Thermal management system of fuel cell and vehicle

Abstract

The embodiment of the utility model discloses a thermal management system of a fuel cell and a vehicle. The thermal management system comprises a cell stack, a hydrogen assembly, a humidifying part, a vortex tube assembly and an air assembly, the hydrogen component is connected with a hydrogen inlet of the battery stack; a hot air outlet of the humidifying part is connected with an air inlet of the battery stack, and a wet air inlet of the humidifying part is connected with an air outlet of the battery stack; the vortex tube assembly comprises a vortex tube, a hot airflow pipeline and a first cold airflow pipeline, one end of the hot airflow pipeline is connected with a hot air port of the vortex tube, the other end of the hot airflow pipeline is connected with a hot air inlet of the humidifying part, and one end of the first cold airflow pipeline is connected with a cold air port of the vortex tube. And the other end of the first cold airflow pipeline is connected with the heat management inlet. The fuel cell system can be cooled, an intercooler, a radiator, a water tank and other components are not needed, system pipelines are simplified, the weight, the size and the operation cost of the system can be greatly reduced, and the service life of a fuel cell stack can be prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of fuel cells, in particular to a thermal management system and a vehicle of a fuel cell. Background Art

[0002] Fuel cells generate electricity by reacting hydrogen with oxygen in the air, and the reaction product is water. Not limited by the Carnot cycle, the efficiency can reach more than 50%. Therefore, it is not only environmentally friendly but also energy-saving, and is suitable for fuel cell powered vehicles. Usually in a fuel cell, hydrogen supplied to the anode side reacts with oxygen (such as air) on the cathode side to generate electricity, but this electrochemical reaction also causes heat to be generated in the fuel cell stack. For this reason, a cooling circuit is required in the fuel cell system to keep the temperature of the fuel cell stack within the operating temperature to avoid damage to the fuel cell.

[0003] Most of the heat exchange solutions for fuel cells in the existing technology currently use an air compressor as a heat source, an intercooler and a hydrogen heat exchanger as a heat exchange device, a radiator as a heat dissipation device, and a water tank, a filter and a large number of pipelines as auxiliary devices. The heat in the fuel cell stack is discharged and replenished through the circulation of air and coolant. However, the coolant needs to be replaced regularly, which not only increases the weight, volume and maintenance cost of the system, but also easily leads to the risk of cleanliness of parts such as intercoolers, radiators and pipelines, resulting in a reduced service life of the fuel cell stack. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the utility model provides a thermal management system of a fuel cell and a vehicle.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a thermal management system for a fuel cell, comprising:

[0006] A battery stack having an air inlet, an air outlet, a hydrogen inlet, and a thermal management inlet;

[0007] A hydrogen assembly connected to the hydrogen inlet of the battery stack to supply hydrogen to the battery stack;

[0008] A humidifying member having a hot air outlet and a wet air inlet, wherein the hot air outlet of the humidifying member is connected to the air inlet of the battery stack, and the wet air inlet of the humidifying member is connected to the air outlet of the battery stack;

[0009] A vortex tube assembly, comprising a vortex tube, a hot air flow pipeline and a first cold air flow pipeline, wherein one end of the hot air flow pipeline is connected to the hot air port of the vortex tube, the other end of the hot air flow pipeline is connected to the hot air inlet of the humidifying element, one end of the first cold air flow pipeline is connected to the cold air port of the vortex tube, the other end of the first cold air flow pipeline is connected to the thermal management inlet, and a first control valve is provided on the first cold air flow pipeline;

[0010] The air component comprises an air compressor and an air output pipeline, wherein one end of the air compressor is connected to the atmosphere, and the other end is connected to the air inlet end of the vortex tube; one end of the air output pipeline is connected to the wet air outlet of the humidifying element, and the other end is connected to the atmosphere.

[0011] In one embodiment, the vortex tube assembly also includes a second cold air flow pipeline, one end of the second cold air flow pipeline is connected to the air output pipeline, the other end of the second cold air flow pipeline is connected to the first cold air flow pipeline, and a second control valve is provided on the second cold air flow pipeline.

