CN113013463A

CN113013463A - Fuel cell capable of low-temperature start

Info

Publication number: CN113013463A
Application number: CN201911323078.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李骏; 王炳晨; 王再平
Original assignee: Shanghai Shen Li High Tech Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shanghai Shenli Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-12-20
Filing date: 2019-12-20
Publication date: 2021-06-22

Abstract

The present application provides a fuel cell capable of low-temperature start-up, the fuel cell including: a reaction module for generating an electrochemical reaction to generate an electric current; the collector plate, the collector plate set up in the both ends of reaction module and with the contact of reaction module is used for assembling the electric current that reaction module produced and will electric current output, the collector plate includes: a collector plate body contacting the reaction module to collect the current; and an electrical connection portion protruding from the current collecting plate body to output the current, wherein the current collecting plate body has a removal portion on which a material has been removed to reduce a volume of the current collecting plate. The fuel cell does not change the original structure of the galvanic pile, has good system integration, increases the heat productivity on two sides of the galvanic pile, reduces the specific heat (heat dissipation) on two sides of the galvanic pile, and thereby perfectly solves the problem of low-temperature start.

Description

Fuel cell capable of low-temperature start

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of fuel cells, and more particularly to a fuel cell capable of low temperature start.

Background

Fuel cells consume oxygen and hydrogen at the cathode and anode, respectively, to convert chemical energy into electrical energy. Fuel cells possess their own unique advantages over conventional internal combustion engines. The only reaction byproduct of the fuel cell is water, with no carbon emissions during use; the fuel cell also has high specific power and can continuously operate at low temperature. Therefore, the fuel cell is a promising energy conversion device and can be widely applied to the fields of automobiles, fixed or portable auxiliary power systems, submarines, space shuttles and the like. However, the fuel cell is different in use environment, for example, the temperature is extremely low in winter in northern China, the conditions are extremely harsh, since the insulating plate and the end plate need to be connected to the two sides of the cathode and the anode of the fuel cell, heat generated by the pile in the low-temperature starting process needs to heat the insulating plate and the end plate, a large amount of unnecessary heat energy is lost, the voltage of single plates on the two sides of the cathode and the anode is low, and finally the low-temperature starting failure of the fuel cell is caused. If the design can prevent unnecessary heat loss at both sides of the cathode and the anode and relieve the phenomenon that the voltage of a single sheet at both sides of the cathode and the anode is low, the fuel cell can be greatly helped to be successfully started at a low temperature quickly.

In order to solve the problem of failure of low-temperature start-up of a fuel cell, the prior art is implemented by adding heating units on both sides of a cathode and an anode, adding heating units outside the cell and other auxiliary devices.

The auxiliary heating unit is added between the fuel cell stack and the two end plates, the fuel cell stack is heated by adopting the electricity generated by the fuel cell, and the auxiliary heating unit is directly added in the fuel cell stack, so that the assembly of the stack is more complicated and the maintenance is almost avoided. In addition, due to the connection of the auxiliary heating unit, the number of control switches is increased, the system control is complicated, and the possibility of failure is increased.

The prior art solutions for low temperature start-up of fuel cells have the following disadvantages:

(1) the parts are added, and the complexity of the system is increased;

(2) the added components are not maintainable, and need to be disassembled together once the components fail;

(3) the added parts and control system also increase the heat capacity value, which is not good for heating.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention of the present application aims to: in view of the above-described problems, a fuel cell capable of low-temperature start-up is provided.

In order to achieve the above object, the present application provides a fuel cell capable of low-temperature start, characterized by comprising:

a reaction module for generating an electrochemical reaction to generate an electric current;

the collector plate, the collector plate set up in the both ends of reaction module and with the contact of reaction module is used for assembling the electric current that reaction module produced and will electric current output, the collector plate includes:

a collector plate body contacting the reaction module to collect the current;

an electrical connection part protruding from the collector plate body to output the current,

wherein the collector plate body has a removal portion thereon, the material in the removal portion having been removed to reduce the volume of the collector plate.

