Air-cooled fuel cell with air recirculation

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air-cooled fuel cell, and more particularly to an air-cooled fuel cell capable of recirculating air, which prevents overcooling of the stack even at low external air temperatures and maintains the stack at an appropriate temperature by circulating air passing through the stack back to the inlet side of the housing to be used as cooling air for the stack, which keeps the entire stack at a uniform temperature by circulating air along both sides of the housing to insulate both ends of the stack, and which adjusts the degree of circulation of air passing through the stack to accurately adjust the temperature of the air supplied to the stack.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air-cooled fuel cell, and more particularly to an air-cooled fuel cell capable of recirculating air, which prevents overcooling of the stack even at low external air temperatures and maintains the stack at an appropriate temperature by circulating air passing through the stack again to the inlet side of the housing to be used as cooling air for the stack, which keeps the entire stack at a uniform temperature by circulating air along both sides of the housing to insulate both ends of the stack, and which adjusts the degree of circulation of air passing through the stack to accurately adjust the temperature of the air supplied to the stack. [Background technology]

[0002] A fuel cell is an energy conversion device that converts the chemical energy contained in fuel into electrical energy through an electrochemical reaction, and can be used to supply power not only for industrial, household and vehicle applications, but also for small electrical / electronic products and portable devices.

[0003] There are various types of fuel cells, but as shown in the following patent document, polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) with high power density are mainly used, and a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) is located at the innermost part, and the membrane electrode assembly is composed of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane capable of moving hydrogen ions, and a cathode and an anode, which are electrode layers coated with a catalyst on both sides of the electrolyte membrane to allow hydrogen and oxygen to react with each other. At this time, hydrogen is supplied to the anode and air is supplied to the cathode, and electricity is produced by the reaction between the oxygen contained in the air and the hydrogen.

[0004] Furthermore, in a fuel cell, a large amount of heat is generated in response to the reaction, so a cooling fluid must be supplied.

[0005] Fuel cells can be classified into water-cooled and air-cooled types according to the cooling method. In order to simplify the device configuration and enable miniaturization and weight reduction, air-cooled types that use air for cooling are mainly used. Generally, as in the following patent document, air for reaction and air for cooling are supplied to the fuel cell together via a blower module or the like.

[0006] At this time, in order to cool the fuel cell, external air is circulated by a blower fan 100 as shown in FIG. 1 and supplied to the fuel cell, so the cooling performance of the fuel cell depends only on the temperature of the external air.

[0007] Therefore, in the summer when the outside air temperature is between 20 and 40 degrees, the operating temperature of the fuel cell can be maintained at the appropriate temperature of between 50 and 60 degrees by simply operating the blower fan. However, in the winter when the outside air temperature drops below 0 degrees, it becomes difficult to maintain the operating temperature of the fuel cell between 50 and 60 degrees.

[0008] As a result, in winter, air below 0 degrees flows into the fuel cell, causing it to overcool. This causes excessive condensation, resulting in a flooding phenomenon that reduces the performance of the fuel cell. In severe cases, the cooling air freezes, causing permanent damage to the fuel cell. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2017-0077897 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and its purpose is to provide an air-cooled fuel cell that prevents the stack from overcooling even when the external air temperature is low, and maintains the stack at an appropriate temperature by circulating the air passing through the stack back to the inlet side of the housing so that it can be used as cooling air for the stack.

[0011] The present invention aims to provide an air-cooled fuel cell that allows air to circulate along both sides of the housing, providing insulation to both ends of the stack, thereby maintaining a uniform temperature throughout the stack.

[0012] An object of the present invention is to provide an air-cooled fuel cell that can precisely control the temperature of the air supplied to the stack by adjusting the degree of circulation of the air passing through the stack.

[0013] The present invention aims to provide an air-cooled fuel cell that can increase the accuracy of maintaining the appropriate temperature of the stack by analyzing the correlation between the degree of protrusion of the inlet / outlet members and the change in air temperature on the inlet side and adjusting the degree of protrusion of the inlet / outlet members so that air at an appropriate temperature can be supplied to the stack.

