A gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen fuel cell hydrogen circulation system

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of gas-liquid separation equipment, and particularly relates to a gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen fuel cell hydrogen circulation system, which comprises a cyclone separation shell, the bottom end outer wall of the cyclone separation shell is fixedly connected with a bottom shell, the lower surface of the bottom shell is provided with a fixed through hole matched with the water outlet end pipe wall of the cyclone separation shell, the top end of the cyclone separation shell is fixedly embedded with a hydrogen discharge pipe, and the pipe wall of the hydrogen discharge pipe is sealingly and slidingly sleeved with an overflow adjusting mechanism. The gas-liquid separation device has the functions of hydrogen water pre-condensation, self-adaptive overflow adjustment, two-stage gas-liquid separation and separated water reuse, can maintain high-efficiency and stable gas-liquid separation effect and precision within a wide humidity working condition range, effectively reduces the liquid carrying amount of the circulating hydrogen, improves the reliability of the gas-liquid separation device in use, and simultaneously considers low pressure drop and miniaturization design, and is suitable for the variable working condition operation requirement of the vehicle-mounted hydrogen fuel cell hydrogen circulation system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the technical field of gas-liquid separation equipment, and in particular relates to a gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen circulation system of a hydrogen fuel cell. Background Technology

[0002] Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are one of the core development directions of the new energy vehicle industry. With advantages such as zero emissions, high energy conversion efficiency, and fast refueling, hydrogen fuel cells have become an important technological route for vehicle power systems. The hydrogen recirculation system is a key component of the hydrogen fuel cell anode system. It is used to recover unreacted hydrogen within the fuel cell and return it to the fuel cell inlet for recycling. This effectively improves hydrogen utilization and reduces overall vehicle hydrogen consumption, making it a core element in ensuring the economic efficiency and operational stability of the fuel cell system. During the electrochemical reaction in the fuel cell, liquid water generated from the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen enters the recirculation loop along with the unreacted hydrogen. If the liquid water carried in the humid recirculated hydrogen cannot be effectively filtered out, it will not only cause flooding of the fuel cell anode and hinder mass transfer in the gas diffusion layer, resulting in a decrease in fuel cell output power and fluctuations in operating conditions, but also cause erosion and corrosion of components such as the recirculation pipeline, ejector, and recirculation pump, shortening the overall service life of the system. Therefore, a high-performance gas-liquid separation device is an indispensable key component in the hydrogen recirculation system.

[0003] Currently, the gas-liquid separation in hydrogen fuel cell hydrogen recirculation systems mostly adopts baffle, cyclone, wire mesh coalescing, or simple combinations of both structures, which still have many shortcomings in practical vehicle applications. Traditional cyclone separators rely on centrifugal force to achieve gas-liquid separation, resulting in low operating pressure drop, but their efficiency in capturing micron-sized droplets is limited, making it difficult to meet the requirements of high-precision separation. While single wire mesh coalescing devices can effectively capture fine droplets, their overall flow resistance is relatively high, increasing the driving energy consumption of the hydrogen recirculation system. Some combined devices directly place the wire mesh in the main cyclone swirling area, which continuously dissipates swirling kinetic energy and weakens the centrifugal separation effect, failing to fully utilize the synergistic advantages of the two separation methods.

[0004] Furthermore, existing devices mostly have fixed internal structures, which cannot adapt to the large fluctuations in hydrogen humidity during the operation of on-board fuel cells under varying operating conditions. Under high load and high humidity conditions, incomplete gas-liquid separation is likely to occur, while under low load and low humidity conditions, there is a pressure drop redundancy. Ultimately, this leads to large fluctuations in the amount of liquid carried by the recycled hydrogen, which not only affects the gas-liquid separation effect but also the reliability of the gas-liquid separation device and restricts the hydrogen cycle efficiency and the vehicle compatibility of the fuel cell system.

[0005] To address these issues, we propose a gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen recirculation system in a hydrogen fuel cell. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to address the above-mentioned problems by providing a gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen recirculation system in a hydrogen fuel cell.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen circulation system of a hydrogen fuel cell, comprising a cyclone separator shell, a bottom shell fixedly connected to the bottom outer wall of the cyclone separator shell, a fixed through hole provided on the lower surface of the bottom shell that matches the water outlet pipe wall of the cyclone separator shell, a hydrogen discharge pipe fixedly embedded at the top of the cyclone separator shell, and an overflow regulating mechanism sealed and slidably sleeved on the pipe wall of the hydrogen discharge pipe;

[0008] The bottom end of the overflow regulating mechanism is fixedly connected to a gas-liquid separation mechanism;

[0009] The top side wall of the cyclone separator shell is provided with an oblique hole, and the wall of the oblique hole is fixedly connected to an air inlet pipe.

[0010] An auxiliary mechanism is fixedly sleeved on the water outlet pipe wall of the cyclone separator shell;

[0011] The air intake end of the air intake pipe passes through the inner wall of the bottom shell and is fixedly connected to the air outlet end of the auxiliary mechanism.

