Electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production device

Abstract

The utility model relates to liquefied natural gas technical field especially relates to a kind of electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production device, including reaction tank, hydrogen production mechanism, storage battery box and solar panel;The hydrogen production mechanism includes the cathode flow field plate, cathode plate, electrolyte layer, anode plate and anode flow field plate from below successively stacked in reaction tank;Water vapor flow field passage is provided on the cathode flow field plate side close to cathode plate;Methane gas flow field passage is provided on the anode flow field plate side close to anode plate;The storage battery box is located outside reaction tank;Positive terminal of storage battery box and anode plate electric connection, negative terminal of storage battery box and cathode plate electric connection;The solar panel is located on reaction tank;Solar panel and storage battery box electric connection.The utility model provides electrical energy using solar panel to realize reforming hydrogen production, reach clean, energy-saving, the purpose of reducing cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of liquefied natural gas technology, and in particular to an electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production device. Background Technology

[0002] Natural gas to hydrogen production is a technology that uses natural gas and water to produce hydrogen. There are many methods, and traditional natural gas to hydrogen production methods usually use combustion, but this produces a large amount of carbon dioxide emissions, which does not conform to the green development concept of carbon neutrality. Among non-combustion hydrogen production methods, natural gas reforming to hydrogen production has become one of the important technologies for the future transformation of natural gas to hydrogen production towards low carbon emissions. It uses natural gas as raw material and produces hydrogen through processes such as steam reforming, partial oxidation, or autothermal reforming.

[0003] While existing technologies for hydrogen production via natural gas reforming can produce hydrogen, they suffer from the following problems: natural gas reforming for hydrogen production generally requires electricity, and this electricity mainly comes from fossil fuel power generation technology, resulting in a large amount of carbon dioxide emissions during the power generation process. This limits the advantages of natural gas reforming for hydrogen production in terms of low-carbon or zero-carbon emissions. Moreover, using fossil fuels for power generation consumes a lot of fuel, leading to high energy consumption and high costs. Utility Model Content

[0004] To address the technical problems of high carbon dioxide emissions, high energy consumption, and high cost associated with natural gas reforming for hydrogen production in the background art, this utility model provides an electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production device.

[0005] This invention comprises a reaction tank, a hydrogen production mechanism, a storage tank, and a solar panel. The solar panel stores electricity in the storage tank, and then, under the influence of an electric field, performs electrochemical reactions on natural gas and water vapor to produce hydrogen. This effectively utilizes the solar panel to provide electricity, avoiding the current practice of relying primarily on fossil fuel power generation, reducing carbon dioxide emissions, and achieving the goals of cleanliness, energy conservation, and cost reduction.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows:

[0007] An electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production device includes a reaction tank, a hydrogen production mechanism, an energy storage tank, and solar panels;

[0008] The hydrogen production mechanism includes a cathode flow field plate, a cathode plate, an electrolyte layer, an anode plate, and an anode flow field plate stacked sequentially from bottom to top inside the reaction tank; a water vapor flow field channel is provided on the side of the cathode flow field plate closest to the cathode plate; and a methane gas flow field channel is provided on the side of the anode flow field plate closest to the anode plate.

[0009] The energy storage tank is located outside the reaction vessel; the positive terminal of the energy storage tank is electrically connected to the anode plate, and the negative terminal of the energy storage tank is electrically connected to the cathode plate.

[0010] The solar panel is located on the outer wall of the reaction vessel; the solar panel is electrically connected to the energy storage tank.

[0011] Further, the solar panel can be one or more; when there are multiple solar panels, the multiple solar panels are evenly distributed in a circle around the circumference of the reaction vessel.

[0012] Furthermore, the energy storage box is equipped with a voltage regulator for adjusting the voltage between the cathode plate and the anode plate.

[0013] Furthermore, the hydrogen production mechanism also includes porous gas diffusion layers disposed between the cathode flow field plate and the cathode plate, and between the anode plate and the anode flow field plate.

[0014] Further specifying, a sealing ring is provided on the outer wall of the electrolyte layer, and the electrolyte layer is connected to the inner wall of the reaction vessel through the sealing ring.

