Membrane humidifier for cartridge fuel cell

Abstract

The present invention relates to a membrane humidifier for a cartridge fuel cell, the membrane humidifier comprising: a housing provided with an exhaust gas inlet for receiving exhaust gas discharged from a fuel cell stack and an exhaust gas outlet for discharging the exhaust gas; and a core disposed inside the housing and including a plurality of humidification films. The core includes: an inner case in which the plurality of humidification films are disposed; and a potting portion for fixing the plurality of humidification films. The inner housing is provided with: a first window portion disposed adjacent to the exhaust inlet and including a plurality of windows; and a second window portion disposed adjacent to the exhaust outlet and including a plurality of windows. The plurality of windows of the first window portion may have different sizes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier, and more specifically, to a core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier that can reduce the inflow resistance of fluid flowing from the exhaust inlet into the core by increasing the size of a plurality of windows disposed in a first window portion adjacent to the exhaust inlet from the center of the inner shell in the direction in which the exhaust inlet is disposed. Background Technology

[0002] A fuel cell is an electricity-generating battery in which hydrogen and oxygen combine to produce electricity. The advantage of this type of fuel cell is that (unlike ordinary chemical batteries such as dry cell batteries or storage batteries) it can continuously generate electricity as long as hydrogen and oxygen are supplied to it, and there is no heat loss, so the efficiency of a fuel cell is about twice that of an internal combustion engine.

[0003] A fuel cell system includes: a stack of cells, which is a power generation component of a unit fuel cell consisting of a cathode and an anode; an air supply device for supplying air to the cathode of each fuel cell; and a hydrogen supply device for supplying hydrogen to the anode of each fuel cell.

[0004] The polymer fuel cell in the fuel cell system requires sufficient moisture to allow the ion exchange membrane of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) to function smoothly, and for this purpose, the air supply unit of the fuel cell system is equipped with a humidifier for humidifying the air supplied to the fuel cell.

[0005] The humidifier humidifies the dry air supplied by the air compressor of the air supply unit by using the moisture in the hot and humid air discharged from the cathode of the fuel cell, and supplies the humidified air to the cathode of the fuel cell.

[0006] The humidifier for the fuel cell uses a membrane humidification method. In a membrane humidification humidifier, membrane humidification is performed by exchanging the high-temperature and high-humidity exhaust gas discharged from the cathode of the fuel cell with dry air supplied by an air compressor, a gas-to-gas moisture exchange method.

[0007] Membrane humidifiers exchange moisture between high-temperature, high-humidity exhaust gas and dry air through a hollow fiber membrane, which includes a hollow section. To improve moisture exchange efficiency, this exchange must occur simultaneously as the exhaust gas passes through the hollow fiber membrane.

[0008] A membrane humidifier can be manufactured by using a core in which multiple hollow fiber membranes are disposed. The core can be a unit module in which multiple hollow fiber membranes are disposed, and multiple cores can be disposed inside the housing of the membrane humidifier.

[0009] The window for introducing or venting exhaust gas can be located within the core. High-temperature, high-humidity exhaust gas introduced into the exhaust inlet located within the membrane humidifier's housing exchanges moisture with dry air as it passes through the window adjacent to the exhaust inlet in the core and moves towards the hollow fiber membrane. The exhaust gas, having exchanged moisture with the dry air, passes through the core window adjacent to the exhaust outlet and is discharged to the outside of the membrane humidifier's housing.

[0010] However, membrane humidifiers using a core that includes windows have the following problems. The core may include multiple windows of the same size, and it is possible that high-temperature and high-humidity exhaust gas introduced through the exhaust inlet will concentrate in the window near the center of the core.

[0011] Specifically, due to the pressure of the fluid moving from the exhaust inlet to the core window, entry resistance may occur in the core window located near the exhaust inlet. When entry resistance occurs in the core window located near the exhaust inlet, a phenomenon may occur in which the flow is concentrated in a window closer to the center of the core than in the core window located near the exhaust inlet.

[0012] When the flow rate is concentrated in a window closer to the center of the core than the window located near the exhaust inlet, the hollow fiber membrane located near the exhaust inlet is not being fully utilized. Furthermore, the flow rate concentration in the window near the center of the core leads to a deterioration in the durability of the hollow fiber membrane located in the center of the core.

