Fuel cell drain and vent valve

Abstract

The application provides a fuel cell drainage and exhaust valve, which comprises an electromagnet, a slide valve, a breathing cavity and a water storage cavity; the electromagnet controls the opening of the slide valve to realize exhaust; when the fuel cell needs to be drained, the electromagnet is controlled to be opened, flowing gas is generated to drive the gas in the breathing cavity to produce a Venturi effect, the internal pressure of the breathing cavity is reduced, and the breathing cavity starts to absorb water; after the electromagnet is closed, the internal pressure of the breathing cavity is restored, the pressure restoration of the breathing cavity makes the internal pressure of the water storage cavity increase, the valve core of the slide valve is pushed to be opened, and the drainage is completed. By arranging the electromagnet, the slide valve, the breathing cavity and the water storage cavity, the drainage and the exhaust are concentrated on one valve body, so that the control difficulty and cost are reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of fuel cell technology, and in particular relates to a fuel cell drainage and venting valve. Background Technology

[0002] Fuel cells are devices that generate water through an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen while simultaneously outputting electrical energy. They have advantages such as high power generation efficiency, low environmental pollution, high specific energy, and low noise, and have received widespread attention in the field of new energy, showing promising application prospects in commercial vehicles.

[0003] Current fuel cell engine hydrogen recirculation systems employ a structure with one exhaust valve and one drain valve. The exhaust valve primarily opens during initial startup to expel impure hydrogen from the stack; the drain valve opens when there is excessive water accumulation in the distributor to remove excess moisture and maintain normal humidity within the stack. Currently, two solenoid valves are used—the exhaust valve and the drain valve—which are both difficult and costly to control. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a fuel cell drainage and exhaust valve, which at least partially solves the problems of high control difficulty and high cost in the prior art.

[0005] This disclosure provides a fuel cell drainage and venting valve, including: an electromagnet, a slide valve, a breathing chamber, and a water storage chamber;

[0006] An electromagnet controls the slide valve to open, thus venting the air.

[0007] When the fuel cell needs to drain, the control solenoid valve opens, generating flowing gas that causes a Venturi effect in the breathing chamber, reducing the pressure inside the breathing chamber and allowing it to begin absorbing water. When the solenoid valve closes, the pressure inside the breathing chamber recovers, increasing the pressure inside the water storage chamber and pushing the valve core of the slide valve to open, completing the drainage.

[0008] Optionally, the breathing chamber includes a lower piston, an upper piston, a breathing chamber spring, and a piston return spring; the breathing chamber spring is disposed between the lower piston and the upper piston, and the piston return spring is disposed on the upper piston.

[0009] Optionally, a hydrogen chamber is provided between the electromagnet and the slide valve, and a hydrogen chamber spring is provided inside the hydrogen chamber.

[0010] Optionally, the hydrogen chamber is connected to a hydrogen source via a hydrogen pipeline, and the hydrogen pipeline is connected to the breathing chamber via a small hole, forming a Venturi effect zone at the breathing chamber.

[0011] Optionally, the slide valve is provided with a hydrogen inlet, a hydrogen pipeline is connected to the hydrogen inlet, a valve core is provided inside the slide valve, and a hydrogen drain port and an exhaust port are provided on the slide valve.

[0012] Optionally, a water storage chamber spring is provided inside the water storage chamber, and the water storage chamber is connected to the hydrogen chamber through a connecting pipe, with a throttling orifice provided on the connecting pipe.

[0013] Optionally, the bottom of the breathing chamber is connected to the water storage chamber, and a second one-way valve is installed on the pipe between the bottom of the breathing chamber and the water storage chamber; the water storage chamber is connected to the bottom water collection tank of the water distributor of the fuel cell, and a third one-way valve is installed on the pipe between the water storage chamber and the bottom water collection tank of the water distributor.

[0014] Optionally, the bottom of the breathing chamber is connected to the water collection tank at the bottom of the water distributor through the water channel at the bottom of the water distributor, a first one-way valve is installed on the water channel at the bottom of the water distributor, and a one-way valve plate is installed at the bottom of the breathing chamber.

[0015] Optionally, when the electromagnet is turned on, it pushes the valve core to move, and hydrogen gas flows into the hydrogen inlet valve through the Venturi effect zone and enters the valve core. The hydrogen exhaust port opens, and hydrogen gas is discharged through the exhaust port. When the electromagnet is turned off, the water storage chamber spring resets, the hydrogen exhaust port closes, and the exhaust stops.

