CN216872043U

CN216872043U - Fuel cell membrane humidifier

Info

Publication number: CN216872043U
Application number: CN202122439780.8U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 金度佑; 金京柱; 安娜贤
Original assignee: Kolon Industries Inc
Current assignee: Kolon Industries Inc
Priority date: 2021-10-11
Filing date: 2021-10-11
Publication date: 2022-07-01
Anticipated expiration: 2031-10-11

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fuel cell membrane humidifier which is easily assembled so that a manufacturing process can be simplified, the fuel cell membrane humidifier of an embodiment of the present invention includes: the humidifying module is used for carrying out moisture exchange between the first fluid and the second fluid; covers arranged at two ends of the humidifying module; at least one cartridge provided in the humidifying module and housing a plurality of hollow fiber membranes; and a clamp for fastening the humidifying module and the cover.

Description

Fuel cell membrane humidifier

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a fuel cell membrane humidifier, and more particularly, to a fuel cell membrane humidifier that is easily assembled so that a manufacturing process can be simplified.

Background

The fuel cell is a power generation type cell that generates electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen. Unlike ordinary chemical batteries such as dry cells or secondary batteries, fuel cells can generate electricity continuously as long as they are supplied with hydrogen and oxygen, and there is no heat loss, and therefore, there is an advantage in that the efficiency is about twice as high as that of internal combustion engines.

In addition, chemical energy generated by combining hydrogen and oxygen is directly converted into electric energy, so that the emission of pollution substances is less. Therefore, the fuel cell is not only environmentally friendly, but also can reduce concerns about resource depletion due to an increase in energy consumption.

Such Fuel cells are roughly classified into Polymer Electrolyte 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 basically operate on the same principle, but the kind of fuel used, the operating temperature, the catalyst, the electrolyte, and the like are different from each other. Among them, polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEMFCs) are expected to be used not only as small stationary power generation equipment but also as transportation systems because they operate at a lower temperature and have a higher output density than other fuel cells, thereby enabling miniaturization.

One of the most important factors for improving the performance of a Polymer Electrolyte fuel cell (PEMFC) is to supply a predetermined amount or more of water to a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane or Proton Exchange Membrane: PEM) of a Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) to maintain the water content. This is because the power generation efficiency is drastically reduced when the polymer electrolyte membrane is dried.

A method of humidifying the polymer electrolyte membrane includes, 1) a bubbler (bubbler) humidifying method of supplying moisture to the target gas through a diffuser (diffuser) after filling water into the pressure-resistant container; 2) a direct injection (direct injection) method of calculating the amount of supply water required for the reaction of the fuel cell and directly supplying water to the gas flow pipe through an electromagnetic valve; and 3) a humidifying membrane system in which moisture is supplied to the gas flowing layer by a polymer separation membrane.

Among them, the membrane humidification system in which the air supplied to the polymer electrolyte membrane is humidified by supplying water vapor to the air by the membrane selectively permeable only to water vapor contained in the off-gas contributes to weight reduction and size reduction of the membrane humidifier.

The permselective membrane used in the membrane humidification mode is preferably a hollow fiber membrane having a large permeation area per unit volume when formed into a module. That is, when the membrane humidifier is manufactured using hollow fiber membranes, it is possible to highly integrate hollow fiber membranes having a large contact surface area, to achieve sufficient humidification of the fuel cell even with a small capacity, to use inexpensive raw materials, and to recover moisture and heat contained in high-temperature off-gas (off-gas) discharged from the fuel cell and reuse the water and heat by the membrane humidifier.

Prior art documents

Patent document

Korean laid-open patent No. 10-2011-

Korean laid-open patent No. 10-2011-0026696

Korean laid-open patent No. 10-2011-0063366

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

Technical problem

An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cell membrane humidifier that is easy to assemble, thereby enabling simplification of the manufacturing process.

