Locking device for hydrogen production of electrolytic cell and electrolytic cell

Abstract

According to the locking device for hydrogen production of the electrolytic cell, an electric pile is arranged between an upper pressing plate and a lower pressing plate, the upper pressing plate is fixedly connected with a base, a hydraulic cylinder and a locking nut are arranged on the base, and the lower pressing plate is connected with a piston rod in the hydraulic cylinder; the piston rod drives the lower pressing plate to press the galvanic pile, so that the galvanic pile is in a pressed state, and then the position of the piston rod is fixed by adopting the locking nut. Therefore, when the electrolytic bath is assembled, the polar plate, the end plate and the guide plate are not locked by a plurality of groups of long screw rods any more, and the polar plate, the end plate and the guide plate do not need to be perforated, so that the effective electrolysis area of the polar plate can be increased, and the equipment space and the equipment cost are saved; besides, when the galvanic pile needs to be maintained or the sealing gasket needs to be replaced, the galvanic pile can be directly maintained or the sealing gasket needs to be replaced only by controlling the hydraulic cylinder to release pressure, so that the assembly efficiency of the galvanic pile is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of hydrogen production by electrolysis of water, and in particular to a locking device and an electrolytic cell used for hydrogen production by an electrolytic cell. Background Art

[0002] Hydrogen production by water electrolysis is a technology that uses the electrolysis reaction of water to produce hydrogen. Hydrogen produced from renewable electricity is called "green hydrogen" and is the "ultimate route" for zero carbon emissions and sustainability.

[0003] The electrochemical reaction of water electrolysis includes a reduction reaction at the negatively charged cathode and an oxidation reaction at the positively charged anode. This process is considered to be a completely clean hydrogen production process with no carbon dioxide emissions. Depending on the electrolyte, there are currently four main types of electrolytic hydrogen production technologies that are considered to be popularizable on a large scale: alkaline electrolysis, PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) electrolysis, AEM (Anion Exchange Membrane) electrolysis, and SOEC (Solid Oxide Electrolysis).

[0004] When assembling electrolyzers (such as alkaline electrolyzers, AEM electrolyzers, and PEM electrolyzers), the prior art usually requires pre-opening of the plates, end plates, and guide plates. During assembly, the stack is first pressurized, and then multiple sets of long screws are passed through the holes for locking and fixing. This will occupy the effective electrolysis area of ​​the plates and waste equipment space. Especially when the demand for hydrogen production increases, the number of electrolysis chambers is increased at the same hydrogen production, resulting in a larger equipment volume and increased costs. In addition, when the long screw fastening method is used, when the stack needs to be maintained or the gasket needs to be replaced, all the long screws need to be manually removed and the load needs to be operated.

[0005] Based on this, there is an urgent need for a locking device for electrolytic cell hydrogen production to solve the problem that the traditional electrolytic cell assembly method occupies the effective electrolysis area of ​​the plate, causing the equipment to become larger, the cost to increase, and the maintenance to be inconvenient. Utility Model Content

[0006] The utility model aims to provide a locking device and an electrolytic cell for producing hydrogen by an electrolytic cell, so as to solve the technical problems that the electrolytic cell assembly method in the prior art occupies the effective electrolysis area of ​​the electrode plate, causing the equipment to become larger in size, increase the cost, and be inconvenient for maintenance.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application provides a locking device for electrolyzer hydrogen production, comprising:

[0008] A base, on which a hydraulic cylinder and a locking nut are arranged; the hydraulic cylinder comprises a cylinder body and a piston rod, the lower end of the piston rod is threadedly connected with the locking nut, and the upper end of the piston rod extends out of the top end of the cylinder body; the piston rod reciprocates in the up-and-down direction;

[0009] An upper pressing plate, fixedly connected to the base via a connecting piece;

[0010] A lower pressing plate, located between the base and the upper pressing plate, the lower pressing plate being fixedly connected to the upper end of the piston rod;

[0011] Wherein, a battery stack is placed between the upper clamping plate and the lower clamping plate; when the battery stack is in a clamped state, the locking nut fixes the position of the piston rod.

[0012] Optionally, the locking device further includes a positioning member located on the lower clamping plate for determining a placement position of the battery stack.

[0013] Optionally, the bottom end of the positioning member is connected to the lower clamping plate, and the top end of the positioning member extends out of the upper surface of the upper clamping plate.

