Metal half battery and assembling tool thereof

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of battery stacks, and aims to solve the technical problem of poor sealing effect. In order to solve the technical problem, the utility model provides the metal half battery and the assembling tool thereof. The bipolar plate comprises an anode plate and a cathode plate which are connected with each other; an anode sealing groove is formed in one side, far away from the cathode plate, of the anode plate; a cathode sealing groove is formed in one side, far away from the anode plate, of the cathode plate; the UV adhesive layer is filled in the anode sealing groove; the membrane electrode is bonded with the anode plate through the UV adhesive layer; a sealing protrusion protruding towards the anode plate is arranged at the position, corresponding to the anode sealing groove, of the side, close to the anode plate, of the membrane electrode, and the width of the sealing protrusion is smaller than that of the anode sealing groove. The sealing element is arranged in the cathode sealing groove; the surface of the side, away from the anode plate, of the sealing piece protrudes outwards to form sealing ball heads, the multiple sealing ball heads are arranged at intervals, and the sealing ball heads correspond to the sealing protrusions in position. The sealing structure is good in sealing effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of battery stacks, in particular to a metal half-cell and an assembly tool thereof. Background Art

[0002] A proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack is a device that can convert the chemical energy of hydrogen into electrical energy. The structure of a fuel cell stack is as follows: Figure 1 The stack consists of an upper end plate 1, an upper insulating plate 2, a current collecting plate 3, a core 4, a current collecting plate 5, a lower insulating plate 6, and a lower end plate 7. The core 4 is formed by stacking a certain number of bipolar plates and membrane electrode systems. The bipolar plates provide paths for the flow of hydrogen, air, and cooling water, ensuring their uniform distribution. The membrane electrode system is where the electrochemical reactions occur. The core is a sealed structure that prevents leakage of hydrogen, air, and cooling water, or their mutual leakage. This sealing is achieved by sealing strips on both sides of the bipolar plates. After the stack is assembled, the core sealing strips are compressed by the bipolar plates and the membrane electrode frames to achieve a seal.

[0003] The traditional core sealing method is the compression sealing of the bipolar plate sealing strips and the membrane electrode frame. This sealing method has high requirements on the performance of the sealing strips. The gas sealing effect achieved by the compression seal is limited, the sealing life is short, and the fuel cell stack is prone to leakage when operating at high pressure.

[0004] A half-cell is an integral assembly formed by bonding a bipolar plate and a membrane electrode. It includes the membrane electrode, bipolar plates, and seals. The membrane electrode is bonded to the anode side of the bipolar plate, while the seal is bonded to the cathode side of the bipolar plate. Bipolar plate half-cells can be made with either graphite or metal plates. Due to the complex structure and bonding process of metal bipolar plates, existing sealing techniques have been found to be ineffective. Utility Model Content

[0005] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a metal half-cell and its assembly tool, including:

[0007] The bipolar plate comprises an anode plate and a cathode plate connected to each other; an anode sealing groove is provided on the side of the anode plate away from the cathode plate; and a cathode sealing groove is provided on the side of the cathode plate away from the anode plate.

[0008] UV glue layer, filling in the anode sealing groove;

[0009] The membrane electrode is bonded to the anode plate through a UV adhesive layer; a sealing protrusion protruding toward the anode plate is provided at a position corresponding to the anode sealing groove on the side of the membrane electrode close to the anode plate, and the width of the sealing protrusion is smaller than the width of the anode sealing groove;

[0010] The sealing member is arranged in the cathode sealing groove; the surface of the sealing member on the side away from the anode plate protrudes outward to form a sealing ball head, and there are multiple sealing ball heads, which are arranged at intervals along the width direction of the sealing member, and the positions of the sealing ball heads correspond to the sealing protrusions.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the center of the sealing protrusion coincides with the center of the anode sealing groove, and the width of the sealing protrusion is 0.5 mm to 2 mm smaller than the width of the anode sealing groove.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the depth of the sealing protrusion is greater than 0.02 mm and less than half the depth of the anode sealing groove.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the anode plate and the cathode plate are welded.

