Modular solid oxide cell stack system

Abstract

The application relates to a modular solid oxide cell stack system, which comprises: a cell stack formed by stacking a plurality of single cells; an end cover covering one end of the cell stack; a gas distribution module in a cuboid structure, four sides of the gas distribution module being provided with first through holes and second through holes, the first through holes and the second through holes being connected through airflow distribution channels, and one end of the gas distribution module close to the first through holes being connected with the cell stack; and a side plate tightly pressing the side of the cell stack, the side of the side plate close to the cell stack being concave to form an airflow buffer cavity, the airflow buffer cavity covering the first through holes and the side of the cell stack, and the side plate being sealingly connected with the end cover; a flow channel is designed in the gas distribution module, the second through holes directly receive the airflow delivered by pipelines, the airflow cavity and the high-temperature metal pipeline connection are not needed, the gas inlet structure is simplified, system integration is facilitated, and the assembly difficulty is reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of solid oxide cell stack, in particular to a modular solid oxide cell stack system. BACKGROUND

[0002] Solid oxide cell (SOC) is a high-temperature energy conversion device, which has the advantages of high efficiency, no pollution, compact structure, modular design and strong fuel adaptability. When working in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) mode, the chemical energy in hydrocarbon fuel can be directly converted into electrical energy through electrochemical reaction; when working in solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) mode, water and CO2 can be efficiently electrolyzed into hydrogen and CO. Generally speaking, the power generated by a single cell is limited, and in order to obtain higher power output, multiple single cells need to be connected in series to form a stack. Due to its simple structure, lower manufacturing and assembly difficulty and cost, the outflow cavity solid oxide cell stack is considered more suitable for large-scale applications such as distributed power generation and hydrogen production.

[0003] The flat plate type SOC stack structure is divided into an internal flow cavity and an external flow cavity. The external flow cavity structure is simpler than the internal flow cavity structure, and has lower manufacturing and assembly cost. For example, patent CN201610631780 discloses a design of an external flow cavity SOFC stack, but this design has the following hidden dangers. First, the gas pipeline is directly connected with the gas flow cavity, and the thermal stress at high temperature acts on the gas flow cavity through the pipeline, which causes the sealing failure between the gas flow cavities and gas leakage. Therefore, a metal bellows is usually used between the gas flow cavity and the pipeline to relieve the thermal stress, but the high-temperature life of the metal bellows limits its application. Second, the complex gas pipeline around the gas flow cavity of this design increases the difficulty of multi-stack integration and reduces the volume power density of the stack module. In addition, the stack gas flow cavity is directly connected with the thermal element and the system cold zone control module through the metal pipeline, and the cold zone electrical signal may affect the collection and transmission of the stack electrical signal. The above problems not only endanger the operation of the SOC stack, but also increase the manufacturing cost and assembly difficulty. The external flow cavity structure needs to be further optimized to solve these problems. SUMMARY

[0004] Based on the above description, the present application provides a modular solid oxide cell stack system to solve the above technical problems in the prior art.

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

[0006] A modular solid oxide cell stack system comprises:

[0007] a stack formed by stacking a plurality of single cells to form a cell stack;

[0008] an end cover covering one end of the stack;

[0009] The gas distribution module is a cuboid structure, four sides of the gas distribution module are provided with first through holes and second through holes, the first through holes and the second through holes are connected through a gas flow distribution channel, and one end of the gas distribution module close to the first through hole is connected with the stack.

[0010] The side plate is tightly pressed against the side of the stack, the side of the side plate close to the stack is concave to form a gas flow buffer cavity, the gas flow buffer cavity covers the side of the first through hole and the stack, and the side plate, the end cover and the stack are sealingly connected through a sealing material.

[0011] Compared with the prior art, the technical scheme has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0012] The modular solid oxide cell stack system provided by the application has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0013] On the basis of the above technical scheme, the application can also be improved as follows.