[0012] In the above-mentioned gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen recirculation system of a hydrogen fuel cell, the overflow adjustment mechanism includes a movable sleeve and a humidity sensor. The wall of the hydrogen discharge pipe is slidably connected to the inner wall of the movable sleeve. A flow guide outer cylinder is movably sleeved on the outer wall of the movable sleeve. The top end of the flow guide outer cylinder is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the top end of the cyclone separator shell. A fixed through hole is opened on the upper surface of the cyclone separator shell, and an electric push rod is fixedly connected to the hole wall of the fixed through hole. The bottom end of the electric push rod is fixedly connected to the upper surface of the top extension of the movable sleeve.

[0013] In the above-mentioned gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen circulation system of a hydrogen fuel cell, the gas-liquid separation mechanism includes a sealed bearing fixedly connected to the inner wall of the bottom end of the movable sleeve. A gas guide hood is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the inner ring of the sealed bearing. A first conical wire mesh cover and a second conical wire mesh cover are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the gas guide hood from the inside to the outside. Multiple fan blades are evenly distributed and fixedly connected to the upper surface of the gas guide hood.

[0014] In the aforementioned gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen recirculation system of a hydrogen fuel cell, the auxiliary mechanism includes a rectangular heat insulation cover fixedly sleeved to the water outlet pipe wall of the cyclone separator shell. The top and bottom ends of the rectangular heat insulation cover are each provided with a fixing circular hole that mates with the water outlet pipe wall of the cyclone separator shell. Two semiconductor cooling chips are fixedly connected through the outer wall of the rectangular heat insulation cover. A metal isolation sleeve is fixedly connected to the cooling side of each semiconductor cooling chip. The top and bottom ends of the metal isolation sleeve are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the rectangular heat insulation cover. The upper surface of the rectangular heat insulation cover... An air inlet hole is provided on the surface to cooperate with the air inlet pipe. A baffle ring is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the cyclone separator shell at the water outlet end. Two bent pipes are fixedly connected to the upper surface of the baffle ring. The water outlet ends of the two bent pipes pass through the outer wall of the water outlet end of the cyclone separator shell and are respectively located above the heat dissipation side of the two semiconductor cooling chips. Two symmetrically distributed drain holes are opened on the inner wall of the bottom end of the cyclone separator shell at the water outlet end. An input pipe is fixedly connected to the bottom end of the metal isolation sleeve. The inlet end of the input pipe passes through the rectangular heat insulation cover and the outer wall of the bottom shell and extends outward.

[0015] In the above-mentioned gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen circulation system of a hydrogen fuel cell, a conical guide bucket is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the bottom shell, and an oblique hole that cooperates with the input pipe is opened on the outer wall of the conical guide bucket. The conical guide bucket divides the internal cavity of the bottom shell into a guide area and an installation area, and the auxiliary mechanism is located inside the guide area.

[0016] In the above-mentioned gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen fuel cell hydrogen circulation system, the bottom shell has an installation through hole on the outer wall of the installation area, and a PLC controller is fixedly connected to the hole wall. The input pipe has an oblique hole on the outer wall of the installation area, and the humidity sensor is fixedly connected to the hole wall of the oblique hole. The detection end of the humidity sensor is located inside the input pipe.

[0017] In the above-mentioned gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen fuel cell hydrogen circulation system, multiple first metal meshes are fixedly connected to the heat dissipation side of each of the two semiconductor cooling chips. The first metal meshes are located below the water outlet end of the bend pipe, and multiple second metal meshes are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the metal isolation sleeve.

[0018] In the gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen fuel cell hydrogen circulation system described above, a connecting groove is provided on the outer wall of the bottom end of the hydrogen discharge pipe, and a sealing rubber ring is fixedly sleeved on the groove wall and slidably connected to the inner wall of the movable sleeve.

[0019] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of this invention are:

[0020] 1. Through the auxiliary mechanism, when the humid circulating hydrogen enters the pre-cooling section of the device, the cooling side of the semiconductor refrigeration chip pre-cools the flowing hydrogen through the metal isolation sleeve. Combined with heat exchange via the second metal mesh on the inner wall of the metal isolation sleeve, the supersaturated gaseous water in the hydrogen quickly condenses into easily separable micro-droplets, reducing the processing load of the subsequent cyclone separator from the source. Simultaneously, the barrier ring is fixed to the upper inner wall of the cyclone separator shell, forming a flow-limiting structure by reducing the flow cross-section. This separates the bottom liquid collection area from the upper cyclone zone, preventing secondary entrainment of the separated water by the inner cyclone flow. Furthermore, it enables adaptive diversion of the separated water: under low liquid content conditions, the separated water falls along the inner wall of the cyclone separator shell, directly passing through the inner ring of the barrier ring and being discharged normally from the outlet. Under high humidity conditions, the amount of water separated increases significantly, and the drainage capacity of the inner ring of the barrier ring is insufficient. The liquid level rises above the barrier ring and overflows. The overflow water enters the bend inlet on the upper surface of the barrier ring and is guided to the heat dissipation side of the semiconductor refrigeration chip through the bend. The heat is quickly carried away from the heat dissipation side by evaporating water and absorbing heat. The amount of water separated increases with the increase of inlet humidity, and the amount of overflow water entering the heat dissipation side increases simultaneously. The higher the humidity, the more significant the heat dissipation effect, the higher the cooling efficiency of the semiconductor refrigeration chip, and the better the pre-cooling condensation effect. This further improves the condensation rate of gaseous water and forms a positive cycle. This structure solves the problems that micron-sized gaseous water mist is difficult to be effectively captured by cyclone separation at room temperature and that insufficient heat dissipation of the semiconductor refrigeration chip leads to the decline of cooling performance. It achieves the effect of improving the pre-cooling condensation effect and improving the overall accuracy of gas-liquid separation.