[0014] The present invention aims to provide an air-cooled fuel cell that can maintain a uniform temperature throughout the stack by dividing the air circulation section into two parts and forming each part on either side of the housing, and adjusting the air circulation level of each air circulation section according to the temperatures of the inlet and outlet sides of the housing on each side. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is realized by an embodiment having the following configuration.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an air-cooled fuel cell according to the present invention includes a stack formed by stacking a plurality of fuel cell units, a housing that accommodates and surrounds the stack, a blower fan provided on one side of the housing for circulating external air through the stack, and an air circulation unit that recirculates the air passing through the stack by the blower fan to the inlet side of the stack.

[0017] According to another embodiment of the present invention, in the air-cooled fuel cell according to the present invention, the air circulation section includes an inlet duct provided on the outlet side of the housing through which air that has passed through the stack is discharged, through which a portion of the discharged air flows in, a circulation duct that circulates the air that has flowed into the inlet duct to the inlet side of the housing through which air flows into the stack, and a discharge duct connected to the circulation duct and provided above the inlet, through which air passing through the circulation duct is supplied to the stack.

[0018] According to another embodiment of the present invention, in the air-cooled fuel cell of the present invention, the inlet duct includes an inlet / outlet member protruding from within the inlet duct to the outlet side, and an operating gear for moving the inlet / outlet member in and out.

[0019] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the air-cooled fuel cell according to the present invention includes an operation control unit that controls the operation of the fuel cell, and the operation control unit includes an inlet temperature receiving module that receives temperature information on the inlet side of the housing, and an inlet / outlet control module that adjusts the degree of protrusion of the inlet / outlet member depending on the temperature on the inlet side.

[0020] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the air-cooled fuel cell according to the present invention includes an operation analysis unit that analyzes the correlation between the degree of protrusion of the inlet / outlet member and the temperature change on the inlet side, and the operation analysis unit includes a temperature information collection module that collects temperature information on the inlet side, an inlet / outlet information collection module that collects operation information of the inlet / outlet member, a change rate calculation module that calculates the degree of temperature change on the inlet side before and after operation of the inlet / outlet member, and a correlation analysis module that analyzes the correlation between the degree of protrusion of the inlet / outlet member and the degree of temperature change, and the inlet / outlet adjustment module adjusts the degree of protrusion of the inlet / outlet member using the correlation analyzed by the correlation analysis module.

[0021] According to another embodiment of the present invention, in an air-cooled fuel cell according to the present invention, the exhaust duct is divided and installed on both sides of the inlet, the inlet duct is installed on both sides of the outlet and connected to each of the exhaust ducts divided on both sides, and the operation control unit measures the temperature on both sides of the inlet and outlet and adjusts the degree of protrusion of the inlet duct connected to the exhaust ducts on both sides relative to the inlet / outlet member.

[0022] According to another embodiment of the present invention, in the air-cooled fuel cell according to the present invention, the exhaust duct is drilled in the stack direction to supply air, and includes a plurality of exhaust holes formed at regular intervals.

[0023] According to another embodiment of the present invention, in the air-cooled fuel cell of the present invention, the exhaust duct is provided in a plurality of pieces depending on the length and area of ​​the stack. Effect of the Invention

[0024] The present invention can obtain the following effects by using the above-described embodiment and the configurations, combinations and usage relationships described below.

[0025] The present invention has the effect of preventing the stack from being overcooled even when the external air temperature is low, and maintaining the stack at an appropriate temperature, by circulating the air passing through the stack back to the inlet side of the housing so that it can be used as cooling air for the stack.

[0026] The present invention has the advantage that it allows air to circulate along both sides of the housing, providing insulation to both ends of the stack, thereby maintaining a uniform temperature throughout the stack.

[0027] The present invention has the advantage that it allows the degree of circulation of air through the stack to be regulated, thereby enabling the temperature of the air supplied to the stack to be precisely regulated.

