has a receiving unit 22 and a state analysis unit 24. The state analysis unit 24 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). An analysis program for executing an analysis method described below may be installed in the server 20, and an analysis program for causing the server 20 to function as the analysis system 100 may be installed in the server 20.

[0047] The analysis system 100 may include an information terminal 30. The information terminal 30 may have a display unit 32. The information terminal 30 may be a stationary computer terminal or a tablet computer. When the information terminal 30 is a tablet computer, the display unit 32 may be a monitor of the tablet computer.

[0048] The information terminal 30 and the terminal 10 may communicate with each other via a wire 99, or may communicate with each other via short-distance wireless communication such as WiFi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). The wire 99 is, for example, a USB cable. In this example, the information terminal 30 has a first transmission unit 14.

[0049] The electrolytic cell 90 and the server 20 may be located at different locations. Different locations may refer to different geographical locations. The server 20 is installed, for example, in city A in Japan. When the server 20 is installed in city A in Japan, the electrolytic cell 90 may be installed in city B in Japan that is different from city A, or may be installed in a foreign country other than Japan. The location where the server 20 is installed is defined as position Sa. The location where the electrolytic cell 90 is installed is defined as position Sb.

[0050] The electrolytic cell 90, the terminal 10, and the information terminal 30 may be located at the same location. The same location may refer to the same geographical location. The terminal 10 and the information terminal 30 may be located at a position Sb. When the electrolytic cell 90 is installed in a specific factory, the electrolytic cell 90, the terminal 10, and the information terminal 30 may be used by the same user in the specific factory.

[0051] The element acquisition unit 12 acquires the amount of an element contained in the object 110 in the electrolytic bath 90 (see FIG. 1). The terminal 10 is, for example, a portable X-ray fluorescence analysis terminal. When the terminal 10 is a portable X-ray fluorescence analysis terminal, the terminal 10 irradiates the object 110 with X-rays 112. The X-rays 112 irradiated to the object 110 cause inner shell electrons of the elements contained in the object 110 to be emitted outside the shell. When the electrons emitted outside the shell fall into the inner shell, X-rays 114 with energy specific to the element are emitted from the object 110. When the terminal 10 is a portable X-ray fluorescence analysis terminal, the element acquisition unit 12 acquires the amount of the element by measuring the intensity of the emitted X-rays 114. The intensity of the X-rays 114 may refer to the number of counts of the X-rays 114 acquired by the element acquisition unit 12 per unit time. The stronger the intensity of the X-rays 114, the greater the amount of the element acquired by the element acquisition unit 12.

[0052] The object 110 may be the ion exchange membrane 84 (see FIG. 2), the anode 80 (see FIG. 2), or the cathode 82 (see FIG. 2). The object 110 may be the ion exchange membrane 84 that remains installed in the electrolytic bath 90, the anode 80, or the cathode 82. When the terminal 10 is a portable X-ray fluorescence analysis terminal, the element acquisition unit 12 can acquire the amount of an element contained in the object 110 that remains installed in the electrolytic bath 90.

[0053] The element acquisition unit 12 may further acquire the type of element contained in the object 110. When the object 110 is irradiated with X-rays 112, the energy of the X-rays 114 emitted from the object 110 depends on the type of element. Therefore, when the terminal 10 is a portable X-ray fluorescence analysis terminal, the element acquisition unit 12 can acquire the type of element by measuring the energy of the emitted X-rays 114.

[0054] Liquid 70 (see FIG. 1), which is salt water with raw salt dissolved therein and has been subjected to a predetermined treatment, is introduced into electrolytic cell 90 (see FIG. 1). The predetermined treatment may be, for example, precipitating suspended solids (SS) contained in the salt water using a clarifier, removing the SS using a ceramic filter, or removing at least one of calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), and magnesium (Mg) contained in the salt water using a resin tower. Raw salt may contain iodine (I).

[0055] Since the electrolytic bath 90 electrolyzes the liquid 70, elements introduced in a predetermined treatment of the salt water may accumulate in the ion exchange membrane 84 (see FIG. 2) over the operation time of the electrolytic bath 90. When the elements accumulate in the ion exchange membrane 84, the ion exchange performance of the ion exchange membrane 84 may decrease.

[0056] The anode 80 and the cathode 82 are in contact with the liquid 73 and the liquid 75, respectively. The liquid 73 and the liquid 75 are electrolytic solutions. The surfaces of the anode 80 and the cathode 82 may be coated with Ru (ruthenium) or the like to suppress an increase in the voltage of the electrolytic cell 90. If the coating on the surfaces of the anode 80 and the cathode 82 deteriorates, the voltage between the anode 80, the ion exchange membrane 84, and the cathode 82 is likely to increase.

[0057] A user of the analysis system 100 may obtain the amount and type of an element contained in at least one of the ion exchange membrane 84, the anode 80, and the cathode 82 by bringing the terminal 10 close to at least one of the ion exchange membrane 84, the anode 80, and the cathode 82. This allows the user of the analysis system 100 to obtain the amount of the element without removing at least one of the ion exchange membrane 84, the anode 80, and the cathode 82 from the electrolytic bath 90. A user of the analysis system 100 may obtain the amount and type of an element contained in at least one of the ion exchange membrane 84, the anode 80, and the cathode 82 in a state in which the ion exchange membrane 84, the anode 80, and the cathode 82 are installed in the electrolytic bath 90.

[0058] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the acquisition results of the amount and type of element acquired by the element acquisition section 12. In this example, the amount of the element is represented by the intensity of the X-rays 114 (see FIG. 4), and the type of element is represented by the energy at which the X-rays 114 show a peak. In this example, the X-rays 114 are distributed in a spectrum. The element acquisition section 12 may acquire the spectral distribution of the X-rays 114.

[0059] The first transmission unit 14 (see FIG. 4) transmits the amount of the element acquired by the element acquisition unit 12. The first transmission unit 14 may transmit the amount and type of the element acquired by the element acquisition unit 12. The first transmission unit 14 may wirelessly transmit the amount and type of the element. In this specification, wireless refers to non-wired communication. Wireless may refer to all communication via the Internet, and is not limited to short-range wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark). The first transmission unit 14 may wirelessly transmit the spectral distribution of X-rays 114 shown in FIG. 5.

[0060] The receiving unit 22 (see FIG. 4) receives the amount of the element acquired by the element acquisition unit 12. In this example, the receiving unit 22 receives the amount of the element transmitted by the first transmission unit 14. The receiving unit 22 may receive the amount and type of the element transmitted by the first transmission unit 14. The receiving unit 22 may wirelessly receive the amount and type of the element. The receiving unit 22 may wirelessly receive the spectral distribution of the X-rays 114 transmitted by the first transmission unit 14.

[0061] The state analyzing unit 24 analyzes the state of the target object 110 based on the amount of the element received by the receiving unit 22. When the target object 110 is the ion exchange membrane 84, the state of the target object 110 may be the state of the ion exchange performance of the ion exchange membrane 84. When the ion exchange performance of the ion exchange membrane 84 deteriorates, the current efficiency of the electrolytic bath 90 may decrease. This current efficiency is referred to as the current efficiency CE. The current efficiency CE may refer to the current efficiency of the electrolytic bath 90 or may refer to the current efficiency of the ion exchange membrane 84.

[0062] The current efficiency CE refers to the ratio of the actual production amount of a product produced by the electrolytic cell 90 to the theoretical production amount. The product in question is product P. The theoretical production amount of product P is production amount Pa. The actual production amount of product P is production amount Pr. The current efficiency CE refers to the ratio of production amount Pr to production amount Pa.

[0063] When the ion exchange performance of the ion exchange membrane 84 deteriorates, the voltage of the electrolytic cell 90 may increase. This voltage is referred to as the voltage CV. The voltage CV may be the voltage per one electrolytic cell 91 (see FIG. 1).

[0064] When the ion exchange performance of the ion exchange membrane 84 deteriorates, anions in the liquid 73 (see FIG. 2) may pass through the ion exchange membrane 84. When anions in the liquid 73 (see FIG. 2) pass through the ion exchange membrane 84, the anions are contained in the liquid 75. When the liquid 73 is an aqueous solution of NaCl (sodium chloride) and the liquid 75 is an aqueous solution of NaOH (sodium hydroxide), the Cl that passes through the ion exchange membrane 84 is - (chloride ions) are contained in an aqueous solution of NaOH (sodium hydroxide). The more the ion exchange performance of the ion exchange membrane 84 deteriorates, the more the Cl of the aqueous solution of NaOH (sodium hydroxide) increases. - (chloride ion) concentration tends to be high. Cl in NaOH (sodium hydroxide) solution - The (chloride ion) concentration is what is known as the caustic salt concentration.

