Patent attributes
Hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) fluid can be transported through an electrochemical device, which has a proton exchange membrane (PEM) disposed between a pair of gas-permeable electrodes that include respective catalysts. At an inlet side, the catalyst facilitates reaction of HFO with hydrogen carrier gas. The resulting cation is transported across PEM in the presence of an electric field applied to the electrodes. At an outlet side, the catalyst of the opposing electrode facilitates dissociation of the cation back into HFO and hydrogen. In some embodiments, the transported HFO has a higher pressure than that before the electrochemical device. In some embodiments, the electrochemical device can be operated in reverse to expand HFO fluid and/or to recapture power. The electrochemical device can thus be used as a compressor or expander for vapor-phase HFO or as a pump or expander for liquid-phase HFO, for example, in power generation or heating/cooling cycles.
