A pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device, comprising an electrolyzer, an electrolysis water inlet pipeline, an electrolyzer hydrogen pipeline, an electrolysis water reservoir, and a single-acting cylinder, wherein a proton exchange membrane electrode is provided in the electrolyzer, and the proton exchange membrane electrode divides the inner cavity of the electrolyzer into an electrolyzer water cavity and an electrolyzer gas cavity; the electrolyzer hydrogen pipeline is provided on the electrolyzer and connected to the electrolyzer gas cavity, and the electrolyzer hydrogen pipeline is connected to an external hydrogen storage tank; the single-acting cylinder is provided on the electrolyzer, and a first piston is provided in the cylinder body of the single-acting cylinder, and a second piston is provided at the output end of the single-acting cylinder, and the second piston is placed in the electrolyzer water cavity to achieve pressure regulation of the electrolyzer water cavity. Compared with the prior art, the present invention achieves that the pressure of the hydrogen cavity and the pressure of the water cavity in the proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer are kept balanced, and the service life of the membrane electrode is improved and the requirements for sealing materials are reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers, in particular to a pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device. Background Art

[0002] The pressure range of hydrogen outlet of PEM hydrogen production water electrolyzer is 0~3.5MPag, and the pressure range of electrolyzed water inlet and outlet is 0~1.5MPag. The existing water electrolyzer is placed in a room temperature environment, so the water electrolyzer has a higher pressure difference with the environment. The maximum pressure difference between the cathode gas chamber and the environment can reach 3.5MPa. The maximum pressure difference between the anode gas chamber and the environment can reach 1.5MPa.

[0003] PEM hydrogen production has very high requirements for water electrolyzer sealing materials. Existing materials that meet the requirements are few and expensive, which restricts the cost and commercial application scope of water electrolyzers. The cost of sealing structure and sealing materials in PEM hydrogen production equipment is high, which limits the industrial promotion of this field. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the defects of the above-mentioned prior art and provide a pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device, thereby achieving a balance between the pressure of the hydrogen cavity and the pressure of the water cavity in the proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer, thereby improving the service life of the membrane electrode and reducing the requirements for sealing materials.

[0005] The purpose of the present invention can be achieved by the following technical solutions:

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device, comprising an electrolyzer, an electrolysis water inlet pipeline, an electrolyzer hydrogen pipeline, an electrolysis water reservoir, and a single-acting cylinder, wherein specifically:

[0007] The electrolytic cell is provided with a proton exchange membrane electrode, and the proton exchange membrane electrode divides the inner cavity of the electrolytic cell into an electrolytic cell water cavity and an electrolytic cell gas cavity;

[0008] The electrolysis water inlet pipeline is arranged on the electrolytic cell and connected to the electrolytic cell water cavity;

[0009] The electrolytic cell hydrogen pipeline is arranged on the electrolytic cell and connected to the electrolytic cell gas cavity, and the electrolytic cell hydrogen pipeline is connected to an external hydrogen storage tank;

[0010] The electrolytic water reservoir is connected to the electrolytic water inlet pipeline;

[0011] The single-acting cylinder is arranged on the electrolytic cell, a first piston is arranged in the cylinder body of the single-acting cylinder, a second piston is arranged at the output end of the single-acting cylinder, and the second piston is placed in the water cavity of the electrolytic cell to realize pressure regulation of the water cavity of the electrolytic cell.

[0012] Furthermore, a vertically arranged cylindrical convex bulge is provided on the top of the electrolytic cell, and the second piston is arranged in the cylindrical convex bulge.

[0013] Furthermore, the inner diameter of the cylindrical convex hull matches that of the second piston.

[0014] Furthermore, the cylinder body of the single-acting cylinder is connected to the hydrogen pipeline of the electrolytic cell to achieve pressure balance between the cylinder body of the single-acting cylinder and the gas cavity of the electrolytic cell.

[0015] Furthermore, a one-way valve is provided on the hydrogen pipeline of the electrolyzer;

[0016] A hydrogen-water separator is also provided between the hydrogen pipeline of the electrolyzer and the hydrogen storage tank.

