A drying treatment device for a proton exchange membrane

Abstract

The utility model relates to proton exchange membrane post -treatment technical field, especially a kind of drying treatment device of proton exchange membrane. It is difficult to consider the needs of efficient drying and film body non-destructive processing of proton exchange membrane in the prior art. Including: oven assembly, the oven assembly includes multiple-stage oven that is sequentially connected in series communication;Infrared heating assembly, the infrared heating assembly is arranged in the oven assembly along the route of proton exchange membrane, for infrared heating to proton exchange membrane;Hot air nozzle assembly, the hot air nozzle assembly is arranged in the oven assembly along the route of proton exchange membrane, for hot air heating to proton exchange membrane;Transmission roller assembly, the transmission roller assembly is arranged in the oven assembly in arc shape, for guiding the travel of proton exchange membrane, generates flattening tension in the transverse direction of proton exchange membrane by arc guiding, inhibits wrinkle generation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of post-treatment technology of proton exchange membranes for fuel cells, electrolyzers for hydrogen production by water electrolysis, and flow batteries, and particularly to a drying device for proton exchange membranes. Background Technology

[0002] In the fields of new energy and energy storage, proton exchange membranes (PEMs) are key components of core equipment such as fuel cells, water electrolysis for hydrogen production, and flow batteries. The integrity, purity, and dimensional stability of their microstructure directly determine the power generation efficiency and lifespan of the components. After the PEM is prepared, it needs to undergo precise drying to remove residual moisture, solvents, and other small molecules from the membrane. At the same time, it is crucial to avoid mechanical damage or microstructural disruption to the membrane during the drying process. This is a core step in ensuring the performance of the PEM.

[0003] Currently, existing proton exchange membrane drying technologies face numerous problems that urgently need to be addressed. On the one hand, traditional drying devices often employ a single heating method (such as hot air heating or infrared heating only): While hot air heating can remove moisture from the membrane surface, its heat transfer efficiency is low, and the internal temperature rises slowly, resulting in long drying cycles, low production efficiency, and the large temperature difference between the membrane surface and the interior can easily generate internal stress, leading to membrane wrinkles or microcracks. On the other hand, while infrared heating can achieve rapid temperature rise of the membrane, relying solely on radiative heat transfer is insufficient to effectively remove moisture evaporated from the membrane surface, easily causing moisture to condense on the membrane surface. This not only affects the uniformity of drying but may also lead to local swelling of the membrane, damaging its microscopic ion channel structure.

[0004] On the other hand, the existing conveying system design of drying equipment is difficult to adapt to the special mechanical properties of proton exchange membranes under high-temperature environments. During the heating and drying process, as moisture is removed, the Young's modulus of proton exchange membranes (especially perfluorosulfonic acid membranes) drops sharply, making the membrane soft and easily stretched and deformed. Traditional conveying systems mostly use planar rollers, which not only fail to provide effective lateral flattening force to the membrane, but may also cause sagging, wrinkling, or even tensile damage due to excessive local tension caused by unreasonable roller spacing or improper tension control during the conveying process, seriously affecting product yield and performance stability.

[0005] Furthermore, existing drying equipment typically lacks the ability to control temperature in stages and gradients, often employing a single fixed temperature for drying. If the temperature is set too low, it cannot efficiently remove deep solvent residues within the membrane, resulting in insufficient membrane purity. This can lead to the precipitation of small molecules during subsequent use, affecting performance. Conversely, if the temperature is set too high or the heating rate is too rapid, it can cause severe thermal shock to the membrane, damaging its polymer molecular chain structure, reducing its chemical stability and mechanical strength, and shortening its service life.

[0006] In summary, designing a drying device that can achieve efficient and uniform drying while avoiding membrane damage and ensuring the stability of the microstructure and performance of the proton exchange membrane has become a critical technical bottleneck that urgently needs to be overcome in the production and processing of proton exchange membranes in the new energy field. Utility Model Content

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide a drying device for proton exchange membranes, which solves the problem in the prior art that it is difficult to simultaneously achieve efficient drying of proton exchange membranes and non-destructive treatment of the membrane.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows: This utility model provides a drying device for proton exchange membranes, comprising: An oven assembly, the oven assembly comprising multiple ovens connected in series; An infrared heating component is arranged inside the oven assembly along the travel path of the proton exchange membrane for infrared heating of the proton exchange membrane. A hot air nozzle assembly is arranged inside the oven assembly along the travel path of the proton exchange membrane for hot air heating of the proton exchange membrane. The conveyor roller assembly is arranged in an arc shape inside the oven assembly to guide the proton exchange membrane. The arc-shaped guide generates a flattening tension in the transverse direction of the proton exchange membrane, thereby suppressing the formation of wrinkles.

