Electrode flow field plate and electrolytic water tank

Abstract

The present invention discloses an electrode flow field plate and an electrolytic water tank. The water flow field plate according to the electrode flow field plate of the embodiment of the present invention comprises a metal plate and a metal plate mesh. The metal plate has a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other in the thickness direction thereof. The metal plate is provided with a water inlet and a water outlet penetrating along the thickness direction of the metal plate. The water inlet and the water outlet are spaced apart and arranged opposite to each other along the length or width direction of the metal plate. The metal plate mesh is arranged on one of the first surface and the second surface of the metal plate. The metal plate mesh has a first end and a second end opposite to each other. The first end of the metal plate mesh is adjacent to the water inlet, and the second end of the metal plate mesh is adjacent to the water outlet. The electrode flow field plate of the embodiment of the present invention has the advantages of simple structure, adjustable overall resistance, small concentration difference between each mesh, and high overall efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of fuel electrochemical devices, and in particular to an electrode flow field plate and a water electrolysis tank. Background Art

[0002] Hydrogen production by water electrolysis mainly includes alkaline water electrolysis, proton exchange membrane water electrolysis, and solid oxide water electrolysis. Compared with alkaline water electrolysis, proton exchange membrane water electrolysis has the advantages of high efficiency, high hydrogen purity, and high current density. It does not require secondary purification and can be directly used in fuel cells. Compared with solid oxide water electrolysis, it has a moderate operating temperature and is not as demanding on material selection, sealing, and operation control.

[0003] The flow field of the electrolytic water tank is mainly divided into two categories: straight flow field and serpentine flow field. The advantages of the straight flow field are simple structure and easy discharge of products. However, due to the small inlet and outlet pressure difference, it is easy to cause uneven water and heat distribution, resulting in poor performance of the electrolytic cell. The serpentine flow field has a relatively long inlet and outlet distance, which has a greater resistance to the reactants, thereby making the reactants diffuse more fully. However, due to its complex design and high processing difficulty, it is not conducive to the diffusion of gases. Summary of the invention

[0004] To this end, a first embodiment of the present invention provides an electrode flow field plate.

[0005] A second embodiment of the present invention provides an electrolytic water tank.

[0006] An electrode flow field plate according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:

[0007] A metal plate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other in a thickness direction thereof, the metal plate being provided with a water inlet and a water outlet penetrating in the thickness direction of the metal plate, the water inlet and the water outlet being spaced from each other and opposite to each other in a length or width direction of the metal plate; and

[0008] A metal plate mesh is arranged on one of the first surface and the second surface of the metal plate, the metal plate mesh has a first end and a second end opposite to each other, the first end of the metal plate mesh is adjacent to the water inlet, and the second end of the metal plate mesh is adjacent to the water outlet.

[0009] The electrode flow field plate according to the embodiment of the present invention has the advantages of simple structure, adjustable overall resistance, small concentration difference between each mesh hole, and high overall efficiency.

[0010] In some embodiments, the metal plate mesh is multi-layered, the multi-layer metal plate mesh is stacked on the metal plate, and two adjacent metal plate meshes are intersected and overlapped.

[0011] In some embodiments, the thickness of the metal plate is 0.3mm-2mm, the length of the long pitch of the mesh of the metal plate mesh is 0.1mm-3mm, the length of the short pitch of the mesh of the metal plate mesh is 0.1mm-3mm, and the thickness of the metal plate mesh is 0.2mm-1.5mm.

[0012] In some embodiments, the long pitch of the mesh of the metal mesh is 1.5 mm, the short pitch of the mesh is 0.8 mm, and the stem width of the metal mesh is 0.1 mm-1 mm.

[0013] In some embodiments, the expanded metal is a hexagonal expanded metal.

[0014] In some embodiments, the metal plate and the metal expanded metal are made of the same metal material, and the metal material is one of titanium and titanium alloy.

