End plate assembly for galvanic pile and packaging device of end plate assembly

Abstract

The utility model relates to an end plate assembly for a galvanic pile and a packaging device thereof, and the end plate assembly comprises a plate body which comprises a substrate and end plates stacked and connected to the substrate; the base plate extends towards the periphery from the joint of the base plate and the end plate to form a mounting area; the middle part of the outer surface of the end plate sinks to form a mounting groove, and the mounting groove is used for accommodating the heating sheet and the collector plate in sequence; a supporting element is arranged between the collector plate and the heating sheet, and the supporting element is suitable for being compressed under the action of pressure. The temperature compensation of the two ends of the electric pile is realized through the heating plates, and the height error of the collector plates mounted on the end plates is compensated by utilizing the supporting elements, so that the electric pile at least has the advantages of compact structure, high electric pile working efficiency and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of fuel cell manufacturing, and in particular to an end plate assembly for a fuel cell stack and a packaging device thereof. Background Art

[0002] The fuel cell stack is composed of multiple stacked cells, with bipolar plates and membrane electrodes alternately stacked, seals embedded between the cells, and tightened with screws after the front and rear plates are pressed, forming a fuel cell stack. When the stack is working, fuel (hydrogen) and oxidant (such as air, oxygen) are introduced from the inlet respectively, distributed to each cell through the fluid channel of the stack, and evenly distributed to both sides of the proton exchange membrane through the bipolar plate guide, and electrochemical reaction is carried out under the action of the catalyst to convert chemical energy into electrical energy.

[0003] During the operation of the battery stack, a large amount of heat energy will be released due to the electrochemical reaction of each single cell, which will cause the temperature of the battery stack to rise. The battery stack is composed of stacked single cells. The heat generated in the middle of the battery stack is basically the same, and the two ends of the battery stack are respectively connected to the end plates of the battery stack. The end plates themselves do not generate heat, but will exchange heat with the battery stack. The composition structure of the battery stack causes a difference in heat accumulation between the two ends and the middle of the battery stack, which in turn produces a temperature difference. Because there is a temperature difference between the two ends and the middle of the battery stack when the battery stack is working, the energy conversion efficiency of the battery stack is reduced.

[0004] In addition, the battery stack has requirements for the working temperature. When the working temperature is too low, the power conversion efficiency of the battery stack will continue to decrease, thus affecting the operation of the equipment that uses the battery stack as energy supply. Although the battery stack generates heat during operation to maintain its working temperature, in a low temperature environment, when the battery stack is started, the battery stack will not start working, which will cause the battery stack to start slowly in a low temperature environment, and the power conversion efficiency during the startup period of the battery stack is extremely low. Utility Model Content

[0005] The present application aims to solve the technical problems in the prior art that the temperature of the fuel cell stack is different between the middle and the ends, resulting in reduced electrochemical conversion efficiency and difficulty in starting the fuel cell stack in a low-temperature environment, and provides an end plate assembly for the fuel cell stack and a packaging device thereof.

[0006] First aspect

[0007] The present application provides an end plate assembly for an electric stack, comprising: a plate body, comprising a base plate and an end plate stacked and connected to the base plate; the base plate extends from the junction between the base plate and the end plate toward the periphery to form a mounting area; the middle of the outer surface of the end plate is sunken to form a mounting groove, the mounting groove is used to accommodate a heating plate and a current collecting plate in sequence, the current collecting plate is flush with the outer surface of the end plate; a supporting element is arranged between the current collecting plate and the heating plate, and the supporting element is suitable for being compressed under pressure.

[0008] Specifically, one of the concepts of the present application is to integrate the heating plate into the end plate to supply heat to both ends of the battery stack, so that through the external heat source, the operating temperature of the two ends and the middle of the battery stack can be maintained consistent when the battery stack is working; and when the battery stack is started, the two ends of the battery stack can be heated to reach the initial operating temperature of the battery stack. At the same time, another concept of the present application is to compensate for the installation height tolerance of the collector plate and the heating plate through a supporting element with a certain elasticity, so that after the collector plate is compressed, its outer surface is flush with the notch of the installation groove, thereby avoiding damage to the flow field plate of the battery stack. In addition, the plate body provided by the present application integrates the substrate and the end plate into one, so that the plate body can be used as a part of the packaging box shell and as an end plate of the battery stack, thereby optimizing the packaging structure of the battery stack.

[0009] Furthermore, the supporting element is carbon paper.

