JP2007044640A - Water electrolyzer for purifying lake water and also for producing hydrogen - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water electrolyzer for producing hydrogen and meanwhile for purifying lake water, river water, reservoir water, and so forth by increasing the dissolved oxygen content therein. <P>SOLUTION: The water electrolyzer 22 mainly comprises a pair of end plates 1, 2 serving as a main anode and a main cathode respectively, a plurality of unit cells 3 which are so disposed between the end plates as to be interlaminated in series, and each of which further comprises an anode side gas generation chamber on the anode side and a cathode side gas generation chamber on the cathode side, and a bolt and nut 18, 18' piercing through a plurality of holes on the periphery of the pair of end plates squeezing the plurality of unit cells from both sides. The water electrolyzer 22 is immersed in the water. An ion exchange resin layer 5 surrounds the outer periphery of the plurality of unit cells squeezed across the pair of end plates for purifying the lake water to make water to be electrolyzed. The outer periphery of the ion exchange resin layer 5 is covered by a metal mesh 6 to prevent a drain of the ion exchange resin. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing hydrogen at the same time as purifying water by increasing the concentration of dissolved oxygen in water such as lakes, rivers and reservoirs. Throughout the claims and throughout the specification, the term “lake” means a lake, a marsh, and a river or a reservoir.

  Usually, in a water electrolysis apparatus, pure water is supplied to a water electrolysis tank using auxiliary equipment such as a pump. In the case of using lake water as the electrolytic raw material water, water is sucked up from the lake by a pump and then supplied to the water electrolysis tank through an ion exchanger filled with an ion exchange resin.

  In the above technique, the pumps must be operated stably. However, in the central part of the lake that is far from the land, power transmission from the land is difficult, and there is a problem that the pump does not run stably when a solar cell or the like is used as the power source of the pump.

  It is conceivable that the water electrolysis device is submerged in a lake because hydrogen and oxygen can be efficiently generated by subjecting auxiliary power to electrolysis.

  However, there is a problem that filth such as trash and sewage enter the water electrolysis device and adversely affect water electrolysis.

  The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems.

The invention according to claim 1 is a water electrolyzer that is submerged in water, a pair of end plates that respectively serve as an anode main electrode and a cathode main electrode, and a serially laminated structure between these end plates, A plurality of unit cells having the anode side gas generation chamber and the other as the cathode side gas generation chamber, and bolts and nuts that penetrate the plurality of holes provided on the outer periphery of the pair of end plates and tighten the plurality of unit cells from both sides. In the water electrolysis tank composed of
An ion-exchange resin-filled layer that is installed on the outer periphery of a plurality of unit cells that are clamped between a pair of end plates, and purifies the water of the lake into water for electrolysis;
A water electrolysis apparatus for lake purification and hydrogen production comprising a metal mesh that covers an outer periphery of an ion exchange resin packed layer and prevents the outflow of the ion exchange resin.

The invention according to claim 2 is a water electrolyzer that is submerged in water, the anode main electrode and the cathode main electrode arranged at both ends, and arranged in series between these main electrodes, A plurality of unit cells having the anode side gas generation chamber and the other as the cathode side gas generation chamber, a pair of end plates sandwiching the combination of the anode main electrode, the plurality of unit cells, and the cathode main electrode from both sides, and a pair of end plates In a water electrolyzer configured with bolts and nuts penetrating a plurality of holes opened in the outer edge of the bolt and tightening the combination from both sides,
An ion-exchange resin-filled layer that is installed on the outer periphery of the above-described combination that is clamped between a pair of end plates, and purifies lake water into water for electrolysis;
A water electrolysis apparatus for lake purification and hydrogen production comprising a metal mesh that covers an outer periphery of an ion exchange resin packed layer and prevents the outflow of the ion exchange resin.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the anode side gas generation chamber communicates with water through the ion exchange resin filling layer, the cathode side gas generation chamber is sealed with the ion exchange resin resin layer, and is provided in the water electrolysis cell. The water electrolysis apparatus for lake purification and hydrogen production according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the water extraction pipe communicates with a hydrogen take-out pipe through a hydrogen header.

  In the invention according to claim 4, a solar power generation device or a wind power generation device is installed on a ship or a floating structure, and a water electrolysis tank is suspended in water from the ship or the floating structure, and the solar power generation device or the wind power generation The apparatus is connected to a water electrolysis tank through a covered cable, and an output generated by the solar power generation apparatus or the wind power generation apparatus is supplied to the water electrolysis tank. Water electrolysis device for lake purification and hydrogen production.

