Cylindrical fuel cell and temperature control system thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a cylindrical fuel cell and a temperature control system thereof.The cylindrical fuel cell comprises a heat exchanger, a cylindrical shell and an electric pile installed in the cylindrical shell, the heat exchanger comprises a supporting piece wrapping the cylindrical shell, and a plurality of heat exchange chambers are arranged on the outer side of the supporting piece; all the heat exchange chambers are distributed in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical shell, at least one flat heat exchange piece is arranged in each heat exchange chamber, each heat exchange piece comprises two flat corrugated pieces, the four edges of the two corrugated pieces are welded and fixed after being folded and flattened, and then a tube pass is formed between the two corrugated pieces. And a shell pass is formed between every two adjacent heat exchange sheets or between the heat exchange sheets and the corresponding heat exchange chambers. The modular design is adopted, an existing spiral heat exchange structure is optimized into a plurality of single heat exchange sheet structures, all heat exchange sheets are independently welded, and the technical problem that in an existing welding process, one-time welding forming is achieved, and repair welding cannot be conducted is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of waste heat utilization technology, specifically relating to a cylindrical fuel cell and its temperature control system. Background Technology

[0002] Existing fuel cells can be classified into planar, tubular (cylindrical) and monolithic types according to their geometric structure, and into high-temperature (800~1000℃), medium-temperature (600~800℃), and low-temperature (400~600℃) types according to their operating temperature characteristics. Low-temperature technology is still under development. Currently, most solid-state batteries are high-temperature type, while medium- and high-temperature tubular or planar structures are used in automobiles. Among them, the tubular structure is more suitable for installation in the engine compartment of automobiles. How to reasonably install fuel cells in the engine compartment with limited space is one of the technical challenges for the popularization of fuel cells in the automotive field.

[0003] In existing cylindrical fuel cells (tubular fuel cells), the anode (fuel side) receives fuel (such as hydrogen, methane, methanol, etc.), which is oxidized under the action of the anode catalyst, releasing electrons and hydrogen ions. The cathode (air side) receives air, where oxygen combines with electrons flowing back from the external circuit and hydrogen ions migrating from the electrolyte under the action of the cathode catalyst, producing water or water + CO2. Both the fuel and air sides need to be heated to a set temperature before being input into the fuel cell stack. Direct input without heating would severely compromise the stack's operational stability and efficiency. Therefore, "fuel preheating" is an essential part of the fuel cell's temperature control system. Utilizing the waste heat from exhaust gases to heat the anode and cathode is currently the most energy-efficient and effective method for improving driving range. Therefore, existing fuel cells all incorporate waste heat recovery heat exchangers. However, existing waste heat recovery units are not integrated with the fuel cell stack but are separate components. Their installation occupies engine compartment space, becoming one of the challenges that automakers need to overcome. Arranging a heat exchanger on the outer surface of a cylindrical fuel cell for waste heat recovery has advantages such as small installation space, compact structure, and integrated design, making it an effective method to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. However, wrapping a spiral heat exchanger around the cylindrical shell presents the following technical challenges: 1. The spiral heat exchanger is made of high-efficiency corrugated sheets (0.1~0.2mm thick). The thinner the corrugated sheets, the higher the heat exchange efficiency. The pleated structure of the insulation sheets further improves the heat exchange efficiency. The specific manufacturing process includes cutting, edge pressing, and welding. For example, the corrugated sheet raw material is cut into two 1*8 rectangular sheets. Because the corrugated sheets are uneven, the four sides of the two rectangular sheets need to be flattened before welding. Then, they are overlapped and completely spiral-shaped. Finally, the flattened four sides are aligned and welded. The problem lies in: a. The originally flattened edge to be welded after bending causes localized warping due to bending stress (e.g.) Figure 5As shown in the figure, the two overlapping edges to be welded cannot fit together, and during the welding process, the molten pool is very likely to fail to completely cover the non-fitted area, resulting in welding defects (pinholes).

[0004] b. Because the corrugated sheet is too thin to be welded a second time (secondary welding is very easy to burn through the corrugated sheet), the two sides to be welded must be welded in one go. Once a welding defect occurs, the entire heat exchanger will be scrapped. There is no room for error. Therefore, the requirements for welding proficiency are extremely strict and it is not suitable for industrial production.