[0014] Optionally, the cross-sectional shape of the positioning member is L-shaped.

[0015] Optionally, the number of the positioning members is 2.

[0016] Optionally, the locking device also includes a monitoring device, which is electrically connected to the hydraulic cylinder and is used to control the hydraulic cylinder to stop applying pressure and control the locking nut to fix the position of the piston rod when it is monitored that the load force in the battery stack reaches a target value.

[0017] Optionally, the monitoring device is also used to control the hydraulic cylinder to release pressure when it is monitored that the load force in the battery stack is higher than the target value; and to control the hydraulic cylinder to increase pressure when it is monitored that the load force in the battery stack is lower than the target value.

[0018] Optionally, the number of the connecting members is 4.

[0019] On the other hand, the present application provides an electrolytic cell, which includes a cell stack and the above-mentioned locking device.

[0020] Optionally, the electrolyzer is an anion exchange membrane AEM electrolyzer or a proton exchange membrane PEM electrolyzer.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the present application provides a locking device for electrolyzer hydrogen production, by arranging the battery stack between the upper clamping plate and the lower clamping plate, and fixing the upper clamping plate to the base, arranging a hydraulic cylinder and a locking nut on the base, connecting the lower clamping plate to the piston rod in the hydraulic cylinder, when the hydraulic cylinder applies pressure, the piston rod drives the lower clamping plate to clamp the battery stack, so that the battery stack is in a clamped state, and then the locking nut is used to fix the position of the piston rod. In this way, when assembling the electrolyzer, multiple groups of long screws are no longer used to lock the pole plate, end plate, and guide plate, and then there is no need to open holes in the pole plate, end plate, and guide plate, so that the effective electrolysis area of ​​the pole plate can be increased, equipment space can be saved, and equipment cost can be saved; in addition, when the battery stack needs to be maintained or the sealing gasket needs to be replaced, it is only necessary to control the hydraulic cylinder to release pressure, and the battery stack can be directly maintained or the sealing gasket can be replaced, which greatly improves the assembly efficiency of the battery stack. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 This application provides a front view of a locking device for electrolyzer hydrogen production;

[0023] Figure 2 The present application provides a side view of a locking device for producing hydrogen in an electrolyzer;

[0024] Figure 3 The present application provides a top view of a locking device for producing hydrogen in an electrolyzer.

[0025] Among them, Figures 1 to 3 The reference numerals are described as follows:

[0026] 1-locking device; 11-base; 12-hydraulic cylinder; 121-piston rod; 1211-lower end of piston rod; 1212-upper end of piston rod; 13-locking nut; 14-upper clamping plate; 141-threaded hole; 15-lower clamping plate; 16-connecting piece; 17-positioning piece; 18-monitoring device; 2-fuel cell stack. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In order to make the purpose, advantages and features of the present invention more clear, the following Figures 1 to 3 The locking device for electrolyzer hydrogen production proposed by the utility model is further described in detail. It should be noted that the drawings are all in a very simplified form and in an inaccurate proportion, and are only used to conveniently and clearly assist in explaining the purpose of the embodiment of the utility model.

[0028] In order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention, the present invention is described in more detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0029] It should be understood that when used in the present specification and the appended claims, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of described features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0030] It should also be understood that the term “and / or” used in the specification and appended claims refers to any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes these combinations.

[0031] In the description of the present application specification and the appended claims, the terms “first”, “second”, etc. are only used to distinguish the descriptions and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0032] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" etc. described in the specification of this application mean that one or more embodiments of the present application include specific features, structures or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment. Therefore, the statements "in one embodiment", "in some embodiments", "in some other embodiments", "in some other embodiments", etc. that appear in different places in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but mean "one or more but not all embodiments", unless otherwise specifically emphasized in other ways. The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and their variations all mean "including but not limited to", unless otherwise specifically emphasized in other ways.

[0033] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 The present application provides a front view of a locking device for electrolyzer hydrogen production, Figure 2 A side view of a locking device for producing hydrogen in an electrolyzer is provided for the present application. The locking device 1 includes a base 11, a hydraulic cylinder 12, a locking nut 13, an upper clamping plate 14, a lower clamping plate 15, a connecting piece 16 and a positioning piece 17.

