Preheating mechanism, fuel cell and automobile

Abstract

The utility model discloses a preheating mechanism, a fuel cell and an automobile. The preheating mechanism comprises an inner pipe and an outer pipe, a first channel is defined by the inner pipe, and a first inlet and a first outlet are formed in the two ends of the first channel respectively; the inner pipe is sleeved with the outer pipe, a heat exchange cavity is defined between the pipe wall of the outer pipe and the pipe wall of the inner pipe, and the outer pipe is further provided with a first feeding channel and a first discharging channel which penetrate through the pipe wall of the outer pipe and communicate with the heat exchange cavity; and any one of the first channel and the heat exchange cavity is used for circulating gas to be preheated, and the other one of the first channel and the heat exchange cavity is used for circulating a heat source, so that the gas to be preheated and the heat source are subjected to heat exchange through the pipe wall of the inner pipe. The preheating mechanism disclosed by the utility model can be used for preheating and warming hydrogen so as to reduce the temperature difference between the hydrogen and the galvanic pile.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of fuel cells, in particular to a preheating mechanism, a fuel cell and a car. Background Art

[0002] In the related art, the working principle of fuel cells is that hydrogen and oxygen undergo an electrochemical reaction, generating water while outputting electrical energy. In actual applications, hydrogen is generally stored in a hydrogen cylinder in a high-pressure state and is decompressed when it is needed to supply hydrogen to the fuel cell system. Among them, when the hydrogen undergoes a first-level and second-level decompression from the hydrogen cylinder, when it changes from a high-pressure state to a low-pressure state, the volume expands, the gas works externally, and the internal energy is lost, so that the temperature gradually decreases. However, if the hydrogen with a lower temperature is directly supplied to the battery stack with a higher temperature to undergo an electrochemical reaction, the large temperature difference between the hydrogen and the battery stack will affect the performance of the battery stack, such as affecting the consistency between the individual cells. The large temperature difference may also cause the cathode and anode surfaces of the membrane electrode to shrink inconsistently, thereby destroying the strength of the membrane electrode and affecting the life of the membrane electrode. Utility Model Content

[0003] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present invention proposes a preheating mechanism that can preheat the hydrogen to increase its temperature so as to reduce the temperature difference between the hydrogen and the fuel cell stack.

[0004] The utility model also provides a fuel cell with the above-mentioned preheating mechanism.

[0005] The utility model also provides a car with the fuel cell.

[0006] The preheating mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes:

[0007] an inner tube, wherein the inner tube defines a first channel, and two ends of the first channel are respectively provided with a first inlet and a first outlet;

[0008] An outer tube, the outer tube being sleeved on the inner tube, a heat exchange chamber being defined between the tube wall of the outer tube and the tube wall of the inner tube, and the outer tube further being provided with a first material inlet channel and a first material outlet channel penetrating the tube wall of the outer tube and communicating with the heat exchange chamber;

[0009] Wherein, either one of the first channel and the heat exchange chamber is used for circulating the gas to be preheated, and the other is used for circulating the heat source, so that the gas to be preheated and the heat source can exchange heat through the tube wall of the inner tube.

[0010] The preheating mechanism according to the embodiment of the present utility model has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0011] Since the outer tube is sleeved on the inner tube and a heat exchange chamber is defined between the outer tube and the inner tube, the fluid in the first channel and the heat exchange chamber can exchange heat through the tube wall of the inner tube. For example, the first channel is used to circulate the gas to be preheated, and the gas to be preheated is hydrogen. The heat exchange chamber is used to circulate the heat source, and the heat source is high-temperature water. It can be understood that the temperature of the heat source should be higher than the temperature of the gas to be preheated. Therefore, when fluids with temperature differences flow through the inner and outer sides of the tube wall of the inner tube, heat always flows from the object with high temperature to the object with low temperature, so that the heat of the water is transferred to the hydrogen through the tube wall of the inner tube, so that the hydrogen is heated, thereby reducing the temperature difference between the hydrogen and the stack, improving the consistency of the hydrogen inlet temperature, and thus ensuring the consistency of the stack performance and indirectly extending the life of the membrane electrode.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a groove is provided on the outer wall of the inner tube, and the groove wall of the groove and the outer wall of the inner tube define the heat exchange chamber, and / or a groove is provided on the inner wall of the outer tube, and the groove wall of the groove and the outer wall of the inner tube define the heat exchange chamber.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the groove is an annular groove, so that the heat exchange chamber is an annular inner cavity arranged around the inner tube.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the outer tube is a silicone hose, and both ends of the outer tube along its length direction are sealedly connected to the inner tube.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present invention, sealing protrusions are provided on the outer walls of both ends of the inner tube along its length direction, the outer tube undergoes elastic deformation at the sealing protrusions to cover the sealing protrusions, and the heat exchange chamber is located between the two sealing protrusions.

