Air supply device for fuel cell

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air supply device for a fuel cell, and more particularly, to an air supply device for a fuel cell, which can prevent overheating by means of high efficiency operation of a blower for supplying air required for reaction in a fuel cell and can prevent a problem of damage to a fuel cell due to supply of oxygen and foreign matters, etc. to an air electrode when the fuel cell is stored, while preventing overheating of an air generating portion of the blower and lowering the temperature of air supplied to the air electrode by ejecting a part of air supplied from the air generating portion of the blower to the outside of the air generating portion.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to an air supply device for a fuel cell, and more particularly, to an air supply device for a fuel cell, which can prevent overheating by means of high efficiency operation of a blower fan and prevent damage to a fuel cell due to supply of oxygen and foreign matter, etc. to an air electrode when the fuel cell is stored, and can prevent overheating of an air generating portion and reduce the temperature of air supplied to the air electrode by ejecting a part of air supplied from the air generating portion of the blower fan to the outside of the air generating portion. BACKGROUND

[0002] A fuel cell is an energy conversion device that converts chemical energy possessed by a fuel into electric energy through an electrochemical reaction, and can be used not only to supply industrial, household, and vehicle electric power, but also to supply electric power to small electric / electronic products and portable devices.

[0003] Although fuel cells include various types, a high-power-density polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) described in the following patent document is mainly used, in which a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) is disposed at the innermost side, and a solid polymer electrolyte membrane that can move hydrogen ions and electrode layers, i.e., a cathode and an anode, that can cause hydrogen and oxygen to react by being coated with a catalyst are disposed on the membrane electrode assembly. At this time, hydrogen is supplied to the anode and oxygen is supplied to the cathode, and thus electric power is generated by the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen contained in air.

[0004] In addition, a large amount of heat is generated when a reaction occurs in a fuel cell, and thus a fluid for cooling must be supplied.

[0005] A fuel cell can be classified into a water-cooled type and an air-cooled type according to a cooling method, and in order to simplify the configuration of a device and achieve miniaturization and light weight, an air-cooled type using air for cooling is mainly used, and in general, air for a reaction and air for cooling are supplied together into a fuel cell through a blower module, etc. as described in the following patent document.

[0006] In the case described above, a cathode having supplied air is always in an open state to the outside, and thus can cause a corrosion problem and a problem of being easily affected by an external environment.

[0007] Therefore, a system for supplying air through a pump and a blower has been developed and put into use, but in the case of using a pump, there is a problem in that the device becomes too large and consumes too much power, and in the case of using a blower, there is a problem in that the temperature of air becomes too high and the relative humidity of air becomes too low due to overheating at high speed rotation, thus causing the performance of a fuel cell to decrease and the air electrode to be damaged.

[0008] Prior Art Documents

[0009] Patent Documents

[0010] (Patent Document) Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2017-0077893 (Published on July 7, 2017) “Fuel Cell Stack Equipped with Open Type Flow Path” SUMMARY

[0011] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0012] The present invention was conceived to solve the above-described existing problems.

[0013] An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell air supply device that can prevent overheating by means of efficient operation of a blower and prevent the fuel cell from being damaged due to supply of oxygen and foreign matter, etc. to the air electrode when the fuel cell is stored, by separately forming a supply fan for supplying air required for cooling a cell stack and a blower for supplying air required for reaction in a fuel cell.

[0014] An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell air supply device that can prevent overheating of an air generating part and reduce the temperature of air supplied to an air electrode by spraying a part of air supplied from the air generating part of a blower to the outside of the air generating part.

[0015] An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell air supply device that can accurately and efficiently spray and cool air to an air generating part by spraying air to the air generating part using a certain length of spray holes formed on a protruding end.

[0016] An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell air supply device that can effectively perform supply of compressed air for reaction and spraying of cooling air to an air generating part at the same time by forming spray holes on an inclined part of an air supply pipe and spraying air.

[0017] An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell air supply device that can effectively cool an air generating part by making air sprayed from an air spraying part flow along a guide member surrounding the air generating part.

[0018] The present application aims to provide an air supply device for a fuel cell, which can make the air ejected from an air ejecting part effectively flow around an air generating part by forming a guide part in combination with a fixing part of the air generating part at one end of the air generating part.

[0019] Solution to the problem

[0020] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present application is implemented by the following embodiments.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present application, the air supply device for a fuel cell to which the present application is applied is characterized by comprising: a supply fan for supplying air required for cooling a fuel cell stack; and a blower installed at one side of the stack for supplying air required for reaction in the fuel cell.

