Bipolar plate and electrolytic bath

Abstract

The utility model relates to an electrical element, and discloses a bipolar plate and an electrolytic bath. The insulation assembly comprises an upper cover plate and a lower cover plate, the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate are connected with each other and are clamped on the upper side and the lower side of the bipolar plate body, the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate respectively protrude out of the outer side of the bipolar plate body, and at least two opposite sides of the bipolar plate body are respectively provided with the insulation assemblies. According to the utility model, the insulation assemblies are utilized to assist in external positioning and stacking, so that the problem of overall short circuit caused by short creepage distance or external conductive chips lapped between the two insulation assemblies is effectively prevented, and the use safety and stability are greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to an electrical component, and more particularly to a bipolar plate and an electrolytic cell. Background Technology

[0002] A proton exchange membrane electrolyzer is composed of multiple water electrolysis hydrogen production units connected in series. Each water electrolysis hydrogen production unit includes a membrane electrode and a bipolar plate. The bipolar plate and the membrane electrode are sealed with an insulating sealant to achieve hydrogen output under high pressure.

[0003] During electrolytic cell assembly, due to the large number of components, precise alignment is crucial to ensure sealing and consistency. Currently, most electrolytic cells are assembled using external positioning methods, where bipolar plates are stacked and positioned along their outer edges. Specifically, thicker protrusions are typically provided on the outer sides of the bipolar plates. During stacking and positioning, these protrusions abut against external tooling to define the bipolar plate positions. While this method ensures good consistency among the bipolar plates in the water electrolysis unit, the thick protrusions result in a short creepage distance between the upper and lower bipolar plates. In humid environments or when conductive debris accumulates between the protrusions, short circuits can occur between the plates, potentially leading to accidents. Therefore, a more structurally stable bipolar plate is urgently needed. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this utility model is to provide a bipolar plate and an electrolytic cell to solve one or more technical problems existing in the prior art, and at least provide a beneficial option or create conditions.

[0005] The solution to the technical problem of this utility model is:

[0006] A bipolar plate includes: a bipolar plate body; and an insulating assembly including an upper cover plate and a lower cover plate, wherein the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate are connected to each other and clamped to the upper and lower sides of the bipolar plate body, the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate protrude from the outer side of the bipolar plate body, and the insulating assembly is provided on at least two opposite sides of the bipolar plate body.

[0007] This technical solution has at least the following beneficial effects: Insulating components are provided on at least two opposing sides of the bipolar plate body. Each insulating component includes an upper cover plate on the top side of the bipolar plate body and a lower cover plate on the bottom side of the bipolar plate body. The upper and lower cover plates are respectively clamped to the upper and lower sides of the bipolar plate body and protrude from the outer side of the bipolar plate body. When bipolar plates need to be positioned and stacked, the upper and lower cover plates are pressed against the external tooling structure. During external positioning and stacking of bipolar plates, the upper and lower cover plates replace the contact friction between the bipolar plate body and the external tooling structure, effectively reducing the impact of wear on the performance of the bipolar plate body. Furthermore, when multiple bipolar plates are stacked vertically, since the insulating components on the outer sides of two adjacent bipolar plate bodies are not conductive, the overall short circuit problem caused by short creepage distance or external conductive debris between the two insulating components is effectively prevented, greatly improving the safety and stability of use.

[0008] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, a connecting outer edge is formed on the outer side of the bipolar plate body corresponding to the position of the insulating component. The upper cover plate and the lower cover plate are clamped on the upper and lower sides of the connecting outer edge. The connecting outer edge formed on the outer side of the bipolar plate body is used for mating and connecting with the upper and lower cover plates. By utilizing the connecting outer edge to provide support between the upper and lower cover plates, the structural stability of the upper and lower cover plates protruding from the bipolar plate body during use can be improved, resulting in a more compact overall structure.

[0009] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, the top surface of the connecting outer edge is lower than the top surface of the bipolar plate body, and the bottom surface of the connecting outer edge is higher than the bottom surface of the bipolar plate body. Because the top surface of the connecting outer edge is lower than the top surface of the bipolar plate body, an upper positioning step is formed between the top side of the connecting outer edge and the bipolar plate body. Similarly, because the bottom surface of the connecting outer edge is higher than the bottom surface of the bipolar plate body, a lower positioning step is formed between the bottom side of the connecting outer edge and the bipolar plate body. This allows the upper and lower cover plates to be quickly positioned on the connecting outer edge, improving the convenience of clamping and fixing the connecting outer edge, and reducing the thickness of the protruding position, thereby increasing the electrical clearance between the upper and lower bipolar plate bodies when stacking bipolar plates.