[0012] In one embodiment, the vortex tube assembly also includes a third cold air flow pipeline and a first proportional three-way valve, the inlet end of the first proportional three-way valve is connected to the cold air port of the vortex tube, the first outlet end of the first proportional three-way valve is connected to an end of the first cold air flow pipeline away from the battery stack, the second outlet end of the first proportional three-way valve is connected to one end of the third cold air flow pipeline, and the other end of the third cold air flow pipeline is connected to the hot air flow pipeline.

[0013] In one embodiment, a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor are provided on the hot air flow pipeline, and the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor are respectively arranged before and after the intersection where the third cold air flow pipeline is connected to the hot air flow pipeline.

[0014] In one embodiment, a third temperature sensor is provided on the third cold air flow pipeline, and the third temperature sensor is used to monitor the temperature of the cold air flowing through the third cold air flow pipeline.

[0015] In one embodiment, the air component also includes an air input pipeline and a fourth temperature sensor, one end of the air input pipeline is connected to the air compressor, and the other end of the air input pipeline is connected to the air inlet end of the vortex tube, and the fourth temperature sensor is arranged on the air input pipeline to monitor the temperature of the air flowing through the air input pipeline.

[0016] In one embodiment, the hydrogen assembly includes a first hydrogen input pipeline, a second hydrogen input pipeline and a heat exchanger, one end of the first hydrogen input pipeline is connected to the inlet of the heat exchanger, the other end of the first hydrogen input pipeline is used to connect to a hydrogen source, one end of the second hydrogen input pipeline is connected to the outlet of the heat exchanger, and the other end of the second hydrogen input pipeline is connected to the hydrogen inlet of the battery stack.

[0017] In one embodiment, a third control valve is further included, and the third control valve is arranged on the first hydrogen input pipeline to control the opening or closing of the first hydrogen input pipeline.

[0018] In one embodiment, the vortex tube assembly also includes a preheating pipeline and a second proportional three-way valve, the inlet end of the second proportional three-way valve is connected to the hot air port of the vortex tube, the first outlet end of the second proportional three-way valve is connected to the end of the hot air flow pipeline away from the battery stack, the second outlet end of the second proportional three-way valve is connected to one end of the preheating pipeline, the other end of the preheating pipeline is connected to the preheating inlet of the heat exchanger, and the preheating outlet of the heat exchanger is connected to the air output pipeline through a connecting pipeline.

[0019] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a vehicle, comprising the thermal management system of the fuel cell described in the first aspect.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the above technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] The compressed air is divided into hot air flow and cold air flow by a vortex tube, and the hot air flow is introduced into the battery stack through the hot air flow pipeline to react with the introduced hydrogen. The cold air flow is also introduced into the battery stack through the first cold air flow pipeline for cooling. While ensuring the normal operation of the battery stack, the fuel cell system can also be cooled. There is no need to use intercoolers, radiators, water tanks and other components, and the system pipelines are simplified. The weight, volume and operating costs of the system can be greatly reduced, which is beneficial to increasing the service life of the fuel cell stack. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a thermal management system of a fuel cell in the present application.

[0023] Numbers in the figure:

[0024] 10. Battery stack; 20. Hydrogen assembly; 21. First hydrogen input pipeline; 22. Second hydrogen input pipeline; 23. Heat exchanger; 24. Third control valve; 30. Humidifier; 40. Vortex tube assembly; 41. Vortex tube; 42. Hot air flow pipeline; 43. First cold air flow pipeline; 44. First control valve; 45. Second cold air flow pipeline; 46. Second control valve; 47. Third cold air flow pipeline; 48. First proportional three-way valve; 50. Air assembly; 51. Air compressor; 52. Air input pipeline; 53. Fourth temperature sensor; 54. Air output pipeline; 60. First temperature sensor; 70. Second temperature sensor; 80. Third temperature sensor; 90. Second proportional three-way valve; 100. Preheating pipeline. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to have a clearer understanding of the technical features, purposes and effects of the present invention, the specific implementation methods of the present invention are now described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, it should be understood that the directions or positional relationships indicated by "front", "back", "up", "down", "left", "right", "longitudinal", "horizontal", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "head", "tail", etc. are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are constructed and operated in a specific direction, and are only for the convenience of describing the present technical solution, rather than indicating that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation to the present invention.