[0022] In another embodiment of the present application, the air supply device for a fuel cell to which the present application is applied is characterized in that the blower comprises: an air generating part for generating compressed air; an air supply duct for supplying the air generated in the air generating part to the inside of the stack; and a fixing frame for fixing the air generating part to one side of the stack.

[0023] In still another embodiment of the present application, the air supply device for a fuel cell to which the present application is applied is characterized in that the blower comprises: an air ejecting part formed on the air supply duct for ejecting compressed air to the air generating part.

[0024] In still another embodiment of the present application, the air supply device for a fuel cell to which the present application is applied is characterized in that the air ejecting part comprises: a protruding end protrudingly formed on the air supply duct; and an ejection hole formed through the protruding end for forming a passage for ejecting air to the air generating part.

[0025] In still another embodiment of the present application, the air supply device for a fuel cell to which the present application is applied is characterized in that the air supply duct comprises: an inclined surface inclinedly formed in a manner of expanding in diameter in a direction in which compressed air is supplied to the stack; and the air ejecting part is formed on the inclined part.

[0026] In still another embodiment of the present application, the air supply device for a fuel cell to which the present application is applied is characterized in that the fixing frame comprises: a guide part formed in a manner of surrounding the air generating part so that the air ejected from the air ejecting part forms a passage for flowing around the air generating part.

[0027] In still another embodiment of the present application, an air supply device for a fuel cell to which the present application is applied is characterized in that the fixed frame includes a fixed member that fixes the air generating portion to the stack by being fixed to one end of the air generating portion in combination with the guide member.

[0028] Effects of Invention

[0029] The present application can achieve the following effects through the constitution, combination, and use relationship as described above and below.

[0030] The present application can prevent overheating by means of the high efficiency of the blower and prevent the fuel cell from being damaged by the supply of oxygen and foreign matter to the air electrode when the fuel cell is stored by separating the supply fan for supplying air required for cooling the stack and the blower for supplying air required for the reaction in the fuel cell.

[0031] The present application can prevent overheating of the air generating portion and reduce the temperature of the air supplied to the air electrode by ejecting a part of the air supplied from the air generating portion of the blower to the outside of the air generating portion.

[0032] The present application can accurately and efficiently eject air to the air generating portion and cool it by ejecting air to the air generating portion using the ejection hole of a certain length formed on the protruding end.

[0033] The present application can effectively perform the supply of compressed air for the reaction and the ejection of cooling air to the air generating portion at the same time by forming the ejection hole on the inclined portion of the air supply pipe and ejecting air.

[0034] The present application can effectively cool the air generating portion by making the air ejected from the air ejection portion flow along the guide member surrounding the air generating portion.

[0035] The present application can make the air ejected from the air ejection portion effectively flow to the periphery of the air generating portion by forming the fixed member at one end of the air generating portion and combining the guide member with the fixed member in one body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0036] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fuel cell stack to which the air supply device for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present application is mounted.

[0037] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a blower of the air supply device for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0038] Figure 3 is Figure 2front view of the air injection portion.

[0039] Figure 4 is a sectional view illustrating an example of an air injection portion formed on an air supply duct.

[0040] Explanation of reference numerals

[0041] 1: air supply fan 3: blower

[0042] 31: air generating portion 32: air supply duct

[0043] 321: inclined surface 33: air injection portion

[0044] 331: protruding end 332: injection hole

[0045] 34: fixed frame 341: fixed member

[0046] 342: guide member S: battery pack DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] Next, a preferred embodiment of the air supply device for fuel cell to which the present application is applied will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following explanation of the present application, when it is determined that a specific explanation of a well-known function or configuration can cause the gist of the present application to become unclear, a detailed explanation related thereto will be omitted. Throughout the specification, when it is stated that a certain part "comprises" a certain component, unless otherwise explicitly stated to the contrary, it does not mean that other components are excluded, but it means that other components can also be included.

[0048] Next, a preferred embodiment of the air supply device for fuel cell to which the present application is applied will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following explanation of the present application, when it is determined that a specific explanation of a well-known function or configuration can cause the gist of the present application to become unclear, a detailed explanation related thereto will be omitted. Throughout the specification, when it is stated that a certain part "comprises" a certain component, unless otherwise explicitly stated to the contrary, it does not mean that other components are excluded, but it means that other components can also be included. Figures 1 to 4 An air supply device for fuel cell to which an embodiment of the present application is applied will be explained. The air supply device for fuel cell includes an air supply fan 1 for supplying air required for cooling a fuel cell pack S, and a blower 3 installed at one side of the battery pack S for supplying air required for reaction in the fuel cell.

