Flow battery sealing structure forming device, forming method, flow battery and electric pile

Abstract

The invention discloses a flow battery sealing structure forming device, a flow battery sealing structure forming method, a flow battery and an electric pile. The flow battery sealing structure forming device comprises a supporting base, a movable seat plate, a fixed seat plate, a first movable mold, a second movable mold, a first fixed mold, a second fixed mold, a first injection mechanism and a second injection mechanism, wherein the movable seat plate and the fixed seat plate are oppositely arranged, a forming groove can be defined between the movable seat plate and the fixed seat plate, the movable seat plate can move towards the fixed seat plate, the first movable mold and the second movable mold are spaced and movably connected to the surface, facing the fixed seat plate, of the movable seat plate, and the first movable mold and the second movable mold can rotate by 180 degrees relative to the movable seat plate so as to exchange positions; the first fixed mold and the second fixed mold are connected to the surface, facing the movable base plate, of the fixed base plate in a spaced mode, the first injection mechanism communicates with a first injection hole in the first fixed mold, and the second injection mechanism communicates with a second injection hole in the second fixed mold. The sealing failure risk of the galvanic pile can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of battery technology, and in particular to a liquid flow battery sealing structure molding device, a molding method, a liquid flow battery and a battery stack. Background Art

[0002] The stack of a flow battery is mainly composed of bipolar plates, electrode plate frames, ion membranes and other components. Electrolyte flow channels are provided on both sides of the electrode plate frame, and seals are placed in the sealing grooves next to the flow channels. The seals mainly play a sealing role to prevent electrolyte overflow. The installation of the seals is completed by automatic, semi-automatic or manual assembly. Previously, the seals were installed in the sealing grooves of the electrode plate frames or laid flat on the surface of the motor plates by manual assembly or automatic assembly by robots. The installation effect will be affected by the repeated positioning accuracy of manual and robot hands, the environment, and foreign matter between the electrode plate frame and the seal during the installation process, which will cause the seal to fail. It can be seen that factors such as repeated positioning differences during assembly, differences in seal stretching during installation, and the external environment during installation will affect the installation effect of the seal, thereby causing the seal of the stack to fail. Summary of the invention

[0003] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a liquid flow battery sealing structure forming device. The liquid flow battery sealing structure forming device of the present invention combines the electrode plate frame and the seal during the plasticizing process, eliminates the secondary seal assembly process, solves the problem of poor seal installation effect, and solves the problem of seal failure of the battery stack.

[0004] An embodiment of the present application provides a device for forming a sealing structure of a flow battery.

[0005] A liquid flow battery sealing structure molding device comprises a support base, a movable seat plate, a fixed seat plate, a first movable mold, a second movable mold, a first fixed mold, a second fixed mold, a first injection mechanism and a second injection mechanism; wherein, the movable seat plate is arranged opposite to the fixed seat plate and a molding groove can be formed between the two, the movable seat plate can move toward the fixed seat plate, the first movable mold and the second movable mold are spaced and movably connected to the surface of the movable seat plate facing the fixed seat plate, the first movable mold and the second movable mold can be rotated 180° relative to the movable seat plate to exchange positions, the first fixed mold and the second fixed mold are spaced and connected to the surface of the fixed seat plate facing the movable seat plate, the first injection mechanism is connected to the first injection hole on the first fixed mold, the second injection mechanism is connected to the second injection hole on the second fixed mold, the first movable mold and the second movable mold can respectively cooperate with the first fixed mold to press and mold an electrode plate frame, and the first movable mold and the second movable mold can respectively cooperate with the second fixed mold to press and mold a seal in the sealing groove of the electrode plate frame.

[0006] In some embodiments, the first movable mold and the second movable mold are axially symmetrical about an axis in a vertical direction.

[0007] In some embodiments, the liquid flow battery sealing structure molding device also includes a guiding component, which is connected to the supporting base and extends along the connecting line direction of the movable seat plate and the fixed seat plate, and the first movable mold and the second movable mold are respectively slidably connected to the guiding component.

[0008] In some embodiments, the guiding component includes a plurality of guiding rods arranged in parallel.

[0009] In some of the embodiments, the liquid flow battery sealing structure forming device further includes a propulsion mechanism, which is mounted on the support base and connected to the movable seat plate to drive the movable seat plate to move toward or away from the fixed seat plate.