[0034] Among them, a hydraulic cylinder 12 and a locking nut 13 can be set on the base 11. The hydraulic cylinder 12 can include a cylinder body and a piston rod 121. The lower end 1211 of the piston rod 121 is threadedly connected to the locking nut 13, and the upper end 1212 of the piston rod 121 extends out of the top of the cylinder body. The piston rod 121 can reciprocate in the up and down directions.

[0035] The upper pressing plate 14 can be fixedly connected to the base 11 through a connecting member 16. Specifically, the connecting member 16 can be a screw, such as Figure 3As shown in the figure, the present application provides a top view of a locking device for hydrogen production in an electrolytic cell. Threaded holes 141 are provided on the upper pressing plate 14, and corresponding threaded holes ( Figure 1 and Figure 2 not shown in the figure) are also provided on the base 11. The screw can pass through the threaded holes 141 on the upper pressing plate 14 and then be connected to the threaded holes on the base 11, and a nut can be used to fix the position.

[0036] In other possible implementation manners, the connecting member 16 can also be a bolt or other components that can achieve the fixed connection between the upper pressing plate 14 and the base 11.

[0037] It should be noted that the present application does not specifically limit the number of the connecting members 16. In one embodiment, the number of the connecting members 16 can be 4. The 4 connecting members 16 respectively pass through the four corners of the upper pressing plate 14. In other embodiments, the number of the connecting members 16 can also be adjusted according to actual needs.

[0038] The lower pressing plate 15 can be located between the base 11 and the upper pressing plate 14. The lower surface 151 of the lower pressing plate 15 can be fixedly connected to the upper end 1212 of the piston rod 121. There are various specific fixed connection methods, such as welding, threaded connection, etc., which are not limited in the present application.

[0039] A stack 2 is placed between the upper pressing plate 14 and the lower pressing plate 15. When the stack 2 is in a compressed state, the locking nut 13 can fix the position of the piston rod 121.

[0040] The positioning member 17 can be located on the lower pressing plate 15 and is specifically used to determine the placement position of the stack 2. Specifically, the bottom end of the positioning member 17 can be connected to the lower pressing plate 15. The specific connection method can be a fixed connection or a detachable connection, which is designed according to actual needs. The top end of the positioning member 17 can extend out of the upper surface of the upper pressing plate 14.

[0041] In the embodiment of the present application, the positioning member 17 can have various different structures. The cross-sectional shape of the positioning member 17 can be an "L" shape. One end face is used to position the first side of the stack 2, and the other end face is used to position the second side of the stack.

[0042] In other possible embodiments, the cross-sectional shape of the positioning member 17 can also be an "I" shape, or can also be a "匚" shape, which is not specifically limited.

[0043] The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the number of the positioning members 17. It can be 2 or 4. The number of the positioning members 17 can be specifically set according to actual needs.

[0044] In addition, in the assembly process of traditional small electrolyzers, experience and manual assembly are usually relied upon, and there is no intuitive monitoring and control of the loading and tightening force. This can easily cause uneven force on the battery stack after assembly, resulting in uneven deformation of the battery stack and uneven sealing force after pressurization, which can easily cause safety hazards.

[0045] In view of this, in an embodiment of the present application, the locking device 1 may further include a monitoring device 18, which may be electrically connected to the hydraulic cylinder and is used to control the hydraulic cylinder 12 to stop applying pressure and control the locking nut 13 to fix the position of the piston rod 121 when it is monitored that the load force in the battery stack 2 reaches a target value.

[0046] When it is detected that the load force in the battery stack 2 has not reached the target value, the hydraulic cylinder 12 can be controlled to continue to apply pressure until the load force in the battery stack 2 reaches the target value, and then the locking nut 13 can be controlled to fix the position of the piston rod 121.

[0047] In this way, during the process of the hydraulic cylinder applying pressure to the battery stack, a monitoring device is used to monitor the applied load force in real time. If the pressure is abnormal, the pressure can be released in time to deal with the abnormal problem.

[0048] There are many ways to monitor the load force. In one possible embodiment, the monitoring device 18 can determine the load force in the battery stack 2 by monitoring the displacement of the piston rod 121. In other possible embodiments, the monitoring device 18 can also determine the load force in other ways, such as by setting a pressure sensor to determine the load force in the battery stack 2, which is not specifically limited.