[0016] Optionally, when drainage is detected, the electromagnet is activated, and the Venturi effect generated by hydrogen draws gas from the breathing chamber, reducing the internal pressure of the breathing chamber. Under the pressure of the lower and upper pistons, the spring in the breathing chamber is compressed, water is drawn into the lower chamber of the lower piston, water is drawn into the upper storage chamber of the upper piston, and water from the water collection tank at the bottom of the distributor flows into the lower chamber of the lower piston through the water passage at the bottom of the distributor. At the same time, water from the water collection tank at the bottom of the distributor flows into the storage chamber.

[0017] When the solenoid valve is closed, the breather spring returns to its original position, thereby compressing the lower piston. The water under the lower piston is discharged under pressure and is then forced into the water storage chamber through the second one-way valve. At the same time, the breather spring compresses the upper piston, causing the internal pressure of the water storage chamber to increase. Under the action of the throttling orifice, the liquid pressure inside the slide valve continues to rise, pushing the valve core to move and opening the drain port to complete the drainage.

[0018] The fuel cell drainage and venting valve provided by the present invention integrates drainage and venting into a single valve body by setting up an electromagnet, a slide valve, a breathing chamber and a water storage chamber, thereby reducing control difficulty and cost. Attached Figure Description

[0019] 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.

[0020] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the fuel cell drainage and exhaust valve structure provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of fuel cell drainage and exhaust valve venting provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0022] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the fuel cell drainage and exhaust valve water intake provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0023] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of fuel cell drainage and exhaust valve drainage provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0024] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of fuel cell drainage and exhaust valve breathing chamber drainage provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0025] in,

[0026] 1-Electromagnet; 2-Hydrogen pipeline; 3-Hydrogen inlet valve; 4-Venturi effect zone; 5-Hydrogen inside the water distributor; 6-Water passage at the bottom of the water distributor; 7-Water collection tank at the bottom of the water distributor; 8-Third check valve; 9-Throttle orifice; 10-Hydrogen exhaust port; 11-Drain outlet; 12-Connecting pipe; 13-Check valve plate; 14-Breathing chamber spring; 1501-Lower piston; 1502-Upper piston; 16-Piston return spring; 17-Valve core; 18-Water storage chamber spring; 19-Hydrogen chamber spring; 20-First check valve; 21-Second check valve. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] It should be understood that the following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this disclosure from the content disclosed in this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this disclosure, and not all of them. This disclosure can also be implemented or applied through other different specific implementation methods, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. Based on the embodiments in this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0029] It should be noted that various aspects of embodiments within the scope of the appended claims are described below. It will be apparent that the aspects described herein can be embodied in a wide variety of forms, and any particular structure and / or function described herein is merely illustrative. Based on this disclosure, those skilled in the art will understand that one aspect described herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement the device and / or practice the method. Additionally, this device and / or method can be implemented using structures and / or functionalities other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein.

[0030] It should also be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic representations of the basic concept of this disclosure. The illustrations only show the components related to this disclosure and are not drawn according to the number, shape and size of the components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the form, quantity and proportion of each component can be arbitrarily changed, and the layout of the components may also be more complex.

[0031] Furthermore, specific details are provided in the following description to facilitate a thorough understanding of the examples. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the described aspects can be practiced without these specific details.

[0032] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment discloses a fuel cell drainage and exhaust valve, including: an electromagnet, a slide valve, a breathing chamber, and a water storage chamber;

[0033] An electromagnet controls the slide valve to open, thus venting the air.

[0034] When the fuel cell needs to drain, the control solenoid valve opens, generating flowing gas that causes a Venturi effect in the breathing chamber, reducing the pressure inside the breathing chamber and allowing it to begin absorbing water. When the solenoid valve closes, the pressure inside the breathing chamber recovers, increasing the pressure inside the water storage chamber and pushing the valve core of the slide valve to open, completing the drainage.

[0035] Optionally, the breathing chamber includes a lower piston, an upper piston, a breathing chamber spring, and a piston return spring; the breathing chamber spring is disposed between the lower piston and the upper piston, and the piston return spring is disposed on the upper piston.

[0036] Optionally, a hydrogen chamber is provided between the electromagnet and the slide valve, and a hydrogen chamber spring is provided inside the hydrogen chamber.

[0037] Optionally, the hydrogen chamber is connected to a hydrogen source via a hydrogen pipeline, and the hydrogen pipeline is connected to the breathing chamber via a small hole, forming a Venturi effect zone at the breathing chamber.