[0028] The present invention has the effect of improving the accuracy of maintaining the appropriate temperature of the stack by analyzing the correlation between the degree of protrusion of the inlet / outlet member and the change in air temperature on the inlet side and adjusting the degree of protrusion of the inlet / outlet member so that air at the appropriate temperature is supplied to the stack.

[0029] The present invention has the effect of making it possible to maintain a uniform temperature throughout the stack by dividing the air circulation section into two parts and forming each part on either side of the housing, and adjusting the degree of air circulation in each air circulation section according to the temperatures of the inlet and outlet sides of the housing on each side. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a reference diagram showing a cooling process of a conventional air-cooled fuel cell. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view of an air-cooled fuel cell according to one embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] 4 is a reference diagram illustrating an air circulation process of an air-cooled fuel cell according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. [Diagram 5]FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the inlet duct. [Figure 6] 1A-1C are cross-sectional views showing various embodiments of an access member. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] 1A to 1C are reference diagrams showing various embodiments of the exhaust duct. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an air-cooled fuel cell according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a reference diagram showing an example of operation of the device shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the air-cooled fuel cell capable of recirculating air according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the invention, if a detailed description of a known function or configuration is deemed to be likely to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. Throughout the specification, when a part "includes" a certain component, this does not mean that other components are excluded, but that other components may be further included, unless otherwise specified. In addition, terms such as "··· unit" and "··· module" described in the specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be realized by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0032] Referring to Figures 2 to 9, an air-cooled fuel cell capable of recirculating air according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. The air-cooled fuel cell includes a stack 1 formed by stacking a plurality of fuel cell units, a housing 2 that houses and surrounds the stack 1, a blower fan 3 provided on one side of the housing 2 for circulating external air through the stack 1, an air circulation unit 4 that recirculates the air passing through the stack 1 by the blower fan 3 to the inlet side of the stack 1, a temperature sensing unit 5 that measures the temperature inside the fuel cell, and a control unit 6 that controls the operation of the fuel cell.

[0033] As discussed above in the Background section, conventional air-cooled fuel cells have a problem of overcooling the fuel cell when the outside air temperature is low. Therefore, the present invention circulates the high-temperature air discharged after cooling the fuel cell and uses it to cool the fuel cell, thereby preventing overcooling of the fuel cell even when the outside air temperature is low. In addition, the present invention adjusts the degree to which the air discharged from the fuel cell circulates, so that air at an appropriate temperature is supplied to the fuel cell, thereby always maintaining the temperature inside the fuel cell at an appropriate temperature regardless of the outside air temperature.

[0034] The stack 1 is formed by stacking fuel cells, and a plurality of electrodes, such as anodes and cathodes, are stacked to generate electricity. The cells are stacked while being partitioned by separators, and air is supplied to the spaces between the separators to cool the heat generated by the stack 1.

[0035] The housing 2 is configured to accommodate the stack 1, and while forming a space for accommodating the stack 1 therein, it also forms spaces open on the upper and lower sides so that external air can be supplied to and discharged from the stack 1 in the housing 2, thereby cooling heat generated from the stack 1. Thus, the housing 2 may include an inlet 21 provided to be open to a side where external air flows in, and an outlet 23 provided to be open to a side where air passing through the stack 1 is discharged to the outside, and preferably, a blower fan 3 may be provided on the outlet 23 to allow external air to flow in and out of the stack 1.

[0036] The blower fan 3 is configured to introduce and exhaust external air to and from the stack 1, and may be preferably formed on the outlet 23. Thus, the blower fan 3 allows external air to flow into the stack 1 through the inlet 21 according to its operation, and allows air passing through the stack 1 to be exhausted to the outside through the outlet 23.

