A gas distributor

Abstract

The present invention relates to a gas distributor, which includes a metal plate, which includes a plate body. A plurality of formed holes are formed on the plate body. Each formed hole is connected to a corresponding slope boss. The slope boss includes a slope section and a top platform section. One end of the slope section is connected to the edge of the formed hole, and the top platform section is connected to the other end of the slope section. The angle between the slope section and the plate body is α, and the angle between the top platform section and the slope section is β, wherein α is ≥30° and α+β=180°. The gas flows through the slope section to increase the gas flow rate perpendicular to the plate body, and then the top platform section divides the gas and improves the mixing uniformity of the gas. When used in a solid oxide fuel cell, the gas distributor can not only increase the gas velocity in a porous electrode parallel to a three-phase interface (TPB), but also increase the gas velocity perpendicular to it and optimize the mass transfer performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field related to flat-plate solid oxide fuel cells, and in particular to a gas distributor. Background Art

[0002] A fuel cell is a power generation device that converts chemical energy stored in a fuel directly into electrical energy. Because it lacks combustion and mechanical processes, it is not subject to the limitations of the Carnot cycle and can achieve very high power generation efficiencies of approximately 40% to 60%. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are high-temperature fuel cells operating at temperatures between 600°C and 800°C. They have the highest volumetric energy density among all fuel cell types, enabling highly efficient, high-power output. In combined heat and power generation, energy conversion efficiencies can exceed 80%. Furthermore, SOFCs emit virtually zero SOx and NOx, and generate very low noise, making them an environmentally friendly power generation method. SOFCs can directly use hydrocarbons such as natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, and coal gas as fuel, offering excellent energy adaptability. Therefore, SOFCs can be used in power demand sectors ranging from a few watts to megawatts, making them suitable for distributed and mobile power sources or medium- to large-scale power plants. They hold broad application prospects in power generation, transportation, and the military. The power output of a single SOFC cell is limited. To achieve higher power in a stack, interconnects are essential for high-power stack assembly, making them a critical component in the stack. It connects the cathodes and anodes of adjacent cells in the stack, collecting current, distributing gases, and blocking fuel and air. As SOFC operating temperatures decrease, it becomes feasible to use special metal materials as connectors. These metal materials must simultaneously meet technical requirements such as matching the thermal expansion coefficient with the cells, possessing high-temperature oxidation resistance, and possessing strong high-temperature electrical conductivity. The metal connector material and structure are closely related to the performance of the stack. A reasonable connector design can achieve uniform flow field distribution within the stack, reduce interfacial contact resistance between layers, improve stress distribution between stack components, and enhance the connector's ability to collect current. Existing connectors can be divided into two categories: ceramic and metal. Ceramic connectors, represented by LaCr0, have extremely high processing costs, accounting for 70% of the total stack cost.

[0003] The existing flat-plate solid oxide fuel cell connector structure is as follows Figure 1As shown, it mainly includes: an air inlet 1-1, an air outlet 1-2, parallel ribs 1-3, and a gas channel 1-4. Among them, the parallel ribs can, on the one hand, divide the entire flow field to form a gas channel, and on the other hand, collect current from the porous electrode of the SOFC through the top of the parallel ribs. The basic process of gas flow in the connector is that the reaction gas enters from the air inlet 1-1, flows through the gas channel and undergoes an electrochemical reaction, and then flows out from the air outlet 1-2. However, the uniformity of the air flow distribution under this structure is poor, resulting in poor overall performance and thermal-mechanical stability of the battery. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Based on the above description, the present invention provides a gas distributor to solve the technical problem in the prior art that the uniformity of the airflow distribution in the separated straight airways is poor, resulting in poor overall performance and thermal-mechanical stability of the battery.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention to solve the above technical problems is as follows:

[0006] A gas distributor comprises a metal plate, the metal plate comprising a plate body, a plurality of formed holes formed on the plate body, each of the formed holes being connected to a corresponding sloped boss, the sloped boss comprising a sloped section and a top platform section, one end of the sloped section being connected to an edge of the formed hole, the top platform section being connected to the other end of the sloped section, the angle between the sloped section and the plate body being α, and the angle between the top platform section and the sloped section being β, wherein α is ≥ 30° and α + β is 180°.

