Hydrogen compressor integrated cooling heat exchanger
By designing an integrated cooling heat exchanger for hydrogen compressors, employing a double-sided flow channel structure and microchannel design, the shortcomings of shell-and-tube heat exchangers are overcome, achieving higher heat exchange efficiency and equipment compactness, reducing production costs and leakage risks, and improving the safety and lifespan of hydrogen compressors.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- ZHEJIANG YAODING HYDROGEN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2026-04-17
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-05
AI Technical Summary
Existing heat exchangers for hydrogen compressors suffer from problems such as small heat exchange area, large footprint, and multiple sealing structures that are prone to leakage, affecting the safety and lifespan of the equipment. Furthermore, the existing heat exchanger structure is not compact enough and has low heat exchange efficiency.
Design an integrated cooling heat exchanger for a hydrogen compressor. The plate heat exchanger with a double-sided flow channel structure includes a cover plate, heat exchange plates, and a base plate. The flow channel design is compact, with the width and depth of the flow channel not exceeding 1 mm. The liquid and gas adopt a microchannel design with a serpentine flow channel. The fluid inlet and outlet are integrated with the cover plate. The flow channel is designed with a disconnection to break the boundary layer and divide the heat exchange area for pre-cooling and cooling hydrogen.
It achieves a larger heat exchange area per unit volume, reduces production costs, improves heat exchange efficiency and equipment pressure resistance, has an aesthetically pleasing appearance with no risk of leakage, and ensures uniform fluid flow within the flow channel, thereby improving the gas-liquid heat exchange effect.
Smart Images
Figure CN122148536A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of cooling heat exchangers for hydrogen compressors, specifically an integrated cooling heat exchanger for a hydrogen compressor. Background Technology
[0002] Hydrogen compressors are used for inlet pre-cooling and multi-stage exhaust cooling. They are used to boost hydrogen pressure, increasing low-pressure hydrogen to higher pressures for storage or refueling. Currently, domestic hydrogen compressors mainly use diaphragm or liquid-driven piston types. Because hydrogen heats up during boosting, excessively high temperatures can affect safety and equipment lifespan. Therefore, regardless of the compressor type, an inlet pre-cooling heat exchanger and an exhaust cooler are required. Some compressors use two or more stages of boosting, with each stage requiring cooling. Currently, all hydrogen compressors in the industry (regardless of type) use shell-and-tube heat exchangers for both inlet pre-cooling and exhaust cooling. While shell-and-tube heat exchangers are simple in structure, they suffer from small heat exchange area, large footprint, and numerous sealing structures that are prone to leakage. Therefore, to improve overall heat exchange efficiency, reduce hydrogen operating temperature, and increase equipment lifespan and reliability, a highly compact, high-efficiency integrated heat exchanger for pre-cooling and multi-stage exhaust cooling has been developed. Summary of the Invention
[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the existing defects and provide an integrated cooling heat exchanger for hydrogen compressors, which has a more compact structure, smaller size, higher pressure resistance, more flexible structural design, easier installation, higher heat exchange area and heat exchange efficiency. The double-sided flow channel structure can achieve a larger heat exchange area per unit volume, reduce the overall volume and production cost of the heat exchanger, and can effectively solve the problems in the background art.
[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: an integrated cooling heat exchanger for a hydrogen compressor, comprising a cover plate, a first heat exchange plate, a second heat exchange plate, and a base plate. The cover plate and the base plate are of the same size, and the first heat exchange plate and the second heat exchange plate are evenly arranged between the cover plate and the base plate. The first heat exchange plate and the second heat exchange plate are arranged vertically at intervals. A liquid flow channel groove is provided on an adjacent side of the first heat exchange plate and the second heat exchange plate. The liquid flow channel groove on the first heat exchange plate and the liquid flow channel groove on the second heat exchange plate form a liquid cold zone flow channel. The liquid cold zone flow channel is disconnected. A low-pressure... The heat exchange plate has two through holes corresponding to the inlet and outlet of the low-pressure hydrogen flow channel. The heat exchange plate has a high-pressure hydrogen flow channel inside. The heat exchange plate has two through holes corresponding to the inlet and outlet of the high-pressure hydrogen flow channel. Both the heat exchange plate and the heat exchange plate have a low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel inside. The inlet and outlet of the low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel on the heat exchange plate and the heat exchange plate are connected. The cover plate has inlets and outlets corresponding to the liquid cold zone flow channel, the low-pressure hydrogen flow channel, the high-pressure hydrogen flow channel, and the low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel. The flow area of the low-pressure hydrogen flow channel is twice the flow area of the high-pressure hydrogen flow channel.
