HK1241422B - Pipe-type electrolysis cell - Google Patents

Description

Tubular electrolyzer

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a tubular electrolyzer, and more particularly, to a tubular electrolyzer having a reduced size, thereby overcoming installation space limitations and reducing manufacturing costs while providing the advantages of the tubular electrolyzer.

Background Art

As a typical example of an electrolytic cell for electrolyzing an electrolyte solution such as seawater, brine, etc., there is a tubular electrolytic cell.

A tubular electrolyzer typically has a tubular electrode consisting of an outer tube and an inner tube. The inner tube is a combined bipolar tube electrode, with one portion serving as the anode and the other as the cathode. The outer tube includes an anode portion, a cathode portion, and an insulating spacer disposed in its center. The anode and cathode portions are positioned opposite the anode and cathode portions of the inner tube. Alternatively, both the inner and outer tubes can be monopolar electrodes with a single polarity.

In the tubular electrolyzer, when a direct current power source is applied between an anode and a cathode to conduct electrolysis while an electrolyte solution flows along the surfaces of inner and outer tubes, electrolyzed water is produced.

Electrolysis can be used in various ways, such as the production of chlorine, sodium hydroxide, sodium hypochlorite, etc. by electrolysis of seawater or brine, the production of hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis of water, the production of various organic compounds by electrolysis of carbon dioxide, the decomposition of ammonia or organic matter, the production of acidic and alkaline water, etc.

Among these methods, a chemical equation of a typical electrolysis method for producing sodium hypochlorite from seawater or brine is shown below.

Anodic reaction: 2Cl-→Cl ₂ +2e-

Cathode reaction: 2H ₂ O + 2e- → 2OH- + H ₂

Main reaction: Cl ₂ +2NaOH→NaOCl+NaCl+H ₂ O

Chlorine (Cl2) is produced on the anode side by oxidation of chloride ions, and hydrogen ( _H2 ) and hydroxyl ions (OH-) are produced on the cathode side by water decomposition. The hydroxyl ions (OH-) produced on the cathode side react with sodium ions (Na+) in the bulk phase to form sodium hydroxide (NaOH). In the bulk phase, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) reacts with chlorine ( _Cl2 ) produced at the anode to form sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl). The sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) produced in this manner is used to reduce biological activity or for various sterilization (disinfection) and cleaning purposes.

During the electrolysis process, hardness materials such as (Ca and Mg) contained in the electrolyte solution form scale on the cathode electrode through the chemical reaction described below. The accumulated scale reduces the electrolysis efficiency, resulting in an increase in the cell voltage, hindering the flow of fluid, and in extreme cases causing physical damage due to short circuits between the electrodes.

Scale formation reaction: HCO ₃ ^- +NaOH→CO ₃ ^2- +H ₂ O+Na ⁺

Ca ²⁺ or Mg ²⁺ +CO ₃ ^2- →CaCO ₃ or MgCO ₃

Ca ²⁺ or Mg ²⁺ + 2OH- → Ca(OH) ₂ or Mg(OH) ₂

Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2006-0098445 (Electronic Water Treatment System and Control Method Thereof) discloses a prior art technology for preventing scale accumulation. According to this technology, an anode rod, serving as an anode, is installed inside a pipe through which fluid flows. A housing surrounding the anode rod serves as a cathode. Current flows through the anode rod to form an electromagnetic field in the fluid channel, thereby preventing scale formation. Specifically, when fluid flows through the fluid channel in which the electromagnetic field is formed, the electromagnetic field generates sufficient free electrons, which stabilizes the inorganic substances contained in the fluid, thus preventing scale formation.

This prior art requires generating a uniform electromagnetic field density to suppress scale formation. However, maintaining a uniform electromagnetic field density is difficult when the fluid flow rate along the fluid channel fluctuates rather than being constant. Consequently, effectively preventing scale formation is difficult. Specifically, this prior art's electrical method for preventing scale formation requires advanced technology to precisely control the current intensity according to the fluid flow rate. Therefore, achieving virtually perfect scale prevention is difficult, necessitating mechanical removal of any generated scale.

