Cathode open type air-cooled fuel cell with turbulent flow device

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of fuel cells, and discloses a cathode open type air-cooled fuel cell with a turbulent flow device. The cathode open type air-cooled fuel cell with the turbulent flow device comprises an air-cooled fuel cell stack, the turbulent flow device and a fan. The turbulent flow device is arranged on the cathode air inlet side or the cathode air outlet side of the air-cooled fuel cell stack; the turbulent flow device comprises a turbulent flow device body, and a fan hub influence area, a fan blade influence area and a fan outer edge influence area are correspondingly arranged on the turbulent flow device body according to the structure and the position of the fuel cell fan; the fan hub influence area, the fan blade influence area and the fan outer edge influence area are all provided with open pores, and the aperture ratio and the aperture of the open pores are sequentially reduced, so that the flowing resistance of air entering the air-cooled fuel cell stack is sequentially increased, and air flows flowing to different areas of the air-cooled fuel cell stack are disturbed to different degrees; therefore, the uniformity of the air flow in the air flow channel is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of fuel cells, and in particular to a cathode open air-cooled fuel cell with a spoiler device. Background Art

[0002] In the cathode open air-cooled hydrogen fuel cell stack, the cathode flow field is in direct contact with the outside air, and the air serves as both the cathode reaction gas and the cooling medium. Since the cathode open air-cooled hydrogen fuel cell has the characteristics of simple structure, small size, light weight, and low power, it is particularly suitable for low-power applications such as drones, electric bicycles, and outdoor portable power supplies.

[0003] Axial flow fans push air to flow in a direction parallel to the axis, and are suitable for low wind pressure and large air volume occasions. They are compact in structure and low in cost, and are widely used in cathode open air-cooled fuel cells. The air used for reaction and cooling flows through the fuel cell air flow field, including the cathode flow field and the cooling flow field, by suction or blowing through the axial flow fan. However, the air entering the fuel cell air flow field through the axial flow fan is not evenly distributed in the various battery cells and flow channels of the fuel cell, which leads to large differences in the amount of air in different battery cells in the air-cooled fuel cell stack and at different positions of the same battery cell, which not only has an adverse effect on the voltage consistency of each battery cell in the stack, but also aggravates the unevenness of the current density and temperature distribution, thereby reducing the performance and life of the fuel cell. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a cathode open air-cooled fuel cell with a spoiler.

[0005] The cathode open air-cooled fuel cell with a flow disturbance device of the present invention is realized by the following technical solutions:

[0006] The present invention further analyzes the reasons for the uneven distribution of air entering the fuel cell air flow field through the axial flow fan in the various battery cells and flow channels of the fuel cell in the prior art. From the perspective of the battery stack, the air flow rate of the battery cells close to the fan edge is high and the flow rate is large, while the air flow rate of the battery cells close to the fan hub is low and the flow rate is small; from the perspective of the battery cells, the air flow rate of the flow channel close to the fan edge is high and the flow rate is large, while the air flow rate of the flow channel close to the fan hub is low and the flow rate is small. Therefore, in order to solve the problems of poor voltage consistency, uneven current density and temperature distribution caused by uneven air flow, the present invention provides a cathode open air-cooled fuel cell with a spoiler.

[0007] The cathode open air-cooled fuel cell with a spoiler device of the present invention comprises an air-cooled fuel cell stack, a spoiler device and a fan.

[0008] It should be noted that the spoiler device in the present invention can be arranged on the cathode air inlet side or the cathode air outlet side of the air-cooled fuel cell stack. The specific setting position needs to be selected accordingly according to the air intake mode of the air-cooled fuel cell stack. For example, when the air intake mode of the air-cooled fuel cell stack is the suction mode, the spoiler device is arranged on the cathode air inlet side of the air-cooled fuel cell stack, and the fan is arranged on the cathode air outlet side of the air-cooled fuel cell stack, so that the air first enters the spoiler device, thereby adjusting and distributing the intake air volume and airflow direction at different positions of the fuel cell through the spoiler device, and then flows into the stack, and the air flow to different areas of the air-cooled fuel cell stack is disturbed to different degrees to improve the uniformity of the air flow in the air flow channel, and the air finally flows out through the fan.

