High-pressure sealed alkaline water electrolytic bath

Abstract

A high-pressure sealed alkaline water electrolytic bath belongs to the technical field of alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment, and comprises two end plates, external polar plates, insulating spacers arranged between the external polar plates and the end plates, and polar plate components and polar frame components which are positioned between the two external polar plates, the end plate, the insulating spacer, the external polar plate, the polar plate assembly and the polar frame assembly are fixedly connected; the polar plate assembly comprises a polar plate and a sealing surface thereof, and the polar plate is provided with a regional runner and a parting line thereof; the pole frame assembly comprises a pole frame, a sealing surface of the pole frame, a pole frame mother ring and a pole frame sub-ring, and a diaphragm for alkaline water electrolysis is arranged between the pole frame mother ring and the pole frame sub-ring; alkali liquor inlet holes, hydrogen outlet holes and oxygen outlet holes are formed in the polar plates and the polar frames; the polar plate assembly and the polar frame assembly are fixed through respective sealing surfaces to form a small electrolysis chamber, alkali liquor inlet holes of the polar plate assembly and the polar frame assembly are communicated through guide ditches to form a liquid path channel, and hydrogen outlet holes and oxygen outlet holes of the polar plate assembly and the polar frame assembly are respectively communicated through guide ditches to form a gas path channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment, and relates to a high-pressure sealed alkaline water electrolyzer. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, hydrogen energy, as a new type of green energy, has attracted more and more attention globally. Due to the extensive use of renewable energy sources such as solar energy and wind energy for power generation, the cost of water electrolysis hydrogen production will continue to decline, enabling the "zero pollution" of the hydrogen production process. At the same time, electrolytic hydrogen production can also be used as a means of energy storage to absorb photovoltaic and wind power generation, avoiding energy waste caused by phenomena such as "abandoned wind and light". It can be foreseen that low-cost and high-efficiency water electrolysis hydrogen production will bring huge environmental and economic benefits.

[0003] Alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen production is to pass direct current into an electrolyzer filled with alkaline electrolyte, and water molecules undergo electrochemical reactions on the electrodes to decompose into hydrogen and oxygen. The alkaline water electrolyzer is the core equipment in the hydrogen production device and is developing towards large-scale. The large-scale of the alkaline water electrolyzer will inevitably increase the number of electrolysis chambers significantly. The increase in electrolysis chambers causes the uniformity of the flow field in the electrolyzer to deteriorate, the temperature difference between each electrolysis chamber to increase, the resistance of the electrolyte flow to increase, and the operating state of the electrolyzer to deteriorate. These adverse factors need to be eliminated through the improvement of the equipment. At the same time, due to the increase in the size of the electrolyzer and the rise in temperature during operation, the sealing requirements for the electrolyzer are becoming increasingly stringent and are also becoming more and more difficult to solve.

[0004] CN117026266A discloses a double gasket electrolysis unit and a high-pressure electrolyzer formed by the double gasket electrolysis unit. It is designed that an inner and outer double gasket is arranged between the sides of a pair of electrode plates. When a pair of electrode plates constituting the cathode and anode are relatively abutted and an electrolysis diaphragm is sandwiched in the middle, two inner ring gaskets on the opposite sides of the pair of electrode plates respectively form two staggered circles of line seals with the two side surfaces of the electrolysis diaphragm.

[0005] CN117210845A discloses a metal bipolar plate sealing structure for high-pressure water electrolysis, including a bipolar plate and sealing flat gaskets located on both sides of the bipolar plate; the bipolar plate has a peripheral sealing area and a central reaction area, and a closed groove is arranged on the peripheral sealing area. The sealing flat gasket covers the peripheral sealing area, and the sealing flat gasket is made of a flexible material. After being pressed, part of the sealing flat gasket enters the closed groove.

[0006] The above-mentioned high-pressure sealed water electrolysis cell or high-pressure sealing device has a relatively complex structure and a high processing cost. There is an urgent need for a new type of high-pressure sealed alkaline water electrolysis cell to improve the structure of the plate flow channel, shorten the path of the electrolyte in the electrolysis cell, reduce the resistance, improve the flow field, ensure the reliable and normal operation of the alkaline water electrolysis cell, and at the same time have excellent sealing performance to meet the requirements of the large-scale development of alkaline water electrolysis cells. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The utility model provides a high-pressure sealed electrolysis cell, which has a structure that improves the sealing performance of the electrolysis cell, increases the contact area between the electrolyte and the plate during the alkaline water electrolysis hydrogen production process, and evenly distributes the flow of the electrolyte, shortening the flow path of the electrolyte in the electrolysis cell, reducing the flow resistance of the electrolyte, improving the flow field in the electrolysis chamber, reducing the energy consumption of the electrolysis cell, and ensuring the reliable and normal operation of the electrolysis cell. The specific technical solutions are as follows.