[0014] The present invention further provides a metal half-cell assembly tool, which is used to assemble the metal half-cell of any of the above embodiments; the assembly tool comprises:

[0015] An upper tooling, comprising an upper tooling plate and a protrusion, wherein the protrusion protrudes from the inner surface of the upper tooling plate;

[0016] The lower tooling includes a lower tooling plate and a trough body, wherein the trough body is arranged in the lower tooling plate and cooperates with the protrusion; the trough body is provided with a contoured protrusion structure matching the sealing protrusion;

[0017] Among them, the bipolar plates and membrane electrodes are placed between the upper tooling and the lower tooling, and the upper tooling and the lower tooling are docked to press the bipolar plates and membrane electrodes.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, the lower tooling is made of a light-transmitting material.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, the tooling also includes a positioning assembly arranged on the inner surface of the lower tooling plate; the positioning assembly includes at least two positioning columns; at least one positioning column is arranged along the length direction of the lower tooling plate; at least one positioning column is arranged along the width direction of the lower tooling plate; and positioning grooves corresponding to the positioning columns are provided on the protrusion.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, the positioning assembly also includes a plurality of limit columns arranged on the side of the lower tooling plate; at least one limit column is arranged along the length direction of the lower tooling plate, and at least one limit column is arranged along the width direction of the lower tooling plate; the limit column is arranged against the side wall of the upper tooling plate.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present invention, the lower tooling plate is provided with a plurality of protrusions protruding from the inner surface thereof, and the plurality of protrusions form a groove.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present invention, the groove body is provided with an anode activation zone avoidance position groove for avoiding the anode activation zone of the membrane electrode; the protrusion is provided with a cathode activation zone avoidance position groove for avoiding the cathode activation zone of the membrane electrode.

[0023] The above technical solution of the utility model has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0024] The utility model describes a metal half-cell and its assembly tooling, wherein the membrane electrode, UV adhesive layer, bipolar plate and sealant constitute a metal half-cell, and multiple metal half-cells are stacked to form a battery core. The sealant of the upper metal half-cell is adjacent to the membrane electrode of the lower metal half-cell, and the UV adhesive layer in the core enables the anode plate to be bonded to the membrane electrode to achieve sealing on the anode side. The sealant on the cathode side of the core is compressed with the membrane electrode to achieve sealing on the cathode side, thereby achieving sealing of the entire core. In addition, the design of the sealing protrusion in the membrane electrode of this embodiment can ensure the continuity of the sealing line between the membrane electrode and the anode plate, thereby improving the yield rate of metal half-cell production; and the sealing member is provided with a sealing ball head, so that the sealing ball head cooperates with the sealing protrusion to further improve the reliability of the seal. As can be seen from this. The sealing structure of this embodiment is simple and has a good sealing effect, thereby improving the yield rate of metal half-cell production. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to make the content of the utility model easier to understand, the utility model is further described in detail below based on the specific embodiments of the utility model in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0026] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of a fuel cell stack structure;

[0027] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A metal half-cell structure;

[0028] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of a metal half-cell;

[0029] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of a metal half-cell stack core;

[0030] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the upper tooling of a metal half-cell assembly tooling;

[0031] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of the lower tooling of a metal half-cell assembly tooling;

[0032] Figure 7 It is the use of Figure 6A schematic diagram of the structure of a metal half-cell assembly tool for pressing;

[0033] Figure 8 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the bonding and pressing of a metal half-cell;

[0034] Description of the accompanying drawings: 100, bipolar plate; 110, anode plate; 111, anode sealing groove; 120, cathode plate; 121, cathode sealing groove;

[0035] 200, UV adhesive layer;

[0036] 300, membrane electrode; 310, sealing protrusion;

[0037] 400, sealing element; 410, sealing ball head;

[0038] 500, upper tooling; 510, upper tooling plate; 520, bump; 521, positioning groove; 522, cathode activation zone avoidance position groove;

[0039] 600, lower tooling; 610, lower tooling plate; 611, protrusion; 620, trough body; 621, anode activation zone avoidance position groove; 630, contoured protrusion structure;

[0040] 700, positioning assembly; 710, positioning column; 720, limiting column. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments so that those skilled in the art can better understand the present invention and implement it. However, the embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0042] In some comparative embodiments, the side of the bipolar plate close to the anode plate is flat. When under pressure, the UV glue adheres to the bipolar plate and the membrane electrode. When there is no pressure, bubbles and glue breakage will occur. Even if the plane is under pressure, the glue continuity cannot be completely guaranteed. This is more serious when the bipolar plate and the membrane electrode are not flat enough. The yield rate of half-cells produced in this way is too low.

