Electrode separator unit, preparation method, electrolytic cell unit and device for hydrogen production from energy

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an electrode separator unit, a preparation method, an electrolytic cell unit, and a device for hydrogen production from a renewable energy. The electrode separator unit of the present disclosure comprises a membrane electrode assembly arranged in a center area of the electrode separator unit and comprises a sealing frame arranged around the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly, wherein the inner peripheral wall of the sealing frame is fixedly connected to the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly by means of material connection. In the solution of the present disclosure, by using the sealing frame and fixedly connecting the inner peripheral wall of the sealing frame to the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly by means of material connection, no gaps generated by traditional packaging are present in the electrode separator unit. In addition, the contact area between the sealing frame and an adjacent functional component during fixed connection is increased, so that the clamping force for packaging an electrolytic cell device is more concentrated, and thus the sealing effect of the electrode separator unit is firmer, thereby further improving the hydrogen production efficiency. In addition, the present disclosure further reduces the number of parts, reduces the production cost, and improves the production efficiency.

Description

Electrode diaphragm unit, preparation method, electrolyzer unit and energy hydrogen production equipment Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of hydrogen production by electrolysis of water, and more specifically to an electrode diaphragm unit, a preparation method, an electrolyzer unit, and renewable energy hydrogen production equipment. Background Art

[0002] Water electrolysis hydrogen production technology uses pure water as a reactant, generating hydrogen through electrolysis in an electrolyzer. The electrolyzer is a device that converts electrical energy into chemical energy through electrolysis. It primarily consists of a cell, an anode, and a cathode. When direct current passes through the cell, an oxidation reaction occurs at the anode-solution interface, and a reduction reaction occurs at the cathode-solution interface, producing the desired product.

[0003] In practical applications, a diaphragm typically separates the anode and cathode chambers. The anode is typically immersed in a liquid containing ions, while the cathode sits on the other side, maintaining a certain distance and gap between them to ensure efficient electrochemical reactions. To improve electrolytic cell efficiency and save energy, optimized cell design is essential.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide an electrode diaphragm unit, a preparation method, an electrolyzer unit, and a renewable energy hydrogen production device.

[0006] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, an electrode diaphragm unit is provided, comprising: a membrane electrode assembly, arranged in a central area of ​​the electrode diaphragm unit; a sealing frame, arranged around the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly; wherein the inner peripheral wall of the sealing frame and the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly are fixedly connected to each other by material connection.

[0007] In the second aspect of the present disclosure, a method for preparing an electrode diaphragm unit is provided, comprising providing a membrane electrode assembly, arranging the membrane electrode assembly in the central area of ​​the electrode diaphragm unit; providing a sealing frame, arranging the sealing frame around the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly; and fixing the inner peripheral wall of the sealing frame and the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly to each other through material connection.

[0008] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, an electrolytic cell unit is provided, comprising an electrode diaphragm unit according to the first aspect, and further comprising a plate assembly, which is stacked parallel to the membrane electrode assembly; wherein the top surface of the sealing frame and the bottom surface of the plate assembly are fixedly connected to each other by material connection.

[0009] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a renewable energy hydrogen production device is provided, comprising the electrolyzer unit according to any one of the third aspects.

[0010] It should be understood that the contents described in the Summary of the Invention section are not intended to limit the key or important features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The above and other features, advantages and aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent with reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements, wherein:

[0012] FIG1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an electrolyzer system in which various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0013] FIG2A shows a schematic diagram of an electrode-diaphragm unit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0014] FIG2B shows a schematic diagram of a sealing frame of an electrode diaphragm unit according to other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG2C shows a schematic diagram of a membrane electrode assembly of an electrode diaphragm unit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] FIG2D shows a schematic diagram of a sealing frame of an electrode diaphragm unit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] FIG2E shows a schematic diagram of a sealing frame of an electrode diaphragm unit according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG3A shows a schematic diagram of an electrolytic cell unit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] FIG3B shows a schematic diagram of an electrolytic cell unit according to some further embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] FIG3C shows a schematic diagram of a plate assembly of an electrolyzer unit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] FIG3D shows a schematic diagram of a plate assembly of an electrolytic cell unit according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] FIG3E shows a schematic diagram of an electrolytic cell unit according to other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG4 shows a schematic diagram of an electrolyzer apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG5 shows a flow chart of a method for preparing an electrode-separator unit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] In general, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings and the accompanying detailed description to denote the same or similar components. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. The dimensions of components or regions may be exaggerated in the drawings for illustrative purposes. Although the drawings illustrate regions with lines and boundaries, some or all of these lines and / or boundaries may be idealized. In practice, boundaries and / or lines may not be observable and / or irregular. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following will describe embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although certain embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein. Instead, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure. The embodiments of the present disclosure described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only.

