Humidifier with filtering function

Abstract

The utility model discloses a humidifier with a filtering function, which is used for humidifying dry gas and comprises a main body provided with a humidifying chamber, a gas chamber for the dry gas to enter or be discharged out of the humidifying chamber, and a filter arranged between the gas chamber and the humidifying chamber, the filter is configured to filter dry gas flowing therethrough and to distribute gas flow through different regions of the filter. The humidifier with the filtering function, provided by the utility model, has the filtering function, can reduce the risk that the humidifier, an electric pile at the rear end of the humidifier and other parts are polluted by impurities, also has a flow distribution function, and can be matched with the performance of a membrane component of the humidifier to carry out flow distribution, so that the overall humidifying performance of the humidifier is effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of fuel cells, in particular to a humidifier with a filtering function. Background Art

[0002] The mainstream fuel cell humidifier on the market is a membrane humidifier, which has multiple membrane assemblies inside. The humidification of the dry airflow is achieved by inputting wet airflow and dry airflow into the membrane assemblies of the membrane humidifier respectively. In the fuel cell system, the humidifier is arranged in the cathode subsystem. There are many pipelines and many parts at the front end of the humidifier, such as air compressors, intercoolers, etc. If the cleanliness of these parts is not good, or these parts themselves have problems, such as impurities generated by air compressor jamming, wear, etc., it may cause damage to the humidifier or the battery stack at its rear end. On the other hand, the humidifier includes multiple membrane assemblies inside. The better the consistency of humidification of multiple membrane assemblies, the better the overall performance of the humidifier; however, in reality, due to the influence of various factors, the humidification consistency of multiple membrane assemblies is often different, such as different aging degrees of multiple membrane assemblies, changes in flow, etc., which will cause each membrane assembly to have inconsistent humidification effects on the dry airflow, affecting the overall performance of the humidifier.

[0003] Based on this, it is necessary to propose a technical solution to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to overcome the defects of the prior art, the utility model provides a humidifier with a filtering function.

[0005] The utility model is implemented through the following technical scheme: a humidifier with a filtering function, which is used to humidify dry gas. The humidifier includes a main body formed with a humidification chamber, and an air chamber formed for dry gas to enter or discharge the humidification chamber. The humidifier also includes a filter arranged between the air chamber and the humidification chamber, and the filter is configured to filter the dry gas flowing through it and distribute the gas flow flowing through different areas of the filter.

[0006] As a further improved technical solution, the humidification chamber is provided with multiple humidification membrane assemblies, and the filter is provided with multiple filter areas corresponding to the multiple humidification membrane assemblies, and each of the filter areas is provided with a plurality of filter holes, wherein the plurality of filter holes on at least two filter areas are constructed differently to distribute the flow rate of dry gas entering the corresponding humidification membrane assemblies.

[0007] As a further improved technical solution, the plurality of filter holes on the at least two filter areas are constructed differently including: at least one of the shape, area size, arrangement number and arrangement method of the plurality of filter holes on the two filter areas is different.

[0008] As a further improved technical solution, the plurality of filter holes on the plurality of filter zones are constructed so that dry gases of different flow rates distributed and entering the corresponding humidification membrane modules are humidified to a similar degree.

[0009] As a further improved technical solution, the humidifier includes an air inlet chamber for dry gas to flow into the humidification chamber and an air outlet chamber for dry gas humidified in the humidification chamber to flow out of the humidification chamber, wherein the filter is arranged between the air inlet chamber and the humidification chamber.

[0010] As a further improved technical solution, the humidifier includes two end covers installed at both ends of the main body, one end cover encloses the air inlet chamber, and the other end cover encloses the air outlet chamber.

[0011] As a further improved technical solution, the filter is detachably arranged between the end cover and the main body, and a sealing ring for sealing the gap between the filter and the end cover or the main body is arranged at the edge of the filter.

[0012] As a further improved technical solution, the filter includes a plastic matrix and a metal filter mesh which is injection-molded integrally with the plastic matrix.

