Water separator for fuel cell

Abstract

The utility model provides a water separator for a fuel cell. The water separator comprises a separation main body, a bottom plate and a cover plate, the separation body comprises a separation unit, a gas inlet cavity and a mixed gas inlet formed in the side face of the separation body. A baffle is arranged in the air inlet cavity. The bottom plate comprises a liquid accumulation cavity and a liquid outlet formed in the side face. A mixed gas outlet is formed in the upper side of the cover plate. And the separation main body, the bottom plate and the cover plate are respectively of an integrally formed structure. And the water separator is used for treating water vapor in mixed gas generated during operation of the fuel cell. Through the arrangement of the baffles, on one hand, the flow resistance of the water separator is reduced, on the other hand, the flow distribution of gas entering each separation unit is more uniform, the gas contact area is increased, and the separation efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of water separators in fuel cells and relates to a water separator for fuel cells. Background Art

[0002] A hydrogen fuel cell is a device that generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The only byproduct of this reaction is water, which is environmentally friendly. In the passenger vehicle sector, hydrogen fuel cells are used to replace traditional fossil fuels, powering electric vehicles and enabling zero-emission driving. Fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) combine the cleanliness of electric vehicles with the range of internal combustion engine vehicles, providing a solution for sustainable transportation.

[0003] In fuel cells, water is produced during fuel cell operation, and some of this water enters the anode circuit. If this water is not separated, it can enter the fuel cell stack and cause anode flooding. Furthermore, accumulated water in the anode circuit can increase the workload of the hydrogen circulation pumps, reducing their performance and even causing failure. To ensure efficient and stable fuel cell operation, efficient water separation from the mixed gas is required, while ensuring low pressure loss in the water separator during operation.

[0004] For example, patent CN215995923U provides a gas-water separator and fuel cell device, wherein the gas-water separator includes a water separator cavity, a heating and draining solenoid valve, and thermal insulation material; the gas-water separator cavity includes an inner cavity, an outer cavity, and a cavity; the cavity is arranged between the inner and outer cavities and is filled with thermal insulation material; the bottom of the inner cavity has a liquid storage chamber; the outer cavity is provided with a hydrogen inlet, a hydrogen return outlet, and a drain outlet connected to the inner cavity; the inner cavity is provided with a primary baffle and a secondary baffle; the bottom of the water separator cavity is provided with a connecting hole shell for mounting a heating and draining solenoid valve, the heating and draining solenoid valve inlet is connected to the connecting hole, and the heating and draining solenoid valve has timed draining, exhausting, and efficient heating functions. Gas-water separation in this invention is mainly achieved by the collision of the mixed gas with the two-stage baffles respectively, with only one separation unit and a relatively complex overall structure.

[0005] In summary, the existing technology currently lacks a device that can effectively solve the negative impact of water generated in fuel cells. Utility Model Content

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a water separator for a fuel cell. The purpose of this utility model can be achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0007] The utility model provides a water separator for a fuel cell, which is used for separating hydrogen and water in the fuel cell. The water separator comprises:

[0008] A separation body; the separation body includes a separation unit, an air intake cavity, and a mixed gas inlet provided on the side of the separation body; a plurality of separation units are provided; a baffle is provided in the air intake cavity, the baffle including a first baffle and a second baffle for allowing the mixed gas to enter the separation unit;

[0009] Bottom plate; the bottom plate includes a liquid accumulation cavity and a liquid discharge port arranged on the side;

[0010] Cover plate; a mixed gas outlet is provided on the upper side of the cover plate.

[0011] Furthermore, the cover plate, the separation body and the bottom plate are sequentially connected from top to bottom to form a water separator structure.

[0012] Furthermore, the separation body, bottom plate and cover plate are integrally formed structures.

[0013] Furthermore, the liquid accumulation cavity is inclined toward the liquid discharge port, so that the liquid can flow out smoothly under the action of gravity.

[0014] In some specific embodiments, the mixed gas inlet and the liquid discharge port are arranged on two sides in opposite directions; in other embodiments, they can be arranged on other sides to ensure that the mixed gas and the liquid discharge can pass smoothly.

