JP2002371396A - Electrolysis apparatus and electrolysis method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To stably generate a required amount of electrolytic gas at low cost without deteriorating electrolysis efficiency. An object to be electrolyzed is supplied to an electrolytic cell 1 having an anode electrode plate 12 and a cathode electrode plate 13, and a current is supplied between the electrode plates to supply an anode gas and a cathode gas to each electrode plate side. An electrolysis apparatus 100 for generating an electrolysis cell, a current adjustment mechanism 72 for adjusting the amount of current supplied to the electrolysis cell, an electrolysis object supply mechanism 6 for supplying an electrolysis object to the electrolysis cell, and an electrolysis target supplied to the electrolysis cell. The apparatus includes an object temperature control mechanism JT for adjusting the temperature of disassembly, and a controller 8 for controlling the current adjustment mechanism and the object temperature control mechanism. Based on the fluctuation data, when generating a gas that satisfies the demand for the predetermined period, and set the operating condition that minimizes the electricity charge used,
The current adjusting mechanism is controlled according to the operating conditions, and the mechanism JT is controlled so that the temperature of the object to be electrolyzed is within an appropriate range.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrolysis apparatus and an electrolysis method. More specifically, the required amount of hydrogen gas and / or
Also, the present invention relates to an electrolysis apparatus and an electrolysis method capable of inexpensively generating oxygen gas and the like, and is applied to, for example, a hydrogen station for supplying hydrogen gas to a fuel cell vehicle, a home water electrolysis apparatus, and the like.

[0001]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a hydrogen / oxygen generating system PS which is one of conventional electrolytic devices, and FIG. 6 shows how the amount of power supplied to the electrolytic cell 1 in the hydrogen / oxygen generating system PS varies. It is a figure showing an example of one. As shown in FIG. 5, the hydrogen / oxygen generation system PS is installed in a hydrogen station, and has an electrolysis unit DK, a pure water supply unit 3A, a hydrogen gas transport unit 4A, an oxygen gas transport unit 5A, and a pure water supply unit 6.
A, a heat exchanger 62 and a power supply unit 7A.

[0002] The electrolysis section DK includes an electrolysis cell 1 and an electrolysis tank 2. The electrolytic cell 1 is provided in an electrolytic tank 2 and includes an anode electrode plate 12 and a cathode electrode plate 13. Then, between the anode electrode plate 12 and the cathode electrode plate 13, a solid polymer electrolyte membrane 11 having an electrode catalyst layer provided on both surfaces is disposed. An anode-side power feeder 14 and a cathode-side power feeder 15 are provided between the anode electrode plate 12 and the cathode electrode plate 13 and the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 11 so as to sandwich the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 11, respectively. The electrolytic cell 1 has a pure water channel 12w,
An oxygen gas passage 12s and a hydrogen gas passage 13h are provided.

[0003] The pure water supply section 3A includes a piping member 30, a pure water tank 31, and a pure water supply pump 32. The hydrogen gas transfer section 4A includes piping members 40 and 40 ', a hydrogen separation tank 4
1 and a dehumidifier 42. Oxygen gas transfer piping section 5A
Includes a piping member 50. The pure water supply unit 6A includes a piping member 60a, a pure water supply pump 61, and an ion exchange device 63.
Is provided. The power supply unit 7A includes a commercial power supply 71 and a rectifier 72. Each of the piping members 50, 6 is provided in the electrolytic tank 2.
0b is connected. Piping member 40 of hydrogen gas transfer section 4A
Is connected to the hydrogen gas passage 13h. Piping member 60c
Is connected to the pure water channel 12w.

In such a hydrogen / oxygen generating system PS, pure water is supplied to the anode side of the electrolytic cell 1 from the pure water flow path 12w, and electricity is supplied to the electrode plates 12 and 13, so that the anode side catalyst layer Decomposes pure water to generate oxygen gas. The H ⁺ ions generated simultaneously with the oxygen gas move in the proton-transporting solid polymer electrolyte membrane 11 by the action of an electric field, so that electrons are obtained in the cathode-side catalyst layer, and hydrogen gas is generated. I do. The oxygen gas generated on the anode side accumulates above the level of pure water in the electrolytic tank 2 through the oxygen gas passage 12 s and flows into the piping member 50. On the other hand, the hydrogen gas generated on the cathode side flows into the piping member 40 through the hydrogen gas passage 13h and accumulates in the hydrogen separation tank 41. Then, after being dehumidified by the dehumidifier 42 through the pipe member 40 ', the dehumidifier 42 is used for driving gas of a fuel cell vehicle.

