A filter suitable for use in a portable fuel cell system

Abstract

A filter suitable for portable fuel cell system, including shell, the side of shell is provided with air inlet, air inlet is communicated with the inner chamber of shell through first flow channel, control valve is arranged in first flow channel, one side of shell is connected with condensing device, second flow channel is arranged in condensing device, air inlet is also communicated with the inner chamber of shell through second flow channel of condensing device, the length of second flow channel is greater than the length of first flow channel, the other side of shell is connected with filter drying assembly, the top of filter drying assembly is provided with air outlet, the bottom of shell is provided with liquid collecting chamber, drain port, the hydrogen gas impurity gas component can be removed through filter material, water and solid impurity particles can be further removed through drying material and waterproof breathable membrane, filter material, water vapor can be condensed into liquid in advance through condensing device in normal temperature or high temperature environment, gas can be directly introduced into shell and naturally condensed through control valve in low temperature, and the condensed water in liquid collecting chamber is discharged through temperature monitoring and auxiliary heating.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of physics, and more particularly to fuel cell systems, especially a filter suitable for portable fuel cell systems. Background Technology

[0002] Portable fuel cell systems, as an important application of clean energy technology, are significantly affected by the purity of hydrogen fuel in terms of operational stability and output performance. Systems that produce hydrogen through hydrolysis using materials such as borohydride or magnesium hydride generate impurities and water vapor during the hydrogen production process. Current technologies employ filters to remove this water vapor, with the hydrogen production process consisting of a hydrogen production module → control valve block → filter → pressure reducing valve → fuel cell stack module. However, existing filters have the following drawbacks: First, moisture in the hydrogen is difficult to remove, especially at high temperatures where the water vapor content is high, resulting in poor removal efficiency. Second, at low temperatures, if the ambient temperature is below 0°C, water vapor in the hydrogen easily freezes and blocks gas passages during condensation. Third, removing water vapor, gaseous impurities, and solid particulate impurities requires multiple filtration devices, resulting in numerous accessories and a complex filtration structure. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a filter suitable for portable fuel cell systems, which solves the technical problems of poor moisture removal from hydrogen, difficulty in removing moisture at low temperatures, and the need for various filter accessories for various impurities in the prior art.

[0004] This utility model provides a filter suitable for portable fuel cell systems, comprising a housing, an air inlet on the side of the housing, the air inlet communicating with the inner cavity of the housing through a first flow channel, a control valve disposed in the first flow channel, a condensation device connected to one side of the housing, the condensation device having a second flow channel, the air inlet also communicating with the inner cavity of the housing through the second flow channel of the condensation device, the length of the second flow channel being greater than the length of the first flow channel, a filter drying assembly connected to the other side of the housing, the filter drying assembly comprising, from bottom to top, a drying material, a waterproof and breathable membrane, and a filter material, an air outlet at the top of the filter drying assembly, a liquid collection chamber at the bottom of the housing, a drain outlet at the bottom of the liquid collection chamber, a drain valve at the drain outlet, a temperature sensor disposed on the outer side of the housing, and a heating device disposed on the outer wall of the liquid collection chamber, the control valve, the drain valve, the control terminal of the heating device, and the signal terminal of the temperature sensor are all electrically connected to a controller.

[0005] Furthermore, the condensation device includes a guide pipe and a spiral condenser. The lower end of the spiral condenser is connected to the air inlet, the upper end of the spiral condenser is connected to the upper end of the guide pipe, and the lower end of the guide pipe is connected to the inner cavity of the housing.

[0006] Furthermore, the bottom of the liquid collection chamber is conical.

[0007] Furthermore, the heating device is an electric heating element.

[0008] Furthermore, the filter drying assembly is connected to the housing via a threaded structure.

[0009] Furthermore, a wire mesh is provided at the bottom of the drying material.

[0010] Furthermore, a liquid level sensor is installed in the liquid collection chamber.

[0011] Furthermore, the condensation device is connected to the housing via a threaded structure or welding.