[0007] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of this application has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0008] The present application provides a gas distributor, which forms a forming hole on a plate body and forms a sloped boss at the forming hole, wherein the sloped boss includes a sloped section and a top platform section, one end of the sloped section is connected to the edge of the forming hole, and the top platform section is connected to the other end of the sloped section. The gas passes through the sloped section to increase the gas flow rate perpendicular to the direction of the plate body, and then the top platform section divides the gas and improves the gas mixing uniformity. When used in a solid oxide fuel cell, it can not only increase the gas velocity in the porous electrode parallel to the three-phase interface (TPB), but also increase the gas velocity perpendicular to it and optimize the mass transfer performance.

[0009] On the basis of the above technical solution, the present invention can also be improved as follows.

[0010] Furthermore, the sloped boss is formed by stamping the material at the corresponding forming hole.

[0011] Furthermore, the angle range of α is 30° to 60°.

[0012] Furthermore, the forming holes are distributed in multiple rows and columns on the plate body, and the forming holes in two adjacent rows or two adjacent columns are staggered.

[0013] Furthermore, the forming hole is a rectangular hole, and the slope section of the slope boss is connected to the corresponding long side of the forming hole.

[0014] Furthermore, the long sides of all the forming holes are arranged in parallel, and the slope sections of all the slope bosses are arranged in parallel and are located on the same side of the corresponding forming holes.

[0015] Furthermore, the long sides of the forming holes in two adjacent rows or columns are arranged vertically, the slope sections corresponding to the forming holes arranged in the same direction are arranged in parallel, and all the parallel slope sections are connected to the same side of the corresponding forming holes.

[0016] Furthermore, the plate body is a rectangular plate, and the length direction of the forming hole is set at an angle of 45° to the side of the rectangular plate.

[0017] Furthermore, the air inlet side of the gas distributor is located on the side away from the opening of the sloped boss, and the air outlet side is located on the side toward which the opening of the sloped boss faces.

[0018] Furthermore, all of the top platform segments are located on the same horizontal plane away from the side of the plate body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a gas distribution plate in the prior art;

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a gas distributor provided by a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A partial schematic diagram of the middle slope boss;

[0022] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Schematic cross-section of the mid-slope boss;

[0023] Figure 5 A schematic cross-sectional view of a sloped boss according to an alternative solution to the first embodiment;

[0024] Figure 6 A schematic cross-sectional view of a ramp boss according to another alternative to the first embodiment;

[0025] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of a gas distributor provided for a second embodiment;

[0026] Figure 8 for Figure 7 Partial schematic diagram of the middle slope boss. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] To facilitate understanding of the present application, the present application will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings provide embodiments of the present application. However, the present application may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure of the present application more thorough and comprehensive.

[0028] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application pertains. The terms used herein in the specification of this application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit this application.

[0029] It will be understood that spatial relational terms such as "under", "beneath", "below", "under", "above", "above", etc., may be used herein to describe the relationship of an element or feature shown in the figures to other elements or features. It will be understood that in addition to the orientations shown in the figures, spatial relational terms also include different orientations of the device in use and operation. For example, if the device in the drawings is turned over, the element or feature described as "under the other elements" or "under it" or "below it" will be oriented as "on" the other elements or features. Therefore, the exemplary terms "under" and "under" can include both upper and lower orientations. In addition, the device can also include alternative orientations (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or other orientations), and the spatial descriptors used herein are interpreted accordingly.

[0030] It should be noted that when an element is considered to be "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or connected to the other element through an intermediate element. In the following embodiments, "connection" should be understood as "electrical connection", "communication connection", etc., if the connected circuits, modules, units, etc. can transmit electrical signals or data to each other.