Pure water in the electrolytic tank 2 is sucked by the pure water supply pump 61 in an amount larger than that consumed by electrolysis in order to prevent damage to the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 11 in the electrolytic cell 1 and the like. First, it is cooled by the heat exchanger 62, then deionized by the ion exchange device 63, and then supplied to the electrolytic cell 1. And the pure water not consumed in the electrolytic cell 1 is
It is returned again to the outside of the electrolytic cell 1 through the oxygen gas passage 12s. A fixed amount of cooling water flows through the heat exchanger 62.
Further, pure water is supplied from the pure water tank 31 to the pure water supply unit 6A by the pure water supply pump 32 in accordance with the amount consumed in the electrolysis.

[0006] By the way, the electric power provider changes the electricity rate according to the time zone during the day in each season. Its purpose is to promote the use of power during periods of low power demand. For example, in the summer season, when using a predetermined amount or more of electric power, 8:00 am to 10:00 am and 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm are set as daytime hours (medium load time zones) in which power demand is relatively large, From 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, a heavy load time zone in which power demand is extremely high, and from 10:00 pm to 8:00 in the next morning, a night time zone (low load time zone) in which power demand is low, the following electricity is used. Set the price. That is, based on the electricity rate in the daytime, the price is about 1.4 times the daytime in the heavy load time zone and about 0.6 times the daytime time in the nighttime time.

[0007] Therefore, in the hydrogen / oxygen generation system PS, when generating an amount (demand amount) of hydrogen gas to be generated in a predetermined period of at least one day, the system is always operated with a constant power supply amount. However, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, it is preferable to increase the power supply amount during a low load time period when the electricity rate is low, and to decrease the power supply amount during a heavy load time period when the electricity rate is high.

[0008]

However, not all of the electric power supplied to the electrolytic cell 1 is consumed for electrolysis (gas generation), and a part of the electric power is also consumed as heat. Therefore, the hydrogen / oxygen generation system PS
In accordance with the fluctuating electricity rates as described above,
Simply operating at low cost causes the following problems.

That is, when the power supply amount is simply increased in the low load time zone, the calorific value of the electrolytic cell 1 increases, and the temperature of pure water increases. The increase in the temperature of pure water may cause damage to the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 11. Further, if the power supply amount is simply reduced or set to zero during the heavy load time zone, the calorific value becomes small or zero, so that the pure water temperature decreases. Such a decrease in the temperature of pure water causes deterioration of the electrolytic efficiency.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and a required amount of an electrolytic gas, for example, a hydrogen gas and / or an oxygen gas, can be produced at low cost without deteriorating the electrolytic efficiency. It is another object of the present invention to provide an electrolysis method and an electrolysis apparatus that can be stably formed.

[0011]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an electrolysis apparatus according to the present invention supplies an object to be electrolyzed to an electrolysis cell 1 provided with an anode electrode plate 12 and a cathode electrode plate 13, and An electrolysis apparatus 100 that supplies current between an anode electrode plate 12 and a cathode electrode plate 13 to generate anode gas and cathode gas on the anode plate side and the cathode plate side, respectively. A current adjusting mechanism 72 for adjusting the temperature, an object supply mechanism 6 for supplying the object to be supplied to the electrolytic cell 1, and a power supply for adjusting the temperature of the object supplied to the electrolytic cell 1. Demolition temperature control mechanism JT
And a controller 8 for controlling the current adjusting mechanism 72 and the electrolyzed object temperature adjusting mechanism JT. The controller 8 is configured to perform a control based on fluctuation data of electricity rates in a predetermined period of at least one day stored in advance. When generating an anode gas or a cathode gas that satisfies the demand for the predetermined period, operating conditions are set such that the electric charge used is minimized, and the current adjusting mechanism 72 is set in accordance with the operating conditions.
Is controlled, and the object temperature control mechanism JT is controlled so that the temperature of the object is within an appropriate range.

According to the electrolysis apparatus according to the present invention, the controller 8 sets the operating conditions such that the electric charge used is minimum when generating the anode gas or the cathode gas satisfying the demand for a predetermined period, and Since the current adjusting mechanism 72 is controlled according to the operating conditions, a required amount of the electrolytic gas can be generated at low cost. The controller 8
Controls the object temperature control mechanism JT such that the temperature of the object is within an appropriate range, so that a required amount of electrolytic gas can be generated stably without deteriorating the electrolysis efficiency.