[0043] Therefore, refer to Figures 1 to 8 As shown, the embodiment of the present invention provides a metal half-cell and its assembly tool, including:

[0044] The bipolar plate 100 includes an anode plate 110 and a cathode plate 120 connected to each other; an anode sealing groove 111 is provided on the side of the anode plate 110 away from the cathode plate 120; and a cathode sealing groove 121 is provided on the side of the cathode plate 120 away from the anode plate 110.

[0045] UV glue layer 200, filled in the anode sealing groove 111;

[0046] The membrane electrode 300 is bonded to the anode plate 110 via a UV adhesive layer 200. A sealing protrusion 310 is provided on one side of the membrane electrode 300 close to the anode plate 110 at a position corresponding to the anode sealing groove 111, protruding toward the anode plate 110 (i.e., the membrane electrode 300 is lower in the middle and higher on both sides). The width of the sealing protrusion 310 is smaller than the width of the anode sealing groove 111.

[0047] The seal 400 is positioned within the cathode sealing groove 121. The surface of the seal 400 facing away from the anode plate 110 protrudes outward to form a sealing ball 410. Multiple sealing balls 410 are spaced apart along the width of the seal 400. The sealing balls 410 correspond to the positions of the sealing protrusions 310. The height H2 of the sealing balls 410 is greater than the depth H1 of the sealing protrusions 310 to ensure compression margin. The sealing balls 410 and the seal 400 are an integral structure. The presence of multiple sealing balls 410 enables multi-layer sealing, further enhancing sealing reliability.

[0048] Specifically, the membrane electrode 300, UV adhesive layer 200, bipolar plate 100, and seal 400 of this embodiment form a metal half-cell. Multiple metal half-cells are stacked to form the stack core. The seal 400 of the upper metal half-cell is adjacent to the membrane electrode 300 of the lower metal half-cell. The UV adhesive layer in the core bonds the anode plate 110 to the membrane electrode 300, achieving a seal on the anode side. The seal 400 on the cathode side of the core compresses against the membrane electrode 300, achieving a seal on the cathode side, ultimately sealing the entire core. Furthermore, the design of the sealing protrusion 310 in the membrane electrode 300 of this embodiment ensures a continuous sealing line between the membrane electrode 300 and the anode plate 110, thereby improving the yield rate of metal half-cell production. Furthermore, the seal 400 is equipped with a sealing ball 410, which cooperates with the sealing protrusion 310 to further enhance the reliability of the seal. This demonstrates that this embodiment has a simple sealing structure, provides excellent sealing performance, and improves the yield rate of metal half-cell production.

[0049] Furthermore, the center of the sealing protrusion 310 coincides with the center of the anode sealing groove 111, and the width of the sealing protrusion 310 is 0.5 mm to 2 mm smaller than the width of the anode sealing groove 111. The depth of the sealing protrusion 310 is greater than 0.02 mm and less than half the depth of the anode sealing groove 111. Specifically, testing has shown that this embodiment has a better sealing effect.

[0050] Furthermore, the anode plate 110 and the cathode plate 120 are welded.

[0051] Reference Figures 1 to 8 As shown, the embodiment of the present invention further provides a metal half-cell assembly tool for assembling the above-mentioned metal half-cell; the assembly tool includes:

[0052] The upper tooling 500 includes an upper tooling plate 510 and a protrusion 520 , wherein the protrusion 520 protrudes from the inner surface of the upper tooling plate 510 ;

[0053] The lower tooling 600 includes a lower tooling plate 610 and a groove 620. The groove 620 is disposed in the lower tooling plate 610 and cooperates with the protrusion 520. The groove 620 is provided with a contoured protrusion structure 630 that matches the sealing protrusion 310.

