KR101373837B1 - Hydrogen supplier - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hydrogen supply device for supplying hydrogen, wherein the device includes multiple electrolytic cells, a tube unit, a water removal unit, and a control unit. The electrolytic cells produce hydrogen and oxygen by electrolyzing water and comprises two or more groups. The tube unit moves the hydrogen generated from the electrolytic cells. The water removal unit is installed in the tube unit and removes water moving with the hydrogen. The control unit alternately operates each group of electrolytic cells. [Reference numerals] (210) Water bath; (221a) First electrolytic bath; (221b) Second electrolytic bath; (223a) Third electrolytic bath; (223b) Fourth electrolytic bath; (230) Control unit; (AA,BB,CC) Outside

Description

Hydrogen Supply Unit {Hydrogen Supplier}

The present invention relates to a hydrogen supply device, and more particularly, to a hydrogen supply device for supplying hydrogen that does not contain moisture, such as a dry sauna booth.

Human skin is in the process of aging continuously after the 20s, especially to reduce the aging of facial skin. Skin aging progresses naturally with age, but the cause is known as oxygen free radicals or ultraviolet exposure generated in the skin. Therefore, although skin aging may not be prevented, skin aging may be slowed down by removing free radicals or blocking UV rays.

Free radicals are beneficial for the body's immune function, but over-produced free radicals can directly oxidize the cells and cause DNA mutations. As a result, various diseases occur, and the medical community believes that diseases caused by free radicals account for more than 90%.

In order to remove such active oxygen from the body, there are increasing cases of drinking water containing hydrogen, that is, hydrogen water. When drinking hydrogen water, active oxygen reacts with hydrogen in hydrogen water to be reduced to water, and the reduced water exits the body without the secondary reaction. Using this antioxidant reaction, it is possible to remove excess free radicals in the body from the body.

Several methods have been proposed to utilize these antioxidant reactions to remove free radicals from facial skin. Patent registration No. 12,2262 (registered on August 1, 2013) is one of them. Patent registration No. 12.2262 relates to a sauna booth using hydrogen.

Sauna booths are health equipments installed in homes or public facilities and are manufactured in the form of boxes with doors. The sauna booth is provided with an electrically driven heating part in the lower part or the side part, and makes a person sweat inside, and promotes blood circulation and waste discharge. Patent registration No. 1292262 has a structure in which a hydrogen generator is installed on one side of the sauna booth, and the generated hydrogen is supplied to the sauna booth.

By the way, Patent Registration No. 12.2262 has one electrolyzer, and the hydrogen supply device of such a structure is difficult to supply hydrogen continuously for a long time. This is because, when electrolysis occurs, impurities are generated, and these impurities adhere to the electrode, thereby degrading electrolysis efficiency.

In addition, in the prior art, since hydrogen is contained in the hydrogen moving to the booth, there is no problem in using the wet sauna booth, but it is not suitable for use in the dry sauna booth. As such, the prior art is not suitable for use in a space where moisture is not desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems,

First, it can supply a large amount of hydrogen continuously,

Second, it is intended to provide a hydrogen supply apparatus capable of providing hydrogen containing no moisture in a space where moisture containing is undesirable.

The hydrogen supply apparatus of this invention for achieving such an objective is comprised including many electrolyzer, a tube part, a water removal part, and a control part.

Many electrolysers electrolyze water to produce hydrogen and oxygen, which consists of two or more groups.

The tube portion transfers hydrogen generated in the plurality of electrolyzers.

The water removal unit is provided in the tube unit and removes water moving with the hydrogen.

The control unit alternately operates each group of plural electrolyzers.

In the hydrogen supply device of the present invention, the water removal portion may be an expansion space portion formed to be expanded in the tube portion.

In the hydrogen supply device of the present invention, the water removal unit may be a water separation membrane provided in the tube portion.

In the hydrogen supply device of the present invention, it may include an auxiliary tank connected to the water removal unit, and an auxiliary tank valve connected to the auxiliary tank to selectively open and close the auxiliary tank.

In the hydrogen supply apparatus of the present invention, the tubing portion is provided with a plurality of hydrogen discharge tubes respectively connected to a plurality of electrolyzers, a hydrogen supply tube connected to a plurality of hydrogen discharge tubes, and a hydrogen discharge tube, and the hydrogen is supplied only in the direction of the hydrogen supply tube. It may be configured to include a one-way valve for moving.

In the hydrogen supply apparatus of the present invention, the plurality of electrolyzers may each include at least two electrolyzers. Here, two or more electrolyzers included in each group may be controlled at the same time.