[0013] As mentioned above, the entire hollow fiber membrane disposed inside the core is not used uniformly, which may degrade the performance density of the hollow fiber membrane, thus causing a problem of reduced durability of the membrane humidifier. Summary of the Invention

[0014] Technical issues

[0015] This disclosure solves the above-mentioned problems and relates to a core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier that can reduce the inflow resistance of fluid flowing into the core from the exhaust inlet by increasing the size of a plurality of windows disposed in a first window portion adjacent to the exhaust inlet from the center of the inner shell in the direction in which the exhaust inlet is disposed.

[0016] Technical solution

[0017] The present disclosure provides a core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier for addressing the aforementioned problems, comprising: a housing including an exhaust inlet and an exhaust outlet, through which exhaust gas discharged from a fuel cell stack is introduced, and the exhaust outlet being configured to discharge the exhaust gas; and a core disposed within the housing and including a plurality of humidifying membranes, the core including an inner shell and a potting unit, the plurality of humidifying membranes being disposed within the inner shell, the potting unit being configured to fix the plurality of humidifying membranes, the inner shell including a first window portion and a second window portion, the first window portion being disposed adjacent to the exhaust inlet and including a plurality of windows, the second window portion being disposed adjacent to the exhaust outlet and including a plurality of windows, and the plurality of windows of the first window portion having different sizes.

[0018] In the core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier disclosed herein, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the cross-sectional area of ​​the plurality of windows provided in the first window portion can be increased from the center of the inner shell in the direction in which the exhaust inlet is provided.

[0019] In the core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier disclosed herein, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the first window portion may include a column 1-1 in which multiple windows are arranged in parallel in the column direction and a column 1-2 in which multiple windows are arranged in parallel in the column direction, and the multiple windows in the column 1-1 and the multiple windows in the column 1-2 may be arranged in a Z-shape.

[0020] To address the aforementioned issues, in the core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier of this disclosure, multiple windows disposed in the first window portion can form a trapezoidal shape, and the multiple windows can be disposed inside the trapezoidal shape.

[0021] In the core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier disclosed herein, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, multiple windows disposed in the first window portion can form a triangular shape, and the multiple windows can be disposed inside the triangular shape.

[0022] In the core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier of this disclosure, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the second window portion may include multiple windows with the same size.

[0023] In the core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier of this disclosure, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the second window portion may include multiple windows with different sizes.

[0024] In the core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier disclosed herein, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the cross-sectional area of ​​the plurality of windows provided in the second window portion can be increased from the center of the inner shell in the direction in which the exhaust outlet is provided.

[0025] In the core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier disclosed herein, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the second window portion may include a 2-1 column in which multiple windows are arranged in parallel in the column direction and a 2-2 column in which multiple windows are arranged in parallel in the column direction, and the multiple windows arranged in the 2-1 column and the multiple windows arranged in the 2-2 column may be arranged in a Z-shape.

[0026] To address the aforementioned issues, in the core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier of this disclosure, multiple windows disposed in the second window portion can form a trapezoidal shape, and the multiple windows can be disposed within the trapezoidal shape.

[0027] To address the aforementioned issues, in the core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier of this disclosure, multiple windows disposed in the second window portion can form a triangular shape, and the multiple windows can be disposed inside the triangular shape.

[0028] To address the aforementioned issues, in the core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier of this disclosure, the plurality of windows disposed in the first window portion and the plurality of windows disposed in the second window portion can be symmetrical with respect to the center of the inner shell.

[0029] Beneficial effects of the present invention

[0030] This disclosure relates to a core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier, which has the following advantages: by increasing the size of a plurality of windows disposed in a first window portion adjacent to the exhaust inlet from the center of the inner shell in the direction in which the exhaust inlet is disposed, the inflow resistance of fluid flowing into the core from the exhaust inlet is reduced.

[0031] This disclosure has the following advantages: by reducing the inlet resistance of the fluid flowing into the core from the exhaust inlet, the resistance to the flow path generated in the window near the exhaust inlet is reduced, and thus the flow rate is evenly distributed in the humidifying membrane.

[0032] This disclosure has the following advantages: by uniformly distributing the flow rate throughout the humidifying membrane, the performance density of the humidifying membrane is improved, and thus the durability of the membrane humidifier is improved. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating a core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating the cross-sectional area of ​​a plurality of windows in a first window portion of an inner shell having a circular curved rectangular shape formed at the upper and lower parts, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, increasing from the center of the inner shell in the direction in which the exhaust inlet is provided.

