Control arrangement for an alkaline pressure electrolyzer

Abstract

In a control arrangement and a method for controlling an alkaline pressure electrolyzer including gas spaces for receiving the H 2 and O 2 gases generated by the pressure electrolyzer, a manual control input and an integrally operating controller for at least one of the control values gas pressure and fill level difference of the gas spaces, and an uncoupling network which provides control inputs for independently controlling at least one of the fill level difference and the gas pressure in the gas spaces, hydrogen and oxygen blowdown valves in communication with the respective gas spaces are controlled such that the blowdown flows of the hydrogen and the oxygen from the respective gas spaces are at a ratio of 2:1 and the sum of the blowdown gas flow volume change is zero.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A control arrangement for an alkaline pressure electrolyzer having gas spaces for receiving H 2  and O 2  gases, said control arrangement including integrally acting controllers for controlling the control variables fill level difference and gas pressure in said gas spaces, and means for independently influencing said control values.  
     
     
         2 . A control arrangement according to  claim 1 , wherein said means for independently influencing said control variables fill level difference and gas pressure comprises an uncoupling network ( 84 ,  85 ,  87 ,  88 ,  89 ,  92 ,  93 ) with control inputs.  
     
     
         3 . A control arrangement according to  claim 1 , wherein said uncoupling network ( 84 ,  85 ,  86 ,  87 ,  88 ,  89 ,  92 ,  93 ) comprises four transmission blocks ( 84 ,  85 ,  86 ,  87 ) with four transmission factors for establishing an uncoupling function and four summing devices ( 88 ,  89 ,  92 ,  93 ) for forming input signals for the uncoupling network and for forming control signals for controlling blow-down valves, which are in communication with said gas spaces for releasing gases therefrom.  
     
     
         4 . A control arrangement according to  claim 2 , wherein said uncoupling network ( 84 ,  85 ,  86 ,  87 ,  88 ,  89 ,  92 ,  93 ) includes a constant voltage source ( 90 ).  
     
     
         5 . A control arrangement according to  claim 1 , wherein a P-controller ( 82 ) is provided as means for controlling the fill level difference.  
     
     
         6 . A control arrangement according to  claim 1 , wherein said means for controlling said gas pressure includes a P-controller ( 83 ).  
     
     
         7 . A control arrangement according to  claim 5 , wherein said P-controller ( 82 ) includes a desired value input.  
     
     
         8 . A control arrangement according to  claim 6 , wherein said P-controller ( 83 ) includes a desired value input.  
     
     
         9 . A method of controlling an alkaline pressure electrolyzer having gas spaces for receiving H 2  and O 2  gases and including a manual control input ( 95 ) and an integrally operating controller ( 165 ) for the control value gas pressure in said gas spaces, an uncoupling network ( 84 ,  85 ,  87 ,  88 ,  89 ,  90 ,  92 ,  93 ), which provides control inputs for independently controlling a fill level difference and the gas pressure in said gas spaces, and hydrogen and oxygen blow-down valves in communication with said gas spaces for releasing H 2  and, respectively, O 2  therefrom, said method comprising the step of controlling the blow-down of said hydrogen and said oxygen from the respective gas spaces at a ratio of 2:1.  
     
     
         10 . A method of controlling an alkaline pressure electrolyzer including gas spaces for receiving H 2  and O 2  gases generated by said pressure electrolyzer, a manual control input ( 94 ) and an integrally acting controller ( 164 ) for the control value fill level difference, an uncoupling network ( 84 ,  85 ,  86 ,  87 ,  88 ,  89 ,  90 ,  92 ,  93 ), which provides control inputs for independently controlling the fill level difference of said gas spaces and the gas pressure therein and hydrogen and oxygen blow-down valves ( 122 ,  123 ) in communication with said gas spaces for releasing H 2  and, respectively, O 2  therefrom, said method comprising the step of controlling with a change of the control signal to the manual control input of the fill-level difference ( 94 ) the blow-down volume flows of gases from said gas spaces in such a way that the sum of the gas flow changes is zero.  
     
     
         11 . A method of controlling an alkaline pressure electrolyzer including gas spaces for receiving H 2  and O 2  gases generated by said pressure electrolyzer, a manual control input ( 94 ,  95 ) and an integrally acting controller ( 164 ,  166 ) for each of the control values gas pressure and fill level difference of said gas spaces, an uncoupling network ( 84 ,  85 ,  87 ,  88 ,  89 ,  90 ,  92 ,  93 ), which provides control inputs for independently controlling fill level difference and gas pressure in said gas spaces, and hydrogen and oxygen blow-down valves ( 122 ,  123 ) in communication with the respective gas spaces, said method comprising the steps of controlling said hydrogen and oxygen blow-down valves such that the blow-down volume flow from said hydrogen and oxygen gas spaces is at a ratio 2:1 and a change of the control signal for the manual control input of the fill-level difference causes the blow-down volume flows of the gases from the gas spaces such that the sum of the gas flow changes of the two flows is zero while concurrently influencing the control values fill-level difference and gas pressure independently of each other.