[0027] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "including" and similar terms should be understood as open inclusion, that is, "including but not limited to." The term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on." The term "one embodiment" or "the embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment." The terms "first," "second," etc. may refer to different or the same objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below.

[0028] The terms "up," "down," "left," "right," "front," "back," "front," "back," "top," and "bottom" mentioned or potentially mentioned in this specification are defined relative to the structures shown in the accompanying drawings. They are relative concepts and may vary depending on their location or usage. Therefore, these or other directional terms should not be interpreted as restrictive. In addition, the terms "first," "second," "third," and similar expressions are used only for descriptive and distinguishing purposes and should not be understood to indicate or imply the relative importance of the corresponding components.

[0029] The inventors of the present disclosure have discovered that during the production and assembly process of an electrolyzer used to produce hydrogen by electrolyzing water (including water molecules), the functional components inside the electrolyzer are positioned and fixed through the pole frame assembly to form a complete electrolyzer device. In the pole frame assembly, after the frame seals the periphery of the central active area, multiple or multiple parts such as rubber gaskets are required to be combined to complete the preparation of the entire electrolyzer device. The entire packaging process is complex and time-consuming. Therefore, how to improve the production efficiency of electrolyzer equipment is a problem that urgently needs to be solved.

[0030] The electrode diaphragm unit proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure provides a sealing frame around the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly, and the inner peripheral wall of the sealing frame is fixedly connected to the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly through a material connection method. Thus, the solution of the present disclosure can provide a more rigorous and reliable seal for the membrane electrode assembly, thereby improving the hydrogen production efficiency. At the same time, since the present disclosure only uses a sealing frame to seal the membrane electrode assembly, it does not require the pole frame assembly required for the installation of the electrolyzer. On the one hand, the number of parts is reduced, which to a certain extent reduces the design difficulty of the production process. On the other hand, the gaps generated by the traditional pole frame assembly are eliminated in the electrode diaphragm unit, and the contact area between the sealing frame and adjacent functional components is increased, thereby concentrating the clamping force used to package the electrolyzer equipment and improving the sealing effect of the electrode diaphragm unit. Therefore, the hydrogen production efficiency of the electrode diaphragm unit is higher.

[0031] FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of an example electrolyzer system 100 in which multiple embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. FIG1 takes the electrolyzer system structure of the present disclosure as an example and can be used as an example structure of an electrolyzer system without limiting the technical solution of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG1 , the central area 101 is the electrolysis reaction area, which is used to provide active substances for reactants to undergo electrochemical reactions. The outer ring 102 is the sealing area of ​​the electrolyzer system, which is used to seal and assemble the central area 101. The electrolyzer system 100 is also provided with a number of pipelines 103 for providing the introduction of reactant fluids from the outer ring 102 to the central area 101 and the export of generated fluids from the central area 101 to the outer ring 102. In actual applications, the electrolyzer system is usually placed on a similar plane such as the ground or a table, and the electrolyzer system is powered by electricity generated by conventional power supplies or clean energy. The hydrogen generated by electrolysis, for example, is collected and used for other purposes, such as providing a hydrogen source for fuel cells. The electrolytic cell system has a large number of internal components, and the electrolytic cell system 100 shown in Figure 1 is only a schematic diagram along a cross section parallel to the plane where the electrolytic cell system is placed. In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the present disclosure, the present disclosure will provide more embodiments for illustration.

[0032] Generally speaking, electrolytic cell equipment has a long lifespan. Therefore, when a fault occurs inside the electrolytic cell equipment during its operation or subsequent maintenance, it takes a long time to locate the fault due to the large number of parts inside the equipment. When repairing or replacing the faulty parts, the electrolytic cell equipment must be opened, causing a large number of parts to scatter, which in turn causes reassembly to take longer. Therefore, how to improve the maintenance efficiency of electrolytic cell equipment is also a problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0033] FIG2A is a schematic diagram of an electrode-diaphragm unit 200 obtained by cross-sectioning the electrolyzer system 100 shown in FIG1 along the arrow direction according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the electrode-diaphragm unit 200 includes a membrane electrode assembly 201 and a sealing frame 209. The membrane electrode assembly 201 is located in the central region of the electrode-diaphragm unit 200. The sealing frame 209 is disposed on the periphery of the membrane electrode assembly 201 and surrounds the outer peripheral wall 260. The inner peripheral wall 230 of the sealing frame 209 and the outer peripheral wall 260 of the membrane electrode assembly 201 are fixedly connected to each other, thereby fixing the membrane electrode assembly 201 and the sealing frame 209 together to form an electrode-diaphragm unit 200. The fixed connection method is a material connection. In some embodiments, an intermediate layer is provided between the inner peripheral wall 230 of the sealing frame 209 and the outer peripheral wall 260 of the membrane electrode assembly 201. The intermediate layer is an adhesive that bonds the inner peripheral wall 230 to the outer peripheral wall 260. In some embodiments, there is an intermediate layer between the inner peripheral wall 230 of the sealing frame 209 and the outer peripheral wall 260 of the membrane electrode assembly 201, and the intermediate layer is a welding material, which welds the inner peripheral wall 230 to the outer peripheral wall 260. In some embodiments, the membrane electrode assembly 201 includes a proton exchange membrane, and the adhesive is an acidic adhesive material. In other embodiments, the membrane electrode assembly 201 includes an anion exchange membrane, and the adhesive is an alkaline adhesive material. In other embodiments, the membrane electrode assembly 201 may include other polymer materials such as polyphenylene sulfide, etc. As long as the gases (hydrogen and oxygen) generated after electrolysis of water (including water molecules) in the electrolytic cell are separated, it falls within the technical concept of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to this. The adhesive material can be compressed polytetrafluoroethylene or other polymer film, and the present disclosure is not limited to this. Thus, the sealing frame 209 inside the electrode diaphragm unit and the membrane electrode assembly 201 are fixedly connected to each other through polytetrafluoroethylene or other polymer films.

