CN119384524A

CN119384524A - Device and method

Info

Publication number: CN119384524A
Application number: CN202380042267.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 和田义史; 川井智美; 船川明恭; 角佳典
Original assignee: Asahi Kasei Corp
Current assignee: Asahi Kasei Corp
Priority date: 2022-06-30
Filing date: 2023-06-28
Publication date: 2025-01-28
Also published as: JPWO2024005096A1; AU2023300838A1; WO2024005096A1; KR20250005487A; TWI858797B; TW202405952A

Abstract

The object is to provide an apparatus and method for evaluating the residual amount of rare metals contained in an electrode of an electrolytic cell in a non-invasive manner. A device includes a management unit that records the use history information of the electrode of one or more electrolytic cells based on the operation history information of the electrolytic cell.

Description

Apparatus and method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method.

Background

In the electrolytic decomposition (electrolysis), an ion exchange membrane method using an electrolytic cell having an ion exchange membrane is mainly used, and reduction of energy consumption, that is, reduction of electrolytic voltage is a major problem. For example, by using the electrolytic cell shown in patent document 1, the use of electric power can be greatly suppressed.

In recent years, in order to solve the problems of global warming due to a room effect gas such as carbon dioxide and the like, and the reduction of reserves of fossil fuels, a technology for reducing power consumption has been continuously developed.

For example, when an electrode for electrolysis is concerned, development of an electrode coating composition for promoting an anode reaction or a cathode reaction, an electrode shape, and the like are being studied. (for example, refer to patent document 2).

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1 Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2021-172867

Patent document 2 Japanese patent No. 6670948

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, recently, from the viewpoint of reducing sustainability such as environmental load, studies are being conducted in order to extend the life of equipment and make more efficient use. When the electrode of the electrolytic cell ages, the performance is lowered and eventually the life is reached, but if appropriate repair is performed according to the history of use of the electrode, the performance of the electrode can be recovered and used for a longer period of time. There has been little research on further utilization of rare resources and improvement of sustainability by managing the use history, repair history, and the like of electrodes and using them for the longevity of the devices.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an apparatus and a method for managing the use history of an electrode of an electrolytic cell, thereby appropriately evaluating the life of the electrode and contributing to longer use of the electrode.

Means for solving the problems

Namely, the present invention is as follows.

〔1〕

An apparatus has a management unit that records usage history information of electrodes included in one or more electrolytic cells based on operation history information of an electrolytic cell including the electrolytic cells.

〔2〕

The apparatus according to [ 1], wherein,

The usage history information of the electrode includes a repair history of the electrode.

〔3〕

The device according to [ 1] or [ 2], wherein,

The management unit records the metal amount evaluation value of the electrode as the use history information.

〔4〕

The apparatus according to [ 3 ], wherein,

The metal amount evaluation value includes a coating residue of a noble metal selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum.

〔5〕

The apparatus according to any one of [ 1 ] to [ 4], wherein,

The management unit records fluorescence X-ray analysis data, inductively coupled plasma emission light analysis data, X-ray diffraction data, or X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis data of the electrode provided in the electrolysis unit.

〔6〕

The apparatus according to any one of [ 1 ] to [ 5 ], wherein,

The device has an evaluation unit that evaluates future performance of the electrode based on the usage history information of the electrode.

〔7〕

The apparatus according to [ 6 ], wherein,

The evaluation unit evaluates the magnitudes of the metal value and the impurity value, and outputs repair contents that are most capable of continuing performance or temporarily improving performance based on the evaluation result.

〔8〕

The apparatus according to any one of [ 1 ] to [ 7 ], wherein,

The apparatus further has an operation advice portion that advice the operation condition of the electrolytic cell,

The operation suggesting portion suggests the operation condition for further improving the current efficiency based on the use history information,

The operating conditions include a voltage condition and a flow rate condition of the electrolyte.

〔9〕

The apparatus according to any one of [ 1 ] to [ 8 ], wherein,

The apparatus further has a stop advice portion advice the stop condition of the electrolytic cell,

The stop suggesting section suggests the stop condition that the metal amount of the electrode is not easily reduced based on the use history information,

The stop condition includes a decay condition of the current and/or an increase condition of the flow rate of the electrolyte.

〔10〕

The apparatus according to any one of [ 1 ] to [ 9 ], wherein,

The electrolytic tank is provided with a plurality of the electrolytic cells,

The apparatus further has a position change suggesting section that suggests, based on the use history information, a change in a position of the electrolytic cell in which the metal amount or the impurity amount of the electrode is relatively high and the electrolytic cell in which the metal amount or the impurity amount of the electrode is relatively low.

〔11〕

The apparatus according to [ 6 ], wherein,

The evaluation unit evaluates future performance of the electrode after repair based on the usage history information of the electrode and a repair method to be performed.

〔12〕

A method, wherein,

The device performs the following processing:

the operation history information of the electrode of the electrolytic cell is recorded based on the operation history information of the electrolytic cell provided with one or a plurality of electrolytic cells.

〔13〕

A program, wherein,

The program causes an apparatus to execute:

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an apparatus and a method for managing the history of use of an electrode in an electrolytic cell, thereby appropriately evaluating the life of the electrode and contributing to longer use of the electrode.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of an electrolytic cell in the present embodiment.

Fig. 1B is an explanatory view in the case where 2 electrolytic cells of fig. 1A are connected in series.

Fig. 2A is an explanatory view showing an example of the electrolytic cell in the present embodiment.

Fig. 2B is an explanatory view showing an example of the process of assembling the electrolytic cell in the present embodiment.

Fig. 3 is an example of a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the device according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 4A is a schematic diagram showing an example of cell data in the present embodiment.

Fig. 4B is a schematic diagram showing an example of cell data in the present embodiment.

Fig. 5A is a schematic view showing the residual metal amount of the electrode of each electrolytic cell of the initial bipolar electrolytic cell.

Fig. 5B is a schematic view showing the residual metal amount of the electrode of each electrolytic cell of the bipolar electrolytic cell in the middle stage.

Fig. 5C is a schematic view showing the residual metal amount of the electrode of each electrolytic cell of the bipolar electrolytic cell in the latter stage.

Fig. 5D is a schematic view showing the amount of residual metal of the electrode of each electrolytic cell of the bipolar electrolytic cell having a reverse current absorber or the like.

Fig. 5E is a schematic view showing the amount of residual metal of the electrode of each electrolytic cell of the bipolar electrolytic cell in the presence of a reverse current.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of learning data according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 7A is a schematic diagram showing an example of evaluation contents output by the apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 7B is a schematic diagram showing an example of evaluation contents output by the apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 7C is a schematic diagram showing an example of evaluation contents output by the apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 7D is a schematic diagram showing an example of evaluation contents output by the apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a timing chart showing an example of processing performed by the apparatus of the present embodiment.

Fig. 9A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a mode of use of the device according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 9B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a mode of use of the device according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 9C is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a use mode of the device according to the present embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described in detail, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications may be made without departing from the gist thereof.

1. Electrolysis unit

Fig. 1A is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of an electrolytic cell constituting the electrolytic cell of the present embodiment. The electrolysis unit 90 includes an anode chamber 10, a cathode chamber 20, a partition 29 that separates the anode chamber 10 and the cathode chamber 20, an anode 11 provided in the anode chamber 10, and a cathode 21 provided in the cathode chamber 20. The anode 11 and the cathode 21 belonging to 1 electrolysis unit 90 are electrically connected to each other.

