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EP-4739815-A1 - SWARF ELECTRODE

EP4739815A1EP 4739815 A1EP4739815 A1EP 4739815A1EP-4739815-A1

Abstract

An electrode assembly (100) for the electrolysis of water, said electrode assembly comprising: a first flow-through electrode (102), said first flow-through electrode (102) being permeable to electrolyte water and/or gases produced by the decomposition of electrolyte water; and a first support structure (104), said first support structure (104) being wrapped around the first flow-through electrode, preferably in multiple layers.

Inventors

  • Geary, Paul Francis

Assignees

  • Geary, Paul Francis

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240701

Claims (20)

  1. 1. An electrode assembly for the electrolysis of water, said electrode assembly comprising: a first flow-through electrode, said first flow-through electrode being permeable to electrolyte water and/or gases produced by the decomposition of electrolyte water; a first support structure, said first support structure being wrapped around the first flow-through electrode, preferably in multiple layers.
  2. 2. The electrode assembly of Claim 1, wherein the first support structure comprises fibre material, preferably carbon fibres and/or glass fibres.
  3. 3. The electrode assembly of Claim 2, wherein the first support structure comprises a resin binding the fibre material.
  4. 4. The electrode assembly of any one of Claim 1 to 3, wherein the electrode assembly comprises a second support structure.
  5. 5. The electrode assembly of Claim 4, wherein the second support structure comprises a stainless steel ring arranged, preferably pressed or heat shrunk, on an outer surface of the first support structure.
  6. 6. The electrode assembly of Claim 4, wherein the second support structure is wrapped around the first support structure, preferably in multiple layers.
  7. 7. The electrode assembly of Claim 6, wherein the second support structure comprises fibre material, preferably carbon fibres and/or glass fibres.
  8. 8. The electrode assembly of Claim 6 or 7, wherein the second support structure comprises a higher number of wrapping layers than the first support structure
  9. 9. The electrode assembly of any one of Claims 4 to 8, wherein the first support structure comprises a first surface and an opposite, second surface, wherein the second support structure comprises a first surface and an opposite, second surface, and wherein the first surface of the first support structure faces the first flow-through electrode and/or wherein the second surface of the first support structure faces the first surface of the second support structure, and wherein the second surface of the second support structure preferably defines an outermost surface of the electrode assembly.
  10. 10. The electrode assembly of Claim 9, comprising a first gas collection channel, preferably a blind bore, said first gas collection channel extending from the second surface of the first support structure through the first surface of the support structure and into the first flow-through electrode.
  11. 11. The electrode assembly of Claim 10, comprising a first gas collection gallery, preferably a bore, said first gas collection gallery extending substantially perpendicular to the first gas collection channel and intersects the first gas collection channel.
  12. 12. The electrode assembly of Claim 11, wherein the first gas collection gallery at least partially extends along the second surface of the first support structure.
  13. 13. The electrode assembly of any one of Claims 10 to 12, comprising a plurality of gas collection galleries extending in parallel with the first gas collection gallery and being arranged equidistantly in a circumferential direction.
  14. 14. The electrode assembly of any one of Claims 10 to 13, comprising a first electrolyte supply channel arranged in parallel with the first gas collection gallery, the first electrolyte supply channel being fluidically separated from the first gas collection gallery.
  15. 15. The electrode assembly of Claim 14, comprising a plurality of electrolyte supply channels extending in parallel with the first electrolyte supply channel, said electrolyte supply channels being equidistantly arranged in a circumferential direction.
  16. 16. The electrode assembly of Claim 15, when dependant on Claim 13, wherein each of the electrolyte supply channels is circumferentially interspersed between adjacent gas collection galleries.
  17. 17. The electrode assembly of any one of Claims 14 to 16, wherein a distance between the first electrolyte supply channel and an outermost surface of the electrode assembly is selected based on a pressure within the first electrolyte supply channel.
  18. 18. The electrode assembly of any one of Claims 1 to 17, comprising a second flow-through electrode, said second flow-through electrode being permeable to electrolyte water and/or gases produced by the decomposition of electrolyte water, and wherein the first support structure is wrapped around the second electrode, preferably in multiple layers.
  19. 19. The electrode assembly of Claim 18, comprising an electrically conductive, non-permeable divider sandwiched between the first and second flow- through electrodes.
  20. 20. The electrode assembly of any one of Claims 1 to 19, further comprising: a second flow-through electrode, said second flow-through electrode being permeable to electrolyte water and/or gases produced by the decomposition of electrolyte water; a cell gap arranged between and separating the first and second flow-through electrodes, said cell gap defining an electrolyte water chamber, wherein the first support structure is wrapped around the first flow- through electrode, the second flow-through electrode and the cell gap.

