Volute tube, expansion machine and fuel cell system

Abstract

The utility model provides a volute tube, which relates to the technical field of fuel cells, and comprises: a central tube, one end of which is provided with a closed surface and the other end of which forms an opening; the connecting pipe is used for being connected with an expansion machine, the connecting pipe penetrates through the closed face to be inserted into the central pipe, the connecting pipe extends towards the open end of the central pipe, and the connecting pipe and the central pipe are coaxial; and one end of the injection pipe penetrates through the side wall of the central pipe and is communicated with the central pipe. In addition, the utility model also provides an expansion machine and a fuel cell system. The volute pipe can solve the problems that waste gas and waste liquid are easily accumulated at an outlet of an expansion machine for a high-pressure fuel cell system and are difficult to discharge, and system operation is affected, and the stability of system operation is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of fuel cells, and in particular to a volute, an expander and a fuel cell system. Background Art

[0002] With the development of hydrogen fuel cells, the industry has gradually promoted high-power fuel cell system products. For high-pressure fuel cell systems, since the air exhausted by the fuel cell has a very high pressure, in order to improve energy utilization, the technical route of using expanders in air modules has gradually emerged and begun to be used in the industry.

[0003] There is an expander for a fuel cell system and a fuel cell system application disclosed in a Chinese patent with authorization announcement number CN116575988B, which discloses an expander for a fuel cell system, including an expander housing, a motor, an impeller, a turbine, a temperature sensor, an electric heating device arranged in the expander housing, and a heating device controller arranged outside the expander housing; wherein the expander housing is provided with a compressed air inlet, a compressed air outlet, a vortex inlet, and a vortex outlet; the motor is located in the middle of the expander housing, so that independent compressed air chambers and vortex chambers are formed on both sides of the expander housing, the compressed air chamber is connected with the compressed air inlet and the compressed air outlet, and the vortex chamber is connected with the vortex inlet and the vortex outlet; an impeller is provided on the output shaft of the compressed air chamber of the motor, and a turbine is provided on the output shaft of the vortex chamber of the motor; the temperature sensor and the electric heating device are both arranged in the expander housing at the vortex end; the input end of the heating device controller is connected to the temperature sensor, and the output end is connected to the control end of the electric heating device.

[0004] During the operation of the expander, high-pressure exhaust gas and waste liquid enter the expander, driving the impeller of the expander to work. The expander will continuously recover the power in the exhaust gas and waste liquid. The exhaust gas and waste liquid have their pressure reduced due to the recovery of power, and are easily stagnant at the outlet of the expander and difficult to be discharged, which in turn leads to water accumulation in the expander and excessive back pressure, affecting the operation of the overall system. Utility Model Content

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the first aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a volute pipe, which forms a low-pressure area by arranging a connecting pipe at the closed end of the central pipe. At the same time, a connecting ejector pipe is arranged on the side wall of the central pipe, and the pressure difference is utilized to discharge the waste gas and waste liquid that are easily accumulated at the outlet. The volute pipe has a simple structure and good use effect.

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the second aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an expander, at the outlet of which the waste gas and waste liquid accumulated are not easy to accumulate and the use effect is good.

[0007] The technical problem to be solved by the third aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a fuel cell system with a simple structure and good use effect.

[0008] In order to solve the above technical problems, in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a volute tube, comprising:

[0009] A central tube, one end of which is provided with a closed surface and the other end of which is formed as an opening;

[0010] A connecting pipe for connecting to the expander, the connecting pipe passing through the closed surface to be inserted into the central pipe, the connecting pipe extending toward the open end of the central pipe, and the connecting pipe being coaxial with the central pipe; and

[0011] The ejector tube is used for receiving high-pressure gas, and one end of the ejector tube penetrates the side wall of the central tube and is connected with the central tube.

[0012] In some embodiments, a flow guide tube is disposed at the open end of the central tube, and the flow guide tube is connected to the central tube.

[0013] In some embodiments, the guide tube includes an outer expansion section and an outer section, one end of the outer expansion section is connected to the open end of the central tube, and the other end is connected to the outer section, the outer section is coaxial with the central tube and has a diameter greater than the diameter of the central tube, and the diameter of the outer expansion section increases from the central tube toward the outer section.

