Flow regulation and backflow prevention device for solid oxide cell and electrolyser stacks

Abstract

The application discloses a flow regulation and anti-backflow device for a solid oxide cell and electrolysis cell stack, comprising a stack body and a gas inlet manifold, wherein a manifold cavity is arranged in the gas inlet manifold, a ball valve capable of axial movement and rotation around its own axis is arranged in the cavity in the upstream direction of the airflow, and an elastic valve is arranged in the downstream; the ball valve is connected with a pull rod penetrating through the pipe wall and matched with a limiting structure, and the elastic valve is in communication in the positive ventilation direction and is blocked by a sealing surface in the reverse direction. The application integrates the flow regulation and anti-backflow structure in the manifold, saves the external regulating valve, and improves the system integration; the flow resistance can be dynamically adjusted to inhibit airflow surge, and the stack is protected to prolong the service life; the valve is opened and closed by pressure difference, and does not depend on gravity, and the anti-backflow can be reliably realized under special working conditions of ships and aerospace.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to solid oxide batteries and electrolytic cell stacks, and more specifically to a flow regulation and anti-backflow device for solid oxide batteries and electrolytic cell stacks. Background Technology

[0002] Solid oxide batteries (SOCs) and solid oxide electrolyzer stacks (SOECs) consist of multiple single cells stacked in series, parallel, or mixed connections. During operation, they require a continuous external gas supply of fuel gas (hydrogen, natural gas, etc.) and oxidizing gas (air, oxygen, etc.). The intake manifold, as a core component connecting the external gas supply to the individual battery cells inside the stack, directly determines the uniformity of gas distribution, stack operating performance, and long-term operational stability through its structural design.

[0003] Conventional intake manifolds are tubular / cavity components made of metal or ceramic, with a single intake port and multiple outlets. The intake port connects to an external main gas supply line, and each outlet connects to an internal gas distribution plate in the fuel cell stack. The reactant gases are distributed through the manifold cavity and then sent to each individual cell. Existing intake manifolds only have basic gas guiding functions; flow control and backflow prevention functions are achieved through separate external components.

[0004] Currently, if precise control of the gas flow entering the fuel cell stack is required, the industry generally adopts an external two-stage regulation scheme: a ball valve, needle valve, mass flow controller and other regulating valves are connected in series at the main gas supply pipe or the main inlet of the intake manifold; if the flow needs to be allocated separately to each branch, a regulating valve needs to be added to each branch pipe, and a sensor and control system are provided to form a closed-loop regulation.

[0005] While this external regulation solution can achieve flow control, it has several drawbacks: First, it adds extra valves, connectors, and control lines, resulting in more system components, a larger overall size, and lower fuel cell stack integration. Second, the large number of external connectors significantly increases the risk of gas leakage and the number of potential failure points. Third, in multi-fuel cell stack integration scenarios, the external pipeline wiring is complex, and the overall manufacturing cost of the equipment increases significantly.

[0006] The basic intake manifold is simply a hollow pipe structure with no throttling or guiding components inside the cavity. After the gas flows into the main cavity from the intake port, it relies entirely on airflow inertia and the natural pressure distribution inside the pipe to complete the flow distribution. This easily leads to uneven flow rates at the various outlets, resulting in significant differences in the intake volume of each individual cell and affecting the overall operational consistency of the fuel cell stack.

[0007] To improve gas distribution uniformity, existing improvement schemes include using porous baffles to reconstruct the pressure field inside the pipe through throttling effects; dividing the pipe into multiple sub-channels using internal baffles to guide the airflow to be evenly distributed; and using branched constrictions to increase local resistance and balance the flow rates of each path in the solid oxide fuel cell stack inlet manifold based on uniform flow distribution. However, the above-mentioned flow sharing components are all fixed and immovable structures, which can only adapt to a single fixed operating condition. They cannot dynamically adjust the flow resistance during stack operation and cannot actively change the gas distribution ratio of each path according to real-time operating conditions.