[0014] In one technical scheme, the gas distribution module comprises a gas flow distributor and a gas inlet base arranged in layers, the upper end of the gas flow distributor is connected with the stack, the first through holes are arranged on the side of the gas flow distributor, the second through holes are arranged on the side of the gas inlet base, the gas flow distributor has an upper gas channel in communication with the first through holes and extending to the lower end thereof, and the gas inlet base has a lower gas channel in communication with the second through holes and extending to the upper end thereof; the upper gas channel and the lower gas channel are in communication to form a gas flow distribution channel.

[0015] Further, the gas distribution module further comprises an insulating sealing gasket, the sealing gasket is arranged between the gas flow distributor and the gas inlet base, the gas inlet base and the gas flow distributor are insulated and sealed through the sealing gasket, and the sealing gasket has a gas flow through hole corresponding to the gas flow distribution channel.

[0016] Further, the first through holes are all long strip-shaped holes, and the extension direction of the long strip-shaped holes is consistent with the width direction of the gas distribution module, and the second through holes are all circular holes.

[0017] As a technical solution of the present application, there are multiple fuel cell stacks, and the multiple fuel cell stacks are stacked up and down, with a partition provided between two adjacent fuel cell stacks. The gas distribution module is provided at the bottom of all fuel cell stacks, and the first via is located at the upper part of the side of the gas distribution module. The airflow buffer cavity covers the side surfaces of all fuel cell stacks and the first via.

[0018] As a technical solution of the present application, there are multiple fuel cell stacks, and the multiple fuel cell stacks are stacked up and down. The gas distribution module is arranged between two adjacent fuel cell stacks. The upper and lower parts of the side of the gas distribution module are provided with a first through hole, and the second through hole is provided in the middle part of the side of the gas distribution module. The lower end of the lowest fuel cell stack is provided with a base, and the base is sealed and connected to the side plate.

[0019] As a technical solution of the present application, the number of the battery stacks is 4N, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, and the 4N battery stacks form 4 battery stack groups with N layers, and the 4 battery stack groups are arranged in a 2×2 form, wherein a partition is provided between the upper and lower adjacent battery stacks in each battery stack group, the side plates are provided on the four sides of each battery stack group, the airflow buffer chamber is formed on the side of the side plate close to the corresponding battery stack group, and the gas distribution module includes an intake combination base and 4 airflow distributors, and the upper part of the intake combination base There are four distribution positions corresponding to the battery stack positions, and four air flow distributors are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence at the distribution positions; the first via is arranged on the side of the air flow distributor, and the air flow distributor has an upper air duct connected to the first via and extending to its lower end; the second via is arranged on the side of the air intake combination base, and the air intake combination base has a lower air duct connected to the second via and extending to its upper end, and the four second vias corresponding to each distribution position are respectively arranged on two adjacent sides of the air intake combination base.

[0020] Furthermore, the modular solid oxide cell stack can be used in a solid oxide fuel cell or a solid oxide electrolyzer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a modular solid oxide battery stack system provided in Example 1 of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the gas distribution module in Example 1 of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of a gas distribution module in Example 3 of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of the air intake assembly base in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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" may include both upper and lower orientations. In addition, the device may also include alternative orientations (e.g., rotated 90° or other orientations), and the spatial descriptors used herein are interpreted accordingly.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] Example 1

[0034] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment provides a modular solid oxide battery stack system, which includes a battery stack 10, an end cover 20, a gas distribution module 30 and a side plate 40.

[0035] The battery stack 10 is formed by stacking multiple single cells. The single cell includes a connector, contact material, an anode-supported cell and a sealing material. It is the basic structure of a conventional single cell and will not be elaborated here. The modular solid oxide battery stack system of the present application can be used for solid oxide fuel cells or solid oxide electrolyzers. In this embodiment, solid oxide fuel cells are used as an example for illustration.

[0036] The end cover 20 is pressed on the upper end of the fuel cell stack 10 to provide structural support and longitudinal load for the fuel cell stack 10 and ensure excellent contact and sealing of various components.