[0065] When the object 110 is an ion exchange membrane 84, analyzing the state of the object 110 may refer to identifying the cause of a decrease in the current efficiency CE by analyzing the types and amounts of elements contained in the ion exchange membrane 84, or may refer to identifying the cause of an increase in the voltage CV.

[0066] When the object 110 is the anode 80 and the cathode 82, the state of the object 110 may be the state of a coating such as a metal coated on the surface of the anode 80 and the cathode 82. When the coating state of the anode 80 and the cathode 82 deteriorates, the voltage CV may increase. When the object 110 is the anode 80 and the cathode 82, analyzing the state of the object 110 may refer to identifying the cause of the increase in the voltage CV by analyzing the types and amounts of elements contained in the anode 80 and the cathode 82.

[0067] 6 and 7 are diagrams showing an example of the relationship between the intensity of the X-rays 114 and the current efficiency CE and an example of the relationship between the intensity of the X-rays 114 and the voltage CV when the terminal 10 is a portable X-ray fluorescence analysis terminal and the target 110 is an ion exchange membrane 84. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the intensity of the X-rays 114 and the Cl concentration of the liquid 75 when the terminal 10 is a portable X-ray fluorescence analysis terminal and the target 110 is an ion exchange membrane 84. - 6 to 9 may be the intensity of X-rays 114 due to any of the elements of energy having a peak intensity in FIG. 5. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the intensity of X-rays 114 and the voltage CV in a case where the terminal 10 is a portable X-ray fluorescence analysis terminal and the target object 110 is at least one of the anode 80 and the cathode 82.

[0068] 6 and 7, when the object 110 is an ion exchange membrane 84, the stronger the intensity of the X-rays 114, the smaller the current efficiency CE tends to be and the larger the voltage CV tends to be. The relationship between the intensity of the X-rays 114 and the current efficiency CE shown in Fig. 6 is defined as a first predetermined relationship R1 between the current efficiency CE and the amount of an element. The relationship between the intensity of the X-rays 114 and the voltage CV shown in Fig. 7 is defined as a second predetermined relationship R21 between the voltage CV and the amount of an element.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 8, when the object 110 is an ion exchange membrane 84, the stronger the intensity of the X-ray 114, the greater the Cl content of the liquid 75. - (chloride ion) concentration tends to be high. Figure 8 shows the relationship between the intensity of X-ray 114 and the Cl of liquid 75. - (chloride ion) concentration in aqueous solutions of alkali metal hydroxides. - A third predetermined relationship between the (chloride ion) concentration and the amount of the element is R3.

[0070] 9, when the object 110 is at least one of the anode 80 and the cathode 82, the weaker the intensity of the X-rays 114, the larger the voltage CV tends to be, and the weaker the intensity of the X-rays 114, the larger the rate of change of the voltage CV tends to be. The relationship between the intensity of the X-rays 114 and the voltage CV shown in FIG. 9 is defined as a predetermined second relationship R22 between the voltage CV and the amount of an element.

[0071] The state analyzing unit 24 (see FIG. 4) may analyze the state of the ion exchange membrane 84 based on the first relationship R1. The state analyzing unit 24 may analyze the state of the ion exchange membrane 84 based on the second relationship R21. The state analyzing unit 24 may analyze the state of the ion exchange membrane 84 based on the first relationship R1 and the second relationship R21. The state analyzing unit 24 may analyze the state of at least one of the anode 80 and the cathode 82 based on the second relationship R22. The state analyzing unit 24 may analyze the state of the ion exchange membrane 84 based on the third relationship R3.

[0072] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a block diagram of the analysis system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the analysis system 100 of this example, the server 20 further includes an operating condition acquisition unit 23, a storage unit 25, and a second transmission unit 27. The analysis system 100 of this example differs from the analysis system 100 shown in Fig. 4 in this respect.

[0073] The second transmission unit 27 transmits the analysis result of the state of the target object 110 analyzed by the state analysis unit 24 to the information terminal 30. The analysis result is referred to as the analysis result Ra. The second transmission unit 27 may wirelessly transmit the analysis result Ra to the information terminal 30. The analysis result Ra may be displayed on the display unit 32.

[0074] In this example, the amount of an element contained in the object 110 acquired by the element acquisition unit 12 in the terminal 10 is transmitted to the server 20 by the first transmission unit 14, and the state of the object 110 is analyzed by the state analysis unit 24 in the server 20 based on the amount of the element. Therefore, the user of the analysis system 100 can recognize the analysis result Ra without sending a sample of the object 110 for analyzing the state from position Sb to position Sa. Compared to the case where a sample of the object 110 is sent from position Sb to position Sa, the time from acquiring the amount of an element contained in the object 110 to calculating the analysis result Ra is likely to be shortened.

[0075] In this example, the analysis result Ra is transmitted to the information terminal 30 by the second transmission unit 27. Therefore, the user of the electrolytic bath 90 can immediately recognize the analysis result Ra based on the amounts of elements acquired by the terminal 10 by looking at the display unit 32. The user of the electrolytic bath 90 can operate the electrolytic bath 90 while looking at the analysis result Ra.

[0076] The operating condition acquisition unit 23 acquires the operating conditions of the electrolytic cell 90. The operating conditions are referred to as operating conditions Cd. The operating conditions Cd refer to the operating conditions of the electrolytic cell 90 that may affect the state of the target object 110. The operating conditions Cd may include the current supplied to the electrolytic cell 90, the current efficiency CE of the electrolytic cell 90, the voltage CV of the electrolytic cell 90, the pH and flow rate of the liquid 70 (see FIG. 2), the pH and flow rate of the liquid 72 (see FIG. 2), the target production amount of the product P, and the like. The operating condition acquisition unit 23 may acquire the operating conditions Cd from the electrolytic cell 90 wirelessly.

[0077] The operating conditions Cd may be acquired continuously or periodically, for example, at predetermined time intervals, such as every day from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., or every three days for eight consecutive hours.

[0078] The memory unit 25 may store the operating conditions Cd acquired by the operating condition acquisition unit 23 and the types and amounts of elements contained in the target object 110. When the electrolytic cell 90 is operated under a plurality of operating conditions Cd, the memory unit 25 may store the types and amounts of elements for each of the plurality of operating conditions Cd. The memory unit 25 may further store the analysis results Ra.

[0079] The operating conditions Cd do not have to be acquired by the operating condition acquisition unit 23. The storage unit 25 may store the operating conditions Cd input by a user of the analysis system 100.

[0080] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing another example of a block diagram of the analysis system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The analysis system 100 of this example differs from the analysis system 100 shown in Fig. 10 in that the analysis system 100 includes a plurality of terminals 10 and a plurality of information terminals 30.

[0081] In this example, the multiple electrolytic cells 90 are arranged at different positions. In this example, electrolytic cell 90-1 is arranged at position Sb1, electrolytic cell 90-2 is arranged at position Sb2, and electrolytic cell 90-m is arranged at position Sbm, where m is an integer of 2 or more.

[0082] Positions Sb1 to Sbm may be different geographical positions. Position Sb1 is, for example, a specific city in the United States, position Sb2 is, for example, a specific city in Europe, and position Sbm is, for example, a specific city in Australia. In this example, terminal 10-1 and information terminal 30-1 are located at position Sb1, terminal 10-2 and information terminal 30-2 are located at position Sb2, and terminal 10-m and information terminal 30-m are located at position Sbm.

[0083] In this example, the element acquisition units 12 in the multiple terminals 10 each acquire the amount of an element contained in the multiple targets 110. The receiving unit 22 in the server 20 receives the amount of an element acquired by the element acquisition units 12 in the multiple terminals 10. In this example, the first transmitting units 14 in the multiple information terminals 30 each transmit the amount of an element contained in the multiple targets 110, and the receiving unit 22 receives the amount of each of the elements transmitted by the first transmitting units 14.

[0084] The status analysis unit 24 in the server 20 analyzes the status of one object 110 based on the amounts of elements acquired by the element acquisition units 12 in each of the multiple terminals 10 and received by the receiving units 22. In this example, the status analysis unit 24 analyzes the status of one object 110 based on the amounts of each element transmitted by the first transmission units 14 in each of the multiple information terminals 30 and received by the receiving units 22. One object 110 refers to one or more objects 110 among electrolytic baths 90-1 to 90-m.

[0085] The memory unit 25 may store the operating conditions Cd for each of the multiple electrolytic baths 90, and the types and amounts of elements contained in each of the multiple targets 110. The memory unit 25 may store the operating conditions Cd and the types and amounts of elements for each of the multiple electrolytic baths 90.

