Gas-water separator with heating cavity for fuel cell
By designing a gas-water separator with a heating chamber and employing a separator core and heating chamber structure, efficient separation of hydrogen and liquid water was achieved, reducing pressure drop and system power consumption, and improving fuel cell efficiency and low-temperature start-up performance.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202423106144.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-17
- Publication Date
- 2025-12-23
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-12-17
AI Technical Summary
Existing fuel cell anode systems have complex gas-water separator structures, high processing costs, and large pressure drops, which increase the power consumption of the hydrogen circulation pump and affect system efficiency. At the same time, separate heating devices increase system power consumption and affect low-temperature start-up performance.
Design a gas-water separator with a heating chamber. The separator core and heating chamber structure are used to separate hydrogen and liquid water through the swirling region of the mixed gas and water. The fuel cell stack coolant is used for heating to prevent icing, and the structure is simplified to reduce pressure drop.
This technology achieves efficient separation of hydrogen and liquid water, reduces the pressure drop of the gas-water separator, simplifies the structure, reduces system power consumption, and improves the efficiency and low-temperature start-up performance of the fuel cell.
Smart Images
Figure CN223697311U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of fuel cell technology, and in particular relates to a gas-water separator with a heating chamber for use in fuel cells. Background Technology
[0002] As a novel energy conversion system, fuel cells possess a series of advantages, including high efficiency, zero pollution, low noise, and low operating requirements. With technological advancements, their applications are becoming increasingly widespread. Taking proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) as an example, to improve fuel cell performance, hydrogen is typically supplied in excess. The unconsumed hydrogen is then recovered and reused at the fuel cell anode outlet via a hydrogen circulation pump. However, the anode outlet of the fuel cell stack also contains liquid water in addition to unconsumed hydrogen. If not removed, this water will return to the fuel cell stack, clogging the flow channels and leading to reduced fuel cell performance. In severe cases, this can cause a rapid decline in the stack's lifespan. In the hydrogen recovery subsystem of the fuel cell stack, a vapor-liquid separator is typically used to separate the liquid water and hydrogen.
[0003] In existing technologies, most fuel cell anode system gas-water separators employ rotating vane or baffle types, or a combination of both, which offer high water separation efficiency. However, within a given volume constraint, the design of these devices leads to a relatively increased pressure drop in the entire fuel cell anode circuit, increasing the power consumption of the hydrogen circulation pump and thus affecting the efficiency of the fuel cell system.
[0004] Meanwhile, in order to meet the low-temperature cold start requirements of fuel cells, most existing fuel cell anode system steam-water separators use separate electric heating devices (such as heating elements) to prevent the liquid water inside the steam-water separator from freezing at low temperatures, thus affecting the low-temperature start-up performance of the fuel cell system.
[0005] In the existing technology, rotary vane or baffle gas-water separators have complex structures and high processing costs. The large pressure drop of rotary vane or baffle gas-water separators increases the power consumption of the hydrogen circulation pump and affects the efficiency of the fuel cell system. In addition, a separate heating device is added to prevent the gas-water separator from freezing at low temperatures, which increases the system power consumption and affects the efficiency of the fuel cell system. Summary of the Invention
[0006] This invention provides a gas-water separator with a heating chamber for use in fuel cells, thereby solving the problem that traditional gas-water separators lack a low-power heating structure in the prior art.
[0007] The technical solution of this utility model is as follows: A gas-water separator with a heating chamber for a fuel cell includes: a separator body, a separator core, a separation chamber, and a heating chamber. Both the separation chamber and the heating chamber are located within the separator body. The separator core is placed inside the separation chamber, and a separated gas outlet pipe is formed at the center of the separator core. The separation chamber sequentially includes a cylindrical section and a conical section, with the separator core passing through both sections. The heating chamber surrounds the conical section. A mixed gas-water inlet is tangentially arranged on the cylindrical section, and the conical section is connected to a wastewater / waste gas outlet. The heating chamber is connected to a heating liquid inlet and a heating liquid outlet.
