Gas-liquid separator

Abstract

To provide a gas-liquid separator which is suitable for a case where a gas discharge port is located below a gas introduction port.SOLUTION: A gas-liquid separator includes: a housing 1 having an introduction port 2 of a gas containing water and a discharge port 3 of the gas and having a water storage part 7 located below the introduction port 2 and the discharge port 3; and a guide mechanism D which is disposed above the water storage part 7 and below the discharge port 3 in the housing 1 and guides the gas in a lateral direction. In the housing 1, a collision wall 14 configured so that the gas introduced from the introduction port 2 collides with the collision wall 14 and is guided to the guide mechanism D by the collision wall 14. The guide mechanism D has an upper plate 17 which is disposed spaced apart from a water surface of the water storage part 7. In the upper plate 17, a water dropping part 17a which drops water separated from the gas is formed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gas-liquid separator. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technique in which unreacted hydrogen and water are separated from anode off-gas discharged from a fuel cell using a gas-liquid separator, and the unreacted hydrogen is circulated to the fuel cell (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the gas-liquid separator described in Patent Document 1, an outlet (called an outlet in the document) for discharging hydrogen separated from the anode off-gas is provided above an inlet for introducing the anode off-gas. This gas-liquid separator is provided with a bounce-reducing plate in the lower internal region of the gas-liquid separator body, and the gas separated from the gas-liquid mixture is turned around by the bounce-reducing plate and guided to the outlet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-147159 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, since the gas-liquid separator described in Patent Document 1 is a technology suitable for a structure in which the gas exhaust port is located above the gas inlet port, it was necessary to improve the structure to be suitable for a gas-liquid separator in which the gas exhaust port is located below the gas inlet port. In making this improvement, a problem was found in that the gas introduced from the inlet port roughens the water surface, causing water to flow out from the exhaust port.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for a gas-liquid separator that is suitable for a case in which the gas exhaust port is located below the gas inlet port. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A characteristic configuration of the gas-liquid separator of the present invention comprises a housing having an inlet for gas containing water and an outlet for the gas located below the inlet, the housing having a water storage section below the inlet and the outlet, and an induction mechanism located inside the housing above the water storage section and below the outlet, for guiding the gas laterally, the housing being formed with a collision wall against which the gas introduced from the inlet collides and which guides the gas to the induction mechanism, the induction mechanism having an upper plate located away from the water surface of the water storage section, and the upper plate being formed with a water drop section through which water separated from the gas drops.

[0008] In this configuration, the housing is provided with a collision wall, so that the gas containing water introduced from the inlet collides with the collision wall and is guided to the guiding mechanism in a gas-liquid separated state. The gas thus separated collides with the upper plate of the guiding mechanism and is further separated into gas and liquid, the gas is guided laterally, and the water falls from the water drop section into the water storage section.

[0009] In other words, by providing the induction mechanism with an upper plate spaced apart from the water surface of the water storage section and forming a water drop section on the upper plate, it is possible to make the gas flow laterally without disturbing the water surface of the water storage section. As a result, in a structure in which the gas outlet is located below the gas inlet, it is possible to prevent water from flowing out from the gas outlet.

[0010] In this way, the gas-liquid separator is suitable for use when the gas exhaust port is located below the gas inlet port.

[0011] Another characteristic feature is that the guiding mechanism has an upper plate, a lower plate inclined to cause the water falling from the water falling section to flow toward the water storage section, and side plates arranged on the sides of the upper plate and the lower plate.

[0012] By providing the lower plate as in this configuration, the water falling from the water drop section flows smoothly along the inclination of the lower plate into the water storage section. In addition, the side plates act as baffles, creating a lateral guide path for the gas, improving the efficiency of gas-liquid separation.

[0013] Another characteristic configuration is that the housing is formed with a partition wall that divides a first area in which the induction mechanism is located and a second area connecting the first area to the exhaust outlet in the width direction, and a U-turn wall that connects the first area and the second area, and the U-turn wall includes a bottom wall and a side wall having a curved surface with which the gas flowing through the first area collides and changes direction to the second area.

