Heating device for gas / liquid separator

Abstract

To efficiency heat liquid in a gas / liquid separator or in a discharge flow channel by an inexpensive radiator having excellent assemblability.SOLUTION: A heating device for a gas / liquid separator, comprises: a PTC element (1); a heat dissipation body (7) which is integrally molded in a thin length solid metal holding the PTC element; a housing (8) which includes a recessed portion (80) with the heat dissipation body mounted thereto; and an elastic crown (6) which is adjacent to the PTC element, and is attached to the inside of the housing. The PTC element comprises: a pair of electrodes formed opposite to and separated from each other on a flat surface (11); and a flexible and electrically insulative heat transmission film which comes in contact with a pair of electrodes on the flat surface and contact with the flat surface between the pair of electrodes. The heat dissipation body comprises: a smooth surface (7a) which is formed in one end of the heat dissipation body and to which the flat surface of the PTC element is adhered; and a heat dissipation portion (72) which extends from the smooth surface toward the other end of the heat dissipation body. By elastic force of the elastic crown (6), the PTC element is usually pressurized to the smooth surface of the heat dissipation body via the heat transmission film, and heat of the PTC element is transmitted to the heat dissipation portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heating device for a gas-liquid separator that efficiently heats the inside of the gas-liquid separator by using heat generated by a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) element. [Background technology]

[0002] PTC heaters, which utilize the positive temperature characteristic of PTC elements and are characterized by easy temperature control and low power consumption, are used in heat generating devices such as hot air generators, fluid heaters, flat heaters, freeze prevention devices, and anti-fogging devices. Unlike additional temperature control means such as thermostats including Nichrome heaters, PTC heaters have an automatic temperature control function that is free from the risk of abnormal overheating or disconnection, and when voltage is applied to the PTC heater, the PTC heater generates heat to the desired temperature. In addition, PTC heaters, which are small, lightweight, and simply constructed, are used for various purposes as highly reliable general-purpose heaters. For example, a fuel cell vehicle uses a fuel cell system that includes a fuel cell that generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction between fuel gas and oxidant gas, a fuel gas supply device that supplies fuel gas into the fuel cell, an oxidant gas supply device that supplies oxidant gas into the fuel cell, an outlet flow path through which off-gas containing moisture discharged from the fuel cell flows, a gas-liquid separator provided in the outlet flow path that separates moisture from the off-gas, a discharge flow path that discharges water separated by the gas-liquid separator, a valve device provided in the discharge flow path, and a PTC heater provided in the gas-liquid separator or the discharge flow path to prevent damage to the valve device due to freezing of moisture.