[0021] 2. Through the overflow adjustment mechanism, when the operating conditions of the on-board fuel cell change or the humidity of the humidified circulating hydrogen fluctuates significantly, the humidity sensor collects the humidity parameters of the inlet hydrogen in real time and converts them into electrical signals, which are then transmitted to the PLC controller. The PLC controller compares the real-time values ​​with preset thresholds and outputs corresponding control signals to drive the electric push rod to perform a telescopic action, causing the moving sleeve to slide axially along the wall of the hydrogen discharge pipe. This simultaneously adjusts the insertion depth of the bottom gas-liquid separation mechanism within the cyclone separator shell. The guide cylinder, in conjunction with the cyclone separator shell, guides the inlet airflow, ensuring... The external swirling flow field is stabilized; the sealing rubber ring ensures the sealing performance of the sliding parts and avoids airflow short circuit; under high humidity conditions, the gas-liquid separation mechanism is moved downward to extend the gas swirling stroke and residence time, ensuring the separation effect; under low liquid conditions, the gas-liquid separation mechanism is moved upward to shorten the gas flow path and reduce the system pressure drop. This structure solves the problems of traditional fixed structure gas-liquid separation devices being unable to adapt to humidity fluctuations under varying operating conditions, incomplete separation under high humidity conditions, and redundant pressure drop under low humidity conditions. It achieves a dynamic balance between separation efficiency and operating energy consumption, reduces the amount of liquid carried by recycled hydrogen, and improves the adaptability and reliability of the device under operating conditions.

[0022] 3. Through the gas-liquid separation mechanism, when the moist circulating hydrogen completes the coarse cyclone separation and folds back to form an upward internal swirling flow, the fan blades at the top of the gas guide hood are impacted by the swirling flow, generating circumferential thrust. This causes the gas guide hood to passively rotate relative to the moving sleeve via the sealed bearing. The airflow flows from the outside to the inside, sequentially passing through the second conical wire mesh cover and the first conical wire mesh cover. The two wire meshes are radially coaxial nested conical structures, adapted to the flow characteristics of internal swirling flow section contraction and radial convergence: the second conical wire mesh cover on the outside has a high porosity structure, which first coarsely filters the airflow, capturing larger residual droplets with low flow resistance; the first conical wire mesh cover on the inside has a low porosity structure, which finely filters the airflow, capturing... Micron-sized droplets are captured in a gradient-level manner. Simultaneously, the rotating wire mesh generates additional centrifugal force, causing the captured droplets to migrate and converge rapidly towards the outer edge of the cone, forming larger droplets that are then thrown against the inner wall of the gas guide hood. These droplets fall along the wall to the bottom of the gas guide hood and flow out, eventually settling along the inner wall of the cyclone separator shell. The wire mesh structure is built into the central fine separation area, effectively avoiding interference from the external cyclone. This structure solves the problems of wire mesh interference with the main cyclone kinetic energy and mutual cancellation of separation efficiency in traditional combined devices, as well as the problems of flooding and low fine droplet capture efficiency of fixed wire mesh. It realizes two-stage gas-liquid separation of cyclone coarse separation and wire mesh fine separation, improving the fine droplet capture accuracy and enhancing the overall gas-liquid separation effect. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen circulation system in a hydrogen fuel cell, provided by the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional structural diagram;

[0025] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 An enlarged structural diagram of the auxiliary mechanism;

[0026] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 Enlarged structural schematic diagram of the gas-liquid separation mechanism;

[0027] Figure 5 yes Figure 2 An enlarged structural diagram of the overflow regulating mechanism;

[0028] Figure 6 yes Figure 2 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the rectangular heat insulation cover section.

[0029] In the diagram: 1. Cyclone separator outer shell; 2. Bottom shell; 3. Hydrogen exhaust pipe; 4. Overflow adjustment mechanism; 41. Moving sleeve; 42. Humidity sensor; 43. Flow guide outer cylinder; 44. Electric push rod; 5. Gas-liquid separation mechanism; 51. Sealed bearing; 52. Air guide hood; 53. First conical wire mesh cover; 54. Second conical wire mesh cover; 55. Fan blade; 6. Air inlet pipe; 7. Auxiliary mechanism; 71. Rectangular heat insulation cover; 72. Fixed round hole; 73. Semiconductor cooling chip; 74. Metal isolation sleeve; 75. Air inlet; 76. Barrier ring; 77. Bend; 78. Drain hole; 79. Input pipe; 8. Conical flow guide bucket; 9. Flow guide area; 10. Installation area; 11. PLC controller; 12. First metal mesh; 13. Second metal mesh; 14. Sealing rubber ring. Detailed Implementation

[0030] 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.

