Hydrogen fuel cell device

Abstract

The invention discloses a hydrogen fuel cell device. Comprising a proton exchange membrane, a hydrogen side catalyst layer, an oxygen side catalyst layer, a hydrogen side diffusion layer, an oxygen side diffusion layer, a hydrogen side bipolar plate and an oxygen side bipolar plate, wherein the proton exchange membrane is used for isolating and conducting protons; the hydrogen side catalyst layer and the oxygen side catalyst layer are used for improving the electrochemical reaction rate; the insulating layer is used for blocking current conduction between adjacent single battery units; and the sealing device is used for blocking fluid leakage. And stable power output can be realized under various load conditions, the use amount of noble metal is reduced, the hydrogen embrittlement resistance of the hydrogen fuel cell is improved, and the sealing performance of the device is improved, so that the service life is prolonged. The power supply is compact in structure, stable in performance, simple and convenient to maintain, and suitable for various scenes such as traffic, small fixed power supplies and portable equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a small-sized fixed power source and portable equipment of a hydrogen fuel cell, and in particular to a hydrogen fuel cell device. Background Art

[0002] Hydrogen energy is currently considered to be the most promising new energy to replace traditional fossil energy, and has therefore become the focus of research for many scientists. Hydrogen fuel cells are important devices that convert hydrogen energy into electrical energy. They can react hydrogen and oxygen without combustion, and are truly pollution-free and zero-emission energy batteries.

[0003] At present, the localization of hydrogen fuel cells is mainly aimed at new energy vehicle stacks, which results in the stack design being unable to meet the cost and easy disassembly requirements of small fixed power sources and portable devices. Therefore, in order to improve the efficiency of small hydrogen fuel cells and reduce their costs, it is of great practical value to develop a hydrogen fuel cell device with strong adaptability, simple structure, and easy cleaning and maintenance.

[0004] In view of this, the present invention is proposed. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a hydrogen fuel cell device to solve the above technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0006] The objective of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0007] The hydrogen fuel cell device of the present invention comprises:

[0008] A proton exchange membrane 1 for isolating and conducting protons, a hydrogen side catalyst layer 2 and an oxygen side catalyst layer 7 for increasing the electrochemical reaction rate, a hydrogen side diffusion layer 3 and an oxygen side diffusion layer 8 for conducting gas, a hydrogen side bipolar plate 4 and an oxygen side bipolar plate 9 for conducting current and uniform airflow, an insulating layer (19, 22, 25) for blocking current conduction between adjacent single battery cells, and a sealing device for blocking fluid leakage. The hydrogen fuel cell device is provided with a hydrogen side insulating layer 5 and an oxygen side insulating layer 11 on both sides.

[0009] Compared with the prior art, the hydrogen fuel cell device provided by the present invention improves the efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells, reduces the amount of precious metals used, and improves sealing performance and anti-hydrogen embrittlement performance. The present invention has a simple mechanical structure, requires fewer parts, is easy to maintain, and is suitable for different power requirements and space requirements. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 A structural diagram of a hydrogen fuel cell device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0011] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the inner side of the bipolar plate in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0012] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the outer side of the bipolar plate in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of assembling three hydrogen fuel cell units in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a rounded trapezoidal cross section of a sealing strip in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] In the figure:

[0016] 1-proton exchange membrane, 2-hydrogen side catalyst layer, 3-hydrogen side diffusion layer, 4-hydrogen side bipolar plate, 5-hydrogen side insulation layer, 6-hydrogen side sealing strip, 7-oxygen side catalyst layer, 8-oxygen side diffusion layer, 9-oxygen side bipolar plate, 10-oxygen side sealing strip, 11-oxygen side insulation layer, 12-bipolar plate inner side topological structure flow channel, 13-bipolar plate center semicircular arc hole, 14-discharge port, 15-bipolar plate outer side middle flow channel, 16-coolant inlet, 17-snake-shaped coolant channel, 18-coolant outlet, 19-insulating layer, 20 and 21-first single cell, 22-insulating layer, 23 and 24-second single cell, 25-insulating layer, 26 and 27-third single cell. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The following is a clear and complete description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention; it is obvious that the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments, which does not constitute a limitation of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0018] First, the terms that may be used in this article are explained as follows:

[0019] The terms "include", "comprises", "contains", "has" or other descriptions with similar semantics should be interpreted as non-exclusive inclusion. For example, including certain technical feature elements (such as raw materials, components, ingredients, carriers, dosage forms, materials, dimensions, parts, components, mechanisms, devices, steps, procedures, methods, reaction conditions, processing conditions, parameters, algorithms, signals, data, products or products, etc.) should be interpreted as including not only certain technical feature elements explicitly listed, but also other technical feature elements known in the art that are not explicitly listed.