Further, in the electrolysis apparatus according to the present invention,
It is preferable that the object temperature control mechanism JT has a temperature sensor 66 for measuring the temperature of the object.
Thereby, the temperature of the object to be electrolyzed can be accurately detected.

Further, in the electrolysis apparatus according to the present invention,
The object temperature control mechanism JT includes a heat exchanger 62 for cooling or heating the object, and a cooling medium amount control mechanism for controlling the amount of the cooling medium introduced into the heat exchanger 62. 64, and the controller 8 is configured to control the cooling medium amount control mechanism so that the amount of the cooling medium flowing through the heat exchanger 62 increases or decreases according to the temperature of the object to be measured measured by the temperature sensor 66. 64 is preferable.

According to this preferred configuration, the amount of the cooling medium flowing through the heat exchanger 62 increases or decreases according to the temperature of the object to be measured measured by the temperature sensor 66. For example,
As a result of the change in the value of the supply current, when the temperature of the body to be electrolyzed to the electrolytic cell 1 becomes higher than the appropriate range of the set temperature, the supply amount of the cooling water increases. This increases the degree of cooling of the body to be electrolyzed, thereby preventing damage to components of the electrolytic cell 1, for example, a solid polymer electrolyte membrane. When the temperature of the body to be electrolyzed to the electrolysis cell 1 becomes lower than the appropriate range of the set temperature, the supply amount of the cooling water is reduced or the heating water is supplied. As a result, the degree of cooling of the body to be electrolyzed is reduced or the temperature of the body to be electrolyzed is increased, so that the electrolysis efficiency can be appropriately maintained.

Further, in the electrolysis apparatus according to the present invention,
The target temperature control mechanism JT includes a circulating circuit 60b that returns the surplus target object from the electrolytic cell 1 to the target supply mechanism 6, and a circulation circuit 60b that supplies the target object supplied by the target supply mechanism 6. The controller 8 further includes a supply amount adjusting mechanism 65 for adjusting the amount, and the controller 8 adjusts the amount of the object flowing through the object supplying mechanism 6 according to the temperature of the object measured by the temperature sensor 66. It is preferable that the supply amount adjusting mechanism 65 is controlled so as to increase or decrease.

According to this preferred configuration, the amount of the subject flowing into the subject supply mechanism 6 increases or decreases in accordance with the temperature of the subject measured by the temperature sensor 66. That is, when the temperature of the object to be measured measured by the temperature sensor 66 is higher than the appropriate temperature, the supply amount of the object to be measured increases, and
If the temperature is lower than the appropriate temperature, the supply amount of the electrolysis target decreases. Thereby, similarly to the above-described configuration, damage to components of the electrolytic cell 1, for example, the solid polymer electrolyte membrane, can be prevented, and the electrolysis efficiency can be appropriately maintained.

Further, in the electrolysis apparatus according to the present invention,
The controller 8 further includes a generation amount detection unit 44 that detects the generation amount of the anode gas or the cathode gas, and the controller 8 is configured to reset the operating condition based on a signal from the generation amount detection unit 44. Is preferred.

According to this preferred configuration, at least one
It is possible to reliably generate a demand amount for a predetermined period of a day or more.

Further, in the electrolysis apparatus according to the present invention,
The controller 8 includes a usage amount detecting unit 46 for detecting the usage amount of the anode gas or the cathode gas, and the controller 8 is configured to set the demand amount based on a signal from the usage amount detecting unit 46. preferable.

According to this preferred configuration, the future demand amount is automatically predicted based on the present actually measured data (usage amount), so that the generated gas amount becomes excessive or conversely becomes insufficient. Is prevented.

In the electrolysis apparatus according to the present invention,
The electrolytic cell 1 may include a solid polymer electrolyte membrane 11 between the anode electrode plate 12 and the cathode electrode plate 13.

Further, in the electrolysis method according to the present invention, an object to be electrolyzed is supplied to the electrolysis cell 1 having the anode electrode plate 12 and the cathode electrode plate 13 and the space between the anode electrode plate 12 and the cathode electrode plate 13 is provided. An electrolytic method for supplying an electric current to generate an anode gas and a cathode gas on the anode plate side and the cathode plate side, respectively, wherein the current adjusting mechanism 72 adjusts a magnitude of a current supplied to the electrolytic cell 1; An electrolysis object supply mechanism 6 for supplying the electrolysis object to the cell 1;
A temperature control mechanism JT for controlling the temperature of the object to be supplied to the battery, an electric charge for controlling the current adjustment mechanism 72 and the temperature control mechanism for the object JT for at least one day or more for a predetermined period. And a controller 8 capable of storing the fluctuation data of the current adjustment mechanism according to the minimum operating condition of the electricity rate used when generating the anode gas or the cathode gas that satisfies the demand for the predetermined period set by the controller 8. 72 is controlled, and the object temperature control mechanism JT is controlled such that the temperature of the object falls within an appropriate range. It should be noted that the object to be electrolyzed in this specification means a liquid or a gas to be electrolyzed.

