Air-liquid separator

Abstract

To provide a gas-liquid separator that separates gas and liquid by flowing water-containing gas introduced from an inlet in the horizontal direction.SOLUTION: A gas-liquid separator includes a housing 10, an inlet 14 formed in the housing 10, a flow path V that communicates with the inlet 14 and allows water-containing gas supplied from the inlet 14 to flow in the vertical direction, a gas flow conversion unit Au that converts the flow of water-containing gas flowing through the flow path V from a vertical direction to a horizontal direction, and a gas-liquid separation unit As that separates water from the water-containing gas by sequentially bringing the water-containing gas supplied from the gas flow conversion unit Au into the housing 10 into contact with a plurality of separation blades 17.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gas-liquid separator. [Background technology]

[0002] As a gas-liquid separator, for example, Patent Document 1 describes one that separates water contained in anode off-gas discharged from the anode of a fuel cell.

[0003] In the gas-liquid separator of Patent Document 1, a gas-liquid separation section is formed by arranging multiple collision walls in a vertically extending position inside a bulging wall formed on the upper surface of the housing, and an inlet is formed so as to supply water-containing gas from the horizontal direction to the collision walls of this gas-liquid separation section.

[0004] In the gas-liquid separator of Patent Document 1, the multiple collision walls that make up the gas-liquid separation section are made up of multiple vertically elongated plate-shaped materials, which are arranged at set intervals in a circular region when viewed in a plane, and water-containing gas is supplied so as to swirl the region inside the circular region, creating a swirl flow, and water separation is achieved by the collision of the water-containing gas with the collision walls. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-155334 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] This type of gas-liquid separator is placed near the vehicle's fuel cell; for example, if the fuel cell has end plates placed at both ends of multiple fuel cell cells arranged in a stacked state, the gas-liquid separator will be supported by the end plates.

[0007] The end plate of the fuel cell is equipped with pipelines and valves for supplying fuel gas and oxidizing gas, so if the gas-liquid separator is positioned taking these into consideration, it is expected that it will be difficult to position the inlet through which the water-containing gas is introduced at the top of the housing and facing horizontally, as in Patent Document 1.

[0008] In particular, in fuel cells having multiple fuel cell cells, the stacking direction of the fuel cell cells may be vertical, left-right, or front-to-back, so depending on the relationship between the placement of the gas-liquid separator relative to the end plate and the position at which the water-containing gas is discharged from the end plate, it is necessary to design the inlet to be positioned at a location offset from the collision wall, such as the bottom of the housing, or to be positioned vertically relative to the housing.

[0009] In addition, in a gas-liquid separation section that separates water by bringing a water-containing gas into contact with a collision wall, as described in Patent Document 1, it is preferable to create a swirl flow that causes the water-containing gas to flow horizontally and rotate, in order to improve gas-liquid separation performance.

[0010] For these reasons, there is a demand for a gas-liquid separator that can improve the degree of freedom in the placement position of the inlet and allows the water-containing gas introduced from the inlet to flow horizontally to perform gas-liquid separation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] A characteristic configuration of a gas-liquid separator according to the present invention includes a housing, an inlet formed in the housing, a flow path that communicates with the inlet and allows a water-containing gas supplied from the inlet to flow in a vertical direction, a gas flow converting unit that converts the flow of the water-containing gas flowing through the flow path from a vertical direction to a horizontal direction, and a gas-liquid separating unit that separates water from the water-containing gas by sequentially bringing the water-containing gas supplied from the gas flow converting unit into contact with a plurality of separation blades. The gas-liquid separation unit is disposed at a position higher than the inlet, a flow path member having a vertically long orientation and having the flow path formed therein is disposed in the internal space of the housing, and the water-containing gas introduced into the inlet is sent vertically upward through the flow path, and the gas flow conversion unit comprises a guide surface having a horizontal orientation formed on the inner surface of the upper wall of the housing so as to cause the water-containing gas sent further vertically upward from the upper end of the flow path member to flow horizontally, and a guide unit at the upper end of the flow path member to guide the water-containing gas in a direction toward the separation blades of the gas-liquid separation unit. The point is that