[0010] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, a hook is connected to the top side of the lower cover plate, and a first clearance hole is provided on the outer edge of the connection opposite to the hook. A snap-fit ​​hole is provided on the upper cover plate opposite to the hook, and a snap-fit ​​step is provided inside the snap-fit ​​hole. The hook passes through the first clearance hole and engages with the snap-fit ​​step. When the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate are connected to each other, the hook on the top side of the lower cover plate passes through the first clearance hole on the outer edge of the connection to achieve relative positioning between the lower cover plate and the bipolar plate body. Then, the hook is inserted into the snap-fit ​​hole of the upper cover plate, and the hook and the snap-fit ​​step in the snap-fit ​​hole are hooked and fixed together to achieve mutual fixation of the lower cover plate and the upper cover plate, preventing the bipolar plate body from coming out between the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate, and achieving a tight connection between the upper cover plate, the bipolar plate body, and the lower cover plate.

[0011] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, two hooks are provided at intervals along the length of the lower cover plate on its top side, with the two hooks facing opposite directions. The two hooks facing opposite directions are respectively hooked and fixed to the locking steps of the two locking holes, which can further improve the stability of the lower cover plate being hooked and fixed, and effectively prevent the upper cover plate from moving in the direction of the hooks and causing it to detach from the lower cover plate.

[0012] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, a positioning post is connected to the top side of the lower cover plate, and a second clearance hole is provided at the position of the positioning post on the outer edge of the connection. A positioning hole is provided at the position of the positioning post on the upper cover plate, and the positioning post passes through the second clearance hole and is engaged in the positioning hole. When assembling the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate, the positioning post on the top side of the lower cover plate passes through the second clearance hole and engages with the positioning hole of the upper cover plate, which allows for quick pre-positioning of the upper and lower cover plates. Then, the upper and lower cover plates are tightened together. Because the positioning post and the positioning hole limit the mutual movement between the upper and lower cover plates, the relative displacement of the upper and lower cover plates when the hook is engaged with the engagement step can be effectively reduced, improving the convenience and efficiency of the overall assembly.

[0013] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, the upper cover plate is bent downwards on the side away from the bipolar plate body to form a shielding section. The shielding section passes through the connecting outer edge and extends to the lower cover plate. When the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate are connected to each other, the downwardly bent shielding section extends to one side of the lower cover plate, providing shielding protection to one side of the bipolar plate body. In this way, when the sides of the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate away from the bipolar plate body come into contact with the tooling of the external device, further shielding protection can be provided to the connecting outer edge, improving the stability of the bipolar plate during use.

[0014] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, both sides of the connecting outer edge along its length are located between the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate. After the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate are connected to each other, the two sides of the connecting outer edge along its length do not protrude from the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate, further improving the protective effect of the connecting outer edge.

[0015] As a further improvement to the above technical solution, each side of the bipolar plate body is provided with the insulating component. When the bipolar plates are externally positioned and stacked, since each side of the bipolar plate body is provided with the insulating component, the insulating component on each side of the bipolar plate body can be abutted against the external tooling respectively. At this time, the bipolar plate body can be positioned from multiple directions, further improving the accuracy of external positioning and stacking of the bipolar plates.

[0016] An electrolytic cell includes a membrane electrode and the aforementioned bipolar plate, wherein there are multiple membrane electrodes and multiple bipolar plates, and the multiple membrane electrodes and multiple bipolar plates are stacked alternately in the vertical direction.

[0017] This technical solution has at least the following beneficial effects: When assembling the electrolytic cell, the membrane electrode and bipolar plate are alternately placed into the tooling of the external device for stacking. When positioning the bipolar plate, the upper and lower cover plates are used to replace the contact friction between the bipolar plate body and the external tooling structure, which effectively reduces the impact of wear on the performance of the bipolar plate body. Furthermore, when multiple bipolar plates are stacked vertically, since the insulating components on the outer sides of two adjacent bipolar plate bodies are not conductive, the overall short circuit problem caused by short creepage distance or external conductive debris between the two insulating components is effectively prevented, which greatly improves the safety and stability of use. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly explained below. Obviously, the described drawings are only a part of the embodiments of this utility model, and not all of them. Those skilled in the art can obtain other design schemes and drawings based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional view of the bipolar plate of this utility model.

