Coolant reservoir with ion filter

Abstract

The invention relates to a coolant reservoir having an ion filter, the coolant reservoir comprising: an ion filter; and a main body in which a coolant for cooling the fuel cell stack is stored, in which the ion filter is mounted within the main body and configured to be connected to a coolant line through which the coolant flows to remove ions contained in the coolant when a measured insulation resistance value of the fuel cell system changes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a coolant reservoir having an ion filter, and more particularly to a coolant reservoir having an ion filter capable of selectively exposing the ion filter to the coolant only when it is necessary to remove ions existing in the coolant. Background Art

[0002] Generally speaking, a fuel cell is a device configured to generate electricity and water by receiving oxygen from the air and hydrogen as fuel. In a fuel cell, high-purity hydrogen is supplied to the anode of the fuel cell from a hydrogen storage tank during operation, and atmospheric air is directly supplied to the cathode of the fuel cell using an air supplier (e.g., a blower).

[0003] When oxygen supplied to the fuel cell stack is separated into hydrogen ions and electrons in the catalyst of the anode and the separated hydrogen ions reach the cathode through the electrolyte membrane, the oxygen supplied to the cathode combines with the electrons introduced into the cathode through the external conductor to generate water and produce electrical energy.

[0004] The fuel cell system may include: a fuel cell stack configured to generate electrical energy; a fuel supply system configured to supply fuel (hydrogen) to the fuel cell stack; an air supply system configured to supply oxygen in the air to the fuel cell stack, wherein oxygen is an oxidant required for the electrochemical reaction; and a heat and water management system configured to control the operating temperature of the fuel cell stack.

[0005] Here, the ion filter is a component of the heat and water management system to remove ionic species from the coolant circulating through the fuel cell stack to extend the life of the fuel cells and stabilize the fuel cell system.

[0006] Therefore, the ion filter has an ion exchange resin built therein, which is configured to fully filter the ions contained in the coolant, so that the coolant circulating through the fuel cell stack enters the ion filter, the ion substances in the coolant are removed, and then circulates back to the fuel cell stack.

[0007] When the ion filter is installed in the vehicle, the conductivity of the coolant should be controlled at or below a predetermined level. However, when the ion filter is always exposed to the circulating coolant, the service life of the ion filter may be shortened.

[0008] The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not constitute the prior art that is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Summary of the invention

[0009] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems related to the prior art. One object of the present invention is to provide a coolant reservoir with an ion filter, wherein the reservoir stores coolant to cool a fuel cell stack, and an ion filter is installed therein, the ion filter is configured to remove ions present in the coolant, thereby facilitating the maintenance of the ion filter, and wherein the ion filter is selectively exposed to the coolant only when it is necessary to remove ions present in the coolant in the reservoir, thereby improving the durability of the ion filter.

[0010] On the one hand, the present invention provides a coolant reservoir comprising: a main body, in which a coolant for cooling a fuel cell stack is stored; and an ion filter installed in the main body and configured to be selectively connected to a coolant pipeline through which the coolant flows, so as to remove ions contained in the coolant when a measured insulation resistance value of the fuel cell system changes.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, when the measured insulation resistance value is detected to be smaller than the set installation resistance value, the installation position of the ion filter is lowered, and the ion filter is connected to the coolant line.

[0012] In another preferred embodiment, when the insulation resistance value measured when the ion filter is connected to the coolant line is detected to be greater than a set separation resistance value, the installation position of the ion filter is raised and the ion filter is disconnected from the coolant line.

[0013] In yet another preferred embodiment, the separation resistance value may be set to be greater than the installation resistance value.

[0014] In yet another preferred embodiment, the ion filter includes: a filter element having a built-in ion exchange resin configured to filter ions contained in a coolant; and an actuating member configured to provide a driving force for changing an installation position of the filter element.

[0015] In yet another preferred embodiment, the filter element has a mesh structure including an ion exchange resin.

[0016] In yet another preferred embodiment, the main body has an inner shell including a coolant line through which the coolant flows, and the inner shell is further provided with a vertical partition wall having a height greater than a water level of the coolant.

[0017] In yet another preferred embodiment, in a state where the filter element and the wire member are connected to each other, the actuating member may provide a driving force for raising or lowering the filter element relative to the inner housing by adjusting the length of the wire member.