[0013] As a further improved technical solution, the mesh holes on the metal filter are uniformly arranged, and different filtering holes are opened on the plastic substrate.

[0014] As a further improved technical solution, the mesh size of the metal filter is not less than 300 meshes.

[0015] The humidifier with filtering function provided by the utility model includes a filter, which has a filtering function and can reduce the risk of the humidifier and its rear end components such as the battery stack being contaminated by impurities. At the same time, the filter also has a flow distribution function and can match the performance of the membrane component of the humidifier to distribute the flow, thereby effectively improving the overall humidification performance of the humidifier. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional combination diagram of the humidifier of the utility model.

[0017] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional exploded view of the humidifier of the utility model.

[0018] Figure 3 It is a stereoscopic diagram of the filter and the main body of the humidifier in the utility model.

[0019] Figure 4 It is a side view of the interior of the humidifier of the utility model.

[0020] Figure 5 It is an exploded view of the filter in the humidifier of the utility model.

[0021] Figure 6 It is a stereoscopic diagram of a filter and a sealing ring in a humidifier of the utility model.

[0022] The figure numbers are as follows: 100-humidifier; 1-main body; 10-humidification chamber; 11-wet side inlet; 12-wet side outlet; 2-front cover; 20-air inlet chamber; 21-dry side inlet; 3-rear cover; 30-air outlet chamber; 31-dry side outlet; 4-filter; 40-filtration area; 401-filtration hole; 41-plastic matrix; 42-metal filter; 43-sealing ring; 5-humidification membrane assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to have a clearer understanding of the technical features, purposes and effects of the utility model, the specific implementation methods of the utility model are now described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the utility model are clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the utility model, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0025] See also Figures 1 to 6 As shown, an embodiment of the utility model provides a humidifier 100 with a filtering function, which is used to humidify dry gas. The humidifier 100 includes a main body 1 formed with a humidification chamber 10, and an air chamber formed for dry gas to enter or exit the humidification chamber 10, and the humidifier 100 also includes a filter 4 arranged between the air chamber and the humidification chamber 10, and the filter 4 is configured to filter the dry gas flowing through it and distribute the gas flow flowing through different areas of the filter 4.

[0026] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the main body 1 of the humidifier 100 includes a shell assembly and two end covers installed at both ends of the main body 1. The end covers include a front cover 2 and a rear cover 3, wherein the front cover 2 encloses an air inlet chamber 20, and the rear cover 3 encloses an air outlet chamber 30. A wet side inlet 11 for humidified gas to enter the humidification chamber 10 and a wet side outlet 12 for humidified gas to discharge from the humidification chamber 10 are formed on the shell assembly. A dry side inlet 21 for dry gas to enter the humidification chamber 10 is provided on the front cover 2, and a dry side outlet 31 for dry gas to discharge from the humidification chamber 10 is provided on the rear cover 3. The dry side inlet 21 is communicated with the air inlet chamber 20, and the dry side outlet 31 is communicated with the air outlet chamber 30.

[0027] See also Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the humidification chamber 10 of the humidifier 100 includes a plurality of subspaces for correspondingly configuring a plurality of humidification membrane assemblies 5. Each of the humidification membrane assemblies 5 is roughly plate-shaped and is placed in a plurality of plate-shaped subspaces in the humidification chamber 10. The plurality of humidification membrane assemblies 5 are stacked up and down in the height direction of the humidification chamber 10. For the plurality of humidification membrane assemblies 5 included in the humidification chamber 10, the higher the consistency of the humidification capacity and flow rate, the better the overall humidification effect; however, in actual use, due to the influence of various factors, the humidification capacity of the plurality of humidification membrane assemblies 5 and the flow rate passing through them are often different. If the same flow rate of dry gas is still delivered to the plurality of humidification membrane assemblies 5, the humidification effect of each humidification membrane assembly on the dry gas flow will be inconsistent, affecting the overall performance of the humidifier 100. Therefore, the overall performance of the humidifier 100 can be improved by allocating the flow rate of the corresponding dry gas according to the difference of the plurality of humidification membrane assemblies 5.