[0031] like Figures 1-6 As shown, a gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen circulation system of a hydrogen fuel cell includes a cyclone separator shell 1. A bottom shell 2 is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the bottom end of the cyclone separator shell 1. A fixed through hole is opened on the lower surface of the bottom shell 2 to match the water outlet pipe wall of the cyclone separator shell 1. A hydrogen discharge pipe 3 is fixedly embedded at the top end of the cyclone separator shell 1. An overflow regulating mechanism 4 is slidably sleeved on the pipe wall of the hydrogen discharge pipe 3.

[0032] The main structure of this gas-liquid separator adopts an integrated design of pre-cooling, cyclone coarse separation, wire mesh fine separation, and overflow depth adaptive adjustment, replacing the traditional single separation or simple component splicing separation structure. It solves the problems of low separation accuracy and inability to adapt to vehicle-mounted variable operating conditions of existing gas-liquid separators. It integrates multi-stage gas-liquid separation functions in a limited space to meet the installation requirements of miniaturization and integration of vehicle-mounted fuel cells.

[0033] The overflow regulating mechanism 4 includes a movable sleeve 41 and a humidity sensor 42. The wall of the hydrogen discharge pipe 3 is slidably connected to the inner wall of the movable sleeve 41. A connecting groove is provided on the outer wall of the bottom end of the hydrogen discharge pipe 3, and a sealing rubber ring 14 is fixedly sleeved on the groove wall and slidably connected to the inner wall of the movable sleeve 41. The sealing rubber ring 14 fills the sliding gap between the hydrogen discharge pipe 3 and the movable sleeve 41, ensuring smooth axial sliding of the movable sleeve 41 while achieving a reliable dynamic seal. This prevents the humid circulating hydrogen that has not undergone fine separation from directly entering the hydrogen discharge pipe 3 through the gap, solving the problem of hydrogen leakage and airflow short circuit that are prone to occur in the sliding regulating structure, and ensuring the sealing of the gas-liquid separation path and the stability of the separation effect.

[0034] The outer wall of the movable sleeve 41 is movably fitted with a flow guide outer cylinder 43. The top end of the flow guide outer cylinder 43 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the top end of the cyclone separator housing 1. A fixed through hole is opened on the upper surface of the cyclone separator housing 1, and an electric push rod 44 is fixedly connected to the hole wall of the fixed through hole. The bottom end of the electric push rod 44 is fixedly connected to the upper surface of the top extension of the movable sleeve 41.

[0035] The outer guide cylinder 43 is fixed to the inner wall of the top of the cyclone separator shell 1, and forms an annular swirling channel with the inner wall of the cyclone separator shell 1. At the same time, it separates the outer swirling flow and the inner swirling flow area, which can regulate the tangentially entering moist circulating hydrogen into a downward stable outer swirling flow, avoid the mixing of the inner and outer airflows and weaken the swirling flow intensity, solve the problem of turbulent inlet airflow and rapid decay of swirling flow intensity caused by the mixing of inner and outer swirling flows, and improve the flow field stability of the cyclone coarse separation. The electric push rod 44, as the automatic adjustment actuator, can receive control signals to precisely drive the axial displacement of the moving sleeve 41 to realize the automatic control of the separation depth.

[0036] The bottom end of the overflow regulating mechanism 4 is fixedly connected to the gas-liquid separation mechanism 5. The gas-liquid separation mechanism 5 includes a sealed bearing 51 fixedly connected to the inner wall of the bottom end of the movable sleeve 41. The inner wall of the inner ring of the sealed bearing 51 is fixedly connected to the air guide cover 52. The inner wall of the air guide cover 52 is fixedly connected to the first conical wire mesh cover 53 and the second conical wire mesh cover 54 from the inside to the outside. Multiple fan blades 55 are evenly distributed and fixedly connected to the upper surface of the air guide cover 52.

[0037] The sealed bearing 51 enables the rotational connection between the air guide shroud 52 and the movable sleeve 41, ensuring the sealed connection of the airflow channel while allowing the air guide shroud 52 to rotate freely in the circumference. The fan blade 55 can use the tangential airflow energy of the cyclone field itself to drive the air guide shroud 52 to rotate passively without the need for an additional drive motor, thus achieving passive rotation without power. The first conical wire mesh shroud 53 and the second conical wire mesh shroud 54 adopt a radially coaxial nested conical layout, which is adapted to the flow characteristics of the inner cyclone section contraction and radial convergence. The two-stage wire mesh is built into the central fine separation zone, avoiding interference with the external cyclone, and truly realizing two-stage gas-liquid separation of cyclone coarse separation and wire mesh fine separation.

