An electrochemical cell of an electrochemical hydrogen compressor is provided with a first flow field member having a hydrogen gas flow field and a second flow field member having a water channel. The first flow field member is located between the anode electrode and the anode separator. The second flow field member is located between the anode electrode and the first flow field member. A first porous member is located between the first flow field member and the second flow field member. A second porous member is located between the second flow field member and the anode electrode.

An electrochemical cell of an electrochemical hydrogen compressor is provided with a first flow field member having a hydrogen gas flow field and a second flow field member having a water channel. The first flow field member is located between the anode electrode and the anode separator. The second flow field member is located between the anode electrode and the first flow field member. A first porous member is located between the first flow field member and the second flow field member. A second porous member is located between the second flow field member and the anode electrode.

An object is to provide a methane synthesis device having as a whole a reduced size and a simplified configuration. A methane synthesis device 100 is composed of respective components from an end plate 2 at the leftmost side to an end plate 23 at the rightmost side and is compactly assembled by fastening plural bolts and nuts to bring these individual components into tightly contact with each other. The components may be divided into a Sabatier reaction unit of signs 3 to 9, a water electrolysis unit of signs 13 to 19, and other components. Hydrogen gas generated in the water electrolysis unit is mixed with carbon dioxide gas and supplied to the Sabatier reaction unit, and methane is synthesized in the Sabatier reaction unit. The size of the device is reduced as a whole and configuration is simplified by integrally stacking the water electrolysis unit, the Sabatier reaction unit, a carbon dioxide supplying unit, and a hydrogen gas supplying unit.

An alkaline water electrolyzer includes at least two outer frames, a gasket, and a diaphragm. The at least two outer frames are stacked so as to overlap at least in part in a circumferential direction. The gasket is sandwiched between the two outer frames. The gasket can be in contact with the outer frames over the entire circumferential direction. In an inner peripheral surface of the gasket, a slit is formed along the circumferential direction. The gasket has a first protrusion portion. The first protrusion portion protrudes over the entire circumferential direction at a position overlapping the slit when viewed from a thickness direction of the slit. A diaphragm is caught in the slit of the gasket. A volume ratio of volume of the first protrusion portion, to volume between a bottom of the slit and an end of the diaphragm, is between 0.5 and 100 inclusive.

A bipolar plate includes at least one electrically conductive plate having an anode flow field on an anode major side and a cathode flow field on a cathode major side opposite to the anode major side, an electrically insulating first capping plate containing a first plenum area, and located over the anode major side, and an electrically insulating second capping plate containing a second plenum area, and located over the cathode major side. The at least one electrically conductive plate, the first capping plate and the second capping plate are bonded to each other.

A system and methods for electrolysis of saline solutions are provided. An exemplary system provides a tandem electrolysis cell. The tandem electrolysis cell includes a common enclosure that has two chambers. A first chamber is separated from a second chamber by a cation selective membrane. A common anode and a first cathode (cathode A) are disposed in the first chamber. The first cathode and the common anode are configured to electrolyze a saline solution to hydrogen and oxygen. A second cathode (cathode B) is disposed in the second chamber. The second cathode and the common anode are configured to electrolyze a brine solution in the first chamber to form chlorine and water in the second chamber to form hydrogen and hydroxide ions.

A compression apparatus includes an electrolyte membrane, an anode on a principal surface of the electrolyte membrane, a cathode on another principal surface of the electrolyte membrane, an anode separator on the anode, a cathode separator on the cathode, and a voltage applicator. Upon the voltage applicator applying a voltage, protons are extracted from an anode fluid fed to the anode to move to the cathode through the electrolyte membrane and compressed hydrogen is produced. The anode separator has a fluid channel, a manifold hole, and a communicating path which are formed in an anode-side principal surface. The compression apparatus includes a face seal disposed on an outer periphery of a region of the anode-side principal surface of the anode separator which faces the anode. The face seal has a three-layer structure including a metal sheet and a pair of elastic sheets.

An electrolyzer stores of electrolytic cells, in which a pressing force applied to the stack is maintained by automatically adjusting the position of a locking mechanism of a safety device. The electrolyzer includes a stack obtained by stacking a plurality of electrolytic cells with membranes interposed therebetween, a pressing plate arranged on one end side in a stacking direction of the stack, an actuator which generates a pressing force along the stacking direction by moving the pressing plate, a safety device which is configured to maintain the pressing force by allowing the locking mechanism to come into contact with the contact plate to prevent the retraction of the pressing plate, when the actuator is not operated, and a control device which adjusts a distance between the locking mechanism and the contact plate within a specific range so as to maintain the pressing force which acts on the stack.

An electrolyzer stores of electrolytic cells, in which a pressing force applied to the stack is maintained by automatically adjusting the position of a locking mechanism of a safety device. The electrolyzer includes a stack obtained by stacking a plurality of electrolytic cells with membranes interposed therebetween, a pressing plate arranged on one end side in a stacking direction of the stack, an actuator which generates a pressing force along the stacking direction by moving the pressing plate, a safety device which is configured to maintain the pressing force by allowing the locking mechanism to come into contact with the contact plate to prevent the retraction of the pressing plate, when the actuator is not operated, and a control device which adjusts a distance between the locking mechanism and the contact plate within a specific range so as to maintain the pressing force which acts on the stack.

The chamber frame element of the present invention, which has a smaller amount of voltage drop, consumes less reactive power than the prior art, and exhibits no metal corrosion, is a chamber frame element (14) for an electrolyzer or an electrodialysis cell. The chamber frame element (14) includes: a bag body (141); a frame (142) housed in an interior space of the bag body (141); and an inlet (143) and an outlet (144) to which piping can be attached, which are formed on the outer side of a region where the frame is housed in the bag body (141).