[0020] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A magnified view of part A.

[0021] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A magnified view of part B.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a bipolar plate and a membrane electrode stacked together.

[0023] In the attached diagram: 100 - bipolar plate body, 110 - connecting outer edge, 111 - first clearance hole, 112 - second clearance hole, 200 - insulation component, 210 - upper cover plate, 211 - snap-fit ​​hole, 212 - positioning hole, 213 - shielding section, 220 - lower cover plate, 221 - snap hook, 222 - positioning post. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The embodiments of this utility model are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this utility model, and should not be construed as limiting this utility model.

[0025] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the directional descriptions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., indicate the directional or positional relationship based on the directional or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0026] In the description of this utility model, "several" means one or more, "multiple" means two or more, "greater than," "less than," and "exceeding" are understood to exclude the stated number, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the stated number. If "first" or "second" is used in the description, it is only for the purpose of distinguishing technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features, or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0027] In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly defined, terms such as "setting," "installation," and "connection" should be interpreted broadly, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0028] Reference Figure 1A bipolar plate includes a bipolar plate body 100 and an insulating component 200. The insulating component 200 includes an upper cover plate 210 and a lower cover plate 220. The upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 are connected to each other and clamped on the upper and lower sides of the bipolar plate body 100. The upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 protrude from the outer side of the bipolar plate body 100. The insulating component 200 is provided on at least two mutually facing sides of the bipolar plate body 100. For example, the insulating component 200 can be provided on a pair of mutually facing sides of the bipolar plate body 100, or the insulating component 200 can be provided on two pairs of mutually facing sides of the bipolar plate body 100.

[0029] As described above, insulating components 200 are provided on at least two mutually opposite sides of the bipolar plate body 100. Each insulating component 200 includes an upper cover plate 210 located on the top side of the bipolar plate body 100 and a lower cover plate 220 located on the bottom side of the bipolar plate body 100. The upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 are respectively clamped to the upper and lower sides of the bipolar plate body 100 and protrude from the outer side of the bipolar plate body 100. When it is necessary to position and stack the bipolar plates, the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 are pressed against the external tooling structure. When bipolar plates are stacked externally, the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 are used to replace the contact friction between the bipolar plate body 100 and the external tooling structure, which effectively reduces the impact of wear on the performance of the bipolar plate body 100. Furthermore, when multiple bipolar plates are stacked vertically, since the insulating components 200 on the outer side of two adjacent bipolar plate bodies 100 are not conductive, the overall short circuit problem caused by short creepage distance or external conductive debris between the two insulating components 200 is effectively prevented, which greatly improves the safety and stability of use.

[0030] The upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 can be directly positioned on the bipolar plate body 100. In this case, the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 partially protrude from the bipolar plate body 100 to assist in external positioning. However, in this embodiment, for example... Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, a protruding portion is directly formed on the side of the bipolar plate body 100. The upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 are connected to this protruding portion. Specifically, a connecting outer edge 110 is formed on the outer side of the bipolar plate body 100 corresponding to the position of the insulating component 200. The upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 are clamped to the upper and lower sides of the connecting outer edge 110. The connecting outer edge 110 is formed on the outer side of the bipolar plate body 100 for mating with the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220. By utilizing the connecting outer edge 110 to provide support between the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220, the structural stability of the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 protruding from the bipolar plate body 100 during use can be improved, resulting in a more compact overall structure.

[0031] The thickness of the protruding outer edge 110 can be the same as that of the bipolar plate body 100. However, in this embodiment, the thickness of the outer edge 110 is thinner. Specifically, the top surface of the outer edge 110 is lower than the top surface of the bipolar plate body 100, and the bottom surface of the outer edge 110 is higher than the bottom surface of the bipolar plate body 100. Since the top surface of the connecting outer edge 110 is lower than the top surface of the bipolar plate body 100, an upper positioning step is formed between the top side of the connecting outer edge 110 and the bipolar plate body 100. Similarly, since the bottom surface of the connecting outer edge 110 is higher than the bottom surface of the bipolar plate body 100, a lower positioning step is formed between the bottom side of the connecting outer edge 110 and the bipolar plate body 100. In this way, the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 can be quickly positioned on the connecting outer edge 110, improving the convenience of clamping and fixing the connecting outer edge 110 and reducing the thickness of the protruding position, thereby increasing the electrical clearance between the upper and lower bipolar plate bodies 100 when stacking bipolar plates.