[0031] When used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" may also include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "include / comprise" or "have" and the like specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0032] The gas channel design of the planar solid oxide fuel cell in the prior art is straightforward, and most of them adopt the following method: Figure 1 From the perspective of gas transmission, the gas only circulates through the different flow channels, which are completely independent and separated. Therefore, the gas between different channels cannot effectively mix and diffuse with each other, which in turn affects the uniformity of the cathode gas distribution of the solid oxide fuel cell.

[0033] The embodiment of the present application solves this problem well. Figure 2 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a gas distributor, which includes a metal plate 10 .

[0034] It is understood that in order to achieve gas distribution and effective thermal and electrical conduction, any metal material that can be made into a plate can theoretically be used to make the metal plate in the embodiments of this application. As a preferred embodiment, the metal plate is made of ferritic stainless steel sheet with a thickness of 0.5mm (error deviation ±0.1mm), which has excellent electrical conductivity, high thermal conductivity, and low expansion coefficient. It has good oxidation resistance and excellent stress corrosion resistance, and can be used in the operating temperature range of 800-1000℃.

[0035] The metal plate 10 includes a plate body 11 , wherein a plurality of forming holes 11 a are formed on the plate body 11 , and each of the forming holes 11 a is correspondingly connected to a sloped boss 12 .

[0036] In order to facilitate the processing of the gas distributor and reduce its processing cost, the slope boss 12 is formed by stamping the material corresponding to the forming hole 11a.

[0037] In the present application, the sloped boss 12 includes a sloped section 121 and a top platform section 122 . One end of the sloped section 121 is connected to the edge of the forming hole 11 a , and the top platform section 122 is connected to the other end of the sloped section 121 .

[0038] A slope structure is formed between the slope section 121 and the plate body 11, that is, one end thereof is connected to the plate body 11, and the other end extends away from the plate body 11 and forms an angle α with the plate body. The top platform section 122 is connected to the end of the slope section 121 away from the plate body, and an angle β is formed between the top platform section 122 and the slope section 121. In order to ensure gas circulation in this application, α≥30° and α+β=180°, that is, the top platform section 122 is arranged parallel to the plate body.

[0039] In order to ensure the rate and flow rate of gas circulation, the forming holes 11a are distributed in multiple rows and columns on the plate body, and the forming holes 11a in two adjacent rows or two adjacent columns are staggered.

[0040] Among them, preferably, the forming hole 11a is a rectangular hole, and the slope section 121 of the slope boss 12 is connected to the corresponding long side of the forming hole 11a. The slope section 12 is connected to the long side position to effectively ensure the width of the slope boss 12. Under the same height, the slope section 121 has a larger variable area, which increases its ability to guide gas.

[0041] As a first preferred embodiment of the present application, the long sides of all the forming holes 11a are arranged in parallel, and the slope sections 121 of all the slope bosses 12 are arranged in parallel and located on the same side of the corresponding forming holes 11a. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, all the slope sections 121 are located on the left side of the forming hole 11 a and extend obliquely to the right, while the top platform section 122 extends horizontally to the right.

[0042] In the above preferred embodiment, the basic size of the projection surface of the slope boss 12 on the plate body 11 is a 2.5mm*3mm rectangle, wherein the slope section 121 forms a 45° angle with the plane of the plate body 11, and the top platform section 122 is a 1mm*3mm rectangle, whose air inlet side is located on the side away from the opening of the slope boss 12, that is, Figure 2 In the lower left middle part, the air outlet side is located on the side toward which the opening of the slope boss 12 is directed, i.e. Figure 2 In the upper right center, the intervals between adjacent rows of the sloped bosses 12 along the cathode gas inlet direction are 3 mm, and the intervals between adjacent rows perpendicular to the cathode gas inlet direction are 1 mm.