[0005] c. In theory, the cross-sectional shape of a heat exchanger should be an involute spiral. However, in actual manufacturing, the corrugated sheets cannot be bent uniformly, resulting in a difference from the theoretical shape. This makes it impossible to achieve automated or automatic laser welding, and manual welding is inefficient and costly.

[0006] 2. If a spiral heat exchanger leaks, it cannot be repaired and the entire heat exchanger must be replaced. For the user, the cost of replacing the entire heat exchanger is far higher than repairing a single faulty component, resulting in high maintenance costs. Spiral heat exchangers are essentially disposable products, which contradicts the current concept of sustainable social development.

[0007] Besides the aforementioned challenges related to the structure and manufacturing of the heat exchanger, properly installing a fuel cell in the engine compartment also presents the following issues: To stabilize the electrochemical reaction efficiency of the fuel cell stack, the stack temperature needs to be controlled within the optimal temperature range. The main methods for maintaining the stack temperature are as follows: a. Use a heat exchanger to heat the fuel to a preset temperature using the waste heat of the exhaust gas, and maintain the high-temperature brittle materials (such as ceramic electrolytes and electrodes) to maintain a high-efficiency electrochemical reaction.

[0008] b. The internal environment of the battery stack is high-temperature. Although the battery stack casing is insulated, a high temperature gradient exists inside the stack, which may generate local hot spots (uneven temperature). These local overheating spots generate significant thermal stress, accelerating battery stack aging and being one of the main causes of battery delamination, cracking, and sealing failure. To reduce local overheating, the existing solution is to add a heat dissipation structure to the casing.

[0009] However, both methods still have room for improvement: Regarding the preheating issue of problematic fuel, existing heat exchangers, being independent components, are limited by the confined space of the engine compartment, resulting in a short heat exchange path. This necessitates the addition of an electric auxiliary heating structure, leading to poor heat exchanger integration and increased preheating energy consumption. Regarding the heat dissipation issue of the fuel cell stack casing, current solutions involve adding heat dissipation structures to the entire casing. However, fuel cell stack reactions may produce irregular hot spots, meaning the hot spots are not fixed in location. Improving the overall heat dissipation performance of the casing cannot effectively solve the problem of localized hot spots, and therefore cannot guarantee the long-term stable and safe operation of the fuel cell stack.

[0010] Furthermore, because fuel cell stacks require specific reaction temperatures and a high-temperature operating environment, existing fuel cells are not suitable for frequent start-stop operations or environments with excessively low temperatures, and require long-term operation to maintain efficiency. To address this issue, current methods include using heat exchangers to recover waste heat and use it to insulate the stack, or adding electrically assisted heating structures that consume electrical energy to maintain the stack temperature. However, both of these methods heat and insulate the entire stack without differentiating between high and low temperatures, and cannot provide temperature compensation for low temperatures to reduce the energy consumption required for insulation. Therefore, existing fuel cell stack thermal compensation methods cannot achieve localized temperature compensation. Summary of the Invention

[0011] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a cylindrical fuel cell, comprising a heat exchanger, a cylindrical shell, and a fuel cell stack installed inside the cylindrical shell. The heat exchanger includes a support member enclosing the cylindrical shell, with multiple heat exchange chambers on the outer side of the support member. All heat exchange chambers are distributed circumferentially along the cylindrical shell, and each heat exchange chamber has at least one flat heat exchange plate inside. The heat exchange plate includes two flat corrugated plates, the four sides of which are respectively folded and flattened and then welded and fixed, thereby forming a tube side between the two corrugated plates and a shell side between each pair of adjacent heat exchange plates or between a heat exchange plate and a corresponding heat exchange chamber.

[0012] The preferred embodiment of the cylindrical fuel cell in this invention is as follows: each heat exchange chamber is provided with nine parallel heat exchange plates, which divide the corresponding heat exchange chamber into ten independent shell sides. Each heat exchange plate is fixedly or detachably connected to the corresponding heat exchange chamber. There are six heat exchange chambers, which makes the support member form a hollow hexagonal prism structure. Each facet of the support member is provided with a transverse partition. Each heat exchange plate is provided with a valve plate that can be opened in one direction corresponding to the partition plate. The partition plate opens all the valve plates of the same heat exchange chamber and presses them against the inner wall of the support member, thereby dividing the inner cavity of the heat exchange chamber into an upper inner cavity and a lower inner cavity.

