An individual solid oxide cell (SOC) constructed of a sandwich configuration including in the following order: an oxygen electrode, a solid oxide electrolyte, a fuel electrode, a fuel manifold, and at least one layer of mesh. In one embodiment, the mesh supports a reforming catalyst resulting in a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) having a reformer embedded therein. The reformer-modified SOFC functions internally to steam reform or partially oxidize a gaseous hydrocarbon, e.g. methane, to a gaseous reformate of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which is converted in the SOC to water, carbon dioxide, or a mixture thereof, and an electrical current. In another embodiment, an electrical insulator is disposed between the fuel manifold and the mesh resulting in a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC), which functions to electrolyze water and/or carbon dioxide.

Systems and methods of enhancing oil recovery with an electrochemical apparatus include introducing the electrochemical apparatus into an injection well bore. The electrochemical apparatus includes an anode, a cathode and an interior wall, the interior wall defining an interior that contains both the anode and the cathode. The electrochemical apparatus is operated such that injection water of the injection well bore is introduced into the interior of the electrochemical apparatus. Electrical power is introduced to the electrochemical apparatus such that a portion of the injection water is converted into a product gas, the product gas including hydrogen gas and oxygen gas. The electrochemical apparatus is operated such that the product gas forms product gas bubbles and the product gas bubbles travel into a formation, where the product gas bubbles react with a reservoir hydrocarbon of the formation to form a production fluid that is produced through a production well bore.

Systems and methods of enhancing oil recovery with an electrochemical apparatus include introducing the electrochemical apparatus into an injection well bore. The electrochemical apparatus includes an anode, a cathode and an interior wall, the interior wall defining an interior that contains both the anode and the cathode. The electrochemical apparatus is operated such that injection water of the injection well bore is introduced into the interior of the electrochemical apparatus. Electrical power is introduced to the electrochemical apparatus such that a portion of the injection water is converted into a product gas, the product gas including hydrogen gas and oxygen gas. The electrochemical apparatus is operated such that the product gas forms product gas bubbles and the product gas bubbles travel into a formation, where the product gas bubbles react with a reservoir hydrocarbon of the formation to form a production fluid that is produced through a production well bore.

A fuel cell arrangement for carrying out a method for ascertaining the overvoltage of a working electrode in a fuel cell, in which the potential of a reference electrode compared to the grounded counter electrode is measured. For the measurement, a fuel cell comprising a polymer electrolyte membrane is used, in which the counter electrode comprises a lateral edge having at least one convexly curved region, and the electrolyte membrane surface, adjoining the counter electrode, comprises an electrode-free region in which the reference electrode is disposed on the electrolyte membrane surface. In contrast, the working electrode is continuous, which is to say has a large surface. The minimum distance L.sub.gap between the reference electrode and the edge of the counter electrode L.sub.gap=3×L.sub.l,r with (a) and (b), where m=ionic conductivity of the electrolyte membrane (Ω.sup.−1 cm.sup.−1), b.sub.ox=Tafel slope of the half cell for the electrochemical reaction of the working electrode, l.sub.m=membrane layer thickness (cm) and j.sub.ox.sup.0=exchange current density of the catalyst of the working electrode per unit of electrode surface in (A cm.sup.−2). This arrangement can advantageously be used to ensure that the potential measured at the hydrogen-fed reference electrode corresponds to the overvoltage of the working electrode with sufficient accuracy. The method can be applied to polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), to direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) or to high-temperature fuel cells (SOFC).

A fuel cell arrangement for carrying out a method for ascertaining the overvoltage of a working electrode in a fuel cell, in which the potential of a reference electrode compared to the grounded counter electrode is measured. For the measurement, a fuel cell comprising a polymer electrolyte membrane is used, in which the counter electrode comprises a lateral edge having at least one convexly curved region, and the electrolyte membrane surface, adjoining the counter electrode, comprises an electrode-free region in which the reference electrode is disposed on the electrolyte membrane surface. In contrast, the working electrode is continuous, which is to say has a large surface. The minimum distance L.sub.gap between the reference electrode and the edge of the counter electrode L.sub.gap=3×L.sub.l,r with (a) and (b), where m=ionic conductivity of the electrolyte membrane (Ω.sup.−1 cm.sup.−1), b.sub.ox=Tafel slope of the half cell for the electrochemical reaction of the working electrode, l.sub.m=membrane layer thickness (cm) and j.sub.ox.sup.0=exchange current density of the catalyst of the working electrode per unit of electrode surface in (A cm.sup.−2). This arrangement can advantageously be used to ensure that the potential measured at the hydrogen-fed reference electrode corresponds to the overvoltage of the working electrode with sufficient accuracy. The method can be applied to polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), to direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) or to high-temperature fuel cells (SOFC).

The present invention provides an electrolytic device and includes an electrolytic tank and a plurality of electrodes. The electrolytic tank comprises a case for accommodating liquid water. The inner wall of the case has a plurality of engagement structures. The plurality of electrodes are set in the engagement structures respectively to be arranged at intervals in the case, wherein the case is connected to the plurality of electrodes by injection molding.

The present invention provides an electrolytic device and includes an electrolytic tank and a plurality of electrodes. The electrolytic tank comprises a case for accommodating liquid water. The inner wall of the case has a plurality of engagement structures. The plurality of electrodes are set in the engagement structures respectively to be arranged at intervals in the case, wherein the case is connected to the plurality of electrodes by injection molding.

Provided in this disclosure is an electrolysis system using voltage in a purely physical process, without resorting to passing current through an electrolyte in a chemical process. The present invention includes a tri-coil design resonant cavity transformer that utilizes the dielectric properties of a material acting as part of a “closed loop” electrical (Resistor, Inductor, Capacitor) RLC circuit. The tri-coil transformer (or TCT) is tuned to the dielectric properties of a suitable material, which can be water, liquid metals, or even ambient air. The TCT can be a tri-coil resonating cavity transformer employing either a Maxwell or Helmholtz tri-coil design. The present invention entails a physical approach to electrolysis based on voltage and not amperage to dissociate a selected dielectric medium, an approach that is 180 degrees out of phase from traditional Faraday electrolysis.

An individual solid oxide cell (SOC) constructed of a sandwich configuration including in the following order: an oxygen electrode, a solid oxide electrolyte, a fuel electrode, a fuel manifold, and at least one layer of mesh. In one embodiment, the mesh supports a reforming catalyst resulting in a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) having a reformer embedded therein. The reformer-modified SOFC functions internally to steam reform or partially oxidize a gaseous hydrocarbon, e.g. methane, to a gaseous reformate of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which is converted in the SOC to water, carbon dioxide, or a mixture thereof, and an electrical current. In another embodiment, an electrical insulator is disposed between the fuel manifold and the mesh resulting in a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC), which functions to electrolyze water and/or carbon dioxide.

An individual solid oxide cell (SOC) constructed of a sandwich configuration including in the following order: an oxygen electrode, a solid oxide electrolyte, a fuel electrode, a fuel manifold, and at least one layer of mesh. In one embodiment, the mesh supports a reforming catalyst resulting in a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) having a reformer embedded therein. The reformer-modified SOFC functions internally to steam reform or partially oxidize a gaseous hydrocarbon, e.g. methane, to a gaseous reformate of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which is converted in the SOC to water, carbon dioxide, or a mixture thereof, and an electrical current. In another embodiment, an electrical insulator is disposed between the fuel manifold and the mesh resulting in a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC), which functions to electrolyze water and/or carbon dioxide.