[0017] Furthermore, a water pump is provided between the output port of the electrolytic water reservoir and the electrolytic water inlet pipeline.

[0018] Furthermore, a water replenishment flow regulating valve is provided on the electrolysis water inlet pipeline.

[0019] Furthermore, the pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device also includes a water level control component, which includes a water chamber level gauge for monitoring the water level in the water chamber of the electrolytic cell and a water chamber water replenishment pipeline connected to the top of the water chamber of the electrolytic cell, and an electromagnetic valve is provided on the water chamber water replenishment pipeline, which is electrically connected to the water chamber level gauge.

[0020] Furthermore, the pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device also includes a controller;

[0021] The electrolytic cell water cavity and the electrolytic cell gas cavity are respectively matched with an electrolytic cell water cavity pressure gauge and an electrolytic cell gas pressure gauge;

[0022] The controller is electrically connected to the water chamber level gauge, the electromagnetic valve, the electrolytic cell water chamber pressure gauge, and the electrolytic cell gas pressure gauge respectively.

[0023] Furthermore, the pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device also includes a water chamber return pipeline, one end of which is connected to the top of the water chamber of the electrolytic cell, and the other end is connected to the electrolyzed water reservoir.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following technical advantages:

[0025] The pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer in this technical solution constructs a voltage-stabilizing and adjustable overall structure, ensuring that the pressure of the hydrogen cavity and the pressure of the water cavity in the proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer remain balanced, thereby increasing the service life of the membrane electrode and reducing the requirements for sealing materials, thereby achieving the purpose of increasing the service life of the electrolyzer and reducing material costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device in this technical solution.

[0027] In the figure: 10 electrolytic water reservoir; 100 water pump; 101 water replenishment flow regulating valve; 102 electrolytic water inlet pipeline; 20 electrolytic cell; 200 electrolytic cell water cavity; 201 electrolytic cell gas cavity; 202 proton exchange membrane electrode; 203 water cavity piston; 204 single-acting cylinder; 205 electrolytic cell water cavity pressure gauge; 206 electrolytic cell gas pressure gauge; 207 water cavity level gauge; 301 electrolytic cell hydrogen pipeline; 302 hydrogen water gas separator; 303 hydrogen storage tank, 304 one-way valve; 401 water cavity water replenishment pipeline; 402 electrolytic water flow regulating valve; 501 water cavity return pipeline; 601 electrolytic water circuit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Any features such as structure / module name, control mode, algorithm, process or composition ratio not clearly described in this technical solution shall be regarded as common technical features disclosed in the prior art.

[0029] The pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device of the present invention comprises an electrolyzer 20, an electrolysis water inlet pipeline 102, an electrolyzer hydrogen pipeline 301, an electrolysis water reservoir 10, and a single-acting cylinder 204, wherein the specific Figure 1 .

[0030] The electrolytic cell 20 is provided with a proton exchange membrane electrode 202, and the proton exchange membrane electrode 202 divides the inner cavity of the electrolytic cell 20 into an electrolytic cell water cavity 200 and an electrolytic cell gas cavity 201. The top of the electrolytic cell 20 is provided with a vertically arranged cylindrical convex hull, and the second piston is arranged in the cylindrical convex hull. The inner diameter of the cylindrical convex hull matches the second piston.

[0031] The single-acting cylinder 204 is disposed on the electrolytic cell 20, and a first piston is disposed in the cylinder body of the single-acting cylinder 204, and a second piston is disposed at the output end of the single-acting cylinder 204, and the second piston is disposed in the electrolytic cell water cavity 200 to achieve pressure regulation of the electrolytic cell water cavity 200. The cylinder body of the single-acting cylinder 204 is connected to the electrolytic cell hydrogen pipeline 301 to achieve pressure balance between the cylinder body of the single-acting cylinder 204 and the electrolytic cell gas cavity 201.