In the example shown in fig. 1A, the cathode chamber 20 further includes a cathode 21 provided in the cathode chamber 20, a current collector 23, a support 24 for supporting the current collector, and an elastic pad 1. The elastic pad 1 is disposed between the current collector 23 and the cathode 21. The support 24 is provided between the current collector 23 and the partition 29. The current collector 23 is electrically connected to the cathode 21 via the elastic pad 1. The partition 29 is electrically connected to the current collector 23 via the support 24. Accordingly, the partition 29, the support 24, the current collector 23, the elastic pad 1, and the cathode 21 are electrically connected. The cathode 21 and the reverse current absorber may be directly connected or indirectly connected via a current collector, a support, a metal elastic body, a partition wall, or the like. The entire surface of the cathode 21 is preferably covered with a catalyst layer for reduction reaction. The form of electrical connection may be a form in which the partition wall 29 and the support 24, the support 24 and the current collector 23, and the current collector 23 and the elastic pad 1 are directly attached, respectively, and the cathode 21 is laminated on the elastic pad 1. As a method of directly attaching these components to each other, welding, folding in as described above, and the like are mentioned.

By providing the elastic pad 1 between the current collector 23 and the cathode 21, each cathode 21 of the plurality of electrolytic cells 90 connected in series is pressed against the ion exchange membrane 2, and the distance between each anode 11 and each cathode 21 becomes short, so that the voltage applied to the entire plurality of electrolytic cells 90 connected in series can be reduced. By reducing the voltage, the power consumption can be reduced. According to the elastic pad of the present embodiment, since the pressure can be applied to the ion exchange membrane at an appropriate normal pressure as described above, the current efficiency can be maintained, and the structure with zero pole pitch can be adopted, and further, damage to the ion exchange membrane can be preferably prevented.

The cathode may be directly laminated on the elastic pad, or may be laminated via another conductive member. As a cathode that can be used for zero pole pitch, a cathode having a small wire diameter and a small mesh number is preferable because of its high flexibility. The wire rod constituting such a cathode is not particularly limited, but a wire rod having a wire diameter of 0.1 to 0.5mm and a pore diameter of about 20 mesh to 80 mesh may be used.

Fig. 1B is a cross-sectional view of 2 adjacent electrolytic cells 90 in the electrolytic tank 4 of the present embodiment. Fig. 2A shows an electrolytic cell 30. Fig. 2B shows a process of assembling the electrolytic cell 30.

As shown in fig. 1B, the electrolytic cells 90, the ion exchange membrane 2, and the electrolytic cells 90 are arranged in series in this order. An ion exchange membrane 2 is disposed between the anode chamber of one electrolytic cell 90 and the cathode chamber of the other electrolytic cell 90 of the adjacent 2 electrolytic cells in the electrolytic cell. Namely, the anode chamber 10 of the electrolysis unit 90 and the cathode chamber 20 of the electrolysis unit 90 adjacent thereto are partitioned by the ion exchange membrane 2.

As shown in fig. 2A, the electrolytic tank 30 is constituted by a plurality of electrolytic cells 90 connected in series via the ion exchange membrane 2. That is, the electrolytic cell 30 is a bipolar electrolytic cell including a plurality of electrolytic cells 90 arranged in series and an ion exchange membrane 2 arranged between adjacent electrolytic cells 90. As shown in fig. 2B, the electrolytic cell 30 is assembled by arranging a plurality of electrolytic cells 90 in series via the ion exchange membrane 2 and connecting them by a press 500.

The electrolytic cell 30 has an anode terminal 700 and a cathode terminal 600 connected to a power source. The anode 11 of the electrolytic cell 90 located at the most end among the plurality of electrolytic cells 90 connected in series in the electrolytic cell 30 is electrically connected to the anode terminal 700. The cathode 21 of the electrolytic cell located at the end opposite to the anode terminal 700 among the plurality of electrolytic cells 2 connected in series in the electrolytic cell 30 is electrically connected to the cathode terminal 600. The current at the time of electrolysis flows from the anode terminal 700 side toward the cathode terminal 600 via the anode and the cathode of each electrolysis cell 90. Further, an electrolytic cell having only an anode chamber (anode terminal unit) and an electrolytic cell having only a cathode chamber (cathode terminal unit) may be disposed at both ends of the connected electrolytic cell 90. In this case, the anode terminal 700 is connected to the anode terminal unit disposed at one end, and the cathode terminal 600 is connected to the cathode terminal unit disposed at the other end.

In the case of electrolysis of brine, brine is supplied to each anode chamber 10, and pure water or a low-concentration aqueous sodium hydroxide solution is supplied to the cathode chamber 20. Each liquid is supplied from an electrolyte supply pipe (not shown) to each electrolytic cell 90 via an electrolyte supply hose (not shown). The product obtained by the electrolysis and the electrolyte is recovered by an electrolyte recovery pipe (not shown). In electrolysis, sodium ions in brine move from the anode chamber 10 of one electrolysis cell 90 to the cathode chamber 20 of an adjacent electrolysis cell 90 through the ion exchange membrane 2. Accordingly, the current in electrolysis flows in the direction in which the electrolysis cells 90 are connected in series. That is, an electric current flows from the anode chamber 10 to the cathode chamber 20 via the ion exchange membrane 2. Along with the electrolysis of the brine, chlorine gas is generated on the anode 11 side, and sodium hydroxide (solute) and hydrogen gas are generated on the cathode 21 side.

There are two types of alkaline water electrolysis, a type using a cation exchange membrane and a type using an anion exchange membrane. In the type using a cation exchange membrane, alkali metal ions (K ⁺、Na⁺) move from the anode compartment 10 to the cathode compartment 20. On the other hand, in the type using an anion exchange membrane, hydroxide ions (OH ^-) move from the cathode chamber 20 to the anode chamber 10.

2. Device and method for controlling the same

The residual amount of the noble metal coating of the electrode of the electrolysis unit gradually decreases with the operation of the electrolysis device. The extent of the decrease is affected by operating conditions such as operating time and operating voltage, and operating failures such as occurrence of reverse current. In addition, in an electrolytic device including a bipolar type electrolytic cell in which a large number of electrolytic cells are connected, the magnitude of reverse current generated according to the position of the electrolytic cell in the electrolytic cell is different, and therefore, the degree of reduction of the residual amount of the noble metal coating is also different according to the position of the electrolytic cell in the electrolytic cell.

The apparatus of the present embodiment includes a management unit that records usage history information of electrodes included in one or more electrolytic cells based on operation history information of an electrolytic cell including the electrolytic cells. In the present embodiment, the history of the electrolytic cell is referred to as "operation history", and the history of the electrode is referred to as "use history". The "use history" is used in the sense of the entire history of electrode passage, and is used in the sense of including repair history in addition to information based on past operation history of the electrolytic cell. The history of the case where the electrode of one cell is reused as the electrode of a different cell may be included in the use history.

Thus, by managing the history of use of the electrode of the electrolytic cell and further appropriately evaluating the life of the electrode, it is possible to realize longer-term use of the electrode.

In the present embodiment, for example, as shown in fig. 3, the apparatus 100 may be connected to the electrolysis apparatus 10 via a wired or wireless network N, and the apparatus 100 and the electrolysis apparatus 10 may constitute one apparatus. The device 100 may be configured to perform processing of at least a part of the functional units shown in fig. 3 by another device such as a server connected via the network N.

2.1. Structure of the

The hardware configuration of the apparatus 100 will be described with reference to fig. 3. The device 100 comprises, for example, a processor 110, a communication interface 120, an input output interface 130, a memory 140, a storage 150, and 1 or more communication buses 160 for interconnecting these structural elements.