[0016] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the preheating mechanism also includes a fastener, and along the length direction of the inner tube, at least one of the fasteners is sleeved on both ends of the outer tube to make the outer tube press against the inner tube, and the heat exchange chamber is located between the two fasteners.

[0017] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the first material inlet channel and the first material outlet channel are arranged in parallel and are respectively connected to both ends of the heat exchange chamber along the length direction thereof.

[0018] A fuel cell according to a second embodiment of the present invention includes:

[0019] A fuel cell stack having an air inlet;

[0020] For a preheating mechanism as described in any of the above embodiments, if the first channel of the preheating mechanism is used to circulate the gas to be preheated, the first outlet of the first channel is connected to the air inlet of the fuel cell stack; if the heat exchange chamber of the preheating mechanism is used to circulate the heat source, the first discharge channel of the heat exchange chamber is connected to the air inlet of the fuel cell stack.

[0021] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the fuel cell stack also includes a cooling water inlet and a cooling water outlet. If the first channel of the preheating mechanism is used to circulate the heat source, the first outlet of the first channel is connected to the cooling water inlet, and the first inlet of the first channel is connected to the cooling water outlet; if the heat exchange chamber of the preheating mechanism is used to circulate the heat source, the first discharge channel is connected to the cooling water inlet, and the first feed channel is connected to the cooling water outlet.

[0022] According to a third embodiment of the present invention, a car includes:

[0023] Frame body;

[0024] The fuel cell mentioned in the above embodiment is connected to the vehicle frame body.

[0025] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description and will become apparent from the following description or learned through practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, wherein:

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a preheating structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 This is an exploded schematic diagram of the preheating mechanism of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the preheating structure of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0031] Reference numerals:

[0032] Inner tube 100; first channel 110; first inlet 120; first outlet 130; sealing protrusion 140; heat exchange chamber 150; groove 151;

[0033] Outer tube 200; first material inlet channel 210; first material outlet channel 220;

[0034] Fastener 300;

[0035] Fuel cell stack 400; air inlet 410; cooling water inlet 420; cooling water outlet 430. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The following describes embodiments of the present invention in detail. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended only to explain the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0037] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that descriptions involving orientations, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limitations on the present invention.

[0038] In the description of this utility model, "several" means more than one, "plurality" means more than two, "greater than," "less than," and "exceed" are understood to exclude the number itself, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the number itself. The use of the terms "first" and "second" is solely for the purpose of distinguishing technical features and is not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, implicitly specifying the number of the indicated technical features, or implicitly specifying the order of the indicated technical features.

[0039] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, terms such as setting, installing, and connecting should be understood in a broad sense, and technicians in the relevant technical field can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific content of the technical solution.

[0040] In the description of the present invention, reference to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the exemplary expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0041] The first embodiment of the present application proposes a preheating mechanism, which includes an inner tube 100 and an outer tube 200. Figures 1 to 3As shown, the inner tube 100 and the outer tube 200 are both hollow tubes, and the outer tube 200 is sleeved on the inner tube 100. Figure 3 As shown, the cavity defined by inner tube 100 is designated as first channel 110. A first inlet 120 and a first outlet 130 are provided at either end of first channel 110 along the length of inner tube 100. A fluid flows into first inlet 120, passes through first channel 110, and then flows out of first outlet 130. It should be noted that the fluid described herein can be either a gas or a liquid, including preheated gases such as oxygen and hydrogen, or a heat source such as high-temperature water or a chemical with a high specific heat capacity.

