Heat transfer system for hydrogen supply module of fuel cell and hydrogen supply module
By designing a heat transfer system in the hydrogen supply module of the fuel cell, and using the waste heat of the cooling system to heat the anode circulation pump and drain valve, the problem of cold start under low temperature conditions is solved, and efficient thermal management and cost savings are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202421326342.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-06-12
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-18
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-06-12
AI Technical Summary
The hydrogen supply module of the fuel cell may cause cold start problems of the anode circulation pump and the discharge valve due to water solidification under low temperature conditions.
A heat transfer system is designed to prevent water solidification by setting a fluid channel inside the housing of the hydrogen supply module and using the waste heat of the fuel cell cooling system to heat the anode circulation pump and the discharge valve.
It effectively avoids the cold start problem of the anode circulation pump and drain valve under low temperature conditions of the hydrogen supply module, and does not require additional heat transfer fluid, which is cost and space efficiency high.
Smart Images
Figure CN222775337U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The utility model relates to the field of fuel cells, and in particular to a heat transfer system of a hydrogen supply module for a fuel cell and the hydrogen supply module. Background Art
[0002] The hydrogen supply module (HSM) of a fuel cell is an important component of its auxiliary system (BOP), and is generally used to recirculate the exhaust gas from the fuel cell stack reaction and provide pressure compensation. The HSM includes components such as an anode circulation pump (ARB), a water separator, and a discharge valve (DP valve). Among them, liquid water is usually present in the exhaust gas recycled by the HSM, and the ARB and DP valves include structures with tiny gaps that may accumulate water. Therefore, the HSM is usually equipped with a purge device for purging liquid to prevent the accumulation of water in the HSM, especially in the tiny gaps of the ARB and DP valves. However, under certain operating conditions, the purge device may be shut down, resulting in the water accumulated in the tiny gaps of the ARB and DP valves not being cleaned up in time. If the ambient temperature is low enough at this time, there is a problem that the accumulated water freezes and the ARB and DP valves cannot be started normally, which is the so-called cold start problem.
[0003] In view of the above-mentioned cold start problem, there is a need for improving the hydrogen supply module of the fuel cell. Utility Model Content
[0004] In order to achieve the above objectives, the utility model provides a heat transfer system for a hydrogen supply module of a fuel cell and the hydrogen supply module.
[0005] The hydrogen supply module includes a shell and an anode circulation pump and a discharge valve attached to the shell and partially accommodated in an internal space bounded by the shell. The heat transfer system includes a fluid channel for conveying a heat transfer fluid accommodated in the internal space bounded by the shell, and the fluid channel includes an inlet and an outlet connected to the outside of the internal space, wherein at least a portion of the fluid channel is arranged adjacent to the anode circulation pump, and at least another portion of the fluid channel is arranged adjacent to the discharge valve.
[0006] The inlet of the fluid channel may be configured to communicate with the output of the coolant of the cooling system for cooling the fuel cell stack, and the outlet of the fluid channel may be configured to communicate with the input of the coolant of the cooling system for cooling the fuel cell stack.
[0007] The fluid channel may be configured as a meandering channel that bends multiple times between opposite sides of the shell. Specifically, the fluid channel may be configured to include a peripheral wall contained in the internal space of the shell and a plurality of guide plates extending from the peripheral wall, wherein the plurality of guide plates are configured to guide the heat transfer fluid to flow unidirectionally from the inlet to the outlet in the fluid channel.
[0008] The peripheral wall may be attached to the housing, or at least a portion of the peripheral wall may constitute part of the housing.
[0009] Optionally, the cross-sectional area of the fluid channel near the inlet and near the outlet is larger than the cross-sectional area at other positions of the fluid channel.
[0010] Optionally, the guide plate closest to the inlet and the guide plate closest to the outlet among the plurality of guide plates may respectively have a zigzag or curved cross-sectional shape.
[0011] The hydrogen supply module for a fuel cell according to the present application comprises:
[0012] case;
[0013] an anode circulation pump and a drain valve attached to the housing and partially contained within the interior space bounded by the housing; and
[0014] The aforementioned heat transfer system.
