US20120125779A1 - Method and device for generating hydrogen and oxygen - Google Patents

Method and device for generating hydrogen and oxygen Download PDF

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Publication number
US20120125779A1
US20120125779A1 US13/388,269 US201013388269A US2012125779A1 US 20120125779 A1 US20120125779 A1 US 20120125779A1 US 201013388269 A US201013388269 A US 201013388269A US 2012125779 A1 US2012125779 A1 US 2012125779A1
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
pressure
electrolysis
energy
gas
pem
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
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US13/388,269
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English (en)
Inventor
Alexander Hahn
Wolfgang Schilling
Werner Straub
Manfred Waidhas
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Siemens AG
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Siemens AG
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Filing date
Publication date
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Assigned to SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT reassignment SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: SCHILLING, WOLFGANG, HAHN, ALEXANDER, DR., STRAUB, WERNER, WAIDHAS, MANFRED, DR.
Publication of US20120125779A1 publication Critical patent/US20120125779A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25B—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMPOUNDS OR NON-METALS; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25B1/00—Electrolytic production of inorganic compounds or non-metals
    • C25B1/01—Products
    • C25B1/02—Hydrogen or oxygen
    • C25B1/04—Hydrogen or oxygen by electrolysis of water
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25B—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMPOUNDS OR NON-METALS; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C25B9/00—Cells or assemblies of cells; Constructional parts of cells; Assemblies of constructional parts, e.g. electrode-diaphragm assemblies; Process-related cell features
    • C25B9/05—Pressure cells
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02E60/30—Hydrogen technology
    • Y02E60/36—Hydrogen production from non-carbon containing sources, e.g. by water electrolysis
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02E60/30—Hydrogen technology
    • Y02E60/50—Fuel cells
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
    • Y02P20/00—Technologies relating to chemical industry
    • Y02P20/10—Process efficiency
    • Y02P20/133—Renewable energy sources, e.g. sunlight