[0015] In some embodiments, the first end of the metal plate mesh after stretching is opposite to the water inlet, and the second end of the metal plate mesh after stretching is opposite to the water outlet.

[0016] In some embodiments, one end of the hexagonal expanded metal away from the metal plate is bent along the width direction or the length direction of the metal plate.

[0017] In some embodiments, the expanded metal is sintered and fixed to the first surface of the metal plate or the second surface of the metal plate.

[0018] The electrolytic water tank according to the embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention is characterized by comprising the electrode flow field plate described in any of the above embodiments.

[0019] The electrolytic water tank according to the embodiment of the present invention has the advantages of simple structure, adjustable overall resistance, small concentration difference between each mesh, and high overall efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 is a front view of an electrode flow field plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 1 is a top view of the metal plate mesh of the electrode flow field plate after cold pressing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 4 is a front view of another structure of an electrode flow field plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4 1 is a top view of a metal plate mesh after cold pressing of another structure of an electrode flow field plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Reference numerals:

[0025] Electrode flow field plate 100,

[0026] Metal plate 1, first surface 11, second surface 12, water inlet 13, water outlet 14,

[0027] Metal mesh 2, long pitch 21, short pitch 22. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to be used to explain the present invention, but should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0029] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the electrode flow field plate 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a metal plate 1 and a metal plate mesh 2.

[0030] The metal plate 1 has a Figure 2 The metal plate 1 is provided with a water inlet 13 and a water outlet 14 which penetrate through the metal plate 1 in the thickness direction. The water inlet 13 and the water outlet 14 are arranged along the length of the metal plate 1 (as shown in the front and rear direction). Figure 1 up and down direction as shown) or width direction (as shown Figure 1 The left and right directions shown in the figure are arranged spaced apart and opposite to each other.

[0031] The expanded metal mesh 2 is disposed on one of the first surface 11 and the second surface 12 of the metal plate 1 and has a first end and a second end opposite to each other. The first end of the expanded metal mesh 2 is adjacent to the water inlet 13 , and the second end of the expanded metal mesh 2 is adjacent to the water outlet 14 .

[0032] It can be understood that when the liquid material enters the mesh of the metal plate mesh 2 through the water inlet 13, it first enters the mesh of the metal plate mesh 2 adjacent to the water inlet 13. When the liquid material in the mesh adjacent to the water inlet 13 reaches a certain amount, the liquid material in the mesh adjacent to the water inlet 13 flows upward from the mesh adjacent to the water inlet 13. Similarly, the liquid material entering the metal plate mesh 2 through the water inlet 13 will flow from bottom to top through each mesh of the metal plate mesh 2 in the upper and lower directions in turn, and flow out through the water outlet 14.

[0033] Among them, since the liquid material will stay in each mesh for a certain time during the process of flowing from bottom to top, when the liquid material in each mesh reaches a certain amount, the liquid material in each mesh can overflow from each mesh. Therefore, the residence time of the liquid material in each mesh can be adjusted according to the thickness of the metal plate mesh 2. In other words, by controlling the wire stems of the metal plate mesh 2 in the following manner, Figure 2The length in the front-to-back direction shown can adjust the resistance of the liquid material.

[0034] At the same time, the contact time and contact area between the liquid material and the electrode are increased, and the effective area of ​​the electrode is increased, thereby further improving the efficiency and performance of the electrode flow field plate 100.

[0035] It can be understood that according to the electrode flow field plate 100 of the embodiment of the present invention, when the liquid material flows from bottom to top through the various meshes on the metal plate mesh 2, it helps the diffusion of the liquid material and can effectively reduce the concentration difference of the liquid material in each area (mesh) of the electrode flow field plate 100. At the same time, it can reduce the contact resistance between the liquid material and the metal plate mesh 2, so as to improve the overall efficiency and performance of the electrode flow field plate 100.

[0036] The electrode flow field plate 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is a combination of a metal plate 1 and a metal plate mesh 2, and has a simple structure and is easy to produce.

[0037] Therefore, the electrode flow field plate 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention has the advantages of simple structure, adjustable overall resistance, small concentration difference between each mesh, and high overall efficiency.

[0038] In some embodiments, the water inlet 13 is located above the water outlet 14, and the liquid material flows from top to bottom.

[0039] In some embodiments, the liquid material may also be a gaseous material.

[0040] In some embodiments, the porosity of the metal sheet 2 is 50%-70%. It is understandable that when the porosity of the metal sheet 2 is between 50%-70%, the greater the porosity, the greater the diffusion range of the liquid material.

[0041] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the metal plate mesh 2 is multi-layered, and the multi-layer metal plate mesh 2 is superimposed on the metal plate 1, and two adjacent metal plate meshes 2 are intersected and superimposed. Among them, the multi-layer metal plate mesh 2 is superimposed on the metal plate 1, and the two adjacent metal plate meshes 2 are intersected and superimposed, which means that the extension direction of the line between the long pitch 21 of the mesh of one of the two adjacent metal plate meshes 2 intersects with the extension direction of the line between the long pitch 21 of the mesh of the other of the two adjacent metal plate meshes 2.

[0042] By stacking a plurality of metal plate meshes 2 in the above manner, the liquid material can be further diffused.

[0043] Specifically, Figure 4As shown, taking the metal plate mesh 2 connected to the first surface 11 of the metal plate 1 as the first metal plate mesh, and the metal plate mesh 2 intersecting and overlapping with the first metal plate mesh as the second metal plate mesh as an example, when the liquid material enters the mesh holes of the first metal plate mesh and flows into the mesh holes of the second metal mesh plate, since the first metal mesh plate and the second metal mesh plate are intersecting and overlapping, each mesh hole on the first metal mesh plate is opposite to the mesh holes on multiple second metal mesh plates. Therefore, when the liquid material flows from the first metal mesh plate to the second metal mesh plate, it will enter the mesh holes of multiple second metal mesh plates at the same time, that is, the liquid material is further disturbed to increase the diffusion range of the liquid material, thereby increasing the contact area of ​​the liquid material and improving the efficiency.

[0044] Preferably, two adjacent metal mesh plates are stacked in an orthogonal manner, so that the liquid material can be diffused more evenly.

[0045] In some embodiments, the thickness of the metal plate 1 is 0.3 mm to 2 mm, the length of the long pitch 21 of the metal mesh 2 is 0.1 mm to 3 mm, the length of the short pitch 22 of the metal mesh 2 is 0.1 mm to 3 mm, the thickness of the metal mesh 2 is 0.2 mm to 1.5 mm, and the stem width of the metal mesh 2 is 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

[0046] When the thickness of the metal plate 1 is less than 0.3 mm, the structural strength of the metal plate 1 is reduced, and the service life of the metal plate 1 is reduced. When the thickness of the metal plate 1 is greater than 2 mm, the processing difficulty and cost are increased. Preferably, the thickness of the metal plate 1 is 1 mm. When the thickness of the metal plate 1 is 1 mm, the overall structural strength of the metal plate 1 can be maintained, and the processing difficulty and cost of the metal plate 1 can be reduced. For example, the water inlet 13 and the water outlet 14 are opened on the metal plate 1. The thicker the metal plate 1, the greater the processing difficulty. The thinner the metal plate 1, the easier it is to cause damage.

[0047] When the long pitch 21 of the metal sheet mesh 2 is less than 0.1 mm, the processing technology and cost of the metal sheet mesh are increased. When the long pitch 21 of the metal sheet mesh 2 is greater than 3 mm, the disturbance effect of the metal sheet mesh 2 on the liquid material is significantly reduced, and the contact resistance between the metal plate 1 and the metal sheet mesh 2 is increased, thereby reducing the overall efficiency of the electrode flow field plate 100. Preferably, when the long pitch 21 of the metal sheet mesh 2 is 1.5 mm, it is convenient to process the metal sheet mesh 2, and the metal sheet mesh 2 can disturb the liquid material and fully diffuse the liquid material.

[0048] When the short pitch 22 of the metal plate mesh 2 is less than 0.1 mm, the processing technology and cost of the metal mesh plate are increased. When the short pitch 22 of the metal plate mesh 2 is greater than 3 mm, the disturbance effect of the metal plate mesh 2 on the liquid material is significantly reduced, thereby reducing the overall efficiency of the electrode flow field plate 100. Preferably, the short pitch 22 of the metal plate mesh 2 is 1.5 mm. When the short pitch 22 of the metal plate mesh 2 is 1.5 mm, it is convenient to process the metal plate mesh 2, and the metal plate mesh 2 can disturb the liquid material and fully diffuse the liquid material. Among them, the length of the short pitch 22 does not exceed 75% of the length of the long pitch 21.

[0049] When the stem width of the metal plate mesh 2 is less than 0.1 mm, the metal plate mesh 2 has low strength and is easily damaged. When the stem width of the metal plate mesh 2 is greater than 1 mm, the cost of the metal plate mesh 2 increases accordingly, and the resistance between the liquid material and the metal plate mesh 2 increases. Preferably, the stem width of the metal plate mesh 2 is 0.5 mm.

[0050] In some embodiments, the porosity, the long pitch 21 , the short pitch 22 and the stem width of two adjacent expanded metals 2 may be the same or different.

[0051] In some embodiments, the expanded metal 2 is a hexagonal expanded metal.

[0052] The hexagonal plate mesh has the advantages of stable structure and long service life. According to the electrode flow field plate 100 of the embodiment of the present invention, the use of the hexagonal plate mesh can reduce the failure rate, reduce the number of shutdowns, and thus increase the use efficiency.

[0053] In some embodiments, the metal plate 1 and the metal expanded metal 2 are made of the same metal material, which is one of titanium and titanium alloy.

[0054] Titanium metal and titanium alloy have the advantages of high structural strength and long service life. According to the electrode flow field plate 100 of the embodiment of the present invention, since only the water inlet and outlet 14 are opened on the metal plate 1, no further processing is required, which not only saves processing time, but also saves processing costs and improves the yield rate. It is understandable that the metal plate 1 and the metal plate mesh 2 can also be made of stainless steel.

[0055] In some embodiments, the first end of the metal plate mesh 2 after stretching is opposite to the water inlet 13 , and the second end of the metal plate mesh 2 after stretching is opposite to the water outlet 14 .

[0056] Specifically, the first end of the metal mesh plate (such as Figure 1 The upper end of the metal mesh plate (as shown) is opposite to the water inlet 13, so that the liquid material can directly enter the mesh holes at the upper end of the metal mesh plate through the water inlet 13. Figure 1The lower end (shown) is opposite to the water outlet 14, so that the liquid material at the lowermost end can directly flow out from the mesh holes at the lowermost end through the water outlet 14.

[0057] In some embodiments, the hexagonal plate mesh is a semi-vertical mesh formed by cold pressing, and one end of the semi-vertical mesh away from the metal plate 1 is bent along the width direction or the length direction of the metal plate 1. The cold pressing rate of the semi-vertical mesh is 20%-40%, and the angle between the wire stems of the semi-vertical mesh and the first surface or the second surface of the metal mesh 1 is 10°-45°.

[0058] According to the electrode flow field plate 100 of the embodiment of the present invention, when water flows through the semi-vertical mesh, the resistance to the flow of liquid material increases due to the inclined surface between the holes, thereby increasing the disturbance capacity of the liquid material, further increasing the diffusion of the liquid material, and increasing the effective area and efficiency without affecting the flow of the liquid material in the up and down directions. It can be understood that when the angle between the wire stem of the semi-vertical mesh and the first surface or the second surface of the metal mesh 1 is between 10° and 45°, the larger the angle, the smaller the resistance to the flow of the liquid material.

[0059] In some embodiments, the expanded metal 2 is fixed to the first surface 11 of the metal plate 1 or the second surface 12 of the metal plate 1 by sintering in an electric furnace.

[0060] According to the electrode flow field plate 100 of the embodiment of the present invention, the metal plate 1 and the metal plate mesh 2 are sintered together by sintering, so that the metal plate 1 and the metal plate mesh 2 are in good contact with each other, thereby reducing the contact resistance between the metal plate 1 and the metal plate mesh 2, thereby improving the overall efficiency of the electrolytic cell. It can be understood that the metal plate 1 and the metal plate mesh 2 are connected by sintering, and when multiple metal plate meshes 2 are stacked, multiple metal plate meshes 2 are connected by sintering, which is simple to operate and saves costs.

[0061] The water electrolysis cell according to the embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention comprises the electrode flow field plate 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0062] The electrolytic water tank according to the embodiment of the present invention has the advantages of simple structure, adjustable overall resistance, small concentration difference between each mesh, and high overall efficiency.

[0063] In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms “center”, “longitudinal”, “lateral”, “length”, “width”, “thickness”, “up”, “down”, “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inside”, “outside”, “clockwise”, “counterclockwise”, “axial”, “radial”, “circumferential”, etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0064] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0065] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral one; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or communication with each other; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0066] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" or "above" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0067] In the present invention, the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" etc. mean that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the described specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, without contradiction.

[0068] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and are not to be construed as limitations of the present invention. A person skilled in the art may change, modify, replace and vary the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrode flow field plate, characterized in that: include: A metal plate, the metal plate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other in a thickness direction thereof, the metal plate being provided with a water inlet and a water outlet penetrating along the thickness direction of the metal plate, the water inlet and the water outlet being spaced from each other and opposite to each other along a length or width direction of the metal plate; and A metal plate mesh, the metal plate mesh is disposed on one of the first surface and the second surface of the metal plate, the metal plate mesh has a first end and a second end opposite to each other, the first end of the metal plate mesh is adjacent to the water inlet, and the second end of the metal plate mesh is adjacent to the water outlet; The metal plate mesh is multi-layered, and the multi-layer metal plate mesh is stacked on the metal plate, and two adjacent metal plate meshes are intersected and overlapped; The metal plate mesh is a hexagonal plate mesh, which is a semi-vertical mesh formed by cold pressing, and the angle between the wire stems of the semi-vertical mesh and the first surface or the second surface of the metal plate is 10°-45°.

2. The electrode flow field plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness of the metal plate is 0.3mm-2mm, the length of the long pitch of the mesh of the metal plate mesh is 0.1mm-3mm, the length of the short pitch of the mesh of the metal plate mesh is 0.1mm-3mm, and the thickness of the metal plate mesh is 0.2mm-1.5mm.

3. The electrode flow field plate according to claim 2, characterized in that: The long pitch of the mesh of the metal plate mesh is 1.5 mm, the short pitch of the mesh is 0.8 mm, and the stem width of the metal plate mesh is 0.1 mm-1 mm.

4. The electrode flow field plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The metal plate and the metal plate mesh are made of the same metal material, and the metal material is one of titanium and titanium alloy.

5. The electrode flow field plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first end of the metal plate mesh is opposite to the water inlet, and the second end of the metal plate mesh is opposite to the water outlet.

6. The electrode flow field plate according to claim 5, characterized in that: One end of the hexagonal plate mesh away from the metal plate is bent along the width direction or the length direction of the metal plate.

7. The electrode flow field plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The expanded metal is fixed to the first surface of the metal plate or the second surface of the metal plate by sintering.

8. A water electrolyzer, characterized in that: The invention comprises an electrode flow field plate as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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