[0035] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating the cross-sectional area of ​​a plurality of windows disposed in a first window portion of an inner shell having a cylindrical shape, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, increasing from the center of the inner shell in the direction in which the exhaust inlet is disposed.

[0036] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating the cross-sectional area of ​​a plurality of windows in a first window portion and a second window portion of an inner shell having a rectangular shape with circular curves formed at the top and bottom, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, increasing from the center of the inner shell in the direction in which an exhaust inlet and an exhaust outlet are provided.

[0037] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating the cross-sectional area of ​​a plurality of windows disposed in a first window portion and a second window portion of an inner shell having a cylindrical shape, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, increasing from the center of the inner shell in the direction in which an exhaust inlet and an exhaust outlet are disposed.

[0038] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating a trapezoidal shape formed by multiple windows arranged in a first window portion and a second window portion according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating a plurality of windows arranged in a first window portion and a second window portion to form a triangular shape according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0040] The present disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments according to the present disclosure are illustrated and the principles of the present disclosure are described so that those skilled in the art can practice the embodiments. The disclosed embodiments can be implemented in various forms.

[0041] Expressions such as “comprising” or “may include”, which may be used in various embodiments of this disclosure, indicate the presence of the corresponding disclosed functions, operations, components, etc., and do not limit one or more additional functions, operations, components, etc. Furthermore, in various embodiments according to this disclosure, terms such as “comprising” or “having” are intended to indicate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, portions, or combinations thereof described in the specification; however, it should be understood that these terms do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, portions, or combinations thereof.

[0042] When a component is "connected or coupled" to another component, it should be understood that the component can be directly connected or coupled to the other component, but there may also be new other components between the component and the other component. Furthermore, when a component is "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another component, it should be understood that there are no new components between the component and the other component.

[0043] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in this document may be used to describe various components, but components should not be limited by the terms. These terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from others.

[0044] This disclosure relates to a core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier, which reduces the inflow resistance of fluid flowing into the core from the exhaust inlet by increasing the size of a plurality of windows disposed in a first window portion adjacent to the exhaust inlet from the center of the inner shell in the direction in which the exhaust inlet is provided. Embodiments of this disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0045] A core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a housing 110 and a core 130.

[0046] refer to Figure 1 The housing 110 may be a housing having an internal space therein, and a core 130 having a plurality of humidifying membranes 131 therein may be disposed in the housing 110. The core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can humidify the gas to be supplied to the fuel cell stack through the plurality of humidifying membranes 131.

[0047] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the humidifying membrane 131 may be a hollow fiber membrane. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the humidifying membrane 131 may include various types of humidifying membranes, as long as the gas to be supplied to the battery stack can be humidified.

[0048] The housing 110 may include an exhaust inlet 111 and an exhaust outlet 112. High-temperature and high-humidity exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell stack can be introduced through the exhaust inlet 111 and the exhaust gas can be discharged through the exhaust outlet 112.

[0049] refer to Figure 1 End cap 120 can be attached to one side and the other side of housing 110. End cap 120 may include an air inlet 121 for supplying dry air to housing 110 and an air outlet 122 for discharging humidified air from housing 110.

[0050] Specifically, air outlet 122 can be disposed in end cap 120 connected to one side of housing 110, and air inlet 121 can be disposed in end cap 120 connected to the other side of housing 110. Air outlet 122 is connected to fuel cell stack, and humidified air discharged through air outlet 122 can be supplied to fuel cell stack.

[0051] The high-temperature and high-humidity exhaust gas from the fuel cell stack can be introduced into the housing 110 through the exhaust inlet 111 provided in the housing 110. The exhaust gas introduced into the housing 110 supplies moisture to dry air supplied to the housing 110 through the air inlet 121 of the end cap 120.

[0052] Exhaust air that has been supplied with moisture can be discharged to the outside through exhaust outlet 112 provided in housing 110. Dry air humidified by housing 110 is discharged through air outlet 122 and humidified air is supplied to fuel cell stack. A sealing member 140 for preventing air leakage can be provided between end cap 120 and housing 110.