[0038] The top side wall of the cyclone separator shell 1 has an oblique hole, and the wall of the oblique hole is fixedly connected to an air inlet pipe 6. An auxiliary mechanism 7 is fixedly sleeved on the water outlet pipe wall of the cyclone separator shell 1. The auxiliary mechanism 7 includes a rectangular heat insulation cover 71 that is fixedly sleeved on the water outlet pipe wall of the cyclone separator shell 1. The top and bottom ends of the rectangular heat insulation cover 71 are both provided with fixed circular holes 72 that mate with the water outlet pipe wall of the cyclone separator shell 1. Two semiconductor cooling chips 73 are fixedly connected through the outer wall of the rectangular heat insulation cover 71. The cooling side of the semiconductor cooling chips 73 is fixedly connected to a metal isolation sleeve 74. The top and bottom ends of the metal isolation sleeve 74 are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the rectangular heat insulation cover 71. The upper surface of the rectangular heat shield 71 is provided with an air inlet 75 that matches the air inlet pipe 6. A baffle ring 76 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the cyclone separator shell 1 at the water outlet end. Two bent pipes 77 are fixedly connected to the upper surface of the baffle ring 76. The water outlet ends of the two bent pipes 77 pass through the outer wall of the water outlet end of the cyclone separator shell 1 and are located above the heat dissipation side of the two semiconductor cooling chips 73, respectively. Two symmetrically distributed drain holes 78 are opened on the inner wall of the bottom end of the bottom shell 2 at the water outlet end of the cyclone separator shell 1. An input pipe 79 is fixedly connected to the bottom end of the metal isolation sleeve 74. The inlet end of the input pipe 79 passes through the outer wall of the rectangular heat shield 71 and the bottom shell 2 and extends outward.

[0039] The rectangular heat shield 71 encloses the cooling area, blocking heat exchange between the cooling side and the external environment, reducing cooling loss, and solving the problems of easy cooling loss and low cooling efficiency of the semiconductor cooling chip 73.

[0040] The semiconductor cooling chip 73 works in conjunction with the metal isolation sleeve 74 to pre-cool the humid circulating hydrogen before it enters the cyclone separator, causing the supersaturated gaseous water in the hydrogen to condense into small liquid droplets. This transforms the difficult-to-separate gaseous water mist into easily separable tiny droplets, solving the problem that micron-sized gaseous water mist cannot be effectively captured by the cyclone separator at room temperature, thus reducing the load on subsequent separations from the source.

[0041] The barrier ring 76 is fixed to the upper inner wall of the water outlet end of the cyclone separator shell 1. By reducing the flow cross section, it forms a flow-limiting structure. On the one hand, it separates the liquid collection area at the bottom of the cyclone separator shell 1 from the upper cyclone flow area, preventing the bottom separated water from being entrained by the inner cyclone flow and causing secondary entrainment. On the other hand, it realizes the adaptive diversion of separated water: under low liquid content conditions, the separated water volume is small, and the separated water falls along the inner wall of the cyclone separator shell 1 and directly passes through the inner ring of the barrier ring 76 and is discharged normally from the water outlet end; under high humidity conditions, the separated water volume increases significantly, the drainage capacity of the inner ring of the barrier ring 76 is insufficient, the liquid level rises above the barrier ring 76 and overflows, and the overflow water enters the inlet of the bent pipe 77 on the upper surface of the barrier ring 76. Through the bent pipe 77, it is precisely guided to the heat dissipation side of the semiconductor cooling chip 73, and efficient heat dissipation is achieved by evaporating water to absorb heat.

[0042] The amount of water separated increases with the increase of inlet humidity, and the amount of overflow water entering the heat dissipation side increases simultaneously, which promotes the heat dissipation speed of the heat dissipation side of the semiconductor refrigeration chip 73, thereby improving the effect of pre-cooling and condensation treatment of humid hydrogen, and thus forming a positive cycle. This solves the problem of insufficient heat dissipation of the semiconductor refrigeration chip 73 leading to the degradation of cooling performance, and at the same time realizes the resource utilization of separated water. There is no need to set up additional cooling fans and heat dissipation pipes, further reducing the size of the device.

[0043] The air intake end of the air intake pipe 6 passes through the inner wall of the bottom shell 2 and is fixedly connected to the air outlet end of the auxiliary mechanism 7. A conical guide bucket 8 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the bottom shell 2. The outer wall of the conical guide bucket 8 is provided with an oblique hole that matches the input pipe 79. The conical guide bucket 8 divides the internal cavity of the bottom shell 2 into a guide area 9 and an installation area 10. The auxiliary mechanism 7 is located inside the guide area 9.

[0044] The water vapor generated by evaporation and the unevaporated residual water fall down the inner wall of the conical guide bucket 8 to the bottom of the guide zone 9, and then flow back to the water outlet cavity of the cyclone separator shell 1 through the drain hole 78, and are discharged from the device together with the main separation wastewater, ensuring the stability of the flow field in the heat dissipation area.

[0045] The conical guide bucket 8 divides the internal space of the bottom shell 2 into functional zones. The guide zone 9 accommodates the auxiliary mechanism 7 and guides the water flow to converge. The installation zone 10 independently arranges the electrical control components, avoiding water vapor corrosion of electrical components and solving the problem of easy failure of electrical control components in humid environments.