Further, the collector plate body has a plurality of removal portions, each of which has the same size and shape.

Further, the plurality of removal portions are uniformly distributed on the collector plate body.

Further, the plurality of removed portions are at the same distance from the outer periphery of the reaction module.

Further, the removal portion is a hole.

Further, the removal portion is located on an outer periphery of the collector plate main body.

Further, the remaining area of the collector plate body except for the removed portion is a cross shape, a T shape, or a diamond shape.

Further, the fuel cell further comprises end plates arranged at two ends of the fuel cell, and the current collecting plate is arranged between the reaction module and the end plates.

Further, the fuel cell further comprises an insulating plate arranged between the end plate and the current collecting plate, and the insulating plate is used for insulating the end plate and the current collecting plate.

Further, the fuel cell is provided with fastening means for fastening the respective components of the fuel cell together.

The fuel cell of the present application has at least the following advantageous effects

(1) The original structure of the galvanic pile is not changed, and the system integration is good;

(2) the heating value of the two sides of the galvanic pile is increased;

(3) the specific heat (heat dissipation) on both sides of the stack is reduced.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the application and, together with the description, serve to explain the application and are not intended to limit the application. In the drawings:

fig. 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural view of a current collecting plate of a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 is a schematic structural view of a current collecting plate of a fuel cell according to another embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and not all of the embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the application, its application, or uses. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

It is noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, and it should be understood that when the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising" are used in this specification, they specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, devices, components, and/or combinations thereof, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

The relative arrangement of the components and steps, the numerical expressions, and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application unless specifically stated otherwise. Meanwhile, it should be understood that the sizes of the respective portions shown in the drawings are not drawn in an actual proportional relationship for the convenience of description. Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail but are intended to be part of the specification where appropriate. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any particular value should be construed as merely illustrative, and not limiting. Thus, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that: like reference numbers and letters refer to like items in the following figures, and thus, once an item is defined in one figure, further discussion thereof is not required in subsequent figures.

The present application provides a fuel cell capable of low-temperature start-up, the fuel cell including:

a collector plate body contacting the reaction module to collect the current;

The fuel cell does not change the original structure of the galvanic pile, has good system integration, increases the heat productivity of two sides of the galvanic pile, reduces the specific heat (heat dissipation) of two sides of the galvanic pile, and solves the problem of low-temperature start.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present application. Fig. 2 is a schematic structural view of a current collecting plate of a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present application. Fig. 3 is a schematic structural view of a current collecting plate of a fuel cell according to another embodiment of the present application. A fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present application is described below with reference to fig. 1 to 3.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the fuel cell includes an end plate 1, an insulating plate 2, a current collecting plate 3, and a reaction module 4. The reaction module 4 is disposed in the middle of the fuel cell. The end plate 1 may include an anode end plate and a cathode end plate, which are respectively disposed at both ends of the fuel cell. The current collecting plate 3 may include an anode current collecting plate and a cathode current collecting plate, which are respectively disposed at both ends of the reaction module 4 and contact the reaction module 4. The insulating plate 2 may include an anode insulating plate and a cathode insulating plate, which are respectively disposed between the anode current collecting plate and the anode end plate and between the cathode current collecting plate and the cathode end plate. The reaction module 4 may include one or more unit cells for performing an electrochemical reaction to generate electricity. The collecting plate 3 serves to collect the electric current generated from the reaction module 4 and output the electric current. Each current collecting plate 3 includes an electrical connection portion 31 and a current collecting plate main body 32. The current collecting plate body 32 is in contact with the reaction module 4 to collect the current generated from the reaction module 4. The electrical connection portion 31 protrudes from the current collecting plate body 32 to output the current.

