KR20060040176A - The fabrication method of microchannel reactor, and the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for producing a microchannel reactor and a reactor constituting a hydrogen generator for generating hydrogen for supplying a fuel cell.

The method of the present invention comprises the steps of forming a coupling hole and a hole in the thin plate; Penetrating through the microchannels in at least one sheet; Forming an inlet and an outlet manifold in the sheet; It consists of stacking the cover plate 31, the one or more microchannel thin plates 32, and the manifold thin plates 33, 33 ', 33 "formed through only coupling holes and through holes in a series of orders. A pair of cover plates 31 through which coupling holes of the plurality of through holes are formed, one or more microchannel thin plates 32 stacked between the cover plates 31 and having microchannels C penetrated therein, and microchannel thin plates 32 ) And one or two manifold thin plates 33, 33 'and 33 "stacked between the cover plate and the cover plate, and the microchannels are separated from the manifold by penetrating the thin plate. have.

The method and the reactor of the present invention can improve the efficiency of the reactor, there is an advantage that can reduce the manufacturing cost.

Fuel Cell, Microchannel, Hydrogen Generator, Reactor

Description

The fabrication method of microchannel reactor, and the same             

1 is a cross-sectional view of a microchannel thin plate constituting a conventional reactor.

2 is a process diagram of an embodiment method of the present invention.

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention reactor.

Figure 4 is a plan view of one embodiment cover plate envisioning the reactor of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a plan view of one embodiment manifold plate to envision the reactor of the present invention.

Figure 6 shows an embodiment microchannel thin plate to envision the reactor of the present invention,

   (A) is a plan view,

   (B) is sectional drawing of the A-A line of a top view.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment reactor of the present invention.

         ((Explanation of symbols for main part of drawing))

      31.Cover plate 11,32. Microchannel lamination

      33. Manifold Lamination 33 '. (Inflow) manifold sheet

      33 ". (Exhaust) Manifold Lamination

      C. Microchannel c. Unit microchannel

H ₁ . Coupling hole H ₂ . Through

M _I. Inlet Manifold M _O. Exhaust manifold

The present invention relates to a method for producing a microchannel reactor and a microchannel reactor constituting a hydrogen generator for generating hydrogen and supplying it to a fuel cell by reforming a hydrocarbon, and more particularly, a liquid hydrocarbon, water, and a liquid hydrocarbon. Methanol reforming reaction, catalytic combustion reaction, and heat exchange are performed together with air as a raw material for reforming reaction and catalytic combustion, respectively, and the microchannels provided in each reactor of the hydrogen generator composed of a plurality of unit reactors are stacked. The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a microchannel reactor and a microchannel reactor, in which a plurality of through-formed thin plates are stacked and integrally formed into one microchannel so that the depth of the microchannel can be freely changed as necessary.

A fuel cell is a battery that converts chemical energy generated by its chemical reaction into hydrogen by using hydrogen and oxygen as fuels, and is the same as a conventional chemical cell in that it uses an oxidation / reduction reaction. Unlike chemical cells that react, it is a kind of pollution-free, high-efficiency generator that serves as a power generation device in which reactants are continuously supplied from the outside while reaction water and electricity, which are reaction products, are continuously transferred out of the system.

The fuel cell as described above may be applied as a system for supplying electricity in various fields. In particular, in the small electronics sector, research is being actively conducted as a power source to replace a conventional secondary battery, but storage of hydrogen used as fuel There is a problem with storage and supply.

In other words, supplying hydrogen as fuel is essential to operate a fuel cell, but in order to store and use hydrogen gas, not only a large storage tank is required but also a great deal of care is required in handling. Is very difficult.

Therefore, it is desirable to obtain hydrogen after reforming a liquid hydrocarbon-based material that is easy to store and handle, such as methanol, and use it as a fuel. In particular, in order to miniaturize a fuel cell, development of a compact hydrogen supply system is the most important task. For this purpose, recently, researches on hydrogen generators that obtain hydrogen from methanol by reforming using microchannels have attracted attention.

The hydrogen generator using the microchannel is a structure in which a plurality of unit reactors equipped with microchannels are combined, and the reactor using the microchannel is a very effective reactor for performing a chemical reaction such as reforming of methanol. Compared to other materials, it is considered to be the most effective hydrogen supply device for small fuel cell systems because it has a structure that maximizes the performance of the catalyst due to the smooth exchange of materials and heat.