[0086] The state analyzing unit 24 may calculate a first relationship R1 (see FIG. 6) based on the current efficiency CE in each of the multiple electrolytic baths 90 and the amount of an element contained in each of the multiple targets 110. The first relationship R1 may be determined in advance or may be calculated by the state analyzing unit 24. The state analyzing unit 24 may calculate a second relationship R21 (see FIG. 7) and a second relationship R22 (see FIG. 9) based on the voltage CV in each of the multiple electrolytic baths 90 and the amount of an element contained in each of the multiple targets 110. The second relationship R21 and the second relationship R22 may be determined in advance or may be calculated by the state analyzing unit 24. The first relationship R1, the second relationship R21, and the second relationship R22 may be stored in the storage unit 25.

[0087] The state analysis unit 24 may analyze the state of the one ion exchange membrane 84 based on the amount of the element received by the receiving unit 22 and the first relationship R1 stored in the memory unit 25. This allows the user of the analysis system 100 to recognize the state of the one ion exchange membrane 84 compared with the state of the other ion exchange membranes 84. In this example, the receiving unit 22 receives the amount of the element transmitted by each of the first transmitting units 14 in the multiple information terminals 30, so that the receiving unit 22 can receive the amount of the element of the object 110 in the electrolytic baths 90 arranged at a long distance from each other, and the state analysis unit 24 can analyze the state of the one ion exchange membrane 84. Therefore, the user of the analysis system 100 can recognize the analysis result Ra without sending a sample of the object 110 for analyzing the state from each of the multiple positions Sb to the position Sa. In comparison with the case where a sample of the object 110 is sent from each of a plurality of positions Sb to the position Sa, calculation of the analysis result Ra by the state analyzing unit 24 becomes easier.

[0088] Similarly, the state analyzing unit 24 may analyze the state of one ion exchange membrane 84 based on the amount of the element received by the receiving unit 22 and the second relationship R21 stored in the memory unit 25. Similarly, the state analyzing unit 24 may analyze the state of one anode 80 or cathode 82 based on the amount of the element received by the receiving unit 22 and the second relationship R22 stored in the memory unit 25.

[0089] Each of the plurality of element acquisition units 12 may further acquire identification information for identifying the target object 110 in one electrolytic bath 90 among the plurality of electrolytic baths 90 from the target object 110 in the other electrolytic baths 90. The identification information is set as identification information Id. When the target object 110 is an ion exchange membrane 84, the identification information Id may be the type of the ion exchange membrane 84. The type of the ion exchange membrane 84 may be a physical quantity that may differ for each individual ion exchange membrane 84, such as the density of anionic groups 86 (see FIG. 3) in the ion exchange membrane 84 and the thickness of the ion exchange membrane 84. The type of the ion exchange membrane 84 may be a so-called lot number for each individual ion exchange membrane. The type of the ion exchange membrane 84 may be the type of anionic groups 86 (see FIG. 3).

[0090] When the object 110 is the anode 80 (see FIG. 2) or the cathode 82 (see FIG. 2), the identification information Id may be the type of element coating the surface of the anode 80 or the cathode 82. When the object 110 is the anode 80 and the cathode 82, the identification information Id may be the number of a frame that holds the anode 80 and the cathode 82. The frame holds one anode 80 and one cathode 82 as a pair. One ion exchange membrane 84 may be disposed between the anode 80 in one frame and the cathode 82 in the other frame. The anode 80 in the one frame, the cathode 82 in the other frame, and the one ion exchange membrane 84 may be included in one electrolysis cell 91 (see FIG. 2).

[0091] The receiving unit 22 may receive the identification information Id of each of the multiple objects 110. The first transmitting unit 14 may transmit the identification information Id. Each of the multiple first transmitting units 14 may transmit the identification information Id of each of the multiple objects 110. In this example, the receiving unit 22 receives the identification information Id transmitted by the first transmitting unit 14.

[0092] The memory unit 25 may store the operating conditions Cd of each of the multiple electrolytic baths 90, the types and amounts of elements contained in the multiple targets 110, and identification information Id corresponding to each of the multiple electrolytic baths 90. The memory unit 25 may store, for each of the multiple electrolytic baths 90, the operating conditions Cd, the types and amounts of elements, and the identification information Id.

[0093] Storage unit 25 may further store a plurality of pieces of position information relating to different positions of a plurality of electrolytic baths 90 arranged at different positions. In the example of Fig. 11, storage unit 25 stores respective pieces of position information relating to positions Sb1 to Sbm. The position information relating to position Sb is, for example, information that position Sb is New York in the United States.

[0094] The memory unit 25 may store operating conditions Cd for each of the multiple electrolytic baths 90, the types and amounts of elements contained in the multiple targets 110, identification information Id corresponding to each of the multiple electrolytic baths 90, and location information relating to each of the multiple electrolytic baths 90. The memory unit 25 may store, for each of the multiple electrolytic baths 90, the operating conditions Cd, the types and amounts of elements, identification information Id, and location information.

[0095] A first state S1 is a predetermined first state of the object 110. The first state S1 may be a state in which the object 110 is at the end of its life. In the case where the object 110 is the ion exchange membrane 84 (see FIG. 2), the first state S1 may be a state in which it is difficult for the ion exchange membrane 84 to repel anions.

[0096] The second predetermined state of the object 110 is referred to as the second state S2. The second state S2 may be a state in which the object 110 is at the end of its life. When the object 110 is the anode 80 (see FIG. 2) or the cathode 82 (see FIG. 2), the second state S2 may be a state in which the amount of coating material coating the surface of the anode 80 or the cathode 82 is less than a predetermined amount.

[0097] The third predetermined state of the object 110 is referred to as a third state S3. The third state S3 is a state in which, when the object 110 is the ion exchange membrane 84, the ion exchange membrane 84 reaches the end of its life and the Cl of the liquid 75 (aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide) is reduced. - It may be a condition in which the (chloride ion) concentration is at a pre-determined threshold concentration.

[0098] The second transmission unit 27 may transmit the analysis result Ra to the information terminal 30. The second transmission unit 27 may transmit the analysis result Ra to the terminal 10. The state analysis unit 24 may further analyze the types of elements acquired by the element acquisition unit 12 based on the analysis result Ra. The second transmission unit 27 may transmit the types of elements analyzed by the state analysis unit 24 to the information terminal 30. The types of elements analyzed by the state analysis unit 24 may be displayed on the display unit 32 (see FIG. 10).

[0099] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the analysis result Ra. FIG. 12 is an example of the analysis result Ra of the state of the anode 80. FIG. 12 shows the analysis results Ra for a plurality of anodes 80. In FIG. 12, the time refers to the time elapsed from the start of use of the anode 80 to the analysis of the state of the anode 80. The elapsed time may be the number of years elapsed. In FIG. 12, the remaining amount refers to the remaining amount of the coating material coating the anode 80. The coating material may be Ru (ruthenium). In FIG. 12, the current analysis result Ra is shown by a black circle. The analysis result Ra shown by a white circle may be an older analysis result Ra than the current one.

[0100] The analysis result Ra shown in Fig. 12 may be displayed on the display unit 32 (see Fig. 10). This allows a user of one electrolytic bath 90 (see Fig. 11) to recognize the analysis result Ra of the state of the anode 80 in one electrolytic bath 90 in comparison with the analysis result Ra of the state of the anode 80 in another electrolytic bath 90 (see Fig. 11).

[0101] In order to identify the cause of the performance deterioration of the object 110, the operation of the electrolysis device 200 may be temporarily stopped. It is preferable that the time for which the operation of the electrolysis device 200 is stopped is as short as possible. When the terminal 10 is a portable X-ray fluorescence analysis terminal, the user of the electrolysis device 200 can easily identify the cause of the performance deterioration of the object 110 without removing the object 110 from the electrolysis device 200, and can easily take measures to recover the performance of the object 110. Therefore, the time for which the operation of the electrolysis device 200 is stopped is likely to be short. Since the user of the electrolysis device 200 can recover the performance of the object 110 without replacing the object 110, the object 110 is less likely to be lost.

[0102] The element acquisition unit 12 (see FIG. 11) may acquire the amount of an element based on the analysis result Ra transmitted by the second transmission unit 27 (see FIG. 11). The element acquisition unit 12 may acquire the amount of an element based on the analysis result Ra transmitted by the second transmission unit 27 and received by the information terminal 30. This allows the element acquisition unit 12 to acquire the amount of an element reflecting the analysis result Ra. For example, when the analysis result Ra of one ion exchange membrane 84 is the analysis result Ra indicating that a specific element has accumulated at one position of the one ion exchange membrane 84, the element acquisition unit 12 acquires the specific element at another position of the one ion exchange membrane 84.