[0018] In yet another preferred embodiment, in a state where the upright partition wall and the filter element are engaged with each other, the actuating member rotates the upright partition wall to provide a driving force to raise or lower the filter element relative to the inner housing.

[0019] In yet another preferred embodiment, when a rotating shaft of the filter element is eccentrically coupled to the upright partition wall, an actuating member rotates the rotating shaft to provide a driving force to raise or lower the filter element relative to the inner housing.

[0020] In yet another preferred embodiment, the coolant reservoir further includes a water level sensor configured to detect a water level of the coolant by floating within the body.

[0021] In yet another preferred embodiment, the ion filter is configured to change the installation position depending on the water level detected by the water level sensor.

[0022] Other aspects and preferred embodiments of the invention are discussed below.

[0023] It should be understood that the term "vehicle" or "vehicular" or other similar terms used herein generally include motor vehicles, such as passenger cars, including sports utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including various ships and boats, aircraft, etc., and include hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuels derived from resources other than petroleum). As described herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle having two or more power sources, such as a vehicle that is driven by both gasoline and electricity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The above and other features of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, which are given below only by way of example and therefore do not constitute a limitation of the present invention, in which:

[0025] Figure 1 A view showing a coolant reservoir structure having an ion filter according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 and Figure 3 A view showing the operation of a first embodiment of an ion filter having a coolant reservoir according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 A view showing the operation of a second embodiment of an ion filter having a coolant reservoir according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 5 and Fig. 6A , Figure 6B, Figure 6C and Fig.6D A view showing the operation of the third embodiment of the ion filter having the coolant reservoir of the ion filter according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 7 A view showing a water level sensor of a coolant reservoir having an ion filter according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0030] Figure 8 A diagram illustrating a general thermal management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] It should be understood that the accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various preferred features illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. The specific design features of the present invention, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment.

[0032] In the several figures of the drawings, reference characters refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present disclosure throughout the several figures. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The preferred embodiments disclosed herein will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] The advantages and features of the present invention and methods for achieving the same will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0035] However, the present invention may be implemented in a variety of different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, the embodiments are provided to make the present invention comprehensive and complete and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art. The present invention is limited only by the categories of the claims.

[0036] In describing the contents of the present invention, if a detailed description of a related known function or construction is considered to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, such description will be omitted but will be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0037] Figure 1 is a view showing the structure of a coolant reservoir having an ion filter according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 and Figure 3 1 is a view showing the operation of the first embodiment of the ion filter of the coolant reservoir having the ion filter according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 4 is a view showing the operation of the second embodiment of the ion filter of the coolant reservoir having the ion filter according to the embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 and Fig. 6A , Figure 6B , Figure 6C and Fig.6D 2 is a view showing the operation of the third embodiment of the ion filter of the coolant reservoir having the ion filter according to the embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 7 is a view illustrating a water level sensor of a coolant reservoir having an ion filter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 8 It is a view for explaining coolant exchange among a reservoir, a radiator, and a fuel cell stack in a thermal management system, and is a simplified view omitting portions not related to the coolant exchange.

[0040] like Figure 8 As shown, a general thermal management system requires a reservoir 10 , a fuel cell stack 20 , a radiator 30 , and a coolant pump 40 for coolant exchange.

[0041] The reservoir 10 may be a space storing a coolant for cooling the fuel cell stack 20 .

[0042] Air and hydrogen are supplied to the fuel cell stack 20 to generate electricity through their chemical reactions, a coolant may be introduced into the fuel cell stack 20 to release heat, which is a byproduct generated by the chemical reactions of the fuel cell stack 20, and the coolant cooling the fuel cell stack 20 is introduced into the radiator 30.

[0043] The radiator 30 may re-cool the coolant whose temperature has increased after the chemical reaction of the fuel cell stack 20 and release the heat of the coolant to the outside. The coolant cooled in the radiator 30 may flow to a valve (not shown) configured to control the flow of the coolant.

[0044] The coolant pump 40 may supply the coolant delivered from a valve (not shown) to the fuel cell stack 20 and may control the flow rate of the coolant. The coolant discharged from the coolant pump 40 may be introduced into the reservoir 10 and the fuel cell stack 20.

