A metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure

Abstract

The present application discloses a metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure, comprising a battery array composed of a plurality of metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells, wherein the metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells include a metal support body and battery functional layers arranged above and below the metal support body. The metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells in the same layer are electrically connected via side contact of the metal support body to form a parallel structure battery pack, and the battery packs in different layers are electrically connected via connectors to form a series structure, and the connectors in adjacent layers are also separated by insulating components. The above-mentioned metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure can simplify and compact the entire battery structure, improve the thermal shock resistance of the battery, improve the power generation efficiency and operational stability, and also reduce the manufacturing cost of the battery.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of fuel cell manufacturing, and in particular relates to a metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure. Background Art

[0002] A fuel cell is a device that directly converts the chemical energy of a fuel gas into electrical energy. Depending on the type of electrolyte used, it can be categorized as alkaline, phosphate, molten carbonate, proton exchange membrane, and solid oxide fuel cells. Solid oxide fuel cells offer the following advantages: high specific energy density, high energy efficiency, all-solid-state materials, and scalable power generation. Furthermore, they can use hydrocarbon gases such as natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, and coal gas as fuel.

[0003] A current technological trend is for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) to operate at lower to medium temperatures. This lower operating temperature allows porous metals to be used as support structures, further reducing manufacturing costs and improving stability. Generally speaking, battery systems are assembled from individual cells. However, there is no prior art example of assembling a stack of metal flat tube SOFCs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure, which can simplify and compact the entire battery structure, improve the battery's thermal shock resistance, improve power generation efficiency and operational stability, and reduce the battery's manufacturing cost.

[0005] The present invention provides a metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure, comprising a cell array composed of a plurality of metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells, wherein the metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells comprise a metal support body and cell functional layers arranged above and below the metal support body. The metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells in the same layer are electrically connected through the side contact type of the metal support body to form a parallel structured cell group, and the cell groups in different layers are electrically connected through connectors to form a series structure, and the connectors in adjacent layers are also separated by insulating components.

[0006] Preferably, in the above-mentioned metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure, the side edges of the metal support body are also sealed by a sealing member.

[0007] Preferably, in the above-mentioned metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure, the insulating component is an insulating gasket.

[0008] Preferably, in the above-mentioned metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure, the insulating component is a ceramic or mica insulating component.

[0009] Preferably, in the above-mentioned metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure, the cross-section of the metal support body is a parallelogram.

[0010] Preferably, in the above-mentioned metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure, the metal support body is a ferritic stainless steel support body or an iron-chromium alloy support body.

[0011] Preferably, in the above-mentioned metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure, the battery functional layer includes an anode in contact with and connected to the metal support, an electrolyte layer connected to the anode, and a cathode connected to the other side of the electrolyte layer.

[0012] Preferably, in the above-mentioned metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure, the portion where the connector contacts the cathode has an air channel.

[0013] Preferably, in the above-mentioned metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure, the interior of the metal support body has a fuel gas channel.

[0014] From the above description, it can be seen that the above-mentioned metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure provided by the present invention includes a battery array composed of multiple metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells, and the metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells include a metal support body and a battery functional layer arranged above and below the metal support body. The metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells in the same layer are electrically connected through the side contact type of the metal support body to form a parallel structure battery group, and the battery groups in different layers are electrically connected through connectors to form a series structure. The connectors in adjacent layers are also separated by insulating components, thereby realizing the stacking of metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells, which can simplify and compact the entire battery structure, improve the thermal shock resistance of the battery, improve the power generation efficiency and operation stability, and reduce the manufacturing cost of the battery. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] 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 merely embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying any creative work.

[0016] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a single cell of an embodiment of a metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure provided by the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 This is an overall schematic diagram of an embodiment of a metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The core of the present invention is to provide a metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure, which can simplify and compact the entire battery structure, improve the battery's thermal shock resistance, improve power generation efficiency and operational stability, and also reduce the battery's manufacturing cost.

[0019] 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. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] An embodiment of a metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure provided by the present invention is as follows: Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a single cell of an embodiment of a metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure provided by the present invention. Figure 2 This is an overall schematic diagram of an embodiment of a metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure provided by the present invention. The metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure may include a battery array composed of multiple metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells 1. The metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell 1 includes a metal support body 11 and a battery functional layer 12 arranged above and below the metal support body 11. The metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells in the same layer are electrically connected by contact through the side 111 of the metal support body 11 to form a parallel structure battery group. The battery groups in different layers are electrically connected through connectors 2 to form a series structure. The connectors 2 of adjacent layers are also separated by insulating components 3.