[0024]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a hydrogen / oxygen generation system 100 which is an example of the electrolysis apparatus according to the present invention. The hydrogen / oxygen generation system 10
At 0, the same components as those of the conventional hydrogen / oxygen generating system PS shown in FIG. 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown in FIG. 1, a hydrogen / oxygen generation system 10
0 is an electrolysis unit DK, a pure water supply unit 3, a hydrogen gas transfer unit 4,
Oxygen gas transport section 5, pure water supply section 6, pure water temperature control section J
T, a power supply unit 7 and a controller 8.

The electrolytic section DK includes an electrolytic cell 1 and an electrolytic tank 2. The electrolytic cell 1 is provided in an electrolytic tank 2 and includes an anode electrode plate 12 and a cathode electrode plate 13. Then, between the anode electrode plate 12 and the cathode electrode plate 13, a solid polymer electrolyte membrane 11 having an electrode catalyst layer provided on both surfaces is disposed. Examples of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 11 include a fluorinated resin-based cation exchange membrane having a sulfonic acid group, and specifically include, for example, a trade name “Nafion” manufactured by Dubon. Examples of the noble metal forming the noble metal porous layer include a platinum group metal such as platinum, an alloy thereof, and an oxide. Anode electrode plate 12 and cathode electrode plate 13
An anode-side power feeder 14 and a cathode-side power feeder 15 are provided between and the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 11 so as to sandwich the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 11 respectively. The anode electrode plate 12 is provided with a pure water channel 12w and an oxygen gas passage 12s, and the cathode electrode plate 13 is provided with a hydrogen gas passage 13h.

The pure water supply section 3 includes a piping member 30, a pure water tank 31, and a pure water supply pump 32. Pure water supply section 3
When the water level in the electrolysis tank 2 falls below a certain level, pure water is supplied to the electrolysis tank 2 up to a predetermined water level.
In FIG. 1, the pipe member 30 is connected to the pure water supply unit 6, but may be connected to the electrolytic tank 2 without connecting to the pure water supply unit 6. The pure water supply unit 6 includes a piping member 60a, a pure water supply pump 61, and an ion exchange device 63. The pure water supply unit 6 constitutes an electrolysis subject supply mechanism of the present invention.
The pure water temperature controller JT includes a heat exchanger 62, a cooling medium control mechanism 64, a pump control mechanism 65, and a temperature sensor 66. The pure water temperature control section JT constitutes the temperature control mechanism of the object to be electrolyzed according to the present invention. The pump control mechanism 65 also functions as the supply amount adjusting mechanism of the present invention. Hydrogen gas transfer section 4
Is provided with piping members 40 and 40 ', a hydrogen separation tank 41, a dehumidifier 42, a dispenser 43, hydrogen flow meters 44 and 46, and a product gas storage unit 45. Oxygen gas transfer piping section 5
Includes a piping member 50. The power supply unit 7 includes a commercial power supply 71 and a rectifier 72. The rectifier 72 constitutes the current adjusting mechanism of the present invention. The piping members 50 and 60b are connected to the electrolytic tank 2. The piping member 40 of the hydrogen gas transport unit 4 is connected to the hydrogen gas passage 13h. The piping member 60c is connected to the pure water channel 12w.

In the hydrogen / oxygen generation system 100, as in the hydrogen / oxygen generation system PS, the electrolytic cell 1
Oxygen gas is generated on the anode side and hydrogen gas is generated on the cathode side. The hydrogen gas generated on the cathode side passes through the hydrogen gas passage 13
After flowing through the pipe member 40 ′ through the pipe member 40 ′ and being dehumidified by the dehumidifier 42 through the pipe member 40 ′, it is output from the dispenser 43.