[0028] The filter 4 included in one embodiment of the present application is provided with a plurality of filter areas 40 corresponding to the plurality of humidification membrane assemblies 5, and each of the filter areas 40 is provided with a plurality of filter holes 401, wherein the plurality of filter holes 401 on at least two filter areas 40 are constructed differently to distribute the flow of dry gas entering the corresponding humidification membrane assembly 5. In the present application, the filter 4 can not only be used to filter impurities in the dry gas to improve the cleanliness of the gas entering the humidification chamber 10 and its rear-end components (such as the battery stack), but also to improve the service life of the humidifier 100 and its rear-end components. At the same time, the filter 4 can achieve the function of distributing the gas flow rate according to the different structures of the filter holes 401 opened on its different filter areas 40, so as to improve the overall humidification performance of the humidifier 100.

[0029] See also Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, the plurality of filter holes 401 on the at least two filter areas 40 are constructed differently including: at least one of the shapes, area sizes, arrangement numbers and arrangement modes of the plurality of filter holes 401 on the two filter areas 40 is different. The shapes of the filter holes 401 in the filter areas 40 corresponding to different humidification membrane components 5 can be the same or different. Specifically, the shapes of the filter holes 401 can be circular or in other shapes, such as triangles, rectangles, etc. The specific arrangement of the filter holes 401 in different filter areas 40 matches the humidification performance of the corresponding humidification membrane components 5, so as to achieve the effect that the dry gas of different flow rates distributed into the corresponding humidification membrane components 5 through different filter areas 40 is humidified to a similar degree. In this embodiment, the filter 4 is divided into four filter areas 40 as an example for explanation, and the filter holes 401 on each filter area 40 are circular holes, but the diameters of the circular holes are different.

[0030] The filter 4 can be arranged between the air inlet chamber 20 and the humidification chamber 10, or between the humidification chamber 10 and the air outlet chamber 30. If the filter 4 is arranged between the humidification chamber 10 and the air outlet chamber 30, the dry gas cannot be filtered before the dry gas enters the humidification chamber 10, but can only be filtered after the dry gas is discharged from the humidification chamber 10 and before entering the components at the rear end of the humidifier 100; moreover, the filter 4 is arranged between the humidification chamber 10 and the air outlet chamber 30, although it has the function of distributing the gas flow entering the humidification membrane assembly 5 due to the different flow resistance when the dry gas flows out of the humidification chamber 10, but its effect is not as good as that of arranging the filter 4 between the air inlet chamber 20 and the humidification chamber 10. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment of the present application, the filter 4 is arranged between the air inlet chamber 20 and the humidification chamber 10. Further, the filter 4 is detachably arranged between the end cover and the main body 1, and a sealing ring 43 for sealing the gap between the filter 4 and the end cover or the main body 1 is arranged at the edge of the filter 4. The sealing ring 43 plays a role in sealing the assembly gap, which can ensure that all dry gas needs to be filtered and distributed by the filter 4, so as to ensure the filtering performance of the filter 4 and the reliability of flow distribution.

[0031] Please refer to Figure 5As shown, in this embodiment, the filter 4 is in the form of a sheet, which includes a plastic matrix 41 and a metal filter 42 that is integrally molded with the plastic matrix 41. The material used for the plastic matrix 41 can be PPA, PPS and other materials, and the metal filter 42 is a stainless steel mesh. The mesh holes on the metal filter 42 are uniformly arranged, and the mesh holes on the metal filter 42 are not less than 300 meshes. The plastic matrix 41 is provided with a filter hole 401 corresponding to the humidification membrane assembly 5. The plastic matrix 41 is provided with corresponding filter holes 401 according to the number and passing area of ​​the humidification membrane assembly 5 to form a filter area 40 corresponding to the humidification membrane assembly 5. In this embodiment, the metal filter 42 is woven from metal wires, the metal wires are relatively fine, and the structural strength is low. The independent metal filter 42 is easily deformed by force during use. In this embodiment, the metal filter 42 is integrally molded with the plastic matrix 41 by injection molding, so as to enhance the structural strength of the filter 4 and avoid deformation of the metal filter 42 due to force, which leads to mesh damage. Moreover, in this embodiment, the mesh size of the metal filter 42 is consistent, which can facilitate the manufacture of the metal filter 42, and at the same time, the size or shape of the filter holes 401 formed on the plastic substrate 41 is different to achieve flow distribution, thereby reducing the difficulty of manufacturing the filter 4. In this embodiment, one filter hole 401 can correspond to one or more meshes on the metal filter 42.