The unit reactor constituting the hydrogen generator is provided with microchannels having a width of 1 mm or less through which various fluids flow in order to promote the reaction. Such microchannels may be used for precision machining, etching, or special applications on the surface of thin plates. It is made by the LIGA method which uses X-ray etching technology and plating and casting.

Such microchannels are preferable in terms of catalytic reaction or heat exchange in that they are narrow in width and deep in comparison with the width, but the machining and etching are limited in the ratio of the depth to the width of the microchannel due to their processing characteristics. For example, when the width of the microchannel is several hundred micrometers, it is extremely difficult to process deeply so that the ratio of the depth to the width is 1: 1 or more. Therefore, there is a limit to improving the efficiency of the reactor.

Therefore, in order to increase the capacity of the unit reactor, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of microchannel thin plates 11 having microchannels C formed on only one surface thereof are stacked, and the fluid supplied to the reactor Bars are distributed to and flow through the microchannels of each thin plate, and since the amount of fluid distributed to all the microchannels is difficult to distribute evenly, there is a problem that the efficiency of each thin plate is different and the overall efficiency is also reduced.

The present invention was devised to solve various problems of the conventional microchannel forming method and structure, and the depth of the specific microchannel can be freely made as needed for a specific microchannel width, thereby improving the efficiency of the reactor. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing a microchannel reactor and a microchannel reactor.

This object of the present invention is achieved by the formation of the penetration of microchannels and the separation of microchannels and manifolds.

The microchannel provided in the microchannel reactor of the present invention is formed by stacking at least one sheet or more sheets, but each microchannel formed on each sheet and composed of a plurality of parallel unit microchannels is not formed only on one surface of the sheet. It is formed in the form of a hole penetrating both surfaces of the, unlike the conventional structure in which the manifold is integrally formed at both ends of the microchannel, the microchannel and the manifold are formed separately in a separate sheet, the technical features of the present invention There is this.

The microchannel provided in the microchannel reactor of the present invention is a structure in which a plurality of microchannels having a depth of each thin plate are stacked and integrated into one, and the number of thin plates is added or subtracted according to the capacity of the reactor to a predetermined width of the microchannel. With respect to the depth, that is, the cross-sectional area of the microchannel can be freely adjusted, it is possible to form a depth of the microchannel suitable for the amount of fluid required without difficulty.

Therefore, microchannels are formed only on one surface of each thin plate, and in order to increase the amount of fluid, that is, the processing capacity of the reactor, the microchannels of each thin plate separated from each other after parallel connection of a plurality of thin plates on which the microchannels are formed are stacked in parallel. Unlike conventional structures in which fluid flows through the channels, the fluid supplied to the microchannels formed in the reactor of the present invention can flow through the microchannels that are integrated together without being distributed.

As described above, the reactor of the present invention includes a microchannel in which a plurality of microchannels formed through each thin plate are merged into one, and a cover plate, at least one or more microchannel thin plates, a manifold thin plate and a cover plate are sequentially stacked.

In the reactor of the present invention configured as described above, the manifold thin plate is a plate in which the inlet and outlet of the fluid supplied to the microchannels are formed, the inlet manifold serving as the inflow passage of the fluid, and the outlet manifold serving as the discharge passage are thin plates. It is designed so that the moving distances of the fluids flowing through the individual unit microchannels forming the microchannels are penetrated in the shape of a point symmetry in the diagonal direction of the upper and lower sides of the surface so as to be equal to each other.

That is, the fluid supplied to the manifold is introduced into the vertex portion of the inlet manifold and then distributed and supplied to the individual unit microchannel side forming the microchannel through the side portion overlapping one end of the microchannel and facing the vertex portion. In addition, the fluid flowing from one side of each unit microchannel to the other side is collected from the side of the discharge manifold overlapped with the other end of the microchannel to the vertex portion facing the other side, and discharged to the outside of the reactor.

Therefore, the vertex portions of the two manifolds are out of the left and right ends of the microchannel formed in the center of the thin plate so that the moving distance of each fluid flowing through each unit microchannel from the vertex of the inlet manifold to the vertex of the discharge manifold is the same. It is located above the upper part and lower than the lower part of the site.

In addition, although the reactor of the present invention may be used as a single unit reactor, a plurality of reactors may have different uses and may be used in a stacked form, according to the purpose of use. The manifold plates formed together in one thin plate may be stacked on only one side of the microchannel, and the inlet manifold thin plates and the discharge manifold thin plates formed on two thin plates, respectively, without forming the two manifolds together on one thin plate. It can also be used in the form of each laminated on each side of the microchannel thin plate.

