WATER ELECTROLYSIS APPARATUS

• Main Authors: KOJIMA HIDETADA, MITSUDA NAOKI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: 19.09.2019
• Subjects: APPARATUS THEREFOR; CHEMISTRY; ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES FOR THE PRODUCTIONOF COMPOUNDS OR NON-METALS; METALLURGY

To provide a water electrolysis apparatus capable of effectively avoiding damage of an electrolyte membrane even when a load added to the electrolyte membrane is increased by increased pressure difference between a cathode electrode catalyst layer side and an anode electrode catalyst layer side of the electrolyte membrane.SOLUTION: A water electrolysis apparatus 10 is equipped with a water electrolytic cell 12 for generating hydrogen at a cathode electrode catalyst layer 44a side of an electrolyte membrane 40 to obtain higher pressure than oxygen generated at an anode electrode catalyst layer 42a side of the electrolyte membrane 40. The water electrolytic cell 12 is penetrated in the laminate direction by a hydrogen communication hole 38c in which the hydrogen flows. An exposed plane 40a of the electrolyte membrane 40 that is formed near the hydrogen communication hole 38c and exposed from the cathode electrode catalyst layer 44a is covered by a cathode power supply body 44.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3 【課題】電解質膜よりカソード電極触媒層側とアノード電極触媒層側との差圧が増大することにより、電解質膜に加えられる荷重が増大した場合であっても、電解質膜の損傷を効果的に回避することが可能な水電解装置を提供する。【解決手段】水電解装置１０は、水の電気分解で、電解質膜４０よりアノード電極触媒層４２ａ側に発生する酸素に比して高圧となるように、電解質膜４０よりカソード電極触媒層４４ａ側に水素を発生させる水電解セル１２を備える。水電解セル１２は、その積層方向に沿って、水素を流通させる水素連通孔３８ｃが貫通形成される。電解質膜４０では、水素連通孔３８ｃの近傍に設けられ且つカソード電極触媒層４４ａから露出する露出面４０ａがカソード給電体４４で覆われる。【選択図】図３