Fuel cell low flow resistance humidifier

Abstract

The utility model discloses a low flow resistance humidifier for a fuel cell, which relates to the field of hydrogen fuel cells and comprises an outer shell, a membrane tube component and an epoxy resin adhesive layer, and the membrane tube component comprises a membrane tube component shell and a hollow fiber tube membrane. According to the utility model, the actual outer shell inner cavity outline comprises but is not limited to a square or a hexagon, the membrane tube assembly shell adopts a special-shaped cross section, and is designed according to the actual outer shell inner cavity outline, the space between the outer shell and the membrane tube assembly is fully utilized, the distance between the outer shell inner cavity outline and the side edge of the membrane tube assembly is reduced, and the same or higher membrane tube filling rate is adopted; according to the scheme of the special-shaped section, a larger humid air circulation area is shown, the humid air side flow resistance is reduced, and the performance of the humidifier is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of hydrogen fuel cells, in particular to a low flow resistance humidifier for a fuel cell. Background Art

[0002] A hydrogen fuel cell system is a power generation device that converts the chemical energy of hydrogen directly into electrical energy. Unlike traditional internal combustion engines, hydrogen fuel cells produce water as a reaction product, making them environmentally friendly and pollution-free, contributing to the country's goal of a low-carbon economy. The proton exchange membrane in a hydrogen fuel cell requires certain humidity conditions to efficiently transmit protons and maintain high efficiency. Therefore, maintaining a certain humidity level at the cathode and anode of a hydrogen fuel cell is essential. Anode humidification is typically achieved by recycling water that permeates from the cathode to the anode through a circulation system. Cathode humidification can be achieved through either self-humidification or external humidification, with external humidification typically using a humidifier.

[0003] The most widely used humidifier is the hollow fiber membrane humidifier. Dry air enters the hollow fiber tube, while moist air is located outside the membrane. Due to the difference in moisture vapor concentration between the inside and outside of the membrane, the moisture vapor diffuses from the moist air side to the dry air side, thereby humidifying the dry air.

[0004] The existing humidifier is mainly composed of an outer shell, a membrane tube assembly, an epoxy resin layer, etc. The membrane tube assembly is composed of a membrane tube assembly shell and a hollow fiber tube membrane. There are the following problems:

[0005] 1. The membrane tube assembly is installed within the outer shell, using a long, waist-shaped cross-section with a uniform cross-section. This type of membrane tube assembly, installed within the outer shell, results in low space utilization. Furthermore, to ensure effective humidification of the dry-side air, the membrane tube assembly must be filled with a greater than specified number of hollow fiber membranes, resulting in greater flow assistance for wet-side air entering the membrane tube assembly.

[0006] 2. In order to ensure that the air on the wet side can have more contact with the outer wall of the hollow fiber tube, most of the membrane tube assemblies inside the humidifier have square windows near the end, with air inlet at one end and air outlet at the other end. After the air flow enters through the window, part of the air flow flows through the gap between the membrane tubes, and part of the air flow flows through the gap between the membrane tubes and the shell of the membrane tube assembly. When flowing through the gap between the membrane tubes and the shell of the membrane tube assembly, the air flow entering the window passes through a large flow area through a right-angle bend and enters a small flow area. The gas flow rate changes dramatically, the flow resistance has a sudden change, and the local flow field is turbulent, which in turn affects the overall wet flow resistance of the humidifier. In addition, the air flow flows from the gap between the membrane tube and the shell of the membrane tube assembly to the outlet window. The air flow velocity in the gap is high, impacting the right-angle edge of the window, causing the wet side flow resistance of the humidifier to further increase.

[0007] Therefore, it is necessary to propose a fuel cell low flow resistance humidifier to solve the above problems. Utility Model Content

[0008] The purpose of the present utility model is to provide a low flow resistance humidifier for a fuel cell to solve the problems raised in the above background technology.

[0009] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: a fuel cell low flow resistance humidifier, comprising an outer shell, a membrane tube assembly and an epoxy resin adhesive layer, the membrane tube assembly comprising a membrane tube assembly shell and a hollow fiber tube membrane, the membrane tube assembly being arranged inside the outer shell, the upper end of the outer shell having a humid air inlet, and the lower end of the outer shell having a humid air outlet, the membrane tube assembly shell and the hollow fiber tube membrane being provided in plurality, the membrane tube assembly shell being wrapped around the outside of the plurality of hollow fiber tube membranes, one end surface of the membrane tube assembly shell being provided with a membrane tube assembly shell inlet window penetrating the inner and outer surfaces thereof, the other end surface of the membrane tube assembly shell being provided with a membrane tube assembly outlet window penetrating the inner and outer surfaces thereof, a partition being fixedly arranged inside the membrane tube assembly shell, the partition being separated between the membrane tube assembly shell inlet window and the membrane tube assembly outlet window, a hollow fiber tube membrane inner cavity being formed inside the hollow fiber tube membrane, a membrane tube and membrane tube assembly shell gap being formed between the inner wall of the membrane tube assembly shell and the outer wall of the hollow fiber tube membrane, and membrane tube and membrane tube gaps being formed between the plurality of hollow fiber tube membranes.