[0103] When the state analyzing unit 24 analyzes that the state of one object 110 in one electrolytic bath 90 is at least one of the first state S1 to the third state S3, the element acquiring unit 12 may acquire the amount of an element contained in the other object 110 in the one electrolytic bath 90. The element acquiring unit 12 (see FIG. 11) may acquire the amount of an element contained in the other object 110 (see FIG. 4) in the one electrolytic bath 90 (see FIG. 11).

[0104] For example, when the second transmission unit 27 (see FIG. 11) transmits to the information terminal 30-1 an analysis result Ra indicating that the state of the ion exchange membrane 84 (see FIG. 2) arranged in one electrolytic cell 91-1 (see FIG. 1) in the electrolytic bath 90-1 is the first state S1, the element acquisition unit 12-1 (see FIG. 11) may acquire the amount of an element contained in the ion exchange membrane 84 arranged in the other electrolytic cell 91-2 in the electrolytic bath 90-1. When the ion exchange membrane 84 arranged in the one electrolytic cell 91-1 is in the first state S1, the ion exchange membrane 84 arranged in the other electrolytic cell 91-2 is more likely to be in the first state S1 than when the ion exchange membrane 84 is not in the first state S1. For this reason, the user of the analysis system 100 can easily recognize the state of the ion exchange membrane 84 arranged in the other electrolytic cell 91-2.

[0105] Similarly, when the second transmission unit 27 (see Figure 11) transmits to the information terminal 30-2 an analysis result Ra indicating that the state of the anode 80 (see Figure 2) placed in one electrolytic cell 91-2 (see Figure 1) in the electrolytic bath 90-2 (see Figure 11) is the second state S2, the element acquisition unit 12-2 may acquire the amount of elements contained in the anode 80 placed in another electrolytic cell 91-3 in the electrolytic bath 90-2.

[0106] Similarly, when the second transmission unit 27 (see FIG. 11) transmits to the information terminal 30-m an analysis result Ra indicating that the state of the ion exchange membrane 84 (see FIG. 2) arranged in one electrolytic cell 91-3 (see FIG. 1) in the electrolytic bath 90-m (see FIG. 11) is the third state S3, the element acquisition unit 12-m (see FIG. 11) may acquire the amount of elements contained in the ion exchange membrane 84 arranged in another electrolytic cell 91-1 in the electrolytic bath 90-m.

[0107] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing another example of a block diagram of the analysis system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the analysis system 100 of this example, the server 20 further includes a state prediction unit 26. The analysis system 100 of this example differs from the analysis system 100 shown in Fig. 11 in this respect. The state prediction unit 26 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The state analysis unit 24 and the state prediction unit 26 may be one CPU.

[0108] The element acquisition unit 12 may acquire the change over time in the amount of an element contained in the target object 110. As the operating time of the electrolytic bath 90 passes, elements contained in the liquid 70 (see FIG. 2 ) and the like may accumulate in the target object 110. For this reason, the amount of an element contained in the target object 110 may change over time.

[0109] The first transmission unit 14 may transmit the change over time in the amount of the element acquired by the element acquisition unit 12. The reception unit 22 may receive the change over time in the amount of the element transmitted by the first transmission unit 14.

[0110] The state predicting unit 26 may predict the time when the object 110 will enter the first state S1 based on the change over time in the amount of the element received by the receiving unit 22 and the first relationship R1 (see FIG. 6) or based on the second relationship R21 (see FIG. 7). As described above, the first state S1 may be a state in which the object 110 is at the end of its life. In the case where the object 110 is the ion exchange membrane 84 (see FIG. 2), the first state S1 may be a state in which it is difficult for the ion exchange membrane 84 to repel anions.

[0111] If the intensity of the X-rays 114 (see FIGS. 4 and 10) is In, the current efficiency CE and the voltage CV are expressed by the following Equations 1 and 2, respectively.

number

number

[0112] In formula 1, α1 represents the degree of influence of element i on the decrease in current efficiency CE. In formula 1, β1 represents the degree of influence of elements j and k on the decrease in current efficiency CE. In formula 1, CE0 represents the initial current efficiency before the decrease in current efficiency CE. In formula 2, α2 represents the degree of influence of element i on the increase in voltage CV. In formula 2, β2 represents the degree of influence of elements j and k on the increase in voltage CV. In formula 2, CV0 represents the initial voltage before the increase in voltage CV. The state prediction unit 26 may calculate the rate of increase in intensity In. The state prediction unit 26 may predict the time when the ion exchange membrane 84 will become the first state S1 based on the rate of increase in intensity In.

[0113] The first relationship R1 may be determined for each identification information Id. The state prediction unit 26 may predict the time when the object 110 in one electrolytic bath 90 will reach the first state S1 based on the change over time in the amount of an element in the one electrolytic bath 90 and the first relationship R1 for the one electrolytic bath 90, and may predict the time when the object 110 in another electrolytic bath 90 will reach the first state S1.

[0114] The second relationship R21 may be determined for each identification information Id. State prediction unit 26 may predict the time when object 110 in one electrolytic bath 90 will reach the first state S1, based on the change over time in the amount of an element in that one electrolytic bath 90 and the second relationship R21 for that one electrolytic bath 90, and may also predict the time when object 110 in another electrolytic bath 90 will reach the first state S1.

[0115] The state predicting unit 26 may predict when the object 110 will enter the second state S2 based on the change over time in the amount of the element received by the receiving unit 22 and the second relationship R22 (see FIG. 9). As described above, the second state S2 may be a state in which the object 110 is at the end of its life. When the object 110 is the anode 80 (see FIG. 2) or the cathode 82 (see FIG. 2), the second state S2 may be a state in which the amount of coating material coating the surface of the anode 80 or the cathode 82 is less than a predetermined amount.

[0116] The voltage CV can also be expressed by the following equation 3.

number

[0117] The state prediction unit 26 may calculate the consumption rate of the coating material coating the surface of the anode 80 or the cathode 82. The consumption rate is calculated by In i The state predicting section 26 may predict when the anode 80 (see FIG. 2) will enter the second state S2 based on the consumption rate of the coating material.

[0118] The second relationship R22 may be determined for each identification information Id. State prediction unit 26 may predict the time when object 110 in one electrolytic bath 90 will attain the second state S2, based on the change over time in the amount of an element in that one electrolytic bath 90 and the second relationship R22 for that one electrolytic bath 90, and may also predict the time when object 110 in another electrolytic bath 90 will attain the second state S2.

[0119] The state predicting unit 26 may predict the time when the object 110 will enter a third state S3 based on the change over time in the amount of the element received by the receiving unit 22 and the third relationship R3 (see FIG. 8). The third state S3 refers to a time when the object 110 is an ion exchange membrane 84, and the ion exchange membrane 84 has reached the end of its life and the Cl content of the liquid 75 (aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide) has decreased. - It may be a condition in which the (chloride ion) concentration is at a pre-determined threshold concentration.

[0120] The third relationship R3 may be determined for each identification information Id. State prediction unit 26 may predict the time when object 110 in one electrolytic bath 90 will reach the third state S3, based on the change over time in the amount of an element in that one electrolytic bath 90 and the third relationship R3 for that one electrolytic bath 90, and may also predict the time when object 110 in another electrolytic bath 90 will reach the third state S3.

[0121] Second transmission unit 27 may transmit the time when object 110 will enter first state S1, second state S2, or third state S3, predicted by state prediction unit 26, to information terminal 30. This allows the user of electrolytic bath 90 to know the time when object 110 will enter first state S1, second state S2, or third state S3.

[0122] The state prediction unit 26 may predict the time when the target object 110 will become the first state S1 for each type of element based on the change over time of the amount of the element received by the receiving unit 22 and the first relationship R1 (see FIG. 6) or based on the second relationship R21 (see FIG. 7). The state prediction unit 26 may predict the time when the target object 110 will become the second state S2 for each type of element based on the change over time of the amount of the element received by the receiving unit 22 and the second relationship R22 (see FIG. 9). The state prediction unit 26 may predict the time when the target object 110 will become the third state S3 for each type of element based on the change over time of the amount of the element received by the receiving unit 22 and the third relationship R3 (see FIG. 8).