[0015] Furthermore, the upper half of the separation unit is cylindrical, and the lower half is conical or truncated cone with an open tip; the upper half of the cylinder is provided with a separation unit inlet;

[0016] Furthermore, the direction of the inlet of the separation unit is tangent to the inner wall surface of the separation unit, so that the airflow of the mixed gas rotates along the wall surface after entering the separation unit. After the mixed gas enters the separation unit, it begins to rotate rapidly. The heavy small particle droplets gradually approach the wall surface under the action of centrifugal force, gradually converge into large droplets and flow into the liquid accumulation cavity under the action of gravity, and finally are discharged into the environment or the water recovery pipeline through the drain port. The drain port is integrated with an electromagnetic drain valve and a liquid level sensing device. When the liquid level sensing device senses that the accumulated water reaches a specified position, the battery drain valve automatically opens to discharge the accumulated water in time, and the separated water is recycled into the fuel cell reaction system through the water recovery pipeline. The electromagnetic drain valve and liquid level sensing device are not the core content of this application, and can be achieved by the existing technology, so no further explanation will be given.

[0017] Furthermore, the baffle is vertically arranged in the air inlet cavity, and is used to introduce the mixed gas into the separation unit through the separation unit inlet;

[0018] Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of the first baffle is V-shaped;

[0019] Furthermore, the cross-section of the second baffle is T-shaped.

[0020] Furthermore, a first partition is provided between the separation body and the cover plate, for separating the incoming mixed gas from the outlet, so that the mixed gas must pass through the separation unit before reaching the outlet, rather than being discharged directly from the outlet; a plurality of circular holes are provided on the first partition, each of which is provided above the separation unit for gas to pass through;

[0021] Furthermore, a second partition is provided between the separation body and the bottom plate, for separating the incoming mixed gas from the water separator drain port, so that the water vapor in the mixed gas must be condensed before being discharged from the water separator drain port, rather than being discharged directly from the water separator drain port;

[0022] Furthermore, the first partition is connected to the separation body and the cover plate by welding; the second partition is connected to the separation body and the bottom plate by welding; the lower half of the separation unit is welded to the second partition through a plurality of connecting ribs; the welding is preferably vibration friction welding.

[0023] Furthermore, the baffle is connected to the first baffle at the top and the second baffle at the bottom, and maintains a stable state in the air intake cavity without being blown by the airflow of the mixed gas.

[0024] Furthermore, the separation body and the cover plate are both provided with mounting holes and a plurality of reinforcing ribs, and the bottom plate is provided with a plurality of reinforcing ribs.

[0025] Furthermore, the mixed gas inlet is connected to the anode outlet of the fuel cell, and a circulation pump is installed on the connected pipeline; the mixed gas outlet is connected to a hydrogen circulation pump; the drain port is connected to an electromagnetic drain valve. The water separator is installed on the anode gas recirculation pipeline using mounting holes and bolts.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least the following advantages / benefits and improvements:

[0027] (1) Reduced flow resistance of the water separator: After the gas enters the water separator, the baffle structure guides the gas to smoothly enter each separation unit, preventing the gas from directly hitting the cavity wall of the water separator and reducing the flow resistance;

[0028] (2) Improved separation efficiency of the water separator: The baffle structure makes the gas flow entering each separation unit more evenly distributed; at the same time, the baffle structure also increases the gas contact area before entering the separation unit, providing more space for the collision and condensation of water droplets, thereby improving the separation efficiency.

[0029] (3) The present application utilizes the different densities of gas and liquid in the separation unit to achieve gas-water separation through the action of centrifugal force. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 is a front view of a water separator for a fuel cell;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the AA plane of a water separator for a fuel cell;

[0032] Figure 3 A top view of a water separator for a fuel cell;

[0033] Figure 4 BB is a cross-sectional view of a separator for a fuel cell;

[0034] The numbers in the figure show:

[0035] 1 separation body, 101 separation unit, 102 mixed gas inlet, 103 air intake cavity;

[0036] 2 bottom plate, 201 drainage port; 202 liquid accumulation cavity;

