Electrolytic cell simulation device and BOP testing system

Abstract

This application relates to an electrolyzer simulation device and a BOP (Balance of Plant) testing system, belonging to the field of water electrolysis technology. The electrolyzer simulation device includes: a cavity simulation module, comprising an oxygen cavity unit and a hydrogen cavity unit, capable of communicating with a BOP system to receive water supplied by the BOP system; a gas generation simulation module, respectively connected to the oxygen cavity unit and the hydrogen cavity unit; a water balance simulation module, respectively connected to the hydrogen cavity unit and the oxygen cavity unit, and capable of communicating with the BOP system, used for controlled supply of water from the BOP system into the hydrogen cavity unit, and controlled discharge of water from the oxygen cavity unit; and a controller module, used to control each module according to control commands. The electrolyzer simulation device provided in this application can replace a real electrolyzer for BOP system testing, avoiding lifespan degradation or even damage to the electrolyzer during BOP testing, thus preventing interruption of the testing process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of water electrolysis technology, and in particular to an electrolyzer simulation device and a BOP testing system. Background Technology

[0002] Electrolysis of water is the core pathway for green hydrogen production, with ion exchange membrane electrolyzers becoming the mainstream technology due to their high efficiency and fast dynamic response. Traditional water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment mainly consists of an electrolyzer and a Balance of Plant (BOP) system. The BOP system refers to the entire set of auxiliary systems and supporting facilities excluding the electrolyzer. Its main functions are to provide the electrolyzer with feed water and to separate and purify the wet hydrogen and wet oxygen produced by the electrochemical reaction in the electrolyzer to obtain the finished hydrogen and oxygen.

[0003] In the development, commissioning, and life verification of BOP systems, the operation of a real electrolytic cell is relied upon. However, the membrane electrodes of the electrolytic cell are relatively fragile and have poor pressure and temperature resistance. Voltage surges and differential pressure imbalances during the commissioning of the BOP system can easily cause membrane electrode life degradation or even damage, leading to interruption of the testing process. To address this, existing technologies employ phased testing. In the first phase, an inert gas is introduced into the BOP system to simulate electrolysis products and test the functionality of the equipment, instruments, and sensors. Then, in the second phase, a real electrolytic cell is connected for full system testing.

[0004] However, in the first stage, the absence of water electrolysis reaction prevents the generation of saturated wet hydrogen / oxygen and lacks a dynamic balance between water permeation and consumption. This makes it impossible to effectively verify the corrosion protection and water recovery performance of the BOP system, which in turn makes it difficult to accurately calculate the reliability and lifespan of the BOP system and results in inaccurate control strategies. Furthermore, the subsequent second-stage test still carries the risk of electrolyzer damage. Utility Model Content

[0005] This application provides an electrolytic cell simulation device and a BOP testing system to solve at least one technical problem existing in the prior art.

[0006] This application provides an electrolyzer simulation device, comprising: a cavity simulation module, including an oxygen cavity unit and a hydrogen cavity unit, which can be connected to a BOP system to receive water supplied by the BOP system; a gas production simulation module, which is connected to the oxygen cavity unit and the hydrogen cavity unit respectively, for controlled injection of corresponding oxygen or hydrogen into the oxygen cavity unit and the hydrogen cavity unit respectively; a water balance simulation module, which is connected to the hydrogen cavity unit and the oxygen cavity unit respectively, and can be connected to the BOP system, for controlled supply of water supplied by the BOP system into the hydrogen cavity unit, and for controlled discharge of water from the oxygen cavity unit; and a controller module, which is electrically connected to the cavity simulation module, the gas production simulation module and the water balance simulation module respectively, for controlling the cavity simulation module, the gas production simulation module and the water balance simulation module according to control commands; wherein, the oxygen cavity unit and the hydrogen cavity unit are configured to controllably humidify the received oxygen or hydrogen into saturated wet hydrogen or saturated wet oxygen and deliver it to the BOP system.

[0007] In some embodiments, the oxygen chamber unit and the hydrogen chamber unit each have a processing chamber for containing oxygen or hydrogen, and the oxygen chamber unit and the hydrogen chamber unit are also configured to controllably heat the processing chamber to simulate the heat generation of an electrolyzer.

[0008] In some embodiments, the oxygen chamber unit includes a first tank, an oxygen diffuser, a first heater, and a first temperature sensor. The first tank has an oxygen outlet at the top and an oxygen inlet at the bottom. The oxygen inlet is connected to a gas generation simulation module, and the oxygen outlet is used to connect to a BOP (Balance of Plant) system. The oxygen diffuser is located inside the first tank and at the oxygen inlet, used for bubbling and dispersing oxygen. The first heater is located at the bottom of the first tank and can heat the first tank in response to control commands from the controller module. The first temperature sensor is located at the top of the first tank and is used to collect the temperature of the heated water. The bottom of the first tank has an inlet for connecting to the BOP system and an outlet for connecting to the water balance simulation module. The first tank also contains a first humidifying packing material located at the top of the oxygen diffuser to humidify the passing oxygen.

[0009] In some embodiments, the hydrogen chamber unit includes a second tank, a hydrogen diffuser, a second heater, and a second temperature sensor. The second tank has a hydrogen outlet at the top and a hydrogen inlet at the bottom. The hydrogen inlet is connected to a gas generation simulation module, and the hydrogen outlet is used to connect to a BOP (Boot-Off) system. The hydrogen diffuser is located inside the second tank at the hydrogen inlet and is used to bubble and disperse the hydrogen. The second heater is located at the bottom of the second tank and can heat the second tank to the same temperature as the first tank in response to control commands from the controller module. The second temperature sensor is located at the top of the second tank and is used to collect the water temperature after heating. The bottom of the second tank has an inlet for connecting to the BOP system, and the second tank also contains a second humidifying packing material located at the top of the hydrogen diffuser for humidifying the passing oxygen.