Technical scheme

A fuel cell membrane humidifier of an embodiment of the present invention includes:

a humidification module for performing moisture exchange between a first fluid supplied from the outside and a second fluid discharged from the fuel cell stack; covers arranged at two ends of the humidifying module; at least one cartridge provided in the humidification module and accommodating a plurality of hollow fiber membranes; and a clamp for fastening the humidifying module and the cover.

In the fuel cell membrane humidifier of the embodiment of the present invention, the humidification module may include: a middle shell; a second fluid flow inlet that flows either the second fluid or the first fluid into the middle shell; and a second fluid discharge port discharging either one of the second fluid and the first fluid to the outside, wherein the cap provided at one end of the humidification module may include a first fluid inflow port for allowing the first fluid or the second fluid to flow into the humidification module, and the cap provided at the other end of the humidification module may include a first fluid discharge port for supplying the first fluid or the second fluid after moisture exchange by the humidification module to the fuel cell stack.

In the fuel cell membrane humidifier according to the embodiment of the present invention, the end portion of the middle case is formed with a middle case end flap extending in the radiation direction, the end portion of the cap is formed with a cap end flap having a size corresponding to that of the middle case end flap and extending in the radiation direction, and the clamp can fix and fasten the middle case end flap and the cap end flap.

In the fuel cell membrane humidifier of the embodiment of the present invention, the middle case may include: a partition plate dividing an inner space of the middle case into a first space and a second space; and a constant bypass hole which penetrates the partition plate to connect the first space and the second space.

In the fuel cell membrane humidifier according to the embodiment of the present invention, the cartridge includes an inner case in which a first mesh portion for allowing any one of the second fluid and the first fluid to flow therein and a second mesh portion for discharging any one of the second fluid and the first fluid flowing in through the first mesh portion to the outside after moisture exchange are formed, and the first mesh portion and the second mesh portion may be formed in an asymmetric shape.

In the fuel cell membrane humidifier of the embodiment of the utility model, the total area of the mesh windows on the first mesh portion side is larger than the total area of the mesh windows on the second mesh portion side.

In the fuel cell membrane humidifier according to the embodiment of the utility model, when the mesh windows of the first mesh portion and the second mesh portion are the same in size, the number of meshes constituting the first mesh portion is larger than the number of meshes constituting the second mesh portion.

In the fuel cell membrane humidifier according to the embodiment of the utility model, when the number of mesh windows of the first mesh portion and the second mesh portion is the same, the area of each mesh constituting the first mesh portion is larger than the area of each mesh constituting the second mesh portion.

Specific matters of implementation of other aspects of the present invention are included in the following detailed description.

Advantageous effects

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the membrane humidifier is easily assembled, so that the manufacturing process can be simplified.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view showing a fuel cell membrane humidifier of an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3a and 3b are diagrams illustrating a jig for a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a side view of a humidification module with a cover of a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention removed.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line a-a' of fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing a cartridge to which a fuel cell membrane humidifier of an embodiment of the present invention is mounted.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing a cartridge to which a fuel cell membrane humidifier of an embodiment of the present invention is mounted.

Fig. 8a and 8b are diagrams comparing the flow distance of the second fluid in the conventional cartridge (fig. 8a) and the cartridge (fig. 8b) according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numerals

110: the humidifying module 111: middle shell

112: second fluid inflow port 113: second fluid discharge port

114: the separator 115: bypass hole at normal time

120: cover 130: clamp apparatus

20: and (3) a box 21: hollow fiber membrane

22: potting part 23: inner shell

MH 1: first mesh portion MH 2: second mesh part

Detailed Description

The utility model is capable of many modifications and of being practiced and carried out in various embodiments, specific examples of which are set forth in the detailed description. However, this does not limit the present invention by a specific embodiment, and should be understood to include all the changes, equivalents and alternatives within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the utility model. Unless expressly indicated otherwise herein, singular references also include plural references. In the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "includes" or "including" are used to designate the presence of the features, numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, components or combinations thereof described in the specification, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features or numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, components or combinations thereof. Hereinafter, a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a front view showing a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 2 is a plan view showing the fuel cell membrane humidifier according to the embodiment of the present invention, fig. 3a and 3b are views illustrating a jig for the fuel cell membrane humidifier according to the embodiment of the present invention, fig. 4 is a side view of a humidification module after a cover of the fuel cell membrane humidifier according to the embodiment of the present invention is removed, and fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line a-a' of fig. 2.