The processor 110 executes processes, functions or methods implemented by code or commands contained in programs stored in the memory 150. The processor 110 is not limited, and may include, for example, 1 or more Central Processing Units (CPUs), MPUs (Micro Processing Unit: micro processing units), GPUs (Graphics Processing Unit: graphics processing units), microprocessors (microprocessors), processor cores (processor cores), multiprocessors, ASICs (Application-SPECIFIC INTEGRATED circuits) and FPGAs (Field Programmable GATE ARRAY: field programmable gate arrays), and the respective processes, functions, and methods disclosed in the embodiments may be realized by logic circuits (hardware) and dedicated circuits formed by integrated circuits (IC (Integrated Circuit) chips, LSIs (LARGE SCALE Integration: large-scale Integration)) and the like.

The communication interface 120 transmits and receives various data to and from other devices via a network. The communication may be performed by any of wired and wireless, and any communication protocol may be used as long as the communication can be performed. For example, the communication interface 120 may be installed as hardware such as a network adapter, various communication software, or a combination thereof.

The Network is not limited, and examples thereof include an Ad Hoc Network (Ad Hoc Network), an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private Network (Virtual Private Network: VPN), a local area Network (Local Area Network: LAN), a wireless LAN (WIRELESS LAN: WLAN), a wide area Network (Wide Area Network: WAN), a wireless WAN (WIRELESS WAN: WWAN), a metropolitan area Network (Metropolitan Area Network: MAN), a part of the internet, a part of a public switched telephone Network (Public Switched Telephone Network: PSTN), a mobile telephone Network, ISDNs (INTEGRATED SERVICE DIGITAL Networks: integrated services digital Network), wireless LANs, LTE (Long Term Evolution: long term evolution), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access: code division multiple access), bluetooth (registered trademark), satellite communication, and the like, and combinations thereof. The network may comprise 1 or more networks.

The input/output interface 130 includes an input device for inputting various operations to the apparatus 100 and an output device for outputting a processing result processed by the apparatus 100. For example, the input/output interface 130 includes an information input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel, and an information output device such as a display. The device 100 may receive a predetermined input by connecting to the external input/output interface 130.

For example, as the external input/output interface 130, the apparatus 100 may be connected to a fluorescence X-ray analyzer, an inductively coupled plasma emission light analyzer, an X-ray diffractometer, or an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyzer via a wired or wireless network N. In this way, the measured data of the residual amount of the noble metal coating on the electrode can be directly and easily measured, and the apparatus 100 can acquire the measured data.

Memory 140 temporarily stores programs loaded from storage 150 and provides a working area to processor 110. The memory 140 also temporarily stores various data generated during the execution of the program by the processor 110. The memory 140 may be, for example, a high-speed random access memory such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM, or other random access solid state memory devices, or a combination thereof.

The memory 150 stores programs, various functional units, and various data. The storage 150 may be, for example, 1 or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, nonvolatile memories such as flash memory devices or other nonvolatile solid state storage devices, or the like, or may be a combination thereof. As other examples of the storage 150, 1 or more storage devices provided remote from the processor 110 can be cited.

In one embodiment of the invention, the memory 150 stores programs, functions and data structures, or a subset thereof. The apparatus 100 is configured such that the processor 110 executes commands included in a program stored in the memory 150, and functions as a management unit 154, a learning unit 156, an evaluation unit 157, an operation advice unit 158, a stop advice unit 159, and a change-of-position advice unit 161, as shown in fig. 3.

The operating system 151 contains, for example, procedures (processes) for handling various basic system services and performing tasks using hardware.

The network communication unit 152 is used to connect the device 100 to another computer via the communication interface 120 and 1 or more communication networks such as the internet, another wide area network, a local area network, and a metropolitan area network.

2.1.1. Cell data

The cell data 153 stores information on the electrolytic cell 30 and operation history information of the electrolytic cell 30 for each cell. Referring to fig. 4A and 4B, the cell data 153 stored in the reservoir 150 will be described.

The information on the electrolytic cell 30 is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include the number of electrolytic cells 31 included in the electrolytic cell 30, the device structure of the electrolytic device 10, and the like.

The use history information of the electrode is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include initial data related to the metal types of the electrode and the amounts of the metals before operation, measured data measured for the metal types of the electrode and the amounts of the metals during operation, repair history, information based on operation history information of the electrolytic cell, and evaluation values.

The initial data may also be information obtained from the electrode manufacturer, for example. The measured data may be data obtained from the input/output interface 130 such as a fluorescent X-ray analyzer, or may include fluorescent X-ray analysis data, inductively coupled plasma emission light analysis data, X-ray diffraction data, or X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis data of an electrode included in the electrolytic cell.

The method for quantifying the noble metal from the analysis data is not particularly limited as long as it is a known method, but examples thereof include a method for calculating the coating residue of each noble metal in the catalyst layer of the electrode from the fluorescence X-ray analysis data by using a calibration curve or the like, a method for calculating the coating residue of each noble metal in the catalyst layer of the electrode from the intensity ratio of the metal used for the base material of the electrode to each noble metal contained in the catalyst layer, and the like.

In the case where the electrolytic cell 30 is bipolar, the initial data and the measured data may be stored for each electrolytic cell 31. Here, the initial data and the measured data do not need to include the initial data and the measured data concerning all the electrolytic cells 31-1 to 31-N included in the electrolytic cell 30, and the information concerning a part of the electrolytic cells 31-N may include the initial data and the measured data. As an example, the measured data of FIG. 4A shows an example in which the measured data of the cells 31-1, 31-50 and 31-100 are measured and stored without measuring the measured data of all the cells 31-1 to 31-100.

In the case where the electrolytic cell 30 is bipolar, information about the position of each electrolytic cell in the electrolytic cell 30 may be included. The information on the position of each electrolytic cell in the electrolytic bath 30 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, the position of the electrolytic cell counted from the end, such as the 1 st and 2 nd. As an example, in fig. 4A, the actual measurement data is recorded with the 31-1 unit, the 31-50 unit, and the 31-100 unit, and the positions of the respective electrolytic cells in the electrolytic cell 30 may be stored. Thereby, the state of the electrolytic cell 31-N corresponding to the position in the electrolytic tank 30 can be stored specifically.

Further, as the repair history, the replacement of the electrolytic cell, the repair time, the content, and the like may be stored for each electrolytic cell.

The information based on the operation history information of the electrolytic cell included in the electrode use history information may include the total operation time of the electrolytic cell, the total power consumption, and information described in the operation history information of the electrolytic cell described later.

The evaluation value may include, for example, a metal amount evaluation value for evaluating catalytic performance such as the amount of metal provided in the catalyst layer of the electrode, an impurity evaluation value indicating the degree of inhibition of the catalytic performance such as the amount of impurities adhering to the electrode, and the like. The metal amount evaluation value is also referred to as a precious metal coating residue. These evaluation values can be calculated by the management unit 154 based on at least 1 or more of the initial data, the measured data, the repair history, and the operation history information of the electrolytic cell, and can be recorded as one of the electrode use history information.

By using such an evaluation value, the state of the electrode can be grasped specifically. For example, it can be evaluated whether or not the electrode has reduced catalytic ability due to a reduction in the amount of metal, based on the metal amount evaluation value, and it can be evaluated whether or not the electrode has reduced catalytic ability due to adhesion of impurities, etc., based on the impurity evaluation value.

For example, when the metal amount evaluation value of a certain electrode is high and the impurity evaluation value is low, it can be evaluated that the electrode maintains the metal amount but adheres to impurities, and therefore, the electrode does not exhibit sufficient performance. By performing such evaluation, it is possible to more appropriately determine whether to increase the life of the electrode by performing a treatment for increasing the metal amount or to increase the life by performing a treatment for removing impurities.