[0008] A high-pressure sealed electrolysis cell includes: two end plates located at both ends, two external plates, insulating gaskets are provided between the external plates and the end plates, a plate assembly and a cell frame assembly located between the two external plates; the end plates, insulating gaskets, external plates, plate assembly and cell frame assembly are fixedly connected; the plate assembly includes a plate and its sealing surface, the plate is provided with an alkali liquid inlet hole, a hydrogen outlet hole and an oxygen outlet hole, and the plate is provided with a regional flow channel and its dividing line; the cell frame assembly includes a cell frame and its sealing surface, a cell frame mother ring and a cell frame son ring, a diaphragm for alkaline water electrolysis is provided between the cell frame mother ring and the cell frame son ring, and the cell frame is provided with an alkali liquid inlet hole, a hydrogen outlet hole and an oxygen outlet hole; the plate assembly and the cell frame assembly are fixed together through their respective sealing surfaces to form an electrolysis chamber, the alkali liquid inlet holes of the plate assembly and the cell frame assembly are connected through guide grooves to form a liquid path channel, and the hydrogen outlet holes and oxygen outlet holes of the plate assembly and the cell frame assembly are respectively connected through guide grooves to form a gas path channel.

[0009] Further, there are multiple groups of the plate assembly and the cell frame assembly, and the number of groups of the plate assembly and the cell frame assembly can be determined according to production needs to improve production efficiency.

[0010] Further, the way that the plate assembly and the cell frame assembly are fixed through their respective sealing surfaces is bonding, welding or riveting. By bonding, welding or riveting, the plate assembly and the cell frame assembly can be fixed to ensure the sealing strength.

[0011] Further, the material of the plate assembly is metal, the material of the cell frame assembly is non-metal, and the plate assembly and the cell frame assembly are bonded together through their respective sealing surfaces. By bonding, the sealing strength of the metal plate assembly and the non-metal cell frame assembly can reach more than 10 MPa.

[0012] Further, the end plate, external electrode plate, insulating gasket, electrode plate assembly and electrode frame assembly are rectangular, and the rectangle can reduce the waste when cutting the diaphragm.

[0013] Further, the end plate, external electrode plate, insulating gasket, electrode plate assembly and electrode frame assembly are circular.

[0014] Further, the flow channel is a 3D porous flow channel. The regional flow channel dividing line divides the flow field of the electrolytic cell into several independent regions. The flow channels of the uniform electrolyte flow field within the region are planar flow channels with porous planes on both sides, a fine and interconnected irregular maze structure inside, which can fully disturb the electrolyte, and the electrolyte can be evenly distributed to any corner of the structure for flowing.

[0015] Further, the end plate, insulating gasket, external electrode plate, electrode plate assembly and electrode frame assembly are fixedly connected by bolts.

[0016] The utility model has the following beneficial technical effects: changing the manufacturing process of pressurizing and sealing the electrolytic cell stacked by traditional electrode frame electrode plates and gaskets into a sealing surface fixing process, and sequentially fixing the electrode plate assembly and the electrode frame assembly to form individual electrolytic cells of the electrolytic cell. The structure is simple and the sealing performance is good; the regional flow channels of the electrolytic cells can fully disturb the electrolyte, and the electrolyte can be evenly distributed to any corner of the structure for flowing, with a large contact area and high structural strength, which can fully disturb the electrolyte and the electrolyte flow resistance is small. Description of the Drawings

[0017] Figure 1 is the front view schematic diagram of the utility model.

[0018] Figure 2 is the top view schematic diagram of the utility model.

[0019] Figure 3 is the exploded view schematic diagram of the utility model.

[0020] Reference Numerals: 1 - Electrode Plate Assembly, 2 - Electrode Frame Assembly, 3 - End Plate, 4 - External Electrode Plate, 5 - Insulating Gasket, 6 - Alkali Liquid Inlet Hole on the Electrode Plate, 7 - Regional Flow Channel, 8 - Hydrogen Outlet Hole on the Electrode Plate, 9 - Oxygen Outlet Hole on the Electrode Plate, 10 - Regional Flow Channel Dividing Line, 11 - Electrode Plate Sealing Surface, 12 - Electrode Frame Sealing Surface, 13 - Electrode Frame Mother Ring, 14 - Electrode Frame Son Ring, 15 - Alkali Liquid Inlet Hole on the Electrode Frame, 16 - Hydrogen Outlet Hole on the Electrode Frame, 17 - Oxygen Outlet Hole on the Electrode Frame, 18 - Electrode Frame, 19 - Diaphragm. Detailed Embodiments

[0021] The technical solution of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present utility model, rather than all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present utility model without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0022] In the description of the present utility model, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present utility model and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation to the present utility model. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, quantity or position.