[0013] The preferred embodiment of the cylindrical fuel cell in this invention is as follows: a top solenoid valve, a bottom solenoid valve, a middle-upper solenoid valve, and a middle-lower solenoid valve are provided between each adjacent tube side and shell side, wherein the top solenoid valve and the bottom solenoid valve are located at the upper part and the bottom of the shell side, respectively, and the middle-upper solenoid valve and the middle-lower solenoid valve are both located in the middle of the shell side and the corresponding valve plate is located between the middle-upper solenoid valve and the middle-lower solenoid valve.

[0014] The preferred embodiment of the cylindrical fuel cell in this invention is as follows: each tube side is provided with a tube side connector with a valve at the upper and lower ends, and each shell side is provided with a shell side connector with a valve at the upper and lower ends, and the tube side connector at the upper end of each heat exchange chamber is aligned with the shell side connector at the lower end.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the cylindrical fuel cell and its temperature control system in this invention are as follows: 1. By designing the heat exchanger on the outside of the fuel cell stack, the heat exchanger encloses the stack, forming an integrated structure. Compared to a separate heat exchanger, this results in a longer heat exchange path and a more compact structure, eliminating the need for a separate heat exchanger installation space in the engine compartment and facilitating a more efficient layout of the engine compartment. The heat exchanger's proximity to the fuel cell stack and the waste heat recovery pipeline further enhance heat exchange efficiency.

[0016] 2. The tube side and shell side of the heat exchanger can be modified according to the heating requirements of the fuel cell stack, so as to realize the overall heating requirements and the local precise heating requirements. This changes the existing overall heating method, which helps to maintain the fuel cell stack reaction temperature while reducing the energy consumption required for heating, thereby helping to improve the endurance.

[0017] 3. Regarding the manufacturing of the battery's heat exchanger section, this invention employs a modular design, optimizing the existing spiral heat exchange structure into multiple individual heat exchange plates. The heat exchange plates themselves have a flat structure; the folded edges are compacted and overlapped, eliminating the need for bending and preventing localized warping. This creates a flat edge to be welded, ensuring sufficient contact on both sides and allowing the molten pool to completely enclose the edge. Furthermore, all heat exchange plates are welded independently, solving the technical problem of "one-time welding, impossible to repair" in existing welding processes. Even if a single heat exchange plate has a welding defect, only that single heat exchange plate is scrapped, significantly reducing the amount of scrapped material and production costs. Additionally, the tube sides of all heat exchange plates are independent and do not affect each other. If a single heat exchange plate leaks, only the leaking heat exchange plate needs to be replaced, while the other heat exchange plates and other structures are preserved. This optimizes the existing "unrepairable as a whole, only replaceable" approach to "repairable as a whole, individual component replacement," reducing costs for users and aligning with current sustainable development principles. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the cylindrical fuel cell structure in this embodiment; Figure 2 for Figure 1 The left view; Figure 3 for Figure 1 3D diagram; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the partition passing through two heat exchange fins in this embodiment; Figure 5This is a flowchart of the heat exchange method in this embodiment; Figure 6 The flowchart of the fuel cell stack temperature compensation method in this embodiment is as follows. Figure 1 ; Figure 7 The flowchart of the fuel cell stack temperature compensation method in this embodiment is as follows. Figure 2 ; Figure 8 The flowchart of the fuel cell stack temperature compensation method in this embodiment is as follows. Figure 3 .

[0020] Reference numerals: 1. Heat exchanger; 2. Cylindrical shell; 3. Electrostatic precipitator; 4. Support; 5. Heat exchange fins; 6. Tube side; 7. Shell side; 8. Facet; 9. Baffle plate; 10. Valve plate; 11. Telescopic cylinder; 12. Upper inner cavity; 13. Lower inner cavity; 14. Top solenoid valve; 15. Bottom solenoid valve; 16. Upper middle solenoid valve; 17. Lower middle solenoid valve; 18. Tube side connector; 19. Shell side connector. Detailed Implementation

[0021] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the inventors of this invention, through long-term research and extensive practice, have proposed the technical solution of this invention. The technical solution, its implementation process, and principles will be further explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation examples in the embodiments of this application.