[0034] The electrode diaphragm unit 200 disclosed herein, because it only uses a sealing frame 209 to seal the membrane electrode assembly 201 and directly cooperates with other adjacent functional components, does not require a traditional pole frame assembly. Accordingly, the electrode diaphragm unit 200 does not have the gaps created by traditional pole frame assemblies, and the solution disclosed herein provides a better sealing effect for the electrode diaphragm unit 200. At the same time, the solution disclosed herein, because the sealing frame 209 is used on the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly 201, increases the contact area between the sealing frame 209 and the membrane electrode assembly 201, and between the sealing frame 209 and other adjacent functional components. This makes the clamping force used to encapsulate the electrolyzer equipment more concentrated and not dissipated, thereby making the sealing effect of the electrode diaphragm unit 200 more secure. As a result, the hydrogen production efficiency of the electrode diaphragm unit 200 is further improved. In addition, because the present disclosure does not require the pole frame assembly required for conventional electrolyzer installation, the number of parts is reduced, thereby reducing the design and production process difficulty to a certain extent, shortening the time for producing and assembling the electrolyzer equipment, thereby reducing production costs and improving production efficiency.

[0035] In some embodiments, the height of the sealing frame 209 is the same as the thickness of the membrane electrode assembly 201, and the bottom surface of the sealing frame 209 is coplanar with the bottom surface of the membrane electrode assembly 201, and the top surface of the sealing frame 209 is coplanar with the top surface of the membrane electrode assembly 201. In this case, the sealing frame 209 and the membrane electrode assembly 201 are directly connected by material to form an electrode diaphragm unit 200. In some embodiments, the height of the sealing frame 209 is different from the thickness of the membrane electrode assembly 201, and the bottom surface of the sealing frame 209 is coplanar with the bottom surface of the membrane electrode assembly 201, while the top surface of the sealing frame 209 is not coplanar with the top surface of the membrane electrode assembly 201. In some embodiments, the top surface of the sealing frame 209 is higher than the upper surface of the membrane electrode assembly 201. At this time, the sealing frame 209 is provided with an adhesive on the inner peripheral wall at a height equal to the thickness of the membrane electrode assembly 201, and is directly bonded to the outer peripheral wall 260 of the membrane electrode assembly 201 to form an electrode diaphragm unit 200. The sealing frame 209 can be coated with an adhesive on the inner peripheral wall at a height higher than the thickness of the membrane electrode assembly 201, and fixedly connected to other functional components adjacent to the membrane electrode assembly 201 corresponding to the height portion.

[0036] In some embodiments, the shape of the outer peripheral wall 260 of the membrane electrode assembly 201 may not be a flat surface, but may have a certain shape or a regular or irregular concave and convex surface. In addition, the inner peripheral wall 230 of the sealing frame 209 in the present disclosure may be designed to match the shape of the outer peripheral wall 260. In other embodiments, the height of the sealing frame 209 is different from the thickness of the membrane electrode assembly 201, and accordingly, the bottom surface of the sealing frame 209 and the lower surface of the membrane electrode assembly 201 may not be coplanar, and the top surface of the sealing frame 209 and the upper surface of the membrane electrode assembly 201 may also not be coplanar.