[0010] In some embodiments, the oxygen chamber unit further includes: a first liquid level sensor disposed at the top of the first tank for sensing the liquid level in the first tank; and a water check valve disposed at the inlet of the first tank for preventing oxygen from entering the BOP system through the inlet; the hydrogen chamber unit further includes: a second liquid level sensor disposed at the top of the second tank for sensing the liquid level in the second tank.

[0011] In some embodiments, the gas generation simulation module includes an oxygen simulation unit and a hydrogen simulation unit; the oxygen simulation unit includes: an oxygen flow controller, one end of which is connected to an external oxygen source and the other end of which is connected to an oxygen chamber unit to controllably regulate the flow rate of oxygen; and an oxygen check valve, connected between the oxygen flow controller and the oxygen chamber unit, to prevent water from flowing back to the oxygen flow controller; the hydrogen simulation unit includes: a hydrogen flow controller, one end of which is connected to an external hydrogen source and the other end of which is connected to a hydrogen chamber unit to controllably regulate the flow rate of hydrogen; and a hydrogen check valve, connected between the hydrogen flow controller and the hydrogen chamber unit, to prevent water from flowing back to the hydrogen flow controller.

[0012] In some implementations, the water balance simulation module includes a water consumption simulation unit and an electrode permeation water simulation unit; the water consumption simulation unit is capable of controlled drainage of water from the oxygen chamber unit; and the electrode permeation water simulation unit is capable of controlled supply of water from the BOP system into the hydrogen chamber unit.

[0013] In some embodiments, the water consumption simulation unit includes: a drain flow control valve, one end of which is connected to the oxygen chamber unit; and a drain flow sensor connected to the other end of the drain flow control valve; wherein the drain flow control valve can controllably drain water from the oxygen chamber unit; the electrode permeation water simulation unit includes: a hydrogen chamber permeation switch valve, one end of which is connected to the hydrogen chamber unit, and the other end of which is used to connect to the BOP system; and a permeation check valve connected between the hydrogen chamber permeation switch valve and the hydrogen chamber unit; wherein the hydrogen chamber permeation switch valve can controllably replenish water from the BOP system into the hydrogen chamber unit to control the liquid level in the hydrogen chamber unit to be the same as the liquid level in the oxygen chamber unit.

[0014] In some implementations, the controller module is configured to: receive voltage / current commands from the BOP system, calculate real-time oxygen production, real-time hydrogen production, water consumption, and reaction heat, and perform the following actions: based on the calculated real-time oxygen production or real-time hydrogen production, control the gas injection flow rate of the gas production simulation module; based on the calculated reaction heat, control the heating temperature of the oxygen chamber unit and the hydrogen chamber unit; based on the calculated water consumption, control the drainage flow rate of the water consumption simulation unit, and control the amount of water supplied to the hydrogen chamber unit by the electrode permeation water simulation unit.

[0015] Another aspect of this application provides a BOP testing system, including the electrolytic cell simulation device as described above.

[0016] The electrolytic cell simulation device and BOP testing system provided in this application have at least the following advantages compared to the prior art:

[0017] Based on the structural design of the electrolyzer simulation device, the device mainly consists of a cavity simulation module, a gas production simulation module, a water balance simulation module, and a controller module. The cavity simulation module includes an oxygen cavity unit and a hydrogen cavity unit. The gas production simulation module can supply oxygen and hydrogen into the corresponding oxygen cavity unit and hydrogen cavity unit, respectively. The oxygen cavity unit and hydrogen cavity unit humidify the received oxygen and hydrogen to saturated wet oxygen and saturated wet hydrogen, and then supply them to the BOP system for simulation testing. The water balance simulation module can controllably supply water from the BOP system into the hydrogen cavity unit and controllably discharge water from the oxygen cavity unit to simulate water permeation and water consumption in the hydrogen and oxygen chambers during the electrochemical reaction of the ion exchange membrane electrolyzer.

[0018] Therefore, by using the electrolytic cell simulation device provided in this application for BOP system commissioning and life verification, no real electrolytic cell is required, thus avoiding damage to the electrolytic cell. Moreover, the electrolytic cell simulation device provided in this application can generate saturated wet hydrogen / oxygen and can realize dynamic balance simulation of water permeation and consumption, so as to effectively verify the corrosion protection and water recovery performance of the BOP system, thereby accurately calculating the reliability and life of the BOP system, providing strong support for the formulation of BOP system control strategies. Furthermore, the electrolytic cell simulation device provided in this application can also test mass-produced BOP systems, significantly reducing testing costs. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the specific embodiments of this application or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application; those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the electrolytic cell simulation device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the electrolytic cell simulation device and the BOP system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the process of using the electrolytic cell simulation device provided in the embodiments of this application for BOP system testing.

