Improved interdigital jet flow field device and proton exchange membrane water electrolysis hydrogen production device thereof

Abstract

The application discloses an improved interdigital jet flow field device and a proton exchange membrane water electrolysis hydrogen production device thereof, and aims to solve the problems of uneven distribution of reactants, gas stagnation and local hot spots existing in the traditional flow field. Traditional flow field design, such as parallel flow channel and serpentine flow channel, usually has certain limitations in fluid flow resistance, mass transfer efficiency and thermal management uniformity, and is difficult to meet the needs of high-performance water electrolysis device; through the optimization of the geometric structure and the gas discharge strategy, the uniform distribution of the reactants is promoted, the gas stagnation area and the local high heat spot are reduced, so that the current density distribution uniformity and the heat production management uniformity are realized. The flow field adopts the jet channel structure arranged in a staggered mode, and the under-rib opening channel is designed in an optimized mode, so that the vertical flow speed is improved, the pressure drop is reduced, and the gas-liquid interface reaction efficiency is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of electrochemical devices and flow field design, and relates to a device, in particular to an improved interdigital jet flow field device and a proton exchange membrane water electrolysis hydrogen production device. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the rapid development of social economy and large-scale utilization of fossil energy, environmental and energy problems have become important obstacles to the sustainable development of society. In the face of this challenge, exploring new energy forms to reduce environmental pollution and reduce dependence on fossil energy has become a top priority. Among the many new energy forms, hydrogen energy stands out with its high efficiency and environmental protection characteristics, and is considered an important driving force for green energy transformation. Hydrogen energy is a secondary energy produced by using renewable energy to electrolyze water. This process not only produces hydrogen in an environmentally friendly way, but also has the advantages of high efficiency and cleanliness. By using renewable energy such as wind and solar power to electrolyze water to produce hydrogen, it can not only provide green hydrogen energy for transportation, chemical industry and other industries, and help deep decarbonization, but also use excess and off-peak electricity to produce hydrogen, significantly reducing the production cost of hydrogen energy.

[0003] Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) technology has great potential as a highly efficient hydrogen production technology. Through the electrolysis process realized by the proton exchange membrane, PEMWE technology has higher efficiency and lower energy consumption compared to traditional alkaline water electrolysis technology, which is mainly due to the fact that the proton exchange membrane can effectively prevent the mixing of oxygen and hydrogen, realize fast proton transmission, and improve the rate and efficiency of the electrolysis reaction. At the same time, PEMWE technology has a higher current density, which can produce more hydrogen per unit area, reducing production costs and improving production efficiency. In addition, PEMWE technology can also produce high-purity hydrogen, which is of great significance for fuel cell applications, and can improve the stability and performance of equipment. In addition, PEMWE technology has high flexibility, which can adjust the hydrogen production according to demand, adapt to different energy demand and production scale, and is widely used in energy storage, industrial manufacturing and aerospace fields. Finally, PEMWE technology has improved safety, the proton exchange membrane can effectively prevent the mixing of hydrogen and oxygen, reducing the risk of explosion, and the operating temperature is lower, reducing the safety hazard. Therefore, PEMWE technology provides strong technical support for sustainable hydrogen production with its improved performance, high current density, high-purity hydrogen, flexibility and safety features, and is expected to play an important role in promoting the development of hydrogen energy industry and promoting clean energy transformation.

