Membrane electrode air tightness detection device and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a membrane electrode air tightness detection device and method. The membrane electrode air tightness detection device comprises a base, a moving seat and pressing equipment for driving the moving seat to lift, an upper plate and a lower plate are respectively fixed on the opposite surfaces of the base and the movable seat, each of the upper plate and the lower plate consists of an end plate, a monopolar plate, a diffusion layer, a pole frame and a sealing ring, and the end plate, the monopolar plate, the diffusion layer, the pole frame and the sealing ring are of an integrated structure; a membrane electrode detection position is arranged between the upper plate and the lower plate, the upper plate and the lower plate are respectively provided with an air inlet mechanism, and two sides of the membrane electrode detection position are pressurized. Before the membrane electrode unit enters the assembly process, the air tightness of each membrane electrode is independently detected, so that each membrane electrode entering the assembly link is ensured to meet the quality requirement from the source, the assembly efficiency of the electrolytic cell is improved, the rework rate can be reduced, and the production cost is saved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of electrolytic cells, and in particular to a membrane electrode air tightness detection device and method. Background Art

[0002] The ion exchange membrane electrolyzer is mainly composed of an anode, a cathode, an ion exchange membrane, an electrode frame, a current collecting plate, an insulating plate, an end plate and fasteners. Each electrolyzer is composed of several unit cells connected in series or in parallel.

[0003] At present, whether it is an alkaline electrolyzer, a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer, or an anion exchange membrane electrolyzer, there is a significant pain point in the process of assembling the electrolyzer: membrane electrode air tightness detection. Since the electrolyzer is usually composed of a large number of membrane electrode units stacked together, if any of the membrane electrodes has quality problems, such as substandard air tightness or leakage, it will affect the quality of the electrolyzer. This problem can usually only be discovered when the electrolyzer is assembled and tested as a whole. At this time, the entire electrolyzer needs to be disassembled and reassembled, which is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but may also cause a certain degree of component loss and waste of resources. In addition, during the disassembly and assembly process, it is often difficult to locate the specific leaking membrane electrode, because the problem may not be obvious, and it takes a lot of time and effort to check one by one. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a membrane electrode air tightness detection device and method, which can independently detect the air tightness of the membrane electrode before assembling the electrolytic cell, thereby reducing the rework rate of the electrolytic cell.

[0005] To this end, the technical solution of the present invention is: a membrane electrode air tightness detection device, comprising a base, a movable seat and a pressing device for driving the movable seat to rise and fall; an upper plate and a lower plate are respectively fixed on the facing surfaces of the base and the movable seat, and the upper plate and the lower plate are both composed of an end plate, a monopolar plate, a diffusion layer, a pole frame, and a sealing ring, and the end plate, the monopolar plate, the diffusion layer, the pole frame, and the sealing ring are an integrated structure; a membrane electrode detection position is between the upper plate and the lower plate, and the upper plate and the lower plate are both provided with an air intake mechanism to apply pressure to both sides of the membrane electrode detection position.

[0006] On the basis of the above scheme and as a preferred scheme of the above scheme: a single pole plate and a pole frame are sequentially arranged on one side of the end plate, and the adjacent parts are tightly matched through a sealing ring; a diffusion layer is arranged inside the pole frame, and the diffusion layer is one or more of carbon paper, titanium mesh, and titanium felt.

[0007] On the basis of the above scheme and as a preferred scheme of the above scheme: the end plate, the monopolar plate, the diffusion layer, the pole frame and the sealing ring are fixed by sintering or gluing to form an integrated structure.

[0008] On the basis of the above scheme and as a preferred scheme of the above scheme: a pressure gauge is provided on each side of the end plate, and the installation positions of the two pressure gauges are staggered with each other; the pressure gauge is used to measure the air pressure inside the end plate.

[0009] On the basis of the above scheme and as a preferred scheme of the above scheme: an air intake channel is provided on the side of the end plate, the air intake channel is connected to the air intake mechanism, and a high-precision micro flow meter is provided on the air intake mechanism.

[0010] On the basis of the above scheme and as a preferred scheme of the above scheme: it also includes a protective cover body, which is arranged on the outermost layer of the device, and an operating door is arranged on the front side of the protective cover body.