[0012] Compared with existing technologies, this invention offers significant and positive effects. It not only removes impurity gaseous components such as borohydride or magnesium hydride from hydrogen produced during hydrolysis using filter materials, but also further removes moisture and solid impurity particles through drying materials, waterproof and breathable membranes, and filter materials. In both normal and high-temperature environments, a condensation device can pre-condense water vapor into liquid, greatly enhancing the removal of moisture from the hydrogen. At low temperatures, a control valve allows gas to directly enter the casing for natural condensation. If the temperature is detected to be too low, a heater can be activated to prevent moisture from failing to drain. This invention, through its novel integrated design, comprehensively considers the removal of various types of impurities under both high and low temperature environments, further optimizing the system, control, and assembly. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a filter suitable for a portable fuel cell system according to the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a condenser tube in a filter suitable for a portable fuel cell system according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The present invention will be further described below with reference to embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Any similar variations using the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention. The use of directional terms such as up, down, front, back, left, right, middle, inside, and outside in the present invention is only for the convenience of clear description and is not intended to limit the technical solution of the present invention.

[0016] like Figures 1-2As shown, this utility model provides a filter suitable for a portable fuel cell system, including a housing 1. An air inlet 2 is provided on the side of the housing 1, and the air inlet 2 communicates with the inner cavity of the housing 1 through a first flow channel. A control valve 16 is provided in the first flow channel. A condenser 4 is connected to one side of the housing 1, and a second flow channel is provided in the condenser 4. The air inlet 2 also communicates with the inner cavity of the housing 1 through the second flow channel of the condenser 4. The length of the second flow channel is greater than the length of the first flow channel. A filter drying assembly 6 is connected to the other side of the housing 1. Component 6 includes a drying material 7, a waterproof and breathable membrane 8, and a filter material 9 arranged sequentially from bottom to top. The top of the filter drying component 6 is provided with an air outlet 10, the bottom of the housing 1 is provided with a liquid collection chamber 11, the bottom of the liquid collection chamber 11 is provided with a drain outlet 12, and a drain valve is provided at the drain outlet 12. A temperature sensor 13 is provided on the outside of the housing 1, and a heating device 14 is provided on the outer wall of the liquid collection chamber 11. The control valve 16, the drain valve, the control terminal of the heating device 14, and the signal terminal of the temperature sensor 13 are all electrically connected to a controller.

[0017] Furthermore, the condensation device 4 includes a guide pipe 18 and a spiral condenser pipe 17. The lower end of the spiral condenser pipe 17 is connected to the air inlet 2, the upper end of the spiral condenser pipe 17 is connected to the upper end of the guide pipe 18, and the lower end of the guide pipe 18 is connected to the inner cavity of the housing 1.

[0018] The structure in which the condenser tube is designed in other shapes, such as meandering or bending into other shapes, but ultimately enters the housing 1 through the guide tube 18, should also be within the scope of this utility model.

[0019] Furthermore, the bottom of the liquid collection chamber 11 is conical.

[0020] Furthermore, the heating device 14 is an electric heating element. The electric heating element is composed of a resistance wire wound around a fixed plate, and the resistance wire generates heat when energized.

[0021] Furthermore, the filter drying assembly 6 is connected to the housing 1 via a threaded structure, allowing for quick disassembly and replacement.

[0022] Furthermore, a wire mesh is provided at the bottom of the drying material 7.

[0023] Furthermore, a liquid level sensor 15 is provided in the liquid collection chamber 11.

[0024] Furthermore, the condensation device 4 is connected to the housing 1 by a threaded structure or welding.

[0025] Specifically, any parts of this utility model not described in detail adopt well-known solutions in the prior art, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0026] The working principle of this utility model: When temperature sensor 13 detects a normal or high temperature environment, the controller controls control valve 16 to close, thereby closing the first flow channel. Figure 2 As shown in the airflow direction, the hydrogen produced by the hydrogen production module first enters from the bottom of the spiral condenser tube 17 and then spirals upwards before entering the guide tube 18. It then flows downwards along the guide tube 18 into the housing 1. The hydrogen undergoes natural condensation through the spiral condenser tube 17. Due to the inlet pressure, the condensed water flows upwards along the spiral condenser tube 17 and then downwards through the guide tube 18 to the liquid collection chamber 11 of the housing 1. When the temperature sensor 13 detects a low-temperature environment, the controller opens the control valve 16, allowing the gas produced by the hydrogen production module to directly enter the housing 1 from the inlet 2 and the first flow channel, bypassing the longer second flow channel (i.e., the condensation device).