[0037] The gas distribution module 30 is used for the distribution of raw gas (air and hydrocarbon fuel) and exhaust gas (anode exhaust gas and cathode exhaust gas), wherein the gas distribution module 30 is a rectangular structure as a whole, and the four sides of the gas distribution module 30 are provided with a first through hole 301 and a second through hole 302. The first through hole 301 and the second through hole 302 are connected through an airflow distribution channel. The first through hole 301 is arranged near the upper end of the gas distribution module 30, and the upper end of the gas distribution module 30 is connected to the bottom surface of the fuel cell stack 10.

[0038] The side plate 40 is pressed against the side of the battery stack 10. The side of the side plate 40 close to the battery stack is concave to form an airflow buffer cavity 401. The airflow buffer cavity 401 covers the first through hole 301 and the side of the battery stack 10. The side plate 40 and the end cover 20 are sealed and connected. Sealing material is provided between the airflow buffer cavity 401 and the side of the battery stack 10.

[0039] In this embodiment, two second through-holes 302 are connected to the raw gas pipeline, which are used to transport air and hydrocarbon fuel respectively. The other two second through-holes are connected to the exhaust gas pipeline, which are used to discharge the anode exhaust gas and the cathode exhaust gas. The air and hydrocarbon fuel fed from the two second through-holes 302 pass through the air flow distribution channel to the corresponding first through-hole 301, and enter the corresponding air flow buffer cavity 401 through the first through-hole 301. Since the air flow buffer cavity 401 is in contact with the side of the fuel cell stack 10, the air and hydrocarbon fuel undergo an electrochemical reaction in the fuel cell stack 10, and the generated anode exhaust gas and cathode exhaust gas rush into the other two sides of the fuel cell stack 10 respectively and enter the air flow buffer cavity 401, and finally flow in the opposite direction and out through the other two second through-holes 302.

[0040] It can be understood that the gas distribution module 30 can be an integrated structure, that is, the first through hole 301 and the second through hole 302 are both formed on the same block substrate, or it can be a split structure. For example, in the present embodiment, the gas distribution module 30 includes a stacked airflow distributor 31 and an air intake base 32, the upper end of the airflow distributor 31 is connected to the fuel cell stack 10, the first through hole 301 is arranged on the side of the airflow distributor 31, and the second through hole 302 is arranged on the side of the air intake base 32. The airflow distributor 31 has an upper air duct connected to the first through hole 301 and extending to its lower end, and the air intake base 32 has a lower air duct connected to the second through hole 302 and extending to its upper end; wherein, the upper air duct and the lower air duct are connected to form an airflow distribution channel.

[0041] In this embodiment, the gas distribution module 30 also includes an insulating sealing gasket 32, and the sealing gasket 33 is arranged between the airflow distributor 31 and the air intake base 32. The air intake base 32 and the airflow distributor 31 are insulated and sealed by the sealing gasket 33. The sealing gasket 32 ​​has an airflow hole corresponding to the airflow distribution channel. The sealing gasket 33 ensures insulation and sealing. At the same time, the setting of the airflow hole ensures smooth flow of gas.

[0042] More preferably, the first through holes 301 are all elongated holes, and the extension direction of the elongated holes is consistent with the width direction of the gas distribution module 30. The design of the elongated holes ensures that the airflow enters the airflow buffer chamber 401 in the form of an air curtain, ensuring the uniform distribution of the reaction gas. The second through holes 302 are all circular holes, which are convenient for stable connection with the air inlet or outlet pipes. The battery system uses the second through holes 302 to directly receive and transport the reaction gas flow through the pipes, without the need for side panels 40 and high-temperature metal pipes, which simplifies the air intake structure, facilitates system integration and reduces assembly difficulty.

[0043] Example 2

[0044] The embodiment one is a minimum unit of the modular solid oxide cell stack system, and the large stack module can be formed by combination and transformation of the minimum units.

[0045] According to the number of stacks, the embodiment can be divided into a single stack system and a multiple stack system.

[0046] Specifically, as shown in Figure 3 The embodiment includes the stacks 10, the end covers 20, the gas distribution modules 30 and the side plates 40, wherein the number of the stacks 10 is two, and it can be understood that the number of the stacks 10 can be increased according to actual conditions, and the two here is only an optional embodiment, which does not form a limitation on the protection scope of the present application.

