Hydrogen Recirculation Recovery With Active Centrifugal Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fuel cell systems face challenges in efficiently recirculating hydrogen due to low suction power during low load conditions and the issue of water and nitrogen dilution, which can lead to damage and reduced efficiency, with existing solutions being costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
Integration of an active centrifugal separator in the hydrogen recirculation path to effectively separate liquid water and nitrogen, utilizing a disk separator with a controllable separator drive and conveying function to support recirculation and enhance suction power, combined with a jet pump and dosing valve for pulsed hydrogen feeding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If an active fan is arranged in the recirculation path to support the jet pump in the low load range, then the suction power is increased, but the system complexity and energy consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical fan system with a jet pump that uses the Venturi effect and pulsed hydrogen feeding to generate suction. This substitution eliminates the need for a separate fan motor and blade assembly, reducing mechanical complexity while maintaining suction power in the low load range through controlled hydrogen injection pulses
2Reliability
If a passive separator such as fabric separator or cyclone is used to separate water from the recirculation path, then the separation function is provided, but the separation performance is limited and nitrogen discharge is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces passive mechanical separators with an active condenser that uses thermal condensation to separate water vapor from the recirculation flow. This active thermal separation method achieves superior separation performance by converting water vapor to liquid condensate, eliminating the need for nitrogen flushing that would be required with passive separators
3Ease of operation
If the jet pump operates with high hydrogen supply flow to ensure sufficient suction, then the recirculation function is maintained, but the parasitic power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs pulsed hydrogen feeding to the jet pump, where hydrogen is supplied in periodic pulses rather than continuous flow. This periodic action maintains the necessary suction effect for recirculation while significantly reducing the average hydrogen consumption and associated parasitic power compared to continuous high-flow operation
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
The active centrifugal separator ensures energy-efficient water separation, prevents damage from water ingress, maintains fuel cell performance, and reduces parasitic power consumption by optimizing recirculation and nitrogen separation across varying load ranges.
Implementation Method 1
an active centrifugal separator (16) which is designed to separate liquid water from the recirculation flow
Implementation Method 2
the hydrogen is often fed through a jet pump operating according to the Venturi principle, which is connected to a hydrogen supply. The hydrogen flow from the hydrogen supply creates a suction effect at the jet pump, which sucks in the recirculation flow
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a recovery system (10) for recovering a recirculation flow that exits a fuel cell (102) and contains hydrogen, said recovery system comprising an active centrifugal separator (16, 26) designed to separate liquid water from the recirculation flow.