[0024] The attached figures are labeled as follows:

[0025] 1. Controller module; 2. Water check valve; 3. First tank; 4. First liquid level sensor; 5. Oxygen flow controller; 6. Oxygen check valve; 7. Oxygen diffuser; 8. First heater; 9. First temperature sensor; 10. First humidifying packing; 11. Hydrogen chamber water permeation switch valve; 12. Water permeation check valve; 13. Second tank; 14. Second liquid level sensor; 15. Hydrogen flow controller; 16. Hydrogen check valve; 17. Hydrogen diffuser; 18. Second heater; 19. Second temperature sensor; 20. Second humidifying packing; 21. Flow control valve; 22. Flow sensor; 101. Oxygen simulation unit; 102. Oxygen simulation chamber; 103. Electrode permeation water simulation unit; 104. Hydrogen simulation unit; 105. Hydrogen simulation chamber; 106. Water consumption simulation unit;

[0026] 200. Ion exchange membrane electrolyzer; 202. Oxygen chamber of electrolyzer; 205. Hydrogen chamber of electrolyzer; 51. Bipolar plate; 52. Electrode;

[0027] 300. BOP System; 301. BOP Controller; 302. BOP Makeup Water Tank; 303. BOP Makeup Water Pump; 304. BOP Water Recovery System; 305. BOP Recycled Water Pump; 306. BOP Circulating Water Tank; 307. BOP Circulating Water Pump; 308. BOP Oxygen Primary Separator; 309. BOP Oxygen Secondary Condensation Separator; 310. BOP Oxygen Purification System; 311. BOP Oxygen Compressor; 312. BOP Oxygen Storage Tank; 313. BOP Hydrogen Primary Separator; 314. BOP Hydrogen Secondary Condensation Separator; 315. BOP Hydrogen Purification System; 316. BOP Hydrogen Compressor; 317. BOP Hydrogen Storage Tank; 318. BOP Safety System. Detailed Implementation

[0028] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the use of terms such as "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential" to indicate orientation or positional relationship, unless otherwise specified, is understood to be based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and does 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, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0029] Furthermore, features specified with "first" or "second" for descriptive purposes only should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Features specified with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the specified features. The description of "multiple" generally means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0030] In this application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, terms such as "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0031] In the description of this specification, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that the specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0032] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the electrolyzers described in this application refer to ion exchange membrane electrolyzers. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the transfer of gases and liquids in this application uses pipelines as the mass transfer path, which will not be elaborated further below.

[0033] As mentioned above, the general concept of the embodiments of this application is to provide an electrolytic cell simulation device. Through the structural design of the electrolytic cell simulation device, physical simulation is used to replace the actual electrochemical reaction. During the BOP system 300 test, the electrolytic cell simulation device can replace the actual electrolytic cell for testing. This avoids the fragility of the electrolytic cell membrane electrode and reproduces the characteristics of the product under real working conditions, thereby overcoming the test distortion and test interruption defects of the traditional BOP system 300 test.

[0034] refer to Figures 1-3 As shown, Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the electrolytic cell simulation device provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment provided in the embodiments of this application, illustrating the connection relationship between the actual ion exchange membrane electrolyzer 200 and the BOP system 300; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the electrolytic cell simulation device and the BOP system 300 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0035] This application provides an electrolyzer simulation device, comprising: a cavity simulation module, including an oxygen cavity unit and a hydrogen cavity unit, which can be connected to a BOP system 300 to receive water supplied by the BOP system 300; a gas production simulation module, which is connected to the oxygen cavity unit and the hydrogen cavity unit respectively, for controlled injection of corresponding oxygen or hydrogen into the oxygen cavity unit and the hydrogen cavity unit respectively; and a water balance simulation module, which is connected to the hydrogen cavity unit and the oxygen cavity unit respectively, and can be connected to the BOP system 300 for controlled injection. The water supplied by the BOP system 300 is fed into the hydrogen chamber unit, and the water in the oxygen chamber unit can be discharged under control. The controller module 1 is electrically connected to the chamber simulation module, the gas production simulation module, and the water balance simulation module respectively, so as to control the chamber simulation module, the gas production simulation module, and the water balance simulation module according to the control command. The oxygen chamber unit and the hydrogen chamber unit are configured to controllably humidify the received oxygen or hydrogen into saturated wet hydrogen or saturated wet oxygen and deliver it into the BOP system 300.

[0036] It is understood that the cavity simulation module in this embodiment is mainly used to simulate the two cavities separated by the membrane electrode of the electrolyzer. The oxygen cavity unit corresponds to the oxygen chamber 202 of the electrolyzer, and the hydrogen cavity unit corresponds to the hydrogen chamber 205 of the electrolyzer. The oxygen cavity unit and the hydrogen cavity unit are respectively connected to the gas production simulation module, so that the controller module 1 can control the gas production simulation module to inject the corresponding oxygen into the oxygen cavity unit or the corresponding hydrogen into the hydrogen cavity unit according to the gas production simulation requirements. The oxygen cavity unit and the hydrogen cavity unit can humidify the oxygen and hydrogen into the corresponding saturated wet oxygen and saturated wet hydrogen, and supply them to the BOP system 300 for testing to verify the corrosion resistance and sealing performance of the BOP system 300, overcoming the defect that the inert gas simulation method cannot verify the corrosion resistance and sealing reliability of the BOP system material.

[0037] Furthermore, since the oxygen chamber unit and the hydrogen chamber unit are connected to the water balance simulation module, which in turn is connected to the BOP system 300, the controller module 1 can control the water balance simulation module to replenish the hydrogen chamber unit with circulating water from the BOP system 300 to simulate the water permeation effect of the ion membrane, and to control the discharge of water from the oxygen chamber unit to reproduce the water consumption, thereby realizing the simulation of the entire process of water balance in the electrolyzer, which is beneficial for verifying the water recovery performance of the BOP system 300.

[0038] It should be understood that the gases in the oxygen chamber unit and the hydrogen chamber unit are mainly supplied by external hydrogen and oxygen sources connected to the gas production simulation module, while the water in the oxygen chamber unit and the hydrogen chamber unit is mainly supplied directly by the BOP system 300 or indirectly through the water balance simulation module.

