Integrated gas-liquid separator with anti-pinch structure for PEM hydrogen production

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of integrated gas-liquid separator with anti-entrainment structure for PEM hydrogen production, oxygen outlet is equipped in the top of upper ellipsoidal section, inside of demisting section is equipped with wire mesh demister, cooling column is vertically equipped in the inside of gas cooling section, cooling medium inlet and cooling medium outlet are tangentially equipped in the upper portion and lower portion of gas cooling section respectively, cooling medium inlet, cooling medium outlet and the shell inside of gas cooling section are communicated, the upper portion of gas phase fractionating section is equipped with inclined anti-entrainment guide plate, the surface of anti-entrainment guide plate is uniformly equipped with several holes, liquid phase gas fractionating section is equipped with heater, the bottom of lower ellipsoidal section is equipped with circulating water outlet;The utility model solves the adverse effects of liquid entrainment by inclined hole anti-entrainment plate, significantly improves the purity of discharged liquid, improves gas recovery rate;Separation, cooling, heating and anti-entrainment functions are integrated, compact structure, reduce the design of external pipeline and valve, reduce installation cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis hydrogen production technology, and in particular to an integrated gas-liquid separator for PEM hydrogen production with an anti-entrainment structure. Background Technology

[0002] In a PEM water electrolysis hydrogen production system, the oxygen produced by the electrolyzer usually carries a large amount of water vapor and liquid water, and is at a high temperature. This oxygen needs to be cooled and efficiently separated into gas and liquid before it can meet the requirements of subsequent processes (such as detecting the hydrogen content in the oxygen) or emissions. At the same time, the separated condensate needs to be recycled and incorporated into the electrolyzer's circulating water, and its temperature needs to be precisely managed, such as heating during cold start and maintaining a constant temperature during operation.

[0003] In existing technologies, PEM water electrolysis hydrogen production systems typically employ a decentralized design with multiple devices ("cooler + separator + heater + storage tank") connected via external pipelines, which has the following drawbacks: The system has many pieces of equipment, complex pipelines and valves, occupies a large area, and has a high risk of system leakage. The complex piping system means that hydrogen may diffuse back to the oxygen side, leading to hydrogen and oxygen leaks. This leakage problem is particularly prominent in highly integrated electrolyzer systems. The circulating water flows in the external pipeline, resulting in significant heat loss and slow heating and cooling response, which is not conducive to system cold start and rapid load change conditions. Traditional separators have limited ability to capture ultrafine droplets, and the liquid tends to carry gas when it falls, resulting in incomplete separation and potentially affecting the lifespan of downstream pumps. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an integrated gas-liquid separator for PEM hydrogen production with an anti-entrapment structure, which integrates separation, cooling, heating and anti-entrapment functions into one unit.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of this utility model is as follows: An integrated gas-liquid separator for hydrogen production using PEM with an anti-entrapment structure is characterized by comprising an upper ellipsoidal section, a demister section, a gas cooling section, a gas phase separation section, a liquid phase separation section, and a lower ellipsoidal section, all integrally formed vertically from top to bottom. The upper ellipsoidal section has an oxygen outlet at its top. The demister section contains a wire mesh demister. The gas cooling section has vertically arranged cooling tubes inside. The upper and lower parts of the gas cooling section have tangentially arranged cooling medium inlets and outlets, respectively, which communicate with the interior of the gas cooling section's shell. The upper part of the gas phase separation section has an anti-entrapment guide plate with an inclination angle of 30°~60° to the horizontal plane. The surface of the anti-entrapment guide plate has a plurality of uniformly distributed holes. The middle part of the gas phase separation section has an oxygen-water inlet. The liquid phase separation section has a heater. The bottom of the lower ellipsoidal section has a circulating water outlet.

[0006] Furthermore, the inclination angle between the anti-clamping guide plate and the horizontal plane is 45°.

[0007] Furthermore, the wire mesh demister is composed of several layers of woven metal wire or engineering plastic mesh.

[0008] Furthermore, the gas cooling section has several turbulence-disrupting plates inside its housing, which are fixed horizontally to the outer wall of the cooling tube housing.

[0009] Furthermore, the diameter of the holes in the anti-clamping guide plate is 3mm to 10mm.

[0010] When applied to PEM hydrogen production, this utility model integrates separation, cooling, heating, and anti-entrainment functions into one compact structure, reducing the design of external pipelines and valves, lowering installation costs, avoiding the flooding and entrainment problems of traditional separators, and ensuring stable operation. This invention solves the problem of liquid carrying away gas by using an inclined perforated anti-entrapment plate, which significantly improves the purity of the discharged liquid and increases the gas recovery rate. This invention employs a top-down gas cooling, gas-phase liquid separation, and liquid-phase gas separation design. The heat from gas-phase cooling can be directly transferred to the cooling medium, the liquid-phase heating target is clearly defined, and the overall system energy efficiency is high. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model.

[0012] Figure label: 1. Upper ellipsoidal section; 2. Demisting section; 3. Gas cooling section; 4. Gas-liquid separation section; 5. Liquid-gas separation section; 6. Lower ellipsoidal section. 201 wire mesh demister 301 Cooling medium inlet, 302 Cooling tubes, 303 Baffle, 304 Cooling medium outlet. 401 Anti-entrapment baffle, 402 Oxygen water inlet, 501 Liquid Phase Heater 601 Circulating water outlet. Detailed Implementation

[0013] The technical solution of this utility model will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0014] This embodiment discloses an integrated gas-liquid separator for PEM hydrogen production with an anti-entrapment structure, such as... Figure 1 As shown, it includes an upper ellipsoidal section 1, a demisting section 2, a gas cooling section 3, a gas phase liquid separation section 4, a liquid phase gas separation section 5, and a lower ellipsoidal section 6, which are integrally formed vertically from top to bottom. The top of the upper ellipsoidal section 1 is provided with an oxygen outlet 101, and the bottom of the lower ellipsoidal section 6 is provided with a circulating water outlet 601.