[0004] Flow field is one of the key components of proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer, which plays an important role in supporting membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and distributing reactants (Kang, Yang, Mo, Li, Yu, Cullen, Retterer, Toops, Bender, Pivovar, Green, & Zhang, 2018. Novel thin / tunable gas diffusion electrodes with ultra-low catalyst loading for hydrogen evolution reactions in proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells. In Nano Energy, Vol. 47, 434-441; Mo, Kang, Retterer, Cullen, Toops, Green, Mench, & Zhang, 2016. Discovery of true electrochemical reactions for ultrahigh catalyst mass activity in water splitting. In Science Advances, Vol. 2). Its structural parameters, such as flow field pattern, channel width, depth, and rib width, directly affect the uniform distribution of reactants and the performance of electrolyzer (Zhang & Xing, 2020. Simulation and experiment of heat and mass transfer in a proton exchange membrane electrolysis cell. In International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 45, 20184-20193). A reasonably designed flow field pattern can effectively reduce the local concentration difference of reactants in the MEA, improve the uniformity and stability of the electrolysis reaction. The width and depth of the channel determine the flow velocity and flow rate of the reactants, while the flow state in the channel also affects the transport efficiency of the reactants. The design of the rib affects the flow distribution in the channel, and thus affects the transport and uniformity of the reactants.By optimizing the structural design of the flow field, the efficiency and stability of the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer can be further improved, promoting its wide application in the field of energy conversion and storage. The rational design of the flow field structure is one of the keys to achieving efficient and stable electrolysis reactions (Lin, Lu, Xu, Huo, & Cai, 2022. Investigation on performance of proton exchange membrane electrolyzer with different flow field structures. In Applied Energy, Vol. 326, 120011). Li et al. (Li & Sabir, 2005. Review of bipolar plates in PEM fuel cells: Flow-field designs. In International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 30, 359-371) summarized the advantages and disadvantages of common flow fields (pin-shaped, parallel, serpentine, interdigital, etc.) and their applications, and provided a schematic diagram of each flow field. The parallel flow field is the most common flow field, which is composed of multiple parallel channels of the same length and two manifolds connecting each parallel channel. Maharudrayya et al. (Maharudrayya, Jayanti, & Deshpande, 2006. Pressure drop and flow distribution in multiple parallel-channel configurations used in proton-exchange membrane fuel cell stacks. In Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 157, 358-367) studied different structures of parallel flow fields and extended the simple U / Z structure. The results showed that for some types of multiple parallel structures, better flow distribution can be achieved with relatively small increases in pressure drop.Toghyani et al. (Toghyani, Afshari, Baniasadi, & Atyabi, 2018. Thermal and electrochemical analysis of different flow field patterns in a PEM electrolyzer. In Electrochimica Acta, Vol. 267, 234-245) based on finite volume method modeling, analysis and comparison of five kinds of flow field patterns, parallel, single radial serpentine, double radial serpentine, three radial serpentine and four radial serpentine, the results show that double radial serpentine has the best performance. Agarwal et al. (Agarwal, Thosar, Bhat, & Lele, 2022. Interdigitated flow field impact on mass transport and electrochemical reaction in high-temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cell. In Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 532, 231319) simulated the interdigital flow field and compared it with the parallel flow field, the results show that the interdigital flow field has better performance, and there is an optimal value of the channel to rib ratio and an optimal value of the current density saturation for the interdigital flow field.

