Circulating pump assembly and hydrogen fuel cell system

Abstract

The utility model provides a circulating pump assembly and a hydrogen fuel cell system. The circulating pump assembly includes a water separator and a circulating pump mounted to the water separator. The water separator comprises a shell, and a water separation space is defined by the shell. The shell is provided with a first inlet and a first outlet which are communicated with the water distribution space, and a water distribution structure is arranged in the water distribution space. The circulating pump is provided with a second inlet and a second outlet which are communicated, and the first outlet and the second inlet are assembled in an aligned mode. The circulating pump is mounted to the water separator, so that the circulating pump assembly is integrally arranged. According to the circulating pump assembly, the first outlet and the second inlet are assembled in an aligned mode, gas exhausted through the first outlet directly enters the circulating pump through the second inlet, an overlong connecting pipeline is omitted, energy loss in the pipeline conveying process is avoided, and the working efficiency of the circulating pump assembly is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to hydrogen-electric hybrid technology, and in particular to a circulation pump assembly and a hydrogen fuel cell system. Background Art

[0002] With its advantages of high efficiency, zero emissions and low noise, hydrogen fuel cells have become an important tool for my country's energy structure transformation, energy conservation and emission reduction, and vehicle industry upgrading, and will become an important solution for the sustainable development of my country's cities and economy.

[0003] In order for the fuel cell to fully react, an excess of primary gas is usually provided to the stack. To improve the utilization rate of the gas, the water-gas mixture discharged from the stack reaction is separated into liquid by a water separator and then sent back to the stack for reaction via a circulation pump. Currently, the water separator and the circulation pump are separately set up and connected by a pipeline, which results in a long transmission distance and large transmission loss, reducing the working efficiency of the circulation pump assembly. Utility Model Content

[0004] The present application provides a circulation pump assembly and a hydrogen fuel cell system to solve related technical problems.

[0005] The present application provides a circulation pump assembly, comprising a water separator and a circulation pump fixed to the water separator;

[0006] The water separator comprises a shell, the shell encloses a water separation space, the shell is provided with a first inlet and a first outlet communicating with the water separation space, and a water separation structure is provided in the water separation space;

[0007] Furthermore, the shell includes a first inner wall and a second inner wall which are arranged opposite to each other on a side thereof facing the water-dividing space, and the water-dividing structure includes a baffle extending from the first inner wall and / or the second inner wall.

[0008] Furthermore, the baffles on the first inner wall and the baffles on the second inner wall are arranged alternately.

[0009] Furthermore, the number of the baffles is set to at least three, and the distances between adjacent baffles are at least partially unequal.

[0010] Furthermore, the shell also includes a third inner wall connecting the first inner wall and the second inner wall, the first inlet is arranged near the bottom of the first inner wall, and the first outlet is arranged near the top of the third inner wall.

[0011] Furthermore, there are multiple baffles, and the baffle close to the bottom of the water separator is extended from the first inner wall and has a gap with the second inner wall.

[0012] Furthermore, an exhaust valve is provided at the top of the water separator, a drain valve is provided at the bottom of the water separator, and the circulation pump is provided at the side between the top and the bottom of the water separator.

[0013] Furthermore, the shell includes a drainage portion extending from the bottom toward a side away from the circulation pump, and the drainage valve is installed on the drainage portion.

[0014] Further, an axis of the first inlet is perpendicular to an axis of the first outlet.

[0015] The present application also provides a hydrogen fuel cell system, comprising the above-mentioned circulation pump assembly.

[0016] By installing the circulation pump to the water separator, the circulation pump assembly is integrated. The first outlet and the second inlet are assembled in alignment, and the gas discharged through the first outlet directly enters the circulation pump through the second inlet, eliminating the need for an overly long connecting pipeline, avoiding energy loss during pipeline transportation, and improving the working efficiency of the circulation pump assembly.

[0017] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present specification. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the specification and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the specification.

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a circulation pump assembly in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a water separator in an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0021] Explanation of the accompanying drawings: water separator, 10; shell, 11; water separation space, 110; first inner wall, 111; second inner wall, 112; third inner wall, 113; first inlet, 12; first outlet, 13; water separation structure, 14; baffle, 141; gap, 142; drainage part, 15; circulation pump, 20; second inlet, 21; second outlet, 22; exhaust valve, 30; drainage valve, 40. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The implementations described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with this specification. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of this specification as detailed in the appended claims.

[0023] The terms used in this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application. Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in this specification should be understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which this application belongs. The words "first", "second" and similar words used in this specification and claims do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Similarly, words such as "one" or "one" do not indicate a quantitative limit, but indicate the existence of one. "Multiple" or "several" means two or more. Unless otherwise specified, words such as "front", "rear", "lower" and / or "upper" are only for the convenience of explanation and are not limited to one position or one spatial orientation. Words such as "include" or "comprise" mean that the elements or objects appearing in front of "include" or "comprise" include the elements or objects listed after "include" or "comprise" and their equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or objects. Words such as "connect" or "connected" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, and can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect.

