Fuel cell polar plate runner structure and polar plate

Abstract

The invention provides a fuel cell polar plate runner structure which is suitable for a fuel cell polar plate and comprises a first port, a runner body and a second port which are connected in sequence, the runner body comprises a paraboloid, a first side surface, a second side surface and a plane bottom surface; the paraboloid and the plane bottom surface are oppositely arranged; the first side surface is respectively connected with the paraboloid and the plane bottom surface, and the second side surface is respectively connected with the paraboloid and the plane bottom surface; the first side surface and the second side surface are oppositely arranged; and the plane bottom surface is arranged close to the gas diffusion layer. The invention also provides a polar plate. By means of the structure, the performance of the electric pile can be better improved, and heat dissipation of the electric pile is facilitated. The battery is simple and attractive in structure, low in energy consumption, economical, practical and good in machinability, and can be applied to a fuel cell system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of fuel cells, and in particular to a fuel cell polar plate flow channel structure and a polar plate. Background Art

[0002] Fuel cells are a high-efficiency, high-specific-energy, low-pollution energy source that has attracted increasing attention. The battery stack consists of battery cells stacked in series, and each battery cell consists of two parts: a membrane electrode and a bipolar plate. Generally, a groove area, i.e., a flow channel, is formed on the surface of the plate through molding / stamping technology; the flow inside the battery (such as hydrogen, air, and water) is confined in the groove to form the internal flow field of the battery.

[0003] The performance of the battery depends largely on the flow field of the plate. The specific influencing factors include: (1) the flow state of the fluid in the flow field; (2) the contact between the fluid and the gas diffusion layer; (3) the heat dissipation performance;

[0004] (4) Water blocking problem. The above-mentioned influencing factors are related to the heat transfer, mass transfer and interface phenomena associated with the electrochemical reaction. Since the electrode plate is responsible for gas supply and drainage, the flow channel structure on the electrode plate not only directly affects the diffusion and mass transfer of the reaction gas to the gas diffusion layer and the discharge of the generated water, but also indirectly affects the heat transfer and distribution process generated by the electrochemical reaction. The performance of the fuel cell depends on the reactants and the water thermal management performance. Therefore, strengthening the internal mass transfer and heat transfer process by designing and improving the flow channel structure on the electrode plate is a factor that needs to be considered to improve the performance of the fuel cell.

[0005] At present, the proton exchange membrane fuel cell plates are developing in the direction of fine size and three-dimensional structure. The existing fuel cell plate flow channel design is unreasonable, which reduces the diffusion and mass transfer capacity of reactants and the utilization rate, thus reducing the battery performance and resulting in poor stack performance. Summary of the invention

[0006] Based on this, an embodiment of the present invention provides a fuel cell plate flow channel structure, which aims to solve the existing problems of water blockage and heat dissipation of reactant gases in the flow field, which affect the performance of the fuel cell stack.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, on the one hand, an embodiment of the present invention provides a fuel cell plate flow channel structure, which is suitable for a fuel cell plate, and includes a first port, a flow channel body, and a second port connected in sequence; the flow channel body includes a parabola, a first side surface, a second side surface, and a plane bottom surface; the parabola is arranged opposite to the plane bottom surface; the first side surface is respectively connected to the parabola and the plane bottom surface, and the second side surface is respectively connected to the parabola and the plane bottom surface; the first side surface and the second side surface are arranged opposite to each other; the plane bottom surface is arranged close to the gas diffusion layer.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment, the parabola includes a plurality of arcuate surfaces, and two adjacent arcuate surfaces intersect to form a "V"-like angle.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment, the curvature of the arc-shaped surface increases as the height of the flow channel body increases; and the angle of the “V”-like angle increases as the height of the flow channel body increases.

[0010] As a preferred implementation, the curvature of each of the arc-shaped surfaces is 30° to 150°; and the focus of each of the arc-shaped surfaces is arranged on the bottom surface of the plane.