[0008] Existing intake manifold structures, whether basic or improved versions with fixed flow equalization components, lack movable elements inside the chamber that can change the flow resistance. Therefore, active flow distribution and regulation cannot be achieved within the manifold, and flow intervention can only rely on external secondary regulating valves and flow controllers.

[0009] This leads to several problems:

[0010] 1) Poor integration: The external pipelines and valves are complicated, making it difficult to meet the application scenarios such as shipbuilding and aerospace where there are strict constraints on equipment size and weight;

[0011] 2) Control lag: The external adjustment loop path is long, and the adjustment response speed is slow after cooperating with multiple types of sensors and control systems, making it impossible to quickly and accurately adjust the airflow distribution in the pipe;

[0012] 3) Low reliability and high cost: Additional spare parts increase the overall cost of the machine, and it is prone to failure under harsh working conditions such as alternating high and low temperatures and continuous vibration.

[0013] Meanwhile, the industry has long suffered from a bias in the use of technology: ball valves are only used as independent external components, and there is no solution to integrate ball valves into the intake manifold to achieve multi-port flow distribution and regulation in conjunction with an external drive structure. As a result, the industry has always been unable to get rid of its dependence on external secondary regulation devices.

[0014] In actual operation, SOC / SOEC stacks need to frequently switch working states, including start-up and shutdown, power increase / decrease, load following, and switching between fuel cell power generation mode and electrolysis hydrogen production mode. At the moment of switching, the gas supply pressure, flow rate, and temperature will undergo drastic transient changes.

[0015] Existing intake manifolds lack dynamically adjustable resistance components, making it impossible to match changes in air supply parameters and smooth airflow in real time. This results in periodic / non-periodic pressure pulsations and flow oscillations within the manifold, a phenomenon known as surging. Surging causes multiple irreversible damages:

[0016] 1) The air intake of each battery fluctuates drastically, resulting in uneven current density and temperature distribution, and localized thermal stress concentration;

[0017] 2) Continuous airflow impact accelerates fatigue damage to fuel cell stack seals and electrode materials, significantly shortening the overall service life;

[0018] 3) Extreme surging can cause gas supply interruption or reverse gas flow, directly leading to permanent degradation of battery performance.

[0019] The existing intake manifold is designed based on a constant gravity environment on land and does not have a gravity-independent backflow prevention structure.

[0020] When fuel cell stacks are mounted on ship platforms, the hull's roll and pitch create continuous dynamic tilt angles. In aerospace applications, they also face microgravity, zero gravity, and variable gravity conditions. Conventional unidirectional structures relying on gravity-based resetting and sealing cannot reliably close in such scenarios, making them highly susceptible to gas backflow and fuel cell damage. This severely limits the practical application of SOC / SOEC in the marine and aerospace fields. Summary of the Invention

[0021] To address the problems of low system integration, numerous leakage points, lack of dynamically adjustable flow resistance structure during operating condition switching leading to airflow surge that damages the fuel cell stack, and narrow applicability of gravity-type check valves in existing technologies, this invention aims to provide a flow regulation and anti-backflow device for solid oxide batteries and electrolytic cell stacks.

