Hollow Fiber Membrane Humidifier for Uniform Fuel Cell Gas Flow
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fuel cell membrane humidifiers suffer from poor humidifying efficiency due to gas contact being concentrated on the inlet side, forming a dead zone, and issues with airtightness and assemblability between housings and cartridges, which affect productivity and performance.
Innovation Solution
A fuel cell membrane humidifier design with a main housing and hollow fiber membrane cartridge that includes flanges and seals to ensure uniform gas contact with the entire module without dead zones, and uses distribution and discharge ports with varying opening areas to enhance humidifying efficiency and airtightness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If gas flow path is concentrated on inlet side, then assembly structure is simple, but humidifying efficiency deteriorates due to dead zone formation
Solution Approach 1:
The cartridge housing is divided into multiple sections with flanges creating separate flow paths. The first flange creates a first flow path and the second flange creates a second flow path, segmenting the gas flow to eliminate dead zones and improve humidifying efficiency across the entire hollow fiber membrane module
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a multi-dimensional flow distribution system using flanges positioned at different locations (first flange and second flange) to create three-dimensional flow paths that penetrate the entire cartridge housing, ensuring uniform gas distribution from inlet to outlet without creating dead zones
2Reliability
If airtightness structure is complex, then airtightness between housings and cartridge is improved, but assemblability and productivity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The flange structures serve dual purposes: they create separate flow paths for improved humidifying efficiency and simultaneously provide integrated airtight sealing between the cartridge housing and main housing. The sealing portions are built into the flange structures themselves, combining flow control and sealing functions in one element
Solution Approach 2:
The flange structures perform multiple functions simultaneously: flow path creation, gas distribution, and airtight sealing. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate sealing components, simplifying assembly while maintaining reliable airtightness between housings and cartridge
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 design achieves maximized humidifying efficiency by ensuring uniform gas contact and stable airflow without dead zones, while improving airtightness and assembly efficiency, reducing replacement time and costs.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of hollow fiber membranes (120) extending along a longitudinal direction inside the cartridge housing (110)
Data Source
AI summary
Proposed is a fuel cell membrane humidifier that can maintain high humidifying efficiency by enabling high-humidity gas discharged from a stack of a hydrogen fuel cell to make uniform contact with the entire upper, middle, and lower parts of a hollow fiber membrane module without a dead zone, and improve airtightness and assemblability between a main housing coupled to a cartridge, an inlet housing, and an outlet housing. The fuel cell membrane humidifier includes the main housing in which a flow-in section forming an inlet portion for humid gas, a flow-out section forming an outlet portion for the gas, and at least one or more cartridge support portions are integrally formed, and a hollow fiber membrane cartridge including at least one or more outer flanges on a cartridge housing, having a plurality of hollow fiber membrane modules inside the cartridge housing, and separating the flow-in section from the flow-out section.