WO2022101662A1

WO2022101662A1 - Analog stack for debugging sofc system

Info

Publication number: WO2022101662A1
Application number: PCT/IB2020/060670
Authority: WO
Inventors: Youpeng CHEN; Changming HU; Tianqin KANG; Zuofeng WANG
Original assignee: Ceres Intellectual Property Company Limited; Weichai Power Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2020-11-12
Filing date: 2020-11-12
Publication date: 2022-05-19

Abstract

The invention discloses an analog stack for debugging an SOFC (Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) system. The analog stack comprises a casing in a shape and size the same as those of a casing of a real stack; a gas pipe, mounted in the casing and forming a gas inlet and a gas outlet; a combustion-supporting gas pipe, mounted in the casing and forming a combustion-supporting gas inlet and a combustion-supporting gas outlet; and a counter weight, mounted in the casing so that the weight of the analog stack is equal to the weight of the real stack. The analog stack for debugging an SOFC system provided by the invention is more similar to a real stack and can better simulate the operating conditions of the real stack.

Description

Analog Stack for Debugging SOFC System

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the technical field of solid oxide fuel cells, particularly to an analog stack for debugging an SOFC system.

BACKGROUND ART

A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system is a high-temperature operating system, so after all components are assembled, the operation and control strategy of the overall system needs to be debugged. Throughout the process, various extreme conditions need to be verified and frequent start, shutdown, disassembly, and installation are needed. Because the SOFC known stacks (real stack) are mostly made of a ceramic material, and the number of thermal cycles is limited, and the cost is high, if a real stack is used for simulation, damage to the real stack will be inevitable.

To address this problem, a popular solution at present is to use a pipe to short-circuit the gas inlet and outlet of the system. Although this solution is simple, it cannot fully simulate the operating conditions of the real stack, for example whether the installation space is suitable and whether the stack bracket can provide an effective support.

Therefore, how to provide a solution to better simulate the operating conditions of a real stack is still a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide an analog stack for debugging an SOFC system. The analog stack is similar to a real stack and can better simulate the operating conditions of the real stack.

The present invention provides an analog stack for debugging an SOFC system. The analog stack comprises a casing in a shape and size the same as those of a casing of a real stack; a gas pipe, mounted in the casing and forming a gas inlet and a gas outlet; a combustion-supporting gas pipe, mounted in the casing and forming a combustion-supporting gas inlet and a combustion-supporting gas outlet; and a counter weight, mounted in the casing so that the weight of the analog stack is equal to the weight of the real stack.

A gas pipe and a combustion-supporting gas pipe are arranged inside the analog stack and are used for simulating connection to a combustor, a preheater, and other peripheral components. The shape and size of the casing are the same as those of a casing of the real stack and can verify whether the installation space is sufficient and whether the installation process is feasible. At the same time, a counterweight is mounted in the casing, so by using different counter weights, the weight of the analog stack can be changed so that the analog stack and the real stack have the same weight. Thereby it can be determined whether the stack bracket can provide a reliable support and the mass balance of the SOFC system can be verified.

Compared with the pipe short-circuit solution in the prior art, the analog stack provided by the present invention is more similar to a real stack and can better simulate the operating conditions of the real stack and verify more parameters to debug the SOFC system in a more comprehensive manner.

Optionally, the casing comprises a top plate, a bottom plate and a perimeter plate. The gas inlet, the gas outlet, and the combustion-supporting gas inlet and the combustion-supporting gas outlet are arranged on the top plate and/or the bottom plate. Two ends of the gas pipe are mounted in the gas inlet and the gas outlet respectively, and two ends of the combustion-supporting gas pipe are mounted in the combustion-supporting gas inlet and the combustion-supporting gas outlet respectively.

Optionally, the gas pipe and the combustion-supporting gas pipe each comprise at least one section of corrugated pipe.