[0005] Pedapati et al. (Pedapati, Dhanushkodi, Chidambaram, Taler, Sobota, & Taler, 2024. Design and Manufacturing Challenges in PEMFC Flow Fields—A Review. In Energies, Vol. 17) summarized and discussed various flow fields (common flow fields and their derived optimized flow fields) and the influence of the geometric characteristics of the flow field on performance and various distributions, and proposed that each flow field has its own unique features, but the flow field design should focus on performance, current distribution, reactant distribution, and pressure drop size, etc. Therefore, in addition to common flow fields, many new structures have been proposed to improve cell performance and distribution uniformity. Atyabi et al. (Atyabi & Afshari, 2019. Three-dimensional multiphase model of proton exchange membrane fuel cell with honeycomb flowfield at the cathode side. In Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 214, 738-748) proposed a new honeycomb flow field at the cathode side combining multi-channel serpentine flow field and straight parallel flow field, which has the advantages of parameter uniform distribution of multi-channel serpentine flow field and low pressure drop of straight parallel flow field, effectively avoiding water flooding and hot spot generation. Olesen et al. (Olesen, Hjelm, Andreasen, Andreasen, Andreasen, Andreasen, 2019. Novel flow field design for PEM fuel cells. In Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 435, 227-235) proposed a novel flow field design for PEM fuel cells, which is a combination of serpentine and parallel flow fields, and has the advantages of low pressure drop and uniform distribution of reactants and water. The proposed flow field can effectively avoid water flooding and hot spot generation, and has good performance. & 2016. A numerical study of the gas-liquid, two-phase flow maldistribution in the anode of a high pressure PEM water electrolysis cell. In International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 41, 52-68) established a circular high-pressure interdigitated PEMFC model, considering turbulent flow and heat transfer and related dispersion phenomena, and illustrated that if equal-width ribs and flow channels are used, the circular interdigitated flow field will be distributed unevenly. In addition, Olesen et al. (Olesen, Frensch, & Kaer, 2019. Towards uniformly distributed heat, mass and charge: A flow field design study for high pressure and high current density operation of PEM electrolysis cells. In Electrochimica Acta, Vol. 293, 476-495) developed a three-dimensional PEMEC model that can accurately simulate a full-size cell at a current density of 5 A / cm-2, and used the model to evaluate the circular high-pressure interdigitated cell at high current density. Lafmejani et al. (Lafmejani, Mϋller, Olesen, & 2018. Experimental and numerical study of flow in expanded metal plate for water electrolysis applications. In Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 397, 334-342) applied expanded metal to flow field plates and visualized the flow distribution of gas and liquid in the expanded metal plate using a transparent experimental setup, determining the flow resistance characteristics of two different sizes of expanded metal in the horizontal and vertical directions. Khatib et al. (Khatib, Wilberforce, Thompson, & Olabi, 2021. Experimental and analytical study of open pore cellular foam material on the performance of proton exchange membrane electrolysers. In International Journal of Thermofluids, Vol. 9, 100068) proposed an open-pore cellular foam flow channel (OPCF) combining a serpentine flow field and a mesh flow field, and the results showed that the performance of the OPCF cell was significantly improved. Deng et al. (Deng & Li, 2022. A porous-rib flow field for performance enhancement in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. In Energy Conversion and Management, Vol. 263, 115707) proposed a porous-rib flow field to improve gas transport and drainage under the ribs, and the results showed that the cell's limiting current density and peak power density based on the porous-rib structure increased by 15% and 9%, respectively, and the pressure drop decreased by 38%. Wu et al. (Wu, An, Jiao, Xu, Zhang, & Jiao, 2022. Enhanced oxygen discharge with structured mesh channel in proton exchange membrane electrolysis cell. In Applied Energy, Vol. 323, 119651) proposed a structured mesh channel design to improve oxygen discharge capacity, which contains a column of repeated solid skeleton structures, and the results showed that gradually reducing the hydrophobicity (i.e., contact angle) of the skeleton surface from the top of the channel to the GDL surface helps to improve the oxygen discharge capacity.Kang et al. (Kang, Yu, Yang, Li, Bender, Pivovar, Green, & Zhang, 2019. Performance improvement of proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells by introducing in-plane transport enhancement layers. In Electrochimica Acta, Vol. 316, 43-51) proposed an in-plane transport enhancement layer forming a double-layer diffusion layer structure to improve mass diffusion, the results showed that the double-layer structure has a smaller ohmic resistance and mass transport resistance. Toghyani et al. (Toghyani, Afshari, & Baniasadi, 2018. Metal foams as flow distributors in comparison with serpentine and parallel flow fields in proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells. In Electrochimica Acta, Vol. 290, 506-519) proposed to use metal foam as a flow distributor, which has a lower temperature gradient and a more uniform hydrogen mass fraction distribution.

[0006] To better investigate the influence of flow field on the uniformity of distribution, numerical simulation methods have been widely used. Majumdar et al. (Majumdar, Haas, Elliot, & Nazari, 2023. Control and control-oriented modeling of PEM water electrolyzers: A review. In International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 48, 30621-30641) summarized the PEM water electrolyzer models related to control development, Ma et al. (Ma, Witteman, Wrubel, & Bender, 2021. A comprehensive modeling method for proton exchange membrane electrolyzer development. In International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 46, 17627-17643) proposed a modeling method mainly focusing on the scale of the cell and stack to comprehensively simulate the performance and distribution of the electrolyzer, Maier et al. (Maier, Smith, Dodwell, Hinds, Shearing, & Brett, 2022. Mass transport in PEM water electrolysers: A review. In International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 47, 30-56) summarized the different flow regimes, flow field geometries, and related mass flow calculations in the modeling process of PEM EC, and to determine the influence of flow field structure parameters on cell distribution, Manso et al. (Manso, Marzo, Barranco, Garikano, & Garmendia Mujika, 2012. Influence of geometric parameters of the flow fields on the performance of a PEM fuel cell. A review. In International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 37, 15256-15287) concluded that effective design of flow field can solve the problems of mass transport of reactants, water management and poor distribution, etc.Zhang et al. (Zhang, Huang, Zhou, & Xu, 2024. Enhancing oxygen transport performance with improved serpentine flow field on the anode side of the PEMEC. In International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 82, 881-891) tracked the moving interface of two phases in the anode flow field of PEMEC based on the VOF method. By using this method, the movement characteristics of gas and liquid phases in the flow field can be more accurately understood and analyzed, and ultimately the performance of the model can be optimized and improved.