[0032] The humidifier 100 with filtering function provided in the present application is assembled, and the filter 4 and the sealing ring 43 are pressed and fixed between the upper end cover 2 and the shell assembly; dry gas and wet gas are respectively introduced into the humidification chamber 10 through the dry side inlet 21 and the wet side inlet 11, and the dry gas is filtered and flow-distributed through the filter holes 401 on different filter areas 40 on the filter 4 in the air inlet chamber 20, and enters the corresponding humidification membrane assembly 5, and the wet gas flows through the outside of the membrane tube of the humidification membrane assembly 5 and transfers moisture to the dry gas in the membrane tube to achieve humidification; the humidified dry gas and wet gas are discharged from the humidification chamber 10 from the dry side outlet 31 and the wet side outlet 12 respectively.

[0033] From the above description of the specific embodiments, it can be known that the humidifier 100 with filtering function provided by the utility model includes a filter 4, which has a filtering function and can reduce the risk of the humidifier 100 and its rear end components such as the battery stack being contaminated by impurities. At the same time, the filter 4 also has a flow distribution function, which can match the humidification performance of multiple humidification membrane components 5 of the humidifier 100 for flow distribution, thereby effectively improving the overall humidification performance of the humidifier 100.

[0034] The present invention is described by several specific embodiments, and those skilled in the art should understand that various changes and equivalent substitutions can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, various modifications can be made to the present invention for specific situations or specific circumstances without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, but should include all implementation methods that fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A humidifier with filtering function, used for humidifying dry gas, characterized in that: The humidifier includes a main body formed with a humidification chamber, and an air chamber formed for dry gas to enter or discharge from the humidification chamber. The humidifier also includes a filter arranged between the air chamber and the humidification chamber, and the filter is configured to filter the dry gas flowing through it and distribute the gas flow flowing through different areas of the filter; the humidification chamber is provided with a plurality of humidification membrane assemblies, and the filter is provided with a plurality of filter areas corresponding to the plurality of humidification membrane assemblies, and each of the filter areas is provided with a plurality of filter holes, wherein the plurality of filter holes on at least two filter areas are constructed differently to distribute the flow of dry gas entering the corresponding humidification membrane assembly; the plurality of filter holes on the at least two filter areas are constructed differently including: at least one of the shape, area size, arrangement number and arrangement method of the plurality of filter holes on the two filter areas is different; the plurality of filter holes on the plurality of filter areas are constructed so that the dry gas with different flow rates distributed to enter the corresponding humidification membrane assembly is humidified to a similar degree.

2. The humidifier with filtering function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The humidifier comprises an air inlet chamber for dry gas to flow into the humidification chamber and an air outlet chamber for dry gas humidified in the humidification chamber to flow out of the humidification chamber, wherein the filter is arranged between the air inlet chamber and the humidification chamber.

3. The humidifier with filtering function as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The humidifier comprises two end covers installed at two ends of the main body, wherein one end cover encloses the air inlet chamber, and the other end cover encloses the air outlet chamber.

4. The humidifier with filtering function as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: The filter is detachably arranged between the end cover and the main body, and a sealing ring for sealing the gap between the filter and the end cover or the main body is arranged at the edge of the filter.

5. The humidifier with filtering function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The filter comprises a plastic matrix and a metal filter mesh which is integrally injection-molded with the plastic matrix.

6. The humidifier with filtering function as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: The mesh holes on the metal filter are uniformly arranged, and different filtering holes are opened on the plastic substrate.

7. The humidifier with filtering function as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: The mesh size of the metal filter is not less than 300 meshes.

Images