[0010] Preferably, an epoxy resin adhesive layer is used to seal the end of the membrane tube assembly and the outer shell, and the epoxy resin adhesive layer is fixed to the outside of the hollow fiber tube membrane.

[0011] Preferably, the outer shell forms an outer shell cavity outline, and the outer shell cavity outline includes but is not limited to a square and a hexagon.

[0012] Preferably, the membrane tube assembly adopts a special-shaped cross-section, and the distance between the side of the special-shaped cross-section that fits the inner wall of the inner cavity contour of the outer shell and the inner wall of the inner cavity contour of the outer shell is the same.

[0013] Preferably, the membrane tube assembly shell inlet window and the membrane tube assembly outlet window are each provided with multiple, and the end membrane tube assembly shell inlet window and the membrane tube assembly outlet window that are close to each other are respectively provided with an inlet window guide structure and an outlet window guide structure, and the inlet window guide structure and the outlet window guide structure are both provided with an oblique angle.

[0014] Preferably, the guide angle of the inlet window guide structure is α, 150°≤α≤175°, and the guide angle of the outlet window guide structure is β, 135°≤β≤175°.

[0015] The technical effects and advantages of this utility model are:

[0016] 1. The actual outer shell cavity profile in the present invention includes, but is not limited to, square and hexagonal shapes. The membrane tube assembly shell adopts a special-shaped cross-section. The design is based on the actual outer shell cavity profile, fully utilizing the space between the outer shell and the membrane tube assembly, reducing the distance between the outer shell cavity profile and the side of the membrane tube assembly, and using the same or higher membrane tube filling rate. The special-shaped cross-section solution of the present invention has a larger wet air circulation area, reduces the wet air side flow resistance, and improves the humidifier performance.

[0017] 2. The membrane tube assembly housing inlet window of this utility model has an angled flow guide structure, which smoothly changes the airflow velocity and reduces the flow resistance of the wet air side inlet window. The membrane tube assembly housing outlet window has an angled flow guide structure, which reduces the airflow velocity to the outlet window, reducing the impact on the outlet window and reducing the pressure loss at the wet air side outlet window. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of the low flow resistance humidifier for fuel cells of the utility model.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the membrane tube assembly of the utility model.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the outline structure of the inner cavity of a conventional shell in the prior art.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the inner cavity outline structure of the shell of the utility model.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the membrane tube assembly of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the shell structure of the membrane tube assembly of the utility model.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the inlet window structure of the membrane tube assembly shell of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of the low flow resistance humidifier for fuel cell of the utility model.

[0026] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the position structure of the inlet window guide structure and the outlet window guide structure on the shell of the membrane tube assembly of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the window inlet guide structure of the utility model.

[0028] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the window guide structure of the utility model.

[0029] Figure 12This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the outer shell of the utility model.

[0030] In the figure: 1. Outer shell; 1.1. Middle part of outer shell; 1.2. Air inlet end cover of outer shell; 1.3. Air outlet end cover of outer shell; 1.1.1. Wet air inlet; 1.1.2. Wet air outlet; 2. Membrane tube assembly; 2.1. Membrane tube assembly shell; 2.1.1. Membrane tube assembly shell inlet window; 2.1.2. Membrane tube assembly outlet window; 2.1.3. Inlet window guide structure; 2.1.4. Outlet window guide structure; 2.2. Hollow fiber tube membrane; 3. Epoxy resin adhesive layer; 4. Partition; 5. Gap between membrane tube and membrane tube assembly shell; 6. Gap between membrane tubes; 7. Inner cavity of hollow fiber tube membrane; 8. Outer shell cavity outline; 9. Waist-shaped section; 10. Special-shaped section. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] The utility model provides Figures 1-12 A fuel cell low-resistance humidifier shown includes an outer shell 1, a membrane tube assembly 2 and an epoxy resin adhesive layer 3. The membrane tube assembly 2 includes a membrane tube assembly shell 2.1 and a hollow fiber tube membrane 2.2. The membrane tube assembly 2 is arranged inside the outer shell 1. The upper end of the outer shell 1 has a wet air inlet, and the lower end of the outer shell 1 has a wet air outlet 1.1.2. There are multiple membrane tube assembly shells 2.1 and hollow fiber tube membranes 2.2. The membrane tube assembly shell 2.1 is wrapped around the outside of the multiple hollow fiber tube membranes 2.2. The end of the membrane tube assembly 2 is sealed with an epoxy resin adhesive layer 3. The epoxy resin adhesive layer 3 is fixed to the outside of the hollow fiber tube membrane 2.2. The epoxy resin adhesive layer 3 adopts a process including but not limited to potting, and the outer shell 1 and the membrane tube assembly 2 are organically combined into a whole.