[0037] The air circulation unit 4 is configured to circulate the air discharged from the outlet 23 of the housing 2 to the inlet 21 side, and high-temperature air passing through the stack 1 is circulated again to the inlet 21 and supplied to the stack 1, so that even when the temperature of the external air is low, the temperature of the external air can be increased and supplied to the stack 1. Therefore, the air circulation unit 4 can prevent the stack 1 from being overcooled even when the temperature of the external air is low, and can maintain an appropriate temperature to achieve optimal performance. In addition, the air circulation unit 4 circulates air along both sides of the housing 2, and insulates the end plate sides of the stack 1 formed at both ends of the housing 2, so that the temperature of the entire stack 1 can be maintained uniformly and optimal performance can be ensured even when the external air temperature is low. For this reason, the air circulation unit 4 includes an inlet duct 41, a circulation duct 43, and an exhaust duct 45, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0038] The inflow duct 41 is configured to allow the air discharged through the outlet 23 to flow in, and may be formed to be fixed to the housing 2 on both sides of the outlet 23. The inflow duct 41 forms a space between the housing 2 to allow the air to flow in, and is connected to a circulation duct 43 to allow the inflow air to circulate toward the inflow port 21. In particular, the inflow duct 41 may include an inflow / outflow member 411 protruding toward the outlet 23 to effectively allow the air discharged from the outlet 23 to flow in, and the inflow / outflow member 411 may be in and out by an operating gear 413 to adjust the degree of air circulation.

[0039] The inlet / outlet member 411 is configured to inlet / outlet from the inlet duct 41 to the outlet 23 side, and when the inlet / outlet member 411 is inserted into the inlet duct 41 as shown in FIG. 4(a) and protrudes toward the outlet 23 as shown in FIG. 4(b), the air discharged through the outlet 23 can be blocked by the inlet / outlet member 411 and can flow into the inlet duct 41. At this time, the inlet / outlet member 411 can adjust the degree of air circulation by adjusting the degree of protrusion toward the outlet 23, thereby appropriately adjusting the temperature of the air supplied to the stack 1. In addition, the inlet / outlet member 411 can be formed so that its end contacts the inside of the inlet duct 41 when inserted into the inlet duct 41 as shown in FIG. 6(a), thereby blocking unnecessary circulation of air, or can be made to have its end separated by a certain distance even when inserted into the inlet duct 41 as shown in FIG. 6(b), allowing a part of the discharged air to circulate naturally. The inlet / outlet member 411 may be in and out of the inlet duct 41 according to the operation of the operating gear 413, and for this purpose, gear teeth 411a that mesh with the operating gear 413 may be formed on the inside.

[0040] The operating gear 413 is configured to move the inlet / outlet member 411 in and out of the outlet 23 side, and engages with the gear teeth 411a to move the inlet / outlet member 411 according to its rotation. The operating gear 413 can adjust the degree to which the inlet / outlet member 411 protrudes to adjust the degree to which the air discharged from the outlet 23 circulates along the air circulation unit 4 by adjusting the degree of circulation according to the temperature on the inlet 21 side, so that air having an optimum temperature can be supplied to the stack 1.

[0041] The circulation duct 43 is connected to the inlet duct 41 and configured to circulate the air flowing in through the inlet duct 41 toward the inlet 21, and both ends are connected to the inlet duct 41 and the exhaust duct 45. The circulation duct 43 may be fixed to both sides of the housing 2 so that the high-temperature air passing through the circulation duct 43 has a heat insulating effect on both sides of the stack 1, and the entire stack 1 can be maintained at a uniform temperature even at a low external temperature.

[0042] The exhaust duct 45 is configured to allow the air circulating through the inlet duct 41 and the circulation duct 43 to be discharged to the inlet 21 side of the housing 2 and supplied again to the stack 1, and may be connected to the circulation ducts 43 on both sides and installed above the inlet 21. As shown in Fig. 7, the exhaust duct 45 may have a plurality of exhaust holes 451 to discharge the air circulating to the inlet 21 side, and the exhaust holes 451 are provided in pairs on both sides and are formed at regular intervals along the longitudinal direction of the exhaust duct 45 to uniformly supply the circulating air throughout the stack 1, thereby allowing cooling air of a uniform temperature to be supplied throughout the stack 1. Also, the exhaust ducts 45 may be provided in various numbers as shown in Fig. 8, and may be provided in various numbers and sizes according to the length, area, etc. of the stack 1.