To address this issue, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0032399 (entitled "Tubular Electrolyzer") has been published. This "Tubular Electrolyzer" provides an electrolyzer in which the corners of the electrodes in the fluid flow area are removed to prevent scale from forming on the cathode surface during electrolyzer operation. The structure of this tubular electrolyzer is shown in Figures 1 to 6.

Referring to Figures 1 to 6, according to the prior art, a tubular electrolytic cell (10) includes: an insulating spacer (11) provided in the middle portion thereof; an anode outer tube (12) provided on one side of the insulating spacer (11); and a cathode outer tube (13) provided on the other side of the insulating spacer (11). A cathode inner tube (not shown) is installed inside the anode outer tube (12), and an anode inner tube (13') is installed inside the cathode outer tube (13). An insulating bushing (14), a spiral block (15), a fixing bushing (16), and an inlet/outlet connection joint (17) are assembled with one end of the electrolytic cell (10) through a coupling member (18). Due to the use of the spiral block (15), when a fluid flows into and out of the electrolytic cell (10) through a spiral hole (15a) formed in the spiral block (15), the fluid can flow at a constant and uniform flow rate due to the spiral shape of the fluid channel. This prevents hydrogen ( _H2 ) and oxygen ( _O2 ) generated during the electrolytic reaction from being locally concentrated in a specific portion, eliminates interference factors of surface reactions caused by gases, and enables the reaction to proceed uniformly. Therefore, the electrolytic reaction efficiency can be improved and the life of the electrolytic cell can be increased.

In addition, a plurality of electrolytic cells (10), each of which is a tubular electrolytic cell (10) having the above-described structure, are connected in series to form a unit module (20) as shown in FIG1. Therefore, a module having a desired capacity can be easily provided. In addition, as shown in FIG2, a plurality of unit modules (20) can be connected in parallel to increase the electrolysis capacity.

The electrolysis module composed of the tubular electrolysis cell (10) has a higher withstand voltage and a simpler structure than the existing cubic electrolysis module using flat plate electrodes. In addition, since the electrolysis module has an improved velocity distribution, it can minimize the accumulation of scale and promote hydrogen emission.

However, in existing tubular electrolyzers, since only one surface of the electrode participates in the electrolysis reaction, a large amount of material is likely to be wasted. Furthermore, tubular electrolyzers require a large amount of installation space, making them difficult to use in small locations. Furthermore, the large number of components and the complex assembly of these components increase manufacturing costs.

In addition, in the case of existing tubular electrolyzers, the current distribution on the electrodes is uneven. Therefore, when the existing tubular electrolyzers are arranged in multiple stages, it is difficult to obtain a uniform reaction, the life of the electrodes is shortened, and excessive heat is generated.

[Background Art Literature]

(Patent Document 1) Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2006-0098445 (Electronic Water Treatment System and Control Method Thereof)

Summary of the Invention

[Technical problem to be solved by the invention]

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tubular electrolyzer that can reduce the manufacturing cost of an electrolysis module by reducing the number of components and simplifying the manufacturing method, and can overcome the problem of space limitation by being approximately half the size of a conventional electrolyzer having the same capacity, while providing the advantages of the prior art that is proven to be safe.

That is, the present invention has been devised in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an improved tubular electrolytic cell having a reduced size while maintaining electrolytic performance, thereby saving installation space and manufacturing costs.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to improve the uniformity and efficiency of the reaction by uniformly distributing the current among the tubular electrolytic cells arranged in multiple stages.

[Technical solution to the problem]

To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention provides a tubular electrolytic cell comprising: a pair of terminal electrodes, the terminal electrodes comprising an outer electrode and an inner electrode, the outer electrode and the inner electrode having respective first ends electrically connected to each other and respective second ends separated from each other; and a tubular bipolar electrode installed between the terminal electrodes and electrically insulated from the terminal electrodes.

The tubular electrolyzer may further include: an insulating unit supporting the separated second ends of the terminal electrodes and connecting the terminal electrodes to each other; and a spiral block combined with the connected first ends of the terminal electrodes and provided with a spiral guide hole through which the fluid passes.