[0037] FIG2B shows a schematic diagram of the sealing frame of the electrode diaphragm unit according to other embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, in order to better match the shape of the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly and the needs of actual process design and production, the sealing frame can be composed of multiple sub-sealing frames. The multiple sub-sealing frames are stacked on each other to form a complete seal on the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly. In some embodiments, the sealing frame 209 includes a first sub-sealing frame 208 and a second sub-sealing frame 218 stacked on top of each other. The first sub-sealing frame 208 has an inner peripheral wall 232 and a lower surface 212, and the second sub-sealing frame 218 has an inner peripheral wall 231 and an upper surface 211. The lower surface 212 of the first sub-sealing frame 208 is fixedly connected to the upper surface 211 of the second sub-sealing frame 218, and the inner peripheral wall 232 and the inner peripheral wall 231 are fixedly connected to the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly, thereby forming a fixed connection between the multiple sub-sealing frames and a complete seal of the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly by the multiple sub-sealing frames. In some embodiments, the number of sub-sealing frames may be greater than two. As long as a sealing effect on the peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly can be achieved through the fixed connection between the multiple sub-sealing frames, it is an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the actual packaging process, the fixed connection of the relative upper and lower surfaces of the multiple sub-sealing frames and the fixed connection of the inner peripheral walls of the multiple sub-sealing frames to the peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly are not prioritized in the process and are not limited by this disclosure.

[0038] FIG2C shows a schematic diagram of a membrane electrode assembly of an electrode diaphragm unit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the membrane electrode assembly 201 is a multi-layer structure. In some embodiments, the membrane electrode assembly 201 is a three-layer structure, including an isolation layer 205 located in the middle layer and diffusion layers respectively arranged on opposite sides of the isolation layer 205, the diffusion layers including a first diffusion layer 206 and a second diffusion layer 207. In some embodiments, the length of the isolation layer 205 and the first diffusion layer 206 and the second diffusion layer 207 along the extension direction of the isolation layer 205 may be different, and the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly 201 has a surface with a concave and convex surface. As shown in FIG2C, along the extension direction of the isolation layer 205, the length of the first diffusion layer 206 and the second diffusion layer 207 are the same, the length of the isolation layer 205 is different from the length of the first diffusion layer 206 and the second diffusion layer 207, and the isolation layer 205 includes an end region 205-1 extending beyond the edges of the first diffusion layer 206 and the second diffusion layer 207. In other embodiments, the lengths of the isolation layer 205, the first diffusion layer 206, and the second diffusion layer 207 along the extension direction of the isolation layer 205 may be the same, and the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly 201 is a relatively flat surface.

[0039] In some embodiments, the isolation layer 205 includes a proton exchange membrane or an anion exchange membrane. The positions and shapes of the first diffusion layer 206 and the second diffusion layer 207 can be symmetrical with respect to the isolation layer 205. The first diffusion layer 206 and the second diffusion layer 207 include a catalyst layer on the side facing the isolation layer 205. In some embodiments, the first diffusion layer 206 is provided with an anode catalyst layer on the side facing the isolation layer 205. In the solution of the present disclosure, a material resistant to electrochemical corrosion is selected as the anode catalyst layer, such as titanium, nickel, stainless steel, etc. The specific form can be titanium mesh, nickel mesh, stainless steel mesh, or nickel felt, stainless steel felt, etc., which is not limited by the present disclosure. The second diffusion layer 207 is provided with a cathode catalyst layer on the side facing the isolation layer 205. The membrane electrode assembly 201 is the place where the electrochemical reaction occurs in the electrolytic cell, and has high sealing requirements. The technical solution of the present disclosure can provide a tight seal for the membrane electrode assembly 201.

[0040] As shown in Figure 2D, a schematic diagram of the sealing frame of the electrode diaphragm unit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the membrane electrode assembly 201 in these embodiments as shown in Figure 2C, the inner peripheral wall of the multiple sub-sealing frames can also be designed to match the shape of the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly 201, so Figure 2D is a further improved design scheme of these embodiments shown in Figure 2B. In Figure 2D, the sealing frame 209 includes a plurality of sub-sealing frames stacked one above the other, and the sub-sealing frames include a first sub-sealing frame 208 and a second sub-sealing frame 218. In some embodiments, the first sub-sealing frame 208 also has a first recessed portion 220 at the connection between its inner peripheral wall and the lower surface, and the second sub-sealing frame 218 also has a second recessed portion 221 at the connection between its inner peripheral wall and the upper surface.