[0047] The two stacks 10 are arranged in a stacked manner, and the adjacent two stacks 10 are provided with the separators 50. The gas distribution module 30 is arranged at the bottom of all the stacks 10, and the airflow buffer cavity 401 covers the side surface of all the stacks 10, that is, the side plate 40 is an integrated structure, which extends downward to cover all the stacks 10, thereby ensuring good sealing performance.

[0048] The gas distribution module 30 is located at the lowermost position of all the stacks 10, and adopts a split structure, that is, includes the airflow distributor 31, the gas inlet base 32 and the sealing gasket 33, and the structure is the same as that of the first embodiment, which will not be described herein.

[0049] The raw gas enters from the two second through holes 302 of the gas inlet base 32, enters the inside of the airflow distributor 31, and then enters the airflow buffer cavity 401, and then flows into the cathode channel and the anode channel of the stack to generate an electrochemical reaction. The cathode tail gas and the anode tail gas are discharged from the channels, flow through the airflow buffer cavity, the airflow distributor 31 and the gas inlet base 32 in sequence, and finally are discharged from the other two second through holes 302.

[0050] The embodiment three

[0051] The embodiment is a transformed structure of the second embodiment, and specifically, as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5 The embodiment includes the stacks 10, the end covers 20, the gas distribution modules 30, the side plates 40 and the bases 60.

[0052] The stacks 10 are arranged in a stacked manner, and the gas distribution module 30 is arranged between the adjacent two stacks 10. The upper part and the lower part of the side surface of the gas distribution module 301 are provided with the first through holes 301, the second through holes 302 are arranged in the middle part of the side surface of the gas distribution module 30, and the base 60 is arranged at the lower end of the lowermost stack 10 and is sealingly connected with the side plate 40.

[0053] As shown in the figure, the gas distribution module 301 is an integrated structure with three holes on each side thereof, namely, the second through hole 302, the first through hole 301, and the second through hole 302 from top to bottom; the two second through holes 302 and the first through hole are connected together through an internal gas distribution flow channel, and air and hydrocarbon fuel enter from the two second through holes 302 respectively, and then move upward and downward at the same time to participate in the reaction in the upper and lower fuel cell stacks, and the exhaust gas after the reaction flows out from the other two second through holes 302.

[0054] Example 4

[0055] like Figure 6 As shown, this embodiment is a high-power solid oxide battery stack multi-stack system formed by integrating the large battery stack modules in Example 2 and Example 3, which includes a battery stack 10, an end cover 20, a gas distribution module 30 and a side plate 40.

[0056] The eight fuel cell stacks 10 form four fuel cell stack groups with two layers, and the four fuel cell stack groups are arranged in a 2×2 form, wherein a partition 50 is provided between the upper and lower adjacent fuel cell stacks 10 in each fuel cell stack group, the side panels 40 are provided on the four sides of each fuel cell stack group, and the airflow buffer chamber 401 is formed on the side of the side panel close to the corresponding fuel cell stack group.

[0057] The gas distribution module 30 includes four air flow distributors 31 and an air intake assembly base 32 , that is, the four air intake bases in the above embodiments are combined into one air intake assembly base 32 .

[0058] There are four distribution positions corresponding to the positions of the battery stack groups above the air intake assembly base 34, and four air flow distributors 31 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence at the distribution positions, and a sealing gasket 33 is provided on each distribution position.

[0059] Specifically, the first through hole 301 is arranged on the side of the air flow distributor 31, and the air flow distributor 31 has an upper air duct connected to the first through hole 301 and extending to its lower end. The second through hole 302 is arranged on the side of the air intake combination base 32, and the air intake combination base 32 has a lower air duct connected to the second through hole 302 and extending to its upper end. The four second through holes 302 corresponding to each distribution position are respectively arranged on two adjacent sides of the air intake combination base 32.

[0060] like Figure 7As shown, each side of each intake assembly base 32 has four second through-holes 302, of which the two at both ends are used for intake, and the two in the middle are used for exhaust. Therefore, the air and hydrocarbon fuel of each stack group enter from the second through-holes 302 at the ends on both sides of a distribution position, and then discharge the cathode exhaust gas and the anode exhaust gas from the two second through-holes in the middle on both sides of the distribution position.

