CN117678096A - Fuel cell membrane humidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a fuel cell membrane humidifier, wherein the convenience of assembly can be improved because the fuel cell membrane humidifier can be directly mounted on a structure of a vehicle such as a vehicle, a ship or an airplane or a generator system of a building without additional equipment, and the convenience of manufacture can be improved because the mounting requirements of various customers can be satisfied. The fuel cell membrane humidifier includes: a humidifying module configured to perform moisture exchange between a first fluid and a second fluid, and including an intermediate housing, a second fluid inlet through which the second fluid is introduced into the intermediate housing, a second fluid outlet through which the second fluid is discharged to the outside, and at least one cylinder in the intermediate housing; covers formed on both ends of the humidification module; and a position-variable mount formed to be position-variable on the humidification module and configured to mount the humidification module on a mounting target structure.

Description

Fuel cell membrane humidifier

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a fuel cell membrane humidifier, and more particularly, to a fuel cell membrane humidifier as follows: with this fuel cell membrane humidifier, since the fuel cell membrane humidifier can be directly mounted on a structure of a vehicle such as a vehicle, a ship, or an airplane, or a generator system of a building without additional equipment, convenience of assembly can be improved, and since the mounting requirements of various customers can be satisfied, manufacturing convenience can be improved.

Background

A fuel cell refers to a power generation cell for generating electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen. Unlike a general chemical battery such as a dry cell or a storage battery, a fuel cell can continuously generate electricity as long as hydrogen and oxygen are supplied, and is about twice as efficient as an internal combustion engine because there is no heat loss.

In addition, since chemical energy generated by the combination of hydrogen and oxygen is directly converted into electric energy, the emission of pollutants is low. Therefore, the fuel cell is not only environmentally friendly, but also can reduce concerns about exhaustion of resources due to an increase in energy consumption.

Such fuel cells can be broadly classified into Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC), phosphoric Acid Fuel Cells (PAFC), molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFC), solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC), and Alkaline Fuel Cells (AFC), depending on the type of electrolyte used.

These fuel cells operate according to essentially the same principles, but they differ in the type of fuel used, the operating temperature, the catalyst and the electrolyte. Among these fuel cells, the PEMFC is known to be most promising not only for small stationary power generation equipment but also for transportation systems, because the PEMFC operates at a lower temperature than other fuel cells and can be miniaturized due to its high power density.

One of the most important factors to improve the performance of PEMFCs is to maintain the moisture content by supplying at least a certain amount of moisture to a polymer electrolyte membrane or a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) of a Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA). This is because, when the polymer electrolyte membrane is dried, the power generation efficiency rapidly decreases.

Examples of the method of humidifying the polymer electrolyte membrane include: 1) A bubbler humidification method of filling the pressure-resistant container with water and supplying moisture by passing a target gas through the diffuser; 2) A direct injection method of calculating a moisture supply amount required for a fuel cell reaction and directly supplying moisture to a gas flow tube through a solenoid valve; and 3) a humidifying membrane method of supplying moisture to the gas fluidized bed by using a polymer separator.

Among these methods, the humidifying membrane method of humidifying the polymer electrolyte membrane by supplying water vapor to air supplied to the polymer electrolyte membrane using a membrane that selectively transmits only water vapor contained in exhaust gas has an advantage in that the weight and size of the membrane humidifier can be reduced.

When forming the module, a hollow fiber membrane having a large transport area per unit volume is suitable for the selective transport membrane used in the humidifying membrane method. That is, when the membrane humidifier is manufactured by using the hollow fiber membrane, high integration of the hollow fiber membrane having a large contact surface area is possible, and therefore, even if a small amount is used, the fuel cell can be sufficiently humidified, inexpensive materials can be used, and moisture and heat contained in the off-gas discharged from the fuel cell at a high temperature can be collected and reused by the membrane humidifier.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a fuel cell membrane humidifier in which, since the fuel cell membrane humidifier can be directly mounted on a structure of a vehicle such as a vehicle, a ship, or an airplane, or a generator system of a building without additional equipment, convenience of assembly can be improved, and since installation requirements of various customers can be satisfied, manufacturing convenience can be improved.