[0041] Figure 2E shows a schematic diagram of a sealing frame for an electrode-diaphragm unit according to further embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the shapes and thicknesses of the multiple sub-sealing frames can be designed to be identical. In other embodiments, the shapes and thicknesses of the multiple sub-sealing frames can be designed to be different. Figure 2E is a further improved design of the embodiments shown in Figure 2D, in which the first sub-sealing frame and the second sub-sealing frame have different vertical heights, with the first sub-sealing frame being slightly higher than the second sub-sealing frame. This allows for greater flexibility and freedom in component design and production, as well as greater flexibility in accommodating the different heights of the membrane-electrode assembly within the electrode-diaphragm unit. Furthermore, sub-sealing frames of varying heights can be used to more flexibly match other adjacent functional components fixedly connected to the sealing frame 209. In some embodiments, a recessed portion 262 is provided at the junction of the top surface 261 of the first sub-sealing frame and the inner peripheral wall to accommodate a portion of other functional components disposed adjacent to the membrane-electrode assembly 201. For example, the recessed portion 262 and the top surface 261 are fixedly connected to the bottom surfaces of these other adjacent functional components. The disclosed solution, due to the modular design of the electrode and diaphragm units, can improve the efficiency of fault location, repair, and reassembly of the electrolyzer equipment, thereby improving hydrogen production efficiency and equipment utilization. Furthermore, the operating efficiency of the electrolyzer equipment is also related to the installation accuracy of the internal components of the equipment. The disclosed solution, due to the modular design of the electrode and diaphragm units, improves the convenience and accuracy of reassembly, thereby maintaining an installation accuracy substantially equivalent to that of the original equipment before disassembly, thereby ensuring the hydrogen production efficiency of the electrolyzer equipment after repair.

[0042] Figure 3A shows a schematic diagram of an electrolytic cell unit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the electrolytic cell unit 20 includes an electrode diaphragm unit 200 and a plate assembly 300. The electrode diaphragm unit 200 includes a membrane electrode assembly 201 and a sealing frame 209. The membrane electrode assembly 201 is located in the central area of ​​the electrode diaphragm unit 200. The sealing frame 209 is arranged on the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly 201 and surrounds the outer peripheral wall. The sealing frame 209 and the membrane electrode assembly 201 are fixedly connected to each other. The plate assembly 300 is stacked parallel to the membrane electrode assembly 201, and the top surface 210 of the sealing frame 209 is fixedly connected to the bottom surface 340 of the plate assembly 300. Through this arrangement of the present disclosure, the electrode diaphragm unit 200 and the plate assembly 300 are fixedly connected together to form an electrolytic cell unit 20. Since the repair and reassembly of electrolyzer equipment is usually performed at a hydrogen production station rather than at the electrolyzer equipment manufacturer, the technical level of the maintenance staff, the limited maintenance conditions, the specificity of the tools used, and other factors may lead to reduced reassembly accuracy, thereby reducing the sealing performance of the electrolyzer, and further affecting the subsequent operating efficiency and hydrogen production efficiency of the electrolyzer. The technical solution disclosed herein, through the modular design of the electrolyzer unit 20, not only improves the efficiency of repair and reassembly of the electrolyzer equipment, but also minimizes the impact on the reassembly accuracy of the electrolyzer equipment during repair and reassembly.

[0043] Figure 3B shows a schematic diagram of an electrolytic cell unit according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the bottom surface 340 of the electrode plate assembly 300 is fixedly connected to the top surface 210 of the sealing frame 209. The height value of the electrode plate assembly 300 can be designed differently according to the different requirements of the electrode diaphragm unit 200. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 3B, the top surface 210 of the sealing frame 209 is slightly higher than the upper surface of the membrane electrode assembly 201, and the height value of the electrode plate assembly 300 is reduced. For example, the height value that can be reduced is equivalent to, or equal to, the height value of the top surface of the sealing frame 209 above the upper surface of the membrane electrode assembly 201. In other embodiments, the top surface 210 of the sealing frame 209 is lower than the upper surface of the membrane electrode assembly 201, and the height value of the electrode plate assembly 300 is increased. For example, the height value that can be increased is equivalent to, or equal to, the height value of the top surface of the sealing frame 209 below the upper surface of the membrane electrode assembly 201. In other embodiments, the top surface 210 of the sealing frame 209 may not be a flat surface, but may instead have a certain shape, or regular or irregular concave and convex surface. In other embodiments, the bottom surface 340 of the electrode assembly 300 may not be a flat surface, but may instead have a certain shape, or regular or irregular concave and convex surface, and the top surface 210 of the sealing frame 209 may be designed to match the shape of the bottom surface 340. Figure 3B shows the junction between the top surface 210 of the sealing frame 209 and the inner peripheral wall 230, which is provided with a recessed portion 209-2 for accommodating a portion of the electrode assembly 300. The recessed portion 209-2 of the sealing frame 209, together with the top surface 210, is fixedly connected to the bottom surface 340 of the electrode assembly 300. Thus, the membrane electrode assembly 201, the sealing frame 209, and the electrode assembly 300 are fixedly connected together to form an electrolyzer unit 20.