[0003] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a fuel cell system that heats a gas supply / discharge section with a PTC heater to prevent damage to a check valve or a discharge valve due to freezing of water generated in the gas supply / discharge section. The fuel cell system of the following Patent Document 2 includes a PTC heater disposed in a water storage area of ​​a gas-liquid separator of a fuel gas supply section, and a control section that determines the presence or absence of water in the gas-liquid separator based on the correlation temperature of the fuel cell stack and the temperature of the PTC heater, and prevents water from freezing in the water storage area by heating the PTC heater while controlling the heating amount of the PTC heater by the control section. The fuel cell system of the following Patent Document 3 houses a PTC heater in a cover section that includes a tubular cover section main body that covers the PTC heater, an outlet section provided at an end of the cover section main body, and a sealing member that is attached to an end of the fluid introduction section to make the cover section main body liquid-tight and airtight, and flows fuel off-gas and fluids such as water from the gas-liquid separator into the cover section and heats it with the PTC heater. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4654569 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6776216 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 7041538 [Patent Document 4] JP 2010-3814 A [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-335407 [Patent Document 6] Patent No. 6562215 [Patent Document 7] JP 2023-67240 A [Patent Document 8] JP 2023-67241 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, conventional PTC heaters that place a PTC element in the gas-liquid separator or exhaust flow path have the drawback that the PTC element deteriorates due to liquid that enters the PTC heater. Also, when a metal heat sink is placed in the gas-liquid separator or exhaust flow path, and the heat sink is heated by the PTC heater to heat the gas or liquid in the gas-liquid separator or exhaust flow path by heat transfer from the heat sink, a sufficient contact area cannot be obtained between the PTC heater and the heat sink due to the interface between different materials, and the liquid in the gas-liquid separator or exhaust flow path cannot be efficiently heated by the PTC heater through the heat sink.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a heating device for a gas-liquid separator that prevents deterioration of the PTC element due to the liquid being heated. Another object of the present invention is to provide a heating device for a gas-liquid separator that efficiently transfers heat generated in the PTC element to a heat sink. A further object of the present invention is to provide a heating device for a gas-liquid separator that efficiently heats the liquid in the gas-liquid separator or the discharge flow path by using a heat sink that is easy to assemble and inexpensive. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The heating device for a gas-liquid separator of the present invention comprises a PTC element (1), a heat sink (7) integrally molded from an elongated solid metal that holds the PTC element (1), a housing (8) having a recess (80) for mounting the heat sink (7), and an elastic crown (6) attached adjacent to the PTC element (1) in the housing (8). The PTC element (1) comprises a pair of electrodes (4, 5) formed on a flat surface (11) so as to be spaced apart from each other and facing each other, and an electrically insulating and flexible heat transfer film (2) in contact with the pair of electrodes (4, 5) on the flat surface (11) and the flat surface (11) between the pair of electrodes (4, 5). The heat sink (7) comprises a smooth surface (7a) formed at one end of the heat sink (7) and in close contact with the flat surface (11) of the PTC element (1), and a heat sink portion (72) extending from the smooth surface (7a) toward the other end of the heat sink (7). The elastic force of the elastic crown (6) constantly presses the PTC element (1) against the smooth surface (7a) of the heat sink (7) via the heat transfer film (2), and when the PTC element (1) is heated by current flow, the heat of the PTC element (1) is transferred through the smooth surface (7a) of the heat sink (7) to the heat sink (72) arranged in the gas-liquid separator (50), heating the inside of the gas-liquid separator (50). The heat generated by the PTC element (1) is efficiently transferred from the smooth surface (7a) of the heat sink (7) to the heat sink (72), and the frozen water remaining in the gas-liquid separator is heated via the heat sink (72) to quickly melt it. The inside of the gas-liquid separator (50) is heated by the heat sink (72) extending from the smooth surface (7a) to which the PTC element (1) is in close contact, preventing damage to the PTC element (1) due to moisture that is separated from the gas-liquid separator (50). Since the PTC element (1) is attached to the smooth surface (7a) of the heat sink (7) outside the gas-liquid separator (50), the process of assembling the heating device to the gas-liquid separator (50) becomes easy. The heat sink (7) is manufactured inexpensively as a single unit made of solid metal and has excellent assembly properties, and a sufficient amount of heat from the PTC element (1) is transferred to the water in the gas-liquid separator (50) via the heat sink (7). [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a heating device for a gas-liquid separator according to the present invention, attached to the gas-liquid separator. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a heating device for a gas-liquid separator according to the present invention; [Diagram 3] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a heating device for a gas-liquid separator according to the present invention; [Figure 4] A perspective view showing the surface of a PTC element. [Diagram 5] A perspective view showing the back side of the PTC element [Figure 6] Cross-sectional view of the PTC element taken along line VI-VI in Figure 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE DISCLOSURE FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a heating device for a gas-liquid separator according to the present invention; FIG.

[0010] The heating device (10) for a gas-liquid separator of an embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 1 to 3 comprises a PTC element (1) having a flat surface (11) and a pair of electrodes (4, 5) formed on the flat surface (11) such that they are spaced apart and face each other, an electrically insulating and flexible heat transfer film (2) in contact with the flat surface (11) of the PTC element (1), the electrodes (4, 5) on the flat surface (11), and a heating surface (21) formed between the electrodes (4, 5), a heat sink (7) having a smooth surface (7a) in contact with the heat transfer film (2), a housing (8) having a recess (80) for mounting the heat sink (7), an elastic crown (6) arranged in the housing (8) adjacent to the PTC element (1), and a pair of leaf spring-shaped terminals (31, 32) for supplying power to the pair of electrodes (4, 5).

