Fuel cell hydrogen heater and fuel cell system

Abstract

The invention discloses a fuel cell hydrogen heater which comprises a packaging shell and a heating composite plate arranged in the packaging shell and used for converting electric energy into heat energy for heating hydrogen, and a flow guide channel for guiding and causing flow is formed in the heating composite plate. The heating composite plate comprises a heating part and contact parts used for making contact with hydrogen, and the contact parts are distributed on the two sides of the heating part. According to the fuel cell hydrogen heater, the heating temperature of hydrogen is actively controlled in an electric heating mode, and the control accuracy of the hydrogen heating temperature can be improved. The invention also discloses a fuel cell system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of fuel cells, and in particular, relates to a fuel cell hydrogen heater and a fuel cell system. Background Art

[0002] As one of the important carriers of hydrogen energy application, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will play a huge demonstration role in the development of the hydrogen energy industry. At present, the promotion and application of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles still faces some challenges. Among them, improving the water and heat management of fuel cell stacks under different ambient temperatures and different working conditions has become one of the key engineering problems to be overcome. When the fuel cell system is working under any working condition, the temperature of the hydrogen source is usually the ambient temperature. The lower hydrogen temperature in winter will affect the cold start time of the fuel cell system.

[0003] The solution of the prior art is to use a plate-exchange hydrogen heater to heat the hydrogen, which uses the high-temperature coolant at the outlet of the fuel cell stack as a heat source to heat the hydrogen when the fuel cell system is working. However, this solution has obvious shortcomings. First, this solution uses the coolant at the outlet of the fuel cell stack as a heat source. The temperature of the coolant at the outlet of the fuel cell stack depends on the working state of the system. When the load is high, the water temperature at the outlet of the fuel cell stack is high, and when the load is low, the water temperature at the outlet of the fuel cell stack is low. When the work is just started, the water temperature is the ambient temperature, and there is almost no hydrogen heating effect at this time; in addition, this traditional solution depends on the structural design. After the structural design of the solution is completed, the hydrogen heating temperature in the steady state is mainly determined by the hydrogen inlet temperature, hydrogen flow rate, coolant inlet temperature, and coolant flow rate. However, due to the complex working environment temperature and working conditions of the fuel cell system, it cannot meet the temperature requirements under any conditions and can only passively accept the temperature of the hydrogen being heated.

[0004] It is desirable to provide an improved fuel cell hydrogen heater, particularly with regard to how to achieve master control of the hydrogen heating temperature. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present invention provides a fuel cell hydrogen heater, the purpose of which is to improve the control accuracy of the hydrogen heating temperature.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a fuel cell hydrogen heater, including a packaging shell and a heating composite plate arranged inside the packaging shell and used to convert electrical energy into thermal energy for heating hydrogen, a guide channel for guiding the flow is formed on the heating composite plate, the heating composite plate includes a heating component and a contact component for contacting with hydrogen, and the contact components are distributed on both sides of the heating component.

[0007] The heating composite plate further includes an insulating component disposed between the heating component and the contact component.

[0008] The heating component is a heating film.

[0009] The contact component is made of stainless steel.

[0010] The heating composite plate includes a first heating part and a second heating part. A plurality of the first heating parts and the second heating parts are provided. A second heating part is provided between two adjacent first heating parts. A first heating part is provided between two adjacent second heating parts. The guide channels are formed on the first heating parts and the second heating parts.

[0011] The first heating portion is an arc-shaped structure.

[0012] The second heating portion is an arc-shaped structure.

[0013] A temperature sensor is arranged on the packaging shell.

[0014] The present invention also provides a fuel cell system, comprising the fuel cell hydrogen heater.

[0015] The fuel cell hydrogen heater of the present invention actively controls the temperature at which hydrogen is heated by electric heating, thereby improving the control accuracy of the hydrogen heating temperature. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a fuel cell hydrogen heater of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the heating composite plate;

[0018] The marks in the above figure are:

[0019] 1. Hydrogen inlet; 2. High-voltage wire; 3. Temperature sensor; 4. Hydrogen outlet; 5. Packaging shell; 6. Heating composite plate; 601. Heating component; 602. Insulating component; 603. Contact component; 604. First heating part; 605. Second heating part; 7. Guide channel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The specific implementation methods of the present invention are further explained in detail below by describing the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, with the aim of helping those skilled in the art to have a more complete, accurate and in-depth understanding of the concept and technical solution of the present invention and facilitating its implementation.

