Bipolar plate structure and battery stack

Abstract

The present invention discloses a bipolar plate structure and a battery stack, wherein the bipolar plate structure includes a bipolar plate body, an air flow channel, a cooling flow channel, an air inlet, an air outlet, a coolant inlet, and a coolant outlet. The cooling flow channel is used to cool the hydrogen flow channel and the air flow channel, and the cooling flow channel in the second zone is arranged around the air outlet. The air outlet and the coolant inlet are arranged in the second zone on the bipolar plate structure, and the air inlet and the coolant outlet are arranged in the first zone on the bipolar plate structure, so that the coolant enters the area where the air inlet end of the air flow channel is located. When the coolant enters the area where the air inlet end of the air flow channel is located, the coolant flows around the air outlet, performs heat exchange with the air outlet and the air in the air flow channel in the second zone, and condenses the water vapor at the air outlet.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of fuel cell technology, and in particular to a bipolar plate structure and a battery stack. Background Art

[0002] Fuel cells are one of the new energy products with development potential. Their working principle is to generate electricity by injecting gas fuel into the battery stack to produce electrochemical reactions.

[0003] A fuel cell stack consists of a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and two cell stacks on either side. The main structure of the cell stack is a stack of cathode plates, MEA, and anode plates. Adjacent cathode and anode plates are connected to form bipolar plates, which have reactant gas flows through the outside and coolant channels inside.

[0004] During battery stack operation, the air outlet of the bipolar plate contains high levels of water vapor. Excessive water vapor content reduces the oxygen partial pressure, leading to reduced reaction efficiency at the air outlet. Furthermore, the gas with high water vapor content needs to be condensed after discharge, making it more difficult to discharge air from the bipolar plate. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main purpose of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a bipolar plate structure and a battery stack, aiming to improve the technical problem of high water vapor content at the air outlet of the bipolar plate in the prior art.

[0006] An embodiment of the present invention provides a bipolar plate structure, comprising:

[0007] A bipolar plate body having a first region, a reaction region, and a second region sequentially distributed along a first direction;

[0008] an air flow channel disposed on one side of the bipolar plate body, the air flow channel sequentially passing through the first zone, the reaction zone, and the second zone, with an air inlet end of the air flow channel located in the first zone and an air outlet end of the air flow channel located in the second zone;

[0009] a cooling channel disposed inside the bipolar plate body, the cooling channel sequentially passing through the second zone, the reaction zone, and the first zone, the liquid inlet end of the cooling channel being located in the second zone, the liquid outlet end of the cooling channel being located in the first zone, and the cooling channel being used to cool the air channel;

[0010] an air inlet, provided on the bipolar plate body, located in the first region and communicated with an air inlet end of the air flow channel;

[0011] an air outlet, provided on the bipolar plate body, located in the second region and communicated with the air outlet end of the air flow channel;

[0012] a coolant inlet, provided on the bipolar plate body, located in the second zone, and communicated with a liquid inlet end of the cooling channel;

[0013] a coolant outlet, provided on the bipolar plate body, located in the first region, and communicated with the liquid outlet end of the cooling channel;

[0014] The cooling channel in the second zone is arranged around the air outlet. The coolant entering the cooling channel starts from the coolant inlet, flows along the cooling channel around the air outlet and then enters the reaction zone.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present invention, the bipolar plate structure further includes:

[0016] a hydrogen flow channel, disposed on a side of the bipolar plate body facing away from the air flow channel;

[0017] a hydrogen inlet, provided on the bipolar plate body, located in the first region or the second region, and communicated with the hydrogen flow channel;

[0018] A hydrogen outlet is provided on the bipolar plate body, located in the second region or the first region, and communicated with the hydrogen flow channel.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present invention, the cooling channels in the second zone completely cover the air channels in the second zone.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present invention, the hydrogen inlet, the air inlet, and the coolant outlet are all located in the first zone;

[0021] The hydrogen outlet, the air outlet, and the coolant inlet are all located in the second zone;

[0022] The coolant outlet is located between the hydrogen inlet and the air inlet, and the coolant inlet is located between the hydrogen outlet and the air outlet.