[0045] Although not shown in the drawings, according to one embodiment of the present invention, an ion filter configured to filter ions contained in the coolant is separately installed in the thermal management system, resulting in difficulty in maintaining the ion filter, requiring regular replacement of the ion filter, and deterioration of the coolant due to the catalyst being always exposed to the coolant.

[0046] Meanwhile, in order to solve the above problems, the coolant storage with an ion filter according to the present embodiment may include a main body 100 and an ion filter 200, such as Figure 2 shown.

[0047] The main body 100 stores a coolant for cooling the fuel cell stack.

[0048] The main body 100 is provided with a partition wall 110 to ensure airtightness of the inner case A, and the partition wall 110 is erected in the main body 100 by being formed integrally with the main body 100 so as not to be moved by the coolant.

[0049] More preferably, when the coolant flows in and out through the inlet and outlet of the main body 100, the partition wall 110 forms a coolant pipeline L through which the coolant flows, that is, the partition wall 110 forms the coolant pipeline L using a plurality of flow holes H with different heights, the height of which is greater than the water level of the coolant, and ensures the airtightness of the internal shell A to prevent the coolant from flowing out of the coolant pipeline L.

[0050] The ion filter 200 is installed in the main body 100 .

[0051] Since the ion filter 200 is not separated from the main body 100 unlike the prior art, a separate pipeline for ion filtering is not required, which reduces the number of pipelines, thereby reducing the cost and volume of the thermal management system.

[0052] Furthermore, since the main body 100 is usually placed in a location that is easy to maintain, installing the ion filter 200 in the main body 100 facilitates maintenance of the ion filter 200 .

[0053] Furthermore, when the insulation resistance value of the fuel cell system detected by the insulation resistance detection sensor 300 changes, or when the coolant conductivity detected by the conductivity sensor (not shown) changes, the ion filter 200 is selectively connected to the coolant line L to remove ions contained in the coolant.

[0054] In other words, when the insulation resistance detection sensor 300 detects that the measured insulation resistance value of the fuel cell system is less than the set installation resistance value for a set number of times, for example, less than 300 kΩ for 5 times, the controller 400 lowers the installation position of the ion filter 200 and connects the ion filter 200 to the coolant line L, such as Figure 3 shown.

[0055] Since the ion filter 200 is connected to the coolant line L and the coolant flows therethrough, the ion filter 200 may filter ions contained in the coolant circulating through the fuel cell stack using a built-in ion exchange resin.

[0056] When the insulation resistance detection sensor 300 detects that the measured insulation resistance value of the fuel cell system is equal to or greater than the set separation resistance value for a set number of times, for example, 400 kΩ or more for 5 times, and the ion filter 200 is connected to the coolant line L, the installation position of the ion filter 200 is raised by the controller 400, and the ion filter 200 is disconnected from the coolant line L.

[0057] In other words, when any one selected from the insulation resistance value measured at a predetermined time point, the insulation resistance value measured more than once, the insulation resistance moving average value, and the insulation resistance moving center value satisfies the set condition, the installation position of the ion filter 200 is raised by the controller 400, and the ion filter 200 is disconnected from the coolant pipeline L.

[0058] Here, the separation resistance value may be set to a mounting resistance value greater than 300 kΩ, and is preferably set to 400 kΩ or more, for example.

[0059] Thus, when the ion filter 200 is disconnected from the coolant line L, the disconnected state can be maintained for as long as possible. However, when the separation resistance value is set to a level similar to the installation resistance value, the controller 400 frequently switches the ion filter 200 from being disconnected from the coolant line L to being connected to the coolant line L, depending on the measured insulation resistance value of the fuel cell system detected by the insulation resistance detection sensor 300, making it difficult to ensure the durability of the ion filter 200.

[0060] To this end, the separation resistance value is set greater than the installation resistance value to maintain the disconnection between the ion filter 200 and the coolant line L for as long as possible, thereby not only ensuring the durability of the ion filter 200 but also extending the life of the actuating member 220 configured to raise and lower the ion filter 200.

[0061] Meanwhile, for ion filtering and the raising and lowering as described above, the ion filter 200 includes a filter element 210 and an actuating member 220 .

[0062] The filter element 210 has an ion exchange resin built therein for filtering ions contained in the coolant.