[0010] In some embodiments, the propulsion mechanism includes a propulsion drive component and a screw assembly, and the propulsion drive component is connected to the movable seat plate through the screw assembly.

[0011] In some embodiments, the liquid flow battery sealing structure molding device also includes a rotating mechanism, which is installed on the movable seat plate, the rotating mechanism connects the first movable mold and the second movable mold, and the rotating mechanism is used to drive the first movable mold and the second movable mold to rotate relative to the movable seat plate.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first injection mechanism includes a first dehumidifier and a first shooting platform, and the first dehumidifier is connected to the first injection hole on the first fixed mold through the first shooting platform.

[0013] In some embodiments, the first injection mechanism contains an alloy material for forming an electrode plate frame.

[0014] In some embodiments, the second injection mechanism includes a second dehumidifier and a second shooting platform, and the second dehumidifier is connected to the second injection hole on the second fixed mold through the second shooting platform.

[0015] In some of these embodiments, the second injection mechanism contains an alloy material for molding a seal.

[0016] An embodiment of the present application provides a method for forming a sealing structure of a flow battery.

[0017] A method for forming a liquid flow battery sealing structure, using a liquid flow battery sealing structure forming device according to any of the above embodiments, comprises the following steps:

[0018] (1) controlling the movable seat plate to move toward the fixed seat plate to form a forming groove therebetween, and controlling the first injection mechanism to inject the plasticized alloy material for forming the electrode plate frame into the forming groove through the first injection hole on the first fixed mold;

[0019] (2) Pressing the alloy material to form an electrode plate frame by cooperating with the first movable die and the first fixed die;

[0020] (3) After molding and cooling, the movable seat plate is controlled to move away from the fixed seat plate, and the first movable mold and the second movable mold are controlled to rotate 180° relative to the movable seat plate to exchange positions;

[0021] (4) controlling the movable seat plate to move toward the fixed seat plate to form a molding groove therebetween, controlling the first injection mechanism to inject the plasticized alloy material for molding the electrode plate frame into the molding groove through the first injection hole on the first fixed mold, and controlling the second injection mechanism to inject the plasticized alloy material for molding the seal into the second injection hole on the second fixed mold;

[0022] (5) the second movable die cooperates with the first fixed die to press the alloy material into the sealing groove of the electrode plate frame to form the seal, and the first movable die cooperates with the second fixed die to press the alloy material into the sealing groove of the electrode plate frame to form the seal;

[0023] (6) Repeat steps (3) to (5) to achieve that the first movable mold and the second movable mold are alternately pressed together with the first movable mold to form the electrode plate frame, and the first movable mold and the second movable mold are alternately pressed together with the second movable mold to form the seal.

[0024] In some embodiments, when forming the electrode plate frame, the melting temperature of the alloy material used to form the electrode plate frame is controlled to be 260°C~290°C, the temperature of the first movable mold is controlled to be 30°C~90°C, and the screw speed of the first injection mechanism is 20rpm~100rpm.

[0025] In some embodiments, when molding the seal, the melting temperature of the alloy material used to mold the seal is controlled to be 165°C~265°C, the temperature of the second movable mold is controlled to be 20°C~80°C, and the screw speed of the second injection mechanism is 20rpm~110rpm.

[0026] In some of the embodiments, the alloy material used to form the electrode plate frame includes polyphenylene ether and polypropylene.

[0027] In some of the embodiments, the alloy material used for the molded sealant includes polypropylene and EPDM rubber.

[0028] An embodiment of the present application provides a flow battery.

[0029] A liquid flow battery comprises an ion membrane, a bipolar plate, an anode plate frame and a cathode plate frame, wherein the anode plate frame and the cathode plate frame are respectively prepared by the preparation method according to any one of claims 9 to 10 to obtain a liquid flow battery sealing structure, wherein the liquid flow battery sealing structure comprises an electrode plate frame and a seal connected to the electrode plate frame, wherein the bipolar plate, the anode plate frame, the ion membrane, the cathode plate frame and the bipolar plate are arranged in sequence and at intervals, and adjacent two of them are sealed and connected by the seal.

[0030] An embodiment of the present application provides a battery stack.