Optionally, at least one of the gas inlet and the gas outlet is provided with a necking ring, and at least one of the combustion-supporting gas inlet and the combustion-supporting gas outlet is provided with a necking ring.

Optionally, the material of the bottom plate is the same as the material of the fixing plate of the gas pipe and the combustion-supporting gas pipe in the real stack.

Optionally, the top plate is mounted with a collecting terminal, which is electrically insulated from the top plate.

Optionally, the top plate is provided with a through hole. The upper end and lower end of the through hole are each provided with a mounting groove extending outwards in a radial direction, and insulation spacers are arranged inside the mounting grooves. The collecting terminal comprises a terminal portion and a threaded rod portion. The threaded rod portion can pass through the insulation spacer on the upper side, the through hole and the insulation spacer on the lower side and is fixed with a nut. The terminal portion presses against the insulation spacer on the upper side, the nut presses against the insulation spacer on the lower side, and the threaded rod portion is in clearance fit with the through hole.

Optionally, the insulation spacers are mica spacers, and the top plate is further provided with lifting holes and stack fixing holes.

Optionally, the perimeter plate is a split structure.

Optionally, the counterweight is mounted on the top plate and/or the bottom plate in a detachable manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. l is a structural schematic view of a specific implementation manner of an analog stack for debugging an SOFC system.

Fig. 2 is a structural view of the connection between a gas pipe or a combustion-supporting gas pipe and a bottom plate.

Fig. 3 is a structural view of the connection between a collecting terminal and a top plate.

Fig. 4 is a structural view of the connection between a counterweight and a bottom plate.

Fig. 5 is a structural view of the connection of an analog stack to a combustor and a preheater.

The reference numerals used in Fig. 1 to Fig. 5 are as follows: 1 casing, 11 top plate, 111 through hole, 12 bottom plate, 121 gas inlet, 122 gas outlet, 123 combustion-supporting gas inlet, 124 combustion-supporting gas outlet, 125 necking ring, 13 perimeter plate, 2 gas pipe, 21 corrugated pipe, 3 combustion-supporting gas pipe, 4 counterweight, 41 connecting piece, 5 collecting terminal, 51 terminal portion, 52 threaded rod portion, 6 insulation spacer, 7 nut, 8 combustor, 9 preheater.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

As shown in Fig. 1, the present invention provides an analog stack for debugging an SOFC system. The analog stack comprises a casing 1 in a shape and size the same as those of a casing of a real stack. A gas pipe 2 is mounted in the casing 1, forming a gas inlet 121 and a gas outlet 122. A combustion-supporting gas pipe 3 is mounted in the casing 1, forming a combustion-supporting gas inlet 123 and a combustion-supporting gas outlet 124. A counterweight 4 is mounted in the casing 1 so that the weight of the analog stack is equal to the weight of the real stack.

A gas pipe 2 and a combustion-supporting gas pipe 3 are arranged inside the analog stack provided by the present invention and are used for simulating connection to a combustor 8, a preheater 9 and other peripheral components. The shape and size of the casing 1 are the same as those of a casing of the real stack and can verify whether the installation space is sufficient and whether the installation process is feasible. At the same time, a counterweight 4 is mounted in the casing 1. By using different counterweights 4, the weight of the analog stack can be changed so that the analog stack and the real stack have the same weight. Thereby it can be determined whether the stack bracket can provide a reliable support and the mass balance of the SOFC system can be verified.

The term “Same” used in this description means being essentially the same, not that the two are identical. Variation is acceptable as long as simulation can be essentially performed on whether the installation space of the real stack is sufficient and whether the stack bracket can provide a support.