[0053] The core 130 is disposed inside the housing 110 and includes multiple humidifying films 131. The core 130 may be a unit module in which multiple humidifying films 131 are disposed.

[0054] A core 130 may be disposed on the housing 110. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and multiple cores 130 may be disposed in the housing 110.

[0055] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The core 130 includes an inner shell 132 in which a plurality of humidifying films 131 are disposed, and a potting unit 133 for fixing the plurality of humidifying films 131 to the inner shell 132.

[0056] The inner shell 132 can be the shell of the core 130, and multiple humidifying films 131 are disposed in the internal space of the inner shell 132. The potting unit 133 is used to fix the multiple humidifying films 131 to the inner shell 132, and the multiple humidifying films 131 can be fixed on one side and the other side of the inner shell 132.

[0057] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the inner shell 132 of the core 130 may have a rectangular shape with circular curves formed at the upper and lower parts, such as... Figure 2 As shown. Furthermore, the inner shell 132 of the core 130 may also have, as shown... Figure 3 The cylindrical shape shown.

[0058] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The inner shell 132 may include a first window portion 150 disposed adjacent to the exhaust inlet 111 and including a plurality of windows 10, and a second window portion 160 disposed adjacent to the exhaust outlet 112 and including a plurality of windows 10.

[0059] Window 10 may be a hole that penetrates the inner shell 132, and exhaust gas that moves inside the shell 110 can move into the interior of the inner shell 132 through window 10.

[0060] The window 10 disposed in the first window portion 150 and the second window portion 160 may have a circular shape, but is not limited thereto. The window 10 disposed in the first window portion 150 and the second window portion 160 may have a triangular, rectangular or polygonal shape, and may have other shapes.

[0061] The first window portion 150 is a portion including multiple windows 10, and the first window portion 150 is disposed adjacent to the exhaust inlet 111. Specifically, the first window portion 150 may be disposed below the exhaust inlet 111, and the exhaust gas introduced into the exhaust inlet 111 flows into the inner shell 132 through the multiple windows 10 disposed in the first window portion 150.

[0062] The second window portion 160 is a portion including multiple windows 10, and the second window portion 160 is disposed adjacent to the exhaust outlet 112. Specifically, the second window portion 160 may be disposed below the exhaust outlet 112, and the exhaust gas introduced into the inner shell 132 may pass through the multiple windows 10 disposed in the second window portion 160 and be discharged to the exhaust outlet 112.

[0063] According to embodiments of this disclosure, multiple windows of different sizes may be provided in the first window portion 150. (See reference...) Figure 2 and Figure 3 The cross-sectional area of ​​the plurality of windows 10 provided in the first window portion 150 can increase from the center of the inner shell 132 in the direction in which the exhaust inlet 111 is provided.

[0064] The pressure of the exhaust introduced into the inner shell 132 through the exhaust inlet 111 can increase at the point closest to the exhaust inlet 111 and decrease towards the center of the inner shell 132.

[0065] When the pressure of the exhaust gas introduced into the inner shell 132 increases, the pressure of the exhaust gas creates an entry resistance in the window 10, which causes the exhaust gas to be unable to be smoothly introduced into the inner shell 132.

[0066] Specifically, because the pressure of the exhaust passing through the window 10 located near the exhaust inlet 111 is greater than the pressure of the exhaust passing through the window 10 located near the center of the inner shell 132, there is a problem that the exhaust cannot be smoothly introduced into the window 10 located near the exhaust inlet 111 due to the entry resistance generated in the window 10 located near the exhaust inlet 111.

[0067] Therefore, when all the windows 10 provided in the first window portion 150 are formed to the same size, entry resistance occurs in the window 10 provided near the exhaust inlet 111, which causes the flow to be concentrated in the window 10 closer to the center of the inner shell 132 compared to the window 10 provided near the exhaust inlet 111.

[0068] When the flow rate is concentrated at the central window 10, which is closer to the inner shell 132 than at the window 10 located near the exhaust inlet 111, there is a problem that the humidification membrane 131 located near the exhaust inlet 111 is not fully utilized.

[0069] Furthermore, the flow is concentrated at the window 10 near the center of the inner shell 132, which leads to the problem of deterioration in the durability of the humidification membrane 131 located in the center of the inner shell 132.

[0070] To address this problem, the core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can increase the cross-sectional area of ​​a plurality of windows 10 disposed in the first window portion 150 from the center of the inner shell 132 in the direction where the exhaust inlet 111 is provided.