[0011] In the structure of the present application, a parabola is formed by a number of curved surfaces, and a flow channel structure is formed by the parabola, the first side surface, the second side surface and the plane bottom surface. The cross-section of the flow channel structure is variable, so that turbulence will be generated when the fluid passes through the flow channel structure. When the turbulence encounters the parabola, it will be reflected to the plane bottom surface, and transmitted from the plane bottom surface to the gas diffusion layer arranged near the plane bottom surface, thereby helping the fluid to enter the gas diffusion layer, thereby improving the performance of the fuel cell stack.

[0012] Compared with laminar flow, the turbulence generated by the structure of the present application can make the fluid contact with the gas diffusion layer more easily. In addition, the turbulence has a stronger ability to purge the liquid, which can effectively reduce the possibility of water blockage. Moreover, since the contact area between the turbulence and the wall of the flow channel structure is larger, the heat can be better dissipated, thereby effectively improving the heat dissipation of the stack.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment, the degree of the “V”-like angle is 30° to 150°.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment, the first side surface is perpendicular to the plane bottom surface, and the second side surface is perpendicular to the plane bottom surface; the first side surface is parallel to the second side surface.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment, the parabola, the first side surface, the second side surface and the plane bottom surface are integrally formed.

[0016] As a preferred embodiment, the first port, the flow channel body and the second port are integrally formed.

[0017] As a preferred implementation, the first port and the second port are arranged in parallel with each other.

[0018] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application further provides a plate suitable for a fuel cell, wherein the plate includes a plurality of fuel cell plate flow channel structures arranged parallel to each other.

[0019] As a preferred embodiment, adjacent fuel cell plate flow channel structures are arranged in abutment with each other.

[0020] In the structure of the present application, a parabola is formed by a number of curved surfaces, and a flow channel structure is formed by the parabola, the first side surface, the second side surface and the plane bottom surface. The cross-section of the flow channel structure is variable, so that turbulence will be generated when the fluid passes through the flow channel structure. When the turbulence encounters the parabola, it will be reflected to the plane bottom surface, and transmitted from the plane bottom surface to the gas diffusion layer arranged near the plane bottom surface, thereby helping the fluid to enter the gas diffusion layer faster, thereby improving the performance of the battery stack. In addition, the structure of the present application can better improve the heat dissipation performance of the battery stack. Through the structure of the present application, the ability of gas to enter the gas diffusion layer can be effectively improved, and the purge ability of gas can be improved, reducing the possibility of water blockage, thereby effectively improving the performance of the battery stack. The structure of the present application is simple and beautiful, low in energy consumption, economical and practical, and has good machinability, and can be used in fuel cell systems. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. 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 creative work.

[0022] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a fuel cell plate flow channel structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a fuel cell plate flow channel structure from another angle;

[0024] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the local structure;

[0025] Figure 4 For fluid Figure 1 A partial schematic diagram of a fuel cell plate flow channel structure that hits a curved surface and then reflects to a flat bottom surface.

[0026] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. 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 creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, top, bottom...), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0029] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0030] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be an intermediate element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intermediate element at the same time.

[0031] 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 used 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 the features. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but they must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in the field to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is 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.

[0032] At present, the following problems exist in the PEMFC plate flow channel: (1) the fluid may block water in the flow channel, thereby affecting the energy consumption, performance, operation stability, safety, etc. of the entire system; (2) the flow state of the fluid in the flow channel may also affect the performance of the fuel cell stack; (3) the heat dissipation problem cannot be solved. Based on this, the present application provides a fuel cell plate flow channel structure and a plate to solve the above technical problems.

[0033] Specifically, Figures 1 to 3 As shown, on the one hand, an embodiment of the present invention provides a fuel cell plate flow channel structure, which is suitable for a fuel cell plate, comprising a first port 10, a flow channel body 20 and a second port 30 connected in sequence; the flow channel body 20 comprises a parabola 21, a first side surface 22, a second side surface 23 and a plane bottom surface 24; the parabola 21 is arranged opposite to the plane bottom surface 24; the first side surface 22 is respectively connected to the parabola 21 and the plane bottom surface 24, and the second side surface 23 is respectively connected to the parabola 21 and the plane bottom surface 24; the first side surface 22 and the second side surface 23 are arranged opposite to each other; the plane bottom surface 24 is arranged close to the gas diffusion layer.