[0015] The heat transfer system may be attached to the housing, or at least a portion of the heat transfer system may form part of the housing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] Figure 1 A perspective view showing a hydrogen supply module for a fuel cell according to the utility model, wherein a portion of a housing of the hydrogen supply module is removed to show a heat transfer system for the hydrogen supply module for a fuel cell according to the utility model;
[0017] Figure 2 Show Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of a housing of a hydrogen supply module;
[0018] Figure 3 A schematic cross-sectional view of a heat transfer system for a hydrogen supply module of a fuel cell according to the present invention is shown.
[0019] Description of Reference Numerals
[0020] 10Hydrogen supply module
[0021] 20 Shell
[0022] 30 Anode circulation pump
[0023] 40 Relief Valve
[0024] 100 heat transfer systems
[0025] 110 fluid channels
[0026] 111 Wall
[0027] 112, 113, 114, 115, 116: deflector
[0028] 120 Entrance
[0029] Exit 130 DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0030] The heat transfer system of the hydrogen supply module for a fuel cell and the preferred embodiments of the hydrogen supply module according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0031] Figure 1 A perspective view of a hydrogen supply module (HSM) for a fuel cell according to the present invention is shown, wherein a portion of the housing of the hydrogen supply module is removed to show the heat transfer system of the hydrogen supply module for a fuel cell according to the present invention. Figure 1 The hydrogen supply module 10 includes a shell 20, and an anode circulation pump (ARB) 30 and a discharge valve (DP valve) 40 attached to the shell 20 and partially accommodated in the internal space enclosed by the shell 20. In the prior art, the internal space enclosed by the shell 20 of the hydrogen supply module 10 may be solid or hollow, and may contain other components of the hydrogen supply module 10.
[0032] Figure 2 Show Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of the housing of the hydrogen supply module, combined with Figure 1 and Figure 2 It can be seen that the heat transfer system (hereinafter referred to as the "heat transfer system") 100 for a hydrogen supply module for a fuel cell according to the utility model includes a fluid channel 110 for conveying a heat transfer fluid accommodated in an internal space enclosed by a shell 20, and the fluid channel 110 includes an inlet 120 and an outlet 130 connected to the outside of the internal space of the shell 20.
[0033] Among them, at least a portion of the fluid channel 110 is arranged adjacent to the anode circulation pump 30, and at least another portion of the fluid channel 110 is arranged adjacent to the discharge valve 40. Figure 2 The upper portion of the fluid channel 110 shown may be adjacent to the anode circulation pump 30, and the lower portion of the fluid channel 110 may be adjacent to the discharge valve 40. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the fluid channel 110 may be arranged accordingly to be adjacent to the anode circulation pump 30 and the discharge valve 40, depending on the actual arrangement positions of the anode circulation pump 30 and the discharge valve 40.
[0034] The heat transfer fluid transported in the fluid channel 110 may come from the waste liquid of the cooling system of the fuel cell. As is known to all, the stack reaction of the fuel cell generates a large amount of heat, so a cooling system for cooling the stack is usually provided, which lowers the temperature of the stack by transporting coolant to absorb the heat generated by the stack reaction. In this process, the coolant is heated, i.e., the so-called waste heat is generated. However, the utility model proposes to utilize the waste heat generated by the cooling system of the fuel cell to solve the potential cold start problem of the anode circulation pump and the discharge valve of the hydrogen supply module.
[0035] Specifically, although not shown in the accompanying drawings, the inlet 120 of the fluid channel 110 can be configured to be connected to the output end of the coolant of the cooling system for cooling the fuel cell stack. Therefore, the coolant enters the fluid channel 110 from the inlet 120 in a heated state after cooling the fuel cell stack, and becomes the heat transfer fluid referred to in this article. The heat transfer fluid has a certain heating effect on the adjacent anode circulation pump 30 and the discharge valve 40 in the process of flowing from the inlet 120 through the fluid channel 110 to the outlet 130. Therefore, even if the purge device equipped with the hydrogen supply module is shut down, the problem of cold start caused by the accumulation of water freezing in the anode circulation pump 30 and the discharge valve 40, especially in the structure with small gaps, can still be avoided.