As shown in fig. 1 to 5, the fuel cell membrane humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a humidification module 110, a plurality of covers 120, and a Clamp (Clamp) 130.

The humidification module 110 is used to perform moisture exchange between a first fluid supplied from the outside and a second fluid discharged from a fuel cell stack (not shown). A plurality of covers 120 are fastened to both ends of the humidifying module 110. One of the covers 120 is formed with a first fluid inlet 121 for supplying the first fluid supplied from the outside to the humidification module 110, and the other cover is formed with a first fluid outlet 122 for supplying the first fluid humidified by the humidification module 110 to the fuel cell stack.

The humidification module 110 includes: a middle shell 111 having a second fluid inlet 112 and a second fluid outlet 113; and at least one cartridge 20 disposed within the middle case 111. The second fluid discharged from the fuel cell stack (not shown) flows into the second fluid inlet 112, exchanges moisture in the humidification module 110, and is then discharged from the second fluid outlet 113.

In this specification, the fluid flowing in/out from the second fluid inflow port 112 or the second fluid discharge port 113 is not limited to the second fluid. In addition, the fluid flowing in/out from the first fluid inlet 121 or the first fluid outlet 122 is not limited to the first fluid.

According to design, one of the plurality of caps 120 supplies the second fluid to the humidification module 110 to flow through the inside of the hollow fiber membranes, and the other one discharges the moisture-exchanged second fluid to the outside. In addition, at this time, the first fluid flows in through either one of the second fluid inlet port 112 and the second fluid outlet port 113, and the first fluid humidified by the humidification module 110 is supplied to the fuel cell stack through the other.

The middle case 111 and the cover 120 may be respectively independently formed of hard plastic or metal, and may have a circular or polygonal cross-section. The circle includes an ellipse, and the polygon includes a polygon having rounded corners. For example, the hard plastic may be polycarbonate, Polyamide (PA), polyphthalamide (PPA), polypropylene (PP), and the like. The inner space of the middle case 111 may be partitioned into a first space S1 and a second space S2 by a partition 114. The partition 114 may have at least one insertion hole H into which the cartridge 20 can be inserted.

Referring to fig. 7, the cartridge 20 includes a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 21, a potting portion 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 two or more thereof.

Potting part 22 is used to fix the ends of hollow fiber membranes 21. The potting portion 22 may be formed by curing a liquid resin such as a liquid urethane resin in a casting manner such as dip potting, centrifugal potting, or the like.

The inner casing 23 has openings (opening) at each end thereof, and internally houses a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 21. A potting portion 22 potting the ends of the hollow fiber membranes 21 is used to close the opening of the inner casing 23. The inner shell 23 is provided with first mesh portions MH1 and second mesh portions MH2, the first mesh portions MH1 are arranged in a grid shape to be in fluid communication with the first space S1, and the second mesh portions MH2 are arranged in a grid shape to be in fluid communication with the second space S2.

The second fluid flowing into the first space S1 of the middle shell 111 through the second fluid inflow port 112 flows into the inner shell 23 through the first mesh part MH1 and contacts the outer surface of the hollow fiber membranes 21. Subsequently, the second fluid, which has exchanged moisture with the first fluid, is discharged to the second space S2 through the second mesh part MH2, and then is discharged from the middle case 111 through the second fluid discharge port 113.

