Water-cooled gas-water separator and fuel cell assembly with same

By setting up a cooling mechanism of water-cooled plate and a serpentine water-cooled pipeline in the gas-water separator, the gas temperature is reduced, and the problem of insufficient water separation efficiency of existing gas-water separators is solved, achieving a more efficient gas-water separation effect.

CN222883557UActive Publication Date: 2025-05-16ANHUI RUIHE POWER TECH CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202421599825.5
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Utility models(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-07-08
Publication Date
2025-05-16
Estimated Expiration
2034-07-08

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing gas-water separators cannot effectively reduce the gas temperature, resulting in insufficient water separation efficiency.

Method used

A water-cooled air-water separator is designed with a built-in cooling mechanism, including a water-cooled plate and a snake-shaped water-cooled pipeline, which cools the gas through the cooling liquid, reduces the gas temperature and improves the water separation efficiency.

Benefits of technology

By reducing the gas temperature, the condensation of gaseous water and the separation efficiency of liquid water are increased, and the overall water separation efficiency of the gas-water separator is improved.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of fuel cells, in particular to a water-cooled gas-water separator and a fuel cell assembly with the water-cooled gas-water separator, which comprise a separator shell, and a cooling mechanism is arranged in the separator shell; a gas inlet, a gas outlet and a water outlet are formed in the separator shell; the cooling mechanism comprises a water cooling plate, and the water cooling plate is provided with a water cooling pipeline, a water cooling inlet and a water cooling outlet; the water cooling inlet is connected with the water cooling outlet through a water cooling pipeline; according to the gas-water separator, the cooling mechanism is arranged in the gas-water separator, cooling liquid is introduced into the cooling mechanism, during subsequent use, gas enters the chamber of the gas-water separator through the gas inlet and impacts the water-cooling plate, and a part of liquid drop particles are adhered to the surface of the water-cooling plate to form a liquid film, so that liquid water is isolated.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of fuel cells, in particular to a water-cooled gas-water separator and a fuel cell assembly having the gas-water separator. Background Art

[0002] Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is one of the most promising and popular fuel cell technologies. It has many advantages such as no pollution, high energy conversion rate, short charging time, low operating temperature and low noise. It is widely used in many fields such as vehicles and cogeneration.

[0003] Hydrothermal management of fuel cells has always been a key concern in this field. During operation, it is particularly necessary to control the humidity and amount of liquid water at the anode inlet to ensure reasonable humidification inside the fuel cell while reducing the risk of flooding.

[0004] The existing gas-water separator realizes gas-water separation directly through fluid action. In the labyrinth structure of a gas-water separator for a fuel cell disclosed in patent CN113745582B, the separation efficiency is increased by using a labyrinth structure.

[0005] However, since gas humidity is closely related to temperature control, in order to improve water separation efficiency, lower gas temperature is required, so controlling the gas temperature is crucial.

[0006] In order to improve or solve at least one of the above problems, it is necessary to optimize the design of the existing gas-water separator. Utility Model Content

[0007] The utility model aims to provide a gas-water separator which can reduce the gas temperature and realize gas-water separation.

[0008] In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical solution adopted by the utility model is:

[0009] A water-cooled gas-water separator comprises a separator shell, in which a cooling mechanism is arranged; the separator shell is provided with a gas inlet, a gas outlet and a water outlet;

[0010] The cooling mechanism comprises a water cooling plate, on which a water cooling pipeline, a water cooling inlet and a water cooling outlet are arranged; the water cooling inlet is connected to the water cooling outlet through the water cooling pipeline.

[0011] One end of the water cooling plate is connected to the separator housing, and the other end is freely extended inside the separator housing. The free end of the water cooling plate is spaced apart from the inner wall of the separator housing.

[0012] The water cooling pipeline is a serpentine pipeline.

[0013] The water cooling pipeline is embedded in the water cooling plate.

