Diversion structure of electrolytic bath, unit bath and electrolytic bath

Abstract

The invention provides a diversion structure of an electrolytic bath, a unit bath and the electrolytic bath, the diversion structure comprises a vertical diversion plate and an inclined diversion plate which are sequentially arranged between a bipolar plate and an electrode from top to bottom, the upper end of the inclined diversion plate is positioned between the lower end of the adjacent upper vertical diversion plate / inclined diversion plate and the electrode; the lower end of the inclined guide plate is positioned between the upper end of the adjacent lower inclined guide plate and the bipolar plate; and the horizontal distance L1 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate and the electrode is smaller than the horizontal distance L2 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate and the lower end of the adjacent upper vertical guide plate / inclined guide plate. The distance between the upper end of the guide plate and the electrode is smaller than the distance between the upper end of the guide plate and the lower end of the upper guide plate, the flow speed of electrolyte between the upper end of the guide plate and the electrode is higher, negative pressure is generated, the backflow electrolyte can be sucked, and flowing of the electrolyte is enhanced, so that the electrolyte is fully exchanged, and bubbles are rapidly separated from the surface of the electrode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of hydrogen production by electrolysis of water, and in particular relates to a flow guide structure of an electrolytic cell, a unit cell and the electrolytic cell. Background Art

[0002] Hydrogen production by water electrolysis is an important link in carbon neutrality. It can convert unstable, immediately usable green electricity into green hydrogen and store it. It has the characteristics of green environmental protection, flexible production, and high purity. It is one of the ideal green production technologies.

[0003] Hydrogen production technology by water electrolysis uses electrical energy to decompose water into hydrogen and oxygen. An electrolytic cell is composed of a pair of electrodes immersed in an electrolyte, separated by a diaphragm to prevent gas penetration. Under the action of direct current, water is electrolyzed, hydrogen is released at the cathode, and oxygen is released at the anode.

[0004] The cost and efficiency of hydrogen production by water electrolysis significantly impact its widespread application. Increasing the current density of hydrogen production by water electrolysis can effectively improve efficiency and reduce costs. However, increasing the current density requires better electrolyte circulation and faster separation of the generated gas from the electrodes. Existing atmospheric pressure square electrolyzers typically feature a guide plate. However, due to the significant disparity in the height of the cathode or anode disc of a unit cell, which ranges from 1000-1600mm and is approximately 20-50mm deep, the guide plate's effectiveness is limited, making it unsuitable for high current densities. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a flow guide structure for an electrolytic cell, which can at least solve some of the defects existing in the prior art.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A guide structure for an electrolytic cell, comprising a vertical guide plate and several inclined guide plates arranged in sequence from top to bottom between a bipolar plate and an electrode, wherein the inclined guide plates are arranged downwardly inclined from the electrode side to the bipolar plate side, wherein the upper end of the inclined guide plate is located between the lower end of an adjacent upper vertical guide plate / inclined guide plate and the electrode, and the lower end of the inclined guide plate is located between the upper end of an adjacent lower inclined guide plate and the bipolar plate; and the horizontal distance L1 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate and the electrode is less than the horizontal distance L2 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate and the lower end of the adjacent upper vertical guide plate / inclined guide plate.

[0008] Furthermore, the horizontal distance L2 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate and the lower end of the adjacent vertical guide plate / inclined guide plate above it is not greater than the horizontal distance L3 between the lower end of the adjacent vertical guide plate / inclined guide plate above it and the bipolar plate.

[0009] Furthermore, the ratio of the horizontal distance L1 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate and the electrode and the horizontal distance L2 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate and the upper adjacent vertical guide plate / the lower end of the inclined guide plate is 1:1.5 to 1:4.

[0010] Furthermore, the upper end of the vertical guide plate is connected to a gas-liquid separation box, and the liquid inlet and the return port of the gas-liquid separation box are respectively located on the left and right sides of the vertical guide plate.

