Gas-liquid separation device of water electrolysis system and water electrolysis system

Abstract

The utility model relates to a gas-liquid separation device of a water electrolysis system and the water electrolysis system, the water electrolysis system comprises an electrolysis tank with a built-in electrode, and the gas-liquid separation device comprises a buffer which is erected above the electrolysis tank and communicates with the electrolysis tank through a pipeline assembly; the separator is of a vertical cylindrical structure, the bottom of the separator is in butt joint communication with the top of the buffer, and the separator is filled with filler; the cooler is communicated with the top of the separator; and the flame arrester is communicated with the cooler, and the separator, the cooler and the flame arrester are sequentially communicated to form a gas path channel. According to the technical scheme, output optimization of electrolysis products is achieved through mutual matching relation optimization of components of the water electrolysis system, the purity of gas products can be improved, application of the products is facilitated, and the production efficiency and safety are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of water electrolysis equipment technology, and in particular to a gas-liquid separation device and a water electrolysis system. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, with the advancement of global energy transition and carbon neutrality goals, hydrogen energy has attracted much attention as a clean and efficient secondary energy carrier. Electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen has become one of the core pathways for green hydrogen production due to its wide availability of raw materials (water) and zero carbon emissions.

[0003] For example, Chinese patent document CN115505429A discloses a fuel preparation system comprising a syngas generating device that generates syngas including hydrogen and carbon monoxide using carbon-containing raw materials; a fuel preparation device that prepares fuel using the generated syngas; a water electrolysis device that generates hydrogen by electrolyzing water; a hydrogen supply unit that supplies the generated hydrogen to the syngas generating device; a calculation unit that calculates the input energy based on a first energy of the carbon-containing raw materials, a second energy consumed in generating hydrogen, a third energy consumed in generating syngas, and a fourth energy consumed in preparing fuel, and calculates the recovered energy based on a fifth energy of the prepared fuel; and a decision unit that determines the amount of hydrogen supplied based on the calculated input energy and recovered energy.

[0004] In existing technologies, the gaseous products and the electrolyzed medium mix after electrolysis, which negatively impacts the purity of the gaseous products, their applications, production efficiency, and safety, leaving room for improvement. Utility Model Content

[0005] This application provides a gas-liquid separation device for a water electrolysis system. By optimizing the inter-component relationship of the water electrolysis system, the output of electrolysis products is optimized, which can improve the purity of gas products, facilitate product application, and improve production efficiency and safety.

[0006] One embodiment of this application discloses a gas-liquid separation device for a water electrolysis system. The water electrolysis system includes an electrolysis tank with built-in electrodes, and the gas-liquid separation device includes:

[0007] A buffer is mounted above the electrolytic tank and connected to the electrolytic tank via a piping assembly;

[0008] The separator is a vertical cylindrical structure, with its bottom connected to the top of the buffer, and its interior is filled with packing material.

[0009] A cooler is connected to the top of the separator;

[0010] The flame arrester is connected to the cooler, and the separator, the cooler, and the flame arrester are connected in sequence to form a gas passage.

[0011] Several alternative methods are provided below, but they are not intended as additional limitations on the overall solution above. They are merely further additions or optimizations. Provided there are no technical or logical contradictions, each alternative method can be combined individually with respect to the overall solution above, or multiple alternative methods can be combined with each other.

[0012] In one embodiment, the separator is connected to the buffer via a partition, the partition having a connecting hole; the packing is supported on the partition.

[0013] In one embodiment, the ratio of the height of the buffer to the height of the separator in the direction of gravity ranges from 0.5:1 to 1.5:1.

[0014] In one embodiment, the ratio between the diameter and height of the separator itself ranges from 0.5:1 to 1.5:1.

[0015] In one embodiment, the buffer is an axially transverse cylindrical structure and the buffer is closed at both ends along the axis.

[0016] In the direction of gravity, several detection components are mounted on the top of the buffer.

[0017] In one embodiment, the separators are provided in multiples, and each separator is arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the buffer.

[0018] In one embodiment, the tops of multiple separators intersect each other via gas ducts and are connected to the cooler.

