Polar plate and electrolytic cell
By constructing a porous flow-guiding protrusion on the electrode plate, the problem of dead zones in the flow channel wall is solved, the coverage and distribution uniformity of the electrolyte are improved, the performance of the electrolyzer is enhanced, and the electrode plate thickness is reduced, thus achieving efficient operation of the electrolyzer.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202520251558.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-17
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-02
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-02-17
AI Technical Summary
The existing electrode plate flow channel wall structure forms dead zones, resulting in low electrolyte coverage and affecting the efficiency of the electrolysis reaction.
The flow channel of the electrode plate is constructed as a porous flow-guiding protrusion to form a flow field. The flow-guiding protrusion has a certain porosity and permeability, which promotes electrolyte diffusion and mass transfer and reduces dead zone areas.
It improves the coverage and uniformity of electrolyte on the electrode surface, reduces dead zones, enhances the overall performance of the electrolyzer, and reduces the thickness of the electrode assembly and the height of the stack.
Smart Images
Figure CN223752920U_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of electrolysis, in particular to an electrode plate and an electrolytic cell. BACKGROUND
[0002] The electrolytic cell has become a research hotspot due to its high energy conversion efficiency, long service life, stable operation and high reliability. In addition, it has high site freedom due to its small footprint. At the same time, it can match renewable energy power generation technologies such as solar energy and wind energy with wide load adjustment range, so it has great demand in the field of hydrogen energy storage. The electrode plate is an important component of the electrolytic cell. In the related art, when the flow channel is arranged on the electrode plate to guide the flow of electrolyte, the wall structure of the flow channel actually becomes a dead zone, and the electrolyte cannot flow to these areas, which reduces the coverage of the electrolyte on the surface of the electrode plate and affects the efficiency of the electrolysis reaction. CONTENT OF THE UTILITY MODEL
[0003] The main purpose of the present application is to provide an electrode plate and an electrolytic cell, which aims to reduce the dead zone area on the electrode plate by setting the flow guide convex part of the flow field structure as a porous structure, so that the holes on the flow guide convex part can flow electrolyte.
[0004] To achieve the above purpose, the electrode plate provided by the present application comprises:
[0005] A base plate part configured as a porous structure; and
[0006] A plurality of flow guide convex parts, the flow guide convex parts are protruded on the base plate part and configured as a porous structure, and the plurality of flow guide convex parts form a flow field of the electrode plate.
[0007] In an embodiment, the plurality of flow guide convex parts are in strip shape and are distributed along the width direction thereof, and each of the two sides of the flow guide convex part forms a flow channel with both ends penetrating through, and the two flow channels corresponding to the flow guide convex part are distributed along the width direction of the flow guide convex part.
[0008] In an embodiment, the end face of the flow guide convex part and the end face of the corresponding base plate part are arranged at intervals, so that the inlet ends of the plurality of flow channels are connected, and the outlet ends of the plurality of flow channels are connected.
[0009] In an embodiment, the porosity of the flow guide convex part and / or the base plate part is 0.2 to 0.9.
[0010] In an embodiment, the porosity of the flow guide convex part and / or the base plate part is 0.2 to 0.5, and the pore size is 30 microns to 60 microns.
[0011] In an embodiment, the porosity of the flow guide protrusion and / or the base plate portion is 0.5 to 0.9, and the pore size is 50 to 60 nanometers.
[0012] In an embodiment, the flow guide protrusion and the base plate portion are separately formed and then connected into one body.
[0013] In an embodiment, the flow guide protrusion is separately formed, and then connected into one body with the base plate portion by welding or sintering.
[0014] In an embodiment, the flow guide protrusion and the base plate portion are integrally formed.
[0015] In an embodiment, the flow guide protrusion and the base plate portion are integrally formed by 3D printing.
[0016] The application also provides an electrolytic cell comprising a membrane electrode and two aforementioned polar plates, the membrane electrode is clamped between the two polar plates, and the flow guide protrusion is protruded from the side of the base plate portion away from the membrane electrode.