[0005] Furthermore, the heat exchange plate two includes composite plate one and composite plate two. The structures of composite plate one and composite plate two are mirror images of each other. Each of composite plate one and composite plate two has a flow channel groove for a low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel and a high-pressure hydrogen flow channel on opposite sides. The two flow channel grooves are fixed together by composite plate one and composite plate two to form a complete low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel and high-pressure hydrogen flow channel.
[0006] Furthermore, the heat exchange plate one includes composite plate three and composite plate four. The structures of composite plate three and composite plate four are mirror images of each other. Each of composite plate three and composite plate four has a flow channel groove for a low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel and a low-pressure hydrogen flow channel on opposite sides. The two flow channel grooves are fixed together by composite plate one and composite plate two to form a complete low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel and low-pressure hydrogen flow channel.
[0007] Furthermore, the width and depth of the flow channel grooves of heat exchange plate one and heat exchange plate two do not exceed 1 mm, and the width of the low-pressure hydrogen flow channel and the high-pressure hydrogen flow channel are the same, and both the low-pressure hydrogen flow channel and the high-pressure hydrogen flow channel are serpentine flow channels.
[0008] Furthermore, the roughness of the upper and lower surfaces of the base plate, heat exchange plate one, and heat exchange plate two shall not exceed 0.4, and the flatness of the upper and lower surfaces of heat exchange plate one and heat exchange plate two shall not exceed 0.05 mm.
[0009] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: This integrated cooling heat exchanger for hydrogen compressors has the following advantages: 1. The double-sided flow channel structure of heat exchange plate one and heat exchange plate two of the present invention can achieve a larger heat exchange area per unit volume, thereby reducing the overall volume and production cost of the heat exchanger.
[0010] 2. The present invention adopts a plate heat exchanger structure, which is more compact, smaller in size, higher in pressure resistance, more flexible in structural design, easier to install, and has a higher heat exchange area and heat exchange efficiency compared to shell-and-tube or sleeve-type structures.
[0011] 3. The liquid and gas in this invention adopt a microchannel design, which greatly improves the heat exchange capacity of the product while ensuring pressure resistance.
[0012] 4. The liquid measurement inlet and outlet of this invention adopts a flow guiding design, which allows the fluid to flow evenly in the liquid measurement channel after entering the heat exchanger, ensuring sufficient gas-liquid heat exchange. Since the liquid measurement refrigerant has a low operating temperature and high viscosity, the disconnection design in the liquid cold zone channel ensures that the fluid is constantly turbulent in the liquid measurement channel, breaking the fluid boundary layer and improving the heat exchange effect.
[0013] 5. The integrated design of the liquid and gas side inlet and outlet with the cover plate in this invention: The liquid and gas side inlet and outlet are directly processed on the cover plate. Compared with the welded inlet and outlet joints of heat exchangers on the market, the appearance is more beautiful and there is no risk of leakage.
[0014] 6. In this invention, the working temperature range of pre-cooled hydrogen is different from that of cooled hydrogen. The working temperature range of pre-cooled hydrogen is generally no more than 40°C, while that of cooled hydrogen can reach up to 180°C. In order to avoid the cooled hydrogen affecting the cooling of pre-cooled hydrogen, the heat exchange area of the low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel and the heat exchange area of cooled hydrogen are divided into separate areas. Attached Figure Description
[0015] Figure 1 This is an exploded structural diagram of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the three-structure composite plate of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the four structures of the composite plate of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the composite plate structure of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the composite plate structure of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the composite plate of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the liquid cooling zone flow channel of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the cover plate structure of the present invention.