[0014] In some embodiments, one end of the connecting tube is flush with the outer side surface of the closed surface, and the other end extends into the expanded section.

[0015] In some embodiments, a connecting convex wall is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the ejector tube and the flow guide tube at one end away from the central tube.

[0016] In some embodiments, a sealing gasket is disposed on the outer side of the closing surface.

[0017] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an expander, wherein the exhaust port of the expander is provided with the above-mentioned volute pipe, the exhaust port of the expander extends into the connecting pipe, and the closed surface abuts against the step surface of the outlet end of the expander.

[0018] In some embodiments, the expander and the volute are integrally formed; or

[0019] The expander is welded to the volute; or

[0020] The expander and the volute pipe are fixedly connected via a flange.

[0021] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a fuel cell system comprising the above-mentioned expander.

[0022] In some embodiments, the fuel cell system further includes a gas supply module, on which a gas supply pipe is provided, one end of which is connected to the ejector pipe.

[0023] The air supply module is a radiator, the air supply pipe is connected to the air outlet of the radiator, and a pressure sensor and a pressure control valve are provided on the air supply pipe; or

[0024] The air supply module is an air compressor, a bypass pipe is connected between the air compressor and the expander, a bypass valve is arranged on the bypass pipe, and the air supply pipe is connected to the bypass pipe.

[0025] Through the above technical solution, the present disclosure provides a volute pipe, which introduces pressurized gas into the ejector pipe from the outside, forms a low-pressure area at the outlet of the connecting pipe, and after the connecting pipe is connected to the expander, according to the principle of high pressure flowing to low pressure, guides the exhaust gas in the expander to be discharged into the volute pipe and finally discharged to the outside. Through the volute pipe, the initiative of exhaust gas detection in the expander can be increased, thereby solving the problem of water accumulation and excessive pressure caused by exhaust gas and waste liquid in the expander to a certain extent, and improving the stability of the overall system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a volute tube disclosed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a volute tube disclosed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A magnified view of part A;

[0030] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the expander disclosed in the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a fuel cell system according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0032] Figure 6 is based on Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a fuel cell system is shown in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a fuel cell system according to yet another exemplary embodiment.

[0034] Description of reference numerals:

[0035] 1. Central tube; 2. Connecting tube; 3. Ejector tube; 4. Guide tube; 41. Outer expansion section; 42. Outer section; 5. Connecting convex wall; 6. Sealing gasket; 7. Expander; 8. Air supply pipe; 81. Radiator; 811. Pressure sensor; 812. Pressure control valve; 82. Air compressor; 821. Bypass pipe; 822. Bypass valve; 83. Air filter; 831. Flow meter; 84. Muffler; 85. Fuel stack; 851. Back pressure valve; 86. Humidifier; 861. Stop valve; 87. Intercooler. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The following is a further detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and examples. The detailed description of the following embodiments and the accompanying drawings are used to exemplarily illustrate the principles of the present disclosure, but cannot be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions that fall within the scope of the claims.

[0037] The present disclosure provides these embodiments to make the present disclosure thorough and complete, and to fully express the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of the parts and steps, the composition of the materials, the numerical expressions and the numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments should be interpreted as being merely exemplary, and not as limiting.

[0038] It should be noted that, in the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "multiple" is greater than or equal to two; the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure 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, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present disclosure. When the absolute position of the object being described changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0039] In addition, the words "first", "second" and similar words used in the present disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different parts. "Vertical" does not mean vertical in the strict sense, but is within the tolerance range. "Parallel" does not mean parallel in the strict sense, but is within the tolerance range. "Include" or "comprising" and similar words mean that the elements before the word include the elements listed after the word, and do not exclude the possibility of including other elements.

[0040] It should also be noted that in the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to the specific circumstances. When a specific device is described as being located between a first device and a second device, there may or may not be an intermediate device between the specific device and the first device or the second device.

[0041] All terms used in the present disclosure have the same meanings as those understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs, unless otherwise specifically defined. It should also be understood that terms defined in general dictionaries, for example, should be interpreted as having meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or extremely formal sense, unless explicitly defined as such herein.

