Electrolyser arrangement

Abstract

An electrolyser arrangement with at least one electrolytic cell, having two electrodes, namely an anode and a cathode, each of the two electrodes being in contact with an electrode compartment for filling with a liquid electrolyte, the two electrode compartments being separated by a membrane and a conveying device being provided, one for each of the two electrodes, for conveying the electrolyte in each case in a circuit, a cathode circuit and an anode circuit, through the electrode compartment via at least one collection vessel per circuit and back into the electrode chamber. A device is provided outside the electrolytic cell, for conveying an auxiliary volume flow between the cathode circuit and the anode circuit.

1 . An electrolyzer arrangement having comprising:
 at least one electrolysis cell comprising two electrodes, namely an anode and a cathode, wherein each of the two electrodes is in contact with an electrode space for filling with a liquid electrolyte, wherein the two electrode spaces are separated by a membrane,   a conveyor apparatus for each of the two electrodes for conveying the electrolyte through the electrode space in a respective circuit, comprising a cathode circuit and an anode circuit, and   an apparatus outside the electrolysis cell for conveying a secondary volume flow between the cathode circuit and the anode circuit.   
     
     
         2 . The electrolyzer arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the cathode circuit and the anode circuit each have a collecting container. 
     
     
         3 . The electrolyzer arrangement as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein a first secondary volume flow takes place between a first collecting container and the second collecting container. 
     
     
         4 . The electrolyzer arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a second conveyor apparatus for producing a second secondary volume flow between the two circuits, which takes place in the opposite direction from the first secondary volume flow.   
     
     
         5 . The electrolyzer arrangement as claimed in  claim 4 ,
 wherein the second conveyor apparatus for producing the second secondary volume flow is configured in the form of a membrane module.   
     
     
         6 . The electrolyzer arrangement as claimed in  claim 5 ,
 wherein both the cathode circuit and the anode circuit pass through the membrane module.   
     
     
         7 . The electrolyzer arrangement as claimed in  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a pump apparatus between the collecting containers in order to bring about the second secondary volume flow.   
     
     
         8 . The electrolyzer arrangement as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising:
 an overflow or a pump apparatus between the two collecting containers in order to bring about the first partial volume flow.   
     
     
         9 . The electrolyzer arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 ,
 wherein the membrane between the electrode spaces is a cation permeable membrane.   
     
     
         10 . The electrolyzer arrangement as claimed in  claim 8 ,
 wherein the secondary volume flow takes place from the cathode circuit to the anode circuit.   
     
     
         11 . The electrolyzer arrangement as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a vapor deposition container in the cathode circuit and/or in the anode circuit and there is provision for a connecting line from one of the vapor deposition containers to an educt supply apparatus.   
     
     
         12 . A method for operating an electrolyzer having at least one electrolysis cell that in turn has two electrodes, comprising an anode and a cathode, wherein each electrode has an electrode space through which a liquid electrolyte having a conducting salt dissolved therein is conveyed in a respective conveyor circuit namely in a cathode circuit and an anode circuit, in a respective primary volume flow and wherein the two electrode spaces and hence the electrolyte contained therein are separated by a membrane, the method comprising:
 conveying the electrolyte from one circuit to a second circuit in a secondary volume flow.   
     
     
         13 . The method as claimed in  claim 12 ,
 wherein the secondary volume flow is at least 0.01 and at most 10% of the larger of the two primary volume flows.   
     
     
         14 . The method as claimed in  claim 13 ,
 wherein the secondary volume flow is at least 0.1 and at most 1% of the larger of the two primary volume flows.   
     
     
         15 . The method as claimed in  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a collecting container in each of the two circuits;   wherein the electrolyte in the secondary volume flow is conveyed from a first collecting container to a second collecting container.