[0022] According to the present invention, a flow regulation and anti-backflow device for solid oxide batteries and electrolytic cell stacks includes a stack body and an intake manifold, wherein a manifold cavity is formed inside the intake manifold; a ball valve and an elastic valve are connected in series inside the manifold cavity along the airflow direction, the ball valve being arranged upstream of the elastic valve; the ball valve is capable of moving along the cavity axis and / or rotating around its own axis, the ball valve being fixedly connected to a pull rod, the pull rod extending through the intake manifold wall and equipped with a limiting structure; the root of the elastic valve is fixed to the inner wall of the manifold cavity, when the reactant gas flows in the forward direction, the airflow passes through the elastic valve, and when the reactant gas flows in the reverse direction, the elastic valve achieves pipeline sealing with the help of a sealing surface. The present invention integrates a movable ball valve and an elastic valve in series inside the intake manifold cavity, with built-in pull rod linkage adjustment and valve cooperation with a sealing surface to achieve bidirectional airflow control, enabling simultaneous active flow distribution inside the manifold and automatic backflow blocking, eliminating reliance on external secondary regulating valves, and adapting to special application scenarios such as dynamic tilting and weightlessness.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment, the elastic valve opens and closes solely based on the pressure difference across the reactant gas, without relying on gravity. This invention replaces the gravity-reset unidirectional structure with a pressure-difference-driven elastic valve, enabling stable opening and closing sealing under ship swaying and aerospace microgravity / zero gravity conditions, eliminating seal failure defects caused by gravity and broadening the application scenarios of the fuel cell stack.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment, the elastic valves are arranged in a uniform array along the circumference to form a multi-petal structure, and the root of the elastic valve is circumferentially fixed to the inner wall of the manifold cavity. The sealing surface is located inside the manifold cavity, and the top of the valve adheres to the sealing surface when the elastic valve closes to achieve a seal. This invention, through a circumferentially arrayed multi-petal valve combined with a sealing surface built into the cavity, achieves uniform sealing throughout the entire flow channel. When closed, each petal fits synchronously without any localized leaks, improving the sealing performance and reliability of backflow prevention.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, an annular flow gap is formed between the outer wall of the ball valve and the inner wall of the manifold cavity. By pre-reserving an annular flow gap between the outer wall of the ball valve and the cavity wall, this invention can widen the flow regulation range, ensuring a stable airflow channel at different ball valve positions and adapting to a wide range of power supply requirements for the fuel cell stack.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, the ball valve can change its position or rotation angle according to the change in fuel cell stack operating conditions, and actively and synchronously adjust the internal flow resistance of the manifold cavity through the pull rod, thereby reducing airflow pressure pulsation. This invention, through a displaceable / rotatable ball valve that dynamically adjusts the flow resistance in real time, can smooth airflow during fuel cell stack operating condition switching scenarios such as start-up, power increase / decrease, and mode switching, suppress surge, reduce fatigue damage to fuel cell stack electrodes and seals caused by airflow impact, and extend the service life of the fuel cell stack.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment, the flow regulation structure and the anti-backflow structure are integrated inside the manifold cavity, eliminating the need for a separate flow regulation valve body outside the intake manifold. This invention, through its integrated design of flow regulation and anti-backflow components, simplifies the layout of external air supply pipelines, reduces the number of valves, joints, and pipelines, lowers the risk of system leakage and the number of potential failure points, improves the overall integration of the fuel cell stack, and is suitable for installation in confined spaces in marine and aerospace applications.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the upstream and downstream arrangement of the ball valve and the elastic valve is fixed, and the sealing surface of the elastic valve is arranged on the downstream side of the ball valve to avoid obstructing the throttling area of ​​the ball valve. This invention, through the fixed series arrangement of the upstream of the ball valve and the downstream of the valve, enables the independent and non-interfering operation of the flow regulation and anti-backflow functions, avoiding the problems of additional pipeline pressure loss and decreased flow regulation accuracy caused by the valve obstructing the throttling area.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the limiting structure includes a limiter track and a limiting locking bolt. The limiting locking bolt fixes the pull rod to a preset position on the limiter track to lock the flow opening of the ball valve. This invention, through the limiting structure of the track and locking bolt, locks the position of the pull rod, thus stably maintaining the set flow opening of the ball valve, achieving stepped or stepless steady-state flow regulation, and avoiding fluctuations in the gas supply flow caused by ball valve displacement during operation.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the intake manifold is provided with a single intake port and multiple outlet ports. The intake port is connected to an external gas supply source, and the multiple outlet ports are respectively connected to the gas distribution plate inside the fuel cell stack. This invention, through its manifold layout with a single intake port and multiple outlet ports, can evenly distribute the regulated reaction gas to each individual cell unit of the fuel cell stack, ensuring a balanced gas intake for each cell and improving the overall operational consistency of the fuel cell stack.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the ball valve is disposed within the main flow channel of the manifold cavity, or independently disposed within each branch flow channel of the intake manifold. This invention, through two optional arrangements—a single ball valve in the main flow channel or multiple ball valves in each branch—can adapt to different fuel cell stack power requirements and fine-tuning needs for branch flow, expanding the device's adaptability and improving the flexibility of flow distribution control.