[0042] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0043] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , comprising a central tube 1, wherein one end of the central tube 1 is provided with a closed surface and the other end is formed as an opening;

[0044] a connecting pipe 2 for connecting to the expander, the connecting pipe 2 passing through the closed surface to be inserted into the central pipe 1, the connecting pipe 2 extending toward the open end of the central pipe 1, the connecting pipe 2 being coaxial with the central pipe 1; and

[0045] An ejector tube 3 for receiving high-pressure gas, one end of which penetrates the side wall of the central tube 1 and is in communication with the central tube 1 .

[0046] The present disclosure provides a volute tube, including a central tube 1, which is a straight tube, one end of which is open and the other end is closed, and a closed surface is formed on the closed end of the central tube 1. A connecting tube 2 is inserted on the closed surface of the central tube 1, and the connecting tube 2 is a straight tube. The connecting tube 2 is coaxial with the central tube 1, that is, the connecting tube 2 and the central tube 1 are concentric tubes. One end of the connecting tube 2 penetrates the closed surface and communicates with the outside, and the other end extends toward the open end of the central tube 1.

[0047] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2, an ejector tube 3 is inserted on the outer wall of the center tube 1. The ejector tube 3 is a hollow straight tube with two ends opened. One end of the ejector tube 3 penetrates the outer wall of the center tube 1 so that the inner cavity of the ejector tube 3 is connected with the inner cavity of the center tube 1. The other end is exposed to the outside and is used to connect the external air intake pipe. When the volute tube is used, the port of the ejector tube 3 away from the end of the center tube 1 is connected to the air intake hose, and the high-pressure gas is introduced into the center tube 1 through the ejector tube 3. The port at one end of the ejector tube 3 inserted into the center tube 1 faces the outer wall of the connecting tube 2. After the high-pressure gas is introduced into the center tube 1 through the ejector tube 3, the high-pressure gas flows along the outer wall of the connecting tube 2 to the opening at the end of the connecting tube 2 away from the closed surface.

[0048] Reference Figure 2 In some embodiments, the axis of the ejector tube 3 and the axis of the central tube 1 are perpendicular to each other.

[0049] In some embodiments, reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 A flow guide tube 4 is provided at the open end of the central tube 1 , and the flow guide tube 4 is connected to the central tube 1 .

[0050] In some embodiments, the flow guide tube 4 includes an outward expansion section 41 and an outer section 42, one end of the outward expansion section 41 is connected to the open end of the central tube 1, and the other end is connected to the outer section 42, the outer section 42 is coaxial with the central tube 1 and has a diameter greater than the diameter of the central tube 1, and the diameter of the outward expansion section 41 increases from the central tube 1 toward the outer section 42.

[0051] In some embodiments, one end of the connecting tube 2 is flush with the outer side surface of the closed surface, and the other end extends into the outer expansion section 41 .

[0052] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments, a flow guide tube 4 is integrally formed at one end of the opening of the central tube 1, and the flow guide tube 4 is connected to the central tube 1. The flow guide tube 4 is narrow inside and wide outside, and the tube mouth is expanded outward, which is conducive to forming a Coanda effect to guide the airflow. The flow guide tube 4 includes an expansion section 41 connected to the central tube 1 and an outer section 42 connected to the external pipeline. The outer section 42 is coaxial with the central tube 1 and the diameter of the outer section 42 is greater than the diameter of the central tube 1. The diameter of the expansion section 41 increases from the central tube 1 toward the outer section 42.

[0053] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 4, install the volute tube at the outlet of the expander 7, insert the outlet of the volute tube into the connecting pipe 2, connect the air intake hose to the end of the ejector tube 3 exposed to the outside, and connect the air outlet hose to the outer section 42 of the guide tube 4. The air intake hose blows high-pressure gas into the center tube 1 through the ejector tube 3, and the high-pressure gas flows toward the open end of the center tube 1 under the obstruction of the closed surface and the outer wall of the connecting pipe 2. During the flow of high-pressure gas, a low-pressure area is formed at the opening of the end of the connecting pipe 2 away from the closed surface. According to the principle of high pressure flowing to low pressure, the waste gas and waste liquid in the outlet of the expander 7 inserted into the connecting pipe 2 flows outward, and the waste gas is discharged to the outside by the Coanda effect formed by the guide tube 4, and finally discharged through the air outlet hose. Because it is discharged by quiet wind, the noise generated by the expander 7 during operation is reduced; the waste liquid flows outward through the inclined inner wall of the outer expansion section 41 of the guide tube 4 and is discharged through the air outlet hose. The volute tube can increase the initiative of exhaust gas detection in the expander 7, thereby solving the water accumulation problem and excessive pressure problem caused by exhaust gas and waste liquid in the expander 7 to a certain extent, and improving the overall stability of the system.