[0024] The terms used in this specification are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present application. The singular forms of "a", "the" and "the" used in this specification and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0025] Next, the embodiments of this specification are described in detail.

[0026] In the fuel cell circuit, in order to improve the utilization rate of the gas reaction, the gas after the stack reaction will be reused. Usually, a water separator is used to dry the secondary gas, and then the dried secondary gas is transported into the stack through a circulation pump. At present, since the water separator and the circulation pump are separately arranged, the two are connected by a pipeline, the transmission distance is long, the transmission loss is large, and the working efficiency of the circulation pump assembly is reduced. The present application provides a circulation pump assembly to solve the above problems.

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, the present application provides a circulation pump assembly, including a water separator 10 and a circulation pump 20 installed on the water separator 10. The water separator 10 includes a housing 11, and the housing 11 encloses a water separation space 110. The housing 11 is provided with a first inlet 12 and a first outlet 13 connected to the water separation space 110, and a water separation structure 14 is provided in the water separation space 110. A drainage portion 15 is provided at the bottom of the housing 11. The circulation pump 20 is provided with a second inlet 21 and a second outlet 22 connected to each other, and the first outlet 13 is assembled in alignment with the second inlet 21.

[0028] By fixedly connecting the circulation pump 20 with the water separator 10, the circulation pump assembly is integrated. The first outlet 13 is fixedly aligned with the second inlet 21, and the gas discharged through the first outlet 13 directly enters the circulation pump through the second inlet 21, eliminating the need for an excessively long connecting pipeline, avoiding energy loss during pipeline transportation, improving the working efficiency of the circulation pump assembly, and avoiding the freezing of liquid in the pipeline. At the same time, the occupied volume of the circulation pump assembly is reduced, and the use scenario of the circulation pump assembly is broadened, so that the circulation pump assembly can be applied to a working environment with a smaller space.

[0029] like Figure 2 As shown, the shell 11 includes a first inner wall 111, a second inner wall 112 and a third inner wall 113. The first inner wall 111, the second inner wall 112 and the third inner wall 113 are all located on the side of the shell 11 facing the water-dividing space 110. The third inner wall 113 connects the first inner wall 111 and the second inner wall 112. The shell 11 is square in shape as a whole, which is easy to manufacture and has high production efficiency.

[0030] The first inlet 12 is disposed near the bottom of the first inner wall 111. The first outlet 13 is disposed near the top of the third inner wall 113. This arrangement prolongs the moving distance of the secondary gas in the water separator 10, increases the kinetic energy loss of the liquid part, makes it easier to separate, and improves the effect of the water separator 10 in separating water.

[0031] The axis of the first inlet 12 is perpendicular to the axis of the first outlet 13 , so that the secondary gas is reversed as a whole in the water separator 10 , which increases the loss of liquid components and improves the ability of the water separator 10 to separate liquids.

[0032] When the circulating pump assembly is working, the secondary gas enters the water separator 10 through the first inlet 12 in the horizontal direction. After entering the water separator 10, the secondary gas initially turns as a whole and moves upward in the vertical direction. After water separation through the water separation structure 14, a relatively dry secondary gas is obtained. The relatively dry secondary gas turns again, is discharged through the first outlet 13, enters the circulating pump 20 through the second inlet 21, and is finally sent to the fuel cell stack through the second outlet 22.

[0033] The water separation structure 14 includes a baffle 141. The baffle 141 is formed by extending from the inner wall. The baffle 141 can be arranged only on one of the first inner wall 111 and the second inner wall 112, or can be arranged on both the first inner wall 111 and the second inner wall 112. By arranging the baffle 141, the secondary gas will collide with the baffle 141 during operation. During the collision, the liquid carried by the secondary gas is separated due to the reduction of kinetic energy and discharged through the drainage part 15. The separation of water and gas by the baffle 141 has a simple structure and a good water separation rate.

[0034] In one embodiment, baffles 141 are disposed on both the first inner wall 111 and the second inner wall 112, and the baffles 141 on the first inner wall 111 and the baffles 141 on the second inner wall 112 are disposed alternately. The alternately disposed baffles 141 form a relatively complex delivery channel, and the secondary gas will make multiple turns in the delivery channel. During the multiple turns, the secondary gas continuously collides with the baffles 141 and the inner wall of the housing 11, thereby improving the effect of separating liquids by the water separator 10 and improving the working efficiency of the circulating pump assembly.