[0034] As a preferred embodiment, the parabola 21 includes a plurality of arcuate surfaces 211 , and two adjacent arcuate surfaces 211 intersect to form a “V”-like angle 212 .

[0035] As a preferred embodiment, the curvature of the arc surface 211 increases with the height of the flow channel body 20; the angle of the "V"-like angle 212 increases with the height of the flow channel body 20. In this way, the turbulence changes generated when the fluid passes through the flow channel structure can be effectively controlled, thereby controlling the speed of the fluid entering the gas diffusion layer.

[0036] The number of the arcuate surfaces 211 can be set according to the actual needs of use, and the cross-sectional changes of the overall plate flow channel structure can be freely adjusted, so as to control the turbulent changes generated when the fluid passes through the flow channel structure, and then control the speed of the fluid entering the gas diffusion layer. Specifically, in this embodiment, the parabola 21 on the same flow channel structure is composed of 50 arcuate surfaces 211. It is understandable that in other embodiments, the parabola 21 on the same flow channel structure can also be composed of 20 arcuate surfaces 211, or 30 arcuate surfaces 211, or 60 arcuate surfaces 211 or even more arcuate surfaces 211.

[0037] As a preferred embodiment, the curvature of each of the arcuate surfaces 211 is 30° to 150° (depending on the actual use requirements, it can be 30°, 60°, 100°, 150°, etc.); the focus of each of the arcuate surfaces 211 is set on the plane bottom surface 24. Within the above curvature range, the turbulence changes generated when the fluid passes through the flow channel structure can be more effectively controlled, thereby controlling the speed of the fluid entering the gas diffusion layer.

[0038] By controlling the curvature of the arc surface 211, the focus of the arc surface 211 can be concentrated on the plane bottom surface 24, so that after the turbulent flow encounters the parabola 21, it will be reflected to the plane bottom surface 24, and then transmitted from the plane bottom surface 24 to the gas diffusion layer arranged near the plane bottom surface 24, thereby helping the fluid to enter the gas diffusion layer faster, thereby improving the performance of the fuel cell stack.

[0039] like Figure 4 As shown, in the structure of the present application, a parabola 21 is formed by a number of arcuate surfaces 211, and a flow channel structure is formed by the parabola 21 and the first side surface 22, the second side surface 23 and the plane bottom surface 24. The cross-section of the flow channel structure is variable, so that turbulence will be generated when the fluid passes through the flow channel structure. When the turbulence encounters the parabola, it will be reflected to the plane bottom surface, and then transmitted from the plane bottom surface to the gas diffusion layer arranged near the plane bottom surface, thereby helping the fluid to enter the gas diffusion layer, thereby improving the performance of the fuel cell stack.

[0040] Compared with laminar flow, the turbulence generated by the structure of the present application can make the fluid contact with the gas diffusion layer more easily. In addition, the turbulence has a stronger ability to purge the liquid, which can effectively reduce the possibility of water blockage. Moreover, since the contact area between the turbulence and the wall of the flow channel structure is larger, the heat can be better dissipated, thereby effectively improving the heat dissipation of the stack.

[0041] As a preferred embodiment, the degree of the "V"-like angle 212 is 30° to 150°. The degree of the "V"-like angle 212 can be set according to the actual needs of use, and can be set to 30°, or 50°, or 75°, or 105°, or 120°, or 150°, etc. In this way, the "V"-like angle 212 can be matched with the arc surface 211, and it is further ensured that the focus of the arc surface 211 can be concentrated on the plane bottom surface 24, so that after the turbulent flow encounters the parabola 21, it will be reflected to the plane bottom surface 24, and transmitted from the plane bottom surface 24 to the gas diffusion layer arranged near the plane bottom surface 24, thereby helping the fluid to enter the gas diffusion layer faster, thereby improving the performance of the fuel cell stack.