[0046] The bottom shell 2 has an installation through hole on the outer wall of the installation area 10, and the wall of the installation through hole is fixedly connected to the PLC controller 11. The input pipe 79 has an oblique hole on the outer wall of the installation area 10, and the humidity sensor 42 is fixedly connected to the wall of the oblique hole. The detection end of the humidity sensor 42 is located inside the input pipe 79.

[0047] The PLC controller 11 is the control center for the automatic operation of the gas-liquid separation device. It, along with the humidity sensor 42, the electric push rod 44, and the semiconductor cooling chip 73, forms a complete electrical control circuit through wires. This circuit is the foundation for achieving fully automatic gas-liquid separation. The automatic adjustment function of the gas-liquid separation device is completed entirely through the closed-loop coordination of this circuit. The humidity sensor 42, as a real-time detection element, continuously collects the humidity parameters of the humid circulating hydrogen gas in the input tube 79 and converts the humidity value into an analog electrical signal, which is then transmitted to the input terminal of the PLC controller 11. The PLC controller 11 has pre-stored humidity level thresholds and corresponding adjustment strategies, driving the electric push rod 44 to automatically perform extension and retraction actions, causing the moving sleeve 41 and the gas-liquid separation mechanism 5 to rise and fall synchronously, automatically matching the separation depth under the current humidity, effectively solving the problem that traditional fixed-structure gas-liquid separation devices cannot respond to fluctuations in operating conditions.

[0048] Multiple first metal meshes 12 are fixedly connected to the heat dissipation side of both semiconductor cooling chips 73. The first metal meshes 12 increase the heat dissipation area and ensure the heat dissipation capacity of the semiconductor cooling chips 73. The first metal meshes 12 are located below the water outlet of the bend 77. Multiple second metal meshes 13 are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the metal isolation sleeve 74. The second metal meshes 13 increase the heat exchange area between the cold side and hydrogen, and improve the pre-cooling and condensation effect of the humidified circulating hydrogen.

[0049] The humidity sensor 42 and the semiconductor cooling chip 73 are electrically connected to the input terminal of the PLC controller 11 via wires, and the electric push rod 44 is electrically connected to the output terminal of the PLC controller 11 via wires. The above-mentioned electrical components and their electrical connections together constitute the automatic control hardware foundation of the gas-liquid separation device. With the help of preset control logic, the gas-liquid separation device has the ability to automatically detect humidity and automatically adjust the separation depth. It can adapt the separation performance in real time according to the changes in fuel cell load, effectively improving the automation level and working condition adaptability of the gas-liquid separation device.

[0050] The operating principle of this invention is described as follows: First, the gas-liquid separation device is installed in the hydrogen circulation loop of the hydrogen fuel cell anode. During installation, the input pipe 79 is connected to the humidified circulating hydrogen pipeline at the anode outlet of the fuel cell, and the hydrogen discharge pipe 3 is connected to the return inlet of the hydrogen circulation pump or ejector. The water outlet at the bottom of the cyclone separator shell 1 is connected to the drain pipe of the fuel cell. The PLC controller 11 is connected to the vehicle power supply module. Then, the specific working process of the gas-liquid separation device is carried out according to the following steps:

[0051] The first step is to pre-cool and detect the humidity of the humidified circulating hydrogen gas, such as... Figures 1-3 and Figure 6 As shown, the humid circulating hydrogen from the fuel cell first enters the metal isolation sleeve 74 of the auxiliary mechanism 7 through the input pipe 79. The humidity sensor 42 installed on the wall of the input pipe 79 collects the humidity data of the inlet hydrogen in real time and transmits the analog detection signal to the PLC controller 11.

[0052] Meanwhile, the semiconductor refrigeration chip 73 is controlled by the PLC controller 11. The cooling side of the semiconductor refrigeration chip 73 cools the humid circulating hydrogen flowing inside through the metal isolation sleeve 74. The metal isolation sleeve 74 expands the cooling area and improves the effect of pre-cooling and condensing moisture, causing the supersaturated gaseous water in the hydrogen to condense into liquid droplets. Since hydrogen is not easily soluble in water, these liquid droplets will enter the cyclone separator shell 1 along with the hydrogen through the inlet pipe 6. This step, through pre-cooling treatment, converts some of the gaseous water in the hydrogen into easily separable liquid droplets, solving the problem that micron-sized fine mist droplets are difficult to be separated and captured by centrifugation at room temperature. This effectively reduces the load of subsequent cyclone gas-liquid separation, improves the overall gas-liquid separation accuracy and effect, and thus improves the reliability of the gas-liquid separation device.

[0053] The second step is to adaptively adjust the overflow separation depth, such as... Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown, after receiving the detection signal from the humidity sensor 42, the PLC controller 11 compares the real-time humidity value with the preset threshold and outputs a control signal according to the preset humidity and depth correspondence logic. This drives the electric push rod 44 to extend and retract, thereby causing the moving sleeve 41 to slide axially along the wall of the hydrogen discharge pipe 3. This simultaneously adjusts the insertion depth of the bottom gas-liquid separation mechanism 5 in the cyclone separator shell 1. When the inlet hydrogen humidity is high, the electric push rod 44 pushes the moving sleeve 41 downwards, and the gas-liquid separation mechanism 5 moves downwards accordingly, extending the swirling stroke and residence time of the humid circulating hydrogen in the cyclone separator shell 1, ensuring sufficient centrifugal separation under high humidity conditions.