[0033] One end surface of the membrane tube assembly shell 2.1 is provided with a membrane tube assembly shell inlet window 2.1.1 that penetrates its inner and outer surfaces, and the other end surface of the membrane tube assembly shell 2.1 is provided with a membrane tube assembly outlet window 2.1.2 that penetrates its inner and outer surfaces, and the wet air flows directly from the multiple membrane tube assemblies 2 to the wet air outlet 1.1.2, the interior of the hollow fiber tube membrane 2.2 forms a hollow fiber tube membrane inner cavity 7, a membrane tube and membrane tube assembly shell gap 5 is formed between the inner wall of the membrane tube assembly shell 2.1 and the outer wall of the hollow fiber tube membrane 2.2, and a membrane tube and membrane tube gap 6 is formed between the multiple hollow fiber tube membranes 2.2; a partition 4 is fixedly provided inside the membrane tube assembly shell 2.1, and the partition 4 is isolated from the membrane tube assembly shell inlet window 2.1.1 Between the membrane tube assembly outlet window 2.1.2, the partition 4 prevents wet air from circulating without passing through the gap 5 between the membrane tube and the membrane tube assembly shell and the gap 6 between the membrane tube and the membrane tube. The wet air enters the membrane tube assembly shell inlet window 2.1.1 from the wet air inlet of the outer shell 1, passes through the gap 5 between the membrane tube and the membrane tube assembly shell and the gap 6 between the membrane tube and the membrane tube, and comes out from the membrane tube assembly outlet window 2.1.2, and then is discharged from the wet air outlet 1.1.2 on the outer shell 1; the dry air passes through the inner cavity 7 of the hollow fiber tube membrane and realizes heat and moisture exchange with the wet air outside the hollow fiber tube membrane 2.2; the inner and outer sides of the hollow fiber tube membrane 2.2 are separated by an epoxy resin layer 3 to prevent dry air from directly entering the wet air side, or wet air from directly entering the dry air side.

[0034] It should be noted that the dry air flows from one end of the hollow fiber tube membrane lumen 7 to the other end of the hollow fiber tube membrane lumen 7, and the moisture in the wet air diffuses to the hollow fiber tube membrane lumen 7 through the wall of the hollow fiber tube membrane 2.2 by mass transfer, thereby humidifying the air passing through the hollow fiber tube membrane lumen 7.

[0035] The outer shell 1 is composed of an outer shell air inlet end cover 1.2, an outer shell middle part 1.1, and an outer shell air outlet end cover 1.3.

[0036] The dry air enters through the air inlet cover 1.2 of the outer shell, passes through the inner cavity 7 of the hollow fiber tube membrane, and exits through the air outlet cover 1.3 of the outer shell.

[0037] Outer shell air inlet cover 1.2 and Figure 1 The inner cavities of the hollow fiber tube membranes 2.2 of the membrane tube assembly 2 are interconnected.

[0038] like Figure 8 As shown, in order to prevent dry air from entering the outside of the membrane tube assembly 2, the middle part 1.1 of the membrane tube assembly 2 and the outer shell is filled with an epoxy resin layer 3 to ensure that the outer shell air inlet end cover 1.2 is only connected to the internal cavity of the hollow fiber tube membrane 2.2, and the same applies to the outer shell air outlet end cover 1.3.

[0039] The moist air enters from the moist air inlet 1.1.1 of the middle part 1.1 of the outer shell, passes through the outer wall surface of the hollow fiber tube membrane 2.2 of the membrane tube assembly 2, and reaches the moist air outlet 1.1.2.

[0040] The moisture in the humid air diffuses into the inner cavity 7 of the hollow fiber tube membrane through the outer wall of the hollow fiber tube membrane 2.2 by mass transfer, thereby humidifying the air passing through the inner cavity 7 of the hollow fiber tube membrane.

[0041] An outer shell cavity outline 8 is formed inside the outer shell 1, and the outer shell cavity outline 8 includes but is not limited to square and hexagonal shapes; the membrane tube assembly 2 adopts a special-shaped section 10, and the distance between one side of the special-shaped section 10 that fits the inner wall of the outer shell cavity outline 8 and the inner wall of the outer shell cavity outline 8 is the same. The membrane tube assembly shell 2.1 is appropriately expanded to fully utilize the space between the outer shell 1 and the membrane tube assembly 2. Compared with the waist-shaped section 9 on the membrane tube assembly 2 in the prior art, the distance between the outer shell cavity outline 8 and the side of the membrane tube assembly 2 is significantly reduced, thereby improving the internal space utilization rate of the outer shell 1.