[0022] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, this embodiment provides a cylindrical fuel cell, including a heat exchanger 1, a cylindrical shell 2, and a fuel cell stack 3 installed inside the cylindrical shell 2. The heat exchanger 1 includes a support member 4 wrapped around the cylindrical shell 2. The support member 4 has six heat exchange chambers on its outer side, all of which are distributed circumferentially along the cylindrical shell 2. Each heat exchange chamber has nine flat heat exchange plates 5 inside. Each heat exchange plate 5 includes two flat corrugated plates. The four sides of the two corrugated plates are folded, flattened, and welded to form a tube side 6 between the two corrugated plates, and a shell side 7 is formed between each pair of adjacent heat exchange plates 5 or between a heat exchange plate 5 and a corresponding heat exchange chamber. Each tube side 6 is provided with an electric heating wire, which is not shown in the figure. Specifically, each heat exchange chamber has nine parallel heat exchange plates 5. The nine heat exchange plates 5 divide the corresponding heat exchange chamber into nine independent shell sides 7, and each heat exchange plate 5 is fixedly or detachably connected to the corresponding heat exchange chamber. The heat exchange fins 5 can be fixedly installed according to actual needs, or slots can be set on both sides of the heat exchange chamber, with the heat exchange fins 5 inserted into the slots accordingly, thus forming a detachable installation structure. This embodiment does not limit the specific installation method. In this embodiment, the heat exchange fins 5 adopt a modular design, optimizing the existing spiral heat exchange structure into a structure of 54 individual heat exchange fins 5. All heat exchange fins 5 are independently welded, solving the technical problem of "one-time welding and inability to repair welding" in the existing welding process. The tube side 6 of all heat exchange fins 5 is independent and does not affect each other, making it easier to replace individual heat exchange fins 5 in the future, reducing user costs, and conforming to the current concept of sustainable social development.

[0023] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the support member 4 in this embodiment has a cylindrical hollow structure and an outer hexagonal prism structure. Each facet 8 of the support member 4 is provided with a transverse partition 9. Each heat exchange plate 5 is provided with a valve plate 10 that can be opened in one direction corresponding to the partition 9. The partition 9 pushes open all the valve plates 10 in the same heat exchange chamber and presses them against the inner wall of the support member 4, thereby dividing the inner cavity of the heat exchange chamber into an upper inner cavity 12 and a lower inner cavity 13. The hinge shaft of each valve plate 10 is provided with a spring. The partition 9 can push the valve plate 10 to open only in the direction of the fuel cell stack 3. After the partition 9 is pulled out, the valve plate 10 remains closed under the elastic force of the spring, thereby keeping each heat exchange plate 5 sealed. In addition, each facet 8 is provided with a telescopic cylinder 11 for driving the partition 9. The telescopic cylinder 11 is used to drive the partition 9 to insert or withdraw, that is, to cut off the corresponding tube side 6 and shell side 7 from the middle. When localized overheating or underheating occurs in the upper or lower part of the fuel cell stack 3 region corresponding to a certain facet 8, the telescopic cylinder 11 drives the partition 9 to insert, dividing the inner cavity corresponding to the facet 8 into an upper inner cavity 12 and a lower inner cavity 13. If the upper inner cavity 12 is overheated or undercooled, the temperature of the upper inner cavity 12 is correspondingly lowered or raised. If the lower inner cavity 13 is overheated or undercooled, the temperature of the lower inner cavity 13 is correspondingly lowered or raised. Temperature compensation is accurate to twelve regions (six facets 8, each facet 8 corresponding to two regions), and the temperature of each region can be controlled independently, thus solving the problem that the existing fuel cell stack 3 cannot provide localized thermal compensation or cooling.

[0024] In this embodiment, a top solenoid valve 14, a bottom solenoid valve 15, an upper-middle solenoid valve 16, and a lower-middle solenoid valve 17 are provided between each adjacent tube side 6 and shell side 7. The top solenoid valve 14 and the bottom solenoid valve 15 are located at the upper and bottom of the shell side 7, respectively. The upper-middle solenoid valve 16 and the lower-middle solenoid valve 17 are both located in the middle of the shell side 7, with the corresponding valve plate 10 located between them. The top solenoid valve 14, bottom solenoid valve 15, upper-middle solenoid valve 16, and lower-middle solenoid valve 17 are used to lay exhaust gas and cold air flow pipelines for overall heating, local heating, overall cooling, and local cooling. A tube side connector 18 with a valve is provided at the upper and lower ends of each tube side 6, and a shell side connector 19 with a valve is provided at the upper and lower ends of each shell side 7. The tube side connector 18 at the upper end of each heat exchange chamber is paired with the shell side connector 19 at the lower end. That is, the tube joints 18 at both ends of each tube side 6 are staggered, and similarly, the shell joints 19 at both ends of each shell side 7 are also staggered.