[0019] In one embodiment, the piping assembly includes multiple vertical pipes arranged in parallel and coplanar manner, the multiple vertical pipes being arranged sequentially at intervals along the axial direction of the buffer and defining a reference plane;

[0020] The cooler is located on one side of the reference surface, and a fan that acts on the piping assembly and the cooler is provided on the other side of the reference surface.

[0021] In one embodiment, multiple flame arresters are provided, and the flame arresters are connected in series or in parallel.

[0022] This application also discloses a water electrolysis system, including the gas-liquid separation device described in the above technical solution.

[0023] The technical solution disclosed in this application optimizes the output of electrolysis products by optimizing the inter-component relationship of the water electrolysis system. In particular, the coordinated setting of the separator and the buffer can effectively separate the electrolysis medium and the electrolysis products, improve the purity of the gas products, facilitate the containment of the electrolysis products and / or direct application to the load, and improve production efficiency and safety. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the conventional technology, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the conventional technology will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a water electrolysis system in one embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the coordination of the electrolysis tank, buffer, and piping components of a water electrolysis system in one embodiment of this application.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the gas path topology of a water electrolysis system in one embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the gas-liquid separation device of a water electrolysis system shown in one embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of the gas-liquid separation device in the diagram;

[0030] Figure 6 and Figure 7 These are schematic diagrams of the partition structure of the gas-liquid separation device in different embodiments;

[0031] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the cooler structure in one embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the layout of the cooler, piping assembly and fan in one embodiment of this application.

[0033] The component labels are as follows:

[0034] 100. Electrolytic vessel; 200. Buffer; 300. Piping assembly; 310. Vertical pipe; 400. Separator; 410. Packing material; 420. Gas pipeline; 430. Baffle plate; 431. Connecting hole; 432. Support bar; 500. Cooler; 510. Upper support; 520. Lower support; 530. Heat dissipation pipe; 540. Fan; 600. Flame arrester. Detailed Implementation

[0035] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0036] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on the other component or there may be an intermediate component. When a component is considered to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intermediate component present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this application's specification are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0037] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0038] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature and the second feature are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level (or in a usage state, or from a certain viewpoint in the drawing) than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level (or in a usage state, or from a certain viewpoint in the drawing) than the second feature.

[0039] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The term "and / or" as used in this application includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0040] To effectively separate the electrolytic medium and electrolysis products, improve the purity of the gaseous products, facilitate the containment and / or direct application of the electrolysis products to the load, and enhance production efficiency and safety, one embodiment of this application discloses a gas-liquid separation device for a water electrolysis system. (See attached document.) Figure 1 To be continued Figure 7 As shown, the water electrolysis system includes an electrolysis tank 100 with built-in electrodes. The electrolysis tank 100 is filled with an electrolytic medium (such as water in this embodiment). The electrodes electrolyze the electrolytic medium to obtain electrolysis products. A gas-liquid separation device is used to separate the electrolysis products from the electrolytic medium in the electrolysis tank 100 and to transport them. Specifically, the gas-liquid separation device includes a buffer 200, a separator 400, a cooler 500, and a flame arrester 600.

[0041] The buffer 200 is mounted above the electrolysis tank 100 and connected to it via a piping assembly 300. Electrolysis products (e.g., the hydrogen-oxygen mixture in this embodiment) from the electrolysis tank 100 enter the buffer 200 via the piping assembly 300. The separator 400 is a vertical cylindrical structure, with its bottom connected to the top of the buffer 200. The separator 400 is filled with packing material 410. Electrolysis products entering the buffer 200 undergo gas-liquid separation via the packing material 410 in the separator 400. The gas phase leaves the buffer 200 and sequentially enters the cooler 500 and the flame arrester 600, before being further output as fuel. (See attached diagram.) Figure 8 In the embodiment shown, the top of the cooler 500 is connected to the top of the separator 400, and the flame arrester 600 is connected to the cooler 500. The separator 400, the cooler 500 and the flame arrester 600 are connected in sequence to form an air passage.