[0049] Generally, a fuel cell is formed by stacking a plurality of unit cells to form a battery pack S, and air for cooling and air for reaction are required to be supplied to the unit cells in the battery pack S. Therefore, as explained in the background art, a method of forming the battery pack S in a completely open form and simultaneously supplying air for cooling and air for reaction using one air supply module is currently used, but in the case as described above, especially since the air electrode (Cathode) is formed in a completely open form, problems of easy corrosion and easy influence from the outside environment are caused, and further problems of decrease in durability of the fuel cell, rapid decrease in performance, and shortening of the service life are caused.

[0050] Therefore, a technology of compressing air required for reaction and cooling and then supplying the same has been developed, but in the case of using a pump, there is a problem in that the device becomes too large and power consumption is excessive, and in the case of using a blower, in order to secure the flow rate when air required for cooling and reaction is simultaneously supplied, the operation degree thereof is increased, thereby causing overheating and further increasing the temperature of the air. Therefore, there is a problem in that the cooling effect is deteriorated, and in the case of supplying the air to the air electrode, there is a problem in that the performance of the fuel cell is deteriorated and the fuel cell is damaged due to the excessively high temperature and the excessively low relative humidity.

[0051] Therefore, the present application can supply air required for cooling and air required for reaction by using the air supply fan 1 and the blower 3, respectively, thereby maintaining the air electrode in a closed state, and since the air required for reaction is supplied only by the blower 3, the operation degree thereof can be reduced, thereby preventing overheating and reducing the temperature of the supplied air. However, since the high temperature is inevitably generated when the blower 3 is operated, by providing a unique structure for cooling the blower 3, the blower 3 itself can be cooled only by the original blower 3 without providing a separate cooling device, thereby simplifying the configuration of the device and minimizing the area occupied by the fuel cell.

[0052] The air supply fan 1 is a configuration for supplying air required for cooling the fuel cell to the battery stack S, and as shown in FIG. 1, can be formed at one side surface of the battery stack S and supply external air into the battery stack S by rotation. Figure 1 The air supply fan 1 is a configuration for supplying air required for cooling the fuel cell to the battery stack S, and as shown in FIG. 1, can be formed at one side surface of the battery stack S and supply external air into the battery stack S by rotation.

[0053] The blower 3 is a configuration for supplying air required for reaction to the battery stack, and in particular, for supplying air to the air electrode of the fuel cell. The blower 3 can compress air by the rotational force of a propeller or the like and supply the compressed air to the battery stack S, and in order to secure the high performance of the fuel cell, the air needs to be compressed to a sufficiently high pressure and supplied. The blower 3 is installed at one side surface of the battery stack S to supply the compressed air to the inside of the battery stack S, and in particular, the temperature of the blower 3 can be reduced by ejecting a part of the compressed air supplied to the inside of the battery stack S to the outside of the blower 3 itself. Therefore, the blower 3 can prevent overheating even without separately providing a device for cooling, thereby reducing the temperature of the air supplied to the air electrode and increasing the relative humidity thereof, and thereby preventing the performance of the fuel cell from being deteriorated and the fuel cell from being damaged due to the excessively dry air supplied. For this purpose, the blower 3 can include an air generating part 31, an air supply duct 32, an air ejection part 33, and a fixing frame 34.

[0054] The air generating part 31 is a configuration for generating compressed air, and can compress air by rotation of a propeller or the like and supply the air to the inside of the battery pack S. The air generating part 31 can be supported by the fixed frame 34 and fixed to one side of the battery pack S, and air compressed by the air generating part 31 can be supplied to the air electrode inside the battery pack S through the air supply duct 32. In detail, air supplied from the air generating part 31 can be supplied to the air electrode of each unit cell inside the battery pack S through a manifold inside the battery pack S. In particular, the air can be injected to the air generating part 31 through the air injection part 33, and thereby the air generating part 31 can be cooled to prevent overheating, and the temperature of air supplied to the battery pack S can be prevented from becoming excessively high.

[0055] The air supply duct 32 is a configuration for connecting the air generating part 31 and the inside of the battery pack S, and thereby air compressed in the air generating part 31 can be supplied to the air electrode inside the battery pack S. In particular, the air injection part 33 can be formed on the air supply duct 32 to the side of the air generating part 31, and thereby compressed air can be injected to the air generating part 31. In addition, the air supply duct 32 can include an inclined surface 321 inclined to the inside of the battery pack S and having an inner diameter of the air supply duct 32 expanded, and the air injection part 33 can be formed on the inclined surface 321. Thereby, by forming the air injection part 33 on the inclined surface 321 of the air supply duct 32, compressed air can be injected to the air generating part 31 with a strong pressure while the flow of compressed air supplied to the battery pack S is maximally maintained.

