1. A PEM water electrolyser module comprising a plurality of structural plates each having a sidewall extending between opposite end faces with a half cell chamber opening, at least one oxygen degassing chamber opening, and at least one hydrogen gas collection manifold opening, extending through said structural plate between said opposite end faces;
said structural plates being arranged in face to face juxtaposition between opposite end plates,
each said half cell chamber opening at least partially housing electrolytic half cell components comprising at least a MEA, a bipolar plate in electrical communication with said MEA, said structural plates and half cell components defining an array of series connected electrolytic cells surmounted by at least one oxygen degassing chamber, and at least one hydrogen gas collection manifold;
said structural plates defining at least when in said face to face juxtaposition, respective gas-liquid passages extending between a top part of the anode half cell chambers and a bottom part of said upper section of at least one of said at least one oxygen degassing chamber to provide fluid communication between the anode half cell chambers and said at least one of said at least one oxygen degassing chamber;
said structural plates further defining, at least when in said face to face juxtaposition discrete degassed liquid passages extending between a bottom part of at least one of said at least one oxygen degassing chamber and a bottom part of said anode half cell chambers for degassed liquid return from at least one of said at least one oxygen degassing chamber to said anode half cell chambers;
said structural plates further defining, at least when in face to face juxtaposition hydrogen gas passages extending between a top part of the cathode half cell chambers and at least one of said at least one gas collection manifold;
said PEM water electrolyser module further comprising oxygen gas discharge and feed water passages extending therethrough and fluidly communicating with said degassing chamber for oxygen gas discharge from said at least one oxygen degassing chamber and for feed water introduction into said degassing chamber; and,
said PEM water electrolyser module further comprising hydrogen gas passages extending therethrough for hydrogen gas discharge from said at least one hydrogen gas collection manifold.
2. A PEM water electrolyser module as claimed in claim 1 further comprising at least one intermediate pressure plate interspersed between said structural plates along said length of said PEM water electrolyser module; each said at least one intermediate pressure plate comprising opposite end faces with a sidewall extending therebetween, said intermediate pressure plate defining at least one oxygen-water degassing chamber opening and at least one hydrogen gas collection manifold opening extending between its opposite end faces for registering with said at least one oxygen degassing chamber and said at least one hydrogen gas collection manifold for receiving oxygen gas and hydrogen gas, respectively, therefrom.
3. The PEM water electrolyser module of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of said gas-liquid, degassed liquid, and hydrogen gas passages are partially defined by channels extending into at least one of said opposite end faces of said structural plates.
4. The PEM water electrolyser module of claim 3 wherein said passages are defined by surface channels extending into at least some of said opposite end faces of said structural members in conjunction with the adjacent of said opposite end faces of said structural plates.
5. A PEM water electrolyser module as claimed in claim 1 wherein said degassing chamber opening further comprises a fluid flow directing means where said gas-liquid passages enter said degassing chamber.
6. A PEM water electrolyser module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising holding features in said body around the periphery of said half cell chamber opening for locating and holding said electrolytic half cell components.
7. A PEM water electrolyser module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising holding features in at least said structural plates for locating and holding sealing gaskets.
8. A PEM water electrolyser module as claimed in claim 1, wherein said structural plates are comprised of plastic.
9. A PEM water electrolyser module as claimed in claim 1, wherein said structural plates are comprised of fibre reinforced plastic.
10. A PEM water electrolyser module as claimed in claim 1, wherein said structural plates are comprised of silicon carbide.
11. A method of producing hydrogen gas and oxygen gas using a PEM water electrolyser module as claimed in claim 1 comprising the steps of:
(a) generating hydrogen gas and oxygen gas by electrolysis of water in a plurality of electrolytic cells contained in said PEM water electrolyser module;
(b) transferring said hydrogen gas directly from the top part of each cathode half cell chamber to at least one hydrogen gas collection manifold integrally contained in said PEM water electrolyser module structure through respective hydrogen gas passages extending directly from said each cathode half cell chamber to said at least one hydrogen gas collection manifold;
(c) removing said hydrogen gas from said at least one hydrogen gas collection manifold;
(d) transferring a mixture of said oxygen gas and liquid water directly from the top part of each anode half cell chamber to a bottom part of an upper section of at least one oxygen degassing chamber contained in said electrolyser module structure through respective gas-liquid passages extending directly from said each anode half cell chamber to said at least one oxygen degassing chamber;
(e) separating said oxygen gas from said liquid water in said at least one oxygen degassing chamber to produce oxygen gas and degassed liquid water;
(f) removing said oxygen gas from the top part of said at least one oxygen degassing chamber;
(g) transferring said degassed liquid water directly from a bottom part of a lower section of said at least one oxygen degassing chamber to the bottom part of each of said anode half cell chambers through respective discrete degassed liquid passages extending directly from said at least one oxygen degassing chamber to said each anode half cell chamber.