[0037] 3 cover plate, 301 mixed gas outlet;

[0038] 4 baffles, 401 first baffle, 402 second baffle;

[0039] 5 separation unit inlet; 6 partition, 601 first partition, 602 second partition;

[0040] 7 mounting hole; 8 connecting rib; 9 reinforcing rib / reinforcement plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention is described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments. It should be noted that the following embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but are not intended to limit the present invention in any form. It should be noted that, for those of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention. These all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0042] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", "front end", "rear end", "two ends", "one end", "the other end" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "provided with", "connected", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connected" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be a communication between the internal parts of two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0043] Example 1 A water separator for a fuel cell

[0044] based on Figures 1 to 4 , this embodiment provides a water separator for a fuel cell; the dimensions of the water separator are: length: 164 mm, width: 112.5 mm, height: 168.5 mm.

[0045] The water separator includes three parts that are separately / individually integrally formed: a separation body 1 , a bottom plate 2 , and a cover plate 3 . These three parts are connected together by vibration friction welding and are separated by a first partition plate 601 and a second partition plate 602 .

[0046] The separation body 1 includes an air inlet cavity 103, six separation units 101 (three on each side), and a mixed gas inlet 102 arranged on the side. A vertical baffle 4 is provided in the air inlet cavity 103. In this embodiment, the baffle includes a first baffle 401 and a second baffle 402. The cross-sectional shapes of the first baffle 401 and the second baffle 402 are V-shaped and T-shaped, respectively, and are used to guide the mixed gas into the separation unit 101. The first baffle 401 is slightly smaller than the second baffle 402, and can guide a portion of the mixed gas. The remaining portion of the gas is guided to other separation units 101 by the second baffle 402 through the gaps between the first baffles 401.

[0047] The bottom plate 2 includes a liquid accumulation chamber 202 and a liquid discharge port 201 on its side. The bottom of the liquid accumulation chamber 202 is tilted toward the liquid discharge port 201. Liquid droplets condensed in the separation unit 101 flow into the liquid accumulation chamber 202 and are discharged by gravity through the liquid discharge port 101. The cover plate 3 is provided with a mixed gas outlet 301. After separation in the separation unit 101, the mixed gas is discharged from the mixed gas outlet 301.

[0048] The first baffle 601 is welded to the separation body 1 and the cover plate 3, while the second baffle 602 is welded to the separation body 1 and the bottom plate 2. The first baffle 601 is provided with six circular holes, aligned with the center of the separation unit 101, for the passage of the separated and processed mixed gas. Several connecting ribs 8 are provided on the conical / conical portion below the separation unit 101, connecting to the second baffle 602 to provide a more stable and secure structure for the separation unit 101.

[0049] Two mounting holes 7 are provided on either side of the separation body 1, and one mounting hole 7 is provided above the cover plate 3. These mounting holes 7 are used to mount the entire water separator on the anode gas recirculation line. Several reinforcing ribs 9 are arranged vertically, horizontally, or circularly on the exterior of the cover plate 3. Several reinforcing plates 9 are provided on the inner sides of the cover plate 3 and the inner sides of the base plate. The mounting holes 7 are connected to the separation body 1 / cover plate 3 via these reinforcing ribs 9. These reinforcing ribs / plates 9 provide a more stable and secure structure for the water separator.

[0050] In some other embodiments not shown, the separation units 101 can be set to 8, 10 or even more, the baffles can also be set to the first baffle 401, the second baffle 402, the third baffle 403 or even more, the circular holes on the first partition 601 correspond to the separation units 101, and more can be set.

[0051] The gas / liquid flow direction of a water separator for a fuel cell provided in this embodiment is:

[0052] The mixed gas is pumped into the air inlet 103 through the mixed gas inlet 102, and enters the separation unit 101 after being drained by the baffle 4. In the separation unit 101, it is separated into gas with lower water content and water. The gas with lower water content is discharged from the mixed gas outlet 301 through the circular hole on the first partition 601, and the water flows into the liquid accumulation cavity 202 along the inner wall of the separation unit 101, and is then discharged through the drain port 201.

