CN216872048U

CN216872048U - Fuel cell membrane humidifier

Info

Publication number: CN216872048U
Application number: CN202122439136.0U
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 that can be directly installed in a vehicle structure without additional equipment, thereby improving assembly convenience, and a fuel cell membrane humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a humidifying module for exchanging moisture between a first fluid and a second fluid, including a middle case, a second fluid inlet port through which either the second fluid or the first fluid flows into the middle case, a second fluid outlet port through which either the second fluid or the first fluid is discharged to the outside, and at least one cartridge disposed in the middle case; covers formed at both ends of the humidification module; and a mount formed on at least either one of the humidifying module and the cover for mounting the humidifying module to a vehicle structure.

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 can be directly installed in a vehicle structure without additional equipment, thereby improving assembly convenience.

Background

The fuel cell is a power generation type cell that generates 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 there is no heat loss, and therefore, there is an advantage that efficiency is about twice as high as that of an internal combustion engine.

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.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

(1) Korean laid-open patent No. 10-2011-;

(2) korean laid-open patent No. 10-2011-0026696;

(3) 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 can be directly installed in a vehicle structure without requiring additional equipment, thereby improving assembly convenience.

Technical scheme

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

a humidifying module for exchanging moisture between a first fluid and a second fluid, including a middle case, a second fluid inlet port through which either the second fluid or the first fluid flows into the middle case, a second fluid outlet port through which either the second fluid or the first fluid is discharged to the outside, and at least one cartridge disposed in the middle case; covers formed at both ends of the humidification module; and a mount formed on at least any one of the humidifying module and the cover, for mounting the humidifying module to a vehicle structure.

The fuel cell membrane humidifier of the embodiment of the present invention, wherein the support may be formed on at least any one of a side surface, an upper surface, and a lower surface of the middle case.

The fuel cell membrane humidifier of the embodiment of the present invention, wherein the support may be formed on at least any one of a side surface, an upper surface, and a lower surface of the cover.

The fuel cell membrane humidifier of the embodiment of the utility model, wherein the holder may be formed with a fastening port for mounting the humidification module to a vehicle structure.

The fuel cell membrane humidifier of an embodiment of the present invention, wherein 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 penetrating the partition plate to connect the first space and the second space.

The fuel cell membrane humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an inner case 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, wherein the first mesh part and the second mesh part may be formed in an asymmetric shape.

The fuel cell membrane humidifier of the embodiment of the utility model, wherein a total area of the mesh windows on the first mesh part side may be larger than a total area of the mesh windows on the second mesh part side.

The fuel cell membrane humidifier of an embodiment of the present invention, wherein when the mesh windows of the first mesh portion and the second mesh portion are the same size, the number of meshes constituting the first mesh portion may be greater than the number of meshes constituting the second mesh portion.

The fuel cell membrane humidifier of an embodiment of the present invention, wherein when the number of mesh windows of the first mesh portion and the second mesh portion is the same, an area of each mesh constituting the first mesh portion may be larger than an 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 embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to directly provide the vehicle structure without additional equipment, so that it is possible to improve the convenience of assembly.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view of a fuel cell membrane humidifier of a first embodiment of the utility model.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a fuel cell membrane humidifier of a first embodiment of the utility model.

Fig. 3 is a front view of a fuel cell membrane humidifier of a second embodiment of the utility model.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a fuel cell membrane humidifier of a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a front view of a fuel cell membrane humidifier of a third embodiment of the utility model.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a fuel cell membrane humidifier of a third embodiment of the utility model.

Fig. 7 is a front view of a fuel cell membrane humidifier of a fourth embodiment of the utility model.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a fuel cell membrane humidifier of a fourth embodiment of the utility model.

Fig. 9 is a front view of a fuel cell membrane humidifier of a fifth embodiment of the utility model.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of a fuel cell membrane humidifier of a fifth embodiment of the utility model.

Fig. 11 is a side view of the humidification module with the cover removed of the fuel cell membrane humidifiers of the first and second embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a side view of the humidification module after the cover of the fuel cell membrane humidifier of the third and fifth embodiments of the present invention is removed.

Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken along line a-a' of fig. 2.

