Patent FR-2960559-A1 (FR)
Title: Installation for producing hydrogen that is useful to synthesize chemical products, comprises hydrogen production modules comprising electrolysis cells, power supplies, fluid treatment unit, sensor, pilot, driver, and hydrogen storage tank
Inventor: MORAND PASCAL
IPC: C25B1/04
Filed: 2010-05-28
Abstract: The installation comprises hydrogen production modules comprising electrolysis cells, power supplies that are connected to the module and control current for the production of hydrogen by water electrolysis, a unit for treating fluids obtained from the electrolysis, sensors arranged to send available data indicative of operating state of element in the group comprising cells, modules and treating unit, a pilot arranged to receive the data indicative of a state of operation and to draw records of current control for the power supplies, a driver, and a hydrogen storage tank. The installation comprises hydrogen production modules comprising electrolysis cells, power supplies that are connected to the module and control current for the production of hydrogen by water electrolysis, a unit for treating fluids obtained from the electrolysis, sensors arranged to send available data indicative of operating state of element in the group comprising cells, modules and treating unit, a pilot arranged to receive the data indicative of a state of operation and to draw records of current control for the power supplies, a driver, a hydrogen storage tank, an oxygen storage tank, valves having programmable individual flow installed between the tanks, and reserve modules. The current control ((100(1+1/(M-1)))%) is calibrated for a nominal current, which corresponds to a desired nominal hydrogen flow. The pilot is further arranged to receive record data of hydrogen flow, to calculate a corresponding record of control current for modules, to calculate a record lower than the nominal current for modules, and to transmit an extinction signal of the modules. The modules comprise short-circuit relay for each cell. The driver emits activation signal from the short circuit relay associated with the cells, and calculates a record for the modules concerned to compensate the deactivation of their groups of cells. Each cell comprises: specific bipolar plates having high electrical conductance equipped with two diametrically or diagonally opposite protruding connections; a T-shaped base of an intermediate part having high electrical conductance attached to each protruding connections; and pins having high electrical conductance adapted to be inserted in gaps for automatically or manually constituting the short circuit relay. The calculation of a current control record greater than 200% of the nominal current generates data indicating a failure for the concerned module. The pilot is arranged: in response to available data indicating the failure to reduce the record of hydrogen flow and to calculate a current control corresponding to each of the modules; and to control valves to draw a flow of hydrogen and/or oxygen from the tanks to compensate the decrease of the hydrogen flow record. The pilot determines that the available data indicates a fault when voltage between electrodes of a cell designated by the data is greater than a given threshold or when a temperature of a liquid and gas mixture of the module is greater than a threshold data.