[0016] In the diagram: 1. Cover plate, 2. Heat exchange plate one, 21. Composite plate three, 22. Composite plate four, 3. Heat exchange plate two, 31. Composite plate one, 32. Composite plate two, 4. Bottom plate, 5. Low-pressure hydrogen flow channel, 6. Liquid cold zone flow channel, 7. High-pressure hydrogen flow channel, 8. Low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel. Detailed Implementation
[0017] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0018] Please see Figure 1-8This invention provides a technical solution: an integrated cooling heat exchanger for a hydrogen compressor, comprising a cover plate 1, a first heat exchange plate 2, a second heat exchange plate 3, and a base plate 4. The cover plate 1 and base plate 4 are of the same size. The first heat exchange plate 2 and the second heat exchange plate 3 are evenly arranged between the cover plate 1 and base plate 4, with the cover plate 1 and base plate 4, and the first heat exchange plate 2 and the second heat exchange plate 3 arranged vertically at intervals. A liquid flow channel groove is provided on the adjacent side of each of the first and second heat exchange plates 2 and 3. The liquid flow channel groove on the first heat exchange plate 2 and the liquid flow channel groove on the second heat exchange plate 3 form a liquid cold zone flow channel 6. The liquid cold zone flow channel 6 is disconnected. A low-pressure hydrogen flow channel 5 is provided inside the first heat exchange plate 2, while two low-pressure hydrogen flow channels are provided on the second heat exchange plate 3. The heat exchanger plate 2 has through holes corresponding to the inlet and outlet of the gas flow channel 5. A high-pressure hydrogen flow channel 7 is located inside the heat exchanger plate 2. Two through holes corresponding to the inlet and outlet of the high-pressure hydrogen flow channel 7 are located on the heat exchanger plate 2. Both the heat exchanger plate 2 and the heat exchanger plate 2 have a low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel 8 inside. The inlet and outlet of the low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel 8 on the heat exchanger plate 2 and the heat exchanger plate 2 are connected. The cover plate 1 has inlets and outlets corresponding to the liquid cooling zone flow channel 6, the low-pressure hydrogen flow channel 5, the high-pressure hydrogen flow channel 7, and the low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel 8. The flow area of the low-pressure hydrogen flow channel 5 is twice that of the high-pressure hydrogen flow channel 7. The flow area of the liquid cooling zone flow channel 6 is much larger than that of the high-pressure hydrogen flow channel 7 and the low-pressure hydrogen flow channel 5. Heat exchange plate 2 includes composite plate 1 31 and composite plate 2 32. The structures of composite plate 1 31 and composite plate 2 32 are mirror images of each other. On opposite sides of composite plate 1 31 and composite plate 2 32, there are flow channel grooves for a low-pressure pre-cooling channel 8 and a high-pressure hydrogen flow channel 7. The two flow channel grooves are fixed together by composite plate 1 31 and composite plate 2 32 to form the complete low-pressure pre-cooling channel 8 and high-pressure hydrogen flow channel 7. Heat exchange plate 2 includes composite plate 3 21 and composite plate 4 22. The structures of composite plate 3 21 and composite plate 4 22 are mirror images of each other. On opposite sides of composite plate 3 21 and composite plate 4 22, there are flow channel grooves for a low-pressure pre-cooling channel 8 and a low-pressure hydrogen flow channel 7. The two flow channel grooves of the two plates 32 are fixed together to form a low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel 8 and a low-pressure hydrogen flow channel 5. The width and depth of the flow channel grooves of the heat exchange plate 2 and the heat exchange plate 3 do not exceed 1 mm. The low-pressure hydrogen flow channel 5 and the high-pressure hydrogen flow channel 7 have the same width and are both serpentine flow channels. The roughness of the upper and lower surfaces of the base plate 4, the heat exchange plate 2 and the heat exchange plate 3 is not greater than 0.4, and the flatness of the upper and lower surfaces of the heat exchange plate 2 and the heat exchange plate 3 should not be greater than 0.05 mm. The base plate 4 is a flat plate structure. The upper and lower surfaces need to be milled before welding. After machining, the roughness of the welded surface should not be greater than 0.4, and the flatness of the upper and lower surfaces should not be greater than 0.05 mm.The thickness is 0.05mm and not less than the minimum pressure-resistant thickness. The base plate 4, composite plate, and cover plate 1 are preferably made of 316L stainless steel. The double-sided flow channel structure of heat exchange plate 1 2 and heat exchange plate 2 3 can achieve a larger heat exchange area per unit volume, reducing the overall volume and production cost of the heat exchanger. Compared with shell-and-tube or sleeve-tube structures, the plate heat exchanger structure is more compact, smaller in size, has higher pressure resistance, more flexible structural design, is easier to install, and has a higher heat exchange area and efficiency. The liquid and gas adopt a microchannel design, which greatly improves the heat exchange capacity of the product while ensuring pressure resistance. The liquid inlet and outlet adopt a flow guide design, so that the fluid can flow evenly in the flow channel after entering the liquid flow channel of the heat exchanger, ensuring sufficient gas-liquid heat exchange. The liquid refrigerant operates at a lower temperature and has a higher viscosity. The disconnected design within the liquid cooling channel 6 ensures continuous turbulence within the liquid channel, breaking down the fluid boundary layer and improving heat exchange. The integrated design of the liquid and gas side inlets / outlets with the cover plate 1 allows for direct machining of the liquid and gas side inlets / outlets onto the cover plate 1. Compared to welded inlet / outlet joints on commercially available heat exchangers, this design is more aesthetically pleasing and eliminates leakage risks. Since the operating temperature range of pre-cooled hydrogen differs from that of cooled hydrogen (generally not exceeding 40℃, while cooled hydrogen can reach up to 180℃), the heat exchange area of the low-pressure pre-cooling channel 8 and the heat exchange area of cooled hydrogen are separated to prevent cooled hydrogen from affecting the cooling of pre-cooled hydrogen.