The terminal electrode may include a connecting plate that supports and connects the first end of the inner electrode and the first end of the outer electrode, and the connecting plate is provided with a fluid through-hole that connects to a channel formed between the inner electrode and the outer electrode, thereby guiding the fluid to the channel.

The tubular electrolyzer may further include: terminal insulating spacers disposed at respective ends of the bipolar electrodes to electrically insulate and separate the bipolar electrodes from the connecting plate, the inner electrode, and the outer electrode.

Either or both of an outer surface of the tubular outer electrode and an inner surface of the tubular inner electrode are plated with a metal having high conductivity, wherein the outer surface and the inner surface do not participate in the electrolytic reaction.

The connecting plate provided with the fluid through-holes can be connected to the external electrode and the internal electrode by welding.

The fluid through holes formed in the connecting plate may be through holes aligned with the spiral guide holes formed in the spiral block.

A positioning guide pin may be formed to protrude from the outer surface of the connecting plate, the spiral block may be combined with the outer surface of the connecting plate, and the spiral block may be provided with a plurality of spiral guide holes arranged in a circumferential direction to correspond to the fluid through holes of the connecting plate.

The spiral block may be provided with a positioning hole. When the spiral block is combined with the connecting plate, the positioning guide pin is inserted into the positioning hole so that the spiral guide hole is well aligned with the fluid through hole of the connecting plate.

The insulating unit may include: an outer insulating spacer provided at a middle portion of an outer surface of the bipolar electrode in a longitudinal direction; and an inner insulating spacer provided at a middle portion of an inner portion of the bipolar electrode in the longitudinal direction.

The tubular electrolyzer may further include: an insulating unit supporting and connecting the second ends separating the terminal electrodes to each other; and a spiral block combined with the connected first ends of the terminal electrodes and provided with a spiral guide hole through which the fluid passes.

The external insulating spacer may include: a plurality of protrusions formed in the middle portion of the inner surface of the external insulating spacer in the longitudinal direction and arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction, the protrusions contacting the outer surface of the intermediate electrode; and a pair of electrode connecting parts arranged at each end of the external insulating spacer, the external electrode being inserted into the electrode connecting parts, the electrode connecting parts having an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the middle portion of the external insulating spacer, so that the inner surface of the electrode connecting part and the inner surface of the middle portion of the external insulating spacer form a step shape.

The internal insulating spacer may include: a plurality of protrusions, which are arranged in the middle part of the intermediate electrode in the longitudinal direction, are arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction, and are formed to protrude from the outer surface of the internal insulating spacer; and a pair of electrode connecting parts, which are arranged at each end of the internal insulating spacer and have an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the middle part of the internal insulating spacer, so that the outer surface of the electrode connecting part and the outer surface of the middle part of the internal insulating spacer form a step shape, wherein the electrode connecting part is inserted into the internal electrode.

The tubular electrolyzer may further include: a connecting pipe or an inlet/outlet connecting joint coupled to a first end of the terminal electrode and used to connect one of the tubular electrolyzers to another tubular electrolyzer, wherein the connecting pipe or the inlet/outlet connecting joint is configured such that a bottom surface thereof is inclined upward toward one end of the connecting pipe or the inlet/outlet connecting joint.

[Beneficial Effects]

According to the present invention, because the tubular electrolyzer has a bipolar electrode structure in which both the outer and inner surfaces participate in electrolysis, the electrolysis efficiency is doubled compared to conventional electrolyzers of the same size. Consequently, by connecting multiple tubular electrolyzers, manufacturing costs and the size of the resulting electrolysis module can be reduced.

Furthermore, when constructing a multi-stage electrolytic cell, one surface of the electrode that does not participate in the electrolysis reaction is plated with a highly conductive metal. This has the effect of evenly distributing the current across the entire area of the electrode, thereby improving the uniformity and efficiency of the electrolysis reaction.