[0071] As described above, the window 10 located near the exhaust inlet 111 is enlarged, and therefore, the entry resistance of the window 10 located in the direction near the exhaust inlet 111 can be reduced, and therefore, the resistance to the flow path generated in the window 10 located near the exhaust inlet 111 can be reduced.

[0072] The resistance to the flow path generated in the window 10 located near the exhaust inlet 111 is reduced. Therefore, exhaust can be smoothly introduced even through the window 10 located near the exhaust inlet 111, and thus the exhaust is evenly distributed in the humidification membrane 131.

[0073] Figure 2 The diagram shows a core 130 including an inner shell 132 with a rectangular shape having circular curves formed at the top and bottom. Figure 3 The diagram shows a core 130 including an inner shell 132 having a cylindrical shape.

[0074] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, in both a core 130 having an inner shell 132 with a rectangular shape having circular curves formed at the upper and lower parts and a core 130 having an inner shell 132 with a cylindrical shape, the cross-sectional area of ​​the plurality of windows 10 provided in the first window portion 150 can increase from the center of the inner shell 132 in the direction in which the exhaust inlet 111 is provided.

[0075] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first window portion 150 includes a 1-1 column 151 in which a plurality of windows 10 are arranged parallel to each other in a column direction, and a 1-2 column 152 in which a plurality of windows 10 are arranged parallel to each other in a column direction. Here, the column direction can be parallel to the column direction. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The direction in which the inner shell 132 extends is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (lateral direction).

[0076] Multiple windows 10 of the same size in the column direction can be arranged in column 1-1 151, and multiple windows 10 of the same size in the column direction can be arranged in column 1-2 152.

[0077] According to the embodiments of this disclosure, column 151 can be arranged closer to exhaust inlet 111 than column 152, and the size of window 10 arranged in column 151 can be larger than the size of window 10 arranged in column 152.

[0078] However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the size of the window 10 set in column 1-1 151 can be the same as the size of the window 10 set in column 1-2 152. Specifically, after two columns (column 1-1 and column 1-2) including windows 10 with the same size are set in parallel, a column (column 1-3) including windows 10 with different sizes from the two columns can be set.

[0079] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the plurality of windows 10 disposed in column 1-1 151 and the plurality of windows 10 disposed in column 1-2 152 can be arranged in a Z-shape.

[0080] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 Multiple windows 10 set in column 1-1 151 and multiple windows 10 set in column 1-2 152 can be set alternately.

[0081] Specifically, the multiple windows 10 in column 1-1 151 and the multiple windows 10 in column 1-2 152 can be arranged in a Z-shape, such that the central axis of one window in column 1-1 151 and the central axis of one window in column 1-2 152 are not on the same axis.

[0082] As described above, when the multiple windows 10 in column 1-1 151 and the multiple windows 10 in column 1-2 152 are arranged in a Z-shape, the arrangement area of ​​the windows 10 in the inner shell 132 can be increased.

[0083] When multiple windows 10 arranged in column 1-1 151 and multiple windows 10 arranged in column 1-2 152 are arranged parallel to each other, the distance between the central axis of the window in column 1-1 151 and the central axis of the window in column 1-2 152 increases. Therefore, it is difficult to increase the arrangement area of ​​the window 10 in the inner shell 132.

[0084] More specifically, when the central axes of a window in column 151 and a window in column 152 are not aligned, the distance between their central axes can be greater than when they are aligned on the same axis, compared to when the central axes of a window in column 151 and a window in column 152 are aligned on the same axis. Therefore, the arrangement area of ​​the window 10 within the inner shell 132 can be increased.

[0085] However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the plurality of windows 10 arranged in column 1-1 151 and the plurality of windows 10 arranged in column 1-2 152 can be arranged in parallel to each other, and the windows 10 arranged in column 1-1 151 and the windows 10 arranged in column 1-2 152 can be arranged in a row.

[0086] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 According to embodiments of this disclosure, windows 10 of the same size can be provided in the second window portion 160. Specifically, the cross-sectional area of ​​the plurality of windows 10 provided in the first window portion 150 can increase from the center of the inner shell 132 in the direction in which the exhaust inlet 111 is provided, but the size of the plurality of windows 10 provided in the second window portion 160 can be the same.