[0042] The outer tube 200 is sleeved on the inner tube 100 and is sealed with the inner tube 100 at both ends of its length. A heat exchange chamber 150 is defined between the tube wall of the outer tube 200 and the tube wall of the inner tube 100. It can be understood that the heat exchange chamber 150 is located between the two places where the outer tube 200 and the inner tube 100 are sealed, so that the heat exchange chamber 150 forms a closed chamber and is only connected to the first feed channel 210 and the first discharge channel 220. Figure 3 As shown, the first feed channel 210 and the first discharge channel 220 are provided through the wall of the outer tube 200. The fluid flows into the first feed channel 210, flows into the heat exchange chamber 150, and then flows out from the first discharge channel 220.

[0043] Based on the above, since the outer tube 200 is sleeved on the inner tube 100 and a heat exchange chamber 150 is defined between the outer tube 200 and the inner tube 100, the fluid in the first channel 110 and the heat exchange chamber 150 can exchange heat through the tube wall of the inner tube 100. For example, in Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, the first channel 110 is used to circulate the gas to be preheated, which is hydrogen. The heat exchange chamber 150 is used to circulate a heat source, which is high-temperature water. It is understood that the temperature of the heat source should be higher than that of the gas to be preheated. Therefore, when fluids with different temperatures flow through the inner and outer sides of the inner tube 100, heat always flows from the hotter object to the cooler object. Heat from the water is transferred through the inner tube 100 wall to the hydrogen, raising its temperature. This reduces the temperature difference between the hydrogen and the stack 400, improves the consistency of the hydrogen's inlet temperature, and thus ensures consistent performance of the stack 400 and indirectly extends the life of the membrane electrode.

[0044] It can be understood that in the above embodiment, since the first channel 110 is directly defined by the inner tube 100, it has good sealing performance and is used for circulating flammable hydrogen, which can reduce the risk of hydrogen leakage.

[0045] In other embodiments, the first channel 110 can also be used to circulate the heat source, and the heat exchange chamber 150 is used to circulate the gas to be preheated, so that heat passes through the tube wall of the inner tube 100 from the first channel 110 and enters the heat exchange chamber 150 to heat the gas to be preheated.

[0046] In some embodiments, as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, a groove 151 is formed on the outer wall of the inner tube 100. The groove wall of the groove 151 and the outer wall of the inner tube 100 define a heat exchange chamber 150. The advantage of this design is that the groove 151 can be easily formed on the outer wall of the inner tube 100 through integral injection molding, material removal processing, etc., so that a closed chamber can be formed when the outer tube 200 is sleeved on the inner tube 100. In addition, since the groove is formed on the outer wall of the inner tube 100, the wall of the inner tube 100 is thinned, so that the thickness of the inner tube 100 wall at the heat exchange chamber 150 is thinner than that at other locations, which can better facilitate heat exchange between the heat exchange chamber 150 and the first channel 110.

[0047] It is understood that, unlike the above-mentioned embodiment in which the groove 151 is provided on the outer wall of the inner tube 100, in other embodiments, the groove 151 is provided on the inner wall of the outer tube 200, so that after the outer tube 200 is sleeved on the inner tube 100, a heat exchange chamber 150 can also be defined. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the groove 151 can be provided on both the inner wall of the outer tube 200 and the outer wall of the inner tube 100, thereby obtaining a larger heat exchange chamber 150 space.

[0048] Furthermore, the groove 151 is an annular groove, extending along the circumference of the outer tube 200 or the inner tube 100, and connected end to end to form a closed ring. Thus, when the outer tube 200 is sleeved on the inner tube 100, the heat exchange chamber 150 defined therein is also an annular inner cavity. The heat exchange chamber 150 is arranged around the inner tube 100 to perform 360° heat exchange on the fluid in the inner tube 100, thereby achieving multi-directional and more uniform heating of the hydrogen.

