Hydrogen generating apparatus
First Claim
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1. A hydrogen generating method, comprising:
- (1) providing a cell having a casing, and first and second electrodes on the opposite ends of said casing;
(2) providing a plurality of cation and anion exchange membranes disposed in said casing in a manner that said cation and anion exchange membranes are alternately arranged between said electrodes and are spaced from each other to define a plurality of chambers, with each chamber constituting the space encompassed by a cation exchange membrane, an adjacent anion exchange membrane and said casing, and electrically isolating with said casing and membranes each chamber from the adjacent chambers and transferring only cations and anions from one chamber to an adjacent chamber through the respective membranes;
(3) introducing a first aqueous electrolyte into every other one of said chambers;
(4) introducing a second aqueous electrolyte of the same kind as said first electrolyte into said other chambers, while maintaining the second electrolyte at a concentration lower than that of the first electrolyte;
(5) heating part of the first electrolyte outside of said chambers to concentrate the first electrolyte by vaporizing water therein and removing the vaporized water from the first electrolyte;
(6) introducing water into said other chambers containing the second electrolyte to dilute the second electrolyte so as to maintain a predetermined concentration difference between the first and second electrolytes; and
(7) maintaining the number of said chambers at least enough so that the sum of the theoretical decomposition voltage of water to be generated across said electrodes, a voltage drop due to the hydrogen over-voltage determined by the material of said electrodes and a voltage drop due to the interior resistance of the cell is high enough to decompose the water in the electrolyte to generate hydrogen at one of said electrodes when said electrodes are electrically interconnected in an electrical path electrically parallel to the chambers.
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Abstract
A hydrogen generating apparatus comprising a cell having a plurality of chambers defined in the cell by cation exchange membranes and anion exchange membranes arranged alternately, a high concentration electrolyte and a low concentration electrolyte being filled alternately in said plurality of chambers, and a pair of electrodes guided into the chambers disposed on both the ends of said cell, respectively, and the open circuit voltage between said electrodes being higher than the decomposition voltage of water.
22 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A hydrogen generating method, comprising:
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(1) providing a cell having a casing, and first and second electrodes on the opposite ends of said casing; (2) providing a plurality of cation and anion exchange membranes disposed in said casing in a manner that said cation and anion exchange membranes are alternately arranged between said electrodes and are spaced from each other to define a plurality of chambers, with each chamber constituting the space encompassed by a cation exchange membrane, an adjacent anion exchange membrane and said casing, and electrically isolating with said casing and membranes each chamber from the adjacent chambers and transferring only cations and anions from one chamber to an adjacent chamber through the respective membranes; (3) introducing a first aqueous electrolyte into every other one of said chambers; (4) introducing a second aqueous electrolyte of the same kind as said first electrolyte into said other chambers, while maintaining the second electrolyte at a concentration lower than that of the first electrolyte; (5) heating part of the first electrolyte outside of said chambers to concentrate the first electrolyte by vaporizing water therein and removing the vaporized water from the first electrolyte; (6) introducing water into said other chambers containing the second electrolyte to dilute the second electrolyte so as to maintain a predetermined concentration difference between the first and second electrolytes; and (7) maintaining the number of said chambers at least enough so that the sum of the theoretical decomposition voltage of water to be generated across said electrodes, a voltage drop due to the hydrogen over-voltage determined by the material of said electrodes and a voltage drop due to the interior resistance of the cell is high enough to decompose the water in the electrolyte to generate hydrogen at one of said electrodes when said electrodes are electrically interconnected in an electrical path electrically parallel to the chambers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A hydrogen generating apparatus, comprising:
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(1) a cell having a casing, and first and second electrodes on the opposite ends of said casing; (2) a plurality of cation and anion exchange membranes disposed in said casing in a manner that said cation and anion exchange membranes are alternately arranged between said electrodes and are spaced from each other to define a plurality of chambers, with each chamber constituting the space encompassed by a cation exchange membrane, an adjacent anion exchange membrane and said casing, said casing and membranes including means to electrically isolate each chamber from the adjacent chambers and further to permit transferrence of only cations and anions from one chamber to an adjacent chamber through the respective membranes; (3) means fluid connected with every other one of said chambers to introduce a first aqueous electrolyte into every other one of said chambers; (4) means fluid connected to the other of said chambers to introduce a second aqueous electrolyte of the same kind as the first electrolyte into said other chambers, with the second electrolyte having a concentration lower than that of the first electrolyte. (5) concentrating means to heat part of the first electrolyte outside of said chambers to concentrate the first electrolyte by vaporizing water therein and removing the vaporized water from the first electrolyte; (6) diluting means to introduce water into said other chambers containing the second electrolyte to dilute the second electrolyte so as to maintain a predetermined concentration difference between the first and second electrolyte; and (7) the number of said chambers being at least enough so that the sum of the theoretical decomposition voltage of water to be generated across said electrodes, a voltage drop due to the hydrogen over-voltage determined by the material of said electrodes and a voltage drop due to the interior resistance of the cell is high enough to decompose the water in the electrolyte to generate hydrogen gas at one of said electrodes when said electrodes are electrically interconnected in an electrical path electrically parallel to the chambers. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification