An electrolytic cell structure for electrolyzing water

By directly pressing the runner tank by using titanium plates pressed with sintered titanium powder, the problems of high structural complexity and high cost in the prior art are solved, and the effect of simplifying manufacturing and extending the service life of the electrolytic cell is achieved.

CN115287675BActive Publication Date: 2025-08-15GUIZHOU LUKONG ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202210933715.7
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2022-08-04
Publication Date
2025-08-15
Estimated Expiration
2042-08-04

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In the prior art, in order to improve the water replenishment conditions of membrane electrodes, adding multi-layer titanium mesh or engraving runners on electrode plates leads to increased structural complexity, increased assembly difficulty and high cost.

Method used

The titanium plate made of sintered titanium powder is directly pressed on the titanium plate. The water on the anode side enters the horizontal groove and vertical groove through the through holes on the electrode plate, and naturally penetrates to the surface of the membrane electrode to complete the reaction and water replenishment. The generated gas also converges into the vertical groove and horizontal groove through the pores, eliminating the method of titanium mesh or grooves on the electrode plate.

Benefits of technology

It simplifies the difficulty of flow channel manufacturing, reduces processing costs, improves the water replenishment conditions of membrane electrodes, improves the performance of the electrolytic cell and extends the service life.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The present invention provides an electrolytic cell structure for electrolyzing water, comprising: a membrane electrode, an electrode structure, and an end plate. The electrode structure comprises an anode and a cathode structure distributed on opposite sides of the membrane electrode. The anode and cathode structures are sequentially provided with titanium plates and electrode plates in a direction away from the membrane electrode. The titanium plates are circumferentially sleeved with a sealing frame. A flow channel is provided on the side facing away from the membrane electrode. A through hole is provided on the electrode plate, and a flow channel is formed between the flow channel and the through hole. The end plates are respectively arranged on the side of the anode and cathode structures facing away from the membrane electrode. A first water inlet and an oxygen outlet are provided on the end plate adjacent to the anode structure, and at least a hydrogen outlet is provided on the end plate adjacent to the cathode structure. The present invention uses a porous powder sintered titanium plate. When water flows in the flow channel of the titanium plate, it will naturally penetrate to the surface of the membrane electrode for water replenishment, thereby improving the water replenishment conditions of the membrane electrode and improving the performance of the electrolytic cell. At the same time, it simplifies the manufacturing difficulty of the flow channel and reduces processing costs.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of water electrolysis, and in particular relates to an electrolytic cell structure for water electrolysis. Background Art

[0002] The PEM pure water hydrogen production electrolyzer consists of two end plates that are bolted together to stack titanium electrode plates, titanium felt current collectors, and catalyst-coated proton membrane electrodes in multiple layers, which are then tightly pressed together. Direct current is applied to the electrode plates to electrolyze pure water to produce hydrogen and oxygen. The current collectors are conductive and breathable, allowing water to evenly penetrate the membrane electrode surface.

[0003] The current collector is typically made of titanium felt, often with multiple layers of titanium mesh of varying thickness stacked behind it to facilitate water flow parallel to the membrane surface. Alternatively, complex, narrow flow channels (typically around 1mm wide and over 0.3mm deep) are engraved on the electrode plates to improve the membrane electrode's water replenishment conditions, enhance electrolyzer performance, and extend its service life. However, adding multiple layers of titanium mesh increases structural complexity and assembly difficulty, while engraving the flow channels is costly. Furthermore, in electrolyzer design, a reasonable flow channel design is crucial to maintaining good membrane electrode water replenishment conditions.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide an improved technical solution to the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the object of the present invention is to provide an electrolytic cell structure for electrolyzing water, which is used to solve the problem in the prior art that in order to improve the water replenishment conditions of the membrane electrode and improve the performance of the electrolytic cell, multiple layers of titanium mesh are superimposed behind the titanium felt, which increases the structural complexity and assembly difficulty, and the problem of high cost caused by engraving flow channels on the electrode plates.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned and other related purposes, the present invention provides an electrolytic cell structure for electrolyzing water, the electrolytic cell structure comprising at least:

[0007] membrane electrode;

[0008] An electrode structure, the electrode structure comprising an anode structure and a cathode structure, the anode structure and the cathode structure being distributed on opposite sides of the membrane electrode, the anode structure and the cathode structure being sequentially provided with a titanium plate and a pole plate in a direction away from the membrane electrode, the titanium plate being circumferentially sleeved with a sealing frame, the titanium plate being provided with a flow channel on a side facing away from the membrane electrode, the pole plate being provided with a through hole, the titanium plate being fitted to the pole plate to form a flow channel between the flow channel and the through hole;

[0009] End plates are respectively arranged on the side of the anode structure and the cathode structure away from the membrane electrode, the end plate adjacent to the anode structure is provided with a first water inlet and an oxygen outlet connected to the guide channel, and the end plate adjacent to the cathode structure is provided with at least a hydrogen outlet connected to the guide channel.

[0010] Preferably, at least two through holes are provided on the electrode plate in the anode structure, both of which are first through holes, and the two first through holes are respectively provided corresponding to the first water inlet and the oxygen outlet; at least one through hole is provided on the electrode plate in the cathode structure, and the through hole is a second through hole, and the second through hole is provided corresponding to the hydrogen outlet.

[0011] Preferably, a sealing gasket is provided on a side of each of the electrode plates away from the membrane electrode, and a hole is opened on the sealing gasket corresponding to the through hole on the adjacent electrode plate.

[0012] Preferably, a top plate is further provided on the side of the sealing gasket away from the membrane electrode, and the top plate is located between the sealing gasket and the end plate. A first water inlet pipe and an oxygen outlet pipe are installed on the top plate on the anode side, and the first water inlet pipe and the oxygen outlet pipe pass through the first water inlet and the oxygen outlet respectively; a hydrogen outlet pipe is installed on the top plate on the cathode side, and the hydrogen outlet pipe passes through the hydrogen outlet.

[0013] Preferably, the flow channel groove includes at least a plurality of vertical grooves, the plurality of vertical grooves are arranged in parallel along the vertical direction of the titanium plate, and the vertical grooves are connected to the corresponding through holes on the electrode plate.

[0014] Preferably, the through holes are all long slot holes, and the long slot holes intersect with the vertical slots in the length direction.

[0015] Preferably, the flow channel groove further includes a transverse groove, and two transverse grooves are provided. The two transverse grooves are respectively communicated with the corresponding through holes and are arranged to intersect with the vertical groove.

[0016] Preferably, the titanium plate is integrally formed or is formed by splicing a plurality of sub-titanium plates.

[0017] Preferably, the titanium plate is a powder sintered titanium plate, the pore size of the titanium plate is 30 to 200 μm, the porosity of the titanium plate is 30% to 40%, and the thickness of the titanium plate is 0.8 to 3 mm.

[0018] Preferably, the membrane electrode, the anode structure and the cathode structure are all multiple, and the anode structure, the membrane electrode and the cathode structure are alternately arranged to form a multi-stage series connection.

[0019] As described above, the electrolytic cell structure for electrolyzing water of the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0020] The electrolytic cell structure of the present invention comprises at least a membrane electrode, an anode structure, a cathode structure and an end plate. The anode structure and the cathode structure are sequentially distributed with titanium plates and pole plates in the direction away from the membrane electrode. The titanium plates used are made by sintering and pressing titanium powder. During the sintering and pressing process, flow channel grooves are directly pressed on the titanium plates. When working, water on the anode side enters from the first water inlet, reaches the horizontal groove along the through hole on the pole plate, and then disperses to the vertical groove, and then converges to the horizontal groove at the other end and passes through the through hole on the pole plate to discharge the electrolytic cell. Since the powder sintered titanium plate itself is a porous material, water flows in the horizontal groove, While flowing in the vertical grooves, it will naturally penetrate into the surface of the membrane electrode to complete the reaction and water replenishment. At the same time, the gas generated during electrolysis will also pass through the pores and gather in the vertical and horizontal grooves, and be discharged along with the water flow to improve the water replenishment conditions of the membrane electrode, prevent water shortage, improve the performance of the electrolyzer, and extend the service life of the electrolyzer. At the same time, the titanium plate used is sintered and pressed using a very mature powder metallurgy technology, which eliminates the need to use titanium mesh or grooves on the plate to construct the flow channel, simplifies the manufacturing difficulty of the flow channel, reduces processing costs, and makes assembly simpler and easier to automate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 Shown is a schematic diagram of the decomposed structure of the electrolytic cell structure for electrolyzing water provided in Example 1 of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 Display as Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the assembly structure.