Compared with the existing electrolytic cells that require a large installation space, the tubular electrolytic cell according to the present invention reduces the installation space by half while maintaining the same electrolytic performance, thereby reducing costs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a perspective view of a conventional unit electrolysis module;

FIG2 is a perspective view of a conventional high-capacity electrolysis module;

FIG3 is a perspective view of a conventional tubular electrolyzer;

FIG4 is an enlarged view of portion A of FIG3 ;

FIG5 is an enlarged view of portion B of FIG3;

FIG6 is a perspective view illustrating the spiral block shown in FIG5;

FIG7 is a perspective view of a tubular electrolytic cell according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG8 is an enlarged view of portion D1 of FIG7 ;

FIG9 is an enlarged view of portion D3 of FIG7 ;

FIG10 is an enlarged view of portion D2 of FIG7 ;

FIG11 is a perspective view illustrating an intermediate electrode of the tubular electrolytic cell shown in FIG7 ;

FIG12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main portion of the structure of FIG11;

13 is a diagram illustrating a connection portion where an external electrode and an internal electrode are connected to each other;

FIG14 is a diagram illustrating the spiral block of FIG7;

FIG15 is a diagram illustrating the external insulating spacer of FIG7;

FIG16 is a diagram illustrating the internal insulating spacer of FIG7;

FIG17a is a diagram illustrating an example of a connecting pipe; and

FIG. 17 b is a diagram illustrating an example of an inlet/outlet connection joint.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, a tubular electrolytic cell according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7 to 16 , according to one embodiment of the present invention, the electrolysis unit module includes: a tubular electrolysis cell (110); a connecting pipe (120) connected to one end of the tubular electrolysis cell (110); and an inlet/outlet connection joint (130) combined with a second end of the tubular electrolysis cell (110).

A tubular electrolytic cell (110) according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a pair of terminal electrodes, a bipolar electrode, an insulating unit, and a spiral block (118).

Here, the pair of terminal electrodes includes internal electrodes (115a and 115b), external electrodes (114a and 114b), and a connecting plate (116). The first ends of the internal electrodes (115a and 115b) are electrically connected to the first ends of the external electrodes (114a and 114b) via the connecting plate (116).

The bipolar electrode includes a tubular intermediate electrode (111) mounted between inner electrodes (115a and 115b) and outer electrodes (114a and 114b).

That is, the intermediate electrode (111) is a bipolar electrode having opposite polarities on its opposite sides. As shown in Figures 11 and 12, each end of the intermediate electrode (111) is provided with an insulating terminal spacer (117). Specifically, each end of the intermediate electrode (111) is provided with three insulating terminal spacers (117). The three insulating terminal spacers (117) can be arranged at equal angular intervals of 120°. However, the number and spacing of the terminal insulating spacers (117) are not limited thereto. More specifically, the insulating terminal spacers (117) can be arranged to protrude outwardly in the longitudinal direction from one end of the intermediate electrode (111) and protrude from the outer surface of the intermediate electrode (111). At this end, each insulating terminal spacer (117) is provided with a coupling pin (117a), which is assembled into a coupling hole (111b) provided at one end of the intermediate electrode (111). Because of the terminal insulating spacer (117), the intermediate electrode (111) can be separated from the external electrodes (114a and 114b) and the connecting plate (116) at a predetermined distance. Therefore, the intermediate electrode (111) can be electrically insulated from the external electrodes and the connecting plate. The shape of the insulating terminal spacer (117) is not limited to the above-mentioned structure. That is, if the insulating terminal spacer (117) can separate the intermediate electrode (111) from the external electrodes (114a and 114b) and the connecting plate (116), thereby electrically insulating the intermediate electrode (111) from the external electrodes (114a and 114b) and the connecting plate (116), the insulating terminal spacer (117) can have any shape. However, there is a further requirement for the structure of the insulating terminal spacer (117), namely, it should not block the electrolyte solution introduced into the channel formed between the electrodes through the fluid through hole formed in the connecting plate (116).