[0009] Furthermore, the multi-stage drying oven includes a primary drying oven, a secondary drying oven, a tertiary drying oven, and a quaternary drying oven, wherein the drying temperature of the primary drying oven, the secondary drying oven, the tertiary drying oven, and the quaternary drying oven increases progressively.

[0010] Furthermore, the infrared heating component includes several planar infrared heaters with a heating wavelength of 0.8~25µm, a power of 0.1~5W / cm², a heating rate of 5~15℃ / min, and a heating temperature of RT~250℃.

[0011] Furthermore, the infrared heating component and the hot air nozzle component are arranged alternately within the oven assembly, and the area of ​​the infrared heating component within the oven assembly accounts for 25% to 75%.

[0012] Furthermore, the transmission roller assembly includes several transmission rollers, the spacing between each transmission roller is 100~500mm, and the overall layout arc of the transmission roller assembly is 2~6°.

[0013] Furthermore, when the thickness of the proton exchange membrane is <50µm, the conveyor roller assembly is provided with a conveyor belt to ensure the smoothness of the proton exchange membrane during transport.

[0014] Furthermore, the diameter of the middle section of the transmission roller is larger than the diameter of both ends. The diameter of the middle section of the transmission roller is 155~160mm, and the diameter of both ends is 152~157mm. The diameter of the middle section is at least 2mm larger than the diameter of both ends.

[0015] Due to the application of the above technical solution, this utility model has the following advantages compared with the prior art: This invention discloses a drying device for a proton exchange membrane, employing a heating mode combining an infrared heating component and a hot air nozzle component. The infrared heating component achieves "volume heating" of the membrane, rapidly increasing the internal temperature and accelerating the evaporation of moisture and solvent. The hot air nozzle component effectively removes water vapor evaporated from the membrane surface, overcoming the gas-phase mass transfer bottleneck and preventing localized swelling of the membrane due to condensation. The synergistic effect of these two components solves both the problem of insufficient mass transfer from infrared heating alone and the defect of slow heat transfer from hot air heating alone, significantly improving drying efficiency and membrane drying uniformity. This ensures efficient removal of small molecules from the membrane and avoids membrane wrinkles caused by longitudinal striations.

[0016] Furthermore, the oven assembly employs a design with four ovens connected in series, each with a progressively increasing temperature. This gradient temperature zone allows for staged adjustment of heating intensity based on changes in the mechanical properties of the proton exchange membrane during the drying process. Compared to existing technologies where drying at a single fixed temperature can easily lead to incomplete impurity removal at low temperatures or structural damage at high temperatures, the gradient temperature design of this device enables efficient impurity removal while ensuring the integrity of the membrane's microstructure, thereby improving membrane purity and subsequent performance.