[0063] Preferably, the filter element 210 may have a mesh structure, the entire surface of which includes the ion exchange resin. However, for cost-effectiveness considerations, the filter element 210 may have a mesh structure on both sides (upper and lower sides), or although not shown in the drawings, a mesh structure may be provided in its central portion, and the mesh structure may be fixed around an edge structure of the mesh structure.

[0064] Due to the mesh structure, when the installation position of the filter element 210 is lowered and the filter element 210 is connected to the coolant line L, when the filter element 210 is disconnected from the coolant line L depending on predetermined conditions, the coolant can be easily discharged without remaining in the filter element 210, and the reaction between the coolant and the ion exchange resin can be prevented in the state where the filter element 210 is disconnected from the coolant line L, thereby further increasing the service life of the filter element 210.

[0065] The actuating member 220 is configured to provide a driving force to change the installation position of the filter element 210. The actuating member 220 may be a motor.

[0066] The actuating member 220 drives the filter element 210 at a low speed to improve the mood quality. In other words, because filtering ions from the coolant is chemically slow, the filter element 210 does not need to be quickly raised or lowered, and the actuating member 220 drives the filter element 210 at a lower speed. For example, the time for raising or lowering the installation position of the filter element 210 is guaranteed to be a maximum of 30 seconds to minimize the noise generated by the raising or lowering of the filter element 210.

[0067] A plurality of actuation members 220 may be provided to raise and lower the filter cartridge 210 .

[0068] First embodiment

[0069] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, in a state where the filter element 210 and the wire member W are connected to each other, the actuating member 220 provides a downward driving force to extend or shorten the length of the wire member W, thereby connecting the filter element 210 to the internal housing A, more specifically to the coolant line L.

[0070] In other words, when the actuating member 220 is driven to rotate the wire member W in the winding direction, the wire member W is wound, and the filter element 210 is lifted to be disconnected from the coolant line L (see FIG. 21 ). Figure 2 ).

[0071] On the other hand, when the actuating member 220 is driven to rotate the wire member W in the direction opposite to the winding direction while the filter element 210 is disconnected from the coolant line L, the wound wire member W is released and the filter element 210 is lowered to be connected to the coolant line L (see Figure 3 ).

[0072] Second embodiment

[0073] like Figure 4 As shown, the actuating member 220 has a plurality of gear teeth 222 that mesh with the partition wall 110 .

[0074] The partition wall 110 provided with the rack gear 112 and the filter element 210 provided with the pinion gear 212 mesh with each other. With this structure, when the actuating member 220 rotates, the partition wall 110 meshed with the actuating member 220 rotates, and accordingly, the filter element 210 meshed with the partition wall 110 is lowered in the direction connected to the coolant line L.

[0075] More preferably, depending on the forward or reverse rotation of the partition wall 110 rotated by the actuating member 220, the filter element 210 is raised in a direction of disconnection from the coolant line L or lowered in a direction of connection with the coolant line L, and a more robust raising and lowering structure is implemented compared to the above-mentioned first embodiment.

[0076] Third embodiment

[0077] Similar to the first and second embodiments, the filter element 210 may be selectively connected to the coolant line L by moving in the vertical direction. However, in addition thereto, the filter element 210 may be selectively connected to the coolant line L by rotating.

[0078] In other words, Figure 5 6 , the actuating member 220 is located at a predetermined height in the body 100 through the partition wall 110, and has a rotating shaft 224 eccentrically coupled to the coupling member 214 on a corresponding one of the opposite sides of the filter element 210. The actuating member 220 rotates around the rotating shaft 224 eccentrically coupled to the coupling member 214 to provide a driving force to lift the filter element 210 from the inner housing A.

[0079] More specifically, if Fig. 6A As shown, when the rotating shaft 224 rotates in a state where the filter element 210 is disconnected from the coolant line L, the filter element 210 is sequentially rotated along a predetermined rotation radius by the eccentrically coupled rotating shaft 224 and moves in a direction connected to the coolant line L, as shown in FIG. Figure 6B and Figure 6C shown.

[0080] Furthermore, when the actuating member 220 sequentially rotates the rotating shaft 224 in the same direction as described above depending on the change in the measured insulation resistance value of the fuel cell system, the filter element 210 rotates to move in a direction to disconnect from the coolant line L, as shown in FIG. Fig.6D shown.