[0025] This embodiment also includes a cooling input pipe, a fuel input pipe, a fuel output pipe, an exhaust gas input pipe, and an exhaust gas output pipe. The upper pipe-side connector 18 of each pipe side 6 is connected to the exhaust gas input pipe and the exhaust gas output pipe via a three-way solenoid valve, and the lower pipe-side connector 18 of each pipe side 6 is connected to the exhaust gas output pipe. The lower pipe-side connector 18 of the innermost pipe side 6 is connected to both the exhaust gas input pipe and the exhaust gas output pipe via a three-way solenoid valve. The upper shell-side connector 19 of each shell side 7 is connected to the gas input pipe and the gas output pipe via a three-way solenoid valve, and the lower shell-side connector 19 is connected to the gas output pipe. The exhaust gas input pipe is connected to the cooling input pipe via a three-way solenoid valve. Either the cooling input pipe is connected to the pipeline for cooling, or the exhaust gas input pipe is connected to the pipeline for heat exchange or insulation; both cannot be connected to the pipeline simultaneously.

[0026] 1. This embodiment also provides a heat exchange method for a cylindrical fuel cell, the method being as follows: like Figure 5 As shown, the cooling input pipe is disconnected, and the exhaust gas input pipe is connected to the pipeline. The exhaust gas passes through all the shell side 7 and is discharged from the exhaust gas output pipe. Simultaneously, the fuel or other gas to be heated enters through the fuel input pipe, passes through all the tube side 6, and is discharged from the fuel output pipe. The exhaust gas and the gas to be heated are separated by a thin corrugated sheet, resulting in extremely high heat transfer efficiency between them. Furthermore, the airflow directions of the two are staggered, providing a longer heat exchange path compared to the existing independent heat exchanger 1, which further improves heat exchange efficiency. If the gas to be heated is fuel, the preheating temperature of the fuel can be significantly increased. If the temperature still does not reach the set temperature, the electric heating wire in the tube side 6 is activated to compensate for the fuel temperature. The electric heating wire in the tube side 6 provides a large heating area, resulting in more uniform heating of the gaseous fuel.

[0027] 2. This embodiment also provides a method for temperature compensation of the stack 3 of a cylindrical fuel cell, the method is as follows: The cooling input pipe is disconnected, and the exhaust gas input pipe is connected to the pipeline.

[0028] 2-1. When a low-temperature problem occurs in the entire fuel cell stack region corresponding to one or more facets 8: like Figure 6As shown, if the temperature of the entire fuel cell stack 3 region opposite to one or more facets 8 is too low, exhaust gas enters the innermost shell side 7. The bottom solenoid valve 15 of the shell side 7 opens, and the lower shell side connector 19 closes. The exhaust gas then enters the adjacent tube side 6. The top solenoid valve 14 of the tube side 6 opens, and the upper tube side connector 18 closes. This method is used to sequentially introduce exhaust gas into the adjacent shell side 7-tube side 6-shell side 7-tube side 6… If the temperature of the corresponding fuel cell stack 3 region rises to the set temperature, all top solenoid valves 14, bottom solenoid valves 15, upper middle solenoid valves 16, and lower middle solenoid valves 17 in that region are closed to maintain the temperature of that region. If the temperature is still insufficient, the exhaust gas is continued to be introduced into more of the shell side 7 and tube side 6, up to nine shell side 7 and nine tube side 6. If the temperature is still insufficient, the electric heating wires installed in the tube side 6 are activated for temperature compensation until the temperature rises to the set temperature. Then, all top solenoid valves 14, bottom solenoid valves 15, upper middle solenoid valves 16, and lower middle solenoid valves 17 in this area are closed to maintain the temperature of this area. If the temperature drops after maintaining the temperature, the top solenoid valves 14, bottom solenoid valves 15, upper middle solenoid valves 16, and lower middle solenoid valves 17 are opened to continue introducing high-temperature exhaust gas and expelling low-temperature exhaust gas. After the temperature rises to the set temperature, it enters the maintenance state again. This cycle of heating and maintenance continues in this manner until the temperature of the fuel cell stack area 3 returns to normal.