[0026] The following is a further detailed description of the specific implementation of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are used to illustrate the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0027] Please refer to Figure 1 An embodiment of the present application provides a thermal management system for a fuel cell, including a battery stack 10, a hydrogen assembly 20, a humidifier 30, a vortex tube assembly 40 and an air assembly 50.

[0028] Specifically, the battery stack 10 has an air inlet, an air outlet, a hydrogen inlet and a thermal management inlet. The hydrogen assembly 20 is connected to the hydrogen inlet of the battery stack 10 to pass hydrogen into the battery stack 10. The humidifier 30 has a hot air outlet and a wet air inlet, the hot air outlet of the humidifier 30 is connected to the air inlet of the battery stack 10, and the wet air inlet of the humidifier 30 is connected to the air outlet of the battery stack 10. The vortex tube assembly 40 includes a vortex tube 41, a hot air flow pipeline 42 and a first cold air flow pipeline 43, one end of the hot air flow pipeline 42 is connected to the hot air port of the vortex tube 41, and the other end of the hot air flow pipeline 42 is connected to the hot air inlet of the humidifier 30, one end of the first cold air flow pipeline 43 is connected to the cold air port of the vortex tube 41, and the other end of the first cold air flow pipeline 43 is connected to the thermal management inlet, and the first cold air flow pipeline 43 is provided with a first control valve 44. The air assembly 50 includes an air compressor 51 and an air output pipeline 54. One end of the air compressor 51 is connected to the atmosphere, and the other end is connected to the air inlet end of the vortex tube 41. One end of the air output pipeline 54 is connected to the wet air outlet of the humidifying element 30, and the other end is connected to the atmosphere.

[0029] Exemplarily, the hydrogen assembly 20 is used to introduce hydrogen into the battery stack 10 so that it can fully react with the oxygen introduced into the battery stack 10, thereby generating electricity. To this end, the hydrogen assembly 20 in this embodiment can adopt the components commonly used in the prior art for introducing hydrogen into the battery stack 10 for fuel cells, and this is not limited.

[0030] Exemplarily, the humidifying component 30 may be a humidifier, which is used to humidify the air before entering the battery stack 10, so that the air can enter the battery stack 10 with an appropriate amount of moisture to fully react with hydrogen, ensuring that the proton exchange membrane contains an appropriate amount of moisture.

[0031] Exemplarily, the compressed air is introduced into the vortex tube 41 by using the air compressor 51, so as to divide the compressed air into two types of hot air flow and cold air flow in the vortex tube 41, and then the hot air flow is introduced into the battery stack 10 through the hot air flow pipeline, and then the hydrogen is introduced into the battery stack 10 to react with the oxygen in the hot air flow, and then the cold air flow is introduced into the battery stack 10, so that the temperature inside the battery stack 10 can be cooled down, and the heat generated during the reaction process causes the temperature of the battery stack 10 to increase and damage the fuel cell. In addition, it should be noted that an adjustment knob can be set at the hot air outlet of the vortex tube 41, so as to adjust the temperature and flow of the air flow by adjusting the knob to the ratio of the hot air flow and the cold air flow. The specific structure of the vortex tube 41 can refer to the structure of the vortex tube 41 in the prior art, and will not be repeated here.

[0032] The thermal management system of the fuel cell based on the above technical features divides the compressed air into hot air flow and cold air flow through the vortex tube 41, and uses the hot air flow pipeline 42 to introduce the hot air flow into the battery stack 10 to react with the introduced hydrogen, and also uses the first cold air flow pipeline 43 to introduce cold air flow into the battery stack 10 for cooling. While ensuring the normal operation of the battery stack 10, it can also achieve cooling of the fuel cell system. There is no need to use components such as intercoolers, radiators, and water tanks, which simplifies the system pipelines, can greatly reduce the weight, volume and operating costs of the system, and is beneficial to increasing the service life of the fuel cell stack.