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a method for generating hydrogen and oxygen, wherein use is made of the excess energy from wind power installations in particular.
  • the invention further relates to an associated device for performing the method, in which a PEM fuel cell is used as an electrolysis unit.
  • a fuel cell By reversing the fuel cell process, a fuel cell can be used to produce hydrogen on one side and oxygen on the other side.
  • the fuel cell then functions as an electrolysis unit and must be supplied with electrical power.
  • the electrical power from e.g. wind power installations can be used for this purpose.
  • the electrolysis equipment which is currently used for generating hydrogen on one side and oxygen on the other side comprises devices that normally work at atmospheric pressure.
  • One application of such devices is e.g. the use of the hydrogen as corrosion protection in pipe systems in the exclusion area of nuclear power stations.
  • a method and an associated device can be provided by means of which in particular hydrogen can be generated as a process gas having a high energy content, wherein the hydrogen can be used as an energy store or as a synthesis gas for other industrial installations.
  • the hydrogen can be used as an energy store or as a synthesis gas for other industrial installations.
  • it is intended in particular to use the excess energy from wind power installations, wherein said energy is not compromised by CO 2 .
  • water undergoes electrochemical electrolysis, wherein the electrolysis takes place at pressures exceeding atmospheric pressure, wherein PEM high-pressure electrolysis is employed.
  • the high-pressure electrolysis may take place at pressures >10 bar, in particular >100 bar.
  • the PEM high-pressure electrolysis may be operated in the temperature range 5° C. to 100° C.
  • the resulting gases can be stored in a high-pressure storage facility.
  • the resulting gases can be stored in gas bottles.
  • the hydrogen can be used as a source of energy.
  • excess energy from wind power installations can be used to operate the high-pressure electrolysis.
  • the overall CO 2 balance can be improved by using environmentally friendly energy.
  • the high-pressure electrolysis may generate a precompression of approximately 10 bar and the further compression can be done by a mechanical compressor.
  • the generated gas can be purified.
  • a device for performing the method as described above may comprise an electrolysis unit for converting electrical energy into energy in the form of gas, wherein the electrolysis unit is a high-pressure electrolysis unit from which the generated gases are conveyed into the pressure containers, wherein the high-pressure electrolysis unit comprises a fully enclosed PEM high-pressure electrolysis.
  • a further compressor is connected in series to the electrolysis unit.
  • gas bottles can be provided for the immediate transfer of the generated gases.
  • units can be provided for purification of the generated gases.
  • FIG. 1 shows a block schematic diagram of a high-pressure electrolysis installation comprising gas purification and the associated storage tanks, and
  • FIG. 2 shows a graphical representation of the operating voltage of a cell used in FIG. 1 as a function of the current density.
  • this excess energy is stored in the form of hydrogen in particular, wherein said storage is comparatively simple due to the use of a high-pressure electrolysis unit.
  • PEM high-pressure electrolysis can be used for this purpose, wherein pressures greater than 10 bar can be achieved.
  • the filling of gas storage units by means of suitable equipment and compressors is considerably simplified in this case, and can even be omitted.
  • Use of a high-pressure cell as a device has the crucial advantage that the cell can be operated at higher current densities as the process pressure increases. This has been tested in practice specifically for PEM high-pressure cells.
  • the application of the known electrolysis is realized in the high-pressure range, i.e. specifically the water circuit, the electrolysis cell and the gas separation facility are realized in such a way that the equipment units are designed as pressure containers. Consequently, it is advantageously possible to achieve an operating pressure of up to 110 bar. The operating pressure can be increased even further by means of design measures, however.
  • One advantage of the high-pressure electrolysis installation described here is the direct generation of the high gas pressure without additional compressors.
  • the high-pressure electrolysis can merely precompress the gas, wherein the pressure is subsequently increased further by compressors in a simple and economical manner. Since the quantity of gas that is generated depends directly on the current density, which can be selected, the possibility of selecting higher current densities at higher pressures is a further advantage of the high-pressure system.
  • PEM electrolysis offers the advantage that it can be operated in a highly dynamic manner which is not possible using other electrolysis systems.
  • Other electrolysis systems have to be started up at considerable expense in each case, in order to achieve relatively steady operating conditions.
  • a so-called high-pressure electrolysis unit is designated as 1 in FIG. 1 .
  • Such a high-pressure electrolysis unit performs electrolysis of water by applying a voltage at the electrodes, thereby delivering gaseous oxygen on one side and gaseous hydrogen on the other side.
  • the electrolysis is achieved by applying an electrical voltage to the corresponding fuel cell, thereby creating an energy converter.
  • an electrolysis unit can also be used for generating power in the form of electrical energy, the term fuel cell being applicable in this case.
  • MEA unit membrane electrode assembly
  • PEM fuel cell polymer electrolyte membrane
  • high-pressure electrolysis is effected by designing the fuel cell as a high-pressure device.
  • the hydrogen that is generated on one side and the oxygen that is generated on the other side are obtained at a corresponding pressure.
  • a pressure of up to 110 bar is generated.
  • a compressor 5 can be connected in series and compress the oxygen and the hydrogen in a suitable manner. Furthermore, the gases that are generated in this way, i.e. the oxygen on one side and the hydrogen on the other side, are conditioned by units for gas purification and then supplied to a separate tank. This means that the oxygen is stored at a corresponding pressure in the tank 10 and the hydrogen is stored at a corresponding pressure in the tank 20 .
  • the gases from the tanks 10 , 20 can be transferred into bottles 11 , 21 as operating gases or process gases for the chemical industry or for other purposes.
  • the gases that have already been compressed as a result of the generation process can easily be conditioned as appropriate and optionally monitored by existing gas analysis systems.
  • the storage of the gases can take place in the pressure-resistant gas tanks 10 , 20 .
  • Gas bottles can then be filled by means of suitable transfer devices, wherein direct filling of gas bottles without the use of gas tanks as a buffer is also possible.
  • the latter installation design is intended for discontinuous operation in particular. This means that the installation only operates when excess current from the wind power installation is available, at night or at other times of low demand for current.
  • the current density in mA/cm 2 is plotted on the X-axis and the voltage in volts is plotted on the Y-axis.
  • measured values from trials at atmospheric pressure are shown in comparison with measured values from trials at 100 bar, resulting in graphs 25 and 26 .
  • FIG. 2 shows that an increase in the process pressure produces a change in the characteristic curve for voltage relative to current density.
  • the resulting equilibrium voltage becomes slightly higher as a function of the increasing pressure, but the saturation of the water with gas bubbles commences later due to the compression of the gas bubbles here.
  • the installation therefore works more effectively at higher pressures and consequently can be operated using higher current densities.
  • the gas yield of the installation is therefore improved while the input power remains the same.
US13/388,269 2009-07-31 2010-07-21 Method and device for generating hydrogen and oxygen Abandoned US20120125779A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE102009035440A DE102009035440A1 (de) 2009-07-31 2009-07-31 Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Erzeugung von Wasserstoff und Sauerstoff
DE102009035440.9 2009-07-31
PCT/EP2010/060520 WO2011012507A1 (de) 2009-07-31 2010-07-21 Verfahren und vorrichtung zur erzeugung von wasserstoff und sauerstoff

Publications (1)

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US20120125779A1 true US20120125779A1 (en) 2012-05-24

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US13/388,269 Abandoned US20120125779A1 (en) 2009-07-31 2010-07-21 Method and device for generating hydrogen and oxygen