Fig. 14 is a schematic view of a cartridge to which a fuel cell membrane humidifier of an embodiment of the present invention is mounted.

Fig. 15 is a sectional view of a cartridge to which a fuel cell membrane humidifier of an embodiment of the present invention is mounted.

Fig. 16A and 16B are diagrams comparing the flow distance of the second fluid in the conventional cartridge (upper drawing, fig. 16A) and the cartridge of the embodiment of the present invention (lower drawing, fig. 16B).

Reference numerals

110: a humidifying module; 111: a middle shell;

112: a second fluid flow inlet; 113: a second fluid discharge port;

114: a partition plate; 115: a bypass hole is formed;

120: a cover; 130: a support;

20: a cartridge; 21: a hollow fiber membrane;

22: an encapsulation part; 23: an inner shell;

MH 1: a first mesh portion; MH 2: a second mesh portion.

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 of a fuel cell membrane humidifier of a first embodiment of the present invention, fig. 2 is a plan view of the fuel cell membrane humidifier of the first embodiment of the present invention, fig. 3 is a front view of a fuel cell membrane humidifier of a second embodiment of the present invention, fig. 4 is a plan view of the fuel cell membrane humidifier of the second embodiment of the present invention, fig. 5 is a front view of a fuel cell membrane humidifier of a third embodiment of the present invention, fig. 6 is a plan view of the fuel cell membrane humidifier of the third embodiment of the present invention, fig. 7 is a front view of a fuel cell membrane humidifier of a fourth embodiment of the present invention, fig. 8 is a plan view of a fuel cell membrane humidifier of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, fig. 9 is a front view of a fuel cell membrane humidifier of a fifth embodiment of the present invention, fig. 10 is a plan view of the fuel cell membrane humidifier of the fifth embodiment of the present invention, fig. 11 is a side view of a humidification module of a fuel cell membrane humidifier of first and second embodiments of the present invention with a cover removed, fig. 12 is a side view of a humidification module of a fuel cell membrane humidifier of third and fifth embodiments of the present invention with a cover removed, and fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line a-a' of fig. 2.

As shown in fig. 1 to 13, the fuel cell membrane humidifier of the embodiment of the present invention includes a humidification module 110, a plurality of caps 120, and holders 130(130a, 130b, 130 c).

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 case 111 having a second fluid inflow port 112 and a second fluid discharge port 113, and at least one cartridge 20 disposed inside the middle case 111. The second fluid discharged from the fuel cell stack (not shown) flows in from the second fluid inflow port 112, undergoes moisture exchange within the humidification module 110, and is discharged from the second fluid discharge port 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. At this time, the first fluid flows in through one of the second fluid inlet 112 and the second fluid outlet 113, and the first fluid humidified by the humidification module 110 is supplied to the fuel cell stack through the other. The direction of flow of the first fluid and the direction of flow of the second fluid may be the same direction or opposite directions.

The middle case 111 and the cover 120 may be independently formed of hard plastic or metal, respectively, 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 port H into which the cartridge 20 can be inserted.

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.

In an embodiment of the present invention, at least any one of the humidification module 110 and the cover 120 includes a holder 130(130a, 130b, 130c), the holder 130(130a, 130b, 130c) being used to mount the fuel cell membrane humidifier including the humidification module 110 to a vehicle structure. Wherein the vehicle structure represents a vehicle portion for mounting a fuel cell system including a fuel cell stack and a fuel cell membrane humidifier.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, a support 130a may be formed on an upper surface of the cover 120. At this time, the first fluid inflow port 121 and the first fluid discharge port 122 may be formed at a side surface of the cover 120.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, a support 130a may be formed at a side of the cover 120. At this time, the first fluid inflow port 121 and the first fluid discharge port 122 may be formed on the upper surface of the cover 120. In addition, although not shown, the support 130a may be formed on the lower surface of the cover 120.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, a support 130b may be formed on the upper surface of the middle case 111. Although not shown, the support 130b may be formed at a side of the middle case 111. At this time, the first fluid inflow port 121 and the first fluid discharge port 122 may be formed at a side surface or an upper surface of the cover 120, and in fig. 5 and 6, the first fluid inflow port 121 and the first fluid discharge port 122 are formed at a side surface of the cover 120.

