Condensate Water Storage for Controlled Fuel Cell Drainage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fuel cell systems used in construction machines discharge condensate water directly onto the floor, leading to contamination and increased accident risks, as existing technologies lack effective solutions for selective condensate water management.
Innovation Solution
A condensate water storage device with a storage container, valve unit, and winding unit that allows for selective discharge of condensate water to a predetermined location, preventing direct floor discharge and minimizing contamination and accident risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If condensate water is discharged directly onto the floor, then the discharge operation is simple, but the floor contamination and accident risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
A storage container is introduced as an intermediary device between the fuel cell stack and the floor. The container collects condensate water during fuel cell operation, preventing direct discharge onto the floor. The stored water is then discharged to a predetermined location away from the workplace, thus eliminating both floor contamination and slip hazards while maintaining operational simplicity through automated control
2Object-affected harmful factors
If condensate water is stored temporarily and discharged to a predetermined location, then floor contamination and accident risks are reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The storage container serves multiple functions: it acts as a collection reservoir during fuel cell operation, provides temporary storage to prevent immediate floor discharge, and functions as a controlled discharge mechanism to predetermined locations. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while achieving the safety objectives
3Reliability
If a storage device is added to manage condensate water, then safety and reliability are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The storage container is designed to operate autonomously within the fuel cell system. It automatically collects condensate water through gravity or pressure differential, maintains storage during operation, and can be controlled to discharge at predetermined times or locations. This self-service capability minimizes the need for additional control systems or manual intervention, thereby improving safety and reliability without significantly increasing device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A condensate water storage device including a storage container defining a storage space to store condensate water, and having a discharge hole through which the condensate water is discharged to the outside, a valve unit to selectively open and close the discharge hole, a connection cable connected to the valve unit, and a winding unit connected to the connection cable to selectively wind the connection cable and manipulate an operation of the valve unit, thereby selectively discharging the condensate water, which is produced from a fuel cell.