Sensor array for multi-cell electrolyzer stack

Abstract

A sensor system comprises a sensor array comprising one or more sensors associated with an electrolyzer cell, wherein the one or more sensors produce sensory signals corresponding to one or more specified phenomena of the electrolyzer cell, a sensor board configured to amplify, filter, shape, or condition the sensory signals and to digitize the sensory signals to provide digitized information, a first communication link between the sensor board and the sensor array, and a second communication link configured to transmit the digitized information to a central controller outside the sensor system.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sensor system comprising:
 a sensor array comprising one or more sensors associated with an electrolyzer cell, wherein the one or more sensors produce sensory signals corresponding to one or more specified phenomena of the electrolyzer cell;   a sensor board configured to amplify, filter, shape, or condition the sensory signals and to digitize the sensory signals to provide digitized information;   a first communication link between the sensor board and the sensor array; and   a second communication link configured to transmit the digitized information to a central controller outside the sensor system.   
     
     
         2 . The sensor system of  claim 1 , wherein the second communication link includes a wireless transponder configured for wirelessly communication with the central controller. 
     
     
         3 . The sensor system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more specified phenomena of the electrolyzer cell comprises at least one of: a voltage across the electrolyzer cell, a pH in at least a portion of the electrolyzer cell, and a temperature at a specified location of the electrolyzer cell. 
     
     
         4 . An electrolyzer system comprising:
 an electrolyzer stack comprising one or more electrolyzer cells, wherein each electrolyzer cell comprises a first half-cell with a first electrode and a second half-cell with a second electrode;   a central controller configured to control operation of one or more aspects of each of the one or more electrolyzer cells of the electrolyzer stack;   a sensor array for each of one or more corresponding electrolyzer cells of the electrolyzer stack, wherein each sensor array comprises one or more sensors associated with the corresponding electrolyzer cell, wherein the one or more sensors produce sensory signals corresponding to one or more specified phenomena of the corresponding electrolyzer cell;   a sensor board for each corresponding electrolyzer cell, wherein each sensor board is configured to amplify, filter, shape, or condition the sensory signals from a corresponding sensor array and to digitize the sensory signals of the corresponding sensor array to provide digitized information for the corresponding electrolyzer cell; and   a communication link for each sensor board, wherein each communication link is configured to transmit the digitized information for the corresponding electrolyzer cell to the central controller.   
     
     
         5 . The electrolyzer system of  claim 4 , wherein the electrolyzer stack comprises a plurality of electrolyzer cells connected in series. 
     
     
         6 . The electrolyzer system of  claim 4 , wherein the electrolyzer stack comprises from about 5 to about 500 electrolyzer cells. 
     
     
         7 . The electrolyzer system of  claim 4 , wherein the one or more specified phenomena of the corresponding electrolyzer cell comprise at least one of: a voltage across the corresponding electrolyzer cell, a pH in at least a portion of the corresponding electrolyzer cell, and a temperature at a specified location of the corresponding electrolyzer cell. 
     
     
         8 . The electrolyzer system of  claim 4 , wherein at least one of the communication links between the sensor boards and the central controller comprises a sensor board wireless transponder configured to wirelessly transmit the digitized information from the sensor board to the central controller. 
     
     
         9 . The electrolyzer system of  claim 8 , wherein the central controller comprises a central controller wireless transponder configured to communicate with each sensor board wireless transponder. 
     
     
         10 . The electrolyzer system of  claim 4 , wherein the central controller receives data from the communication link and processes the data with a specified logic and takes one or more specified actions based on the processed data. 
     
     
         11 . The electrolyzer system of  claim 4 , wherein the sensor board and the sensor array for each corresponding electrolyzer cell derive power from at least one of: an electrolyzer voltage from the corresponding electrolyzer cell, standard electrical power, and one or more batteries. 
     
     
         12 . The electrolyzer system of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more batteries comprise one or more rechargeable batteries, wherein the one or more batteries are configured to be recharged by at least one of the one or more electrolyzer cells. 
     
     
         13 . A method of producing hydrogen gas, the method comprising:
 providing or receiving an electrolyzer stack comprising one or more electrolyzer cells, wherein each electrolyzer cell comprises a first half-cell with an anode and a second half-cell with a cathode;   producing hydrogen gas at the cathode;   measuring one or more specified phenomena of a corresponding one of the one or more electrolyzer cells with a sensor array comprising one or more sensors associated with the corresponding one of the one or more electrolyzer cells, wherein the one or more sensors produce sensory signals corresponding to the one or more specified phenomena;   modifying the sensory signals to provide digitized information corresponding to the sensory signals; and   transmitting the digitized information to a central controller configured to control operation of one or more aspects of the one or more electrolyzer cells of the electrolyzer stack.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein modifying the sensory signals comprises at least one of amplifying, filtering, shaping, or conditioning the sensory signals to produce the digitized information. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the electrolyzer stack comprises a plurality of electrolyzer cells connected in series. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more specified phenomena comprise at least one of: a voltage across the corresponding one of the one or more electrolyzer cells, a pH in at least a portion of the corresponding one of the one or more electrolyzer cells, and a temperature at a specified location of the corresponding one of the one or more electrolyzer cells. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 receiving the digitized information at the central controller;   processing the received digitized information with specified logic at the central controller; and   taking one or more specified actions with the central controller.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the one or more specified actions comprise activating a mechanism that controls the operation of the electrolyzer stack. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising supplying power for the one or more sensors from at least one of: the corresponding one of the one or more electrolyzer cells, standard electrical power, and one or more batteries. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising recharging the one or more batteries from the one or more electrolyzer cells.