[0014] In this configuration, the partition walls that divide the inside of the housing in the width direction make it possible to ensure the length of the gas guide path in the lateral direction. As a result, the gas that collides with the U-turn wall is further separated into gas and liquid, and the gas-liquid separation efficiency of the gas is further improved. This U-turn wall has a curved surface that changes the direction of the gas flowing through the first area where the guide mechanism is located to the second area upon collision with the gas, so that the gas-liquid separated gas can be smoothly guided to the exhaust port.

[0015] Another characteristic feature is that the bottom wall is formed with slits that allow water separated from the gas to pass through.

[0016] By providing a slit in the bottom wall of the U-turn wall as in this configuration, in addition to the water falling from the water drop section of the induction mechanism, the water passing through the slit can also flow into the water storage section, thereby ensuring the production of dry gas. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a gas-liquid separator. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a gas-liquid separator. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a gas-liquid separator with a portion cut away. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [Basic configuration] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a gas-liquid separator A has a resin housing 1, in which an inlet 2 for introducing a water-containing gas (an example of a gas containing water) and an outlet 3 for discharging gas from which water has been removed are formed, and a separation unit S for separating water from the water-containing gas is contained in the housing 1, thereby forming a gas-liquid separator A.

[0019] 1 is provided in a fuel cell vehicle (FCV) equipped with a fuel cell (not shown). This gas-liquid separator A separates water contained in anode off-gas, which is a water-containing gas supplied from an inlet 2, in a separation unit S, and discharges the anode off-gas from which water has been separated from the gas through an outlet 3. The anode off-gas discharged from the outlet 3 contains hydrogen gas, and is therefore reduced to the anode side of the fuel cell.

[0020] In this embodiment, the anode off-gas flowing from the inlet 2 into the housing 1 is referred to as gas regardless of the amount of moisture contained therein.

[0021] 〔housing〕 The gas-liquid separator A is used in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2. The gas-liquid separator A is integrated by connecting an upper housing 1a and a lower housing 1b with a plurality of fastening bolts 4, and a separation unit S is housed in the internal space.

[0022] 1, the housing 1 is substantially rectangular in plan view, with the longitudinal direction being referred to as the longitudinal direction L and the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction being referred to as the width direction W. The housing 1 is designed so that the dimension of the width direction W is smaller than the dimension of the longitudinal direction L. Furthermore, one side of the longitudinal direction L (the left side in FIG. 2) may be referred to as one end side La, and the other side (the right side in FIG. 2) may be referred to as the other end side Lb.

[0023] 1 and 2, the upper housing 1a is formed with a bulging portion 6 that protrudes upward, and an inlet 2 that opens toward one end side La of the bulging portion 6 is formed in the upper housing 1a. A cylindrical vertical frame 15 is formed in a region of the upper housing 1a that continues downward from the bulging portion 6.

[0024] As a result, the inlet 2 and the internal space of the housing 1 communicate with each other through the vertical frame 15. In addition, a collision wall 14 is formed at the upper end position of the vertical frame 15. The outlet 3 is provided so as to protrude outward from the other end side Lb of the housing 1 in the longitudinal direction L.

[0025] The lower housing 1b is bowl-shaped and opens upward, and has a water storage section 7 with a bottom wall that slopes so that one end side La in the longitudinal direction L is deeper. The lower housing 1b is provided with a drainage flow path 8 on the underside of the bottom wall for discharging water stored in the water storage section 7 to the outside, and an electromagnetic opening / closing valve 9 on the bottom surface for opening and closing the drainage flow path 8.

[0026] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the separation unit S flows gas supplied from the inlet 2 in the following order: vertical flow path F1, forward flow path F2 (an example of a first region), U-turn flow path F3, return flow path F4 (an example of a second region), and discharge flow path F5.

[0027] 3, the housing 1 is formed with an upstream narrow portion 1na that narrows the flow path width of the outward flow path F2 and a downstream narrow portion 1nb that narrows the flow path width of the return flow path F4 protruding into the internal space. The upstream narrow portion 1na and the downstream narrow portion 1nb are formed by expanding the inside of the region through which the fastening bolt 4 is inserted.