[0033] In one embodiment, the vortex tube assembly 40 also includes a second cold air flow pipeline 45, one end of the second cold air flow pipeline 45 is connected to the air output pipeline 54, the other end of the second cold air flow pipeline 45 is connected to the first cold air flow pipeline 43, and a second control valve 46 is provided on the second cold air flow pipeline 45.

[0034] Exemplarily, preheating treatment is required at the beginning of startup so that the temperature in the battery stack 10 can remain stable to ensure efficient and sufficient hydrogen-oxygen reaction. To this end, before introducing hydrogen, the air compressor 51 is turned on to introduce compressed air into the vortex tube 41, and the second control valve 46 is opened, and the first control valve 44 is closed. At this time, the hot air in the vortex tube 41 is introduced into the battery stack 10 through the hot air pipeline 42 to preheat the battery stack 10, and the cold air in the vortex tube 41 is introduced into the air output pipeline 54 through the second cold air pipeline to flow out into the atmosphere until the temperature in the battery stack 10 is preheated to a suitable temperature, and then hydrogen is introduced into the battery stack 10 through the hydrogen assembly 20 for reaction.

[0035] In one embodiment, the vortex tube assembly 40 also includes a third cold air flow pipeline 47 and a first proportional three-way valve 48, the inlet end of the first proportional three-way valve 48 is connected to the cold air port of the vortex tube 41, the first outlet end of the first proportional three-way valve 48 is connected to an end of the first cold air flow pipeline 43 away from the battery stack 10, the second outlet end of the first proportional three-way valve 48 is connected to one end of the third cold air flow pipeline 47, and the other end of the third cold air flow pipeline 47 is connected to the hot air flow pipeline 42.

[0036] Exemplarily, by setting the first proportional three-way valve 48, the cold air flow generated by the vortex tube 41 can be adjusted according to different needs. For example, when the system is in a preheating state, the first outlet end and the second outlet end of the first proportional three-way valve 48 are adjusted so that the cold air flow generated by the vortex tube 41 only flows out from the first outlet end. When the first control valve 44 is closed and the second control valve 46 is opened, the cold air flow only flows to the second cold air flow pipeline 45 to the atmosphere, ensuring that the cold air flow does not enter the battery stack 10 during the preheating stage; when the temperature in the battery stack 10 needs to be cooled, the first proportional three-way valve 48 is adjusted. The first outlet end and the second outlet end are adjusted so that the cold air flow generated by the vortex tube 41 only flows out from the first outlet end, the first control valve 44 is opened, and the second control valve 46 is closed, so that the cold air flow only flows to the first cold air flow pipeline 43 and enters the battery stack 10 for cooling; when it is necessary to adjust the temperature inside the battery stack 10, the opening of the first outlet end and the second outlet end of the first proportional valve can be changed, so that the first cold air flow pipeline 43 and the third air flow pipeline are used to flow cold air into the battery stack 10, thereby realizing real-time adjustment of the temperature of the battery stack 10 and ensuring the stability of the internal temperature of the battery stack 10.

[0037] In one embodiment, a first temperature sensor 60 and a second temperature sensor 70 are provided on the hot air flow pipeline 42, and the first temperature sensor 60 and the second temperature sensor 70 are respectively arranged at the front and rear positions of the intersection where the third cold air flow pipeline 47 and the hot air flow pipeline 42 are connected. In this way, since the third cold air flow pipeline 47 is connected to the hot air flow pipeline 42, the temperature of the hot air flow entering the battery stack 10 can be adjusted. In order to achieve precise control of the temperature of the hot air flow entering the battery stack 10, the first temperature sensor 60 and the second temperature sensor 70 are used to monitor the temperature before the hot air flow is mixed with the cold air flow and the temperature after the hot air flow is mixed with the cold air flow, so as to achieve precise control of the temperature in the battery stack 10.

