Oxocarbon Electrolyzer Gas Separation With Product Gas Recycling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing oxocarbon electrolyzers struggle to achieve near 100% conversion of oxocarbons to desired products, leading to the need for effective separation techniques to recycle unconverted oxocarbons and improve efficiency and purity while minimizing energy waste.
Innovation Solution
Recycling product gases from the output stream back to the input of the oxocarbon electrolyzer, combined with various separation methods such as membrane, temperature swing adsorption, pressure swing adsorption, and cryogenic separators, to optimize gas mixture and reduce excessive oxocarbon exposure, thereby enhancing catalyst performance and product selectivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If unconverted oxocarbon is separated downstream and recycled upstream in traditional gas reactor processes, then conversion efficiency is improved, but energy consumption increases and product selectivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional recycling approach by recycling product gas from the output stream back to the input of the electrolyzer, rather than recycling unconverted feedstock. This reversal limits excessive oxocarbon exposure to the catalyst, suppresses undesirable side reactions, improves product selectivity, and enhances overall conversion efficiency while reducing energy consumption.
2Productivity
If oxocarbon exposure to catalyst is increased to improve conversion rate, then productivity increases, but product selectivity decreases due to excessive exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where product gas is recycled back to the electrolyzer input, creating a closed-loop system that dynamically controls oxocarbon exposure. This feedback loop ensures that the catalyst receives an optimized mixture of oxocarbon and product gas, maintaining high conversion rates while preventing excessive exposure that would lead to unwanted byproducts.
3Manufacturing precision
If separation techniques are added to achieve high purity products, then product purity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of unconverted oxocarbon in the output stream into a beneficial component by recycling it back to the input. This approach eliminates the need for complex downstream separation techniques to remove unreacted feedstock, as the recycled oxocarbon becomes part of the reactant mixture, thereby simplifying the overall system while achieving high product purity.
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 approach increases electrolyzer efficiency, reduces energy consumption, and enhances product purity by limiting excessive oxocarbon exposure, suppressing undesirable side reactions, and optimizing separator efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The first separator stage can include one or more membrane separators
Implementation Method 2
The first separator stage can include one or more temperature swing adsorption separators
Implementation Method 3
The first separator stage can include one or more pressure swing adsorption separators
Implementation Method 4
The first separator stage can include one or more cryogenic separators
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure relates to systems and methods for gas separation in oxocarbon electrolyzers. A disclosed method includes supplying an oxocarbon to an input stream of a cathode chamber of an oxocarbon electrolyzer, converting the oxocarbon to a product gas in the cathode chamber, obtaining an output stream, with the product gas and residual oxocarbon, from the oxocarbon electrolyzer, and recycling a portion of the product gas, from the output stream, to the input stream.