[0017] Furthermore, the transmission roller assembly adopts an arc-shaped layout with an overall curvature of 2-6°, and the roller spacing is controlled between 100-500mm. This structure can generate continuous and uniform flattening tension in the transverse direction of the proton exchange membrane, effectively suppressing wrinkling defects caused by molecular chain contraction and uneven stress in the membrane under high-temperature conditions. Simultaneously, for ultrathin proton exchange membranes with a thickness <50µm, a conveyor belt is added to the transmission roller assembly to avoid tearing or deformation problems caused by the low strength and easy stretching characteristics of the ultrathin membrane, ensuring that membranes of different thicknesses can be transmitted smoothly. Compared with the defects of membrane sagging and wrinkling easily caused by planar roller transmission in existing technologies, the transmission structure design of this device is fully adapted to the mechanical properties of the proton exchange membrane at high temperatures, fundamentally reducing mechanical damage to the membrane and ensuring product yield. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The following sections will describe some specific embodiments of the present invention in a detailed manner by way of example and not limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar parts or components. Those skilled in the art should understand that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram (a) of the planar structure of the proton exchange membrane drying device provided by this utility model. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram (II) of the planar structure of the proton exchange membrane drying device provided by this utility model; Figure 3 This is a top view of the arrangement of the infrared heating component, hot air nozzle component, and exhaust component provided by this utility model. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the transmission roller structure of the transmission roller assembly 4 provided by this utility model; The reference numerals in the attached figures are explained as follows: 1. Oven assembly; 10. Primary oven; 11. Secondary oven; 12. Tertiary oven; 13. Quaternary oven; 2. Infrared heating component; 20. Infrared temperature probe; 3. Hot air nozzle assembly; 30. Nozzle; 4. Conveyor roller assembly; 5. Exhaust assembly; 50. Exhaust port. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solution of this utility model will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0020] See Figures 1 to 4 The proton exchange membrane drying device in this example includes an oven assembly 1, an infrared heating assembly 2, a hot air nozzle assembly 3, and a conveyor roller assembly 4. All components are integrated into one unit, arranged around the oven assembly 1, resulting in a compact overall structure and improved space utilization efficiency. The entire drying line is 12-30m long and 500-1700mm wide. Furthermore, through a comprehensive cleanroom control design, the cleanliness of the drying chamber and membrane material conveying channel can reach Class 1000, meaning the number of suspended particles with a diameter ≥0.5μm is ≤352,000 / m³, and the number of suspended particles with a diameter ≥5.0μm is ≤2,930 / m³, effectively preventing secondary contamination of the membrane surface by dust and impurities during the drying process.

[0021] Specifically, the oven assembly 1 includes a primary oven 10, a secondary oven 11, a tertiary oven 12, and a quaternary oven 13 connected in series (the above-mentioned ovens can also be integrated into one unit, such as...). Figure 2 As shown, this ensures that the proton exchange membrane is heated uniformly. The multi-stage oven employs a temperature gradient design, with the temperature of each stage increasing progressively from the inlet to the outlet, and can be precisely controlled within the range of RT to 250℃. This structure helps the proton exchange membrane gradually adapt to temperature changes, avoiding damage or deformation to the membrane structure due to excessively rapid temperature rise, while simultaneously improving drying uniformity and efficiency.

[0022] For example, the first-stage oven 10 can serve as a "preheating transition zone," with a relatively mild temperature setting (e.g., RT~80℃). It is mainly used for the initial heating of the membrane after it enters the drying system, avoiding thermal stress caused by sudden contact with high temperatures. The second-stage oven 11 and the third-stage oven 12 serve as "deep drying zones," with temperatures gradually increased to 80~200℃. Within this range, residual moisture, solvents, and other small molecules in the membrane evaporate rapidly through heating, while efficient removal is achieved through the synergistic effect of subsequent heating components. The fourth-stage oven 13 serves as a "shaping and heat preservation zone," with temperatures maintained at 150~250℃ as needed. This not only further removes deep-seated residual impurities in the membrane but also achieves slight regularization of the membrane's molecular chains through a controllable high-temperature environment, improving the membrane's dimensional stability and mechanical strength.

[0023] For the infrared heating component 2, it is arranged inside the oven assembly 1 along the travel path of the proton exchange membrane. It achieves "inside-out" heating of the membrane through infrared radiation, avoiding the problem of excessive temperature difference within the membrane caused by traditional surface heating. In this example, the component employs several planar infrared heaters. The planar structure ensures that the heating area is adapted to the width of the membrane, enabling uniform irradiation of a large area of ​​the membrane material and effectively preventing localized overheating or heating blind spots. The heater surfaces are all treated with explosion-proof and corrosion-resistant materials, allowing them to withstand the complex environment of humidity and solvent evaporation inside the oven.

[0024] The infrared heating component 2 operates within a wavelength range of 0.8~25µm. This wavelength range can precisely match the molecular absorption characteristics of the proton exchange membrane, ensuring that infrared energy efficiently penetrates the membrane surface and directly acts on water and solvent molecules inside the membrane, accelerating their thermal motion. The heating power is controlled at 0.1~5W / cm², coupled with a controllable heating rate of 5~15℃ / min, which can meet the requirements for rapid heating while avoiding "steam explosion" (i.e., microcracks caused by rapid expansion of local water vapor) inside the membrane due to excessive heating rate, thus achieving a balance between "efficient heating" and "structural protection".