[0007] Wei et al. (Wei, Fan, & Tu, 2023. Hydrogen production in a proton exchange membrane electrolysis cell (PEMEC) with titanium meshes as flow distributors. In International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 48, 36271-36285) proposed using Ti mesh as a flow distributor instead of flow channels. When modeling, species transport was simulated by a dilute species transport module. Zhang et al.

[30] established a single-channel electrolyzer containing half-rib half-channel, which was extended to the basic unit of the entire flow field and PEM electrolysis cell to study the difference in local voltage distribution of rib and flow channel.

[0008] One of the advantages of numerical simulation compared to experiments is that it can ensure safety, especially when high pressure is involved. Haas et al. (Haas, Macherhammer, Klopcic, & Trattner, 2021. Capabilities and Limitations of 3D-CFD Simulation of Anode Flow Fields of High-Pressure PEM Water Electrolysis. In Processes, Vol. 9) established a two-phase three-dimensional model to simulate and analyze the two-phase flow in the anode porous transport layer of PEM electrolysis under high pressure. In addition, numerical simulation can explore and study two-phase flow that cannot be observed macroscopically. Lafmejani et al. (Lafmejani, Olesen, & 2017. VOF modelling of gas-liquid flow in PEM water electrolysis cell micro-channels. In International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 42, 16333-16344) analyzed the gas-liquid flow through the anode interdigital flow field of a PEM water electrolysis cell (PEM EC) using a three-dimensional transient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, the results showed that the distance between Taylor bubbles had a great influence on the uniformity of liquid flow in the incident channel, Chen et al. (Chen, Wang, Yang, & Xu, 2020. Two-dimensional multi-physics modeling of porous transport layer in polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzer for water splitting. In International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 45, 32984-32994) established a two-dimensional multi-physical model to study the influence of diffusion layer thickness on liquid water saturation and local current density, the results showed that the thickness of the diffusion layer would significantly affect the diffusion and distribution of liquid water to the catalyst layer.

[0009] In summary, most of the research on flow field focuses on the influence of two-phase flow on the performance and uniformity distribution of the cell, while the ribs as an important part of the flow field have a great influence on mass and heat transfer. At present, the traditional flow field design such as parallel flow channel, serpentine flow channel and interdigital flow channel, it is usually difficult to achieve efficient reactant distribution and product discharge, which is easy to cause local stagnation area, high heat spot and energy loss problem, thereby limiting the further improvement of the performance of water electrolysis device.

[0010] For the structure design of the entire electrolytic cell and flow field, Chinese patent CN117973048A discloses a combined flow field for electrolytic cell, aiming to improve the reaction rate of the battery. However, this patent only proposes a new flow field from the perspective of simulation simulation, without actual application verification, and does not consider the feasibility of flow field design under high pressure and high power density. The lack of experimental verification makes it impossible to effectively guarantee the stability, efficiency and actual operation performance of the flow field, so its practical application value is limited. Chinese patent CN116632423A proposes a 3D printed battery structure, which achieves higher energy storage efficiency by reducing the internal resistance of the battery. However, the manufacturing process of the base of this structure is complex, and the requirements for materials are high, which increases the production cost, and this design fails to consider the improvement of flow field uniformity and reaction efficiency. In addition, although the 3D printing process has advantages in structure optimization, its stability and reliability still need to be further verified compared to traditional manufacturing processes, and it is not conducive to large-scale industrial production. Chinese patent CN105244517A proposes a flow field design for proton exchange membrane battery bipolar plate, which can effectively improve the battery performance, but the design of the gas inlet channel is complex and fails to further optimize the uniformity of the flow field. The complex gas inlet channel design not only increases the manufacturing difficulty, but also may cause uneven gas flow in the flow field, affecting the overall performance of the battery. This design does not conduct in-depth research on the uniformity of the flow field, which may cause uneven distribution of reactants, thereby affecting the electrolysis efficiency. Chinese patent CN108987763A proposes a structure with a hierarchical interdigital flow field, which effectively reduces the pump power loss. However, the design of the interdigital flow channel is too complex, which increases the production cost and may cause unnecessary flow resistance in the flow field, further affecting the reaction efficiency. In addition, too many interdigital flow channels may increase the volume and weight of the battery assembly, which may not be conducive to space utilization and overall performance optimization in practical applications. SUMMARY