A gasket (not shown) may be provided between the middle case 111 and the cartridge 20. A gasket (not shown) may mount the cartridge 20 to the humidification module 110 by mechanical assembly. Therefore, it is possible to mechanically simply separate the middle case 111 and the gasket (not shown) from the humidification module 110 when an abnormality occurs in a specific portion (for example, the cartridge 20) of the humidification module 110, and then repair or replace only the corresponding portion.

On the other hand, the humidifying module 110 and the cover 120 are generally fastened by bolts or the like. For this, a process of perforating an end of the middle case 111 constituting the humidifying module 110 and an end of the cover 120 at a position corresponding thereto is required, and in addition, a process of forming a screw thread at the perforated portion is required. This becomes a factor of increasing the number of assembly processes of the membrane humidifier, thereby increasing the assembly time of the membrane humidifier, and thus requiring more labor and cost.

To solve this problem, in the embodiment of the present invention, the humidifying module 110 and the cover 120 are fastened using the jig 130. Specifically, the clamp 130 fixedly fastens an end portion of the middle case 111 and an end portion of the cover 120 for constituting the humidification module 110.

The end of the middle case 111 is formed with a middle case end wing 111a formed to extend in the radiation direction. The end of the cover 120 is formed with a cover end wing 120a having a size corresponding to that of the middle case end wing 111a and formed to extend in the radiation direction. The clamp 130 is used to fix and fasten the middle case end wing 111a and the cover end wing 120 a. That is, the operator aligns the middle shell end flap 111a and the cover end flap 120a, and then fastens the humidification module 110 and the cover 120 by the clamp 130 as shown in fig. 3a and 3 b. Since a commercially available ordinary jig can be used as the jig 130, a description thereof will be omitted.

The humidifying module 110 and the cover 120 can be simply fastened using the jig 130, and thus, the existing processes of perforating and forming threads can be omitted. As a result, the number of assembly steps of the membrane humidifier can be reduced, the assembly time of the membrane humidifier can be shortened, and labor and cost can be saved.

Referring again to fig. 4, the fuel cell membrane humidifier of an embodiment of the present invention may include a bypass hole 115 formed at the separator 114.

The bypass hole 115 is formed to penetrate the partition plate 114 in a predetermined shape. The bypass hole 115 connects the first space S1 and the second space S2 partitioned by the partition plate 114.

A part of the second fluid flowing in from the second fluid inlet 112 flows into the second space S2 from the first space S1 through the normal bypass hole 115 and is discharged from the second fluid outlet 113. The second fluid flowing through the bypass holes 115 is not in contact with the first fluid at all times, and therefore, moisture exchange does not occur.

When the volume of the fuel cell membrane humidifier is reduced in size, the second fluid flowing from the fuel cell stack causes an increase in the pressure difference within the fuel cell membrane humidifier. Such an increased pressure difference may adversely affect the efficiency of the fuel cell membrane humidifier, and therefore, it is necessary to eliminate the pressure difference. The bypass hole 115 always bypasses (bypasses) a part of the second fluid flowing in to the hollow fiber membrane and discharges the second fluid to the outside, and therefore, the increase in the differential pressure can be eliminated. Therefore, the bypass hole 115 is advantageous for downsizing the fuel cell membrane humidifier.

Next, a cartridge to which the fuel cell membrane humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached will be described with reference to fig. 6 to 8a and 8 b. Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing a cartridge to which a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached, fig. 7 is a sectional view showing the cartridge to which the fuel cell membrane humidifier according to the embodiment of the present invention is attached, and fig. 8a and 8b are diagrams comparing a flow distance of a second fluid in a conventional cartridge (fig. 8a) and the cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention (fig. 8 b).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the cartridge 20 can also improve the humidifying effect by adjusting the number or area of the mesh windows W constituting the mesh portion.

As shown in fig. 6, cartridge 20 may be formed such that the total area of mesh windows W on the first mesh part MH1 side is larger than the total area of mesh windows W on the second mesh part MH2 side. The mesh window W is an opening through which the second fluid flows in and out.

