Open Source Brine Electrolysis Apperatus

Basics

• A membrane or diaphragm cell filled with salt water (brine) and electrolyzed
• Produces hydrogen, chlorine (which is quickly converted to hydrochloric acid via water bubblers (redundant ones even)) so no worries not running that around everywhere)

and sodium hydroxide (albeit in solution with some remaining sodium chloride so it is a bit problematic for that last one (see Notes on Sodium Hydroxide Production + Purification)

Used For

• Production of Hydrogen (Need to see efficiencies however compared to other electrolysers (also lack of usable oxygen for things like hho torch tables etc))
• Production of Sodium Hydroxide
• Production of Hydrochloric Acid
• Chlorination of Water

Minimum Viable Product

• Modular
• Scalable
• Resistant to Chemicals Involved
• Automatable
• As Efficient as Possible

Basic Design

Chemical Reactor

• As Simple as a small Glass "H" Tube, as complex as a pipe based system

Electrodes

• Some metals such as stainless steel may work
• Carbon Electrodes are often quite inert, and can be made from charcoal, a binding agent (often tar), pressure (in the form of a mold or die), and heat in a kiln

Monitoring/Automation Kit

• Essentially the Open Source Laboratory Data Logger and some probes (Temperature and PH most likely)

Chlorine Bubbler Setup

• Essentially makes the gas go in a "S"/"UM" Shape
• First two are larger, after that some will be added as a redundancy check (don't want chlorine gas leaking about...)
• We should also investigate raw tubing vs what are often called "air stones" in Aquariums

Housing

• A shell that holds all the above stuff in place

Internal Links

• Open Source Acids Construction Set
• Open Source Bases Construction Set
• Notes on Sodium Hydroxide Production + Purification

External Links

• The Wikipedia Page on Brine Electrolysis