[0031] A battery stack comprises a plurality of sequentially stacked liquid flow batteries.

[0032] The liquid flow battery sealing structure forming device of the present invention combines the electrode plate frame and the seal during the plasticizing process, eliminates the secondary seal assembly process, solves the problem of poor seal installation effect, and solves the seal failure problem of the battery stack. The present application does not need to assemble the seal for a second time. The sealing material such as thermoplastic vulcanized rubber is directly injected on the surface of the electrode plate frame or in the sealing groove during the front-stage molding process, i.e., the production process of the electrode plate frame, to complete the transformation of the thermoplastic vulcanized rubber from liquid to solid, and obtains the seal formed together with the electrode plate frame, thereby ensuring the consistency and stability of the seal, providing a stable sealing structure for the liquid flow battery battery stack, and avoiding the hidden danger of seal failure. Therefore, the present application saves production costs and ensures the consistency and stability of the seal by eliminating the secondary assembly process of the seal.

[0033] In the method for forming the sealing structure of the flow battery of the present invention, the processing process is mainly divided into two steps. The first step is to form the alloy material for forming the electrode plate frame after dehumidification and drying, such as the alloy material of polyphenylene ether (PPE) and polypropylene (PP), through the first injection mechanism and the first fixed mold to obtain the electrode plate frame with the sealing groove. The second step is to form the alloy material for forming the seal, such as thermoplastic vulcanized rubber (such as polypropylene and EPDM rubber alloy material) in the sealing groove of the electrode plate frame through the second injection mechanism and the second fixed mold to form the seal, and after cooling and curing, an integrated assembly of the electrode plate frame and the seal is obtained, which solves the pain point of poor sealing effect in the installation of the seal by post-processing in the current industry, improves installation efficiency, stabilizes quality, and improves the risk of sealing failure of the battery stack. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative work.

[0035] In order to more completely understand the present application and its beneficial effects, the following description will be given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals represent the same parts.

[0036] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a sealing structure forming device for a flow battery according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an assembly of an electrode plate frame and a seal after being formed by a liquid flow battery sealing structure forming device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Description of Reference Numerals

[0039] 10. Liquid flow battery sealing structure molding device; 100. Support base; 200. Movable seat plate; 300. Fixed seat plate; 410. First movable mold; 420. Second movable mold; 510. First fixed mold; 520. Second fixed mold; 610. First injection mechanism; 611. First drying and dehumidifying machine; 612. First shooting platform; 620. Second injection mechanism; 621. Second drying and dehumidifying machine; 622. Second shooting platform; 700. Guide rod; 800. Propulsion mechanism; 900. Rotation mechanism; 20. Electrode plate frame; 21. Sealing member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present invention, so the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0041] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0042] 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.

[0043] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" or "above" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0044] In the description of the present invention, "several" means more than one, "many" means more than two, "greater than", "less than", "exceed", etc. are understood to exclude the number itself, and "above", "below", "within", etc. are understood to include the number itself. If there is a description of "first" or "second", it is only used for the purpose of distinguishing the technical features, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0045] In this article, "optionally", "optional", "optional" means optional, that is, it means to be selected from any of the two parallel solutions of "yes" or "no". If there are multiple "optional" in a technical solution, unless otherwise specified and there is no contradiction or mutual restriction, each "optional" is independent. In this application, the descriptions such as "optionally contain" and "optionally include" mean "contain or not contain".

[0046] In this article, unless otherwise stated, each reaction step may be carried out in the order described herein or may not be carried out in the order described herein. For example, other steps may be included between each reaction step, and the order of the reaction steps may also be appropriately swapped. This can be determined by the technician based on common knowledge and experience. Preferably, the reaction method herein is carried out sequentially.

[0047] In the present application, when it comes to a numerical interval (i.e., a numerical range), unless otherwise specified, the distribution of the optional numerical values ​​in the numerical interval is considered to be continuous, and includes the two numerical endpoints (i.e., the minimum and maximum values) of the numerical interval, and each numerical value between the two numerical endpoints. Unless otherwise specified, when the numerical interval only refers to an integer in the numerical interval, it includes the two endpoint integers of the numerical range, and each integer between the two endpoints, which is equivalent to directly listing each integer. When multiple numerical ranges are provided to describe features or characteristics, these numerical ranges can be combined. In other words, unless otherwise specified, the numerical range disclosed in the present application should be understood to include any and all sub-ranges included therein. The "numerical value" in the numerical interval can be any quantitative value, such as a number, a percentage, a ratio, etc. "Numerical interval" allows for a broad range of quantitative intervals such as percentage intervals, ratio intervals, and ratio intervals.