[0123] The state prediction unit 26 may predict the time when the target object 110 will be in the first state S1 for each operating condition Cd. As described above, the operating condition Cd may include the current supplied to the electrolytic bath 90, the current efficiency CE of the electrolytic bath 90, the voltage CV of the electrolytic bath 90, the pH and flow rate of the liquid 70 (see FIG. 2), the pH and flow rate of the liquid 72 (see FIG. 2), the target production amount of the product P, and the like. In the case where the target object 110 is an ion exchange membrane 84, the time when the ion exchange membrane 84 becomes in a state where it is difficult to repel anions may depend on the operating condition Cd. For this reason, by predicting the time when the target object 110 will be in the first state S1 for each operating condition Cd, the user of the electrolytic bath 90 can recognize the time when the target object 110 will be in the first state S1 for each operating condition Cd. Similarly, the state prediction unit 26 may predict the time when the object 110 will enter the second state S2 for each driving condition Cd, and may predict the time when the object 110 will enter the third state S3 for each driving condition Cd.

[0124] The state prediction unit 26 may predict the time when the object 110 will be in the first state S1 for each operating condition Cd and for each type of element. The state prediction unit 26 may predict the time when the object 110 will be in the second state S2 for each operating condition Cd and for each type of element. The state prediction unit 26 may predict the time when the object 110 will be in the third state S3 for each operating condition Cd and for each type of element.

[0125] A measure for restoring the current efficiency CE of the electrolytic cell 90 is referred to as a first measure Cm1. For example, when the current efficiency CE is less than a predetermined value, the first measure Cm1 is a measure based on the cause of the current efficiency CE being less than the predetermined value, and is a measure for restoring the current efficiency CE to the predetermined value or more by eliminating the cause. For example, when the cause of the current efficiency CE being less than the predetermined value is the adhesion of predetermined impurities to the ion exchange membrane 84, the first measure Cm1 is to remove the impurities from the ion exchange membrane 84.

[0126] A measure to restore the voltage CV of the electrolytic cell 90 is referred to as the second measure Cm2. For example, when the voltage CV exceeds a predetermined value, the second measure Cm2 is a measure based on the cause of the voltage CV exceeding the predetermined value, and is a measure for restoring the current efficiency CE to a predetermined value or less by eliminating the cause. For example, when an NaCl (sodium chloride) aqueous solution is introduced into the anode chamber 79 and the cause of the voltage CV exceeding the predetermined value is that the NaCl (sodium chloride) concentration of the aqueous solution is not within a predetermined range, the second measure Cm2 is a measure for returning the NaCl (sodium chloride) concentration to the predetermined range.

[0127] Liquid 75 Cl - The measure to restore the (chloride ion) concentration is the third measure Cm3. - When the (chloride ion) concentration exceeds a predetermined concentration, the third measure Cm3 is to - (Chloride ion) This is a measure based on the cause of the concentration exceeding a predetermined concentration, and the Cl of liquid 75 is reduced by eliminating the cause. - This is a measure to restore the (chloride ion) concentration to a predetermined value or lower. - (Chloride ion) concentration is restored to a predetermined value or less. - It may refer to reducing the (chloride ion) concentration below a predetermined value.

[0128] The storage unit 25 may store at least one of the first countermeasure Cm1, the second countermeasure Cm2, and the third countermeasure Cm3. When the first countermeasure Cm1 is implemented, the state prediction unit 26 may predict the state of the object 110 when the first countermeasure Cm1 is implemented. The state prediction unit 26 may predict the state of the object 110 when the first countermeasure Cm1 is implemented for each operating condition Cd. The second transmission unit 27 may transmit to the information terminal 30 the state of the object 110 predicted by the state prediction unit 26, which is the state of the object 110 when the first countermeasure Cm1 is implemented. This allows the user of the electrolytic bath 90 to predict the state of the object 110 when the first countermeasure Cm1 is implemented for the electrolytic bath 90. The second transmission unit 27 may transmit to the terminal 10 the state of the object 110 when the first countermeasure Cm1 is implemented.

[0129] Similarly, when the second countermeasure Cm2 is implemented, the state prediction unit 26 may predict the state of the object 110 when the second countermeasure Cm2 is implemented. The state prediction unit 26 may predict the state of the object 110 when the second countermeasure Cm2 is implemented for each driving condition Cd. The second transmission unit 27 may transmit to the information terminal 30 the state of the object 110 predicted by the state prediction unit 26, which is the state of the object 110 when the second countermeasure Cm2 is implemented. Note that the second transmission unit 27 may transmit to the terminal 10 the state of the object 110 when the second countermeasure Cm2 is implemented.

[0130] Similarly, when the third measure Cm3 is implemented, the state prediction unit 26 may predict the state of the object 110 when the third measure Cm3 is implemented. The state prediction unit 26 may predict the state of the object 110 when the third measure Cm3 is implemented for each driving condition Cd. The second transmission unit 27 may transmit to the information terminal 30 the state of the object 110 predicted by the state prediction unit 26 and when the third measure Cm3 is implemented. Note that the second transmission unit 27 may transmit to the terminal 10 the state of the object 110 when the third measure Cm3 is implemented.

[0131] 14 is a view of the ion exchange membrane 84 and the introduction pipe 92 in FIG. 2 as viewed from the anode 80 to the cathode 82. In this specification, the direction from the anode 80 to the cathode 82 is referred to as a side view. In this example, the ion exchange membrane 84 contains impurities 89. The impurities 89 may be contained in the liquid 70.

[0132] An inlet pipe 92 through which the liquid 70 passes is connected to the electrolytic cell 90. In a side view of one electrolytic cell 91 (see FIG. 1), the inlet pipe 92 is disposed below the ion exchange membrane 84. The electrolytic cell 90 is provided with an opening 60 through which the liquid 70 passes. The upper end of the inlet pipe 92 is connected to the opening 60. In FIG. 14, the position of the opening 60 in a side view is indicated by a thick line, and the positions of both ends of the opening 60 in a side view are indicated by dashed lines.

[0133] The introduction pipe 92 contains an element that forms the introduction pipe 92. This element is referred to as element E. The element E may be introduced into the anode chamber 79 (see FIG. 2) by the liquid 70. If the introduction pipe 92 deteriorates over time, the element E is likely to be introduced into the anode chamber 79. The element E introduced into the anode chamber 79 may accumulate in the target object 110.

[0134] The state analyzing unit 24 (see FIGS. 4, 10, and 11) may analyze at least one of the amount and type of element E contained in the object 110. A state in which the object 110 contains the element E in a predetermined amount or more is defined as a fourth state S4 of the object 110.

[0135] When the state analyzing unit 24 analyzes that the target object 110 is in the fourth state S4, the second transmitting unit 27 (see FIGS. 10 and 11) may transmit an instruction to the element acquiring unit 12 (see FIGS. 4, 10 and 11) to acquire the element E. The second transmitting unit 27 may transmit an instruction to the information terminal 30 regarding the investigation of the introduction pipe 92. The instruction regarding the investigation of the introduction pipe 92 may be displayed on the display unit 32 of the information terminal 30. This allows the user of the electrolytic bath 90 to start investigating the introduction pipe 92.

[0136] In this example, the impurity 89 is assumed to be element E or a compound of element E. The element acquisition unit 12 (see FIG. 4, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11) may acquire the amount of element E for each position of element E in the target 110. The position of element E refers to the position of impurity 89 in a side view of the ion exchange membrane 84 in a side view of one electrolysis cell 91 (see FIG. 1). The element acquisition unit 12 may acquire the amount of element E for each predetermined position in the target 110, and may acquire position information of element E in the target 110 and the amount of element E corresponding to the position information. The element acquisition unit 12 may acquire the amount of element E for each position of element E in the target 110 and for each type of element E.

[0137] The first transmission unit 14 (see FIG. 4, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11) may transmit the amount of element E for each position of element E. The reception unit 22 (see FIG. 4, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11) may receive the amount of element E for each position of element E. The state analysis unit 24 may analyze the state of the object 110 based on the amount of element E for each position of element E. The position of the impurity 89 may depend on the type of element E. Therefore, by analyzing the state of the object 110 based on the position of the element E, it becomes easier to identify the element E that causes the state of the object 110. The second transmission unit 27 (see FIG. 10 and FIG. 11) may transmit the analysis result Ra based on the position of element E and the amount of element E to the information terminal 30. The second transmission unit 27 may transmit the analysis result Ra to the terminal 10.

[0138] The first transmission unit 14 (see FIGS. 4, 10, and 11) may transmit the amount of element E for each position of element E and for each type of element E. The reception unit 22 (see FIGS. 4, 10, and 11) may receive the amount of element E for each position of element E and for each type of element E. The state analysis unit 24 may analyze the state of the target object 110 based on the amount of element E for each position of element E and for each type of element E. The second transmission unit 27 (see FIGS. 10 and 11) may transmit the analysis result Ra based on the position of element E, the type of element E, and the amount of element E to the information terminal 30. The second transmission unit 27 may transmit the analysis result Ra to the terminal 10.