[0038] Optionally, the slide valve is provided with a hydrogen inlet, a hydrogen pipeline is connected to the hydrogen inlet, a valve core is provided inside the slide valve, and a hydrogen drain port and an exhaust port are provided on the slide valve.

[0039] Optionally, a water storage chamber spring is provided inside the water storage chamber, and the water storage chamber is connected to the hydrogen chamber through a connecting pipe, with a throttling orifice provided on the connecting pipe.

[0040] Optionally, the bottom of the breathing chamber is connected to the water storage chamber, and a second one-way valve is installed on the pipe between the bottom of the breathing chamber and the water storage chamber; the water storage chamber is connected to the bottom water collection tank of the water distributor of the fuel cell, and a third one-way valve is installed on the pipe between the water storage chamber and the bottom water collection tank of the water distributor.

[0041] Optionally, the bottom of the breathing chamber is connected to the water collection tank at the bottom of the water distributor through the water channel at the bottom of the water distributor, a first one-way valve is installed on the water channel at the bottom of the water distributor, and a one-way valve plate is installed at the bottom of the breathing chamber.

[0042] Optionally, when the electromagnet is turned on, it pushes the valve core to move, and hydrogen gas flows into the hydrogen inlet valve through the Venturi effect zone and enters the valve core. The hydrogen exhaust port opens, and hydrogen gas is discharged through the exhaust port. When the electromagnet is turned off, the water storage chamber spring resets, the hydrogen exhaust port closes, and the exhaust stops.

[0043] Optionally, when drainage is detected, the electromagnet is activated, and the Venturi effect generated by hydrogen draws gas from the breathing chamber, reducing the internal pressure of the breathing chamber. Under the pressure of the lower and upper pistons, the spring in the breathing chamber is compressed, water is drawn into the lower chamber of the lower piston, water is drawn into the upper storage chamber of the upper piston, and water from the water collection tank at the bottom of the distributor flows into the lower chamber of the lower piston through the water passage at the bottom of the distributor. At the same time, water from the water collection tank at the bottom of the distributor flows into the storage chamber.

[0044] When the solenoid valve is closed, the breather spring returns to its original position, thereby compressing the lower piston. The water under the lower piston is discharged under pressure and is then forced into the water storage chamber through the second one-way valve. At the same time, the breather spring compresses the upper piston, causing the internal pressure of the water storage chamber to increase. Under the action of the throttling orifice, the liquid pressure inside the slide valve continues to rise, pushing the valve core to move and opening the drain port to complete the drainage.

[0045] In this embodiment, the air venting function is achieved by controlling the opening of a mechanical slide valve with an electromagnet. When the water distributor detects that drainage is needed, it quickly opens and closes the solenoid valve. The high-speed flowing gas drives the gas in the breathing chamber to generate a Venturi effect, which causes the internal pressure of the breathing chamber to decrease. The internal spring is compressed, and the upper and lower pistons begin to draw in water. When the solenoid valve closes, the internal pressure returns, the spring in the breathing chamber returns to its original length, and the upper and lower pistons are compressed in the opposite direction, which causes the internal pressure of the water storage chamber to increase, pushing the valve core to open and complete the drainage.

[0046] As shown in the figure, this valve is mainly used in fuel cells to control the exhaust and drainage of hydrogen. The valve is mainly composed of several parts: electromagnet 1, valve core 17, water storage chamber spring 18 and piston return spring 16. The upper part forms the water storage chamber and the breathing chamber, which includes upper piston 1502, lower piston 1501 and breathing chamber spring 14. The Venturi effect region 4 is a variable diameter region. The outlet with a narrower diameter is connected to the breathing chamber through a small hole. When high-pressure hydrogen flows out through this region, the gas inside the breathing chamber is drawn out, causing the pressure inside the breathing chamber to decrease. The breathing chamber spring 14 is compressed and begins to store energy. The volume of the water storage chamber increases and begins to absorb water. When the electromagnet 1 is de-energized, the pressure inside the breathing chamber increases, the breathing chamber spring 14 returns to its original position, and the liquid drawn in by the lower piston 1501 is compressed and discharged into the water storage chamber through the second one-way valve 21. The upper piston 1502 moves upward to compress the liquid in the water storage chamber. Because the throttle orifice 9 prevents the liquid from flowing out immediately, high pressure is generated in the water storage chamber, pushing open the valve core 17 and discharging the liquid. When the upper and lower pistons return to their original positions, the liquid is no longer compressed. The hydrogen chamber spring 19 on the left side of the valve core 17 pushes the valve core 17 back to its original position, and the drainage ends.