The insulating unit includes: an outer insulating spacer (112) installed outside the intermediate electrode (111) at the middle portion of the intermediate electrode (111) in its longitudinal direction; and an inner insulating spacer (113) installed inside the middle portion of the intermediate electrode (111). A further detailed description of the insulation will be provided later.

The outer electrodes (114a and 114b) have a tube shape. One of the outer electrodes (114a) serves as a cathode, while the other outer electrode (114b) serves as an anode. An outer insulating spacer (112) is provided between the outer electrodes (114a) and the outer electrodes (114b) to electrically insulate the outer electrodes (114a and 114b) from each other and to separate the outer electrodes (114a and 114b) from the intermediate electrode (111). As shown in FIG15 , a protrusion (112a) is provided on a middle portion of the inner surface of the outer insulating spacer (112), and the protrusion (112a) separates the inner surface of the outer insulating spacer (112) from the outer surface of the intermediate electrode (111) by a predetermined distance. The protrusions (112a) may be arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer insulating spacer (112) and are in surface contact with the outer surface of the intermediate electrode (111). Each end of the external insulating spacer (112) is provided with an external electrode connecting portion (112b), and the ends of the external electrodes (114a and 114b) are inserted into the external electrode connecting portion (112b), wherein the external electrode connecting portion (112b) has an inner diameter greater than the inner diameter of the middle portion of the external insulating spacer (112). That is, the inner surface of the external electrode connecting portion (112b) and the inner surface of the middle portion of the external insulating spacer (112) form a step shape. Therefore, the external electrodes (114a and 114b) are supported on the external insulating spacer (112) by the external insulating spacer (112) and are insulated from each other.

As described above, adjacent ends of the external electrodes (114a and 114b) are assembled with the external insulating spacer (112), and the other ends are assembled with the connecting pipe (120) or the inlet/outlet connecting joint (130), respectively.

Furthermore, the first ends of the external electrodes (114a and 114b) are connected to the first ends of the internal electrodes (115a and 115b) via a connecting plate (116). The connecting plate (116) is made of metal. The first ends of the internal electrodes (115a and 115b) and the first ends of the external electrodes (114a and 114b) are connected by a connecting method such as welding that does not increase resistance. Therefore, for the internal electrodes (115a and 115b) and the external electrodes (114a and 114b) connected by the connecting plate (116), the external electrode (114a) and the internal electrode (115a) connected to each other have the same polarity (i.e., both act as cathodes), and the external electrode (114b) and the internal electrode (115b) have the same polarity (i.e., both act as anodes).

An internal insulating spacer (113) is disposed between the internal electrodes (115a and 115b) so that the internal electrodes (115a and 115b) are electrically insulated from each other by the internal insulating spacer (113). The internal insulating spacer (113) also separates and electrically insulates the internal electrodes (115a and 115b) from the middle electrode (111).

Here, the internal insulating spacer (113) is installed in the middle part of the interior of the intermediate electrode (111) and is provided with a plurality of protrusions (113a) on its outer surface. The protrusions (113a) protrude from the outer surface (113c) of the internal insulating spacer (113) and are arranged at regular intervals along the circumferential direction. The protrusions (113a) are in contact with the inner surface of the intermediate electrode (111). Each end of the internal insulating spacer (113) is provided with an internal electrode connecting portion (113b), and the internal electrode connecting portion (113b) has an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the middle part of the internal insulating spacer (113), so that the outer surface of the internal electrode connecting portion (113b) and the outer surface of the middle part of the internal insulating spacer (113) form a step shape. Therefore, the internal electrode connecting portion (113b) of the internal insulating spacer (113) can be respectively inserted into the adjacent ends of the internal electrodes (115a and 115b). The internal insulating spacer (113) supports the internal electrodes (115a and 115b) while electrically insulating the internal electrodes (115a and 115b) from each other and separating and electrically insulating the internal electrodes (115a and 115b) from the intermediate electrode (111).