[0032] This invention integrates a displaceable rotary ball valve and a differential pressure driven elastic valve in series within the intake manifold cavity. It achieves autonomous flow control within the manifold by relying on an external pull rod and a matching limiting structure. Simultaneously, it blocks reverse-flow gas by utilizing the valve and the sealing surface within the cavity. This eliminates the need for an additional external flow control valve, simplifying the external piping layout and reducing leakage risks and potential fault points from pipe joints. It effectively solves the problems of low integration and difficulty in adapting to space-constrained scenarios in existing solutions. Furthermore, it allows for dynamic adjustment during various fuel cell stack operation switching processes, such as fuel cell stack start-up, shutdown, and power switching. Adjusting the internal flow resistance buffers instantaneous fluctuations in gas supply parameters and reduces airflow pressure pulsations, fundamentally preventing uneven battery temperature and fatigue damage to electrodes and seals caused by surge, thus extending the overall service life of the fuel cell stack. Furthermore, the elastic valve relies solely on the pressure difference of the reactant gas to complete its opening and closing action, operating entirely independently of gravity. It can stably achieve backflow prevention and sealing under unconventional attitude conditions such as ship swaying and microgravity in aviation, solving the defects of traditional gravity-type unidirectional structures that are prone to failure and have limited application scenarios for fuel cell stacks. The entire structure works together to achieve multiple beneficial effects such as highly integrated flow regulation, dynamic surge suppression, and reliable backflow prevention across the entire domain. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the flow regulation and anti-backflow device for solid oxide batteries and electrolytic cell stacks according to the present invention.

[0034] Figure 2 This is an axial cross-sectional view of the flow regulation and anti-backflow device of the present invention installed inside the intake manifold under normal forward air supply conditions.

[0035] Figure 3 This is an axial cross-sectional view of the flow regulation and anti-backflow device of the present invention installed inside the intake manifold under the condition of gas backflow.

[0036] Figure 4This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the elastic valve of the present invention when the airflow is open;

[0037] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the elastic valve of the present invention in the reverse flow closed state. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are given below with reference to the accompanying drawings and described in detail.

[0039] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the flow regulation and anti-backflow device for solid oxide batteries and electrolytic cell stacks according to the present invention includes a stack body 1 and an intake manifold 2. The intake manifold 2 is provided with a manifold cavity 3, and the flow regulation and anti-backflow device is integrally arranged inside the manifold cavity 3.

[0040] The stack body 1 is a SOC / SOEC stack body used to complete the electrochemical reaction.

[0041] The intake manifold 2 is a cavity component made of high-temperature resistant and oxidation-resistant material (stainless steel or ceramic are both acceptable). Its overall shape can be made into a long straight cylinder, T-shaped, L-shaped, square, or other shapes to suit the layout of the fuel cell stack. The intake manifold 2 is equipped with a single air inlet and multiple air outlets. The air inlet connects to an external air supply source, and the multiple air outlets are connected to the gas distribution plate inside the fuel cell stack body 1 to distribute the reaction gas 4 to each individual cell.

[0042] The manifold cavity 3 is the hollow flow channel space inside the intake manifold 2. Compared with the existing intake manifolds that only have basic air guiding functions and no built-in adjustment / anti-backflow components, the present invention integrates flow control and one-way anti-backflow structure inside the manifold cavity 3, eliminating the need for an external independent flow regulating valve, greatly improving the integration of the fuel cell stack system, and reducing the risk of leakage and failure points caused by external pipelines and joints.