[0042] As a preferred embodiment, the first side surface 22 is perpendicular to the plane bottom surface 24 , and the second side surface 23 is perpendicular to the plane bottom surface 24 ; the first side surface 22 and the second side surface 23 are parallel to each other.

[0043] As a preferred embodiment, the parabola 21 , the first side surface 22 , the second side surface 23 and the plane bottom surface 24 are integrally formed.

[0044] As a preferred embodiment, the first port 10, the flow channel body 20 and the second port 30 are integrally formed.

[0045] As a preferred embodiment, the first port 10 and the second port 30 are arranged in parallel with each other.

[0046] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application further provides a plate suitable for a fuel cell, wherein the plate includes a plurality of fuel cell plate flow channel structures arranged parallel to each other.

[0047] As a preferred embodiment, adjacent fuel cell plate flow channel structures are arranged in abutment with each other.

[0048] For the same electrode plate, the curvature of the curved surface and the degree of the "V"-like angle set on all its flow channel bodies are generally set to the same degree. This can ensure the consistency of the overall gas flow rate of the electrode plate, effectively promote the drainage of the flow channel, and thus ensure the overall consistency of the electrode plate performance.

[0049] In the structure of the present application, a parabola is formed by a number of curved surfaces, and a flow channel structure is formed by the parabola, the first side surface, the second side surface and the plane bottom surface. The cross-section of the flow channel structure is variable, so that turbulence will be generated when the fluid passes through the flow channel structure. When the turbulence encounters the parabola, it will be reflected by the parabola to the plane bottom surface, and then transmitted from the plane bottom surface to the gas diffusion layer arranged near the plane bottom surface, thereby helping the fluid to enter the gas diffusion layer faster, thereby improving the performance of the battery stack. In addition, the structure of the present application can better improve the heat dissipation performance of the battery stack. Through the structure of the present application, the ability of gas to enter the gas diffusion layer can be effectively improved, and the purge ability of gas can be improved, reducing the possibility of water blockage, thereby effectively improving the performance of the battery stack. The structure of the present application is simple and beautiful, has low energy consumption, is economical and practical, has good machinability, and can be applied to fuel cell systems for use.

[0050] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made by using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings under the inventive concept of the present invention, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fuel cell plate flow channel structure, characterized in that: Applicable to a fuel cell plate, comprising a first port, a flow channel body and a second port connected in sequence; the flow channel body comprises a parabola, a first side surface, a second side surface and a plane bottom surface; the parabola is arranged opposite to the plane bottom surface; the first side surface is respectively connected to the parabola and the plane bottom surface, and the second side surface is respectively connected to the parabola and the plane bottom surface; the first side surface is opposite to the second side surface; the plane bottom surface is arranged close to the gas diffusion layer.

2. The fuel cell plate flow channel structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The parabola includes a plurality of arcuate surfaces, and two adjacent arcuate surfaces intersect to form a "V"-like angle.

3. The fuel cell plate flow channel structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The curvature of the arc-shaped surface increases as the height of the flow channel body increases; the angle of the "V"-like angle increases as the height of the flow channel body increases.

4. The fuel cell plate flow channel structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The curvature of each of the arc-shaped surfaces is 30° to 150°; the focus of each of the arc-shaped surfaces is arranged on the bottom surface of the plane; The degree of the "V"-like angle is 30° to 150°.

5. The fuel cell plate flow channel structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first side surface is arranged perpendicularly to the plane bottom surface, and the second side surface is arranged perpendicularly to the plane bottom surface; the first side surface is arranged parallel to the second side surface.

6. The fuel cell plate flow channel structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The parabola, the first side surface, the second side surface and the plane bottom surface are integrally formed.

7. The fuel cell plate flow channel structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first port, the flow channel body and the second port are integrally formed.

8. The fuel cell plate flow channel structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first port and the second port are arranged parallel to each other.

9. A polar plate, characterized in that: Suitable for fuel cells, the electrode plate includes a plurality of fuel cell electrode plate flow channel structures arranged parallel to each other.

10. The electrode plate according to claim 9, characterized in that: Adjacent fuel cell plate flow channel structures are arranged in abutment with each other.

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