[0053] The working principle of this utility model is:

[0054] Under the suction action of the hydrogen circulation pump, the water at the anode outlet of the fuel cell is converted into a mixed gas of hydrogen, nitrogen, and water vapor containing a certain amount of water, which enters from the mixed gas inlet. The gas then enters each separation unit. Due to the design of the tangential inlet of the separation unit, the airflow quickly rotates after entering. The heavy small particle droplets gradually approach the wall under the action of centrifugal force, gradually converge into large droplets and flow into the liquid accumulation chamber under the action of gravity. Finally, they are discharged into the environment through the drain port or through the water recovery pipeline connected to the drain port, and then re-enter the fuel cell reaction cycle. The inlet baffle structure proposed by the present invention can evenly distribute the flow entering each separation unit, effectively improving the separation efficiency. At the same time, after the mixed gas enters the water separator, the baffle can guide the gas into each separation unit, reducing the phenomenon of gas collision in the cavity and effectively reducing the flow resistance generated by the gas in the cavity. Ultimately, more efficient water separation and low flow resistance are achieved.

[0055] The above description of the embodiments is intended to facilitate understanding and use of the invention by those skilled in the art. It will be apparent that those skilled in the art can readily make various modifications to these embodiments and apply the general principles described herein to other embodiments without requiring inventive effort. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Improvements and modifications made by those skilled in the art based on the disclosure of the present invention, without departing from the scope of the present invention, should be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A water separator for a fuel cell, characterized in that: include: A separation body (1); the separation body (1) comprises a separation unit (101), an air intake cavity (103), and a mixed gas inlet (102) provided on a side of the separation body; a plurality of separation units (101) are provided; a baffle (4) is provided in the air intake cavity (103), the baffle (4) comprising a first baffle (401) and a second baffle (402), for allowing the mixed gas to enter the separation unit (101); A bottom plate (2); the bottom plate (2) comprises a liquid accumulation cavity (202) and a liquid discharge port (201) arranged on a side surface; A cover plate (3); a mixed gas outlet (301) is provided on the upper side of the cover plate; The cover plate (3), the separation body (1) and the bottom plate (2) are sequentially connected from top to bottom to form a water separator; the separation body (1), the bottom plate (2) and the cover plate (3) are respectively integrally formed structures.

2. A water separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid accumulation cavity (202) is inclined toward the liquid discharge port (201), so that the liquid can flow out smoothly under the action of gravity.

3. The water separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper half of the separation unit (101) is cylindrical, and the lower half is conical or truncated cone with an open tip; the upper half of the cylinder is provided with a separation unit inlet (5); the direction of the separation unit inlet (5) is tangent to the inner wall surface of the separation unit, so that the airflow rotates along the wall surface after entering the separation unit.

4. The water separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The baffle (4) is vertically arranged in the air inlet cavity (103) and is used to introduce the mixed gas into the separation unit (101) through the separation unit inlet (5).

5. The water separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross-sectional shape of the first baffle (401) is V-shaped.

6. The water separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross-sectional shape of the second baffle (402) is T-shaped.

7. The water separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first partition (601) is provided between the separation body (1) and the cover plate (3); a plurality of circular holes are provided on the first partition (601), each of which is provided above the separation unit (101) for the passage of gas; and a second partition (602) is provided between the separation body (1) and the bottom plate (2).

8. The water separator for a fuel cell according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first partition plate (601) is connected to the separation body (1) and the cover plate (3) by welding; and the second partition plate (602) is connected to the separation body (1) and the bottom plate (2) by welding.

9. A water separator for a fuel cell according to any one of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that: The lower half of the separation unit (101) is welded to the second partition (602) via a plurality of connecting ribs (8); the baffle (4) is connected to the first partition (601) at the top and to the second partition (602) at the bottom, maintaining a stable state in the air intake cavity (103).

10. The water separator for a fuel cell according to claim 1, characterized in that: The separation body (1) and the cover plate (3) are both provided with mounting holes (7) and a plurality of reinforcing ribs (9), and the bottom plate is provided with a plurality of reinforcing ribs (9).

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