Gas-water separator for producing hydrogen by electrolyzing water

Abstract

The utility model provides a gas-water separator for hydrogen production by water electrolysis, belongs to the technical field of hydrogen production by water electrolysis, and solves the problems of limited gas-liquid separation effect or too complicated structure in the prior art. The device comprises a gas-water separator shell, wherein a coarse filter element, a fine filter element, an upper liquid storage cavity, a lower liquid storage cavity, a high-pressure cavity, a low-pressure cavity and a drainage tube are arranged in the shell. The upper liquid storage cavity surrounds and clings to the side wall of the coarse filter element to form a cover body structure, and the cover body structure is clamped in the middle of the gas-water separator, so that the interior of a shell of the gas-water separator is separated into a low-pressure cavity and a high-pressure cavity which are isolated from each other up and down. And a fine filter element is arranged above the coarse filter element in the low-pressure cavity. The upper portion of the high-pressure cavity is communicated with an inlet of the gas-water separator, and the lower portion of the high-pressure cavity serves as a lower liquid storage cavity to be communicated with a liquid outlet of the gas-water separator. And the upper liquid storage cavity is communicated with the lower liquid storage cavity through a drainage tube. The device forms a liquid seal structure through the drainage tube, so that gas leakage of the upper and lower cavities is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of hydrogen production by electrolysis of water, in particular to a gas-water separator used for hydrogen production by electrolysis of water. Background Art

[0002] In the water electrolysis hydrogen production system, the electrolyzer generates oxygen on the anode side and hydrogen on the cathode side. The generated gases are collected and utilized after being purified. The oxygen and hydrogen coming out of the electrolyzer will contain a large number of droplets, and a gas-water separator is needed to remove most of the droplets before entering the subsequent purification system.

[0003] The gas-water separator disclosed in Chinese patent CN113745582B is provided with a primary water-dividing plate, a primary water-dividing plate, and a water-retaining plate to achieve the water-dividing effect. The gas-water separator disclosed in Chinese patent CN207734782U is provided with a rotating block inside the main body, and the extrusion plate is squeezed during the rotation of the rotating block, so that the water inside the adsorption plate flows into the liquid collecting tank to achieve the water-dividing effect. The gas-water separator disclosed in Chinese patent CN213160148U is provided with a filtering separation tank, a guide plate, and a cyclone separation spiral blade, so that the water content of the gas falls into the lower part of the filtering separation tank body, and flows into the tempered glass gas-water separator to achieve the purpose of water-gas separation. By providing a filter screen plate, a composite fiber cotton filter element, and an impurity filter element, other impurities in the gas are adsorbed, the use function is increased, and the purity of the air is improved.

[0004] The above-mentioned gas-water separators or gas-liquid separation effects are limited, or the structures are too complicated and the volumes are large. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of the above analysis, the embodiment of the utility model aims to provide a gas-water separator for producing hydrogen by electrolyzing water, so as to solve the problems of the prior art or the limited gas-liquid separation effect or the overly complex structure.

[0006] On the one hand, the embodiment of the utility model provides a gas-water separator for producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water, comprising a gas-water separator housing with a hollow structure, an inlet being provided on one side of the housing, an air outlet being provided on the top of the housing, a liquid discharge port being provided on the bottom of the housing, and a coarse filter element, a fine filter element, an upper liquid storage chamber, a lower liquid storage chamber, a high-pressure chamber, a low-pressure chamber, and a drainage pipe being provided inside the housing; wherein,

[0007] The upper liquid storage chamber surrounds and is closely attached to the side wall of the coarse filter element to form a cover structure, and the cover structure is clamped in the middle of the gas-water separator, so that the inside of the gas-water separator shell is separated into two parts, a low-pressure chamber and a high-pressure chamber, which are isolated from each other.

[0008] A fine filter element is arranged above the coarse filter element in the low-pressure chamber;

[0009] The upper part of the high-pressure chamber is connected to the inlet as an air chamber, and the lower part is connected to the discharge port as a lower liquid storage chamber; the upper liquid storage chamber and the lower liquid storage chamber are connected through a drainage tube.