[0039] Furthermore, to more realistically simulate electrochemical reaction scenarios, in some embodiments, the oxygen chamber unit and the hydrogen chamber unit respectively form a processing chamber for accommodating oxygen or hydrogen. This processing chamber is used for both gas and water accommodating. The oxygen chamber unit and the hydrogen chamber unit are also configured to controllably heat the processing chamber, so that the circulating water supplied by the BOP system 300 can be heated to the target temperature to simulate the reaction heat effect in the electrochemical reaction process, that is, to simulate the heat generation of the actual electrolyzer.

[0040] Therefore, the electrolytic cell simulation device of this application reproduces key operating conditions such as gas generation and thermal effects under conditions without the participation of membrane electrodes by supplying gas from an external gas source (non-electrochemical gas generation) and controlling temperature through physical heating. Specifically, the electrolytic cell simulation device of this application can simulate the materials consumed, the water vapor generated, and the resulting persistent pressure changes during the chemical reaction of the electrolytic cell, and can also simulate the waste heat generated by the reaction. Secondly, due to the generation of saturated wet hydrogen and saturated wet oxygen, the corrosion and sealing problems caused by hydrogen and oxygen in the flow components of the BOP system 300, especially the long-term effects, can be more accurately determined. Furthermore, since it can simulate reaction heat and saturated moisture, the temperature control of the heat dissipation and condensation function of the BOP system 300 can be simulated and tested to verify the capability, reliability, and lifespan of the heat dissipation and condensation function. In particular, it can support the extreme testing of the BOP system 300 under dangerous operating conditions such as voltage / current sudden changes and pressure difference imbalances, so as to avoid the consumption of the real electrolytic cell and to accurately calculate the reliability and lifespan of the BOP system 300, providing data support for the formulation of its control strategy.

[0041] Continue to refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments, the oxygen chamber unit includes a first tank 3, an oxygen diffuser 7, a first heater 8, and a first temperature sensor 9. The first tank 3 has an oxygen outlet at the top and an oxygen inlet at the bottom. The oxygen inlet is connected to the gas generation simulation module, and the oxygen outlet is used to connect to the BOP system 300. The oxygen diffuser 7 is located inside the first tank 3 and at the oxygen inlet, and is used to bubble and disperse oxygen. The first heater 8 is located at the bottom of the first tank 3 and can heat the first tank 3 in response to the control command of the controller module 1. The first temperature sensor 9 is located at the top of the first tank 3 and is used to collect the water temperature after heating. The bottom of the first tank 3 has an inlet for connecting to the BOP system 300 and an outlet for connecting to the water balance simulation module. The first tank 3 also has a first humidifying packing 10 located at the top of the oxygen diffuser 7 to humidify the passing oxygen.

[0042] In this embodiment, the processing chamber of the oxygen chamber unit is formed inside the first tank 3. The first tank 3 serves as a physical container that replicates the structure of the oxygen chamber 202 of the electrolytic cell. An oxygen outlet is provided on the oxygen simulation chamber 102 formed at its top, a first humidifying packing 10 is provided in its middle, and an oxygen inlet is provided at its bottom. The oxygen inlet is connected and communicates with the gas generation simulation unit. The oxygen supplied by the gas generation simulation unit can enter from the bottom of the first tank 3 through the oxygen inlet. An oxygen diffuser 7 is provided at the oxygen inlet. The oxygen diffuser 7 is located at the bottom of the first humidifying packing 10, and the top of the first humidifying packing 10 is the oxygen simulation chamber 102. The oxygen introduced through the oxygen inlet can be bubbled and dispersed. After being bubbled and humidified by the first humidifying packing 10, the oxygen forms saturated wet oxygen that rises into the oxygen simulation chamber 102 and enters the BOP system 300 through the oxygen outlet to facilitate the verification of the corrosion resistance of the BOP system material.

[0043] Furthermore, the first heater 8 is located at the bottom of the first tank 3 and can heat the first tank 3 in response to the control command of the controller module 1, so that the circulating water in the first tank 3 is heated to simulate the heat of electrochemical reaction; the first temperature sensor 9 is located at the top of the first tank 3, specifically at the oxygen outlet, to collect the water temperature at the oxygen outlet after heating and feed the obtained water temperature data back to the controller module 1; and the bottom of the first tank 3 is also provided with an inlet for connecting to the BOP system 300 and a drain for connecting to the water balance simulation module. The inlet allows the circulating water in the BOP system 300 to be supplied into the first tank 3, and the drain connects to the water balance simulation module. The water balance simulation module can discharge the water in the first tank 3 under the control of the controller module 1 to simulate the water consumption of the oxygen chamber 202 of the electrolyzer.

[0044] Continue to refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3 In some embodiments, the hydrogen chamber unit includes a second tank 13, a hydrogen diffuser 17, a second heater 18, and a second temperature sensor 19. The second tank 13 has a hydrogen outlet at the top and a hydrogen inlet at the bottom. The hydrogen inlet is connected to the gas production simulation module, and the hydrogen outlet is used to connect to the BOP system. The hydrogen diffuser 17 is located inside the second tank 13 and at the hydrogen inlet, and is used to bubble and disperse hydrogen. The second heater 18 is located at the bottom of the second tank 13 and can heat the temperature inside the second tank 13 to the same level as the first tank 3 in response to the control command of the controller module 1. The second temperature sensor 19 is located at the top of the second tank 13 and is used to collect the water temperature after heating. The bottom of the second tank 13 has a water inlet for connecting to the BOP system, and the second tank 13 also has a second humidifying packing 20 located at the top of the hydrogen diffuser 17, which is used to humidify the passing oxygen.