[0008] Furthermore, a heating chamber cover is provided on one side of the separator body.
[0009] Furthermore, a drain and vent valve is provided on the other side of the separator body.
[0010] Furthermore, the height of the cylindrical section is 1.5 to 2 times the diameter of the mixed gas-water inlet.
[0011] Furthermore, the cone angle of the cone segment is 30°~50°.
[0012] Furthermore, the heating cavity covers at least one-third of the height of the conical section.
[0013] Furthermore, the wall thickness of the conical section is 2~3mm.
[0014] Furthermore, the length of the separated gas outlet pipe is 1 / 3 to 1 / 2 of the height of the conical section.
[0015] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: With this utility model, the mixture of hydrogen and liquid water enters the gas-water separator tangentially along the wall of the gas-water separator, forming a swirling zone. It can separate hydrogen and liquid water without the need for rotating blades or baffles, thereby reducing the pressure drop of the gas-water separator. Moreover, the structure is simple, reliable, and low in cost.
[0016] This invention adds a heating chamber to the liquid water accumulation area of the gas-water separator, and uses the fuel cell stack coolant to heat the gas-water separator, preventing the gas and water from evaporating and freezing. This eliminates the need for an additional electric heating structure, thereby reducing the power consumption of the fuel cell system. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the present invention.
[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model.
[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the external structure of this utility model.
[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the heating chamber structure of this utility model.
[0021] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the present invention from another direction.
[0022] Figure 6 This is a bottom cross-sectional view of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0023] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. The described embodiments are merely some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.
[0024] In the embodiments of this utility model, Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of a gas-liquid separator with a heating chamber for a fuel cell, according to the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, this utility model includes: a separator body 1, a separator core 2, a separation chamber and a heating chamber 4. The separation chamber and the heating chamber 4 are both located inside the separator body 1. The separator core 2 is placed inside the separation chamber. The separator core 2 is placed inside the separation chamber of the separator body 1 and cooperates with the separation chamber to form a steam-water separation flow channel.
[0025] The separator core 2 has a gas outlet pipe 21 at its center. The separation chamber includes a cylindrical section 31 and a conical section 32. The separator core 2 passes through the cylindrical section 31 and the conical section 32. The heating chamber 4 is arranged around the conical section 32. A mixed gas-water inlet 33 is tangentially arranged on the cylindrical section 31. The conical section 32 is connected to a wastewater and waste gas outlet 34. The heating chamber 4 is connected to a heating liquid inlet 41 and a heating liquid outlet 42. Specifically, as shown... Figure 6 As shown, the bottom of the conical section 32 is connected to a wastewater and waste gas chamber 8. The tail end of the wastewater and waste gas chamber 8 is provided with a wastewater and waste gas outlet 34. The wastewater and waste gas chamber is only connected to the bottom of the conical section 32, so the wastewater and waste gas chamber is an independent channel.
[0026] The mixed gas-water inlet 33 is directly connected to the anode outlet of the fuel cell stack, the heating liquid inlet 41 is connected to the inlet of the fuel cell stack cooling circuit, and the heating liquid outlet 42 is connected to the outlet of the fuel cell stack cooling circuit. The separated hydrogen enters the hydrogen circulation pump through the wastewater and waste gas outlet 34, and the separated liquid water and excess N2 gas are discharged through the separated gas outlet pipe 21, which is connected to the air path outlet of the fuel cell system.
[0027] In one embodiment of this utility model, such as Figure 2 As shown, a heating chamber cover plate 5 is provided on one side of the separator body 1. Figure 4 As shown, a sealing ring 11 is provided between the heating chamber cover plate 5 and the separator body 1. Specifically, the separator body 1 has a sealing groove, the sealing ring 11 is placed in the sealing groove, and the heating chamber cover plate 5 is fixed to the separator body 1 by mounting bolts 7. The mounting bolts 7 provide installation preload for the heating chamber cover plate 5 and the sealing ring 11.