[0015] Furthermore, sealing rings are provided on the outer side walls of both the cathode flow field plate and the anode flow field plate; the cathode flow field plate and the anode flow field plate are respectively connected to the inner wall of the reaction vessel through corresponding sealing rings.

[0016] Further specifying, the electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production unit also includes a gasifier and a heater disposed around the reaction tank; the gasifier is connected to one end of the methane gas flow field channel via the heater.

[0017] Furthermore, the electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production unit also includes a vaporizer disposed around the reaction tank; the vaporizer is connected to one end of a water vapor flow field channel.

[0018] Furthermore, the electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production unit also includes a hydrogen collection tank disposed around the reaction tank; the hydrogen collection tank is connected to the other end of the methane gas flow field channel and the other end of the water vapor flow field channel, respectively.

[0019] Furthermore, the electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production unit also includes a solar panel installed on the reaction tank; the solar panel is electrically connected to the energy storage tank.

[0020] Furthermore, the electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production unit also includes a frame; the reaction tank and the energy storage tank are both mounted on the frame.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are:

[0022] 1. This utility model comprises a reaction tank, a hydrogen production mechanism, a storage tank, and solar panels. The solar panels store electricity in the storage tank, and then, under the influence of an electric field, electrochemical reactions are performed on natural gas and water vapor to achieve hydrogen production through natural gas reforming. The use of solar panels to provide electricity avoids the current practice of relying primarily on fossil fuel power generation, reducing carbon dioxide emissions and achieving the goals of cleanliness, energy conservation, and cost reduction.

[0023] 2. In this utility model, the hydrogen production mechanism includes a cathode flow field plate, a cathode plate, an electrolyte layer, an anode plate, and an anode flow field plate stacked sequentially from bottom to top in the reaction tank; a water vapor flow field channel is provided on the side of the cathode flow field plate near the cathode plate; a methane gas flow field channel is provided on the side of the anode flow field plate near the anode plate; the positive terminal of the energy storage tank is electrically connected to the anode plate, and the negative terminal of the energy storage tank is electrically connected to the cathode plate. High-temperature water vapor enters the cathode flow field plate and diffuses to the cathode plate surface through its internal water vapor flow field channels. Under the action of the electric field, it reacts to generate hydrogen and oxygen ions. The hydrogen is discharged, while the oxygen ions, driven by the electric field force, pass through the electrolyte layer and migrate to the anode plate surface. At the same time, gaseous methane from liquefied natural gas enters the anode flow field plate and diffuses to the anode plate surface through the methane gas flow field channels. The oxygen ions that migrate to the anode plate surface react with the methane to generate hydrogen and solid carbon. The hydrogen is also discharged, and the solid carbon is deposited between the electrolyte layer and the anode plate. It is cleaned periodically and releases electrons. These electrons flow back to the cathode plate through the circuit between the external energy storage tanks, realizing electrochemical reforming to produce hydrogen. The structure is simple.

[0024] 3. In this invention, porous gas diffusion layers are respectively provided between the cathode flow field plate and the cathode plate, and between the anode plate and the anode flow field plate. Through the porous gas diffusion layers, water vapor and methane can be uniformly diffused to the surface of the cathode plate and the anode plate, thereby improving the efficiency of the electrochemical reaction and enabling the hydrogen production reaction to be completed rapidly.

[0025] 4. This utility model features a voltage regulator on the energy storage box, which can precisely set and adjust the voltage applied between the anode and cathode plates. It is easy to operate and can also control the hydrogen production reaction rate, making it more practical. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production unit;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional view of the reaction vessel structure;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the hydrogen production mechanism inside the reaction vessel;

[0029] Figure 4 A three-dimensional view of the hydrogen production mechanism;

[0030] In the picture:

[0031] 1-Frame; 2-Reaction vessel; 21-Cathode flow field plate; 22-Cathode plate; 23-Electrolyte layer; 24-Anode plate; 25-Anode flow field plate; 201-Water vapor inlet pipe; 202-Methane gas inlet pipe; 203-Water vapor outlet pipe; 204-Methane gas outlet pipe; 3-Porous gas diffusion layer; 4-Energy storage tank; 5-Solar panel. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments.

[0033] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 In one embodiment of this utility model, the electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production device includes a reaction tank 2, a hydrogen production mechanism, an energy storage tank 4, and a solar panel 5.