[0023] Figure 3 Shown is a schematic structural diagram of a titanium plate in an electrolytic cell structure provided by the present invention in one example.

[0024] Figure 4 Shown is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the titanium plate and the electrode plate in another example of the electrolytic cell structure provided by the present invention.

[0025] Figure 5 Shown is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of a top plate in the electrolytic cell structure provided by the present invention in one example.

[0026] Figure 6 It shows a schematic structural diagram of the electrolytic cell structure provided by the present invention in which neutron titanium plates are spliced together to form titanium plates.

[0027] Explanation of Figure Numbers

[0028] 1 membrane electrode

[0029] 2 Anode structure

[0030] 3 Cathode structure

[0031] 21, 31 sealing frame

[0032] 22,32 titanium plate

[0033] 221 Horizontal slot

[0034] 222 vertical slot

[0035] 223 titanium plate

[0036] 23, 33 plates

[0037] 231 Long slot hole

[0038] 24, 34 gaskets

[0039] 25 Upper top plate

[0040] 251 First water inlet pipe

[0041] 252 oxygen outlet pipe

[0042] 35 lower top plate

[0043] 351 Hydrogen outlet pipe

[0044] 4 Upper end plate

[0045] 41 First water inlet

[0046] 42 Oxygen outlet

[0047] 5 Lower end plate

[0048] 51 Hydrogen Export

[0049] 6 bolt holes

[0050] 7 bolts DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The following describes the implementation of the present invention through specific embodiments. People skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification.

[0052] See also Figures 1 to 6. It should be noted that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc. illustrated in the drawings of this specification are only used to match the contents disclosed in the specification for people familiar with this technology to understand and read, and are not used to limit the limiting conditions for the implementation of the present invention. Therefore, they have no substantive technical significance. Any modification of the structure, change in the proportional relationship or adjustment of the size should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed by the present invention without affecting the efficacy and purpose that can be achieved by the present invention. At the same time, the terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "middle" and "one" quoted in this specification are only for the convenience of description, and are not used to limit the scope of the implementation of the present invention. Changes or adjustments in their relative relationships should also be regarded as the scope of the implementation of the present invention without substantially changing the technical content.

[0053] The electrolytic cell structure of the present invention comprises at least a membrane electrode, an anode structure, a cathode structure and an end plate. The anode structure and the cathode structure are sequentially distributed with titanium plates and pole plates in the direction away from the membrane electrode. The titanium plates used are made by sintering and pressing titanium powder. During the sintering and pressing process, flow channel grooves are directly pressed on the titanium plates. When working, water on the anode side enters from the first water inlet, reaches the horizontal groove along the through hole on the pole plate, and then disperses to the vertical groove, and then converges to the horizontal groove at the other end and passes through the through hole on the pole plate to discharge the electrolytic cell. Since the powder sintered titanium plate itself is a porous material, water flows in the horizontal groove, While flowing in the vertical grooves, it will naturally penetrate into the surface of the membrane electrode to complete the reaction and water replenishment. At the same time, the gas generated during electrolysis will also pass through the pores and gather in the vertical and horizontal grooves, and be discharged along with the water flow to improve the water replenishment conditions of the membrane electrode, prevent water shortage, improve the performance of the electrolyzer, and extend the service life of the electrolyzer. At the same time, the titanium plate used is sintered and pressed using a very mature powder metallurgy technology, which eliminates the need to use titanium mesh or grooves on the plate to construct the flow channel, simplifies the manufacturing difficulty of the flow channel, reduces processing costs, and makes assembly simpler and easier to automate.

