ELECTROCHEMICAL COMPRESSOR REFRIGERATION APPARTUS WITH INTEGRAL LEAK DETECTION SYSTEM

Abstract

An electrochemical compressor system, such as an electrochemical refrigeration system includes a sealed vessel that reduces leak issues related to the electrochemical cell. The sealed vessel may be molded or formed from a polymer or a composite polymer having reinforcing materials, such as fibers therein. The sealed vessel may be plated with metal to reduce gas permeation through the wall of the vessel and to accommodate and improve the attachment of conduits, including metal conduits thereto. A metal conduit may be brazed onto a vessel and the brazing material may be selected for polymer to metal joining and for reduced contamination potential of the system. The electrochemical compressor system incorporates a leak sensor configured at least partially within the sealed rigid vessel that measures the pressure within the vessel.

Claims

1. An electrochemical system comprising: an electrochemical compressor connected to an electrical power supply at a potential and through which a working fluid that includes a component that primarily acts as an electrochemically-active component flows and comprising: an inlet; an outlet; one or more electrochemical cells, each electrochemical cell comprising: an anode connected to the electrical power supply, a cathode connected to the electrical power supply, and an electrolyte disposed between and in intimate electrical contact with the cathode and the anode to pass at least a portion of the working fluid between the anode to the cathode; wherein the working fluid at a first pressure is pumped through the, electrolyte by an electrical potential across the anode and cathode to produce a working fluid at a second pressure that is at a higher pressure than said first pressure; a sealed rigid vessel having an interior volume in which the electrochemical compressor is housed, and comprising: a vessel wall; an input opening in said vessel wall; wherein an inlet conduit extends through the inlet opening and an inlet flow of working, fluid flow therethrough to the electrochemic compressor; an output opening in said vessel wall; wherein an outlet conduit extends through the outlet opening and an outlet flow of working fluid flow therethrough to the electrochemical compressor; wherein the inlet flow of working fluid is at a first pressure and wherein the outlet flow of working fluid is at a second pressure that is greater than the first pressure.

2. The electrochemical system of claim 1, wherein the vessel all is a polymeric wall, wherein a wall thickness is at least 90% polymer,

3. The electrochemical system of claim 2, wherein the polymer of the polymer wall is a fluoropolymer.

4. The electrochemical system of claim 2, wherein the polymer of the polymer wall is a thermoset polymer.

5. The electrochemical system of claim 2, wherein a surface of the polymer wall is metallized.

6. The electrochemical system of claim 2, wherein an interior surface of the polymer wall is metallized

7. The electrochemical system of claim 1, wherein the vessel wall is a composite polymeric wall having reinforcing material configured at least partially within the wall.

8. The electrochemical system of claim 7, wherein the reinforcing material comprises fibers.

9. The electrochemical system of claim 1, wherein the inlet and the outlet conduit is a metal conduit that is brazed with a brazing material to the sealed rigid vessel.

10. The electrochemical system of claim 9, wherein metal conduit is brazed with a brazing material to the sealed rigid vessel to create a sealed surface between the metal conduit and the sealed rigid vessel, and wherein the sealed surfaces comprise chromium.

11. The electrochemical system of claim 10, wherein the chromium is plated onto the sealed rigid vessel prior to the metal conduit being brazed thereto.

12. The electrochemical system of claim 10, wherein the brazing material comprise an aluminum alloy.

13. The electrochemical system of claim 10, wherein the brazing material comprises an aluminum alloy comprising aluminum and silicon.

14. The electrochemical system of claim 10, wherein the sealed surface contains no zinc.

15. The electrochemical system of claim 1, further comprising a leak sensor at least partially configured within the interior of the sealed rigid vessel to detect a concentration of the working fluid within the interior volume of the sealed rigid vessel; and further comprising an alarm and wherein the leak sensor is coupled with a control system that activates said alarm when the concentration of the working fluid is above an upper threshold value.

16. The electrochemical system of claim 1, further comprising a leak sensor at least partially configured within the interior of the sealed rigid vessel to detect a concentration of the working fluid within the interior volume of the sealed rigid vessel; wherein the leak sensor is coupled with a control system and wherein the control system changes the potential across the anode and cathode when the leak sensor detects a working fluid concentration that is above an upper threshold level,

17. The electrochemical system of claim 16, wherein the control system shuts down the electrochemical compressor when after a delay time and the concentration of the working fluid is still above an upper threshold value.