[0032] The electrolysis water inlet pipeline 102 is arranged on the electrolytic cell 20 and connected to the electrolytic cell water cavity 200. The electrolytic cell hydrogen pipeline 301 is arranged on the electrolytic cell 20 and connected to the electrolytic cell gas cavity 201, and the electrolytic cell hydrogen pipeline 301 is connected to an external hydrogen storage tank 303; the electrolytic water reservoir 10 is connected to the electrolysis water inlet pipeline 102; a one-way valve 304 is arranged on the electrolytic cell hydrogen pipeline 301; and a hydrogen water separator 302 is also arranged between the electrolytic cell hydrogen pipeline 301 and the hydrogen storage tank 303.

[0033] A water pump 100 is provided between the output port of the electrolytic water reservoir 10 and the electrolytic water inlet pipeline 102. A water replenishment flow regulating valve 101 is provided on the electrolytic water inlet pipeline 102.

[0034] The pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device also includes a water level control component, which includes a water chamber level gauge 207 for monitoring the water level of the electrolytic cell water chamber 200 and a water chamber water replenishment pipeline 401 connected to the top of the electrolytic cell water chamber 200, and an electromagnetic valve is provided on the water chamber water replenishment pipeline 401, which is electrically connected to the water chamber level gauge 207.

[0035] The pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device also includes a controller, which is a single-chip microcomputer or a processor of x86 architecture, ARM architecture, or RISC-V architecture.

[0036] The electrolytic cell water chamber 200 and the electrolytic cell gas chamber 201 are respectively matched with an electrolytic cell water chamber pressure gauge 205 and an electrolytic cell gas pressure gauge 206. The controller is electrically connected to the water chamber level gauge 207, each solenoid valve in the technical solution, the electrolytic cell water chamber pressure gauge 205, and the electrolytic cell gas pressure gauge 206, respectively, so as to realize a simple control process as needed.

[0037] The pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device further includes a water chamber return pipe 501 , one end of which is connected to the top of the electrolytic cell water chamber 200 , and the other end is connected to the electrolytic water reservoir 10 .

[0038] Working principle description:

[0039] 1. The purpose of the pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer structure in this technical solution is to ensure that the pressure of the hydrogen cavity and the pressure of the water cavity in the proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer are balanced. The service life of the membrane electrode is increased and the requirements for sealing materials are reduced, thereby increasing the service life of the electrolyzer and reducing material costs.

[0040] 2. In the present technical solution, the water in the electrolytic cell water chamber 200 includes water for hydrogen production by electrolysis (entering the cell from the 102 pipeline) and make-up water for balancing the pressure (entering the cell from the 401 pipeline). The water flow rates of the two routes entering the electrolytic cell are adjustable, and the pressure in the cell is generated by the water pump 100. The pressure in the cell is displayed by 205. The volume of water in the electrolytic cell is displayed by the liquid level gauge 207; when the liquid level gauge indicates a lack of water, the flow valve 402 is adjusted at this time, and the water chamber water supply pipeline 401 is replenished with water. When the water chamber pressure gauge 205 indicates that the pressure exceeds the specified pressure, the flow valve 402 is reduced or closed to disconnect the water supply pipeline, and the valve of the pipeline 101 entering the electrolytic cell is reduced at the same time to reduce the amount of electrolyzed water entering the cell.

[0041] 3. In this technical solution, the hydrogen water chamber of the electrolyzer is provided with a piston 203, which is connected to a single-acting cylinder 204. The interior of the single-acting cylinder is filled with hydrogen generated by the electrolyzer, the cylinder action surface S1, and the piston area of ​​the water chamber S2. The pressure of the hydrogen chamber of the electrolyzer is displayed by a pressure gauge 206.

[0042] 4. In this technical solution, the hydrogen generated by the hydrogen cavity of the electrolyzer passes through the water-gas separator 302, and a part of it enters the gas storage tank 303, a one-way valve 304 is arranged on the pipeline, and the other part enters the single-acting cylinder 204. The reset of the single-acting cylinder is a spring reset.

