Electrolytic bath

Abstract

The utility model provides an electrolytic bath, which comprises a first end plate, a second end plate, a stack clamped between the first end plate and the second end plate, and a fastening mechanism used for providing a fastening force for fastening the electrolytic bath, the first end plate comprises an end plate main body and at least one pressing plug, the fastening mechanism is pressed against the pressing plug, and the first end plate main body and the second end plate main body are connected with each other. The pressing plug is arranged in a restraining hole of the end plate body, the restraining hole is communicated with a fluid cavity of the end plate body, the fluid cavity is filled with fluid, a sealing structure is arranged between the pressing plug and the end plate body, and the end plate body is provided with an inner side wall, an outer side wall and a peripheral side wall. The peripheral side wall extends from the inner side wall to the outer side wall, the inner side wall abuts against the stacking body, the restraining hole is formed in the outer side wall and penetrates through the outer side wall, and the pressing plug extends into the restraining hole under the action of fastening force and abuts against fluid in the fluid cavity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of electrolytic cells, in particular to an electrolytic cell capable of uniformly transmitting a fastening force. Background Art

[0002] The electrolyzer is a device for producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water. According to different technical routes of producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water, the current mainstream electrolyzers are divided into four types: proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer, alkaline (ALK) electrolyzer, anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzer, and solid oxide (SOEC) electrolyzer.

[0003] The electrolytic cell is usually configured as a stacking structure, including two end plates, a stacking body sandwiched between the two end plates, and a fastening mechanism for providing a fastening force. For an electrolytic cell having the above-mentioned stacking structure, the uniformity of the fastening force applied to the stacking body has a crucial impact on the performance of the electrolytic cell. If the fastening force transmitted to the stacking body through the end plates is uneven, it will not only affect the sealing performance between the components in the stacking body, but may also cause some components in the stacking body to be excessively deformed or even damaged due to stress concentration.

[0004] Existing electrolytic cells usually use a fastening assembly consisting of a screw and a nut as a fastening mechanism, and the fastening assembly can only be assembled in the circumferential edge area of ​​the end plate, so that the fastening force provided by the fastening assembly directly acts on the circumferential edge area of ​​the end plate, and then is transmitted to the middle area of ​​the end plate. The force on the end plate is uneven, which leads to the end plate being unable to evenly transmit the fastening force to the stack. Moreover, the end plate is easily deformed due to the uneven force. In order to solve the technical problems of uneven fastening force transmission and easy deformation of the end plate as much as possible, existing electrolytic cells usually use thicker, solid metal plates as end plates, and assemble a large number of fastening assemblies so that the fastening assemblies can be densely distributed in the circumferential edge area of ​​the end plate. However, the solid metal plate body with a large thickness is heavy, which increases the weight of the electrolytic cell. Moreover, a large number of fastening assemblies need to be assembled separately, which increases the cumbersomeness of the assembly of the electrolytic cell and is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Utility Model Content

[0005] The main advantage of the utility model is to provide an electrolytic cell which can evenly transmit the fastening force to the stack of electrolytic cells.

[0006] Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides an electrolytic cell, at least one of whose end plates is a hollow end plate, so that uniform force transmission is achieved by means of the fluid in the fluid cavity of the hollow end plate, thereby replacing the thicker solid end plate in the prior art, which can reduce the metal material used and effectively reduce the weight of the electrolytic cell.

[0007] Another advantage of the utility model is that it provides an electrolytic cell, wherein the hollow end plate of the electrolytic cell is provided with reinforcing ribs, which can ensure that the hollow end plate has sufficient strength while reducing the wall thickness of the hollow end plate as much as possible.

[0008] Another advantage of the utility model is to provide an electrolytic cell, which, compared with the prior art, has fewer fastening mechanisms to be assembled, thereby reducing the complexity of assembly.