18. The electrochemical system of claim 1, wherein sealed rigid vessel comprises an outer vessel wall and an inner vessel wall and a void space between the first and second walls.

19. The electrochemical system of claim 18, further comprising a leak sensor at least partially configured within the void space to detect a concentration of the working fluid within the void space; and further comprising an alarm and wherein the leak sensor is coupled with a control system that activates said alarm when the concentration of the working fluid is above an upper threshold value.

20. The electrochemical system of claim 1, further comprising a leak sensor at least partially configured within the interior of the sealed rigid vessel to detect a concentration of the working fluid within the interior volume of the sealed rigid vessel; wherein the leak sensor is coupled with a control system and wherein the control system changes the potential across the anode and cathode when the leak sensor detects a working fluid concentration that is above an upper threshold level; and wherein the control system shuts down the electrochemical compressor after a delay time and the concentration of the working fluid is still above an upper threshold value.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0018] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary electrochemical system comprising a sealed rigid vessel and inlet and outlet conduits to the electrochemical compressor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the figures. The figures represent an illustration of some of the embodiments of the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner. Further, the figures are not necessarily to scale, some features may be exaggerated to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

[0020] As used herein, the terms comprises, comprising, includes, including, has, having or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Also, use of a or an are employed to describe elements and components described herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the scope of the invention. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the, singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.

[0021] Certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described herein and are illustrated in the accompanying figures. The embodiments described are only for purposes of illustrating the present invention and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention. Other embodiments of the invention, and certain modifications, combinations and improvements of the described embodiments, will occur to those skilled in the art and all such alternate embodiments, combinations, modifications, improvements are within the scope of the present invention.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, an exemplary electrochemical system 10 comprises a sealed rigid vessel 12 and inlet conduit 44 and outlet conduit 46 to the electrochemical compressor 14 comprising one or more electrochemical cells 41. An inlet flow of working fluid 45 flows through the inlet conduit 44, through the vessel wall 13 to the electrochemical compressor at a first pressure. An outlet flow of working fluid 45 flows out of the electrochemical compressor, through the vessel wall 13 at a second pressure that is higher than the first pressure. The vessel wall is comprised of an outer wall 20 and an inner wall 24 and there is a void space 22 therebetween. A leak sensor 62 is configured to measure the concentration of a working fluid, or the electrochemical active component of the working fluid, such as hydrogen in this void space. There is also a leak sensor in the interior volume 26 of the sealed rigid vessel configured to measure the concentration of a working fluid, or the electrochemical active component of the working fluid, such as hydrogen. The electrochemical cell is connected to a power supply 90, a battery having terminals 92. It is to be appreciated that the electrochemical cell may be connected to a line power supply, such as through an outlet connection, and a control module may regulate the potential across the anode 40 and cathode 42 of the electrochemical cell. A control system 80 comprises a micro-processor that controls the potential across the electrochemical cell. The control system may receive signals from the leak sensors when an upper threshold limit of the working fluid is detected and the controller may change the potential across the cell to mitigate this elevated concentration, such as by increasing the potential to react the electrochemically active component of the working fluid or reducing the potential and/or the flow of working fluid into the cell by adjusting the inlet valve 54 or outlet valve 56.

[0023] The inlet conduit 44 and/or the outlet conduit 46 may be sealed to the vessel wall 13 by the brazing techniques described herein to produce a brazed seal 30 containing a brazing material 32

[0024] The composite vessel containing a complete electrochemical refrigeration system described herein may require validation including product integrity testing under a variety of conditions including, but not limited to, impact testing, projectile or gunfire testing, burst pressures, bonfires, operation cycling, temperature testing, high temperature testing, low temperature testing, temperature cycling testing, severe abuse/accident response, and fatigue, and the like. This patent provides a solution to the sealing problems associated with traditional refrigerants, and compressors. Compressor and refrigerant systems of the present invention overcome the sealing issues by enabling new materials of construction in conjunction with an electrochemical compressor that utilizes hydrogen in the working fluid.

[0025] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Specific embodiments, features and elements described herein may be modified, and/or combined in any suitable manner. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications, combinations and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.