KR-20260066295-A - MEMBRANE ELECTRODE ASSEMBLY AND CYLINDER TYPE ELECTROLYZER CELL AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF

KR20260066295AKR 20260066295 AKR20260066295 AKR 20260066295AKR-20260066295-A

Abstract

The present invention provides a membrane electrode assembly for water electrolysis, wherein the membrane electrode assembly has a wound jelly-roll structure, a fuel inlet formed at the outer periphery of the membrane electrode assembly for water inflow, and a gas outlet formed at one end in the direction of the winding axis for gas generated by an electrochemical reaction for discharge.

Inventors

이기섭

Assignees

한화솔루션 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20241104

Claims (18)

It is a membrane electrode assembly for water electrolysis, and The above membrane electrode assembly has a wound jelly-roll structure, A fuel inlet is formed on the outer periphery of the above membrane electrode assembly for water to flow in, and a gas outlet is formed on one end in the direction of the winding axis for gas generated by an electrochemical reaction to be discharged. Membrane electrode assembly.
In claim 1, the membrane electrode assembly is formed by sequentially stacking and winding a first electrode separator, a first electrode part, an electrolyte membrane, a second electrode part, and a second electrode separator. The first electrode portion comprises a first electrode in contact with an electrolyte membrane and a first porous transport layer in contact with the first electrode, and The above second electrode portion comprises a second electrode in contact with an electrolyte membrane and a second porous transport layer in contact with the second electrode, forming a membrane electrode assembly.
A membrane electrode assembly according to paragraph 2, wherein the second electrode portion is longer than the first electrode portion in the direction of the winding axis.
A membrane electrode assembly according to paragraph 2, wherein an oxygen discharge hole is formed at the end of the first electrode portion to discharge oxygen.
Anode side separator; A first porous transport layer in contact with the anode-side separator plate; An anode attached to the first porous transport layer; O-rings spaced apart and disposed on the left and right sides of the above anode; Electrolyte membrane to which the above O-ring and anode are attached; A cathode disposed on the other side of the anode in contact with the above electrolyte membrane; A second porous transport layer attached to the above cathode; and A cathode-side separator attached to the second porous transport layer; comprising The width of the anode and the first porous transport layer is smaller than the width of the cathode and the second porous transport layer, and The above O-ring is positioned between the anode-side separator and the electrolyte membrane to form oxygen discharge holes and fuel inlet holes on both sides of the anode, and A jelly-roll wound in a stacked state from the anode-side separator to the cathode-side separator, Membrane electrode assembly.
In claim 5, the anode-side separator and the cathode-side separator are ductile stainless steel, forming a cylindrical membrane electrode assembly.
A cylindrical membrane electrode assembly according to claim 5, wherein the fuel inlet hole receives fuel, generates a charge through an electrochemical reaction, moves to a cathode, produces hydrogen through an electrochemical reaction at the cathode, and the hydrogen moves in the direction of the winding axis and is discharged to the outside.
A cylindrical membrane electrode assembly according to claim 5, wherein the oxygen discharge hole is spaced apart from the fuel inlet hole, and the oxygen discharge hole collects oxygen generated at the anode and discharges it in one direction.
A cylindrical membrane electrode assembly according to claim 5, wherein the O-ring seals the space between the anode-side separator and the electrolyte membrane so as not to leak oxygen or fuel to a part other than the oxygen discharge hole and the fuel inlet hole.
A cylindrical membrane electrode assembly in which, in paragraph 5, the electrolyte membrane is a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM).
A cylindrical membrane electrode assembly according to claim 5, wherein the widths of the anode and the first porous transport layer are determined according to the following Equation 1: [Equation 1] W O <W 1 <W 2 In the above Equation 1, W O is the width of the oxygen discharge hole, W 1 is the width of the anode and the first porous transport layer, and W 2 is the width of the cathode and the cathode-side separator.
A cylindrical case housing a membrane electrode assembly according to any one of claims 5 to 11; A hydrogen discharge pipe protruding in the axial direction of the above case; An oxygen discharge pipe provided on the outer periphery of the above case; and A fuel inlet pipe provided spaced apart from the oxygen exhaust pipe; comprising Cylindrical water electrolysis cell.
A cylindrical water electrolysis cell according to claim 12, further comprising a second fuel inlet pipe on the opposite side of the hydrogen discharge pipe.
(a) transferring an anode to one side of an electrolyte membrane and transferring a cathode to the other side, and adjusting the width of the anode to be smaller than the width of the cathode; (b) a step of laminating a first porous transport layer placed on the anode and a second porous transport layer placed on the cathode; (c) A step of joining an O-ring to the side of the anode so as to form a space spaced apart from the anode; (d) a step of placing an anode-side separator on the upper part of the first porous transport layer, placing and joining a cathode-side separator on the upper part of the second porous transport layer, and sealing the anode-side separator and the electrolyte membrane with the O-ring; and (e) a step of simultaneously winding the anode-side separator and the cathode-side separator to form a jelly-roll shape; comprising, Forming an oxygen discharge hole and a fuel inlet hole at the end of a jelly-roll type membrane electrode assembly, Method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly.
A method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly according to claim 14, wherein the transfer process of step (a) above is continuously transferred as a roll-to-roll process.
A method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly according to claim 14, wherein the water electrolysis capacity is determined by adjusting the width and length of the electrolyte membrane in step (a) above.
A method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly according to claim 14, wherein in step (c) above, the O-ring is positioned to form a space spaced apart from the anode and is positioned over the entire circumference excluding one side of the anode.
A method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly according to claim 14, wherein the anode-side separator and the cathode-side separator in (e) above are made of ductile stainless steel.

