Fuel Cell Exhaust Hydrogen Recirculation With Purification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydrogen fuel cell systems face inefficiencies in energy generation due to the discharge and reuse of hydrogen, leading to a need for improved hydrogen recycling and purification methods.
Innovation Solution
The system incorporates a storage part to collect exhaust gas containing hydrogen, which is then purified and recirculated through a resupply line to fuel cell packs, allowing for hydrogen to be reused efficiently, with some packs operating in a recirculation mode and others in a discharge mode, enhancing energy generation efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If hydrogen is discharged from fuel cell exhaust gas, then the fuel cell system can operate continuously, but hydrogen is lost and energy generation efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a hydrogen recovery system that captures hydrogen from fuel cell exhaust gas through a storage part and resupply line, then reintroduces it to the fuel cell inlet. This recovers the hydrogen that would otherwise be discarded, directly reducing hydrogen loss and improving energy generation efficiency by reusing the fuel rather than letting it escape.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback loop where exhaust hydrogen is monitored, stored, and fed back to the fuel cell input. The resupply line creates a closed-loop system that continuously monitors and adjusts hydrogen recirculation to maintain optimal fuel cell operation, ensuring that hydrogen is recovered and reused rather than lost.
2Productivity
If hydrogen is recirculated from exhaust to inlet, then energy generation efficiency improves, but the system complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the fuel cell system into distinct functional segments: the fuel cell stack, the storage part for hydrogen collection, the resupply line for hydrogen transport, and the purification part for hydrogen cleaning. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while maintaining overall system manageability and modularity.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage part acts as an intermediary component between the fuel cell exhaust outlet and inlet, providing a buffer storage for recovered hydrogen. The purification part serves as another intermediary that cleans the recirculated hydrogen before it re-enters the fuel cell. These intermediary components simplify the overall recirculation process by breaking it into manageable steps.
3Reliability
If purification part is added to remove impurities from recirculated hydrogen, then fuel cell performance is maintained, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The purification part serves as a critical intermediary component in the hydrogen recirculation path. It receives hydrogen from the storage part, removes impurities through filtration or other purification methods, and delivers clean hydrogen to the fuel cell inlet. This intermediary purification step ensures that recirculated hydrogen maintains the quality needed for optimal fuel cell performance while preventing impurity accumulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The purification part changes the quality parameters of the recirculated hydrogen by removing impurities and adjusting composition. This parameter change ensures that the hydrogen maintains appropriate purity levels for fuel cell operation, preventing performance degradation while enabling continuous recirculation of hydrogen through the system.
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 approach improves energy generation efficiency by reducing the need for external high-purity hydrogen supply and optimizing hydrogen use within the system, thereby increasing overall power output.
Implementation Method 1
A hydrogen fuel cell refers to a power generation device that produces water and electrical energy by means of a reaction between oxygen in the air and hydrogen extracted from fuel such as petroleum or gas. Because the hydrogen fuel cell generates electrical energy by using a redox reaction
Implementation Method 2
a storage part configured to store exhaust gas that is discharged from the first fuel cell pack and contains hydrogen
Implementation Method 3
a resupply line connected to the storage part and configured to supply the exhaust gas, which is stored in the storage part, to the first fuel cell pack or an external fuel cell pack
Implementation Method 4
a purification part provided in the resupply line and configured to receive the exhaust gas from the storage part and purify the hydrogen contained in the exhaust gas
Data Source
AI summary
An energy generation device may include a first fuel cell pack including a plurality of fuel cell modules configured to use hydrogen as fuel, a storage part configured to store exhaust gas discharged from the first fuel cell pack and containing hydrogen, and a resupply line configured to supply the exhaust gas from the storage part to the first fuel cell pack or an external fuel cell pack.