[0011] The present application relates to an improved flow field design applied to a proton exchange membrane electrolytic water hydrogen production device, aiming to solve the technical problems of uneven distribution of reactants, gas retention, local thermal hot spots and uneven current density distribution in traditional flow field design, thereby improving the mass transfer efficiency, thermal management performance and overall electrochemical performance of the device. The specific technical solutions proposed by the present application are as follows:

[0012] An improved interdigital jet flow field device, characterized in that it comprises:

[0013] Double plate arrangement: including interdigital plate and jet plate, realizing efficient forced convection effect through the cooperation of the two plates, thereby significantly improving the uniformity of reactant distribution and mass transfer efficiency of the flow field;

[0014] Interdigital plate: The interdigital plate guides fluid flow through an interlaced rib structure with a width of 1 mm, a pitch of 1 mm, and a thickness of 1 mm. The selection of this rib structure not only effectively increases the contact area between the fluid and the solid surface, but also forms a main flow path for forced convection, thereby enhancing the mixing and mass transfer performance of the fluid. Specifically, the rib width is set to 1 mm, which can promote fluid disturbance and flow uniformity without significantly increasing flow resistance. If the width is too large, the flow passage cross-sectional area will decrease, the flow resistance will increase, and the stability of the flow field will be affected. If the width is too small, the gas flow layer may not be effectively broken, causing local gas accumulation and affecting the uniformity of the reaction. Therefore, by selecting a 1 mm wide rib, the gas flow distribution is optimized, and unnecessary pressure loss is avoided.

[0015] Jet plate: The jet plate is designed with a straight channel structure, with a jet aperture of 0.3-0.4 mm, a depth of 0.1 mm, and a center-to-center distance between jet holes of 1.5 mm. The selection of the jet aperture can achieve a good balance between flow resistance and reaction efficiency. If the jet aperture is too large, the pressure difference will decrease, affecting the effect of forced convection. If the aperture is too small, the fluid cannot be disturbed sufficiently, affecting the uniform distribution of gas and the mass transfer efficiency. An aperture of 0.3-0.4 mm effectively ensures the sufficient mixing of gas flow and ensures the formation of a moderate jet effect in the flow channel, improving the reaction efficiency. The jet hole depth is 0.1 mm, which is designed to ensure that the fluid can effectively enter the flow channel and mix with the reaction gas, not only promoting the disturbance of the gas, but also reducing the pressure loss of the flow.

[0016] The combination of the two plates not only introduces a forced convection mechanism, but also optimizes the fluid dynamics, making the fluid flow more uniform, significantly reducing local stagnant areas and reaction dead zones, and improving the overall reaction efficiency.

[0017] Multiple small openings are uniformly arranged in the area below the ribs to improve the cross-channel flow of the fluid and the discharge of the reactants. The opening diameter is 0.2 mm, and the pitch is 1.5 mm, which can effectively reduce the resistance during the gas-liquid separation process and increase the degree of fluid mixing in the flow field. The opening position is optimally arranged to avoid the formation of local gas stagnation areas, improving the exhaust efficiency while further promoting the uniform distribution of the reactants. An excessively large opening diameter may result in a smaller pressure difference, affecting the flow rate. An excessively small diameter may limit the flow of the fluid, making it difficult to achieve uniform distribution. Therefore, by selecting a 0.2 mm diameter and a 1.5 mm pitch, sufficient gas flow can be ensured without increasing excessive flow resistance, effectively improving the uniformity of the fluid and the discharge efficiency of the reactants. The combination of the openings below the ribs and the jet channels allows the reactants and products to circulate in and out of the channels, thereby improving the overall reaction efficiency and mass transfer performance of the electrolytic cell.