[0011] The PTC element (1) shown in Figs. 4 to 6 is, for example, a flat surface-mount type thermistor having two flat surfaces (11, 12) and two opposing side surfaces (13) connected to the flat surfaces (11, 12), and mainly made of barium titanate. PTC thermistors mainly made of barium titanate have stable resistance-temperature characteristics and can be formed small by atomizing the raw material. The characteristics and manufacturing method of PTC thermistors are disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 4. The element or substrate of a known positive temperature coefficient thermistor such as a ceramic PTC, a carbon-polymer PTC, or a metal oxide-polymer PTC can be used for the PTC element (1) of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] The pair of electrodes (4, 5) of the PTC element (1) includes a pair of strip electrodes (41, 51), a pair of tip electrodes (42, 52) that protrude from the strip electrodes (41, 51) on the flat surface (11) of the PTC element (1) in a staggered manner, a pair of side electrodes (43, 53) formed on two opposing side surfaces (13) of the PTC element (1), and a pair of strip-shaped back electrodes (44, 54) that connect to the side electrodes (43, 53) and are formed on the back flat surface (12) in an opposing manner. A pair of comb-shaped electrodes is formed on the flat surface (11) of the PTC element (1) by the strip electrodes (41, 51) and the tip electrodes (42, 52). The optimum resistance value of the PTC element (1) is determined by selecting appropriate dimensions of the tip electrodes (42, 52) and the strip electrodes (41, 51) formed on the flat surface (11) of the PTC element (1). The structure and manufacturing method of interdigitated electrodes are known, for example, from US Pat. No. 5,399,323 and US Pat. No. 5,499,633.

[0013] The heat transfer film (2) is a heat dissipation sheet made of silicone rubber containing a heat transfer additive selected from aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, silicon carbide, or a mixture thereof. As shown in FIG. 3, the heat transfer film (2) has an inner surface (2a) that is in close contact with the heat generating surface (21), the comb-shaped strip electrodes (41, 51), and the tip electrodes (42, 52) of the PTC element (1), and an outer surface (2b) on the back side of the inner surface (2a). The smooth surface (7a) of the heat sink (7) is in close contact with the outer surface (2b) of the heat transfer film (2). The PTC element (1), the heat transfer film (2), and the smooth surface (7a) of the heat sink (7) are arranged on the same central axis. The heat generated on the heat generating surface (21) of the PTC element (1) when a current is applied to the pair of electrodes (4, 5) is transferred to the heat sink (7) via the heat transfer film (2).

[0014] The heat sink (7) is made of a heat conductive metal such as aluminum, copper, or an alloy thereof. As shown in Fig. 2, the heat sink (7) has a shaft portion (72) extending in a direction away from a flange (71) including a smooth surface (7a), and the cross-sectional area of ​​the flange (71) attached to the first opening (81) of the housing (8) is formed to be larger in the width direction than the cross-sectional area of ​​the shaft portion (72). The recess (80) of the housing (8) has a first opening (81) having a maximum inner diameter for accommodating the flange (71) of the heat sink (7), a second opening (82) formed inside and at the back of the first opening (81) for accommodating the PTC element (1), and a third opening (83) formed inside and at the back of the second opening (82) for accommodating the skirt portion (16) of the elastic crown (6).

[0015] The heat sink (7) has a pair of notches (7b) on the outer surface of the flange (71), and the housing (8) has a pair of locking projections (84) on the inner surface of the first opening (81) that correspond to the pair of notches (7b) and protrude inward from the first opening (81). The pair of locking projections (84) of the housing (8) respectively engage with the pair of notches (7b) of the heat sink (7) to firmly fix the heat sink (7) to the housing (8). The engagement of the locking projections (84) of the housing (8) with the notches (7b) of the heat sink (7) prevents the flange (71) of the heat sink (7) from falling off the first opening (81).

[0016] The pair of terminals (31, 32) shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are entirely made of a conductive metal such as a copper alloy or stainless steel. The intermediate portions (31a, 32a) of the pair of terminals (31, 32) are molded in advance inside the housing (8) made of an insulating material and embedded in the housing (8). The outer ends (31c, 32c) of the terminals (31, 32) are led out of the housing (8) and connected to an external power source (not shown). The inner ends (31b, 32b) of the terminals (31, 32) are led out of the housing (8) into the second opening (82) and bent from the intermediate portions (31a, 32a) to come into contact with a pair of strip-shaped back electrodes (44, 54) of the PTC element (1) arranged in the second opening (82) of the housing (8) and supply power to the PTC element (1). Electric power is supplied from an external power source to the PTC element (1) through a pair of terminals (31, 32) formed by the intermediate portions (31a, 32a), the inner ends (31b, 32b) and the outer ends (31c, 32c).

