Direct current hydrogen generator, system and method

An ultra-high purity hydrogen gas generator closed loop system, which system comprises:

• a) a hydrogen gas generator cell having an outlet for the withdrawal of a high purity hydrogen gas generated by the application of a direct current to a water electrolyte from a palladium cathode in the gas generator cell;
• b) a transducer means in communication with said outlet to monitor the gas pressure or gas flow of the hydrogen gas from the outlet and to provide a proportional electrical signal;
• c) a 90 V to 240 V, 50 to 60 Hz AC power source to provide AC current;
• d) an AC input rectifier and filter means to rectify and filter the AC current from the AC source to rectified DC current;
• e) a high frequency inverter means to receive said rectified DC current and to convert the rectified DC current to a selected high frequency output to an output rectifier and filter;
• f) a DC output and rectifier means to supply high frequency, continuous, flat-modified DC power to the gas generator cell;
• and
• g) a control circuit means to include a pulse width modulator to receive said proportional signal from the transducer and to provide a varied pulse width to the high frequency inverter means solely responsive to said proportional signal and thereby to control the DC power supplied to the gas generator cell.

A method of providing a high purity gas from a DC electrically powered gas generator having an electrolyte and a gas outlet for the withdrawal of the high purity gas, which method comprises:

• a) providing a source of AC power;
• b) rectifying the AC power to a DC power outlet;
• c) inverting the DC power output to provide a high frequency DC power output;
• d) monitoring the gas outlet for gas pressure or gas flow and producing a voltage signal responsive to such gas pressure or gas flow;
• e) comparing the voltage signal to a reference signal to produce a voltage control signal;
• f) generating a pulse width modulation signal from a pulse width modulator and modifying the pulse width solely in response to the voltage control signal to provide a PWM output signal;
• g) modifying the high frequency DC power output by the PWM output signal to provide a high frequency PWM power output;
• h) rectifying the PWM power output to provide a flat, continuous DC power output;
• and
• i) providing the flat, continuous DC power output to the gas generator.