[0012] According to this characteristic configuration, the water-containing gas introduced from the inlet flows vertically in the flow path, and this vertical flow is converted into a horizontal flow by the gas flow converter before being supplied to the gas-liquid separation section. In the gas-liquid separation section, the water-containing gas flows horizontally and sequentially comes into contact with the separation blades, thereby making it possible to create, for example, a swirl flow, thereby achieving efficient gas-liquid separation. According to this, the water-containing gas introduced from the inlet is sent vertically upward through the flow path of the flow path member, which is oriented vertically long. The gas flow conversion section is composed of a horizontally oriented guide surface formed on the inner surface of the upper wall of the housing and a guide section at the upper end of the flow path member that guides the water-containing gas toward the gas-liquid separation section. Therefore, the water-containing gas sent further vertically upward from the upper end of the flow path member is sent horizontally along the horizontally oriented guide surface on the inner surface of the upper wall of the housing and is also sent in the direction toward the gas-liquid separation section by the guide section at the upper end of the flow path member, and the water-containing gas sent in this manner comes into contact with the separation blades of the gas-liquid separation section, achieving gas-liquid separation. Therefore, the position of the inlet is no longer restricted to the upper part of the housing of the gas-liquid separator, and the degree of freedom in the placement position of the inlet is improved, and a gas-liquid separator is configured in which the water-containing gas introduced from the inlet flows horizontally against the separation blades to perform gas-liquid separation.

[0015] In addition to the above configuration, the flow path member may be formed integrally with a holder that is held on the inner surface of the housing.

[0016] With this, for example, when assembling the gas-liquid separator, by supporting the holder on the inner surface of the housing, it becomes possible to support the flow path member relative to the housing via the holder. As a result, it becomes possible to fix the flow path member to the housing in a positioned state and allow the water-containing gas to flow appropriately without welding or bonding the flow path member to the inner surface of the housing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an end plate and a gas-liquid separator of the fuel cell. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional front view of the gas-liquid separator. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view of a gas-liquid separation section of the gas-liquid separator. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view of the bottom of the gas-liquid separator. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a flow path member and a holder. [Figure 6] FIG. 10(a) is a perspective view of a gas-liquid separator according to another embodiment. [Figure 7]FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a gas-liquid separator according to another embodiment (a). [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the upper part of the cylindrical body of another embodiment (a). [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a cylindrical body according to another embodiment (a). [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a gas-liquid separator according to another embodiment (b). [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway front view of a gas-liquid separator according to another embodiment (b). [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a guide member according to another embodiment (b). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [Basic configuration] 1 shows a gas-liquid separator A provided on the outer surface of an end plate 2 of a fuel cell 1 mounted on a fuel cell vehicle (FCV). The gas-liquid separator A is configured to separate water contained in anode off-gas (an example of a water-containing gas) supplied via an inlet path 3, discharge the dehydrated gas from which the water has been separated via an outlet path 4 (to be combined with the anode gas and returned to the fuel cell 1), and discharge the separated water from the bottom.

[0023] The fuel cell 1 has a plurality of fuel cell cells 1a stacked on top of each other, with end plates 2 made of a metal material such as aluminum disposed at both ends in the stacking direction. Only one of the pair of end plates 2 is shown in FIG. 1, and anode gas (hydrogen gas) is supplied to the fuel cell cells 1a from the area where this end plate 2 is disposed, and anode off-gas produced by a reaction in the fuel cell cells 1a is discharged. Similarly, cathode gas (air) is supplied to the fuel cell cells 1a from the area where this end plate 2 is disposed, and cathode off-gas produced by a reaction in the fuel cell cells 1a is discharged.