[0043] The temperature sensing unit 5 is configured to measure the temperature inside the fuel cell, and may include an inlet side sensor 51 that measures the temperature on the inlet 21 side of the housing 2, and an outlet side sensor 53 that measures the temperature on the outlet 23 side.

[0044] The inlet side sensor 51 measures the temperature of the air supplied to the stack 1 through the inlet 21, and enables the degree to which the inlet / outlet member 411 protrudes toward the outlet 23 to be adjusted according to the measured temperature.

[0045] The outlet side sensor 53 measures the temperature of the air discharged from the stack 1 through the outlet port 23, and can adjust the operation of the blower fan 3 according to the measured temperature.

[0046] The control unit 6 is configured to adjust the operation of the fuel cell, and can include an operation adjustment unit 61 that adjusts operation related to cooling of the fuel cell in particular, and an operation analysis unit 63 that optimizes the operation.

[0047] The operation adjusting unit 61 is configured to adjust the operation related to cooling of the fuel cell, and may first adjust the operation of the inlet / outlet member 411 according to the temperature of the air supplied to the stack 1. When the temperature of the air flowing into the stack 1 is lower than a set value, the operation adjusting unit 61 may protrude the inlet / outlet member 411 toward the outlet 23 side, and circulate the high-temperature air discharged from the outlet 23 toward the inlet 21 side via the air circulation unit 4, thereby increasing the temperature of the air supplied to the stack 1. At this time, the operation adjusting unit 61 may increase the degree of circulation of the air by causing the inlet / outlet member 411 to protrude further toward the outlet 23 side as the temperature of the inlet air decreases. In addition, the operation adjusting unit 61 may increase the temperature of the air flowing into the stack 1 through the circulation of air, while also measuring the temperature of the air discharged from the stack 1 to adjust the operation of the blower fan 3, and may adjust the degree of cooling by adjusting the operation of the blower fan 3 to maintain the temperature in the stack 1 at an appropriate temperature. To this end, the operation control unit 61 may include an inflow temperature receiving module 611 , an inflow / outflow control module 612 , an outflow temperature receiving module 613 , and an airflow control module 614 .

[0048] The inflow temperature receiving module 611 is configured to receive temperature information of the air flowing into the stack 1 and receives the temperature information measured by the inflow side sensor 51 .

[0049] The inlet / outlet control module 612 is configured to control the operation of the inlet / outlet member 411, and when the temperature received by the inlet temperature receiving module 611 falls below a set value, the inlet / outlet control module 612 operates the operating gear 413 to protrude the inlet / outlet member 411 toward the outlet 23. At this time, the inlet / outlet control module 612 can adjust the degree of protrusion of the inlet / outlet member 411 according to the temperature range of the air at the inlet 21, and the lower the temperature is, the higher the degree of protrusion of the inlet / outlet member 411 is so that more air is circulated, thereby increasing the temperature of the air supplied to the stack 1. In particular, the degree of protrusion of the inlet / outlet member 411 by the inlet / outlet control module 612 can be analyzed by the operation analysis unit 63, and the correlation between the degree of protrusion of the inlet / outlet member 411 and the degree of temperature change on the inlet 21 side can be analyzed to accurately control the temperature of the air supplied to the stack 1.

[0050] The outflow temperature receiving module 613 is configured to receive temperature information of the air discharged from the stack 1 and receives temperature information measured by the outflow side sensor 53 .

[0051] The airflow adjusting module 614 is configured to adjust the operation of the blower fan 3, and adjusts the degree of operation of the blower fan 3 according to the temperature information received by the outlet temperature receiving module 613. The airflow adjusting module 614 can adjust the rotation speed of the blower fan 3, and can increase the rotation speed of the blower fan 3 to increase the degree of cooling as the temperature increases so that the temperature of the air discharged from the stack 1 can be maintained at an appropriate temperature.