[0049] In some embodiments, the outer tube 200 is made of a soft material such as silicone, and the inner tube 100 is made of a hard material such as hard plastic or metal. Both ends of the outer tube 200 along its length are sealed and connected to the inner tube 100. Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, sealing protrusions 140 are provided on the outer walls of both ends of the inner tube 100 along its length. It will be understood that the sealing protrusions 140 are also annular structures, extending along the circumference of the inner tube 100 to form a closed loop. The cross-sectional shape of the sealing protrusions 140 can be semicircular, elliptical, square, etc. At the connection between the outer tube 200 and the inner tube 100, the outer tube 200 is attached to the inner tube 100. Thus, the outer tube 200 elastically deforms at the sealing protrusions 140 to cover the sealing protrusions 140, and the heat exchange chamber 150 is located between the two sealing protrusions 140. The provision of the sealing protrusion 140 increases the contact area between the outer tube 200 and the inner tube 100, and due to the elastic deformation of the outer tube 200 at the sealing protrusion 140, the outer tube 200 is tightened on the sealing protrusion 140 of the inner tube 100, so that the sealing connection between the outer tube 200 and the inner tube 100 is tighter, thereby reducing the possibility of water in the heat exchange chamber 150 leaking from the gap between the outer tube 200 and the inner tube 100.

[0050] It is understandable that the outer tube 200 and the inner tube 100 can also be sealed by gluing or other methods. The outer tube 200 is a silicone hose, so fasteners 300 such as cable ties and throat clamps can also be used to fasten the outer tube 200. Specifically, Figures 1 to 3 As shown, at least one fastener 300 is sleeved on both ends of the outer tube 200 along the length of the inner tube 100. The fastener 300 can apply a radial abutting force to the outer tube 200, thereby tightening the outer tube 200 against the inner tube 100. It is understood that at least one fastener 300 should be provided at both ends of the heat exchange chamber 150, that is, the heat exchange chamber 150 is located between two fasteners 300 to reduce the risk of fluid leakage in the heat exchange chamber 150. There can be multiple fasteners 300, which are sequentially sleeved on the outer tube 200 along the length of the outer tube 200 to achieve better leakage prevention.

[0051] It should be noted that the fastener 300 is a detachable structure. When the outer tube 200 needs to be removed from the inner tube 100 to clean and unclog the heat exchange chamber 150, the fastener 300 can be loosened and removed from the outer tube 200, thereby releasing the restrictive effect of the fastener 300 on the outer tube 200.

[0052] In some embodiments, the first feed channel 210 and the first discharge channel 220 are sequentially arranged along the length direction of the outer tube 200, and the first feed channel 210 and the first discharge channel 220 extend in parallel. Figure 3 As shown, the first feed channel 210 and the first discharge channel 220 are respectively connected to the two ends of the heat exchange chamber 150 along its length direction, thereby increasing the flow distance of the fluid in the heat exchange chamber 150 so that the fluid in the heat exchange chamber 150 can undergo more sufficient heat exchange.

[0053] The embodiment of the second aspect of the present application provides a fuel cell, such as Figure 4 As shown, it should be noted that Figure 4 The preheating mechanism shown in Figure 3 The preheating mechanism in the fuel cell is flipped. The fuel cell includes a stack 400 and the preheating mechanism mentioned in the above embodiment. The stack 400 is provided with an air inlet 410 for the gas to be preheated to enter. It can be understood that for the fuel cell, the gas to be preheated can be hydrogen or oxygen. For example, if the gas to be preheated is hydrogen, Figure 4 As shown, the first channel 110 of the preheating mechanism is used to circulate hydrogen, and the first outlet 130 of the first channel 110 is connected to the gas inlet 410 of the fuel cell stack 400. This allows the hydrogen to enter the fuel cell stack 400 after being preheated, thereby reducing the temperature difference and minimizing the impact on the fuel cell stack 400. In other embodiments, the heat exchange chamber 150 of the preheating mechanism is used to circulate hydrogen, and the first discharge channel 220 of the heat exchange chamber 150 is connected to the gas inlet 410 of the fuel cell stack 400.

[0054] Furthermore, the stack 400 is further provided with a cooling water inlet 420 and a cooling water outlet 430. In some embodiments, as Figure 4 As shown, the heat exchange chamber 150 of the preheating mechanism is used to circulate a heat source, the first discharge channel 220 is connected to the cooling water inlet 420, and the first feed channel 210 is connected to the cooling water outlet 430, thereby using the cooling water of the fuel cell stack 400 as a heat source. It can be understood that the cooling water in the fuel cell stack 400 is used to cool the fuel cell stack 400, so that low-temperature water flows into the cooling water inlet 420 and high-temperature water flows out of the cooling water outlet 430. The high-temperature water can also be used as a heat source in the preheating mechanism to preheat the hydrogen. After the high-temperature water flowing through the preheating mechanism absorbs heat from the hydrogen, its temperature drops and it can be circulated as cooling water for the fuel cell stack 400. By cooling the fuel cell stack 400 and heating the hydrogen, the temperature difference between the hydrogen and the fuel cell stack 400 is further reduced.