[0024] 1 to 4, the gas-liquid separator A includes a gas-liquid separation unit As that separates water from anode off-gas and a water storage unit At that collects the water separated by the gas-liquid separation unit As inside a resin housing 10, and is provided with an electromagnetic on-off valve 5 at the bottom of the housing 10 that opens and closes a discharge flow path 19 extending from the water storage unit At. The housing 10 also has an internal space that extends vertically along a central axis (not shown) of the vertical position. This vertical direction does not strictly mean only the direction parallel to the direction in which gravity acts, but also includes directions in which the up-down relationship can be determined based on the direction in which gravity acts.

[0025] The gas-liquid separator A has an inlet 14 formed in the housing 10, through which anode off-gas is introduced from the inlet passage 3, and an outlet 15 through which the anode off-gas from which water has been removed is discharged. The inlet 14 is located at a position lower than the gas-liquid separation unit As, and the gas-liquid separator A has a flow path member 6 that circulates the anode off-gas supplied from the inlet 14 up to the position of the gas-liquid separation unit As, and a gas flow converting unit Au that discharges the anode off-gas from the flow path member 6 horizontally toward the gas-liquid separation unit As.

[0026] The flow path member 6 forms a flow path V through which the anode off-gas supplied from the inlet 14 flows in the vertical direction. In the gas-liquid separation unit As, a swirl flow is created around the central axis by the anode off-gas supplied in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the central axis of the vertical orientation of the housing 10, but this horizontal direction does not necessarily mean the horizontal direction in the strict sense, and may be any direction that indicates the gas flow necessary to create the swirl flow in the gas-liquid separation unit As.

[0027] [Gas-liquid separator] 2, the gas-liquid separator A has a housing 10 made of an upper housing 11 made of resin and a lower housing 12 made of resin, and an upper flange 11a integrally formed with the upper housing 11 and a lower flange 12a integrally formed with the lower housing 12 are fastened together with a plurality of fastening bolts 13. The cross sections of the upper housing 11 and the lower housing 12 (cross sections as viewed in a direction along the central axis) are molded to have approximately the same shape.

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, a gas-liquid separation unit As is disposed inside the upper housing 11, and a discharge port 15 that opens horizontally is formed in a protrusion 11b that protrudes upward from the top surface of the upper housing 11. The gas-liquid separation unit As has a separation space within the upper housing 11 that is partitioned by a partition wall 16 extending downward from the underside of the top wall 11c of the upper housing 11 and the inner wall of the upper housing 11, and is provided with a plurality of plate-shaped separation blades 17 that extend vertically downward from the underside of the top wall 11c relative to this separation space. As shown in Figure 3, the plurality of separation blades 17 are disposed in an annular region C that is annular in plan view.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of separation blades 17 are arranged at set intervals in an annular region C that is annular in plan view, and the plurality of separation blades 17 are oriented in a manner that guides the anode off-gas supplied horizontally from the gas flow conversion unit Au toward the center of the separation space in plan view.

[0030] In this gas-liquid separator A, as shown in Figure 2, the lower end position of the partition wall 16 protrudes downward from the lower end positions of the multiple separation blades 17, thereby preventing the gas in the separation space from flowing short-circuited to the exhaust port 15.

[0031] The water storage space At is disposed in a water storage space formed at the bottom of the interior of the lower housing 12. As shown in Figures 2 and 4, a filter 18 is disposed in the water storage space. The filter 18 has a mesh portion 18b on the inner periphery of a frame portion 18a that is annular in plan view. Furthermore, the filter 18 is provided with the aforementioned electromagnetic on-off valve 5 to open and close the outer end position of a discharge flow path 19 that communicates with the lower end of the water storage space. This electromagnetic on-off valve 5 is configured to maintain a closed state when not energized, and to open the discharge flow path 19 to discharge water when energized.

[0032] [Gas-liquid separator: flow path component] 5, the flow path member 6 is disposed inside the housing 10 in a vertical orientation such that the cross section of the flow path is U-shaped. The flow path member 6 is integrally formed with an annular holder 7 that is held on the inner surface of the housing 10. The flow path member 6 and the holder 7 are integrally formed from a resin material.