[0087] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 According to another embodiment of this disclosure, a plurality of windows 10 with different sizes may be provided in the second window portion 160. The cross-sectional area of ​​the plurality of windows 10 provided in the second window portion 160 may increase from the center of the inner shell 132 in the direction in which the exhaust outlet 112 is provided.

[0088] The exhaust gas introduced into the inner shell 132 through the exhaust inlet 111 exchanges moisture with the dry air through the humidification membrane 131 disposed inside the inner shell 132. Afterward, the exhaust gas can be discharged to the outside of the shell 110 through the exhaust outlet 112.

[0089] In order to smoothly discharge the exhaust gas that has exchanged moisture with dry air in the inner shell 132 through the exhaust outlet 112, the cross-sectional area of ​​the plurality of windows 10 provided in the second window portion 160 can be increased from the center of the inner shell 132 in the direction in which the exhaust outlet 112 is provided.

[0090] Specifically, the size of window 10 in the second window portion 160 can be reduced in the direction of the center of the inner shell 132 to allow for sufficient moisture exchange, and the size of window 10 can be increased at a point near the exhaust outlet 112 to allow for exhaust.

[0091] Figure 4 The diagram shows a core 130 including an inner shell 132 with a rectangular shape having circular curves formed at the top and bottom. Figure 5 The diagram shows a core 130 including an inner shell 132 having a cylindrical shape.

[0092] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, in both a core 130 having an inner shell 132 with a rectangular shape having circular curves formed at the upper and lower parts and a core 130 having an inner shell 132 with a cylindrical shape, the cross-sectional area of ​​the plurality of windows 10 provided in the second window portion 160 can increase from the center of the inner shell 132 in the direction in which the exhaust outlet 112 is provided.

[0093] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second window portion 160 includes 2-1 columns 161 in which a plurality of windows 10 are arranged parallel to each other in a column direction, and 2-2 columns 162 in which a plurality of windows 10 are arranged parallel to each other in a column direction. Here, the column direction can be parallel to the column direction. Figure 4 and Figure 5 The direction in which the inner shell 132 extends is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (lateral direction).

[0094] Multiple windows 10 of the same size in the column direction can be arranged in column 2-1 161, and multiple windows 10 of the same size in the column direction can be arranged in column 2-2 162.

[0095] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, column 2-1 161 may be positioned closer to the exhaust outlet 112 than column 2-2 162, and the size of the window 10 in column 2-1 161 may be larger than the size of the window 10 in column 2-2 162.

[0096] However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the size of the window 10 set in column 2-1 161 can be the same as the size of the window 10 set in column 2-2 162. Specifically, after two columns (column 2-1 and column 2-2) including windows 10 of the same size are set in parallel, a column (column 2-3) including windows 10 of different sizes from these two columns can be set.

[0097] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the plurality of windows 10 disposed in column 2-1 161 and the plurality of windows 10 disposed in column 2-2 162 can be arranged in a Z-shape.

[0098] refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 The multiple windows 10 set in column 2-1, 161 and the multiple windows 10 set in column 2-2, 162 can be set alternately.

[0099] Specifically, the multiple windows 10 in column 2-1 161 and the multiple windows 10 in column 2-2 162 can be arranged in a Z-shape, such that the central axis of one window in column 2-1 161 and the central axis of one window in column 2-2 162 are not on the same axis.

[0100] As described above, when the multiple windows 10 in column 2-1 161 and the multiple windows 10 in column 2-2 162 are arranged in a Z-shape, the arrangement area of ​​the windows 10 in the inner shell 132 can be increased.

[0101] When multiple windows 10 arranged in column 2-1 161 and multiple windows 10 arranged in column 2-2 162 are arranged parallel to each other, the distance between the central axis of the window in column 2-1 161 and the central axis of the window in column 2-2 162 increases. Therefore, it is difficult to increase the arrangement area of ​​the windows 10 in the inner shell 132.

[0102] More specifically, when the central axes of a window in column 2-1, 161 and a window in column 2-2, 162 are not aligned, the distance between their central axes can be greater than when they are aligned on the same axis. This allows for a larger arrangement area for the windows 10 within the inner shell 132.

[0103] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of windows 10 disposed in the first window portion 150 and the plurality of windows 10 disposed in the second window portion 160 may be symmetrical with respect to the center of the inner shell 132.