[0054] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 4 In some embodiments, the length of the connecting pipe 2 is equal to the length at the outlet of the expander 7. One end of the connecting pipe 2 passes through the entire central pipe 1 and extends into the outer expansion section 41. The end of the other end is flush with the outer end surface of the closed surface. The closed surface is tightly pressed against the expander 7. A sealing gasket 6 is provided on the side of the closed surface facing away from the inner cavity of the central pipe 1 to improve air tightness.

[0055] In some embodiments, a connecting convex wall 5 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the ejector tube 3 and the flow guide tube 4 at one end away from the central tube 1 .

[0056] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 In some embodiments, a connecting convex wall 5 is integrally formed on the outer wall of the port of the outer section 42 of the guide tube 4. The connecting convex wall 5 is prism-shaped and arranged along the circumference of the guide tube 4. When connecting the guide tube 4 with the external air outlet pipe, the external air outlet pipe port is inserted into the connecting convex wall 5 to improve stability. The outer wall of the ejector tube 3 exposed at one end is also provided with a connecting convex wall 5 of the same structure, thereby improving the stability of the connection between the ejector tube 3 and the external air inlet pipe.

[0057] In some embodiments, a sealing gasket 6 is provided on the outer side of the closed surface.

[0058] In some embodiments, reference Figure 4 The present disclosure further provides an expander 7, the exhaust port of the expander 7 is provided with a volute pipe as described in any one of the above technical solutions, the exhaust port of the expander 7 extends into the connecting pipe 2, and the closed surface abuts against the step surface of the outlet end of the expander 7.

[0059] In some embodiments, the outlet of the expander 7 is fixedly connected to the volute tube, and the material of the volute tube is consistent with the material at the outlet of the expander 7, both of which are made of aluminum alloy.

[0060] In some embodiments, in order to reduce the subsequent installation process, the expander 7 and the volute tube are directly formed into one piece, which is convenient to use and has good air tightness.

[0061] In some embodiments, in order to reduce the difficulty of processing the expander 7, the volute tube and the expander 7 are processed and produced separately. After the volute tube is processed and formed, the volute tube is directly fixed to the expander 7 through a welding process, which is more stable when used.

[0062] In some embodiments, the volute tube is processed by injection molding and is initially separated from the expander 7. The volute tube is connected to the outlet of the expander 7 by fastening with flange bolts. At this time, the volute tube can be removed from the expander 7 by removing the fastening bolts, which facilitates the cleaning or replacement of the volute tube at a later time and increases its service life.

[0063] Reference Figure 5-Figure 7 The present disclosure also provides a fuel cell system, including the above-mentioned expander 7, the expander 7 is connected to a muffler 84, the fuel cell system also includes a stack 85 and an air compressor 82 connected to the expander 7, the stack 85 and the air compressor 82 are both connected to the expander 7 through a pipeline, a back pressure valve 851 is provided on the pipeline connecting the stack 85 and the expander 7, a bypass pipe 821 is also connected between the air compressor 82 and the expansion valve, the bypass pipe 821 is in communication with the pipeline of the stack 85 for connecting the expander 7, and a bypass valve 822 is provided on the bypass pipe 821. The fuel cell system also includes an intercooler 87, a humidifier 86 and an air filter 83, the intercooler 87 is connected to the air compressor 82, the humidifier 86 is connected to the stack 85, the intercooler 87 and the humidifier 86 are connected to each other, and a stop valve 861 is provided on the pipeline connecting the humidifier 86 and the stack 85. The air filter 83 is connected to the air compressor 82 , and a flow meter 831 is provided on the pipeline between the air filter 83 and the air compressor 82 .