[0033] As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the flow path member 6 has an opening edge of an open area along the vertical direction that is close to (or may be in contact with) the vertical inner surface 10s of the housing 10, thereby forming a flow path space 6a between the flow path member 6 and the inner surface of the housing 10, and this flow path space 6a forms a flow path V that circulates the anode off-gas in the vertical direction.

[0034] The holder 7 has an annular shape that fits along the inner surface of the housing 10 in a plan view, and is held at the boundary between the upper housing 11 and the lower housing 12 with a portion of the lower part of the holder 7 fitted into the inner periphery of the lower housing 12 as shown in Fig. 2. By being held in this manner, the position of the flow path member 6 inside the housing 10 is determined.

[0035] The length of the flow path member 6 in the up-down direction (vertical direction) is determined so as to extend from a position adjacent to the inside of the inlet 14 to a position close to the inner surface (lower surface) of the top wall 11c of the upper housing 11. In addition, an inlet surface 6b that guides the anode off-gas supplied from the inlet 14 into the flow path space 6a (flow path V) is formed at the lower end of the flow path member 6.

[0036] The upper end of the flow path member 6 forms an upper end opening 6c that opens upward, and a guide portion 6d that guides the anode off-gas from the upper end opening 6c to the separation blades 17 of the gas-liquid separation portion As.

[0037] In particular, in this gas-liquid separator A, the gas flow conversion section Au is composed of a horizontally oriented guide surface 11d formed on the inner surface (lower surface) of the upper wall 11c of the upper housing 11 so as to cause the anode off-gas discharged upward from the upper end opening 6c of the flow path member 6 to flow horizontally, and a horizontally oriented guide section 6d at the upper end of the flow path member 6 that guides the anode off-gas to the gas-liquid separation section As (see Figure 2).

[0038] With this configuration, the anode off-gas supplied to the inlet 14 is sent upward (vertically upward) along the flow path space 6a from the lower inlet surface 6b in the flow path V of the flow path member 6 inside the housing 10, and is then sent from the upper end position of the flow path member 6 in the direction of the gas-liquid separation section As by the gas flow conversion section Au.

[0039] In addition, in the gas flow conversion section Au, the anode off-gas sent upward from the upper end opening 6c of the flow path member 6 is sent by the guide section 6d at the upper end of the flow path member 6 in a direction toward one separation blade 17 of the gas-liquid separation section As (the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 3) and in a horizontal direction.

[0040] The direction in which the anode off-gas is sent is the direction that creates a swirl flow in the separation space of the gas-liquid separation unit As, and the multiple separation blades 17 are arranged in an orientation that extends vertically in the annular region C. Therefore, the anode off-gas swirls as a swirl flow by successively coming into contact with the multiple separation blades 17 so as to rotate clockwise when viewed from the direction shown in FIG. 3 , and as the anode off-gas swirls repeatedly, it moves downward, and water is separated from it. The separated water is stored in the water storage unit At, and the anode off-gas from which water has been separated passes under the lower end of the partition wall 16 and is then sent out from the discharge port 15.

[0041] [Effects of the embodiment] The outer surface of the end plate 2 is provided with the aforementioned inlet passage 3 and outlet passage 4 for supplying and discharging the anode off-gas, as well as piping for supplying and discharging the cathode gas (air). It also has valves for controlling the flow of these gases, and supports a humidifier for humidifying the cathode gas, so there are limitations on the placement of the gas-liquid separator A.

[0042] From the viewpoint of shortening the length of the piping and protecting the gas-liquid separator A, it is effective to position the gas-liquid separator A inside the outer edge of the end plate 2 when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the end plate 2, and such a positioning is also desirable.

[0043] Considering these issues, it may be necessary to design the inlet 14 so that it is located lower than the gas-liquid separation unit As in the housing 10. The configuration of the above embodiment makes it possible to effectively separate water contained in the anode off-gas even when the inlet 14 is located lower than the gas-liquid separation unit As.