  The invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that the hydrogen extraction pipe is connected to a hydrogen storage tank via a compressor, and hydrogen generated in the water electrolysis tank is similarly stored in the tank. The water electrolysis apparatus for lake purification and hydrogen production according to any one of -4.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, hydrogen is supplied from a hydrogen tank to a fuel cell or a hydrogen engine, and the ship is self-propelled by a power source obtained thereby. This is a water electrolysis device for lake purification and hydrogen production.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the lake purification and hydrogen production according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the metal mesh is made of stainless steel, titanium or copper and has an opening of several mm or less. It is a water electrolyzer.

The invention according to claim 8 is a water electrolyzer that is submerged in water in a pressure vessel, and a pair of end plates that respectively function as an anode main electrode and a cathode main electrode, and a serially laminated structure between these end plates. A plurality of unit cells, one of which serves as an anode-side gas generation chamber and the other serves as a cathode-side gas generation chamber, and a plurality of holes provided in the outer periphery of a pair of end plates, and the plurality of unit cells are tightened from both sides. In a water electrolysis tank composed of bolts and nuts,
An ion-exchange resin-filled layer that is installed on the outer periphery of a plurality of unit cells that are clamped between a pair of end plates, and purifies lake water into water for electrolysis;
A water electrolysis apparatus for immersion in water, comprising: a metal mesh that covers an outer periphery of an ion exchange resin-filled layer and prevents the ion exchange resin from flowing out.

  In the water electrolysis apparatus according to the present invention, the water electrolysis tank may be cylindrical or prismatic, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped.

  You may float floating structures such as ridges and piers instead of ships.

  According to the invention described in claim 1 or 2, since the periphery of the plurality of unit cells forming the main body of the water electrolyzer is covered with the ion exchange resin packed layer, the water in the lake is pure water or has low electrical conductivity. It can be purified into ion-exchanged water (for example, 1 μS / cm or less) and used as raw water for a water electric field. Therefore, it is not necessary to supply pure water to the water electrolysis tank using auxiliary equipment such as a pump.

  In addition, since the outer periphery of the ion exchange resin packed layer is covered with a metal mesh, not only does the metal mesh prevent the ion exchange resin from leaking out of the water electrolysis device, but also dirt such as lakes and dirt such as algae are water. Intrusion into the electrolysis apparatus can be prevented.

  According to the invention of claim 3, since the anode side gas generation chamber communicates with water through the ion exchange resin packed layer, oxygen generated by water electrolysis is released into water, and dissolved oxygen in water is discharged. The water is purified by increasing.

  In addition, since the cathode side gas generation chamber communicates with the hydrogen extraction pipe via the hydrogen header, hydrogen generated by water electrolysis can be easily extracted. .

  According to the invention described in claim 4, the power generated by the solar power generation device or the wind power generation device provided on the ship is supplied to the water electrolysis tank, so that the present invention can be performed even in the central part of the lake away from the land. The water electrolysis apparatus for lake purification and hydrogen production according to the invention can be operated.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the stored hydrogen can be used as hydrogen fuel by storing the hydrogen generated in the water electrolysis tank in the hydrogen storage tank.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to make a ship self-propelled by obtaining a power source from a fuel cell and a hydrogen engine using hydrogen generated in a water electrolyzer.

  According to the seventh aspect of the invention, by using a metal mesh made of stainless steel, titanium or copper, leakage of the ion exchange resin and entry of filth can be more effectively prevented.

  According to invention of Claim 8, the water electrolysis tank covered with the ion exchange resin packed bed can also be submerged in water in a pressure vessel other than a lake.

  Next, in order to describe the present invention specifically, examples of the present invention will be shown.

Example 1
In FIG. 1, a water electrolysis cell (22) is arranged in a series of layers between a pair of end plates (1) and (2) that also serve as an anode main electrode and a cathode main electrode, respectively. A plurality of unit cells (3) having an anode-side gas generation chamber and the other as a cathode-side gas generation chamber, and a plurality of unit cells provided through a through-hole in the outer peripheral portion of the end plate provided across a pair of end plates. It consists mainly of bolts (4) and nuts (14) that are retracted from both sides.

  Cylindrical insulating sheets (13) are interposed between the inner surfaces of the through holes of the end plates (1) and (2) and the bolts (4), respectively, and the outer surfaces of the end plates (1) and (2) and the nuts (14) and A donut-shaped insulating sheet (19) is interposed between the two. These insulating sheets (13) and (19) are made of an insulating material such as Teflon (registered trademark).

  The unit cell (3) includes the anode side of the bipolar plate (7), the anode feeder (8), the electrode assembly film (9), the cathode feeder (10), and the cathode of the adjacent bipolar plate (7). It is mainly composed from the side.