[0054] Example 1

[0055] See Figure 1As shown, the present invention provides an electrolytic cell structure for electrolyzing water, which electrolytic cell structure at least includes: a membrane electrode 1, an electrode structure and an end plate; wherein the electrode structure includes an anode structure 2 and a cathode structure 3, the anode structure 2 and the cathode structure 3 are distributed on opposite sides of the membrane electrode 1, and the anode structure 2 and the cathode structure 3 are sequentially distributed with titanium plates (including a titanium plate 22 located on the anode side and a titanium plate 32 located on the cathode side) and pole plates (including a pole plate 23 located on the anode side and a pole plate 33 located on the cathode side) in a direction away from the membrane electrode 1, the titanium plates (including the titanium plates 22 located on the anode side and the titanium plates 32 located on the cathode side) are circumferentially sleeved with sealing frames (including a sealing frame 21 located on the anode side and a sealing frame 31 located on the cathode side), and the titanium plates (including the titanium plates 22 located on the anode side and the titanium plates 32 located on the cathode side) are away from the membrane electrode. A flow channel is provided on one side of the electrode 1, and a through hole is provided on the electrode plate (including the electrode plate 23 located on the anode side and the electrode plate 33 located on the cathode side). The titanium plate (including the titanium plate 22 located on the anode side and the titanium plate 32 located on the cathode side) and the electrode plate (including the electrode plate 23 located on the anode side and the electrode plate 33 located on the cathode side) are fitted together to form a guide channel between the flow channel and the through hole; the end plates (including the upper end plate 4 located on the anode side and the lower end plate 5 located on the cathode side) are respectively arranged on the side of the anode structure 2 and the cathode structure 3 away from the membrane electrode 1, and the end plate adjacent to the anode structure 2 (the upper end plate 4 located on the anode side) is provided with a first water inlet 41 and an oxygen outlet 42 connected to the guide channel, and the end plate adjacent to the cathode structure 3 (the lower end plate 5 located on the cathode side) is provided with at least a hydrogen outlet 51 connected to the guide channel.

[0056] Specifically, the membrane electrode 1 is usually formed by spraying a positive electrode catalyst layer and a negative electrode catalyst layer on two opposite surfaces of the proton exchange membrane. The anode structure 2 is located on the side where the positive electrode catalyst layer is sprayed, and the cathode structure 3 is located on the side where the negative electrode catalyst layer is sprayed. The anode structure 2 and the cathode structure 3 are preferably symmetrically distributed with the membrane electrode 1 as the center. The concept of symmetry means that the component composition, component size and connection method of the anode structure 2 and the cathode structure 3 are the same, which helps to reduce the assembly difficulty and cost of the electrolyzer and improve the uniformity of water pressure in the cell.

[0057] In this embodiment, electrode tabs (including the electrode plate 23 located on the anode side and the electrode plate 33 located on the cathode side) are provided on the electrode plates.

[0058] In this embodiment, a hydrogen outlet 51 connected to the guide channel is provided on the end plate adjacent to the cathode structure 3. In other embodiments, a double-column inlet and outlet can also be provided on the end plate adjacent to the cathode structure 3, that is, a second water inlet and a hydrogen outlet 51 are provided so that the cathode side where hydrogen is discharged can also be connected to the water circulation to further improve the efficiency of the electrolyzer.

[0059] Also, see Figure 2 A plurality of bolt holes 6 are provided around the two end plates, and a groove is provided inside at least one end plate. The anode structure 2 and the cathode structure 3 are both arranged in the groove. Bolts 7 are fixedly connected with the two end plates through the bolt holes 6 to form a closed cavity.

[0060] As an example, at least two through-holes are provided on the electrode plate 23 in the anode structure 2, both of which are first through-holes, and the two first through-holes are respectively provided corresponding to the first water inlet 41 and the oxygen outlet 42; at least one through-hole is provided on the electrode plate 33 in the cathode structure 3, which is a second through-hole, and the second through-hole is respectively provided corresponding to the hydrogen outlet 51. Specifically, the through-holes on the electrode plate 23 in the anode structure 2 can be two, three, or four, etc., and the specific number of through-holes is not excessively limited herein. At least two through-holes are respectively provided corresponding to the first water inlet 41 and the oxygen outlet 42; the through-holes on the electrode plate 33 in the cathode structure 3 can be one, two, or three, etc., and the specific number is not excessively limited herein. Preferably, one through-hole is provided, and the through-hole is provided corresponding to the hydrogen outlet 51. However, the shapes of the through-holes on the electrode plate 23 in the anode structure 2 and the through-holes on the electrode plate 33 in the cathode structure 3 can be any geometric shape, such as circular or polygonal.