Further, even when the evaluation value of the metal amount of a certain electrode is low, as the degree thereof, it is possible to evaluate whether the degree of reduction of the metal amount is in a range of a degree that can be recovered by a simple treatment or in a range of a degree that can be recovered by a thorough treatment. By performing such evaluation, it is possible to more appropriately determine which treatment is selected from a plurality of treatments to be included when the electrode is treated to increase the metal amount and the lifetime is extended.

The determination may be performed by an evaluation unit 157 described below.

The operation history information of the electrolytic cell included in the electrolytic cell data 153 is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include a total operation time, a total power consumption, a current density, an operation voltage, a current efficiency, an operation temperature, an electrolyte, a flow rate of the electrolyte supplied to the anode chamber and the cathode chamber, information on a reverse current, and the number of stops, and examples thereof are known as conditions to be controlled or observed during the operation of the electrolytic device 10. The gas purity refers to the purity of the gas produced at the cathode or anode.

The operation history information of the electrolytic cell 30 may be recorded with time. As shown in fig. 4B, the current density, the operating voltage, the operating temperature, and other conditions that can change with time can be stored as time information. It is known that the coating residue of the noble metal of the electrode gradually decreases even when the operation of the electrolytic device 10 is normally performed. Therefore, the evaluation value of the metal amount of the electrode can be estimated more specifically by recording the operation history information as time information in this way.

It is also known that impurities may gradually adhere to the electrode according to the operating conditions such as the amount of impurities in the electrolyte to be used and the total operating time. Therefore, it is also possible to more specifically estimate the impurity evaluation value of the electrode by recording the operation history information.

As shown in fig. 4B, the data of the operation history with time may include a trace of the reverse current during the stop period. Here, the reverse current will be described. The electrolysis unit 31 can generate a self-discharge reaction via a leakage current circuit formed through the electrolyte supply pipe when electrolysis is stopped. In the self-discharge reaction, the direction of the current flowing on the conduction surface is opposite to the direction at the time of electrolysis, and is therefore called reverse current. The electrode of the electrolysis unit 31 is oxidized and reduced during the generation of the reverse current, and thus, the catalyst layer on the surface of the substrate may be detached or the like, and the coating residue of the noble metal may be extremely affected. Therefore, it is also possible to record information on such a reverse current as operation history information, thereby more specifically estimating the behavior of reducing the coating residual amount of the noble metal of the electrode. In particular, in the cathode 35, the influence of such a reverse current on the reduction of the coating residual amount of the noble metal tends to be large.

In addition to or instead of the above, a reverse current may be generated even when the current density is extremely low. Specifically, when the current of the forward electrolysis is compared with the reverse current, the reverse current may be generated when the reverse current is relatively large. The data of the past operation history may include a trace related to such a reverse current.

The information on the electrolytic solution in the operation history information of the electrolytic cell 30 may include information on the type of impurity and the amount of impurity, in addition to the composition of the electrolytic solution. When the electrolyte contains impurities, the impurities may adhere to the electrode. Impurities adhering to the electrode affect the operation of the electrolytic device 10 and also affect the coating residue of the noble metal of the electrode. Therefore, it is possible to record information about the electrolytic solution as operation history information in this way, thereby more specifically estimating the behavior of reducing the coating residual amount of the noble metal of the electrode. In particular, in the anode 33, the influence of such impurities on the reduction of the coating residue of the noble metal tends to be large.

2.1.2. Management part

The management unit 154 records the history information of the use of the electrode of the electrolytic cell based on the operation history information of the electrolytic cell. More specifically, the management unit 154 may acquire operation history information of the electrolytic cell from the control unit 70 of the electrolytic device 10, record the acquired operation history information in the electrolytic cell data, and record the use history information of the electrode included in the electrolytic cell based on the recorded operation history information. The management unit 154 of the apparatus 100 is not limited to acquiring the operation history information of the electrolytic cell from the control unit 70 of the electrolytic apparatus 10.

The management unit 154 may also record the metal amount evaluation value of the electrode and the impurity evaluation value of the electrode as the use history information. The metal amount evaluation value is a value showing catalytic ability such as the amount of metal provided in the catalyst layer of the electrode, and is not particularly limited, and may be the coating residue of the noble metal. The impurity evaluation value is not particularly limited as long as it is a value showing a degree of inhibition of the exertion of the catalytic ability, such as the amount of impurities adhering to the electrode, and may be an adhering amount of impurities.

The management unit 154 may record actual measurement data of the coating residue of the noble metal or the like as the metal amount evaluation value, and may calculate and record the metal amount evaluation value based on at least 1 or more of the initial data, the actual measurement data, the repair history, and the operation history information of the electrolytic cell. Hereinafter, an example of a mode in the case of calculating the metal amount evaluation value will be described after explaining the tendency of reduction in the metal amount.

2.1.2.1. Reducing tendency

Before the prediction process performed by the management unit 154 is described, the tendency of reducing the residual amount of the noble metal coating will be described with reference to fig. 5A to 5E.

Fig. 5A to 5E are diagrams showing the amount of metal remaining in the electrode of each electrolytic cell of the bipolar type electrolytic cell, wherein the vertical axis shows the amount of metal remaining and the horizontal axis shows the position of the electrode in the bipolar type electrolytic cell. Fig. 5A is a view showing that the amount of residual metal of the unused electrode before operation is 100%, fig. 5B is a view showing that the amount of residual metal of the electrode after the electrolytic device 10 is operated for a predetermined time, and fig. 5C is a view further showing that the amount of residual metal of the electrode after the electrolytic device 10 is operated from the state shown in fig. 5B.

As shown in fig. 5A to 5C, the residual amount of the noble metal coating tends to gradually decrease with the operation of the electrolyzer 10 in all the electrolytic cells. Therefore, the residual amount of the noble metal coating on the electrode can be estimated from the operation history information of how much time has passed under what conditions (voltage, current, etc.).

In addition, as shown in fig. 5A to 5C, in the case of the bipolar electrolytic cell, the degree of reduction in the residual amount of the noble metal coating varies depending on the position of the electrolytic cell. More specifically, it is found that the more the electrolytic cell is located at the center of the bipolar electrolytic cell, the less the residual amount of the noble metal coating becomes. This is because reverse current is more likely to occur in the electrolysis cell located at the center when the operation and the stop of the electrolysis apparatus 10 are repeated.

Therefore, in addition to the operation history information of what degree of time has been operated under what degree of conditions (voltage, current, etc.), the degree of reduction in the residual amount of the noble metal coating may be evaluated by weighting according to the position of the cell. More specifically, the noble metal coating residue may be evaluated by adjusting the degree of decrease in the noble metal coating residue so that the more the electrolytic cell is located at the center of the bipolar electrolytic cell. Thus, even when a large number of electrolytic cells are provided, such as in a bipolar electrolytic cell, the residual amount of the noble metal coating on the electrodes of these electrolytic cells can be uniformly estimated.

In addition, when the electrolytic cell has a reverse current absorber or the electrode has a reverse current absorbing layer, the residual amount of the noble metal coating in the electrolytic cell located in the center of the bipolar electrolytic cell and the electrolytic cell located at the end portion may be further alleviated (fig. 5D).

Further, as shown in fig. 5E, in the case where the reverse current is significantly generated, the noble metal coating residue of the electrolytic cell that generates the reverse current tends to be significantly reduced. Therefore, by taking the reverse current into consideration as one of the operation history information, the precious metal coating residual amount of the electrolytic cell can be evaluated.