[0011] Another technical solution of the present invention is: a membrane electrode air tightness detection method, using the above device, comprising the following steps:

[0012] 1) Place the membrane electrode on the lower plate, and move the upper plate down until it is sealed with the lower plate;

[0013] 2) Open the air intake mechanism corresponding to the upper plate and / or lower plate;

[0014] 3) Gradually increase the pressure to the set pressure, the set pressure is 0MPa ~ 20MPa;

[0015] 4) Measure the pressure or leakage of the upper plate, lower plate, and compare with the threshold value to obtain the airtightness performance of the membrane electrode.

[0016] On the basis of the above scheme and as a preferred scheme of the above scheme: detect the gas cross-talk inside the membrane electrode: open any corresponding air intake mechanism of the upper plate or the lower plate, gradually increase the pressure to the set pressure, the set pressure is 3MPa~20MPa, and measure the leakage through a high-precision micro flowmeter. When the leakage is less than or equal to the threshold, the membrane electrode detection is qualified.

[0017] On the basis of the above scheme and as a preferred scheme of the above scheme: detect the leakage of the membrane electrode: open the air intake mechanisms corresponding to the upper plate and the lower plate at the same time, and gradually increase the pressure of the upper plate and the lower plate to the set pressure, the set pressure is 0MPa~20MPa; close the pressure reducing valves on the air intake mechanisms corresponding to the upper plate and the lower plate to maintain the pressure; measure the pressure of the upper plate and the lower plate, and calculate whether the amount of gas inside is leaking.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0019] 1. Before the membrane electrode unit enters the assembly process, the air tightness of each membrane electrode is independently tested to ensure that each membrane electrode entering the assembly process meets the quality requirements from the source; by screening and solving the air tightness problems in advance, not only can the assembly efficiency of the electrolyzer be significantly improved, but also the rework rate can be reduced and production costs can be saved.

[0020] 2. The detection device has the characteristics of high detection accuracy and easy operation. It can quickly complete the detection process and is compatible with various types of membrane electrodes, providing effective guarantee for large-scale production. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention (with the protective cover body hidden);

[0023] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the upper plate and the lower plate of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the upper plate, membrane electrode and lower plate of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a structural cross-sectional view of the upper plate, membrane electrode, and lower plate of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A partial enlarged view of

[0027] Figure 7 It is an exploded view of the parts of the upper plate, membrane electrode and lower plate of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8 It is a structural schematic diagram of the upper plate of the present invention;

[0029] Fig. 9 It is a structural schematic diagram of the lower plate of the present invention;

[0030] Fig.10 It is a structural block diagram of the air intake structure of the present invention.

[0031] Marked in the figure are: base 1, column 11, top plate 12, movable seat 2, press 3, upper plate 4, upper end plate 41, first unipolar plate 42, upper pole frame 43, first titanium mesh 44, first titanium felt 45, first sealing ring 46, lower plate 5, lower end plate 51, second unipolar plate 52, lower pole frame 53, second titanium mesh 54, second titanium felt 55, second sealing ring 56, membrane electrode 6, first high-pressure gas cylinder 71, first pressure reducing valve 72, first three-way valve 73, first buffer tank 74, second three-way valve 75, first pressure relief valve 76, third three-way valve 77, first pressure gauge 78, first gas path interface 79, second high-pressure gas cylinder 81, second pressure reducing valve 82, fourth three-way valve 83, second buffer tank 84, fifth three-way valve 85, second pressure relief valve 86, sixth three-way valve 87, second pressure gauge 88, second gas path interface 89, protective cover body 9, and operating door 91. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that directional words, such as the terms "center", "lateral (X)", "longitudinal (Y)", "vertical (Z)", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", etc., indicating directions and positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, which are only for the convenience of narrating the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and cannot be understood as limiting the specific scope of protection of the present invention.

[0033] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features. Therefore, the definition of "first" and "second" features can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, "several" and "a number" mean two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0034] See the attached drawings. The membrane electrode air tightness detection device described in this embodiment includes a base 1, a movable base 2 and a press 3 for driving the movable base 2 to rise and fall; the base 1 is provided with four columns 11, a top plate 12 is fixed on the top of the columns 11, and a press 3 is installed under the top plate 12. The pressure head of the press 3 is fixedly connected to the movable base 2, and a guide hole is provided on the movable base 2, which is slidably matched with the column 11, so that the lifting and lowering of the movable base 2 is more stable.