[0044] In some embodiments, in order to better seal the peripheral wall 260 of the membrane electrode assembly 201, the sealing frame 209 may have a protrusion 209-1 extending horizontally toward the center area of ​​the electrode diaphragm unit 200, and the upper surface 222 of the protrusion 209-1 is fixedly connected to the edge portion 260-1 on the bottom surface of the membrane electrode assembly 201 near the peripheral wall 260. Therefore, when the present disclosure seals the peripheral wall 260 of the membrane electrode assembly 201, on the one hand, the vertical inner peripheral wall 230 of the sealing frame 209 is fixedly connected to the peripheral wall 260 of the membrane electrode assembly 201, and on the other hand, the upper surface 222 of the protrusion 209-1 of the sealing frame 209 is fixedly connected to the edge portion 260-1 on the bottom surface of the membrane electrode assembly 201. Therefore, the solution of the present disclosure increases the area where the sealing frame 209 and the membrane electrode assembly 201 are fixedly connected to each other. In other embodiments, the bottom surface of the sealing frame 209 is lower than the bottom surface of the membrane electrode assembly 201, while the top surface of the sealing frame 209 is slightly higher than the top surface of the membrane electrode assembly 201. Therefore, when the outer peripheral wall 260 of the membrane electrode assembly 201 is sealed, the present disclosure can not only fix the entire outer peripheral wall 260 of the membrane electrode assembly 201 to the inner peripheral wall 230 of the sealing frame 209, but also fix the edge portion 260-1 of the membrane electrode assembly 201 on the bottom surface close to the outer peripheral wall 260 to the protrusion 209-1 of the sealing frame 209. As a result, the area of ​​the fixed connection between the sealing frame 209 and the membrane electrode assembly 201 is larger, so that the solution of the present disclosure can more thoroughly seal the outer peripheral wall 260 of the membrane electrode assembly 201.

[0045] 3C and 3D respectively show schematic diagrams of the plate assembly of the electrolyzer unit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Regarding the design of the number of layers of the multi-layer structure of the plate assembly 300: the plate assembly 300 is a multi-layer structure. In some embodiments, the plate assembly 300 is a two-layer structure, including a transmission layer facing the membrane electrode assembly and a support plate facing away from the membrane electrode assembly. In other embodiments, as shown in FIG3C , the plate assembly 300 is a three-layer structure, including a support plate 304 located in the middle layer and transmission layers respectively arranged on opposite sides of the support plate 304, the transmission layer including a first transmission layer 302 facing the membrane electrode assembly and a second transmission layer 305 facing away from the membrane electrode assembly. The first transmission layer 302 and the second transmission layer 305 are symmetrically arranged along the center line of the support plate 304 (the dotted line in FIG3C ).

[0046] Regarding the relative positions of the multi-layer structure of the electrode assembly 300: In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3C , the support plate 304 and the first and second transmission layers 302 and 305 can have the same length along the direction in which the support plate 304 extends, and the transmission layers 302 and 305 can be disposed on the surface of the support plate 304 along the length thereof. The first transmission layer 302 is disposed on the surface of the support plate 304 facing the membrane electrode assembly, and the second transmission layer 305 is disposed on the surface of the support plate 304 facing away from the membrane electrode assembly. In other embodiments, as shown in FIG3D , the first and second transmission layers 302 and 305 are symmetrically disposed along the centerline of the support plate 304 (the dotted line in FIG3D ), with the first transmission layer 302 disposed on the surface of the support plate 304 facing the membrane electrode assembly, i.e., the bottom surface of the support plate, and the second transmission layer 305 disposed on the surface of the support plate 304 facing away from the membrane electrode assembly, i.e., the top surface of the support plate. The lengths of the support plate 304, the first transmission layer 302, and the second transmission layer 305 along the extension direction of the support plate 304 may differ; the lengths of the first transmission layer 302 and the second transmission layer 305 may be shorter than the length of the support plate 304. The transmission layer may be disposed on the surface of the support plate 304 along its length. In other embodiments, the bottom surface of the support plate 304 is provided with a groove 303 for accommodating the first transmission layer 302, and the top surface of the support plate 304 is provided with a groove 306 for accommodating the second transmission layer 305. In some embodiments, the bottom surface of the first transmission layer 302 may be flush with the bottom surface 340 of the support plate 304. In other embodiments, the bottom surface of the first transmission layer 302 may be lower than or higher than the bottom surface 340 of the support plate 304. The bottom surface of the second transmission layer 305 may be lower than or higher than the top surface of the support plate 304, but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0047] Regarding the connection between the multi-layer structure of the electrode assembly 300: In some embodiments, the support plate 304 is directly connected to the first transmission layer 302 and the second transmission layer 305 through welding or crimping technology, and there are no other elements between the support plate 304 and the first transmission layer 302, and between the support plate 304 and the second transmission layer 305, so that the solution of the present disclosure has smaller flow resistance when transmitting fluid media.