[0021] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower" and similar expressions used in this article are for illustrative purposes only.

[0022] It should be noted that, in the following embodiments, the “first” and “second” mentioned do not represent an absolute distinction in structure and / or function, nor do they represent a sequential order of execution, but are merely for the convenience of description.

[0023] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly connected by technicians in the technical field to which the present invention belongs. The terminology used in the specification of the present invention is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0024] like Figure 1 to Figure 2 As shown, the present invention provides a fuel cell hydrogen heater, including a packaging shell 5 and a heating composite plate 6 arranged inside the packaging shell 5 and used for converting electrical energy into thermal energy for heating hydrogen, a guide channel 7 for guiding flow is formed on the heating composite plate 6, the heating composite plate 6 includes a heating component 601 and a contact component 603 for contacting with hydrogen, and the contact component 603 is distributed on both sides of the heating component 601.

[0025] The heating composite plate 6 further includes an insulating component 602 disposed between the heating component 601 and the contact component 603 .

[0026] The heating component 601 is a heating film.

[0027] The contact component 603 is made of stainless steel.

[0028] The heating composite plate 6 includes a first heating part 604 and a second heating part 605. A plurality of first heating parts 604 and second heating parts 605 are provided. A second heating part 605 is provided between two adjacent first heating parts 604. A first heating part 604 is provided between two adjacent second heating parts 605. The guide channel 7 is formed on the first heating part 604 and the second heating part 605.

[0029] The first heating portion 604 is an arc-shaped structure.

[0030] The second heating portion 605 is an arc-shaped structure.

[0031] The packaging shell 5 is provided with a temperature sensor 3 .

[0032] The present invention also provides a fuel cell system, comprising the fuel cell hydrogen heater.

[0033] Example

[0034] First, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a fuel cell hydrogen heater, comprising a packaging shell 5 and a heating composite plate 6 disposed inside the packaging shell 5 and used to convert electrical energy into thermal energy for heating hydrogen. The packaging shell 5 is used to isolate hydrogen to prevent hydrogen leakage and isolate high voltage electricity. A plurality of heating composite plates 6 are provided, and a flow guide channel 7 for guiding flow is formed on the heating composite plate 6. The heating composite plate 6 comprises a heating component 601 and a contact component 603 for contacting hydrogen. The contact component 603 is distributed on both sides of the heating component 601.

[0035] Specifically, if Figure 2 As shown, the heating composite plate 6 also includes an insulating component 602 disposed between the heating component 601 and the contact component 603, and the material of the contact component 603 is metal. The insulating component 602 is an insulating plate, which is fixedly disposed between the heating component 601 and the contact component 603, and the insulating component 602 is used to maintain the isolation state of the heating component 601 from the external conductive part. During the operation of the fuel cell system, the heat generated by the electric heating film is used as a heat source to heat the hydrogen. After the insulating component is attached to the heating film, it is clamped and welded with the contact component 603 to cope with the high hydrogen pressure and the corrosion of the material of the heating film by hydrogen. The heating film does not contact the hydrogen, thereby increasing the service life of the heating composite plate 6.

[0036] In the present embodiment, the heating component 601 is a heating film, and the heating component 601 is electrically connected to the high-voltage wire 2. The high-voltage wire 2 extends to the outside of the encapsulation shell 5, and a high-voltage direct current is input from the outside. The heating component 601 can generate heat after being energized. The material of the contact component 603 is stainless steel. The heating film is energized, and the heating film generates heat after being energized to transfer the heat to the stainless steel plate. The low-temperature hydrogen is heated after passing through the high-temperature stainless steel plate, thereby achieving the purpose of heating the hydrogen. A temperature sensor is installed at the outlet of the hydrogen heater to collect the temperature of the hydrogen after heating. The gap with the target temperature is determined according to the feedback signal, and then the size of the energized current is controlled, so that the precise control of the hydrogen temperature under different ambient temperatures and different working conditions can be achieved.