[0054] When the inlet hydrogen humidity is low, the electric push rod 44 drives the moving sleeve 41 to retract upwards, and the gas-liquid separation mechanism 5 moves upwards accordingly, shortening the gas flow path and reducing the flow resistance of gas-liquid centrifugal separation. This step achieves adaptive adjustment of overflow depth through humidity detection, which solves the defect that traditional fixed structure separators cannot adapt to the humidity fluctuations of vehicle fuel cells under varying operating conditions. While ensuring the separation effect under high humidity conditions, it effectively reduces pressure drop and reduces the energy consumption of the circulation system under low humidity conditions, achieving a dynamic balance between separation efficiency and operating energy consumption.

[0055] The third step is staged gas-liquid separation treatment, such as... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4As shown, the pre-cooled, humidified circulating hydrogen gas is tangentially introduced into the cyclone separator shell 1 through the inlet pipe 6, forming a high-speed rotating outer vortex along the inner wall of the cyclone separator shell 1. Under the action of centrifugal force, larger droplets are thrown towards the inner wall surface of the cyclone separator shell 1, and after converging into a liquid film, they slide down the wall surface to the bottom of the cyclone separator shell 1 under the action of gravity, completing the first stage of coarse cyclone separation. Subsequently, the airflow turns back upward to form an inner vortex, which enters the air guide shroud 52 for the second stage of fine separation. At the same time, the high-speed rotating vortex impacts the fan blades 55 to generate circumferential thrust, causing the air guide shroud 52 to passively rotate relative to the moving sleeve 41 through the sealed bearing 51. Then, the hydrogen gas in the inner vortex flows sequentially through the second conical wire mesh shroud 54 and the first conical wire mesh shroud 53. The first conical wire mesh shroud 53 is located on the inner side and is a low-porosity wire mesh, while the second conical wire mesh shroud 54 is located on the outer side. The mesh is made of high-porosity wire mesh. The smaller porosity of the wire mesh helps small droplets to coalesce and grow, while the larger porosity helps to reduce resistance. The two layers of conical wire mesh capture micron-sized fine droplets remaining in the airflow in stages. At the same time, the rotating first conical wire mesh cover 53 and the second conical wire mesh cover 54 generate additional centrifugal force, which causes the captured droplets to migrate rapidly to the outer edge of the cone surface, converge into large droplets, and then be thrown out to the inner wall of the gas guide cover 52. They fall along the wall to the bottom of the gas guide cover 52 and finally settle along the inner wall of the cyclone separator shell 1. Meanwhile, the dehumidified hydrogen flows out from the hydrogen discharge pipe 3 and returns to the circulation loop. This step enables the gas-liquid separation device to have the function of two-stage gas-liquid separation. It not only retains the advantages of low pressure drop and large throughput of cyclone separation, but also improves the fine droplet capture capacity through the passively rotating conical wire mesh, effectively improving the overall efficiency and accuracy of gas-liquid separation.

[0056] The fourth step is to separate and reuse the water, such as... Figure 3 and Figure 6 As shown, the separated water, after being separated by the cyclone separator and gathered at the bottom of the cyclone separator shell 1, is guided by the bend 77 on the barrier ring 76 to the heat dissipation side of the semiconductor refrigeration chip 73. The separated water drips onto the surface of the first metal mesh 12 and the heat dissipation side of the semiconductor refrigeration chip 73. The first metal mesh 12 expands the heat dissipation contact area, and the separated water quickly carries away the heat from the heat dissipation side of the semiconductor refrigeration chip 73 during the flow and evaporation process, significantly improving the cooling efficiency of the cooling side of the semiconductor refrigeration chip 73 and further improving the pre-cooling and condensation effect of the humidified circulating hydrogen. The water vapor generated by evaporation and the unevaporated residual water fall along the inner wall of the conical guide bucket 8 to the bottom of the guide area 9, and then flow back to the water outlet cavity of the cyclone separator shell 1 through the drain hole 78. This step uses the separated water liquid to evaporate and dissipate heat on the semiconductor refrigeration chip 73, ensuring the cooling effect of the semiconductor refrigeration chip 73, improving the pre-cooling and condensation efficiency, and realizing the resource utilization of the separated water.