[0021] It should be noted that the prior art adopts a single-layer arrangement in which the batteries are kept separate, while this embodiment realizes the stacking of batteries to form a battery stack, so the energy density is higher. The number of single batteries in each layer is not limited and can be matched with the length of the connector 2. The actual installation process is to assemble the single batteries 1 in contact with each other in sequence for fixation, and then install the connector 2. An insulating component 3 is installed between every two layers of connectors 2 to separate them. Finally, the single batteries in a single layer are in a parallel structure, and the cells in different layers are in a series structure.

[0022] From the above description, it can be seen that in the embodiment of the above-mentioned metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure provided by the present invention, since it includes a battery array composed of multiple metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells, the metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells include a metal support body and a battery functional layer arranged above and below the metal support body. The metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells in the same layer are electrically connected through the side contact type of the metal support body to form a parallel structure battery group, and the battery groups of different layers are electrically connected through connectors to form a series structure. The connectors of adjacent layers are also separated by insulating components, thereby realizing the stacking of metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells, which can simplify and compact the entire battery structure, improve the thermal shock resistance of the battery, improve the power generation efficiency and operation stability, and reduce the manufacturing cost of the battery.

[0023] In a specific embodiment of the above-mentioned metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure, the side of the metal support body 11 can also be sealed using a sealant. This is because a metal support body is used, so it must be sealed to achieve insulation from the surroundings. Specifically, it can be sealed directly during production, or it can be sealed in subsequent steps. There is no restriction here. Ceramic glass sealant can be used for sealing, or laser welding or brazing and other processes can be used to achieve sealing.

[0024] In another specific embodiment of the above-mentioned metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure, the insulating component 3 can preferably be an insulating gasket. This insulating gasket can be set to a sufficiently large thickness to achieve effective insulation. Furthermore, the insulating component 3 can preferably be a ceramic or mica insulating component. These two materials can achieve high insulation and low cost. Of course, other materials can be selected for insulation according to actual needs, which is not limited here.

[0025] In another specific embodiment of the above-mentioned metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure, the cross section of the metal support 11 may preferably be a parallelogram, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the upper and lower surfaces can be conveniently provided with battery working surfaces, while the left and right sides are convenient for electrical connection with adjacent single batteries. Of course, other shapes can be selected according to actual needs, which is not limited here.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment of the above-mentioned metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure, the metal support body 11 can be a ferritic stainless steel support body or an iron-chromium alloy support body, which not only ensures sufficiently high support strength but also has low cost. Of course, support bodies made of other materials can also be selected according to actual needs, which is not limited here.

[0027] In another preferred embodiment of the above-mentioned metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure, continue to refer to Figure 1 The battery functional layer 12 may include an anode 121 in contact with the metal support 11, an electrolyte layer 122 connected to the anode 121, and a cathode 123 connected to the other side of the electrolyte layer 122. Figure 2 The portion where the connector contacts the cathode has an air channel 4 , and the interior of the metal support 11 may have a fuel gas channel 5 .

[0028] The above description of the disclosed embodiments is intended to enable one skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown herein but is intended to conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure, characterized in that: The invention relates to a battery array composed of a plurality of metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells, wherein the metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells include a metal support body and battery functional layers arranged above and below the metal support body. The metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cells in the same layer are electrically connected by side contact of the metal support body to form a battery pack with a parallel structure. The battery packs in different layers are electrically connected by connectors to form a series structure. The connectors in adjacent layers are also separated by insulating components to achieve stacking of batteries to form a battery stack. The installation process is to assemble and fix the cells in sequence by contacting each other, and then install the connectors. The insulating components are installed between every two layers of the connectors to separate them. Finally, the cells in a single layer are in a parallel structure, and the cells in different layers are in a series structure. The battery functional layer includes an anode in contact with the metal support, an electrolyte layer connected to the anode, and a cathode connected to the other side of the electrolyte layer; The portion of the connector that contacts the cathode has an air channel; The metal support has a fuel gas channel therein.

2. The metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The side edges of the metal support are also sealed using sealing members.

3. The metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The insulating component is an insulating gasket.

4. The metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The insulating component is a ceramic or mica insulating component.

5. The metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross section of the metal support is a parallelogram.

6. The metal flat tube solid oxide fuel cell stack structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The metal support is a ferritic stainless steel support or an iron-chromium alloy support.

Images