Reliable, Fault-Tolerant, Electrolyzer Cell Stack Architecture

Abstract

A method for increasing the reliability of an electrolyzer cell stack includes providing multiple electrolyzer cell stacks. Each electrolyzer cell stack includes multiple cells separated by electrically conductive interconnects. The method may further include generating, using an external power source, an electrical current through each of the electrolyzer cell stacks to produce a fuel. The method may further include electrically connecting an interconnect of a first electrolyzer cell stack to an interconnect of a second electrolyzer cell stack located at a substantially equivalent electrical potential. This allows current to flow from one electrolyzer cell stack to another in the event a cell fails or creates a point of high resistance.

1 . A method for increasing the reliability of an electrolyzer cell stack, the method comprising:
 providing first and second electrolyzer cell stacks, each electrolyzer cell stack comprising a plurality of cells electrically connected in series;   generating, using an external power source, a first current through the first electrolyzer cell stack and a second current through the second electrolyzer cell stack, thereby causing the first and second electrolyzer cell stacks to produce a fuel;   electrically routing at least part of the first current through the second electrolyzer cell stack in the event at least one cell of the first electrolyzer cell stack fails.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second electrolyzer cell stacks are solid oxide electrolyzer cell stacks. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein electrically routing comprises electrically routing at least part of the first current from a first interconnect of the first electrolyzer cell stack to a second interconnect of the second electrolyzer cell stack having a substantially equivalent electrical potential as the first interconnect. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein electrically routing comprises electrically routing at least part of the first current from the first interconnect to the second interconnect in the event the electrical potential of the first interconnect exceeds that of the second interconnect. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the first and second interconnects each comprise an electrically conductive projection extending therefrom. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein electrically routing comprises electrically routing at least part of the first current through a conductor connected between the first and second electrically conductive projections. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one cell produces one of an open circuit and a higher than normal resistance. 
   
   
       8 . A method for increasing the reliability of an electrolyzer cell stack, the method comprising:
 providing first and second electrolyzer cell stacks, each electrolyzer cell stack comprising a plurality of cells separated by a plurality of electrically conductive interconnects;   generating, using an external power source, a first current through the first electrolyzer cell stack and a second current through the second electrolyzer cell stack, thereby causing the first and second electrolyzer cell stacks to produce a fuel; and   electrically connecting a first interconnect of the first electrolyzer cell stack to a second interconnect of the second electrolyzer cell stack located at a substantially equivalent electrical potential.   
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the first and second electrolyzer cell stacks are solid oxide electrolyzer cell stacks. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising electrically routing at least part of the first current from the first interconnect to the second interconnect in the event at least one cell of the first electrolyzer cell stack fails. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising electrically routing at least part of the first current from the first interconnect to the second interconnect in the event the electrical potential of the first interconnect exceeds that of the second interconnect. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the first and second interconnects each comprise an electrically conductive projection extending therefrom. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein electrically connecting comprises extending a conductor between the electrically conductive projections. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the conductor is selected from the group consisting of a wire and a bus bar. 
   
   
       15 . A method for increasing the reliability of an electrolyzer cell stack, the method comprising:
 providing first and second electrolyzer cell stacks, each electrolyzer cell stack comprising a plurality of cells separated by a plurality of electrically conductive interconnects;   generating, using an external power source, a first current through the first electrolyzer cell stack and a second current through the second electrolyzer cell stack, thereby causing the first and second electrolyzer cell stacks to produce a fuel; and   electrically connecting selected interconnects of the first electrolyzer cell stack to selected interconnects of the second electrolyzer cell stack located at substantially equivalent electrical potentials.   
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein electrically connecting comprises electrically connecting every nth interconnect of the first electrolyzer cell stack to every nth interconnect of the second electrolyzer cell stack. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the first and second electrolyzer cell stacks are solid oxide electrolyzer cell stacks. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the selected interconnects each comprise an electrically conductive projection extending therefrom. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein electrically connecting comprises extending a conductor between the electrically conductive projections. 
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the conductor is selected from the group consisting of a wire and a bus bar. 
   
   
       21 . A method for increasing the reliability of an electrolyzer cell stack, the method comprising:
 providing first and second electrolyzer cell stacks, each electrolyzer cell stack comprising a plurality of cells separated by a plurality of electrically conductive interconnects, wherein the first and second electrolyzer cell stacks are solid oxide electrolyzer cell stacks;   generating, using an external power source, a first current through the first electrolyzer cell stack and a second current through the second electrolyzer cell stack, thereby causing the first and second electrolyzer cell stacks to produce a fuel; and   electrically connecting selected interconnects of the first electrolyzer cell stack to selected interconnects of the second electrolyzer cell stack located at substantially equivalent electrical potentials, wherein electrically connecting comprises electrically connecting every nth interconnect of the first electrolyzer cell stack to every nth interconnect of the second electrolyzer cell stack.   
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the selected interconnects each comprise an electrically conductive projection extending therefrom. 
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein electrically connecting comprises extending a conductor between the electrically conductive projections. 
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the conductor is selected from the group consisting of a wire and a bus bar. 
   
   
       25 . A method for increasing the reliability of an electrolyzer cell stack, the method comprising:
 providing first and second electrolyzer cell stacks, each electrolyzer cell stack comprising a plurality of cells separated by a plurality of electrically conductive interconnects, wherein the first and second electrolyzer cell stacks are solid oxide electrolyzer cell stacks;   generating, using an external power source, a first current through the first electrolyzer cell stack and a second current through the second electrolyzer cell stack, thereby causing the first and second electrolyzer cell stacks to produce a fuel; and   electrically connecting selected interconnects of the first electrolyzer cell stack to selected interconnects of the second electrolyzer cell stack located at substantially equivalent electrical potentials, wherein the selected interconnects each comprise an electrically conductive projection extending therefrom, and wherein electrically connecting comprises extending a conductor between the electrically conductive projections.