[0055] Similarly, in other embodiments, the first channel 110 of the preheating mechanism is used to circulate a heat source, the first outlet 130 of the first channel 110 is connected to the cooling water inlet 420, and the first inlet 120 of the first channel 110 is connected to the cooling water outlet 430, thereby using the cooling water of the fuel cell stack 400 as a heat source for the first channel 110.

[0056] Based on the above, the fuel cell of the present application reduces the temperature difference between hydrogen and the fuel cell stack 400 by using a preheating mechanism, thereby improving the life of the fuel cell. In addition, by introducing cooling water flowing out of the fuel cell stack 400 as a heat source for the preheating mechanism, the energy utilization rate of the fuel cell can be improved.

[0057] An embodiment of the third aspect of the present application further proposes a car using a fuel cell, which includes a frame body and the fuel cell mentioned in the above embodiment. The fuel cell is connected to the frame body and is used to power the car's drive mechanism and control system.

[0058] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications can be made within the scope of knowledge possessed by a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, the embodiments of the present invention and the features of the embodiments can be combined with each other unless there is a conflict.

Claims

1. Preheating mechanism, characterized in that: include: An inner tube, wherein the inner tube defines a first channel, and two ends of the first channel are respectively provided with a first inlet and a first outlet; An outer tube, the outer tube is sleeved on the inner tube, a heat exchange cavity is defined between the tube wall of the outer tube and the tube wall of the inner tube, and the outer tube is further provided with a first material inlet channel and a first material outlet channel penetrating through the tube wall of the outer tube and communicating with the heat exchange cavity; Wherein, either one of the first channel and the heat exchange chamber is used for circulating the gas to be preheated, and the other is used for circulating the heat source, so that the gas to be preheated and the heat source can exchange heat through the tube wall of the inner tube.

2. The preheating mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer wall of the inner tube is provided with a groove, and the groove wall of the groove and the outer wall of the inner tube define the heat exchange chamber, and / or the inner wall of the outer tube is provided with a groove, and the groove wall of the groove and the outer wall of the inner tube define the heat exchange chamber.

3. The preheating mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The groove is an annular groove, so that the heat exchange cavity is an annular inner cavity arranged around the inner tube.

4. The preheating mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer tube is a silicone hose, and both ends of the outer tube along its length direction are sealed and connected to the inner tube.

5. The preheating mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: Sealing protrusions are arranged on the outer walls of both ends of the inner tube along the length direction, the outer tube is elastically deformed at the sealing protrusions to cover the sealing protrusions, and the heat exchange chamber is located between the two sealing protrusions.

6. The preheating mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The preheating mechanism also includes fasteners. Along the length direction of the inner tube, at least one fastener is sleeved on both ends of the outer tube to make the outer tube press against the inner tube, and the heat exchange chamber is located between the two fasteners.

7. The preheating mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first material inlet channel and the first material outlet channel are arranged in parallel and are respectively connected to two ends of the heat exchange chamber along the length direction thereof.

8. A fuel cell, characterized in that include: A fuel cell stack, wherein the fuel cell stack has an air inlet; According to the preheating mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, if the first channel of the preheating mechanism is used to circulate the gas to be preheated, the first outlet of the first channel is connected to the air inlet of the fuel cell stack; if the heat exchange chamber of the preheating mechanism is used to circulate the heat source, the first discharge channel of the heat exchange chamber is connected to the air inlet of the fuel cell stack.

9. The fuel cell according to claim 8, characterized in that The fuel cell stack also includes a cooling water inlet and a cooling water outlet. If the first channel of the preheating mechanism is used to circulate the heat source, the first outlet of the first channel is connected to the cooling water inlet, and the first inlet of the first channel is connected to the cooling water outlet; if the heat exchange chamber of the preheating mechanism is used to circulate the heat source, the first discharge channel is connected to the cooling water inlet, and the first feed channel is connected to the cooling water outlet.

10. An automobile, characterized in that include: Frame body; The fuel cell according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the fuel cell is connected to the vehicle frame body.

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