[0014] The gas inlet and the gas outlet are distributed on opposite sides of the separator shell, and the gas inlet and the gas outlet are staggered.

[0015] The gas inlet is arranged away from the free end of the water-cooling plate, and the gas outlet is arranged close to the free end of the water-cooling plate; the drain outlet is distributed in the separator housing close to the free end of the water-cooling plate.

[0016] The water cooling plate is plugged into the end of the separator shell; the water cooling plate is arranged protruding from the separator shell.

[0017] A fuel cell assembly comprises an air intake end plate, wherein the air intake end plate is connected to a water-cooled air-water separator.

[0018] The advantages of the utility model are:

[0019] The utility model discloses a water-cooled gas-water separator and a fuel cell assembly with the gas-water separator.

[0020] The utility model arranges a cooling mechanism in the gas-water separator, coolant is introduced into the cooling mechanism, and in subsequent use, gas enters the gas-water separator chamber through the gas inlet and hits the water cooling plate, and a part of the droplet particles adhere to the surface of the water cooling plate to form a liquid film, thereby isolating the liquid water.

[0021] At the same time, by supplying cooling water in the water-cooling pipeline, the temperature of the gas that hits and passes through the water-cooling plate is reduced, so that a part of the gaseous water condenses into droplets, and the droplets adhering to the wall will increase, thereby increasing the water separation efficiency; the temperature of the water vapor in the gas is reduced through heat exchange, thereby causing condensation, and the condensed water droplets collide with the wall to form liquid water that flows out from the drain port, thereby improving the water separation efficiency of the gas-water separator. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The following is a brief description of the contents expressed in each of the drawings of the utility model specification and the marks in the drawings:

[0023] Figure 1 It is an axonometric drawing of the present utility model.

[0024] Figure 2 It is the front view of the utility model.

[0025] The marks in the above figure are:

[0026] 1. Gas-water separator shell, 11. Gas inlet, 12. Gas outlet, 3. Drain outlet, 2. Water cooling plate, 21. Water cooling pipeline, 22. Water cooling inlet, 23. Water cooling outlet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The specific implementation methods of the present utility model will be further explained in detail below by describing the optimal embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] A water-cooled gas-water separator comprises a separator shell 1, in which a cooling mechanism is arranged; the separator shell 1 is provided with a gas inlet 11, a gas outlet 12 and a drain outlet 13; the cooling mechanism comprises a water-cooling plate 2, on which a water-cooling pipeline 21, a water-cooling inlet 22 and a water-cooling outlet 23 are provided; the water-cooling inlet 22 is connected with the water-cooling outlet 23 via the water-cooling pipeline 21; the utility model arranges a cooling mechanism in the gas-water separator, and coolant is introduced into the cooling mechanism. During subsequent use, gas enters the gas-water separator chamber through the gas inlet 11 and hits the water-cooling plate 2, and a part of the droplet particles adhere to the surface of the water-cooling plate 2 to form a liquid film, thereby isolating the liquid water.

[0029] At the same time, by supplying cooling water into the water-cooling pipe 21, the temperature of the gas that hits and passes over the water-cooling plate 2 is reduced, so that a part of the gaseous water condenses into droplets, so that the droplets adhering to the wall surface will increase, thereby increasing the water separation efficiency; the temperature of the water vapor in the gas is reduced through heat exchange, thereby initiating condensation, and the condensed water droplets collide with the wall surface to form liquid water that flows out from the drain port 13, thereby improving the water separation efficiency of the gas-water separator.

[0030] Specifically, the utility model discloses a water-cooled gas-water separator, which mainly includes a separator shell 1. The separator shell 1 is the main structure of the gas-water separator, and in the utility model, a cooling mechanism is arranged in the separator shell 1; one function of the cooling mechanism is to play a good gas-water separation role; the gas and water are separated by the wall impact effect of the gas-water separator; the discharged water is discharged from the drain port 13 below the gas-water separator.