[0011] Furthermore, a liquid inlet dispersion pipe is provided below the lowermost inclined guide plate, and a liquid inlet dispersion hole is provided on the liquid inlet dispersion pipe, and the liquid inlet dispersion hole points to between the inclined guide plate and the electrode.

[0012] Furthermore, the vertical distance between the inclined guide plate and its adjacent inclined guide plate / vertical guide plate is not greater than zero.

[0013] In addition, the present invention also provides a unit trough, including a trough frame and the above-mentioned guide structure, wherein the trough frame is provided with several groups of rib plates arranged at intervals along its length direction, each of the rib plate groups includes two rib plates connected along the width direction of the trough frame, and the guide structure is connected between two adjacent rib plate groups, and the rib plates are arranged vertically between the electrodes and bipolar plates of the guide structure, and the vertical guide plates and inclined guide plates of the guide structure are fixedly mounted on the rib plates.

[0014] Furthermore, the surface of the rib plate has a positioning component for positioning the installation of the vertical guide plate and the inclined guide plate.

[0015] Furthermore, the positioning assembly includes a depth positioning piece and a height positioning piece, and a plurality of the depth positioning pieces are spaced apart on the installation path of each inclined guide plate and the vertical guide plate, and each depth positioning piece is arranged parallel to the corresponding inclined guide plate or the vertical guide plate; the lower end of each inclined guide plate abuts against the height positioning piece, and each height positioning piece is arranged perpendicular to the corresponding inclined guide plate.

[0016] The present invention also provides an electrolytic cell comprising at least one of the above-mentioned unit cells.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] The guide structure provided by the present invention separates the electrolyte into an upward gas-liquid mixing channel and a downward electrolyte reflux channel by designing vertical guide plates and inclined guide plates. At the same time, the distance between the upper end of the guide plate and the electrode is designed to be smaller than the distance between it and the lower end of the previous guide plate. During production, the electrolyte flow rate between the upper end of the guide plate and the electrode is faster, generating negative pressure, which will suck in the reflux electrolyte and strengthen the flow of the electrolyte, so that the electrolyte is fully exchanged and the bubbles quickly detach from the electrode surface, thereby increasing the current density to adapt to high current density electrolytic cells.

[0019] The present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a flow guide structure in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the liquid flow direction in the flow guide structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A magnified schematic diagram of part A in the middle;

[0023] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A magnified schematic diagram of part B in the middle;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a front view of a unit slot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 is a side view of a unit cell in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 is a top view of a unit slot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8 is a front view of a rib plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 9 is a side view of a rib plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 10 yes Figure 9 Enlarged schematic diagram of the middle C part;

[0030] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the structure of a vertical guide plate / inclined guide plate with protrusions in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] 1-gas-liquid separation box; 2-vertical flow guide plate; 3-inclined flow guide plate; 4-bipolar plate; 5-electrode; 6-liquid inlet dispersion pipe; 7-liquid inlet; 8-backflow port; 9-liquid inlet dispersion hole; 10-tub frame; 11-rib plate; 12-depth positioning sheet; 13-rib plate welding leg; 14-height positioning sheet; 15-protrusion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0033] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and therefore cannot be understood as indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0034] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "connection" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixed connection, it can also be detachable connection, it can also be in contact connection or integral connection; for those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0035] The terms "first", "second" are only for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features; in the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "multiple", "several" is two or more.

[0036] As Figures 1 to 4As shown, this embodiment provides a guide structure of an electrolytic cell, including a vertical guide plate 2 and a plurality of inclined guide plates 3 arranged in sequence from top to bottom between a bipolar plate 4 and an electrode 5, wherein the inclined guide plates 3 are arranged downwardly inclined from one side of the electrode 5 to one side of the bipolar plate 4, that is, a horizontal distance L1 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate 3 and the electrode 5 is less than a horizontal distance L4 between the lower end of the inclined guide plate 3 and the electrode 5 (L1 < L4); the upper end of the inclined guide plate 3 is located between an adjacent upper vertical guide plate 2 / an adjacent lower end of the inclined guide plate 3 and the electrode 5, and the lower end of the inclined guide plate 3 is located between an adjacent lower upper inclined guide plate 3 and the bipolar plate 5; the horizontal distance L1 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate 3 and the electrode 5 is less than a horizontal distance L2 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate 3 and the lower end of the adjacent upper vertical guide plate 2 / an adjacent lower end of the inclined guide plate 3.