[0019] This heat exchanger is used for heat exchange in a hydrogen compressor. There are three states for the hot and cold media: low-pressure inlet hydrogen, high-pressure hydrogen, and coolant. The safe flow rate for hydrogen is 20 m / s, and for coolant it is 2 m / s. The mass flow rates of low-pressure and high-pressure hydrogen are the same, but due to differences in pressure and operating temperature, their volumetric flow rates differ significantly. Therefore, in the flow field design, the flow area for low-pressure hydrogen is twice that for high-pressure hydrogen. Furthermore, because the pre-cooling required for low-pressure hydrogen is smaller, its flow length and heat exchange area are also much smaller than those for high-pressure hydrogen. Meanwhile, because the coolant requires a lower operating velocity and has higher viscosity, the overall flow area of the liquid-side channel is much larger than that of the hydrogen-side channel. The flow channel dimensions on the hydrogen and liquid sides are based on an optimal approach that considers both pressure resistance and heat transfer capacity. Excessively wide flow channels will reduce pressure resistance, while excessively deep flow channels will reduce fin efficiency, thus affecting the secondary heat transfer area. Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention.
Claims
1. An integrated cooling heat exchanger for a hydrogen compressor, comprising a cover plate (1), a first heat exchange plate (2), a second heat exchange plate (3), and a base plate (4), characterized in that: The cover plate (1) and the bottom plate (4) are the same size. Heat exchange plate one (2) and heat exchange plate two (3) are evenly arranged between the cover plate (1) and the bottom plate (4). The heat exchange plate one (2) and heat exchange plate two (3) are arranged vertically and vertically. A liquid flow channel groove is provided on the adjacent side of heat exchange plate one (2) and heat exchange plate two (3). The liquid flow channel groove on heat exchange plate one (2) and the liquid flow channel groove on heat exchange plate two (3) form a liquid cold zone flow channel (6). The liquid cold zone flow channel (6) is disconnected. A low-pressure hydrogen flow channel (5) is provided inside the heat exchange plate one (2), and two low-pressure hydrogen flow channels (5) are provided on the heat exchange plate two (3). The heat exchange plate 2 (3) is provided with a high-pressure hydrogen flow channel (7) inside the heat exchange plate 1 (2). The heat exchange plate 1 (2) is provided with two through holes corresponding to the inlet and outlet of the high-pressure hydrogen flow channel (7). The heat exchange plate 1 (2) and the heat exchange plate 2 (3) are both provided with a low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel (8). The inlet and outlet of the low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel (8) on the heat exchange plate 1 (2) and the heat exchange plate 2 (3) are connected. The cover plate (1) is provided with inlet and outlet corresponding to the liquid cold zone flow channel (6), the low-pressure hydrogen flow channel (5), the high-pressure hydrogen flow channel (7) and the low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel (8). The flow area of the low-pressure hydrogen flow channel (5) is twice the flow area of the high-pressure hydrogen flow channel (7).
2. The integrated cooling heat exchanger for a hydrogen compressor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat exchange plate 2 (3) includes composite plate 1 (31) and composite plate 2 (32). The structures of composite plate 1 (31) and composite plate 2 (32) are mirror images of each other. On the opposite side of composite plate 1 (31) and composite plate 2 (32), there are flow channel grooves for low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel (8) and high-pressure hydrogen flow channel (7). The two flow channel grooves are fixed together by composite plate 1 (31) and composite plate 2 (32) to form a complete low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel (8) and high-pressure hydrogen flow channel (7).
3. The integrated cooling heat exchanger for a hydrogen compressor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat exchange plate one (2) includes composite plate three (21) and composite plate four (22). The structures of composite plate three (21) and composite plate four (22) are mirror images of each other. On the opposite side of composite plate three (21) and composite plate four (22), there are flow channel grooves for low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel (8) and low-pressure hydrogen flow channel (5). The two flow channel grooves are fixed between composite plate one (31) and composite plate two (32) to form a complete low-pressure pre-cooling flow channel (8) and low-pressure hydrogen flow channel (5).
4. The integrated cooling heat exchanger for a hydrogen compressor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The width and depth of the flow channel grooves of heat exchange plate one (2) and heat exchange plate two (3) are both no more than 1 mm, and the width of the low-pressure hydrogen flow channel (5) and the high-pressure hydrogen flow channel (7) are the same, and both the low-pressure hydrogen flow channel (5) and the high-pressure hydrogen flow channel (7) are serpentine flow channels.
5. The integrated cooling heat exchanger for a hydrogen compressor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The roughness of the upper and lower surfaces of the base plate (4), heat exchange plate one (2) and heat exchange plate two (3) shall not be greater than 0.4, and the flatness of the upper and lower surfaces of heat exchange plate one (2) and heat exchange plate two (3) shall not be greater than 0.05 mm.