[0029] During the aforementioned insulation process, exhaust gas does not enter the shell side 7 and shell side 7 of the insulation zone, but it can pass through other shell side 7 and shell side 7 that can exchange heat normally, without affecting the exhaust gas flow. If the shell side 7 and shell side 7 corresponding to the six zones all need to be insulated, the exhaust gas will be discharged through a separate pipe.

[0030] 2-2. When a low-temperature problem occurs in the upper or lower fuel cell stack region corresponding to one or more facets 8: like Figure 7As shown, if one or more areas of the upper fuel cell stack 3 experience low temperatures, the telescopic cylinder 11 of the corresponding facet 8 drives the corresponding partition 9 to insert, dividing the inner cavity corresponding to the facet 8 into an upper inner cavity 12 and a lower inner cavity 13. Exhaust gas enters the upper inner cavity 12 of the innermost shell side 7, and the upper-middle solenoid valve 16 of this shell side 7 opens. Exhaust gas then enters the adjacent tube side 6, and the top solenoid valve 14 and the upper-middle solenoid valve 16 of this tube side 6 open. This process is repeated to sequentially introduce exhaust gas into adjacent shell side 7-tube side 6-shell side 7-tube side 6… If the temperature of the corresponding upper fuel cell stack 3 area rises to the set temperature, all top solenoid valves 14 and upper-middle solenoid valves 16 in that area are closed to maintain the temperature. If the temperature is still insufficient, exhaust gas continues to be introduced into more shell side 7 and tube side 6, up to nine shell side 7 and nine tube side 6. If the temperature is still insufficient, the electric heating wire installed in the tube side 6 is activated for temperature compensation until the temperature rises to the set temperature. The heating and heat preservation cycles are carried out according to the above pattern until the temperature of the upper fuel cell stack area 3 returns to normal.

[0031] like Figure 8 As shown, if one or more areas of the lower fuel cell stack 3 experience low-temperature issues, the telescopic cylinder 11 of the corresponding facet 8 drives the corresponding partition 9 to insert, dividing the inner cavity corresponding to the facet 8 into an upper inner cavity 12 and a lower inner cavity 13. Exhaust gas enters the lower inner cavity 13 of the innermost shell side 7, and the middle and lower solenoid valve 17 of this shell side 7 opens. The exhaust gas then enters the adjacent tube side 6, and the bottom solenoid valve 15 and the middle and lower solenoid valve 17 of this tube side 6 open. This process sequentially introduces exhaust gas into the adjacent shell side 7-tube side 6-shell side 7-tube side 6…, achieving a heating and holding cycle according to the above pattern until the temperature of the upper fuel cell stack 3 area returns to normal.

[0032] This embodiment also provides a cooling method for the stack 3 of a cylindrical fuel cell, as follows: The exhaust gas inlet pipe is disconnected, and the cooling inlet pipe is connected to the pipeline.

[0033] When a high temperature problem occurs in the upper or lower fuel cell stack 3 region corresponding to one or more facets 8, it is handled according to methods 2-1 and 2-2, the only difference being that the high-temperature exhaust gas is replaced with low-temperature air. The cooling method can be briefly described as follows: if the temperature of the fuel cell stack 3 region corresponding to one or more facets 8 is too high, the innermost shell side 7 of that region is connected in series with the adjacent tube side 6. The cold air passes through the shell side 7 and the tube side 6 to cool down. If the cooling is insufficient, the adjacent shell side 7 and the tube side 6 are connected to increase the cooling thickness of that region until the temperature is reduced to the set temperature.

[0034] Through the above-mentioned temperature compensation method and cooling method of fuel cell stack 3, local heating or cooling of fuel cell stack 3 can be achieved, which helps to maintain the overall temperature of the outer shell or the overall heat dissipation performance, effectively solves the problem of local hot spots or local cold spots, ensures the long-term stable and safe operation of fuel cell stack 3, and effectively solves the technical problem of high energy consumption caused by existing overall heating methods.

[0035] It should be understood that the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of the present invention, and are intended to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of the present invention and implement it accordingly. It should not be considered that the specific implementation of the present invention is limited to these descriptions. For those skilled in the art, several simple deductions or substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention. All equivalent changes or modifications made in accordance with the spirit and essence of the present invention should be covered within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cylindrical fuel cell comprising a heat exchanger, a cylindrical housing, and a stack mounted inside the cylindrical housing, characterized by: The heat exchanger comprises a support wrapped in a cylindrical shell, the outer side of the support is provided with a plurality of heat exchange chambers, all of the heat exchange chambers are distributed along the circumference of the cylindrical shell, and the inside of each heat exchange chamber is provided with at least one flat heat exchange sheet, thereby forming a tube pass in the inside of each heat exchange sheet, and forming a shell pass between every two adjacent heat exchange sheets or between the heat exchange sheet and the corresponding heat exchange chamber.