In addition, as described above, when the electrode of the electrolytic cell is recoated with the catalyst layer or the electrode itself is replaced as a repair history, the degree of reduction in the residual amount of the noble metal coating from the time point may be calculated by setting the time point at which the repair or replacement is performed to 100% for the electrolytic cell. Thus, the residual amount of the noble metal coating can be evaluated individually also for the electrolytic cell having the repair history.

In fig. 5A to 5E, the degree of reduction of the residual amount of the noble metal coating is shown significantly for easy understanding, but the reduction of the residual amount of the noble metal coating in the present embodiment is not limited thereto.

2.1.2.2. Calculation of evaluation value of Metal quantity

The calculation process of the metal amount evaluation value by the management unit 154 is not particularly limited, but, for example, a method using a formula for calculating the metal amount evaluation value of the electrode using a value included in the operation history information as a variable may be mentioned. More specifically, the expression for calculating the metal amount evaluation value includes an expression in which a value indicating the total amount of operation, such as the total operation time and the total power, a value indicating the conditions at the time of steady operation, such as the operation voltage, the operation temperature, the current density, and the type of the electrolyte, are used as variables.

Such a formula can be obtained as a learning model generated by a machine learning process based on learning data including information on an operation history and information on an evaluation value of the metal amount of the electrode of each electrolytic cell of the bipolar electrolytic cell having passed through the operation history. In other words, the management unit 154 may predict the metal amount evaluation value using a learned model generated by a machine learning process based on learning data including information on the operation history and information on the metal amount evaluation value of the electrode of each electrolytic cell of the bipolar electrolytic cell having passed through the operation history. The generation of learning data and a learning model will be described later.

In addition, as shown in fig. 5A to 5D, in the case of the bipolar electrolytic cell, the degree of reduction in the metal amount evaluation value may be different depending on the position of the electrolytic cell even if the operating conditions are the same. Then, the management unit 154 may predict the metal amount evaluation value of the electrode of the other electrolytic cell based on the operation history information of the electrolytic cell and data obtained by actually measuring the metal amount evaluation value of the electrode of a part of the electrolytic cells.

More specifically, the measured data may be obtained in advance in the electrolytic cell at any position of the bipolar electrolytic cell surrounded by the quadrangle of the broken line in fig. 5B, so that a curve of how the metal amount evaluation value is reduced from the end portion to the center portion is estimated, and the weight of the degree of reduction in the metal amount evaluation value corresponding to the position of the cell may be adjusted based on the estimated phenomenon curve. Here, the phenomenon curve is a curve showing a tendency that the metal amount evaluation value increases as the metal amount evaluation value approaches the end portion and decreases as the metal amount evaluation value approaches the center portion as shown in fig. 5B and 5C.

In addition, fig. 5B shows that the electrolytic cell located at the end and the center of the bipolar electrolytic cell is surrounded by a quadrangle with a broken line as the electrolytic cell for obtaining the measured data, and the measured data considered by the management unit 154 includes measured data of the metal evaluation values of the electrodes included in the electrolytic cell located at the end and the center of the electrolytic cell.

Thus, even when a large number of electrolytic cells are provided as in the case of a bipolar electrolytic cell, the metal evaluation values of the electrodes of the electrolytic cells can be uniformly estimated with higher accuracy. In particular, by referring to the measured data of some electrolytic cells, the accuracy of predicting the metal quantity evaluation value of the electrode of another electrolytic cell having no measured data can be improved.

However, without being limited thereto, the reduction curve can be estimated as long as there is measured data of the electrolytic cell at least at any 2 places. More specifically, if the reduction curve is known in advance, as long as the measured data of the electrolysis cell at any 2 places is provided, a reduction curve satisfying the metal amount evaluation value measured by the electrolysis cell at the 2 places can be fitted. In fig. 5B, a plurality of electrolytic cells are surrounded by a quadrangle with a broken line, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a reduction curve can be fitted as long as there are 2 points of measured data of at least 1 electrolytic cell.

The measured data may include fluorescence X-ray analysis data, inductively coupled plasma emission light analysis data, X-ray diffraction data, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis data of an electrode included in the electrolytic cell. The measured data may be data obtained from the input/output interface 130 such as a fluorescent X-ray analyzer, or may include fluorescent X-ray analysis data, inductively coupled plasma emission light analysis data, X-ray diffraction data, or X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis data of an electrode included in the electrolytic cell.

The management unit 154 may predict the metal amount evaluation value of the cathode based on operation history information including information on the reverse current. Thus, the metal amount evaluation value of the cathode can be predicted in consideration of the decrease in the metal amount evaluation value of the cathode caused by the generation of the reverse current as shown in fig. 5E.

The management unit 154 may predict the metal amount evaluation value of the anode based on operation history information including information on impurities of the electrolyte. When the electrolyte contains impurities, the impurities may adhere to the electrode. Impurities adhering to the electrode affect the operation of the electrolytic device 10 and also affect the coating residue of the noble metal of the electrode. In particular, in the anode 33, the influence of such a reverse current on the reduction of the coating residual amount of the noble metal tends to be large. Therefore, by recording the information on the electrolyte as the operation history information in this way, the metal amount evaluation value of the electrode can be predicted.

Further, the management unit 154 may predict the metal amount evaluation values for the anode and the cathode, respectively. As described above, the metal amount evaluation values also tend to be inconsistent in the anode and cathode, but the noble metal amount can be estimated more appropriately by predicting the metal amount evaluation values for the anode and cathode, respectively.

The estimated metal amount value predicted by the management unit 154 may include a coating residue of a noble metal selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum. Since these metals function as main active species in the catalyst layer of the electrode, it is useful to evaluate the residual amount of such rare metals in a non-invasive manner.

2.1.2.3. Calculation of impurity evaluation value

The process of calculating the impurity evaluation value by the management unit 154 is not particularly limited, but, for example, a method using a formula for calculating the impurity evaluation value of the electrode using a value included in the operation history information as a variable may be mentioned. More specifically, the expression for calculating the impurity evaluation value includes an expression in which a value indicating the total amount of operation, such as the total operation time and the total power-on amount, a type of the electrolyte, a type and an amount of the impurity contained in the electrolyte, and the like, which are factors of the impurity at the time of operation, are used as variables. The impurity evaluation value may include an index such as a surface coverage of the electrode with impurities and an adhesion thickness of the impurities.

Such a formula may be obtained as a learning model generated by a machine learning process based on learning data including information on operation history and information on impurity evaluation values of electrodes included in each electrolytic cell of the bipolar electrolytic cell having passed through the operation history. In other words, the management unit 154 may predict the impurity evaluation value using a learned model generated by a machine learning process based on learning data including information on the operation history and information on the impurity evaluation value of the electrode of each electrolytic cell of the bipolar electrolytic cell having passed through the operation history. The generation of learning data and a learning model will be described later.

2.1.3. Evaluation unit

The evaluation unit 157 may evaluate future performance (performance) of the electrode based on the electrode use history information. The evaluation unit 157 may evaluate future performance of the repaired electrode based on the electrode use history information and a repair method to be performed.

Fig. 7A to 7D are schematic diagrams showing an example of the evaluation content outputted from the evaluation unit 157. In fig. 7A to 7D, the performance of the electrode from the start of use is shown by a solid line, and the future performance of the electrode evaluated by the evaluation unit 157 is shown by a broken line. The solid lines in fig. 7A to 7D show that the performance of the electrode gradually decreases with time from the start of use, and the rate of decrease in the performance of the electrode is passivated by accepting a predetermined repair in the middle. Here, the performance of the electrode may be the efficiency of the electrolytic reaction, or may be a value related to the metal amount evaluation value or the impurity evaluation value.

The broken lines in fig. 7A to 7D show future performances of the electrode evaluated by the evaluation unit 157 in the case where no repair is performed, in the case where repair a is performed, and in the case where repair B is performed.