Technical proposal

In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure,

the fuel cell membrane humidifier includes: a humidifying module configured to perform moisture exchange between a first fluid and a second fluid, and including an intermediate housing, a second fluid inlet through which the second fluid is introduced into the intermediate housing, a second fluid outlet through which the second fluid is discharged to the outside, and at least one cylinder in the intermediate housing; covers formed on both ends of the humidification module; and a position-variable mount formed to be position-variable on the humidification module and configured to mount the humidification module on a mounting target structure.

In the fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the position variable mount may include: a body portion including a first fastener formed on a surface of the intermediate housing and at least one second fastener fastened to the first fastener by a fastening means; a head portion connected with the main body portion and including a third fastener for mounting on the mounting target structure by using a fastening device; and a sliding portion formed on a bottom surface of the main body portion and slidably inserted into a rib formed on a surface of the intermediate housing.

In the fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the fastening means may be a bolt having threads formed thereon, and threads corresponding to the threads of the bolt may be formed on the first, second, and third fasteners.

In the fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the sliding portion may include a guide groove formed at a position corresponding to the rib.

In the fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the intermediate case may include: a partition wall dividing an inner space of the intermediate case into a first space and a second space; and a constant bypass hole passing through the partition wall to connect the first space with the second space.

In the fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one cartridge may each include an inner housing including a first mesh unit into which the second fluid is introduced, and a second mesh unit through which the second fluid introduced through the first mesh unit is moisture-exposed and then discharged to the outside, wherein the first mesh unit and the second mesh unit are asymmetric to each other.

In the fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the total area of the mesh windows of the first mesh unit may be larger than the total area of the mesh windows of the second mesh unit.

In the fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the mesh windows of the first mesh unit and the second mesh unit are the same in size, the number of meshes constituting the first mesh unit may be greater than the number of meshes constituting the second mesh unit.

In the fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the number of mesh windows of the first mesh unit and the second mesh unit is the same, the area of each mesh constituting the first mesh unit may be larger than the area of each mesh constituting the second mesh unit.

Additional details of embodiments according to various aspects of the disclosure are included in the detailed description below.

Advantageous effects

According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, since the fuel cell membrane humidifier may be directly mounted on a structure of a vehicle such as a vehicle, a ship, or an airplane, or a generator system of a building without additional equipment, convenience of assembly may be improved, and since installation requirements of various customers may be satisfied, manufacturing convenience may be improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view illustrating a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 is a view showing the position-variable mount.

Fig. 4 and 5 are plan views showing examples in which the position of the position-variable mount is changed on the humidification module.

Fig. 6 is a side view illustrating a humidification module from which a cover of a fuel cell membrane humidifier is removed according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line A-A' of fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a cartridge mounted on a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cartridge mounted on a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 is a view for comparing the flow distances of the second fluid in a conventional cylinder (upper diagram) and a cylinder (lower diagram) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

As the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative embodiments, specific embodiments will be shown and described in the detailed description. However, it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular mode of practice, and it is to be understood that all changes, equivalents, and substitutions that do not depart from the spirit and technical scope of the disclosure are included in the disclosure.

The terminology used in the present application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, as used in this application, the terms "comprises," "comprising," and any combinations thereof, are to be understood as meaning a particular feature, number, step, operation, component, element, or combination thereof, but are not to be construed as excluding the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, component, elements, or combinations thereof. Hereinafter, a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a front view illustrating a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 3 is a view showing the position-variable mount. Fig. 4 and 5 are plan views showing examples in which the position of the position-variable mount is changed on the humidification module. Fig. 6 is a side view illustrating a humidification module from which a cover of a fuel cell membrane humidifier is removed according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line A-A' of fig. 2.

As shown in fig. 1 to 7, a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a humidification module 110, a cover 120, and a position variable mount 200.

The humidification module 110 performs moisture exchange between a first fluid supplied from the outside and a second fluid discharged from a fuel cell stack (not shown). The covers 120 are fastened to both ends of the humidification module 110. A first fluid inlet 121 is formed in one of the covers 120, wherein a first fluid supplied from the outside is supplied to the humidification module 110 through the first fluid inlet 121; and a first fluid outlet 122 is formed in the other one of the covers 120, wherein the first fluid humidified by the humidification module 110 is supplied to the fuel cell stack through the first fluid outlet 122.