In the hydrogen / oxygen generation system 100,
Each component added to the conventional hydrogen / oxygen generation system PS will be described. The pump control mechanism 65
For example, the rotation speed of the pure water supply pump 61 can be changed by a signal from the controller 8 by an inverter. The cooling / heating medium amount control mechanism 64 includes, for example, a variable valve, and can change the flow rate of the cooling water according to a signal from the controller 8. Temperature sensor 6
Numeral 6 is provided on the piping member 60c between the ion exchange device 63 and the electrolytic tank 2, and measures the temperature of pure water supplied to the electrolytic cell 1. The mounting position of the temperature sensor 66 is determined by a piping member other than the above, for example, the piping members 60a and 60a.
b or the electrolytic tank 2.

[0029] The generated gas storage section 45 stores the hydrogen gas generated by the electrolytic cell 1. As the storage section 45, a high-pressure gas container (bomb), a hydrogen storage alloy container, or the like is used. The dispenser 4 is located downstream of the storage unit 45.
The end user is provided with the dispenser 4.
3 through the use of hydrogen. More specifically, the generated gas storage unit 45 is provided in the hydrogen separation tank 41.
Is connected to the subsequent stage of the dehumidifier 42 via a hydrogen gas transfer piping section 40 '. Dehumidifier 42 and generated gas storage unit 45
A hydrogen flow meter 44 as a generation amount detecting means is provided between the first and second cells so that the amount of hydrogen gas generated in the electrolytic cell 1 can be measured. Further, a hydrogen flow meter 46 is provided between the product gas storage unit 45 and the dispenser 43 as a usage amount detecting means, so that the usage amount drawn from the product gas storage unit 45 can be measured. ing. The values measured by the temperature sensor 66 and the hydrogen flow meters 44 and 46 are sent to the controller 8.

Next, the controller 8 will be described.
The controller 8 is configured to perform the following operation based on the electricity rate fluctuation data stored in advance for a predetermined period of at least one day or more.
The operating conditions are set so that the electricity charge used is minimum when generating the hydrogen gas or oxygen gas that satisfies the demand for the predetermined period, and the rectifier 72 is operated in accordance with the operating conditions.
Is controlled, and the temperature control mechanism JT is controlled so that the temperature of pure water falls within an appropriate range.

More specifically, the controller 8 stores in advance electricity rate fluctuation data for a predetermined period of at least one day. That is, the electricity rate is set for each season and each time zone. For example, taking one day as an example of the predetermined period, the power rate is highest during a heavy load time period from morning to afternoon, and then during a daytime period other than the heavy load time period (hereinafter referred to as a medium load time period). ) Is high, and the night time (hereinafter referred to as low load time) is the cheapest.

The controller 8 has the performance data of the electrolytic cell 1 to be used together with the electricity price fluctuation data. The performance data includes “supply current—produced hydrogen gas and / or oxygen gas amount” and “maximum possible for each of the low load time zone, the medium load time zone, and the heavy load time zone at the suitable electrolysis temperature of the electrolytic cell 1 to be used. The supply current value Imax "is included. The suitable electrolysis temperature is appropriately set depending on the performance or specifications of the electrolysis cell 1 itself, and is, for example, about 50 to 80 degrees Celsius. When the amount of hydrogen gas and / or the amount of oxygen gas to be generated within the predetermined period (hereinafter referred to as a demand amount) is input, the controller 8 generates the demand amount so as to minimize the electric charge used. Set the electrolysis cell operating conditions.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the supply current value changing in each time zone, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another example of the supply current value changing in each time zone. 2 and 3, the low load time period is from 0:00 to 7:00 and from 23:00 to 24 hours.
It is time. The medium load time period is from 7:00 to 10:00 and from 18:00 to 23:00. The heavy load time zone is from 10:00 to 18:00. In FIG. 2, for example, the maximum possible gas generation amounts in the low load time zone, the medium load time zone, and the heavy load time zone are x1 (m ³ ), x2 (m ³ ), and x3 (m ³ ), respectively. And Then, the demand X (m ³ ) is x1 + x
It is assumed that 2 <X <x1 + x2 + x3. In such a case,
The controller 8 supplies the maximum possible supply current Imax for each time zone in the low load time zone and the medium load time zone, and X- (x1 +
x2) is set so as to supply the current I1 (<Imax) required to generate x2).

Thereafter, the controller 8 controls the rectifier 72 based on the operating conditions. Thus, it is possible to perform the operation such that the generation cost of the hydrogen gas or the oxygen gas that satisfies the demand in the predetermined period is minimized in accordance with the fluctuating electricity rate.

In FIG. 3, the demand X (m ³ )
Are x1 <X <x1 + x2. In such a case,
The controller 8 supplies the maximum possible supply current Imax during the low load time period, does not supply the current during the heavy load time period, and X-x during the medium load time period.
The operating conditions of the electrolytic cell are set so as to supply the current I1 '(<Imax) required to generate the value 1.