[0043] 5. In this technical solution, the gas pressure inside the single-acting cylinder is roughly the same as the pressure of hydrogen produced by the electrolytic cell. When the cylinder piston action area S1 is larger than the electrolytic cell piston area S2, the cylinder piston thrust is greater than the electrolytic cell piston thrust. When the cylinder piston action area S1 is equal to the electrolytic cell piston area S2, the piston thrust of the gas cavity in the tank is the same as the piston thrust inside the cylinder. When the cylinder piston area is less than the electrolytic cell piston area S2, the cylinder piston thrust is less than the electrolytic cell piston thrust.

[0044] 6. When the electrolytic cell is running with rapid load changes, the cylinder piston area and the tank water chamber piston area are set in advance to ensure that the water chamber pressure and the air chamber pressure of the electrolytic cell can achieve dynamic balance.

[0045] 7. The reasonable ratio of the cylinder piston effective area to the electrolyzer piston effective area can be calculated by matching the electrolyzer water chamber pressure and the hydrogen chamber pressure.

[0046] The above description of the embodiments is to facilitate the understanding and use of the invention by those skilled in the art. It is obvious that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications to these embodiments and apply the general principles described herein to other embodiments without creative work. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and improvements and modifications made by those skilled in the art based on the disclosure of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention should be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device, characterized in that: include: An electrolytic cell (20), wherein a proton exchange membrane electrode (202) is provided in the electrolytic cell (20), and the proton exchange membrane electrode (202) divides the inner cavity of the electrolytic cell (20) into an electrolytic cell water cavity (200) and an electrolytic cell air cavity (201); An electrolysis water inlet pipeline (102) is provided on the electrolytic cell (20) and is connected to the electrolytic cell water chamber (200); An electrolytic cell hydrogen pipeline (301) is disposed on the electrolytic cell (20) and connected to the electrolytic cell gas cavity (201); the electrolytic cell hydrogen pipeline (301) is connected to an external hydrogen storage tank (303); An electrolytic water reservoir (10) connected to the electrolytic water inlet pipeline (102); A single-acting cylinder (204) is arranged on the electrolytic cell (20), a first piston is arranged in a cylinder body of the single-acting cylinder (204), a second piston is arranged at an output end of the single-acting cylinder (204), and the second piston is placed in the electrolytic cell water chamber (200) to achieve pressure regulation of the electrolytic cell water chamber (200); The cylinder body of the single-acting cylinder (204) is connected to the electrolytic cell hydrogen pipeline (301) to achieve pressure balance between the cylinder body of the single-acting cylinder (204) and the electrolytic cell gas cavity (201).

2. A pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A vertically arranged cylindrical convex bulge is provided on the top of the electrolytic cell (20), and the second piston is arranged in the cylindrical convex bulge.

3. A pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The inner diameter of the cylindrical convex hull matches that of the second piston.

4. A pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A one-way valve (304) is provided on the electrolyzer hydrogen pipeline (301); A hydrogen-water separator (302) is also provided between the electrolyzer hydrogen pipeline (301) and the hydrogen storage tank (303).

5. The pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A water pump (100) is provided between the output port of the electrolytic water reservoir (10) and the electrolytic water inlet pipeline (102).

6. A pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electrolysis water inlet pipeline (102) is provided with a water replenishment flow regulating valve (101).

7. The pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device further comprises a water level control component, the water level control component comprising a water chamber liquid level meter (207) for monitoring the water level of the electrolytic cell water chamber (200) and a water chamber water replenishment pipeline (401) connected to the top of the electrolytic cell water chamber (200), the water chamber water replenishment pipeline (401) being provided with a solenoid valve, the solenoid valve being electrically connected to the water chamber liquid level meter (207).

8. A pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device also includes a controller; The electrolytic cell water cavity (200) and the electrolytic cell gas cavity (201) are respectively matched with an electrolytic cell water cavity pressure gauge (205) and an electrolytic cell gas pressure gauge (206); The controller is electrically connected to the water chamber level gauge (207), the electromagnetic valve, the electrolytic cell water chamber pressure gauge (205), and the electrolytic cell gas pressure gauge (206), respectively.

9. A pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The pressure-balanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device further comprises a water chamber return pipe (501), one end of the water chamber return pipe (501) being connected to the top of the electrolytic cell water chamber (200), and the other end being connected to the electrolyzed water reservoir (10).

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