[0023] In some embodiments of the present invention, the hydrogen outlet, the air inlet, and the coolant outlet are all located in the first zone;

[0024] The hydrogen inlet, the air outlet and the coolant inlet are all located in the second zone;

[0025] The coolant outlet is located between the hydrogen outlet and the air inlet, and the coolant inlet is located between the hydrogen inlet and the air outlet.

[0026] In some embodiments of the present invention, the bipolar plate structure includes:

[0027] A first cooling channel is provided on the other side of the plate;

[0028] a second electrode plate, wherein the air flow channel is provided on one side of the second electrode plate and a second cooling flow channel is provided on the other side of the second electrode plate;

[0029] The first electrode plate and the second electrode plate are butted against each other to form the bipolar plate body. The side of the first electrode plate having the first cooling channel faces the side of the second electrode plate having the second cooling channel. The first cooling channel and the second cooling channel are combined to form the cooling channel.

[0030] In some embodiments of the present invention, a first hydrogen inlet sub-port and a first hydrogen outlet sub-port are provided on the first electrode plate, and a second hydrogen inlet sub-port and a second hydrogen outlet sub-port are provided on the second electrode plate. The first hydrogen inlet sub-port and the second hydrogen inlet sub-port are connected to form the hydrogen inlet, and the first hydrogen outlet sub-port and the second hydrogen outlet sub-port are connected to form the hydrogen outlet.

[0031] The first electrode plate is provided with a first air inlet sub-port and a first air outlet sub-port, and the second electrode plate is provided with a second air inlet sub-port and a second air outlet sub-port, the first air inlet sub-port and the second hydrogen air sub-port are connected to form the air inlet, and the first air outlet sub-port and the second air outlet sub-port are connected to form the air outlet;

[0032] A first coolant inlet sub-port and a first coolant outlet sub-port are provided on the first electrode plate, and a second coolant inlet sub-port and a second coolant outlet sub-port are provided on the second electrode plate. The first coolant inlet sub-port and the second coolant inlet sub-port are connected to form the coolant inlet, and the first coolant outlet sub-port and the second coolant outlet sub-port are connected to form the coolant outlet.

[0033] In some embodiments of the present invention, the hydrogen inlet is located in the first zone, the hydrogen outlet is located in the first zone, the air inlet is located between the hydrogen inlet and the hydrogen outlet, and the coolant outlet is located between the hydrogen inlet and the air inlet;

[0034] Alternatively, the coolant outlet is located between the air inlet and the hydrogen outlet.

[0035] Another embodiment of the present invention further provides a battery stack, the battery stack comprising:

[0036] a first bipolar plate;

[0037] a second bipolar plate;

[0038] a membrane electrode assembly, the membrane electrode assembly being disposed between the first bipolar plate and the second bipolar plate;

[0039] The first bipolar plate and the second bipolar plate both have the above-mentioned bipolar plate structure, and the first bipolar plate and the second bipolar plate have the same bipolar plate structure.

[0040] In some embodiments of the present invention, the membrane electrode assembly includes a first diffusion layer, a first catalytic layer, a proton exchange membrane, a second catalytic layer, and a second diffusion layer stacked in sequence.

[0041] Embodiments of the present invention provide a bipolar plate structure and a battery stack. The bipolar plate structure has air flow channels and cooling flow channels, with the cooling flow channels being used to cool the air flow channels. On the bipolar plate structure, the air outlet and coolant inlet are located in a second zone on the bipolar plate structure, while the air inlet and coolant outlet are located in a first zone on the bipolar plate structure. Coolant enters the area where the air outlet end of the air flow channel is located, and the cooling flow channels in the second zone are arranged around the air outlet. After the coolant enters the cooling flow channels, it first flows around the air outlet in the second zone, cooling the gas in the air outlet and condensing the water vapor before entering the cooling flow channels in the reaction zone. Compared with the prior art in which the coolant enters from the air inlet end of the air flow channel, when the coolant enters from the area where the air outlet end of the air flow channel is located, it can ensure that the coolant is at a lower temperature when cooling the air outlet, and performs heat exchange with the air at the air outlet and the air flow channel in the second area, so that the water vapor in the air outlet and the air flow channel is quickly condensed, thereby reducing the water vapor content in the air flowing out of the air outlet. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0043] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the division of the first zone, the reaction zone, and the second zone of the bipolar plate structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of the air flow channels in the first zone and the cooling flow channels in the second zone of a bipolar plate structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of the cooling flow channels in the first zone and the air flow channels in the second zone of a bipolar plate structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of a bipolar plate structure composed of a first electrode plate and a second electrode plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the partial structure of a battery stack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Description of reference numerals:

[0049] 100. Bipolar plate body; 101. First zone; 102. Reaction zone; 103. Second zone; 200. Air flow channel; 201. Air inlet; 202. Air outlet; 300. Cooling flow channel; 301. Coolant inlet; 302. Coolant outlet; 400. Hydrogen flow channel; 401. Hydrogen inlet; 402. Hydrogen outlet; 110. First electrode plate; 120. Second electrode plate; 100-A. First bipolar plate; 100-B. Second bipolar plate; 100-C. Membrane electrode assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0051] It should be noted that all directional indications in the embodiments of the present invention (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the various components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0052] In the present invention, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "connection" and "fixation" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "fixation" can mean fixed connection, detachable connection, or integration; mechanical connection or electrical connection; direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediate medium; internal communication between two elements or interaction between two elements, unless otherwise specified. Those skilled in the art will be able to understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on specific circumstances.

[0053] In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or suggesting their 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 such features. In addition, the meaning of "and / or" appearing throughout the text includes three parallel schemes. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes scheme A, or scheme B, or a scheme in which A and B are satisfied at the same time. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in this field to implement. When the combination of technical solutions is mutually contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0054] like Figure 1-4 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a bipolar plate structure, including a bipolar plate body, a hydrogen flow channel, an air flow channel, a hydrogen inlet, a hydrogen outlet, an air inlet, an air outlet, a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet.

[0055] It should be noted that the first direction is the length direction of the bipolar plate body, and the first zone, reaction zone, and second zone divide the bipolar plate body into three regions along the first direction. This arrangement is not a specific structural setting, but is provided as a virtual reference to help those skilled in the art understand this technical solution.

[0056] The hydrogen flow channel is arranged on one side of the bipolar plate body. That is, the hydrogen flow channel is a groove formed on one side of the bipolar body, or it can be formed by the cooperation of ridges protruding from one side of the bipolar plate body. The hydrogen flow channel is arranged along the first direction, the hydrogen flow channel passes through the reaction zone, and the two ends of the hydrogen flow channel are respectively arranged in the first zone and the second zone. Among them, the hydrogen inlet and the hydrogen outlet are arranged on the bipolar plate body, and are respectively arranged in the first zone and the second zone. The hydrogen inlet and the hydrogen outlet are respectively connected to the two ends of the hydrogen flow channel. When the hydrogen inlet is arranged in the first zone, the hydrogen outlet is arranged in the second zone. When the hydrogen inlet is arranged in the second zone, the hydrogen outlet is arranged in the first zone.

[0057] The air flow channel is located on the side of the bipolar plate body facing away from the hydrogen flow channel. The air flow channel is a groove formed on one side of the bipolar plate body, or it can be formed by a ridge protruding from one side of the bipolar plate body. The air flow channel is arranged along a first direction, passing through the first zone, the reaction zone, and the second zone in sequence. The air flow channel's air inlet end is located in the first zone, and the air flow channel's air outlet end is located in the second zone.

[0058] The air inlet and air outlet are arranged on the bipolar plate body. The air inlet is located in the first area and connected to the air inlet end of the air flow channel. The air outlet is located in the second area and connected to the air outlet end of the air flow channel.

[0059] The cooling channel is arranged inside the bipolar plate body and is used to cool the air flow channel and hydrogen flow channel on the bipolar plate body and the membrane electrode assembly in the corresponding battery. The cooling channel is a channel opened inside the bipolar plate body and arranged along the first direction. The cooling channel passes through the second zone, the reaction zone and the first zone in sequence. The liquid inlet end of the cooling channel is located in the second zone, and the liquid outlet end of the cooling channel is located in the first zone. The coolant inlet is arranged on the bipolar plate body, is located in the second zone together with the air outlet, and is connected to the liquid inlet end of the cooling channel. The coolant outlet is arranged on the bipolar plate body, is located in the first zone together with the air inlet, and is connected to the liquid outlet end of the cooling channel.