[0010] Specifically, carbon paper refers to a carbon paper-type product developed based on carbon fiber and composite material technology, which is made of the same material as the gas diffusion layer (GDL) in the membrane electrode assembly of a fuel cell. In other words, carbon paper is often used in the membrane electrode assembly of a fuel cell as the gas diffusion layer of the membrane electrode assembly. Since carbon paper has both good thermal conductivity and a suitable elastic modulus, good mechanical strength and good fatigue resistance, so that it has excellent dimensional stability, it can not only conduct the heat energy generated by the heating plate, but also compensate for the thickness tolerance of the collector plate, and is also conducive to maintaining a close contact state between the collector plate and other parts or components, and is suitable as the supporting element.

[0011] It is worth noting that the carbon paper is only a preferred embodiment. In theory, the supporting element only needs to have both thermal conductivity and a certain degree of elasticity.

[0012] In some possible embodiments, a first notch and a second notch are provided on one side of the mounting groove; the heating plate, the current collecting plate and the supporting element all extend in the direction of the first notch and the second notch to form a heating extension part, a current collecting extension part and a supporting extension part, respectively.

[0013] Specifically, both the current collector plate and the heating plate need to be connected to the outside to obtain electrical connection or signal connection. The terminal of the heating plate and the pole ear of the current collector plate cannot fully adapt to the corresponding first notch and second notch, thereby generating a height difference. Therefore, the present application extends the body of the heating plate, the current collector plate and the support element toward the first notch and the second notch, respectively forming a heating extension part, a current collector extension part and a support extension part to fill the first notch and the second notch, thereby eliminating the disadvantage that the current collector plate is prone to generate a height difference at the first notch and the second notch, and ensuring that the outer surface of the current collector plate is flush with the notch of the mounting groove.

[0014] Furthermore, the heating plate includes a temperature control component, which is used for temperature sensing and controlling the activation of the heating plate according to temperature feedback.

[0015] Furthermore, the middle portion of the groove surface of the installation groove is sunken to form a receiving groove, and the receiving groove is used to accommodate the temperature control component.

[0016] Furthermore, the temperature control component includes an integrated sensor, the accommodating groove includes a first accommodating groove, and the integrated sensor is accommodated in the first accommodating groove.

[0017] In some possible embodiments, the temperature control component includes an independent sensor, the receiving groove includes a second receiving groove, and the independent sensor is received in the second receiving groove.

[0018] It is worth mentioning that the optimal implementation method is that no matter how the temperature control component is set, the receiving groove includes a first receiving groove and a second receiving groove. According to the setting of the temperature control component, the corresponding first receiving groove and / or the second receiving groove can be selected to be enabled, so that the end plate assembly provided in the present application can be used for heating plates with integrated sensors, heating plates with additional independent sensors, and even heating plates with multiple sensors, thereby improving applicability.

[0019] In some possible embodiments, the end plate is provided with a through opening structure on both sides of the mounting groove; the opening structure is used to adapt to the fluid channel of the battery stack; along the through direction of the opening structure, the end plate extends from the periphery of the opening structure toward the substrate to form an interlocking portion embedded in the substrate; correspondingly, the substrate is provided with a matching portion, and the matching portion is used to accommodate the matching portion.

[0020] Specifically, the end plate is embedded in the base plate to improve the integrity of the plate body.

[0021] Furthermore, the end plate is implemented as an injection molded part with the base plate as a matrix.

[0022] It is worth mentioning that the base plate is made of metal to enhance the structural strength, and the end plate is made of plastic to improve the insulation performance.

[0023] Second aspect

[0024] The present application provides a packaging device for a fuel cell stack, including an end plate assembly for a fuel cell stack as provided in any embodiment of the first aspect, including: a packaging box shell; the packaging box shell includes an inner cavity and a cavity opening located at an open end of the inner cavity; the inner cavity is used to accommodate a portion of the fuel cell stack to be packaged, the cavity opening is inverted on the substrate, and is sealed and connected to the installation area.

[0025] Specifically, the packaging device provided by the present application includes a plate body and a packaging box shell, and the packaging box shell is inverted on the installation area through the cavity to complete the connection and sealing. Among them, the part to be packaged refers to other parts of the battery stack stacked on the basis of the end plate except the end plate, and the inner cavity is used to accommodate the part to be packaged.