[0028] [Separation unit] 2 and 3, the separation unit S includes a guide mechanism D disposed below the inlet 2 in the internal space of the housing 1. The separation unit S includes a separation plate 11 (an example of a partition wall) that partitions the internal space of the housing 1 at the center in the width direction W into a forward flow path F2 (first region) and a return flow path F4 (second region).

[0029] 3, the separation plate 11 is supported on the lower surface of the upper wall of the upper housing 1a at the boundary between the forward flow path F2 and the return flow path F4 with the plate surface facing vertically downward. The separation plate 11 is disposed in an oblique position in a plan view so as to narrow the flow path width of the forward flow path F2 toward the downstream side of the gas flow in the forward flow path F2.

[0030] Furthermore, the separation unit S is provided with a U-turn wall at one end side La in the longitudinal direction L of the internal space of the housing 1. This U-turn wall is composed of a side wall 1c formed into a semicircular curved surface in a plan view at the end of the one end side La of the housing 1, and a bottom wall 12. The bottom wall 12 is formed with an inclined surface 12a which becomes lower the closer it is to the one end side La in the internal space of the housing 1, and has a slit 12b formed in the center in the width direction W.

[0031] The vertical flow path F1 causes the gas (water-containing gas) supplied to the inlet 2 to collide with a collision wall 14, and then sends the gas vertically downward along the vertical frame 15. The separation unit S receives the gas sent through the vertical flow path F1 with a guide mechanism D, and sends the gas from the guide mechanism D toward one end side La. The flow path through which the gas flows in this manner is the forward flow path F2.

[0032] Furthermore, the U-turn flow path F3 is formed of a U-turn wall (side wall 1c, bottom wall 12). That is, the U-turn flow path F3 makes a U-turn (changes direction) of the gas from the forward flow path F2. The gas flowing in the U-turn flow path F3 is sent horizontally in the return flow path F4 toward the other end side Lb in the longitudinal direction L. The return flow path F4 is disposed in the other of the two regions sandwiching the separation plate 11.

[0033] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, in the U-turn flow path F3, the gas flow is reversed by flowing the gas along the side wall 1c, and the gas is guided to a higher position at the terminal side of the U-turn flow path F3 by flowing the gas along the inclined surface 12a of the bottom wall 12.

[0034] The gas that flows into the return flow path F4 flows into the exhaust flow path F5 and is exhausted from the exhaust port 3. The gas exhausted from the exhaust port 3 (anode off-gas containing hydrogen gas) is reduced to the anode side of the fuel cell as described above.

[0035] [Separation unit: Guidance mechanism] In the separation unit S, gas flows in the vertical flow path F1, and water contained in the gas is separated by the gas flowing in the vertical flow path F1 coming into contact with the induction mechanism D. In addition, the induction mechanism D is formed with a flow-down path G through which the separated water flows vertically downward.

[0036] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the guide mechanism D comprises a vertical wall-like side plate 16 that is open in the vertical direction and guides gas to the feed flow path F2, an upper guide plate 17 (an example of an upper plate) that is horizontally positioned close to the side plate 16, and a lower guide plate 18 (lower plate) that is inclined and positioned below the upper guide plate 17 with one end side La low.

[0037] In this gas-liquid separator A, the on-off valve 9 is opened to discharge the water so that the water level Wf stored in the water storage section 7 does not exceed a set height. The upper guide plate 17 and the lower guide plate 18 are disposed at a position higher than the water level Wf determined by the control. Furthermore, the discharge port 3 is disposed above the upper guide plate 17 and the lower guide plate 18 (guide mechanism D).

[0038] The upper end of the side plate 16 is located higher than the upper surface of the upper guide plate 17, and this side plate 16 is disposed near the upper guide plate 17 and the lower guide plate 18. In addition, the discharge port 3 and the side plate 16 are disposed at approximately the same height.

[0039] A vertically long bracket 19 is connected to the ends of the upper guide plate 17 and the lower guide plate 18, and the upper end of this bracket 19 is connected to the vertical frame 15 by a screw 20.

[0040] The upper guide plate 17 has a water drop portion 17a formed by cutting out a part of the outer periphery area adjacent to the inner periphery of the side plate 16. This water drop portion 17a forms a gap between the inner periphery of the side plate 16 and the water drop portion 17a, which allows water to flow down.