Description

Membrane electrode assembly, cylindrical water electrolyzer cell and manufacturing method thereof The present invention relates to a membrane electrode assembly, a cylindrical water electrolysis cell, and a method for manufacturing the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a membrane electrode assembly for water electrolysis, a cylindrical water electrolysis cell, and a method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly. Recently, in response to global warming, there is a demand for the use of clean energy sources, and as the utilization of hydrogen increases, various types of water electrolysis cells are being developed. The membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which significantly affects the performance of water electrolysis devices, has a structure in which an anode and a cathode are attached to both sides of an electrolyte membrane composed of polymer materials. Typically, MEAs for polymer electrolyte exchange membranes (MEAs) for water electrolysis are manufactured as stacks by stacking dozens or hundreds of sheet-type MEAs, similar to separators. Sheet-type stacks require multiple manufacturing steps, resulting in a high defect rate and consequently low production yield. Furthermore, while manufacturing costs can be reduced by increasing the effective surface area of the MEAs and electrodes, there are limitations regarding the size of these devices. Meanwhile, stack types are broadly classified into sub-gasket type and cell frame type. In the sub-gasket type, a sub-gasket film is laminated around the electrodes, and a manifold serving as a passage for the supply fluid and generated gas is perforated in the sub-gasket section to facilitate the movement of fluids and gases. The advantages of the sub-gasket type include reinforcing the physical properties of the 3-layer MEA, which facilitates automated continuous processes, and making the stacking process—where the MEA and separator are laminated—easy. Furthermore, the ability to perform a continuous MEA manufacturing process ensures high mass production capability. However, the sub-gasket type has a high probability of defects in sub-gasket bonding and manifold cutting, a low final MEA manufacturing yield, and uses a large amount of electrolyte membrane that does not participate in the reaction, and there are problems with additional process costs and material costs due to the addition of a sub-gasket bonding process and the use of a sub-gasket film. The cell frame type is a structure in which a frame is combined with the periphery of the MEA to form a stack, and the frame has supply liquid and fish gas passages, and combines MEAs without a manifold. The advantages of the cell frame type include a smaller area of the electrolyte membrane in the unreacted region due to the absence of a manifold in the MEA, and lower processing costs compared to the sub-gasket type because there is no sub-gasket bonding process. However, due to the characteristics of the cell frame, the circular shape provides the most stable stack and hermetic structure. The disadvantages include low mass production capability because the electrode transfer process suitable for mass production cannot be applied to the circular MEA, and continuous processing is difficult in the MEA manufacturing process. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a new type of membrane electrode assembly that can increase the manufacturing efficiency of MEAs for polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolysis and reduce the use of electrolyte membranes that are not involved in the reaction. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a membrane electrode assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the winding state of a membrane electrode assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along the line A-A' of Figure 2. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a water electrolysis cell according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a process flowchart of a method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly according to another aspect of the present invention. The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the attached drawings. However, the following drawings are provided merely to aid in understanding the present invention, and the present invention is not limited by the drawings. Furthermore, the shapes, sizes, ratios, angles, numbers, etc. disclosed in the drawings are exemplary, and the present invention is not limited to the depicted details. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same components. Additionally, in describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of related prior art are omitted if it is determined that such detailed descriptions would unnecessarily obscure the essence of the invention. Where terms such as 'includes,' 'have,' and 'consists of' are used in this specification, other p