As shown by the dashed line in fig. 7A, future performance of the electrode may vary with respect to repair or no repair. In addition, depending on the repair content, there may be a difference in future performance of the electrode. As shown by the broken line in fig. 7B, according to the difference in the usage history information, it is also expected that the effect difference between the patch a and the patch B having the effect difference in fig. 7A is eliminated. Further, as shown by the broken line in fig. 7C, according to the difference in the use history information, it is also expected that the difference between the effect of the repair B having the difference in the effect in fig. 7A and the effect in the non-repair is eliminated. The repairing effect is not limited to the life extension of the performance of the electrode shown in fig. 7A to 7C, and may have an effect of temporarily improving the performance as shown in fig. 7D.

As shown in fig. 7A to 7D, depending on the use history information of the electrodes, there may be a case where the effect of the repair a and the repair B on the future performance is different, or the difference in effect is reduced between the case where the repair is not performed and the case where the repair is performed. For example, when the metal amount evaluation value of a certain electrode is high and the impurity evaluation value is low, it can be evaluated that the electrode maintains the metal amount but adheres to impurities, and therefore, the electrode does not exhibit sufficient performance. In this way, it is possible to grasp the situation that even if the repair a has a certain effect such as removing impurities, the effect of the repair a is poor such as increasing the metal amount, and more appropriate repair contents can be selected. Or the degree of reduction in the metal amount can be evaluated in terms of the extent to which the metal amount can be recovered by a simple treatment (repair B) or the extent to which the metal amount can be recovered by a thorough treatment (repair a).

The evaluation unit 157 evaluates the magnitudes of the metal amount evaluation value and the impurity evaluation value based on one of the metal amount evaluation value and the impurity evaluation value, and based on the evaluation result, outputs the repair content that can most continue performance or temporarily improve performance, and displays the repair content on a display or the like. In addition, similarly, information on future performance of the electrode based on each repair content can be presented and displayed on a display or the like.

Here, the evaluation of the magnitudes of the metal amount evaluation value and the impurity evaluation value means that the magnitudes thereof are evaluated by comparing the metal amount and the impurity amount. For example, when the metal amount evaluation value is large and the impurity evaluation value is small, the evaluation unit 157 may determine and output the repair content for reducing the impurity amount. In addition, when the metal amount evaluation value is small and the impurity evaluation value is small, the evaluation unit 157 may determine and output the repair content in which the metal amount is increased.

The evaluation unit 157 may output the repair content that can most continue performance or temporarily improve performance based on the impurity evaluation value, and display the repair content on a display or the like. In addition, similarly, information on future performance of the electrode based on each repair content can be presented and displayed on a display or the like.

By evaluating future performance (prognosis) after such repair, the life of the electrode and the repair content to be selected can be appropriately evaluated, and further, the electrode can be used for a longer period of time.

2.1.4. Model

The learning unit 156 may perform machine learning processing based on learning data 155 to obtain a learning model, and the learning data 155 may include information on the operation history and information on the metal evaluation value or impurity evaluation value of the electrode of each electrolytic cell of the electrolytic cell having passed through the operation history. The learned model thus obtained is used by the management unit 154, and information on the operation history may be input and information on the metal evaluation value or impurity evaluation value of the electrode of each electrolytic cell of the electrolytic cell having passed through the operation history may be output.

The learning data 155 may store information on the electrolytic cell 30, operation history information of the electrolytic cell 30, and information on the metal evaluation value or impurity evaluation value of the electrolytic cell 30, for example, for each electrolytic cell. The learning data 155 stored in the memory 150 will be described with reference to fig. 6.

The information on the electrolytic cell 30 stored in the learning data 155 may be the same as the information described in the electrolytic cell data 153 as to the operation history information of the electrolytic cell 30.

Further, as information on the metal amount evaluation value or the impurity evaluation value of the electrolytic bath 30, information on the actual metal amount evaluation value or the impurity evaluation value of the electrolytic bath 30 can be stored. More specifically, as shown in fig. 6, information obtained by aggregating actual measurement data of the metal amount evaluation value or the impurity evaluation value for each electrolytic cell is given.

The learning unit 156 may construct a model by taking information about the operation history and information about the residual amount of the noble metal coating on the electrode of each electrolytic cell of the electrolytic cell having passed through the operation history as learning data, and taking information about the residual amount of the noble metal coating as a forward-solving label and performing machine learning.

The learning unit 156 may constitute a model other than the machine learning model. Examples of such a model include a model having, as variables, a value indicating the total amount of operation, such as the total operation time and the total power consumption, a value indicating the conditions in the steady operation, such as the operation voltage, the operation temperature, the current density, and the type of the electrolyte. The coefficient of such a variable may be determined based on the learning data 155.

The learning unit 156 may perform machine learning processing based on the learning data 155 to obtain a learning-completed model, and the learning data 155 may include the electrode use history information and the information on the electrode performance. The learned model thus obtained is used by the evaluation unit 157, and information on the operation history can be input and information on future performance of the electrodes of the respective electrolytic cells of the electrolytic cell having passed through the operation history can be output. In this case, when the electrode use history information in the learning data 155 includes the repair history, a learning model in which information on future performance of the repaired electrode is output can be obtained based on the electrode use history information and the repair method.

2.1.5. Operation advice unit

The operation advice portion 158 may also advice the operation conditions of the electrolytic bath 30. Specifically, the operation advice unit 158 can advice the operation conditions for making the current efficiency higher based on the usage history information.

Movement of ions in the electrolyte, transfer of electrons to and from the electrode surface, and generation of substances associated therewith occur in the electrolytic cell 30. But the substance interfering with the electrolytic reaction is not limited to the target substance. Thus, it is desirable to improve the current efficiency for the target substance. The "current efficiency" in the electrolytic cell 30 means a ratio of the amount of a substance actually generated by a certain amount of electricity to the theoretical maximum amount of the substance generated in the electrolytic cell.

In the present embodiment, the target substance is, for example, chlorine or hydrogen in the case of brine electrolysis, or oxygen or hydrogen in the case of alkaline electrolysis. The high current efficiency means that most of the electricity used is used for generating a target substance such as hydrogen.

Regarding the operating conditions of the electrolytic cell 30, it is preferable to perform a desired electrolytic reaction with as high a current efficiency as possible. For this reason, it is preferable to adjust various condition settings, but as one of the viewpoints, the operation advice unit 158 may advice the operation conditions including the voltage condition and the flow rate condition of the electrolyte based on the use history information. The operation conditions are not limited to this, and may include other conditions such as the concentration of the electrolyte and the temperature conditions.

The usage history information may also contain a metal quantity evaluation value. At this time, the use history information is information reflecting the amount of active species in the electrode. The voltage condition is a value for controlling the amount of current flowing between the electrodes. The flow rate condition of the electrolyte is a value for controlling the presence amount of ions that transfer electrons to and from the electrode and the contact efficiency between the electrolyte and the electrode. If the amount of active species in the electrodes is different, other suitable values of operating conditions may vary. That is, the operation advice unit 158 can advice, as the operation conditions, at least a voltage condition and a flow rate condition of the electrolyte, in which the movement of ions in the electrolyte and the transfer of electrons on the electrode surface are more appropriately performed and the current efficiency is improved, based on the metal amount evaluation value.

Thus, instead of operating the electrolytic cell 30 under a certain operating condition, the electrolytic cell 30 can be operated under an operating condition in which the current efficiency becomes high in accordance with the variation of the metal amount evaluation value. As a result, the control unit 70 of the electrolytic cell 30 can maintain the current efficiency of the electrolytic cell 30 high from a long-term point of view by adopting the operation conditions recommended by the operation recommendation unit 158, and can further improve the productivity.