[0026] In summary, the present application provides an end plate assembly for a fuel cell stack and a packaging device thereof, which has at least the following advantages:

[0027] 1. The heating plate is integrated into the end plate to provide heat to both ends of the stack. Through the external heat source, the working temperature of the two ends and the middle of the stack can be kept consistent when the stack is working; and the two ends of the stack can be heated when the stack is started to reach the initial working temperature of the stack, thereby improving the working efficiency of the stack;

[0028] 2. The installation height tolerance of the current collector and the heating plate is compensated by the elastic supporting element, so that the outer surface of the current collector is flush with the outer surface of the end plate, avoiding damage to the flow field plate of the stack; since the supporting element has good thermal conductivity, suitable elastic modulus, good mechanical strength and good fatigue resistance, it has excellent dimensional stability, can conduct the heat energy generated by the heating plate, and compensate for the thickness tolerance of the current collector, and is also conducive to maintaining a close contact state between the current collector and other parts or components;

[0029] 3. The plate body integrates the base plate and the end plate into one, so that the plate body can be used as a part of the packaging box shell and also as the end plate of the stack, thereby optimizing the packaging structure of the stack;

[0030] 4. The heating plate, the current collecting plate and the body of the supporting element extend toward the first notch and the second notch to fill the gap, thereby eliminating the disadvantage that the current collecting plate is prone to a height difference at the first notch and the second notch, and ensuring that the outer surface of the current collecting plate is flush with the notch of the mounting groove;

[0031] 5. The receiving grooves include a first receiving groove and a second receiving groove. According to the setting of the temperature control component, the corresponding first receiving groove and / or the second receiving groove can be selected and activated, so that the end plate assembly provided by the present application can be applied to the heating plate with integrated sensor, the heating plate with additional independent sensor, and the heating plate with multiple sensors, thereby improving the applicability;

[0032] 6. The end plate is injection molded with the base plate as the base material and embedded in the base plate to enhance the integrity of the combination of the two. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] The present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments, but those skilled in the art will appreciate that these drawings are drawn only for the purpose of explaining the preferred embodiments and therefore should not be used as a limitation on the scope of the present application. In addition, unless otherwise specified, the drawings are only schematically representing the composition or structure of the described objects and may contain exaggerated displays, and the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0034] Figure 1 A perspective view of an end plate assembly for a fuel cell stack provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of disassembly of an end plate assembly for a fuel cell stack provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 3 A side cross-sectional view of a packaging device for a battery stack provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] 1. Plate body; 2. Current collecting plate; 3. Heating plate; 4. Support element; 5. Packaging box shell; 6. Part to be packaged; 11. Base plate; 12. End plate; 21. Ear; 22. Current collecting extension; 31. Heating extension; 41. Support extension; 51. Inner cavity; 52. Cavity mouth; 111. Installation area; 112. Matching part; 121. Installation groove; 122. Opening structure; 123. Fitting part; 1211. First notch; 1212. Second notch; 1213. Receiving groove; 12131. First receiving groove; 12132. Second receiving groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present application more clearly understood, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0039] It is worth noting that in this application, "and / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0040] Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority or importance of multiple objects. For example, the first direction and the second direction are only for the convenience of description, and do not indicate the difference in order, importance, etc. between the first direction and the second direction.

[0041] The present application provides an end plate assembly for a stack, which is mainly used in a stack of fuel cells. The stack is generally composed of end plates at both ends and single cells stacked in series in the middle. After the components of the stack are stacked in a certain order, they will be compacted by a pressurizing device to ensure the smooth transmission of gas, liquid and electrons, and to ensure the efficient operation of the stack. The compacted stack is fixed by bundling or bolting, and finally the stack is packaged.

[0042] Based on the above installation program, see Figure 1 ( Figure 1 A perspective view of an end plate assembly for a battery stack provided in an embodiment of the present application) is provided in the present application. An end plate assembly for a battery stack is provided, and the end plate assembly includes a plate body 1, a current collecting plate 2, a heating plate 3 and a supporting element 4. Among them, the plate body 1 includes an end plate 12 and a base plate 11. The end plate 12 is stacked and connected to the base plate 11. The mounting area 111 of the base plate 11 is used for externally connecting the packaging box shell 5 and / or mounting the fastening element of the battery stack. At this time, the base plate 11 is used as the bottom plate of the packaging device and / or the metal end plate on one side of the battery stack; and the end plate 12 is used to assemble the battery stack. At this time, the end plate 12 can be used as an insulating plate or a plastic end plate on one side of the battery stack. Since the plate body 1 provided in the present application includes an integral part consisting of the end plate 12 and the base plate 11, the plate body 1 belongs to both the bottom of the packaging device and the end of one end of the battery stack, thereby achieving structural simplification.