[0037] In this embodiment, if Figure 2 As shown, the vertical guide plate 2 and the inclined guide plate 3 jointly separate the electrolyte into an upward gas-liquid mixing channel and a downward electrolyte reflux channel, and the gas-liquid mixing channel is a channel formed between the electrode 5 and the guide plate (i.e., the vertical guide plate 2 / inclined guide plate 3), and the electrolyte reflux channel is a channel formed between the bipolar plate 4 and the guide plate (i.e., the vertical guide plate 2 / inclined guide plate 3); since the horizontal distance L1 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate 3 and the electrode 5 is less than the horizontal distance L2 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate 3 and the lower end of the adjacent vertical guide plate 2 / inclined guide plate 3 above, that is, Figure 3 As shown, L1 is less than L2. During operation, the flow rate of the electrolyte between the upper end of the inclined guide plate 3 and the electrode 5 is faster, generating a negative pressure, which can absorb part of the electrolyte that flows downward between the lower end of the upper inclined guide plate 3 / vertical guide plate 2 and the bipolar plate 4. The upper end of each inclined guide plate 3 from top to bottom can realize the above-mentioned process of absorbing part of the reflux electrolyte, thereby strengthening the flow of the electrolyte, making the electrolyte fully exchanged, and allowing the bubbles to quickly detach from the electrode surface, thereby achieving the purpose of increasing the current density.

[0038] The above technical solution is optimized, and the ratio of the horizontal distance L1 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate 3 and the electrode 5 and the horizontal distance L2 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate 3 and the adjacent vertical guide plate 2 above it / the lower end of the inclined guide plate 3 is 1:1.5 to 1:4, so as to ensure that a negative pressure is generated between the upper end of the inclined guide plate 3 and the electrode 5 during the flow of the electrolyte to suck in the electrolyte to flow back downward.

[0039] In some embodiments, the horizontal distance L2 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate 3 and the adjacent vertical guide plate 2 above it / the lower end of the inclined guide plate 3 is designed to be no greater than the horizontal distance L3 between the adjacent vertical guide plate 2 above the inclined guide plate 3 / the lower end of the inclined guide plate 3 and the bipolar plate 4, that is, L2≤L3; through this design, the downward electrolyte reflux channel is always at positive pressure, further ensuring that the negative pressure generated between the upper end of the inclined guide plate 3 and the electrode 5 can absorb the reflux electrolyte in the downward electrolyte reflux channel.

[0040] In an optimized implementation manner, the vertical distance between the inclined guide plate 3 and the adjacent inclined guide plate 3 / vertical guide plate 2 is not greater than zero, wherein the vertical distance between the inclined guide plate 3 and the adjacent inclined guide plate 3 / vertical guide plate 2 is less than zero, indicating that the inclined guide plate 3 and the adjacent inclined guide plate 3 / vertical guide plate 2 partially overlap in the vertical direction; this design ensures that the downward reflux electrolyte in the electrolyte reflux channel enters the gas-liquid mixing channel only by being sucked in through the negative pressure generated between the upper end of the inclined guide plate 3 and the electrode 5, so that the flow direction of the reflux electrolyte sucked into the gas-liquid mixing channel is consistent with the upward electrolyte inlet direction; and if there is a gap in the vertical direction between the inclined guide plate 3 and the adjacent inclined guide plate 3 / vertical guide plate 2, the downward reflux electrolyte in the electrolyte reflux channel can flow downward into the gas-liquid mixing channel through the gap, which is opposite to the upward electrolyte inlet direction in the gas-liquid mixing channel, thereby affecting the electrolyte inlet process.