[0041] [Gas and water flow] 2, the gas-liquid separator A causes the gas (water-containing gas) supplied to the inlet 2 to collide with a collision wall 14, and separates the water contained in the gas from the gas. The gas and water separated in this manner flow downward along the vertical frame 15 (flow in the vertical flow path F1).

[0042] In particular, when water flows downward in the vertical flow path F1, the viscosity of the water causes it to flow down while adhering to the inner surface of the vertical frame 15, and reach the upper surface of the upper guide plate 17. Most of the water that reaches the upper surface of the upper guide plate 17 falls from the water drop portion 17a onto the upper surface of the lower guide plate 18, and the remaining water falls from the end of one end side La of the upper guide plate 17 into the water storage section 7.

[0043] The water on the upper surface of the lower guide plate 18 flows along the slope and falls from the end of one end side La into the water storage section 7. In particular, the end of one end side La of the lower guide plate 18 is located close in height to the water surface Wf of the water storage section 7, so that the falling water does not disturb the water surface Wf of the water storage section 7.

[0044] Furthermore, when water contained in the gas that has come into contact with the upper surface of upper guide plate 17 is separated, it falls from the end of one end side La of upper guide plate 17 into water storage section 7.

[0045] 2 to 4, the upper guide plate 17 and the lower guide plate 18 are disposed near the side plate 16, so that the gas flowing downward along the vertical flow path F1 is guided by the side plate 16 toward the one end side La and does not diffuse horizontally. As a result, the gas that comes into contact with the upper surface of the upper guide plate 17 flows along the outflow path F2.

[0046] Next, when a part of the gas flowing along the forward flow path F2 comes into contact with the separation plate 11 and the water contained in the gas is separated, the water falls from the separation plate 11 into the water storage section 7. After that, when the gas flowing in the forward flow path F2 reaches one end side La of the housing 1, it makes a U-turn by moving along the semicircular side wall 1c.

[0047] When the gas flows along the U-turn flow path F3, it is guided to a high position by flowing along the inclined surface 12a of the bottom wall 12. This U-turn flow path F3 guides the gas from the outward flow path F2 (first region) to the return flow path F4 (second region) that faces the outward flow path F2 with the separation plate 11 (partition wall) in between.

[0048] When water contained in the gas comes into contact with the inner wall of the side wall 1c and the inclined surface 12a of the bottom wall 12, it separates and flows into the slits 12b, and is guided to the water storage section .

[0049] Thereafter, when the gas flows through the discharge flow path F5, the flow rate is reduced and the gas is not rolled up into the bulging portion 6 because the flow path width W5 is formed to be wide.

[0050] When the amount of water stored in the water storage section 7 reaches a set value, water is discharged from the drainage flow path 8 by controlling the on-off valve 9. In this gas-liquid separator A, a calculation is performed based on the amount of power generated by the fuel cell to determine the amount of water stored in the water storage section 7. It is also possible to use, for example, a water level sensor to determine the amount of water stored in the water storage section 7.

[0051] [Effects of the embodiment] In this way, the gas-liquid separator A introduces a water-containing gas (anode off-gas) from the inlet 2, separates the water contained in the water-containing gas in the separation unit S, and stores it in the water storage section 7, and the gas from which the water has been separated is discharged from the outlet 3.

[0052] In the separation unit S, gas from the inlet 2 is collided against the collision wall 14, and gas from the vertical flow path F1 is collided against the horizontally positioned upper guide plate 17 of the guide mechanism D, thereby increasing the water separation efficiency by these two collisions.

[0053] In addition, in the separation unit S, the induction mechanism D blocks the downward gas flow in the vertical flow path F1, thereby preventing the phenomenon of gas being blown from above into the water surface Wf of the water storage section 7, thereby preventing, for example, the inconvenience of downward flowing gas stirring up the water in the water storage section 7. Since the induction mechanism D is provided with the side plate 16, the inconvenience of gas flowing on the upper surface of the upper induction plate 17 flowing horizontally is eliminated, thereby improving the gas-liquid separation efficiency of the gas.