[0139] The state analyzing unit 24 may analyze the state of the object 110 based on the position of the opening 60 and the position of the element E in the object 110. The position of the opening 60 and the position of the element E may be positions in a side view of one electrolytic cell 91 (see FIG. 1). Based on the position of the opening 60 and the position of the element E may refer to being based on the relative positional relationship between the position of the opening 60 and the position of the element E. The relative positional relationship between the position of the opening 60 and the position of the element E is, for example, the distance between the position of the opening 60 and the position of the element E.

[0140] The state of the object 110 may depend on the position of the opening 60 and the position of the element E. For this reason, by analyzing the state of the object 110 based on the position of the opening 60 and the position of the element E, it becomes easier to identify the element E that causes the state of the object 110. The second transmission unit 27 may transmit the analysis result Ra based on the position of the opening 60 and the position of the element E to the information terminal 30.

[0141] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing another example of a block diagram of server 20 in analysis system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. However, terminal 10, information terminal 30, and electrolytic cell 90 are omitted in Fig. 15. Server 20 of this example differs from server 20 shown in Figs. 10 and 11 in that it further includes first state learning unit 120 and second state learning unit 130.

[0142] The first state learning unit 120 generates a first state inference model 122 (described later) by machine learning the relationship between the current efficiency CE and the amount of an element acquired by the element acquisition unit 12 (see FIGS. 10 and 11). The second state learning unit 130 generates a second state inference model 132 (described later) by machine learning the relationship between the voltage CV and the amount of an element acquired by the element acquisition unit 12.

[0143] 16 is a diagram showing an example of the first state inference model 122. When a current efficiency CE and an amount of an element are input, the first state inference model 122 outputs a first inference state for the current efficiency CE and the amount of the element. The first inference state is called a first inference state Se1.

[0144] 17 is a diagram showing an example of the second state inference model 132. When a voltage CV and an amount of an element are input, the second state inference model 132 outputs a second inference state for the voltage CV and the amount of the element. The second inference state is called a second inference state Se2.

[0145] The first inference state Se1 and the second inference state Se2 may be an analysis result Ra by the state analysis unit 24. The first state inference model 122 and the second state inference model 132 may be stored in the storage unit 25. The state analysis unit 24 may analyze the state of the object 110 based on at least one of the first state inference model 122 and the second state inference model 132 stored in the storage unit 25.

[0146] Fig. 18 is a flowchart including an example of an analysis method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The analysis method according to an embodiment of the present invention is an example of a method for analyzing an object 110 (see Fig. 4) in an analysis system 100 (see Figs. 4, 10, 11, and 13). The analysis method of this example includes an element acquisition step S100, a reception step S104, and a state analysis step S109.

[0147] The element acquisition step S100 is a step in which the element acquisition unit 12 acquires the amount of an element contained in the target object 110 in the electrolytic bath 90. The analysis method of this example includes a first transmission step S102. The first transmission step S102 is a step in which the first transmission unit 14 transmits the amount of the element acquired in the element acquisition step S100. The reception step S104 is a step in which the reception unit 22 receives the amount of the element acquired in the element acquisition step S100. In this example, the reception step S104 is a step in which the reception unit 22 receives the amount of the element transmitted in the first transmission step S102.

[0148] The analysis method of this example includes a determination step S106. The determination step S106 may be a step in which the state analyzing unit 24 determines whether the object 110 is the ion exchange membrane 84 or at least one of the anode 80 and the cathode 82. In the determination step S106, the state analyzing unit 24 may determine whether the object 110 is the ion exchange membrane 84 or at least one of the anode 80 and the cathode 82 based on the type of element acquired in the element acquiring step S100.

[0149] The analysis method of this example includes a storage step S108 and a storage step S114. The storage step S108 may be a step in which the storage unit 25 stores the amount of the element acquired in the element acquisition step S100 when it is determined in the determination step S106 that the target object 110 is the ion exchange membrane 84. The storage step S114 may be a step in which the storage unit 25 stores the amount of the element acquired in the element acquisition step S100 when it is determined in the determination step S106 that the target object 110 is at least one of the anode 80 and the cathode 82.

[0150] The condition analyzing step S109 is a step in which the condition analyzing unit 24 analyzes the condition of the target object 110 based on the amounts of elements received in the receiving step S104. In Fig. 18, the range of the condition analyzing step S109 is surrounded by a dashed line.

[0151] When the object 110 is the ion exchange membrane 84, the state analyzing step S109 in this example includes an intensity acquiring step S110, a judgment step S112, judgment steps S200 to S212, and a comparison step S300. The intensity acquiring step S110 is a step in which the receiving unit 22 acquires the intensity of the X-rays 114 (see FIG. 4) measured by the element acquiring unit 12.

[0152] The threshold value of the intensity of the X-rays 114 is set as a threshold intensity Stp. The threshold intensity Stp may be determined in advance for each type of element. The determination step S112 is a step in which the state analysis unit 24 determines whether the intensity of the X-rays 114 acquired in the intensity acquisition step S110 is equal to or greater than the threshold intensity Stp. If it is determined in the determination step S112 that the intensity of the X-rays 114 is equal to or greater than the threshold intensity Stp, the analysis method proceeds to step S200. If it is determined in the determination step S112 that the intensity of the X-rays 114 is less than the threshold intensity Stp, the analysis method proceeds to step S300.

[0153] In the state analysis step S109, the state analysis unit 24 may analyze the state of the object 110 (the ion exchange membrane 84 in this example) based on a predetermined first relationship R1 between the current efficiency CE of the electrolytic bath 90 and the amount of an element, or may analyze the state of the object 110 (the ion exchange membrane 84 in this example) based on a predetermined second relationship R21 between the voltage CV of the electrolytic bath 90 and the amount of an element. In this example, in the judgment steps S200 to S212, the state analysis unit 24 judges whether the intensity of the X-ray 114 is equal to or greater than a threshold intensity Stp for each predetermined element, thereby analyzing the state of the object 110 (the ion exchange membrane 84 in this example). In this example, the predetermined elements are Ni (nickel), Ca (calcium), Sr (strontium), Ba (barium), I (iodine), Fe (iron), and Zr (zirconium).

[0154] When the object 110 is at least one of the anode 80 and the cathode 82, the state analyzing step S109 in this example includes an intensity acquiring step S116. The intensity acquiring step S116 is a step in which the receiving unit 22 acquires the intensity of the X-rays 114 (see FIG. 4) measured by the element acquiring unit 12.

[0155] In the condition analysis step S109, the condition analysis unit 24 may analyze the condition of the object 110 (at least one of the anode 80 and the cathode 82 in this example) based on a predetermined second relationship R22 between the voltage CV of the electrolytic bath 90 and the amount of an element. In this example, the condition analysis unit 24 analyzes the condition of the object 110 (at least one of the anode 80 and the cathode 82 in this example) based on the intensity of the X-rays 114 (see FIG. 4) acquired in the intensity acquisition step S116.

[0156] In the state analysis step S109, the state analysis unit 24 analyzes the Cl in the aqueous solution of the alkali metal hydroxide. - The state of the object 110 (the ion exchange membrane 84 in this example) may be analyzed based on a predetermined third relationship R3 between the (chloride ion) concentration and the amount of the element. In this example, in the judgment steps S200 to S212, the state analyzing unit 24 judges whether or not the intensity of the X-rays 114 is equal to or greater than a threshold intensity Stp for each predetermined element, thereby analyzing the state of the object 110 (the ion exchange membrane 84 in this example).

[0157] The analysis method of this example further includes a proposal step S220. The proposal step S220 is a step of proposing investigation items, measures, etc. to the user of the electrolytic bath 90 for elements whose intensity of the X-rays 114 is equal to or greater than the threshold intensity Stp. The measures may be at least one of the first measure Cm1, the second measure Cm2, and the third measure Cm3 described above.

[0158] The comparison step S300 is a step in which the state analysis unit 24 compares the analysis result Ra of one object 110 with the analysis result Ra of another object 110. The one object 110 may be the object 110 to be analyzed. The other object 110 may be the object 110 related to the past analysis result Ra. This allows the user of the one electrolytic bath 90 to recognize the analysis result Ra of the state of the object 110 in the one electrolytic bath 90 compared with the analysis result Ra of the object 110 in the other electrolytic bath 90.