The humidification module 110 includes: an intermediate housing 111 comprising a second fluid inlet 112 and a second fluid outlet 113; and at least one cylinder 20 located within the intermediate housing 111. The second fluid discharged from the fuel cell stack (not shown) is introduced into the second fluid inlet 112 and moisture exchanged in the humidification module 110, and then discharged to the second fluid outlet 113. A first fastener H1 is formed on the surface of the intermediate case 111. The first fastener H1 may be coupled to a second fastener H2 described below by using a fastening device.

In the present disclosure, the fluid introduced/discharged through the second fluid inlet 112 or the second fluid outlet 113 is not limited to the second fluid. Also, the fluid introduced/discharged through the first fluid inlet 121 or the first fluid outlet 122 is not limited to the first fluid.

One of the covers 120 may be designed to supply the second fluid to the humidification module 110 to flow through the hollow fiber membranes, and the other of the covers 120 may be designed to discharge the second fluid subjected to the water division exchange to the outside. Also, in this case, the first fluid may be introduced through any one of the second fluid inlet 112 and the second fluid outlet 113, and the first fluid humidified by the humidification module 110 may be supplied to the fuel cell stack through the other one of the second fluid inlet 112 and the second fluid outlet 113. The flow direction of the first fluid and the flow direction of the second fluid may be the same or opposite to each other.

The intermediate case 111 and the cover 120 may each be independently formed of hard plastic or metal, and may have a circular or polygonal cross section in the width direction. The circle includes an ellipse, and the polygon includes a polygon having rounded corners. Examples of the hard plastic may include polycarbonate, polyamide (PA), polyphthalamide (PPA), and polypropylene (PP). The inner space of the intermediate case 111 may be divided into a first space S1 and a second space S2 by a partition wall 114. The partition wall 114 may have an insertion hole H into which at least one cylinder 20 may be inserted.

A gasket 116 may be disposed between the intermediate case 111 and the cylinder 20. The gasket 116 enables the cartridge 20 to be mounted on the humidification module 110 by mechanical assembly. Accordingly, when an abnormality occurs in a specific portion (e.g., the cartridge 20) of the humidification module 110, the intermediate case 111 and the packing 116 may be simply mechanically separated from the humidification module 110, and then, only the corresponding portion may be repaired or replaced.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a position variable mount 200 for mounting a fuel cell membrane humidifier including a humidification module 110 on a mounting target structure is included. The mounting target structure may refer to a part of a vehicle such as a vehicle, a ship, or an airplane or a part of a generator system of a building on which a fuel cell system including a fuel cell stack and a fuel cell membrane humidifier is mounted. The description will be made assuming that the fuel cell membrane humidifier is mounted on the structure of the vehicle.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, a position variable mount 200 may be mounted on a top surface of the humidification module 110. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the position variable mount 200 may be mounted on a side surface or a bottom surface of the humidification module 110, or may be mounted on a surface of the cover 120 according to a design.

After the position variable mount 200 is positioned at a desired position on the surface of the humidification module 110 by an operator according to the shape of the structure of the vehicle as a mounting target, the position variable mount 200 may be fixed to the humidification module 110 by a fastening device. The position variable mount 200 will be described with reference to fig. 3.

Fig. 3 (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) are front, plan, bottom, left side and right side views, respectively, of the position-variable mount 200.

Referring to fig. 3, the position variable mount 200 includes a body portion 210, a head portion 220, and a sliding portion 230.

The body portion 210 may have a shape, for example, a quadrangular shape, and at least one second fastener H2 is formed on the body portion 210. The second fastening member H2 may be fastened to the first fastening member H1 by a fastening means such that the variable position mounting 200 is fixed to the surface of the humidification module 110. For example, the fastening means may be a bolt having threads formed thereon, and threads corresponding to the threads of the bolt may be formed on each inner surface of the first and second fasteners H1 and H2.

The head portion 220 is connected to the body portion 210. For example, as shown in fig. 3, the head 220 may extend from an end of the top surface of the body 210. At least one third fastener H3 is formed on the head 220. The third fastener H3 enables the position-variable mount 200 to be mounted on the structure of the vehicle by using the fastening means.

