Static Vapor Feed Electrolyzer for Life Support Oxygen

For any system in space, mass, volume, and reliability are critical. At Giner, we have developed a next generation electrolyzer for oxygen production that has several advantages in these areas over the state-of-the-art Oxygen Generator Assembly and Advanced Oxygen Generator Assembly currently in use and planned for use aboard the International Space Station. Giner’s Static Vapor Feed Electrolyzer (SVFE) offers greatly simplified operation compared to traditional liquid cathode feed electrolyzers. At the heart of this innovation is the water management membrane (WaMM). The WaMM is an electrically conductive film that allows static feed operation by transporting water by means of a concentration gradient into the hydrogen compartment of the electrolyzer. Because no liquid water flows into the anode or cathode, phase separators are not required on the oxygen or hydrogen outlets. Additionally, no water delivery pump is required resulting in increased simplicity and reliability of the supporting balance of plant. Giner has operated a first generation, SVFE stack for over 45,000 hr and 18,000 cycles demonstrating nominal operation of an SVFE stack producing 1.7 lbs/day. With minimal active cooling and low back pressure applied to the anode and cathode, we have produced hydrogen and oxygen with a dew point of 58°F and 61°F, respectively, at an operating temperature of 106°F proving the ability of the WaMM-based SVFE to generate low moisture content oxygen in a safe, reliable system with a simple balance of plant. Currently, Giner is testing a 40-cell 3rd generation SVFE stack that can support up to 4 crew members. The focus of this program is to study gas humidities under different temperatures and pressure to optimize operating conditions for low product gas humidity and stack durability. Acknowledgement: The current project is financially supported by NASA under the Grant 80NSSC23CA030. Previous NASA Grants include NNX13CJ41C, 80NSSC19C0017, and 80NSSC20C0047.