[0025] The hot air nozzle assembly 3 and the infrared heating assembly 2 form a "heating-mass transfer" synergistic system. It is arranged along the proton exchange membrane path at the splice of the infrared heating assembly 2, aiming to remove water vapor and solvent vapor evaporated from the membrane surface due to infrared heating in a timely manner, break the gas phase mass transfer bottleneck, and avoid secondary swelling caused by vapor condensation on the membrane surface.

[0026] The infrared heating element 2 occupies 25-75% of the area within the oven assembly 1. The remaining space is filled by the hot air nozzle assembly 3 and the exhaust assembly 5, which are not independent zones but are arranged alternately between the infrared heating elements. This "embedded" layout creates an effective airflow channel: hot air is blown out from the nozzle 30, directly acting on the material being dried, and then the air carrying moisture is quickly drawn away by the adjacent exhaust port 50. This design greatly optimizes the distribution of hot air and humidity within the oven, avoids localized airflow dead zones or humidity accumulation, and ensures the uniformity of temperature across the entire working surface, thereby improving drying efficiency and product quality consistency.

[0027] On the other hand, the nozzle outlet of the hot air nozzle assembly 3 adopts a narrow slit design, and the wind speed and air volume can be precisely controlled by the pneumatic valve. This avoids the membrane shaking or shifting due to excessive wind speed, while ensuring sufficient airflow intensity to ensure that the steam on the membrane surface is quickly discharged. Together with the infrared heating assembly 2, it forms a highly efficient drying cycle of "rapid heating-instant dehumidification".

[0028] Furthermore, in this example, to achieve precise temperature monitoring and closed-loop control of the proton exchange membrane drying process, an infrared temperature probe 20 is added below the infrared heating assembly 2 along the membrane material's travel path within the drying oven assembly 1. This probe is used to collect the actual temperature of the membrane material surface in real time, providing data support for the dynamic adjustment of heating parameters. The infrared temperature probe 20 adopts a "multi-point distributed" layout: one probe is evenly distributed at intervals along the width of the membrane material, and a set of probes can also be set in each temperature control zone along the membrane material's travel direction to ensure comprehensive coverage of the entire membrane material and avoid local temperature blind spots caused by uneven heating.

[0029] The transmission roller assembly 4 serves as the "guide core" for the membrane's movement. Based on the sensitive mechanical properties of the proton exchange membrane under humid and hot conditions, it achieves smooth and damage-free transmission of the membrane through an arc-shaped layout and differentiated adaptation structure.

[0030] This component consists of several transfer rollers, with the spacing between each roller controlled between 100 and 500 mm. If the spacing is too large, the membrane may sag and wrinkle due to its own weight at high temperatures. If the spacing is too small, it will increase the number of frictions between the membrane and the rollers, which may cause scratches on the membrane surface. At the same time, all transfer rollers are arranged in a gentle arc of 2 to 6 degrees. This layout can generate continuous and uniform flattening tension in the transverse direction (perpendicular to the direction of travel) of the proton exchange membrane, effectively suppressing longitudinal stripes or transverse wrinkles caused by molecular chain contraction and uneven stress during the high-temperature drying process, thus solving the problem of membrane defects caused by the "thermal-mechanical coupling effect".

[0031] It is worth noting that the infrared heating component 2 also adopts an arc-shaped layout consistent with the transmission roller component 4, ensuring that its radiating surface maintains a constant optimal heating distance from the arc-shaped travel path of the film. This matching design ensures that infrared radiation energy can be evenly projected onto the entire surface of the film, effectively avoiding uneven heating between the film edge and center areas caused by distance differences, thereby preventing local overheating or insufficient drying, and further improving the uniformity of the drying process and product quality.

[0032] For ultrathin proton exchange membranes with a thickness of less than 50µm (these membranes have low strength and are prone to stretching and deformation during transport), an additional conveyor belt is synchronously installed on the conveyor roller assembly 4. The belt can be made of high-temperature resistant and low-friction coefficient materials such as PTFE-coated fabric. The membrane travels in close contact with the belt surface, which avoids direct contact and friction between the membrane and the rollers, and also prevents the membrane from being stretched due to its own weight through the support of the belt, thus ensuring the flatness and dimensional accuracy of the ultrathin membrane during the drying process.