[0032] When the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 are respectively connected to the upper and lower sides of the connecting outer edge 110, a fixing structure can be directly set between the upper cover plate 210 and the connecting outer edge 110, and between the connecting outer edge 110 and the lower cover plate 220. However, in this embodiment, a fixing structure is set between the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220. Specifically, a hook 221 is connected to the top side of the lower cover plate 220, a first clearance hole 111 is provided on the connecting outer edge 110 opposite to the hook 221, a snap-fit ​​hole 211 is provided on the upper cover plate 210 opposite to the hook 221, a snap-fit ​​step is provided inside the snap-fit ​​hole 211, and the hook 221 passes through the first clearance hole 111 and is connected to the snap-fit ​​step. When connecting the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220, the hook 221 on the top side of the lower cover plate 220 passes through the first clearance hole 111 of the connecting outer edge 110 to achieve relative positioning between the lower cover plate 220 and the bipolar plate body 100. Then, the hook 221 is inserted into the snap-fit ​​hole 211 of the upper cover plate 210. The hook 221 and the snap-fit ​​step in the snap-fit ​​hole 211 hook and fix each other, thereby fixing the lower cover plate 220 and the upper cover plate 210 together and preventing the bipolar plate body 100 from coming out between the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220. This achieves a tight connection between the upper cover plate 210, the bipolar plate body 100 and the lower cover plate 220. In addition, the snap-fit ​​step that cooperates with the hook 221 is directly set in the snap-fit ​​hole 211, which can reduce the situation where the hook 221 protrudes out of the snap-fit ​​hole 211, which is beneficial to improving the tightness of the bipolar plate stacking.

[0033] The number of hooks 221 located on one side of the lower cover plate 220 can be one or more. In some embodiments, two hooks 221 are spaced apart along the length of the lower cover plate 220 on the top side, and the two hooks 221 face opposite directions. The two hooks 221 facing opposite directions are respectively hooked and fixed to the locking steps of the two locking holes 211, which can further improve the stability of the lower cover plate 220 and effectively prevent the upper cover plate 210 from moving in the direction of the hooks 221 and causing it to detach from the lower cover plate 220.

[0034] Because the hook 221 needs to undergo a certain elastic deformation when it is connected to the locking step, so that it can elastically return to its original position after passing the locking step, and the locking step is fastened and fixed by the hooking part of the hook 221. In order to ensure that the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 can be more stable when the hook 221 is engaged with the locking step, in this embodiment, the top side of the lower cover plate 220 is connected to a positioning post 222, the outer edge of the connection 110 is provided with a second clearance hole 112 opposite to the positioning post 222, and the upper cover plate 210 is provided with a positioning hole 212 opposite to the positioning post 222. The positioning post 222 passes through the second clearance hole 112 and is engaged and connected in the positioning hole 212. When assembling the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220, the positioning post 222 on the top side of the lower cover plate 220 passes through the second clearance hole 112 and cooperates with the positioning hole 212 of the upper cover plate 210. This allows for quick pre-positioning of the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220. Then, the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 are tightly closed together. Since the positioning post 222 and the positioning hole 212 limit the mutual positioning between the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220, the relative offset between the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 when the hook 221 is engaged with the engagement step can be effectively reduced, thus improving the convenience and efficiency of the overall assembly.

[0035] In the above embodiments, the side of the connecting outer edge 110 away from the bipolar plate can be flush with or recessed within the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220. To further improve the protection effect on the connecting outer edge 110, in this embodiment, the side of the upper cover plate 210 away from the bipolar plate body 100 is bent downward to form a shielding section 213. The shielding section 213 passes through the connecting outer edge 110 and extends to the lower cover plate 220. When the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 are connected to each other, the downwardly bent shielding section 213 extends to one side of the lower cover plate 220, providing shielding protection for one side of the bipolar plate body 100. Thus, when the side of the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 away from the bipolar plate body 100 comes into contact with the tooling of the external device, it can further provide shielding protection for the connecting outer edge 110, improving the stability of the bipolar plate during use.

[0036] In some embodiments, both sides of the connecting outer edge 110 along its length direction are located between the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220. After the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 are connected to each other, both sides of the connecting outer edge 110 along its length direction do not protrude from the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220, further improving the protective effect of the connecting outer edge 110.