[0041] In some embodiments, the upper end of the vertical guide plate 2 is connected to the gas-liquid separation box 1, and the liquid inlet 7 and the return port 8 of the gas-liquid separation box 1 are respectively located on the left and right sides of the vertical guide plate 2, so that the vertical guide plate 2 divides the upper space into two channels: the gas-liquid separation box liquid inlet and the gas-liquid separation box return.

[0042] In some embodiments, a liquid inlet dispersion pipe 6 is provided below the inclined guide plate 3 located at the bottom, and a liquid inlet dispersion hole 9 is provided on the liquid inlet dispersion pipe 6, and the liquid inlet dispersion hole 9 is directed to between the inclined guide plate 3 and the electrode 5. After the electrolyte flows into the liquid inlet dispersion pipe 6, it enters the gas-liquid mixing channel between the guide plate of the above-mentioned guide structure and the electrode 5 through the liquid inlet dispersion hole 9.

[0043] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a unit slot, such as Figures 5 to 7As shown, it includes a trough frame 10 and the above-mentioned guide structure, and the trough frame 10 is provided with a plurality of groups of rib plates arranged at intervals along its length direction, and each of the rib plate groups includes two rib plates 11 connected along the width direction of the trough frame 10. Specifically, the side of the rib plate 11 is provided with a rib plate weld foot 13. When the two rib plates 11 are connected, the rib plate weld feet 13 of the two rib plates 11 are welded one by one on both sides of the bipolar plate 4; the guide structure is connected between two adjacent rib plate groups, and the rib plate 11 is vertically arranged between the electrode 5 and the bipolar plate 4 of the guide structure, and the vertical guide plate 2 and the inclined guide plate 3 of the guide structure are fixedly mounted on the rib plate 11.

[0044] Specifically, such as Figure 6 As shown, two of the guide structures are installed on each group of the rib plate groups, and the two guide structures are arranged side by side, and the two guide structures share one bipolar plate 4, and the two sides of the bipolar plate 4 are respectively an anode disk and a cathode disk, the electrode 5 opposite to the anode disk is the anode, and the electrode 5 opposite to the cathode disk is the cathode, and the two ribs 11 of the rib plate group are respectively arranged vertically between the anode and the anode disk and between the cathode and the cathode disk; the vertical guide plate 2 and the inclined guide plate 3 are vertically welded and fixed to the surface of the corresponding rib plate 11.

[0045] As the number of guide plates increases, they need to be quickly positioned during welding installation to ensure work efficiency. In some embodiments, the surface of the rib plate 11 is designed to have a positioning component for positioning the installation of the vertical guide plate 2 and the inclined guide plate 3.

[0046] As a specific implementation method, Figure 8 、 Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the positioning assembly includes a depth positioning piece 12 and a height positioning piece 14, wherein the depth positioning piece 12 is a positioning piece that is bent to the left and right on the rib plate 11 and is parallel to the guide plate (vertical guide plate 2 / inclined guide plate 3), and the height positioning piece 14 is a positioning piece that is bent to the right on the rib plate 11 and is perpendicular to the guide plate. It should be noted that the left and right directions here are based on Figure 8 specifically, the plurality of depth positioning pieces 12 are spaced apart on the installation path of each of the inclined guide plates 3 and the vertical guide plates 2; the lower end of each of the inclined guide plates 3 abuts against the height positioning piece 14.

[0047] The installation of the guide plate is as follows: first, place the groove frame 10 with the welded rib plate 11 horizontally, then place the inclined guide plate 3 between the rib plates 11 above the depth positioning piece 12, with the bottom of the inclined guide plate 3 abutting against the height positioning piece 14, and then complete the welding between the inclined guide plate 3 and the rib plate 11; then place the vertical guide plate 2 between the rib plates 11 above the depth positioning piece 12, with the top of the vertical guide plate 2 abutting against the bottom of the gas-liquid separation box 1, and then complete the welding between the vertical guide plate 2 and the rib plate 11.

