JPS6081005A - Operating method of electrochemical oxygen separator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To utilize efficiently water, and to operate stably a cathode by returning the water accumulated in the cathodic gas chamber again to an anodic water chamber in a titled apparatus using an ion-exchange membrane as an electrolyte. CONSTITUTION:The main body 1 of a titled apparatus is formed of an ion- exchange membrane 2, a cathode and an anode 3 and 4, collector bodies of the electrodes 5 and 6, a cathodic gas chamber 7, an anodic water chamber 8, terminal plates of the cathode and the anode 9 and 10, a cell frame 11, and a gas introducing and a gas discharge port 12 and 13. The water is supplied into the chamber 8 from a water tank 14 and an O2-contg. gas from the inlet 12. A deoxidizing reaction takes place at the cathode 3 by passing a DC current between the plates 9 and 10. The deoxidized remaining gas is discharged from a discharge port 16 through a water storage chamber 15 which is provided either to a port of the chamber 7 or to the discharge part of the gas, and the water formed at the cathode 3 and the water moving from the anode side 4 to the cathode side 3 are stored in the chamber 15. Meanwhile, the O2 passes through the chamber 8 as bubbles, and is discharged from the outlet 13. The water in the chamber 15 is returned directly or through the tank 14 by a pump 17, and supplied into the chamber 8.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method of operating an electrochemical oxygen separator using an ion exchange dark fat membrane as an electrolyte, and its purpose is to provide electrochemical oxygen to a cathode. An example of an electrochemical oxygen separation device for separating oxygen from a mixed gas containing oxygen such as air, which would affect the stable operation of the device, is the Japanese Patent Publication No. 4B-2500L or the Japanese Patent Publication No. 56
-25848 and is publicly known.

That is, an electrochemical oxygen separation device! It is composed of an Li3 electrode consisting of a gas diffusion electrode effective for dereduction of 7 of 1112 elements, an anode consisting of an oxygen generating electrode, and an electrolytic solution or solid electrolyte. As the electrolytic solution, an alkaline hydroxide water bath solution or an acidic water bath solution may be used, and as the solid electrolyte 'α, an ion exchange resin membrane, heteropolyacid, ceric acid, strontium, etc. may be used.

The present invention uses an ion exchange resin membrane, especially a hydrogen ion conductive cation exchange resin membrane, to be used in a hydrogen ion separation device. It is integrally bonded to the cation exchange model and has water hydrogen ion conductivity from the lafM side. In this type of electrochemical oxygen separation device, when a direct current is passed between the negative and positive electrodes while supplying a mixed gas containing oxygen to the cathode, a deficiency reaction occurs.

Cathode: 02 + 4u + 4e -e LI120
The entire reaction begins when oxygen moves from the cathode side to the anode side, and water moves from the anode side to the cathode side.

In an electrochemical oxygen separation device using a cation exchange membrane as an electrolyte, a cathode gas chamber is generally attached to the back side of the cathode, and an anode:electrode water chamber is attached to the back side of the anode.

As the oxygen separation reaction progresses, water in the anode ice chamber becomes insufficient and water accumulates in the cathode gas chamber. In this situation, hydrogen ion conduction occurs in the part of the cation exchange membrane near the anode. The present invention seeks to solve such problems, as the electrochemical oxygen separator fails to function successfully as the oxygen diffusion to the cathode is impeded. The water accumulated in the cathode gas chamber is returned to the anode ice chamber by the operation of the separation device.In other words, if such a method is adopted, the water will normally only be transferred from the anode side to the A side. In addition, it is possible to effectively utilize water that is not wasted in the process, and it is also possible to avoid interference with oxygen diffusion at the cathode.

The water accumulated in the cathode gas chamber may be returned to the anode water chamber, or a separate water tank may be prepared, the water may be returned to this water tank, and water may be supplied from this water tank to the anode water chamber. good. In addition, if a water storage chamber is provided in a part of the cathode gas chamber or in the 840 part of the residual gas that is oxygenated at the cathode, even if water accumulates in this water storage chamber, this +1 if you prevent water from directly contacting the cathode. I+
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail, which is even more effective since the operation of returning the water in the π waste chamber to the hidden water chamber or water tank only needs to be carried out intermittently.