[0036] In this way, the coolant of the cooling system is utilized without the need to introduce a special heat transfer fluid, so it is cost-effective. In addition, the heated coolant acts as a heat transfer fluid in the process from the inlet 120 to the outlet 130 in the fluid channel 110, which is equivalent to a certain cooling effect on the heated coolant, so it can be used as the coolant of the cooling system again. In other words, the outlet 130 of the fluid channel 110 can be configured to communicate with the input end of the coolant of the cooling system, so that the heat transfer fluid flowing through the fluid channel 110 is cooled and flows into the cooling system again as a coolant, thereby forming a closed loop between the cooling system and the heat transfer system.
[0037] The shell of the hydrogen supply module is usually made of aluminum alloy, which has excellent thermal conductivity. The peripheral wall 111 of the fluid channel 110 of the heat transfer system 100 according to the utility model can be made of the same material as the shell 20, that is, it can also be made of aluminum alloy, thereby promoting the heat of the heat transfer fluid to be transferred to the adjacent anode circulation pump 30 and the discharge valve 40 through the peripheral wall 111 of the fluid channel 110, thereby enhancing the effect of avoiding cold start.
[0038] It should be noted that the term "adjacent" used in this article means that the peripheral wall 111 of the fluid channel 110 is close to the anode circulation pump 30 and the discharge valve 40, or there is a small gap between the peripheral wall 111 of the fluid channel 110 and the anode circulation pump 30 and the discharge valve 40, which depends on the inherent layout position limitations of other components in the internal space of the shell 20 of the hydrogen supply module 10, as long as the heat of the heat transfer fluid can be transferred to the adjacent anode circulation pump 30 and the discharge valve 40 through the peripheral wall 111 of the fluid channel 110 to avoid cold start.
[0039] Figure 3 A schematic cross-sectional view of a heat transfer system of a hydrogen supply module for a fuel cell according to the present invention is shown. It should be noted that for simplicity, Figure 3 The thickness of the cross section of the heat transfer system 100 is not shown. It can be seen that in order to promote the heat transfer effect of the heat transfer fluid, the fluid channel 110 is configured as a bent channel that bends multiple times between the opposite sides 21 and 22 of the shell 20. Such a bent channel can increase the heat transfer area of the fluid channel 110, so that as much heat as possible is transferred from the fluid channel 110 to the adjacent anode circulation pump 30 and the discharge valve 40. It should be noted that the number of times the fluid channel 110 bends between the opposite sides 21 and 22 of the shell 20 depends on the volume of the internal space enclosed by the shell 20 and the size of the inlet 120 and the outlet 130 of the fluid channel 110, and can be designed accordingly, and is not limited to the case shown in the figure.
[0040] Figure 2 and Figure 3 The inlet 120 and the outlet 130 of the fluid channel 110 are shown to be both located on one side of the housing 20, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The positions of the inlet 120 and the outlet 130 depend on the cooling system of the fuel cell and the positions of other components relative to the hydrogen supply module, and the inlet 120 and the outlet 130 may be located on the same side or different sides of the housing 20.
[0041] In order to form the bending structure of the fluid channel 110, the fluid channel 110 may be configured to include a peripheral wall 111 contained in the inner space bounded by the housing 20 and a plurality of guide plates extending from the peripheral wall 111. Figure 2 and Figure 3 Five guide plates 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 , and 116 are shown, wherein the guide plates 112 - 116 are configured to guide the heat transfer fluid to flow in one direction from the inlet 120 to the outlet 130 in the fluid channel 110 .
[0042] The peripheral wall 111 of the fluid channel 110 and the plurality of guide plates 112 - 116 may be made of the same material (usually aluminum alloy) as the shell 20 of the hydrogen supply module 10 , thereby enhancing the heat transfer effect of the fluid channel 110 .