[0009] Accordingly, according to an embodiment of the present invention, an electrolytic cell having at least one of the aforementioned advantages comprises:

[0010] A first end plate, comprising an end plate body and at least one press plug;

[0011] a second end plate;

[0012] a stacked body sandwiched between the first end plate and the second end plate; and

[0013] A fastening mechanism, used for providing a fastening force for fastening the electrolytic cell, and the fastening mechanism presses against the press plug;

[0014] Wherein, the pressure plug is arranged in the constraint hole of the end plate body, the constraint hole is connected with the fluid cavity of the end plate body, the fluid cavity is filled with fluid, and a sealing structure is provided between the pressure plug and the end plate body, the end plate body has an inner wall, an outer wall and a peripheral wall, wherein the peripheral wall extends from the inner wall to the outer wall, the inner wall presses the stacking body, the constraint hole is formed in the outer wall, and the constraint hole passes through the outer wall, wherein the pressure plug extends into the constraint hole under the action of the fastening force and presses the fluid in the fluid cavity.

[0015] In some embodiments, the welding structure of the end plate body is formed only between the outer side wall and the peripheral side wall.

[0016] In some embodiments, the fluid chamber is filled with liquid and gas.

[0017] In some embodiments, the fluid chamber is filled with liquid.

[0018] In some embodiments, the first end plate is provided with a plurality of first reinforcing ribs, and the first reinforcing ribs extend from the peripheral side wall to the inner side wall.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first reinforcing rib includes an inclined extension portion and a low-end extension portion, wherein the inclined extension portion extends obliquely from the peripheral side wall to the inner side wall, and the low-end extension portion extends between the low ends of the corresponding two inclined extension portions, wherein the liquid level in the fluid cavity is higher than the low-end extension portion.

[0020] In some embodiments, the first end plate is provided with a plurality of second reinforcing ribs, and the second reinforcing ribs are provided on the outer side wall.

[0021] In some embodiments, the fastening mechanism includes an elastic member to accommodate changes in the height dimension of the portion of the electrolytic cell fastened by the fastening mechanism.

[0022] In some embodiments, the elastic member is disposed between the cross member of the fastening mechanism and the press plug.

[0023] In some embodiments, the elastic member is disposed between a transverse member of the fastening mechanism and a vertical member of the fastening mechanism.

[0024] The above and other advantages of the present invention will be fully reflected in combination with the following description and the accompanying drawings.

[0025] The above and other advantages and features of the present invention are fully reflected in the following detailed description of the present invention and the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an electrolytic cell according to an embodiment of the utility model.

[0027] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the assembly of an electrolytic cell according to an embodiment of the utility model.

[0028] Figure 3 It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the end plate body of the first end plate of the electrolytic cell according to an embodiment of the utility model.

[0029] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the manufacturing method of the first end plate according to an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0030] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of another first end plate and a manufacturing method thereof according to an embodiment of the utility model.

[0031] Figure 6 yes Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the reinforcement ribs of the first end plate is shown.

[0032] Figure 7 yes Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the reinforcement ribs of the first end plate is shown.

[0033] Figure 8 It is another three-dimensional schematic diagram of the electrolytic cell according to an embodiment of the utility model.

[0034] Fig. 9 is another schematic diagram of an electrolytic cell according to an embodiment of the utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The following description is provided to enable those skilled in the art to implement the present invention. Other obvious replacements, modifications and variations may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should not be limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein.

[0036] Those skilled in the art should understand that, unless otherwise specified herein, the terms "one" and "an" should be understood as "at least one" or "one or more", that is, in one embodiment, the number of an element may be one, while in another embodiment, the number of the element may be multiple.