The total area of the mesh windows W formed on the first mesh portion MH1 side on the second fluid inlet port 112 side is made large to allow the second fluid to smoothly flow into the inner casing 23, and the total area of the mesh windows W formed on the second mesh portion MH2 side on the second fluid outlet port 113 side is made small to promote the flow of the second fluid in the inner casing 23.

In addition, when first mesh portion MH1 and second mesh portion MH2 are formed asymmetrically, the distance between first mesh portion MH1 and second mesh portion MH2 can be increased as compared with the case of the symmetrical shape, and therefore, the flow distance of the second fluid in inner casing 23 can be increased. (refer to reference numerals L1, L2 in fig. 8a, 8b) as the second fluid flow distance increases, the time for which the second fluid contacts the surface of the hollow fiber membrane 21 increases, so that the overall humidification efficiency can be improved.

When the sizes of the mesh windows W of both side mesh portions are the same, the number of meshes constituting the first mesh portion MH1 may be greater than the number of meshes constituting the second mesh portion MH 2.

In addition, when the number of mesh windows W of both side mesh portions is the same, each mesh area constituting first mesh portion MH1 may be larger than each mesh area constituting second mesh portion MH 2.

As such, in an embodiment of the present invention, by forming the shapes of first mesh part MH1 and second mesh part MH2 to be asymmetric, it is possible to promote the second fluid flow inside inner case 23 and increase the second fluid flow distance, thereby improving humidification efficiency.

While the embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and changes to the present invention by adding, changing, deleting or adding components without departing from the scope of the idea of the present invention described in the claims, and these are within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fuel cell membrane humidifier, comprising:

the humidifying module is used for carrying out moisture exchange between the first fluid and the second fluid;

covers arranged at two ends of the humidifying module;

at least one cartridge provided in the humidifying module and housing a plurality of hollow fiber membranes; and

a clamp for fastening the humidification module and the cover.

2. The fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 1,

the humidification module includes:

a middle shell;

a second fluid flow inlet for flowing either the second fluid or the first fluid into the middle shell;

a second fluid discharge port that discharges either one of the second fluid and the first fluid to the outside,

a cap disposed at one end of the humidification module includes a first fluid flow inlet for flowing the first fluid or the second fluid into the humidification module,

the cover disposed at the other end of the humidification module includes a first fluid discharge port for supplying the first fluid or the second fluid after moisture exchange by the humidification module to the fuel cell stack.

3. The fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 2,

a middle case end wing formed to extend in a radiation direction is formed at an end portion of the middle case, a cover end wing formed to extend in the radiation direction and having a size corresponding to that of the middle case end wing is formed at an end portion of the cover,

the clamp is used for fixing and fastening the middle shell end wing and the cover end wing.

4. The fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 2,

the middle shell comprises:

a partition plate dividing an inner space of the middle case into a first space and a second space; and

and a bypass hole which penetrates the partition plate to connect the first space and the second space.

5. The fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 1,

the cartridge includes an inner shell that is configured to be received within the cartridge,

the inner casing is formed with a first mesh part for allowing any one of the second fluid and the first fluid to flow in and a second mesh part for discharging any one of the second fluid and the first fluid flowing in through the first mesh part to the outside after moisture exchange,

the first mesh portion and the second mesh portion are formed in an asymmetrical shape.

6. The fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 5,

the total area of the mesh windows of the first mesh part side is larger than the total area of the mesh windows of the second mesh part side.

7. The fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 6,

when the mesh windows of the first and second mesh portions are the same size, the number of meshes constituting the first mesh portion is greater than the number of meshes constituting the second mesh portion.

8. The fuel cell membrane humidifier according to claim 6,

when the number of mesh windows of the first mesh portion and the second mesh portion is the same, the area of each mesh constituting the first mesh portion is larger than the area of each mesh constituting the second mesh portion.