[0045] Similar to the oxygen chamber unit design, the processing chamber of the hydrogen chamber unit in this embodiment is formed inside the second tank 13. The second tank 13 replicates the structure of the hydrogen chamber 205 of the electrolyzer. A hydrogen outlet is provided on the hydrogen simulation chamber 105 formed at its top, a second humidifying packing 20 is provided in its middle, and a hydrogen inlet is provided at its bottom. The hydrogen inlet is connected and communicates with the gas production simulation unit. The hydrogen supplied by the gas production simulation unit can enter from the bottom of the second tank 13 through the hydrogen inlet. A hydrogen diffuser 17 is installed at the hydrogen inlet. The hydrogen diffuser 17 is located at the bottom of the first humidifying packing 10, while the top of the second humidifying packing 20 is the hydrogen simulation chamber 105. The hydrogen diffuser 17 can bubble and disperse the hydrogen introduced through the hydrogen inlet. After the hydrogen is bubbled, it is humidified by the second humidifying packing 20 to form saturated wet hydrogen that rises into the hydrogen simulation chamber 105 and enters the BOP system 300 through the hydrogen outlet, so as to facilitate the verification of the corrosion resistance of the BOP system material.

[0046] The second heater 18 is located at the bottom of the second tank 13. After receiving the water temperature collected by the first temperature sensor 9, the controller module 1 transmits a control command to the second heater 18. The second heater 18 can respond to the control command of the controller module 1 to heat the temperature inside the second tank 13 to be the same as that inside the first tank 3, so as to simulate the heat transfer balance between the anode and cathode of a real electrolytic cell. The second temperature sensor 19 is located at the top of the second tank 13 to collect the water temperature after heating, so as to control the second heater 18 to maintain the temperature when the water temperature inside the second tank 13 is the same as that inside the first tank 3. The bottom of the second tank 13 is also provided with an inlet for connecting to the BOP system. This inlet can be connected to the water balance simulation module, so that the water balance simulation module can replenish the circulating water in the BOP system 300 into the second tank 13 under the control of the controller module 1.

[0047] In some embodiments, the oxygen chamber unit further includes: a first liquid level sensor 4, disposed at the top inside the first tank 3, for sensing the liquid level height inside the first tank 3; and a water check valve 2, disposed at the water inlet of the first tank 3, the water check valve 2 being used to prevent oxygen from entering the BOP system 300 through the water inlet; the hydrogen chamber unit further includes: a second liquid level sensor 14, disposed at the top inside the second tank 13, for sensing the liquid level height inside the second tank 13.

[0048] It should be noted that the water check valve 2 is installed at the inlet of the first tank 3 to prevent oxygen in the first tank 3 from entering the BOP system 300 through the inlet.

[0049] The first liquid level sensor 4 is located at the top of the first tank 3. It can sense the liquid level height inside the first tank 3 and send the corresponding liquid level height data to the controller module 1. Other operations can only be performed when the liquid level height reaches the liquid level height data. The second liquid level sensor 14 is located at the top inside the second tank 13. It can sense the liquid level height inside the second tank 13 and send the corresponding liquid level height data to the controller module 1. When the liquid level height data is less than the liquid level height of the first liquid level sensor 4, the controller module 1 controls the water balance simulation module to replenish water to the second tank 13 to simulate the water permeation balance of the ion membrane.

[0050] In some embodiments, the water balance simulation module includes a water consumption simulation unit 106 and an electrode permeation water simulation unit 103; the water consumption simulation unit 106 is connected to the drain outlet of the first tank 3 and can controllably drain water from the oxygen chamber unit; the electrode permeation water simulation unit 103 is connected to the water inlet of the second tank 13 and the BOP system respectively, so as to controllably supply water from the BOP system into the hydrogen chamber unit.

[0051] It is understood that the water consumption simulation unit 106 controls the discharge of water from the first tank 3 to simulate the decomposition and consumption of water molecules in the electrolysis reaction, while the electrode permeation water simulation unit 103 can replenish the second tank 13 from the circulating water of the BOP system 300 to simulate the water permeation effect of the ion membrane and accurately reproduce the water balance of the real electrolyzer.

[0052] In some embodiments, the water consumption simulation unit 106 includes: a drainage flow control valve 21, one end of which is connected to the drain port of the first tank 3 of the oxygen chamber unit; and a drainage flow sensor 22, connected to the other end of the drainage flow control valve 21; wherein the drainage flow control valve 21 can controllably drain water from the first tank 3 of the oxygen chamber unit. The electrode permeation water simulation unit 103 includes: a hydrogen chamber permeation switch valve 11, one end of which is connected to the inlet of the second tank 13 of the hydrogen chamber unit, and the other end of which is used to connect to the BOP system 300; and a permeation check valve 12, which is connected between the hydrogen chamber permeation switch valve 11 and the hydrogen chamber unit; wherein the hydrogen chamber permeation switch valve 11 can controllably replenish water from the BOP system into the second tank 13 of the hydrogen chamber unit to control the liquid level in the second tank 13 of the hydrogen chamber unit to be the same as the liquid level in the first tank 3 of the oxygen chamber unit.

[0053] In this embodiment, the controller module 1 can combine the calculated water consumption to open the drainage flow control valve 21 of the water consumption simulation unit 106 and control the drainage flow through the drainage flow sensor 22 to discharge the simulated water consumption. When the water in the second tank 13 vaporizes and is carried out, the water in the second tank 13 decreases. Under the control of the controller module 1, the hydrogen chamber water permeation switch valve 11 can replenish the water recovered by the BOP system 300 into the second tank 13 in real time through the water permeation check valve 12 until the second liquid level sensor 14 shows that it is full of water, so as to simulate the state of water permeation from the oxygen chamber 202 of the electrolyzer to the hydrogen chamber 205 of the electrolyzer through the electrode 52, that is, to maintain the balance state of the two chambers being full of water.

