Reasons for arcing at the outlet of ion membrane cells

I hope the senior teachers will be kind enough to offer their guidance! Thank you again!

Sparking at the outlet of an ion membrane cell is generally not related to the electrolyte flow rate; the most likely cause is a short circuit resulting from leakage. This post was last edited by Captain Yang on 2008-8-15 at 17:27.]

Is the spark caused by stray current? If possible, please check the grounding and power-off function of the battery tank.

In our facility, there were instances of sparks appearing in the outlet hose for the catholyte in the rear section; please check whether the electrolyzer has poor insulation and identify any areas where there may be leaks

There are 2 reasons: 1 The change in the catholyte flow rate causes a change in potential； 2. The insulation at the outlets and the power-off function are not effective; upon further analysis, the cause can be found in the battery itself. Last edited by limingshuguang on 2008-8-16 22:43.]

The main thing to check is whether the electrolyzer is properly grounded; in our facility, poor grounding once led to an increase in stray currents.

Most sparking occurrences take place at the cathode, and there are two main reasons for this: 1) The flow rate of the cathode solution is insufficient or unstable; when the solution overflows, the flow is interrupted. At the moment of interruption, differences in potential lead to discharge, producing small sparks, similar to those produced by a lighter’s striker； 2) It is related to the connection point of the electrolyzer hose; this hose is used to cut off power, primarily to stop leakage current. If the size of the hose is not appropriate, the power-cutting effect will be poor, which can also lead to arcing. There’s no real hazard; it won’t explode when ignited because there’s no oxygen in the battery cell. On the other hand, if it’s not properly sealed, it can explode. The solution is to increase the cathode flow rate appropriately, but not by too much; if it is increased too significantly, overflow will occur too quickly and the performance of the hose in terms of power delivery will be poor. This post was last edited by limingshuguang on 2008-8-16 22:44.]

It has happened to us too, mainly due to grounding issues and electric leakage

Today, in the December 2008 issue of \"China Chlor-Alkali\", I read papers written by several researchers from Kaifeng Dongda Chemical of Pingmei Group. In those papers, they argued that the sparking at the outlet hose of the electrolyzer is the result of the combustion of hydrogen and oxygen; since there is a significant difference in electromotive force at both ends of the hose, the hose can be considered as an electrical circuit. Electrolysis of water occurred in the return hose, producing hydrogen and oxygen, which led to combustion and sparking! ! I, however, think that one possibility is that this phenomenon often occurs when the electrolyzer is just powered on; at that time, due to the formation of bubbles, the iron in that portion of the catholyte rises to the surface, just like magnesium hydroxide in a clear tank, and circulates along with the catholyte. While in the hoses, the presence of a potential difference causes the iron to discharge during this process. As the current increases and the operating time prolongs, iron will gradually get adsorbed on the cathode electrode, and this phenomenon will slowly disappear! Another possibility is that a potential difference exists at both ends of the hose, and since the electrolyte is an alkaline solution which is a type II conductor, discharge and sparking can also occur when the flow is interrupted! The differential pressure gauge located below our forced-circulation electrolyzer sometimes has poor insulation, which causes arcing to occur inside its pressure transfer tube! It will disappear after insulation treatment; the principle is the same! If sparking is caused by the combustion of hydrogen and oxygen, then this phenomenon will persist throughout the operation of the electrolyzer! In fact, this phenomenon usually occurs when power is first applied to the electrolyzer at low load, and it takes place at both ends of the electrolysis! At both ends, it’s easy to understand that it’s mainly due to the large potential difference at those ends! ! I wonder what everyone thinks! I hope everyone can discuss and clarify doubts! ! This post was last edited by limingshuguang on 2009-2-28 10:29.]

When there are electric sparks at the cathode outlet, the electrolyzer experiences leakage; this is caused by stray currents in some electrolyzers. You can turn off the lighting in the electrolyzer at night, and you’ll see a quite spectacular sight – it’s really impressive the first time you see it :P This post was last edited by limingshuguang on 2008-12-19 11:00