According to embodiments of the present invention having such a configuration, by dividing a plurality of electrolyzers into several groups, a large amount of hydrogen can be continuously supplied.

In addition, according to embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to provide pure hydrogen by removing the moisture contained in the hydrogen. For example, it is useful when supplying hydrogen to a space where moisture content is not desirable, such as a dry sauna booth, a home house, or the like.

1 is an overall perspective view of a hydrogen sauna booth according to the present invention.
2 shows a first embodiment of a hydrogen supply device according to the present invention.
3a to 3c illustrate the water removal part of the hydrogen supply device according to the present invention.
4 shows a second embodiment of a hydrogen supply apparatus according to the present invention.
5 shows a third embodiment of the hydrogen supply apparatus according to the present invention.
6 shows a fourth embodiment of the hydrogen supply apparatus according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, a hydrogen supply apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is an overall perspective view of a hydrogen sauna booth according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the hydrogen sauna booth includes a sauna booth 100 and a hydrogen supply device 200 having one side connected to the sauna booth 100.

The sauna booth 100 is configured in the form of a box having a sealed space therein, and includes a bottom plate, a plurality of side plates, a ceiling plate, an entrance door, a heater unit, a chair unit, and the like.

The bottom plate, side plate, and ceiling plate may be composed of a frame and a reinforcement panel coupled thereto. The reinforcement panel may use cedar, cypress, etc. In particular, cypress has high strength, excellent preservation, light weight, fragrance and gloss, and is good as an external material. Cypress has an excellent ability to remove harmful substances in the air, such as formaldehyde, has antibacterial effects, and has the effect of preventing atopy and allergy. In addition, the cypress has a greater amount of phytoncide release than other woods, which also has a forest bathing effect.

The door forms an entrance to one of the side plates, which selectively closes the entrance.

The heater unit may include a protective cover and a heater built therein. The protective cover may be constructed by combining a plurality of bars horizontally or vertically in a net form, for example. The heater unit is mainly used in a dry sauna, and a dry sauna may use a ceramic heater that emits far infrared rays. In the steam sauna to generate steam, a steam generator is used, and a heater may be used in the steam generator.

The chair part may be a user sitting or lying inside the sauna booth, and may be coupled to the bottom plate and the side plate at the same time, or may be provided only on the bottom plate.

The bottom plate, the side plate, and the ceiling plate may be combined to form protrusions and grooves correspondingly at the boundary thereof and to fix the protrusions to the grooves. As such, when the bottom plate, the side plate, and the ceiling plate are combined with the corresponding structure of the protrusion and the groove, assembly and disassembly are easy. However, when it is necessary to increase the firmness, fastening tools such as screws and nails can be further used.

The hydrogen supply device 200 is configured in the form of a case, and is provided with an electrolytic cell therein to generate hydrogen and then supply it to the interior of the sauna booth 100. The hydrogen supply device 200 may be coupled to one side of the sauna booth 100, for example, a lower sidewall. The hydrogen supply device 200 has a hydrogen supply tube, which penetrates and is inserted into the side wall of the sauna booth 100. The hydrogen supply device 200 will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 2.

2 shows a first embodiment of a hydrogen supply device according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the hydrogen supply device 200 includes a water tank 210, water supply valves WV1 and WV2, first and second electrolytic cell groups 221 and 223, water discharge valves EV1 and EV2, and a controller ( 230, a plurality of moving tubes, the case 240 and the like.

The water tank 210 stores water and supplies water to the first and second electrolyzer groups 221 and 223 under the control of the controller 230 when water is needed in the first and second electrolyzer groups 221 and 223.

The water supply valves WV1 and WV2 are installed between the water tank 210 and the first and second electrolytic cell groups 221 and 223, and are selectively opened and closed under the control of the controller 230. The water supply valves WV1 and WV2 may be installed by the number of electrolyzer groups 221 and 223 or by the number of electrolyzers 221a, 221b, 223a and 223b included in the electrolyzer groups 221 and 223. In FIG. 2, the number of electrolytic cell groups 221 and 223 is shown. The water supply valves WV1 and WV2 are installed in each of the moving tubes connected to the first and second electrolytic cell groups 221 and 223, and the water passing through the water supply valves WV1 and WV2 is included in each of the electrolytic cell groups 221 and 223. To a plurality of electrolyzers 221a and 221b or a plurality of electrolyzers 223a and 223b simultaneously.

