A fuel cell test bench cathode and anode double module temperature control and humidification integrated device

Abstract

The utility model relates to hydrogen energy system operation environment test technical field, concretely relates to a fuel cell test board cathode anode double module temperature control and humidification integrated device, including the first gas path module and the second gas path module that are independent of each other, the cathode gas inlet and anode gas inlet of electric pile are connected respectively, and with corresponding gas outlet fluid communication to each steam water separator, realize byproduct water recovery and self -circulation humidification. Each module is equipped with ball valve, heating band, solenoid valve, steam water separator, mass flowmeter and temperature pressure integrated sensor in proper order. Controller takes the temperature of PTC heating end plate in steam water separator as dew point temperature representation value, combines gas actual measurement temperature and calculates relative humidity through Magnus - Tetens formula, and closed loop adjusts heating band power and end plate temperature, realizes the high accuracy control of gas temperature and humidity of progress stack, the device does not need external water source, and the structure is compact, and the safety is high, is applicable to the accurate test of fuel cell under complex working condition.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of hydrogen energy system operating environment testing technology, and in particular to an integrated device for temperature control and humidification of the cathode and anode dual modules of a fuel cell test bench. Background Technology

[0002] In existing fuel cell testing systems, the temperature control and humidification functions of the cathode and anode are typically designed separately, resulting in bulky equipment, slow response speed, and poor coordinated control capabilities. Traditional humidification methods rely on external water sources or steam generators, which are not only structurally complex and energy-intensive but also pose a risk of water pollution, affecting the lifespan of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). Furthermore, existing systems generally lack the ability to independently and dynamically adjust the temperature and humidity of the anode and cathode gases, making it difficult to meet the high-precision testing requirements under complex and varying operating conditions.

[0003] Although some systems incorporate vapor-water separators for water removal, these separators mostly only provide passive drainage and cannot actively participate in humidity regulation. Furthermore, obtaining dew point temperature typically relies on expensive dedicated dew point sensors (such as chilled mirror dew point meters), increasing system complexity and cost. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of this utility model is to propose an integrated temperature control and humidification device for both cathode and anode modules of a fuel cell test bench, so as to solve the technical problems of the existing fuel cell test benches, such as the separation of cathode and anode temperature and humidity control systems, reliance on external water sources, high dew point detection costs, low control accuracy, and difficulty in achieving self-circulating humidification.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides an integrated device for temperature control and humidification of both cathode and anode modules of a fuel cell test bench, including a first gas path module and a second gas path module. The first gas path module is connected to the cathode air inlet of the fuel cell stack, and the second gas path module is connected to the anode air inlet of the fuel cell stack.

[0006] The first gas path module and the second gas path module each include: a ball valve, a heating belt, a solenoid valve, a steam-water separator, a mass flow meter, a temperature and pressure integrated sensor, and a pressure relief valve;

[0007] The gas flows sequentially from the gas source through the ball valve, heating belt, solenoid valve, steam-water separator, mass flow meter and integrated temperature and pressure sensor, and then enters the gas inlet of the corresponding electrode of the fuel cell stack.

[0008] The gas-water separator has a cyclone structure and is equipped with a PTC heating end plate inside. The temperature of the PTC heating end plate is adjustable, so as to control the humidity of the gas entering the reactor by adjusting the temperature of the PTC heating end plate and to store the recovered condensate.

[0009] It also includes a controller, which is electrically connected to the heating belt, the PTC heating end plate, the integrated temperature and pressure sensor and the solenoid valve respectively. The controller is used to collect the temperature and pressure of the gas entering the stack, and use the temperature of the PTC heating end plate as the dew point temperature. It calculates the relative humidity by combining the gas temperature measured by the integrated temperature and pressure sensor, and then adjusts the output power of the heating belt and the set temperature of the PTC heating end plate through closed-loop control to make the gas entering the stack reach the preset temperature and humidity conditions.