[0010] The beneficial effects of the above scheme are: providing a gas-water separator for hydrogen production by electrolysis of water, simplifying the layout of the water separation system, rationally arranging the coarse filter element, fine filter element, upper liquid storage chamber, and lower liquid storage chamber, and canceling the drainage system of the upper liquid storage chamber, and avoiding the leakage of gas between the upper and lower chambers through the liquid seal structure. The rational arrangement of the coarse filter element and the fine filter element effectively reduces the height of the water separator. The user experience is good, and the development risk and cost are reduced.

[0011] Based on the further improvement of the above device, a liquid storage cup is further provided inside the gas-water separator housing; and

[0012] The liquid storage cup is arranged above the liquid discharge port in the lower liquid storage cavity, and one end of the drainage tube extends into the interior of the liquid storage cup.

[0013] Furthermore, the upper liquid storage chamber includes a convex base and a sealing member; wherein,

[0014] The protrusion diameter of the convex base is smaller than the inner diameter of the gas-water separator housing, and its outer periphery forms a sealed connection with the inner wall of the gas-water separator housing through a seal. A coarse filter element is installed inside the protrusion, and an air vent is opened on the top of the protrusion; a fine filter element is installed at the air vent and is isolated from the air outlet through the fine filter element.

[0015] Furthermore, a drainage tube is provided at the bottom of the upper liquid storage chamber, and is communicated with the bottom of the lower liquid storage chamber through the drainage tube.

[0016] Furthermore, the inner diameter of the inlet is smaller than the inner diameter of the outlet.

[0017] Furthermore, the ventilation holes are provided in plurality and arranged at equal distances, and each ventilation hole is a circular hole structure.

[0018] Furthermore, the gas-water separator shell is divided into an upper shell and a lower shell; wherein,

[0019] The convex base is arranged on the top of the lower shell, and the outer periphery of the bottom is sealedly connected with the inner wall of the lower shell through a seal, an upper liquid storage cavity is formed between the outer part of the convex part and the inner wall of the gas-water separator shell, and a horizontally arranged coarse filter element is installed inside the convex part;

[0020] The upper shell and the lower shell are sealed and fixedly connected.

[0021] Furthermore, the upper shell and the lower shell are fixedly connected by bolts.

[0022] Furthermore, the inner diameter of the inlet is smaller than the inner diameter of the drain port.

[0023] Furthermore, a discharge valve is installed at the discharge port.

[0024] The utility model summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form, which will be further described in the following detailed description. The utility model summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the utility model, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the utility model. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent through a more detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals generally represent the same components in the exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the structure of the gas-water separator used for electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen in Example 1 is shown;

[0027] Figure 2 A comparative design structure diagram of the gas-water separator of Example 1 is shown;

[0028] Figure 3 The schematic diagram of the structure of the gas-water separator used for producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water in Example 2 is shown.

[0029] Reference numerals

[0030] 1-inlet; 2-air outlet; 3-liquid discharge port; 4-low-pressure chamber; 5-coarse filter element; 6-upper liquid storage chamber; 7-lower liquid storage chamber; 8-high-pressure chamber; 9-fine filter element; 10-drainage tube; 11-liquid storage cup; 12-liquid water; 13-second drain pipe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although embodiments of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the present invention more thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

[0032] As used herein, the term "including" and its variations mean open inclusion, i.e., "including but not limited to". Unless otherwise stated, the term "or" means "and / or". The term "based on" means "based at least in part on". The terms "an example embodiment" and "an embodiment" mean "at least one example embodiment". The term "another embodiment" means "at least one further embodiment". The terms "first", "second", etc. refer to different objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below.

[0033] The gas-water separator described below is used to separate liquid water from the input gas. According to the separation efficiency requirement, only a small amount of liquid water is allowed to be contained in the exhaust gas.