[0037] Those skilled in the art should understand that, unless otherwise specified herein, the directions or positions referred to by the terms "longitudinal", "lateral", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the directions or positions shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements involved must have a specific direction or position. Therefore, the above terms should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0038] Refer to the attached drawings of this utility model specification Figures 1 to 9 , an electrolyzer according to an embodiment of the utility model is illustrated. The electrolyzer has a stacked structure and can be implemented as an electrolyzer based on different water electrolysis hydrogen production technology routes, including but not limited to proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer, alkaline (ALK) electrolyzer, anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzer, and solid oxide (SOEC) electrolyzer, etc. The electrolyzer includes a first end plate 1, a second end plate 2, a stack 3 and a fastening mechanism 4, wherein the stack 3 is clamped between the first end plate 1 and the second end plate 2, and the fastening mechanism 4 is used to provide a fastening force for fastening the electrolyzer. The stack 3 includes a plurality of stacked elements, the types, quantities, stacking sequences, and structures of these elements match the types and models of the electrolyzer, which are irrelevant to the core concept of the utility model and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0039] like Figures 1 to 5As shown, the first end plate 1 includes an end plate body 11 and at least one pressure plug 12, wherein the pressure plug 12 is arranged in the constraint hole 10 of the end plate body 11, the constraint hole 10 is connected with the fluid cavity 100 of the end plate body 11, the fluid cavity 100 is filled with fluid, and a sealing structure is provided between the pressure plug 12 and the end plate body 11 to prevent the fluid in the fluid cavity 100 from leaking to the outside from between the pressure plug 12 and the end plate body 11, so that the fluid cavity 100 forms a closed chamber. The end plate body 11 has an inner wall 111, an outer wall 112 and a peripheral wall 113, wherein the peripheral wall 113 extends from the inner wall 111 to the outer wall 112, so that the inner wall 111, the outer wall 112 and the peripheral wall 113 are used to define the fluid cavity 100, the inner wall 111 presses against the stacking body 3 to transmit the fastening force to the stacking body 3, the constraint hole 10 is formed in the outer wall 112, and the constraint hole 10 passes through the outer wall 112, so that the press plug 12 can extend into the constraint hole 10 under the action of the fastening force to press against the fluid in the fluid cavity 100, thereby using the fluid in the fluid cavity 100 to evenly transmit force to the inner wall 111, and then the fastening force can be evenly transmitted to the stacking body 3 through the inner wall 111.

[0040] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the fastening mechanism 4 presses against the plug 12, and is used to apply a fastening force to the plug 12, so that the plug 12 presses against the fluid in the fluid chamber 100. It is worth mentioning that the connection and fixing method between the fastening mechanism 4 and the second end plate 2 has nothing to do with the core concept of the utility model. The implementation methods shown in the drawings of the utility model are only for illustration and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection of the utility model. For example, the fastening mechanism 4 can be connected and fixed to the two ends of the second end plate 2 respectively (i.e. Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the embodiment shown in the figure, the fastening mechanism 4 can also be connected and fixed around the bottom of the second end plate 2. It is also worth mentioning that in some embodiments of the present invention, the second end plate 2 can also be implemented as the same technical solution as the first end plate 1, that is, the second end plate 2 also includes an end plate body and at least one press plug, and accordingly, the fastening mechanism 4 should be arranged to press against the press plug of the second end plate.

[0041] like Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, in some embodiments, the outer side wall 112 has a constraint wall 101 extending into the fluid cavity 100 to form and define the constraint hole 10, wherein a sealing structure is provided between the press plug 12 and the constraint wall 101. Since the constraint wall 101 extends into the fluid cavity 100, the height dimension of the first end plate 1 can be effectively reduced. Figure 5 As shown, in some embodiments, the outer side wall 112 has a constraint wall 101 extending away from the fluid cavity 100 to form and define the constraint hole 10, wherein a sealing structure is provided between the press plug 12 and the constraint wall 101.

[0042] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the first end plate 1 can be manufactured in the following manner: the outer side wall 112 of the first end plate 1 is manufactured separately; the inner side wall 111 and the peripheral side wall 113 of the first end plate 1 are manufactured as a whole; the outer side wall 112 is welded to the whole formed by the inner side wall 111 and the peripheral side wall 113, wherein a welding structure is formed between the outer side wall 112 and the peripheral side wall 113; finally, the fluid is filled in the fluid cavity 100 and the press plug 12 is installed in the constraint hole 10. It can be understood that since the welding structure is only formed between the outer side wall 112 and the peripheral side wall 113, it is not necessary to weld between the inner side wall 111 and the peripheral side wall 113, so that the inner side wall 111 can be prevented from being deformed due to welding, the flatness of the inner side wall 111 is ensured, and it is conducive to uniformly transmitting the fastening force to the stack 3 through the inner side wall 111.