[0009] When the air intake mode of the air-cooled fuel cell stack is a blowing mode, the spoiler device is arranged on the cathode air outlet side of the air-cooled fuel cell stack, and the fan is arranged on the cathode air inlet side of the air-cooled fuel cell stack. The air first enters the fan, then flows into the stack air flow channel, and then flows out through the spoiler device, thereby achieving adjustment and distribution of the air outlet volume and airflow direction at different positions of the fuel cell through the spoiler device, and disturbing the air flow flowing to different areas of the air-cooled fuel cell stack to different degrees, so as to improve the uniformity of the air flow in the air flow channel.

[0010] In order to ensure that the spoiler device of the present invention can achieve the above-mentioned effect, the spoiler device of the present invention includes a spoiler device body, and the spoiler device body is provided with a fan hub influence area, a fan blade influence area and a fan outer edge influence area according to the structure and position of the fuel cell fan. Among them, the fan hub influence area, the fan blade influence area and the fan outer edge influence area are all provided with openings, and the opening rate and aperture of the openings are successively reduced along the distribution direction of the fan hub influence area, the fan blade influence area and the fan outer edge influence area, so that the air flow resistance entering the air-cooled fuel cell stack becomes larger in turn, and compared with the case where the spoiler device is not provided, the speed of the original fast air flow speed slows down, and the speed of the original slow air flow speed speeds up, thereby improving the uniformity of the air flow in the air flow channel, increasing the consistency between the battery cells in the stack, and also improving the current density and temperature distribution uniformity of the same battery cell, thereby helping to improve the performance and life of the stack.

[0011] In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the fan hub influence area is a circular structure, and the center of the circular structure is coaxially arranged with the center of the fan hub to symmetrically increase the air flow rate and uniformity in the flow channel near the center of the fan hub.

[0012] In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the size of the fan hub influence zone is ≥ the hub size of the fan, so as to increase the air flow rate and uniformity in the flow channel near the fan hub.

[0013] In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, a first opening is provided on the circular structure, and the hole structure of the first opening is any one of a triangle, a rectangle, a circle and a polygon. In some more preferred embodiments of the present invention, the hole structure of the first opening on the circular structure is a circle, in which case the center of the first opening is directly opposite to the center of the hub of the fan, i.e., they are coaxially arranged, and the diameter of the first opening is ≥ the diameter of the hub of the fan.

[0014] In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the fan blade influence zone includes a plurality of fan blade influence sub-zones; the plurality of fan blade influence sub-zones are arranged in sequence from the inside to the outside along the circumference of the fan hub influence zone; and the opening rate and aperture of the plurality of fan blade influence sub-zones decrease gradually from the inside to the outside along their distribution direction, so as to achieve a gradient reduction in the air flow rate in the flow channel near the fan blades.

[0015] In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of second openings are provided on each of the fan blade influence sub-regions. The plurality of second openings on each of the fan blade influence sub-regions are distributed in an annular shape on the circumference of the corresponding fan blade influence sub-region to increase the uniformity of air flow in the flow channel near the fan blade influence region. In some more preferred embodiments of the present invention, the second openings on each of the fan blade influence sub-regions are any one of a triangle, a rectangle, a circle and a polygon.

[0016] In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of third openings are provided on the fan outer edge influence zone, and the plurality of third openings are evenly spaced on the spoiler body to increase the uniformity of air flow in the flow channel near the fan outer edge influence zone.

[0017] In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the third opening is any one of a triangle, a rectangle, a circle and a polygon.

[0018] In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the spoiler body is made of porous metal material or plastic plate to achieve the effects of convenient processing and assembly and low cost.

