Bag-Shaped Membrane Pack for Electrolytic Gas Purification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrolysis systems struggle to achieve high purity hydrogen gas due to oxygen gas diffusion through membranes, leading to impurities in the hydrogen gas and requiring costly metal catalysts and reaction columns for purification.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a bag-shaped membrane pack in the electrolysis system's circulation tank, made from a porous membrane material that allows electrolyte solution and small gas bubbles to permeate while retaining large gas bubbles, effectively purifying the electrolytic gases by preventing their circulation back to the electrolysis cell.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a membrane is used to separate anode and cathode chambers in alkaline water electrolysis, then the electrolysis efficiency is improved, but oxygen gas diffuses through the membrane into the cathode chamber causing impurity in hydrogen gas
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes oxygen gas and other impurities from the hydrogen gas stream using a purification chamber with catalytic materials. The hydrogen gas containing diffused oxygen is directed through the purification chamber where oxygen is selectively removed, achieving high purity hydrogen gas output while maintaining the membrane separation structure's efficiency benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a purification chamber as an intermediary component between the cathode chamber and the hydrogen gas outlet. This intermediate stage allows for the removal of diffused oxygen and other impurities through catalytic conversion, effectively mediating the conflict between maintaining membrane separation efficiency and achieving high hydrogen purity.
2Manufacturing precision
If metal catalysts and reaction columns are added to purify hydrogen gas, then the hydrogen gas purity is improved, but the system complexity and running costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the purification function directly into the existing electrolysis cell structure by integrating a purification chamber within the cathode chamber assembly. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate external reaction columns and complex purification systems, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining high hydrogen gas purity through integrated catalytic purification.
3Manufacturing precision
If metal catalysts are used for long-term hydrogen gas purification, then the hydrogen gas purity is maintained, but the catalyst deteriorates requiring regeneration or replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The invention designs the purification chamber with removable catalytic materials that can be easily discarded and replaced when deteriorated. The modular purification chamber allows for simple maintenance operations where spent catalysts are removed and fresh catalysts are installed, eliminating the need for complex in-situ regeneration systems and ensuring continuous high-purity hydrogen production.
4Manufacturing precision
If the membrane thickness is increased to prevent oxygen diffusion, then the hydrogen gas purity is improved, but the membrane resistance increases leading to higher power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing membrane thickness to prevent oxygen diffusion, the invention takes out and removes the diffused oxygen from the hydrogen stream through the purification chamber. This approach maintains the original thin membrane structure and its low resistance characteristics, avoiding increased power consumption while achieving high hydrogen purity through active oxygen removal rather than passive membrane barrier enhancement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution achieves high purity hydrogen gas (99.94% or higher) and oxygen gas (99.94% or higher) without the need for metal catalysts or reaction columns, reducing process load and running costs while maintaining stable long-term operation.
Implementation Method 1
made from a porous membrane material that allows electrolyte solution and small gas bubbles to permeate while retaining large gas bubbles
Implementation Method 2
porous membrane material of a construction that causes the electrolyte solution and gas bubbles of small diameter to permeate and causes the electrolytic gas and gas bubbles of large diameter to remain
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a purification method of electrolytic gas generated from an electrolysis cell having a cathode and an anode. In a step of performing electrolysis of an electrolyte solution supplied into the electrolysis cell and repeating the electrolysis while circulating the electrolyzed electrolyte solution via an circulation tank disposed outside the electrolysis cell, a bag-shaped membrane pack, which is made from a specific porous membrane material, is of a shape having an opening at a top end thereof and closed at an entire side wall and entire bottom wall thereof and has a large permeation area at the entire side wall and entire bottom wall, is disposed in an interior of the circulation tank, thereby enabling to perform the electrolysis while purifying the electrolyte solution in which a portion of the electrolytic gas generated by the electrolysis is dissolved and bubbles of another portion of the electrolytic gas coexist.