The cover plate separates each reactor from a hydrogen generator in which each reactor and the reactor are stacked, and serves as a partition wall to close the microchannel and manifold spaces of each reactor with the exception of the fluid inlet and outlet. In addition, when the reactor is used alone or laminated and finally used, it is preferable that a separate end plate for protecting the reactor is coupled to the outer surface of the outermost cover plate.

Details of the effects and the resulting effects, including the object and technical configuration of the present invention will be clearly understood by the following description with reference to the drawings showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a process diagram of the method of one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the instant reactor of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a plan view of an example cover plate constituting the reactor of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is the reactor of the present invention. A plan view of one embodiment of a manifold thin plate constituting the structure, FIG. 6 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view of an embodiment microchannel thin plate constituting the reactor of the present invention, Figure 7 two manifolds each formed in the inlet manifold and discharge manifold Another embodiment of the laminated stack of laminated folders is shown in perspective view.

As shown, the method of the present invention comprises the steps of: forming a plurality of through holes (H ₁ ) and through holes (H ₂ ), respectively, through the edges of the plurality of thin plates, each having the same position;

Forming a microchannel thin plate 32 by penetrating microchannels in at least one sheet of a plurality of thin plates;

Forming 300 manifold plates 33, 33 ', 33 "by forming inlet and outlet manifolds M _I (M _O ) together or through respectively in the thin plates;

At least one microchannel thin plate 32 and manifold thin plates 33, 33 ′, 33 ′ between a pair of cover plates 31 through which only the coupling holes H ₁ and the through holes H ₂ are formed. The stacking step is made of a series (400).

At this time, in the stacking step 400, the cover plate 31, the microchannel thin plate 32, the manifold thin plate 33 and the cover plate 31 are sequentially stacked, or the cover plate 31, The inlet manifold thin plate 33 ', the microchannel thin plate 32, the discharge manifold thin plate 33 "and the cover plate 31 are sequentially stacked.

In addition, the microchannel reactor made by the method of manufacturing a microchannel reactor as described above, a plurality of coupling holes (H ₁ ) and a plurality of through-holes (H ₂ ) for supplying and discharging the fluid along the rim is formed through A pair of cover plates 31 facing each other in parallel;

The coupling hole (H ₁₎ and through holes (H ₂₎ and a plurality of coupling holes (H ₁₎ and through holes (H ₂₎ multiple unit microchannels that pass through are formed, parallel to the matching each of the cover plates 31 ( at least one microchannel thin plate (32) having a microchannel (C) formed through the central portion and laminated on an inner surface of one cover plate of the cover plate (31);

Of the coupling hole (H ₁₎ and through holes (H ₂₎ and a plurality of coupling holes (H ₁₎ and through holes (H ₂₎ with a through is formed, a plurality of through holes (H ₂₎ that matches each of the cover plate 31 A triangular inlet manifold (M _I ) and an outlet manifold (M _O ), each of which has two through-holes located in the up and down diagonal directions, are formed through the two sides, respectively, and the microchannel thin plate 32 and the other cover Or consists of manifold thin plates 33 laminated between the plates,

The pair of cover plates (31);

A plurality of coupling holes H ₁ and through holes H ₂ are formed in the same position as that of the cover plate 31, and a triangular inlet manifold M having one hole H ₂ as a vertex on one side thereof. _I) is formed through the cover plate 31 of the inlet manifold sheet metal (33 'to be laminated to the inner surface of one side of the cover plate), and;

At least one or more microchannel thin plates 32 stacked on the inlet manifold thin plates 33 ';

On a plurality of the coupling hole (H ₁₎ and through holes (H ₂₎ a projection and a through are formed, the through hole (H ₂₎ that is the vertex of the intake manifold (M _I) a plan view in the same position as the cover plate 31 A triangular discharge manifold (M _O ) having a diagonal through-hole H ₂ as a vertex is formed through the other side, and the discharge manifold thin plate 33 laminated between the microchannel thin plate 32 and the other cover plate. ").

At this time, the number of the coupling holes (H ₁ ) is for fixing the plurality of laminated thin plates, the number may vary depending on the size of the thin plate, but at least one per side, that is, in consideration of the sealing between the thin plate and the thin plate, Two or more pairs are preferable in all.