[0031] At the same time, in the utility model, the separator shell 1 is provided with a gas inlet 11, a gas outlet 12 and a drain port 13; the gas inlet 11 is used for the gas to be treated to enter the gas-water separator, and the gas outlet 12 is used for the discharge operation of the treated gas, and the drain port 13 is used to discharge the condensed and separated water from the gas-water separator to the outside of the gas-water separator.

[0032] In the utility model, the cooling mechanism includes a water-cooling plate 2, on which a water-cooling pipeline 21, a water-cooling inlet 22 and a water-cooling outlet 23 are provided; the water-cooling inlet 22 is connected to the water-cooling outlet 23 through the water-cooling pipeline 21; the water-cooling inlet 22 is used to supply coolant to the water-cooling pipeline 21, and the cooling outlet is used to discharge the coolant of the water-cooling pipeline 21, and the water-cooling pipeline 21 is an internal pipeline, which is convenient for the cooling operation of the gas during subsequent use.

[0033] Furthermore, in the utility model, one end of the water-cooled plate 2 is connected to the separator shell 1, and the other end is freely extended inside the separator shell 1, and the free end of the water-cooled plate 2 is spaced apart from the inner wall of the separator shell 1; based on such a setting, the water-cooled plate 2 of the utility model plays a good isolation role, which is convenient for blocking the gas, and thus realizes the separation of gas and water by impacting the wall; in addition, in the utility model, the free end of the water-cooled plate 2 is spaced apart from the inner wall of the separator shell 1, so that a gap is formed between the free end of the water-cooled plate 2 and the inner wall of the separator shell 1, which is convenient for the discharge operation of the gas after impacting the wall.

[0034] Furthermore, in the present invention, the water cooling pipeline 21 is a serpentine pipeline; based on such a configuration, the present invention increases the arrangement area of ​​the water cooling pipeline 21 in the water cooling plate 2, which greatly ensures the subsequent cooling operation of the gas.

[0035] Furthermore, the water-cooling pipeline 21 described in the utility model is embedded in the water-cooling plate 2; in the utility model, the water-cooling pipeline 21 can be a copper tube structure or other metal pipeline structure. During installation and arrangement, it is convenient to place and arrange the water-cooling pipeline 21 in the water-cooling plate 2. Of course, it is also possible not to set up an external pipeline, and a pipeline structure can be directly set up inside the water-cooling plate 2, as long as the flow of coolant on the water-cooling plate 2 can be achieved; based on this, it can be known that when the water-cooling pipeline 21 uses a copper tube structure, the water-cooling pipeline 21 can be arranged on the surface of the water-cooling plate 2; it can also be arranged inside the water-cooling plate 2; it can be specifically arranged according to needs.

[0036] Furthermore, in the utility model, the gas inlet 11 and the gas outlet 12 are distributed on opposite sides of the separator shell 1, and the gas inlet 11 and the gas outlet 12 are staggered; based on such a setting, the flow path of gas and water in the gas-water separator can be increased, and the gas-water separation effect can be optimized. Specifically, in the utility model, the gas inlet 11 is arranged away from the free end of the water-cooled plate 2, and the gas outlet 12 is arranged close to the free end of the water-cooled plate 2; the drain port 13 is distributed in the separator shell 1 close to the free end of the water-cooled plate 2; generally, the gas inlet 11 is distributed at the corners on one side of the separator shell 1, and the gas inlet 11 is distributed at the corners on the other side of the separation shell, so as to maximize the distance between the gas inlet 11 and the gas outlet 12; at the same time, the drain port 13 is at the bottom of the separator shell 1, which is convenient for the discharge of water after condensation.