[0034] Example 1

[0035] An embodiment of the utility model discloses a gas-water separator housing with a hollow structure, wherein one side of the housing is provided with an inlet 1, the top of the housing is provided with an air outlet 2, the bottom of the housing is provided with a liquid discharge port 3, and the interior of the housing is provided with a coarse filter element 5, a fine filter element 9, an upper liquid storage chamber 6, a lower liquid storage chamber 7, a high-pressure chamber 8, a low-pressure chamber 4, and a drainage pipe 10, such as Figure 1 shown.

[0036] Among them, the upper liquid storage chamber 6 surrounds and is close to the side wall of the coarse filter element 5 to form a cover structure, which is clamped in the middle of the gas-water separator, so that the interior of the gas-water separator shell is separated into two parts, a low-pressure chamber 4 and a high-pressure chamber 8, which are isolated from each other.

[0037] A fine filter element 9 is arranged above the coarse filter element 5 in the low-pressure chamber 4 .

[0038] The upper part of the high pressure chamber 8 is connected to the inlet 1 as an air chamber, and the lower part is connected to the drain port 3 as a lower liquid storage chamber 7. The upper liquid storage chamber 6 and the lower liquid storage chamber 7 are connected through a drainage pipe 10 (for achieving a liquid sealing effect of the upper and lower water chambers).

[0039] During implementation, the electrolyzer in the water electrolysis hydrogen production system generates oxygen on the anode side and hydrogen on the cathode side, and the generated gas is purified and collected for use. The gas coming out of the electrolyzer will contain a large number of droplets, and the gas needs to be separated from the water to remove most of the droplets before entering the subsequent purification system. The filtering part of the above-mentioned gas-water separator is composed of a coarse filter element 5 and a fine filter element 9. After the gas passes through the fine filter element 9, part of the water will be stored in the upper liquid storage chamber 6.

[0040] contrast Figure 2 The water separator structure shown in the figure is such that when the liquid in the upper liquid storage chamber 6 accumulates to a certain amount, it is discharged through the second drain pipe 13. When discharging the liquid water 12 in the upper liquid storage chamber 6, the liquid level of the upper liquid storage chamber 6 must be monitored, and the gas must not be discharged. Therefore, the drainage of the upper liquid storage chamber 6 requires precise control, and an effective liquid seal must be formed to discharge the water in the upper liquid storage chamber 6, but the gas is not discharged, resulting in a complex system structure and control. The water separator filter element needs to be arranged with a coarse filter element 5 in the height direction, and the liquid storage height of the upper liquid storage chamber 6 also needs to be arranged. This places high requirements on the height dimension of the water separator, resulting in the water separator not being able to be placed in a container or other occasions where the height dimension is restricted.

[0041] This embodiment uses the drainage tube 10 to achieve a liquid seal (water seal), draining the liquid in the upper liquid storage chamber 6 to the lower liquid storage chamber 7, while ensuring that the gas in the lower liquid storage chamber 7 does not enter the upper liquid storage chamber 6. This avoids the need for a separate drainage system to drain the liquid water 12 in the upper liquid storage chamber 6, and only needs to share a drainage system with the lower liquid storage chamber 7, greatly simplifying the complexity of the system. At the same time, the water distributor reasonably arranges the structural form of the coarse filter element 5, the fine filter element 9 and the upper liquid storage chamber 6, effectively reducing the height size.

[0042] Compared with the prior art, this embodiment provides a gas-water separator for producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water, simplifies the arrangement of the water separation system, reasonably arranges the coarse filter element 5, the fine filter element 9, the upper liquid storage chamber 6, and the lower liquid storage chamber 7, and cancels the drainage system of the upper liquid storage chamber 6, and avoids the leakage of gas between the upper and lower chambers through the liquid seal structure. The coarse filter element and the fine filter element are reasonably arranged, and the height of the water separator is effectively reduced. The user experience is good, and the development risk and cost are reduced.

[0043] Example 2

[0044] Based on the improvement of Example 1, a liquid storage cup 11 is further provided inside the gas-water separator housing. Figure 3 The liquid storage cup 11 is arranged above the liquid discharge port 3 in the lower liquid storage cavity 7 , and one end of the drainage tube 10 (also called the upper and lower water cavity liquid sealing tube, used to achieve the upper and lower water cavity liquid sealing effect) extends into the interior of the liquid storage cup 11 .