[0048] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the present invention. The terms used in the specification of the present invention herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0049] Battery stack: In liquid flow batteries, the battery stack is the core component. It is composed of multiple single batteries connected in series and parallel. The key parts mainly include: bipolar plates, electrode plate frames, ion membranes and other components.

[0050] Cooling and solidification: refers to the process in which thermoplastic materials or thermoplastic elastomers are heated to a molten state and then injected into a mold, where they are transformed from liquid to solid within the mold.

[0051] Movable seat plate: also called movable mold seat plate or rear mold plate seat plate, installed on the movable part of the injection molding machine. During the operation of the injection molding machine, the movable seat plate carries the movable mold part (including the movable mold fixing plate, movable mold plate, etc.) and moves back and forth with the opening and closing of the injection molding machine.

[0052] Fixed seat plate: also called fixed mold seat plate or front mold plate seat plate, installed on the fixed part of the injection molding machine. The fixed seat plate carries the fixed mold part (including the fixed mold fixing plate, fixed mold plate, etc.) and remains stationary during the injection molding process.

[0053] Fixed mold: also called front mold or mother mold. It is installed on the fixed side of the injection molding machine and contacts the nozzle of the injection molding machine.

[0054] Movable mold: also called rear mold or male mold. It is installed on the moving side of the injection molding machine. During the opening and closing process of the injection molding machine, the movable mold moves relative to the fixed mold.

[0055] Drying temperature: The temperature set during the drying process to remove moisture from the material before processing the thermoplastic material.

[0056] Drying Time: The length of time that the drying process of a thermoplastic material lasts.

[0057] Melting temperature: refers to the temperature at which a thermoplastic material changes from solid to liquid.

[0058] Mold temperature: refers to the temperature state of the mold surface during the injection molding process.

[0059] Screw speed: refers to the speed at which the screw rotates when the injection molding machine is melting the plastic.

[0060] Alloy material: a type of material made by blending or compounding two or more thermoplastic resins or thermoplastic resins with other materials through physical or chemical methods.

[0061] The embodiment of the present application provides a flow battery sealing structure forming device 10 to solve the problem that the sealing member 21 installed by post-processing in the prior art has repeated positioning differences during assembly, stretching differences of the sealing member 21 during installation, and external environment during installation, which affect the installation effect of the sealing member 21 and lead to sealing failure of the battery stack. The flow battery sealing structure forming device 10 will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0062] The flow battery sealing structure forming device 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application is exemplary, please refer to Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 The structural schematic diagram of the liquid flow battery sealing structure forming device 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application. The liquid flow battery sealing structure forming device 10 of the present application can be used for integrally forming the electrode plate frame 20 and the sealing member 21.

[0063] In order to more clearly illustrate the structure of the liquid flow battery sealing structure forming device 10, the liquid flow battery sealing structure forming device 10 will be introduced below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0064] For example, see Figure 1As shown, a liquid flow battery sealing structure molding device 10 includes a support base 100, a movable seat plate 200, a fixed seat plate 300, a first movable mold 410, a second movable mold 420, a first fixed mold 510, a second fixed mold 520, a first injection mechanism 610 and a second injection mechanism 620.

[0065] The movable seat plate 200 is arranged opposite to the fixed seat plate 300 and a molding groove can be formed between the two. The movable seat plate 200 can move toward the fixed seat plate 300. The first movable mold 410 and the second movable mold 420 are spaced apart and movably connected to the surface of the movable seat plate 200 facing the fixed seat plate 300. The first movable mold 410 and the second movable mold 420 can rotate 180° relative to the movable seat plate 200 to exchange positions. The rotation of the first movable mold 410 and the second movable mold 420 is realized in the vertical plane. The first movable mold 410 rotates to the position of the original second movable mold 420, and the second movable mold 420 rotates to the position of the original first movable mold 410, so as to realize the exchange of the positions of the two. The first fixed mold 510 and the second fixed mold 520 are spaced apart and connected to the surface of the fixed seat plate 300 facing the movable seat plate 200. The first injection mechanism 610 is connected to the first injection hole on the first fixed mold 510. The second injection mechanism 620 is connected to the second injection hole on the second fixed mold 520, and the first movable mold 410 and the second movable mold 420 can respectively cooperate with the first fixed mold 510 to press and form the electrode plate frame 20. The first movable mold 410 and the second movable mold 420 can respectively cooperate with the second fixed mold 520 to press and form the sealing member 21 in the sealing groove of the electrode plate frame 20.

