A small portable air-cooled fuel cell system and an electric appliance

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of fuel cell, and particularly provides a small portable air-cooled fuel cell system and an electric equipment. The small portable air-cooled fuel cell system comprises a stack, a wind cover and a fan, wherein: the wind cover is arranged at the periphery of the stack, and the wind cover is provided with a ventilation opening facing the ventilation surface of the stack core; the fan is arranged in the ventilation opening of the ventilation surface of the wind cover; and at least one heat dissipation surface outside the ventilation surface of the wind cover is provided with an insulating heat conduction sheet. Therefore, the heat dissipation effect of the small portable air-cooled fuel cell system can be improved through the heat conduction of the insulating heat conduction sheet arranged on the heat dissipation surface, so as to solve the problems in the prior art.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of fuel cell technology, and specifically to a small, portable air-cooled fuel cell system and electrical equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Fuel cell systems are mainly classified into air-cooled and water-cooled fuel cell systems based on their cooling methods. Water-cooled fuel cell systems primarily utilize a cooling subsystem and coolant within this subsystem to regulate the stack temperature. This approach is more suitable for high-power applications such as vehicles. However, for low-power applications like two-wheeled vehicles, drones, and small robots, the complex equipment required for water-cooled fuel cell systems makes them uneconomical. In contrast, air-cooled fuel cell systems utilize fan-driven cooling, resulting in a simpler structure and better application prospects for low-power applications compared to the more complex water-cooled systems.

[0003] Patent 202410489331.X discloses a high-humidity air-cooled fuel cell, which includes a fan and a fuel cell stack. The fan blows or draws outside air into the stack cathode, and molecular sieves are provided in the airflow channels for the outside air to enter or leave the stack cathode. However, considering the low-power application scenarios of air-cooled fuel cell systems, their volume is also smaller than that of water-cooled fuel cell systems. This smaller volume limits the selection space for fans in air-cooled fuel cell systems (for example, only fans with relatively small volume and power can usually be selected), which can easily affect the heat dissipation performance of the stack in air-cooled fuel cell systems, resulting in generally poor heat dissipation performance of current air-cooled fuel cell systems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the deficiencies in the existing technology, the purpose of this invention is to provide a small, portable air-cooled fuel cell system and electrical equipment, which aims to solve the technical problems in the related technology to a certain extent.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is to provide a small, portable, air-cooled fuel cell system, comprising: a fuel cell stack, a shroud, and a fan, wherein:

[0006] The wind shroud is disposed around the periphery of the fuel cell stack, and the wind shroud faces the ventilation surface of the fuel cell stack core and is provided with ventilation openings;

[0007] The fan is disposed at the ventilation opening of the ventilation surface in the fan cover; and,

[0008] At least one heat dissipation surface in the shroud, other than the ventilation surface, is provided with an insulating heat-conducting sheet.

[0009] Preferably, the insulating heat-conducting sheet is disposed in the heat dissipation surface and faces the inner wall of the fuel cell stack.

[0010] Preferably, the outer wall of the heat dissipation surface is provided with heat-conducting fins.

[0011] Preferably, the ventilation surface is a trumpet-shaped ventilation surface, wherein the ventilation opening is located at the small trumpet opening of the trumpet-shaped ventilation surface.

[0012] Preferably, the stack core is provided with end plates at both ends; and,

[0013] A current collector is provided between the end plate and the core.

[0014] Preferably, the fan cover is fixed to the screw hole on the side wall of the end plate by a fan cover locking screw.

[0015] Preferably, the end plate is provided with terminal bolts; and,

[0016] The collector plate is connected to the terminal bolt through a through hole.

[0017] Preferably, a stack locking bolt is provided between the end plates at both ends of the core.

[0018] Preferably, the end plate is provided with quick-connect fittings for hydrogen inlet and outlet.

[0019] This application also provides an electrical device, which includes the small, portable air-cooled fuel cell system provided in this application.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows:

[0021] The small, portable air-cooled fuel cell system provided in this application includes a fuel cell stack, a shroud, and a fan. The shroud is disposed around the periphery of the fuel cell stack, and has ventilation openings facing the ventilation surface of the fuel cell core. The fan is disposed at a ventilation opening on the ventilation surface of the shroud. At least one heat dissipation surface outside the ventilation surface of the shroud is provided with an insulating heat-conducting sheet. The heat conduction of the insulating heat-conducting sheet on the heat dissipation surface can improve the heat dissipation effect of the small, portable air-cooled fuel cell system, thereby solving the problems in the prior art. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the small, portable, air-cooled fuel cell system provided in this application is shown.