[0035] An upper plate 4 is provided below the movable seat 2, and a lower plate 5 is fixed on the base 1. The upper plate 4 and the lower plate 5 are positioned opposite to each other. The upper plate 4 includes an upper end plate 41, a first unipolar plate 42, a first diffusion layer, an upper pole frame 43 and a plurality of first sealing rings 46. The upper end plate 41 is fixed on the movable seat 2, the first unipolar plate 42 is located below the upper end plate 41, the upper pole frame 43 is located below the first unipolar plate 42, and the first diffusion layer is located in the upper pole frame 43, and the first diffusion layer includes a first titanium mesh 44 and a first titanium felt 45; a first sealing ring 46 is provided between the upper end plate 41, the first unipolar plate 42 and the upper pole frame 43, and the upper end plate 41, the first unipolar plate 42, the first diffusion layer, the upper pole frame 43 and the plurality of first sealing rings 46 are fixed into an integral structure by sintering.

[0036] The lower plate 5 includes a lower end plate 51, a second unipolar plate 52, a second diffusion layer, a lower pole frame 53 and a plurality of second sealing rings 56. The lower end plate 51 is fixed on the base 1, the second unipolar plate 52 is located above the lower end plate 51, the lower pole frame 53 is located above the second unipolar plate 52, and the second diffusion layer is located in the lower pole frame 53, and the second diffusion layer includes a second titanium mesh 54 and a second titanium felt 55; a second sealing ring 56 is provided between the lower end plate 51, the second unipolar plate 52 and the lower pole frame 53, and the lower end plate 51, the second unipolar plate 52, the second diffusion layer, the lower pole frame 53 and the plurality of second sealing rings 56 are fixed into an integral structure by sintering.

[0037] The membrane electrode detection position is between the upper plate 4 and the lower plate 5. The membrane electrode 6 can be placed on the lower plate 5. The press 3 drives the upper plate 4 to move downward and press on the lower plate 5 to form an airtightness detection structure.

[0038] The upper plate 4 and the lower plate 5 are both provided with an air intake mechanism to pressurize both sides of the membrane electrode detection position. The air intake mechanism includes a high-pressure gas cylinder, a pressure reducing valve, a buffer tank, a pressure relief valve, a pressure gauge, etc. The bottle mouth of the first high-pressure gas cylinder 71 is connected to a first pressure reducing valve 72, and the first pressure reducing valve 72 is connected to the first buffer tank 74 through a first three-way 73. The first three-way 73 is connected to the second three-way 75 on the other side, and the second three-way 75 is connected to the first pressure relief valve 76 on one side and connected to the third three-way 77 on the other side. The third three-way 77 is connected to the first pressure gauge 78 on one side and connected to the first gas path interface 79 of the upper plate 4 on the other side; the first pressure gauge 78 and the first gas path interface 79 are provided on the side of the upper end plate 41, and an air flow channel is provided inside the upper end plate.

[0039] The second high-pressure gas cylinder 81 is connected to a second pressure reducing valve 82, which is connected to a second buffer tank 84 through a fourth three-way connection 83, and the fourth three-way connection 83 is connected to a fifth three-way connection 85 in another way, and the fifth three-way connection 85 is connected to a second pressure relief valve 86 in one way and to a sixth three-way connection 87 in another way, and the sixth three-way connection 87 is connected to a second pressure gauge 88 in one way and to a second gas path interface 89 of the lower plate in another way, and the side of the lower end plate 51 is provided with a second pressure gauge 88 and a second gas path interface 89, and the upper end plate is provided with an air flow channel inside. The air intake mechanism is provided with a high-precision micro flow meter, including but not limited to a soap film flow meter, a mass flow meter, etc.

[0040] In order to protect the safety of the operators, a protective cover 9 may be provided outside the device. An operating door 91 is provided on the front side of the protective cover 9 , and the operators take and place the membrane electrode 6 through the operating door 91 .

[0041] The detection device described in this embodiment can be used for the detection of gas cross-talk inside the membrane electrode and the detection of leakage of the membrane electrode. The steps for the detection of gas cross-talk inside the membrane electrode are as follows:

[0042] 1) The membrane electrode 6 is placed on the lower plate 5, and the upper plate 4 is moved down to be sealed with the lower plate 5;

[0043] 2) Open the corresponding air intake mechanism of the upper plate 4 or the lower plate 5;

[0044] 3) Gradually increase the pressure to the set pressure, the set pressure is 3MPa ~ 20MPa;

[0045] 4) The leakage is measured by a high-precision micro-flow meter. When the leakage is less than or equal to the threshold, the membrane electrode test is qualified.