[0017] The housing (8) is molded integrally with the pair of terminals (31, 32) using, for example, a resin having excellent heat resistance, mechanical strength, and abrasion resistance. A polyamide resin such as nylon 66, which has excellent resistance to organic solvents such as gasoline or oil, is suitable for the housing (8). As shown in FIG. 3, a support protrusion (19) provided integrally with the housing (8) on the bottom surface of the third opening (83) protrudes from the third opening (83) toward the second opening (82). A bottom portion (16) of an elastic crown (6) is attached to the support protrusion (19), and the elastic crown (6) generates an appropriate elastic force when deformed to press the PTC element (1) against the flange (71) of the heat sink (7). The PTC element (1), the inner ends (31b, 32b) of the terminals (31, 32) that contact the pair of strip-shaped rear electrodes (44, 54) of the PTC element (1), and the tip of the elastic cap (6) that presses against the rear flat surface (12) of the PTC element (1) are positioned within the second opening (82).

[0018] The elastic force of the elastic crown (6) presses the flat back surface (12) of the PTC element (1) toward the heat transfer film (2), so that the heat-generating PTC element (1) is constantly pressed against the smooth surface (7a) of the heat sink (7) via the heat transfer film (2). The elastic force of the elastic crown (6) prevents the heat sink (7) in the first opening (81) and the PTC element (1) and the heat transfer film (2) in the second opening (82) from shifting positions, and keeps the heat transfer film (2) in close contact with the flat surface (11) of the PTC element (1) with an appropriate pressing force, so that the heat generated by the PTC element (1) is efficiently transferred to the heat sink (7) via the heat transfer film (2). In addition, the connection between the flange (71) of the heat sink (7) and the locking projection (84) prevents the flange (71) from falling off from the first opening (81) and prevents liquid from entering the first opening (81) and the second opening (82).

[0019] In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the PTC element (1) is pressed against the smooth surface (7a) of the heat sink (7) via the heat transfer film (2) by the elastic crown (6) integrally formed of a functional resin such as silicone rubber having electrical insulation, flexibility and elasticity. This prevents the PTC element (1) from shifting in position or moving, such as rotating, and prevents poor contact between the electrodes (4, 5) and terminals (31, 32) of the PTC element (1) and peeling of the PTC element (1) or the heat sink (7) from the heat transfer film (2). The elastic crown (6) is formed in a cylindrical or conical shape, and the PTC element (1) is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped having two rectangular flat surfaces (11, 12) such as a square or rectangle, and the center where the diagonals of the back flat surface (12) of the PTC element (1) intersect is pressed by the elastic crown (6), preventing the PTC element (1) from shifting in position.

[0020] A metal or resin spring material (not shown) may be attached to the support protrusion (19) in the third opening (83) of the housing (8), and a resin elastic crown (6) may be attached to the spring material. The elastic force of the spring material and the elasticity of the skirt portion (16) strongly press the rear flat surface (12) of the PTC element (1) toward the heat transfer film (2), and the flat surface (11) of the PTC element (1) can be pressed against the smooth surface (7a) of the heat sink (7) via the heat transfer film (2). The flexible heat transfer film (2) adheres closely to the rough surface of the heating surface (21) of the PTC element (1), the surfaces of the strip electrodes (41, 51) and tip electrodes (42, 52), and the smooth surface (7a) of the heat sink (7), thereby increasing the contact area at the interface between different materials and minimizing the decrease in heat transfer efficiency.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 3, the heat sink (7) has an annular groove (17) on its smooth surface (7a) that surrounds the periphery of the PTC element (1). A sealant (14) such as an O-ring is fitted between the annular groove (17) of the heat sink (7) and the first opening (81) of the housing (8). The sealant (14) fitted between the annular groove (17) of the heat sink (7) and the first opening (81) of the housing (8) prevents the liquid to be heated from entering the second opening (82) through the interface between the housing (8) and the heat sink (7) and coming into contact with the PTC element (1), thereby preventing deterioration and electrical short circuit of the PTC element (1) due to the intrusion of moisture / dust.

