Fuel Cell Cooling Pipeline Gravity Configuration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuel cell systems face issues with air retention in cooling water circulation paths and non-uniform coolant flow rates across fuel cell stacks, leading to reduced energy efficiency and increased complexity in design and installation.
Innovation Solution
A fuel cell system design featuring supply and discharge pipelines arranged within the formation range of coolant flow paths in a direction of gravity, with the supply pipeline sloping downward and the discharge pipeline sloping upward, along with removable connecting parts and a heat exchanger configuration to ensure uniform coolant distribution and air removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a branch pipe connected to an air exhaust container is added to the circulation path, then air retention is reduced, but the pipeline configuration becomes complicated and installation space increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the air exhaust function into the existing circulation path by strategically positioning the air exhaust port at the discharge pipeline rather than adding a separate air exhaust container. This integration eliminates the need for additional branch pipes and containers, reducing pipeline complexity while maintaining air retention prevention
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the air exhaust function from a separate dedicated container and relocates it to the discharge pipeline structure. By placing the air exhaust port at the highest point of the discharge pipeline, the system utilizes the existing pipeline geometry to achieve air separation without requiring an additional air exhaust container
2Device complexity
If cooling water circulation path is designed without considering flow rate uniformity, then design is simpler, but flow rate of cooling water to each fuel cell stack varies
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by positioning the air exhaust port specifically at the highest point of the discharge pipeline where air naturally accumulates. This localized placement optimizes air removal efficiency without requiring complex modifications to the entire circulation path, maintaining design simplicity while improving flow rate uniformity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates equipotential conditions for coolant flow by ensuring the discharge pipeline is positioned at a higher elevation than the supply pipeline, establishing a consistent gravitational potential gradient that promotes uniform flow distribution across all fuel cell stacks
3Reliability
If supply pipeline slopes downward and discharge pipeline slopes upward, then air retention in pipelines is minimized, but installation precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by pre-positioning the air exhaust port at the highest point of the discharge pipeline during system design. This preliminary placement ensures that air bubbles are automatically directed to the exhaust port as coolant flows through the system, minimizing air retention without requiring precise slope adjustments during installation
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration minimizes air retention, ensures uniform coolant flow rates across fuel cell stacks, enhances safety during maintenance, and improves the durability and maintainability of the fuel cell system by eliminating ion differences and facilitating coolant replenishment.
Implementation Method 1
the supply pipeline slopes downward with respect to the horizontal direction from an upstream side to a downstream side
Implementation Method 2
the discharge pipeline slopes upward with respect to the horizontal direction from the upstream side to the downstream side
Implementation Method 3
the coolant is cooled by performing heat exchange with a heat exchanger and supplied again to the fuel cell
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a fuel cell system including a plurality of fuel cell stacks, in which with a simple configuration, air retention is unlikely to occur in cooling water and a flow rate of the cooling water to each fuel cell stack can be uniformized. In a fuel cell system including a plurality of fuel cell stacks provided with a coolant flow path through which a coolant flows, the plurality of fuel cell stacks are juxtaposed in a horizontal direction, and include a supply pipeline that distributes and supplies the coolant to the coolant flow path, and a discharge pipeline that collects and discharges the coolant that has flowed through the coolant flow path, and the supply pipeline and the discharge pipeline are provided within a formation range where the coolant flow path is formed in the plurality of fuel cell stacks, in a direction of gravity.