Hydrogen energy storage and energy supply system in high altitude area

Abstract

The invention relates to a plateau area island distributed hydrogen energy storage and supply system. The system comprises a PEM electrolytic hydrogen production unit, plateau renewable energy sources are used for power generation and hydrogen production, an electrode and a catalyst are optimized to adapt to a low-pressure and low-oxygen environment, intelligent regulation and control are achieved, and oxygen capable of improving oxygen deficit is produced as a byproduct; the pressure vessel hydrogen storage unit adopts special alloy steel and a heat preservation vessel, is modularized, and is safe and reliable; according to the PEM fuel cell combined heat and power supply unit, hydrogen reacts with treated oxygen to generate power, a special gas diffusion layer guarantees low-oxygen operation, and waste heat supplies heat as needed. An intelligent energy management system is further arranged, all units are dynamically coordinated according to multi-source information, flexible, efficient and clean energy supply is achieved, the plateau island oxygen deficit and energy supply problems are solved, and the application prospect is wide.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of energy storage and supply, and in particular to a distributed hydrogen energy storage solution suitable for distributed application scenarios on isolated islands in plateau areas, based on proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis hydrogen production - pressure vessel hydrogen storage - PEM fuel cell cogeneration. Background Art

[0002] With the growing global demand for clean energy, plateau regions are facing many energy supply challenges due to their unique geographical environment and energy demand characteristics. On the one hand, the construction of conventional energy infrastructure in plateau regions is difficult and costly, and the grid coverage is often imperfect. Many remote areas have formed an isolated energy supply situation with poor power supply stability. On the other hand, the thin air and low oxygen content in the plateau not only affect the quality of life of local residents, but also bring difficulties to the operation of traditional energy equipment that relies on air for combustion and requires sufficient oxygen.

[0003] Traditional energy supply methods are difficult to meet the flexible, efficient and clean energy supply requirements of plateau islands, and cannot solve the hypoxia problem in a targeted manner. In this context, it is urgent to develop a new distributed energy system suitable for plateau areas. Hydrogen energy storage technology has gradually attracted attention for its advantages such as high energy density, clean and pollution-free, and flexible deployment. Combined with PEM electrolysis hydrogen production, oxygen, hydrogen storage and PEM fuel cell cogeneration technology, it is expected to provide an innovative solution to the energy supply dilemma of plateau islands. Summary of the invention

[0004] The distributed hydrogen energy storage and supply system of the present invention is mainly composed of the following core parts: PEM electrolysis hydrogen production unit: It uses abundant renewable energy (such as solar energy and wind energy) in the plateau to generate electricity and provide green electricity for the PEM electrolyzer. The proton exchange membrane in the electrolyzer electrolyzes water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is collected through pipelines, and the oxygen can be used to improve the oxygen content in the local area and alleviate the hypoxia in the plateau. The unit is equipped with an intelligent control system, which adjusts the electrolysis current and voltage in real time according to parameters such as renewable energy power generation, hydrogen storage container pressure and power load to ensure hydrogen production efficiency and system stability.

[0005] Pressure vessel hydrogen storage unit: A high-strength, low-temperature-resistant pressure vessel is used to store hydrogen produced by electrolysis. Taking into account environmental factors such as the large temperature difference between day and night and low air pressure on the plateau, the container design has good thermal insulation performance to prevent abnormal pressure fluctuations caused by temperature changes in hydrogen; at the same time, the container is equipped with a high-precision pressure sensor and a safety valve, which automatically releases pressure when the pressure is too high to ensure safety. In order to meet the energy supply needs of different scales, a modular design can be adopted, and multiple pressure vessels can be combined in parallel or in series for flexible expansion.

[0006] PEM fuel cell cogeneration unit: When electricity demand arises, the stored hydrogen is transported to the PEM fuel cell stack. Inside the battery, hydrogen reacts electrochemically with oxygen introduced from the outside (after proper pressurization and purification) to generate direct current for the load, and waste heat from the power generation process is recovered through a heat exchanger. The heat exchange system is designed to be switchable, and can use waste heat for building heating, domestic hot water preparation, or heating for industrial production processes according to demand, achieving efficient cascade utilization of energy and improving the overall energy efficiency of the system.