[0017] In the technical solution of the application, the flow field of the polar plate is constructed by the plurality of flow guide protrusions to guide the flow of the electrolyte, improve the uniformity of the distribution of the electrolyte on the surface of the polar plate, and because the flow guide protrusions are configured as a porous structure, a flow channel structure is also formed on the flow guide protrusions, which can be passed through by the electrolyte, further improving the coverage of the electrolyte on the surface of the polar plate and the uniformity of the distribution of the electrolyte on the surface of the polar plate. That is, the application converts the flow channel wall of the original solid area into the flow guide protrusion with a porous structure, and the flow guide protrusion has a certain porosity and permeability, which is beneficial to the further diffusion and mass transfer of the electrolyte, thereby improving the utilization rate of the base plate portion below the flow guide protrusion, reducing the dead area on the polar plate, and improving the overall performance of the electrolytic cell. In addition, the flow field is constructed by the conductive protrusions, which can reduce the thickness of the flat plate assembled on the side of the flow guide protrusion away from the base plate portion, thereby greatly reducing the thickness of the polar plate assembly and the volume of the single cell, thereby shortening the overall height of the stack. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or prior art description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor based on the drawings shown.
[0019] Figure 1 The structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the polar plate provided by the application is shown in the figure.
[0020] Figure 2A flow field simulation diagram of an embodiment of the polar plate provided in the application when the porosity of the flow guide convex part is 0.2;
[0021] Figure 3 A flow field simulation diagram of an embodiment of the polar plate provided in the application when the porosity of the flow guide convex part is 0.2;
[0022] Figure 4 A flow field simulation diagram of an embodiment of the polar plate provided in the application when the porosity of the flow guide convex part is 0.4;
[0023] Figure 5 A flow field simulation diagram of an embodiment of the polar plate provided in the application when the porosity of the flow guide convex part is 0.6;
[0024] Figure 6 A flow field simulation diagram of an embodiment of the polar plate provided in the application when the porosity of the flow guide convex part is 0.8;
[0025] Figure 7 An explosion structure schematic diagram of an embodiment of the electrolytic cell provided in the application.
[0026] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0027] 100, polar plate; 101, flow channel; 110, base plate part; 120, flow guide convex part;
[0028] 10, membrane electrode; 21, anode polar plate; 22, cathode polar plate; 31, anode current collector plate; 32, cathode current collector plate; 41, anode end plate; 42, cathode end plate; 51, screw; 52, nut.
[0029] The implementation, functional features and advantages of the application will be further described with reference to the embodiments and the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0030] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the application, rather than all the embodiments of the application. Based on the embodiments in the application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work fall within the protection scope of the application.
[0031] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the application involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement condition, etc. between the components in a certain posture, and if the certain posture changes, the directional indications also change accordingly.
[0032] In addition, if the description of "first", "second" and the like is involved in the embodiments of the present application, the description of "first", "second" and the like is only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features limited by "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, if "and / or" or "and / or" appears throughout the text, it means that the three parallel schemes include the A scheme, or the B scheme, or the A and B schemes. In addition, the technical solutions of each embodiment can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the realization of ordinary skilled in the art, when the combination of technical solutions appears contradictory or unachievable, it should be considered that the combination of technical solutions does not exist, nor in the protection scope required by the present application.
[0033] The present application provides a polar plate.
[0034] Please refer to Figure 1 In an embodiment of the present application, the polar plate 100 comprises:
[0035] The base plate part 110 is configured as a porous structure; and
[0036] A plurality of flow guide protrusions 120 are provided on the base plate part 110 and configured as a porous structure, and the plurality of flow guide protrusions 120 are configured to form a flow field of the polar plate 100.
[0037] In the technical solution of the present application, the side of the base plate part 110 away from the base plate part 110 is in contact with the catalytic layer of the membrane electrode 10, and the catalytic layer is distributed by the electrolyte. When the electrolyte enters the flow field formed by the flow guide protrusions 120, it can not only penetrate the catalytic layer directly through the hole structure on the base plate part 110, but also penetrate the flow guide protrusions 120 first by diffusion, and then penetrate the catalytic layer through the base plate part 110.
[0038] The technical scheme of the application constructs the flow field of the polar plate 100 through the plurality of flow guide protrusions 120, guides the flow of the electrolyte, improves the uniformity of the distribution of the electrolyte on the surface of the polar plate 100, and since the flow guide protrusions 120 are configured as a porous structure, a flow channel 101 structure is also formed on the flow guide protrusions 120, which can be passed through by the electrolyte, further improving the coverage of the electrolyte on the surface of the polar plate 100 and the uniformity of the distribution of the electrolyte on the surface of the polar plate 100. That is, the application converts the flow channel 101 wall of the original solid area into the flow guide protrusion 120 of the porous structure, and the flow guide protrusion 120 has a certain porosity and permeability, which is beneficial to the further diffusion and mass transfer of the electrolyte, so as to improve the utilization rate of the base plate part 110 below the flow guide protrusion 120, reduce the dead zone on the polar plate 100, and improve the overall performance of the electrolytic cell.