[0018] The interdigital plate and the jet plate are arranged in an adjacent mode, and the jet plate is close to the MEA, so as to further optimize the fluid path and the jet effect and ensure stable fluid flow.

[0019] Preferably, the ratio of the rib length of the interdigital plate to the channel length of the jet plate is 10:1. Experimental verification shows that this ratio effectively improves the stability and mass transfer efficiency of the fluid, ensuring good flow and reaction performance.

[0020] Preferably, the ratio of the rib length of the interdigital plate to the channel length of the jet plate is 10:1, which improves mass transfer without affecting heat dissipation and electrical conductivity, enhances the synergistic effect between the two plates, and further improves the reaction efficiency.

[0021] Preferably, the interdigital plate and the jet plate are made of metal or composite materials with high corrosion resistance and good thermal conductivity, and are suitable for operation in high temperature and high pressure environments.

[0022] Preferably, the rib structure of the interdigital plate and the opening position of the jet plate are optimized through CFD simulation to ensure efficient fluid distribution and product discharge.

[0023] Preferably, the openings are designed in a circular shape and are separated from the jet plate channels to form an independent space flow mechanism, further improving the uniformity of reactant distribution and mass transfer performance.

[0024] Preferably, the double-plate structure can be modularly replaced, and the size and opening layout of the interdigital plate and the jet plate can be adjusted according to actual working conditions to adapt to various application scenarios.

[0025] The application also discloses a proton exchange membrane water electrolysis hydrogen production device, which is characterized by comprising the improved interdigital jet flow field device.

[0026] Advantages

[0027] (1) Improve the uniformity of reactant distribution: through the staggered arrangement of the jet channel structure, the application significantly improves the uniform distribution of fluid in the flow field, effectively reduces the phenomenon of local reactant deficiency and gas retention, and improves the reaction efficiency of the water electrolysis device.

[0028] (2) Reduce flow resistance and pressure drop: the application optimizes the geometric design of the flow field, and the width, spacing and length of the jet channel are reasonably configured to reduce the flow resistance and overall pressure drop while ensuring uniform fluid distribution, thereby reducing energy loss.

[0029] (3) Improve the uniformity of current density distribution: through the improved under-rib hole design and flow control mechanism, the application reduces the local high current density area, significantly improves the uniformity of current distribution, and helps to improve the stability and service life of the device.

[0030] (4) Improved thermal management performance: The optimized design of the present application effectively reduces local hot spot problems, making the heat generation in the flow field more uniform. At the same time, the use of materials with uniform thermal conductivity further enhances the heat transfer effect, thereby achieving more efficient thermal management performance.

[0031] (5) Enhanced system adaptability and reliability: The present application uses a thermally conductive material with good stability, combined with an optimized geometric structure design, making the flow field structure more durable and suitable for a wider range of application scenarios. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 For the improved interdigital jet flow field of the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer and the principle comparison diagram of the interdigital jet flow field, the structural differences between MIJFF (improved interdigital jet flow field) and IJFF (interdigital jet flow field) are compared, and MIJFF adds an opening design to the jet plate to improve performance and uniformity;

[0033] Figure 2 For the assembly schematic diagram of the improved interdigital jet flow field device of the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer, the device includes an anode improved interdigital jet flow field plate, a cathode serpentine flow field plate, a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), a sealing gasket, and an end plate structure, and each component tightly cooperates to form a complete test system;

[0034] Figure 3 For the physical comparison schematic diagram of the interdigital jet plate and the improved interdigital jet plate, the improved interdigital jet device adds a rib opening area;

[0035] Figure 4 For the physical comparison schematic diagram of the interdigital jet flow field and the improved interdigital jet flow field, both use a double-plate design of interdigital plate and jet plate;

[0036] Figure 5 For the experimental result schematic diagram of the improved interdigital jet flow field device of the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer test, the control group is respectively a serpentine flow field (SFF), an interdigital flow field (IFF), and an interdigital jet flow field (IJFF);

[0037] Figure 6 For the three-dimensional simulation modeling schematic diagram, the simulation model and the actual experimental flow field 1:1 reduction effect are shown. The simulation results are highly consistent with the experimental results, further verifying the rationality and effectiveness of the improved flow field design;

[0038] Figure 7 For the improved interdigital jet flow field device uniformity result schematic diagram obtained by simulation modeling calculation. The liquid saturation uniformity, temperature uniformity, and current density distribution uniformity are respectively shown, providing a reliable basis for evaluating the flow field optimization effect.