[0048] FIG3E shows a schematic diagram of an electrolyzer unit according to other embodiments of the present disclosure, in which a plurality of sub-sealing frames completely seal the peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly. Among them, the lower surface of the first sub-sealing frame 208 is fixedly connected to the upper surface of the second sub-sealing frame 218; the inner peripheral wall of the first sub-sealing frame 208 is fixedly connected to the peripheral wall of the first diffusion layer 206 of the membrane electrode assembly; the inner peripheral wall of the second sub-sealing frame 218 is fixedly connected to the peripheral wall of the second diffusion layer 207 of the membrane electrode assembly; the first recessed portion and the second recessed portion are fixedly connected to the peripheral wall of the end area of ​​the isolation layer 205. Thus, a fixed connection is formed between the first sub-sealing frame 208 and the second sub-sealing frame 218, and the first sub-sealing frame 208 and the second sub-sealing frame 218 also form a seal on the peripheral wall of each layer structure in the membrane electrode assembly, so that the solution of the present disclosure forms a tighter seal for the membrane electrode assembly as a whole.

[0049] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, on the one hand, the shape and size of the sealing frame can be flexibly designed, for example, the inner peripheral wall of the sealing frame is matched in shape with the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly and fixedly connected, the inner peripheral wall or top surface of the sealing frame is matched in shape with the bottom surface of the electrode plate assembly and fixedly connected, etc., to achieve complete sealing of the membrane electrode assembly; on the other hand, a modular electrolyzer unit is formed by fixedly connecting the top surface of the sealing frame and the bottom surface of the electrode plate assembly to each other, so that the solution of the present disclosure can further improve the efficiency of fault location, maintenance, repair and reinstallation of the electrolyzer equipment, thereby improving the hydrogen production efficiency and equipment utilization.

[0050] FIG4 shows a schematic diagram of an electrolyzer apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. A plurality of electrolyzer units 20-1, ..., 20-N are abutted against one another and releasably stacked together as shown in FIG4 to form the electrolyzer apparatus 400 of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the individual electrolyzer units 20-1, ..., 20-N are compressed by a clamping force perpendicular to the extension direction of the membrane electrode assembly to form the electrolyzer apparatus 400. In other embodiments, the individual electrolyzer units 20-1, ..., 20-N can be compressed by other releasable means such as snaps or suction to form the electrolyzer apparatus 400.

[0051] The electrolyzer device 400 disclosed in the present invention only uses a sealing frame to seal the membrane electrode assembly and directly cooperates with the electrode plate assembly, thereby reducing the gap in the traditional electrode frame assembly, and at the same time increasing the contact area between the sealing frame and the membrane electrode assembly, and the sealing frame and the electrode plate assembly, so that the clamping force used to encapsulate the electrolyzer device 400 is more concentrated and not lost; at the same time, the present invention fixes the sealing frame to the membrane electrode assembly and the electrode plate assembly, so that the connection between the electrode plate assembly and the membrane electrode assembly is tighter and firmer, and the sealing effect on the membrane electrode assembly is better, thereby increasing the hydrogen production efficiency. In addition, adjacent electrolyzer units are connected by crimping. When a fault occurs inside the electrolyzer device, the faulty electrolyzer unit can be located more quickly and replaced, significantly improving the inspection and maintenance efficiency. Therefore, the renewable energy hydrogen production equipment using the electrolyzer device 400 disclosed in the present invention also has a higher hydrogen production efficiency.

[0052] Figure 5 shows a flow chart of a method 500 for preparing an electrode diaphragm unit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In box 502, method 500 provides a membrane electrode assembly and arranges the membrane electrode assembly in the central area of ​​the electrode diaphragm unit. In box 504, method 500 provides a sealing frame and arranges the sealing frame around the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly. In box 506, method 500 fixes the inner peripheral wall of the sealing frame and the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly to each other through material connection. For example, the method for preparing the electrode diaphragm unit of this embodiment is described using the electrode diaphragm unit 200 shown in Figure 2A as an example of a carrier. First, a membrane electrode assembly 201 is provided in the central area of ​​the electrode diaphragm unit 200 as an active area where electrochemical reactions occur. Then, a sealing frame 209 is arranged around the outer peripheral wall 260 of the membrane electrode assembly 201, wherein the inner peripheral wall 230 of the sealing frame 209 is fixedly connected to the outer peripheral wall 260 of the membrane electrode assembly 201. The fixed connection method is material connection. In some embodiments, there is an intermediate layer between the inner peripheral wall 230 of the sealing frame 209 and the outer peripheral wall 260 of the membrane electrode assembly 201. The intermediate layer is an adhesive, which bonds the inner peripheral wall 230 and the outer peripheral wall 260. In some embodiments, there is an intermediate layer between the inner peripheral wall 230 of the sealing frame 209 and the outer peripheral wall 260 of the membrane electrode assembly 201. The intermediate layer is a welding material, which welds the inner peripheral wall 230 of the sealing frame 209 and the outer peripheral wall 260 of the membrane electrode assembly 201.