[0043] Inside the manifold cavity 3, a ball valve 10 and an elastic valve 9 are arranged in series along the forward flow direction of the reacting gas 4. The two are independent in function and do not interfere with each other.

[0044] The ball valve 10 is the core component for active flow regulation in this invention. Its material matches that of the intake manifold 2, and it is made of ceramic or high-temperature resistant stainless steel. Compared with the existing technology where the ball valve is only independently installed externally on the upstream pipeline of the manifold and is only used for the on / off of the main pipeline or for coarse adjustment of the total intake volume, and has never been integrated into the cavity of the intake manifold 2 to realize the flow distribution and regulation of multiple outlets, this invention integrates the ball valve 10 into the internal flow channel of the manifold cavity 3. It can move and rotate to change the airflow cross section, dynamically adjust the flow of each outlet, and actively change the flow resistance in the pipe to suppress surge during fuel cell stack operation switching.

[0045] The outer diameter of the ball valve 10 is smaller than the inner diameter of the manifold cavity 3. An annular flow gap is reserved between the outer wall of the ball valve and the inner wall of the manifold cavity 3, and gas can flow through the annular flow gap between the ball valve and the cavity wall.

[0046] A rigid connection is made to a pull rod 8 on one side of the ball valve 10. The pull rod 8 penetrates the wall of the intake manifold 2 radially. A sealing through-hole is provided in the manifold wall, and a dynamic sealing structure such as an O-ring and a bellows is installed in the through-hole to isolate the reacting gas 4 inside the manifold cavity 3 from the outside air and prevent leakage. In addition to the rigid direct connection between the pull rod 8 and the ball valve 10, a gear rack and pinion or linkage transmission mechanism can be added to realize the rotational adjustment of the ball valve.

[0047] The rod section of the pull rod 8 extending outside the intake manifold 2 is equipped with a limiting structure, including a limiter track 6 and a limit locking bolt 7. The limiter track 6 can be designed in various forms such as multi-position positioning grooves, threaded sleeves, annular retaining rings, and adjustable stops, as long as it can lock the position of the pull rod 8. The limit locking bolt 7 is used to lock the pull rod 8 in any preset position within the limiter track 6. Each locking position corresponds to a fixed opening degree of the ball valve 10, realizing flow rate segmentation or stepless adjustment.

[0048] The lever 8 can be driven manually by pushing and pulling, or it can be fully automatically driven by a motor, electromagnet, or pneumatic actuator, adapting to an automated fuel cell stack control system; both are optional implementation methods. A single ball valve 10 can be placed in the main flow channel to achieve basic flow distribution, and ball valves 10 can also be added independently to each branch flow channel to achieve more precise branch regulation. The number of ball valves can be adjusted as needed.

[0049] The elastic valve 9 is the core component of the gravity-free anti-backflow system of this invention. It is made of a high-temperature resistant flexible sheet, and the material can be selected from Inconel 718, Haynes 230 high-temperature alloy elastic sheet or high-temperature resistant elastomer.

[0050] The root of the elastic valve 9 is circumferentially fixed to the inner wall of the manifold cavity 3. Multiple valves are evenly arranged in a circumferential array, with the free end of each valve extending downward towards the airflow. The free ends of each valve form the valve tip 12, and the whole assembly forms a petal-shaped one-way valve structure.

[0051] The inner wall of the manifold cavity 3 and the downstream side of the elastic valve 9 are integrally formed with a fixed annular frustum sealing surface 5. This sealing surface 5 is, for example, a rigid valve seat structure, with its conical surface being a converging slope with a larger upstream diameter and a smaller downstream diameter. It can play a self-centering guiding role for the converging valve tip 12, ensuring that all valves are synchronously aligned with the sealing ring line when closed. Planar or spherical sealing surfaces can also be used interchangeably; the frustum shape is only a preferred option.