[0043] At the same time, the heating plate 3 is placed in the mounting groove 121 of the end plate 12, on which the current collecting plate 2 is arranged, and other components of the battery stack are installed on the current collecting plate 2. At this time, the heating plate 3 can provide a heat source for the end of the battery stack, so that the heating plate 3 can perform temperature compensation during the operation of the battery stack and in a low-temperature working environment, thereby ensuring that the battery stack is in an efficient operating state.

[0044] Furthermore, the compactness inside the battery stack is also an important indicator that affects the operating performance of the battery stack. Therefore, based on the structural composition of the end plate assembly provided in this application, after the current collector 2 is installed, its outer surface is just flush with the notch of the mounting groove 121, which is the optimal solution. However, both the current collector 2 and the heating plate 3 are hard components. If there is an installation margin, the outer surface of the current collector 2 will be lower than the mounting groove 121, resulting in a gap between other components of the battery stack installed above the current collector 2 and the outer surface of the current collector 2. If the installation is completely based on the mounting groove 121, the current collector 2 and the heating plate 3 have a thickness tolerance, which may cause the outer surface of the current collector 2 to be exposed to the mounting groove 121. During the compaction process of the battery stack, it is easy to cause the flow field plate (such as the cathode, anode plate or false plate) close to the current collector 2 and the end plate 12 in the battery stack to be damaged, and even cause damage to the single battery. Therefore, the present application sets a support element 4 with a certain elasticity between the current collecting plate 2 and the heating plate 3, which can compensate for the installation height of the current collecting plate 2. During the compaction of the battery stack, other components of the battery stack installed on the current collecting plate 2 will apply a downward force to the current collecting plate 2, causing the support element 4 to be compressed, so that the outer surface of the current collecting plate 2 is flattened to the installation groove 121, so that the outer surface of the current collecting plate 2 is flush with the outer surface of the end plate 12, so as not to damage the flow field plate of the battery stack. Moreover, the support element 4 should also have a suitable elastic modulus, good mechanical strength and good fatigue resistance, so that it has excellent dimensional stability, and then after the press-fitting operation, it is conducive to maintaining the close contact between the current collecting plate 2 and other parts or components. In addition, the support element 4 should also have good thermal conductivity so that the heat generated by the heating plate 3 can be effectively transferred to the inside of the battery stack through the support element 4.

[0045] See also Figure 2 , Figure 2 An embodiment of the present application provides a schematic diagram of the disassembly of an end plate assembly for a fuel cell stack.

[0046] Specifically, based on Figure 2 From the bottom to the top, the components of the end plate assembly are analyzed layer by layer.

[0047] First, the interlocking portion 123 of the end plate 12 is embedded in the matching portion 112 of the lower substrate 11, so that the two are combined to form the plate body 1. Since the end plate 12 is used as the end of one side of the battery stack, it is adapted to the fluid channel of the battery stack and is provided with a through opening structure 122. The end plate 12 can be formed on the substrate 11 by injection molding.

[0048] Then, the heating plate 3, the supporting element 4 and the current collecting plate 2 are sequentially placed into the mounting groove 121 of the end plate 12. Since the supporting element 4 is elastic, the current collecting plate 2 will be flattened in the mounting groove 121 during the subsequent pressure application process. At the same time, the side of the mounting groove 121 is provided with a first notch 1211 and a second notch 1212, so as to facilitate the lead-out of the terminal of the heating plate 3 and the pole ear 21 of the current collecting plate 2 respectively. It can be understood that the first notch 1211 and the second notch 1212 are likely to cause a difference in the height of the current collecting plate 2 in the mounting groove 121. Therefore, the current collecting plate 2, the supporting element 4 and the heating plate 3 are respectively provided with a current collecting extension 22, a supporting extension 41 and a heating extension 31, and each extension is just accommodated in the first notch 1211 and the second notch 1212, so that the first notch 1211 and the second notch 1212 are filled, ensuring that the outer surface of the current collecting plate 2 is flush with the notch of the mounting groove 121.

[0049] In addition, the heating plate 3 includes a temperature control member (not shown). Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the temperature control component is arranged on the side of the heating plate 3 facing the end plate 12), and is used to sense the temperature of the end of the battery stack, thereby controlling the heating power of the heating plate 3 or controlling the heating plate 3 to stop heating.