[0052] The operation analysis unit 63 is configured to analyze a temperature change on the inlet 21 side depending on the protrusion degree of the inlet / outlet member 411, and collects information on the operation of the inlet / outlet member 411 and information on the temperature change, and derives a correlation through big data analysis. In other words, the operation analysis unit 63 analyzes a correlation between the degree to which the inlet / outlet member 411 protrudes toward the outlet 23 side and a temperature change on the inlet 21 side that changes depending on the protrusion of the inlet / outlet member 411, and adjusts the protrusion degree of the inlet / outlet member 411 so that the temperature on the inlet 21 side can be maintained within an appropriate range according to the analyzed correlation. Therefore, the operation analysis unit 63 can accurately adjust the temperature of the air supplied to the stack 1 through the inlet 21. To this end, the operation analysis unit 63 can include a temperature information collection module 631, an inlet / outlet information collection module 632, a change rate calculation module 633, and a correlation analysis module 634.

[0053] The temperature information collecting module 631 is configured to collect temperature information of the air on the inlet 21 side, and receives and stores information measured by the inlet side sensor 51 before and after the inlet / outlet member 411 is operated.

[0054] The inlet / outlet information collecting module 632 is configured to collect information on the operation of the inlet / outlet member 411, and is configured to collect information on the degree to which the inlet / outlet member 411 protrudes toward the outlet 23. The inlet / outlet information collecting module 632 may collect information on the degree of operation of the operating gear 413, and may collect information on the rotation of the operating gear 413 to grasp the degree to which the inlet / outlet member 411 protrudes.

[0055] The change rate calculation module 633 is configured to calculate the degree of temperature change on the inlet 21 side before and after the operation of the inlet / outlet member 411, and calculates the rate of change in temperature after a certain period of time has elapsed before and after the operation of the inlet / outlet member 411.

[0056] The correlation analysis module 634 is configured to analyze the correlation between the protrusion degree of the inlet / outlet member 411 and the temperature change rate on the inlet 21 side, and performs the correlation analysis by a machine learning method using collected information. Thus, the correlation analysis module 634 can grasp the degree of temperature change according to the protrusion degree of the inlet / outlet member 411, and based on this, the inlet / outlet control module 612 can adjust the protrusion degree of the inlet / outlet member 411 so as to adjust the appropriate temperature in consideration of the temperature on the inlet 21 side.

[0057] 10 and 11, an air-cooled fuel cell capable of recirculating air according to another embodiment of the present invention may be provided with an exhaust duct 45 divided on both sides as shown in FIG. 10. The number and shape of the exhaust ducts 45 divided on both sides may be formed in various ways as shown in FIG. 10 according to the size, area, and use environment of the stack 1. In particular, the exhaust ducts 45 divided on both sides may be individually connected to the air circulation units 4 on both sides of the housing 2, and the air that is introduced and circulated through the inlet duct 41 of each air circulation unit 4 may be individually supplied through the exhaust ducts 45 on both sides. In this case, the temperature sensing unit 5 may be provided on both sides of the inlet 21 and the outlet 23 as shown in FIG. 11, and the inlet sensor 51 may be formed of a first inlet sensor 511 and a second inlet sensor 513, and the outlet sensor 53 may be formed of a first outlet sensor 531 and a second outlet sensor 533.

[0058] Therefore, in this case, the operation adjustment unit 61 can adjust the degree of protrusion of the inlet / outlet members 411 on both sides according to the temperature on the inlet 21 side measured by the first inlet sensor 511 and the second inlet sensor 513, thereby adjusting the degree of air circulation according to the temperature on each side.

[0059] In addition, as shown in FIG. 11, the temperature of the side where the fuel H such as hydrogen flows in is set lower than the temperature of the side where the fuel H flows out. Accordingly, the temperatures of the air supplied to the inlets 21 on both sides can be set differently, and the degree of protrusion of the inlet / outlet member 411 can be adjusted accordingly.

