Nucleus-Shell Electrolyser Cell for High-Pressure Hydrogen Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional electrolysis cells face issues with membrane damage, electrical insulation challenges, and energy dissipation due to high current densities, leading to reduced operational life and increased maintenance costs, especially when producing high-pressure hydrogen.
Innovation Solution
A 'nucleus-shell' electrolysis cell design utilizing a dielectric material block with a micro-porous titanium wire cloth and Teflon seals, which provides electrical insulation, thermal management, and mechanical robustness, allowing for efficient hydrogen production up to 20 bar without membrane damage and reducing energy dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If wire meshes with large dimension pores are used to create hollow structure for gas transportation, then gas circulation is improved, but membrane breakage risk increases due to contact pressure damaging the membrane edges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a porous plate as an intermediary component between the wire mesh and the membrane. This porous plate acts as a mediator that allows gas circulation while preventing direct contact between the wire mesh and the membrane, thereby eliminating the risk of membrane breakage from contact pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the harmful function of the wire mesh (direct contact with membrane causing damage) while retaining its useful function (gas circulation). The wire mesh is removed from direct contact with the membrane, and its gas transportation role is maintained through the porous plate structure.
2Reliability
If polymer-based seals are used in direct contact with the membrane, then sealing is achieved, but assembly and disassembly become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a porous plate as an intermediary component between the seal and the membrane. This porous plate allows the seal to maintain contact for sealing purposes while preventing the seal from directly adhering to the membrane, thereby facilitating easier assembly and disassembly operations.
3Productivity
If high current densities are applied to produce high pressure hydrogen, then productivity is improved, but energy dissipation increases due to Joule heating
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful Joule heating effect into a beneficial thermal management opportunity. By designing the porous plate with specific thermal properties and structure, the heat generated by high current densities is efficiently dissipated, allowing high productivity operation without excessive energy loss.
4Stress or pressure
If the cell is hermetically closed to produce high pressure hydrogen, then pressure containment is improved, but membrane breakage risk increases due to increased contact pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The porous plate serves as a protective intermediary between the hermetically sealed cell structure and the membrane. It distributes the contact pressure uniformly across the membrane surface, preventing localized stress concentrations that could lead to breakage, while allowing the cell to maintain high pressure for productive hydrogen generation.
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
The dielectric nucleus-shell configuration reduces energy consumption, enhances mechanical resistance, prevents membrane damage, and improves catalyst activity, leading to increased efficiency and reduced maintenance costs by containing thermal energy and preventing short-circuits.
Implementation Method 1
The nucleus is made up of a dielectric material block that contains an electrode configuration
Implementation Method 2
thermal conductivity between 0.2 and 1 W·(m·K) -1
Implementation Method 3
These meshes with different porosities (macro-porous) are named 'gas diffusion layers' and form a structure with several cavities. These cavities consist of multi-branched channels whose capillary action guarantees a correct transportation either of reagents or reaction products
Implementation Method 4
Hydrogen production is made by the water electrolysis process. This process takes advantage of the electrical power and the electrocatalysts to trigger the water splitting reaction
Implementation Method 5
the current flow through the cell produces heat through the Joule effect, due to the internal resistance of the cell
Implementation Method 6
A certain amount of water coming from the anode goes to the cathode together with the protons (electro-permeation process of water through the proton-conducting membrane)
Data Source
AI summary
The invention consists of an electrolyser with an ionic membrane cell characterized by a "nucleus-shell" structure. The electrolyser cell, the object of this invention, consists of three main parts: a) the housing of the membrane; b) the cell "nucleus" based on a highly dielectric material (with a low dielectric constant); and c) the steel "shell," which wraps the dielectric nucleus and guarantees that the cell is sealed. The cell nucleus, which contains the membrane housing, is made of the principal components that make electrochemical reactions possible while involved in the water electrolysis process. In particular, the housing of the membrane is made up of two current collectors and a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA). The cell nucleus, which has membrane housing inside it, is made up of a material with a low dielectric constant. More specifically, it is necessary that the dielectric material, of which the cell nucleus is made up, meets the following conditions: a) dielectric constant at 25°C and 1 kHz lower than 2.8; b) thermal conductivity between 0.2 and 1 W-(m-K)'1. The external envelope (shell) contains the cell nucleus that contains the dielectric block inside which there is the electrode configuration. The external shell has a structural function as it allows one to close the cell nucleus hermetically so that the chamber containing the electrode configuration can be kept under high pressure without any gas leaks.