As shown in FIG. 2, the electrolyzer consists of two or more groups 221 and 223, and each group 221 and 223 again consists of two or more electrolyzers 221a, 221b / 223a and 223b. For example, when composed of two electrolyzer groups 221 and 223, the first electrolyzer group 221 includes at least two electrolyzers 221a and 221b, and the second electrolyzer group 223 also includes at least two electrolyzers ( 223a, 223b). Each separated electrolyzer group 221, 223 is controlled to operate at the same time, and alternately with other groups. In FIG. 2, the first electrolyzer group 221 and the second electrolyzer group 223 alternately operate every predetermined time to generate hydrogen to continuously supply hydrogen to the sauna booth 100.

The electrolyzers 221a, 221b, 223a, and 223b are connected to the control unit 230, respectively, and operate under the control of the control unit 230. Electrolyzers (221a, 221b, 223a, 223b) is a water supply tube connected to the water tank 210 to receive water, an oxygen discharge tube for discharging the generated oxygen to the outside or sauna booth 100, water containing impurities It is connected to the water discharge tube for discharging, and the hydrogen discharge tube for supplying the generated hydrogen to the sauna booth (100).

The electrolyzers 221a, 221b, 223a, and 223b have two electrodes separated in a sealed space and a diaphragm positioned between the electrodes. In addition, the outside is provided with a power connection for connecting a power source.

Electrolyzers 221a, 221b, 223a, and 223b electrolyze water to produce hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen is produced at the cathode and oxygen is produced at the anode. The generated hydrogen and oxygen are separated by a central diaphragm, and the hydrogen and oxygen generated at each electrode move to the hydrogen discharge tube and the oxygen discharge tube, respectively.

The amount of hydrogen and oxygen generated in the electrolyzers 221a, 221b, 223a, and 223b varies depending on the magnitude or time of the voltage or current to be applied, and the voltage or current to be applied is controlled by the controller 230.

Electrodes of the electrolytic baths 221a, 221b, 223a, and 223b may be made of titanium (Ti) as a base material, and coated with iridium platinum thereon.

The water discharge valves EV1 and EV2 are opened and closed at regular intervals under the control of the controller 230 to discharge the water in the electrolytic cell groups 221 and 223 outward. When electrolysis occurs in the electrolytic cells 221a, 221b, 223a, and 223b, impurities such as calcium and magnesium may be generated in the cathode electrode. Such impurities reduce the electrolytic current and reduce the efficiency of electrolysis. Therefore, it is necessary to discharge the water in the electrolytic cells 221a, 221b, 223a, and 223b at regular intervals.

The water discharge valves EV1 and EV2 may control the opening / closing time for each of the electrolyzers 221a, 221b, 223a and 223b or for each of the electrolyzer groups 221 and 223. In addition, the water discharge valves EV1 and EV2 may be controlled by the controller 230 or may be manually opened or closed.

The plurality of moving tubes includes a water supply tube and a water discharge tube through which water moves, a hydrogen discharge tube and a hydrogen supply tube through which hydrogen moves, and an oxygen discharge tube through which oxygen moves.

The water supply tube connects the water tank 210 and the electrolytic baths 221a, 221b, 223a, and 223b, and is a passage through which the water in the water tank 210 moves to the electrolyzers 221a, 221b, 223a, and 223b. Water supply valves WV1 and WV2 are provided in the water supply tube.

The water discharge tube connects the electrolytic cells 221a, 221b, 223a and 223b to the outside, and is a passage through which water in the electrolytic cells 221a, 221b, 223a and 223b moves to the outside. Water discharge valves (EV1, EV2) are installed in the water discharge tube.

The hydrogen discharge tube is a primary passage connecting the electrolytic baths 221a, 221b, 223a, 223b and the sauna booth 100, and the hydrogen generated in the electrolytic baths 221a, 221b, 223a, 223b moves to the sauna booth 100. do. The one-way passage valves HV1 and HV2 are installed in the hydrogen discharge tube. However, since a valve for passing hydrogen only in one direction is used, no separate valve control by the controller 230 is required. As such, with the use of the one-way valve, the alternating hydrogen generated in the electrolytic cell groups 221 and 223 can be supplied to the sauna booth 100 without interruption. Of course, a general valve may be used instead of the one-way passage valves HV1 and HV2, and the general valve may be controlled by the controller 230.

The hydrogen supply tube is connected at one side to the hydrogen discharge tubes and the other side to the sauna booth 100, and finally supplies hydrogen supplied from the electrolyzer groups 221 and 223 to the sauna booth 100.