[0061] In actual application, the input end of the first water inlet 41 is connected to the pure water system, which provides pure water for electrolysis to the electrolytic cell. During operation, direct current is applied to the plates 23 and 33 located in the anode structure 2 and the cathode structure 3. Pure water is electrolyzed under the action of direct current, and hydrogen and oxygen are respectively precipitated on both sides of the membrane electrode 1. After the pure water enters from the first water inlet 41, it reaches the flow channel along the through hole on the plate 23 on the anode side, and then passes through the through hole of the plate 23 on the anode side to be discharged from the electrolytic cell.

[0062] As an example, the electrode plates (including the electrode plate 23 on the anode side and the electrode plate 33 on the cathode side) are each provided with a sealing gasket (including the sealing gasket 24 on the anode side and the sealing gasket 34 on the cathode side) on the side away from the membrane electrode 1, and the sealing gaskets 24 and 34 are provided with holes corresponding to the through holes on the adjacent electrode plates 23 and 33.

[0063] For details, see Figure 1 , there are two through holes on the electrode plate 23 on the anode side, so there are also two holes on the sealing gasket 24 on the anode side, and the positions are corresponding; there are two through holes on the electrode plate 33 on the cathode side, so there are also two holes on the sealing gasket 34 on the cathode side, and the positions are corresponding; regarding the specific material and thickness of the sealing gasket (including the sealing gasket 24 on the anode side and the sealing gasket 34 on the cathode side), there is no excessive restriction here, as long as it can meet the actual use needs.

[0064] As an example, a top plate (including an upper top plate 25 on the anode side and a lower top plate 35 on the cathode side) is further provided on the side of the sealing gasket (including a sealing gasket 24 on the anode side and a sealing gasket 34 on the cathode side) away from the membrane electrode 1. The top plate (including the upper top plate 25 on the anode side and the lower top plate 35 on the cathode side) is located between the sealing gasket (including the sealing gasket 24 on the anode side and the sealing gasket 34 on the cathode side) and the end plate (including the upper end plate 4 on the anode side and the lower end plate 5 on the cathode side). A first water inlet pipe 251 and an oxygen outlet pipe 252 are installed on the top plate (upper top plate 25) on the anode side, and the first water inlet pipe 251 and the oxygen outlet pipe 252 pass through the first water inlet 41 and the oxygen outlet 42 respectively; a hydrogen outlet pipe 351 is installed on the top plate (lower top plate 35) on the cathode side, and the hydrogen outlet pipe 351 passes through the hydrogen outlet 51.

[0065] Specifically, the upper top plate 25 and the first water inlet pipe 251 and the oxygen outlet pipe 252 are integrally formed or combined, and the lower top plate 35 and the hydrogen outlet pipe 351 can also be integrally formed or combined. Since the water quality required by the electrolyzer is very strict, if the first water inlet pipe 251, the oxygen outlet pipe 252 and the upper top plate 25 are integrally formed, then the purity of the material of the upper top plate 25 must be relatively high, and the cost increases. If a combined form is adopted, refer to Figure 5 , only the first water inlet pipe 251 and the oxygen outlet pipe 252 need to be made of high-purity materials; similarly, the lower top plate 35 and the hydrogen outlet pipe 351 are consistent with the above.

[0066] In this embodiment, the upper top plate 25 is combined with the first water inlet pipe 251 and the oxygen outlet pipe 252. The first water inlet pipe 251 passes through the first water inlet 41, and the oxygen outlet pipe 252 passes through the oxygen outlet 42. The lower top plate 35 is combined with the hydrogen outlet pipe 351, and the hydrogen outlet pipe 351 passes through the hydrogen outlet 51. Of course, in other embodiments, the top plate may not be provided, but the first water inlet pipe 251 and the oxygen outlet pipe 252 may be directly provided on the upper end plate 4 on the anode side, and the hydrogen outlet pipe 351 may be directly provided on the lower end plate 5 on the cathode side.