[0039] Figure 8Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the improved interdigital jet flow field device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] An improved interdigital jet flow field device includes a plurality of staggered jet channels, which are linear in shape, and the channel spacing and size are designed to reduce flow resistance and pressure drop; the flow field is provided with under-rib openings for reducing gas retention and promoting product discharge. The flow field is made of a material with uniform thermal conductivity, which can effectively improve the thermal management performance.

[0041] In the water inlet channel, the under-rib openings can provide water supply to the under-rib area, which improves mass transfer and increases the conductive area. Similarly, in the water outlet channel, the under-rib openings can provide a channel for gas to be discharged in time and improve the phenomenon of gas accumulation. The under-rib openings promote gas removal by creating additional channels for gas to escape, minimizing the gas-liquid separation bottleneck, especially at high current density, where gas accumulation can block active sites and reduce performance. These openings help reduce pressure drop and improve gas phase management efficiency, allowing liquid reactants to reach the reaction point more effectively.

[0042] Further, the flow field is divided into two parts, the first part is the interdigital flow field plate, and the specific structure is shown in Table 1; the second part is the jet plate, and the specific structure is shown in Table 2. Through the staggered arrangement of jet channels and the optimized flow field design, the present application significantly improves the uniformity of fluid distribution, mass transfer efficiency and thermal management uniformity, thereby providing support for the efficient operation of the water electrolysis device.

[0043] Table 1 Geometric parameters of flow field plate

[0044]

[0045] Table 2 Geometric parameters of jet plate

[0046]

[0047]

[0048] Referring to Figure 1 As shown, the improved interdigital jet flow field (MIJFF) optimizes the gas and liquid flow path based on the traditional interdigital jet flow field (IJFF) through the under-rib opening design. Figure 1 Comparing IJFF and MIJFF from a three-dimensional perspective, MIJFF has added under-rib openings compared to IJFF, with two rows of under-rib openings between each row of inlet jet holes and outlet jet holes, i.e. each rib is pressing half of the two rows of under-rib openings. This new jet plate structure increases the water supply to the porous electrode and promotes the discharge of the diffusion layer gas, improves the mass transfer under the rib, and improves the uniformity of the current density.

[0049] AsFigure 2 As shown, the improved interdigital jet flow field device in the application is used for proton exchange membrane electrolyzer (PEMEC), mainly including anode improved interdigital jet flow field plate, cathode serpentine flow field plate, membrane electrode assembly (MEA), sealing gasket and end plate structure, and each component of the device is assembled in a laminated manner. The anode improved jet interdigital flow field plate and the cathode serpentine flow field plate are respectively located on both sides of the membrane electrode assembly, for realizing efficient distribution of fluid and uniform mass transfer of reactants.

[0050] Referring to Figure 3 As shown, the improved interdigital jet flow plate and the traditional interdigital jet flow plate are compared to clearly show the structural characteristics of the under-rib opening. The under-rib opening area design makes it easier for gas to enter the deep part of the flow channel, effectively improves the problem of local dead zone, and improves the fluid mixing effect through jet action.

[0051] As shown Figure 4 , the improved interdigital jet flow field and the interdigital flow field both adopt the double-plate design of interdigital plate and jet plate to reduce the retention of reaction gas and improve the exhaust efficiency. The surface is composed of a plurality of parallel arranged inlet channels and outlet channels, which are alternately arranged and separated by ribs to form an interdigital structure. Each inlet channel is directly connected with a manifold, and the outlet channel is connected with another side manifold. The depth and width of the channel are optimized to ensure that the pressure loss is minimized, while realizing uniform distribution of reactants. However, the improved interdigital jet flow field is more superior in function, the under-rib opening structure reduces the gas retention phenomenon, improves the mass transfer efficiency in the reaction area, and significantly improves the current distribution uniformity and overall performance of the electrolyzer.