The oxygen discharge tube communicates the electrolyzers 221a, 221b, 223a and 223b with the outside, and is a passage for discharging oxygen generated in the electrolyzers 221a, 221b, 223a and 223b to the outside of the hydrogen supply device 200. The oxygen discharge tube does not need to be provided with a valve that is separately controlled by the controller 230. When the generated oxygen is moved to the sauna booth 100, however, the general incense passage valve may be installed to supply oxygen to the sauna booth 100 without interruption.

The case 240 forms an external shape of the hydrogen supply device 200 and may be configured, for example, as a rectangular box. The water tank 210, the water supply valves WV1 and WV2, the electrolytic cell groups 221 and 223, the water discharge valves EV1 and EV2, the controller 230, and the plurality of moving tubes described above are embedded therein. Among the plurality of moving tubes, the hydrogen supply tube is connected to the sauna booth 100 through the case 40, and the oxygen discharge tube also communicates with the outside through the case 240.

The case 240 may be made of plastic, but since the sauna booth 100 is made of cypress, the case 240 may also be made of cypress.

The water removal unit 300 may be installed between the electrolytic cell groups 221 and 223 and the sauna booth 100, for example, in a hydrogen discharge tube or a hydrogen supply tube. The water removing unit 300 removes water from hydrogen generated in the electrolytic cell groups 221 and 223 and moved to the sauna booth 100. In FIG. 2, the water removal unit 300 is illustrated as being provided outside the case 240, but the water removal unit 300 may be provided inside the case 240. The water removing unit 300 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3C.

3a to 3c illustrate the water removal part of the hydrogen supply device according to the present invention.

Figure 3a shows a first embodiment of a water removing unit according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the water removing unit 300 may be implemented in the form of an expansion space 310 having a predetermined space inside the tube connecting the electrolytic cell groups 221 and 223 and the sauna booth 100. Since water is heavier than hydrogen, when an expansion space is formed in the passing tube, water sinks to the bottom of the expansion space and only hydrogen continues to move along the tube. The water settled to the bottom may be recovered and used again by the water tank 210, or may be discharged to the outside.

Figure 3b shows a second embodiment of the water removing unit according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3B, a moisture filtering film 312 may be additionally installed in the expansion space 310. The moisture filtering membrane 312 blocks moisture movement and passes hydrogen, and the moisture-blocked moisture is collected at the lower portion of the expansion space 310. Water collected in the lower portion of the expansion space 310 is recovered and used again or discharged to the outside.

Figure 3c shows a third embodiment of the water removal unit according to the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 3C, the water removing unit 300 may further include an auxiliary water tank 320 and an auxiliary water tank valve RV. Auxiliary water tank 320 is to collect and store the water blocked by movement, it is separately installed at the bottom of the expansion space (310).

The auxiliary water tank valve RV is provided under the auxiliary water tank 320, and selectively supplies water in the auxiliary water tank 320 to the water tank 210 or discharges it to the outside.

The auxiliary water tank 320 may further include a water level sensor, and in this case, the controller 230 may control the opening and closing of the auxiliary water tank valve RV based on the water level value received from the water level sensor.

4 shows a second embodiment of a hydrogen supply apparatus according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the operation of the electrolyzer groups 221 and 223 may be controlled by measuring the amount of hydrogen in the sauna booth 100.

The hydrogen sensor 250 is installed in the sauna booth 100. Since hydrogen may explode by spontaneous combustion with oxygen, for example, when 4% or more of it is exposed to air, it is necessary to keep the amount of hydrogen in the sauna booth 100 below. In addition, in order to maintain the amount of hydrogen in the sauna booth 100 at a concentration capable of optimally reacting with active oxygen of the skin, it is necessary to measure the amount of hydrogen in the sauna booth 100 through the hydrogen sensor 250.

The hydrogen sensor 250 may have various methods such as contact combustion, semiconductor, metal oxide semiconductor filed effect transistor (MOSFET), surface acoustic wave (SAW), thermoelectric, and mechanical thermal conductivity. For example, the contact combustion method is a method of detecting a resistance change due to combustion heat, and hydrogen can be detected only in an oxygen environment.

When the control unit 230 receives the hydrogen amount detection value from the hydrogen sensor 250, the control unit 230 compares with the reference range and operates when the hydrogen amount detection value exceeds the upper limit of the reference range. 223 is stopped and a voltage or a current is further applied to the electrolyzer group 221 or the electrolyzer group 223 which is operating if it is below the lower limit of the reference range. Through such control, the amount of hydrogen in the sauna booth 100 can be optimally maintained.