[0054] The bipolar plate 100 and the membrane electrode 300 are placed between the upper tooling 500 and the lower tooling 600 , and the upper tooling 500 and the lower tooling 600 are butted against each other to press-fit the bipolar plate 100 and the membrane electrode 300 .

[0055] Specifically, the design of the contoured protrusion structure 630 in this embodiment causes the frame of the membrane electrode 300 to deform and the center to sag during pressing. Under the action of the tooling's own weight, a sealing protrusion 310 is formed at the membrane electrode 300, thereby ensuring the continuity of the bonding sealing line between the membrane electrode 300 and the anode plate 110 and improving the curing effect. There is no need to take out the component and light curing can be performed directly, thereby improving the yield rate of metal half-cell production.

[0056] Furthermore, the lower fixture 600 is made of a translucent material. The lower fixture 600 can be made of transparent materials such as glass, acrylic, and PC. When the lower fixture 600 is made of PC, the edges of the PC are fixed with aluminum alloy. Translucent materials allow UV light to pass through, eliminating the need to remove the component from the fixture before curing under UV light, thereby improving the yield rate during the curing process.

[0057] Furthermore, the tooling includes a positioning assembly 700 disposed on the inner surface of the lower tooling plate 610. The positioning assembly 700 includes at least two positioning posts 710. At least one positioning post 710 is provided along the length of the lower tooling plate 610, and at least one positioning post 710 is provided along the width of the lower tooling plate 610. The protrusion 520 is provided with positioning grooves 521 that correspond one-to-one with the positioning posts 710. Specifically, the positioning posts 710 and the positioning grooves 521 in this embodiment cooperate to quickly achieve docking between the upper tooling 500 and the lower tooling 600, thereby improving efficiency.

[0058] Furthermore, the positioning assembly 700 includes a plurality of limiting posts 720 disposed on the side of the lower tooling plate 610. At least one limiting post 720 is provided along the length of the lower tooling plate 610, and at least one limiting post 720 is provided along the width of the lower tooling plate 610. The limiting posts 720 abut against the sidewalls of the upper tooling plate 510. Specifically, the limiting posts 720 of this embodiment can limit the position of the upper tooling plate 510, preventing the upper tooling plate 510 from shifting relative to the lower tooling plate 610 during press assembly, which could affect assembly quality.

[0059] Furthermore, the lower tooling plate 610 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 611 protruding from its inner surface, and the plurality of protrusions 611 form a groove 620. Specifically, this embodiment has a simple structure, reduces the weight of the lower tooling plate 610, and reduces costs.

[0060] Furthermore, the trough body 620 is provided with an anode active zone clearance groove 621 for accommodating the anode active zone of the membrane electrode 300; and the bump 520 is provided with a cathode active zone clearance groove 522 for accommodating the cathode active zone of the membrane electrode 300. The depths of the anode active zone clearance groove 621 and the cathode active zone clearance groove 522 are 0.1 mm to 2 mm, respectively. Specifically, this embodiment is used to provide clearance for the anode active zone and the cathode active zone of the membrane electrode 300, thereby allowing the entire surface of the membrane electrode 300 and the bipolar plate 100 to mate with the lower tooling 600 and the upper tooling 500, thereby improving the half-cell yield rate.

[0061] The process of assembling a metal bipolar plate 100 half-cell using this tool is as follows:

[0062] 1. Apply glue to the anode sealing groove 111 of the metal bipolar plate 100. The glue is UV light curing glue.

[0063] 2. Place the membrane electrode 300 into the lower fixture 600, with the glued side of the bipolar plate 100 (called the anode side) facing downward, so that the anode side and the membrane electrode 300 are bonded. Place the upper fixture 500 on the bipolar plate 100, closing the upper fixture 500 and lower fixture 600. Then, apply pressure to the upper fixture 500 to flip the upper fixture 500, lower fixture 600, bipolar plate 100, and membrane electrode 300 assembly over (at this point, the lower fixture 600 is at the top, the upper fixture 500 is at the bottom, and the bonding surface of the bipolar plate 100 and membrane electrode 300 faces upward).