The fuel cell is also provided with fastening means for fastening the respective components of the fuel cell, such as the end plates 1, the insulating plates 2, the current collecting plates 3, and the reaction modules 4, together. The fastening means may include, but is not limited to, a draw rod 5 and a lock nut 6 as shown in fig. 1. The pull rod 5 can penetrate through the end plate 1, the locking nuts 6 are arranged at two ends of the pull rod 5, and the end plate 1 is tightly pressed by adjusting the locking nuts 6, so that the end plate 1, the insulating plate 2, the current collecting plate 3 and the reaction module 4 are fastened together.

During the low-temperature starting process, the reaction module 4 generates heat, and the area closest to the outer side loses a large amount of heat due to the existence of the current collecting plate 3, the insulating plate 2 and the end plate 1, so that the single-chip voltage is low, and the starting fails. In order to reduce unnecessary heat loss at the two sides of the cathode and the anode of the fuel cell, relieve the phenomenon of low single-chip voltage at the two sides of the cathode and the anode and ensure the success of the rapid low-temperature start of the fuel cell, in the application, the current collecting plate 3 is used as an auxiliary heat source during the low-temperature start, when current passes through the current collecting plate 3, heat is generated by electric energy and becomes a heat source to assist in heating the reaction module 4 close to the current collecting plate 3, so that the temperature of the single-chip cell in the reaction module 4 arranged close to the current collecting plate 3 is ensured, and the low-temperature start of the fuel cell is.

In order to ensure that the current collecting plate 3 provides enough heat during the low-temperature starting process of the fuel cell, the current collecting plate 3 is designed to reduce the volume of the current collecting plate 3, so that on one hand, the heat capacity of the current collecting plate 3 can be reduced, and therefore, the heat loss of the area can be reduced, on the other hand, the resistance of the current collecting plate 3 can be increased, the heat generated by the current collecting plate 3 can be increased, the reaction module 4 can be heated in an auxiliary mode, the temperature rise can be accelerated, and therefore, the rapid low-temperature starting success of the fuel cell.

In one embodiment of the present application, the volume of the collecting plate 3 is reduced by providing the removal portion 321 on the collecting plate body 32. Generally, the shape and size of the collector plate body 32 will match the size of the actual reaction area within the reaction module in order to collect the current generated by the reaction module. In the present invention, the volume of the collector plate 3 can be reduced by providing the removal part 321 on the collector plate body 32 whose shape and size match the actual reaction region.

Compared with the prior art, the low-temperature starting of the fuel cell can be realized without adding additional parts and extra system control.

The number of the removed portions 321 may be one or more. Providing a plurality of removing portions 321 can further reduce the volume of the current collecting plate 3. Preferably, the plurality of removing parts 321 may be the same in size and shape; the plurality of removing parts 321 may be uniformly distributed on the current collecting plate body 32; and/or the plurality of removing parts 321 may have the same distance from the outer circumference of the reaction module 4, the remaining part 322 of the current collecting plate body 32 may uniformly divide the reaction module 4 by one or more of the above-described manners, so that the current generated in the reaction module 4 is uniformly collected by the current collecting plate 3, and the heat generated by the current collecting plate 3 may be uniformly distributed as much as possible.

In the present application, the removal portion 321 on the collecting plate body 32 of the collecting plate 3 can be realized by punching or cutting the collecting plate body 32 to the outside.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the removal portion 321 in the collecting plate body 32 of the collecting plate 3 is realized in a perforated manner. In other words, in this embodiment, the removed portion 321 is a hole. The form of the hole is not limited to a circular hole, and may be other shapes, such as a long hole, an irregular hole, and the like. In addition, the holes used in the present application may be through holes or blind holes, preferably through holes. In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the removing portions 321 are a plurality of circular through holes having the same shape and uniformly distributed.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 3, the removal portion 321 in the collector plate body 32 of the collector plate 3 is implemented in a cut-away manner on the outer side. In other words, in this embodiment, the removed portion 321 is located at the outer periphery of the current collecting plate body 32. The outer side cut-out needs to take different structures according to the shape of the reaction module 4, for example, the remaining region 322 of the current collecting plate body 32 except the removed portion 321 may be a cross, a T, a diamond, or the like. Preferably, the distance from the remaining region to the outside of the reaction module 4 is kept uniform, so that the current generated in the reaction module 4 is uniformly collected by the current collecting plates 3, and thus the heat generated by the current collecting plates 3 can be distributed as uniformly as possible. In the embodiment shown in fig. 3, collector plate body 32 is a substantially square portion shown by a dotted line, removed portions 321 are four substantially square portions located at four corners of collector plate body 32, respectively, and remaining regions 322 of collector plate body 32 are cross-shaped.