[0042] Reference Appendix Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, multiple separators 400 are provided, and each separator 400 is arranged at an axial distance along the buffer 200. For example, the two shown in the figure. Furthermore, the tops of the multiple separators 400 intersect each other and are connected to the cooler 500 via air passages 420. In this embodiment, the multiple separators 400 are arranged in parallel.

[0043] The internal structure of each separator 400 can be uniformly configured or individually configured. (See attached document for reference.) Figure 5In the illustrated embodiment, the separator 400 is connected to the buffer 200 via a partition 430. The partition 430 has a connecting hole 431, and the partition 430 can support or assist in positioning the packing 410 while simultaneously achieving stable transport of the electrolytic products. (See attached figure) Figure 6 and attached Figure 7 As shown, the partition 430 can also have various forms. (See attached...) Figure 6 In the middle, the partition plate 430 is provided with connecting holes 431 spaced apart to form a sieve plate structure. (Attached) Figure 7 In the separator 400, the partition 430 includes a frame located on its outer periphery and multiple support strips 432 connected to the frame, with the support strips 432 spaced apart. Furthermore, the support strips 432 can be arranged in a cross pattern to form a mesh structure. Different structures of the partition 430 can also be used with different types of packing 410. For example, in one embodiment, the packing 410 is a mesh structure formed by rolling up long strips of material, such as a wire mesh. In another embodiment, the packing 410 is a porous block or granular material, such as heat exchange particles. The enclosed space formed by the inner cavity of the separator 400 and the partition 430 is the internal space of the separator 400. The proportion of the internal space occupied by the packing 410 is the filling ratio, which ranges from 20% to 80%.

[0044] In terms of the specific form of the separator 400, the diameter and height of the cylindrical structure of the separator 400 are close. For example, in one embodiment, the ratio between the diameter and height of the separator 400 itself ranges from 0.5:1 to 1.5:1. Furthermore, the dimensions of the separator 400 are adapted to the dimensions of the buffer 200. Specifically, in the direction of gravity, the ratio of the height of the buffer 200 to the height of the separator 400 ranges from 0.5:1 to 1.5:1.

[0045] The electrolytic products conveyed by separator 400 need to be heat-exchanged through cooler 500. Cooler 500 can be installed independently or implemented in conjunction with heat dissipation fins installed on the gas passage. Furthermore, cooler 500 includes an upper manifold connected to separator 400, a lower manifold connected to downstream equipment, and a heat dissipation air pipe 530 connecting the upper and lower manifolds. Heat dissipation air pipe 530 is equipped with heat dissipation fins, and the heat dissipation air pipes 530 are connected in parallel through the upper and lower manifolds to improve the conveying efficiency. See also the appendix. Figure 8As shown, the cooler 500 includes an upper support 510 connected to the separator 400, a lower support 520 connected to downstream equipment, and a heat dissipation pipe 530 connecting the upper support 510 and the lower support 520. The heat dissipation pipe 530 is provided with heat dissipation fins. The upper support 510 and the lower support 520 have connecting channels that sequentially connect each heat dissipation pipe 530. The heat dissipation pipes 530 are connected in series through the upper support 510 and the lower support 520 to improve heat exchange efficiency. The electrolytic products transported by the separator 400 are transported downstream via the cooler 500. During the transport process, the heat dissipation pipe 530 can reduce the temperature of the electrolytic products.

[0046] For specific details on cache settings, please refer to the appendix. Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the buffer 200 is an axially transverse cylindrical structure with both ends closed axially. Several detection components are mounted on the top of the buffer 200 in the direction of gravity. These detection components can take various forms. For example, a level sensor to detect the liquid level of the electrolytic medium within the buffer 200, and / or a pressure sensor and / or a temperature sensor to detect the pressure of the electrolytic products within the buffer 200 and the electrolysis tank 100. Different sensors can be installed independently or collaboratively. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the buffer 200 and the electrolysis tank 100 are directly connected, and the liquid level in the buffer 200 is spaced apart from the separator 400, i.e., lower than the height of the partition 430 of the separator 400. For example, during use, the liquid level in the buffer 200 is approximately 50% of the height of the buffer 200 to prevent the electrolytic medium from wetting the packing 410 and reducing the working efficiency of the separator 400.