And, the through hole (H ₂ ) that is a fluid passageway, when the reactor is used as a single reactor in which only one fluid flow and one reaction may be formed, only a pair facing each other in the diagonal direction may be formed, If two fluid flows that do not mix with each other are needed, then two pairs of opposing two diagonal directions each are needed.

That is, when a plurality of reactors are stacked and used, two pairs of through holes (H ₂ ) respectively formed near four edges of each thin plate contribute to the flow of the fluid by one pair facing each other in the up and down diagonal directions. The pair does not pass the fluid through the microchannels, but rather acts as a simple passage that directly transfers the fluid to the reactors stacked up and down.

In addition, in order to enable the flow of fluid between the manifold and the microchannel, the sides of the manifold and the ends of the microchannel should overlap each other in the projection plan view. Depending on the microscopic shape and size of the device, proper adjustment should be made to ensure optimum fluid flow.

In the case where a plurality of reactors constituted as a unit reactor are stacked to form one hydrogen generator, each reactor constituting the hydrogen generator performs a role of a reforming reactor, a vaporizer, a heat exchanger, a catalytic combustor, and the like. In accordance with the role, the inner surface of the microchannel is coated with a catalyst layer to facilitate the reaction efficiently.

Therefore, the reactor of the present invention is also coated with a catalyst layer on the inner surface of the microchannel according to the role in the hydrogen generator, in this case, the method of the present invention mentioned above is added to the coating step as follows. .

After stacking a plurality of microchannel thin plates required on the cover plate 31 made by the method of the present invention, the bolt through the coupling hole (H ₁ ) to tighten the cover plate 31 and the microchannel thin plate Removably fixing 600 to 32;

Step 700 of filling the catalyst coating liquid through the upper portion of the microchannel (C) is blocked by the cover plate 31 and removing the catalyst coating liquid after a certain time elapses:

The catalyst layer is coated on the inner surface of the microchannel through the step 800 of drying the cover plate 310 and the microchannel thin plate 32.

Through the above method, the catalyst layer is selectively coated on the inner surface of the microchannel according to the role of the reactor, and the hydrogen generator is configured by appropriately combining a reactor coated with a catalyst layer and an uncoated reactor.

The reactor of the present invention configured as described above may be used as a component of a hydrogen generator in which a plurality of reactors having different uses are stacked, or may be used as a single reactor if necessary, and the structure of the manifold sheet may be changed according to the use. Therefore, the flow direction of the fluid is also different, which is described as follows.

When one manifold thin plate is used, the flow of the fluid will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The fluid fed upwardly to the inlet manifold (M _I ) on the left through the lower cover plate and the upper upper hole of the manifold thin plate. After gathered in the discharge manifold (M _O ) of the right side through the microchannel integrated into one by a plurality of microchannel thin plate is discharged downward through the lower right hole of the manifold plate and the lower cover plate.

That is, the fluid follows the path of upward movement → right movement → downward movement.

Such a structure is possible in a single reactor, but in the case of stacking multiple reactors, not only two fluid flows are required but also one fluid flow direction is required without being reversed from supply to discharge. It is more preferable to separately form the inlet manifold and the outlet manifold because it must play a multi-step reaction or role.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the inlet manifold plate 33 ′ having the inlet manifold M _I penetrated through the plurality of stacked microchannel thin plates is discharged, and the outlet manifold M _O penetrated therein. The manifold thin plates 33 "are stacked, wherein the fluid supplied upward through the lower cover plate is lower inlet manifold thin plate 33 ', microchannel thin plate 32 and upper discharge manifold thin plate 33". It is discharged upward through the cover plate of the upper part.

That is, the fluid follows the path of upward movement → right movement → upward movement.

Therefore, when two sheets of manifold sheets are used as described above, the fluid passing through one reactor continues without backward in any of the up and down directions coinciding with the stacking direction, except that the flow is changed to the left and right sides. Because only forward, it is possible to perform a number of reactions or roles along one fluid flow.

Of course, the structure using the two manifolds can be applied to the case of using the reactor alone.

As described above, the method and the method of manufacturing the microchannel reactor of the present invention can easily change the depth of the microchannel, so that the reactor of various capacities can be freely made, and the efficiency of the reactor can be improved as well. There is an advantage in reducing costs.