[0060] Among them, the cooling flow channel in the second zone is arranged around the air outlet. The coolant entering the cooling flow channel starts from the coolant inlet, flows along the cooling flow channel around the air outlet, enters the reaction zone, and finally flows into the first zone along the cooling flow channel.

[0061] It can be understood that since the air outlet is arranged in the second zone and the coolant inlet is also located in the second zone, the cooling flow channel located in the second zone can be arranged around the air outlet. The coolant entering the bipolar plate structure first flows around the air outlet to cool the gas that will flow out of the air outlet, condense its water vapor, reduce the water vapor content in the gas, and facilitate discharge.

[0062] It should be noted that the above-mentioned cooling flow channel is arranged around the air outlet, and can be a 360° annular surround or an arc surround of less than 360°.

[0063] According to the above description, it can be understood that, on the bipolar plate structure, the air outlet and the coolant inlet are arranged in the second zone on the bipolar plate structure, and the air inlet and the coolant outlet are arranged in the first zone on the bipolar plate structure, so that the coolant enters the area where the outlet end of the air flow channel is located, and the cooling flow channel in the second zone is arranged around the air outlet. In the second zone, it first flows around the air outlet to cool the gas in the air outlet, condenses the water vapor, and then enters the cooling flow channel in the reaction zone.

[0064] Compared with the prior art in which the coolant is introduced into the area where the air inlet end of the air flow channel is located, when the coolant is introduced into the area where the air outlet end of the air flow channel is located, it can be ensured that the coolant is at a lower temperature when cooling the air outlet, and heat exchange is performed with the air at the air outlet and the air flow channel in the second zone, so that the water vapor in the air outlet and the air flow channel is quickly condensed, thereby reducing the water vapor content in the air flowing out of the air outlet.

[0065] At the same time, because the coolant has already exchanged heat with the air flow channel in the second zone, the coolant temperature flowing into the reaction zone is higher, which can slow the condensation of water vapor in the air flow channel in the reaction zone, thereby maintaining a high water vapor content in the air flow channel in the reaction zone. It can be understood that maintaining the water vapor content in the bipolar plate reaction zone can ensure the reaction efficiency of the battery reaction zone.

[0066] That is, through the above arrangement, the reaction zone can have a higher water vapor content while the gas flowing out of the air outlet can maintain a lower water vapor content, thereby making it easy for the gas at the air outlet to be discharged.

[0067] The hydrogen inlet is used to introduce hydrogen, and the hydrogen outlet is used to discharge hydrogen. The air inlet is used to introduce air, and the air outlet is used to discharge air. The coolant inlet is used to introduce coolant, and the coolant outlet is used to discharge coolant. The coolant can be any of anhydrous ethanol, ultrapure water, and purified water. Other cooling media, such as cryogenic nitrogen, can also be introduced into the cooling channel.

[0068] In some possible embodiments, the cooling channel has a first branch channel and a second branch channel, both of which start from the coolant inlet, and are respectively arranged on both sides of the air outlet.

[0069] In some other possible implementations, the cooling channel starts from the coolant inlet, circles the air outlet for nearly one circle, and then enters the reaction zone.

[0070] In some embodiments, the cooling channels in the second zone completely cover the air channels in the second zone.

[0071] That is, a projection plane is formed along the thickness direction perpendicular to the bipolar plate body, in which projection is made along the thickness direction perpendicular to the bipolar plate body, and in which the projection of the cooling channel completely covers the projection of the air channel.

[0072] That is, in the second region, the area of ​​the bipolar plate body occupied by the cooling flow channel is greater than or equal to the area of ​​the bipolar plate body occupied by the air flow channel.

[0073] In order to ensure that the cooling channel can cover the air channel with a minimum area, the arrangement route of the air channel in the second zone and the arrangement route of the cooling channel in the second zone are overlapped as much as possible.

[0074] It can be understood that the air flow channel is arranged on the outer surface of the bipolar plate body, and the cooling flow channel is arranged inside the bipolar plate body. Therefore, when the cooling flow channel in the second zone completely covers the air flow channel in the second zone, the opening path of the cooling flow channel in the second zone completely covers the opening path of the air flow channel in the second zone, and the opening area of ​​the cooling flow channel in the second zone is greater than or equal to the opening area of ​​the air flow channel in the second zone.