[0035] The number of baffles 141 may be one or more. In one embodiment, the number of baffles 141 is set to at least three, and the distances between adjacent baffles 141 are at least partially different. Figure 2 In the embodiment shown, there are six baffles 141, and the distances between adjacent baffles 141 are partially equal and partially unequal. The non-uniform arrangement of the multiple baffles 141 increases the complexity of the secondary gas delivery path, making the secondary gas more severely impacted during the delivery process, making it easier to separate the water, and improving the ability of the water separator 10 to separate liquids.

[0036] The baffle 141 near the bottom of the water separator 10 is extended from the first inner wall 111 and has a gap 142 with the second inner wall 112. Since the first inlet 12 is arranged at the bottom of the first inner wall 111, the baffle 141 near the bottom is arranged on the first inner wall 111, which can increase the travel distance of the secondary gas. The loss of kinetic energy of the liquid part in the secondary gas is increased, and the water-gas separation rate of the water separator 10 is improved.

[0037] The top of the water separator 10 is provided with an exhaust valve 30, the bottom of the water separator 10 is provided with a drain valve 40, and the circulation pump 20 is provided on the side between the top and the bottom of the water separator 10. This arrangement reduces the occupied volume of the circulation pump assembly, reduces the space required in the vertical direction, and broadens the use environment of the circulation pump assembly.

[0038] The circulation pump 20 can adapt to different stack reaction powers by adjusting the rotation speed. At the same time, by setting the exhaust valve 30, the pressure in the water separator 10 can be controlled to match the reaction rate of the stack. When the pressure in the water separator 10 is too high, the exhaust valve 30 opens to release the pressure. The gas discharged by the exhaust valve 30 can be used to purge the fuel cell, remove impurities in the reaction, and cool the battery. The circulation pump 20 and the exhaust valve 30 can be used in conjunction so that the circulation pump assembly can adapt to a variety of stack reaction powers.

[0039] The drain valve 40 is mounted on the drain portion 15. The drain portion 15 is formed by extending from the housing 11 toward a side away from the circulating pump 20. This arrangement further reduces the space occupied by the circulating pump assembly in the vertical direction and increases the applicable environment of the circulating pump assembly.

[0040] The present application also provides a hydrogen fuel cell system, including the above-mentioned circulation pump assembly. Due to the high working efficiency of the circulation pump assembly, the hydrogen fuel cell system can generate more energy. In the hydrogen fuel cell system, the mixture of water and hydrogen after the stack reaction is recycled and reused through the circulation pump assembly. After the water separator 10 separates the water, the circulation pump 20 transports the dry secondary hydrogen into the stack for reaction.

[0041] The above is only a preferred implementation mode of the present application, and does not constitute any form of limitation to the present application. Although the present application has been disclosed as a preferred implementation mode as above, it is not used to limit the present application. Any technician familiar with this profession can make some changes or modify the technical contents disclosed above into equivalent implementation modes without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present application. However, any simple modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above implementation modes based on the technical essence of the present application without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present application still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present application.

Claims

1. A circulating pump assembly, characterized in that: include: A water separator and a circulation pump mounted to the water separator; The water separator comprises a shell, the shell encloses a water separation space, the shell is provided with a first inlet and a first outlet communicating with the water separation space, and a water separation structure is provided in the water separation space; The circulation pump is provided with a second inlet and a second outlet which are connected to each other, and the first outlet and the second inlet are assembled in alignment.

2. The circulating pump assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shell includes a first inner wall and a second inner wall which are arranged opposite to each other on a side thereof facing the water-dividing space, and the water-dividing structure includes a baffle extending from the first inner wall and / or the second inner wall.

3. The circulating pump assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The baffles on the first inner wall and the baffles on the second inner wall are arranged alternately.

4. The circulating pump assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The number of the baffles is set to be at least three, and the distances between adjacent baffles are at least partially unequal.

5. The circulation pump assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The shell further includes a third inner wall connecting the first inner wall and the second inner wall. The first inlet is arranged near the bottom of the first inner wall, and the first outlet is arranged near the top of the third inner wall.

6. The circulation pump assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that: There are multiple baffles, and the baffle close to the bottom of the water separator is extended from the first inner wall and has a gap with the second inner wall.

7. The circulation pump assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the water separator is provided with an exhaust valve, the bottom of the water separator is provided with a drain valve, and the circulation pump is provided at a side portion between the top and the bottom of the water separator.

8. The circulation pump assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: The housing includes a drainage portion extending from a bottom toward a side away from the circulation pump, and the drainage valve is installed on the drainage portion.

9. The circulation pump assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: An axis of the first inlet is perpendicular to an axis of the first outlet.

10. A hydrogen fuel cell system, characterized in that: include: A circulation pump assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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