[0010] Preferably, the cathode outlet of the fuel cell stack is in fluid communication with the steam-water separator of the first gas path module, and the anode outlet of the fuel cell stack is in fluid communication with the steam-water separator of the second gas path module, so that the condensate separated from the outlet gas can be collected by the corresponding steam-water separator and used for humidifying the gas entering the stack.

[0011] Preferably, the controller is an STM32F407 microcontroller. The controller uses the Magnus-Tetens formula to calculate the relative humidity, where the measured temperature of the PTC heating plate is used as the dew point temperature, and the gas temperature measured by the integrated temperature and pressure sensor is used as the ambient temperature. The current relative humidity value is calculated by substituting these values ​​into the formula, and the temperature of the PTC heating plate is dynamically adjusted accordingly to achieve closed-loop humidity control.

[0012] Preferably, the heating belt is a silicone rubber heating belt with a rated power of 200W / m and a maximum operating temperature of 200℃. Its output power is adjusted by a PID control algorithm to keep the gas temperature stable within the set value ±0.5℃ range.

[0013] Preferably, the temperature control range of the PTC heating end plate is 20℃~90℃, and the control accuracy is ±0.5℃.

[0014] Preferably, the temperature measurement range of the integrated temperature and pressure sensor is -40℃ to 125℃, the pressure measurement range is 0 to 200kPa, and it outputs a 4 to 20mA analog signal.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0016] I. Integrated design, compact and efficient structure: The temperature control and humidification functions of the cathode and anode are integrated into two independent but symmetrical gas path modules, which significantly reduces the size of the equipment and improves the system response speed and space utilization.

[0017] II. Achieving high-precision closed-loop temperature and humidity control: By using the temperature of the PTC heating end plate as the dew point temperature and combining it with the measured gas temperature to calculate the relative humidity using the Magnus-Tetens formula, a temperature-humidity dual-variable closed-loop control system is constructed. The temperature control accuracy reaches ±0.5℃, and the humidity control accuracy reaches ±3%RH, meeting the high-precision testing requirements under complex and variable operating conditions.

[0018] 3. No external water source required, achieving self-circulating zero-pollution humidification: By utilizing the by-product water generated during the operation of the fuel cell stack, the condensate is recovered through fluid communication between the gas outlet and the corresponding gas path module's steam-water separator, and used for evaporative humidification of the gas entering the stack, completely eliminating dependence on external water sources, avoiding water pollution, and extending the service life of the membrane electrode assembly.

[0019] IV. Independent control of anode and cathode, high testing flexibility: The two gas path modules are completely independent and can be set with different temperature and humidity parameters respectively. They support the simulation of various asymmetrical or dynamic working conditions, which significantly improves the applicability and experimental accuracy of the testing platform. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model.

[0022] In the diagram: 1. Ball valve; 2. Heating belt; 3. Solenoid valve; 4. Steam-water separator; 5. Mass flow meter; 6. Temperature and pressure integrated sensor; 7. Pressure relief valve; 8. PTC heating end plate; 9. Controller. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the present utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0024] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in the embodiments of this utility model should have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this utility model pertains. The terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in this utility model do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Terms such as "comprising" or "including" mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed following the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Terms such as "connected" or "linked" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are only used to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0025] like Figure 1 As shown, a dual-module temperature control and humidification device for the cathode and anode of a fuel cell test bench includes a first gas path module and a second gas path module. The first gas path module is connected to the cathode air inlet of the fuel cell stack, and the second gas path module is connected to the anode air inlet of the fuel cell stack. The two modules have the same structure and are independent of each other.

[0026] The first gas path module and the second gas path module each include: ball valve 1, heating belt 2, solenoid valve 3, steam-water separator 4, mass flow meter 5, integrated temperature and pressure sensor 6 and pressure relief valve 7. The integrated temperature and pressure sensor 6 has a temperature measurement range of -40℃ to 125℃, a pressure measurement range of 0 to 200kPa, and outputs a 4 to 20mA analog signal.