[0045] Preferably, the upper liquid storage chamber 6 includes a convex base and a seal. The convex diameter of the convex base is smaller than the inner diameter of the gas-water separator housing, and its outer periphery forms a sealing connection with the inner wall of the gas-water separator housing through the seal. A coarse filter element 5 is installed inside the convexity, and a vent hole is opened on the top of the convexity. A fine filter element 9 is installed at the vent hole, and is isolated from the gas outlet 2 by the fine filter element.

[0046] Preferably, a drainage tube 10 is provided at the bottom of the upper liquid storage chamber 6 , and is connected to the bottom of the lower liquid storage chamber 7 through the drainage tube 10 .

[0047] Preferably, the inner diameter of the inlet 1 is smaller than the inner diameters of the gas outlet 2 and the liquid discharge port 3 .

[0048] Preferably, a plurality of air holes are provided and arranged at equal distances, and each air hole is a circular hole structure.

[0049] Preferably, the gas-water separator housing is divided into an upper housing and a lower housing. The convex base is arranged on the top of the lower housing, and the outer periphery of the bottom is sealedly connected with the inner wall of the lower housing through a seal, and an upper liquid storage cavity 6 is formed between the outer part of the convex base and the inner wall of the gas-water separator housing, and a coarse filter element 5 arranged horizontally is installed inside the convex base. The upper housing and the lower housing are sealed and fixedly connected. In addition, the upper housing and the lower housing are fixedly connected by bolts.

[0050] Preferably, a discharge valve is installed at the drain port 3 to control the drainage.

[0051] Compared with the prior art, the gas-water separator for producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water provided in this embodiment has the following beneficial effects:

[0052] 1. The gas-water separator has a built-in convex base, and the convex diameter of the convex base is smaller than the inner diameter of the gas-water separator housing. This part of the volume is used as the upper liquid storage chamber 6. The coarse filter element 5 is installed inside the convex part of the convex base. After the gas-water mixture enters the gas-water separator through the inlet 1, most of the liquid drops flow into the lower liquid storage chamber 7 through the coarse filter element 5 and the fine filter element 9, and only a small part of the water passes through the fine filter element 9 and enters the upper liquid storage chamber 6. A drainage tube 10 is provided at the bottom of the upper liquid storage chamber 6, which goes deep into the bottom of the lower liquid storage chamber 7 and is inserted into the liquid storage cup 11, forming a liquid seal structure of the upper and lower liquid storage chambers.

[0053] 2. When the lower liquid storage chamber 7 is at a high liquid level, the entire liquid seal structure is immersed below the liquid level of the lower liquid storage chamber 7. The gas-water mixture entering through the inlet 1 is a high-pressure gas in the lower liquid storage chamber 7. After passing through the coarse filter element 5, a pressure drop will be formed. After the gas reaches the upper liquid storage chamber 6, it is a low-pressure gas. However, the pressure drop is relatively low, so the pressure difference between the upper and lower chambers is very small. The liquid in the upper liquid storage chamber 6 will offset the pressure difference between the upper and lower chambers due to gravity and flow into the lower liquid storage chamber 7. However, the liquid in the lower liquid storage chamber 7 has a very small pressure difference, which is not enough to overcome the height difference of the liquid and flow back into the upper liquid storage chamber 6, forming a liquid seal structure.

[0054] 3. When the lower liquid storage chamber 7 is at a low liquid level, although the liquid level is lower than the lowest point of the drainage tube 10, the lowest point of the drainage tube 10 is still soaked in liquid due to the presence of the liquid storage cup 11. The gas-water mixture entering through the inlet 1 is a high-pressure gas in the lower liquid storage chamber 7. After passing through the coarse filter element 5, a pressure drop will be formed. After the gas reaches the upper liquid storage chamber 6, it is a low-pressure gas. However, the pressure drop is relatively low, so the pressure difference between the upper and lower chambers is very small. The liquid in the upper liquid storage chamber 6 will offset the pressure difference between the upper and lower chambers due to gravity and flow into the lower liquid storage chamber 7. After the liquid in the upper liquid storage chamber 6 is drained, the height difference of the liquid in the liquid storage cup 11 and the drainage tube 10 will offset the gas pressure difference, forming a liquid seal to prevent the gas in the lower chamber from entering the upper chamber.

