A fuel cell humidifier device, a fuel cell system and a humidification treatment method thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides a fuel cell humidifier device, a fuel cell system and a humidification treatment method thereof, wherein the humidifier device comprises a shell, a through fiber membrane tube, a diaphragm and an end cap, a first air inlet and a first air outlet for humidified gas are arranged on the same side of both ends of the shell, the through fiber membrane tube has different diameters, the through fiber membrane tube is located inside the shell, the diaphragm separates the shell into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, the through fiber membrane tube suitable for the circulation of the dry gas is arranged in the upper chamber, the through fiber membrane tube suitable for the circulation of the humidified gas is arranged in the lower chamber, a plurality of micropores are evenly distributed in the middle of the diaphragm, the humidified gas is suitable for entering the upper chamber from the lower chamber through the micropores, and the end cap is provided with a second air inlet and a second air outlet for dry gas. The present invention designs a new structure to solve the problem that the existing physical humidifier is prone to water accumulation, which affects the operation of the fuel cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of new energy technology, and in particular to a fuel cell humidifier device, a fuel cell system and a humidification treatment method thereof. Background Art

[0002] During the fuel cell system testing process, the adjustment of air humidity is also very important, and one of the most important components that affects air humidity is the humidifier. The humidifier can adjust the humidity of the fuel cell stack air, which helps to extend the service life of the fuel cell stack.

[0003] However, the humidifiers currently used in test benches are physical humidifiers, which are prone to water accumulation. Water accumulation can easily cause the relative humidity of the air entering the stack to be higher than the corresponding value, which disrupts the water balance inside each single cell. In severe cases, the stack may be flooded, reducing the operating performance of the single fuel cell, thereby affecting the output power and operation of the fuel cell stack. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell humidifier device, a fuel cell system and a humidification treatment method thereof, so as to solve the problem that the existing physical humidifier is prone to water accumulation, which affects the operation of the fuel cell.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a fuel cell humidifier device, comprising:

[0006] A housing, the housing comprising a head end, a tail end corresponding to the head end and located on the opposite side of the head end, and a first air inlet and a first air outlet for humidified gas arranged on the same side of the two ends;

[0007] A fiber membrane tube having different diameters, the fiber membrane tube being located inside the shell, and the two ends of the fiber membrane tube being located at the head end and the tail end of the shell respectively;

[0008] A diaphragm, wherein the diaphragm divides the housing into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, wherein the upper chamber is provided with the through-hole fiber membrane tube suitable for the circulation of the dry gas, and the lower chamber is provided with the through-hole fiber membrane tube suitable for the circulation of the humid gas, wherein a plurality of micropores are evenly distributed in the middle of the diaphragm, and the humid gas is suitable for entering the upper chamber from the lower chamber through the micropores;

[0009] An end cap is connected to the head end and the tail end of the shell respectively and is provided with a second air inlet and a second air outlet for dry gas, and the second air inlet of the end cap is in communication with the gas of the second air outlet of the end cap.

[0010] Furthermore, a drain port is provided in the middle of the bottom of the shell, the drain port is connected to a drain pipe, a solenoid valve and a heating plate are arranged on the drain pipe in sequence, and the other end is connected to the middle of the top of the shell.

[0011] Furthermore, the through fiber membrane tube in the upper cavity has a small diameter in the middle and large diameters at both ends, so that the flow velocity of the dry gas becomes faster at the position with a larger diameter and slower at the position with a smaller diameter.

[0012] Furthermore, the through fiber membrane tube in the lower cavity has a large diameter in the middle and small diameters at both ends, so that the flow velocity of the humidified gas becomes faster at the location with a large diameter and slower at the location with a small diameter.

[0013] Furthermore, the diaphragm is a permeable membrane.

[0014] Furthermore, the dry gas inlet and the wet gas inlet are arranged on both sides of the shell, and the dry gas outlet and the wet gas outlet are also arranged on both sides of the shell, so that the flow direction of the gas or liquid in the dry gas flow channel and the wet gas flow channel flows in the opposite direction.

[0015] The present invention also provides a fuel cell system having the fuel cell humidifier device as described above, wherein the second air outlet is connected to the fuel cell stack via a connecting pipe, and the inclination angle of the connecting pipe is 30 degrees.

[0016] Furthermore, the fuel cell humidifier device is arranged below the fuel cell stack and is 48-52 centimeters high from the fuel cell stack.

[0017] Furthermore, valve bodies are provided on the air inlet and outlet pipes of the dry gas and the air inlet and outlet pipes of the moist gas, and the opening and closing of the valve bodies and the switching of the flow rates are controlled by a controller.