[0022] The strip electrodes (41, 51) and the tip electrodes (42, 52) of the pair of electrodes (4, 5) are not limited to the comb shape shown in FIG. 4 and may be formed in other shapes. The strip electrodes (41, 51) and the tip electrodes (42, 52) can be formed in various optimal shapes on the flat surface (11) of the PTC element (1). When a voltage is applied between the pair of electrodes (4, 5) of the PTC element (1) from an external power source through the pair of terminals (31, 32), a current flows between the pair of strip electrodes (41, 51) and the tip electrodes (42, 52) and between the tip electrodes (42, 52), and the heating surface (21) between the pair of strip electrodes (41, 51) and the tip electrodes (42, 52) generates heat. The heat generated by the current flowing intensively on the heating surface (21) formed on the flat surface (11) of the PTC element (1) is efficiently transferred to the heat sink (7) via the heat transfer film (2). When voltage is applied, a large current flows through the PTC element (1), which has a low resistance, causing it to heat up rapidly, and the heat sink (7) can be heated to a specified temperature in a short time. Over time, the resistance increases due to self-heating of the PTC element (1), and when the PTC element (1) exceeds a specific temperature (Curie point), the resistance increases rapidly. Once the specific temperature is exceeded, the current value flowing through the PTC element (1) becomes almost constant, controlling overcurrent and maintaining a constant temperature of the PTC element (1).

[0023] An embodiment in which the heating device (10) for a gas-liquid separator according to the present invention is applied to a gas-liquid separator (50) for an electric vehicle such as a fuel cell vehicle or an electric vehicle will be described below. As shown in Fig. 1, the gas-liquid separator (50) for an electric vehicle includes a water collection section (55) formed in a funnel shape for capturing water, a storage chamber (52) formed at the bottom end of the water collection section (55), a drain hole (56) formed on the side of the storage chamber (52), and a valve device (not shown) provided downstream of the drain hole (56). A heat dissipation section (72) of a heat dissipation body (7) of the heating device (10) is disposed in the water collection section (55) or the storage chamber (52). The heat dissipation body (7) has a side hole (76) and a drain hole (77) communicating with the side hole (76), and when the heat dissipation body (7) is placed in the accommodation chamber (52) of the gas-liquid separator (50), the side hole (76) of the heat dissipation body (7) communicates with the accommodation chamber (52) of the gas-liquid separator (50), and the drain hole (77) of the heat dissipation body (7) communicates with the drain hole (56) of the gas-liquid separator (50). When the PTC element (1) generates heat due to the passage of electricity, the heat of the PTC element (1) is transferred through the smooth surface (7a) of the heat dissipation body (7) to the water collection section (55) or the heat dissipation section (72) placed in the accommodation chamber (52), heating the water collection section (55) or the accommodation chamber (52). The water in the accommodation chamber (52) of the gas-liquid separator (50) is discharged to the outside of the gas-liquid separator (50) through the side holes (76) and the drain outlet (77) of the heat radiator (7) and the drain hole (56) of the gas-liquid separator (50).

[0024] The water collection section (55) or the storage chamber (52) is heated by the heating device (10) through the heat dissipation section (72) of the heat sink (7), thereby preventing deterioration of the cell stack due to freezing of moisture in the water collection section (55) or the storage chamber (52). Since the PTC element (1) is not disposed in the water collection section (55) or the storage chamber (52), even if moisture in the water collection section (55) or the storage chamber (52) enters the heating device (10), a short circuit accident or electrical failure of the PTC element (1) due to moisture can be prevented. That is, the PTC element (1) is attached to the smooth surface (7a) at one end of the heat sink (7), and the heat sink section (72) extending in a direction away from the smooth surface (7a) is disposed within the gas-liquid separator (50). Therefore, the heat sink (7) completely separates the PTC element (1) from the gas-liquid separator (50), preventing failure of the PTC element (1) due to water, temperature, or pressure within the gas-liquid separator (50).