[0034] See Figure 3 and Figure 4 The hydrogen production mechanism includes a cathode flow field plate 21, a cathode plate 22, an electrolyte layer 23, an anode plate 24, and an anode flow field plate 25 stacked sequentially from bottom to top in the reaction tank 2; a water vapor flow field channel is provided on the side of the cathode flow field plate 21 near the cathode plate 22; and a methane gas flow field channel is provided on the side of the anode flow field plate 25 near the anode plate 24.

[0035] In this embodiment, the energy storage box 4 is located outside the reaction tank 2; the positive terminal of the energy storage box 4 is electrically connected to the anode plate 24, and the negative terminal of the energy storage box 4 is electrically connected to the cathode plate 22; the solar panel 5 is located on the outer wall of the reaction tank 2; the solar panel 5 is electrically connected to the energy storage box 4. Preferably, the solar panel 5 is fixedly installed on the top side wall of the reaction tank 2, and the solar panel 5 is electrically connected to the energy storage box 4 through a wire.

[0036] In this embodiment, there are one or more solar panels 5.

[0037] When there are multiple solar panels 5, the multiple solar panels 5 are evenly distributed in a circle around the circumference of the reaction tank 2; all the multiple solar panels 5 are connected to the energy storage box 4.

[0038] In practice, there are two, three or more solar panels 5; used to convert solar energy into DC power and store it in the energy storage box 4; the connection and conversion methods between the solar panels 5 and the energy storage box 4 are all known solar energy conversion technologies, which will not be described in detail here.

[0039] In this embodiment, a voltage regulator is installed on the energy storage tank 4 to adjust the voltage between the cathode plate 22 and the anode plate 24. In practice, increasing the voltage accelerates the hydrogen production reaction rate, thereby increasing the hydrogen production speed, while decreasing the voltage slows down the hydrogen production reaction rate. Operators can adjust the voltage according to actual needs.

[0040] Preferably, the energy storage box 4 can be made of lithium iron phosphate battery pack, with rated voltage and rated capacity parameters of 12V / 100Ah, exhibiting good charge-discharge cycle performance and safety.

[0041] Preferably, the solar panel 5 can be a Renogy100W monocrystalline silicon solar panel, which has a high photoelectric conversion efficiency and can effectively utilize solar energy resources to provide green energy for charging the energy storage box 4.

[0042] See Figure 3 and Figure 4 In this embodiment, the hydrogen production mechanism also includes a porous gas diffusion layer 3 disposed between the cathode flow field plate 21 and the cathode plate 22 and between the anode plate 24 and the anode flow field plate 25.

[0043] In practice, the cathode flow field plate 21 and the anode flow field plate 25 are used to guide the gas entering them, so that the gas flows to the surface of the cathode plate 22 and the surface of the anode plate 24; at the same time, the gas flows uniformly through the porous gas diffusion layer 3.

[0044] In this embodiment, a sealing ring is provided on the outer wall of the electrolyte layer 23, and the electrolyte layer 23 is connected to the inner wall of the reaction vessel 2 through the sealing ring. Sealing rings are provided on the outer wall of both the cathode flow field plate 21 and the anode flow field plate 25; the cathode flow field plate 21 and the anode flow field plate 25 are respectively connected to the inner wall of the reaction vessel 2 through corresponding sealing rings.

[0045] In practice, sealing rings are provided on the outer walls of the cathode flow field plate 21, the electrolyte layer 23, and the anode flow field plate 25. When the hydrogen production mechanism is connected, the cathode flow field plate 21 and the electrolyte layer 23 are stacked, and the sealing ring between the cathode flow field plate 21 and the electrolyte layer 23 forms a receiving cavity to accommodate the cathode plate 22, so that the cathode plate 22 is located between the electrolyte layer 23 and the cathode flow field plate 21. At this time, the cathode plate 22 is placed on the lower surface of the electrolyte layer 23. Similarly, the electrolyte layer 23 and the anode flow field plate 25 are stacked, and a receiving cavity is also formed between the two components to accommodate the anode plate 24, so that the anode plate 24 is located between the electrolyte layer 23 and the anode flow field plate 25. At this time, the anode plate 24 is placed on the upper surface of the electrolyte layer 23. The electrolyte layer 23 is responsible for conducting ions between the anode plate 24 and the cathode plate 22 to ensure the continuity of the current, separating the anode plate 24 and the cathode plate 22 to prevent the gas on the cathode plate side from mixing with the gas on the anode plate side or their reactants, and maintaining charge balance through ion migration.