Description

SWARF ELECTRODE Description The present invention relates to an electrode assembly, preferably but not exclusively to an electrode assembly for the electrolysis of water. The present invention further relates to a method of manufacturing an electrode assembly. The process of using electricity to decompose water into oxygen and hydrogen gas is known as electrolysis of water. Hydrogen gas produced in this way can be used in various applications and has become widely known as an energy dense option for fuelling vehicles. In other applications, electrolysis of water may be used as a decentralised storage solution storing electrical energy as chemical energy, particularly electrical energy obtained via renewable power. In recent years, therefore, demand for hydrogen, inter alia, as a fuel for so-called hydrogen fuel cells has increased rapidly. Electrolysers can be grouped into proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysers, alkaline electrolysers and solid oxide electrolysers. These different types of electrolysers function in slightly different ways depending on the electrolyte material involved. Yet, some of the most prominent drawbacks of most electrolysers include overall inefficiencies and/or failure to supply hydrogen gas at pressures required for further use. In order to maximize the amount of gas (e.g. oxygen/hydrogen) produced with common electrolysers, it is known to arrange a multitude of electrodes parallel to each other in a device known as an "electrode stack". Such electrode stacks include multiple electrolyte chambers, each between neighbouring electrodes, thereby enabling large electrode surface areas to be in contact with the electrolyte solution without requiring large space envelopes. Although electrode stacks are useful to combine a plurality of electrolysers in the smallest possible space, such known stacks are still of significant size, particularly when trying to generate hydrogen for commercial use. Using electrode stacks for domestic purposes is also not currently feasible due to its size and weight. A further issue, particularly in terms of domestic use of hydrogen, is the tank volume required to store hydrogen. One solution is reducing hydrogen volume by means of pressurization or liquefaction. Currently, the vast majority of industrial processes produce hydrogen at atmospheric pressure. Such low-pressure hydrogen gas must then be compressed, e.g. by means of compressor pumps, at considerable cost (and environmental impact). To eliminate the compression step, pressurised hydrogen electrolysis systems have been developed, such as described in GB 2 612 067 A, in the name of the same applicant. Pressurised electrolysis systems are able to produce hydrogen gas at elevated pressures, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for separate post electrolysis hydrogen compressors. Although pressurised electrolysers may significantly reduce the cost for producing pressurised hydrogen, one significant side effect is that the housing of the electrolyser needs to be constructed to resist highly pressurised process fluids, such as the electrolyte water and the hydrogen/oxygen gas produced therefrom. It is an aim of the present disclosure to solve or at least ameliorate one or more of the problems associated with the prior-art. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved electrode assembly, in particular an electrode stack, that reduces the effective space/weight requirements and, at the same time, is able to withstand large amounts of internal pressure. Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrode assembly that fulfils the above requirements and is easy to manufacture, at low cost. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure provide an electrode assembly for the electrolysis of water, and a method of manufacturing such an electrode assembly as claimed in the appended claims. In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to an electrode assembly for the electrolysis of water, said electrode assembly comprising: - a first flow-through electrode, said first flow-through electrode being permeable to electrolyte water and/or gases produced by the decomposition of electrolyte water; - a first support structure, said first support structure being wrapped around the first flow-through electrode, preferably in multiple layers. It was found that creating a support structure for the electrode that is wrapped around the flow-through electrode allowed for the support structure to be produced efficiently and withstand very high pressures. A variety of strand (e.g. fibers or filaments) or sheet like materials may be used to wrap the flow-through electrode and provide one or more layers of the support structure. This enables continuous materials to be used to provide the support structure, thereby avoiding weakened areas that may occur as a result of other manufacturing processes, such as injection molding or die casting. The