[0039] Please refer to Figures 2 to 6 Fig. 4 shows the flow field conditions on the surface of the polar plate 100 when the porosity of the flow guide protrusion 120 is different. Figure 2 As can be seen from Fig. 4, when the porosity of the flow guide protrusion 120 is 0, only a few traces below the flow guide protrusion 120 flow across, that is, the electrolyte mainly diffuses through the flow channel 101. As can be seen from Fig. 5, Figures 3 to 6 As can be seen from Fig. 5, as the porosity of the flow guide protrusion 120 increases, more traces below the flow guide protrusion 120 flow across. At this time, the electrolyte can diffuse and transfer through the flow channel 101 and the flow guide protrusion 120. In addition, part of the electrolyte below the flow guide protrusion 120 also flows to the base plate part 110, and as the porosity of the flow guide protrusion 120 increases, the mass transfer of the electrolyte in the corresponding base plate part 110 below the flow guide protrusion 120 is improved to a certain extent, which indicates that the porous structure of the flow guide protrusion 120 can enhance the mass transfer process of the electrolyte in the base plate part 110.
[0040] In addition, by constructing the flow field through the flow guide protrusion 120, the thickness of the flat plate assembled on the side of the flow guide protrusion 120 away from the base plate part 110 can be reduced, thereby greatly reducing the thickness of the polar plate 100 assembly and the volume of the single-chamber cell, thereby shortening the overall height of the stack.
[0041] In an embodiment, the plurality of flow guiding protrusions 120 are in the form of strips and are distributed along the width direction of the strips. Each of the two sides of the flow guiding protrusion 120 is formed with a flow channel 101 that is open at both ends. The two flow channels 101 corresponding to one flow guiding protrusion 120 are distributed along the width direction of the flow guiding protrusion 120. It can be understood that one end of the flow channel 101 is the liquid inlet end and the other end is the liquid outlet end. Under the guidance of the plurality of parallel flow channels 101, the electrolyte flows in from the liquid inlet end and flows out from the liquid outlet end, which can ensure the uniform distribution of the electrolyte in the width direction of the flow guiding protrusion 120 and the coverage of the electrolyte on the surface of the electrode plate 100 in the length direction of the flow guiding protrusion 120. The electrolyte in the flow channel 101 can penetrate through the hole-like structure on the adjacent flow guiding protrusion 120, which can promote the further diffusion and mass transfer of the electrolyte, thereby improving the coverage of the electrolyte on the surface of the electrode plate 100 in the width direction of the flow guiding protrusion 120. In addition, the plurality of parallel flow channels 101 actually widen the width of the flow channel 101, which can allow more electrolyte to pass through, thereby facilitating the guarantee of the rate of electrolysis reaction. Furthermore, in the plurality of flow guiding protrusions 120, the side edges of the flow guiding protrusions 120 located on the two sides are spaced apart from the side edges of the adjacent base plate part 110. After the electrode plate 100 is installed in the electrolysis tank, the spacing will also form a flow channel 101, that is, while reducing the coverage of the flow guiding protrusion 120 on the base plate part 110, the number of flow channels 101 can also be increased, which is conducive to improving the flow of electrolyte. Of course, in other embodiments, the flow guiding protrusions 120 can also be in the form of dots, similar to the papillary structure.
[0042] In an embodiment, the end face of the flow guiding protrusion 120 and the corresponding end face of the base plate part 110 are spaced apart. It can be understood that the flow guiding protrusion 120 has two end faces that are relatively distributed along the length direction, and the corresponding end face on the base plate part 110 is the surface that is close to one end of the flow guiding protrusion 120 and is parallel to the end face of the end of the flow guiding protrusion 120. The two end faces are spaced apart, which can make the two ends of the plurality of flow channels 101 respectively communicate at the two end sides of the flow guiding protrusion 120, that is, the inlet ends of the plurality of flow channels 101 are connected, and the outlet ends of the plurality of flow channels 101 are connected. In this way, for one electrode plate 100, one electrolyte inlet and one electrolyte outlet can be provided. The electrolyte entering from the electrolyte inlet can flow to the inlet ends of the flow channels 101, and the electrolyte flowing out of the outlet ends of the flow channels 101 can also converge at the electrolyte outlet, which is conducive to simplifying the structure of the electrode plate 100 and improving the flow efficiency of the electrolyte. Of course, in other embodiments, the end face of the flow guiding protrusion 120 and the end face of the base plate part 110 can be coincidently arranged. Different electrolyte inlets and electrolyte outlets can be provided for different flow channels 101.