[0046] On the other hand, sealing rings are provided on the outer walls of the cathode flow field plate 21, the electrolyte layer 23 and the anode flow field plate 25. These three components are connected to the inner wall of the reaction vessel 2 through the sealing rings, which ensures good sealing and prevents gas leakage.

[0047] Preferably, the cathode plate 22 and anode plate 24 are made of nickel-based ceramic composite material, which is resistant to high temperatures and has excellent electrical conductivity; the electrolyte layer 23 is made of zirconium oxide, which has excellent ionic conductivity and chemical stability at high temperatures and is well matched with the materials of the cathode plate 22 and anode plate 24. The porous gas diffusion layer 3 is made of porous nickel fiber, which has good air permeability and mechanical strength; the sealing rings are all made of polytetrafluoroethylene, which is resistant to high temperature and high pressure and has strong chemical corrosion resistance.

[0048] Preferably, the reaction vessel 2 consists of a vessel body and a vessel lid, which are fixed together by bolts, facilitating both fixation and disassembly. The reaction vessel 2 is made of stainless steel, which has good corrosion resistance and mechanical strength, and can withstand high temperature and high pressure environments. The solar panel 5 is placed on the vessel lid.

[0049] See Figure 1 The electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production unit also includes a frame 1; the reaction tank 2 and the energy storage tank 4 are both mounted on the frame 1. The bottom of the frame 1 is equipped with locking rollers for easy movement.

[0050] In another embodiment of this utility model, the electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production device further includes a gasifier and a heater disposed around the reaction tank 2; the gasifier is connected to one end of the methane gas flow field channel via the heater.

[0051] In another embodiment of this utility model, the electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production device further includes a vaporizer disposed around the reaction tank 2; the vaporizer is connected to one end of the water vapor flow field channel.

[0052] In another embodiment of this utility model, the electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production device further includes a hydrogen collection tank disposed around the reaction tank 2; the hydrogen collection tank is connected to the other end of the methane gas flow field channel and the other end of the water vapor flow field channel respectively.

[0053] See Figure 3 and Figure 4 Preferably, to facilitate the inflow of water vapor and methane gas, one end of the water vapor flow field channel is connected to the vaporizer via the water vapor inlet pipe 201, and the other end of the water vapor flow field channel is connected to the hydrogen collection tank via the water vapor outlet pipe 203; one end of the methane gas flow field channel is connected to the heater via the methane gas inlet pipe 202, and the other end of the methane gas flow field channel is connected to the hydrogen collection tank via the methane gas outlet pipe 204.

[0054] The working principle of this novel electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production device is as follows:

[0055] (1) The anode plate 24 is electrically connected to the positive electrode of the energy storage box 4 through the conductor of the current collector plate, and the cathode plate 22 is electrically connected to the negative electrode of the energy storage box 4 through the conductor of the current collector plate; the current can flow from the positive electrode of the energy storage box 4 to the anode plate 24, through the electrolyte layer 23 to the cathode plate 22, and finally back to the negative electrode of the energy storage box 4, forming a closed loop.