[0046] The steps for detecting leakage of membrane electrode are as follows:

[0047] 1) The membrane electrode 6 is placed on the lower plate 5, and the upper plate 4 is moved down to be sealed with the lower plate 5;

[0048] 2) Open the air intake mechanisms corresponding to the upper plate 4 and the lower plate 5 at the same time;

[0049] 3) gradually increase the pressure of the upper plate 4 and the lower plate 5 to a set pressure, the set pressure being 0 MPa to 20 MPa;

[0050] 4) Close the pressure reducing valves on the air intake mechanisms corresponding to the upper plate 4 and the lower plate 5 to maintain the pressure;

[0051] 5) Measure the pressure of the upper and lower plates and calculate whether the amount of gas inside is leaking.

[0052] This embodiment can independently test the air tightness of each membrane electrode before the membrane electrode unit enters the assembly process, ensuring that each membrane electrode entering the assembly process meets the quality requirements from the source. By screening and solving the air tightness problem in advance, not only can the assembly efficiency of the electrolyzer be significantly improved, but also the rework rate can be reduced and production costs can be saved. In addition, the device has the characteristics of high detection accuracy and simple operation. It can quickly complete the detection process and is compatible with various types of membrane electrodes, providing effective guarantees for large-scale production.

[0053] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. All technical solutions under the concept of the present invention belong to the protection scope of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, some improvements and modifications without departing from the principle of the present invention should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A membrane electrode gas tightness detection device, comprising a base, a movable seat and a pressing device for driving the movable seat to rise and fall; characterized in that: An upper plate and a lower plate are fixed on the facing surfaces of the base and the movable seat respectively, and both the upper plate and the lower plate are composed of an end plate, a unipolar plate, a diffusion layer, a pole frame, and a sealing ring, and the end plate, the unipolar plate, the diffusion layer, the pole frame, and the sealing ring are an integrated structure; a membrane electrode detection position is between the upper plate and the lower plate, and both the upper plate and the lower plate are provided with an air intake mechanism to apply pressure to both sides of the membrane electrode detection position.

2. A membrane electrode gas tightness detection device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: A single pole plate and a pole frame are sequentially arranged on one side of the end plate, and the adjacent parts are tightly matched through a sealing ring; a diffusion layer is arranged inside the pole frame, and the diffusion layer is one or more of carbon paper, titanium mesh, and titanium felt.

3. A membrane electrode gas tightness detection device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The end plate, the monopolar plate, the diffusion layer, the pole frame and the sealing ring are fixed by sintering or gluing to form an integrated structure.

4. A membrane electrode gas tightness detection device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: A pressure gauge is provided on each side of the end plate, and the installation positions of the two pressure gauges are staggered with each other; the pressure gauges are used to measure the air pressure inside the end plate.

5. A membrane electrode gas tightness detection device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: An air intake channel is provided on the side of the end plate, and the air intake channel is connected to an air intake mechanism, and a high-precision micro flow meter is provided on the air intake mechanism.

6. A membrane electrode gas tightness detection device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a protective cover body, which is arranged on the outermost layer of the device, and an operating door is arranged on the front side of the protective cover body.

7. A membrane electrode gas tightness detection method, using the detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: 1) Place the membrane electrode on the lower plate, and move the upper plate down until it is sealed with the lower plate; 2) Open the air intake mechanism corresponding to the upper plate and / or lower plate; 3) Gradually increase the pressure to the set pressure, the set pressure is 0MPa ~ 20MPa; 4) Measure the pressure or leakage of the upper plate, lower plate, and compare with the threshold value to obtain the airtightness performance of the membrane electrode.

8. The membrane electrode gas tightness detection method according to claim 7, characterized in that: Detect the internal gas leakage of the membrane electrode: open the corresponding air intake mechanism of the upper plate or the lower plate, gradually increase the pressure to the set pressure, the set pressure is 3MPa ~ 20MPa, and measure the leakage through a high-precision micro flow meter. When the leakage is less than or equal to the threshold, the membrane electrode detection is qualified.

9. The membrane electrode gas tightness detection method according to claim 7, characterized in that: Detect leakage of membrane electrode: open the air intake mechanisms corresponding to the upper and lower plates at the same time, and gradually increase the pressure of the upper and lower plates to the set pressure, which is 0MPa~20MPa; close the pressure reducing valves on the air intake mechanisms corresponding to the upper and lower plates to maintain the pressure; measure the pressure of the upper and lower plates, and calculate whether the amount of gas inside is leaking.

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