[0066] The liquid flow battery sealing structure forming device 10 of the present invention combines the electrode plate frame 20 and the seal 21 together during the plasticizing process, cancels the secondary seal 21 assembly process, and solves the problem of poor installation effect of the seal 21 and sealing failure of the battery stack. The present application does not need to assemble the seal 21 for a second time. The sealing material such as thermoplastic vulcanized rubber is directly injected on the surface of the electrode plate frame 20 or in the sealing groove in the front molding process, that is, the production process of the electrode plate frame 20, and the thermoplastic vulcanized rubber is transformed from liquid to solid to obtain the seal 21 combined with the electrode plate frame 20. The consistency and stability of the seal 21 are guaranteed, and a stable sealing structure is provided for the battery stack of the liquid flow battery, avoiding the hidden danger of sealing failure. Therefore, the present application saves production costs and ensures the consistency and stability of the seal 21 by canceling the secondary assembly process of the seal 21.

[0067] In some of the embodiments, the first movable mold 410 , the second movable mold 420 , the first fixed mold 510 , and the second fixed mold 520 may each be a plate-shaped structure.

[0068] In some embodiments, the first movable mold 410 and the second movable mold 420 are axially symmetrical about a vertical axis.

[0069] In some embodiments, the flow battery sealing structure molding device 10 further includes a guide component. The guide component is connected to the support base 100 and extends along the connecting line of the movable seat plate 200 and the fixed seat plate 300. The first movable mold 410 and the second movable mold 420 are respectively slidably connected to the guide component.

[0070] In some of these embodiments, see Figure 1 As shown, the guide component includes a plurality of guide rods 700 arranged in parallel.

[0071] In some of these embodiments, see Figure 1 As shown, the flow battery sealing structure forming device 10 further includes a propulsion mechanism 800. The propulsion mechanism 800 is installed on the support base 100, and the propulsion mechanism 800 is connected to the movable seat plate 200 to drive the movable seat plate 200 to move toward or away from the fixed seat plate 300.

[0072] In some embodiments, the propulsion mechanism 800 includes a propulsion driving component and a screw assembly. The propulsion driving component is connected to the moving seat plate 200 through the screw assembly.

[0073] In some of these embodiments, see Figure 1 As shown, the liquid flow battery sealing structure molding device 10 also includes a rotating mechanism 900. The rotating mechanism 900 is installed on the movable seat plate 200. The rotating mechanism 900 connects the first movable mold 410 and the second movable mold 420. The rotating mechanism 900 is used to drive the first movable mold 410 and the second movable mold 420 to rotate relative to the movable seat plate 200.

[0074] In some of these embodiments, see Figure 1 As shown, the first injection mechanism 610 includes a first drying and dehumidifying machine 611 and a first shooting platform 612 , and the first drying and dehumidifying machine 611 is connected to the first injection hole on the first fixed mold 510 through the first shooting platform 612 .

[0075] In some of the embodiments, the first injection mechanism 610 contains an alloy material for forming the electrode plate frame 20 .

[0076] In some of these embodiments, see Figure 1 As shown, the second injection mechanism 620 includes a second dehumidifier 621 and a second injection platform 622. The second dehumidifier 621 is connected to the second injection hole on the second fixed mold 520 through the second injection platform 622.

[0077] The structures of the first shooting station 612 and the second shooting station 622 are set as follows: The shooting station is also called an injection device or an injection unit, which is a key component in the injection molding process. The main function of the shooting station is to heat and melt thermoplastics or thermosetting plastics during the injection molding process, and then inject the molten plastic into the mold cavity in a high-pressure manner to form the desired plastic product.