[0050] Furthermore, the present application provides a receiving groove 1213 provided on the end plate 12 for receiving a temperature control component. Considering the applicability of the receiving groove 1213, the receiving groove 1213 includes at least a first receiving groove 12131 and a second receiving groove 12132, so that it can be applied to the scenarios of integrated sensors, independent sensors and multiple sensors, thereby improving the applicability of the end plate assembly.

[0051] See also Figure 3 The present application also provides a packaging device based on an end plate assembly. Figure 3 A side cross-sectional view of a packaging device for a fuel cell stack provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0052] Specifically, the components of the stack other than the end plate 12 that are suitable for stacking will be stacked layer by layer based on the outer surface of the current collecting plate 2 and the end plate 12, and then compressed by a press, and the periphery of the stack will be fastened by fastening elements such as bandages or screws. Since the substrate 11 can be used as the bottom plate of the packaging device, after the stacking and fastening operations are completed, the packaging box shell 5 is buckled on the installation area 111 of the substrate 11 through the cavity 52, and the part to be packaged 6 is accommodated through the inner cavity 51, wherein the part to be packaged 6 refers to a combination of other components of the stack other than the end plate 12 and the peripheral fastening elements. At the same time, the cavity 52 is sealed and connected to the installation area 111.

[0053] It is worth mentioning that if the fuel cell stack does not need to be packaged by the packaging box shell 5, the substrate 11 can be used as a metal end plate on one side of the fuel cell stack, and the installation area 111 of the substrate 11 is used to install the fastening elements of the fuel cell stack.

[0054] The present application is described in detail above. Specific examples are used in the present application to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the present application and its core ideas. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, without departing from the principles of the present application, several improvements and modifications can be made to the present application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. An end plate assembly for a fuel cell stack, characterized in that: include: The plate body (1) comprises a base plate (11) and an end plate (12) stacked and connected to the base plate (11); the base plate (11) extends from the junction between the base plate (11) and the end plate (12) toward the periphery to form a mounting area (111); the middle part of the outer surface of the end plate (12) is sunken to form a mounting groove (121), and the mounting groove (121) is used to sequentially accommodate a heating plate (3) and a current collecting plate (2); A supporting element (4) is provided between the current collecting plate (2) and the heating plate (3), and the supporting element (4) is suitable for being compressed under pressure.

2. An end plate assembly for a fuel cell stack as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The supporting element (4) is carbon paper.

3. An end plate assembly for a fuel cell stack as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The side edge of the installation groove (121) is provided with a first notch (1211) and a second notch (1212); The heating plate (3), the current collecting plate (2) and the supporting element (4) all extend in the direction of the first notch (1211) and the second notch (1212), respectively forming a heating extension portion (31), a current collecting extension portion (22) and a supporting extension portion (41).

4. An end plate assembly for a fuel cell stack as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The heating plate (3) comprises a temperature control component.

5. An end plate assembly for a fuel cell stack as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: The middle part of the groove surface of the installation groove (121) sinks to form a receiving groove (1213), and the receiving groove (1213) is used to accommodate the temperature control component.

6. An end plate assembly for a fuel cell stack as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: The temperature control component includes an integrated sensor, and the accommodating groove (1213) includes a first accommodating groove (12131), and the integrated sensor is accommodated in the first accommodating groove (12131).

7. An end plate assembly for a fuel cell stack as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: The temperature control component includes an independent sensor, the accommodating groove (1213) includes a second accommodating groove (12132), and the independent sensor is accommodated in the second accommodating groove (12132).

8. An end plate assembly for a fuel cell stack as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The end plate (12) is provided with through-hole structures (122) on both sides of the mounting groove (121); the through-hole structures (122) are used to adapt to the fluid channel of the fuel cell stack; Along the through direction of the open hole structure (122), the end plate (12) extends from the outer periphery of the open hole structure (122) toward the base plate (11) to form an embedded portion (123) embedded in the base plate (11); the base plate (11) is provided with a matching portion (112), and the matching portion (112) is used to accommodate the embedded portion (123).

9. An end plate assembly for a fuel cell stack as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that: The end plate (12) is an injection-molded part with the base plate (11) as a matrix.

10. A packaging device for a fuel cell stack, comprising an end plate assembly for a fuel cell stack as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: include: Packaging box shell (5); The packaging box shell (5) comprises an inner cavity (51) and a cavity opening (52) located at an open end of the inner cavity (51); the inner cavity (51) is used to accommodate the portion to be packaged (6) of the battery stack, and the cavity opening (52) is inverted on the substrate (11) and is sealed and connected to the installation area (111).

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