[0057] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen recirculation system in a hydrogen fuel cell, comprising a cyclone separator shell (1), characterized in that, The bottom outer wall of the cyclone separator shell (1) is fixedly connected to a bottom shell (2). The bottom surface of the bottom shell (2) is provided with a fixed through hole that matches the water outlet pipe wall of the cyclone separator shell (1). The top of the cyclone separator shell (1) is fixedly embedded with a hydrogen discharge pipe (3). The pipe wall of the hydrogen discharge pipe (3) is sealed and slidably sleeved with an overflow adjustment mechanism (4). The bottom end of the overflow regulating mechanism (4) is fixedly connected to the gas-liquid separation mechanism (5). The top side wall of the cyclone separator shell (1) is provided with an oblique hole, and the wall of the oblique hole is fixedly connected to the air inlet pipe (6). An auxiliary mechanism (7) is fixedly sleeved on the water outlet pipe wall of the cyclone separator shell (1). The air inlet end of the air inlet pipe (6) passes through the inner wall of the bottom shell (2) and is fixedly connected to the air outlet end of the auxiliary mechanism (7).

2. The gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen recirculation system of a hydrogen fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that, The overflow regulating mechanism (4) includes a movable sleeve (41) and a humidity sensor (42). The pipe wall of the hydrogen discharge pipe (3) is slidably connected to the inner wall of the movable sleeve (41). The outer wall of the movable sleeve (41) is movably sleeved with a flow guide outer cylinder (43). The top end of the flow guide outer cylinder (43) is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the top end of the cyclone separator shell (1). The upper surface of the cyclone separator shell (1) is provided with a fixed through hole, and the hole wall of the fixed through hole is fixedly connected with an electric push rod (44). The bottom end of the electric push rod (44) is fixedly connected to the upper surface of the top extension of the movable sleeve (41).

3. A gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen recirculation system in a hydrogen fuel cell according to claim 2, characterized in that, The gas-liquid separation mechanism (5) includes a sealed bearing (51) fixedly connected to the inner wall of the bottom end of the movable sleeve (41). The inner ring of the sealed bearing (51) is fixedly connected to a gas guide cover (52). The inner wall of the gas guide cover (52) is fixedly connected to a first conical wire mesh cover (53) and a second conical wire mesh cover (54) from the inside to the outside. The upper surface of the gas guide cover (52) is evenly distributed and fixedly connected to multiple fan blades (55).

4. A gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen recirculation system in a hydrogen fuel cell according to claim 2, characterized in that, The auxiliary mechanism (7) includes a rectangular heat shield (71) that is fixedly sleeved to the water outlet pipe wall of the cyclone separator shell (1). The top and bottom ends of the rectangular heat shield (71) are provided with fixed circular holes (72) that cooperate with the water outlet pipe wall of the cyclone separator shell (1). Two semiconductor cooling chips (73) are fixedly connected through the outer wall of the rectangular heat shield (71). The cooling side of the semiconductor cooling chips (73) is fixedly connected to a metal isolation sleeve (74). The top and bottom ends of the metal isolation sleeve (74) are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the rectangular heat shield (71). The upper surface of the rectangular heat shield (71) is provided with an air inlet hole that cooperates with the air inlet pipe (6). (75) A baffle ring (76) is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the cyclone separator shell (1) at the water outlet end. Two bent pipes (77) are fixedly connected to the upper surface of the baffle ring (76). The water outlet ends of the two bent pipes (77) pass through the outer wall of the water outlet end of the cyclone separator shell (1) and are respectively located above the heat dissipation side of the two semiconductor cooling chips (73). Two symmetrically distributed drain holes (78) are opened at the inner wall of the bottom end of the bottom shell (2) of the cyclone separator shell (1). The bottom end of the metal isolation sleeve (74) is fixedly connected to the input pipe (79). The inlet end of the input pipe (79) passes through the rectangular heat insulation cover (71) and the outer wall of the bottom shell (2) and extends outward.

5. A gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen recirculation system in a hydrogen fuel cell according to claim 4, characterized in that, The inner wall of the bottom shell (2) is fixedly connected to a conical guide bucket (8). The outer wall of the conical guide bucket (8) is provided with an oblique hole that matches the input pipe (79). The conical guide bucket (8) divides the internal cavity of the bottom shell (2) into a guide area (9) and an installation area (10). The auxiliary mechanism (7) is located inside the guide area (9).

6. A gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen recirculation system in a hydrogen fuel cell according to claim 5, characterized in that, The bottom shell (2) has an installation through hole on the outer wall of the installation area (10), and a PLC controller (11) is fixedly connected to the hole wall of the installation through hole. The input pipe (79) has an oblique hole on the outer wall of the installation area (10). The humidity sensor (42) is fixedly connected to the hole wall of the oblique hole. The detection end of the humidity sensor (42) is located inside the input pipe (79).

7. A gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen recirculation system in a hydrogen fuel cell according to claim 4, characterized in that, Multiple first metal meshes (12) are fixedly connected to the heat dissipation side of the two semiconductor cooling chips (73). The first metal meshes (12) are located below the water outlet of the bend (77). Multiple second metal meshes (13) are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the metal isolation sleeve (74).

8. A gas-liquid separation device for a hydrogen recirculation system in a hydrogen fuel cell according to claim 2, characterized in that, The bottom outer wall of the hydrogen exhaust pipe (3) is provided with a connecting groove, and the groove wall is fixedly sleeved with a sealing rubber ring (14) that is slidably connected to the inner wall of the movable sleeve (41).

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