Further, the gas input to the foregoing gas pipe 2 can be hydrogen (H2), methane (CH4), city coal gas, or other combustible gases, and the combustion-supporting gas input to the combustion-supporting gas pipe 3 can be oxygen, air, etc. As shown in Fig. 5, for the SOFC system, gas and combustion-supporting gas can be input to the stack after heating and temperature rise in the preheater 9 in order to undergo reactions and generate power. The gas and combustion-supporting gas that are not fully reacted can be input to the combustor 8 for combustion. The heat obtained from the combustion can be input to the preheater 9 to heat gas and combustion-supporting gas to form a gas circulation. Compared with a real stack, the analog stack provided by the present invention does not need to be used to generate power, and the provision of the gas pipe 2 and the combustion-supporting gas pipe 3 is principally used for diverting gas and combustion-supporting gas, and may also be used for verifying heat expansibility, etc. (see below for details).

In a specific solution, the casing 1 may comprise a top plate 11, a bottom plate 12 and a perimeter plate 13. The gas inlet 121, gas outlet 122, combustion-supporting gas inlet 123, and combustion-supporting gas outlet 124 can be arranged on the top plate 11 and/or the bottom plate 12. Two ends of the gas pipe 2 can be mounted in the gas inlet 121 and the gas outlet 122 respectively, and two ends of the combustion-supporting gas pipe 3 can be mounted in the combustion-supporting gas inlet 123 and the combustion-supporting gas outlet 124 respectively.

If the gas inlet and outlet are arranged on the same plate body, then the gas pipe can be designed to be a U pipe. If the gas inlet and outlet are arranged on the top plate 11 and the bottom plate 12 respectively, then the gas pipe can be designed to be a straight pipe. In the embodiments shown in the drawings, the gas inlet 121, the gas outlet 122, the combustion-supporting gas inlet 123, and the combustion-supporting gas outlet 124 are all arranged on the bottom plate 12, so the gas pipe 2 and the combustion-supporting gas pipe 3 can both be U pipes.

Taking the structure for the connection between the gas inlet 121 and the gas pipe 2 for example, as shown in Fig. 2, the upper end of the gas inlet 121 can be provided with a first slot extending outwards in a radial direction. An end of the gas pipe 2 can be inserted into the first slot and then the gas pipe 2 can be fixed by means such as welding. This solution of first insertion and positioning and then fixing by welding can simplify the welding operation and is more favorable for ensuring the reliability of welding. The structures for connecting the gas outlet 122, the combustion-supporting gas inlet 123, and the combustion-supporting gas outlet 124 to the ends of corresponding gas pipes are similar to the above-mentioned structure, so they are not described again here.

The gas pipe 2 and the combustion-supporting gas pipe 3 can each comprise at least one section of corrugated pipe 21. The corrugated pipe 21 can better ease the pipeline deformation caused by thermal expansion at high temperatures to lengthen the service life of the gas pipe 2 and the combustion-supporting gas pipe 3. Here, the embodiments of the present invention do not limit the number of corrugated pipe sections 21 arranged in each gas pipe, which can be one or more, and which can be selected according to actual needs.

At least one of the gas inlet 121 and the gas outlet 122, and at least one of the combustion-supporting gas inlet 123 and the combustion-supporting gas outlet 124 can be provided with a necking ring 125. By changing necking rings 125 in different inner diameters, the gas flow resistance of the gas line and the combustion-supporting gas line can be adjusted to achieve the purpose of adjusting pressure loss of the analog stack, so that the pressure loss of the analog stack is the same as that of the real stack, thereby better simulating the operating conditions of the real stack.

The foregoing necking rings 125 may directly adopt a press-fitting solution. Taking the necking ring 125 in the gas inlet 121 for example, as shown in Fig. 2, the lower end of the gas inlet 121 may also be provided with a second slot extending outwards in a radial direction, and the outer diameter of the necking ring 125 can be slightly greater than the inner diameter of the second slot. In an assembly state, the necking ring 125 can be press-fitted in the second slot, and against the bottom of the second slot to complete the mounting and fixation of the necking ring 125. When replacement is needed, the necking ring 125 is taken out directly from the gas inlet 121 and then a new necking ring 125 is mounted.