Thereafter, similarly to the first example, the controller 8 can perform an operation such that the production cost of the hydrogen gas or the oxygen gas that satisfies the demand in the predetermined period is minimized.

The controller 8 controls the amount of cooling water flowing through the heat exchanger 62 according to the temperature of the pure water measured by the temperature sensor 66 so as to always keep the temperature of the pure water within an appropriate range. Then, the cooling medium amount control mechanism 64 is controlled. For example, the cooling medium control mechanism 64 increases the supply amount of the cooling water when the temperature of the pure water to the electrolytic cell 1 becomes higher than the set temperature range as a result of the change in the value of the supply current. Then, when the temperature of the pure water to the electrolytic cell 1 becomes lower than the appropriate range of the set temperature, control is performed so as to reduce the supply amount of the cooling water or supply the heating water.

In addition or alternatively, the controller 8 controls the pump control mechanism so that the pure water flowing to the pure water supply pump 61 increases or decreases according to the temperature of the pure water measured by the temperature sensor 66. (Supply control mechanism) 65 is controlled. That is, the pure water supply pump 61 increases the supply amount of the pure water when the temperature of the pure water measured by the temperature sensor 66 is higher than the proper temperature, and increases the pure water supply when the temperature of the pure water is lower than the proper temperature. Is controlled so as to reduce the supply amount. Thereby, regardless of the supply current to the electrolytic cell 1, damage to the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 11 can be prevented, and the electrolysis efficiency can be appropriately maintained.

That is, when a large current is supplied to the electrolytic cell 1,
The amount of heat generated during the electrolytic action naturally increases. Therefore, assuming that the supply amount of the cooling water and the supply amount of the pure water are constant as in the related art, the temperature of the pure water becomes unnecessarily high, and in some cases, the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 11 may be damaged. There is. When the supply current to the electrolysis cell 1 is small or zero, and if the supply amount of cooling water and the supply amount of pure water are constant, the temperature of the pure water drops more than necessary, and a desired electrolytic efficiency is obtained. Can not be.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the amount of pure water supplied is increased or decreased according to the temperature of pure water. The temperature of the pure water is based on the amount of current supplied to the electrolytic cell 1. Therefore,
When a large current is supplied to the electrolytic cell 1, the temperature of the pure water is prevented from becoming unnecessarily high, and damage due to heat generation hardly occurs in the electrolytic cell 1. Conversely, when a small current or zero current is supplied to the electrolytic cell 1, the temperature of the pure water does not become lower than necessary, and the deterioration of the electrolytic efficiency is prevented. That is, the temperature fluctuation of the pure water based on the change of the supply current to the electrolytic cell 1 can be kept within an appropriate range,
The damage to the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 11 can be prevented, and the electrolysis efficiency can be appropriately maintained.

Here, the running cost in the present embodiment will be described in detail. Now, during low load hours,
Consider a case in which the medium load time zone and the heavy load time zone have the same time interval (8 hours each). Note that the maximum possible supply current Imax in the low load time period and the medium load time period is the same. Here, in the low load time zone, the electric charge used when the maximum possible supply current Imax is applied to the electrolytic cell 1 is defined as C1. In addition, in the middle load time zone, the electric charge used when the maximum possible supply current Imax is applied to the electrolytic cell is 1.5C1. Then, in the heavy load time zone, the electric charge used when the maximum possible supply current Imax is applied to the electrolytic cell is 2C1.

According to the first example shown above, the current supplied in the low load period and the medium load period is Imax
And the current supplied during the heavy load time period is I1. The electricity charge Ch used at this time is as follows. Ch = C + 1.5C + 2C × I1 / Imax = 2.5C + 2C × I1 / Imax On the other hand, if the demand is generated evenly in the low load time zone, the middle load time zone, and the heavy load time zone, The supplied current Iave is as follows. Iave = (2Imax + I1) / 3 The electricity rate Cave at this time is as follows. Cave = C × Iave / Imax + 1.5C × Iave / Imax + 2C × Iave / Imax = 3C + 1.5C × I1 / Imax where Ch−Cave = 0.5C × (I1 / Imax−1)
<0. Therefore, according to the hydrogen / oxygen generation system 100, the electricity fee is reduced by Ch-Cave.