[0055] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, and the above description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and changes will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The selection of terms used herein is intended to best explain the principles of the embodiments, practical applications, or improvements to the prior art, or to enable other persons of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A gas-water separator for producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water, comprising a gas-water separator housing having a hollow structure, wherein one side of the housing is provided with an inlet (1), the top of the housing is provided with an air outlet (2), and the bottom of the housing is provided with a liquid discharge port (3), characterized in that: The housing is provided with a coarse filter element (5), a fine filter element (9), an upper liquid storage chamber (6), a lower liquid storage chamber (7), a high-pressure chamber (8), a low-pressure chamber (4), and a drainage tube (10); The upper liquid storage chamber (6) surrounds and is closely attached to the side wall of the coarse filter element (5) to form a cover structure, and the cover structure is snap-fitted to the middle of the gas-water separator, so that the interior of the gas-water separator housing is separated into two parts, a low-pressure chamber (4) and a high-pressure chamber (8), which are isolated from each other. A fine filter element (9) is arranged above the coarse filter element (5) in the low-pressure chamber (4); The upper part of the high-pressure chamber (8) serves as an air chamber connected to the inlet (1), and the lower part serves as a lower liquid storage chamber (7) connected to the liquid discharge port (3); the upper liquid storage chamber (6) and the lower liquid storage chamber (7) are connected via a drainage tube (10).

2. The gas-water separator for producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water according to claim 1, characterized in that: A liquid storage cup (11) is also provided inside the gas-water separator housing; and The liquid storage cup (11) is arranged above the liquid discharge port (3) in the lower liquid storage cavity (7), and one end of the drainage tube (10) extends into the interior of the liquid storage cup (11).

3. The gas-water separator for producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The upper liquid storage chamber (6) comprises a convex base and a sealing member; wherein: The diameter of the protrusion of the convex base is smaller than the inner diameter of the gas-water separator housing, and its outer periphery forms a sealing connection with the inner wall of the gas-water separator housing through a sealing member. A coarse filter element (5) is installed inside the protrusion, and an air vent is opened at the top of the protrusion; a fine filter element (9) is installed at the air vent and is isolated from the air outlet (2) by the fine filter element.

4. The gas-water separator for producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water according to claim 3, characterized in that: A drainage tube (10) is provided at the bottom of the upper liquid storage chamber (6), and is communicated with the bottom of the lower liquid storage chamber (7) through the drainage tube (10).

5. The gas-water separator for producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water according to claim 4, characterized in that: The inner diameter of the inlet (1) is smaller than the inner diameter of the outlet (2).

6. The gas-water separator for producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water according to claim 5, characterized in that: The ventilation holes are provided in plurality and arranged at equal distances, and each ventilation hole is a circular hole structure.

7. The gas-water separator for producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water according to claim 6, characterized in that: The gas-water separator shell is divided into two parts: an upper shell and a lower shell; wherein, The convex base is arranged on the top of the lower shell, and the outer periphery of the bottom is sealedly connected with the inner wall of the lower shell through a sealing member, an upper liquid storage chamber (6) is formed between the outer part of the convex part and the inner wall of the gas-water separator shell, and a coarse filter element (5) arranged horizontally is installed inside the convex part; The upper shell and the lower shell are sealed and fixedly connected.

8. The gas-water separator for producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water according to claim 7, characterized in that: The upper shell and the lower shell are fixedly connected by bolts.

9. The gas-water separator for producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water according to claim 8, characterized in that: The inner diameter of the inlet (1) is smaller than the inner diameter of the liquid discharge port (3).

10. The gas-water separator for producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water according to any one of claims 4 to 9, characterized in that: A discharge valve is installed at the liquid discharge port (3).

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