[0064] Reference Figure 5 and Figure 6In some embodiments, the fuel cell system further includes a radiator 81, which is used to maintain the overall temperature of the system and improve the stability of the system. The air outlet of the radiator 81 is connected to an air supply pipe 8, and the end of the air supply pipe 8 away from the radiator 81 is connected to the end of the ejector pipe 3 exposed to the outside. When the radiator 81 is working, the discharged high-pressure exhaust gas directly enters the volute pipe through the air supply pipe 8, thereby ejecting the exhaust gas. The exhaust gas from the operation of the radiator 81 is used as the ejector gas of the ejector pipe 3, which can be directly circulated internally, thereby achieving the effect of energy saving and efficiency improvement. The air supply pipe 8 is connected to a pressure sensor 811 and a pressure control valve 812, which intelligently control the air intake and realize controllable ejection, so as to match the ejection requirements of the system under different powers with the optimal displacement.

[0065] Reference Figure 7 In some embodiments, one end of the air supply pipe 8 away from the ejector pipe 3 is connected to the bypass pipe 821, and the bypass redundant gas of the air compressor 82 is used as the ejector gas of the ejector pipe 3, and the bypass pipeline is retained, so as to realize the intelligent pressure control and ensure the normal operation of the air compressor 82.

[0066] So far, various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail. In order to avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure, some details known in the art are not described. Based on the above description, those skilled in the art can fully understand how to implement the technical solution disclosed here.

[0067] Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail by way of examples, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above examples are for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above embodiments may be modified or some technical features may be replaced by equivalents without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In particular, the various technical features mentioned in the various embodiments may be combined in any manner as long as there is no structural conflict.

Claims

1. A volute tube, characterized in that: include: A central tube (1), wherein one end of the central tube (1) is provided with a closed surface and the other end is formed as an opening; a connecting pipe (2) for connecting the expander, the connecting pipe (2) passing through the closed surface to be inserted into the central pipe (1), the connecting pipe (2) extending toward the open end of the central pipe (1), and the connecting pipe (2) being coaxial with the central pipe (1); and An ejector tube (3) for receiving high-pressure gas, one end of the ejector tube (3) passing through the side wall of the central tube (1) and being in communication with the central tube (1).

2. A volute tube according to claim 1, characterized in that: The open end of the central tube (1) is provided with a flow guide tube (4), and the flow guide tube (4) is in communication with the central tube (1).

3. A volute tube according to claim 2, characterized in that: The flow guide tube (4) comprises an outward expansion section (41) and an outer section (42); one end of the outward expansion section (41) is connected to the open end of the central tube (1), and the other end is connected to the outer section (42); the outer section (42) is coaxial with the central tube (1) and has a diameter greater than that of the central tube (1); the diameter of the outward expansion section (41) increases gradually from the central tube (1) toward the outer section (42).

4. A volute tube according to claim 3, characterized in that: One end of the connecting pipe (2) is flush with the outer side surface of the closed surface, and the other end extends into the outer expansion section (41).

5. A volute tube according to claim 2, characterized in that: A connecting convex wall (5) is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the end of the ejector tube (3) and the flow guide tube (4) away from the central tube (1).

6. A volute tube according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: A sealing gasket (6) is arranged on the outer side of the closed surface.

7. An expander, characterized in that: The exhaust port of the expander (7) is provided with a volute pipe as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, the exhaust port of the expander (7) extends into the connecting pipe (2), and the closed surface abuts against the step surface of the outlet end of the expander (7).

8. An expander according to claim 7, characterized in that: The expander (7) and the volute tube are integrally formed; or The expander (7) is welded to the volute tube; or The expander (7) is fixedly connected to the volute pipe via a flange.

9. A fuel cell system, characterized in that: It comprises an expander (7) as claimed in claim 7 or 8.

10. A fuel cell system according to claim 9, characterized in that: The fuel cell system also includes an air supply module, on which an air supply pipe (8) is provided, one end of which is connected to the ejector pipe (3), wherein The air supply module is a radiator (81), the air supply pipe (8) is connected to the air outlet of the radiator (81), and the air supply pipe (8) is provided with a pressure sensor (811) and a pressure control valve (812); or The air supply module is an air compressor (82), a bypass pipe (821) is connected between the air compressor (82) and the expander (7), a bypass valve (822) is provided on the bypass pipe (821), and the air supply pipe (8) is connected to the bypass pipe (821).

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