[0054] To enable separate gas supply to the oxygen chamber unit and the hydrogen chamber unit, in some embodiments, the gas generation simulation module includes an oxygen simulation unit 101 and a hydrogen simulation unit 104.

[0055] The oxygen simulation unit 101 includes: an oxygen flow controller 5, one end of which is connected to an external oxygen source and the other end is connected to the oxygen inlet of the first tank 3 of the oxygen chamber unit to control the flow rate of oxygen; and an oxygen check valve 6, which is connected between the oxygen flow controller 5 and the oxygen chamber unit. The oxygen simulation unit 101 can simulate the oxygen generated during the electrochemical reaction in the electrolytic cell. The amount of oxygen generated is controlled by the oxygen flow controller 5, and the oxygen check valve 6 can prevent water from flowing back to the oxygen flow controller 5. The hydrogen simulation unit 104 includes: a hydrogen flow controller 15, one end of which is connected to an external hydrogen source, and the other end is connected to the hydrogen inlet of the second tank 13 of the hydrogen chamber unit to control the flow rate of hydrogen; and a hydrogen check valve 16, which is connected between the hydrogen flow controller 15 and the hydrogen chamber unit. The hydrogen simulation unit 104 can simulate the hydrogen produced during the electrochemical reaction in the electrolyzer. The amount of hydrogen produced is controlled by the hydrogen flow controller 15, and the hydrogen check valve 16 prevents water from flowing back to the hydrogen flow controller 15.

[0056] In some embodiments, the controller module 1 is configured to: receive voltage / current commands from the BOP system 300, calculate real-time oxygen production, real-time hydrogen production, water consumption, and reaction heat, and perform the following actions: based on the calculated real-time oxygen production or real-time hydrogen production, control the gas injection flow rate of the gas production simulation module; based on the calculated reaction heat, control the heating temperature of the oxygen chamber unit and the hydrogen chamber unit; based on the calculated water consumption, control the drainage flow rate of the water consumption simulation unit 106, and control the amount of water supplied to the hydrogen chamber unit by the electrode permeation water simulation unit 103.

[0057] Another embodiment of this application provides a BOP testing system, including the electrolytic cell simulation device as described above.

[0058] To further illustrate the advantages of the electrolytic cell simulation device of this application, another embodiment of this application provides the application of the electrolytic cell simulation device in BOP system testing, see reference. Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment, which consists of a BOP system 300 and an ion exchange membrane electrolyzer 200. The ion exchange membrane electrolyzer 200 has bipolar plates 51 arranged at intervals, and electrodes 52 are arranged at intervals between the bipolar plates 51. The two sides of the electrodes 52 are the oxygen chamber 202 and the hydrogen chamber 205 of the electrolyzer, respectively.

[0059] The BOP system 300 comprises, in sequence, a BOP makeup water tank 302, a BOP makeup water pump 303, a BOP water recovery system 304, a BOP recovery water pump 305, a BOP circulating water tank 306, and a BOP circulating water pump 307. The BOP circulating water pump 307 is connected to the oxygen chamber 202 of the electrolyzer to supply circulating water from the BOP circulating water tank 306 into the oxygen chamber 202 of the electrolyzer for electrolysis. Furthermore, the inlet of the BOP circulating water tank 306 is also connected to the hydrogen outlet of the hydrogen chamber 205 of the electrolyzer. The BOP system 300 also includes, in sequence, a BOP oxygen primary separation tank 308, a BOP oxygen secondary condensation separation tank 309, a BOP oxygen purification system 310, a BOP oxygen compressor 311, and a BOP oxygen storage tank 312. The inlet of the BOP oxygen primary separator 308 is also connected to the hydrogen outlet at the top of the BOP circulating water tank 306. Furthermore, the BOP system 300 includes, in sequence, a BOP hydrogen primary separator 313, a BOP hydrogen secondary condenser separator 314, a BOP hydrogen purification system 315, a BOP hydrogen compressor 316, and a BOP hydrogen storage tank 317. The inlet of the BOP hydrogen primary separator 313 is connected to the oxygen outlet of the oxygen chamber 202 of the electrolyzer. The BOP water recovery system 304 is also connected to the bottom of the BOP oxygen primary separator 308, the bottom of the BOP oxygen secondary condenser separator 309, the bottom of the BOP hydrogen primary separator 313, and the bottom of the BOP hydrogen secondary condenser separator 314 to recover the circulating water returning from these components. The BOP system 300 also includes a BOP safety system 318 responsible for safety warnings, and a BOP controller 301 electrically connected to each electrical component.

[0060] To implement the 300 simulation test of this BOP system, refer to Figure 3In this embodiment, the electrolyzer simulation device replaces the ion exchange membrane electrolyzer 200. Specifically, the main circuit of the BOP circulating water pump 307 of the BOP system 300 is connected to the inlet of the first tank 3 of the oxygen chamber unit to supply circulating water from the BOP circulating water tank 306 into the first tank 3; the branch circuit of the BOP circulating water pump 307 of the BOP system 300 is connected to the permeable valve 11 of the hydrogen chamber to replenish water into the second tank 13 of the hydrogen chamber unit; the oxygen outlet of the first tank 3 is connected to the BOP circulating water tank 306, and the hydrogen outlet of the second tank 13 is connected to the inlet of the BOP hydrogen primary separator 313.

[0061] During the test, the BOP controller 301 controls the BOP makeup water pump 303 to draw water from the BOP makeup water tank 302 to the BOP water recovery system 304. The BOP recovery water pump 305 then transports the recovered water from the BOP water recovery system 304 to the BOP circulating water tank 306. The BOP circulating water pump 307 then connects to the electrolyzer simulation device and supplies circulating water to the oxygen simulation chamber 102, completing the test and inspection of the raw material supply system of the BOP system 300. The branch of the BOP circulating water pump 307 connects to the electrode permeation water simulation unit 103 of the electrolyzer simulation device, and water is supplied to the hydrogen simulation chamber 105 by the hydrogen chamber permeation switch valve 11 to simulate the permeation state of the electrode.