[0028] like Figure 6 and Figure 5 As shown, a drain and vent valve 6 is provided on the other side of the separator body 1. Specifically, the valve core of the drain and vent valve 6 is located inside the wastewater and waste gas chamber 8. The valve core of the drain and vent valve 6 controls the opening and closing of the wastewater and waste gas chamber 8, thereby controlling the discharge of liquid water from the gas-water separator and the discharge of excess N2 from the fuel cell anode. It should be noted that the drain and vent valve 6 is a conventional technical means in this field, and therefore will not be described in detail here.
[0029] The length by which the separator core 2 is inserted into the separator body 1 must be controlled, and the length of the separated gas outlet pipe 21 is 1 / 3 to 1 / 2 of the height of the conical section 32. This ensures that the cylindrical section of the separator core 2 is located between 1 / 3 and 1 / 2 of the height of the conical section 32 in the separation chamber of the separator body 1.
[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, the height of the cylindrical section 31 is 1.5 to 2 times the diameter of the gas-water inlet 33. Specifically, the gas-water mixture enters the separation chamber of the gas-water separator tangentially. It is important to note that the gas-water separation chamber needs to maintain a certain height of the cylindrical section 31 near the inlet. The height of the cylindrical section 31 is 1.5 to 2 times the diameter of the gas-water inlet 33 to promote the formation of a stable vortex of the gas-water mixture entering the separation chamber.
[0031] The inclination of the conical surface of the separation chamber inside the gas-water separator body 1 also needs to be controlled, and the conical angle of the conical section 32 is 30°~50°.
[0032] The heating cavity 4 covers at least one-third of the height of the conical section 32, and the heating cavity 4 must be able to cover 1 / 3 of the height of the separation cavity conical surface.
[0033] Meanwhile, in order to ensure the heating effect, the separator body 1 is made of a material with good thermal conductivity, such as aluminum alloy. In order to improve the heating effect, the wall thickness of the conical section 32 is 2~3mm.
[0034] Finally, it should be noted that the above specific embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of this utility model and not to limit it. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to examples, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solution of this utility model without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solution of this utility model, and all such modifications and substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of this utility model.
Claims
1. A gas-liquid separator with a heating chamber for use in fuel cells, characterized in that, include: The separator body (1), separator core (2), separation chamber and heating chamber (4) are located inside the separator body (1). The separator core (2) is placed inside the separation chamber. The separator core (2) has a gas outlet pipe (21) at its center. The separation chamber includes a cylindrical section (31) and a conical section (32) in sequence. The separator core (2) passes through the cylindrical section (31) and the conical section (32). The heating chamber (4) is arranged around the conical section (32). A mixed gas-water inlet (33) is tangentially arranged on the cylindrical section (31). The conical section (32) is connected to a wastewater and waste gas outlet (34). The heating chamber (4) is connected to a heating liquid inlet (41) and a heating liquid outlet (42).
2. The gas-liquid separator with a heating chamber for a fuel cell as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A heating chamber cover plate (5) is provided on one side of the separator body (1).
3. The gas-liquid separator with a heating chamber for a fuel cell as described in claim 2, characterized in that, A drain and vent valve (6) is provided on the other side of the separator body (1).
4. The gas-liquid separator with a heating chamber for a fuel cell as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The height of the cylindrical section (31) is 1.5 to 2 times the diameter of the mixed gas-water inlet (33).
5. The gas-liquid separator with a heating chamber for a fuel cell as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cone angle of the cone segment (32) is 30°~50°.
6. The gas-liquid separator with a heating chamber for a fuel cell as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The heating cavity (4) covers at least one-third of the height of the conical section (32).
7. The gas-liquid separator with a heating chamber for a fuel cell as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The wall thickness of the conical section (32) is 2~3mm.
8. The gas-liquid separator with a heating chamber for a fuel cell as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The length of the gas separation outlet pipe (21) is 1 / 3 to 1 / 2 of the height of the conical section (32).