Referring to fig. 7 and 8, a support 130c may be formed at a lower surface of the middle case 111. The first fluid inflow port 121 and the first fluid discharge port 122 may be formed at a side surface or an upper surface of the cover 120, and in fig. 7 and 8, the first fluid inflow port 121 and the first fluid discharge port 122 are formed at a side surface of the cover 120.

In addition, the support 130(130a, 130b, 130c) may be formed on any one surface of the cover 120 and any one surface of the middle case 111. In fig. 9 and 10, a support 130a is formed on the upper surface of the cover 120, and a support 130b is formed on the upper surface of the middle case 111.

On the other hand, the holder 130(130a, 130b, 130c) may be formed with

fastening ports

131a, 131b, 131 c. The

fastening ports

131a, 131b, and 131c are formed to penetrate therethrough, and fastening means such as bolts can be inserted into the

fastening ports

131a, 131b, and 131c and fastened, thereby easily mounting the fuel cell membrane humidifier including the humidification module 110 to a vehicle structure. When there is no

fastening opening

131a, 131b, 131c, the vehicle structure should be provided with a separate bracket for fixing the mount 130(130a, 130b, 130 c).

In the embodiment of the present invention, the fuel cell membrane humidifier can be easily mounted to the vehicle structure through the

fastening ports

131a, 131b, and 131c formed in the holders 130(130a, 130b, and 130c), and thus, can be directly provided to the vehicle structure without additional equipment, thereby improving assembly convenience.

Referring to fig. 11 and 12, the fuel cell membrane humidifier of the embodiment of the present invention may include a bypass hole 115 formed at the separator 114 at all times.

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 miniaturized, the second fluid flowing from the fuel cell stack causes an increase in differential pressure within the fuel cell membrane humidifier. Since the increased differential pressure adversely affects the efficiency of the fuel cell membrane humidifier, it is necessary to eliminate the differential pressure. 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 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 of the embodiment of the utility model is mounted will be described with reference to fig. 14 to 16B. Fig. 14 is a schematic view of a cartridge to which a fuel cell membrane humidifier of an embodiment of the present invention is mounted, fig. 15 is a sectional view of the cartridge to which the fuel cell membrane humidifier of the embodiment of the present invention is mounted, and fig. 16A and 16B are diagrams comparing the flow distance of a second fluid in a conventional cartridge (upper drawing, fig. 16A) and a cartridge of the embodiment of the present invention (lower drawing, fig. 16B).

In the embodiment of the present invention, the number or the area of the mesh windows W constituting the mesh portion can also be adjusted in the cartridge 20, improving the humidification efficiency.

Referring to fig. 15, the cartridge 20 includes a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 21, a potting portion 22, and an inner housing 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. Potting portions 22 in which the ends of the hollow fiber membranes 21 are potted close the openings 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.

Referring to fig. 15, the cartridge 20 may be formed such that the total area of the mesh windows W on the first mesh part MH1 side is greater than the total area of the 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. 16A and 16B) as the second fluid flow distance increases, the time for which the second fluid is in contact with 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 the 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 the humidification efficiency.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, and 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 all within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fuel cell membrane humidifier, comprising:

a humidifying module for exchanging moisture between a first fluid and a second fluid, including a middle case, a second fluid inlet port through which either the second fluid or the first fluid flows into the middle case, a second fluid outlet port through which either the second fluid or the first fluid is discharged to the outside, and at least one cartridge disposed in the middle case;

covers formed at both ends of the humidification module; and

a mount formed on at least any one of the humidifying module and the cover for mounting the humidifying module to a vehicle structure.

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

the support is formed on at least any one of a side surface, an upper surface, and a lower surface of the middle case.

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

the support is formed on at least any one of a side surface, an upper surface, and a lower surface of the cover.

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

the holder is formed with a fastening opening,

the fastening port is used to mount the humidification module to a vehicle structure.

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

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.

6. 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 case 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, wherein the first mesh part and the second mesh part are formed in an asymmetric shape.

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

the total area of the mesh windows on the first mesh side is greater than the total area of the mesh windows on the second mesh side.

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

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.

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

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.