[0056] The air injection part 33 is a configuration for injecting compressed air to the air generating part 31 by being formed on the air supply duct 32, and can be formed on the inclined surface 321. As an example, the air injection part 33 can inject air to the lower side of the air generating part 31 as shown in FIG. 3B, and air injected to the lower side of the air generating part 31 can flow around the air generating part 31 along a guide member 342 to be described later. In order to effectively inject air to the air generating part 31, the air injection part 33 can include a protruding end 331 and an injection hole 332. Figure 3

[0057] The protruding end 331 is a configuration protruded on the inclined surface 321, and can be formed to have a certain space toward the air generating part 31. Thereby, the injection hole 332 can be formed through the protruding end 331 with a certain length, and thereby air passing through the injection hole 332 can have a sufficient pressure and speed and be accurately injected to the air generating part 31.

[0058] ​The injection hole 332 is a structure for injecting air to the air generating part 31 by being formed through the protruding end 331, and can form a space for communicating the inside and outside of the air supply duct 32. The direction of the injection hole 332 can be formed in a manner of facing the lower side of the air generating part 31, whereby the air passing through the injection hole 332 can be accurately flowed into the lower side of the air generating part 31. In addition, the injection hole 332 can be formed in the protruding end 331 in a state of having a certain length, thereby injecting air to the air generating part 31 with sufficient pressure and speed without causing an obstacle to the flow of compressed air, and thereby effectively cooling the air generating part 31.

[0059] The fixing frame 34 is a structure for fixing the air generating part 31 to one side surface of the battery pack S, and in particular, can make the air injected through the air injection part 33 flow around the periphery of the air generating part 31, thereby effectively cooling the air generating part 31. To this end, the fixing frame 34 can include a fixing member 341 and a guide member 342.

[0060] The fixing member 341 can be coupled to one end of the air generating part 31 and fixed to one side surface of the battery pack S, and the guide member 342 can be coupled to the rear end thereof and formed integrally. Thereby, the fixing member 341 can shield one side surface of the air generating part 31, and the guide member 342 integrally coupled to the rear end of the fixing member 341 can block the rear side of the air generating part 31, thereby making the air injected through the air injection part 33 flow along the guide member 342 around the periphery of the air generating part 31. Here, the rear side refers to the opposite side of the air injection part 33, and the air injected from the air injection part 33 can collide with the guide member 342 at the rear side of the air generating part 31 and flow along the guide member 342.

[0061] The guide member 342 is a structure formed in a manner of surrounding the air generating part 31, and is formed with a round corner from the rear side to the front side of the air generating part 31, thereby guiding the flow of the air injected from the air injection part 33. In addition, the guide member 342 is coupled to and formed integrally with the fixing member 341 at the rear side of the air generating part 31, thereby preventing the air injected from the air injection part 33 from escaping and making it flow to the front side of the air generating part 31 after colliding with the guide member 342 and moving along the guide member 342. Thereby, the air injected from the air injection part 33 can flow around the air generating part 31 from the rear end of the air generating part 31 to the front side of the air generating part 31, thereby effectively cooling the air generating part 31 by the air injected from the air injection part 33.

[0062] In the above, the applicant has described various embodiments of the application, but as described above, the embodiments are only one embodiment for implementing the technical idea of the application, and any changes or modifications for implementing the technical idea of the application should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the application.

Claims

1. An air supply device for a fuel cell, characterized by comprising: Comprising: a blower fan for supplying air required for cooling a fuel cell stack; and, a blower fan installed at one side of the stack for supplying air required for a reaction in the fuel cell, the blower fan comprising: an air generating portion for generating compressed air; an air supply duct for supplying the air generated in the air generating portion to the inside of the stack; and a fixing frame for fixing the air generating portion to one side of the stack, the blower fan comprising: an air injection portion formed on the air supply duct for injecting the compressed air to the air generating portion, the air injection portion comprising: a protruding end formed protruding on the air supply duct; and an injection hole formed through the protruding end for forming a passage for injecting the air to the air generating portion, the air supply duct comprising: an inclined surface formed inclined in a manner of expanding in diameter in a direction of supplying the compressed air to the stack; and the air injection portion formed on the inclined surface.

2. The air supply device for a fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the fixing frame comprising: a guide member formed in a manner of surrounding the air generating portion so that the air injected from the air injection portion forms a passage flowing around the air generating portion.

3. The air supply device for a fuel cell according to claim 2, wherein the fixing frame comprising: a fixing member fixing the air generating portion to the stack by fixing to one end of the air generating portion, combined and formed in one body with the guide member.

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