[0044] In particular, in the gas-liquid separator A shown in the embodiment, by providing a flow path member 6 via a holder 7 in the internal space of the housing 10, it is possible to position this flow path member 6 in the appropriate position and in the appropriate posture without welding or bonding the flow path member 6 or holder 7 to the housing 10, and to send the anode off-gas introduced from the inlet 14 upward, convert the flow horizontally in the gas flow conversion section Au, and supply it to the gas-liquid separation section As.

[0045] Furthermore, since the gas flow converting unit Au is composed of the guide surface 11d formed on the inner surface of the upper wall 11c of the housing 10 and the guide portion 6d formed at the upper end of the flow path member 6, there is no need to use a special member as the gas flow converting unit Au. The anode off-gas is accurately sent horizontally from the gas flow converting unit Au configured in this manner toward one of the plurality of separation blades 17, creating a swirl flow and achieving good water separation.

[0046] [Another embodiment] The present invention may be configured as follows in addition to the above-described embodiments (common numbers and symbols are used to designate components having the same functions as those in the embodiments).

[0047] 6 and 7, a gas-liquid separation unit As is disposed inside an upper housing 11 constituting the housing 10, an inlet 14 is formed in an orientation facing vertically upward relative to an upper wall 11c of the upper housing 11, and a flow path V is provided that communicates with the inlet 14, passes through the upper wall 11c in an orientation along the vertical direction, and sends anode off-gas (an example of a water-containing gas) from above to below. Also provided inside the upper housing 11 is a gas flow conversion unit Au that converts the anode off-gas flowing through the flow path V into a horizontal direction.

[0048] 6 to 9, in this alternative embodiment (a), a circular sleeve 11s that protrudes downward is formed on the lower surface of the top wall 11c of the upper housing 11, and a gas-liquid separation section As is provided in the separation space inside a cylindrical body 21 that fits into this sleeve 11s. The cylindrical body 21 also has a flat partition wall 16 oriented along the vertical direction, a plurality of separation blades 17, and an inclined surface 21a that functions as a gas flow conversion section Au.

[0049] That is, a separation space is formed between the partition wall 16 of the cylindrical body 21 and the outer wall of the cylindrical body 21, and a plurality of separation blades 17 are arranged inside this separation space. The inclined surface 21a is formed in an attitude inclined with respect to the flow path V so that the anode off-gas supplied to the inlet 14 is supplied horizontally toward the separation blades 17 by the gas flow converting unit Au.

[0050] In this alternative embodiment (a), as shown in Fig. 8, a plurality of separation vanes 17 are arranged in an annular region C that is a plate extending in the vertical direction and is annular in a plan view. An inclined surface 21a serving as a gas flow converting section Au is formed at a position included in the annular region in a plan view. As a result, the anode off-gas that flows vertically through the flow path V from the inlet 14 and is supplied to the cylindrical body 21 comes into contact with the inclined surface 21a and is guided horizontally. As the anode off-gas comes into contact with the plurality of separation vanes 17 in succession, it becomes a swirl flow, which moves downward as it swirls more and more, enabling good water separation.

[0051] In this alternative embodiment (a), the water storage portion At formed inside the lower housing 12 may be provided with a filter 18 in the same manner as in the embodiment.

[0052] 10 to 12, a gas-liquid separation unit As is disposed inside an upper housing 11 constituting a housing 10, as in the above-described alternative embodiment (a), an inlet 14 is formed in an orientation facing vertically upward relative to an upper wall 11c of the upper housing 11, and a flow path V is formed that communicates with the inlet 14, penetrates the upper wall 11c in an orientation along the vertical direction, and sends anode off-gas (an example of a water-containing gas) from above to below. The upper housing 11 is also provided with a gas flow conversion unit Au that converts the anode off-gas flowing through this flow path V into a horizontal direction.

[0053] In this alternative embodiment (b), a separation space is formed by a partition wall 16 extending downward from the underside of the upper wall 11c of the upper housing 11 and the inner wall of the upper housing 11, and in this separation space, a plurality of plate-shaped separation blades 17 extending downward from the underside of the upper wall 11c are formed in an annular region C.