[0043] Depending on the volume and shape of the internal space enclosed by the shell 20 of the hydrogen supply module 10, the shape of the peripheral wall 111 of the fluid channel 110 can be designed accordingly. For example, the peripheral wall 111 of the fluid channel 110 can be designed to be box-shaped, which is open only at the inlet 120 and the outlet 130. In this way, the heat transfer fluid can be guided to flow from the inlet 120 to the outlet 130 only in the fluid channel 110, and the heat transfer fluid does not directly contact other components outside the fluid channel 110. In other words, the presence of the fluid channel 110 of the heat transfer system 100 will only transfer heat to the components adjacent to the fluid channel 110, without affecting the normal operation of these components, nor causing any damage, corrosion or other negative effects thereto. In this case, the peripheral wall 111 of the fluid channel 110 can be attached to the shell 20, for example, by welding, so that the heat transfer system 100 is fixed to the shell as an independent system.
[0044] Alternatively, the heat transfer system 100 may be integrated with the housing 20 . In this case, at least a portion of the peripheral wall 111 of the fluid channel 110 of the heat transfer system 100 constitutes a portion of the housing 20 .
[0045] It should be noted that although Figure 2 and Figure 3 Five guide plates 112 - 116 are shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the number of guide plates can be adjusted accordingly based on the total volume of the fluid channel 110 (the volume of the space bounded by the peripheral wall 111 ).
[0046] Figure 2 and Figure 3 It is also shown that the guide plates are not all straight plates, but the guide plate 112 closest to the inlet 120 and the guide plate 116 closest to the outlet 130 have a broken line cross-sectional shape. In other words, the cross-sectional area of the fluid channel 110 is not constant. On the contrary, the cross-sectional area of the fluid channel 110 near the inlet 120 and the outlet 130 is greater than the cross-sectional area of the fluid channel 110 at other positions. By designing the variable cross-sectional area, the heat transfer area of the fluid channel 110 can be further increased, and the flow of the heat transfer fluid can be accelerated, especially the flow of the heat transfer fluid at the inlet 120 and the outlet 130. Therefore, even if the fluid channel 110 is configured to bend multiple times, the flow of the heat transfer fluid will not be blocked.
[0047] It should be noted that the thickness of each guide plate can be the same, and the distance between every two adjacent guide plates ( Figure 3That is, except near the inlet 120 and near the outlet 130, the cross-sectional area of the fluid channel 110 at other positions can remain the same to stabilize the flow of the heat transfer fluid, but the utility model is not limited thereto.
[0048] although Figure 2 and Figure 3 It is shown that the guide plate 112 closest to the inlet 120 and the guide plate 116 closest to the outlet 130 among the multiple guide plates have a broken line cross-sectional shape respectively, but the utility model is not limited to this. These two guide plates can also be designed to have a curved cross-sectional shape or other shapes, as long as the cross-sectional area of the fluid channel 110 near the inlet 120 and near the outlet 130 is greater than the cross-sectional area of the fluid channel 110 at other positions to promote the flow of the heat transfer fluid.
[0049] The utility model also proposes a hydrogen supply module for a fuel cell, namely Figure 1 and Figure 2 The hydrogen supply module 10 shown comprises:
[0050] Housing 20;
[0051] an anode circulation pump 30 and a drain valve 40 attached to the housing 20 and partially accommodated in an internal space bounded by the housing 20; and
[0052] The heat transfer system 100 includes a fluid channel 110 for conveying a heat transfer fluid contained in an internal space enclosed by a shell 20, and the fluid channel 110 includes an inlet 120 and an outlet 130 connected to the outside of the internal space, wherein at least a portion of the fluid channel 110 is arranged adjacent to an anode circulation pump 30, and at least another portion of the fluid channel 110 is arranged adjacent to a discharge valve 40.
[0053] That is, the hydrogen supply module 10 according to the present invention includes the heat transfer system 100 according to the present invention, and in addition, it also includes other components of the hydrogen supply module known in the art, such as a shell, an anode circulation pump and a discharge valve.