[0075] Because the coolant inlet and air outlet are located at different locations, the cooling channel's path is longer than the air channel's path in the second zone. Furthermore, to ensure that the cooling channel completely covers the air channel in the second zone, the cooling channel's area in the second zone must be larger than the air channel's area in the second zone.

[0076] The aforementioned opening path is the route along which the grooves forming the cooling channel or the air channel pass. The aforementioned opening area is the area occupied by the two in the projection direction perpendicular to the bipolar plate body.

[0077] In some embodiments, the hydrogen inlet, the air inlet, and the coolant outlet are all located in the first zone; the hydrogen outlet, the air outlet, and the coolant inlet are all located in the second zone; the coolant outlet is located between the hydrogen inlet and the air inlet, and the coolant inlet is located between the hydrogen outlet and the air outlet.

[0078] Specifically, the hydrogen outlet, the coolant inlet, and the air outlet are sequentially arranged along the second direction, wherein the second direction is the width direction of the bipolar plate body.

[0079] Furthermore, when the cooling channel arranged in the second zone is arranged around the air channel, the setting path of the cooling channel is starting from the coolant inlet, first passing through the side of the air outlet close to the edge of the bipolar plate body, then surrounding the side of the air outlet, and finally being set from the side of the air outlet close to the coolant inlet toward the reaction zone.

[0080] In other embodiments, the air inlet and the coolant outlet are both located in the first zone; the hydrogen inlet, the air outlet and the coolant inlet are all located in the second zone; the coolant outlet is located between the hydrogen outlet and the air inlet, and the coolant inlet is located between the air inlet and the air outlet.

[0081] Specifically, the hydrogen inlet, the air outlet and the coolant inlet are arranged in sequence along the second direction.

[0082] See Figure 4 In some embodiments, the bipolar plate structure includes a first electrode plate and a second electrode plate. A hydrogen flow channel is provided on one side of the first electrode plate, and a first cooling flow channel is provided on the other side of the first electrode plate. An air flow channel is provided on one side of the second electrode plate, and a second cooling flow channel is provided on the other side of the second electrode plate. The first electrode plate and the second electrode plate are oppositely connected to form a bipolar plate body, and the side of the first electrode plate with the first cooling flow channel faces the side of the second electrode plate with the second cooling flow channel, and the first cooling flow channel and the second cooling flow channel merge to form a cooling flow channel.

[0083] It should be noted that a hydrogen flow channel is provided on the first electrode plate, and the hydrogen flow channel is opened on the side of the first electrode plate, and is a groove formed on the side of the first electrode plate. Similarly, the first cooling channel is a groove opened on the other side of the first electrode plate. In order to facilitate the merging with the first cooling channel to form a cooling channel, the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate are the same size and shape, and the opening path of the second cooling channel is the same as the opening path of the first cooling channel. The second cooling channel is a groove opened on one side of the second electrode plate, and the size of the groove is the same as the size of the groove on the first electrode plate, so as to facilitate the matching with the groove of the first electrode plate.

[0084] An air flow channel is provided on the second electrode plate, and the air flow channel is a groove opened on the other side surface of the second electrode plate.

[0085] In some embodiments, a first hydrogen inlet sub-port and a first hydrogen outlet sub-port are provided on the first electrode plate, and a second hydrogen inlet sub-port and a second hydrogen outlet sub-port are provided on the second electrode plate. The first hydrogen inlet sub-port and the second hydrogen inlet sub-port are connected to form a hydrogen inlet, and the first hydrogen outlet sub-port and the second hydrogen outlet sub-port are connected to form a hydrogen outlet.

[0086] The first hydrogen inlet sub-port is located on the first electrode plate and the second hydrogen inlet sub-port is located on the second electrode plate. The first hydrogen outlet sub-port is located on the first electrode plate and the second hydrogen outlet sub-port is located on the second electrode plate.