[0104] Specifically, the first window portion 150 and the second window portion 160 may be symmetrical to each other and have the same shape relative to the center of the inner shell 132. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the first window portion 150 and the second window portion 160 may be asymmetrical relative to the center of the inner shell 132.

[0105] Reference Figure 6 According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of windows 10 disposed in the first window portion 150 can form a trapezoidal shape. Here, the plurality of windows 10 disposed in the first window portion 150 forming a trapezoidal shape can mean that when the outermost plurality of windows 10 disposed in the first window portion 150 are connected, the shape formed is trapezoidal.

[0106] When the outermost of the plurality of windows 10 in the first window portion 150 are connected to form a trapezoidal shape, the plurality of windows 10 in the first window portion 150 can be disposed inside the trapezoidal shape.

[0107] As described above, when the plurality of windows 10 provided in the first window portion 150 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are formed in a trapezoidal shape, the area of ​​the window 10 provided near the exhaust inlet 111 can be larger than the area of ​​the window 10 provided near the center of the inner shell 132.

[0108] The area of ​​the window 10 provided in the direction near the exhaust inlet 111 is increased, and therefore the entry resistance of the window 10 provided in the direction near the exhaust inlet 111 can be reduced, and thus the resistance to the flow path generated in the window 10 provided in the direction near the exhaust inlet 111 is reduced.

[0109] The resistance to the flow path generated in the window 10 located near the exhaust inlet 111 is reduced, and therefore, exhaust can be smoothly introduced even through the window 10 located near the exhaust inlet 111, and thus the exhaust is evenly distributed in the humidification membrane 131.

[0110] Reference Figure 7 According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of windows 10 disposed in the first window portion 150 can form a triangular shape. Here, the plurality of windows 10 disposed in the first window portion 150 forming a triangular shape can mean that when the outermost plurality of windows 10 disposed in the first window portion 150 are connected, the shape formed is a triangle.

[0111] When the outermost of the plurality of windows 10 in the first window portion 150 are connected to form a triangular shape, the plurality of windows 10 in the first window portion 150 can be positioned inside the triangular shape.

[0112] As described above, the plurality of windows 10 provided in the first window portion 150 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be provided in various shapes, as long as the area of ​​the window 10 provided near the exhaust inlet 111 is greater than the area of ​​the window 10 provided near the center of the inner shell 132.

[0113] According to embodiments of this disclosure, when a plurality of windows 10 disposed in the first window portion 150 form a trapezoidal or triangular shape, windows 10 having the same size can be disposed in the second window portion 160. Specifically, the cross-sectional area of ​​the plurality of windows 10 disposed in the first window portion 150 can increase from the center of the inner shell 132 in the direction in which the exhaust inlet 111 is disposed, but the size of the plurality of windows 10 disposed in the second window portion 160 can be the same.

[0114] Additionally, refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 When the plurality of windows 10 disposed in the first window portion 150 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure form a trapezoidal or triangular shape, the plurality of windows 10 disposed in the second window portion 160 may also form a trapezoidal or triangular shape.

[0115] Reference Figure 6 According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of windows 10 disposed in the second window portion 160 can form a trapezoidal shape. Here, the plurality of windows 10 disposed in the second window portion 160 forming a trapezoidal shape can mean that the shape formed when the outermost plurality of windows 10 disposed in the second window portion 160 are connected is a trapezoid.

[0116] When the outermost of the plurality of windows 10 in the second window portion 160 are connected to form a trapezoidal shape, the plurality of windows 10 in the second window portion 160 can be disposed inside the trapezoidal shape.

[0117] As described above, when the plurality of windows 10 provided in the second window portion 160 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are formed in a trapezoidal shape, the area of ​​the window 10 provided near the exhaust outlet 112 can be larger than the area of ​​the window 10 provided near the center of the inner shell 132.

[0118] The area of ​​the window 10 located in the direction near the exhaust outlet 112 is increased, and therefore, exhaust can be efficiently discharged from the inner shell 132 to the exhaust outlet 112.

[0119] Reference Figure 7According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of windows 10 disposed in the second window portion 160 can form a triangular shape. Here, the plurality of windows 10 disposed in the second window portion 160 forming a triangular shape can mean that when the outermost plurality of windows 10 disposed in the second window portion 160 are connected, the shape formed is a triangle.