[0018] The present invention also provides a humidification treatment method based on the above-mentioned fuel cell humidifier device, comprising:

[0019] Step 1: When the fuel cell is working, the oxygen in the reaction gas combines with the hydrogen protons transferred from the hydrogen side to produce a large amount of water, which is mixed in the gas after the reaction in the form of water vapor and liquid water;

[0020] Step 2: When the reacted gas enters the fuel cell humidifier device through the reaction gas inlet, heat exchange is performed when passing through the middle position of the diaphragm, and a portion of the gaseous water in the lower chamber enters the upper chamber through the micropores of the diaphragm to humidify the dry gas;

[0021] Step 3: When the fuel cell stack needs high power output, the compressed and cooled gas is injected into the reaction gas inlet. At this time, water will be transferred to the dry air through the concentration difference. At the same time, the accumulated water at the bottom of the lower chamber will be discharged through the drain port and the drainage pipe. The solenoid valve and the electric heater are controlled to convert the accumulated water into gaseous water and return it to the upper chamber to humidify the dry gas.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0023] The fuel cell humidifier device designed and manufactured by the present invention changes the position of the original humidifier, and designs the original vertically arranged humidifier into a lying humidifier device. On the basis of the connection of the various air pipelines of the original humidifier, a drainage pipeline and a solenoid valve control switch are added, and the humidifier is positioned lower than the fuel cell stack. The pipeline from the humidifier to the fuel cell stack is inclined at an angle of 30° to prevent a large amount of liquid water and impurities from accumulating in the air pipeline after the test process is completed, and entering the battery during the second stacking process to cause irreparable damage to the proton exchange membrane. Due to the height of the position, the liquid water can flow into the humidifier along the pipeline and then be discharged using the added pipeline. This pipeline is connected to the tail exhaust pipe and is discharged together with the corresponding exhaust gas. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure and working principle of the fuel cell system in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of a fuel cell humidifier device in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the fiber membrane tube located in the upper cavity in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the fiber membrane tube located in the upper cavity in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the housing of the humidifier device in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Description of reference numerals:

[0030] 1-housing, 11-first air inlet, 12-first air outlet, 13-drain outlet, 14-sealing pad, 15-solenoid valve, 16-heating plate, 17-electronic pump, 2-middle fiber membrane tube, 21-upper cavity, 22-lower cavity, 23-upper fiber membrane tube, 24-lower fiber membrane tube, 3-diaphragm, 31-micropores, 4-end cap, 41-second air inlet, 42-second air outlet, 43-left end cap, 44-right end cap, 5-connecting pipeline, 6-air compressor, 7-fuel cell stack. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terminology nouns in the various embodiments, such as words indicating directions such as "upper", "lower", "front", and "back", are only for simplifying the description of the positional relationship based on the drawings in the specification, and do not mean that the referred elements and devices must be operated according to the specific directions and defined operations and methods and structures in the specification. Such directional nouns do not constitute limitations to the present invention.

[0033] The humidifiers currently used in the test bench are physical humidifiers, which are prone to water accumulation. Water accumulation can easily cause the relative humidity of the air entering the stack to be higher than the corresponding value, which disrupts the water balance inside each single cell. In severe cases, the stack may be flooded, reducing the operating performance of the single fuel cell, thereby affecting the output power and operation of the fuel cell stack.

[0034] To solve the above technical problems, Figure 1-5 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a fuel cell humidifier device, comprising:

[0035] The housing 1 comprises a head end, a tail end corresponding to the head end and located on the opposite side of the head end, and a first air inlet 11 and a first air outlet 12 for humidified gas are arranged on the same side of both ends, and sealing pads 14 are respectively arranged at both ends of the housing 1;

[0036] The through fiber membrane tube 2 has different diameters. The through fiber membrane tube 2 is located inside the shell 1. The two ends of the through fiber membrane tube 2 are respectively located at the head end and the tail end of the shell 1.

[0037] The diaphragm 3 divides the housing 1 into an upper chamber 21 and a lower chamber 22. The upper chamber 21 is provided with a through fiber membrane tube 2 suitable for the circulation of dry gas, and the lower chamber 22 is provided with a through fiber membrane tube 2 suitable for the circulation of humid gas. A plurality of micropores 31 are evenly distributed in the middle of the diaphragm 3, and the humid gas is suitable for entering the upper chamber 21 from the lower chamber 22 through the micropores 31.

[0038] End cap 4, end cap 4 is connected to the head end and the tail end of the housing 1 respectively, and is provided with a second air inlet 41 and a second air outlet 42 of dry gas, the second air inlet 41 of the end cap 4 is in gas communication with the second air outlet 42 of the end cap 4, in this embodiment, the end cap 4 includes a left end cap 43 and a right end cap 44, which are respectively fixedly arranged at the two ends of the housing 1. The second air inlet 41 is connected to the air compressor 6 through a pipeline, and the second air outlet 42 is connected to the fuel cell stack 7 through a connecting pipeline 5.

[0039] Specifically, a drain port 13 is provided at the middle of the bottom of the housing 1, and a drain pipe is connected to the drain port 13. A solenoid valve 15 and a heating plate 16 are arranged on the drain pipe in sequence, and the other end of the drain pipe is connected to the middle of the top of the housing 1. Figure 1 As shown, the drainage pipe is also provided with an electronic pump 17 for pumping water, and the drainage pipe is provided with an electric heater 16 for heating and evaporating the accumulated water. The evaporated water vapor returns to the upper chamber to humidify the dry gas.

[0040] Specifically, the through fiber membrane tube 2 in the upper cavity has a small diameter in the middle and large diameters at both ends, so that the flow velocity of the drying gas becomes faster at the location with a larger diameter and slower at the location with a smaller diameter.

[0041] Specifically, the through fiber membrane tube 2 in the lower cavity has a large diameter in the middle and small diameters at both ends, so that the flow velocity of the humidified gas becomes faster at the location with a larger diameter and slower at the location with a smaller diameter.

[0042] Body Combination Figure 3-4 As shown, an upper fiber membrane tube 23 is arranged in parallel in the upper cavity 21, and a lower fiber membrane tube 24 is arranged in parallel in the lower cavity 22. The upper fiber membrane tube 23 has a small diameter in the middle and large diameters at both ends, which is suitable for the dry gas to have a faster flow rate at the position with a large diameter and a slower flow rate at the position with a small diameter; the lower fiber membrane tube 24 has a large diameter in the middle and small diameters at both ends, which is suitable for humidifying the dry gas at the position with a large diameter.

[0043] Specifically, the membrane 3 is a permeable membrane.

[0044] Specifically, the dry gas inlet and the wet gas inlet are arranged on both sides of the shell 1, and the dry gas outlet and the wet gas outlet are also arranged on both sides of the shell 1, so that the flow direction of the gas or liquid in the dry gas flow channel and the wet gas flow channel flows in the opposite direction.

[0045] The present invention further provides a fuel cell system having the fuel cell humidifier device as described above, wherein the second air outlet 42 is connected to the fuel cell stack via a connecting pipe 5, and the inclination angle of the connecting pipe 5 is 30 degrees.

[0046] Specifically, the fuel cell humidifier device is disposed below the fuel cell stack and at a height of 48-52 cm from the fuel cell stack.

[0047] Specifically, valve bodies are arranged on the air inlet and outlet pipes of the dry gas and the air inlet and outlet pipes of the moist gas, and the opening and closing of the valve bodies and the switching of the flow rates are controlled by a controller.

[0048] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a humidification processing method based on the above-mentioned fuel cell humidifier device, comprising:

[0049] Step 1: When the fuel cell is working, the oxygen in the reaction gas combines with the hydrogen protons transferred from the hydrogen side to produce a large amount of water, which is mixed in the gas after the reaction in the form of water vapor and liquid water;

[0050] Step 2: After the fuel cell test process is completed, the solenoid valve 15 is opened during the purge phase, and the intermittent opening and closing time is set, with the opening time being 5 seconds and the closing time being 10 seconds, until the purge is completed.

[0051] Step 3: When the reacted gas enters the fuel cell humidifier device through the reaction gas inlet, heat exchange is performed when passing through the middle position of the diaphragm 3, and a part of the gaseous water in the lower chamber enters the upper chamber through the micropores 31 of the diaphragm 3 to humidify the dry gas;

[0052] Step 4: When the fuel cell stack needs high power output, the compressed and cooled gas is injected into the reaction gas inlet. At this time, water will be transferred to the dry air through the concentration difference. At the same time, the accumulated water at the bottom of the lower chamber will be discharged through the drain port 13 and the drain pipe. The solenoid valve 15 and the electric heater 16 are controlled to convert the accumulated water into gaseous water and return it to the upper chamber to humidify the dry gas.

[0053] Step 5: During the process of starting the pile again, after the air compressor is given the target speed and before the DC enable is turned on, the solenoid valve is opened for 10 seconds and then closed to discharge the accumulated liquid water as soon as possible.

[0054] Although the disclosure is disclosed as above, the protection scope of the disclosure is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, and these changes and modifications will fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fuel cell humidifier device, characterized in that: include: A housing (1), the housing (1) comprising a head end, a tail end corresponding to the head end and located on the opposite side of the head end, and a first air inlet (11) and a first air outlet (12) for humidified gas arranged on the same side of the two ends; A drainage port (13) is provided in the middle of the bottom of the housing (1), the drainage port (13) is connected to a drainage pipe, a solenoid valve (15) and an electric heater (16) are arranged on the drainage pipe in sequence, and the other end is connected to the middle of the top of the housing (1); The through-hole fiber membrane tube (2) has different diameters, the through-hole fiber membrane tube (2) is located inside the shell (1), and the two ends of the through-hole fiber membrane tube (2) are respectively located at the head end and the tail end of the shell (1); A diaphragm (3), the diaphragm (3) dividing the housing (1) into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, the upper chamber being provided with the through-hole fiber membrane tube (2) suitable for the circulation of dry gas, the lower chamber being provided with the through-hole fiber membrane tube (2) suitable for the circulation of humid gas, a plurality of micropores (31) evenly distributed in the middle of the diaphragm (3), the humid gas being suitable for entering the upper chamber from the lower chamber through the micropores (31); an end cap (4), the end cap (4) being connected to the head end and the tail end of the housing (1) respectively, and being provided with a second air inlet (41) and a second air outlet (42) for dry gas, the second air inlet (41) of the end cap (4) being in gas communication with the second air outlet (42) of the end cap (4); The dry gas inlet and the wet gas inlet are arranged on both sides of the shell (1), and the dry gas outlet and the wet gas outlet are also arranged on both sides of the shell (1), so that the flow direction of gas or liquid in the dry gas flow channel and the wet gas flow channel flows in the opposite direction.

2. The fuel cell humidifier device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The through fiber membrane tube (2) in the upper cavity has a small diameter in the middle and large diameters at both ends, so that the flow velocity of the dry gas increases at the location with the large diameter and decreases at the location with the small diameter.

3. The fuel cell humidifier device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The through fiber membrane tube (2) in the lower cavity has a large diameter in the middle and small diameters at both ends, so as to enable the humidified gas to flow faster at the location with the large diameter and slower at the location with the small diameter.

4. The fuel cell humidifier device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The diaphragm (3) is a permeable membrane.

5. A fuel cell system, characterized in that: A fuel cell humidifier device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second gas outlet (42) is connected to the fuel cell stack via a connecting pipe (5), and the connecting pipe (5) has an inclination angle of 30 degrees.

6. The fuel cell system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The fuel cell humidifier device is arranged below the fuel cell stack and is 48-52 centimeters high from the fuel cell stack.

7. The fuel cell system according to claim 6, characterized in that: Valve bodies are arranged on the inlet and outlet pipes of the dry gas and the inlet and outlet pipes of the moist gas, and the switch of the valve bodies and the switching of the flow rate are controlled by a controller.

8. A humidification treatment method for a fuel cell humidifier device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: Step 1: When the fuel cell is working, the oxygen in the reaction gas combines with the hydrogen protons transferred from the hydrogen side to produce a large amount of water, which is mixed in the gas after the reaction in the form of water vapor and liquid water; Step 2: After the fuel cell test process is completed, the solenoid valve (15) is opened during the purge phase, and the intermittent opening and closing time is set, with the opening time being 5 seconds and the closing time being 10 seconds, until the purge is completed; Step 3: When the reacted gas enters the fuel cell humidifier device through the reaction gas inlet, heat exchange is performed when passing through the middle position of the diaphragm (3), and a portion of the gaseous water in the lower chamber enters the upper chamber through the micropores (31) of the diaphragm (3), thereby humidifying the dry gas; Step 4: When the fuel cell stack needs to output high power, the compressed and cooled gas is injected into the reaction gas inlet. At this time, water is transferred to the dry air by means of concentration difference. At the same time, the accumulated water at the bottom of the lower chamber is discharged through the drain port (13) and the drain pipe. The solenoid valve (15) and the electric heater (16) are controlled to convert the accumulated water into gaseous water and return it to the upper chamber to humidify the dry gas. Step 5: During the process of starting the pile again, after the air compressor is given the target speed and before the DC enable is turned on, the solenoid valve is opened for 10 seconds and then closed to discharge the accumulated liquid water as soon as possible.

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