[0087] A first air inlet sub-port and a first air outlet sub-port are provided on the first electrode plate, and a second air inlet sub-port and a second air outlet sub-port are provided on the second electrode plate. The first air inlet sub-port and the second hydrogen air sub-port are connected to form an air inlet, and the first air outlet sub-port and the second air outlet sub-port are connected to form an air outlet.

[0088] The first air inlet sub-port is located on the first plate and the second air inlet sub-port is located on the second plate. The first air outlet sub-port is located on the first plate and the second air outlet sub-port is located on the second plate.

[0089] A first cooling liquid inlet auxiliary port and a first cooling liquid outlet auxiliary port are provided on the first electrode plate, and a second cooling liquid inlet auxiliary port and a second cooling liquid outlet auxiliary port are provided on the second electrode plate. The first cooling liquid inlet auxiliary port and the second cooling liquid inlet auxiliary port are connected to form a cooling liquid inlet, and the first cooling liquid outlet auxiliary port and the second cooling liquid outlet auxiliary port are connected to form a cooling liquid outlet.

[0090] The first cooling liquid inlet auxiliary port is located on the first electrode plate and the second cooling liquid inlet auxiliary port is located on the second electrode plate. The first cooling liquid outlet auxiliary port is located on the first electrode plate and the second cooling liquid outlet auxiliary port is located on the second electrode plate.

[0091] In some embodiments, the hydrogen inlet is located in the first zone, the hydrogen outlet is located in the first zone, the air inlet is located between the hydrogen inlet and the hydrogen outlet, and the coolant outlet is located between the hydrogen inlet and the air inlet.

[0092] In other embodiments, the coolant outlet is located between the air inlet and the hydrogen outlet.

[0093] It can be understood that in order to make the hydrogen inlet and the hydrogen outlet both located in the first zone, it is necessary to make the setting route of the hydrogen flow channel a U-shaped route so that the inlet end and the outlet end of the hydrogen flow channel are both located in the first zone, so that the hydrogen inlet and the hydrogen outlet can be located in the first zone.

[0094] In some embodiments, the bipolar plate structure further includes a first plate sealing ring and a second plate sealing ring. The first plate sealing ring is disposed on a side of the first plate having the hydrogen flow passage and is connected to the first plate. The second plate sealing ring is disposed on a side of the second plate having the air flow passage and is connected to the second plate.

[0095] The first plate sealing ring and the second plate sealing ring are used to prevent cross-flow between hydrogen, air and coolant.

[0096] See Figure 5 An embodiment of the present invention further provides a battery stack comprising a first bipolar plate, a second bipolar plate, and a membrane electrode assembly. The membrane electrode assembly is disposed between the first bipolar plate and the second bipolar plate. Both the first bipolar plate and the second bipolar plate employ the aforementioned bipolar plate structure, and the first bipolar plate and the second bipolar plate have the same bipolar plate structure.

[0097] It is understandable that, since the battery stack adopts the above-mentioned bipolar plate structure, it has at least some or all of the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned bipolar plate structure, which will not be described in detail here.

[0098] In some embodiments, the membrane electrode assembly includes a first diffusion layer, a first catalytic layer, a proton exchange membrane, a second catalytic layer, and a second diffusion layer stacked in sequence.

[0099] The above descriptions are merely optional embodiments of the present invention and do not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformations made using the contents of the present invention's description and drawings, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields within the application concept of the present invention are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A bipolar plate structure, characterized in that: include; A bipolar plate body having a first region, a reaction region, and a second region sequentially distributed along a first direction; an air flow channel disposed on one side of the bipolar plate body, the air flow channel sequentially passing through the first zone, the reaction zone, and the second zone, with an air inlet end of the air flow channel located in the first zone and an air outlet end of the air flow channel located in the second zone; a cooling channel disposed inside the bipolar plate body, the cooling channel sequentially passing through the second zone, the reaction zone, and the first zone, the liquid inlet end of the cooling channel being located in the second zone, the liquid outlet end of the cooling channel being located in the first zone, and the cooling channel being used to cool the air channel; an air inlet, provided on the bipolar plate body, located in the first region and communicated with an air inlet end of the air flow channel; an air outlet, provided on the bipolar plate body, located in the second region and communicated with the air outlet end of the air flow channel; a coolant inlet, provided on the bipolar plate body, located in the second zone, and communicated with a liquid inlet end of the cooling channel; a coolant outlet, provided on the bipolar plate body, located in the first region, and communicated with the liquid outlet end of the cooling channel; The cooling channel in the second zone is arranged around the air outlet. The coolant entering the cooling channel starts from the coolant inlet, flows along the cooling channel around the air outlet, and then enters the reaction zone.