[0120] When the outermost of the plurality of windows 10 in the second window portion 160 are connected to form a triangular shape, the plurality of windows 10 in the second window portion 160 can be positioned inside the triangular shape.

[0121] As described above, the plurality of windows 10 provided in the second window portion 160 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be provided in various shapes, as long as the area of ​​the window 10 provided near the exhaust outlet 112 is greater than the area of ​​the window 10 provided near the center of the inner shell 132.

[0122] According to embodiments of this disclosure, such as Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the plurality of windows 10 disposed in the first window portion 150 and the plurality of windows 10 disposed in the second window portion 160 can be symmetrical with respect to the center of the inner shell 132.

[0123] The core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to the embodiments of this disclosure has the following effects.

[0124] The core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to the embodiments of the present disclosure has the following advantages: by increasing the size of a plurality of windows disposed in a first window portion adjacent to the exhaust inlet from the center of the inner shell in the direction in which the exhaust inlet is provided, the inflow resistance of fluid flowing into the core from the exhaust inlet is reduced.

[0125] The core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to the embodiments of this disclosure has the following advantages: by reducing the inlet resistance of the fluid flowing into the core from the exhaust inlet, the resistance to the flow path generated in the window near the exhaust inlet is reduced, and thus the flow rate is evenly distributed in the humidification membrane.

[0126] The core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to the embodiments of this disclosure has the following advantages: by uniformly distributing the flow rate evenly throughout the humidification membrane, the performance density of the humidification membrane is improved, and thus the durability of the membrane humidifier is improved.

[0127] Although this disclosure has been described with reference to embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, these are merely examples, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and variations can be made therein. Therefore, the true scope of protection of this disclosure should be determined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier, the core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier being configured to humidify gas to be supplied to a fuel cell stack, the core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier comprising: The housing includes an exhaust inlet and an exhaust outlet, through which exhaust gas discharged from the fuel cell stack is introduced and the exhaust outlet is configured to discharge the exhaust gas. as well as The core, disposed inside the housing, includes multiple humidifying membranes. The core includes an inner shell and a potting unit. The plurality of humidifying films are disposed in the inner shell, and the potting unit is configured to fix the plurality of humidifying films. The inner shell includes a first window portion adjacent to the exhaust inlet and including multiple windows, and a second window portion adjacent to the exhaust outlet and including multiple windows. The plurality of windows in the first window portion have different sizes.

2. The core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 1, wherein, The cross-sectional area of ​​the plurality of windows set in the first window portion: The diameter increases from the center of the inner shell in the direction in which the exhaust inlet is located.

3. The core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 2, wherein, The first window portion includes 1-1 columns in which the plurality of windows are arranged parallel to each other in the column direction, and 1-2 columns in which the plurality of windows are arranged parallel to each other in the column direction. The plurality of windows located in column 1-1 and the plurality of windows located in column 1-2 are arranged in a Z-shape.

4. The core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 2, wherein, The plurality of windows disposed in the first window portion form a trapezoidal shape, and The multiple windows are located inside the trapezoidal shape.

5. The core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 2, wherein, The plurality of windows located in the first window portion form a triangular shape, and The multiple windows are positioned inside the triangular shape.

6. The core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 1, wherein, The plurality of windows in the second window portion have the same size.

7. The core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 1, wherein, The plurality of windows in the second window portion have different sizes.

8. The core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 7, wherein, The cross-sectional area of ​​the plurality of windows set in the second window portion: The diameter increases from the center of the inner shell in the direction in which the exhaust outlet is located.

9. The core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 8, wherein, The second window portion includes 2-1 columns in which the plurality of windows are arranged parallel to each other in the column direction, and 2-2 columns in which the plurality of windows are arranged parallel to each other in the column direction. The plurality of windows located in column 2-1 and the plurality of windows located in column 2-2 are arranged in a Z-shape.

10. The core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 8, wherein, The plurality of windows disposed in the second window portion form a trapezoidal shape, and The multiple windows are located inside the trapezoidal shape.

11. The core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 8, wherein, The plurality of windows located in the second window portion form a triangular shape, and The multiple windows are positioned inside the triangular shape.

12. The core-type fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 1, wherein, The plurality of windows disposed in the first window portion and the plurality of windows disposed in the second window portion are symmetrical with respect to the center of the inner shell.

Images