[0061] In summary, the modular battery system provided in the embodiment of the present application can be modularly integrated to form a large battery stack module according to actual needs, and it adopts reasonable airflow direction guidance to achieve uniform airflow distribution and high-power battery stack module design.

[0062] 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. An external flow cavity modular solid oxide battery stack system, characterized in that: include: A battery stack is formed by stacking multiple single batteries; an end cover, pressing on one end of the fuel cell stack; A gas distribution module, the gas distribution module having a rectangular parallelepiped structure, with first and second vias provided on each of its four sides, the first and second vias being connected by an airflow distribution channel, and one end of the gas distribution module proximal to the first via being connected to the fuel cell stack; A side plate, the side plate is pressed against the side of the fuel cell stack, the side of the side plate close to the fuel cell stack is concave to form an airflow buffer cavity, the airflow buffer cavity covers the first through-hole and the side of the fuel cell stack, and the side plate and the end cover are sealed and connected; the first through-holes are all long strip holes, and the extension direction of the long strip is consistent with the width direction of the gas distribution module, and the second through-holes are all circular holes.

2. The external flow cavity modular solid oxide battery stack system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas distribution module includes a stacked airflow distributor and an air intake base, the upper end of the airflow distributor is connected to the battery stack, the first via is arranged on the side of the airflow distributor, and the second via is arranged on the side of the air intake base. The airflow distributor has an upper air duct connected to the first via and extending to its lower end, and the air intake base has a lower air duct connected to the second via and extending to its upper end; the upper air duct and the lower air duct are connected to form an airflow distribution channel.

3. The external flow cavity modular solid oxide battery stack system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The gas distribution module also includes an insulating sealing gasket, which is arranged between the air flow distributor and the air intake base. The air intake base and the air flow distributor are insulated and sealed by the sealing gasket, and the sealing gasket has air flow holes corresponding to the air flow distribution channel.

4. The external flow cavity modular solid oxide battery stack system according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple fuel cell stacks, which are stacked up and down, with partitions provided between two adjacent fuel cell stacks. The gas distribution module is provided at the bottom of all fuel cell stacks, and the first via is located at the upper part of the side of the gas distribution module. The airflow buffer cavity covers the side surfaces of all fuel cell stacks and the first via.

5. The external flow cavity modular solid oxide battery stack system according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple fuel cell stacks, which are stacked up and down. The gas distribution module is arranged between two adjacent fuel cell stacks. The upper and lower parts of the side of the gas distribution module are provided with a first through hole. The second through hole is provided in the middle of the side of the gas distribution module. The lower end of the lowest fuel cell stack is provided with a base, and the base is sealed with the side plate.

6. The external flow cavity modular solid oxide battery stack system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the fuel cell stacks is 4N, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1. The 4N fuel cell stacks form 4 fuel cell stack groups with N layers, and the 4 fuel cell stack groups are arranged in a 2×2 form, wherein a partition is provided between the upper and lower adjacent fuel cell stacks in each fuel cell stack group, the side plates are provided on the four sides of each fuel cell stack group, and the airflow buffer chamber is formed on the side of the side plate close to the corresponding fuel cell stack group. The gas distribution module includes an intake assembly base and 4 airflow distributors, and the upper part of the intake assembly base has four distribution positions corresponding to the fuel cell positions, and the 4 airflow distributors are provided in a one-to-one correspondence at the distribution positions; the first through hole is provided on the side of the airflow distributor, and the airflow distributor has an upper air duct connected to the first through hole and extending to its lower end; the second through hole is provided on the side of the intake assembly base, and the intake assembly base has a lower air duct connected to the second through hole and extending to its upper end, and the four second through holes corresponding to each distribution position are respectively provided on two adjacent side surfaces of the intake assembly base.

7. The external flow cavity modular solid oxide battery stack system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The modular solid oxide cell stack can be used in a solid oxide fuel cell or a solid oxide electrolyzer.

Images