[0027] Next, the water passes through drying material 7, which includes silica gel desiccant particles, molecular sieve particles, CaO, etc., and can be in granular, columnar, or powder form. Drying material 7 has a wire mesh bottom, but this does not affect the water's return to the collection chamber 11. Some filter material 9 can also be mixed into drying material 7 for pre-filtration.

[0028] Then, the water vapor is further removed by the waterproof and breathable membrane 8. The waterproof and breathable membrane 8 has a large number of micron- or nanon-sized micropores. The diameter of these micropores is much smaller than the size of liquid water molecule clusters, but larger than the size of gas molecules such as hydrogen. Due to surface tension, liquid water molecules form larger water clusters that cannot pass through the micropores, thus effectively blocking the liquid water outside the membrane. Some water vapor can condense into liquid water on the membrane surface and be trapped.

[0029] Then, the hydrogen gas passes through filter material 9 to remove gaseous impurities from the hydrogen produced by the hydrogen production module, such as trace amounts of sulfur compounds, CO, NOx, and other volatile organic compounds. Finally, the hydrogen gas is discharged from outlet 10. Filter material 9 consists of a mixture of platinum and ruthenium precious metals supported on a porous material, and oxide materials such as copper oxide, zinc oxide, and iron oxide supported on the porous material. The mixing ratio varies slightly depending on the different hydrogen production systems. The oxide materials react with impurities such as sulfur compounds and NOx, achieving chemical adsorption. The porous materials include activated carbon, molecular sieves, porous alumina, and zeolite.

[0030] When the temperature sensor 13 detects that the temperature of the outer wall of the filter is below 0°C, the controller turns on the heating device 14 to prevent the water in the bottom housing 1 from freezing and being unable to drain from the filter.

[0031] The condensation device 4 can be assisted by an additional cooling fan to further accelerate the condensation of water vapor in the hydrogen. The condensed water is collected and stored in the liquid collection chamber 11. The water level is detected by the liquid level sensor 15. When the target water level is reached, the controller controls the drain valve to open and drain the water. The conical bottom of the shell 1 is designed for easy collection of condensate. It can also be other shapes such as cylindrical, cuboid or hemispherical.

Claims

1. A filter suitable for portable fuel cell systems, characterized in that, The device includes a housing with an air inlet on its side, which is connected to the inner cavity of the housing via a first flow channel. A control valve is installed in the first flow channel. A condensing device is connected to one side of the housing, and a second flow channel is installed in the condensing device. The air inlet is also connected to the inner cavity of the housing via the second flow channel of the condensing device. The length of the second flow channel is greater than the length of the first flow channel. A filter-drying assembly is connected to the other side of the housing. The filter-drying assembly includes a drying material, a waterproof and breathable membrane, and a filter material arranged sequentially from bottom to top. An air outlet is provided at the top of the filter-drying assembly. A liquid collection chamber is provided at the bottom of the housing, and a drain outlet is provided at the bottom of the liquid collection chamber. A drain valve is installed at the drain outlet. A temperature sensor is installed on the outer side of the housing, and a heating device is installed on the outer wall of the liquid collection chamber. The control valve, the drain valve, the control terminal of the heating device, and the signal terminal of the temperature sensor are all electrically connected to a controller.

2. A filter suitable for portable fuel cell systems according to claim 1, characterized in that, The condensation device includes a guide tube and a spiral condenser tube. The lower end of the spiral condenser tube is connected to the air inlet, the upper end of the spiral condenser tube is connected to the upper end of the guide tube, and the lower end of the guide tube is connected to the inner cavity of the shell.

3. A filter suitable for portable fuel cell systems according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the liquid collection chamber is conical.

4. A filter suitable for portable fuel cell systems according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating device is an electric heating element.

5. A filter suitable for portable fuel cell systems according to claim 1, characterized in that, The filter and dryer assembly is connected to the housing via a threaded structure.

6. A filter suitable for a portable fuel cell system according to claim 1, characterized in that, A wire mesh is provided at the bottom of the drying material.

7. A filter suitable for portable fuel cell systems according to claim 1, characterized in that, A liquid level sensor is installed in the liquid collection chamber.

8. A filter suitable for a portable fuel cell system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The condensation device is connected to the shell by a threaded structure or by welding.

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