[0025] The flexible heat transfer film (2) brings the flat surface (11) of the PTC element (1) and the surfaces of the electrodes (4, 5) into close contact with the smooth surface (7a) of the heat sink (7), ensuring a sufficient contact area between the PTC element (1) and the heat sink (7), and allowing the heating device (10) to efficiently heat the water collection section (55) or the inside of the storage chamber (52) via the heat sink (7). In addition, the heat sink (7) is formed so that the cross-sectional area of ​​the flange (71) including the smooth surface (7a) is larger in the width direction than the cross-sectional area of ​​the shaft portion (72), so that the smooth surface (7a) of the flange (71) with its larger cross-sectional area in the width direction receives the maximum amount of heat from the PTC element (1), and also forms the shaft portion (72) with a narrow cross-sectional area, efficiently transmitting the heat transmitted from the PTC element (1) toward the drain outlet (77) at the tip of the shaft portion (72). As shown in Figure 2, the heat sink (7) may be formed with a vertical wall extending upward from the shaft (72) along the flange (71). Even if the residual water in the water collection section (55) freezes, the ice will quickly melt up to a high water level (amount of residual water greater than expected). The shaft (72) and vertical wall of the heat sink (7) may be tapered from the flange (71) toward the tip of the shaft (72) or vertical wall. By tapering the shaft (72) and vertical wall, the volume of the heat sink (7) is reduced, and the heat of the PTC element (1) is effectively transferred to the tip of the heat sink (7).

[0026] When manufacturing the heating device (10) for a gas-liquid separator according to the embodiment of the present invention, a housing (8) and a heat sink (7) are prepared, in which the PTC element (1), heat transfer film (2), sealant (14), and terminals (31, 32) shown in Figs. 1 to 3 are molded. Next, an elastic crown (6) is attached to the support protrusion (19) of the housing (8). After that, the heat transfer film (2) is placed at an appropriate position on the smooth surface (7a) of the heat sink (7) that is vertically placed, the PTC element (1) is placed on the heat transfer film (2), the sealant (14) is placed in the annular groove (17) of the smooth surface (7a), and the inner ends (31b, 32b) of the terminals (31, 32) are brought into contact with the strip-shaped back electrodes (44, 54) of the PTC element (1), thereby connecting the housing (8) and the heat sink (7). In this embodiment, the elastic force of the elastic cap (6) presses the heat transfer film (2) and the PTC element (1) against the smooth surface (7a) of the heat sink (7), so that the PTC element (1), the heat transfer film (2), and the heat sink (7) can be fixed in close contact with each other without using adhesive. In another embodiment, when assembling the heating device (10), the PTC element (1), the heat transfer film (2), and the heat sink (7) may be fixed to each other by applying a thermally conductive adhesive between them.

[0027] A heat sink (7) that is integrally molded from solid metal and has excellent assembly properties is inexpensively manufactured, and a sufficient amount of heat from the PTC element (1) is transferred to the water in the gas-liquid separator (50) via the heat sink (7). The inventors have prototyped a heating device (not shown) in which the PTC element (1) is disposed in a hollow heat sink (7) to shorten the distance between the gas-liquid separator (50) and the PTC element (1). However, they have discovered that even if the PTC element (1) is attached to one end of the heat sink (7) formed into a solid, elongated body at a distance from the gas-liquid separator (50), the heat generated by the PTC element (1) is sufficiently transferred to the heat sink (7), and the other end of the heat sink (7) disposed in the gas-liquid separator (50) effectively heats the inside of the gas-liquid separator (50). Heating devices in which a PTC element is disposed in a hollow heat sink are disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 7 and 8. The solid portion of the heat sink (7) extending vertically from the flat surface (11) of the PTC element (1) on which the heat generating surface (21) is formed is substantially free of hollow or gap portions and is made of the same metal, so that the heat generated by the PTC element (1) is efficiently transferred into the gas-liquid separator (50) through the heat sink (7).