[0038] In one embodiment, a third temperature sensor 80 is provided on the third cold air flow pipeline 47, and the third temperature sensor 80 is used to monitor the temperature of the cold air flowing through the third cold air flow pipeline 47. In this way, the temperature of the cold air flow on the third cold air flow pipeline 47 can be monitored by the third temperature sensor 80, so that the temperature of the third cold air flow pipeline 47 can be adjusted according to the required temperature control value in the battery stack 10.

[0039] In one embodiment, the air component 50 also includes an air input pipeline 52 and a fourth temperature sensor 53. One end of the air input pipeline 52 is connected to the air compressor 51, and the other end of the air input pipeline 52 is connected to the air inlet end of the vortex tube 41. The fourth temperature sensor 53 is arranged on the air input pipeline 52 to monitor the temperature of the air flowing through the air input pipeline 52.

[0040] Exemplarily, air is introduced into the air compressor 51 via the air input line 52 for compression to form high-pressure air, and then the formed high-pressure air is introduced into the vortex tube 41 to be divided into hot air flow and cold air flow. This can ensure the normal operation of the battery stack 10 while also cooling the fuel cell system. There is no need to use components such as intercoolers, radiators, and water tanks, which simplifies the system piping and can significantly reduce the weight, volume, and operating costs of the system.

[0041] In one embodiment, the hydrogen assembly 20 includes a first hydrogen input pipeline 21, a second hydrogen input pipeline 22 and a heat exchanger 23, one end of the first hydrogen input pipeline 21 is connected to the inlet of the heat exchanger 23, the other end of the first hydrogen input pipeline 21 is used to connect to a hydrogen source, one end of the second hydrogen input pipeline 22 is connected to the outlet of the heat exchanger 23, and the other end of the second hydrogen input pipeline 22 is connected to the hydrogen inlet of the battery stack 10.

[0042] Furthermore, a third control valve 24 is included. The third control valve 24 is arranged on the first hydrogen input pipeline 21 and is used to control the opening or closing of the first hydrogen input pipeline 21 .

[0043] Illustratively, when hydrogen needs to be introduced into the battery stack 10 for reaction, the third control valve 24 is opened, and the hydrogen is introduced into the heat exchanger 23 for heat exchange using the first hydrogen input pipeline 21. The hydrogen after heat exchange is then introduced into the battery stack 10 using the second hydrogen input pipeline 22, ensuring that the hydrogen introduced into the battery stack 10 can be maintained within a certain temperature value to react with oxygen, thereby effectively improving the efficiency of the hydrogen-oxygen reaction.

[0044] In one embodiment, the vortex tube assembly 40 further includes a preheating pipeline 100 and a second proportional three-way valve 90, the inlet end of the second proportional three-way valve 90 is connected to the hot gas port of the vortex tube 41, the first outlet end of the second proportional three-way valve 90 is connected to the end of the hot gas flow pipeline 42 away from the battery stack 10, the second outlet end of the second proportional three-way valve 90 is connected to one end of the preheating pipeline 100, the other end of the preheating pipeline 100 is connected to the preheating inlet of the heat exchanger 23, and the preheating outlet of the heat exchanger 23 is connected to the air output pipeline 54 through a connecting pipeline. In this way, when hydrogen is passed into the heat exchanger 23 for heat exchange, the preheating pipeline 100 is first used to pass the hot gas flow into the heat exchanger 23 to achieve preheating of the heat exchanger 23, which effectively improves the heat exchange efficiency of the hydrogen.

[0045] This embodiment also provides a vehicle, comprising the thermal management system of the fuel cell in the above embodiment.

[0046] The vehicle according to the embodiment of the present disclosure adopts the thermal management system of the fuel cell, and the technical effects thereof are consistent with those of the thermal management system of the fuel cell, which will not be described in detail here.