The structures of the external insulating spacer (112) and the internal insulating spacer (113) are not limited to the above. The external insulating spacer (112) and the internal insulating spacer (113) can be any structure that can meet the following conditions: the external electrodes (114a and 114b) can be supported in a state of being electrically insulated from each other; the internal electrodes (115a and 115b) can be supported in a state of being electrically insulated from each other; and the external electrodes and the internal electrodes are separated from the intermediate electrode (111) by a predetermined distance and are electrically insulated. In this case, the protrusion (112a) of the external insulating spacer (112) and the protrusion (113a) of the internal insulating spacer (113) are provided to separate and electrically insulate the external electrodes and the internal electrodes from the intermediate electrode (111), and are preferably configured so as not to hinder the flow of the electrolyte solution flowing along the channel provided between the external electrode and the intermediate electrode and the channel provided between the internal electrode and the intermediate electrode.

According to the above structure, power is supplied to the bipolar electrode, i.e., the tubular intermediate electrode (111), oppositely to the outer electrodes (114a and 114b) and the inner electrodes (115a and 115b). The tubular intermediate electrode (111) is provided between and spaced from the outer electrodes (114a and 114b) and the inner electrodes (115a and 115b). Therefore, an electrolytic reaction occurs while a fluid flows along the outer and inner surfaces of the intermediate electrode (111). Because the electrolytic reaction occurs while a fluid flows along the outer and inner surfaces of the intermediate electrode (111), the tubular electrolytic cell of the present invention exhibits electrolytic performance twice or higher than that of conventional tubular electrolytic cells. That is, even with the same volume as conventional tubular electrolytic cells, the tubular electrolytic cell of the present invention can achieve an electrolytic efficiency twice as high as that of conventional tubular electrolytic cells. Since those skilled in the art can easily understand the detailed structure and operation of the tubular electrolytic cell, they will not be described further.

In addition, the connecting plate (116) is provided with a plurality of fluid through holes (116a), which are equal in size and arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the connecting plate (116), so that fluid can be introduced into the gap between the inner electrodes (115a and 115b) and the outer electrodes (114a and 114b). In addition, one or more positioning guide pins (116b) are formed to protrude from the outer surface of the connecting plate (116). The positioning guide pins (116b) are configured to accurately and precisely align the electrode assembly structure with the spiral block (118) when the electrode assembly structure is combined with the spiral block.

Alternatively, the connecting plate (116) may be composed of a plurality of plates arranged in multiple stages. In this case, the plates are stacked so that the fluid through-holes provided in each plate are not aligned. In other words, the fluid path extending through the fluid through-holes of these plates may form a spiral shape. Alternatively, each fluid through-hole (116a) may extend in a spiral form in the connecting plate (116), thereby guiding the fluid along the spiral flow path.

The spiral block (118) is connected to the outer surface of the connecting plate (116). The spiral block (118) is provided with a plurality of spiral guide holes (118a) spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the spiral block (118). Since the fluid flows in a spiral when passing through the spiral guide holes (118a), the velocity distribution of the fluid is uniform. In addition, the spiral block (118) is provided with a positioning hole (118b) for positioning the spiral block (118), so that when the spiral block (118) is connected to the connecting plate (116), the guide hole (118a) of the spiral block (118) can be accurately and precisely aligned with the fluid through hole (116a) of the connecting plate (116). When the positioning guide pin (116b) of the connecting plate (116) is inserted into the positioning hole (118b), the fluid through hole (116a) is automatically aligned with the guide hole (118a). Therefore, the fluid can flow without flow resistance. The spiral block (118) is assembled to the connecting pipe (120) or the inlet/outlet connection joint (130).

In addition, regarding the intermediate electrode (111), half of each outer surface and inner surface in the longitudinal direction is coated with an anode material. In other words, both the outer surface and the inner surface of the intermediate electrode (111) can be used for electrolysis reaction, which is different from the prior art. Therefore, the electrolysis capacity is doubled.