[0052] Compared to existing one-way valve structures that rely on gravity for resetting and sealing and are prone to failure under ship swaying / space weightlessness environments, the elastic valve 9 of this invention relies solely on the pressure difference of the reacting gas 4 to complete opening and closing, completely independent of the direction of gravity, and can stably block gas backflow under dynamic tilt angle, microgravity, and zero gravity conditions.

[0053] like Figure 4 As shown, during forward ventilation, the upstream reactive gas 4 impacts the elastic valve 9 axially and uniformly, causing all the valve flaps to flip outwards downstream, and the valve tip 12 moves away from the sealing surface 5. A uniform ventilation gap is formed between the valve flaps, allowing the gas to pass smoothly through the valve area. Because all valve roots are uniformly limited and the airflow is uniformly pressurized along the axial direction, the valve flaps open with a consistent amplitude, preventing problems such as unilateral deviation or local blockage.

[0054] like Figure 5 As shown, when gas backflow occurs, the downstream reverse gas pressure acts evenly on the downstream side of each elastic valve 9, driving all valves to synchronously retract towards the center of the cavity; the valve tip 12 fits and seals along the sealing surface 5, completely blocking the entire flow channel of the manifold cavity 3, achieving a leak-free seal throughout the entire area.

[0055] The sealing action is driven solely by the pressure difference between the upstream and downstream sides, and is completely independent of the direction of gravity. The conical guide of the sealing surface is an additional optimized structure. Even if the conical surface design is removed, the valve tip 12 can still fit against the flat sealing surface to complete the sealing without affecting the basic sealing function.

[0056] The opening pressure of the elastic valve 9 can be pre-designed by adjusting the thickness of the sheet, the hardness of the material, and the assembly pre-tightening force to ensure that the valve opens stably under normal forward air supply and closes quickly only when the reverse pressure difference exceeds the set threshold.

[0057] The elastic valve 9 can be a single-valve structure, or it can be designed as a combination of multiple sector valves or an annular valve. The shape and number of valves can be flexibly adjusted.

[0058] Ball valve 10 is located upstream of elastic valve 9 on the inlet side, dedicated to regulating forward airflow resistance; elastic valve 9 is located downstream of ball valve 10 on the outlet side, dedicated to blocking reverse airflow, and the two functions do not interfere with each other. If the arrangement order of the two is reversed, the sealing surface 5 of elastic valve 9 will block the throttling area of ​​ball valve 10, increasing the additional pressure loss in the pipeline and interfering with the flow regulation accuracy of ball valve 10.

[0059] The complete workflow of this invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings under three different operating conditions.

[0060] Operating Condition 1: Normal steady-state gas supply, actively regulating flow rate ( Figure 2 , Figure 4 )

[0061] The reaction gas 4 output from the external gas source flows into the manifold cavity 3 through the air inlet of the intake manifold 2. The operator or the electronic control actuator pushes or pulls the outer lever 8 according to the real-time operating conditions of the fuel cell stack 1 (output power, battery temperature, single cell voltage, etc.), which drives the internal ball valve 10 to move axially or rotate around the axis, changing the size of the annular flow gap between the ball of the ball valve 10 and the pipe wall, thereby adjusting the airflow cross-sectional area: the flow area is the largest when the ball valve 10 is far away from the top of the valve 12, and the gas flow rate increases; the flow area is narrowed when the ball valve 10 is close to the top of the valve 12, and the gas flow rate decreases.

[0062] After adjusting the flow rate to the target value, tighten the limit locking bolt 7 to fix the pull rod 8 in the corresponding position of the limiter track 6, lock the ball valve 10 position, and maintain a stable gas supply flow rate. After the reaction gas 4 is throttled and regulated by the ball valve 10, it continues to flow downstream, pushes open the elastic valve 9 in the open state, and finally evenly distributes it to each single cell unit of the fuel cell stack body 1 through the multiple outlets of the intake manifold 2.