  The plurality of unit cells (3) clamped between the pair of end plates (1) and (2) have an ion exchange resin layer (5) that covers the outer periphery and purifies lake water into electrolysis water. And a metal mesh (6) that covers the outer periphery of the ion exchange resin layer and prevents the ion exchange resin from flowing out.

Various ionic species in water are adsorbed on the ion exchange resin by exchanging with OH ions and H ions of the ion exchange resin, and the exchanged OH ions and H ions are combined to form H. 0. As the water for electrolysis, water having a low electrical conductivity (the degree of easy passage of the water current) (for example, 1 μS / cm or less) is required.

  The metal mesh (6) is provided to prevent leakage of the ion exchange resin from the water electrolyzer and entry of dirt such as dust and algae into the water electrolyzer. The material is made of stainless steel, titanium, copper. Is desirable. The mesh opening is preferably 1 to 3 mm.

  A hydrogen header (11) penetrating the plurality of unit cells (3) is provided at the center of the water electrolysis tank (22).

  The anode-side gas generation chamber (not shown) supplies water to the anode-side surface of the electrode assembly film (9), and the anode-side gas generated on the anode-side surface by water electrolysis, that is, oxygen is supplied to the bipolar plate (7). It has a function to send to the flow path provided on the anode side.

  The cathode side gas generation chamber (not shown) has a function of sending cathode side gas generated by water electrolysis, that is, hydrogen, through the electrode assembly film (9) to the flow path provided on the cathode side of the bipolar plate (7). have.

  An anode feeding terminal (17) is attached to the end plate (1) that also serves as the anode main electrode by the bolt (4) and nut (14). The terminal (34) of the covered cable (16) coming from the anode power source (15) is connected to the anode feeding terminal (17) by a bolt and nut (18). The connecting portion of the covered cable (16) is coated with a resin layer (33) and subjected to water resistance treatment.

  A cathode feeding terminal (17 ′) is attached to an end plate (2) that also serves as a cathode main electrode by bolts (4) and nuts (14). The terminal (34 ′) of the covered cable (16 ′) coming from the cathode power source (15 ′) is connected to the cathode power supply terminal (17 ′) by bolts and nuts (18 ′). The connecting portion of the covered cable (16 ′) is coated with a resin layer (33 ′) and subjected to water resistance treatment.

  The cable material of the covered cables (16) (16 ′) is preferably copper and is water-resistant.

  The anode-side coated cable (16) connects the anode side of the solar power generation device (21) and the anode feeding terminal (17) attached to the end plate (1) that also serves as the anode main electrode. 16 ′) connects the cathode side of the solar power generation device (21) and the cathode feeding terminal (17 ′) attached to the end plate (2) which also serves as the cathode main electrode.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the water electrolyzer (22) configured as described above is suspended from the ship in the water of a lake. The anode side gas generation chamber communicates with the lake water through the ion exchange resin so that the water around the ion exchange resin can freely enter and exit and the oxygen can be discharged.

  The cathode side gas generation chamber communicates with the hydrogen header (11) penetrating the plurality of unit cells (3) in the center of the water electrolysis tank, and the hydrogen generated in the cathode side gas generation chamber is transferred from the hydrogen header (11). It is sent to the ship through a hydrogen take-off pipe (12) attached to one end plate and a hydrogen take-out pipe (36) connected thereto. A rubber seal member (20) is interposed between the hydrogen header (11) and the inner surface of the through hole of the anode feeder (8).

  Ships with suspended water electrolyzers include a solar power generator (21) on the deck, a compressor (23) that compresses hydrogen from the water electrolyzer (22), and a hydrogen tank (24 ), A fuel cell (25) that generates electricity using hydrogen from a hydrogen tank, a motor (26) that is driven by using the electric power obtained by the fuel cell, and a screw (27) that is rotationally driven by the motor Is installed. The solar power generation device (21) and the water electrolysis tank (22) are connected by the anode side and cathode side covered cables (31) and (32).

  The power generation output obtained by the solar power generation device (21) is DC power, and this is directly supplied from the solar power generation device (21) to the water electrolyzer (22) through the covered cables (31) and (32).

  The hydrogen produced in the water electrolyzer (22) is sent to the compressor (23) on the ship and then to the hydrogen tank (24) through the hydrogen take-out pipe (36). It is also possible to supply hydrogen directly to the hydrogen tank (24) without a compressor.

  The operation of the lake purification and hydrogen electrolysis apparatus configured as described above will be described.