[0067] As an example, the flow channel includes at least a plurality of vertical grooves 222, and the plurality of vertical grooves 222 are arranged vertically parallel to the titanium plate (including the titanium plate 22 located on the anode side and the titanium plate 32 located on the cathode side), and the vertical grooves 222 are connected to the through holes on the electrode plate (including the electrode plate 23 located on the anode side and the electrode plate 33 located on the cathode side).

[0068] As an example, the through holes are all long slot holes 231 , and the long slot holes 231 intersect with the vertical slots 222 in the length direction.

[0069] For details, see Figure 4 Only a plurality of vertical grooves 222 are provided on the flow channel groove, and no transverse grooves 221 are provided. The through holes on the pole plates 23 and 33 are opened as long slot holes 231. The long slot holes 231 and the vertical slots 222 are arranged to cross each other. The directions of the long slot holes 231 and the vertical slots 222 can be perpendicular to each other, or they can be simply arranged to cross each other. Similarly, the long slot holes 231 can be arranged along the transverse direction of the pole plates 23 and 33, or they can be inclined. In this embodiment, the long slot holes 231 are arranged along the transverse direction of the pole plates 23 and 33, and the vertical slots 222 are arranged vertically along the titanium plates (including the titanium plate 22 located on the anode side and the titanium plate 32 located on the cathode side). The long slot holes 231 are perpendicular to the vertical slots 222 in the length direction.

[0070] During actual operation, water on the anode side enters from the first water inlet 41, flows along the long slot holes 231 on the sealing gasket 24 and the electrode plate 23 to reach the vertical slots 222 on the titanium plate (the titanium plate 22 located on the anode side), and is dispersed in each vertical slot 222, then passes through another long slot hole 231, and is discharged through the hole on the sealing gasket 24.

[0071] For example, see Figure 3 The flow channel (the flow channel of the titanium plate 22 located on the anode side) also includes a transverse groove 221. There are two transverse grooves 221. The two transverse grooves 221 are respectively connected to the corresponding through holes and are arranged to intersect with the vertical grooves 222.

[0072] Similarly, the flow channel groove of the titanium plate 32 on the cathode side (not shown in the figure) also includes two transverse grooves, which are respectively connected to the corresponding through holes (the through holes on the electrode plate 33 on the cathode side) and are arranged to intersect with the vertical grooves.

[0073] For details, see Figure 3 The flow channel includes a transverse groove 221 opened at both ends, and a vertical groove 222 arranged to intersect with the transverse groove 221. The vertical groove 222 is arranged parallel to the vertical groove 221, but the transverse groove 221 and the vertical groove 222 can be arranged vertically or not. The first water inlet 41 of the electrolytic cell is connected to the pure water system, and the water reaches the transverse groove 221 along the holes on the sealing gasket 24 and the electrode plate 23, and then disperses in the vertical groove 222. After converging to the transverse groove 221 at the other end, it passes through the through holes on the electrode plate 23 and the sealing gasket 24 again and is discharged from the electrolytic cell.

[0074] In a specific embodiment, preferably, the width of the vertical groove 222 is 0.5-1.5 mm, the width of the horizontal groove 221 is 0.5-3 mm, the depth of the horizontal groove 221 and the vertical groove 222 is 0.5-1.5 mm, and the width of the spacing edge between the two vertical grooves 222 is 1-5 mm.

[0075] As an example, the titanium plates (including the titanium plate 22 located on the anode side and the titanium plate 32 located on the cathode side) are integrally formed or spliced together by a plurality of titanium sub-plates 223 .

