Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer with grooved flow channels

Abstract

The utility model discloses a proton exchange membrane water electrolytic tank device of fluted runner, including anode polar plate, cathode polar plate and the membrane electrode assembly of setting between anode polar plate and cathode polar plate, anode polar plate inside and cathode polar plate inside are provided with fluted runner respectively, two fluted runners are parallel to each other, and the side of fluted runner close to membrane electrode assembly is diffusion layer, and fluted runner includes direct current runner, and a plurality of groups of flat grooves are opened to the both sides of direct current runner length direction symmetry, and a plurality of groups of dovetail grooves are opened to direct current runner one side between the adjacent two flat grooves. The utility model discloses a proton exchange membrane water electrolytic tank of fluted runner, and the current density of fluted runner in the recess and dovetail groove junction is big, and the flow rate of fluid in fluted runner increases, improves the average flow rate of fluid, and the water flux is big, can take out the oxygen of electrolytic tank generation well, improves water electrolytic tank electrolytic performance, and solves the problem of the oxygen of diffusion layer oxygen discharge difficult, fluid average flow rate low in the prior art.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the technical field of water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment, specifically relating to a proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer with a grooved flow channel. Background Technology

[0002] Hydrogen energy, due to its high energy density and environmental friendliness, is one of the ideal energy forms. Water electrolysis for hydrogen production is a green and environmentally friendly method with great development potential. Proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzers are widely used due to their advantages of high hydrogen purity and fast response time. However, most existing water electrolyzers are based on direct-flow channels, resulting in low water flow rates and small water flux. This hinders the removal of oxygen from the diffusion layer and the transfer of heat. Oxygen retention in the diffusion layer affects the electrolysis performance of PEM water electrolysis, leading to significant voltage losses and heat accumulation within the proton exchange membrane, which can impact its lifespan. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device with a grooved flow channel, which solves the problems of difficult oxygen removal from the diffusion layer and low average fluid velocity in the prior art.

[0004] The technical solution adopted in this utility model is a proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer device with grooved flow channels, including an anode plate, a cathode plate, and a membrane electrode assembly disposed between the anode plate and the cathode plate. Grooved flow channels are respectively provided on the inner side of the anode plate and the inner side of the cathode plate. The two grooved flow channels are parallel to each other, and the side of the grooved flow channel near the membrane electrode assembly is a diffusion layer.

[0005] The present invention is further characterized in that, The grooved flow channel includes a direct flow channel, and several sets of flat grooves are symmetrically opened on both sides of the direct flow channel along its length.

[0006] Several sets of dovetail grooves are provided on one side of the DC flow channel between two adjacent flat grooves.

[0007] Both the flat groove and the dovetail groove are slotted in the vertical direction.

[0008] The width of the flat groove is 1mm-4mm.

[0009] The width of the flat groove is 2mm.

[0010] The membrane electrode assembly includes an anode catalyst layer, a proton exchange membrane, and a cathode catalyst layer.

[0011] The anode and cathode plates are connected by bolts and sealed with sealant.

[0012] The beneficial effects of this utility model are: This invention relates to a proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer with a grooved flow channel. The grooved flow channel, with its dovetail groove, increases the turbulence of the fluid at the channel wall, while the flat groove increases the average velocity of the fluid throughout the channel, resulting in a large water flux. Both the flat groove and the dovetail groove facilitate the diffusion of oxygen and heat. At the same time, the increased ridge area at the grooves promotes electron transport within the electrolyzer. This invention solves the problems of difficult oxygen removal from the diffusion layer, low average fluid velocity, and high proton exchange membrane temperature in existing technologies, thereby improving the electrolysis performance of the water electrolyzer. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer of this utility model; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the grooved flow channel structure of this utility model; Figure 3 This is a top view of the grooved flow channel of this utility model; Figure 4 This is a velocity contour map of the flow channel cross-section for different groove widths according to this utility model; Figure 5 This is a cloud map of the interfacial current density at the interface between the catalyst layer and the diffusion layer of the electrolytic cell for different groove widths according to this invention. Figure 6 This is a cloud diagram of oxygen mole fraction in the flow channel cross section for different groove widths according to this utility model; Figure 7 This is the average mole fraction of oxygen in the diffusion layer for different groove widths in this invention; Figure 8 This refers to the temperature of the proton exchange membrane centerline when the groove width is different according to this invention.