12. A method of operating a PEM water electrolyser module as claimed in claim 11 wherein the hydrogen side and the oxygen side of said PEM water electrolyser module are operated at substantially equal pressures.
13. A method of operating a PEM water electrolyser module as claimed in claim 11 wherein the hydrogen side and the oxygen side of said PEM water electrolyser module are operated at different pressures.
14. A method of operating a PEM water electrolyser module as claimed claim 11 wherein said pressures are greater than atmospheric pressure.
15. A method of operating a PEM water electrolyser module as claimed in claim 11 wherein cooling is provided by at least one of cooling tubes and cooling coils in said oxygen degassing chamber.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. An improved ink jet ink composition comprising:
(a) from about 60% to about 98% by total weight of a water-based carrier medium, wherein said medium comprises:
(1) up to about 30% by total weight of the medium of water-soluble organic component selected from the group consisting of alcohols, amides, carboxylic acids, esters, ethers, glycerine, glycols, glycol esters, glycol ethers, ketones, lactams, lactones, sulfones, organosulfoxides, and combinations thereof, and
(2) the balance of the medium being water;
(b) from about 1% to about 20% by total weight of at least one pigment; and
(c) wherein the improvement comprises the addition of from about 0.1% to about 20% by total weight of polymer produced by reacting in a polymerization reaction a mixture comprising:
(1) from about 30% to about 60% by weight of the mixture of styrene,
(2) from about 20% to about 50% by weight of the mixture of acrylic acid,
(3) from about 5% to about 20% by weight of the mixture of butyl acrylate, and
(4) a catalytic amount of at least one polymerization initiator.
2. The ink jet ink composition of claim 1 wherein the water-based carrier medium comprises about 70% to about 95% by total weight of the ink jet ink composition.
3. The ink jet ink composition of claim 1 wherein the pigment comprises about 2% to about 5% by total weight of the ink jet ink composition.
4. The ink jet ink composition of claim 1 wherein the polymer comprises about 1% to about 10% by total weight of the ink jet ink composition.
5. The ink jet ink composition of claim 1 wherein the polymer comprises about 2% to about 5% by total weight of the ink jet ink composition.
6. The ink jet ink composition of claim 1 wherein the polymer is produced by reacting in a polymerization reaction a mixture comprising:
(1) from about 40% to about 55% by weight of the mixture of styrene,
(2) from about 30% to about 45% by weight of the mixture of acrylic acid,
(3) from about 8% to about 15% by weight of the mixture of butyl acrylate, and
(4) a catalytic amount of at least one polymerization initiator.
7. The ink jet ink composition of claim 1 wherein the polymer is produced by reacting in a polymerization reaction a mixture comprising:
(1) from about 49% to about 51% by weight of the mixture of styrene,
(2) from about 39% to about 41% by weight of the mixture of acrylic acid,
(3) from about 9% to about 11% by weight of the mixture of butyl acrylate, and
(4) a catalytic amount of at least one polymerization initiator.
8. The ink jet ink composition of claim 1 wherein the polymer has an acid number in the range of about 200 to about 300.
9. The ink jet ink composition of claim 1 wherein the polymer has a weight average molecular weight in the range of about 3,000 to about 20,000.
10. The ink jet ink composition of claim 1 wherein the polymer has a softening point in the range of about 100 C. to about 150 C.
11. The ink jet ink composition of claim 1 wherein the polymer has a glass transition temperature of less than about 150 C.
12. The ink jet ink composition of claim 1 wherein the ink jet ink composition has an alkaline pH.
13. The ink jet ink composition of claim 1 wherein the pH within the range of about 7 to about 10.
14. The ink jet ink composition of claim 1 wherein the ink jet ink composition has a surface tension from about 20 to about 70 dynescm
15. The ink jet ink composition of claim 1 wherein the ink jet ink composition has a viscosity below about 15 cP at 25 C.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein the polymerization initiator comprises from about 0.5% to about 5.0% by total weight of the mixture and is a member selected from the group consisting of thermal initiators, redox initiators, and combinations thereof.