[0037] like Figure 1As shown, a hydrogen inlet 1 is provided at one end of the encapsulating shell 5, a hydrogen outlet 4 is provided at the other end of the encapsulating shell 5, the hydrogen inlet 1 is connected to the hydrogen supply system, the hydrogen outlet 4 is connected to the fuel cell stack 14 of the fuel cell system, and the heating composite plate 6 is located between the hydrogen inlet 1 and the hydrogen outlet 4. A temperature sensor 3 is installed at the hydrogen outlet 4 of the fuel cell hydrogen heater, and the temperature sensor 3 is used to monitor the temperature of the heated hydrogen in the encapsulating shell 5 as a signal input of the current of the heating component 601. It is ensured that the temperature of the heated hydrogen can be actively and accurately controlled according to the ambient temperature and the system operating conditions, and it is safe and reliable.

[0038] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the heating composite plate 6 includes a first heating part 604 and a second heating part 605, and a plurality of the first heating parts 604 and the second heating parts 605 are provided, and the first heating parts 604 and the second heating parts 605 are arranged in sequence along the set direction. A second heating part 605 is provided between two adjacent first heating parts 604, and the two ends of the second heating part 605 are respectively fixedly connected to the two first heating parts 604 on both sides. A first heating part 604 is provided between two adjacent second heating parts 605, and the two ends of the first heating part 604 are respectively fixedly connected to the two second heating parts 605 on both sides. A guide channel 7 is formed on the first heating part 604, and a guide channel 7 is also formed on the second heating part 605. For the adjacent first heating section 604 and the second heating section 605, the hydrogen flows through the guide channel 7 in the first heating section 604 and the guide channel 7 in the second heating section 605 in sequence, and then flows to the guide channel 7 in the next first heating section 604. The hydrogen in the heater flows in this way, so that the hydrogen flows fully inside the heater, effectively increasing the contact area between the hydrogen and the heating composite plate 6, thereby improving the hydrogen heating efficiency.

[0039] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the first heating part 604 is an arc-shaped structure, and the second heating part 605 is an arc-shaped structure. The axis of the first heating part 604 is parallel to the axis of the second heating part 605, and the axis of the first heating part 604 and the axis of the second heating part 605 are parallel to the length direction of the guide channel 7. The arcs of the first heating part 604 and the second heating part 605 are the same. The openings of the first heating part 604 and the second heating part 605 are respectively facing two oppositely arranged inner wall surfaces in the packaging shell. The first heating part 604 and the second heating part 605 of this shape can increase the contact area with hydrogen. A first heating part 604 and a second heating part 605 connected to each other form an S-shaped heating unit, and the heating composite plate 6 is composed of a plurality of S-shaped heating units arranged in sequence.

[0040] like Figure 1and Figure 2 As shown, a plurality of heating composite plates 6 are arranged in the packaging shell, and all the heating composite plates 6 are arranged in sequence along the thickness direction of the packaging shell, the axes of the heating part and the second heating part 605 are perpendicular to the thickness direction of the packaging shell, a partition plate is arranged between each two adjacent heating composite plates 6, and a plurality of partition plates are arranged in the inner cavity of the packaging shell, the first heating part 604 of the heating composite plate 6 is in contact with the surface of the adjacent partition plate, the second heating part 605 of the heating composite plate 6 is in contact with the surface of the adjacent partition plate, the first heating part 604 and the partition plate are surrounded by a guide channel 7, the second heating part 605 and the partition plate are surrounded by a guide channel 7, the material of the partition plate is metal, the partition plate plays the role of supporting the S-shaped heating composite plate 6, ensures the heating effect of hydrogen, improves the structural strength, and helps to improve the service life of the hydrogen heater.