[0007] Key technological innovations Plateau adaptability optimization: Special designs are made for PEM electrolysis hydrogen production and fuel cell units in response to the low air pressure, low oxygen, and large temperature difference environment of the plateau. On the electrolysis hydrogen production side, the electrode structure and catalyst formulation are optimized to reduce the hydrogen evolution overpotential and improve the electrolysis efficiency; on the fuel cell side, the gas diffusion layer is improved to enhance the gas transmission capacity so that it can still operate stably in a low oxygen environment, ensuring the stability of the system's performance under all operating conditions.

[0008] Intelligent Energy Management System (EMS): Integrating multi-source information collection (including meteorological data, energy reserves, load power, etc.) and intelligent algorithms, EMS dynamically coordinates the PEM electrolysis hydrogen production, hydrogen storage and fuel cell power generation process. According to the renewable energy generation forecast and real-time power load, it rationally arranges the timing and power of hydrogen production, optimizes the allocation of hydrogen storage, maximizes the use of clean energy, ensures energy supply reliability, and reduces system operating costs.

[0009] Integration of heat and power synergy and hypoxia improvement: The innovative combined heat and power architecture not only realizes the supply of electricity, but also uses the waste heat to improve the thermal comfort of the local environment. At the same time, the oxygen produced as a by-product of hydrogen production by electrolysis is introduced into human living spaces or workplaces after purification and decompression, and combined with small diffuse oxygen supply equipment, it accurately solves the problem of hypoxia in the plateau and enhances the added value of the system.

[0010] System operation process During periods of abundant energy (such as when the sunlight is strong and the wind is strong during the day), renewable energy power generation is preferentially supplied to the PEM electrolysis hydrogen production unit to produce hydrogen for storage; at the same time, the EMS monitors the status of the hydrogen storage container and adjusts the electrolysis power when it is close to full load to avoid overpressure.

[0011] When electricity demand arises, the hydrogen storage unit releases hydrogen to the PEM fuel cell, which starts to generate electricity and directly supplies the load. During the process, the thermal management system monitors the battery temperature in real time, recovers waste heat and distributes it to different heat utilization terminals as needed to achieve synchronous supply of heat and electricity. The EMS continuously and dynamically adjusts the operating parameters of each unit according to load changes and energy reserves to ensure stable energy supply. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1:Schematic diagram of overall system operation Wherein: the above drawings include the following reference numerals: 101. PEM water electrolysis hydrogen production unit; 102. Pressure vessel hydrogen storage unit; 103. PEM fuel cell cogeneration unit; 104. Intelligent energy management system (EMS); a. New energy power generation facilities; b. Residential energy consumption; c. New energy surplus electricity directly supplied to residents; d. Residential oxygen supply pipeline; e. Residential heating and hot water pipeline; f. PEM fuel cell cogeneration unit supplies electricity to residents; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Prototype construction and test site selection A test site was selected in a plateau area above 4,000 meters above sea level to simulate the energy supply scenario of an isolated island. A system prototype was built according to the preliminary design plan, and each component was selected and installed in strict accordance with the technical requirements. The PEM electrolysis hydrogen production unit uses a 200 standard cubic electrolyzer, which is suitable for plateau solar and wind power generation equipment; the pressure vessel is made of special alloy steel, with a volume of 500 cubic meters and a pressure resistance of 8 MPa; the PEM fuel cell uses products with excellent low-temperature start-up performance and resistance to plateau environments, and a 160kW heat exchanger is used for waste heat recovery.

[0014] Debugging and operation monitoring After the system is installed, it is debugged in steps. First, the power calibration and grid connection test of the renewable energy power generation unit are carried out to ensure stable power input; then the PEM electrolysis hydrogen production unit is started, the electrolyte concentration and flow rate are adjusted, the electrolysis voltage, current and hydrogen production rate are monitored, and the electrode polarization state is optimized so that the hydrogen production efficiency reaches the design index; during the hydrogen filling process of the pressure vessel, the pressure and temperature changes are closely monitored and the reliability of the safety valve is tested; finally, the PEM fuel cell cogeneration unit is debugged, the simulated load is connected, the hydrogen and oxygen supply parameters are adjusted, the power generation efficiency, waste heat temperature and thermoelectric conversion characteristics are recorded, and a full-range monitoring network is built through oscilloscopes, power analyzers, temperature sensors and other equipment.