[0056] (2) Water is transported to the vaporizer via a power device (such as a pump) and converted into high-temperature water vapor. This high-temperature water vapor enters the water vapor flow field channel on the cathode flow field plate 21 through the water vapor inlet pipe 201. The high-temperature water vapor enters and passes upward through the porous gas diffusion layer 3 between the cathode flow field plate 21 and the cathode plate 22, and is evenly distributed to the surface of the cathode plate 22. The high-temperature water vapor undergoes a reduction reaction on the cathode plate 22 to generate hydrogen and oxygen ions. Since hydrogen cannot pass through the electrolyte layer 23, it flows downward through the porous gas diffusion layer 3 and finally flows out of the reaction tank 2 through the water vapor outlet pipe 203 from the water vapor flow field channel in the cathode flow field plate 21, and enters the hydrogen collection tank for collection and storage. The oxygen ions, driven by the electric field force, migrate through the electrolyte layer 23 to the surface of the anode plate 24. At the same time, liquefied natural gas is converted into gaseous methane by the vaporizer. After being heated in the heater, the gas enters the methane gas flow field channel on the anode flow field plate 25 through the methane gas inlet pipe 202. The gaseous methane is evenly distributed to the surface of the anode plate 24 through the porous gas diffusion layer 3 between the anode flow field plate 25 and the anode plate 24. Oxygen ions on the surface of the anode plate 24 react with the gaseous methane to generate hydrogen and solid carbon, while releasing electrons. The electrons flow back to the cathode plate 22 through a closed loop, completing the entire electrochemical hydrogen production reaction. The hydrogen generated on the surface of the anode plate 24 finally flows out of the reaction tank 2 through the methane gas flow field channel and then through the methane gas outlet pipe 204, and enters the hydrogen collection tank for collection and storage, so as to achieve reuse. The solid carbon is mainly deposited on the surface of the anode plate 24. The reactor is shut down periodically, the reaction tank 2 is opened, and the solid carbon is cleaned and collected by mechanical scraping, airflow purging and other methods. The collected solid carbon is reused as needed.

[0057] This invention converts light energy into DC electrical energy, and the energy storage tank 4 and the hydrogen production mechanism form a closed loop to achieve electrochemical reforming hydrogen production; it solves the problems of high energy consumption, high cost and carbon dioxide pollution caused by existing power generation and hydrogen production, and provides a clean, environmentally friendly and energy-saving new device for natural gas reforming hydrogen production.

[0058] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model, but the protection scope of the present utility model is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or changes made by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present utility model, based on the technical solution and the inventive concept of the present utility model, should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. An electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production device, characterized in that, It includes a reaction vessel (2), a hydrogen production unit, a power storage tank (4), and a solar panel (5); The hydrogen production mechanism includes a cathode flow field plate (21), a cathode plate (22), an electrolyte layer (23), an anode plate (24), and an anode flow field plate (25) stacked sequentially from bottom to top in the reaction tank (2); a water vapor flow field channel is provided on the side of the cathode flow field plate (21) near the cathode plate (22); a methane gas flow field channel is provided on the side of the anode flow field plate (25) near the anode plate (24); The energy storage tank (4) is located outside the reaction vessel (2); the positive terminal of the energy storage tank (4) is electrically connected to the anode plate (24), and the negative terminal of the energy storage tank (4) is electrically connected to the cathode plate (22); The solar panel (5) is located on the outer wall of the reaction vessel (2); the solar panel (5) is electrically connected to the energy storage box (4).

2. The electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The solar panel (5) may be one or more; when there are multiple solar panels (5), the multiple solar panels (5) are evenly distributed in a circle around the circumference of the reaction vessel (2).

3. The electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, A voltage regulator is provided on the energy storage box (4) to regulate the voltage between the cathode plate (22) and the anode plate (24).

4. The electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hydrogen production mechanism also includes a porous gas diffusion layer (3) disposed between the cathode flow field plate (21) and the cathode plate (22) and between the anode plate (24) and the anode flow field plate (25).

5. The electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, A sealing ring is provided on the outer wall of the electrolyte layer (23), and the electrolyte layer (23) is connected to the inner wall of the reaction vessel (2) through the sealing ring.

6. The electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that, Sealing rings are provided on the outer side wall of the cathode flow field plate (21) and the outer side wall of the anode flow field plate (25); the cathode flow field plate (21) and the anode flow field plate (25) are respectively connected to the inner wall of the reaction vessel (2) through corresponding sealing rings.

7. The electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production unit also includes a gasifier and a heater arranged around the reaction tank (2); the gasifier is connected to one end of the methane gas flow field channel via the heater.

8. The electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that, The electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production unit also includes a vaporizer disposed around the reaction tank (2); the vaporizer is connected to one end of the water vapor flow field channel.

9. The electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production device also includes a hydrogen collection tank disposed around the reaction tank (2); the hydrogen collection tank is connected to the other end of the methane gas flow field channel and the other end of the water vapor flow field channel respectively.

10. The electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production apparatus according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The electrochemical liquefied natural gas reforming hydrogen production unit also includes a frame (1); the reaction tank (2) and the energy storage tank (4) are both mounted on the frame (1).

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