[0027] Gas enters from the gas source through ball valve 1, flows sequentially through heating belt 2 for preheating, solenoid valve 3 for distribution, steam-water separator 4 for humidification, mass flow meter 5 for metering, and temperature and pressure integrated sensor 6 for detection, before entering the gas inlet of the corresponding electrode of the fuel cell stack.

[0028] Heating belt 2 is wrapped around the outer wall of the gas pipeline to heat the gas. Heating belt 2 is also equipped with a temperature sensor. Heating belt 2 is a silicone rubber heating belt with a rated power of 200W / m and a maximum working temperature of 200℃. Its output power is adjusted by a PID control algorithm to keep the gas temperature stable within the set value ±0.5℃ range.

[0029] The cathode outlet of the fuel cell stack is fluidly connected to the gas-water separator 4 of the first gas path module, and the anode outlet of the fuel cell stack is fluidly connected to the gas-water separator 4 of the second gas path module. The liquid water carried by the outlet gas is efficiently captured in the gas-water separator 4 through cyclone centrifugation and impact condensation, and stored in its bottom water storage chamber for subsequent evaporation and humidification, thereby realizing self-circulation operation.

[0030] The gas-water separator 4 has a cyclone structure, and the shell is made of 316 stainless steel. It is equipped with a PTC heating plate 8 inside. The temperature control range of the PTC heating plate 8 is 20℃~90℃, and the control accuracy is ±0.5℃. The temperature of the PTC heating plate 8 is adjustable so as to control the humidity of the gas entering the reactor and store the recovered condensate by adjusting the temperature of the PTC heating plate 8.

[0031] The PTC heating end plate 8 has a dual function:

[0032] On the one hand, by adjusting the end plate temperature, the humidity of the gas fed into the reactor can be dynamically adjusted to control whether condensation or evaporation occurs on its surface.

[0033] On the other hand, its temperature is used as a characterization value of the gas dew point temperature for humidity closed-loop calculations.

[0034] The device is configured to humidify the feed gas using byproduct water recovered from the cathode and anode outlet gases, achieving a self-circulating humidification function without the need for an external water source.

[0035] It also includes a controller 9, which is electrically connected to the heating belt 2, the PTC heating end plate 8, the temperature and pressure integrated sensor 6, and the solenoid valve 3, respectively. The controller 9 is used to collect the temperature and pressure of the gas entering the stack, and uses the temperature of the PTC heating end plate 8 as the dew point temperature. It calculates the relative humidity by combining the gas temperature measured by the temperature and pressure integrated sensor 6, and then adjusts the output power of the heating belt 2 and the set temperature of the PTC heating end plate 8 through closed-loop control, so that the gas entering the stack reaches the preset temperature and humidity conditions.

[0036] Controller 9 is an STM32F407 microcontroller, and it uses the measured temperature of the PTC heating end plate 8 as the current gas dew point temperature. The approximate value, combined with the actual gas temperature measured by the integrated temperature and pressure sensor. The current relative humidity (RH) is calculated using the Magnus-Teten formula recommended by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Then, a closed-loop algorithm is used to adjust the output power of the heating belt (temperature control) and the set temperature of the PTC heating end plate (humidity control) to ensure that the gas entering the fuel cell stack reaches the user's preset temperature and humidity conditions.

[0037] Controller 9 executes the following control logic:

[0038] Obtain the dew point temperature characterization value: Read the real-time temperature of PTC heating end plate 8. (Unit: °C)

[0039] Calculate the actual water vapor pressure (i.e., saturated vapor pressure at dew point temperature):

[0040] (Unit: hPa)

[0041] Obtain the ambient temperature of the gas Measured by temperature and pressure integrated sensor 6;

[0042] Calculate the saturated vapor pressure at the current temperature. ;

[0043] ;

[0044] Calculate relative humidity :

[0045] ;

[0046] The physical basis of this method lies in the fact that when the temperature of the PTC heating plate 8 is precisely controlled at a critical state of "about to condense but not accumulating a large amount of water," its surface temperature approaches the true dew point temperature of the gas. The system maintains this balance through feedback regulation, thereby achieving low-cost, high-reliability humidity sensing and control without the need for a dedicated dew point sensor.