A sliding portion 230 is formed on the bottom surface of the body portion 210. The sliding portion 230 is slidably inserted into a rib 111a protruding from the surface of the intermediate housing 111. The sliding portion 230 may include a guide groove 231 formed at a position corresponding to the rib 111 a. Due to the guide groove 231, the sliding part 230 may move toward the rib 111a without being separated from the rib 111 a.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, because the variable position mount 200 may be integrally formed with the fuel cell membrane humidifier, the need for separate additional equipment (e.g., a separate mount and a bracket for the separate mount) may be reduced.

Further, since the position variable mount 200 can slide along the rib formed on the surface of the humidification module 110 or the surface of the cover 120 according to the design as shown in fig. 4 and 5, the design of a new humidification module for reflecting the installation requirements (e.g., installation position and assembly structure) of a customer can be reduced. Therefore, since the mounting requirements of various customers can be satisfied, the manufacturing convenience can be improved.

Referring to fig. 6 and 7, a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a constant bypass hole 115 formed in a partition wall 114.

The constant bypass hole 115 is formed in a shape to pass through the partition wall 114. The constant bypass hole 115 connects the first space S1 and the second space S2 partitioned by the partition wall 114.

A portion of the second fluid introduced into the second fluid inlet 112 flows from the first space S1 to the second space S2 through the constant bypass hole 115, and is discharged to the second fluid outlet 113. Because the second fluid flowing through the bypass hole 115 does not contact the first fluid, no moisture exchange is performed.

As the volume of the fuel cell membrane humidifier decreases, the pressure differential in the fuel cell membrane humidifier increases due to the second fluid introduced from the fuel cell stack. Because the increased pressure differential adversely affects the efficiency of the fuel cell membrane humidifier, it is necessary to mitigate the pressure differential. Since the bypass hole 115 allows a portion of the introduced second fluid to bypass the hollow fiber membrane and be discharged to the outside, the increased pressure difference may be relieved. Accordingly, the bypass hole 115 is advantageous in reducing the volume of the fuel cell membrane humidifier.

Next, a cartridge mounted on a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to fig. 8 to 10. Fig. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a cartridge mounted on a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cartridge mounted on a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 10 is a view for comparing the flow distance of the second fluid in a conventional cylinder (upper diagram) and a cylinder (lower diagram) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cartridge 20 may improve humidification efficiency by adjusting the number or area of the mesh windows W constituting the mesh unit.

Referring to fig. 9, the cartridge 20 includes a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 21, a potting unit 22, and an inner case 23.

The hollow fiber membrane 21 may include a polymer membrane formed of polysulfone resin, polyethersulfone resin, sulfonated polysulfone resin, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) resin, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) resin, polyimide resin, polyamideimide resin, polyesterimide resin, or a mixture of at least two of the foregoing.

The potting unit 22 fixes the end portions of the hollow fiber membranes 21. The potting unit 22 may be formed by solidifying a liquid resin such as a liquid polyurethane resin by a casting method such as deep potting or centrifugal potting.

The inner housing 23 has an opening at each end, and a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 21 are accommodated in the inner housing 23. A potting unit 22 potting the end portions of the hollow fiber membranes 21 closes the opening of the inner case 23. The inner housing 23 includes: a first mesh unit MH1 arranged in a mesh shape for fluid communication with the first space S1; and a second mesh unit MH2 arranged in a mesh shape for fluid communication with the second space S2.

The second fluid introduced into the first space S1 of the intermediate housing 111 through the second fluid inlet 112 flows into the inner housing 23 through the first mesh unit MH1 and contacts the outer surface of the hollow fiber membranes 21. Next, the second fluid, which is subjected to the water division exchange with the first fluid, escapes to the second space S2 through the second mesh unit MH2, and is then discharged from the intermediate housing 111 through the second fluid outlet 113.

In the drum 20, the total area of the mesh windows W of the first mesh unit MH1 may be larger than the total area of the mesh windows W of the second mesh unit MH 2. The mesh window W is an opening through which the second fluid is introduced and discharged.