[0043] In an embodiment, the porosity of at least one of the flow guide protrusion 120 and the base plate portion 110 is 0.2 to 0.9. When the porosity of the flow guide protrusion 120 or the base plate portion 110 is in this range, sufficient permeability can be provided to the electrolyte while ensuring a certain structural strength, thereby ensuring the service life of the electrode plate 100. The porosities of the flow guide protrusion 120 and the base plate portion 110 can be equal or not equal, and the designer can select according to actual needs. It should be noted that the ranges described as from a value to a value in this application all include the end point values. For example, in this embodiment, the porosity is 0.2 to 0.9, which means that the porosity is greater than or equal to 0.2 and less than or equal to 0.9. The relevant ranges in the following are also referred to in this way, and will not be repeated here.
[0044] The flow guide protrusion 120 and the base plate portion 110 can be configured as a micron-level porous structure and a nanometer-level porous structure. The micron-level porous structure means that the pore diameter of the pore structure is in the micron level, and the nanometer-level porous structure is the same. The porosity of the flow guide protrusion 120 and the base plate portion 110 configured as a micron-level porous structure is less than the porosity of the flow guide protrusion 120 and the base plate portion 110 configured as a nanometer-level porous structure. That is, when the level of the pore diameter is larger, the corresponding porosity is also larger. In this way, the balance between the mass transfer effect and the structural strength of the electrode plate 100 is achieved.
[0045] Specifically, the porosity of at least one of the flow guide protrusion 120 and the base plate portion 110 is 0.2 to 0.5, and the pore diameter of the corresponding pore structure is 30 microns to 60 microns. The porosity of at least one of the flow guide protrusion 120 and the base plate portion 110 is 0.5 to 0.9, and the pore diameter of the corresponding pore structure is 50 nanometers to 60 nanometers. The pore diameters of the flow guide protrusion 120 and the base plate portion 110 can be both micron-level or nanometer-level, or one can be micron-level and the other can be nanometer-level, as long as the mass transfer demand of the electrolyte can be met.
[0046] In an embodiment, the flow guide protrusion 120 and the base plate portion 110 are separately formed and then connected together. In this way, the flow guide protrusion 120 and the base plate portion 110 can be easily processed, reducing the cost of mold development. After the processing of the two is completed, they are connected together through some means, and the connection strength between the two can be ensured.
[0047] Specifically, the flow guide protrusion 120 is separately formed and then connected together with the base plate portion 110 by welding or sintering.
[0048] Compared with the stamping process, welding can more effectively utilize materials, avoid more scrap in the stamping process, and precisely control the microstructure of the part, including porosity, pore size and distribution, which is suitable for parts with higher dimensional accuracy requirements. The welded part can basically achieve the final size and shape, reducing the need for subsequent machining after stamping. Compared with stamping, which needs to consider the ductility of the material and the thinning of the bending part, the welded part generally has higher strength, corrosion resistance and consistency. In addition, since welding technology does not require redesign or manufacture of molds, it can more easily adapt to design changes and product iterations, and has strong adaptability and flexibility. At this time, it is also more economical.
[0049] Compared with the stamping process, sintering can also better adapt to design changes and product iterations, has high flexibility, and is more suitable for complex flow field design. At the initial design stage, sintering has lower cost and does not require the design and manufacture of complex stamping molds, and has higher efficiency.
[0050] Of course, in other embodiments, the two can also be matched by bonding or clamping.
[0051] In an embodiment, the flow guide protrusion 120 and the base plate portion 110 are integrally formed. In this way, the production of the polar plate 100 can be convenient and fast, and the connection reliability between the flow guide protrusion 120 and the base plate portion 110 is high, which is beneficial to guarantee the service life of the polar plate 100.
[0052] Specifically, the flow guide protrusion 120 and the base plate portion 110 are integrally formed by 3D printing. 3D printing has high design freedom, which can more conveniently adjust the related parameters of the polar plate 100, such as pore size and porosity. In addition, 3D printing has high material utilization rate. 3D printing is an additive manufacturing process that only uses the required amount of material, greatly reducing waste and reducing material costs. This advantage is particularly evident when using expensive materials.