[0159] The analysis method of this example further includes a state prediction step S302, a second transmission step S304, and a display step S306. The state prediction step S302 is a step in which the state prediction unit 26 predicts the time when the target object 110 (the ion exchange membrane 84 in this example) will be in the first state S1 based on the change in the amount of the element over time and the first relationship R1, or predicts the time when the target object 110 (the ion exchange membrane 84 in this example) will be in the second state S2 based on the change in the amount of the element over time and the second relationship R21. The state prediction step S302 is a step in which the state prediction unit 26 predicts the time when the target object 110 (at least one of the anode 80 and the cathode 82 in this example) will be in the second state S2 based on the change in the amount of the element over time and the second relationship R22. The state predicting step S302 is a step in which the state predicting unit 26 predicts the time when the target object 110 (the ion exchange membrane 84 in this example) will enter the third state S3 based on the change over time of the amount of the element and the third relationship R3.

[0160] The second transmission step S304 is a step in which the second transmission unit 27 transmits the analysis result Ra in the state analysis step S109 to the information terminal 30. The second transmission step S304 may be a step in which the second transmission unit 27 transmits to the information terminal 30 the time when the target object 110 will be in the first state S1 or the second state S2, which is predicted in the state prediction step S302.

[0161] The display step S306 is a step in which the display unit 32 of the information terminal 30 displays the analysis result Ra. This allows the user of the electrolytic bath 90 to recognize the analysis result Ra. The display step S306 may be a step in which the display unit 32 of the information terminal 30 displays the time when the target object 110 will be in the first state S1 or the second state S2. This allows the user of the electrolytic bath 90 to recognize the time when the target object 110 will be in the first state S1 or the second state S2.

[0162] Various embodiments of the invention may be described with reference to flowcharts and block diagrams. In various embodiments of the invention, blocks may represent (1) process steps where operations are performed or (2) sections of apparatus responsible for performing the operations.

[0163] Certain steps may be performed by dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry, or a processor. Certain sections may be implemented by dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry, or a processor. The programmable circuitry and the processor may be provided with computer readable instructions. The computer readable instructions may be stored on a computer readable medium.

[0164] The dedicated circuitry may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits. The dedicated circuitry may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. The programmable circuitry may include hardware circuits for logical AND, OR, XOR, NAND, NOR, or other logical operations. The programmable circuitry may include reconfigurable hardware circuits including flip-flops, registers, memory elements such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), and the like.

[0165] The computer readable medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions that are executed by a suitable device, and by the inclusion of such a tangible device, the computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon comprises an article of manufacture that includes instructions that can be executed to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams.

[0166] The computer readable medium may be, for example, an electronic storage medium, a magnetic storage medium, an optical storage medium, an electromagnetic storage medium, a semiconductor storage medium, etc. More specifically, the computer readable medium may be, for example, a floppy disk, a diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a Blu-ray (RTM) disk, a memory stick, an integrated circuit card, etc.

[0167] The computer readable instructions may include any of assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, source code and object code. The source code and the object code may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object oriented programming languages ​​and conventional procedural programming languages. The object oriented programming language may be, for example, Smalltalk, JAVA, C++, etc. The procedural programming language may be, for example, the "C" programming language.

[0168] The computer readable instructions may be provided to a processor or programmable circuitry of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus locally or over a wide area network (WAN) such as a local area network (LAN), the Internet, etc. The processor or programmable circuitry of the general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus may execute the computer readable instructions to create means for performing the operations specified in the flow chart shown in Figure 18 or the block diagrams shown in Figures 4, 10, 11, 13, and 15. The processor may be, for example, a computer processor, processing unit, microprocessor, digital signal processor, controller, microcontroller, etc.

[0169] Fig. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a computer 2200 in which the analysis system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be embodied in whole or in part. A program installed in the computer 2200 may cause the computer 2200 to function as an operation associated with the analysis system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention or one or more sections of the analysis system 100, or to execute the operation or one or more sections, or to execute each step of the analysis method of the present invention (see Fig. 18). The program may be executed by the CPU 2212 to cause the computer 2200 to execute specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowchart (Fig. 18) and block diagrams (Figs. 4, 10, 11, 13, and 15) described herein.

[0170] The computer 2200 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 2212, a RAM 2214, a graphic controller 2216, and a display device 2218. The CPU 2212, the RAM 2214, the graphic controller 2216, and the display device 2218 are connected to each other by a host controller 2210. The computer 2200 further includes input / output units such as a communication interface 2222, a hard disk drive 2224, a DVD-ROM drive 2226, and an IC card drive. The communication interface 2222, the hard disk drive 2224, the DVD-ROM drive 2226, and the IC card drive are connected to the host controller 2210 via an input / output controller 2220. The computer further includes legacy input / output units such as a ROM 2230 and a keyboard 2242. The ROM 2230, the keyboard 2242, and the like are connected to the input / output controller 2220 via an input / output chip 2240.

[0171] The CPU 2212 controls each unit by operating according to programs stored in the ROM 2230 and the RAM 2214. The graphic controller 2216 acquires image data generated by the CPU 2212 into a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 2214 or into the RAM 2214, thereby causing the image data to be displayed on the display device 2218.

[0172] The communication interface 2222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The hard disk drive 2224 stores programs and data used by the CPU 2212 in the computer 2200. The DVD-ROM drive 2226 reads programs or data from the DVD-ROM 2201 and provides the read programs or data to the hard disk drive 2224 via the RAM 2214. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0173] The ROM 2230 stores a boot program or the like that is executed by the computer 2200 upon activation, or a program that depends on the hardware of the computer 2200. The input / output chip 2240 may connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 2220 via a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, or the like.

[0174] The programs are provided by a computer-readable medium such as a DVD-ROM 2201 or an IC card. The programs are read from the computer-readable medium, installed in the hard disk drive 2224, the RAM 2214, or the ROM 2230, which are also examples of computer-readable media, and executed by the CPU 2212. Information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 2200, and brings about cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or method may be constructed by implementing information manipulation or processing according to the use of the computer 2200.

[0175] For example, when communication is performed between the computer 2200 and an external device, the CPU 2212 may execute a communication program loaded in the RAM 2214 and instruct the communication interface 2222 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of the CPU 2212, the communication interface 2222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer processing area provided in the RAM 2214, the hard disk drive 2224, the DVD-ROM 2201, or a recording medium such as an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to a network, or writes reception data received from the network to a reception buffer processing area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0176] The CPU 2212 may cause all or a necessary portion of a file or database stored in an external recording medium such as the hard disk drive 2224, the DVD-ROM drive 2226 (DVD-ROM 2201), an IC card, etc. to be read into the RAM 2214. The CPU 2212 may perform various types of processing on the data on the RAM 2214. The CPU 2212 may then write back the processed data to the external recording medium.

[0177] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored in the recording medium and processed. The CPU 2212 may execute various types of processing on the data read from the RAM 2214, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional decisions, conditional branches, unconditional branches, information searches or replacements, etc., specified by the instruction sequences of the programs described in this disclosure. The CPU 2212 may write back the results to the RAM 2214.

[0178] CPU2212 may search for information in a file, database, etc. in the recording medium. For example, when a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored in the recording medium, CPU2212 may search for an entry that matches a condition in which the attribute value of the first attribute is specified from among the plurality of entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition by reading the second attribute value.

[0179] The above-mentioned program or software module may be stored on the computer 2200 or in a computer-readable medium of the computer 2200. A recording medium such as a hard disk or a RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as the computer-readable medium. The program may be provided to the computer 2200 by the recording medium.

[0180] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0181] It should be noted that the order of execution of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically indicated as "before," "prior to," etc., and may be realized in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is explained using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, it does not mean that it is essential to perform the process in this order. [Explanation of symbols]

[0182] 10 terminal, 12 element acquisition section, 14 first transmission section, 20 server, 22 receiving section, 23 operating condition acquisition section, 24 status analysis section, 25 storage section, 26 status prediction section, 27 second transmission section, 30 information terminal, 32 display section, 60 opening, 70 liquid, 71 cation, 72 liquid, 73 Liquid, 74, Liquid, 75, Liquid, 76, Liquid, 77, Gas, 78, Gas, 79, Anode chamber, 80, Anode, 82, Cathode, 84, Ion exchange membrane, 86, Anion group, 89, Impurities, 90, Electrolytic cell, 91, Electrolytic cell, 92, Inlet tube, 93, Inlet tube, 94, Outlet tube, 95, Outlet tube, 98, Cathode chamber, 100, analysis system, 112, X-ray, 114, X-ray, 120, first state learning unit, 122, first state inference model, 130, second state learning unit, 132, second state inference model, 200, electrolysis device, 2200, computer, 2201, DVD-ROM, 2210, host controller, 2212, CPU, 2214, RAM, 2216, graphic controller, 2218, display device, 2220, input / output controller, 2222, communication interface, 2224, hard disk drive, 2226, DVD-ROM drive, 2230, ROM, 2240, input / output chip, 2242, keyboard

Claims

1. a terminal having an element acquisition unit that acquires the amount of an element contained in a target object in an electrolytic cell; a server including a receiving unit that receives the amount of the element acquired by the element acquisition unit, and a state analysis unit that analyzes a state of the object based on the amount of the element received by the receiving unit; Equipped with the electrolytic cell has an ion exchange membrane and an anode chamber and a cathode chamber separated by the ion exchange membrane, an aqueous solution of an alkali metal chloride or an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide is introduced into the anode chamber, and an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide is discharged from the cathode chamber; The state analysis unit analyzes the state of the object based on a predetermined first relationship between the current efficiency of an electrolytic cell and the amount of the element, analyzes the state of the object based on a predetermined second relationship between the voltage of an electrolytic cell and the amount of the element, or analyzes the state of the object based on a predetermined third relationship between the chloride ion concentration in an aqueous solution of the alkali metal hydroxide and the amount of the element.