[0037] Furthermore, in the utility model, the water cooling plate 2 is inserted into the end of the separator shell 1; the water cooling plate 2 is arranged to protrude from the separator shell 1; based on such an arrangement, the water cooling plate 2 is arranged to protrude, and such an arrangement facilitates the arrangement of the water cooling inlet 22 and the water cooling outlet 23 during subsequent use, and facilitates the connection between the outside of the separator shell 1 and the water cooling pipeline 21; it also facilitates the installation arrangement of the water cooling inlet 22 and the water cooling outlet 23.

[0038] A fuel cell assembly comprises an air intake end plate, wherein the air intake end plate is connected to a water-cooled air-water separator.

[0039] specific:

[0040] The gas-water separator disclosed by the utility model solves the problem of insufficient water separation efficiency caused by the inability to reduce temperature in traditional gas-water separators.

[0041] The gas-water separator disclosed in the utility model mainly comprises a gas-water separator shell 1, on which a water cooling plate 2 is arranged, on which a water cooling inlet 22, a water cooling outlet 23 and a water cooling pipeline 21 are arranged; and on the gas-water separator shell 1, a gas inlet 11, a drain port 13 and a gas outlet 12 are arranged.

[0042] Among them, the water cooling inlet 22 and the water cooling outlet 23 are connected through the water cooling pipeline 21 to play a cooling role; the internal cavity of the gas separator shell 1 is connected to the gas inlet 11, the gas outlet 12 and the drain outlet 13, and the gas to be separated enters the internal cavity of the gas separator shell 1 from the gas inlet 11, flows through the water cooling plate 2 and flows out from the gas outlet 12.

[0043] The gas enters the internal chamber of the gas separator shell 1 through the gas inlet 11 and hits the water-cooled plate 2. A portion of the liquid droplets adhere to the surface of the water-cooled plate 2 to form a liquid film, thereby isolating the liquid water. Due to the addition of the water-cooling pipeline 21, the temperature of the mixed gas that hits and passes through the water-cooled plate 2 is reduced, so that a portion of the gaseous water condenses into liquid droplets, so that the droplets adhering to the wall will increase, thereby increasing the water separation efficiency.

[0044] The gaseous water condenses into liquid droplets, which adhere to the wall surface. As the thickness of the liquid film increases, the liquid droplets flow down the wall surface under the action of gravity and flow out from the drain port 13.

[0045] Obviously, the specific implementation of the present invention is not limited by the above-mentioned methods. As long as various non-substantial improvements are made using the method concept and technical solution of the present invention, they are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A water-cooled gas-water separator, characterized in that: It comprises a separator shell, in which a cooling mechanism is arranged; the separator shell is provided with a gas inlet, a gas outlet and a drain port; The cooling mechanism comprises a water cooling plate, on which a water cooling pipeline, a water cooling inlet and a water cooling outlet are arranged; the water cooling inlet is connected to the water cooling outlet through the water cooling pipeline.

2. A water-cooled gas-water separator according to claim 1, characterized in that: One end of the water cooling plate is connected to the separator housing, and the other end is freely extended inside the separator housing. The free end of the water cooling plate is spaced apart from the inner wall of the separator housing.

3. A water-cooled gas-water separator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water cooling pipeline is a serpentine pipeline.

4. A water-cooled gas-water separator according to claim 3, characterized in that: The water cooling pipeline is embedded in the water cooling plate.

5. A water-cooled gas-water separator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The gas inlet and the gas outlet are distributed on opposite sides of the separator shell, and the gas inlet and the gas outlet are staggered.

6. A water-cooled gas-water separator according to claim 5, characterized in that: The gas inlet is arranged away from the free end of the water-cooling plate, and the gas outlet is arranged close to the free end of the water-cooling plate; the drain outlet is distributed in the separator housing close to the free end of the water-cooling plate.

7. A water-cooled gas-water separator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The water cooling plate is plugged into the end of the separator shell; the water cooling plate is arranged protruding from the separator shell.

8. A fuel cell assembly, characterized in that: It comprises an air intake end plate, to which the air intake end plate is connected a water-cooled air-water separator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.