[0042] The membrane tube assembly shell inlet window 2.1.1 and the membrane tube assembly outlet window 2.1.2 are both provided with multiple, and the end membrane tube assembly shell inlet window 2.1.1 and the membrane tube assembly outlet window 2.1.2 with close distances are respectively provided with an inlet window guide structure 2.1.3 and an outlet window guide structure 2.1.4. The inlet window guide structure 2.1.3 and the outlet window guide structure 2.1.4 are both provided with an oblique angle. With the oblique angle, when the airflow flows from the inlet window guide structure 2.1.3 through the gap 6 between the membrane tube and the membrane tube, the flow velocity changes smoothly, reducing local disturbances and reducing the flow resistance of the airflow entering the gap 6 between the membrane tube and the membrane tube; when the airflow flows from the gap 5 between the membrane tube and the membrane tube assembly shell to the outlet window guide structure 2.1.4, the gas tassels in the gap 6 between the membrane tube and the membrane tube assembly shell smoothly reduce the flow velocity through the oblique angle, thereby reducing the impact on the outlet window guide structure 2.1.4 and reducing the outlet window flow resistance.

[0043] The guide angle of the inlet window guide structure 2.1.3 is α, 150°≤α≤175°, and the guide angle of the outlet window guide structure 2.1.4 is β, 135°≤β≤175°.

Claims

1. A low flow resistance humidifier for a fuel cell, comprising an outer shell (1), a membrane tube assembly (2) and an epoxy resin adhesive layer (3), characterized in that: The membrane tube assembly (2) includes a membrane tube assembly shell (2.1) and a hollow fiber tube membrane (2.2). The membrane tube assembly (2) is arranged inside the outer shell (1). The upper end of the outer shell (1) has a wet air inlet, and the lower end of the outer shell (1) has a wet air outlet (1.1.2). The membrane tube assembly shell (2.1) and the hollow fiber tube membrane (2.2) are both provided with multiple membrane tube assembly shells (2.1). The membrane tube assembly shell (2.1) is coated on the outside of the multiple hollow fiber tube membranes (2.2). One end surface of the membrane tube assembly shell (2.1) is provided with a membrane tube assembly shell inlet window (2.1.1) that penetrates the inner and outer surfaces thereof. The membrane tube assembly The other end surface of the component shell (2.1) is provided with a membrane tube assembly outlet window (2.1.2) penetrating the inner and outer surfaces thereof, and a partition (4) is fixedly provided inside the membrane tube assembly shell (2.1), and the partition (4) is separated between the membrane tube assembly shell inlet window (2.1.1) and the membrane tube assembly outlet window (2.1.2), and a hollow fiber tube membrane lumen (7) is formed inside the hollow fiber tube membrane (2.2), a membrane tube and membrane tube assembly shell gap (5) is formed between the inner wall of the membrane tube assembly shell (2.1) and the outer wall of the hollow fiber tube membrane (2.2), and a membrane tube and membrane tube gap (6) is formed between the multiple hollow fiber tube membranes (2.2).

2. A fuel cell low flow resistance humidifier according to claim 1, characterized in that: An epoxy resin adhesive layer (3) is used to seal the end of the membrane tube assembly (2) and the outer shell (1), and the epoxy resin adhesive layer (3) is fixed on the outside of the hollow fiber tube membrane (2.2).

3. The low flow resistance humidifier for fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: An outer shell cavity outline (8) is formed inside the outer shell (1), and the outer shell cavity outline (8) includes but is not limited to a square and a hexagon.

4. The low flow resistance humidifier for a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The membrane tube assembly (2) adopts a special-shaped cross section (10), and the distance between the side of the special-shaped cross section (10) that fits the inner wall of the outer shell cavity profile (8) and the inner wall of the outer shell cavity profile (8) is the same.

5. The low flow resistance humidifier for fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The membrane tube assembly shell inlet window (2.1.1) and the membrane tube assembly outlet window (2.1.2) are both provided with a plurality of them, and the membrane tube assembly shell inlet window (2.1.1) and the membrane tube assembly outlet window (2.1.2) at the ends close to each other are respectively provided with an inlet window guide structure (2.1.3) and an outlet window guide structure ( 2.1.4), the inlet window guide structure (2.1.3) and the outlet window guide structure (2.1.4) are both provided with bevels.

6. The low flow resistance humidifier for a fuel cell according to claim 5, characterized in that: The guide angle of the inlet window guide structure (2.1.3) is α, 150°≤α≤175°, and the guide angle of the outlet window guide structure (2.1.4) is β, 135°≤β≤175°.

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