Further, the material of the bottom plate 12 is the same as the material of the fixing plate of the gas pipe and the combustion-supporting gas pipe in the real stack. In this way, it can be ensured that the bottom plate 12, and the fixing plates in the real stack produce the same thermal expansion in the heating process to verify whether the connecting methods of the gas pipe 2 and the combustion-supporting gas pipe 3 to the bottom plate 12 are reliable.

In the foregoing solutions, the structures and mounting and fixing methods of the gas pipe 2 and the combustion-supporting gas pipe 3 are illustrated by assuming that two ends of the gas pipe 2 and two ends of the combustion-supporting gas pipe 3 are all fixed to the bottom plate 12. As a matter of fact, the two ends of the gas pipe 2 and the two ends of the combustion-supporting gas pipe 3 may also be mounted on different plate bodies respectively as long as their mounting positions are the same as the mounting positions of the gas pipe 2 and the combustion-supporting gas pipe 3 of the real stack in the SOFC system that is to be debugged.

In other words, the mounting positions and mounting methods of the gas pipe 2 and the combustion-supporting gas pipe 3 in the analog stack provided by the present invention need to be the same as the conditions in the real stack. For different forms of real stacks, the structures and mounting positions of the gas pipe 2 and the combustion-supporting gas pipe 3 in the analog stack provided by the present invention can be adjusted in an adaptable manner.

Further, the foregoing gas inlet 121, gas outlet 122, combustion-supporting gas inlet 123 and combustion-supporting gas outlet 124 may also be formed by ends of the gas pipe 2 and the combustion-supporting gas pipe 3. Now, the necking rings 125 can be directly mounted inside the ends of corresponding gas pipes.

The top plate 11 can be mounted with a collecting terminal 5. In general, there are two collecting terminals 5. In the real stack, the two collecting terminals 5 can be connected to an anode and a cathode respectively and are used for exporting current of the real stack, while in the analog stack provided by the present invention, the provision of the collecting terminal 5 is principally for testing the circuit connection outside the stack. The collecting terminal 5 should be electrically insulated from the top plate 11 so as to test whether the electrical connection is normal and reliable

As shown in Fig. 3, the top plate 11 can be provided with a through hole 111, and both the upper end and lower end of the through hole 111 can be provided with a mounting groove extending outwards in a radial direction. Insulation spacers 6 can be arranged inside the mounting grooves. The collecting terminal 5 may comprise a terminal portion 51 and a threaded rod portion 52, the terminal portion 51 can be used for connecting an external circuit, and the threaded rod portion 52 can be located under the terminal portion 51.

In an assembled state, the threaded rod portion 52 can pass through the insulation spacer 6 on the upper side, the through hole 111 and the insulation spacer 6 on the lower side and is fixed with a nut 7. The terminal portion 51 can press against the insulation spacer 6 on the upper side, the nut 7 can press against the insulation spacer 6 on the lower side. The threaded rod portion 52 can be in clearance fit with the through hole 111 In other words, there may be a clearance between the outer wall of the threaded rod portion 52 and the inner wall of the through hole 11 to ensure electrical insulation between the collecting terminal 5 and the top plate 11.

The foregoing insulation spacers 6 specifically can be mica spacers, rubber spacers, etc. and the top plate 11 can be further provided with lifting holes and stack fixing holes to facilitate the lifting, mounting and fixing of the analog stack provided by the present invention.

The perimeter plate 13 can be an integral structure, or a split structure. In the embodiments of the present invention, a split structure is preferred to make for processing. In detail, the perimeter plate 13 may comprise a plurality of sub-plates, and the structure of the sub-plates is associated with the number of the sub-plates. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, there may be two sub-plates, and in this case, both of the sub-plates can be U-shaped plates. Of course, it is also acceptable that one sub-plate is a U-shaped plate and the other is a flat plate. In another embodiment, there may be four sub-plates, and in this case, all of the sub-plates are flat plates. Alternatively, there may be more than two sub-plates, with a single U-shaped plate and two or more flat plates. During specific mounting, the sub-plates can be fixed with the top plate 11 and the bottom plate 12 by means of welding or detachable connection.