[0047] like Figure 2 The diagram illustrates the venting process. When the controller opens the valve body, the electromagnet 1 pushes the valve core 17 to the right. Hydrogen gas 5 from the water separator flows into the hydrogen inlet 3 through the Venturi effect zone 4 and enters the valve core 17. At this time, the hydrogen vent 10 is already open, and hydrogen gas is discharged to the outside through the hydrogen vent 10. When the controller closes the valve body, the water storage chamber spring 18 is compressed when the electromagnet is opened. After the valve body is closed, the water storage chamber spring 18 resets, the hydrogen vent 10 closes, and the valve body stops venting. Figure 2 The solid line path in the diagram represents the exhaust.

[0048] like Figure 3 The diagram shows water intake during the drainage process. When the level sensor inside the distributor detects a high water level, drainage is initiated. First, the controller energizes the valve body. To prevent excessive venting, electromagnet 1 is energized for approximately 200ms. During this time, hydrogen gas flows according to... Figure 2 As the hydrogen gas flows out through the path, due to the high flow rate in the hydrogen pipeline, the Venturi effect occurs in the Venturi effect zone 4, and the breathing chamber where the breathing chamber spring 14 is located is evacuated, causing the internal pressure to decrease sharply. Since the pressure outside the lower piston 1501 and the upper piston 1502 is normal hydrogen pressure, the breathing chamber spring 14 begins to be compressed, water begins to be drawn into the lower chamber of the lower piston 1501, and water begins to be drawn into the upper water storage chamber of the upper piston 1502. The water collection tank 7 at the bottom of the distributor flows into the lower chamber of the lower piston 1501 through the water passage 6 at the bottom of the distributor and the first one-way valve 20. At the same time, the water collection tank 7 at the bottom of the distributor flows into the water storage chamber through the third one-way valve 8. Figure 3 The solid line path represents exhaust, and the dashed line path represents water absorption.

[0049] like Figure 4The diagram illustrates the drainage process. After the valve body is closed, the breather spring 14 has been fully compressed. At this point, the spring needs to return to its original position, and the breather spring begins to compress the lower piston 1501. Water under pressure at the bottom of the lower piston 1501 begins to be discharged and is forced into the water storage chamber through the second one-way valve 21. Simultaneously, the breather spring 14 compresses the upper piston 1502, causing the internal pressure of the water storage chamber to increase. Due to the small size of the throttle orifice 9, it is difficult for water to flow out. The internal liquid pressure continues to rise, pushing the valve core 17 to move to the left, opening the valve core to complete the drainage. The liquid in the water storage chamber is discharged from the drain port 11, and the drainage is complete. Figure 4 The path in the diagram is drainage.

[0050] Figure 5 The diagram illustrates the process of draining water from the breathing chamber. When water accumulates in the breathing chamber, it gathers at the pre-drilled hole in the lower piston 1501. Under the influence of gravity, the water pushes open the one-way valve 13 and flows into the lower chamber of the lower piston 1501. The water is then drained to the outside during the drainage process, ensuring the normal function of the breathing chamber and preventing excessive water accumulation from causing the breathing chamber to become uncompressible.

[0051] The basic principles of this disclosure have been described above with reference to specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, benefits, and effects mentioned in this disclosure are merely examples and not limitations, and should not be considered as essential features of each embodiment of this disclosure. Furthermore, the specific details disclosed above are for illustrative and facilitative purposes only, and are not limitations. These details do not limit the scope of this disclosure to the necessity of employing the aforementioned specific details for implementation.

[0052] In this disclosure, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Words such as "including," "comprising," "having," etc., are open-ended terms meaning "including but not limited to," and are used interchangeably with them. The terms "or" and "and" as used herein refer to the terms "and / or," and are used interchangeably with them unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise. The term "such as" as used herein refers to the phrase "such as but not limited to," and is used interchangeably with it.

[0053] Additionally, as used herein, the “or” used in a list of items beginning with “at least one” indicates a separate list, such that a list of, for example, “at least one of A, B, or C” means A or B or C, or AB or AC or BC, or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Furthermore, the word “exemplary” does not imply that the described example is preferred or better than other examples.

[0054] It should also be noted that in the systems and methods of this disclosure, the components or steps can be decomposed and / or recombined. These decompositions and / or recombinations should be considered as equivalent solutions to this disclosure.