The introduction of the second fluid into the inner casing 23 can be promoted by increasing the total area of the mesh windows W of the first mesh unit MH1 formed near the second fluid inlet 112, and the flow of the second fluid in the inner casing 23 can be promoted by decreasing the total area of the mesh windows W of the second mesh unit MH2 formed near the second fluid outlet 113.

Further, when the first and second mesh units MH1 and MH2 are formed to be asymmetric to each other, the distance between the first and second mesh units MH1 and MH2 may be increased as compared to the case where the first and second mesh units MH1 and MH2 are symmetric to each other, and thus, the flowing distance of the second fluid in the inner casing 23 may be increased. As the flow distance of the second fluid increases (see L1 and L2 of fig. 10), the time for the second fluid to contact the surface of the hollow fiber membranes 220 increases, thereby improving the overall humidification efficiency.

When the sizes of the mesh windows W of the two mesh units are the same, the number of meshes constituting the first mesh unit MH1 may be greater than the number of meshes constituting the second mesh unit MH 2.

Further, when the number of mesh windows W of two mesh units is the same, the area of each mesh constituting the first mesh unit MH1 may be larger than the area of each mesh constituting the second mesh unit MH 2.

Accordingly, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, since the first mesh unit MHl and the second mesh unit MH2 are asymmetrically formed, the flow of the second fluid in the inner housing 23 may be promoted, and the flow distance of the second fluid may be increased, thereby improving the humidifying efficiency.

While one or more embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the present disclosure may be modified and altered in various ways by adding, altering or removing component parts without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as described in the claims, and the modifications or alterations fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[ description of reference numerals ]

ii0: humidification module 111: intermediate shell

112: a second fluid inlet 113: a second fluid outlet

114: partition wall 115: constant bypass hole

120: sealing cover

200: position variable mount 210: body part

220: head 230: sliding part

20: barrel 21: hollow fiber membrane

22: potting unit 23: inner shell

MH1: first cell unit MH2: second mesh unit

Claims (10)

1. A fuel cell membrane humidifier comprising:

a humidifying module configured to perform moisture exchange between a first fluid and a second fluid, and including an intermediate housing, a second fluid inlet through which the second fluid is introduced into the intermediate housing, a second fluid outlet through which the second fluid is discharged to the outside, and at least one cylinder in the intermediate housing;

covers formed on both ends of the humidification module; and

a position-variable mount formed to be position-variable on the humidification module and configured to mount the humidification module on a mounting target structure.

2. The fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the position variable mount comprises:

a body portion including a first fastener formed on a surface of the intermediate housing and at least one second fastener fastened to the first fastener by a fastening means;

a head portion connected with the body portion and including a third fastener for mounting on the mounting target structure by using a fastening device; and

a sliding part formed on a bottom surface of the main body part and slidably inserted into a rib formed on a surface of the intermediate housing.

3. The fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 2, wherein the fastening means is a bolt having threads formed thereon, and threads corresponding to the threads of the bolt are formed on the first, second, and third fasteners.

4. The fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 2, wherein the sliding portion includes guide grooves formed at positions corresponding to the ribs.

5. The fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate housing comprises: a partition wall dividing an inner space of the intermediate case into a first space and a second space; and a constant bypass hole passing through the partition wall to connect the first space with the second space.

6. The fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the at least one cartridge each includes an inner housing including a first mesh unit and a second mesh unit, the second fluid is introduced into the first mesh unit, and the second fluid introduced through the first mesh unit is moisture-exposed through the second mesh unit and then discharged to the outside, wherein the first mesh unit and the second mesh unit are asymmetric to each other.

7. The fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 6, wherein a total area of mesh windows of the first mesh unit is larger than a total area of mesh windows of the second mesh unit.

8. The fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 7, wherein when the mesh windows of the first and second mesh units are the same in size, the number of meshes constituting the first mesh unit is greater than the number of meshes constituting the second mesh unit.

9. The fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 7, wherein when the number of mesh windows of the first mesh unit and the second mesh unit is the same, the area of each mesh constituting the first mesh unit is larger than the area of each mesh constituting the second mesh unit.

10. The fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the mounting target structure is a structure of a vehicle or a generator system of a building.