[0062] The saturated wet oxygen produced by the electrolytic cell simulation device is connected to the BOP oxygen primary separator 308 for primary separation. The separated water enters the BOP water recovery system 304 for recovery. The incompletely separated wet oxygen enters the BOP oxygen secondary condensation separator 309 for secondary separation. Similarly, the separated water enters the BOP water recovery system 304 for recovery. The oxygen, which may contain trace amounts of water vapor and trace amounts of hydrogen and other impurities, enters the BOP oxygen purification system 310 for purification. Then, it is compressed by the BOP oxygen compressor 311 and sent to the BOP oxygen storage tank 312 to complete the production of finished oxygen.

[0063] The wet hydrogen produced by the electrolytic cell simulation device is connected to the BOP hydrogen primary separator 313 for primary separation. The separated water enters the BOP water recovery system 304 for recovery. The incompletely separated wet hydrogen enters the BOP hydrogen secondary condensation separator 314 for secondary separation. Similarly, the separated water enters the BOP water recovery system 304 for recovery. The hydrogen, which may contain trace amounts of water vapor and oxygen, enters the BOP hydrogen purification system 315 for purification. Then, it is compressed by the BOP hydrogen compressor 316 and sent to the BOP hydrogen storage tank 317 to complete the production of finished hydrogen. Due to the safety of pure hydrogen, the BOP safety system 318 of the BOP system 300 participates in the operation throughout the entire process to ensure safe production. In this way, the testing and inspection of the hydrogen process of the BOP system product is completed, including the detection and monitoring of hydrogen safety.

[0064] Based on this, another embodiment of this application provides a method for testing a BOP system 300 using an electrolytic cell simulation device, combined with... Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, where Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the process of using the electrolytic cell simulation device provided in the embodiments of this application for BOP system testing, wherein the oxygen tank is the first tank 3 and the hydrogen tank is the second tank 13.

[0065] When the BOP system 300 is turned on, the BOP controller 301 sends a command to the controller module 1, and the BOP system begins to add water to the cavity simulation module of the electrolyzer simulation device. That is, circulating water enters the oxygen simulation chamber 102 of the electrolyzer simulation device to complete the material supply. The hydrogen chamber water permeation switch valve 11 replenishes water from the branch of the BOP circulating water pump 307 to the hydrogen simulation chamber 105 of the electrolyzer simulation device until the first liquid level sensor 4 and the second liquid level sensor 14 show that the water is full, and then proceeds to the next step.

[0066] The controller module 1 receives operating condition simulation parameters such as voltage and current from the BOP controller 301, calculates the real-time oxygen production, and sends instructions to the oxygen simulation unit 101. The oxygen flow controller 5 of the oxygen simulation unit 101 injects external oxygen into the oxygen simulation chamber 102 through the oxygen check valve 6. During this process, the oxygen enters the oxygen diffuser 7 and diffuses in the first tank 3. At the same time, the real-time reaction heat is calculated, and the first heater 8 heats the circulating water in the first tank 3 according to the calculated heat production. After the oxygen and heated circulating water in the first tank 3 are processed by the first humidifying packing 10, the saturated humid oxygen enters the BOP system 300 through the oxygen outlet. Some of the circulating water may enter the BOP circulating water tank 306 of the BOP system 300 through the oxygen outlet. The first temperature sensor 9 collects the water temperature at the oxygen outlet of the first tank 3.

[0067] At the same time, the controller module 1 calculates the real-time water consumption, opens the flow control valve 21 of the water consumption simulation unit according to the water consumption, controls the water drainage flow through the flow sensor 22, and discharges the simulated water consumption. Simultaneously, the real-time hydrogen production is calculated, and control commands are sent to the hydrogen simulation unit 104. The hydrogen flow controller 15 of the hydrogen simulation unit 104 injects external hydrogen into the hydrogen simulation chamber 105 through the hydrogen check valve 16. The hydrogen enters the hydrogen diffuser 17 and diffuses in the second tank 13. The second heater 18 heats the water in the second tank 13 to the temperature of the oxygen outlet water in the first tank 3, which is equal to the temperature collected by the first temperature sensor 9 by the second temperature sensor 19. The hydrogen and heated water entering the second tank 13 flow through the second humidifying packing 20 and are then processed. The saturated wet hydrogen enters the BOP system 300. As the water in the second tank 13 vaporizes and is carried out, the water in the second tank 13 decreases. The hydrogen chamber water permeation switch valve 11 replenishes the second tank 13 with the water recovered by the BOP system 300 through the water permeation check valve 12 in real time until the second liquid level sensor 14 shows that it is full.

[0068] Therefore, the saturated wet oxygen, saturated wet hydrogen, and circulating water return entering the BOP system 300 will be used to debug and test the performance, reliability, control strategy optimization, and lifespan of the BOP system 300, so as to effectively verify the corrosion protection and water recovery performance of the BOP system 300, and then accurately calculate the reliability and lifespan of the BOP system 300, providing strong support for the formulation of the control strategy of the BOP system 300.