[0023] In the description of the present utility model, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present utility model can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0024] A high-pressure sealed electrolytic cell, the front view is as Figure 1 shown, the top view is as Figure 2 shown, and the structural decomposition is as Figure 3As shown in the figure, it includes two end plates 3 located at both ends, two external electrode plates 4, an insulating gasket 5 is provided between the external electrode plate 4 and the end plate 3, a plate assembly 1 and a pole frame assembly 4 located between the two external electrode plates 4; the end plate 3, the insulating gasket 5, the external electrode plate 4, the plate assembly 1 and the pole frame assembly 2 are fixedly connected by bolts. The plate assembly 1 includes a plate and its sealing surface 11, and the plate is provided with an alkaline liquid inlet hole 6, a hydrogen outlet hole 8 and an oxygen outlet hole 9, and the plate is provided with a regional flow channel 7 and its dividing line 10. The pole frame assembly 2 includes a pole frame 18 and its sealing surface 12, a pole frame mother ring 13 and a pole frame son ring 14, and a diaphragm 19 for alkaline water electrolysis is provided between the pole frame mother ring 13 and the pole frame son ring 14. The pole frame 18 is provided with an alkaline liquid inlet hole 15, a hydrogen outlet hole 16 and an oxygen outlet hole 17. The material of the plate assembly 1 is metal, and the material of the pole frame assembly 2 is non-metal. The plate assembly 1 and the pole frame assembly 2 are bonded together through the plate sealing surface 11 and the pole frame sealing surface 12 to form an electrolysis cell. The alkaline liquid inlet hole 6 on the plate and the alkaline liquid inlet hole 15 on the pole frame are connected through a guide groove to form a liquid path channel. The hydrogen outlet hole 8 on the plate and the hydrogen outlet hole 16 on the pole frame are connected through a guide groove to form a gas path channel. The oxygen outlet hole 9 on the plate and the oxygen outlet hole 17 on the pole frame are connected through a guide groove to form a gas path channel. The end plate 3, the external electrode plate 4, the insulating gasket 5, the plate assembly 1 and the pole frame assembly 2 are rectangular, and the rectangle can reduce the waste when cutting the diaphragm. The regional flow channel 7 is a 3D porous flow channel. The regional flow channel dividing line 10 divides the flow field of the electrolysis cell into several independent regions. The flow channels of the uniform electrolyte flow field in the region are plane flow channels with porous planes on both sides, a fine interconnected irregular maze structure inside, which can fully disturb the electrolyte, and the electrolyte can be evenly distributed to any corner of the structure to flow.

[0025] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it can be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention without departing from the principles and purposes of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention is defined by the claims and their equivalent technical solutions.

Claims

1. A high-pressure sealed alkaline water electrolyzer, characterized in that: include: Two end plates at both ends, two external pole plates, an insulating gasket is provided between the external pole plate and the end plate, and a pole plate assembly and a pole frame assembly are located between the two external pole plates; the end plates, the insulating gasket, the external pole plates, the pole plate assembly and the pole frame assembly are fixedly connected; The electrode plate assembly comprises an electrode plate and a sealing surface thereof, wherein an alkali solution inlet hole, a hydrogen outlet hole and an oxygen outlet hole are arranged on the electrode plate, and a regional flow channel and a dividing line thereof are arranged on the electrode plate; The pole frame assembly comprises a pole frame and its sealing surface, a pole frame mother ring and a pole frame sub-ring, a diaphragm for alkaline water electrolysis is arranged between the pole frame mother ring and the pole frame sub-ring, and an alkali solution inlet hole, a hydrogen outlet hole and an oxygen outlet hole are arranged on the pole frame; The electrode plate assembly and the electrode frame assembly are fixed together through their respective sealing surfaces to form an electrolysis chamber, the alkali solution inlet holes of the electrode plate assembly and the electrode frame assembly are connected through guide grooves to form a liquid channel, and the hydrogen outlet holes and oxygen outlet holes of the electrode plate assembly and the electrode frame assembly are respectively connected through guide grooves to form a gas channel.

2. A high pressure sealed alkaline water electrolyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple groups of pole plate assemblies and pole frame assemblies.

3. A high pressure sealed alkaline water electrolyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pole plate assembly and the pole frame assembly are fixed via their respective sealing surfaces by bonding, welding or riveting.

4. A high pressure sealed alkaline water electrolyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the pole plate assembly is metal, the material of the pole frame assembly is non-metal, and the pole plate assembly and the pole frame assembly are bonded together through their respective sealing surfaces.

5. A high pressure sealed alkaline water electrolyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end plate, external pole plate, insulating gasket, pole plate assembly and pole frame assembly are rectangular.

6. A high pressure sealed alkaline water electrolyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end plate, external pole plate, insulating gasket, pole plate assembly and pole frame assembly are circular.

7. A high pressure sealed alkaline water electrolyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flow channel is a porous flow channel with a 3D structure.

8. A high pressure sealed alkaline water electrolyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end plate, insulating gasket, external pole plate, pole plate assembly and pole frame assembly are fixedly connected by bolts.

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