The form of the removing portion of the present invention is not limited to the form described in the above embodiments, and any design that can reduce the volume of the current collecting plate may be used to implement the technical aspect of the present invention.

According to the working principle of the fuel cell of the application, when the fuel cell is started under the low-temperature condition, current passes through the collector plate 3, heat is generated by electric energy, the volume of the collector plate 3 is small, the resistance of the collector plate 3 is large, so that the collector plate 3 serves as a heat source to assist in heating the reaction module 4 close to the collector plate 3, in addition, the volume of the collector plate 3 is small, the heat capacity of the collector plate 3 is small, the heat loss of the area is reduced, and the temperature of a single cell in the reaction module 4 arranged close to the collector plate 3 is ensured, so that the low-temperature starting of the fuel cell is facilitated.

Compared with the prior art, the fuel cell does not change the original structure of the galvanic pile, has good system integration, increases the heat productivity on two sides of the galvanic pile, reduces the specific heat (heat dissipation) on two sides of the galvanic pile, and perfectly solves the problem of low-temperature start.

In the description of the present application, it is to be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the directional terms such as "front, rear, upper, lower, left, right", "lateral, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom", etc., are generally based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are used for convenience of description and simplicity of description only, and in the case of not making a reverse description, these directional terms do not indicate and imply that the device or element being referred to must have a particular orientation or be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore, should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present application; the terms "inner and outer" refer to the inner and outer relative to the profile of the respective component itself.

Spatially relative terms, such as "above … …," "above … …," "above … …," "above," and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one device or feature's spatial relationship to another device or feature as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if a device in the figures is turned over, devices described as "above" or "on" other devices or configurations would then be oriented "below" or "under" the other devices or configurations. Thus, the exemplary term "above … …" can include both an orientation of "above … …" and "below … …". The device may be otherwise variously oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", and the like are used to define the components, and are only used for convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components, and the terms have no special meanings unless otherwise stated, and therefore, the scope of protection of the present application is not to be construed as being limited.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application, and various modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement and the like made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A fuel cell capable of low-temperature start, characterized by comprising:

a collector plate body contacting the reaction module to collect the current;

2. The fuel cell capable of low-temperature startup according to claim 1, wherein the collector plate body has a plurality of removal portions thereon, each removal portion having the same size and shape.

3. The fuel cell capable of low-temperature start-up according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of removal portions are uniformly distributed on the collector plate body.

4. The fuel cell that can be started up at a low temperature according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of removed portions are at the same distance from the outer periphery of the reaction module.

5. The fuel cell capable of low-temperature start-up according to claim 1, wherein the removed portion is a hole.

6. The fuel cell capable of low-temperature start-up according to claim 1, wherein the removal portion is located on an outer periphery of the current collecting plate main body.

7. The fuel cell capable of low-temperature start-up according to claim 6, wherein a remaining area of the current collecting plate body other than the removed portion is a cross shape, a T shape, or a diamond shape.

8. The fuel cell capable of low-temperature startup according to claim 1, further comprising end plates disposed at both ends of the fuel cell, the current collecting plate being disposed between the reaction module and the end plates.

9. The fuel cell capable of low-temperature start-up according to claim 8, further comprising an insulating plate provided between the end plate and the current collecting plate, the insulating plate serving to insulate between the end plate and the current collecting plate.

10. A fuel cell capable of low-temperature start-up according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the fuel cell is provided with a fastening device for fastening the respective components of the fuel cell together.