[0043] In some embodiments of the present invention, the fluid cavity 100 is filled with liquid, where "filled" means that the liquid is filled in the entire space of the fluid cavity 100 as much as possible. However, in the actual implementation process, a trace amount of gas is likely to be trapped in the fluid cavity 100 and cannot be emptied. This state of a trace amount of gas trapped in the fluid cavity 100 is also regarded as the "filled with liquid" state of the present invention.

[0044] In some embodiments of the present invention, the fluid cavity 100 is filled with liquid and gas, wherein the gas is actively filled in the fluid cavity 100, rather than being a trace amount of gas passively trapped in the fluid cavity 100. Therefore, when the electrolytic cell is in operation, the height of the stack 3 increases due to the high pressure of the reactants in the stack 3 or the stack 3 expands due to heat, the press plug 12 can further extend into the fluid cavity 100 to further compress the gas in the fluid cavity 100 to reduce the height of the first end plate 1, thereby adapting to the increase in the height of the stack 3 without the need for adjustment by the fastening mechanism 4.

[0045] It is understandable that the fluid in the fluid cavity 100 will not only transmit force to the inner wall 111, but also to the peripheral wall 113 and the outer wall 112. In order to prevent the peripheral wall 113 and the outer wall 112 from excessively deforming and pulling the inner wall 111 to deform, the inner wall 111, the outer wall 112 and the peripheral wall 113 can resist deformation by increasing the wall thickness, but increasing the wall thickness will increase the weight of the first end plate 1. In order to further achieve a lightweight design of the first end plate 1, the first end plate 1 is provided with a plurality of first reinforcing ribs 51 and a plurality of second reinforcing ribs 52. Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the first reinforcing rib 51 extends from the peripheral side wall 113 to the inner side wall 111, and is used to enhance the strength of the inner side wall 111 and the peripheral side wall 113. The second reinforcing rib 52 is provided on the outer side wall 112, and is used to enhance the strength of the outer side wall 112. Preferably, at least part of the second reinforcing rib 52 extends from the restraining wall 101.

[0046] In the embodiment where the constraint wall 101 extends into the fluid chamber 100, preferably, Figure 6 As shown, the second reinforcing rib 52 is located in the fluid cavity 100. In the embodiment where the constraint wall 101 extends away from the fluid cavity 100, preferably, as Figure 7 As shown, the second reinforcing rib 52 is located outside the fluid cavity 100. It can be understood that the second reinforcing rib 52 is arranged outside the fluid cavity 100, which is conducive to filling the fluid cavity 100 with liquid and avoiding the aggravation of air entrapment due to the influence of the second reinforcing rib 52.

[0047] Specifically, Figure 6 and Figure 7As shown, the first reinforcing rib 51 includes an inclined extension portion 511 and a low-end extension portion 512, wherein the inclined extension portion 511 extends obliquely from the peripheral side wall 113 to the inner side wall 111, and the low-end extension portion 512 extends between the lower ends of the two corresponding inclined extension portions 511. It can be understood that, by providing the inclined extension portion 511 and the low-end extension portion 512, not only can the strength of the inner side wall 111 and the peripheral side wall 113 be enhanced, but also the press plug 12 can be made space to avoid blocking the press plug 12, and it is also beneficial for the liquid in the fluid cavity 100 to overflow the low-end extension portion 512 so as to be uniformly distributed in the fluid cavity 100, thereby facilitating the uniform transmission of force. In other words, the liquid level of the liquid in the fluid cavity 100 is higher than the low-end extension portion 512.

