RU2556210C1 - Water electrolytic generator - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: chemistry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to a water electrolytic generator for producing a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen via water electrolysis with flame treatment of materials, bipolar or monopolar-bipolar, having a housing with an electrolyte, a block of spaced-apart electrodes immersed in the electrolyte, said electrodes having openings for passage of the hydrogen-oxygen mixture and the electrolyte, and conductors for transmitting current to the electrodes. Said electrode block is placed in a tube made of dielectric material which encloses the electrodes without spacing around the periphery, one current-conducting wire connected to the electrode at the centre of the block and the other to both end electrodes.

EFFECT: use of the present invention enables to stabilise the composition of the electrolyte in the block, eliminate counterflow of gas or liquid in the electrode block, solves the problem of cracking due to triaxial expansion.

3 cl, 1 dwg

Description

The invention relates to a flame treatment of materials with a hydrogen-oxygen flame to produce a hydrogen-oxygen mixture by electrolysis of water directly at the place of welding in electrolysis-water generators (the term "electrolysis-water generator" according to GOST 2601-84, term 160).

Known bipolar [1] and monopolar-bipolar [2] electrolysis-water generators containing a block of spaced electrodes from each other with holes for the passage of electrolyte and gas, in which the current is supplied to the end electrodes of the block. The disadvantage of this design is the inability to organize the circulation of the electrolyte through the block of electrodes due to the potential difference between the end electrodes. When trying to pump electrolyte through such a block, i.e. bring the electrolyte to one end of the block and drain through the other, there will be a short circuit through the electrolyte. Therefore, the electrode block is only fed with electrolyte from one end, compensating for the flow of water to the formation of a hydrogen-oxygen mixture. But during electrolysis, only water decomposes, and the alkali remains. As a result, over time, the alkali concentration in the electrode block is several times higher than the initial concentration in the electrolyte, which leads to a significant increase in the current consumption for heating the electrolyte. The problem with this is not so much the increase in electricity costs, but the difficulty in removing the increasing amount of heat from the cell.

Closest to the proposed design, adopted as a prototype, is an electrolysis-water generator [3]. Its electrolyzer contains a block of bipolar electrodes placed in a glass of dielectric material, covering electrodes around the perimeter without gaps and immersed in a housing with electrolyte, and conductors for supplying current are connected to the end electrodes of the block. The disadvantages of this design are not only the inability to organize the circulation of the electrolyte (as in all electrolytic cells with current supply to the ends of the electrode block), but also the formation of cracks in the dielectric glass. The cause of the cracks is the gradual shrinkage of the dielectric cup material due to repeated heating and cooling of the electrolyte during operation of the electrolyzer. Shrinkage creates a triaxial tension of the glass material at the inflection from its cylindrical surface to the bottom. Triaxial tension causes cracking at the inflection, disabling the cell.

An electrolysis-water generator with a bipolar or monopolar-bipolar electrolyzer is shown, shown in FIG. 1. It contains a housing 1 with electrolyte 2, into which a block 3 of spaced electrodes is immersed from each other with holes for passage of a hydrogen-oxygen mixture and an electrolyte and conductors 4, 5 for supplying current to the electrodes, characterized in that said electrode block is placed in a pipe 6 of dielectric material, covering the electrodes around the perimeter without gaps, one pole of the power source of the electrolyzer is connected to the electrode 8 in the center of the block, the other to both end electrodes 7.

The advantages of the proposed generator compared to the prototype:

1. The potential difference between the end electrodes of the block is zero. This allows you to organize the circulation of the electrolyte through the block of electrodes and capacity with a reserve of electrolyte, i.e. you can pump the electrolyte through the block, feeding it from the tank to one end of the block and taking from the other end to the same tank. Pumping will provide stabilization of the electrolyte composition in the block.

2. It is possible to supply electrolyte from a tank with an electrolyte reserve to one end of the electrode block, and to remove gas from the other end, eliminating the gas-liquid countercurrent in the electrode block.

3. The problem of cracks due to triaxial tension disappears, because the dielectric pipe covering the electrode block has no bottoms.

If the housing 1 of the cell is metallic, then

1) the plus of the power source should be connected to the central electrode of the block, and the minus - with both end; such a polarity of the connection eliminates the possibility of anodic corrosion damage to the housing in case of violation of the continuity of the dielectric pipe;

2) the negative wire from the power source can be brought not to the end electrodes of the unit, but to the housing 1, i.e. bring only one wire to the unit.

In both cases, the possibility of local anodic dissolution of the metal cell body is excluded.

Zero potential difference between the end electrodes of the electrode block of the described design allows you to put in one housing with an electrolyte two or more pipes of dielectric material with a block of electrodes in each of them, connecting them in parallel. At the same time, as in the single-tube design, the plus power supply is connected to the central electrode, and the minus is connected to both end electrodes of each block. In accordance with the foregoing, electrolysis-water generators with a capacity of 4.5 and 7 kVA were manufactured - single-tube, 14 kVA - two-pipe and 28 kVA - four-pipe. The operating experience of these generators confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed technical solutions.

Literature

1. Korzh V.N., Popil Yu.S. Metal processing with a hydrogen-oxygen flame. Kiev: Ecotechnology, 2010. - 194 p.

2. Patent RU 2475343 C1, 08/23/2011

3. Patent RU 2476623 C1, 08/23/2011.

Claims (3)

1. Electrolysis-water generator for producing a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis of water during gas-flame treatment of materials, bipolar or monopolar-bipolar, containing a housing with electrolyte, immersed in the electrolyte block of spaced electrodes from each other with holes for the passage of the hydrogen-oxygen mixture and the electrolyte and conductors for supplying current to the electrodes, characterized in that the said electrode block is placed in a pipe of dielectric material, covering the electrodes without gaps around the perimeter, one a wire supplying current is connected to the electrode in the center of the block, the other to both end electrodes. 2. Electrolysis-water generator according to claim 1, characterized in that its casing is made of metal, plus a power source is connected to the central electrode of the electrode block, and minus to the end electrodes. 3. The electrolysis-water generator according to claim 1, characterized in that in the housing with the electrolyte are additionally immersed one or more pipes of dielectric material with a block of electrodes in each of them, while the blocks of electrodes are connected in parallel.