[0052] Referring to Figure 5 As shown, the test experiment control group includes serpentine flow field (SFF), interdigital flow field (IFF) and interdigital jet flow field (IJFF), and the experimental results prove that the improved interdigital jet flow field is superior to the traditional design in performance and impedance.

[0053] As shown Figure 6 , 7 The simulation model of the improved interdigital jet flow field is constructed by 1:1 reduction three-dimensional modeling technology to ensure the guiding significance of the simulation data to the experimental design. After adopting the improved interdigital flow field, the liquid saturation distribution on the anode side is more uniform, effectively reducing the local hot spot and gas retention phenomenon, and improving the overall performance. Fluid simulation and experimental verification show that the design can significantly improve the uniformity of current density distribution and the overall performance of the electrolyzer.

[0054] The present application is based on the interdigital jet flow field, and proposes an improved composite flow field (MIJFF). The design of the improved interdigital jet flow field is to improve the mass transfer under the ribs and promote the uniformity of various exponential distributions. According to the results, compared with the control group, after applying the MIJFF to the anode of the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer, the temperature, liquid saturation and current density distribution uniformity are increased by 30.53%, 18.54% and 34.91% respectively, and the vertical flow velocity at the flow channel is increased by 60.6%. These results help better understand the influence of the improved interdigital jet flow field structure on the mass transfer and heat transfer performance of the PEMEC. The optimized fluid path planning and the selection of materials with uniform heat conduction significantly improve the fluid distribution, heat transfer and gas-liquid interface reaction performance in the flow field.

[0055] The present application is suitable for laboratory-scale and industrial-scale proton exchange membrane electrolyzer research and development, and has significant advantages in improving the performance of electrolyzers, reducing energy consumption and optimizing current distribution. By adjusting the flow field geometric parameters and test conditions, it can be further extended to the flow field design and optimization of other electrolyzers or electrochemical reactors.

[0056] The above description is a specific embodiment of the present application, and combines specific structures and test methods. However, those skilled in the art can modify or equivalently replace the structure or method without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application, and these modifications and replacements should be considered as falling within the protection scope of the present application. The protection scope of the present application is defined by the appended claims and their equivalent scope.

Claims

1. An improved interdigitated jet flow field device, characterized in that, include: Dual-plate configuration: Includes an interdigitated plate and a jet plate, which work together to achieve efficient forced convection. The interdigitated plate guides fluid flow through an alternating rib structure, with ribs of equal width, spacing, and thickness. The jet plate employs a direct-flow channel with a jet orifice diameter of 0.3-0.4 mm, a depth of 0.1 mm, and a center-to-center distance of 1.5 mm between the jet orifices. This direct-flow channel ensures the fluid flows in a straight jet pattern. The jet plate and interdigitated plate work together to create efficient fluid circulation through the direct-flow jet. Rib opening configuration: Multiple small openings are evenly distributed in the rib area, with an opening diameter of 0.2mm and a spacing of 1.5mm; The under-rib opening is linked to the DC channel, allowing reactants and products to circulate inside and outside the channel.

2. The improved interdigitated jet flow field device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The interdigitated plate and the jet plate are set to an adjacent mode, with the jet plate closely attached to the membrane electrode assembly (MEA).

3. The improved interdigitated jet flow field device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ratio of the length of the ribs of the interdigitated plate to the length of the jet plate channel is 10:

1.

4. The improved interdigitated jet flow field device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The forked finger plates and jet plates are made of metals or composite materials with high corrosion resistance and good thermal conductivity.

5. The improved interdigitated jet flow field device according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that: The rib structure of the interdigitated plate and the opening position of the jet plate were optimized through CFD simulation to ensure efficient fluid distribution and product discharge.

6. The improved interdigitated jet flow field device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The opening is circular and separated from the jet plate channel, forming an independent space for the flow mechanism.

7. A proton exchange membrane electrolysis water production device, characterized in that: Includes the improved interdigitated jet flow field device as described in any one of claims 1-6.

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