A fuel cell end plate structure for optimized thermal management

Abstract

The utility model discloses a fuel cell end plate structure of optimization heat management is applicable to fuel cell stack end plate, including end plate body, the end plate body includes water channel area and the edge area of surrounding water channel area arrangement, water channel area is provided with water inlet end, drainage area and water outlet end, water inlet end sets up in one end of water channel area, water outlet end sets up in the other end of water channel area, and drainage area sets up between water inlet end and water outlet end, and water inlet end, drainage area and water outlet end are sequentially communicated and set up, the drainage straight strip of a plurality of mutual parallel is provided in drainage area, and the first gap is provided between adjacent drainage straight strip. Through this application, the cooling water of higher temperature at the fuel cell stack outlet is drained to the water channel area of end plate, and the end plate is temperature compensated through heat exchange, and the problem that the single cell temperature near the front end plate and rear end plate in the stack is lower is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of battery technology, and in particular relates to a fuel cell endplate structure with optimized thermal management. Background Technology

[0002] During the operation of fuel cell stacks, the individual cells near the front and rear end plates of the fuel cell stack have lower temperatures compared to those in the center of the stack. This results in poorer performance for these cells, consequently affecting the overall performance and lifespan of the fuel cell stack. The main reasons for this phenomenon are twofold: ① The individual cells near the end plates (including the front and rear plates) receive a larger flow of cooling water, leading to their lower temperature; ② The end plates are in contact with the external environment, resulting in greater heat dissipation compared to the stack core. Therefore, to mitigate this phenomenon, temperature compensation is needed for the end plates of the fuel cell stack.

[0003] Currently, the temperature compensation scheme for fuel cell stack end plates is mainly achieved by adding heating components between the end plates and current collectors of the stack. This compensation scheme has the following two disadvantages: ① It requires power to the heating components, which increases additional energy consumption; ② The heating components have a short lifespan and a high replacement frequency. Frequent replacement of heating components results in high maintenance costs, and downtime for maintenance also causes significant losses. Utility Model Content

[0004] This utility model provides a fuel cell endplate structure with optimized thermal management, aiming to solve the problems of low single cell temperature near the front and rear endplates of existing fuel cell stacks, high energy consumption and high maintenance costs of existing endplate temperature compensation technology.

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this utility model provides a fuel cell endplate structure with optimized thermal management, applicable to fuel cell stack endplates. The endplate body includes a water channel region and an edge region surrounding the water channel region. The water channel region includes an inlet, a drainage area, and an outlet. The inlet is located at one end of the water channel region, and the outlet is located at the other end. The drainage area is located between the inlet and the outlet, and the inlet, drainage area, and outlet are sequentially connected. The drainage area contains a plurality of parallel drainage strips, with a first gap between adjacent drainage strips.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment, several of the drainage strips are arranged at equal intervals; the first gap is respectively connected to the water inlet and the water outlet. With this arrangement, within the water channel area, the water flows along the path of least resistance (the path from the water inlet to the water outlet). By setting multiple drainage strips, the water flow is divided, allowing the water to flow through various positions on the end plate, thus providing temperature compensation at each position on the end plate.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, the length of each of the drainage strips decreases from the central strip towards both sides. That is, in this application, the central strip is the longest, and the lengths of the side strips decrease from the central strip towards both sides; this allows the water flow to be evenly distributed across all positions of the end plate, providing temperature compensation at each position.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, a flow-guiding arc strip is provided at one end of the flow-guiding area near the outlet end, and the flow-guiding arc strip extends from the end of the flow-guiding straight strip away from the outlet end toward the outlet end; a second gap is provided between the flow-guiding arc strip and the flow-guiding straight strip away from the outlet end. This arrangement can prevent water flow from being trapped at the opposite position of the outlet end, and can also significantly improve the smoothness of water flow and reduce flow resistance.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the guiding arc strip is bent toward the end of the guiding straight strip closest to the water outlet. This arrangement prevents water from getting stuck at the opposite position of the water outlet and also significantly improves the smoothness of the water flow and reduces flow resistance.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the end corners of the water channel area, the end corners of the straight guide strip, and the end corners of the curved guide strip are all rounded. By setting rounded corners at various points within the water channel area, the smoothness of the water flow can be effectively improved, the flow resistance reduced, and the possibility of vortices forming in the water flow at these points can be decreased.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the bottom edge of the water channel area, the edge of the straight diversion strip, and the edge of the curved diversion strip are all rounded. By setting rounded arcs at various points within the water channel area, the smoothness of the water flow can be further improved, the flow resistance reduced, and the possibility of vortices forming in the water flow at these points can be decreased.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the water outlet is disposed through the end plate body; the bottom of the water inlet is a closed bottom; and the depth of the water channel area is less than the thickness of the end plate body.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, one end of the edge region is provided with an oxygen inlet, a water inlet, and a hydrogen outlet, with the water inlet located between the oxygen inlet and the hydrogen outlet; the other end of the edge region is provided with an oxygen outlet and a hydrogen inlet, with the water inlet located between the oxygen outlet and the hydrogen inlet. In this application, the water inlet serves as the water outlet of the end plate, guiding the water flow to the water channel region, and finally flowing out from the water outlet.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the oxygen inlet and the oxygen outlet are arranged diagonally opposite each other, and the hydrogen outlet and the hydrogen inlet are arranged diagonally opposite each other.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the water channel area is located on the side of the end plate body near the stack core; the fuel cell stack end plate is a front end plate or a rear end plate.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of this utility model embodiment has the following beneficial effects: This application, by setting a water channel area on the end plate, diverts the high-temperature cooling water from the fuel cell stack outlet to the water channel area of ​​the end plate, and compensates for the temperature of the end plate through heat exchange, solving the problem of low temperature of single cells near the front and rear plates of the fuel cell stack. With this structure, there is no need for additional heating components, no additional heating energy consumption, no need for frequent replacement of heating components, no need for downtime maintenance, and no need for additional maintenance and repair of the fuel cell end plate, reducing the operating cost of the fuel cell stack and the losses caused by downtime maintenance, and avoiding the shortcomings of existing stack end plate temperature compensation technologies. This application's structure optimizes the thermal management of the fuel cell stack, effectively improving the overall performance and lifespan of the stack. It is simple in structure, easy to disassemble and assemble, convenient to maintain, has good stability, and is economical, safe, and practical. It can be implemented without major modifications to the structure of the battery module and can be used for large-scale production applications. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a fuel cell endplate structure with optimized thermal management according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Another perspective on the structural schematic diagram of the fuel cell endplate structure for optimized thermal management.

