A membrane humidifier for a fuel cell

Abstract

The application provides a membrane humidifier for a fuel cell, which comprises a humidifier shell, one end of the humidifier shell is provided with a detachable double-slope air inlet end cover, one side of the humidifier shell away from the double-slope air inlet end cover is provided with a detachable double-slope air outlet end cover, a humidifying core is arranged in the humidifier shell, the top end of the double-slope air inlet end cover is provided with a dry gas inlet, the top end of the double-slope air outlet end cover is provided with a wet gas outlet, the double-slope air inlet end cover and the double-slope air outlet end cover have a double-slope structure which is symmetrical along the diagonal line, and the upper surface of the humidifier shell is provided with a water gas inlet and a water gas outlet, compared with the prior art, the application has the beneficial effects that: the gas can be more evenly distributed in the double-slope air inlet collecting cavity, the volume of the humidifier is effectively reduced, and the flow resistance of the humidified gas is reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application is a membrane humidifier for fuel cell, belonging to the field of fuel cell. BACKGROUND

[0002] Proton exchange membrane fuel cell is the main power source of fuel cell vehicle, which converts the chemical energy stored in hydrogen into electrical energy to drive the motor to drive the vehicle during operation. For proton exchange membrane fuel cell, maintaining proper membrane humidity is one of the key factors to achieve its performance optimization. Generally, when the proton exchange membrane is in an incomplete hydration state, its conductivity will be significantly reduced, resulting in increased resistance loss, reduced fuel cell output power, and possible local overheating spots, reducing the service life of the proton exchange membrane. Reasonable control of the inlet humidity of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell is crucial to achieve safe and efficient operation of the fuel cell.

[0003] To maintain the proton exchange membrane in a reasonable humidity range, a humidifier is usually used to humidify the gas entering the fuel cell. The membrane humidifier is a common fuel cell membrane humidifier. It uses a hollow membrane bundle tube, and dry and wet gases flow on the inner and outer surfaces of the membrane tube respectively. Water migrates from the outer surface to the inner surface of the hollow fiber membrane tube through the hollow fiber membrane tube to humidify the dry reaction gas. For traditional membrane humidifiers, in order to make the humidified gas pass through the hollow membrane bundle tube uniformly, a single slope type inlet manifold is usually provided at the inlet and outlet of the humidified gas. The uniformity of the distribution of the humidified gas entering the manifold is related to the slope angle of the manifold. However, in order to make the humidifier compact, the limited assembly space limits the slope angle, so the traditional membrane humidifier often has the problems of uneven distribution of the humidified gas, poor humidification effect, and large resistance along the way. SUMMARY

[0004] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the application aims to provide a membrane humidifier for fuel cell to solve the problems in the background art.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the application is implemented by the following technical scheme: a membrane humidifier for fuel cell, comprising a humidifier shell, one end of the humidifier shell is provided with a detachable double-slope type inlet end cover, the side of the humidifier shell away from the double-slope type inlet end cover is provided with a detachable double-slope type outlet end cover, a humidification core is installed in the humidifier shell, a dry gas inlet is installed at the top end of the double-slope type inlet end cover, a wet gas outlet is installed at the top end of the double-slope type outlet end cover, the double-slope type inlet end cover and the double-slope type outlet end cover have a double-slope type structure symmetrical along the diagonal line, and a water inlet and a water outlet are installed on the upper surface of the humidifier shell.

[0006] Further, the humidifying core comprises a dry gas partition, a first water vapor baffle, a second water vapor baffle, a third water vapor baffle, a wet gas partition and a membrane tube bundle, the double-slope air inlet end cover, the dry gas partition and the dry gas inlet end of the humidifier shell jointly form a double-slope air inlet collecting cavity, the double-slope air outlet end cover, the wet gas partition and the wet gas outlet end of the humidifier shell jointly form a double-slope air outlet collecting cavity, and the membrane tube bundle communicates the double-slope air inlet collecting cavity and the double-slope air outlet collecting cavity to form a dry gas channel.

[0007] Further, the water vapor inlet and the water vapor outlet are distributed at opposite positions on the upper surface of the humidifier shell, and the water vapor inlet and the water vapor outlet communicate with the inner cavity of the humidifier shell and form a serpentine water vapor channel with the first water vapor baffle, the second water vapor baffle and the third water vapor baffle of the humidifying core.

[0008] Further, the serpentine water vapor channel and the dry gas channel intersect in the humidifier shell, and water vapor exchange is carried out through the membrane tube bundle to humidify the dry gas.

[0009] Further, one side of the dry gas partition facing the wet gas partition and one side of the wet gas partition facing the dry gas partition are rotatably connected with two discs, a plurality of detachable membrane tube bundles are uniformly arranged between two corresponding discs, the outer surface of the disc is processed with a gear tooth, the disc is engaged with a transmission gear through the gear tooth, the transmission gear is rotatably installed in the humidifier shell, the transmission gear is engaged with a power gear, the power gear is installed at the output end of the motor, and the motor is fixed in the humidifier shell.

[0010] Further, the humidifier shell is an integrally injection molded shell, and the humidifier shell is in the shape of a square barrel.

[0011] Further, the double-slope air inlet end cover comprises a first lower triangular surface, a first upper triangular surface, a first upper trapezoidal surface, a first left trapezoidal surface, a first lower trapezoidal surface, a first right trapezoidal surface, an air inlet collecting cavity and a first fixed surface.

[0012] Further, the double-slope air outlet end cover comprises a second lower triangular surface, a second upper triangular surface, a second upper trapezoidal surface, a second left trapezoidal surface, a second lower trapezoidal surface, a second right trapezoidal surface, an air outlet collecting cavity and a second fixed surface.

[0013] Further, one side of the double-slope air inlet end cover and one side of the double-slope air outlet end cover are both provided with a plurality of connecting rods, one end of the connecting rod is fixedly connected with a piston, the piston is inserted into a cylinder, a plurality of connecting seats are uniformly fixedly connected to the outer surface of the cylinder, the connecting seats are fixedly connected with the humidifier shell, the cylinder is connected with a collecting pipe through a branch pipe, the outer surface of the collecting pipe is connected with a connecting pipe in communication with the collecting pipe, one end of the connecting pipe away from the collecting pipe extends to the outside of the humidifier shell and is provided with a stop valve for connecting with an air extraction device.

[0014] Further, the outer surface of one end of the connecting rod away from the piston is provided with external threads, the double-slope air inlet end cover and the double-slope air outlet end cover are both provided with threaded blind holes at the positions where the connecting rods are installed, and one end of the connecting rod away from the piston is threadedly connected in the threaded blind hole.

[0015] Advantages of the present application:

[0016] 1. The air inlet end cover and the air outlet end cover both adopt a double-slope structure, compared with the traditional single-slope structure, the double-slope structure can make the gas more evenly distributed in the double-slope air inlet collecting cavity.

[0017] 2. The contradiction between the slope of the traditional humidifier collecting body and the gas mixing uniformity is overcome, the volume of the humidifier is effectively reduced, and the assembly structure is more compact.

[0018] 3. The double-slope air inlet end cover and the double-slope air outlet end cover cooperate to form a relatively uniform pressure difference on both sides of the humidifying core, reduce the flow resistance of the humidified gas, and the humidification effect is better. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] Other features, objects and advantages of the present application will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the attached drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a membrane humidifier for a fuel cell according to the present application;

[0021] Figure 2 It is an explosion schematic diagram of a membrane humidifier for a fuel cell according to the present application;

[0022] Figure 3 It is a perspective view of a humidifier shell in a membrane humidifier for a fuel cell according to the present application;

[0023] Figure 4 It is a perspective view of a humidifying core in a membrane humidifier for a fuel cell according to the present application;

[0024] Figure 5Assembling diagram of humidifying core and shell in a membrane humidifier for fuel cell of the present application;

[0025] Figure 6 Assembling diagram of humidifying core and shell in a membrane humidifier for fuel cell of the present application; Figure 5 Sectional view of A-A in the figure;

[0026] Figure 7 Stereogram of double-slope type air inlet end cover in a membrane humidifier for fuel cell of the present application;

[0027] Figure 8 Stereogram of double-slope type air inlet end cover in a membrane humidifier for fuel cell of the present application;

[0028] Figure 9 Stereogram of double-slope type air outlet end cover in a membrane humidifier for fuel cell of the present application;

[0029] Figure 10 Stereogram of double-slope type air inlet end cover in a membrane humidifier for fuel cell of the present application;

[0030] Figure 11 Assembling diagram of stop valve and humidifier shell in a membrane humidifier for fuel cell of the present application;

[0031] Figure 12 Assembling diagram of collecting pipe, air cylinder and humidifier shell in a membrane humidifier for fuel cell of the present application;

[0032] Figure 13 Assembling diagram of collecting pipe, air cylinder and humidifier shell in a membrane humidifier for fuel cell of the present application; Figure 12 Enlarged view of B in the figure;

[0033] Figure 14 Assembling diagram of collecting pipe, air cylinder and humidifier shell in a membrane humidifier for fuel cell of the present application;

[0034] In the figure: 1 - double slope type air inlet end cover, 11 - dry gas inlet, 12 - first lower triangular surface, 13 - first upper triangular surface, 14 - first upper trapezoidal surface, 15 - first left trapezoidal surface, 16 - first lower trapezoidal surface, 17 - first right trapezoidal surface, 18 - air inlet collecting cavity, 19 - first fixed surface, 2 - double slope type air outlet end cover, 21 - wet gas outlet, 22 - second lower triangular surface, 23 - second upper triangular surface, 24 - second upper trapezoidal surface, 25 - second left trapezoidal surface, 26 - second lower trapezoidal surface, 27 - second right trapezoidal surface, 28 - air outlet collecting cavity, 29 - second fixed surface, 3 - humidifier shell, 31 - water gas inlet, 32 - water gas outlet, 34 - dry gas inlet end, 33 - wet gas outlet end, 4 - humidifying core, 41 - dry gas partition, 42 - first water gas baffle, 43 - second water gas baffle, 44 - wet gas partition, 45 - third water gas baffle, 46 - membrane tube bundle, 5 - connecting pipe, 6 - stop valve, 7 - collecting pipe, 8 - air cylinder, 9 - piston, 10 - connecting rod, 4401 - disc, 4402 - transmission gear, 4403 - power gear, 4404 - motor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to make the technical means, creative features, purposes and effects of the present application easy to understand, the present application will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0036] Example 1: please refer to Figures 1 to 10 The present application provides a technical solution: a membrane humidifier for fuel cell, comprising a humidifier shell 3, the humidifier shell 3 is an integrally injection molded shell, and the humidifier shell 3 is a square barrel, one end of the humidifier shell 3 is provided with a detachable double slope type air inlet end cover 1, the side of the humidifier shell 3 away from the double slope type air inlet end cover 1 is provided with a detachable double slope type air outlet end cover 2, a humidifying core 4 is installed in the humidifier shell 3, a dry gas inlet 11 is installed at the top end of the double slope type air inlet end cover 1, a wet gas outlet 21 is installed at the top end of the double slope type air outlet end cover 2, the double slope type air inlet end cover 1 and the double slope type air outlet end cover 2 have a double slope type structure symmetrical along the diagonal, and a water gas inlet 31 and a water gas outlet 32 are installed on the upper surface of the humidifier shell 3.

[0037] The humidifying core 4 comprises a dry gas partition plate 41, a first water vapor baffle 42, a second water vapor baffle 43, a third water vapor baffle 45, a wet gas partition plate 44 and a membrane tube bundle 46, the double-slope air inlet end cover 1, the dry gas partition plate 41 and the dry gas inlet end 33 of the humidifier shell 3 jointly form a double-slope air inlet collecting cavity 18, the double-slope air outlet end cover 2, the wet gas partition plate 44 and the wet gas outlet end 34 of the humidifier shell 3 jointly form a double-slope air outlet collecting cavity 28, the membrane tube bundle 46 connects the double-slope air inlet collecting cavity 18 and the double-slope air outlet collecting cavity 28 to form a dry gas channel, the water vapor inlet 31 and the water vapor outlet 32 are distributed on the opposite diagonal positions of the upper surface of the humidifier shell 3, the water vapor inlet 31 and the water vapor outlet 32 communicate with the inner cavity of the humidifier shell 3 and form a serpentine water vapor channel with the first water vapor baffle 42, the second water vapor baffle 43 and the third water vapor baffle 45 of the humidifying core 4, the serpentine water vapor channel and the dry gas channel intersect in the humidifier shell 3, the water vapor is exchanged with the dry gas through the membrane tube bundle 46 to humidify the dry gas, the double-slope air inlet end cover 1 is installed on the dry gas inlet end 33 of the humidifier shell 3 and jointly forms the double-slope air inlet collecting cavity 18 with the dry gas partition plate 41, the double-slope air outlet end cover 2 is installed on the wet gas outlet end 34 of the humidifier shell 3 and jointly forms the double-slope air outlet collecting cavity 28 with the wet gas partition plate 44, the dry gas partition plate 41, the first water vapor baffle 42, the second water vapor baffle 43, the third water vapor baffle 45 and the wet gas partition plate 44 of the humidifying core 4 all have micropores, the membrane tube bundle 46 vertically penetrates the above-mentioned micropores and connects the double-slope air inlet collecting cavity 18 and the double-slope air outlet collecting cavity 28 to form the dry gas channel, the humidified gas enters the dry gas collecting cavity through the dry gas inlet 11, under the action of the double-slope structure, the humidified gas is uniformly distributed in the limited space, and meanwhile, cooperating with the double-slope wet gas collecting cavity, the humidified gas can form a relatively uniform pressure difference on both sides of the humidifying core 4, under the action of the pressure difference, the humidified gas uniformly enters the humidifying core 4, compared with the traditional single-slope structure, the double-slope structure can make the gas more uniformly distributed in the double-slope air inlet collecting cavity 18, overcomes the contradiction between the slope of the traditional humidifier collecting body and the uniformity of gas mixing, effectively reduces the volume of the humidifier, makes the assembly structure more compact, the double-slope air inlet end cover 1 cooperates with the double-slope air outlet end cover 2 to form a relatively uniform pressure difference on both sides of the humidifying core 4, reduces the flow resistance of the humidified gas along the way, and the humidification effect is better.

[0038] The double-slope air inlet end cover 1 comprises a first lower triangular surface 12, a first upper triangular surface 13, a first upper trapezoidal surface 14, a first left trapezoidal surface 15, a first lower trapezoidal surface 16, a first right trapezoidal surface 17, an air inlet collecting cavity 18 and a first fixing surface 19. The first lower triangular surface 12, the first upper triangular surface 13, the first upper trapezoidal surface 14, the first left trapezoidal surface 15, the first lower trapezoidal surface 16 and the first right trapezoidal surface 17 jointly form the double-slope air inlet collecting cavity 18. The first fixing surface 19 is designed to facilitate the disassembly and assembly of the double-slope air inlet end cover 1 and the humidifier shell 3.

[0039] The double-slope air outlet end cover 2 comprises a second lower triangular surface 22, a second upper triangular surface 23, a second upper trapezoidal surface 24, a second left trapezoidal surface 25, a second lower trapezoidal surface 26, a second right trapezoidal surface 27, an air outlet collecting cavity 28 and a second fixing surface 29. The second lower triangular surface 22, the second upper triangular surface 23, the second upper trapezoidal surface 24, the second left trapezoidal surface 25, the second lower trapezoidal surface 26 and the second right trapezoidal surface 27 jointly form the double-slope air outlet collecting cavity 28. The second fixing surface 29 is designed to facilitate the disassembly and assembly of the double-slope air outlet end cover 2 and the humidifier shell 3.

[0040] Embodiment 2: Please refer to Figures 11-13 The double-slope air inlet end cover 1 and the double-slope air outlet end cover 2 are both provided with a plurality of connecting rods 10 on the side facing the humidifier shell 3. The other end of the connecting rod 10 is fixedly connected with a piston 9. The piston 9 is inserted into the air cylinder 8. The outer surface of the air cylinder 8 is uniformly fixedly connected with a plurality of connecting seats. The connecting seats are fixedly connected with the humidifier shell 3. The air cylinder 8 and the humidifier shell 3 are connected through the connecting seats, thereby improving the reliability of the connection between the air cylinder 8 and the humidifier shell 3. The air cylinder 8 is connected with a collecting pipe 7 through a branch pipe. The outer surface of the collecting pipe 7 is connected with a connecting pipe 5 in communication with the collecting pipe 7. The end of the connecting pipe 5 away from the collecting pipe 7 extends to the outside of the humidifier shell 3 and is provided with a stop valve 6 for connecting with an air extraction device. After the piston 9 is inserted into the air cylinder 8, the first fixing surface 19 and the second fixing surface 29 are attached to the humidifier shell 3. At this time, there is a certain gap between the piston 9 and the branch pipe. The stop valve 6 is connected to the air extraction device. The air extraction device extracts the air in the air cylinder 8 through the connecting pipe 5 and the collecting pipe 7, so that the air on both sides of the piston 9 in the air cylinder 8 has a pressure difference. Under the action of the pressure difference, the piston 9 is limited in the air cylinder 8, that is, the connection between the first fixing surface 19, the second fixing surface 29 and the humidifier shell 3 is completed.

[0041] The outer surface of the end of the connecting rod 10 away from the piston 9 is provided with external threads. Threaded blind holes are formed in the positions where the double-slope air inlet end cover 1 and the double-slope air outlet end cover 2 are installed with the connecting rod 10. The end of the connecting rod 10 away from the piston 9 is threadedly connected in the threaded blind hole. The end of the connecting rod 10 with external threads is screwed into the threaded blind hole, thereby realizing the convenient disassembly and assembly of the connecting rod 10 and the double-slope air inlet end cover 1 and the double-slope air outlet end cover 2.

[0042] Embodiment 3: please refer to Figure 14 The one side of the dry gas partition plate 41 facing the wet gas partition plate 44 and the one side of the wet gas partition plate 44 facing the dry gas partition plate 41 are rotatably connected with two discs 4401, a plurality of detachable membrane tube bundles 46 are uniformly arranged between the two corresponding discs 4401, the outer surface of the disc 4401 is processed with a gear, the disc 4401 is engaged with a transmission gear 4402 through the gear, the transmission gear 4402 is rotatably arranged in the humidifier shell 3, the transmission gear 4402 is engaged with a power gear 4403, the power gear 4403 is arranged at the output end of a motor 4404, the motor 4404 is fixed in the humidifier shell 3, after the circuit of the motor 4404 is turned on, the motor 4404 drives the power gear 4403 to rotate, the power gear 4403 drives the disc 4401 to rotate through the transmission gear 4402, so that the membrane tube bundle 46 arranged between the two corresponding discs 4401 rotates, that is, the upper membrane tube bundle 46 moves to the lower side, and the lower membrane tube bundle 46 moves to the upper side, realizing the up-down alternating movement of the membrane tube bundle 46, solving the problem that the water is prone to move downward under the action of gravity, and the humidity at the bottom of the humidifier shell 3 is greater than that at the top, which is not conducive to the uniform absorption of water vapor by each membrane tube bundle 46.

[0043] The above shows and describes the basic principles and main features of the present application and the advantages of the present application, for those skilled in the art, it is obvious that the present application is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and the present application can be realized in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or basic characteristics of the present application. Therefore, from any point of view, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-limiting, the scope of the present application is defined by the appended claims rather than the above description, therefore all changes falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims are intended to be included in the present application.

[0044] In addition, it should be understood that although the present specification is described in terms of embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution, and the description manner of the specification is only for the sake of clarity, those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that those skilled in the art can understand.

Claims

1. A membrane humidifier for a fuel cell, comprising a humidifier housing (3), characterized in that: A detachable double-slope air inlet cap (1) is installed at one end of the humidifier housing (3). A detachable double-slope air outlet cap (2) is installed on the side of the humidifier housing (3) away from the double-slope air inlet cap (1). A humidifying core (4) is installed inside the humidifier housing (3). A dry gas inlet (11) is installed at the top of the double-slope air inlet cap (1). A wet gas outlet (21) is installed at the top of the double-slope air outlet cap (2). The double-slope air inlet cap (1) and the double-slope air outlet cap (2) have a double-slope structure symmetrical along the diagonal. A water gas inlet (31) and a water gas outlet (32) are installed on the upper surface of the humidifier housing (3). The humidifying core (4) includes a dry gas baffle (41), a first water gas baffle (42), a second water gas baffle (43), a third water gas baffle (45), a wet gas baffle (44), and a membrane tube bundle (46). The double-slope inlet end cap (1), dry gas baffle (41), and dry gas inlet end (33) of humidifier housing (3) together constitute a double-slope inlet collecting cavity (18). The double-slope outlet end cap (2), wet gas baffle (44), and wet gas outlet end (34) of humidifier housing (3) together constitute a double-slope outlet collecting cavity (28). The membrane bundle (46) connects to the double-slope inlet collecting cavity (18). The humidifier housing (3) and the double-sloping air collection cavity (28) form a dry gas channel. The water inlet (31) and water outlet (32) are distributed at diagonal positions on the upper surface of the humidifier housing (3). The water inlet (31) and water outlet (32) are connected to the inner cavity of the humidifier housing (3) and form a serpentine water channel with the first water baffle (42), the second water baffle (43) and the third water baffle (45) of the humidifier core (4).

2. A membrane humidifier for a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The serpentine water vapor channel and dry gas channel intersect inside the humidifier housing (3) and humidify the dry gas by exchanging water vapor through the membrane tube bundle (46).

3. A membrane humidifier for a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The humidifier housing (3) is an integrally injection molded housing, and the humidifier housing (3) is in the shape of a square barrel.

4. A membrane humidifier for a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The double-slope air intake end cap (1) includes a first lower triangular surface (12), a first upper triangular surface (13), a first upper trapezoidal surface (14), a first left trapezoidal surface (15), a first lower trapezoidal surface (16), a first right trapezoidal surface (17), an air intake manifold (18), and a first fixed surface (19).

5. A membrane humidifier for a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The double-slope air outlet end cap (2) includes a second lower triangular surface (22), a second upper triangular surface (23), a second upper trapezoidal surface (24), a second left trapezoidal surface (25), a second lower trapezoidal surface (26), a second right trapezoidal surface (27), an air outlet collection cavity (28), and a second fixed surface (29).

6. A membrane humidifier for a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: Several connecting rods (10) are installed on the side of the double-slope air inlet cap (1) facing the humidifier housing (3) and the side of the double-slope air outlet cap (2) facing the humidifier housing (3). A piston (9) is fixedly connected to the other end of the connecting rod (10). The piston (9) is inserted into the air cylinder (8). The air cylinder (8) is fixed on the inner wall of the humidifier housing (3). The air cylinder (8) is connected to the main pipe (7) through a branch pipe. A connecting pipe (5) communicating with the main pipe (7) is connected to the outer surface of the main pipe (7). The end of the connecting pipe (5) away from the main pipe (7) extends to the outside of the humidifier housing (3) and is equipped with a shut-off valve (6) for connecting the air extraction device.

7. A membrane humidifier for a fuel cell according to claim 6, characterized in that: The outer surface of the connecting rod (10) away from the piston (9) is machined with external threads. The double-slope air inlet end cap (1) and the double-slope air outlet end cap (2) are both provided with threaded blind holes at the positions where the connecting rod (10) is installed. The end of the connecting rod (10) away from the piston (9) is threadedly connected in the threaded blind hole.

8. A membrane humidifier for a fuel cell according to claim 6, characterized in that: The outer surface of the air cylinder (8) is uniformly and fixedly connected with several connecting seats, and the connecting seats are fixedly connected to the humidifier housing (3).

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