[0020] The term "consisting of..." means excluding any technical feature elements not explicitly listed. If this term is used in a claim, it will make the claim closed, so that it does not contain technical feature elements other than the technical feature elements explicitly listed, except for the conventional impurities related to them. If this term only appears in a clause of a claim, it only limits the elements explicitly listed in the clause, and the elements recorded in other clauses are not excluded from the overall claim.

[0021] The contents not described in detail in the examples of the present invention belong to the prior art known to professionals in the field. If no specific conditions are specified in the examples of the present invention, the conditions are carried out according to the conventional conditions in the field or the conditions recommended by the manufacturer. If the manufacturer is not specified in the reagents or instruments used in the examples of the present invention, they are all conventional products that can be purchased commercially.

[0022] The hydrogen fuel cell device of the present invention comprises:

[0023] A proton exchange membrane 1 for isolating and conducting protons, a hydrogen side catalyst layer 2 and an oxygen side catalyst layer 7 for increasing the electrochemical reaction rate, a hydrogen side diffusion layer 3 and an oxygen side diffusion layer 8 for conducting gas, a hydrogen side bipolar plate 4 and an oxygen side bipolar plate 9 for conducting current and uniform airflow, an insulating layer (19, 22, 25) for blocking current conduction between adjacent single battery cells, and a sealing device for blocking fluid leakage. The hydrogen fuel cell device is provided with a hydrogen side insulating layer 5 and an oxygen side insulating layer 11 on both sides.

[0024] The proton exchange membrane 1 is made of perfluorosulfonic acid membrane material and is located between the hydrogen-side catalyst layer 2 and the oxygen-side catalyst layer 7 in a single battery unit.

[0025] The hydrogen-side catalyst layer 2 and the oxygen-side catalyst layer 7 respectively adopt a structure in which a platinum-based catalyst is plated on the surface of a sponge mesh-like nickel.

[0026] The hydrogen-side diffusion layer 3 and the oxygen-side diffusion layer 8 are made of carbon paper made of chopped carbon fibers.

[0027] The hydrogen-side bipolar plate 4 and the oxygen-side bipolar plate 9 are designed with fuel channels through topological structures, wherein the fuel channels through which hydrogen flows are partially plated with lead.

[0028] The fuel channel includes a topological structure flow channel 12 inside the bipolar plate, a semicircular arc hole 13 in the center of the bipolar plate, and a middle flow channel 15 outside the bipolar plate.

[0029] A serpentine cooling liquid channel 17 is interspersed between the intermediate flow channels 15 on the outer sides of the bipolar plates.

[0030] The insulating layer (19, 22, 25) is located outside a single battery cell.

[0031] The sealing device comprises a hydrogen side sealing strip 6 and an oxygen side sealing strip 10. The sealing strip material is sealant, and the sealing strip interface shape is a rounded trapezoidal shape.

[0032] In summary, it can be seen that the hydrogen fuel cell device of the embodiment of the present invention can achieve stable power output under various load conditions, reduce the use of precious metals, increase the hydrogen embrittlement resistance of hydrogen fuel cells, improve the sealing performance of the device, and thus increase the service life. The hydrogen fuel cell system mainly includes a proton exchange membrane, a catalyst layer, a gas diffusion layer, a bipolar plate, an insulating layer, a sealing component, etc. Different power output requirements can be met by increasing or decreasing the number of single battery cells. By replacing the catalyst layer with a catalyst-plated sponge-like mesh structure, the electrochemical reaction area is increased and the amount of precious metal platinum is reduced. By optimizing the structural design of the bipolar plate fuel channel, the uniformity of fuel distribution is increased and the overall output efficiency is improved. The hydrogen embrittlement resistance of the device is improved by lead plating of hydrogen-related materials, and the sealing performance of the device is improved by the design of the sealing strip structure. The system has a compact structure, stable performance, and easy maintenance, and is suitable for multiple scenarios such as transportation, small fixed power supplies, and portable devices.

[0033] In order to more clearly demonstrate the technical solution and technical effects provided by the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with specific embodiments below.