[0019] In some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the porous metal material is one or more of metal mesh, metal fiber felt and foam metal.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] The cathode open air-cooled fuel cell with a spoiler device of the present invention comprises: an air-cooled fuel cell stack, a spoiler device and a fan. Among them, the setting position of the spoiler device in the present invention needs to be selected according to the air intake mode of the air-cooled fuel cell stack. For example, when the air intake mode of the air-cooled fuel cell stack is the suction mode, the spoiler device is arranged on the cathode air inlet side of the air-cooled fuel cell stack, and the fan is arranged on the cathode air outlet side of the air-cooled fuel cell stack, so that the air first enters the spoiler device, thereby adjusting and distributing the intake air volume and airflow direction at different positions of the fuel cell through the spoiler device, and then flows into the stack, and the air flow flowing to different areas of the air-cooled fuel cell stack is disturbed to different degrees, so as to improve the uniformity of the air flow in the air flow channel, and the air finally flows out through the fan. When the air intake mode of the air-cooled fuel cell stack is a blowing mode, the spoiler device is arranged on the cathode air outlet side of the air-cooled fuel cell stack, and the fan is arranged on the cathode air inlet side of the air-cooled fuel cell stack. The air first enters the fan, then flows into the stack air flow channel, and then flows out through the spoiler device, thereby achieving adjustment and distribution of the air outlet volume and airflow direction at different positions of the fuel cell through the spoiler device, and disturbing the air flow flowing to different areas of the air-cooled fuel cell stack to different degrees, so as to improve the uniformity of the air flow in the air flow channel.

[0022] The spoiler device of the present invention comprises a spoiler device body, and the spoiler device body is provided with a fan hub influence area, a fan blade influence area and a fan outer edge influence area according to the structure and position of the fuel cell fan. Among them, the fan hub influence area, the fan blade influence area and the fan outer edge influence area are all provided with openings, and the opening rate and the aperture of the openings are successively reduced along the distribution direction of the fan hub influence area, the fan blade influence area and the fan outer edge influence area, so that the air flow resistance entering the air-cooled fuel cell stack becomes larger in turn, and compared with the case where the spoiler device is not provided, the speed of the original fast air flow speed slows down, and the speed of the original slow air flow speed speeds up, thereby improving the uniformity of the air flow in the air flow channel, increasing the consistency between the battery cells in the stack, and also improving the current density and temperature distribution uniformity of the same battery cell, thereby helping to improve the performance and life of the stack. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional diagram of an open cathode air-cooled fuel cell stack with a spoiler device.

[0024] Figure 2 A view of an open cathode air-cooled fuel cell with a spoiler along the direction of the battery cell stacking.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the spoiler device of Example 1 of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the spoiler device of Example 2 of the present invention.

[0027] Description of reference numerals:

[0028] 1- Air-cooled fuel cell stack.

[0029] 2- spoiler device; 21- spoiler device body; 22- fan hub influence area; 23- fan blade influence area; 24- fan outer edge influence area.

[0030] 231 - first fan blade influence sub-region; 232 - second fan blade influence sub-region; 233 - third fan blade influence sub-region; 234 - fourth fan blade influence sub-region; 235 - fifth fan blade influence sub-region; 236 - sixth fan blade influence sub-region.

[0031] 3- Fan. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below.

[0033] Example 1

[0034] This embodiment provides a cathode open air-cooled fuel cell with a spoiler.

[0035] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 The cathode open air-cooled fuel cell of this embodiment includes an air-cooled fuel cell stack 1, a spoiler 2 and a fan 3, and the spoiler 2 and the fan 3 are respectively arranged on the air inlet side and the air outlet side of the air-cooled fuel cell stack 1.

[0036] The structure of the spoiler 2 of this embodiment is as follows Figure 3 The spoiler body 21 is provided with a fan hub influence area 22, a fan blade influence area 23 and a fan outer edge influence area 24.

[0037] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 3 It can be seen that since two groups of fans 3 are provided in this embodiment, two groups of fan hub influence areas 22 are also correspondingly provided on the spoiler body 21 in this embodiment, wherein the fan hub influence area 22 is a metal mesh with a circular structure, referred to as a circular metal mesh for short.

[0038] See also Figure 3 The center of the circular metal mesh faces the hub of the fan 3, and the diameter of the circular metal mesh is 1 mm larger than the hub diameter of the fan 3. The mesh holes on the circular metal mesh are the corresponding first openings. Figure 3It can be seen that the first opening in this embodiment is a rectangular structure. In this embodiment, the opening rate of the first opening on the circular metal mesh is 95%.