[0014] In the figure, 1. Anode plate, 2. Groove channel, 3. Diffusion layer, 4. Anode catalyst layer, 5. Proton exchange membrane, 6. Cathode catalyst layer, 7. Cathode plate, 8. Flat groove, 9. Dovetail groove. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0016] Example 1 The proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer with grooved flow channels of this utility model has the following structure: Figure 1As shown, the device includes an anode plate 1, a membrane electrode assembly, and a cathode plate 7 arranged sequentially from top to bottom. The membrane electrode assembly is disposed between the anode plate 1 and the cathode plate 7. Grooved channels 2 are respectively provided on the inner side of the anode plate 1 and the inner side of the cathode plate 7. The two grooved channels 2 are arranged in parallel, and the side of the grooved channel 2 closest to the membrane electrode assembly is a diffusion layer 3.

[0017] Example 2 Based on Example 1, the grooved flow channel 2 structure is as follows: Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the system includes a direct current flow channel, with several sets of flat grooves 8 symmetrically formed on both sides adjacent to the diffusion layer. The width of each flat groove 8 is 2 mm. Several sets of dovetail grooves 9 are formed on one side of the direct current flow channel between adjacent flat grooves 8. Both the flat grooves 8 and dovetail grooves 9 are vertically oriented. The flat grooves 8 increase the average velocity of the fluid within the entire flow channel, while the dovetail grooves 9 increase the fluid velocity near the wall. Because the electron transport velocity at the connection between the dovetail grooves 9 and the flat grooves 8 is higher than the ion transport velocity within the flow channel, the interfacial current density at the connection is higher. This results in a higher fluid velocity within the grooved flow channel 2, effectively carrying away oxygen generated in the electrolyzer and improving the electrolysis performance of the water electrolyzer. Simultaneously, the rapid fluid diffusion within the proton exchange membrane 5 removes a significant amount of heat, thereby lowering the temperature of the proton exchange membrane 5 and extending its service life.

[0018] Example 3 Based on Example 2, the membrane electrode assembly includes an anode catalytic layer 4, a proton exchange membrane 5, and a cathode catalytic layer 6.

[0019] Example 4 Based on Example 3, the anode plate 1 and the cathode plate 7 are connected by bolts and sealed with sealant. The sealant is made of insulating rubber.

[0020] The working principle of the proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer with grooved flow channel of this utility model is as follows: Water enters through the inlet of the anode groove channel and the cathode groove channel, respectively, and passes through the diffusion layer 3 of the anode and the diffusion layer 3 of the cathode to reach the anode catalyst layer 4 and the cathode catalyst layer 6. Under the action of the catalyst, decomposition occurs, producing oxygen and hydrogen at the anode and cathode. The produced oxygen and hydrogen then pass through the diffusion layer 3 into the groove channel and flow out of the electrolyzer with the undecomposed water. The proton exchange membrane 5 only allows hydrogen ions to pass through.

[0021] The grooved flow channel 2 is set up, the current density at the connection between the flat groove 8 and the dovetail groove 9 is large, the oxygen mole fraction in the diffusion layer 3 is small, the average flow velocity of the fluid in the grooved flow channel 2 is increased, the water flux is large, which can effectively carry out the oxygen generated by the electrolyzer and facilitate the diffusion of heat, improve the electrolysis performance of the water electrolyzer, and the temperature of the proton exchange membrane 5 is low. This solves the problems of difficult oxygen discharge from the diffusion layer, low average flow velocity of the fluid, and high temperature of the proton exchange membrane in the prior art.

[0022] Example 5 The proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer with grooved flow channels of this utility model has the following structure: Figure 1 As shown, the device includes an anode plate 1, a membrane electrode assembly, and a cathode plate 7 arranged sequentially from top to bottom. The membrane electrode assembly is disposed between the anode plate 1 and the cathode plate 7. Grooved channels 2 are respectively provided on the inner side of the anode plate 1 and the inner side of the cathode plate 7. The two grooved channels 2 are arranged in parallel, and the side of the grooved channel 2 closest to the membrane electrode assembly is a diffusion layer 3.

[0023] The grooved flow channel 2 structure is as follows Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, it includes a DC flow channel, and several sets of flat grooves 8 are symmetrically opened on both sides of the DC flow channel adjacent to the diffusion layer.