[0063] Compared to existing solutions that rely on multiple external regulating valves for branch control, this invention simplifies the external pipeline layout, shortens the control response loop, and achieves faster flow regulation response speed by integrating the built-in ball valve 10 for unified regulation, thus significantly improving system integration.

[0064] Operating Condition 2: Stack adjustment condition, actively suppressing airflow surge ( Figure 2 , Figure 4 )

[0065] During operation, the SOC / SOEC fuel cell stack body 1 needs to perform operations such as start-up and shutdown, power increase / decrease, load following, and fuel cell / electrolysis mode switching. At the moment of switching, the gas supply pressure, flow rate, and temperature will experience violent transient fluctuations.

[0066] This invention uses a synchronous push-pull lever 8 to actively and in real-time adjust the opening of the ball valve 10 during operating condition switching, dynamically changing the internal flow resistance of the manifold cavity 3, buffering the airflow impact caused by sudden changes in air supply parameters, smoothing airflow fluctuations in the pipe, suppressing surge from the source, protecting the internal electrodes and sealing structure of the fuel cell stack, and extending the service life of the entire machine.

[0067] Operating Condition 3: Gas supply interruption / downstream high pressure, anti-backflow operation process ( Figure 3 , Figure 5 )

[0068] When the fuel cell stack shuts down, the external gas supply is interrupted, and the pressure of the reaction gas 4 generated inside the fuel cell stack is higher than the upstream gas supply pressure, a reverse pressure difference is formed in the manifold cavity 3, resulting in a backflow tendency.

[0069] like Figure 3 , Figure 5As shown, the downstream reverse airflow applies uniform pressure to all the surfaces of the elastic valve 9, and each valve moves towards the center synchronously. The valve tip 12 fits against the sealing surface 5 pre-set on the inner wall of the manifold cavity 3. The entire multi-valve structure surrounds and forms a complete sealing barrier, completely blocking the flow channel of the manifold cavity 3 and preventing the reaction gas 4 on the outlet side from flowing back to the inlet side.

[0070] Among them, the elastic valve 9 is driven only by the air pressure difference and does not require gravity-assisted positioning. It can stably seal in dynamic tilting angles formed by ship rolling and pitching, and in microgravity / zero gravity environments in aerospace, solving the defects of existing gravity-type check valves in special scenarios such as sealing failure and gas backflow damaging the fuel cell stack.

[0071] The ball valve 10 and the elastic valve 9 are connected in series to form a complete gas circuit control unit. When the gas is supplied in the forward direction, the ball valve 10 completes the precise distribution of the flow. When the reverse flow occurs, the elastic valve 9 independently completes the pipeline cutoff. The two sets of structures work together to form a complete gas circuit control unit that is adjustable in the forward direction and cuts off in the reverse direction.

[0072] This invention brings several significant technical benefits: First, by integrating the flow regulating ball valve into the manifold cavity, it eliminates or significantly reduces external independent flow regulating valves and supporting pipelines, reducing the number of system components, leakage points, and failure points. The equipment is smaller and lighter, making it suitable for space-constrained scenarios such as ships and aerospace. Second, by dynamically adjusting the flow resistance through the movable built-in ball valve, it smooths the airflow and eliminates surge during fuel cell stack operation switching, avoiding fatigue damage to electrodes and seals caused by airflow impact, and extending the fuel cell stack's service life. Third, the elastic diaphragm relies on differential pressure sealing, eliminating gravity dependence. It can reliably prevent backflow in ship swaying and weightless environments in space, broadening the application scenarios of SOC / SOEC fuel cell stacks. Fourth, the core innovative components are only the ball valve, pull rod, and elastic diaphragm, without complex high-precision electronic control components, making processing and manufacturing difficult and simplifying later maintenance and component replacement operations.