In addition, between the terminal electrodes, the outer electrode (114a) serving as the cathode and the inner electrode (115a) serving as the cathode are made of stainless steel or nickel alloy. The outer electrode (114a) serving as the cathode and the inner electrode (115a) are connected to the connecting plate (116) by a connection method, such as welding that does not increase resistance. In addition, when the electrolyte solution flows, one or more surfaces of the electrode that do not participate in the electrolysis reaction, such as the inner surface of the inner electrode (115a) or the outer surface of the outer electrode (114a), are preferably coated with a metal having high conductivity, which evenly distributes the current intensity over the entire length of the electrode during the electrolysis reaction. For this reason, compared to existing multi-stage electrolytic cells, the uniformity and efficiency of the electrolysis reaction can be improved, and the heat generated during the electrolysis reaction can be controlled.

In addition, among the terminal electrodes, the outer electrode (114b) and the inner electrode (115b) serving as the anode are made of titanium. The inner surface of the outer electrode (114a) and the outer surface of the inner electrode (115b) are coated with platinum oxide to form insoluble electrodes. Furthermore, these electrodes are plated and welded in the same manner as the electrode serving as the cathode, thereby maintaining conductivity.

A plurality of tubular electrolytic cells (110) having the above structure are arranged in series, and adjacent ends thereof are connected to each other through connecting pipes (120) so that fluid can flow from one cell to another.

Furthermore, among the plurality of tubular electrolytic cells (110), the outermost electrolytic cells (110) are connected to the inlet/outlet connection joint (130). That is, the outer ends of the two outermost tubular electrolytic cells (110) are connected to the connection pipe (120) or the inlet/outlet connection joint (130). Alternatively, the outer end of one of the outermost tubular electrolytic cells (110) may be connected to the connection pipe (120), while the outer end of the other outermost tubular electrolytic cell (110) may be connected to the inlet/outlet connection joint (130).

In at least one of the connecting pipe (120) and the inlet/outlet connecting joint (130), the internal fluid passage, i.e., the fluid passage, has a tapered form to facilitate the movement of the fluid and the separation of hydrogen. That is, the connecting pipe (120) and/or the inlet/outlet connecting joint (130) has bottom surfaces (121 and 131) that are inclined upward toward the outer ends thereof, as shown in Figures 17a and 17b.

As described above, the electrolysis unit module (100) is composed of a plurality of tubular electrolysis cells (110) connected in series.

As described above, the tubular electrolyzer (110) according to an embodiment of the present invention is constructed so that a tubular bipolar electrode (i.e., an intermediate electrode) is disposed between terminal electrodes consisting of an outer electrode and an inner electrode, thereby enabling an electrolytic reaction to occur on both the inner and outer surfaces of the bipolar electrode. In this manner, the amount of electrolytic reaction that previously required two existing electrolysis modules can be performed by a single electrolysis module. That is, according to the present invention, the tubular electrolyzer can achieve electrolytic performance equivalent to that of an existing tubular electrolyzer, even at half the size. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the amount of electrode material is reduced to approximately 65%, and the amount of epoxy molding material and the amount of the frame are also reduced by approximately 50%. That is, the tubular electrolyzer of the present invention is significantly cost-effective because it can reduce size and material costs while maintaining electrolytic capacity.

In the case where the electrolysis module composed of the tubular electrolyzer having the above-described structure is applied to a ship, it can be installed in old ships as well as new ships because it requires only a reduced installation space.

The tubular electrolyzer of the present invention can be applied to electrolysis devices capable of electrolyzing general water such as fresh water, as well as electrolysis devices capable of electrolyzing seawater, salt water, and the like.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Reference numerals

50 electrolysis modules

100-unit electrolysis module

110 Tubular Electrolyzer

120 connecting pipe

130 Inlet/Outlet Connection Fittings

Claims (15)