  The electric power obtained by the solar power generation device (21) is supplied as electrolytic power to the water electrolyzer (22) submerged in the lake through the anode-side and cathode-side covered cables (31), (32). At the same time, the sewage in the lake flows into the ion exchange resin packed bed (5), is purified to water with low electrical conductivity, is supplied to the anode side gas generation chamber, and the water is electrolyzed. Oxygen generated by water electrolysis passes through the ion exchange resin packed bed (5) from the anode gas generation chamber and is released into the lake water, increasing dissolved oxygen in the water and contributing to purification of the lake water. Hydrogen generated by water electrolysis exits from the cathode gas generation chamber to the hydrogen header (11), and from there through the hydrogen take-out pipe (36), is sent to the hydrogen tank (24) and stored therein. This stored hydrogen is supplied from the hydrogen tank (24) to the fuel cell (25) and used as a power source, allowing the ship to run on its own.

Example 2
In FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the anode main electrode and the cathode main electrode are provided separately from the pair of end plates (1) and (2). That is, the anode main electrode (40) and the cathode main electrode (41) are arranged at both ends, the anode main electrode (40) has an anode feeding terminal (17), and the cathode main electrode (41) has a cathode feeding terminal (17 '). Are connected to each other. Between the anode main electrode (40) and the cathode main electrode (41), a plurality of unit cells (3), one of which is an anode side gas generation chamber and the other is a cathode side gas generation chamber, are arranged in a stacked form in series. The combination of anode main electrode (40)-multiple unit cells (3)-cathode main electrode (41) is sandwiched from both sides by a pair of end plates (1) (2) and opened at the outer edge of the pair of end plates The above combination is tightened from both sides with bolts (4) and nuts (14) penetrating through a plurality of holes.

  Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

Example 3
FIG. 4 shows a case where wind power generation is used. In this case, a wind power generator (29) is installed instead of the solar power generator, and an AC / DC converter (30) is installed between the wind power generator (29) and the water electrolyzer (22) as necessary. The Other configurations are the same as in the case of solar power generation.

  When the power generation output obtained by the wind power generator (29) is AC power, the AC power obtained by the wind power generator (29) is converted into DC power by the AC / DC converter (30), which is water electrolyzed. It is supplied to the tank (22). When the power generation output obtained by the wind power generator (29) is DC power, power is directly supplied from the wind power generator (29) to the water electrolysis tank (22).

  Either a solar power generation device or a wind power generation device may be installed on the deck, or both may be installed.

  Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

Example 4
FIG. 5 shows a modification of an apparatus for rotating a screw using hydrogen.

In this example, a compressor (23) that compresses hydrogen coming from a water electrolyzer (22) through a hydrogen extraction pipe (36), a hydrogen tank (24) that stores compressed hydrogen, and hydrogen from the hydrogen tank are used. A hydrogen engine (35) that is driven by the motor and a screw (27) that is rotationally driven by the hydrogen engine are installed. Example 5
In FIG. 6, the water electrolyzer (22) is installed in the pressure vessel (37) and submerged in the water in the vessel. The bottom plate (38) of the pressure vessel serves as an end plate that also serves as the cathode of the water electrolysis cell.

  In the pressure vessel-accommodating water electrolyzer configured as described above, water is introduced into the pressure vessel (37) from the water supply port (39), and further exchanged with pure water in the ion exchange resin packed layer, The obtained pure water is supplied into the water electrolysis tank. In the water electrolysis tank, oxygen generated in each anode-side gas generation chamber by water electrolysis exits from the water electrolysis tank with the accompanying water into the pressure vessel, where it is gas-liquid separated, and is taken out of the vessel from the oxygen take-off (28) It is taken out. Hydrogen generated in each cathode-side gas generation chamber of the water electrolysis tank is collected by the hydrogen header (11), and taken out from the container together with the accompanying water from the hydrogen take-off tank (12).

1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view showing a water electrolysis device according to Example 1. FIG. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view showing a water electrolysis apparatus according to Example 2. FIG. It is the schematic which shows the installation state from the ship of the water electrolysis apparatus by Example 1. FIG. It is the schematic which shows the installation state from the ship of the water electrolysis apparatus by Example 3. FIG. It is the schematic which shows the installation state from the ship of the water electrolysis apparatus by Example 4. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a water electrolysis apparatus according to Example 5. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