[0048] In other embodiments, for the installation of the guide plate and the rib plate 11, as shown in FIG. 4, a protrusion 15 can be processed on one side of the guide plate (including the vertical guide plate 2 and the inclined guide plate 3), and the protrusion 15 is inserted into the corresponding hole of the rib plate 11 for positioning and fixing, so that the rib plate 11 only needs to be bent to one side to form the positioning piece. Figure 11

[0049] The embodiments of the present application also provide an electrolytic cell, which comprises at least one unit cell as described above, and the number of the unit cells can be designed according to the actual hydrogen production requirement of the electrolytic cell.

[0050] The above examples are only illustrative of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present application. Any design identical or similar to the present application falls within the protection scope of the present application.​

Claims

1. A flow guide structure for an electrolytic cell, characterized in that: It includes a vertical guide plate and several inclined guide plates arranged in sequence from top to bottom between the bipolar plate and the electrode, the inclined guide plates are arranged downwardly inclined from the electrode side to the bipolar plate side, the upper end of the inclined guide plate is located between the lower end of the adjacent upper vertical guide plate / inclined guide plate and the electrode, and the lower end of the inclined guide plate is located between the upper end of the adjacent lower inclined guide plate and the bipolar plate; the horizontal distance L1 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate and the electrode is less than the horizontal distance L2 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate and the lower end of the adjacent upper vertical guide plate / inclined guide plate.

2. The flow guide structure according to claim 1, wherein: The horizontal distance L2 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate and the lower end of the adjacent vertical guide plate / inclined guide plate above it is not greater than the horizontal distance L3 between the lower end of the adjacent vertical guide plate / inclined guide plate above it and the bipolar plate.

3. The flow guide structure according to claim 1, wherein: The ratio of the horizontal distance L1 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate and the electrode and the horizontal distance L2 between the upper end of the inclined guide plate and the adjacent upper vertical guide plate / lower end of the inclined guide plate is 1:1.5 to 1:

4.

4. The flow guide structure according to claim 1, wherein: The upper end of the vertical guide plate is connected to a gas-liquid separation box, and a liquid inlet and a return port of the gas-liquid separation box are respectively located on the left and right sides of the vertical guide plate.

5. The flow guide structure according to claim 1, wherein: A liquid inlet dispersion pipe is provided below the lowermost inclined guide plate. The liquid inlet dispersion pipe is provided with liquid inlet dispersion holes, and the liquid inlet dispersion holes point to between the inclined guide plate and the electrode.

6. The flow guide structure according to claim 1, wherein: A vertical distance between the inclined guide plate and the adjacent inclined guide plate / vertical guide plate is not greater than zero.

7. A unit cell, characterized in that: It includes a trough frame and the guide structure described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the trough frame is provided with a plurality of groups of rib plates arranged at intervals along its length direction, each of the rib plate groups includes two rib plates connected along the width direction of the trough frame, the guide structure is connected between two adjacent rib plate groups, the rib plates are vertically arranged between the electrodes and bipolar plates of the guide structure, and the vertical guide plates and inclined guide plates of the guide structure are fixedly mounted on the rib plates.

8. The unit cell according to claim 7, wherein: The surface of the rib plate is provided with a positioning component for positioning the installation of the vertical guide plate and the inclined guide plate.

9. The unit cell according to claim 8, wherein: The positioning assembly includes a depth positioning piece and a height positioning piece. A plurality of the depth positioning pieces are spaced apart on the installation path of each inclined guide plate and the vertical guide plate, and each depth positioning piece is arranged parallel to the corresponding inclined guide plate or the vertical guide plate; the lower end of each inclined guide plate abuts against the height positioning piece, and each height positioning piece is arranged perpendicular to the corresponding inclined guide plate.

10. An electrolytic cell, characterized in that: Comprising at least one unit cell according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

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