5 shows a third embodiment of the hydrogen supply apparatus according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, the controller 230 controls the water supply valves WV1 and WV2 between the water tank 210 and the electrolyzer groups 221 and 223 according to the electrolyzer water level values received from the water level sensors HS1 to HS4. By controlling the water of the tank 210 can be supplied to the electrolytic cell group (221, 223).

The water level sensors HS1 to HS4 are installed in the electrolytic cells 221a, 221b, 223a and 223b. Since the water in the electrolyzers 221a, 221b, 223a and 223b stems due to electrolysis or external discharge, it is necessary to supply water from the outside to the electrolyzers 221a, 221b, 223a and 223b. If water in the electrolyzers 221a, 221b, 223a, and 223b is not properly maintained, hydrogen as much as desired cannot be generated.

The water level sensors HS1 to HS4 have various methods such as capacitive, differential pressure, and float level switches. For example, the float type outputs a contact signal as the float in the electrolytic cell moves up and down.

If the controller 230 determines that the water level in the electrolytic baths 221a, 221b, 223a, and 223b is not at an appropriate level based on the water level values of the water level sensors HS1 to HS4, the water supply valve corresponding to the corresponding electrolyzer group Open the water supply to the corresponding electrolyzer group from the water tank 210, and closes the water supply valve when it is determined that the proper water level is reached from the received water level value.

In FIG. 5, the water supply valves WV1 and WV2 are provided between the water tank 210 and the electrolytic cell groups 221 and 223, but the water supply valves are provided with the water tank 210 and the electrolytic baths 221a, 221b, 223a and 223b. In the meantime, when a water supply valve is provided for each electrolytic cell, a control part can control the water level of each electrolytic cell individually.

6 shows a fourth embodiment of the hydrogen supply apparatus according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 6, the hydrogen supply device 200 ′ ″ may include a blower 260 that evenly distributes hydrogen in the sauna booth 100.

The blower 260 includes a motor, a fan, and the like, and operates the motor and the fan when an operation command is received from the controller 230 in a state where power is supplied from the outside.

The blower 260 is connected to the rear ends of the one-way passage valves HV1 and HV2, and the wind emitted from the blower 260 is blocked by the one-way passage valves HV1 and HV2 in the direction of the electrolytic cell groups 221 and 223 and the sauna booth ( Only move in the direction of 100).

Although the present invention has been described based on various embodiments, it is intended to exemplify the present invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical idea of the present invention can be variously modified or modified based on the above embodiments. However, such variations and modifications may be construed to be included in the following claims.

100: sauna booth 200: hydrogen supply device
210: tank 221,223: electrolyzer group
230: control unit 240: case
250: hydrogen sensor 260: blower
300: water removal portion 310: expansion space portion
312: water filter 320: auxiliary tank
RV: Auxiliary Water Tank Valve WV1, WV2: Water Supply Valve
EV1, EV2: Water discharge valve HV1, HV2: One-way pass valve
HS1 ~ HS4: Water Level Sensor

Claims (7)

In the hydrogen supply device for supplying hydrogen,
Electrolyzing water to produce hydrogen and oxygen, the group consisting of two or more groups, each group comprising two or more electrolyzers, the two or more electrolyzers included in each group being controlled simultaneously;
A tube unit for moving hydrogen generated in the plurality of electrolyzers;
A water removal unit provided in the tube unit and removing water moving with hydrogen;
And a control unit for alternately operating each group of the plurality of electrolyzers, and controlling the operation of the plurality of electrolyzers in accordance with the detected amount of hydrogen received from a hydrogen sensor. The method of claim 1, wherein the water removing unit
A hydrogen supply device which is an expansion space portion formed to be expanded in the tube portion. The method of claim 1, wherein the water removing unit
Hydrogen supply device, which is a water separation membrane provided in the tube portion. The method according to claim 2 or 3,
An auxiliary water tank connected to the water removing unit;
And an auxiliary water tank valve connected to the auxiliary water tank to selectively open and close the auxiliary water tank. The method of claim 1, wherein the tube portion
A plurality of hydrogen discharge tubes respectively connected to the plurality of electrolyzers;
A hydrogen supply tube connected to the plurality of hydrogen discharge tubes;
And a one-way valve installed in the hydrogen discharge tube and configured to move hydrogen only toward the hydrogen supply tube. delete delete

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