Example: FIG. 1 shows the sectional structure of an electrochemical oxygen separator. Electrochemical Oxygen I! ! The device body +11 consists of an ion-exchange resin membrane (2) made by introducing sulfonic acid groups into perfluorocarbon, an ion-exchange resin powder made by introducing sulfonic acid into platinum black powder, styrene, and styrene, and a binder. Gas diffusion consisting of a mixture layer with polytetrafluoroethylene as [+'M cathode (8)
An anode as an oxygen generating electrode made of a mixture of iridium oxide and polytetrafluoroethylene; a cathode current collector made of ex-banded titanium plated with a mortar plate;
5), a silk electrode current collector (6) made of platinum-plated and extracted band titanium, and a cathode gas chamber (7r, m electrode current collector (6) formed in the gap between the cathode current collector (5)). f formed in the gap
'L filter anode water chamber (8), cathode terminal plate made of titanium plate (
9), an anode terminal plate (LO) made of a titanium plate, a cell frame (IIJ), a mixed gas population containing oxygen (12), and an oxygen outlet (■3). A cathode (3) and an anode (4). is integrally joined to the ion exchange resin membrane (2).

Water is supplied from the water tank (14) to the anode ice chamber (8), a mixed gas containing oxygen is supplied from the mixed gas inlet containing oxygen (12), and the cathode terminal plate (9) and the anode terminal plate (10) are connected to each other. When a DC W current is applied during this period, a deoxidizing reaction occurs at the cathode (8), and the theory i'll! The remaining gas is stored in the water storage chamber (15
), the remaining gas is discharged from the outlet (16), and at the same time, water and hydrogen ions generated at the cathode (8) are transferred from the turbidity electrode (4) side to the cathode (8) side. The migrating water is stored in the water storage chamber (15). On the other hand, an oxygen generation reaction occurs at the anode (4), and oxygen becomes bubbles, passes through the water in the anode ice chamber (8), and is led out from the oxygen outlet (ta).

The water stored in the water storage chamber (L5) is returned to the water tank (14) by the pump (17) and used again.

If such a method is adopted, it becomes possible to effectively utilize water that is not normally consumed.

Furthermore, if a water storage chamber (15) is not provided, water would accumulate in the cathode waste chamber (7) and obstruct the diffusion of oxygen to the cathode (3), but by adopting the above-mentioned configuration, The water ii/Ni in the cathode ix chamber (7) is l01a.

As detailed above, this study provides a 1% ffi that can effectively operate an electrochemical oxygen separation device using an ion exchange resin membrane as an electrolyte, and its industrial value is extremely large. It is.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 shows the cross-sectional structure of the vapor chemical oxygen separation device, where η is the chemical oxygen content, the main body of the device, 2
...Ion exchange resin membrane, 3...Cathode, 4...Anode. 5...Cathode current collector, 6...Positive 11th power outage. 7... Cathode gas chamber, 8... Positive water chamber. 9...1 terminal plate, 10...anode terminal plate. 11...Cell frame, 12...Mixed gas inlet including tube cable, 13...Oxygen outlet, 1
4... Buta. 15...Water storage chamber, 16...Residual waste outlet, 17...Pump.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A device consisting of a gas diffusion electrode that is effective for the direct reduction of oxygen.
In an electrochemical oxygen separation device consisting of an anode consisting of an oxygen generating electrode, an electrolyte consisting of an ion exchange resin membrane, one cathode gas chamber formed on the back side of the cathode, and one anode water chamber formed on the back side of the anode, the cathode 1. A method for operating an electrochemical oxygen separation device, characterized in that a portion of a gas chamber or a deoxygenated residual gas is returned to a tank and supplied from the water tank to an anode ice chamber.