[0034] The present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0035] A hydrogen fuel cell device mainly includes: a proton exchange membrane, a catalyst layer, a diffusion layer, a bipolar plate, an insulating layer, and a sealing component. The proton exchange membrane is embedded in a metal frame structure, and one end of the frame is provided with five holes of a certain diameter for the inflow and discharge of hydrogen and coolant. The other end of the frame is also provided with five holes of a certain diameter for the inflow and discharge of oxygen, product water and coolant. A rounded trapezoidal groove of a certain diameter is designed around the frame and the holes as a sealing strip installation position to reduce fluid leakage. The catalyst layer and the diffusion layer are embedded in the metal frame, and the flow channels and sealing designs at both ends of the metal frame are the same as those of the proton exchange membrane. The bipolar plate has one fuel inlet, two residual gas or product discharge holes, one coolant inlet and outlet, and the five channel openings are arranged on the same side of the bipolar plate to facilitate the overall layout of the fuel channel of the fuel cell stack. The insulating layer is a flat plate structure with a corner in the middle, and the oxygen side and hydrogen side bipolar plates of two adjacent battery cells are arranged on both sides of the corner. The basic formula of the sealing material is 95:5 of solid-liquid ratio of EPDM rubber, 20 parts of carbon black CB N990, 3 parts of vulcanizing agent TMCH, 5 parts of activating agent ZnO, 3 parts of hygroscopic agent CaO, and 2 parts of cross-linking agent TAIC. After plasticizing, mixing, vulcanization and sample preparation, a sulfur rubber sheet with a thickness of about 1 to 2 mm is finally obtained, which is cut into dumbbell-shaped rubber specimens.

[0036] In the preferred embodiment: the designed thickness of the proton exchange membrane is 125 μm, and the thickness of the carbon cloth diffusion layer is 1 mm.

[0037] In the preferred embodiment: the bipolar plate fuel inlet is located at the position of the plate frame, flows into the inner cylindrical cavity through the central semicircular hole through the middle flow channel on the outer side of the bipolar plate, and then radiates to the entire reaction space through the topological structure flow channel. After electrochemical reactions through the diffusion layer, catalyst layer and proton exchange membrane in sequence, the product is discharged through the two rectangular holes on the edge. The bipolar plate coolant inlet is adjacent to the fuel inlet flow channel, and after cooling half of the bipolar plate through the serpentine channel, it flows out from the outlet channel. The fuel and product inlets and outlets, and the coolant inlet and outlet are all arranged on the same side of the bipolar plate.

[0038] In the preferred embodiment, the insulating layer has the material characteristics of good electrical insulation and thermal conductivity.

[0039] In the preferred embodiment: the sealing structure is composed of a sealing groove and a sealing strip in the part, the width of the sealing strip is 2.4 mm, and the cross-sectional shape is a rounded trapezoidal cross-section.

[0040] Implementing the embodiments of the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0041] The hydrogen fuel cell device can increase or decrease the output power by changing the number of single battery cells, improve the battery efficiency by optimizing the design of the fuel channel structure, reduce the use of platinum-based precious metals by the sponge-like wire mesh structure, improve the sealing performance by the rounded trapezoidal cross-section design of the sealing strip, and improve the hydrogen embrittlement resistance by lead plating the hydrogen-related materials, thereby increasing the service life of the fuel cell. This design has innovative designs for the catalyst layer, bipolar plate and sealing structure, is simple to assemble, improves the efficiency, sealing performance and hydrogen embrittlement resistance of the device, and reduces costs.

[0042] Example 1

[0043] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown:

[0044] like Figure 1 The hydrogen fuel cell device shown mainly includes a proton exchange membrane, a catalyst layer, a gas diffusion layer, a bipolar plate, an insulating layer, and a sealing component.

[0045] like Figure 1 The catalyst layer shown is a 2-sponge filament mesh structure, and a platinum-based material catalyst is plated on the surface of the structure.

[0046] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 The inner side of the bipolar plate shown is a topological flow channel 12 and a fuel inlet and outlet. If it is a hydrogen side bipolar plate, hydrogen flows in from the central semicircular hole 13, radiates and diffuses to the entire diffusion layer and catalyst layer through the topological flow channel, and the excess hydrogen is discharged from the two fuel outlets 14. If it is an oxygen side bipolar plate, oxygen flows in from the central semicircular hole, and the product water is discharged from the two outlets.