[0043] As an alternative to this embodiment, Figure 5 As shown, when the slope section 121 forms an angle of 30° with the plane of the plate body 11, the basic size of the slope boss 12 on the plate projection surface is 3.2mm*3mm; as another alternative, as Figure 6 As shown, when the slope section 121 forms an angle of 60° with the plane of the plate body 11, the basic size of the slope boss 12 on the projection surface of the plate is 2.1 mm*3 mm.

[0044] Preferably, all the top platform segments 122 are located on the same horizontal plane at a side away from the plate body 11 , and the top platform segments 122 can be used to collect current from the porous electrodes of the SOFC.

[0045] As a second preferred embodiment of the present application, the long sides of the forming holes 11a of two adjacent rows or columns are arranged vertically, and the slope sections 121 corresponding to the forming holes 11a arranged in the same direction are arranged in parallel, and all parallel slope sections 121 are connected to the same side of the corresponding forming holes 11a, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, the forming holes 11a have two arrangement modes. The forming holes 11a in the two arrangement modes are arranged vertically in the length direction, and the forming holes in the two arrangement modes are staggered, that is, in each row or each column, the forming holes 111a are arranged in one of the arrangement modes, and then arranged in another arrangement mode in adjacent rows and adjacent columns. Among them, the forming holes 11a in the two arrangement modes correspond to two different formation modes of the slope boss 12, and the connection mode of the slope boss 12 corresponding to the forming holes 11a in the same arrangement mode is the same, similar to the first embodiment, the air inlet side is the side away from the opening of the slope boss 12, and the air outlet side is the side facing the opening of the slope boss 12. When the cathode gas flows out from the openings of the two slope bosses 12, the air flow will collide and mix, further improving the distribution uniformity of the cathode gas.

[0046] More preferably, Figure 7 As shown, the plate body 11 is a rectangular plate, and the length direction of the forming hole 11a is set at a 45° angle to the side of the rectangular plate.

[0047] Combining the gas distributor of the above two types of embodiments, it uses the structural design of the sloped boss 12, and adopts the slope section 121 to increase the gas flow rate of the cathode gas perpendicular to the plate direction, and then the top platform section 122 divides the gas and improves the gas mixing uniformity. It is used in solid oxide fuel cells, which can not only increase the gas velocity in the porous electrode parallel to the three-phase interface (TPB), but also increase the gas velocity perpendicular to it and optimize the mass transfer performance.

[0048] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A gas distributor, characterized in that: The metal plate comprises a plate body, a plurality of formed holes are formed on the plate body, each of the formed holes is connected to a corresponding slope boss, the slope boss comprises a slope section and a top platform section, one end of the slope section is connected to the edge of the formed hole, the top platform section is connected to the other end of the slope section, the angle between the slope section and the plate body is α, and the angle between the top platform section and the slope section is β, wherein α ≥ 30° and α + β = 180°; The forming holes are rectangular holes, and the slope sections of the sloped bosses are connected to the corresponding long sides of the forming holes; the forming holes are distributed in multiple rows and columns on the plate body, and the forming holes in two adjacent rows or columns are staggered; the long sides of the forming holes in two adjacent rows or columns are arranged vertically, and the slope sections corresponding to the forming holes arranged in the same direction are arranged in parallel, and all parallel slope sections are connected to the same side of the corresponding forming holes.

2. The gas distributor according to claim 1, characterized in that The slope boss is formed by punching the material at the corresponding forming hole.

3. The gas distributor according to claim 1, characterized in that The angle range of α is 30°~60°.

4. The gas distributor according to claim 1, characterized in that The plate body is a rectangular plate, and the length direction of the forming hole is set at a 45° angle to the side of the rectangular plate.

5. The gas distributor according to claim 1, characterized in that The air inlet side of the gas distributor is located on the side away from the opening of the slope boss, and the air outlet side is located on the side toward which the opening of the slope boss faces.

6. The gas distributor according to claim 1, characterized in that All of the top platform sections are located on the same horizontal plane at a side away from the plate body.

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