[0047] Based on the deviation between the calculated RH value and the user-set value, controller 9 performs bivariate PID control:

[0048] If the temperature is too low, increase the power of heating element 2.

[0049] If the humidity is insufficient, appropriately reduce the temperature of the PTC heating plate 8 to promote the evaporation of water in the water storage chamber;

[0050] If the humidity is too high, increase the temperature of the PTC heating plate 8 to suppress evaporation or promote condensation drainage.

[0051] This forms a temperature-humidity dual closed-loop control system with a temperature control accuracy of ±0.5℃, a humidity control accuracy of ±3%RH, and a step response time of less than 30 seconds.

[0052] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely exemplary and is not intended to imply that the scope of the present invention is limited to these examples; within the framework of the present invention, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of the different aspects of the present invention as described above, which are not provided in the details for the sake of brevity.

[0053] The embodiments of this utility model are intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications, and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A dual-module temperature control and humidification device for a fuel cell test bench, characterized in that, It includes a first gas path module and a second gas path module. The first gas path module is connected to the cathode inlet of the fuel cell stack, and the second gas path module is connected to the anode inlet of the fuel cell stack. The first gas path module and the second gas path module each include: a ball valve (1), a heating belt (2), a solenoid valve (3), a steam-water separator (4), a mass flow meter (5), a temperature and pressure integrated sensor (6), and a pressure relief valve (7); The gas flows from the gas source through the ball valve (1), heating belt (2), solenoid valve (3), steam-water separator (4), mass flow meter (5) and temperature and pressure integrated sensor (6) in sequence, and then enters the gas inlet of the corresponding electrode of the fuel cell stack. The steam-water separator (4) has a cyclone structure and is equipped with a PTC heating end plate (8) inside. The temperature of the PTC heating end plate (8) is adjustable. It also includes a controller (9), which is electrically connected to the heating belt (2), the PTC heating end plate (8), the temperature and pressure integrated sensor (6) and the solenoid valve (3) respectively. It is used to collect the temperature and pressure of the gas entering the stack, and use the temperature of the PTC heating end plate (8) as the dew point temperature. Combined with the gas temperature measured by the temperature and pressure integrated sensor (6), the relative humidity is calculated. Then, the output power of the heating belt (2) and the set temperature of the PTC heating end plate (8) are adjusted through closed-loop control so that the gas entering the stack reaches the preset temperature and humidity conditions.

2. The integrated temperature control and humidification device for the cathode and anode dual modules of a fuel cell test bench according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cathode outlet of the fuel cell stack is in fluid communication with the gas-water separator (4) of the first gas path module, and the anode outlet of the fuel cell stack is in fluid communication with the gas-water separator (4) of the second gas path module.

3. The integrated temperature control and humidification device for the cathode and anode dual modules of a fuel cell test bench according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller (9) is an STM32F407 microcontroller. The controller (9) uses the Magnus-Tetens formula to calculate the relative humidity, where the measured temperature of the PTC heating end plate (8) is used as the dew point temperature, and the gas temperature measured by the temperature and pressure integrated sensor (6) is used as the ambient temperature. The current relative humidity value is calculated by substituting into the formula, and the temperature of the PTC heating end plate (8) is dynamically adjusted accordingly to achieve humidity closed-loop control.

4. The integrated temperature control and humidification device for the cathode and anode dual modules of a fuel cell test bench according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating belt (2) is a silicone rubber heating belt with a rated power of 200W / m and a maximum working temperature of 200℃.

5. The integrated temperature control and humidification device for the cathode and anode dual modules of a fuel cell test bench according to claim 1, characterized in that, The temperature control range of the PTC heating end plate (8) is 20℃~90℃.

6. The integrated temperature control and humidification device for the cathode and anode dual modules of a fuel cell test bench according to claim 1, characterized in that, The temperature measurement range of the integrated temperature and pressure sensor (6) is -40℃ to 125℃, and the pressure measurement range is 0 to 200kPa.

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