[0033] In addition, in the conveyor roller assembly 4 of this example, the diameter of the middle section of each conveyor roller is larger than the diameter of the two ends. The diameter of the middle section is controlled at 155~160mm, and the diameters of the two ends are controlled at 152~157mm. The diameter of the middle section is at least 2mm larger than the diameters of the two ends, thus forming a roller in the shape of a "rolling pin". Figure 4 This design automatically and continuously applies a small lateral flattening tension to both sides of the membrane material during its movement, effectively smoothing out and flattening any fine wrinkles that may occur during high-temperature drying, further reducing wrinkles. The conveyor rollers are arranged in a gentle arc of 2-6°, combined with the microscopic "rolling pin" roller shape, forming a dual flattening mechanism that greatly enhances the system's ability to resist heat-induced wrinkles, ensuring the final flatness of the membrane material.

[0034] All rollers used in this example are made of acid and alkali resistant materials. This material selection ensures that the rollers can maintain structural integrity and stable surface performance even under long-term contact with acidic or alkaline cleaning solutions and humid and hot environments. This effectively avoids surface damage, contaminant precipitation, or performance degradation caused by corrosion, thus ensuring that the proton exchange membrane is always in contact with a high-cleanliness, uncontaminated roller surface throughout the entire process, meeting the stringent requirements of non-destructive post-processing.

[0035] The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of this utility model. Their purpose is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of this utility model and implement it accordingly. They should not be used to limit the protection scope of this utility model. All equivalent changes or modifications made in accordance with the spirit and essence of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A drying apparatus for a proton exchange membrane, characterized in that, include Oven assembly (1), the oven assembly (1) comprising a multi-stage oven connected in series; Infrared heating component (2), which is arranged in the oven assembly (1) along the travel path of the proton exchange membrane, is used to infrared heat the proton exchange membrane; Hot air nozzle assembly (3) is arranged in the oven assembly (1) along the travel path of the proton exchange membrane and is used to heat the proton exchange membrane with hot air; The transmission roller assembly (4) is arranged in an arc shape inside the oven assembly (1) to guide the proton exchange membrane. The arc-shaped guide generates a flattening tension in the transverse direction of the proton exchange membrane, thereby suppressing the formation of wrinkles.

2. The drying apparatus for the proton exchange membrane according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multi-stage drying oven includes a first-stage drying oven (10), a second-stage drying oven (11), a third-stage drying oven (12), and a fourth-stage drying oven (13), with the drying temperatures of the first-stage drying oven (10), the second-stage drying oven (11), the third-stage drying oven (12), and the fourth-stage drying oven (13) increasing progressively.

3. The drying apparatus for the proton exchange membrane according to claim 1, characterized in that, The infrared heating component (2) includes several planar infrared heaters with a heating wavelength of 0.8~25µm, a power of 0.1~5W / cm², a heating rate of 5~15℃ / min, and a heating temperature of RT~250℃.

4. The drying apparatus for the proton exchange membrane according to claim 1, characterized in that, The infrared heating component (2) and the hot air nozzle component (3) are arranged alternately in the oven component (1), and the area of ​​the infrared heating component (2) in the oven component (1) accounts for 25~75%.

5. The drying apparatus for the proton exchange membrane according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission roller assembly (4) includes several transmission rollers, with a spacing of 100~500mm between each transmission roller, and the overall layout arc of the transmission roller assembly (4) is 2~6°.

6. The drying apparatus for the proton exchange membrane according to claim 5, characterized in that, When the thickness of the proton exchange membrane is <50µm, the conveyor roller assembly (4) is provided with a conveyor belt to ensure the smoothness of the proton exchange membrane during transport.

7. The drying apparatus for the proton exchange membrane according to claim 5, characterized in that, The diameter of the middle section of the transmission roller is larger than the diameter of the two ends. The diameter of the middle section of the transmission roller is 155~160mm, and the diameter of the two ends is 152~157mm. The diameter of the middle section is at least 2mm larger than the diameter of the two ends.

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