The counterweight 4 specifically can be in a block shape and can be mounted on the top plate 11 and/or the bottom plate 12 in a manner of detachable connection to facilitate replacement of the counterweight 4. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4, a connecting piece 41 in the forms of a screw can be provided to fix the counterweight 4 to the connecting piece 41.

The above are only preferred implementation manners of the present invention. Various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An analog stack for debugging an SOFC system, comprising: a casing (1) having a shape and size the same as those of a casing (1) of a known stack; a gas pipe (2), mounted in the casing (1) and forming a gas inlet (121) and a gas outlet (122); a combustion-supporting gas pipe (3), mounted in the casing (1) and forming a combustion-supporting gas inlet (123) and a combustion-supporting gas outlet (124); and a counterweight (4) mounted in the casing (1) so that the weight of the analog stack is equal to the weight of the known stack.

2. The analog stack for debugging an SOFC system according to claim 1, wherein: the casing (1) comprises a top plate (11), a bottom plate (12), and a perimeter plate (13), and the gas inlet (121), the gas outlet (122), the combustion-supporting gas inlet (123), and the combustion-supporting gas outlet (124) are arranged on the top plate (11) and/or the bottom plate (12); and two ends of the gas pipe (2) are mounted in the gas inlet (121) and the gas outlet (122) respectively, and two ends of the combustion-supporting gas pipe (3) are mounted in the combustion-supporting gas inlet (123) and the combustion-supporting gas outlet (124) respectively.

3. The analog stack for debugging an SOFC system according to claim 2, wherein the gas pipe (2) and the combustion-supporting gas pipe (3) each comprise at least one section of corrugated pipe (21).

4. The analog stack for debugging an SOFC system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the gas inlet (121) and/or the gas outlet (122) is provided with a necking ring (125), and the combustion-supporting gas inlet (123) and/or the combustion-supporting gas outlet (124) is provided with a necking ring (125).

5. The analog stack for debugging an SOFC system according to any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the material of the bottom plate (12) is the same as the material of the fixing plate of the gas pipe and the combustion-supporting gas pipe in the known stack.

6. The analog stack for debugging an SOFC system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the top plate (11) is provided with a collecting terminal (5), which is electrically insulated from the top plate (11).

7. The analog stack for debugging an SOFC system according to claim 6, wherein: the top plate (11) is provided with a through hole (111), the upper end and lower end of the through hole (111) are both provided with a mounting groove extending outwards in a radial direction, and insulation spacers (6) are arranged inside the mounting grooves; the collecting terminal (5) comprises a terminal portion (51) and a threaded rod portion (52), wherein the threaded rod portion (52) is configured to pass through the insulation spacer (6) on the upper side, the through hole (111), and the insulation spacer (6) on the lower side, and is fixed with a nut (7), such that the terminal portion (51) presses against the insulation spacer (6) on the upper side, the nut (7) presses against the insulation spacer (6) on the lower side, and the threaded rod portion (52) is in a clearance fit with the through hole (111).

8. The analog stack for debugging an SOFC system according to claim 7, wherein the insulation spacers (6) are mica spacers and the top plate (11) is further provided with lifting holes and stack fixing holes.

9. The analog stack for debugging an SOFC system according to claim 6, 7, or 8, wherein the perimeter plate (13) is a split structure.

10. The analog stack for debugging an SOFC according to claim 9, wherein the split structure comprises more than two sub-plates, with a single U-shaped plate and two or more flat plates.

11. The analog stack for debugging an SOFC system according to any of claims 6 to 10, wherein the counterweight (4) is mounted on the top plate (11) and/or the bottom plate (12) in a detachable manner.