The maintenance of the current efficiency of the electrolytic cell 30 by the operation advice unit 158 also relates to the long life of the electrolytic cell 30. As shown in fig. 1, the electrolytic cell 30 is a huge device, and therefore, repair factors are accumulated little by little at various timings at each location. In the present embodiment, the "repair factor" refers to a factor that, although there is no need for immediate repair, causes deterioration of the partition wall, a decrease in the metal evaluation value, and the like, and reduces performance. When a certain amount of repair factors are accumulated, the operation of the electrolytic cell 30 is stopped, and repair is performed and the operation is restarted. However, since the electrolytic cell 30 is a huge apparatus, it takes a long time to stop the repair operation and to restart the operation, the number of stops is preferably small to maximize the operation efficiency of the electrolytic cell 30, and the number of stops is also preferably small in view of the influence of the reverse current on the evaluation value of the metal.

That is, in the case of stopping the operation for repair, it is desirable that more repairs can be performed by one operation stop. In other words, it is preferable to operate the electrolytic cell 30 for a long life so as to wait for accumulation of repair factors as much as possible. However, even if accumulation of repair factors is waited for, the safety is guaranteed. In such a background, maintenance of the current efficiency of the electrolytic cell 30 by the operation advice unit 158 contributes to a long-life operation of the electrolytic cell 30 to wait for accumulation of repair factors.

2.1.6. Stop advice part

The stop advice portion 159 may also advice the stop condition of the electrolytic bath 30. Specifically, the stop advice portion 159 can advice a stop condition that the metal amount of the electrode is not easily reduced, based on the use history information.

As described above, the electrode of the electrolysis unit 31 is oxidized and reduced during the generation of the reverse current, and thus the catalyst layer on the surface of the substrate may be detached or the like, and the metal amount of the electrode may be extremely affected. The reverse current is caused by a self-discharge reaction generated through a leakage current circuit formed through the electrolyte supply pipe when the electrolysis is stopped.

Therefore, as a stop condition of the electrolytic bath 30, it is desirable to reduce the reverse current and suppress the decrease in the metal amount of the electrode. For this reason, as one point of view, the stop advice unit 159 may advice that the voltage applied to the electrolytic bath 30 is not suddenly set to 0V, but the voltage is gradually reduced to gradually attenuate the current flowing through the electrolytic bath 30, and then the voltage applied to the electrolytic bath 30 is set to 0V as the stop condition. Thus, the reverse current due to the self-discharge reaction can be reduced when the voltage is gradually reduced to 0V, compared to when the voltage is suddenly reduced from the high voltage to 0V.

In addition, when a reverse current is generated, a reaction in which generated chlorine gas or the like is decomposed may be generated in contrast to the electrolytic reaction. Therefore, as another point of view of suppressing the reverse current, the stop advice unit 159 may advice the condition of increasing the flow rate of the electrolyte supplied to the anode chamber 10 and the cathode chamber 20 as a stop condition so as to rapidly discharge the generated gas such as chlorine gas interfering with the reaction of the reverse current from the anode chamber 10 and the cathode chamber 20. The more the flow rate of the electrolyte supplied to the anode chamber 10 and the cathode chamber 20, the more downstream the generated gas generated in the electrode flows. This makes it possible to suppress reverse current, compared with a case where the voltage is set to 0V in a state where the generated gas is mixed in a large amount in the electrolyte in the anode chamber 10 and the cathode chamber 20.

Further, the stop advice unit 159 may advice the current decay condition and the electrolyte flow rate increase condition based on the use history information such as the metal amount evaluation value. Specifically, in consideration of the fact that the reverse current is more likely to occur in the central portion and the metal amount of the electrode is small, the stop advice portion 159 may set the current attenuation condition in accordance with the portion where the metal amount of the electrode is small. In addition, in consideration of the fact that the reverse current is more likely to occur in the central portion, the stop advice portion 159 may set the above-described increasing condition so as to further increase the flow rate of the electrolyte in matching with the portion where the metal amount of the electrode is small.

The above description has been made based on a typical example in which a reverse current is easily generated in the central portion, by way of example. However, the reverse current is not necessarily easily generated at the central portion, and the portion where the reverse current is easily generated may be different according to the specification of the electrolytic cell 30. The stop advice portion 159 can estimate a portion where reverse current is likely to be generated from the distribution of the metal amount of the electrode.

According to the above, the operation of the electrolytic bath 30 can be stopped under the stop condition in which the reverse current is less likely to be generated. As a result, the control unit 70 of the electrolytic cell 30 can maintain the current efficiency of the electrolytic cell 30 high from a long-term viewpoint by adopting the stop condition suggested by the stop suggestion unit 159, and can further improve the productivity.

The suppression of the reverse current by the stop advice portion 159 also contributes to the longer life of the electrolytic bath 30. As described above, the electrolytic cell 30 is a huge device, and as shown in fig. 5A to 5C, in the case of a bipolar electrolytic cell, the degree of reduction in the metal amount of the electrode tends to be different depending on the position of the electrolytic cell 90. Although such a difference in the metal amount of the electrodes is allowable to some extent, if the difference is large and the metal amount of the electrodes of some of the electrolytic cells 90 is reduced by a predetermined value or more, the operation must be stopped and the portion must be repaired. However, even if a part of the electrolytic cells 90 whose metal amount is reduced by a predetermined value or more is locally repaired and the operation is restarted, the other electrolytic cells 90 are in a state where the metal amount of the electrode is reduced to a relatively small extent, and therefore, the operation may need to be stopped immediately for repair. If the operation is repeated in this way, the number of times of stopping becomes large, and therefore, it is preferable that the degree of reduction in the metal amount of the electrode due to the position of the electrolytic cell is small.

Under such circumstances, the suppression of the reverse current by the stop advice portion 159 helps to further equalize the degree of reduction in the metal amount of the electrode due to the position of the electrolytic cell 90, and avoids the situation where only a part of the electrode is repaired, thereby operating the electrolytic cell 30 with a long life.

Further, the stop advice unit 159 may advice the stop conditions based on the difference in the structure of the electrolytic bath 30. It is expected that the size of the electrolytic cell 30, the specification of the electrical system, the specification of the electrolyte solution to be fed, and the like are different. Therefore, the stop advice portion 159 can more effectively suppress the reverse current by advice in consideration of their stop conditions.

2.1.7. Position change advice unit

In the case where the electrolytic bath 30 includes a plurality of electrolytic cells 90, the position change advice unit 161 may advice to change the positions of the electrolytic cells 90 having a relatively high residual amount of the noble metal coating and the electrolytic cells 90 having a relatively low residual amount of the noble metal coating in the electrolytic bath based on the use history information.

Specifically, in the case of a bipolar electrolytic cell, the usage history information of the electrolytic cell 90 may differ depending on the location. In such a case, even if some of the electrolytic cells 90 are locally repaired and the operation is restarted based on the metal amount evaluation value and the impurity evaluation value as described above, the other electrolytic cells 90 are in a state where the metal amount evaluation value is reduced to a relatively small level or the impurity evaluation value is increased to a relatively large level, and therefore, the operation may need to be stopped and repaired again immediately.

Hereinafter, the electrolytic cell 90 having a relatively high metal amount evaluation value or a relatively low impurity evaluation value is referred to as "1 st cell". In the following, the electrolytic cell 90 having a relatively low metal amount evaluation value or a relatively high impurity evaluation value is referred to as "the 2 nd cell".