[0069] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting this application. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. An electrolytic cell simulation apparatus, characterized by, include: The cavity simulation module includes an oxygen cavity unit and a hydrogen cavity unit, which can be connected to the BOP system to receive water supplied by the BOP system; The gas production simulation module is connected to the oxygen chamber unit and the hydrogen chamber unit respectively, and is used to inject the corresponding oxygen or hydrogen into the oxygen chamber unit and the hydrogen chamber unit respectively under controlled conditions. The water balance simulation module is connected to the hydrogen chamber unit and the oxygen chamber unit respectively, and can be connected to the BOP system. It is used to controllably supply water supplied by the BOP system into the hydrogen chamber unit, and can controllably discharge water from the oxygen chamber unit. The controller module is electrically connected to the cavity simulation module, the gas generation simulation module and the water balance simulation module respectively, so as to control the cavity simulation module, the gas generation simulation module and the water balance simulation module respectively according to the control command; The oxygen chamber unit and the hydrogen chamber unit are configured to controllably humidify the received oxygen or hydrogen into saturated wet hydrogen or saturated wet oxygen and deliver it into the BOP system.

2. The electrolytic cell simulation apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The oxygen chamber unit and the hydrogen chamber unit each have a processing chamber for containing oxygen or hydrogen. The oxygen chamber unit and the hydrogen chamber unit are also configured to be able to controllably heat the processing chamber.

3. The electrolytic cell simulation apparatus of claim 2, wherein, The oxygen chamber unit includes a first tank, an oxygen diffuser, a first heater, and a first temperature sensor; The first tank has an oxygen outlet at the top and an oxygen inlet at the bottom. The oxygen inlet is connected to the gas production simulation module, and the oxygen outlet is used to connect to the BOP system. The oxygen diffuser is disposed inside the first tank and located at the oxygen inlet, and is used for bubbling and dispersing oxygen. The first heater is located at the bottom of the first tank and can heat the first tank in response to the control command of the controller module; The first temperature sensor is located at the top of the first tank and is used to collect the temperature of the water after heating. The first tank has an inlet for connecting to the BOP system and a drain for connecting to the water balance simulation module at its bottom. The first tank also has a first humidifying packing material located at the top of the oxygen diffuser to humidify the passing oxygen.

4. The electrolytic cell simulation apparatus of claim 3, wherein, The hydrogen chamber unit includes a second tank, a hydrogen diffuser, a second heater, and a second temperature sensor. The second tank has a hydrogen outlet at the top and a hydrogen inlet at the bottom. The hydrogen inlet is connected to the gas production simulation module, and the hydrogen outlet is used to connect to the BOP system. The hydrogen diffuser is installed inside the second tank and located at the hydrogen inlet, and is used to disperse hydrogen by bubbling. The second heater is located at the bottom of the second tank and can respond to the control command of the controller module to heat the second tank to the same temperature as the first tank. The second temperature sensor is located at the top of the second tank and is used to collect the temperature of the water after heating. The second tank has an inlet at its bottom for connecting to the BOP system, and a second humidifying packing is also provided inside the second tank. The second humidifying packing is located at the top of the hydrogen diffuser and is used to humidify the passing oxygen.

5. The electrolytic cell simulation device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The oxygen chamber unit further includes: a first liquid level sensor, disposed at the top of the first tank, for sensing the liquid level height in the first tank; and a water check valve, disposed at the inlet of the first tank, the water check valve being used to prevent oxygen from entering the BOP system from the inlet of the first tank. The hydrogen chamber unit further includes a second liquid level sensor, which is disposed at the top of the second tank and is used to sense the liquid level height in the second tank.

6. An electrolytic cell simulation apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein The gas production simulation module includes an oxygen simulation unit and a hydrogen simulation unit; The oxygen simulation unit includes: an oxygen flow controller, one end of which is connected to an external oxygen source and the other end is connected to the oxygen chamber unit to control the flow rate of oxygen; and an oxygen check valve, connected between the oxygen flow controller and the oxygen chamber unit to prevent water from flowing back to the oxygen flow controller. The hydrogen simulation unit includes: a hydrogen flow controller, one end of which is connected to an external hydrogen source and the other end is connected to the hydrogen chamber unit to control the flow rate of hydrogen; and a hydrogen check valve, which is connected between the hydrogen flow controller and the hydrogen chamber unit to prevent water from flowing back to the hydrogen flow controller.

7. An electrolytic cell simulation apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein The water balance simulation module includes a water consumption simulation unit and an electrode permeation water simulation unit; The water consumption simulation unit can controllably drain the water from the oxygen chamber unit; The electrode permeation water simulation unit can controllably supply water from the BOP system into the hydrogen chamber unit.

8. The electrolytic cell simulation device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The water consumption simulation unit includes: a drainage flow control valve, one end of which is connected to the oxygen chamber unit; and a drainage flow sensor, connected to the other end of the drainage flow control valve; wherein the drainage flow control valve is capable of controlling the drainage of water from the oxygen chamber unit. The electrode permeation water simulation unit includes: a hydrogen chamber permeation switch valve, one end of which is connected to the hydrogen chamber unit and the other end of which is used to connect to the BOP system; and a permeation check valve, which is connected between the hydrogen chamber permeation switch valve and the hydrogen chamber unit; wherein, the hydrogen chamber permeation switch valve can controllably replenish water from the BOP system into the hydrogen chamber unit.

9. The electrolytic cell simulation apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The controller module is configured as follows: Receive voltage / current commands from the BOP system, calculate real-time oxygen production, real-time hydrogen production, water consumption, and reaction heat, and perform the following actions: Based on the calculated real-time oxygen or hydrogen production, the gas injection flow rate of the gas production simulation module is controlled. Based on the calculated reaction heat, the heating temperature of the oxygen chamber unit and the hydrogen chamber unit is controlled; Based on the calculated water consumption, the drain flow of the water consumption simulation unit is controlled, and the water replenishment amount of the electrode permeation water simulation unit to the hydrogen gas chamber unit is controlled.

10. A BOP testing system characterized by, The electrolytic cell simulation device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is included.

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