(1) (2): End plate
(3): Unit cell
(4): Bolt
(5): Ion exchange resin layer
(6): Metal mesh
(7): Bipolar plate
(8): Anode feeder
(9): Electrode assembly membrane
(10): Cathode feeder
(11): Hydrogen header
(12): Hydrogen removal
(13): Cylindrical insulation sheet
(14): Nut
(15): Anode power supply
(15´): Cathode power supply
(16) (16´): Coated cable
(17): Anode feeding terminal
(17´): Cathode feed terminal
(18) (18´): Bolt / Nut
(19): Donut-shaped insulation sheet
(20): Seal member
(21): Solar power generator
(22): Water electrolyzer
(23): Compressor
(24): Hydrogen tank
(25): Fuel cell
(26): Motor
(27): Screw
(28): Oxygen removal
(29): Wind power generator
(30): AC / DC converter
(31) (32): Coated cable
(33) (33´): Resin layer
(34) (34´): Terminal
(35): Hydrogen engine
(36): Hydrogen extraction pipe
(37): Pressure vessel
(38): Bottom plate
(39): Water supply port
(40): Anode main electrode
(41): Cathode main electrode

Claims (8)

A water electrolysis cell that is submerged in water, a pair of end plates that respectively serve as an anode main electrode and a cathode main electrode, and arranged in series between these end plates, and one is an anode side gas generation chamber and the other is In a water electrolysis cell comprising a plurality of unit cells serving as cathode side gas generation chambers and bolts and nuts penetrating through a plurality of holes provided on the outer periphery of a pair of end plates and fastening the plurality of unit cells from both sides ,
An ion-exchange resin-filled layer that is installed on the outer periphery of a plurality of unit cells that are clamped between a pair of end plates, and purifies the water of the lake into water for electrolysis;
A water electrolysis apparatus for lake purification and hydrogen production comprising a metal mesh that covers an outer periphery of an ion exchange resin packed layer and prevents the outflow of the ion exchange resin. A water electrolyzer that is submerged in water, the anode main electrode and the cathode main electrode arranged at both ends, and arranged in series between these main electrodes, and one of which is an anode side gas generation chamber and the other A plurality of unit cells serving as cathode side gas generation chambers, a pair of end plates sandwiching the anode main electrode-multiple unit cells-cathode main electrode combination from both sides, and a plurality opened at the outer edges of the pair of end plates In the water electrolyzer composed of bolts and nuts that penetrate the holes and tighten the combination from both sides,
An ion-exchange resin-filled layer that is installed on the outer periphery of the above combination that is clamped between a pair of end plates, and purifies the water of the lake into water for electrolysis;
A water electrolysis apparatus for lake purification and hydrogen production, comprising a metal mesh that covers an outer periphery of an ion exchange resin packed layer and prevents the outflow of the ion exchange resin.   The anode side gas generation chamber communicates with the water through an ion exchange resin filling layer, the cathode side gas generation chamber is sealed with the ion exchange resin resin layer, and a hydrogen take-out pipe through a hydrogen header provided in the water electrolysis tank. The water electrolysis apparatus for lake purification and hydrogen production according to claim 1, wherein the water electrolysis apparatus is in communication with the water electrolysis apparatus.   A solar power generator or wind power generator is installed on the ship or floating structure, and a water electrolyzer is suspended from the ship or floating structure in the water, and the solar power generator or wind power generator is The water electrolysis apparatus for lake purification and hydrogen production according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an output generated by a solar power generation apparatus or a wind power generation apparatus is connected to the electrolysis tank and supplied to the water electrolysis tank. .   The hydrogen take-out pipe is connected to a hydrogen storage tank via a compressor, and hydrogen generated in the water electrolysis tank is similarly stored in the tank. Water electrolyzer for lake purification and hydrogen production.   The hydrogen is supplied from a hydrogen tank to a fuel cell or a hydrogen engine, and the ship is self-propelled by a power source obtained thereby. Water purification for lake purification and hydrogen production according to any one of claims 1 to 5 apparatus.   The water electrolysis apparatus for lake purification and hydrogen production according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the metal mesh is made of stainless steel, titanium or copper and has an opening of several mm or less. A water electrolyzer submerged in water in a pressure vessel, a pair of end plates that respectively serve as an anode main electrode and a cathode main electrode, and arranged in series between these end plates, and one of them is an anode side gas It consists of a plurality of unit cells whose generation chamber is the cathode side gas generation chamber, and bolts and nuts that penetrate the plurality of holes provided on the outer periphery of the pair of end plates and tighten the plurality of unit cells from both sides. In water electrolyzer,
An ion-exchange resin-filled layer that is installed on the outer periphery of a plurality of unit cells that are clamped between a pair of end plates, and purifies the water of the lake into water for electrolysis;
A water electrolysis apparatus for immersion in water, comprising: a metal mesh that covers the outer periphery of the ion exchange resin-filled layer and prevents the ion exchange resin from flowing out.

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