[0023] Figure 2 The provided diagram shows the structural schematics of the components in the small, portable, air-cooled fuel cell system.

[0024] Figure 3 The schematic diagram provided in this application shows the specific structure of the shroud in a small, portable, air-cooled fuel cell system.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a top view of the heat dissipation surface of the shroud in a small, portable, air-cooled fuel cell system provided in this application.

[0026] Figure 5 The schematic diagram provided in this application shows the specific structure of the shroud with a horn-shaped ventilation surface in a small, portable air-cooled fuel cell system.

[0027] In the above figures: 1-fuel cell stack; 2-fan shroud; 3-fan; 4-insulating heat-conducting fin; 21-ventilation surface; 211-ventilation opening; 22-heat dissipation surface; 221-heat-conducting fin; 23-fan shroud locking screw; 31-fan fixing screw; 11-core; 12-end plate; 13-current collector plate; 121-screw hole; 122-terminal bolt; 123-fuel cell stack locking bolt; 124-hydrogen inlet / outlet quick-connect fittings; 125-insulating nut. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0030] In the description of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "set up," "install," "connect," and "link" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0031] As mentioned earlier, the volume of an air-cooled fuel cell system is smaller than that of a water-cooled fuel cell system. This smaller volume limits the selection space for fans in the air-cooled fuel cell system, which in turn easily affects the heat dissipation performance of the fuel cell stack, resulting in the generally poor heat dissipation performance of the current air-cooled fuel cell system.

[0032] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a small, portable air-cooled fuel cell system and electrical equipment that can be used to solve this problem. For example... Figure 1 The diagram shows the specific structure of this small, portable, air-cooled fuel cell system. The fuel cell system includes: a stack 1, a shroud 2, and a fan 3. The stack 1 is the device in the fuel cell system that performs a redox reaction, converting chemical energy into electrical energy. The fan 3 blows air onto the stack 1 to cool it (considering the fuel cell is air-cooled, another function of the fan 3 is to blow fresh air into the stack). The shroud 2 is used to concentrate the airflow from the fan 3, directing it vertically towards the stack 1.

[0033] Therefore, the connection between the fuel cell stack 1, the shroud 2, and the fan 3 is as follows: the shroud 2 is located on the periphery of the fuel cell stack 1, and the shroud 2 has a ventilation opening 211 on the surface 21 facing the core 11 of the fuel cell stack 1. For ease of description, the surface 21 of the shroud 2 with the ventilation opening 211 will be referred to as the ventilation surface 21, and the surface outside the ventilation surface 21 will be referred to as the heat dissipation surface 22. Therefore, the ventilation surface 21 of the shroud 2 has a ventilation opening 211.

[0034] In addition, the fan 3 is located at the ventilation opening 211 of the ventilation surface 21 in the shroud 2. For example, the fan 3 can be fixed to the ventilation opening 211 of the ventilation surface 21 by the fan fixing screw 31, so that the fan can blow air into the core 11 of the fuel cell stack 1 through the ventilation opening 211. The core 11 is the place where the redox reaction takes place in the fuel cell stack 1. In practical applications, the core 11 is usually composed of multiple single cells connected in series. These single cells may include MEA components and bipolar plates, etc.

[0035] It should be noted that, in order to improve the heat dissipation effect, at least one heat dissipation surface 22 in the fan cover 2 is provided with an insulating heat-conducting sheet 4. For example, the insulating heat-conducting sheet 4 can be provided in a certain heat dissipation surface 22, or the insulating heat-conducting sheet 4 can be provided in each heat dissipation surface 22, so that heat is conducted through the insulating heat-conducting sheet 4, thereby increasing the heat dissipation effect.