[0041] The hydrogen supply system includes a hydrogen bottle and a pressure reducing valve. Hydrogen is stored in the hydrogen bottle. The gas outlet of the hydrogen bottle is connected to the gas inlet of the pressure reducing valve. The gas outlet of the pressure reducing valve is connected to the hydrogen inlet 1 of the hydrogen heater. The pressure reducing valve is used to reduce the pressure of the high-pressure hydrogen in the hydrogen bottle. The hydrogen outlet 4 of the hydrogen heater is connected to the gas inlet of the proportional valve. The gas outlet of the proportional valve is connected to the hydrogen gas inlet of the fuel cell stack. The hydrogen heater generates heat through the external input high-voltage direct current, heats the hydrogen introduced, and the heated hydrogen enters the proportional valve. The proportional valve controls the pressure of the hydrogen entering the fuel cell stack. The fuel cell stack is a place where the hydrogen and oxygen of the fuel cell undergo electrochemical reactions to generate electrical energy. The external input high-voltage direct current wire 4 provides the hydrogen heater with the electrical energy required for heat generation, and can control the size of the current to adjust the heat generated, thereby controlling the temperature at which the hydrogen is heated. The temperature sensor 3 is connected to the sensor signal line, and the sensor signal line transmits the collected heated hydrogen temperature to the fuel cell control module as a feedback signal to control the size of the high-voltage direct current input to the hydrogen heater.

[0042] Working scene 1:

[0043] When the fuel cell system is cold started at low temperature (e.g. -30°C), in order to prevent the fuel cell stack from freezing inside and causing startup failure, a high-voltage direct current is input to the hydrogen heater, and the hydrogen heater starts to work, heating the hydrogen flowing through. The heated hydrogen temperature reaches the set value, and the heated hydrogen enters the fuel cell stack. When the high-temperature hydrogen enters the fuel cell stack, it can heat the core to prevent the liquid water generated during startup from freezing, thereby increasing the startup current, allowing the fuel cell stack to generate heat faster and shortening the cold start time.

[0044] Working scenario 2:

[0045] When the fuel cell system is running at a reduced load, a lower hydrogen temperature is required to prevent the fuel cell stack from drying out too quickly (the hydrogen outlet 4 temperature of a conventional hydrogen preheater that performs heat exchange through coolant is usually the outlet water temperature, which is usually too high and not conducive to the operation of the fuel cell stack). The hydrogen heating temperature can be precisely controlled by controlling the current of the heating membrane.

[0046] In a second aspect, the present invention also provides a fuel cell system, including a fuel cell hydrogen heater of the above structure. The specific structure of the fuel cell hydrogen heater can be referred to Figure 1 to Figure 2 Since the fuel cell system of the present invention includes the fuel cell hydrogen heater in the above embodiment, it has all the advantages of the above fuel cell hydrogen heater.

[0047] The present invention is described above by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is obvious that the specific implementation of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned method. As long as various non-substantial improvements are made using the method concept and technical solution of the present invention, or the concept and technical solution of the present invention are directly applied to other occasions without improvement, they are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fuel cell hydrogen heater, characterized in that: The invention comprises a packaging shell and a heating composite plate arranged inside the packaging shell and used for converting electrical energy into thermal energy for heating hydrogen. A flow guide channel for guiding flow is formed on the heating composite plate. The heating composite plate comprises a heating component and a contact component for contacting hydrogen. The contact components are distributed on both sides of the heating component.

2. The fuel cell hydrogen heater according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating composite plate further includes an insulating component disposed between the heating component and the contact component.

3. The fuel cell hydrogen heater according to claim 2, characterized in that: The heating component is a heating film.

4. The fuel cell hydrogen heater according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The contact component is made of stainless steel.

5. The fuel cell hydrogen heater according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The heating composite plate includes a first heating part and a second heating part. A plurality of the first heating parts and the second heating parts are provided. A second heating part is provided between two adjacent first heating parts. A first heating part is provided between two adjacent second heating parts. The guide channels are formed on the first heating parts and the second heating parts.

6. The fuel cell hydrogen heater according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first heating portion is an arc-shaped structure.

7. The fuel cell hydrogen heater according to claim 5, characterized in that: The second heating portion is an arc-shaped structure.

8. The fuel cell hydrogen heater according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: A temperature sensor is arranged on the packaging shell.

9. A fuel cell system, characterized in that: It comprises the fuel cell hydrogen heater as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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