[0037] In some embodiments, each side of the bipolar plate body 100 is provided with an insulating component 200. For example, insulating components 200 are provided on all four sides of the bipolar plate body 100, and on each side, two insulating components 200 may be spaced apart along the length of the side. When performing external positioning and stacking of the bipolar plates, since each side of the bipolar plate body 100 is provided with an insulating component 200, the insulating components 200 on each side of the bipolar plate body 100 can be respectively abutted against the external tooling. At this time, the bipolar plate body 100 can be positioned from multiple directions, further improving the accuracy of external positioning and stacking of the bipolar plates.

[0038] like Figure 4 As shown, an electrolytic cell includes a membrane electrode and the aforementioned bipolar plate. There are multiple membrane electrodes and multiple bipolar plates, which are stacked alternately in the vertical direction.

[0039] When assembling the electrolytic cell, the membrane electrode and bipolar plate are alternately placed into the tooling of the external device for stacking. When positioning the bipolar plate, the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220 are used to replace the contact friction between the bipolar plate body 100 and the external tooling structure, which effectively reduces the impact of wear on the performance of the bipolar plate body 100. Furthermore, when multiple bipolar plates are stacked vertically, since the insulating components 200 on the outside of two adjacent bipolar plate bodies 100 are not conductive, the overall short circuit problem caused by short creepage distance or external conductive debris between the two insulating components 200 is effectively prevented, which greatly improves the safety and stability of use.

[0040] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described. Those skilled in the art can make various equivalent modifications or substitutions without departing from the spirit of the present invention. All such equivalent modifications or substitutions are included within the scope defined by the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A bipolar plate, characterized by: The application relates to a bipolar plate, which comprises: a bipolar plate body (100); insulation assemblies (200) comprising upper cover plates (210) and lower cover plates (220), the upper cover plates (210) and the lower cover plates (220) being connected to each other and clamped to the upper and lower sides of the bipolar plate body (100), the upper cover plates (210) and the lower cover plates (220) respectively protruding from the outer sides of the bipolar plate body (100), and the bipolar plate body (100) being provided with the insulation assemblies (200) on at least two mutually opposite sides.

2. A bipolar plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer sides of the bipolar plate body (100) correspond to the positions of the insulation assemblies (200) and are formed with connecting outer edges (110), and the upper cover plates (210) and the lower cover plates (220) are clamped to the upper and lower sides of the connecting outer edges (110).

3. A bipolar plate according to claim 2, characterised in that: The top surface of the connecting outer edges (110) is lower than the top surface of the bipolar plate body (100), and the bottom surface of the connecting outer edges (110) is higher than the bottom surface of the bipolar plate body (100).

4. A bipolar plate according to claim 2, characterized in that: The top side of the lower cover plate (220) is connected with a clamping hook (221), the position of the connecting outer edge (110) corresponding to the clamping hook (221) is provided with a first avoiding hole (111), the position of the upper cover plate (210) corresponding to the clamping hook (221) is provided with a clamping hole (211), the inner side of the clamping hole (211) is provided with a clamping step, and the clamping hook (221) passes through the first avoiding hole (111) and is connected to the clamping step in a matched mode.

5. A bipolar plate according to claim 4, characterised in that: The top side of the lower cover plate (220) is provided with two clamping hooks (221) along the length direction of the lower cover plate (220) at intervals, and the directions of the two clamping hooks (221) are opposite.

6. A bipolar plate according to claim 4, characterized in that: The top side of the lower cover plate (220) is connected with a positioning column (222), the position of the connecting outer edge (110) corresponding to the positioning column (222) is provided with a second avoiding hole (112), the position of the upper cover plate (210) corresponding to the positioning column (222) is provided with a positioning hole (212), and the positioning column (222) passes through the second avoiding hole (112) and is connected to the positioning hole (212) in a matched mode.

7. A bipolar plate according to claim 2, characterized in that: The side of the upper cover plate (210) away from the bipolar plate body (100) is bent downward to form a shielding section (213), and the shielding section (213) passes through the connecting outer edge (110) and extends to the lower cover plate (220).

8. A bipolar plate according to claim 2, characterized in that: The two sides of the connecting outer edge (110) along the length direction are located between the upper cover plate (210) and the lower cover plate (220).

9. A bipolar plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each side of the bipolar plate body (100) is provided with the insulation assembly (200).

10. An electrolytic cell characterized by: The application further relates to a fuel cell, which comprises a plurality of membrane electrodes and a plurality of bipolar plates as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, and the membrane electrodes and the bipolar plates are alternately stacked in the up-down direction.

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