[0081] Therefore, in the coolant reservoir with an ion filter according to the present embodiment, the installation position of the filter element 210 is changed in the vertical or rotational direction, and the filter element 210 is exposed to the coolant only when the ions present in the coolant need to be removed based on the change in the insulation resistance measurement value of the fuel cell system, so the chemical reaction for ion filtration does not have to occur continuously, thereby improving the durability and service life of the ion filter 200.

[0082] At the same time, if Figure 7 As shown, the coolant reservoir with an ion filter according to the present embodiment may further include a water level sensor 500 configured to detect the water level of the coolant by floating in the body 100 .

[0083] The installation position of the ion filter 200 may also be changed depending on the water level detected by the water level sensor 500 .

[0084] In other words, the water level sensor 500 can not only detect coolant shortage based on the water level information of the coolant, but also further raise the filter element 210 from its initial position by sending the water level information to the controller 400 when it is detected that the water level of the coolant is higher than the maximum water level and the filter element 210 does not need to be connected to the coolant line L.

[0085] Here, when the water level of the coolant detected by the water level sensor 500 reaches the maximum water level and it is determined that the filter element 210 is at the set maximum height, the controller 400 can send a notification to the user to remove the coolant, thereby preventing the problem of reducing the durability and service life of the ion filter 200 due to the filter element 210 being connected to the coolant line L when not needed.

[0086] As apparent from the above description, the present invention has the following effects.

[0087] According to the present invention, there is provided a reservoir in which a coolant for cooling a fuel cell stack is stored and in which an ion filter configured to remove ions present in the coolant is installed, thereby facilitating maintenance of the ion filter.

[0088] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the ion filter is selectively exposed to the coolant only when it is necessary to remove ions in the coolant in the reservoir, thereby improving the durability of the ion filter.

[0089] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention belongs to that various modifications may be made and all or part of the above embodiments may be selectively combined. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical ideas of the attached claims.

Claims

1. A coolant storage device, comprising: Ion filter; as well as a main body in which a coolant for cooling the fuel cell stack is stored, The ion filter is installed in the main body and is configured to be connected to a coolant line through which the coolant flows, so as to remove ions contained in the coolant when the measured insulation resistance value of the fuel cell system changes.

2. The coolant reservoir according to claim 1, wherein: When the measured insulation resistance value is less than the set installation resistance value, the installation position of the ion filter is lowered, and the ion filter is connected to the coolant line.

3. The coolant reservoir according to claim 2, wherein: When the measured insulation resistance value is greater than a set separation resistance value when the ion filter is connected to the coolant line, the installation position of the ion filter is raised, and the ion filter is disconnected from the coolant line.

4. The coolant reservoir according to claim 3, wherein: The set separation resistance value is set to be larger than the set mounting resistance value.

5. The coolant reservoir according to claim 1, wherein: The ion filter comprises: a filter element having an ion exchange resin configured to filter ions contained in the coolant; and The actuating member is configured to provide a driving force for changing the installation position of the filter element.

6. The coolant reservoir according to claim 5, wherein: The filter element has a mesh structure including the ion exchange resin.

7. The coolant reservoir according to claim 5, wherein: The main body has an inner shell including a coolant line through which a coolant flows, and the inner shell further includes an upright partition wall having a height greater than a water level of the coolant.

8. The coolant reservoir according to claim 7, wherein: When the filter element and the wire member are connected to each other, the actuating member provides a driving force for raising or lowering the filter element relative to the inner housing by adjusting the length of the wire member.

9. The coolant reservoir according to claim 7, wherein: When the upright partition wall and the filter element are engaged with each other, the actuating member rotates the upright partition wall to provide a driving force that raises or lowers the filter element relative to the inner housing.

10. The coolant reservoir according to claim 7, wherein: When the rotating shaft of the filter element is eccentrically coupled to the upright partition wall, the actuating member rotates the rotating shaft to provide a driving force that raises or lowers the filter element relative to the inner housing. 11 . The coolant reservoir according to claim 1 , further comprising a water level sensor configured to detect a water level of the coolant by floating within the body.

12. The coolant reservoir according to claim 11, wherein: The ion filter is configured to change an installation position depending on a water level detected by the water level sensor.

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