1. A tubular electrolytic cell, characterized in that it comprises: A pair of terminal electrodes, including an external electrode and an internal electrode, wherein the external electrode and the internal electrode are electrically connected to each other at their respective first ends and separated from each other at their respective second ends; and A tubular bipolar electrode includes an intermediate electrode mounted between and electrically insulated from the terminal electrodes. 2. The tubular electrolytic cell according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises: An insulating unit supporting the separate second ends of the terminal electrodes; and A spiral block is connected to the first ends of the terminal electrodes and is provided with a spiral guide hole through which fluid passes. 3. The tubular electrolytic cell according to claim 2, wherein the terminal electrodes include a connecting plate that supports and connects the first end of the internal electrode and the first end of the external electrode, and the connecting plate is provided with a fluid through hole that communicates with a channel formed between the internal electrode and the external electrode, thereby guiding fluid to the channel. 4. The tubular electrolytic cell according to claim 3, characterized in that it further comprises: terminal insulating spacers disposed at each end of the bipolar electrode to electrically insulate and separate the bipolar electrode from the connecting plate, the internal electrode and the external electrode. 5. The tubular electrolytic cell according to claim 2, characterized in that either or both of the outer surface of the tubular external electrode and the inner surface of the tubular internal electrode are plated with a highly conductive metal, wherein the outer surface and the inner surface do not participate in the electrolytic reaction. 6. The tubular electrolytic cell according to claim 3, characterized in that the connecting plate with the fluid through hole is connected to the external electrode and the internal electrode by welding. 7. The tubular electrolytic cell according to claim 3, characterized in that the plurality of fluid through holes formed in the connecting plate are aligned with the plurality of spiral guide holes formed in the spiral block. 8. The tubular electrolytic cell according to claim 3, characterized in that a positioning guide pin is formed protruding from an outer surface of the connecting plate, the spiral block is combined with the outer surface of the connecting plate, and the spiral block is provided with a plurality of spiral guide holes arranged in the circumferential direction to correspond to a plurality of fluid through holes of the connecting plate. 9. The tubular electrolytic cell according to claim 8, characterized in that a positioning hole is provided on the spiral block, and when the spiral block is combined with the connecting plate, the positioning guide pin is inserted into the positioning hole, so that the spiral guide holes are well aligned with the fluid through holes of the connecting plate. 10. The tubular electrolytic cell according to claim 2, characterized in that the insulating unit comprises: An external insulating spacer is disposed on the middle portion of the outer surface of the bipolar electrode in the longitudinal direction; and An internal insulating spacer is disposed inside the bipolar electrode in the middle portion in the longitudinal direction. 11. The tubular electrolytic cell according to any one of claims 3 to 9, characterized in that, The insulating unit further connects the separate second ends of these terminal electrodes to each other. 12. The tubular electrolytic cell according to claim 11, characterized in that the insulating unit comprises: An external insulating spacer is disposed on the middle portion of the outer surface of the bipolar electrode in the longitudinal direction; and An internal insulating spacer is disposed inside the bipolar electrode in the middle portion in the longitudinal direction. 13. The tubular electrolytic cell according to claim 10, characterized in that the external insulating spacer comprises: Multiple protrusions are formed on the inner surface of the outer insulating spacer in the longitudinal direction at its midpoint and are arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. These protrusions contact the outer surface of the intermediate electrode. A pair of electrode connection portions are disposed at each end of the external insulating spacer. The external electrodes are inserted into the electrode connection portions. The electrode connection portions have an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the middle portion of the external insulating spacer, such that the inner surface of the electrode connection portions and the inner surface of the middle portion of the external insulating spacer form a stepped shape. 14. The tubular electrolytic cell according to claim 10, characterized in that the internal insulating spacer comprises: Multiple protrusions are disposed at regular intervals in the circumferential direction at the middle portion of the intermediate electrode in the longitudinal direction, and protrude from the outer surface of the internal insulating spacer; and A pair of electrode connection portions are disposed at each end of the internal insulating spacer and have an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the middle portion of the internal insulating spacer, such that the outer surfaces of the electrode connection portions and the outer surface of the middle portion of the internal insulating spacer form a stepped shape, wherein the electrode connection portions are inserted into the internal electrodes. 15. The tubular electrolytic cell according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it further comprises: a connecting tube or an inlet/outlet connector, which is coupled to the first ends of the terminal electrodes and is used to connect one of the tubular electrolytic cells to another tubular electrolytic cell, wherein the connecting tube or the inlet/outlet connector is configured such that its bottom surface is inclined upward toward one end of the connecting tube or the inlet/outlet connector.