[0015] Long-term operation data analysis and optimization During the three-month trial operation period, a large amount of operation data was collected, including energy input and output curves under different meteorological conditions, pressure fluctuations of hydrogen storage containers, load power consumption patterns, system energy efficiency changes, etc. Big data analysis technology was used to mine the data value, and the intelligent EMS algorithm was iteratively optimized based on the analysis results, such as improving the hydrogen production plan model and optimizing the fuel cell thermal power matching strategy; targeted improvements were made to hardware components, such as replacing more efficient catalysts and upgrading the heat exchange structure of heat exchangers, and continuously improving the stability, efficiency and energy supply flexibility of the system to adapt to the plateau environment, and ultimately achieving a practical hydrogen energy storage and energy supply solution that meets the needs of isolated distributed applications in plateau areas.

[0016] Application expansion and industrialization prospects The results of this invention are not only applicable to the basic energy supply of small settlements such as remote villages and border outposts on the plateau, but also can provide clean and reliable electricity and heat guarantee for plateau mining, tourist scenic spot operation, etc. after enlarged design and system integration, and help the sustainable development of plateau areas. As the technology matures and costs decrease, it is expected to be widely promoted in similar geographical environments or energy-challenged areas, forming an internationally competitive plateau distributed energy industry cluster and driving the coordinated development of upstream and downstream industries.

Claims

1. A distributed hydrogen energy storage and supply system for isolated islands in plateau areas, characterized in that: include: PEM electrolysis hydrogen production unit, used to produce hydrogen by electrolyzing water using renewable energy in plateau areas. The unit includes a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer adapted to plateau environments and an intelligent control system. The intelligent control system regulates electrolysis parameters based on renewable energy power generation, hydrogen storage container pressure, and power load. The pressure vessel hydrogen storage unit is composed of a high-strength, thermally insulated pressure vessel that is adaptable to plateau environments. The vessel is equipped with a pressure sensor and a safety valve, which can be modularly combined to safely store the hydrogen produced by the electrolytic hydrogen production unit; The PEM fuel cell cogeneration unit generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction between the hydrogen delivered by the hydrogen storage unit and the treated oxygen, and recovers the waste heat for heating. It includes a fuel cell stack that can withstand high-altitude hypoxia environments and a switchable heat exchange system to achieve the combined supply of electricity and heat.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The electrolytic cell electrode structure and catalyst of the PEM electrolysis hydrogen production unit are optimized to reduce the overpotential of hydrogen evolution and improve the electrolysis efficiency under low pressure and low oxygen conditions in plateaus.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The gas diffusion layer of the PEM fuel cell cogeneration unit is improved to enhance the gas transmission capacity in a low-oxygen environment and ensure the stable operation of the fuel cell.

4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that It also includes an intelligent energy management system (EMS), which integrates multi-source information collection and intelligent algorithms to dynamically coordinate PEM electrolysis hydrogen production, hydrogen storage and fuel cell power generation processes based on renewable energy generation forecasts and real-time power load, thereby optimizing energy utilization and energy supply reliability.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The pressure vessel of the pressure vessel hydrogen storage unit is made of special alloy steel and has the ability to withstand low temperatures and withstand pressure changes caused by the large temperature difference between day and night on the plateau.

6. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The waste heat recovered by the PEM fuel cell cogeneration unit can be used for building heating, domestic hot water preparation or industrial production heating according to demand through a switchable heat exchange system. The heat exchange system has automatic temperature control and flow regulation functions.

7. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The oxygen produced by the PEM electrolysis hydrogen production unit is purified and decompressed, and then used to improve the local oxygen-deficient environment in the plateau area through a small-scale diffuse oxygen supply device. The oxygen supply flow rate can be intelligently controlled according to the ambient oxygen concentration and the distribution of personnel.

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