[0054] Furthermore, a fitting cylindrical portion 11e that protrudes downward and is coaxial with the flow path V is formed on the lower surface of the upper wall 11c of the upper housing 11, and a guide member 25 that fits into this fitting cylindrical portion 11e is provided, and this guide member 25 is provided with a gas flow converting portion Au. That is, the guide member 25 includes an introduction cylindrical portion 25a that fits into the fitting cylindrical portion 11e, a discharge opening portion 25b that is oriented perpendicular to the flow path V, and a guide surface 25c (an example of an inclined surface) that is oriented inclined with respect to the flow path V so as to guide the anode off-gas supplied to the introduction cylindrical portion 25a to the discharge opening portion 25b, and this guide surface 25c constitutes the gas flow converting portion Au.

[0055] As a result, a guide member 25 is attached to the underside of the top wall 11c of the upper housing 11, and anode off-gas is introduced from the inlet 14 into the flow path V from above to below. The anode off-gas comes into contact with the guide surface 25c inside the guide member 25, changing its flow direction to a horizontal direction, and then comes into contact with the multiple separation blades 17 in succession, forming a swirl flow that moves downward as it swirls repeatedly, enabling good water separation.

[0056] As a variation of this other embodiment (b), it is also possible to construct the gas flow conversion section Au by using a guide member 25 that does not have a guide surface 25c formed inside, but is a bent pipe that sends the anode off-gas supplied to the inlet tube section 25a out through the discharge opening 25b.

[0057] (c) A cylindrical member may also be used as the flow path member 6 shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, in such a configuration in which a cylindrical member is used for the flow path member 6, the gas flow converting unit Au may be configured so that the anode off-gas is supplied to the gas-liquid separation unit As from a horizontal direction by bending the upper end of the cylindrical member. Alternatively, the gas flow converting unit Au may be configured by forming a guide surface on the inner surface of the upper housing 11 that is inclined with respect to the central axis of the housing 10.

[0058] (d) Instead of the configuration in which a holder 7 is used to hold the flow path member 6 (including the cylindrical member described in alternative embodiment (c)) shown in the embodiment inside the housing 10, for example, a configuration in which the upper end of the flow path member 6 is fitted into the inner surface of the upper housing 11, or a configuration in which the lower end of the flow path member 6 is fitted into the inner surface of the lower housing 12 may be adopted. [Industrial Applicability]

[0059] The present invention can be used in a gas-liquid separator. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 6 Flow path components 6d Guide part 7 Holder 10. Housing 11c Upper wall 11d Guide surface 14 Introduction 17 Separation blade 21a Slope 25c Guide surface (slanted surface) As gas-liquid separation section Au gas flow converter C annular region V flow path

Claims

1. Housing and an inlet formed in the housing; a flow path that communicates with the inlet and allows the water-containing gas supplied from the inlet to flow in a vertical direction; a gas flow conversion unit that converts the flow of the water-containing gas flowing through the flow path from a vertical direction to a horizontal direction; a gas-liquid separation unit that separates water from the water-containing gas by sequentially bringing the water-containing gas supplied from the gas flow conversion unit into the housing into contact with a plurality of separation blades, the gas-liquid separation unit is disposed at a position higher than the inlet, A gas-liquid separator in which a flow path member elongated in the vertical direction and having the flow path formed therein is disposed in the internal space of the housing, and the water-containing gas introduced into the inlet is sent vertically upward through the flow path, and the gas flow conversion unit is configured to have a horizontal guide surface formed on the inner surface of the upper wall of the housing so as to cause the water-containing gas sent further vertically upward from the upper end of the flow path member to flow horizontally, and a guide unit at the upper end of the flow path member that guides the water-containing gas in a direction toward the separation blades of the gas-liquid separation unit.

2. 2. The gas-liquid separator according to claim 1, wherein the flow path member is integrally formed with a holder that is held on the inner surface of the housing.

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