[0024] On one side of the DC flow channel, several sets of dovetail grooves 9 are provided between two adjacent flat grooves 8. Both the flat grooves 8 and the dovetail grooves 9 are grooved in the vertical direction.

[0025] The width of the flat groove 8 is 1mm.

[0026] The flat groove 8 can increase the fluid velocity in the flow channel and improve the electrolysis performance of the water electrolyzer.

[0027] The membrane electrode assembly includes an anode catalytic layer 4, a proton exchange membrane 5, and a cathode catalytic layer 6.

[0028] The anode plate 1 and the cathode plate 7 are connected by bolts and sealed with sealant. The sealant is made of insulating rubber.

[0029] Example 6 The proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer with grooved flow channels of this utility model has the following structure: Figure 1 As shown, the device includes an anode plate 1, a membrane electrode assembly, and a cathode plate 7 arranged sequentially from top to bottom. The membrane electrode assembly is disposed between the anode plate 1 and the cathode plate 7. Grooved channels 2 are respectively provided on the inner side of the anode plate 1 and the inner side of the cathode plate 7. The two grooved channels 2 are arranged in parallel, and the side of the grooved channel 2 closest to the membrane electrode assembly is a diffusion layer 3.

[0030] The grooved flow channel 2 structure is as follows Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, it includes a direct current flow channel, and several sets of flat grooves 8 are symmetrically formed on both sides of the direct current flow channel adjacent to the diffusion layer. Several sets of dovetail grooves 9 are formed on one side of the direct current flow channel between two adjacent flat grooves 8.

[0031] Both the flat groove 8 and the dovetail groove 9 are grooved in the vertical direction.

[0032] The width of the flat groove 8 is 3mm.

[0033] The flat groove 8 can increase the fluid velocity in the flow channel and improve the electrolysis performance of the water electrolyzer.

[0034] The membrane electrode assembly includes an anode catalytic layer 4, a proton exchange membrane 5, and a cathode catalytic layer 6.

[0035] The anode plate 1 and the cathode plate 7 are connected by bolts and sealed with sealant. The sealant is made of insulating rubber.

[0036] Example 7 The proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer with grooved flow channels of this utility model has the following structure: Figure 1 As shown, the device includes an anode plate 1, a membrane electrode assembly, and a cathode plate 7 arranged sequentially from top to bottom. The membrane electrode assembly is disposed between the anode plate 1 and the cathode plate 7. Grooved channels 2 are respectively provided on the inner side of the anode plate 1 and the inner side of the cathode plate 7. The two grooved channels 2 are arranged in parallel, and the side of the grooved channel 2 closest to the membrane electrode assembly is a diffusion layer 3.

[0037] The grooved flow channel 2 structure is as follows Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, it includes a direct current flow channel, and several sets of flat grooves 8 are symmetrically formed on both sides of the direct current flow channel adjacent to the diffusion layer. Several sets of dovetail grooves 9 are formed on one side of the direct current flow channel between two adjacent flat grooves 8.

[0038] Both the flat groove 8 and the dovetail groove 9 are grooved in the vertical direction.

[0039] The width of the flat groove 8 is 4mm.

[0040] The flat groove 8 can increase the fluid velocity in the flow channel and improve the electrolysis performance of the water electrolyzer.

[0041] The membrane electrode assembly includes an anode catalytic layer 4, a proton exchange membrane 5, and a cathode catalytic layer 6.

[0042] The anode plate 1 and the cathode plate 7 are connected by bolts and sealed with sealant. The sealant is made of insulating rubber.

[0043] Traditional straight-flow channels have no grooves, meaning the groove width is 0mm. Comparing this with the groove widths of Embodiment 4 (2mm), Embodiment 5 (1mm), Embodiment 6 (3mm), and Embodiment 7 (4mm) of this invention, the velocity contour plots of the corresponding flow channel cross-sections are shown below. Figure 4 As shown, compared with the traditional direct flow channel, the fluid velocity increases significantly when the fluid flows through the flat groove 8 in the grooved flow channel 2. The width of the flat groove is 2mm, 3mm and 4mm. As the groove width increases, the area with larger fluid velocity in the flow channel also increases. The larger fluid velocity is conducive to the diffusion of oxygen in the diffusion layer and timely discharge of generated oxygen, which can improve the electrolysis performance of the water electrolyzer.