[0078] The shooting station usually includes the following parts: Barrel: The barrel is a long cylindrical metal tube where the plastic particles are heated and melted. Screw: The screw is located inside the barrel. It is responsible for pushing the plastic forward and shearing and mixing the plastic by rotating to make it melt evenly. Injection seat: This is a structure that supports and accommodates the barrel, screw and related components. Heating ring: It surrounds the outside of the barrel and is used to provide heat to melt the plastic. Nozzle: It is located at the front end of the barrel and directly contacts the first injection hole or the second injection hole to ensure that the molten plastic can smoothly enter the mold cavity. Hydraulic system or electric drive system: It is used to drive the screw to move back and forth to achieve plastic metering and injection. Control system: Controls the operating parameters of the entire shooting station, such as temperature, pressure, speed, etc., to ensure the consistency and stability of product quality. The control system can be integrated into the following control mechanism.

[0079] In some of these embodiments, see Figure 1 As shown, the first shooting platform 612 and the second shooting platform 622 can be installed along the horizontal direction.

[0080] In some of the embodiments, the second injection mechanism 620 contains an alloy material for molding the seal 21 .

[0081] In some embodiments, the flow battery sealing structure forming device 10 further includes a control mechanism. The movable seat plate 200, the first movable mold 410, the second movable mold 420, the first injection mechanism 610, the second injection mechanism 620, the propulsion mechanism 800, and the rotation mechanism 900 are electrically connected to the control mechanism respectively.

[0082] Preferably, the above-mentioned control mechanism can be a PLC programmable logic controller.

[0083] An embodiment of the present application provides a method for forming a sealing structure of a flow battery.

[0084] A method for forming a liquid flow battery sealing structure, using a liquid flow battery sealing structure forming device 10 according to any of the above embodiments, comprises the following steps:

[0085] (1) Controlling the movable seat plate 200 to move toward the fixed seat plate 300 to form a forming groove therebetween, and controlling the first injection mechanism 610 to inject the plasticized alloy material for forming the electrode plate frame 20 into the forming groove through the first injection hole on the first fixed mold 510;

[0086] (2) The first movable mold 410 cooperates with the first fixed mold 510 to press the alloy material to form the electrode plate frame 20;

[0087] (3) After molding and cooling, the movable seat plate 200 is controlled to move away from the fixed seat plate 300, and the first movable mold 410 and the second movable mold 420 are controlled to rotate 180° relative to the movable seat plate 200 to exchange positions;

[0088] (4) Controlling the movable seat plate 200 to move toward the fixed seat plate 300 to form a molding groove therebetween, controlling the first injection mechanism 610 to inject the plasticized alloy material for molding the electrode plate frame 20 into the molding groove through the first injection hole on the first fixed mold 510, and controlling the second injection mechanism 620 to inject the plasticized alloy material for molding the seal 21 into the second injection hole on the second fixed mold 520;

[0089] (5) The second movable die 420 cooperates with the first fixed die 510 to press the alloy material into the sealing groove of the electrode plate frame 20 to form the seal 21. At the same time, the first movable die 410 cooperates with the second fixed die 520 to press the alloy material into the sealing groove of the electrode plate frame 20 to form the seal 21.

[0090] (6) Repeat steps (3) to (5) to achieve that the first movable mold 410 and the second movable mold 420 are alternately pressed together with the first movable mold 410 to form the electrode plate frame 20, and the first movable mold 410 and the second movable mold 420 are alternately pressed together with the second movable mold 420 to form the seal 21.

[0091] In some of the embodiments, the control subject in the above steps may be a control mechanism.

[0092] In some embodiments, when forming the electrode plate frame 20, the melting temperature of the alloy material used to form the electrode plate frame 20 is controlled to be 260°C~290°C, the temperature of the first movable mold 410 is controlled to be 30°C~90°C, and the screw speed of the first shooting table 612 is controlled to be 20rpm~100rpm.

[0093] In some embodiments, when molding the seal 21, the melting temperature of the alloy material used to mold the seal 21 is controlled to be 165°C~265°C, the temperature of the second movable mold 420 is controlled to be 20°C~80°C, and the screw speed of the second shooting table 622 is controlled to be 20rpm~110rpm.

[0094] In some embodiments, the alloy material used to form the electrode plate frame 20 includes polyphenylene ether and polypropylene.