Country Status (4)

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US (1) US20120125779A1 (de)
EP (1) EP2459773A1 (de)
DE (1) DE102009035440A1 (de)
WO (1) WO2011012507A1 (de)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP3760764A1 (de) * 2019-07-01 2021-01-06 Prüf- und Forschungsinstitut Pirmasens e.V. Verfahren und vorrichtung zur hydropneumatischen verdichtung von gasen für power-to-gas-anwendungen

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102018216996A1 (de) * 2018-10-04 2020-04-09 Robert Bosch Gmbh Verfahren und System zur Betankung eines Fahrzeugs mit Wasserstoff und wasserstoffbetriebenes Fahrzeug
NL2023635B1 (en) 2019-08-12 2021-02-23 Meerkerk Project Eng Bv High-pressure electrolysis device
DE102020104964B4 (de) 2020-02-26 2022-06-30 Mol Katalysatortechnik Gmbh Vorrichtung und Verfahren zur elektrolytischen Erzeugung von Wasserstoff aus Wasser bei Raumtemperatur und Normaldruck sowie Verwendung einer Mineral-Metallfolie
DE102021001631A1 (de) 2021-03-27 2022-09-29 Hydac International Gmbh Verfahren zur Behandlung von Prozessfluiden und Filtervorrichtung zum Durchführen des Verfahrens
NL2029726B1 (en) 2021-11-11 2023-06-08 Hydro Gen Bv Improvements in or relating to high-pressure electrolysis device

Citations (5)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20040040862A1 (en) * 2001-08-29 2004-03-04 Giner Electrochemical Systems Llc Method and system for producing high-pressure hydrogen
US20060065302A1 (en) * 2004-06-18 2006-03-30 Gibson Thomas L System and sub-systems for production and use of hydrogen
US7326329B2 (en) * 2003-12-15 2008-02-05 Rodolfo Antonio M. Gomez Commercial production of hydrogen from water
US7510633B2 (en) * 2003-02-21 2009-03-31 Avalence Llc Electrolyzer apparatus and method for hydrogen and oxygen production
US20090115190A1 (en) * 2007-11-06 2009-05-07 Devine Timothy J Systems and methods for producing, shipping, distributing, and storing hydrogen

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DE19533097A1 (de) * 1995-09-07 1997-03-13 Siemens Ag Brennstoffzellensystem
DE10306342B4 (de) * 2003-02-06 2007-12-06 INSTITUT FüR MIKROTECHNIK MAINZ GMBH Elektrolysevorrichtung
JP4635514B2 (ja) * 2004-08-20 2011-02-23 日立造船株式会社 固体高分子型水電解槽を用いた水素供給装置
NO332412B1 (no) * 2006-06-28 2012-09-17 Hydrogen Technologies As Anvendelse av austenittisk rustfritt stal som konstruksjonsmateriale i en innretning eller konstruksjonsdeler som er utsatt for et miljo som omfatter flussyre og oksygen og/eller hydrogen

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20040040862A1 (en) * 2001-08-29 2004-03-04 Giner Electrochemical Systems Llc Method and system for producing high-pressure hydrogen
US7510633B2 (en) * 2003-02-21 2009-03-31 Avalence Llc Electrolyzer apparatus and method for hydrogen and oxygen production
US7326329B2 (en) * 2003-12-15 2008-02-05 Rodolfo Antonio M. Gomez Commercial production of hydrogen from water
US20060065302A1 (en) * 2004-06-18 2006-03-30 Gibson Thomas L System and sub-systems for production and use of hydrogen
US20090115190A1 (en) * 2007-11-06 2009-05-07 Devine Timothy J Systems and methods for producing, shipping, distributing, and storing hydrogen

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Title
"Saturation" in Science definition from The American Heritage Science Dictionary, 2002. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/saturation *
Grigoriev, S.A. et al., Hydrogen Safety Aspects Related to High-Pressure Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Water Electrolysis" Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 34, pages 5986-5991 (2009). *

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP3760764A1 (de) * 2019-07-01 2021-01-06 Prüf- und Forschungsinstitut Pirmasens e.V. Verfahren und vorrichtung zur hydropneumatischen verdichtung von gasen für power-to-gas-anwendungen

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DE102009035440A1 (de) 2011-02-03
WO2011012507A1 (de) 2011-02-03
EP2459773A1 (de) 2012-06-06

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Owner name: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, GERMANY

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:HAHN, ALEXANDER, DR.;SCHILLING, WOLFGANG;STRAUB, WERNER;AND OTHERS;SIGNING DATES FROM 20111202 TO 20111210;REEL/FRAME:027662/0099

STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- AFTER EXAMINER'S ANSWER OR BOARD OF APPEALS DECISION