[0064] 3. Place the upper tooling 500, the lower tooling 600, the bipolar plate 100, and the membrane electrode 300 as a whole under a UV surface light source until the UV adhesive layer 200 is cured and formed.

[0065] 4. Paste the sealing member 400 (eg, a sealing strip) into the cathode sealing groove 121 of the bipolar plate 100 to complete the bonding assembly of the metal half-cell.

[0066] This application solves the problem of difficult bonding of metal half-cells and improves the sealing life and reliability of the metal stack core. It can significantly improve the sealing effect of existing stacks, extend the stack sealing life, and increase stacking efficiency.

[0067] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely examples for clarity of explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation methods. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other variations or modifications based on the above descriptions are possible. It is not necessary and impossible to enumerate all implementation methods here. Obvious variations or modifications arising therefrom remain within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A metal half-cell, characterized in that: include: A bipolar plate comprising an anode plate and a cathode plate connected to each other; an anode sealing groove is provided on the side of the anode plate away from the cathode plate; and a cathode sealing groove is provided on the side of the cathode plate away from the anode plate. UV glue layer, filled in the anode sealing groove; A membrane electrode is bonded to the anode plate via the UV adhesive layer; a sealing protrusion protruding toward the anode plate is provided at a position corresponding to the anode sealing groove on a side of the membrane electrode close to the anode plate, wherein the width of the sealing protrusion is smaller than the width of the anode sealing groove; A sealing member is arranged in the cathode sealing groove; the surface of the sealing member on the side away from the anode plate protrudes outward to form a sealing ball head, and there are multiple sealing ball heads, which are arranged at intervals along the width direction of the sealing member, and the positions of the sealing ball heads correspond to the sealing protrusions.

2. The metal half-cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The center of the sealing protrusion coincides with the center of the anode sealing groove, and the width of the sealing protrusion is 0.5 mm to 2 mm smaller than the width of the anode sealing groove.

3. The metal half-cell according to claim 2, characterized in that: The depth of the sealing protrusion is greater than 0.02 mm and less than half of the depth of the anode sealing groove.

4. The metal half-cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The anode plate and the cathode plate are welded.

5. A metal half-cell assembly tool, characterized by: Used for assembling the metal half-cell according to any one of claims 1 to 4; the assembly tool comprises: An upper tooling, comprising an upper tooling plate and a protrusion, wherein the protrusion protrudes from the inner surface of the upper tooling plate; The lower tooling comprises a lower tooling plate and a groove body, wherein the groove body is arranged in the lower tooling plate and cooperates with the protrusion; the groove body is provided with a contoured protrusion structure matching the sealing protrusion; The bipolar plate and the membrane electrode are placed between the upper tooling and the lower tooling, and the upper tooling and the lower tooling are butted together to press-fit the bipolar plate and the membrane electrode.

6. The metal half-cell assembly tool according to claim 5, characterized in that: The lower tooling is made of light-transmitting material.

7. The metal half-cell assembly tool according to claim 5, characterized in that: It also includes a positioning assembly arranged on the inner surface of the lower tooling plate; the positioning assembly includes at least two positioning columns; at least one positioning column is arranged along the length direction of the lower tooling plate; at least one positioning column is arranged along the width direction of the lower tooling plate; and the protrusion is provided with positioning grooves corresponding one-to-one to the positioning columns.

8. The metal half-cell assembly tool according to claim 7, characterized in that: The positioning assembly also includes a plurality of limit columns arranged on the side of the lower tooling plate; at least one limit column is arranged along the length direction of the lower tooling plate, and at least one limit column is arranged along the width direction of the lower tooling plate; the limit column is arranged against the side wall of the upper tooling plate.

9. The metal half-cell assembly tool according to claim 5, characterized in that: The lower tooling plate is provided with a plurality of protrusions protruding from the inner surface thereof, and the plurality of protrusions form the groove body.

10. The metal half-cell assembly tool according to claim 5, characterized in that: The trough body is provided with an anode activation zone avoidance position groove for avoiding the anode activation zone of the membrane electrode; the convex block is provided with a cathode activation zone avoidance position groove for avoiding the cathode activation zone of the membrane electrode.

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