ELECTROLYSER INCLUDING A NUCLEUS-SHELL CELL WITH A NUCLEUS BASED ON LOW-PERMITTIVITY DIELECTRIC MATERIALS

摘要

The invention consists of an electrolyser with an ionic membrane cell characterized by a "nucleus-shell" structure. The electrolyser cell, the object of this invention, consists of three main parts: a) the housing of the membrane; b) the cell "nucleus" based on a highly dielectric material (with a low dielectric constant); and c) the steel "shell," which wraps the dielectric nucleus and guarantees that the cell is sealed. The cell nucleus, which contains the membrane housing, is made of the principal components that make electrochemical reactions possible while involved in the water electrolysis process. In particular, the housing of the membrane is made up of two current collectors and a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA). The cell nucleus, which has membrane housing inside it, is made up of a material with a low dielectric constant. More specifically, it is necessary that the dielectric material, of which the cell nucleus is made up, meets the following conditions: a) dielectric constant at 25°C and 1 kHz lower than 2.8; b) thermal conductivity between 0.2 and 1 W-(m-K)'1. The external envelope (shell) contains the cell nucleus that contains the dielectric block inside which there is the electrode configuration. The external shell has a structural function as it allows one to close the cell nucleus hermetically so that the chamber containing the electrode configuration can be kept under high pressure without any gas leaks.