2. A plurality of the electrolytic cells are arranged at different positions, the element acquisition units in the plurality of terminals each acquire an amount of the element contained in each of the plurality of objects; the receiving unit receives the amounts of the elements acquired by the element acquiring units in the plurality of terminals, The state analysis unit analyzes a state of one of the objects based on the amounts of the elements acquired by the element acquisition units and received by the receiving units in each of the plurality of terminals. The analysis system according to claim 1 .

3. 3. The analysis system of claim 2, wherein the server further has a state prediction unit that predicts when the object will reach a predetermined first state based on the change in the amount of the element over time and the first relationship, predicts when the object will reach a predetermined second state based on the change in the amount of the element over time and the second relationship, or predicts when the object will reach a predetermined third state based on the amount of the element and the third relationship.

4. 4. The analysis system of claim 3, wherein the state prediction unit predicts when the object in one of the electrolytic baths or another of the electrolytic baths will reach the first state based on the change over time in the amount of the element in one of the electrolytic baths and the first relationship, predicts when the object in one of the electrolytic baths or another of the electrolytic baths will reach the second state based on the change over time in the amount of the element in one of the electrolytic baths and the second relationship, or predicts when the object in one of the electrolytic baths or another of the electrolytic baths will reach the third state based on the change over time in the amount of the element in one of the electrolytic baths and the third relationship.

5. The element acquisition unit further acquires the type of the element, The receiving unit further receives the type of the element, 5. The analysis system according to claim 3, wherein the state prediction unit predicts when the object will reach the first state for each type of element, predicts when the object will reach the second state for each type of element, or predicts when the object will reach the third state for each type of element.

6. The server further includes an operating condition acquisition unit that acquires operating conditions of each of the plurality of electrolytic cells, 5. The analysis system according to claim 3, wherein the state prediction unit predicts a time when the object will enter the first state for each of the operating conditions, predicts a time when the object will enter the second state for each of the operating conditions, or predicts a time when the object will enter the third state for each of the operating conditions.

7. the state prediction unit predicts the state of the object when a first measure corresponding to the state of the object is implemented, the first measure being a measure for restoring a current efficiency of the electrolytic cell; predicts the state of the object when a second measure corresponding to the state of the object is implemented, the second measure being a measure for restoring a voltage of the electrolytic cell; or predicts the state of the object when a third measure corresponding to the state of the object is implemented, the third measure being a measure for restoring a chloride ion concentration in the aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide. The analysis system according to claim 3 or 4.

8. 5. The analysis system of claim 3, wherein when the state analysis unit analyzes that the state of one of the objects in one of the electrolytic baths is at least one of the first state and the second state, the element acquisition unit acquires the amount of the element contained in another of the objects in one of the electrolytic baths.

9. The analysis system according to claim 2 , further comprising an information terminal arranged at the position and having a first transmission unit that transmits the amount of the element acquired by the element acquisition unit.

10. The server further includes a second transmission unit that transmits an analysis result analyzed by the state analysis unit to the information terminal, The element acquisition unit acquires the amount of the element based on the analysis result transmitted by the second transmission unit. The analysis system according to claim 9 .

11. an introduction pipe through which a liquid to be introduced into the electrolytic cell passes is connected to the electrolytic cell; When the state analyzing unit analyzes that the object is in a fourth state in which the object contains an element contained in the introduction pipe in an amount equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the second transmitting unit transmits an instruction to the element acquiring unit to acquire the element contained in the introduction pipe. The analysis system according to claim 10.

12. The analysis system of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the server further has at least one of a first state learning unit that generates a first state inference model that outputs a first inference state of the object based on the current efficiency and the amount of the element by machine learning the relationship between the current efficiency and the amount of the element, and a second state learning unit that generates a second state inference model that outputs a second inference state of the object based on the voltage and the amount of the element by machine learning the relationship between the voltage and the amount of the element.

13. the element acquisition unit acquires an amount of the element for each position of the element in the target object; The receiving unit receives the amount of the element for each position of the element, The state analysis unit analyzes a state of the object based on an amount of the element at each position of the element. The analysis system according to claim 1 .

14. A terminal having an element acquisition unit that acquires the amount of an element contained in a target object in an electrolytic cell; a server including a receiving unit that receives the amount of the element acquired by the element acquisition unit, and a state analysis unit that analyzes a state of the object based on the amount of the element received by the receiving unit; Equipped with the element acquisition unit acquires an amount of the element for each position of the element in the target object; The receiving unit receives the amount of the element for each position of the element, The state analysis unit analyzes a state of the object based on an amount of the element at each position of the element, The electrolytic cell is provided with an opening through which a liquid to be introduced into the electrolytic cell passes; The state analysis unit analyzes a state of the object based on the position of the opening and the position of the element in the object. Analysis system.

15. an element acquisition step in which an element acquisition unit acquires an amount of an element contained in a target object in an electrolytic bath; a receiving step in which a receiving unit receives the amount of the element acquired in the element acquisition step; a state analyzing step in which a state analyzing unit analyzes a state of the object based on the amount of the element received in the receiving step; Equipped with the electrolytic cell has an ion exchange membrane and an anode chamber and a cathode chamber separated by the ion exchange membrane, an aqueous solution of an alkali metal chloride or an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide is introduced into the anode chamber, and an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide is discharged from the cathode chamber; The state analysis step is a step in which the state analysis unit analyzes the state of the object based on a predetermined first relationship between a current efficiency of an electrolytic cell and the amount of the element, analyzes the state of the object based on a predetermined second relationship between a voltage of an electrolytic cell and the amount of the element, or analyzes the state of the object based on a predetermined third relationship between a chloride ion concentration in the aqueous solution of the alkali metal hydroxide and the amount of the element. Analysis method.

16. 16. The analysis method according to claim 15, further comprising a state prediction step in which a state prediction unit predicts when the object will reach a predetermined first state based on the change in the amount of the element over time and the first relationship, predicts when the object will reach a predetermined second state based on the change in the amount of the element over time and the second relationship, or predicts when the object will reach a predetermined third state based on the change in the amount of the element over time and the third relationship.

17. An analysis program for causing a computer to function as the analysis system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

18. A receiving unit for receiving an amount of an element contained in a target object in an electrolytic cell; a state analysis unit that analyzes a state of the object based on the amount of the element received by the receiving unit; Equipped with the electrolytic cell has an ion exchange membrane and an anode chamber and a cathode chamber separated by the ion exchange membrane, an aqueous solution of an alkali metal chloride or an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide is introduced into the anode chamber, and an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide is discharged from the cathode chamber; The state analysis unit analyzes the state of the object based on a predetermined first relationship between the current efficiency of an electrolytic cell and the amount of the element, analyzes the state of the object based on a predetermined second relationship between the voltage of an electrolytic cell and the amount of the element, or analyzes the state of the object based on a predetermined third relationship between the chloride ion concentration in the aqueous solution of the alkali metal hydroxide and the amount of the element.

19. A receiver for receiving an amount of an element contained in an object in an electrolytic bath, the amount of the element being at each position of the element in the object; a state analysis unit that analyzes a state of the object based on the amount of the element received by the receiving unit; Equipped with The state analysis unit analyzes a state of the object based on an amount of the element at each position of the element, The electrolytic cell is provided with an opening through which a liquid to be introduced into the electrolytic cell passes; The state analysis unit analyzes a state of the object based on the position of the opening and the position of the element in the object. server.

20. An analysis program for causing a computer to function as a server as described in claim 18 or 19.

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