[0076] For details, see Figure 6 The titanium plate (including the titanium plate 22 located on the anode side and the titanium plate 32 located on the cathode side) includes four sub-titanium plates 223, one end of the sub-titanium plate 223 is provided with a transverse groove 221, and a plurality of vertical grooves 222 are provided along the direction intersecting the transverse groove 221. The plurality of vertical grooves 222 are arranged in parallel, and the ends of the two sub-titanium plates 223 away from the transverse groove 221 are spliced vertically, and the side edges of the two sub-titanium plates 223 are spliced with each other in the horizontal direction; of course, in other embodiments, the titanium plate (including the titanium plate 22 located on the anode side and the titanium plate 32 located on the cathode side) can also include six, eight or the like sub-titanium plates 223 spliced together, and each sub-titanium plate 223 is integrally formed. The specific number of sub-titanium plates 223 used is not overly restricted here and needs to be adjusted according to needs.

[0077] As an example, the titanium plate (including the titanium plate 22 located on the anode side and the titanium plate 32 located on the cathode side) is a powder sintered titanium plate, the pore size of the titanium plate (including the titanium plate 22 located on the anode side and the titanium plate 32 located on the cathode side) is 30 to 200 μm, the porosity of the titanium plate (including the titanium plate 22 located on the anode side and the titanium plate 32 located on the cathode side) is 30% to 40%, and the thickness of the titanium plate (including the titanium plate 22 located on the anode side and the titanium plate 32 located on the cathode side) is 0.8 to 3 mm.

[0078] Specifically, the titanium plates 22 and 32 are powder sintered titanium plates, which are formed by sintering and pressing titanium powder. They can be sintered first and then pressed, or they can be pressed into shape first and then sintered. The titanium plates 22 and 32 are porous materials. When water flows in the flow channels of the titanium plates 22 and 32, it will naturally penetrate to the surface of the membrane electrode 1 to complete the reaction and replenish water. At the same time, the gas generated during electrolysis will also pass through the pores and gather into the vertical grooves 222 and the horizontal grooves 221, and be discharged together with the water flow. The pore size of the titanium plates 22 and 32 can be The thickness of the titanium plates 22 and 32 may include values within any range such as 30μm, 50μm, 100μm, 150μm, 200μm, etc., which may be adjusted according to actual conditions; the porosity of the titanium plates 22 and 32 may include values within any range such as 30%, 32%, 34%, 36%, 38%, 40%, etc., which may be adjusted according to actual conditions; the thickness of the titanium plates 22 and 32 may include values within any range such as 0.8mm, 1mm, 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, etc., which may be adjusted according to actual conditions.

[0079] Example 2

[0080] This embodiment provides another electrolytic cell structure. The main difference between this embodiment and Example 1 is that the electrolytic cell structure in Example 1 only includes a single membrane electrode 1, a single anode structure 2, and a single cathode structure 3, while in this embodiment, the membrane electrode 1, the anode structure 2, and the cathode structure 3 are all multiple, and they are alternately arranged to form a multi-stage series connection. The number of anode structures 2 and cathode structures 3 is preferably the same. The anode structures 2 and cathode structures 3 are arranged in pairs on opposite sides of the membrane electrode 1, and the anode structures 2 of one group are adjacent to the cathode structures 3 of the adjacent group (in actual applications, the electrode plate 23 in one group of anode structures 2 and the electrode plate 33 in the adjacent group of cathode structures 3 are usually combined into a single component, which is usually called a bipolar plate). The anode and cathode are alternately connected to ensure the balance of the electrolysis reaction.

[0081] Except that the number of membrane electrodes 1 , anode structures 2 and cathode structures 3 is different from that in Example 1, other specific structures are the same as those in Example 1 and will not be described again here.