[0015] The demisting section 2 is equipped with a wire mesh demister 201. The wire mesh demister 201 is composed of a mesh pad woven from multiple layers of fine metal wires or engineering plastic wires. The wire mesh demister 201 captures and collects the mist droplets carried in the cooled gas. The droplet size is 1-50μm. The droplets collide and coalesce on the wire mesh surface of the wire mesh demister 201 and drip off under the action of gravity, providing high-quality sample gas without liquid water downstream.

[0016] The interior of the gas cooling section 3 is provided with a cooling tube 302 along the vertical direction. The two ends of the tube side of the cooling tube 302 are connected to the cooling medium inlet 301 and the cooling medium outlet 304, respectively. The high-temperature gas-liquid mixture enters the shell side space of the gas cooling section 3 from the cooling medium inlet 301 at the top of the gas cooling section 3. When the gas flows through the outer wall of the cooling tube 302, it is cooled. Some droplets are condensed and separated due to the temperature drop and inertia, and adhere to the outer wall of the cooling tube 302 and fall downward.

[0017] like Figure 1 As shown, the cooling medium inlet 301 and the cooling medium outlet 304 are tangentially connected to the upper and lower parts of the gas cooling section 3, respectively. The cooling tube 302 has a small turbulence plate 303 inside its shell, which is fixed horizontally on the outer wall of the cooling tube 302 shell.

[0018] The gas phase separation section 4 is located directly below the cooling tube 30. The upper part of the gas phase separation section 4 is provided with an anti-entrapment guide plate 401. The inclination angle between the anti-entrapment guide plate 401 and the horizontal plane is 30°~60°, preferably 45°. The surface of the anti-entrapment guide plate 401 is uniformly provided with several through-holes with a diameter range of 3mm~10mm, preferably 4mm~6mm. The middle part of the gas phase separation section 4 is provided with an oxygen water inlet 402.

[0019] The liquid phase gas separation section 5 is located at the lower part of the structure in this embodiment. The liquid phase gas separation section 5 is used to collect the separated circulating water. The liquid phase gas separation section 5 is equipped with a liquid phase heater 501, which is used to heat the circulating water to meet the rapid temperature rise requirements during cold start and the constant temperature control requirements during operation of the PEM hydrogen production system applied in this embodiment.

[0020] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, when the structure is in use, the high-temperature gas-liquid mixture enters the shell-side space of the gas cooling section 3 tangentially from the cooling medium inlet 301 at the top of the gas cooling section 3, and is cooled by the cooling tubes 302. Some oxygen is first discharged from the oxygen outlet 101 of the upper ellipsoidal section 1. The cooled gas-liquid mixture falling from the cooling tubes 302 impacts the inclined anti-entrainment guide plate 401, which is effectively dispersed and buffered. The kinetic energy carried by the liquid is weakened, and the bubbles carried by the liquid during the impact are released and return to the upper gas phase space through the small holes on the anti-entrainment guide plate 401. The liquid continues to flow gently down along the slope of the anti-entrainment guide plate 401, dripping into the bottom liquid phase gas separation section 5 in the form of a thin stream or liquid film.

[0021] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model, and are not intended to limit it. Although the utility model has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model.

Claims

1. An integrated gas-liquid separator for PEM hydrogen production with an anti-entrapment structure, characterized in that, It includes an upper ellipsoidal section (1), a demisting section (2), a gas cooling section (3), a gas phase liquid separation section (4), a liquid phase gas separation section (5), and a lower ellipsoidal section (6) formed vertically from top to bottom. The upper ellipsoidal section (1) is provided with an oxygen outlet (101) at its top. The demisting section (2) is provided with a wire mesh demister (201) inside. The gas cooling section (3) is provided with a cooling tube column (302) arranged vertically inside. The upper and lower parts of the gas cooling section (3) are respectively provided with a cooling medium inlet (301) and a cooling medium outlet (304) arranged tangentially. The gas inlet (301) and cooling medium outlet (304) are connected to the interior of the gas cooling section (3). The upper part of the gas phase liquid separation section (4) is provided with an anti-entrapment guide plate (401). The inclination angle between the anti-entrapment guide plate (401) and the horizontal plane is 30°~60°. The surface of the anti-entrapment guide plate (401) is uniformly provided with several holes. The middle part of the gas phase liquid separation section (4) is provided with an oxygen water inlet (402). The liquid phase gas separation section (5) is provided with a heater (501). The bottom end of the lower ellipsoidal section (6) is provided with a circulating water outlet (601).

2. The integrated gas-liquid separator for PEM hydrogen production with anti-entrapment structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The anti-pinch guide plate (401) has an inclination angle of 45° with the horizontal plane.

3. The integrated gas-liquid separator for PEM hydrogen production with anti-entrapment structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wire mesh demister (201) consists of several layers of woven metal wire or engineering plastic mesh.

4. The integrated gas-liquid separator for PEM hydrogen production with anti-entrapment structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gas cooling section (3) has a small turbulence plate (303) inside its shell, and the turbulence plate (303) is fixed horizontally on the outer wall of the cooling tube (302) shell.

5. The integrated gas-liquid separator for PEM hydrogen production with anti-entrapment structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The diameter of the holes in the anti-clamping guide plate (401) is 3mm~10mm.

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