[0028] When the heating device (10) is attached to the gas-liquid separator (50) shown in Fig. 1, the shaft portion (72) of the heat sink (7) is inserted into the mounting opening (58) of the accommodation chamber (52) of the gas-liquid separator (50), and mechanical fixing means (57) such as bolts or screws are inserted into the fixing holes (59) formed around the mounting opening (58) of the accommodation chamber (52) of the gas-liquid separator (50) through a pair of fixing openings (85) formed in the housing (8) of the heating device (10) to fasten them together, thereby integrating the gas-liquid separator (50) with the heating device (10). Since the PTC element (1) is attached to the smooth surface (7a) of the heat sink (7) outside the gas-liquid separator (50), the process of assembling the heating device (10) to the gas-liquid separator (50) is facilitated. [Industrial Applicability]

[0029] The present invention can be applied to a heating device for a gas-liquid separator that heats moisture in a gas-liquid separator of an electric vehicle such as a fuel cell vehicle or an electric vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] (1) PTC element, (2) heat transfer film, (2a) inner surface, (2b) outer surface, (4,5) electrode, (6) elastic cap, (7) heat sink, (7a) smooth surface, (8) housing, (11) flat surface, (14) sealant, (17) annular groove, (21) heat generating surface, (31,32) terminal, (31a,32a) center portion, (31b,32b) inner end portion, (31c,32c) outer end portion, (41,51) strip-shaped electrode, (42,52) tip electrode, (50) gas-liquid separator, (72) heat sink, (80) recess,

Claims

1. The device comprises a PTC element, a heat sink which is integrally molded from an elongated solid metal and which holds the PTC element, a housing having a recess for mounting the heat sink, and an elastic cap which is attached in the housing adjacent to the PTC element, The PTC element includes a pair of electrodes formed on a flat surface so as to be spaced apart from each other and facing each other, and an electrically insulating and flexible heat transfer film in contact with the pair of electrodes on the flat surface and the flat surface between the pair of electrodes. The heat sink has a smooth surface formed at one end of the heat sink and in close contact with the flat surface of the PTC element, and a heat sink portion extending from the smooth surface toward the other end of the heat sink, The elastic force of the elastic cap constantly presses the PTC element against the smooth surface of the heat sink through the heat transfer film. A heating device for a gas-liquid separator, characterized in that when an electric current is applied to the PTC element and the PTC element is heated, the heat of the PTC element is transferred through the smooth surface of the heat sink to a heat dissipation section arranged in the gas-liquid separator, thereby heating the inside of the gas-liquid separator via the heat dissipation section.

2. A heating device for a gas-liquid separator as described in claim 1, wherein the PTC element is closely attached to the smooth surface of the heat sink via a heat transfer film, and when electricity is applied to the pair of electrodes, the flat surface between the pair of electrodes becomes the heating surface of the PTC element, and the heat generated by the heating surface is transferred to the heat sink via the heat transfer film.

3. 2. The heating device for a gas-liquid separator according to claim 1, wherein the elastic cap is made of a resin material that generates elasticity for pressing the PTC element against the smooth surface of the heat sink.

4. 2. The heating device for a gas-liquid separator according to claim 1, wherein the heat transfer film is made of silicone rubber containing a heat transfer additive selected from aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, and silicon carbide, or a mixture thereof.

5. The heat transfer film has an inner surface that is in close contact with the flat surface of the PTC element and the pair of electrodes, and an outer surface behind the inner surface. The smooth surface of the heat sink is in close contact with the outer surface of the heat transfer film.

2. The heating device for a gas-liquid separator according to claim 1, wherein the smooth surfaces of the PTC element, the heat transfer film and the heat sink are arranged on the same central axis.

6. The heating device for a gas-liquid separator as described in claim 1, wherein the pair of electrodes is a pair of comb-shaped electrodes having a pair of strip electrodes and a pair of tip electrodes that are alternately opposed to each other and protrude from the strip electrodes on the flat surface of the PTC element.

7. The heat sink has an annular groove on its smooth surface that surrounds the periphery of the PTC element, 2. The heating device for a gas-liquid separator according to claim 1, further comprising a housing having a recess, and a seal fitted between the annular groove of the heat sink and the recess of the housing.

8. The device includes a housing made of an insulating material and having a pair of leaf spring-like terminals, The center portions of the pair of terminals are embedded inside the housing, The inner ends of the pair of terminals extending inward from the housing contact the pair of electrodes of the PTC element disposed in the recess of the housing to supply power to the PTC element, 2. The gas-liquid separator according to claim 1, wherein outer ends of the pair of terminals extending from the housing to the outside are connected to an external power source.

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