An assembly and purging integrated device for a fuel cell stack

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of fuel cell stack assembly blow purging integrated device, including pack shell, upper end plate, several connecting rods, lower end plate, several air distribution pipes and air outlet hole;Pack shell includes top plate, top plate includes air input hole, air distribution cavity, several air distribution holes, air input hole is set to top plate top surface, and is connected with air distribution cavity;Air distribution hole is set to top plate bottom surface, and is connected with air distribution cavity;Connecting rod includes air receiving hole, air dispersion cavity and several blow holes, air receiving hole connects air dispersion cavity, blow hole is set to connecting rod side, and blow hole connects air dispersion cavity;Air distribution pipe one port connects air distribution hole, another port connects air receiving hole, and air outlet hole is set to bottom of side surface.The application makes that blow purging pipe is integrated in pack shell and connecting rod, forms integrated structure, greatly saves cost and reduces the space volume of fuel cell stack.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of fuel cell technology, and in particular to an integrated assembly and purging device for fuel cell stacks. Background Technology

[0002] The fuel cell stack is a crucial power generation device in fuel cell vehicles. It consists of several individual cells stacked together. Therefore, after stacking, all individual cells need to be compressed and secured. Specifically, the fuel cell stack is first compressed using upper and lower end plates, and then secured using several connecting rods. After the end plates and connecting rods secure the fuel cell stack, an assembly is formed. This assembly is then placed inside a pack housing, which provides complete enclosed protection. The pack housing is then mounted on the vehicle's frame.

[0003] However, fuel cell stacks installed within a pack casing will inevitably experience some hydrogen leakage during operation. Since the pack casing is a sealed device, the leaked hydrogen gradually accumulates inside, posing a danger. After all, a fuel cell stack is a high-voltage device, and even a tiny electrical spark could cause an explosion. Therefore, current technology involves periodically purging the inside of the pack casing to expel the hydrogen from the outside.

[0004] Existing purging devices typically involve arranging several purging pipes inside the fuel cell stack and setting several purging holes on these pipes. Therefore, the drawbacks of this existing technology are: the additional purging pipes increase the cost of the fuel cell stack; arranging the purging pipes inside the stack requires extra space for their placement, thus increasing the size of the stack, which in turn increases the space required for the stack in the fuel cell vehicle and also increases the material cost of the stack. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address one of the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides an integrated assembly and purging device for fuel cell stacks. This device integrates the purging pipelines into the pack housing and connecting rods, forming an integrated structure that facilitates assembly, significantly reduces costs, and minimizes the space volume of the fuel cell stack. Furthermore, integrating the pipelines into the pack housing and connecting rods reduces the mass of the housing and improves the power-to-weight ratio.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides the following technical solution: an integrated assembly and purging device for a fuel cell stack, comprising a pack shell, an upper end plate, several connecting rods, and a lower end plate. The top of the back of the connecting rods is fixedly connected to the upper end plate, and the bottom surface of the connecting rods is fixedly connected to the lower end plate. The upper end plate, several connecting rods, and the lower end plate are fixed inside the pack shell. The pack shell includes a top plate located on the upper end plate. The top plate includes an air inlet, an air distribution cavity, and several air distribution holes. The air distribution cavity is a hollow cavity inside the top plate. The air inlet is located on the top surface of the top plate and connected to the air distribution cavity. The air distribution holes are located on the bottom surface of the top plate and connected to the air distribution cavity.

[0007] The connecting rod includes an air receiving hole, an air dispersion cavity, and several purge holes. The air dispersion cavity is a hollow cavity inside the connecting rod. The air receiving hole is connected to the air dispersion cavity. The purge holes are located on the side of the connecting rod and are connected to the air dispersion cavity.

[0008] The integrated assembly and purging device also includes several air distribution pipes and air outlets. The air distribution pipes are located between the top plate and the upper end plate. One end of the air distribution pipe is connected to the air distribution hole, and the other end is connected to the air receiving hole. The air outlets are located at the bottom of the side.

[0009] Furthermore, the integrated assembly and purging device for a fuel cell stack also includes an air switch valve, which is built into the air outlet.

[0010] After adopting the above technical solution, the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: The present invention integrates the fixing and purging of the fuel cell stack, eliminating the need for additional purging pipes, facilitating assembly by staff, thereby greatly saving costs and internal space of the pack casing; at the same time, designing the pipeline into the PACK casing and connecting rods reduces the mass of the casing and improves the power-to-weight ratio; on the other hand, using different purging pipe diameters ensures that the purging gas is evenly purged from leaked hydrogen, preventing excessively high hydrogen concentration in certain areas. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the integrated purging and cleaning device of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the connection between the upper end plate, several connecting rods, the lower end plate, and the air distribution pipe of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 3 This is a top view of the top plate of the pack casing of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 4 This is a bottom view of the top plate of the pack casing of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the top plate of the pack casing of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 6 This is a top view of the connecting rod of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 7 This is a front view of the connecting rod of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 8 This is a rear view of the connecting rod of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 9 This is a right view of the connecting rod of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 10 This is a left view of the connecting rod of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 11 This is a cross-sectional view of the connecting rod of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0022] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. The application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Example

[0023] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment discloses an integrated assembly and purging device for a fuel cell stack, including a pack shell 1, an upper end plate 2, several connecting rods 3, a lower end plate 4, and a fuel cell stack. The top of the back of the connecting rod 3 is fixedly connected to the upper end plate 2, and the bottom surface of the connecting rod 3 is fixedly connected to the lower end plate 4. Figure 2 As shown, a fixed assembly device is formed by connecting the upper end plate 2 and the lower end plate 4 via several connecting rods 3. The fuel cell stack is built into this fixed assembly device. The upper end plate 2 and the lower end plate 4 are used together to compress the fuel cell stack, and the connecting rods 3 are used to fix the fuel cell stack and to fix the connection between the upper end plate 2 and the lower end plate 4. The upper end plate 2, the connecting rods 3, the lower end plate 4, and the fuel cell stack are fixed inside the pack housing 1, that is, the fixed assembly device is built into the pack housing 1, and the pack housing 1 is used to seal the entire fixed assembly device and the fuel cell stack. The pack housing 1 is square and three-dimensional.

[0024] like Figures 3 to 5As shown, the pack housing 1 includes a top plate 11, which is located on the upper end plate 2. The top plate 11 includes an air inlet 111, an air distribution cavity 112, and several air distribution holes 113. The air distribution cavity 112 is a hollow cavity inside the top plate 11. The air inlet 111 is located on the top surface of the top plate 11 and is connected to the air distribution cavity 112. The air distribution holes 113 are located on the bottom surface of the top plate 11 and are connected to the air distribution cavity 112. An air purging device is connected to the air inlet 111 to receive high-pressure air supplied by the air purging device.

[0025] like Figures 6 to 11 As shown, the connecting rod 3 includes an air receiving hole 31, an air dispersion cavity 32, and several purge holes. The air dispersion cavity 32 is a hollow cavity inside the connecting rod 3. The air receiving hole 31 is connected to the air dispersion cavity 32. The purge holes are located on the sides of the connecting rod 3 (including the front, back, left side, and right side) and are connected to the air dispersion cavity 32.

[0026] like Figure 2 As shown, the integrated purging and assembly device also includes several air distribution pipes 5, which are disposed between the top plate 11 and the upper end plate 2. One end of the air distribution pipe 5 is connected to the air distribution hole 113, and the other end is connected to the air receiving hole 31.

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, the integrated purging and assembly device further includes an air outlet 6 and an air switch valve. The air outlet 6 is located at the bottom of the side, preferably at the bottom of the right side. The air switch valve is built into the air outlet 6 and is used for air to enter and exit the air outlet 6.

[0028] This embodiment discloses an integrated assembly and purging device for a fuel cell stack. The purging process is as follows: When it is necessary to purge the inside of the pack shell 1, the air switch valve is opened, and the air inlet 111 of the top plate 11 receives air supplied by the external air purging equipment. The air enters the air distribution chamber 112 through the air inlet 111, and the air distribution chamber 112 supplies the air to the air distribution pipe 5 through the air distribution hole 113. After passing through the air distribution pipe 5, the air enters the air dispersion chamber 32 through the air receiving hole 31 of the connecting rod 3. The air dispersion chamber 32 distributes the air to each purging hole, and the air coming out of the purging hole purifies the inside of the pack shell 1. After the inside of the pack shell 1 is purged, the air switch valve is closed.

[0029] In this embodiment, the top plate 11 of the pack shell 1 is hollowed out to form an air distribution cavity 112, and the connecting rod 3 is hollowed out to form an air dispersion cavity 32. The connecting rod 3 is provided with several purge holes, so that the air distribution cavity 112, the air dispersion cavity 32, and the connecting rod 3 form a closed loop purge pipeline. That is, the fuel cell stack fixing device and the purge pipeline form an integrated device. This embodiment integrates fuel cell stack fixing and purge into a single unit, eliminating the need for additional purge pipes, thus significantly saving costs and internal space within the pack shell.

[0030] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various equivalent changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An integrated assembly and purging device for a fuel cell stack, comprising a pack shell, an upper end plate, several connecting rods, and a lower end plate, wherein the top of the back of each connecting rod is fixedly connected to the upper end plate, and the bottom of each connecting rod is fixedly connected to the lower end plate; the upper end plate, the several connecting rods, and the lower end plate are fixed within the pack shell; characterized in that, The pack casing includes a top plate located on the upper end plate. The top plate includes an air inlet, an air distribution cavity, and several air distribution holes. The air distribution cavity is a hollow cavity inside the top plate. The air inlet is located on the top surface of the top plate and is connected to the air distribution cavity. The air distribution hole is located on the bottom surface of the top plate and is connected to the air distribution cavity; The connecting rod includes an air receiving hole, an air dispersion cavity, and several purge holes. The air dispersion cavity is a hollow cavity inside the connecting rod. The air receiving hole is connected to the air dispersion cavity. The purge holes are located on the side of the connecting rod and are connected to the air dispersion cavity. The integrated assembly and purging device also includes several air distribution pipes and air outlets. The air distribution pipes are located between the top plate and the upper end plate. One end of the air distribution pipe is connected to the air distribution hole and the other end is connected to the air receiving hole. The air outlets are located at the bottom of the side. It also includes an air switch valve, which is built into the air outlet and is used for air to enter and exit the air outlet. An air distribution chamber is formed by hollowing out the top plate of the pack housing, and an air dispersion chamber is formed by hollowing out the connecting rod. Several purge holes are provided on the connecting rod, so that the air distribution chamber, the air dispersion chamber and the connecting rod form a closed loop to form a purge pipeline. This realizes both the function of fixing the fuel cell stack and delivering the purge airflow, without the need for an additional independent purge pipe.

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