[0036] The small, portable air-cooled fuel cell system provided in this application includes a fuel cell stack 1, a shroud 2, and a fan 3. The shroud 2 is disposed around the fuel cell stack 1, and the shroud 2 has a vent 211 facing the ventilation surface 21 of the core 11 in the fuel cell stack 1. The fan 3 is disposed at the vent 211 of the ventilation surface 21 in the shroud 2. At least one heat dissipation surface 22 outside the ventilation surface 21 in the shroud 2 is provided with an insulating heat-conducting sheet 4. The heat dissipation effect of the small, portable air-cooled fuel cell system can be improved by the heat conduction of the insulating heat-conducting sheet 4 disposed on the heat dissipation surface 22.

[0037] In practical applications, the insulating heat-conducting sheet 4 can be disposed in the heat dissipation surface 22, facing the inner wall of the fuel cell stack 1. This allows the heat generated by the oxidation-reduction reaction in the fuel cell stack 1 to be conducted to the heat dissipation surface 22 via the insulating heat-conducting sheet 4 disposed on the inner wall of the heat dissipation surface 22, and then diffused into the environment. The insulating heat-conducting sheet 4 can be made using an inorganic insulating heat-conducting material. In practical applications, to improve the heat dissipation effect by ensuring a closer fit between the insulating heat-conducting sheet 4 and the fuel cell stack 1, and between the insulating heat-conducting sheet 4 and the heat dissipation surface 22, a thermally conductive adhesive layer can be formed between the insulating heat-conducting sheet 4 and the fuel cell stack 1, and between the insulating heat-conducting sheet 4 and the heat dissipation surface 22. This thermally conductive adhesive layer increases the contact between the insulating heat-conducting sheet 4 and the fuel cell stack 1 and the heat dissipation surface 22.

[0038] Of course, in order to further increase the heat conduction effect, in practical applications, heat-conducting fins 221 can be further provided on the outer wall of the heat dissipation surface 22. In this way, the heat generated by the fuel cell stack 1 is conducted to the heat dissipation surface 22 through the insulating heat-conducting sheet 4, and can be further improved by the heat-conducting fins 221 on the outer wall of the heat dissipation surface 22 to increase the speed of heat dissipation.

[0039] Since the function of the fan 3, in addition to heat dissipation, also needs to act as a fresh air source to blow fresh air into the core 11 of the fuel cell stack 1 to support its oxidation-reduction reaction, and the ventilation port 211 of the ventilation surface 21 of the fan 3 is smaller than the area of ​​the fan 3, the area of ​​the core 11 in the fuel cell stack 1 is roughly equivalent to that of the ventilation surface 21. Therefore, the main purging position of the fan 3 is the position directly opposite the ventilation port 211, which leads to insufficient air supply to the individual cells at the upper and lower ends of the core 11, affecting the output performance of the individual cells at the upper and lower ends of the core 11. To address this problem, the ventilation surface 21 in this application can be specifically a horn-shaped ventilation surface, and the ventilation port 211 can be set at the small horn opening of the horn-shaped ventilation surface. For example, the small horn opening of the horn-shaped ventilation surface can be directly used as the ventilation port 211, or a baffle can be set at the small horn opening, and then the ventilation port 211 can be set on the baffle. The air blown by the fan 3 located at the vent 211 can diffuse through the internal cavity of the horn-shaped ventilation surface, making it easier for the individual cells at the top and bottom of the core 11 to obtain fresh air, thereby improving their output performance. The shape of the horn-shaped ventilation surface can be a circular horn or a square horn, and its specific shape is not limited here.

[0040] The structure of the fuel cell stack 1 can be further described here. In addition to the core 11, the stack 1 may also include end plates 12, which are disposed at both ends of the core 11 to clamp it. Furthermore, a current collector 13 can be disposed between the end plates 12 and the core 11 to collect and discharge the current generated by the core 11. To facilitate current discharge by the current collector 13, it may have a through hole, and the end plate 12 is correspondingly provided with a terminal bolt 122. The current collector 13 can be connected to the terminal bolt 122 through the through hole. The terminal bolt 122 can extend through the end plate 12, protruding from its inner surface, and connect to the through hole in the current collector 13. This allows for the connection of wires to the terminal bolt 122 to discharge the current from the current collector 13. In addition, to prevent leakage of current on the outer surface of the terminal bolt 122 on the end plate 12, the insulating nut 125 can be used to seal the terminal bolt 122 on the outer surface of the end plate 12.