[0049] Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present application, the monitoring device 18 is also used to control the hydraulic cylinder 12 to release pressure when it is monitored that the load force in the battery stack 2 is higher than the target value; and to control the hydraulic cylinder 12 to increase pressure when it is monitored that the load force in the battery stack 2 is lower than the target value.

[0050] Since the fuel cell stack is in a high temperature and high pressure operating environment for a long time, the sealing gasket is prone to stress relaxation. The embodiment of the present application uses a monitoring device to monitor the load force in the fuel cell stack, which can compensate for the relaxed stress in time, greatly increasing the operating safety of the equipment.

[0051] An embodiment of the present application also provides an electrolytic cell, comprising a battery stack and the locking device described above.

[0052] Furthermore, the electrolyzer can be of various forms, such as an AEM anion exchange membrane electrolyzer, a PEM proton exchange membrane electrolyzer, or an alkaline electrolyzer.

[0053] Compared with the prior art, the present application provides a locking device for electrolyzer hydrogen production, by arranging the battery stack between the upper clamping plate and the lower clamping plate, and fixing the upper clamping plate to the base, arranging a hydraulic cylinder and a locking nut on the base, connecting the lower clamping plate to the piston rod in the hydraulic cylinder, when the hydraulic cylinder applies pressure, the piston rod drives the lower clamping plate to clamp the battery stack, so that the battery stack is in a clamped state, and then the locking nut is used to fix the position of the piston rod. In this way, when assembling the electrolyzer, multiple groups of long screws are no longer used to lock the pole plate, end plate, and guide plate, and then there is no need to open holes in the pole plate, end plate, and guide plate, so that the effective electrolysis area of ​​the pole plate can be increased, equipment space can be saved, and equipment cost can be saved; in addition, when the battery stack needs to be maintained or the sealing gasket needs to be replaced, it is only necessary to control the hydraulic cylinder to release pressure, and the battery stack can be directly maintained or the sealing gasket can be replaced, which greatly improves the assembly efficiency of the battery stack.

[0054] The above description is only a description of the preferred embodiment of the utility model, and is not any limitation on the scope of the utility model. Any changes and modifications made by ordinary technicians in the field of the utility model based on the above disclosure shall fall within the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A locking device for electrolyzer hydrogen production, characterized in that: include: A base, on which a hydraulic cylinder and a locking nut are arranged; the hydraulic cylinder comprises a cylinder body and a piston rod, the lower end of the piston rod is threadedly connected with the locking nut, and the upper end of the piston rod extends out of the top end of the cylinder body; the piston rod reciprocates in the up-and-down direction; An upper pressing plate, fixedly connected to the base via a connecting piece; A lower pressing plate, located between the base and the upper pressing plate, the lower pressing plate being fixedly connected to the upper end of the piston rod; Wherein, a battery stack is placed between the upper clamping plate and the lower clamping plate; when the battery stack is in a clamped state, the locking nut fixes the position of the piston rod.

2. The locking device for electrolyzer hydrogen production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The locking device also includes a positioning member located on the lower clamping plate, which is used to determine the placement position of the battery stack.

3. The locking device for electrolyzer hydrogen production according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bottom end of the positioning member is connected to the lower pressing plate, and the top end of the positioning member extends out of the upper surface of the upper pressing plate.

4. The locking device for electrolyzer hydrogen production according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cross-sectional shape of the positioning member is L-shaped.

5. The locking device for electrolyzer hydrogen production according to claim 4, characterized in that: The number of the positioning members is 2.

6. The locking device for electrolyzer hydrogen production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The locking device also includes a monitoring device, which is electrically connected to the hydraulic cylinder and is used to control the hydraulic cylinder to stop applying pressure and control the locking nut to fix the position of the piston rod when it is monitored that the load force in the battery stack reaches a target value.

7. The locking device for electrolyzer hydrogen production according to claim 6, characterized in that: The monitoring device is also used to control the hydraulic cylinder to release pressure when it is monitored that the load force in the battery stack is higher than the target value; and to control the hydraulic cylinder to increase pressure when it is monitored that the load force in the battery stack is lower than the target value.

8. The locking device for electrolyzer hydrogen production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the connecting pieces is 4.

9. An electrolytic cell, characterized in that: The electrolytic cell comprises a battery stack and a locking device as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The electrolytic cell according to claim 9, characterized in that The electrolyzer is an anion exchange membrane AEM electrolyzer or a proton exchange membrane PEM electrolyzer.

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