Development of high pressure membraneless alkaline electrolyzer

A technology for cyclic generation of hydrogen and oxygen using electrodes made of variable valency material that does not need the use of separating ion-exchange membranes is presented. The technological solution enables to fabricate electrolyzers for uninterrupted producing high-pressure hydrogen with reduced energy intensity of the production. The total work for compressing 1 m3 of hydrogen and 0.5 m3 of oxygen has been estimated. Results of investigation of influence of discrete supply of DC current to the electrolysis cell, in order to improve the processes of gas evolution and to simplify the power systems of the electrolysis plant, have been considered. There is also considered an electrolysis installation equipped with a thermosorption compressor in which LaNi5 is used as a hydrideforming compound. The comparative characteristics of the developed electrolyzer and the currently used hydrogen generators are given. (c) 2021 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This article introduces a technology for cyclic generation of hydrogen and oxygen using electrodes made of variable valency material without the need for separating ion-exchange membranes. This technological solution enables the production of high-pressure hydrogen continuously while reducing the energy intensity of production. The article investigates the influence of supplying DC current discretely to the electrolysis cell to improve gas evolution processes and simplify the power systems of the electrolysis plant. Additionally, an electrolysis installation equipped with a thermosorption compressor using LaNi5 as a hydrideforming compound is considered. Comparative characteristics between the developed electrolyzer and currently used hydrogen generators are provided.