The invention relates to the production or a heat-transfer gas circuit for the heat management/regulation of the stack of an HTE reactor or an SOFC fuel cell by removing certain cells in certain areas of the stack in order to replace them with electrical contact elements that allow the heat transfer gas to pass through.

Features for an aqueous reactor include a field generator. The field generator includes a series of parallel conductive plates including a series of intermediate neutral plates. The intermediate neutral plates are arranged in interleaved sets between an anode and a cathode. Other features of the aqueous reactor may include a sealed reaction vessel, fluid circulation manifold, electrical power modulator, vacuum port, and barrier membrane. Methods of using the field generator include immersion in an electrolyte solution and application of an external voltage and vacuum to generate hydrogen and oxygen gases. The reactor and related components can be arranged to produce gaseous fuel or liquid fuel. In one use, a mixture of a carbon based material and a liquid hydrocarbon is added. The preferred carbon based material is powdered coal.

An electrochemical reaction device includes a first unit group having a plurality of first electrochemical reaction units and a second unit group having a plurality of second electrochemical reaction units. Respective electrolytic tanks of the plurality of first electrochemical reaction units are serially connected with each other. Respective electrolytic tanks of the plurality of second electrochemical reaction units are serially connected with each other. The electrolytic tanks of the plurality of second electrochemical reaction units are parallelly connected to the electrolytic tanks of the plurality of first electrochemical reaction units.

An electrochemistry device, in particular an electrolysis device, in particular a polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysis device, has at least one cell unit, which includes at least one first electrochemical cell and at least one second electrochemical cell, and has at least one fluid supply unit for supplying the cell unit with at least one fluid, in particular with water, which at least one fluid supply unit includes at least one first fluid supply path extending at least section-wise through the first electrochemical cell, and at least one second fluid supply path extending at least section-wise through the second electrochemical cell,

the fluid supply unit is designed in such a way that, in at least one normal operating state, a volume flow of the fluid through the first electrochemical cell and through the second electrochemical cell is at least substantially identical.

The invention essentially consists in supplying fuel (either steam or a mixture of steam with CO2 or H2 or CH4) to distinct zones of a cell or a group of stacked cells and of an adjacent cell or group of adjacent stacked cells within a given (co-)electrolysis reactor or a SOFC fuel-cell stack.

The invention essentially consists of proposing a novel reactor or fuel cell architecture having an active section of the catalytic material for methanation or reforming reaction integrated into the electrode which varies with the composition of the gases, as they are distributed in accordance with the electrochemistry on said electrode.

A hydrogen gas generator system comprises a reactor stack adapted to perform electrolysis on water in an electrolyte solution, the reactor stack comprising a plurality of spaced apart electrode plates and electrolyte solution disposed between the plates, each plate having an upper outlet aperture and a lower inlet aperture to allow movement of electrolyte solution across the plates. A separator is configured to receive a mixture of gas and electrolyte solution from a top of the reactor stack and separate the gas from the electrolyte solution. A gas outlet configured to remove gas from the separator, and an electrolyte solution inlet configured to return electrolyte solution from the separator to a bottom of the reactor stack. The system comprises a pump configured to pump electrolyte solution in a circuit from the electrolyte solution outlet of the separator/reservoir, through the reactor stack at velocity, and back to the separator/reservoir, and in which in the upper and lower apertures are sufficiently large to allow pumped flow through the reactor stack.

The invention relates to an arrangement of electrochemical cells and also to the uses thereof. The electrochemical cells are arranged one above another and are in electrically conducting communication with one another. In this arrangement they form repeating units which in each case are formed of at least one interconnector, in which apertures for gas passage are formed, an electrochemical cell, which is formed of a cathode, an electrolyte and an anode, and contact elements on the anode side and on the cathode side, and are arranged one above another. The area of the individual planar electrochemical cells is in each case smaller than the area of the individual interconnectors, and the electrolytes finish flush in each case with a plane of a surface of the respective interconnector. Mounted on this surface of the interconnector in each case is a single sealing ply of a glass solder with constant thickness, for sealing the gap between electrolyte and interconnector (internal joining) and the gaps between apertures for gas passage of two adjacent interconnectors (external joining).

A water electrolysis system includes a water electrolysis stack, a gas-liquid separator, a water supply path, a water introduction unit, a water lead-out unit, a water discharge path, and a circulation pump. The water lead-out unit includes a first water lead-out unit and a second water lead-out unit, which are provided in the water electrolysis stack. The water introduction unit is positioned in a stacking direction between the first water lead-out unit and the second water lead-out unit, together with being disposed in a water electrolysis cell which is positioned between both ends in the stacking direction among a plurality of the water electrolysis cells.

The application relates to a process for operating in starting mode or in stand-by mode a unit, termed power-to-gas unit, comprising a number N of reactors (1) with a stack of elemental electrolysis cells of solid oxide type (SOEC), the cathodes of which are made of methanation reaction catalyst material(s).