[0095] In some embodiments, the mass ratio of polyphenylene ether to polypropylene is (20%-85%):(15%-80%). For example, the mass ratio of polyphenylene ether to polypropylene includes 20%:80%, 30%:70%, 40%:60%, 50%:50%, 60%:40%, 70%:30%, 80%:20%, 85%:15% or other ratios.

[0096] In some of the embodiments, the alloy material used for the molded sealant includes polypropylene and EPDM rubber.

[0097] In some embodiments, the mass ratio of polypropylene to EPDM is (30%-80%):(20%-70%). For example, the mass ratio of polypropylene to EPDM includes 30%:70%, 40%:60%, 50%:50%, 60%:40%, 70%:30%, 80%:20% or other ratios.

[0098] An embodiment of the present application provides a flow battery.

[0099] A liquid flow battery comprises an ion membrane, a bipolar plate, an anode plate frame and a cathode plate frame, wherein the anode plate frame and the cathode plate frame are respectively prepared by the preparation method of any of the above-mentioned embodiments to obtain a liquid flow battery sealing structure, wherein the liquid flow battery sealing structure comprises an electrode plate frame and a seal connected to the electrode plate frame, wherein the bipolar plate, the anode plate frame, the ion membrane, the cathode plate frame and the bipolar plate are arranged in sequence and at intervals, and adjacent two of them are sealed and connected by the seal.

[0100] An embodiment of the present application provides a battery stack.

[0101] A battery stack comprises a plurality of sequentially stacked liquid flow batteries as described above.

[0102] In the method for forming the sealing structure of a flow battery of the present invention, the processing process is mainly divided into two steps. The first step is to form the alloy material for forming the electrode plate frame 20 after dehumidification and drying, such as the alloy material of polyphenylene ether and polypropylene, through the first injection mechanism 610 and the first fixed mold 510 to obtain the electrode plate frame 20 with a sealing groove. The second step is to form the alloy material for forming the seal 21, such as thermoplastic vulcanized rubber (such as polypropylene and EPDM rubber alloy material), in the sealing groove of the electrode plate frame 20 through the second injection mechanism 620 and the second fixed mold 520 to form the seal 21, and after cooling and curing, an integrated assembly of the electrode plate frame 20 and the seal 21 is obtained, which solves the pain point of poor sealing effect when installing the seal 21 by post-processing in the current industry, improves installation efficiency, stabilizes quality, and improves the risk of sealing failure of the battery stack.

[0103] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0104] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0105] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the description thereof is relatively specific and detailed, but it cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the patent of the present invention. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, which all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A liquid flow battery sealing structure forming device, characterized in that: It includes a supporting base, a movable seat plate, a fixed seat plate, a first movable mold, a second movable mold, a first fixed mold, a second fixed mold, a first injection mechanism and a second injection mechanism; wherein, the movable seat plate is arranged opposite to the fixed seat plate and a molding groove can be formed between the two, the movable seat plate can move toward the fixed seat plate, the first movable mold and the second movable mold are spaced apart and movably connected on the surface of the movable seat plate facing the fixed seat plate, the first movable mold and the second movable mold can be rotated 180° relative to the movable seat plate to exchange positions, the first fixed mold and the second fixed mold are spaced apart and connected on the surface of the fixed seat plate facing the movable seat plate, the first injection mechanism is connected to the first injection hole on the first fixed mold, the second injection mechanism is connected to the second injection hole on the second fixed mold, the first movable mold and the second movable mold can respectively cooperate with the first fixed mold to press and mold an electrode plate frame, and the first movable mold and the second movable mold can respectively cooperate with the second fixed mold to press and mold a seal in the sealing groove of the electrode plate frame.

2. The device for forming a sealing structure of a flow battery according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first movable mold and the second movable mold are axially symmetrical about an axis in a vertical direction.

3. The device for forming a sealing structure of a flow battery according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid flow battery sealing structure molding device also includes a guiding component, which is connected to the supporting base and extends along the connecting line direction of the movable seat plate and the fixed seat plate, and the first movable mold and the second movable mold are respectively slidably connected to the guiding component.

4. The device for forming a sealing structure of a flow battery according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid flow battery sealing structure forming device also includes a propulsion mechanism, which is installed on the support base and connected to the movable seat plate to drive the movable seat plate to move toward or away from the fixed seat plate.