[0053] The application also proposes an electrolytic cell, which comprises two polar plates 100 and a membrane electrode 10 clamped between two clamping plates. The flow guide protrusion 120 protrudes from the side of the base plate portion 110 away from the membrane electrode 10. The specific structure of the polar plate 100 is referred to the above embodiments. Since the electrolytic cell adopts all the technical solutions of the above embodiments, it at least has all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here. Please refer to Figure 7It can be understood that the two polar plates 100 are respectively configured as the anode polar plate 21 and the cathode polar plate 22, without loss of generality, the electrolytic cell sequentially sets the anode polar plate 21 and the cathode polar plate 22, the anode current collecting plate 31 and the cathode current collecting plate 32, the anode end plate 41 and the cathode end plate 42 on the opposite sides of the membrane electrode 10, and each plate member is locked by the screw rod 51 and the nut 52.
[0054] The above merely describes exemplary embodiments of the present application, and does not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structural transformation, direct / indirect application in other related technical fields, or direct / indirect application in other related technical fields within the technical concept of the present application, using the contents of the present application specification and drawings, are included in the patent protection scope of the present application.
Claims
1. A plate, characterized in that The polar plate comprises: a base plate portion configured as a porous structure; and a plurality of flow guide protrusions protruding from the base plate portion and configured as a porous structure, the plurality of flow guide protrusions forming a flow field of the polar plate.
2. The pole as claimed in claim 1, wherein The plurality of flow guide protrusions are in a strip shape and distributed along a width direction thereof, each of two sides of the flow guide protrusion forms a flow channel with both ends penetrating through, and the two flow channels corresponding to the flow guide protrusion are distributed along the width direction of the flow guide protrusion.
3. The pole as claimed in claim 2, wherein End faces of the flow guide protrusions and corresponding end faces of the base plate portion are arranged at intervals, so that inlet ends of the plurality of flow channels are communicated, and outlet ends of the plurality of flow channels are communicated.
4. The pole as claimed in claim 1, wherein The porosity of the flow guide protrusions and / or the base plate portion is 0.2 to 0.
9.
5. The pole as claimed in claim 4, wherein The porosity of the flow guide protrusions and / or the base plate portion is 0.2 to 0.5, and the pore size is 30 microns to 60 microns. The porosity of the flow guide protrusions and / or the base plate portion is 0.5 to 0.9, and the pore size is 50 nanometers to 60 nanometers.
6. The pole as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein, The flow guide protrusions and the base plate portion are separately formed and then connected together.
7. The pole as claimed in claim 6, wherein The flow guide protrusions are separately formed and then connected together with the base plate portion by welding or sintering.
8. The pole as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The flow guide protrusions and the base plate portion are integrally formed.
9. The pole as claimed in claim 8, wherein The flow guide protrusions and the base plate portion are integrally formed by 3D printing.
10. An electrolytic cell characterized in that, The polar plate comprises: a base plate portion configured as a porous structure; and a plurality of flow guide protrusions protruding from the base plate portion and configured as a porous structure, the plurality of flow guide protrusions forming a flow field of the polar plate. The plurality of flow guide protrusions are in a strip shape and distributed along a width direction thereof, each of two sides of the flow guide protrusion forms a flow channel with both ends penetrating through, and the two flow channels corresponding to the flow guide protrusion are distributed along the width direction of the flow guide protrusion. End faces of the flow guide protrusions and corresponding end faces of the base plate portion are arranged at intervals, so that inlet ends of the plurality of flow channels are communicated, and outlet ends of the plurality of flow channels are communicated. The porosity of the flow guide protrusions and / or the base plate portion is 0.2 to 0.
9. The porosity of the flow guide protrusions and / or the base plate portion is 0.2 to 0.5, and the pore size is 30 microns to 60 microns. The porosity of the flow guide protrusions and / or the base plate portion is 0.5 to 0.9, and the pore size is 50 nanometers to 60 nanometers. The flow guide protrusions and the base plate portion are separately formed and then connected together. The flow guide protrusions are separately formed and then connected together with the base plate portion by welding or sintering. The flow guide protrusions and the base plate portion are integrally formed. The flow guide protrusions and the base plate portion are integrally formed by 3D printing. The polar plate comprises: a base plate portion configured as a porous structure; and a plurality of flow guide protrusions protruding from the base plate portion and configured as a porous structure, the plurality of flow guide protrusions forming a flow field of the polar plate. The plurality of flow guide protrusions are in a strip shape and distributed along a width direction thereof, each of two sides of the flow guide protrusion forms a flow channel with both ends penetrating through, and the two flow channels corresponding to the flow guide protrusion are distributed along the width direction of the flow guide protrusion. End faces of the flow guide protrusions and corresponding end faces of the base plate portion are arranged at intervals, so that inlet ends of the plurality of flow channels are communicated, and outlet ends of the plurality of flow channels are communicated. The porosity of the flow guide protrusions and / or the base plate portion is 0.2 to 0.9.