[0044] The interfacial current density cloud diagrams at the interface between the anode diffusion layer and the catalyst layer corresponding to different groove widths are shown below. Figure 5 As shown, the interface current density at the dovetail groove 9 and the flat groove 8 is relatively large because the electron transport speed is higher than the ion transport speed in the flow channel. The presence of the flat groove 8 and the dovetail groove 9 increases the overall area on both sides of the flow channel. Compared with the traditional DC channel, the interface current density increases with the increase of the groove width. The wider the groove width, the larger the area with higher current density.

[0045] Figure 6 The image shows the oxygen mole fraction cloud map of the flow channel cross section corresponding to different groove widths. Compared with the traditional direct flow channel, the oxygen mole fraction in the grooved flow channel is smaller. This is because the fluid velocity in the grooved flow channel is high, which can effectively carry out the oxygen generated by the electrolyzer, thus optimizing the performance of the water electrolyzer.

[0046] Figure 7 The graph shows the average oxygen mole fraction in the anode diffusion layer for different groove widths. It can be seen that the average oxygen mole fraction in the anode diffusion layer first decreases and then increases with the increase of groove width. Since the increase is greater in the narrower area of ​​the flow channel when the groove is wider, the narrow area of ​​the longer flow channel is not conducive to oxygen discharge. The average oxygen mole fraction in the anode diffusion layer is the lowest when the width of the flat groove 8 is 2mm.

[0047] Figure 8 The figure shows the temperature change curves along the centerline of the proton exchange membrane for different groove widths. As can be seen from the figure, the temperature of the proton exchange membrane 5 decreases significantly at groove 8, and then increases again as the temperature moves away from the groove. This is because the fluid velocity is high and the fluid diffuses quickly within the proton exchange membrane at the groove, carrying away more heat. Figure 7 As can be seen from the sub-plot, the average temperature of the proton exchange membrane with grooves is lower than that of the conventional DC channel, and the proton exchange membrane has a relatively longer service life.

[0048] Finally, it should be noted that in this application, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0049] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this application shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. The use of terms such as "a," "an," or "the" in the patent application specification and claims does not indicate a quantity limitation, but rather indicates the presence of at least one. Terms such as "comprising" or "including" mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the element or object listed following the word and its equivalents. Terms such as "connected" or "linked" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are used only to indicate relative positional relationships; these relative positional relationships may change accordingly when the absolute position of the described object changes.

[0050] Although this application has been described with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this application as defined by the appended claims. While this specification contains details of many specific implementations, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. The scope of this application is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents, and is not limited to the embodiments described above.

Claims

1. A proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer with grooved flow channels, characterized in that, The device includes an anode plate (1), a cathode plate (7), and a membrane electrode assembly disposed between the anode plate (1) and the cathode plate (7). Grooved channels (2) are respectively provided on the inner side of the anode plate (1) and the inner side of the cathode plate (7). The two grooved channels (2) are parallel to each other, and the side of the grooved channel (2) closest to the membrane electrode assembly is a diffusion layer (3).

2. The proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer with grooved flow channels according to claim 1, characterized in that, The grooved flow channel (2) includes a direct flow channel, and several sets of flat grooves (8) are symmetrically opened on both sides of the length direction of the direct flow channel.

3. The proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer with grooved flow channels according to claim 2, characterized in that, On one side of the DC flow channel, several sets of dovetail grooves (9) are provided between two adjacent flat grooves (8).

4. The proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer with grooved flow channels according to claim 3, characterized in that, Both the flat groove (8) and the dovetail groove (9) are grooved in the vertical direction.

5. The proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer with grooved flow channels according to claim 2, characterized in that, The width of the flat groove (8) is 1mm-4mm.

6. The proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer with grooved flow channels according to claim 5, characterized in that, The width of the flat groove (8) is 2mm.

7. The proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer with grooved flow channels according to claim 1, characterized in that, The membrane electrode assembly includes an anode catalyst layer (4), a proton exchange membrane (5), and a cathode catalyst layer (6).

8. The proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer with grooved flow channels according to claim 1, characterized in that, The anode plate (1) and the cathode plate (7) are connected by bolts and sealed with sealant.

Images