5. The device for forming a sealing structure of a flow battery according to claim 4, characterized in that: The propulsion mechanism comprises a propulsion driving component and a screw assembly, and the propulsion driving component is connected to the movable seat plate through the screw assembly.

6. The device for forming a sealing structure of a flow battery according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The liquid flow battery sealing structure molding device also includes a rotating mechanism, which is installed on the movable seat plate, the rotating mechanism connects the first movable mold and the second movable mold, and the rotating mechanism is used to drive the first movable mold and the second movable mold to rotate relative to the movable seat plate.

7. The device for forming a sealing structure of a flow battery according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The first injection mechanism includes a first drying and dehumidifying machine and a first shooting platform, and the first drying and dehumidifying machine is connected to the first injection hole on the first fixed mold through the first shooting platform; And / or, the first injection mechanism contains an alloy material for forming an electrode plate frame.

8. The device for forming a sealing structure of a flow battery according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The second injection mechanism includes a second drying and dehumidifying machine and a second shooting platform, and the second drying and dehumidifying machine is connected to the second injection hole on the second fixed mold through the second shooting platform; And / or, the second injection mechanism contains an alloy material for molding a seal.

9. A method for forming a sealing structure of a flow battery, characterized in that: The device for forming a sealing structure of a flow battery according to any one of claims 1 to 8 comprises the following steps: (1) controlling the movable seat plate to move toward the fixed seat plate to form a forming groove therebetween, and controlling the first injection mechanism to inject the plasticized alloy material for forming the electrode plate frame into the forming groove through the first injection hole on the first fixed mold; (2) Pressing the alloy material to form an electrode plate frame by cooperating with the first movable die and the first fixed die; (3) After molding and cooling, the movable seat plate is controlled to move away from the fixed seat plate, and the first movable mold and the second movable mold are controlled to rotate 180° relative to the movable seat plate to exchange positions; (4) controlling the movable seat plate to move toward the fixed seat plate to form a molding groove therebetween, controlling the first injection mechanism to inject the plasticized alloy material for molding the electrode plate frame into the molding groove through the first injection hole on the first fixed mold, and controlling the second injection mechanism to inject the plasticized alloy material for molding the seal into the second injection hole on the second fixed mold; (5) the second movable die cooperates with the first fixed die to press the alloy material into the sealing groove of the electrode plate frame to form the seal, and the first movable die cooperates with the second fixed die to press the alloy material into the sealing groove of the electrode plate frame to form the seal; (6) Repeat steps (3) to (5) to achieve that the first movable mold and the second movable mold are alternately pressed together with the first movable mold to form the electrode plate frame, and the first movable mold and the second movable mold are alternately pressed together with the second movable mold to form the seal.

10. The method for forming a sealing structure of a flow battery according to claim 9, characterized in that: The method for forming a flow battery sealing structure also satisfies at least one of the following conditions: (1) When forming the electrode plate frame, the melting temperature of the alloy material used to form the electrode plate frame is controlled to be 260°C to 290°C, the temperature of the first movable mold is controlled to be 30°C to 90°C, and the screw speed of the first injection mechanism is controlled to be 20 rpm to 100 rpm; (2) When molding the seal, the melting temperature of the alloy material used to mold the seal is controlled to be 165°C to 265°C, the temperature of the second movable mold is controlled to be 20°C to 80°C, and the screw speed of the second injection mechanism is controlled to be 20 rpm to 110 rpm; (3) Alloy materials used to form electrode plate frames include polyphenylene ether and polypropylene; (4) Alloy materials used for molding sealants include polypropylene and EPDM rubber.

11. A liquid flow battery, characterized in that: The invention comprises an ion membrane, a bipolar plate, an anode plate frame and a cathode plate frame, wherein the anode plate frame and the cathode plate frame are respectively prepared by the preparation method according to any one of claims 9 to 10 and the liquid flow battery sealing structure comprises an electrode plate frame and a seal connected to the electrode plate frame, wherein the bipolar plate, the anode plate frame, the ion membrane, the cathode plate frame and the bipolar plate are sequentially and spaced apart and adjacent two of them are sealed and connected by the seal.

12. A battery stack, characterized in that: A liquid flow battery comprising a plurality of sequentially stacked layers.

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