[0054] The heat transfer system 100 may be attached to the housing 20 of the hydrogen supply module 10 as an independent system, or at least a portion of the heat transfer system 100 may constitute a portion of the housing 20 of the hydrogen supply module 10. For example, as described above, the peripheral wall 111 of the fluid channel 110 of the heat transfer system 100 may be attached to the housing 20 of the hydrogen supply module 10, or at least a portion of the peripheral wall 111 may constitute a portion of the housing 20.
[0055] By using the heat transfer system for the hydrogen supply module of the fuel cell and the hydrogen supply module of the utility model, the effect of avoiding the potential cold start of the hydrogen supply module, especially the anode circulation pump and the discharge valve is achieved. Among them, the heat transfer system utilizes the waste heat generated by the cooling system of the fuel cell without the need to introduce a special heat transfer fluid, and the heat transfer system can be made of the same material as the hydrogen supply module and can effectively utilize the extra space inside the housing of the hydrogen supply module, thereby saving cost and space.
[0056] The heat transfer system of the hydrogen supply module for a fuel cell according to the utility model and a feasible but non-limiting implementation of the hydrogen supply module are described in detail above with the aid of the accompanying drawings. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the scope and essence of the present disclosure as set forth in the following claims, modifications and supplements to the technology and structure and the re-combination of the features in each embodiment should obviously be considered to be included in the scope of the present utility model. Therefore, these modifications and supplements that can be conceived under the teachings of the present utility model should be considered as part of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims attached below, and includes equivalent technologies known at the filing date of the present disclosure and equivalent technologies that have not yet been foreseen.
Claims
1. A heat transfer system (100) for a hydrogen supply module (10) for a fuel cell, the hydrogen supply module (10) comprising a housing (20) and an anode circulation pump (30) and a discharge valve (40) attached to the housing (20) and partially accommodated in an internal space enclosed by the housing (20), It is characterized in that The heat transfer system (100) includes a fluid channel (110) accommodated in the internal space for conveying a heat transfer fluid, and the fluid channel (110) includes an inlet (120) and an outlet (130) connected to the outside of the internal space, wherein at least a portion of the fluid channel (110) is arranged adjacent to the anode circulation pump (30), and at least another portion of the fluid channel (110) is arranged adjacent to the discharge valve (40).
2. The heat transfer system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inlet (120) is configured to communicate with an output end of a coolant of a cooling system for cooling the fuel cell stack.
3. The heat transfer system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outlet (130) is configured to communicate with an input end of a coolant of a cooling system for cooling the fuel cell stack.
4. The heat transfer system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The fluid channel (110) is configured as a meandering channel that bends multiple times between opposite sides of the housing (20).
5. The heat transfer system (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that: The fluid channel (110) is configured to include a peripheral wall (111) contained in the internal space and a plurality of guide plates extending from the peripheral wall (111), wherein the plurality of guide plates are configured to guide the heat transfer fluid to flow in a unidirectional manner from the inlet (120) to the outlet (130) in the fluid channel (110).
6. The heat transfer system (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that: The peripheral wall (111) is attached to the housing (20), or at least a portion of the peripheral wall (111) constitutes a portion of the housing (20).
7. The heat transfer system (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that: The cross-sectional area of the fluid channel (110) near the inlet (120) and near the outlet (130) is larger than the cross-sectional area at other positions of the fluid channel (110).
8. The heat transfer system (100) according to claim 7, characterized in that: The guide plate closest to the inlet (120) and the guide plate closest to the outlet (130) among the plurality of guide plates respectively have a zigzag or curved cross-sectional shape.
9. A hydrogen supply module (10) for a fuel cell, characterized in that: The hydrogen supply module (10) comprises: Housing (20); an anode circulation pump (30) and a drain valve (40) attached to the housing (20) and partially accommodated in an internal space bounded by the housing (20); and The heat transfer system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
10. The hydrogen supply module (10) according to claim 9, characterized in that: The heat transfer system (100) is attached to the housing (20), or at least a portion of the heat transfer system (100) constitutes a portion of the housing (20).