A water treatment system is disclosed having electrolytic cell for liberating hydrogen from a base solution. The base solution may be a solution of brine for generating sodium hypochlorite, or potable water to be oxidized. The cell has first and second opposing electrode end plates held apart from each other by a pair of supports such that the supports enclose opposing sides of the end plates to form a cell chamber. One or more inner electrode plates are spaced apart from each other in the cell chamber in between the first and second electrode plates. The supports are configured to electrically isolate the first and second electrode plates and the inner electrode plates from each other. The first and second electrode plates are configured to receive opposite polarity charges that passively charge the inner electrode plates via conduction from the base solution to form a chemical reaction in the base solution as the base solution passes through the cell chamber.

A water treatment system comprises at least one electrolytic cell comprising at least one electrode and a power source for powering the electrode. The electrode may be a metal electrode comprising a coating of polymer comprising structural units of formula I (I) wherein R.sup.1 is independently at each occurrence a C.sub.1-C.sub.6 alkyl radical or SO.sub.3M wherein M is independently at each occurrence a hydrogen or an alkali metal a hydrogen or an alkali metal, R.sup.2 is independently at each occurrence a C.sub.1-C.sub.6 alkyl radical, a is independently at each occurrence an integer ranging from 0 to 4, and b is independently at each occurrence an integer ranging from 0 to 3. An associated method is also described. ##STR00001##

A gas diffusion layer is arranged between a bipolar plate and an electrode of an electrochemical cell and includes at least two layers which are layered one on top of the other layer. At least one of the two layers is designed as a spring component having a progressive spring characteristic curve.

An electrochemical system includes an electrochemical device having a stack of elementary electrochemical cells each including an electrolyte interposed between a cathode and an anode; ducts for supplying the anodes and the cathodes with gas and for collecting the gases generated by the latter; an enclosure having the electrochemical device housed therein and including at least one inlet duct and one outlet duct to circulate an air flow in the enclosure; and a circuit for analyzing the air in the enclosure. The circuit includes a sensor capable of measuring an oxygen content present in the outlet duct of the enclosure; and an analysis unit capable of diagnosing a leak of the device when the measured oxygen content differs from a predetermined oxygen content in the inlet duct of the enclosure.

A method of sealing a multi-component bipolar plate is disclosed. The method may include inserting a first seal between a first component and a second component, wherein the first seal is aligned with a first plurality of protrusions formed on a surface of at least one of the first component and the second component. The method may also include compressing the first component and the second component to cause the penetration of the first plurality of protrusions into the first seal. The method may further include plastically deforming the first seal in order to create a first sealing surface between the first component and the second component.

A separator plate and a frame member for an electrochemical cell are provided. The separator plate includes a plurality of protrusions extending therefrom to define a flow field. A pair of end features arranged along opposite sides of the flow field, each end feature extending substantially the length of the flow field. A periphery portion is provided having a first set of openings and a second set of openings. Wherein the plurality of protrusions and pair of end features extend from a plane defined by the periphery portion. The frame member includes features for facilitating assembly and reducing the risk of an over constrained condition. The frame member further having ports divided by a bridge member to support the frame member under operating pressures.

Disclosed herein are methods and systems that relate to electrochemically oxidizing metal halide with a metal ion in a lower oxidation state to a higher oxidation state; halogenating an unsaturated hydrocarbon or a saturated hydrocarbon with the metal halide with the metal ion in the higher oxidation state; and oxyhalogenating the metal halide with the metal ion from a lower oxidation state to a higher oxidation state in presence of an oxidant. In some embodiments, the oxyhalogenation is in series with the electrochemical oxidation, the electrochemical oxidation is in series with the oxyhalogenation, the oxyhalogenation is parallel to the electrochemical oxidation, and/or the oxyhalogenation is simultaneous with the halogenation.

A heat exchanger can be integrated into an interconnector that can be used in both a SOFC fuel cell and an EHT electrolyser, which allows a heat-transfer fluid different from that in the reactive and drainage gas circuits to be circulated from the inlet of the reactor, thereby allowing the best possible management of the exothermic operating modes of the SOFC cell and the exothermic or endothermic operating modes of the EHT electrolyser and the SOFC cell, especially in the absence of current for the latter.

The present disclosure is directed to a method for tuning the performance of at least one electrochemical cell of an electrochemical cell stack. The method includes supplying power to an electrochemical cell stack. The electrochemical cell stack includes a plurality of electrochemical cells. The method further includes monitoring a parameter of at least one electrochemical cell and determining if an electrochemical cell becomes impaired. The method also includes diverting a fraction of the current flow from the impaired electrochemical cell during operation of the electrochemical cell stack.

A process for controlling a high temperature electrolyzer in which the one or more stacks of cells are arranged in an enclosure pre-heated to a high temperature and thermally insulated, where the electrolyzer is connected to an electric energy source for its power supply in order to implement an electrolytic reaction and where the process includes: monitoring of the power supplied by the energy source; redirecting upstream of the electrolyzer a portion of the power supplied by the energy source in order to heat the one or more stacks of cells when the value of the power supplied becomes lower than a previously set limit value; otherwise, no redirecting. A process for production of hydrogen or syngas incorporating the above driving process, where a driving system implements the above driving process and a hydrogen production system implements the corresponding hydrogen production process.