Gas-liquid separation device for hydrogen fuel cells

Abstract

A gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen fuel cell includes a housing structure and a porous water filter material disposed within the housing structure. The housing structure internally defines a gas-liquid separation space for the porous water filter material and a gas collection space connected above the gas-liquid separation space. The porous water filter material allows water vapor in the exhaust gas emitted by the hydrogen fuel cell to condense into liquid water upon contact, thereby separating hydrogen gas and water gas in the exhaust gas within the gas-liquid separation space. The gas collection space collects hydrogen gas from the top side of the gas-liquid separation space. Through the structural design of the housing structure and the porous water filter material, water and hydrogen gas in the exhaust gas emitted by the hydrogen fuel cell can be effectively separated.

Claims

1. A gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen fuel cell, suitable for recovering hydrogen from the exhaust gas emitted by the hydrogen fuel cell, the gas-liquid separation device comprising a housing structure for receiving the exhaust gas, and at least one porous filter material disposed in the housing structure, wherein: The housing structure includes a hollow outer shell unit, an injection pipe communicating with the outer shell unit, and a partition plate connected to the inner surface of the outer shell unit. The partition plate divides the interior of the outer shell unit into a gas-liquid separation space and a gas collection space communicating above the gas-liquid separation space. The gas-liquid separation space has a gas-liquid separation section and a water collection section communicating laterally. The partition plate has a through-hole communicating with the water collection section and the gas collection space. At least one porous filter material is inserted into the gas-liquid separation section. The at least one porous filter material allows water molecules in the exhaust gas injected into the gas-liquid separation section to come into contact and condense into water, thereby reducing the concentration of water molecules in the exhaust gas. Hydrogen and the water are separated vertically in the gas-liquid separation zone. The water collection zone can be used to collect hydrogen and water from the gas-liquid separation zone in vertical layers. The gas collection space can collect hydrogen from the top side of the water collection zone through the connecting hole. The injection pipe has a guide section exposed outside the housing unit for receiving the exhaust gas, and an injection section extending vertically in the gas-liquid separation zone and defining a downward-facing injection port. The at least one porous filter material separates the injection pipe from the water collection zone. The housing unit has a water recovery port for discharging water from the water collection zone and a gas recovery port for discharging hydrogen from the gas collection space.

2. The gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen fuel cell as described in claim 1, wherein, The partition plate has a horizontal plate portion that extends laterally and separates the liquid collection area from the gas collection space, and an vertical plate portion that extends vertically and separates the gas collection space from the gas-liquid separation area. The horizontal plate portion is provided with the connecting hole.

3. A gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen fuel cell, suitable for recovering hydrogen from the exhaust gas emitted by the hydrogen fuel cell, the gas-liquid separation device comprising a housing structure for receiving the exhaust gas, and two porous filter media disposed within the housing structure, wherein: The housing structure internally defines a gas-liquid separation space and a gas collection space connected above the gas-liquid separation space. The gas-liquid separation space has a gas-liquid separation section connected below the gas collection space and a water collection section connected below the gas-liquid separation section. The housing structure has a hollow outer shell unit and an upper partition, a middle partition, and a lower partition spaced vertically within the outer shell unit. The upper and lower partitions cooperate to divide the interior of the outer shell unit into the gas collection space, the gas-liquid separation section, and the water collection section. The middle partition divides the gas-liquid separation section into an upper sub-section and a lower sub-section spaced vertically. The upper partition has... The unit has an upper through-hole that connects the gas collection space and the upper sub-section vertically, a lower partition that has a lower through-hole that connects the lower sub-section and the water collection section vertically, and a middle partition that has a middle through-hole that connects the upper sub-section and the lower sub-section vertically. The upper through-hole and the lower through-hole are laterally offset, and the middle through-hole and the upper through-hole are laterally offset. The porous filter material is respectively disposed in the upper sub-section and the lower sub-section. The outer shell unit has an injection port that radially connects to the lower sub-section and is used to inject the exhaust gas into the lower sub-section, a water recovery port for discharging the water in the water collection section, and a gas recovery port for discharging hydrogen in the gas collection space.

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