[0060] Therefore, the operation adjusting unit 61 can set the temperature of air to be introduced into the inlet 21 side according to the temperature of the outlet 23 side measured by the first outlet sensor 531 and the second outlet sensor 533, and can adjust the degree of protrusion of each of the inlet / outlet members 411 on both sides according to the temperatures measured by the first inlet sensor 511 and the second inlet sensor 513 according to the set temperatures of the inlet 21 sides on both sides. Thus, the operation adjusting unit 61 can uniformly adjust the temperatures on both sides in the stack 1 to exhibit optimal performance.

[0061] The applicant has described various embodiments of the present invention above, but these embodiments are merely one embodiment that realizes the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and any changes or modifications that realize the technical idea of ​​the present invention should be interpreted as falling within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1 stack 2 housing 21 Inlet 23 Outlet 3 Blower fan 4 Air circulation section 41 inlet duct 411 inlet / outlet member 411a Gear teeth 413 Actuating gear 43 Circulation duct 45 Exhaust duct 451 Discharge hole 5 Temperature sensing part 51 inflow side sensor 511 first inflow sensor 513 Second inflow sensor 53 Outflow sensor 531 First Outlet Sensor 533 Second Outlet Sensor 6 Control section 61 Operation adjustment section 611 inflow temperature receiving module 612 inflow / outflow control module 613 Outlet temperature receiving module 614 Airflow control module 63 Operation analysis unit 631 Temperature information collection module 632 Input / Output Information Collection Module 633 Change Rate Calculation Module 634 Correlation Analysis Module H Fuel

Claims

1. a stack formed by stacking a plurality of fuel cells; a housing that contains and surrounds the stack; a blower fan provided on one side of the housing for circulating external air through the stack; an air circulation unit that recirculates the air passing through the stack by the blower fan to an inlet side of the stack, The air circulation unit includes: an inlet duct provided on an outlet side of the housing through which the air passing through the stack is discharged, and through which a portion of the discharged air flows in; a circulation duct for circulating the air flowing into the inlet duct to the inlet side of the housing through which the air flows into the stack; an exhaust duct connected to the circulation duct and provided on the inlet, for supplying air passing through the circulation duct to the stack.

2. The inlet duct is 2. The air-cooled fuel cell according to claim 1, further comprising: an inlet / outlet member protruding from within the inlet duct to an outlet side; and an operating gear for moving the inlet / outlet member in and out.

3. The air-cooled fuel cell is an operation adjusting unit that adjusts the operation of the fuel cell; The operation adjustment unit is 3. The air-cooled fuel cell according to claim 2, further comprising: an inflow temperature receiving module for receiving temperature information on the inflow side of the housing; and an inflow / outflow control module for controlling the degree of protrusion of the inflow / outflow member according to the temperature on the inflow side.

4. The air-cooled fuel cell is an operation analysis unit that analyzes a correlation between a protrusion degree of the inlet / outlet member and a temperature change on the inlet side; The operation analysis unit is a temperature information collecting module for collecting temperature information on the inlet side; an inlet / outlet information collecting module for collecting operation information of the inlet / outlet member; a change rate calculating module for calculating a degree of temperature change on the inlet side before and after the operation of the inlet / outlet member; and a correlation analysis module for analyzing a correlation between a degree of protrusion of the inlet / outlet member and a degree of temperature change, 4. The air-cooled fuel cell according to claim 3, wherein the inlet / outlet control module controls the protrusion degree of the inlet / outlet member using the correlation analyzed by the correlation analysis module.

5. The exhaust duct is The inlet is divided and provided on both sides of the inlet. The inlet duct is The exhaust ducts are provided on both sides of the outlet and connected to the exhaust ducts divided on both sides, The operation adjustment unit is 4. The air-cooled fuel cell according to claim 3, wherein the temperature at both sides of the inlet and outlet is measured to adjust the degree of protrusion of the inlet duct connected to the exhaust ducts at both sides relative to the inlet and outlet members.

6. The exhaust duct is 2. The air-cooled fuel cell according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of exhaust holes formed at regular intervals in a stack direction to supply air.

7. The exhaust duct is 2. The air-cooled fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the stacks are provided depending on the length and area of ​​the stack.

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