Assembly consisting of a stack with solid oxides of the soec/sofc type and of a clamping system integrating a heat exchange system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020343573-A1
Application number	US-201816757000-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 23, 2018
Priority date	Oct 26, 2017
Publication date	Oct 29, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

An assembly comprising a SOEC/SOFC-type solid oxide stack, and a clamping system for the stack, said clamping system comprising at least two clamping rods that can be used to assemble upper and lower clamping plates. The assembly further comprises a heat exchange system formed at least in part by at least two hollow clamping rods of the clamping system, through which a fluid to be superheated or preheated flows.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . Assembly, comprising:
a solid-oxide stack of the SOEC/SOFC type functioning at high temperature, comprising:
a plurality of electrochemical cells each formed by a cathode, an anode and an electrolyte interposed between the cathode and the anode, and a plurality of intermediate interconnectors each arranged between two adjacent electrochemical cells,
a top end plate and a bottom end plate, between which the plurality of electrochemical cells and the plurality of intermediate interconnectors are gripped,
a system for gripping the solid-oxide stack of the SOEC/SOFC type, comprising a top clamping plate and a bottom clamping plate, between which the solid-oxide stack of the SOEC/SOFC type is gripped, each clamping plate comprising at least two clamping orifices, the clamping system further comprising:
at least two clamping rods intended each to extend through a clamping orifice in the top clamping plate and through a corresponding clamping orifice in the bottom clamping plate to enable the top and bottom clamping plates to be assembled together,
clamping means at each clamping orifice of the top and bottom clamping plates intended to cooperate with said at least two clamping rods in order to enable the top and bottom clamping plates to be assembled together, comprising a heat exchange system formed at least partly by at least two hollow clamping rods of the clamping system inside which a fluid to be superheated or preheated circulates, and

wherein said at least two hollow clamping rods each comprise an inlet end for a heat-transfer fluid to be preheated and an outlet end for the preheated heat-transfer fluid, and/or wherein that the heat exchange system is a system for superheating the gases at the inlet of the solid-oxide stack of the SOEC/SOFC type, formed at least partly by at least two hollow clamping rods of the clamping system inside which the gases or liquids to be superheated circulate, the assembly comprising an inlet pipe into the stack fluidically connected to at least one hollow clamping rod.

2 . Assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said at least two hollow clamping rods each comprise an end for the entry of a heat-transfer fluid to be preheated and an end for exit of the preheated heat transfer fluid.

3 . Assembly according to claim 2 , wherein, at each of the inlet and outlet ends of each clamping rod, the clamping system comprises a force transmission tube, disposed around the corresponding end of the clamping rod, and a clamping washer, the force transmission tube being positioned between the clamping washer and the corresponding clamping plate.

4 . Assembly according to claim 2 , wherein, at each of the inlet and outlet ends of each clamping rod, the clamping system comprises a thermal-insulation part, disposed around the corresponding end of the clamping rod, the thermal-insulation part being positioned in contact with the corresponding clamping plate.

5 . Assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the heat exchange system is a system for superheating the gases at the inlet of the solid-oxide stack of the SOEC/SOFC type, formed at least partly by at least two hollow clamping rods of the clamping system inside which the gases or liquids to be superheated circulate, the assembly comprising a pipe for entering the stack fluidically connected to at least one hollow clamping rod.

6 . Assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the superheating system is of so-called simple mounting, comprising a simple-mounting connection pipe fluidically connecting the inlet pipe and one end of a hollow clamping rod, the other end of the hollow clamping rod being fluidically connected to a pipe for supplying gas to be superheated.

7 . Assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the superheating system is of so-called mounting in series, comprising a set of pipes for mounting in series, comprising a first pipe for mounting-in-series connection, fluidically connecting a first end of a first hollow clamping rod to a first end of a second hollow clamping rod, and a second pipe for mounting-in-series connection fluidically connecting the second end of the first clamping rod to the pipe for entering the stack, the second end of the second hollow clamping rod being fluidically connected to a pipe for the entry of gas to be superheated.

8 . Assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the superheating system is of the so-called parallel mounting type, comprising a set of parallel-mounting pipes, comprising a first parallel-mounting connection pipe fluidically connecting a first end of a first hollow clamping rod to a first end of a second hollow clamping rod, and a second parallel-mounting connection pipe fluidically connecting the second end of the first clamping rod to the second end of the second hollow clamping rod, the second parallel-mounting connection pipe being fluidically connected to the pipe for entering the stack by means of a connection pipe itself fluidically connected to the pipe for entering the stack, the first parallel-mounting connection pipe being fluidically connected to a pipe for the entry of gas to be superheated.

9 . Assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said at least two hollow clamping rods comprise swirl means, for increasing the heat exchange with the fluid to be superheated or preheated.

10 . Assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the clamping system comprises, at each end of a hollow clamping rod, a clamping washer in contact with a clamping plate.

11 . Assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the fluid connections between fluid pipes and/or between fluid pipes and hollow clamping rods, are produced by means of one or more demountable fluidtight couplings.

12 . Method for manufacturing at least one heat exchange system ( 40 ) of an assembly according to claim 1 , comprising the step consisting of forming a plurality of hollow clamping rods and fluidically connecting one or more fluid pipes with the hollow clamping rods so as to allow circulation of a fluid inside the hollow clamping rods.

Assignees

• Commissariat Energie Atomique

Inventors

• Roux Guilhem
• Bernard Charlotte
• Planque Michel

Classifications

• C25B9/65

  Means for supplying current; Electrode connections; Electric inter-cell connections · CPC title

• C25B9/75

  having bipolar electrodes · CPC title

• C25B1/042

  by electrolysis of steam · CPC title

• C25B9/77

  having diaphragms · CPC title

• C25B9/73

  of the filter-press type · CPC title