[0048] In the embodiment where the fluid cavity 100 is filled with liquid, when the electrolytic cell is in operation, the height dimension of the stack 3 increases due to the high pressure of the reactants in the stack 3 or the stack 3 expands due to heat. Since the liquid in the fluid cavity 100 is difficult to be further compressed and the liquid in the fluid cavity 100 may also expand due to heat, it is necessary to adjust the fastening mechanism 4 to adapt to the change in height dimension. Therefore, the fastening mechanism 4 includes an elastic member 41 to adapt to the change in height dimension of the portion of the electrolytic cell fastened by the fastening mechanism 4. Optionally, the elastic member 41 can be implemented as a spring, a leaf spring, a disc spring group, etc. Figure 8 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the elastic member 41 is disposed between the transverse member 42 of the fastening mechanism 4 and the vertical member 43 of the fastening mechanism 4, and the fastening mechanism 4 can press the press plug 12 through the transverse member 42. Fig. 9 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the elastic member 41 is disposed between the transverse member 42 of the fastening mechanism 4 and the press plug 12, and the fastening mechanism 4 can press the press plug 12 through the elastic member 41. In addition, in the embodiment where the fluid cavity 100 is filled with liquid and gas, the fastening mechanism 4 can also include the elastic member 41 and be implemented as Figure 8 or Fig. 9 The manner shown is used to further adapt to the change in the height size of the part fastened by the fastening mechanism 4. It can be understood that the arrangement of the elastic member 41 is not limited to Figure 8 and Fig. 9 The method shown.

[0049] Those skilled in the art should understand that the above description and the embodiments shown in the drawings are only for illustrative explanation of the present invention, rather than for limiting the present invention. All equivalent implementations, modifications and improvements within the spirit of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrolytic cell, characterized in that: include: A first end plate, comprising an end plate body and at least one press plug; a second end plate; A stacking body, sandwiched between the first end plate and the second end plate; and A fastening mechanism, used for providing a fastening force for fastening the electrolytic cell, and the fastening mechanism presses against the press plug; Wherein, the pressure plug is arranged in the constraint hole of the end plate body, the constraint hole is connected with the fluid cavity of the end plate body, the fluid cavity is filled with fluid, and a sealing structure is provided between the pressure plug and the end plate body, the end plate body has an inner wall, an outer wall and a peripheral wall, wherein the peripheral wall extends from the inner wall to the outer wall, the inner wall presses the stacking body, the constraint hole is formed in the outer wall, and the constraint hole passes through the outer wall, wherein the pressure plug extends into the constraint hole under the action of the fastening force and presses the fluid in the fluid cavity.

2. The electrolytic cell according to claim 1, characterized in that The welding structure of the end plate body is formed only between the outer side wall and the peripheral side wall.

3. The electrolytic cell according to claim 1, characterized in that The fluid cavity is filled with liquid and gas.

4. The electrolytic cell according to claim 1, characterized in that The fluid chamber is filled with liquid.

5. The electrolytic cell according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: The first end plate is provided with a plurality of first reinforcing ribs, and the first reinforcing ribs extend from the peripheral side wall to the inner side wall.

6. The electrolytic cell according to claim 5, characterized in that The first reinforcing rib includes an inclined extension portion and a low-end extension portion, wherein the inclined extension portion extends obliquely from the peripheral side wall to the inner side wall, and the low-end extension portion extends between the low ends of the corresponding two inclined extension portions, wherein the liquid level in the fluid cavity is higher than the low-end extension portion.

7. The electrolytic cell according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The first end plate is provided with a plurality of second reinforcing ribs, and the second reinforcing ribs are provided on the outer side wall.

8. The electrolytic cell according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The fastening mechanism includes an elastic member for adapting to changes in the height dimension of the portion of the electrolytic cell fastened by the fastening mechanism.

9. The electrolytic cell according to claim 8, characterized in that The elastic member is disposed between the cross member of the fastening mechanism and the press plug.

10. The electrolytic cell according to claim 8, characterized in that The elastic member is disposed between the transverse member of the fastening mechanism and the vertical member of the fastening mechanism.

Images