[0039] See also Figure 3 The fan blade influence area 23 of this embodiment includes four fan blade influence sub-areas, namely, the first fan blade influence sub-area 231, the second fan blade influence sub-area 232, the third fan blade influence sub-area 233 and the fourth fan blade influence sub-area 234. The first fan blade influence sub-area 231, the second fan blade influence sub-area 232, the third fan blade influence sub-area 233 and the fourth fan blade influence sub-area 234 are all metal meshes with an annular structure, and are sequentially spaced from the inside to the outside in the circumferential direction of the fan hub influence area 22. And Figure 3 It can be seen that in this embodiment, the center of the first fan blade influence sub-area 231, the second fan blade influence sub-area 232, the third fan blade influence sub-area 233 and the fourth fan blade influence sub-area 234 is consistent with the center of the fan hub influence area 22.

[0040] See also Figure 3 A corresponding number of second openings are respectively arranged on the first fan blade influence sub-area 231, the second fan blade influence sub-area 232, the third fan blade influence sub-area 233 and the fourth fan blade influence sub-area 234, and the opening rate and aperture of the second openings on each fan blade influence sub-area gradually decrease from the inside to the outside along the distribution direction. Figure 3 It can be seen that in this embodiment, the second openings on each fan blade influence sub-area are rectangular, and in this embodiment, the opening widths of the second openings on the first fan blade influence sub-area 231, the second fan blade influence sub-area 232, the third fan blade influence sub-area 233 and the fourth fan blade influence sub-area 234 are 4.8 mm, 3.8 mm, 2.8 mm and 1.8 mm from the inside to the outside, respectively.

[0041] See also Figure 3 , the other area on the spoiler body 21 is the fan outer edge influence area 24, the fan outer edge influence area 24 is a metal mesh, the pores of the metal mesh are the third openings, so the spoiler body 21 of this embodiment can be regarded as a metal mesh composed of metal meshes with different apertures and opening rates. And the opening rates from the first fan blade influence area, the second fan blade influence area, the third fan blade influence area, the fourth fan blade influence area to the fan outer edge influence area 24 are 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, and 50% respectively.

[0042] Example 2

[0043] This embodiment provides a cathode open air-cooled fuel cell with a spoiler.

[0044] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 The cathode open air-cooled fuel cell of this embodiment comprises an air-cooled fuel cell stack 1, a flow disturbance device 2 and a fan 3. The flow disturbance device 2 and the fan 3 are respectively arranged at the air inlet side and the air outlet side of the air-cooled fuel cell stack 1.

[0045] The structure of the spoiler 2 of this embodiment is as follows Figure 4 The spoiler body 21 of this embodiment is a plastic plate, and the spoiler body 21 of this embodiment is provided with a fan hub influence area 22, a fan blade influence area 23 and a fan outer edge influence area 24.

[0046] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 4 It can be seen that since two groups of fans 3 are provided in this embodiment, two groups of fan hub influence areas 22 are also correspondingly provided on the spoiler device body 21 in this embodiment, wherein the fan hub influence area 22 is a circular hollow structure, which is a circular hole structure, that is, the first opening, and the center of the first opening is opposite to the hub of the fan 3, and the diameter of the first opening is 1 mm larger than the hub of the fan 3.

[0047] See also Figure 4 The fan blade influence area 23 of this embodiment includes six annular areas with gradient changes in aperture and opening rate, namely, the first fan blade influence sub-area 231, the second fan blade influence sub-area 232, the third fan blade influence sub-area 233, the fourth fan blade influence sub-area 234, the fifth fan blade influence sub-area 235 and the sixth fan blade influence sub-area 236. Among them, the first fan blade influence sub-area 231, the second fan blade influence sub-area 232, the third fan blade influence sub-area 233, the fourth fan blade influence sub-area 234, the fifth fan blade influence sub-area 235 and the sixth fan blade influence sub-area 236 are arranged in sequence from the inside to the outside in the circumferential direction of the fan hub influence area 22, and the center of the annular area of ​​the first fan blade influence sub-area 231, the second fan blade influence sub-area 232, the third fan blade influence sub-area 233, the fourth fan blade influence sub-area 234, the fifth fan blade influence sub-area 235 and the sixth fan blade influence sub-area 236 is consistent with the center of the fan hub influence area 22.