[0073] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Various changes can be made to the above embodiments of the present invention, and all simple, equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the claims and description of the present invention fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention. Structures and assembly methods not described in detail in the present invention are conventional techniques in the art.

Claims

1. A flow regulation and anti-backflow device for solid oxide batteries and electrolytic cell stacks, characterized in that, It includes a fuel cell stack body (1) and an intake manifold (2), wherein a manifold cavity (3) is formed inside the intake manifold (2); Inside the manifold cavity (3), a ball valve (10) and an elastic valve (9) are connected in series along the airflow direction, with the ball valve (10) arranged on the upstream side of the elastic valve (9). The ball valve (10) is capable of moving along the cavity axis and / or rotating around its own axis. The ball valve (10) is fixedly connected to the pull rod (8). The pull rod (8) passes through the wall of the intake manifold (2) and is equipped with a limiting structure. The root of the elastic valve (9) is fixed to the inner wall of the manifold cavity (3). When the reaction gas flows in the forward direction, the gas flow passes through the elastic valve (9). When the reaction gas flows in the reverse direction, the elastic valve (9) achieves pipeline closure with the help of the sealing surface (5).

2. The flow regulation and anti-backflow device for solid oxide batteries and electrolytic cell stacks according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic valve (9) relies solely on the pressure difference across the reactive gas to complete the opening and closing action, which does not depend on gravity.

3. The flow regulation and anti-backflow device for solid oxide batteries and electrolytic cell stacks according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic valve (9) is arranged in a uniform array along the circumference to form a multi-petal structure. The root of the elastic valve (9) is fixed circumferentially to the inner wall of the manifold cavity (3). The sealing surface (5) is set inside the manifold cavity (3). When the elastic valve (9) closes, the top of the valve (12) fits against the sealing surface (5) to achieve a seal.

4. The flow regulation and anti-backflow device for solid oxide batteries and electrolytic cell stacks according to claim 1, characterized in that, An annular flow gap is formed between the outer wall of the ball valve (10) and the inner wall of the manifold cavity (3).

5. The flow regulation and anti-backflow device for solid oxide batteries and electrolytic cell stacks according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ball valve (10) can change its position or rotation angle according to the change of the fuel cell stack operating conditions, and actively and synchronously adjust the internal flow resistance of the manifold cavity (3) through the pull rod (8) to reduce the airflow pressure pulsation.

6. The flow regulation and anti-backflow device for solid oxide batteries and electrolytic cell stacks according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flow regulation structure and the anti-backflow structure are integrated inside the manifold cavity (3), eliminating the need for an independent flow regulation valve body outside the intake manifold (2).

7. The flow regulation and anti-backflow device for solid oxide batteries and electrolytic cell stacks according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upstream and downstream arrangement order of the ball valve (10) and the elastic valve (9) is fixed. The sealing surface (5) of the elastic valve (9) is arranged on the downstream side of the ball valve (10) to avoid obstructing the throttling area of ​​the ball valve (10).

8. The flow regulation and anti-backflow device for solid oxide batteries and electrolytic cell stacks according to claim 1, characterized in that, The limiting structure includes a limiter track (6) and a limit locking bolt (7). The limit locking bolt (7) fixes the pull rod (8) to a preset position on the limiter track (6) to lock the flow opening of the ball valve (10).

9. The flow regulation and anti-backflow device for solid oxide batteries and electrolytic cell stacks according to claim 1, characterized in that, The intake manifold (2) is provided with a single air inlet and multiple air outlets. The air inlet is connected to an external air supply source, and the multiple air outlets are respectively connected to the internal air distribution plate of the fuel cell stack body (1).

10. The flow regulation and anti-backflow device for solid oxide batteries and electrolytic cell stacks according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ball valve (10) is installed in the main flow channel of the manifold cavity (3), or the ball valve (10) is installed independently in each branch flow channel of the intake manifold (2).

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