[0047] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and substitutions can be made without departing from the technical principle of the present invention. These improvements and substitutions should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A thermal management system for a fuel cell, characterized in that: include: A battery stack having an air inlet, an air outlet, a hydrogen inlet, and a thermal management inlet; A hydrogen assembly connected to the hydrogen inlet of the battery stack to supply hydrogen to the battery stack; A humidifying member having a hot air outlet and a wet air inlet, wherein the hot air outlet of the humidifying member is connected to the air inlet of the battery stack, and the wet air inlet of the humidifying member is connected to the air outlet of the battery stack; A vortex tube assembly, comprising a vortex tube, a hot air flow pipeline and a first cold air flow pipeline, wherein one end of the hot air flow pipeline is connected to the hot air port of the vortex tube, the other end of the hot air flow pipeline is connected to the hot air inlet of the humidifying element, one end of the first cold air flow pipeline is connected to the cold air port of the vortex tube, the other end of the first cold air flow pipeline is connected to the thermal management inlet, and a first control valve is provided on the first cold air flow pipeline; The air component comprises an air compressor and an air output pipeline, wherein one end of the air compressor is connected to the atmosphere, and the other end is connected to the air inlet end of the vortex tube; one end of the air output pipeline is connected to the wet air outlet of the humidifying element, and the other end is connected to the atmosphere.

2. The thermal management system of a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vortex tube assembly also includes a second cold air flow pipeline, one end of the second cold air flow pipeline is connected to the air output pipeline, the other end of the second cold air flow pipeline is connected to the first cold air flow pipeline, and a second control valve is provided on the second cold air flow pipeline.

3. The thermal management system of a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vortex tube assembly also includes a third cold air flow pipeline and a first proportional three-way valve, the inlet end of the first proportional three-way valve is connected to the cold air port of the vortex tube, the first outlet end of the first proportional three-way valve is connected to an end of the first cold air flow pipeline away from the battery stack, the second outlet end of the first proportional three-way valve is connected to one end of the third cold air flow pipeline, and the other end of the third cold air flow pipeline is connected to the hot air flow pipeline.

4. The thermal management system of a fuel cell according to claim 3, characterized in that: The hot air flow pipeline is provided with a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor, and the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor are respectively arranged before and after the intersection where the third cold air flow pipeline is connected with the hot air flow pipeline.

5. The thermal management system of a fuel cell according to claim 4, characterized in that: The third cold air flow pipeline is provided with a third temperature sensor, and the third temperature sensor is used to monitor the temperature of the cold air flowing through the third cold air flow pipeline.

6. The thermal management system of a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air component also includes an air input pipeline and a fourth temperature sensor, one end of the air input pipeline is connected to the air compressor, and the other end of the air input pipeline is connected to the air inlet end of the vortex tube. The fourth temperature sensor is arranged on the air input pipeline to monitor the temperature of the air flowing through the air input pipeline.

7. The thermal management system of a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hydrogen assembly includes a first hydrogen input pipeline, a second hydrogen input pipeline and a heat exchanger, one end of the first hydrogen input pipeline is connected to the inlet of the heat exchanger, the other end of the first hydrogen input pipeline is used to connect to a hydrogen source, one end of the second hydrogen input pipeline is connected to the outlet of the heat exchanger, and the other end of the second hydrogen input pipeline is connected to the hydrogen inlet of the battery stack.

8. The thermal management system of a fuel cell according to claim 7, characterized in that: It also includes a third control valve, which is arranged on the first hydrogen input pipeline and is used to control the opening or closing of the first hydrogen input pipeline.

9. The thermal management system of a fuel cell according to claim 7, characterized in that: The vortex tube assembly also includes a preheating pipeline and a second proportional three-way valve, the inlet end of the second proportional three-way valve is connected to the hot gas port of the vortex tube, the first outlet end of the second proportional three-way valve is connected to an end of the hot gas flow pipeline away from the battery stack, the second outlet end of the second proportional three-way valve is connected to one end of the preheating pipeline, the other end of the preheating pipeline is connected to the preheating inlet of the heat exchanger, and the preheating outlet of the heat exchanger is connected to the air output pipeline through a connecting pipeline.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that: A thermal management system for a fuel cell comprising the thermal management system of any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images