2. The bipolar plate structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bipolar plate structure further comprises: a hydrogen flow channel, disposed on a side of the bipolar plate body facing away from the air flow channel; a hydrogen inlet, provided on the bipolar plate body, located in the first region or the second region, and communicated with the hydrogen flow channel; A hydrogen outlet is provided on the bipolar plate body, located in the second region or the first region, and communicated with the hydrogen flow channel.

3. The bipolar plate structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cooling flow channels in the second zone completely cover the air flow channels in the second zone.

4. The bipolar plate structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The hydrogen inlet, the air inlet, and the coolant outlet are all located in the first zone; The hydrogen outlet, the air outlet, and the coolant inlet are all located in the second zone; The coolant outlet is located between the hydrogen inlet and the air inlet, and the coolant inlet is located between the hydrogen outlet and the air outlet.

5. The bipolar plate structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The hydrogen outlet, the air inlet, and the coolant outlet are all located in the first zone; The hydrogen inlet, the air outlet and the coolant inlet are all located in the second zone; The coolant outlet is located between the hydrogen outlet and the air inlet, and the coolant inlet is located between the hydrogen inlet and the air outlet.

6. The bipolar plate structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bipolar plate structure comprises: a first electrode plate, wherein the hydrogen flow channel is provided on one side of the first electrode plate, and a first cooling flow channel is provided on the other side of the first electrode plate; a second electrode plate, wherein the air flow channel is provided on one side of the second electrode plate and a second cooling flow channel is provided on the other side of the second electrode plate; The first electrode plate and the second electrode plate are butted against each other to form the bipolar plate body. The side of the first electrode plate having the first cooling channel faces the side of the second electrode plate having the second cooling channel. The first cooling channel and the second cooling channel are combined to form the cooling channel.

7. The bipolar plate structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: A first hydrogen inlet sub-port and a first hydrogen outlet sub-port are provided on the first electrode plate, and a second hydrogen inlet sub-port and a second hydrogen outlet sub-port are provided on the second electrode plate. The first hydrogen inlet sub-port and the second hydrogen inlet sub-port are connected to form the hydrogen inlet, and the first hydrogen outlet sub-port and the second hydrogen outlet sub-port are connected to form the hydrogen outlet. The first electrode plate is provided with a first air inlet sub-port and a first air outlet sub-port, and the second electrode plate is provided with a second air inlet sub-port and a second air outlet sub-port, the first air inlet sub-port and the second air inlet sub-port are connected to form the air inlet, and the first air outlet sub-port and the second air outlet sub-port are connected to form the air outlet; A first coolant inlet sub-port and a first coolant outlet sub-port are provided on the first electrode plate, and a second coolant inlet sub-port and a second coolant outlet sub-port are provided on the second electrode plate. The first coolant inlet sub-port and the second coolant inlet sub-port are connected to form the coolant inlet, and the first coolant outlet sub-port and the second coolant outlet sub-port are connected to form the coolant outlet.

8. The bipolar plate structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The hydrogen inlet is located in the first zone, the hydrogen outlet is located in the first zone, the air inlet is located between the hydrogen inlet and the hydrogen outlet, and the coolant outlet is located between the hydrogen inlet and the air inlet; Alternatively, the coolant outlet is located between the air inlet and the hydrogen outlet.

9. A battery stack, characterized in that: include: a first bipolar plate; a second bipolar plate; a membrane electrode assembly, the membrane electrode assembly being disposed between the first bipolar plate and the second bipolar plate; The first bipolar plate and the second bipolar plate are both of the bipolar plate structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and the first bipolar plate and the second bipolar plate are of the same bipolar plate structure.

10. The battery stack according to claim 9, characterized in that: The membrane electrode assembly includes a first diffusion layer, a first catalytic layer, a proton exchange membrane, a second catalytic layer, and a second diffusion layer which are stacked in sequence.

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