[0047] like Figure 1 , Figure 3 The outer side of the bipolar plate shown is a coolant flow channel, a fuel intake channel and a sealing groove. The coolant enters the serpentine coolant channel 17 from the coolant inlet 16 and is discharged from the coolant outlet 18, cooling half of the bipolar plate, and the other half of the bipolar plate is cooled by the bipolar plate on the other side of the insulating layer. The fuel enters the middle flow channel on the outer side of the bipolar plate 15 from the bipolar plate frame position, and then flows into the inner side of the bipolar plate through the central semicircular hole 13. This layout can ensure that the inlet and outlet of the same fuel are located on the same side of the bipolar plate, which is convenient for the overall assembly of the fuel cell stack.

[0048] like Figure 4The schematic diagram of the assembly of three single cells is shown. The hydrogen side bipolar plate and the oxygen side bipolar plate are clamped to form a cavity, the catalyst layer and the diffusion layer are tightly clamped inside the cavity, the adjacent hydrogen side bipolar plates and oxygen side bipolar plates are separated by an electrical insulation layer, and the upper and lower cooling channels dissipate heat to the bipolar plates on both sides. The hydrogen inlet and outlet flow channels and the two coolant inlet and outlet flow channels are located on the same side of the fuel cell stack, and the oxygen and product water inlet and outlet flow channels and the two coolant inlet and outlet flow channels are located on the other side of the fuel cell stack, which greatly facilitates the layout of the total hydrogen, oxygen, product water and coolant pipelines of the fuel cell stack. In actual use, the number of single cells is not limited to three, and the specific number is adjusted according to the power demand.

[0049] As shown Figure 5 The cross-sectional shape of the sealing strip shown is a rounded trapezoidal structure.

[0050] The above shows and describes the basic principles, main features and advantages of the present invention. It should be pointed out that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments can still be modified, or some of the technical features can be replaced by equivalents; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention. The scope of protection claimed in the present invention is defined by the attached claims and their equivalents. The information disclosed in the background technology section of this article is only intended to deepen the understanding of the overall background technology of the present invention, and should not be regarded as an admission or in any form of implication that the information constitutes prior art already known to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A hydrogen fuel cell device, characterized in that: include: A proton exchange membrane (1) for isolating and conducting protons, a hydrogen side catalyst layer (2) and an oxygen side catalyst layer (7) for increasing the electrochemical reaction rate, a hydrogen side diffusion layer (3) and an oxygen side diffusion layer (8) for conducting gas, a hydrogen side bipolar plate (4) and an oxygen side bipolar plate (9) for conducting current and uniform airflow, an insulating layer (19, 22, 25) for blocking current conduction between adjacent single battery cells, and a sealing device for blocking fluid leakage. The hydrogen fuel cell device is provided with a hydrogen side insulating layer (5) and an oxygen side insulating layer (11) on both sides.

2. The hydrogen fuel cell device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The proton exchange membrane (1) is made of perfluorosulfonic acid membrane material and is located between the hydrogen side catalyst layer (2) and the oxygen side catalyst layer (7) in a single battery unit.

3. The hydrogen fuel cell device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The hydrogen side catalyst layer (2) and the oxygen side catalyst layer (7) respectively adopt a structure in which a platinum-based catalyst is plated on a sponge mesh-shaped nickel surface.

4. The hydrogen fuel cell device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The hydrogen side diffusion layer (3) and the oxygen side diffusion layer (8) are made of carbon paper using short chopped carbon fibers as raw materials.

5. The hydrogen fuel cell device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The hydrogen-side bipolar plate (4) and the oxygen-side bipolar plate (9) are designed with fuel channels through a topological structure, wherein the fuel channels through which hydrogen flows are partially plated with lead.

6. The hydrogen fuel cell device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The fuel channel comprises a topological structure flow channel (12) inside the bipolar plate, a semicircular arc hole (13) in the center of the bipolar plate, and a middle flow channel (15) outside the bipolar plate.

7. The hydrogen fuel cell device according to claim 6, characterized in that: A serpentine-shaped cooling liquid channel (17) is interspersed between the intermediate flow channels (15) on the outer sides of the bipolar plates.

8. The hydrogen fuel cell device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The insulating layer (19, 22, 25) is located outside a single battery unit.

9. The hydrogen fuel cell device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The sealing device comprises a hydrogen side sealing strip (6) and an oxygen side sealing strip (10), the sealing strip material is a sealing glue, and the sealing strip interface shape is a rounded trapezoidal shape.

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