[0047] During operation, electrolytic tank 100 releases energy to the electrolytic medium and increases its temperature. To ensure the continuous and stable operation of the electrolysis process, [see attached reference]. Figure 9 In the embodiment shown, the piping assembly 300 includes multiple vertical pipes 310 arranged in parallel and coplanar manner. The multiple vertical pipes are arranged sequentially at intervals along the axial direction of the buffer 200 and define a reference surface. The cooler 500 is located on one side of the reference surface, and a fan 540 acting on the piping assembly 300 and the cooler 500 is provided on the other side of the reference surface.

[0048] The fan 540 can simultaneously achieve heat exchange between the vertical duct 310 and the cooler 500, enabling a compact overall layout of the equipment. Furthermore, the fan 540 includes a convection zone for delivering airflow and a corresponding diffusion zone. At least a portion of both the duct assembly 300 and the cooler 500 are located within the convection zone to align with the fan 540 and improve heat exchange efficiency. In detail, the airflow delivered by the fan 540 first exchanges heat with the duct assembly 300 and then with the cooler 500. Depending on the specific application, the flame arrester 600 may have different configurations. (See attached diagram.) Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, multiple flame arresters 600 are provided, and the flame arresters 600 are connected in series or parallel. The flame arresters 600 are connected to downstream containment containers or gas loads.

[0049] Combining the above and the appendix Figure 1 and appendix Figure 3 As shown, this application also discloses a water electrolysis system, including the gas-liquid separation device described above. The specific configuration of the gas-liquid separation device can be found in the detailed description above. Details of the configuration of other parts of the water electrolysis system can be implemented in conjunction with existing technologies and will not be repeated here.

[0050] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as the combination of these technical features does not contradict each other, it should be considered to be within the scope of this specification. When technical features of different embodiments are embodied in the same drawing, it can be regarded as the drawing also disclosing examples of combinations of the various embodiments involved.

[0051] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the patent protection scope of this application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A gas-liquid separation device for a water electrolysis system, the water electrolysis system comprising an electrolysis tank with built-in electrodes, characterized in that, The gas-liquid separation device includes: A buffer is mounted above the electrolytic tank and connected to the electrolytic tank via a piping assembly; The separator is a vertical cylindrical structure, with its bottom connected to the top of the buffer, and its interior is filled with packing material. A cooler is connected to the top of the separator; The flame arrester is connected to the cooler, and the separator, the cooler, and the flame arrester are connected in sequence to form a gas passage.

2. The gas-liquid separation device of the water electrolysis system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The separator is connected to the buffer via a partition, and the partition has a connecting hole; the packing is supported on the partition.

3. The gas-liquid separation device for the water electrolysis system according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the direction of gravity, the ratio of the height of the buffer to the height of the separator is 0.5:1 to 1.5:

1.

4. The gas-liquid separation device of the water electrolysis system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The ratio between the diameter and height of the separator itself is 0.5:1 to 1.5:

1.

5. The gas-liquid separation device for the water electrolysis system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The buffer is an axially horizontal cylindrical structure and the buffer is closed at both ends along the axis; In the direction of gravity, several detection components are mounted on the top of the buffer.

6. The gas-liquid separation device for the water electrolysis system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The separator is provided in multiple parts, and each separator is arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the buffer.

7. The gas-liquid separation device for the water electrolysis system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The tops of multiple separators intersect each other via gas pipes and are connected to the cooler.

8. The gas-liquid separation device for the water electrolysis system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The piping assembly includes multiple vertical pipes arranged in parallel and coplanar manner, with the multiple vertical pipes arranged sequentially at intervals along the axial direction of the buffer and defining a reference plane; The cooler is located on one side of the reference surface, and a fan that acts on the piping assembly and the cooler is provided on the other side of the reference surface.

9. The gas-liquid separation device for the water electrolysis system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flame arrester is provided in multiple units and the flame arresters are connected in series or in parallel.

10. A water electrolysis system, characterized in that, The gas-liquid separation device includes any one of claims 1 to 9.

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