[0041] As mentioned above, the wind shield 2 is located on the periphery of the fuel cell stack 1. In this application, the wind shield 2 is fixed to the end plate 12 by wind shield locking screws 23. For example, screw holes 121 can be provided on the side wall of the end plate 12, and the wind shield locking screws 23 can be inserted into the screw holes 121 on the side wall of the end plate 12 to fix the wind shield 2 to the fuel cell stack 1.

[0042] To facilitate the clamping of the reactor core 11 by the end plates 12 at both ends, fuel cell locking bolts 123 can be provided between the end plates 12 at both ends of the reactor core 11. By tightening the fuel cell locking bolts 123, the distance between the end plates 12 at both ends of the reactor core 11 can be adjusted, thereby enabling the end plates 12 at both ends of the reactor core 11 to clamp the reactor core 11. Of course, to clamp the reactor core 11 more securely, there can be multiple fuel cell locking bolts 123, for example, these fuel cell locking bolts 123 can be provided on each side or corner of the end plates 12.

[0043] In addition, to facilitate the introduction of hydrogen into the fuel cell stack 1, a hydrogen inlet and outlet can be provided in the end plate 12, and a quick-connect fitting 124 for the hydrogen inlet and outlet can be provided in the hydrogen inlet and outlet, so that the quick-connect fitting 124 for the hydrogen inlet and outlet can be connected to a hydrogen inlet and outlet pipeline, thereby introducing or exporting hydrogen.

[0044] Of course, the small, portable air-cooled fuel cell system provided in this application embodiment may also include a hydrogen supply device and related control devices, wherein the hydrogen supply device may be a solid or liquid hydrogen storage cylinder, and the control device may be a fuel cell controller.

[0045] Based on the small, portable, air-cooled fuel cell system provided in the embodiments of this application, the embodiments of this application can also provide an electrical device that includes the small, portable, air-cooled fuel cell system provided in the embodiments of this application. For example, the electrical device can utilize the small, portable, air-cooled fuel cell system as a primary or backup power source. In practical applications, the electrical device can be, for example, a two-wheeled vehicle, a small drone, or a robot.

[0046] This invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications without departing from the principles of this invention, and these improvements and modifications are also considered within the scope of protection of this invention. Contents not described in detail in this specification are prior art known to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A small, portable, air-cooled fuel cell system, characterized in that, include: The fuel cell stack (1), the shroud (2), and the fan (3) are as follows: The wind shield (2) is disposed on the periphery of the fuel cell stack (1), and the wind shield (2) faces the ventilation surface (21) of the core (11) in the fuel cell stack (1) and is provided with ventilation openings (211). The fan (3) is disposed at the vent (211) of the ventilation surface (21) in the fan cover (2); and, At least one heat dissipation surface (22) in the hood (2) other than the ventilation surface (21) is provided with an insulating heat-conducting sheet (4).

2. The air-cooled fuel cell system according to claim 1, characterized by The insulating heat-conducting sheet (4) is disposed in the heat dissipation surface (22) facing the inner wall of the fuel cell stack (1).

3. The air-cooled fuel cell system according to claim 2, characterized by The outer wall of the heat dissipation surface (22) is provided with heat-conducting fins.

4. The air-cooled fuel cell system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ventilation surface (21) is specifically a trumpet-shaped ventilation surface, wherein the ventilation opening (211) is located at the small trumpet opening of the trumpet-shaped ventilation surface.

5. The air-cooled fuel cell system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The stack (1) has end plates (12) at both ends of its core (11); and, A flow collector (13) is provided between the end plate (12) and the core (11).

6. The air-cooled fuel cell system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The wind shield (2) is fixed to the screw hole (121) on the side wall of the end plate (12) by the wind shield locking screw (23).

7. The air-cooled fuel cell system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The end plate (12) is provided with terminal bolts (122); and, The collector plate (13) is connected to the terminal bolt (122) through a through hole.

8. The air-cooled fuel cell system according to claim 5, characterized in that, A stack locking bolt (123) is provided between the end plates (12) at both ends of the core (11).

9. The air-cooled fuel cell system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The end plate (12) is provided with quick-connect fittings (124) for hydrogen inlet and outlet.

10. An electrical appliance, characterized in that, The electrical equipment includes the air-cooled fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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