[0048] See also Figure 4A corresponding number of openings are respectively provided on the first fan blade influence sub-area 231, the second fan blade influence sub-area 232, the third fan blade influence sub-area 233, the fourth fan blade influence sub-area 234, the fifth fan blade influence sub-area 235 and the sixth fan blade influence sub-area 236, and the plurality of openings are distributed in a ring shape on the circumference of the corresponding fan blade influence sub-area, and the widths of the openings on the first fan blade influence sub-area 231, the second fan blade influence sub-area 232, the third fan blade influence sub-area 233, the fourth fan blade influence sub-area 234, the fifth fan blade influence sub-area 235 and the sixth fan blade influence sub-area 236 are 4.3 mm, 3.8 mm, 3.3 mm, 2.8 mm, 2.3 mm and 1.8 mm from the inside to the outside, respectively.

[0049] See also Figure 4 , the other area on the plastic plate is the fan outer edge influence area 24, and the shape of the openings in the fan blade influence area 23 and the fan outer edge influence area 24 is rectangular. And the opening rates from the first fan blade influence area, the second fan blade influence area, the third fan blade influence area, the fourth fan blade influence area, the fifth fan blade influence area, and the sixth fan blade influence area to the fan outer edge influence area 24 are 80%, 70%, 60%, 50%, 40%, 30%, and 20%, respectively.

[0050] Obviously, the above embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cathode open air-cooled fuel cell with a spoiler, characterized in that: include: An air-cooled fuel cell stack (1), a spoiler (2) and a fan (3); The flow disturbance device (2) is arranged on the cathode air inlet side or the cathode air outlet side of the air-cooled fuel cell stack (1); The spoiler device (2) comprises a spoiler device body (21), and the spoiler device body (21) is provided with a fan hub influence area (22), a fan blade influence area (23) and a fan outer edge influence area (24) according to the structure and position of the fuel cell fan (3); The fan hub influence area (22), the fan blade influence area (23) and the fan outer edge influence area (24) are respectively provided with openings of different apertures, and along the distribution direction of the fan hub influence area (22), the fan blade influence area (23) and the fan outer edge influence area (24), the opening rate and the aperture of the openings are successively reduced, so that the air flow resistance entering the air-cooled fuel cell stack (1) becomes successively larger, and the air flow flowing to different areas of the air-cooled fuel cell stack (1) is disturbed to different degrees, so as to improve the uniformity of the air flow in the air flow channel.

2. The cathode open air-cooled fuel cell with a flow disturbance device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fan hub influence area (22) is a circular structure, the center of the circular structure is coaxially arranged with the center of the hub of the fan (3); and the size of the fan hub influence area (22) is greater than or equal to the hub size of the fan (3).

3. The cathode open air-cooled fuel cell with a flow disturbance device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The circular structure is provided with a first opening, and the hole structure of the first opening is any one of a triangle, a rectangle, a circle and a polygon.

4. The cathode open air-cooled fuel cell with a flow disturbance device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fan blade influence area (23) includes a plurality of fan blade influence sub-areas; The plurality of fan blade influence sub-areas are arranged in sequence from inside to outside along the circumference of the fan hub influence area (22); and the opening rate and aperture of the plurality of fan blade influence sub-areas decrease gradually from inside to outside along their distribution direction.

5. The cathode open air-cooled fuel cell with a flow disturbance device according to claim 4, characterized in that: A plurality of second openings are provided on each of the fan blade influence sub-regions, and the plurality of second openings are distributed in a ring shape on the circumference of the corresponding fan blade influence sub-region.

6. The cathode open air-cooled fuel cell with a flow disturbance device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The hole structure of the second opening is any one of a triangle, a rectangle, a circle and a polygon.

7. The cathode open air-cooled fuel cell with a flow disturbance device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of third openings are provided on the fan outer edge influence area (24), and the plurality of third openings are evenly spaced and distributed on the spoiler device body (21).

8. The cathode open air-cooled fuel cell with a flow disturbance device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The hole structure of the third opening is any one of a triangle, a rectangle, a circle and a polygon.

9. The cathode open air-cooled fuel cell with a flow disturbance device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spoiler body (21) is made of porous metal material or plastic plate.

10. The cathode open air-cooled fuel cell with a flow disturbance device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The porous metal material is one or more of a metal mesh, a metal fiber felt and a foam metal.

Images