Here, if the positions of the 1 st cell and the 2 nd cell in the electrolytic cell are exchanged, the 1 st cell is disposed at a position where the metal amount is easily reduced or the impurity amount is easily increased, and the 2 nd cell is disposed at a position where the metal amount is not easily reduced or the impurity amount is not easily increased. When the operation is resumed in this configuration, the difference in the metal amount and impurity amount between the 1 st unit and the 2 nd unit can be eliminated.

In the case of a bipolar electrolytic cell, there are a plurality of electrolytic cells 90 having different amounts of metal and impurities. Therefore, the position change suggestion portion 161 suggests the combination of the 1 st cell and the 2 nd cell to be exchanged based on the use history information indicating the reduction degree of the metal amount and the impurity amount, thereby eliminating the difference between the metal amount and the impurity amount in the entire electrolytic cell 30 and maintaining the metal amount and the impurity amount more uniformly.

By maintaining the uniformity of the metal amount and the impurity amount, the position change advice unit 161 avoids the situation where only a part of the electrodes are repaired, as described by the above-described stop advice unit 159, and contributes to the long-life operation of the electrolytic cell 30.

2.2. Action processing

Next, the operation of the apparatus of the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 8 is a timing chart showing an example of processing performed by the apparatus of the present embodiment.

In step S801, the learning unit 156 of the apparatus 100 may perform machine learning processing based on learning data 155, and a learning model may be obtained, the learning data 155 including information on the operation history and information on the metal evaluation value or impurity evaluation value of the electrode of each electrolytic cell of the electrolytic cell having passed through the operation history. This model can be used when the management unit 154 calculates the metal amount evaluation value or the impurity evaluation value.

In step S801, the learning unit 156 of the apparatus 100 may perform a machine learning process based on the learning data 155 including information on the operation history and information on the performance of the electrode, to obtain a learning-completed model.

In steps S802 and S803, the management unit 154 of the apparatus 100 acquires operation history information of the electrolytic cell including one or a plurality of electrolytic cells, and stores the operation history information in the electrolytic cell data 153 in which the operation history information of the electrodes is recorded. Then, in step S804, the management unit 154 of the apparatus 100 predicts the metal amount evaluation value or the impurity evaluation value of the electrode of each electrolytic cell of the electrolytic cell based on the operation history information of the electrolytic cell including one or more electrolytic cells.

In step S805, the management unit 154 of the apparatus 100 stores the predicted result of the metal evaluation value or the impurity evaluation value of the electrode as the use history information of the electrode in the electrolytic cell data 153. In step S806, the evaluation unit 157 of the apparatus 100 may evaluate the future performance of the electrode.

In step S807, the operation advice portion 158 of the apparatus 100 may advice the operation condition for further improving the current efficiency based on the use history information, display-control the operation condition in a display or the like. Alternatively, the operation advice unit 158 may output the operation conditions to the control unit 70.

In step S808, the stop advice unit 159 of the apparatus 100 may advice the stop condition that the metal amount of the electrode is not likely to decrease based on the use history information, and may perform display control on the stop condition in a display or the like. Or the stop advice unit 159 may output the stop condition to the control unit 70.

In step S809, the position change suggestion unit 161 of the apparatus 100 may suggest, based on the use history information, changing the position of the electrolysis cell having a relatively high metal amount or impurity amount of the electrode and the electrolysis cell having a relatively low metal amount or impurity amount of the electrode in the electrolysis cell, and perform display control on a display or the like.

In steps S807 to S809, although the steps S807, S808, and S809 are described in order for convenience in fig. 8, these processes are independent, and the steps may be executed after S804, and the order is not necessarily changed, or the steps may be executed in parallel.

3. Mode of use

Fig. 9A to 9C show an example of a mode of use of the device according to the present embodiment. First, as shown in fig. 9A, an electrolysis apparatus 10 provided with an electrolysis cell is sold or lent to a purchaser from a selling party. When the buyer uses the electrolytic device 10, the device 100 acquires operation history information of the electrolytic cell via the network N, and the management unit 154 of the device 100 records the operation history information of the electrode included in the electrolytic cell based on the operation history information (steps S802 and S803).

Next, as shown in fig. 9B, the electrolytic device 10 is collected from the purchaser to the seller, and maintenance, repair, and the like are performed at the seller. At this time, the seller can perform repair based on the future performance of the electrode output from the evaluation unit 157 of the apparatus 100. When repair is performed, the apparatus 100 receives the repair history and records the electrode use history information.

Further, as shown in fig. 9C, the repaired electrolytic device 10 may be sold again or lent to the purchaser from the selling side. At the time of the lending, the seller may present information on the future performance of the electrode, which is outputted from the evaluation unit 157 of the apparatus 100, as one of the quality assurance information. In addition, the purchaser in fig. 9A may be different from the purchaser in fig. 9C.

As described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. That is, the above embodiments are merely examples in all aspects and are not to be construed as limiting. For example, the above-described processing steps can be arbitrarily changed in order within a range not contradicting the processing contents, or can be executed in parallel.

The program of the present embodiment may be provided in a state of being stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Here, the storage medium can store the program in a "nonvolatile tangible medium". The program is not limited, and includes, for example, a software program and a computer program.

Description of the reference numerals

An elastic pad, an ion exchange membrane, an anode chamber, a bottom, a cathode chamber, a separator, an anode, a cathode, a current collector, a support body, an electrolytic cell, an anode side gasket, an electrolytic cell, an anode side gasket, a pressure vessel, a cathode terminal, an anode terminal, a control section, the apparatus, the processor, the communication interface, the input/output interface, the memory, the operating system, the network communication unit, the electrolytic cell data, the management unit, the learning data, the learning unit, the evaluation unit, and the communication bus

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a management unit that records usage history information of electrodes included in one or more electrolytic cells based on operation history information of an electrolytic tank including one or more electrolytic cells.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein:

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein:

The management section records a metal amount evaluation value of the electrode as the use history information.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein:

The metal amount evaluation value includes a coating residual amount of a precious metal selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein:

The management unit records fluorescent X-ray analysis data, inductively coupled plasma emission analysis data, X-ray diffraction data, or X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis data of the electrode included in the electrolysis cell.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein:

The device includes an evaluation unit that evaluates future performance of the electrode based on the usage history information of the electrode.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein:

The evaluation unit evaluates the magnitude of the metal amount evaluation value and the impurity evaluation value, and outputs repair content that can best maintain performance or temporarily improve performance based on the evaluation result.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein:

The device further comprises an operation suggestion unit for suggesting operation conditions of the electrolytic cell.

The operation suggestion unit suggests the operation condition for further improving the current efficiency based on the usage history information,

The operating conditions include voltage conditions and electrolyte flow conditions.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein:

The device further comprises a stop suggestion unit for suggesting a stop condition of the electrolytic cell.

The stop suggestion unit suggests the stop condition under which the amount of metal in the electrode is not likely to decrease based on the use history information,

The stop condition includes a current attenuation condition and/or an electrolyte flow rate increase condition.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein:

The electrolytic cell comprises a plurality of the electrolytic units.

The device further includes a position change suggestion unit that suggests changing the positions of the electrolytic cell having a relatively high metal amount or impurity amount of the electrode and the electrolytic cell having a relatively low metal amount or impurity amount of the electrode in the electrolytic cell based on the usage history information.

11. The device according to claim 6, wherein:

The evaluation unit evaluates future performance of the repaired electrode based on the usage history information of the electrode and a planned repair method.

12. A method, wherein:

The device performs the following processing:

Based on the operation history information of the electrolytic tank including one or more electrolytic units, the usage history information of the electrodes included in the electrolytic units is recorded.

13. A program, wherein:

The program causes the device to perform the following processing: