A membrane device for fuel cell cathode processing and a control method thereof

Abstract

This invention provides an oxygen permeable membrane device and its control method for fuel cell cathode treatment. The device includes an air inlet, an air chamber, an oxygen outlet, an oxygen permeable membrane assembly, an exhaust gas chamber, an exhaust gas outlet, and an annular PTC heater assembly. The control method includes heating the first to Nth layers of the oxygen permeable membrane to T2℃, determining whether the amount of oxygen produced meets the operating requirements of the fuel cell engine, and maintaining the oxygen permeable membrane in a heated state; increasing the surface area within the oxygen permeable device by utilizing the oxygen permeable membrane assembly; isolating air, oxygen, and exhaust gas using the inlet chamber and exhaust gas chamber to improve oxygen purity; and improving the temperature uniformity of the oxygen permeable membrane assembly using the PTC heater assembly. It allows for the efficient arrangement of large-area oxygen permeable membranes; allows adjustment of the working area of ​​the oxygen permeable membranes under different operating conditions; and allows control over the number of oxygen permeable membranes participating in the reaction under different operating conditions using the oxygen permeable membrane assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of fuel cell technology, specifically relating to an oxygen-permeable membrane device for fuel cell cathode treatment and its control method. Background Technology

[0002] Oxygen is a crucial reactant in fuel cells. Current fuel cell systems utilize only ambient air without any pretreatment, which limits the power output of the fuel cell stack due to the low oxygen content in natural air. Therefore, producing pure oxygen by treating air using an oxygen-permeable membrane has become a key direction for future fuel cell system development. However, the efficiency of current oxygen-permeable membranes in treating air remains low, and the required membrane area for processing the oxygen needed for normal fuel cell engine operation is large. Therefore, deploying large-area oxygen-permeable membranes is a crucial step in promoting the large-scale application of oxygen permeability technology. Furthermore, better separation of air, oxygen, and exhaust gases is another problem that needs to be solved in the practical application of oxygen permeability technology.

[0003] Increasing oxygen concentration can improve fuel cell stack performance; existing single-layer or multi-layer oxygen permeable membrane structures do not combine high-temperature oxygen permeable membrane technology with fuel cell engines, and there is no efficient arrangement scheme for large-area oxygen permeable membranes; large-area oxygen permeable membranes result in uneven temperature distribution. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides an oxygen permeation membrane device and its control method for fuel cell cathode treatment.

[0005] Firstly, the device includes an air inlet, an air chamber, an oxygen outlet, an oxygen-permeable membrane assembly, an exhaust chamber, an exhaust outlet, and a PTC heater assembly. The air chamber and the exhaust chamber have a sealed structure and are connected by an oxygen-permeable membrane assembly in the middle. A PTC heater assembly is provided. The air chamber is provided with an air inlet, and the exhaust chamber is provided with an exhaust outlet.

[0006] Specifically, the oxygen-permeable membrane assembly is provided with an oxygen-permeable membrane tube.

[0007] Specifically, the PTC heater assembly has a ring structure, which is disposed inside and outside the oxygen permeable membrane assembly. Multiple ring structures can be disposed, distributed between the layers of the layered oxygen permeable membrane tubes.

[0008] Specifically, the PTC heater assembly is provided with a three-layer ring structure, and an oxygen-permeable membrane tube is provided between the three-layer ring structure.

[0009] Specifically, the oxygen outlet is located in the middle of the device.

[0010] Secondly, a control method for an oxygen-permeable membrane device for cathode treatment of a fuel cell, the control method being used to control the aforementioned oxygen-permeable membrane device for cathode treatment of a fuel cell, comprising the following steps:

[0011] S01 fuel cell engine starts;

[0012] The SO2 oxygen permeable membrane device is started;

[0013] S03 All PTC heaters are heated to T1℃ to activate all oxygen-permeable membranes;

[0014] S04 heats the first oxygen-permeable membrane to T2℃ and determines whether the amount of oxygen produced meets the operating requirements of the fuel cell engine. If yes, the oxygen-permeable membrane is kept heated; otherwise, the second oxygen-permeable membrane is heated to T2℃, and so on, until the Nth oxygen-permeable membrane is heated to T2℃. After determining that the operating requirements of the fuel cell engine are met, the oxygen-permeable membrane is kept heated.

[0015] S05 oxygen permeable membrane device stops heating;

[0016] The S06 fuel cell engine shut down.

[0017] Specifically, in step S04, T1℃ is set to 400-600℃.

[0018] Preferably, in step S04, T1℃ is set to 500℃.

[0019] Specifically, in step S04, T2℃ is set to 800-900℃.

[0020] Preferably, in step S04, T2℃ is set to 850℃.

[0021] This invention proposes a structural scheme for arranging oxygen-permeable membranes on a fuel cell engine; it utilizes an oxygen-permeable membrane array to increase the surface area within the oxygen permeation device; it uses an intake chamber and an exhaust chamber to isolate air, oxygen, and exhaust gas, thereby improving oxygen purity; and it utilizes a PTC heating element to improve the temperature uniformity of the oxygen-permeable membrane array. This enables the application of oxygen-permeable membrane technology in fuel cell engines; it allows for the efficient arrangement of large-area oxygen-permeable membranes; it allows for adjustment of the working area of ​​the oxygen-permeable membranes under different operating conditions; and it effectively separates air, oxygen, and exhaust gas. The number of oxygen-permeable membranes participating in the reaction can be controlled using the oxygen-permeable membrane array at different operating conditions. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The above and other objects, features and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent from the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals generally denote like parts.

[0023] Figure 1 An oxygen-permeable membrane device for cathode treatment of a fuel cell is shown in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 An embodiment of the present invention illustrates a control method for an oxygen-permeable membrane device used for cathode treatment of a fuel cell.

[0025] Reference numerals: 1-Air inlet; 2-Air chamber; 3-Oxygen outlet; 4-Oxygen-permeable membrane assembly; 5-Exhaust chamber; 6-Exhaust outlet; 7-Annular PTC heater assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0026] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0027] The term "comprising" and its variations, as used herein, indicate open inclusion, meaning "including but not limited to". Unless otherwise stated, the term "or" means "and / or". The term "based on" means "at least partially based on". The terms "connected" and "connected" mean a connection or link, directly or indirectly, through other components. The terms "first", "second", etc., may refer to different or the same objects, but do not directly indicate a difference in order or importance. Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides an oxygen permeable membrane device for cathode treatment of fuel cells, including an air inlet 1, an air chamber 2, an oxygen outlet 3, an oxygen permeable membrane assembly 4, an exhaust gas chamber 5, an exhaust gas outlet 6, and an annular PTC heater assembly 7.

[0029] The air chamber 2 and the exhaust chamber 5 have a sealed structure and are connected by an oxygen-permeable membrane group 4 in the middle. An annular PTC heater group 7 is provided to heat the oxygen-permeable membrane. The air chamber 2 is provided with an air inlet 1 and the exhaust chamber 5 is provided with an exhaust outlet 6.

[0030] Specifically, to increase the oxygen permeable membrane area within a fixed volume, the oxygen permeable membrane is designed as a series of thin tubular structures that are then integrated. The number of tubular structures participating in the reaction is adjusted according to the required oxygen flow rate. Three annular PTC heaters, one inside and one outside the oxygen permeable membrane, are used to heat it. As the required oxygen flow rate of the fuel cell system increases, the PTC heaters heat each layer sequentially, thereby controlling the number of oxygen permeable membrane tubes participating in the reaction. Furthermore, to separate air, oxygen, and exhaust gas, two sealed gas chambers are designed before and after the PTC heating structure, and the oxygen permeable membrane tubes are appropriately lengthened to ensure the oxygen purity within the oxygen chamber.

[0031] like Figure 2 As shown, a control method for an oxygen-permeable membrane device for fuel cell cathode treatment includes the following steps:

[0032] S01 fuel cell engine starts;

[0033] The SO2 oxygen permeable membrane device is started;

[0034] The S03 three-layer PTC heater heats the temperature to 500℃ to activate all oxygen-permeable membranes;

[0035] S04 heats the first oxygen-permeable membrane to 850°C and determines whether the amount of oxygen produced meets the operating requirements of the fuel cell engine. If yes, the oxygen-permeable membrane is kept heated. If no, the second oxygen-permeable membrane is heated to 850°C, and so on, until the third oxygen-permeable membrane is heated to 850°C. After determining that the operating requirements of the fuel cell engine are met, the oxygen-permeable membrane is kept heated.

[0036] S05 oxygen permeable membrane device stops heating;

[0037] The S06 fuel cell engine shut down.

[0038] The various embodiments of this disclosure have been described above. These descriptions are exemplary and not exhaustive, and are not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles, practical applications, or improvements to the prior art of the embodiments, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A control method for a membrane device for oxygen permeation for cathode processing of a fuel cell, characterized by, The oxygen-permeable membrane device includes an air inlet, an air chamber, an oxygen outlet, an oxygen-permeable membrane assembly, an exhaust gas chamber, an exhaust gas outlet, and a PTC heater assembly. The air chamber and the exhaust gas chamber have a sealed structure and are connected by the oxygen-permeable membrane assembly. The air chamber has an air inlet, and the exhaust gas chamber has an exhaust gas outlet. The oxygen-permeable membrane assembly includes an oxygen-permeable membrane tube. The PTC heater assembly has a ring-shaped structure and is located inside and outside the oxygen-permeable membrane assembly. The PTC heater assembly has a three-layer ring structure, with the oxygen-permeable membrane tube between the three ring structures. The control method includes the following steps: S01 fuel cell engine starts; The SO2 oxygen permeable membrane device is started; S03 All PTC heaters are heated to T1℃ to activate all oxygen-permeable membranes; T1℃ is set to 400-600℃; S04 heats the first oxygen-permeable membrane to T2℃ and determines whether the amount of oxygen produced meets the operating requirements of the fuel cell engine. If yes, the oxygen-permeable membrane is kept heated; otherwise, the second oxygen-permeable membrane is heated to T2℃, and so on, until the third oxygen-permeable membrane is heated to T2℃. After determining that the operating requirements of the fuel cell engine are met, the oxygen-permeable membrane is kept heated. S05 oxygen permeation device stops heating; The S06 fuel cell engine shut down.

2. The control method for an oxygen-permeable membrane device for fuel cell cathode treatment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The oxygen outlet is located in the middle of the device.

3. The control method for an oxygen-permeable membrane device for fuel cell cathode treatment according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S03, T1℃ is set to 500℃.

4. The control method for an oxygen-permeable membrane device for fuel cell cathode treatment according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S04, T2℃ is set to 800-900℃.

5. The control method for an oxygen-permeable membrane device for fuel cell cathode treatment according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S04, T2℃ is set to 850℃.

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