Transformerless On-Site Generation

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for electrolysis that does not require the use of a transformer to operate. The apparatus comprises one or more electrolytic cells which comprise the number of intermediate electrodes sufficient to enable the cell or cells to operate at the rectified line voltage without any need for voltage regulation, or near the rectified line voltage with only some voltage regulation, such as less than 20% of the rectified line voltage. Such regulation is achieved by using a buck or boost converter rather than a transformer, and can be varied to accommodate fluctuations in the line voltage and/or conductivity of the electrolyte, or varied to produce different chemistries in the same apparatus.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus comprising one or more electrolytic cells comprising a number of intermediate electrodes sufficient to enable the apparatus to operate within only a percentage of a rectified line voltage while maintaining a desired plate to plate voltage between adjacent intermediate electrodes;
 said apparatus not comprising a transformer.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  designed to operate at approximately the rectified line voltage, said apparatus not comprising any voltage regulation. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  comprising voltage regulation provided by a buck converter circuit or a boost converter circuit. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3  wherein said voltage regulation can vary a voltage across said one or more electrolytic cells up to approximately eighty percent of the rectified line voltage. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein said voltage regulation can vary a voltage across said one or more electrolytic cells up to approximately fifty percent of the rectified line voltage. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein said voltage regulation can vary a voltage across said one or more electrolytic cells up to approximately twenty-five percent of the rectified line voltage. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein said voltage regulation can vary a voltage across said one or more electrolytic cells up to approximately twenty percent of the rectified line voltage. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein a plurality of electrolytic cells is connected in series. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of contactors in an H-bridge configuration for reversing the polarity of said one or more electrolytic cells in order to enable self-cleaning of said one or more electrolytic cells. 
     
     
         10 . A method for performing electrolysis, the method comprising:
 rectifying incoming line voltage;   providing one or more electrolytic cells comprising a number of intermediate electrodes sufficient to enable the one or more electrolytic cells to operate within only a percentage of a rectified line voltage while maintaining a desired plate to plate voltage between adjacent intermediate electrodes; and   not varying the rectified line voltage or varying the rectified line voltage without using a transformer.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the rectified line voltage is not varied because the number of intermediate electrodes is sufficient to enable the one or more electrolytic cells to operate at approximately the rectified line voltage. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  wherein varying the rectified line voltage is performed using a buck converter circuit or a boost converter circuit. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein varying the rectified line voltage comprises varying a voltage across the one or more electrolytic cells up to approximately eighty percent of the rectified line voltage. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein varying the rectified line voltage comprises varying a voltage across the one or more electrolytic cells up to approximately fifty percent of the rectified line voltage. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein varying the rectified line voltage comprises varying a voltage across the one or more electrolytic cells up to approximately twenty-five percent of the rectified line voltage. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein varying the rectified line voltage comprises varying a voltage across the one or more electrolytic cells up to approximately twenty percent of the rectified line voltage. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10  wherein varying the rectified line voltage accommodates fluctuations in the incoming line voltage. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10  wherein varying the rectified line voltage changes the chemical products produced by the one or more electrolytic cells. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the chemical products are selected from the group consisting of quantity of hydrogen and hypochlorite to hydrogen peroxide ratio. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 10  wherein varying the rectified line voltage comprises accommodating a varying conductivity of electrolyte. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20  wherein the electrolyte comprises seawater and the conductivity of the seawater varies due to fluctuations in salinity and/or temperature of the seawater. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 10  comprising connecting a plurality of electrolytic cells in series. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 10  further comprising reversing the polarity of the one or more electrolytic cells using a plurality of contactors in an H-bridge configuration, thereby self-cleaning the one or more electrolytic cells. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 12  further wherein varying the rectified line voltage using a boost converter circuit comprises harvesting energy from a low voltage power source or matching a solar array output to a desired voltage across the one or more electrolytic cells.