[0053] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the sealing frame 209 may include a fluorine-containing polymer, such as polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, etc., which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0054] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a sealing frame is provided around the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly, and the inner peripheral wall of the sealing frame is fixedly connected to the outer peripheral wall of the membrane electrode assembly by a material connection method to form an electrode diaphragm unit, and the electrode diaphragm unit is further fixedly connected to the electrode plate assembly by a material connection method, thereby forming a modular electrolyzer unit. On the one hand, since the present disclosure only uses a sealing frame to seal the membrane electrode assembly and is used to directly cooperate with other functional components such as the electrode plate assembly, the electrode frame assembly required for the installation of the electrolyzer is not required, thereby reducing the number of parts. Not only does the gap generated by the traditional electrode frame assembly not exist in the electrolyzer unit, thereby improving the sealing effect of the electrolyzer unit, but also increases the contact area between the sealing frame and the adjacent functional components, thereby making the clamping force used to encapsulate the electrolyzer equipment more concentrated, and thus the sealing effect is more reliable, thereby improving the hydrogen production efficiency. On the other hand, the present invention adopts a modular design for the electrolyzer unit, thereby not only improving the efficiency of fault location, repair and reassembly, but also improving the convenience and accuracy of reassembly when locating, repairing and reassembling the electrolyzer equipment, thereby further improving the hydrogen production efficiency.

[0055] Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological logical acts, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are merely example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. An electrode diaphragm unit (200), comprising: A membrane electrode assembly (201) is arranged in the central area of ​​the electrode diaphragm unit (200); A sealing frame (209) is provided around the outer peripheral wall (260) of the membrane electrode assembly (201); The inner peripheral wall (230) of the sealing frame (209) and the outer peripheral wall (260) of the membrane electrode assembly (201) are fixedly connected to each other by material connection.

2. The electrode-diaphragm unit (200) according to claim 1, wherein: The inner peripheral wall (230) is designed to match the shape of the outer peripheral wall (260).

3. The electrode-diaphragm unit (200) according to claim 1, wherein: The sealing frame (209) comprises a plurality of sub-sealing frames (208, 218) stacked on top of each other and fixedly connected by material connection.

4. The electrode-diaphragm unit (200) according to claim 2, wherein: The membrane electrode assembly (201) includes an isolation layer (205) and diffusion layers (206, 207) respectively arranged on opposite sides of the isolation layer (205); The isolation layer (205) includes an end region (205-1) extending beyond the edge of the diffusion layer (206, 207).

5. The electrode-diaphragm unit (200) according to claim 4, wherein: The isolation layer (205) includes a proton exchange membrane or an anion exchange membrane; The diffusion layer (206, 207) includes a catalyst layer on a side facing the isolation layer (205).

6. The electrode-diaphragm unit (200) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The membrane electrode assembly (201) has an upper surface (250), and the upper surface (250) is coplanar with the top surface (210) of the sealing frame (209).

7. A method (500) for preparing an electrode diaphragm unit, comprising: A membrane electrode assembly (201) is provided, and the membrane electrode assembly (201) is arranged the central area of ​​the electrode diaphragm unit (200); Providing a sealing frame (209), and arranging the sealing frame (209) around the outer peripheral wall (260) of the membrane electrode assembly (201); The inner peripheral wall (230) of the sealing frame (209) and the outer peripheral wall (260) of the membrane electrode assembly (201) are fixedly connected to each other by material connection.

8. An electrolytic cell unit (20), comprising the electrode-diaphragm unit (200) according to claim 1, further comprising: A plate assembly (300) stacked in parallel with the membrane electrode assembly (201); in The top surface (210) of the sealing frame (209) and the bottom surface (340) of the electrode assembly (300) are fixedly connected to each other through material connection.

9. The electrolyzer unit (20) according to claim 8, wherein: The inner peripheral wall (230) or the top surface (210) is designed to match the shape of the bottom surface (340).

10. The electrolyzer unit (20) according to claim 8, wherein: The plate assembly (300) includes a support plate (304) and transmission layers (302, 305) respectively arranged on opposite sides of the support plate (304); The support plate (304) and the transmission layer (302, 305) are connected through a welding or crimping process.

11. The electrolyzer unit (20) according to claim 10, wherein: The top surface and bottom surface of the support plate (304) respectively have grooves (303, 306) for accommodating the transmission layer (302, 305); The top surface (210) and the bottom surface (340) of the support plate (304) are fixedly connected to each other through material connection.

12. The electrolyzer unit (20) according to claim 8, wherein: The electrolyser unit (20) is configured to be releasably fixed in the electrolyser apparatus (400).

13. The electrolyser unit (20) according to claim 8 or 11, wherein: The material connection method is bonding.

14. A renewable energy hydrogen production device, comprising the electrolyzer unit (20) according to any one of claims 8 to 13.

Images