More preferably, the controller 8 can be configured to reset the operating conditions based on a signal from the generation amount detecting means 44. According to such a configuration, the demand can be reliably generated. That is, although the electrolysis is performed based on the operating conditions initially set by the controller 8, the actual gas generation amount may be lower than the target value (demand amount) due to the influence of the ambient temperature or the like. Is configured to reset the operating conditions, so that the demand can be reliably generated.

More preferably, the controller 8 may be configured to automatically set the demand based on a signal from the usage detecting means 46. An example in which the hydrogen / oxygen generation system 100 is applied to a hydrogen station for a fuel cell vehicle will be described.

In this case, the controller 8 stores, as initial data, the number of fuel cell vehicles that are expected to come to the hydrogen station. The initial data is created hourly on each day of the week for spring, summer, autumn and winter, for example. Based on the number of fuel cell vehicles in one week calculated from the output of the hydrogen flow meter (usage detecting means) 46 and the initial data for one week stored in advance, the controller 8 The number of vehicles is obtained as prediction data, and a demand amount corresponding to the number is automatically set. The next week, the hydrogen flow meter 4
6, the number of fuel cell vehicles coming in the next two weeks is predicted based on the number of fuel cell vehicles of the week determined from the output of the above and the prediction data, and the demand amount corresponding to the number is automatically set. Then, the operating condition of the electrolytic cell is set such that the electricity charge used is minimized.

The above-mentioned prediction is automatically performed by, for example, averaging the initial data or predicted data and the number determined from the output of the hydrogen flow meter 46, or by giving an appropriate weight. As described above, the future demand is automatically predicted based on the present actual measurement data, so that the amount of generated gas is prevented from being excessive or short.

Further, in the present embodiment, the so-called “high-pressure type” hydrogen / oxygen generating system in which the electrolytic cell 1 is accommodated in an electrolytic tank (a tank also functioning as an oxygen separation tank) 2 has been described. The present invention is not limited to this configuration, and if necessary, a "low pressure type"
May be configured as a system. Specifically, the electrolytic cell 1 may be installed without being housed in a tank or the like, and an oxygen separation tank may be provided on the oxygen supply side of the electrolytic cell 1.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a "low pressure type" hydrogen / oxygen generating system 200. As shown in FIG. hydrogen·
In the oxygen generation system 200, the same components as those described with reference to FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the hydrogen / oxygen generating system shown in FIG. 4, pure water is supplied via a piping member 601 to an electrolytic cell 1 provided outside an oxygen separation tank 2. Power (current) is supplied via the rectifier 72 as in the “high pressure type” hydrogen / oxygen generation system 100 described with reference to FIG. Further, the hydrogen gas generated in the electrolytic cell 1 is transferred to the hydrogen separation tank 41 via the piping member 40. Further, the oxygen gas generated in the electrolysis cell 1 is transported to the oxygen separation tank 2 via the oxygen gas transport pipe 90.

The “low pressure type” hydrogen / oxygen generating system 200 shown in FIG. 4 is configured as described above, and the point that the electrolytic cell 1 is provided outside the tank (and the oxygen gas transport associated therewith) is provided. Except for the presence of the piping section 90, the configuration is basically the same as that of the “high pressure type” hydrogen / oxygen generation system 100 described with reference to FIG. That is,
Also in the case of the “low-pressure type” shown in FIG. 4, similarly to the case of the “high-pressure type”, the above-described various controls can be realized by the controller 8. Can be obtained.

In the present embodiment, the pure water electrolysis apparatus using the solid polymer electrolyte membrane has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to an electrolysis apparatus for electrolysis of an alkaline solution or high temperature steam. . In this embodiment,
Although the electrolytic cell has one stage, it may have a plurality of stages. In the present embodiment, the hydrogen / oxygen generation systems 100 and 200
The configuration of each section may be appropriately changed in accordance with the gist of the present invention.

[0051]