[0020] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of this utility model will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The technical solutions of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments of this utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this utility model, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of this utility model.

[0022] Furthermore, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by this utility model.

[0023] Specifically, such as Figures 1 to 2 As shown, this utility model embodiment provides a fuel cell endplate structure for optimized thermal management, applicable to fuel cell stack endplates, including an endplate body 10. The endplate body 10 includes a water channel region 11 and an edge region 12 surrounding the water channel region 11. The water channel region 11 is provided with an inlet end 111, a drainage region 112, and an outlet end 113. The inlet end 111 is located at one end of the water channel region 11, and the outlet end 113 is located at the other end of the water channel region 11. The drainage region 112 is located between the inlet end 111 and the outlet end 113. The inlet end 111, the drainage region 112, and the outlet end 113 are sequentially connected. The drainage region 112 is provided with a plurality of parallel drainage strips 1121, and a first gap 1122 is provided between adjacent drainage strips 1121.

[0024] This application addresses the issue of low individual cell temperatures near the front and rear plates in a fuel cell stack by providing a water channel area on the end plate, which diverts the high-temperature cooling water from the fuel cell stack outlet to the water channel area on the end plate. This allows for temperature compensation of the end plate through heat exchange.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, several of the drainage strips 1121 are arranged at equal intervals; the first gap 1122 is respectively connected to the water inlet 111 and the water outlet 113. With this arrangement, within the water channel area 11, the water flow will follow the path of least resistance (the path from the water inlet 111 to the water outlet 113). By setting multiple drainage strips 1121, the water flow is divided, allowing the water to flow through various positions of the end plate, thus providing temperature compensation at each position of the end plate.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, among the plurality of drainage strips 1121, the length of the drainage strip 1121 decreases from the central drainage strip 1121 to both sides. That is, in this application, the drainage strip 1121 at the center position is the longest, and the length of the drainage strips 1121 on both sides decreases from the center position to both sides; this allows the water flow to be evenly distributed across all positions of the end plate, providing temperature compensation at each position of the end plate.

[0027] Specifically, in this embodiment, three drainage strips 1121 are provided, with the middle one being the longest; the two side drainage strips 1121 are of the same length and are symmetrically arranged. The width of the drainage strips 1121 is 10mm, which ensures both the structural strength of the end plate body and allows the water to flow evenly through all positions of the end plate.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, a flow-guiding arc strip 1123 is provided at one end of the flow-guiding area 112 near the water outlet end 113. The flow-guiding arc strip 1123 extends from one end of the flow-guiding straight strip 1121 away from the water outlet end 113 toward the water outlet end 113. A second gap 1124 is provided between the flow-guiding arc strip 1123 and the flow-guiding straight strip 1121 away from the water outlet end 113. This arrangement can prevent water flow from being trapped at the opposite position of the water outlet end and can also significantly improve the smoothness of water flow and reduce flow resistance. The width of the second gap 1124 is smaller than the width of the first gap 1122, so that the water flow can flow evenly through all positions of the end plate.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the guiding arc strip 1123 is bent toward the end of the guiding straight strip 1121 near the water outlet 113. In this embodiment, the radius of the guiding arc strip 1123 is 23mm. This arrangement can prevent water from getting stuck at the opposite position of the water outlet and can also significantly improve the smoothness of the water flow and reduce flow resistance.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the end corners of the water channel region 11, the end corners of the straight guide bar 1121, and the end corners of the curved guide bar 1123 are all provided with rounded corners A. For example, a 6mm rounded corner is provided at the water inlet end 111. By providing rounded corners at various end corners within the water channel region, the smoothness of the water flow can be effectively improved, the flow resistance reduced, and the possibility of vortex formation in the water flow can be decreased.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the bottom edge of the water channel region 11, the edge of the straight guide bar 1121, and the edge of the curved guide bar 1123 are all provided with arcs B. By providing arcs at various points within the water channel region, the smoothness of the water flow can be further improved, the flow resistance reduced, and the possibility of the water flow forming vortices at these points can be decreased.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment, the water outlet 113 is disposed through the end plate body 10; the bottom of the water inlet 111 is a closed bottom; and the depth of the water channel area 11 is less than the thickness of the end plate body 10.