Claims (10)

A method for producing a reactor for a hydrogen generator configured by stacking a plurality of thin plates, the method comprising: forming a plurality of coupling holes (H ₁ ) and through holes (H ₂ ) having the same position along an edge of each of the plurality of thin plates (100); Forming a microchannel thin plate 32 by penetrating microchannels in at least one sheet of a plurality of thin plates; A step 300 of forming the inlet and outlet manifolds (M _I ) (M _O ) through or separately through the thin plates to form the manifold thin plates 33, 33 ′, 33 ″; coupling holes H ₁ ; And at least one microchannel thin plate 32 and manifold thin plates 33 (33 ', 33') are sequentially stacked between a pair of cover plates 31 through which only the through holes H ₂ are formed. Method of producing a microchannel reactor, characterized in that comprises a step (400). The method of claim 1, wherein the step of making the manifold plates 33, 33 ', 33 " (300) comprises forming inlet and outlet manifolds (M _I ) (M _O ) together in a sheet of paper. And forming one of the inlet and outlet manifolds (M _I ) (M _O ) in each of the two sheets. The method of claim 1, wherein the stacking step 500 comprises sequentially stacking the cover plate 31, the microchannel thin plate 32, the manifold thin plate 33 and the cover plate 31 in sequence. Method of producing a microchannel reactor. The method of claim 1, wherein the stacking step 500 includes a cover plate 31, an inlet manifold thin plate 33 ', a microchannel thin plate 32, an outlet manifold thin plate 33 " and a cover plate. Method for producing a microchannel reactor, characterized in that the step of sequentially stacking (31). In the reactor for a hydrogen generator configured by stacking a plurality of thin plates, a plurality of coupling holes (H ₁ ) and a plurality of through holes (H ₂ ) is formed through the rim, and a pair of cover plates 31 facing in parallel and ; The microchannel (C) of the central portion consisting of a plurality of coupling holes (H ₁ ) and through holes (H ₂ ) and a plurality of parallel unit microchannels (c) parallel to the cover plate 31 are formed respectively, and the cover At least one or more microchannel thin plates 32 stacked on an inner surface of one cover plate of the plates 31; A plurality of coupling holes (H ₁ ) and through holes (H ₂ ) and the triangular inlet manifold (M _I ) and discharge manifold (M _O ), which are the same as the cover plate 31, are respectively formed on both sides thereof. Microchannel reactor comprising a manifold thin plate (33) stacked between the microchannel thin plate (32) and the other cover plate. 6. The microchannel reactor according to claim 5, wherein the through holes (H ₂ ) are respectively formed near four corners of the thin plate. The method of claim 5, wherein the inlet manifold (M _I ) and the outlet manifold (M _O ) is formed through the triangular shape to form a point symmetry with the two through holes located in the diagonal direction of the plurality of through holes (H ₂ ) as a vertex Microchannel reactor, characterized in that. In the reactor for a hydrogen generator configured by stacking a plurality of thin plates, a plurality of coupling holes (H ₁ ) and a plurality of through holes (H ₂ ) is formed through the rim, and a pair of cover plates 31 facing in parallel and ; The cover plate 31 is the same multiple of the coupling hole inlet manifold on the triangle as a whole ball (H ₂₎ of (H ₁₎ and through holes (H ₂₎ and a side vertex (M _I) and the through each formed An inlet manifold thin plate 33 'stacked on an inner surface of one cover plate of the cover plate 31; The microchannel (C) of the central portion consisting of a plurality of coupling holes (H ₁ ) and through holes (H ₂ ) and parallel unit microchannels (c) parallel to the cover plate (31) are formed respectively, and the inflow At least one microchannel thin plate 32 laminated on the manifold thin plate 33 '; A plurality of coupling holes (H ₁ ) and through holes (H ₂ ) identical to the cover plate (31) and through holes (H ₂ ) that form a vertex of the inlet manifold (M _I ) and a diagonal direction (H ₂ ) A triangular discharge manifold (M _O ) having a vertex is formed through each other, and comprises a discharge manifold thin plate 33 "stacked between the microchannel thin plate 32 and the other cover plate. Microchannel reactor. 9. The microchannel reactor according to claim 8, wherein the through holes (H ₂ ) are formed near four corners of the sheet. The inlet manifold (M _I ) and the outlet manifold (M _O ) are triangular so as to be point symmetrical with two apertures located diagonally among the plurality of apertures (H ₂ ) on a projection plan view. Microchannel reactor, characterized in that formed through the phase.

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