2. A cylindrical fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein: The heat exchange sheet comprises two flat corrugated sheets, the four edges of the two corrugated sheets are respectively flattened after being folded and then welded and fixed, thereby forming a tube pass between the two corrugated sheets.

3. A cylindrical fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein: Each heat exchange chamber is provided with nine parallel heat exchange sheets, the nine heat exchange sheets separate the corresponding heat exchange chamber to form nine independent shell passes, and each heat exchange sheet is fixedly or detachably connected in the corresponding heat exchange chamber.

4. A cylindrical fuel cell according to claim 3, wherein: The heat exchange chamber is provided with six heat exchange chambers, thereby forming a hollow six-prism structure of the support, each prism surface of the support is provided with a transverse partition plate, each heat exchange sheet is provided with a one-way open valve plate corresponding to the partition plate, all the valve plates of the same heat exchange chamber are opened by the partition plate and tightly pressed against the inner wall of the support, thereby separating the inner cavity of the heat exchange chamber to form an upper inner cavity and a lower inner cavity.

5. A cylindrical fuel cell according to claim 4, wherein: Between every adjacent tube pass and shell pass, there are a top electromagnetic valve, a bottom electromagnetic valve, a middle upper electromagnetic valve and a middle lower electromagnetic valve, wherein the top electromagnetic valve and the bottom electromagnetic valve are respectively located at the upper part and the bottom part of the shell pass, and the middle upper electromagnetic valve and the middle lower electromagnetic valve are both located at the middle part of the shell pass and the corresponding valve plates are located between the middle upper electromagnetic valve and the middle lower electromagnetic valve.

6. A cylindrical fuel cell according to claim 5, wherein: Each prism surface is provided with a telescopic cylinder for driving the partition plate.

7. A cylindrical fuel cell according to claim 6, wherein: The upper end and the lower end of each tube pass are respectively provided with a tube pass joint with a valve, the upper end and the lower end of each shell pass are respectively provided with a shell pass joint with a valve, and the tube pass joint at the upper end of each heat exchange chamber is opposite to the shell pass joint at the lower end.

8. A cylindrical fuel cell according to claim 7, wherein: Each tube pass is provided with an electric heating wire.

9. A temperature control system for a cylindrical fuel cell, characterized by: The application is applied to the cylindrical fuel cell of claim 8, comprising a fuel input pipe, a fuel output pipe, a tail gas input pipe and a tail gas output pipe; The upper tube pass joint of each tube pass is communicated with the tail gas input pipe and the tail gas output pipe through a three-way electromagnetic valve, and the lower tube pass joint of each tube pass is communicated with the tail gas output pipe, and the lower tube pass joint of the innermost tube pass is communicated with the tail gas input pipe and the tail gas output pipe through a three-way electromagnetic valve; The upper shell pass joint of each shell pass is communicated with the fuel gas input pipe and the fuel gas output pipe through a three-way electromagnetic valve, and the lower shell pass joint of each shell pass is communicated with the fuel gas output pipe.

10. The temperature control system of a cylindrical fuel cell according to claim 9, wherein: The tail gas input pipe is communicated with the cooling input pipe through a three-way electromagnetic valve. The application comprises a stack temperature compensation method, and the steps are as follows: If the temperature of the area opposite to one or more prism surfaces is too low, the innermost shell pass of the area is connected with the adjacent tube pass, the tail gas is kept warm through the shell pass and the tube pass, if the temperature is not high enough, the adjacent shell pass and tube pass are continuously connected, the thickness of the warm-keeping area is increased, until the set temperature is reached, if the temperature is still not high enough, the electric heating wire in the area is started to heat, until the set temperature is reached; The application comprises a stack cooling method, and the steps are as follows: If the temperature of the region opposite to one or more of the facets is too high, the innermost shell side of this region is connected to the adjacent tube side, and the cooling gas is passed through the shell side and the tube side to reduce the temperature. If the temperature is not reduced enough, the adjacent shell side and tube side are connected, and the thickness of the temperature reduction of this region is increased until the temperature is reduced to the set temperature.

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