Plate-Stack Humidifier Sealing to Prevent Bypass and Vibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing humidifiers for fuel cell systems lack an efficient and secure arrangement of plate stacks that effectively separate and humidify exhaust gases and supply air, leading to potential mixing and vibration issues.
Innovation Solution
A humidifier design featuring a housing with separate inlets and outlets for exhaust gas and supply air, utilizing a plate stack with semipermeable membranes and a counter receiving device for floating support and sealing, which includes axial seals and a tongue-and-groove connection to prevent bypass flows and minimize vibrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the plate stack is arranged in the housing without a counter receiving device, then the structure is simpler, but the plate stack lacks secure support and sealing, leading to potential mixing of fluid streams
Solution Approach 1:
The counter receiving device acts as an intermediary element between the plate stack and the housing. It provides the necessary support and sealing functions that prevent direct contact between the plate stack and housing, ensuring fluid stream separation while maintaining a manageable structural complexity through modular design.
2Stability of the object's composition
If conventional support methods are used for the plate stack, then the structure is simpler, but vibrations occur during operation reducing stability
Solution Approach 1:
The counter receiving device incorporates vibration-damping features that are built in before operation begins. This prior cushioning approach prevents vibrations from occurring during operation, maintaining plate stack stability without requiring complex active vibration control systems.
3Productivity
If the plate stack is directly supported in the housing, then the arrangement is simpler, but bypass flows occur reducing humidification efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is extracted from the housing structure and assigned to the counter receiving device. This separation allows the plate stack to be properly sealed against bypass flows without requiring the housing itself to be complex, thereby maintaining humidification efficiency while keeping the overall arrangement manageable.
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 solution ensures effective separation and humidification of air streams without mixing, while providing enhanced support and vibration damping for the plate stack, improving the overall efficiency and stability of the humidification process.
Implementation Method 1
channel plates (10) which comprise flow channels (52, 54) for the first fluid (64) and for the second fluid (66) separated from each other by semipermeable membranes
Implementation Method 2
a counter receiving device (14) which, for an arrangement of the plate stack (50) as intended in a housing (102) of the humidifier, interacts with a receiving device (12) arranged in the housing (102) for supporting and sealing the plate stack (50) in the housing (102)
Data Source
AI summary
A humidifier has a housing with inlet and outlet for a first fluid and inlet and outlet for a second fluid. A plate stack with channel plates sequentially arranged in a stacking direction is arranged in the housing. The channel plates have flow channels for the first and second fluids, respectively, separated by semipermeable membranes. The plate stack has a first end plate arranged at a first end and a second end plate arranged at a second end, wherein the first and second ends face away from each other in stacking direction. The housing has a receiving device interacting with a counter receiving device at the plate stack for supporting and sealing the plate stack in the housing. The counter receiving device extends in a plane normal to the stacking direction and is arranged at the first or second end plate. A plate stack for the humidifier is provided.