According to the present invention, a required amount of an electrolytic gas, for example, a hydrogen gas and / or an oxygen gas can be stably produced at low cost without deteriorating the electrolysis efficiency.
In particular, according to the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to more effectively suppress a decrease in electrolysis efficiency and damage to the electrolysis cell due to a change in temperature of pure water. According to the invention of claim 5, it is possible to reliably generate the demand amount. According to the sixth aspect of the invention, it is possible to prevent the amount of generated gas from becoming excessive or from being insufficient.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a hydrogen / oxygen generation system which is an example of an electrolysis apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a supply current value that changes in each time zone.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating another example of a supply current value that changes in each time zone.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of a hydrogen / oxygen generation system as another example of the electrolysis apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional hydrogen / oxygen generation system.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of how to change the amount of power supplied to the electrolytic cell in the hydrogen / oxygen generation system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... electrolysis cell, 6 ... pure water supply unit (electrolyte supply mechanism),
Reference numeral 8: controller, 11: solid polymer electrolyte membrane, 12: anode electrode plate, 13: cathode electrode plate, 44: hydrogen flow meter (production amount detection means), 46: hydrogen flow meter (use amount detection means),
60b: piping member (circulation circuit), 62: heat exchanger, 64
... Cooling and heating medium amount control mechanism, 66 ... Temperature sensor, 72 ... Rectifier (current adjustment mechanism), 100 ... Hydrogen / oxygen purification system (electrolysis device), 200 ... Hydrogen / oxygen purification system (electrolysis device), JT ... Electrolyte Temperature control mechanism

Claims (8)

[Claims] An electrolytic cell having an anode electrode plate and a cathode electrode plate is supplied with an object to be electrolyzed, and an electric current is supplied between the anode electrode plate and the cathode electrode plate to supply the current to the anode plate side and the cathode plate side. An electrolysis apparatus for generating an anode gas and a cathode gas, respectively, a current adjusting mechanism for adjusting a magnitude of a current supplied to the electrolytic cell, and a supply of an object to supply the object to the electrolytic cell. A mechanism, an object temperature adjusting mechanism for adjusting the temperature of the object to be supplied to the electrolytic cell, and a controller for controlling the current adjusting mechanism and the object temperature adjusting mechanism. Based on the electricity rate fluctuation data stored in advance for a predetermined period of at least one day,
When generating an anode gas or a cathode gas that satisfies the demand for the predetermined period, an operation condition is set such that an electric charge used is minimized, the current regulating mechanism is controlled according to the operation condition, and An electrolysis apparatus characterized in that the electrolysis apparatus is configured to control the temperature control mechanism for the object to be electrolyzed so that the temperature of disassembly falls within an appropriate range. 2. The electrolytic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object temperature control mechanism includes a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the object. 3. The object temperature control mechanism includes a heat exchanger for cooling or heating the object, and a cooling medium amount for controlling an amount of a cooling medium introduced into the heat exchanger. Having a control mechanism, wherein the controller controls the cooling medium amount control mechanism so that the amount of the cooling medium flowing through the heat exchanger increases or decreases according to the temperature of the object to be measured measured by the temperature sensor. The electrolysis apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the electrolysis apparatus comprises: 4. The object temperature control mechanism includes: a circulation circuit that returns surplus object from the electrolysis cell to the object supply mechanism; and a circulation circuit that supplies an object to be supplied by the object supply mechanism. The apparatus further includes a supply amount adjustment mechanism that adjusts an amount, wherein the controller is configured to increase or decrease the amount of the object flowing through the object supply mechanism according to the temperature of the object measured by the temperature sensor. The electrolytic device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the supply amount adjusting mechanism is controlled. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a generation amount detecting unit configured to detect a generation amount of the anode gas or the cathode gas, wherein the controller resets the operating condition based on a signal from the generation amount detecting unit. The electrolytic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein 6. A usage amount detecting means for detecting the usage amount of the anode gas or the cathode gas, wherein the controller is configured to set the demand based on a signal from the usage amount detecting means. The electrolytic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein 7. The electrolysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrolysis cell includes a solid polymer electrolyte membrane between the anode electrode plate and the cathode electrode plate. . 8. An electrolytic cell provided with an anode electrode plate and a cathode electrode plate is supplied with an object to be electrolyzed, and a current is supplied between the anode electrode plate and the cathode electrode plate to supply the current to the anode plate side and the cathode plate side. An electrolysis method for generating an anode gas and a cathode gas, respectively, comprising: a current adjusting mechanism for adjusting a magnitude of a current supplied to the electrolytic cell; and an electrolytic object for supplying the electrolytic object to the electrolytic cell 1. A supply mechanism, a target temperature control mechanism for controlling the temperature of the target supplied to the electrolytic cell, and a control for controlling the current control mechanism and the target temperature control mechanism for at least one day or more. A controller capable of storing fluctuation data of electricity rates during a period, and a minimum electricity rate used when generating an anode gas or a cathode gas that satisfies the demand for the predetermined period set by the controller. According dynamic conditions, the current adjustment mechanism is controlled, and, electrolytic process, characterized in that the said object electrolyte body temperature control mechanism such that the temperature of the electrolyte body may have an appropriate range is controlled. [0001]