[0082] In summary, the electrolytic cell structure of the present invention comprises at least a membrane electrode, an anode structure, a cathode structure and an end plate. The anode structure and the cathode structure are sequentially distributed with titanium plates and pole plates in the direction away from the membrane electrode. The titanium plates used are made by sintering and pressing titanium powder. During the sintering and pressing process, flow channel grooves are directly pressed on the titanium plates. When working, water on the anode side enters from the first water inlet, reaches the horizontal groove along the through hole on the pole plate, and then disperses to the vertical groove, and then converges to the horizontal groove at the other end and passes through the through hole on the pole plate to discharge the electrolytic cell; since the powder sintered titanium plate itself is a porous material, water flows in the horizontal direction. While flowing in the grooves and vertical grooves, it will naturally penetrate into the surface of the membrane electrode to complete the reaction and replenish water. At the same time, the gas generated during electrolysis will also pass through the pores and gather in the vertical grooves and horizontal grooves, and be discharged along with the water flow to improve the replenishment conditions of the membrane electrode, prevent water shortage, improve the performance of the electrolytic cell, and extend the service life of the electrolytic cell. At the same time, the titanium plate used is sintered and pressed using a very mature powder metallurgy technology, eliminating the need to use titanium mesh or grooves on the plate to construct the flow channel, simplifying the manufacturing difficulty of the flow channel, reducing processing costs, and making assembly simpler and easier to automate. Therefore, the present invention effectively overcomes the various shortcomings of the existing technology and has high industrial utilization value.

[0083] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art may modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and technical principles disclosed herein are intended to be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrolytic cell structure for electrolyzing water, characterized in that: The electrolytic cell structure at least comprises: membrane electrode; The electrode structure includes an anode structure and a cathode structure, the anode structure and the cathode structure are distributed on opposite sides of the membrane electrode, the anode structure and the cathode structure are sequentially distributed with titanium plates and electrode plates in a direction away from the membrane electrode, the titanium plate is circumferentially sleeved with a sealing frame, the titanium plate is provided with a flow channel on the side away from the membrane electrode, the electrode plate is provided with a through hole, the titanium plate and the electrode plate are fitted together to form a flow channel between the flow channel and the through hole; the flow channel includes at least a plurality of vertical grooves , multiple vertical grooves are arranged in parallel along the vertical direction of the titanium plate, and the vertical grooves are connected to the corresponding through holes on the electrode plate; the flow channel groove also includes a transverse groove, and there are two transverse grooves, the two transverse grooves are respectively connected to the corresponding through holes and are arranged crosswise with the vertical grooves; the titanium plate is integrally formed or spliced by multiple sub-titanium plates; the titanium plate is a powder sintered titanium plate, the pore size of the titanium plate is 30 to 200 μm, the porosity of the titanium plate is 30% to 40%, and the thickness of the titanium plate is 0.8 to 3 mm; End plates are respectively arranged on the side of the anode structure and the cathode structure away from the membrane electrode, the end plate adjacent to the anode structure is provided with a first water inlet and an oxygen outlet connected to the guide channel, and the end plate adjacent to the cathode structure is provided with at least a hydrogen outlet connected to the guide channel.

2. The electrolytic cell structure for electrolyzing water according to claim 1, wherein: There are at least two through holes on the electrode plate in the anode structure, both of which are first through holes, and the two first through holes are respectively arranged corresponding to the first water inlet and the oxygen outlet; there is at least one through hole on the electrode plate in the cathode structure, which is a second through hole, and the second through hole is arranged corresponding to the hydrogen outlet.

3. The electrolytic cell structure for electrolyzing water according to claim 2, characterized in that: A sealing gasket is provided on one side of each electrode plate away from the membrane electrode, and a hole is opened on the sealing gasket corresponding to the through hole on the adjacent electrode plate.

4. The electrolytic cell structure for electrolyzing water according to claim 3, wherein: A top plate is further provided on the side of the sealing gasket away from the membrane electrode, and the top plate is located between the sealing gasket and the end plate. A first water inlet pipe and an oxygen outlet pipe are installed on the top plate on the anode side, and the first water inlet pipe and the oxygen outlet pipe pass through the first water inlet and the oxygen outlet respectively; a hydrogen outlet pipe is installed on the top plate on the cathode side, and the hydrogen outlet pipe passes through the hydrogen outlet.

5. The electrolytic cell structure for electrolyzing water according to claim 1, characterized in that: The through holes are all long slot holes, and the long slot holes intersect with the vertical slots in the length direction.

6. The electrolytic cell structure for electrolyzing water according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: There are multiple membrane electrodes, anode structures and cathode structures, and the anode structures, membrane electrodes and cathode structures are alternately arranged to form a multi-stage series connection.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Electrolytic tank structure for electrolyzing water

    CN218491851U