[0033] The structure described in this application eliminates the need for additional heating components, avoids additional heating energy consumption, eliminates the need for frequent replacement of heating components, eliminates the need for downtime maintenance, and eliminates the need for additional maintenance and repair of the fuel cell endplate. This reduces the operating cost of the fuel cell stack and the losses caused by downtime maintenance, and avoids the shortcomings of existing fuel cell stack endplate temperature compensation technologies.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, one end of the edge region 12 is provided with an oxygen inlet 121, a water inlet 122, and a hydrogen outlet 123, with the water inlet 122 positioned between the oxygen inlet 121 and the hydrogen outlet 123; the other end of the edge region 12 is provided with an oxygen outlet 124 and a hydrogen inlet 125, with the water inlet 111 positioned between the oxygen outlet 124 and the hydrogen inlet 125. In this application, the water inlet serves as the water outlet of the end plate, guiding the water flow to the water channel area, and finally flowing out from the water outlet.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment, the oxygen inlet 121 and the oxygen outlet 124 are arranged diagonally opposite each other, and the hydrogen outlet 123 and the hydrogen inlet 125 are arranged diagonally opposite each other. In this embodiment, the water outlet 113 is arranged adjacent to the oxygen inlet 121.

[0036] In a preferred embodiment, the water channel region 11 is disposed on the side of the end plate body 10 near the core; the fuel cell stack end plate is a front end plate or a rear end plate.

[0037] This application optimizes the thermal management of the fuel cell stack, effectively improving the overall performance and lifespan of the stack. It also features a simple structure, easy assembly and disassembly, convenient maintenance, good stability, and is economical, safe, and practical. It can be implemented without major modifications to the battery module structure and can be used for large-scale production applications.

[0038] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A fuel cell endplate structure with optimized thermal management, characterized in that, An endplate for a fuel cell stack includes an endplate body, the endplate body comprising a water channel region and an edge region surrounding the water channel region; the water channel region includes an inlet end, a diversion area, and an outlet end; the inlet end is located at one end of the water channel region, the outlet end is located at the other end of the water channel region, the diversion area is located between the inlet end and the outlet end, and the inlet end, the diversion area, and the outlet end are sequentially connected; the diversion area contains a plurality of parallel diversion strips, and a first gap is provided between adjacent diversion strips.

2. The fuel cell endplate structure with optimized thermal management according to claim 1, characterized in that, Several of the aforementioned straight drainage strips are arranged at equal intervals; the first gap is respectively connected to the water inlet end and the water outlet end.

3. The fuel cell endplate structure with optimized thermal management according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the plurality of drainage strips, the length of the drainage strip decreases from the central drainage strip to both sides.

4. The fuel cell endplate structure with optimized thermal management according to claim 1, characterized in that, A flow-guiding arc strip is provided at one end of the flow-guiding area near the water outlet end. The flow-guiding arc strip extends from one end of the flow-guiding straight strip away from the water outlet end toward the water outlet end. A second gap is provided between the flow-guiding arc strip and the flow-guiding straight strip away from the water outlet end.

5. The fuel cell endplate structure with optimized thermal management according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flow-guiding arc strip is bent toward the end of the flow-guiding straight strip near the water outlet.

6. The fuel cell endplate structure with optimized thermal management according to claim 4, characterized in that, The end corners of the water channel area, the end corners of the straight diversion strip, and the end corners of the curved diversion strip are all rounded.

7. The fuel cell endplate structure with optimized thermal management according to claim 4, characterized in that, The bottom edge of the water channel area, the edge of the straight diversion strip, and the edge of the curved diversion strip are all designed with arcs.

8. The fuel cell endplate structure with optimized thermal management according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water outlet is disposed through the end plate body; the bottom of the water inlet is a closed bottom; the depth of the water channel area is less than the thickness of the end plate body.

9. The fuel cell endplate structure with optimized thermal management according to claim 1, characterized in that, One end of the edge region is provided with an oxygen inlet, a water inlet and a hydrogen outlet, with the water inlet located between the oxygen inlet and the hydrogen outlet; the other end of the edge region is provided with an oxygen outlet and a hydrogen inlet, with the water inlet located between the oxygen outlet and the hydrogen inlet.

10. The fuel cell endplate structure with optimized thermal management according to claim 9, characterized in that, The oxygen inlet and the oxygen outlet are arranged diagonally opposite each other, and the hydrogen outlet and the hydrogen inlet are arranged diagonally opposite each other. The water channel area is located on the side of the end plate body near the core; the fuel cell stack end plate is a front end plate or a rear end plate.

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