[0054] Furthermore, this separation unit S directs the water flowing downward from the guide mechanism D to the inclined lower guide plate 18, and causes it to flow down into the water storage section 7 from a height close to the water surface Wf of the water storage section 7, thereby suppressing rippling of the water surface Wf of the water storage section 7 due to falling water and suppressing the inconvenience of the water in the water storage section 7 becoming mixed with gas.

[0055] The separation unit S flows gas through relatively long flow paths consisting of a vertical flow path F1, an outflow path F2, a U-turn flow path F3, a return flow path F4, and a discharge flow path F5, and enhances water separation performance by enabling separation of water from gas in each flow path.

[0056] The separation unit S flows gas through the forward flow path F2, the U-turn flow path F3, the return flow path F4, and the discharge flow path F5 at a position higher than the water level Wf of the water storage section 7, thereby suppressing the inconvenience of gas stirring up the water in the water storage section 7 and maintaining high separation performance between gas and water.

[0057] When gas is passed through the internal space of the separation unit S, the gas comes into contact with the inner walls of the separation plate 11, the upstream narrow portion 1na, the downstream narrow portion 1nb, etc., thereby enabling separation of water contained in the gas, thereby improving water separation performance.

[0058] [Another embodiment] The present invention may be configured as follows other than the above-described embodiment (common numbers and symbols as in the embodiment are used to designate components having the same functions as in the embodiment).

[0059] (a) The upper guide plate 17 of the guide mechanism D may be in an inclined position so that it becomes higher toward one end La. By setting the position of the upper guide plate 17 in this manner, the gas flowing from the vertical flow path F1 to the forward flow path F2 is set to flow obliquely upward, thereby preventing the gas from coming into contact with the water surface Wf of the water storage section 7.

[0060] (b) The water drop section 17a is formed as a through hole in the upper guide plate 17 of the guide mechanism D. By forming a through hole in this manner, it becomes possible to quickly supply the water separated from the gas to the water storage section 7. In addition, there may be a plurality of through holes. Furthermore, it is also conceivable to form a plurality of through holes with different opening diameters in the upper guide plate 17, which makes it possible to increase the water recovery rate.

[0061] (c) It is also possible to form a protrusion on the inner surface of the space forming the vertical flow passage F1 to separate water contained in the gas by contacting the gas flowing in the vertical flow passage F1, or a blade body to swirl the gas flowing in the vertical flow passage F1. By configuring in this way, the water separation performance is further improved.

[0062] Furthermore, the configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies below) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, provided that no contradiction arises. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and can be appropriately modified within the scope that does not deviate from the purpose of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0063] The present invention can be used in a gas-liquid separator. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1. Housing 1c Side wall (U-turn wall) 2. Introduction 3 outlet 7. Water storage section 11 Partition plate 11 (partition wall) 12 Bottom wall 12a Inclined surface (U-turn wall) 12b Slit 14 Collision Wall 16 Side Panel 17 Upper guide plate (upper plate) 17a Water drop section 18 Lower guide plate (lower plate) D Guidance mechanism Wf water surface

Claims

1. a housing having an inlet for a gas containing water and an outlet for the gas located below the inlet, the housing having a water storage portion below the inlet and the outlet; a guide mechanism disposed inside the housing above the water storage portion and below the exhaust port, the guide mechanism guides the gas in a lateral direction; a collision wall is formed in the housing, against which the gas introduced from the inlet collides and is guided to the induction mechanism; The induction mechanism has an upper plate positioned at a distance from the water surface of the water storage section, and the upper plate is formed with a water drop section that drops water separated from the gas.

2. 2. The gas-liquid separator according to claim 1, wherein the guide mechanism includes the upper plate, a lower plate inclined to cause the water falling from the water falling section to flow toward the water storage section, and side plates arranged on the sides of the upper plate and the lower plate.

3. The housing is formed with a partition wall that partitions a first area in which the guide mechanism is located and a second area connecting the first area to the discharge port in a width direction, and a U-turn wall that connects the first area and the second area, 3. The gas-liquid separator according to claim 1, wherein the U-turn wall includes a bottom wall and a side wall having a curved surface with which the gas flowing through the first region collides and changes direction toward the second region.

4. 4. The gas-liquid separator according to claim 3, wherein the bottom wall is formed with slits for allowing water separated from the gas to pass therethrough.

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