[0055] Various changes, substitutions, and modifications can be made to the technology described herein without departing from the teachings defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the scope of the claims of this disclosure is not limited to the specific aspects of the processes, machines, manufactures, events, means, methods, and actions described above. Currently existing or later-developed processes, machines, manufactures, events, means, methods, or actions that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding aspects described herein can be utilized. Therefore, the appended claims include such processes, machines, manufactures, events, means, methods, or actions within their scope.

[0056] The above description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but rather to be carried out within the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0057] The above description has been given for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of this disclosure to the forms disclosed herein. Although numerous exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those skilled in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, alterations, additions, and sub-combinations therein.

Claims

1. A fuel cell drainage and venting valve, characterized in that, include: Electromagnet, slide valve, breather chamber, and water storage chamber; An electromagnet controls the slide valve to open, thus venting the air. When the fuel cell needs to drain, the control solenoid valve opens, generating flowing gas that causes the gas in the breathing chamber to produce a Venturi effect, which reduces the pressure inside the breathing chamber and allows the breathing chamber to begin absorbing water. When the solenoid valve closes, the pressure inside the breathing chamber recovers, which increases the pressure inside the water storage chamber and pushes the valve core of the slide valve to open, completing the drainage. The breathing chamber includes a lower piston, an upper piston, and a breathing chamber spring; the breathing chamber spring is disposed between the lower piston and the upper piston. A valve core is installed inside the slide valve, and a hydrogen drain port and an exhaust port are provided on the slide valve. The water storage chamber and the hydrogen chamber are connected by a connecting pipe, which is equipped with a throttling orifice. The bottom of the breathing chamber is connected to the water storage chamber, and a second one-way valve is installed on the pipe between the bottom of the breathing chamber and the water storage chamber; the water storage chamber is connected to the bottom water collection tank of the water distributor of the fuel cell, and a third one-way valve is installed on the pipe between the water storage chamber and the bottom water collection tank of the water distributor. When drainage is detected, the electromagnet is activated, and the Venturi effect generated by hydrogen draws gas from the breathing chamber, reducing the pressure inside the breathing chamber. Under the pressure of the lower and upper pistons, the spring in the breathing chamber is compressed, water is drawn into the lower chamber of the lower piston, water is drawn into the upper storage chamber of the upper piston, and water from the water collection tank at the bottom of the distributor flows into the lower chamber of the lower piston through the water passage at the bottom of the distributor. At the same time, water from the water collection tank at the bottom of the distributor flows into the storage chamber. When the solenoid valve is closed, the breather spring returns to its original position, thereby compressing the lower piston. The water under the lower piston is discharged under pressure and is then forced into the water storage chamber through the second one-way valve. At the same time, the breather spring compresses the upper piston, causing the internal pressure of the water storage chamber to increase. Under the action of the throttling orifice, the internal liquid pressure of the slide valve continues to rise, pushing the valve core to move and opening the drain port to complete the drainage.

2. The fuel cell drainage and venting valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The breathing chamber includes a piston return spring, which is disposed on the upper piston.

3. The fuel cell drainage and venting valve according to claim 2, characterized in that, A hydrogen chamber is provided between the electromagnet and the slide valve, and a hydrogen chamber spring is provided inside the hydrogen chamber.

4. The fuel cell drainage and venting valve according to claim 3, characterized in that, The hydrogen chamber is connected to the hydrogen source via a hydrogen pipeline, and the hydrogen pipeline is connected to the breathing chamber via a small hole, forming a Venturi effect zone at the breathing chamber.

5. The fuel cell drainage and venting valve according to claim 4, characterized in that, The slide valve is equipped with a hydrogen inlet, and the hydrogen pipeline is connected to the hydrogen inlet.

6. The fuel cell drainage and venting valve according to claim 5, characterized in that, A water storage chamber spring is installed inside the water storage chamber.

7. The fuel cell drainage and venting valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the breathing chamber is connected to the water collection tank at the bottom of the water distributor through the water channel at the bottom of the water distributor. A first one-way valve is installed on the water channel at the bottom of the water distributor, and a one-way valve plate is installed at the bottom of the breathing chamber.

8. The fuel cell drainage and venting valve according to claim 7, characterized in that, When the electromagnet is turned on, it pushes the valve core to move, and hydrogen gas flows into the hydrogen inlet valve core through the Venturi effect zone. The hydrogen exhaust port opens, and hydrogen gas is discharged through the exhaust port. When the electromagnet is turned off, the water storage chamber spring returns to its original position, the hydrogen exhaust port closes, and the exhaust stops.

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