CN217134421U

CN217134421U - Integrated expansion water tank applied to fuel cell system

Info

Publication number: CN217134421U
Application number: CN202123337605.4U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 贾彦西
Original assignee: Mann and Hummel Filter Shanghai Co Ltd
Current assignee: Mann and Hummel Filter Shanghai Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-12-28
Filing date: 2021-12-28
Publication date: 2022-08-05
Anticipated expiration: 2031-12-28

Abstract

The utility model relates to an integrated expansion water tank applied to a fuel cell system, which comprises a shell with a cavity arranged inside, a deionization unit and a conductivity sensor arranged in the cavity, and an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe arranged at the bottom of the shell; the deionization unit comprises a tank body and ion exchange resin, wherein the bottom of the tank body is communicated with the inlet pipe, the top of the side wall of the tank body is communicated with the cavity, and the ion exchange resin is arranged in the tank body; an inlet annular gap is arranged between the bottom of the side wall of the tank body and the inner edge of the inlet pipe, and the inlet pipe can be communicated with the cavity through the inlet annular gap. Compared with the prior art, the utility model discloses with the deionizer integrated in expansion tank, when the cooling liquid flows through the deionizer, partly rivers are from the inside process of jar body deionization, and partly follow the clearance process between deionizer and the casing, as a bypass of rivers, this bypass structure can make entire system's flow resistance reduce, reduces the loss, moreover when microthermal, can make the faster circulation of cooling liquid for system's temperature promotes fast.

Description

Integrated expansion water tank applied to fuel cell system

Technical Field

The utility model belongs to the technical field of fuel cell, a be applied to fuel cell system's integrated expansion tank is related to.

Background

The developed countries take the development of large fuel cells as the key research project, and the industry is also struggling with huge capital to research and develop the fuel cell technology, so that many important achievements are obtained, and the fuel cell will replace the traditional generator and internal combustion engine to be widely applied to power generation and automobiles. It is worth noting that the important novel power generation mode can greatly reduce air pollution and solve the problems of power supply and power grid peak load regulation, and fuel cell power plants of various grades are built in developed countries successively. The potential of fuel cells for high efficiency, no pollution, short construction cycle, easy maintenance and low cost will initiate the green revolution of new energy and environmental protection in the 21 st century. The widespread use of fuel cell technology has also driven the development and application of related components and technologies.

Fuel cell systems generate heat under both dynamic and static operating conditions due to exothermic reactions. For thermal management, the cooling circuit is typically circulated with a cooling fluid, such as cooling water or a mixture of water and glycol. And a cooling liquid expansion water tank is also arranged in the cooling loop and used for compensating the volume of the cooling liquid at different working temperatures. In order to optimize the cooling state and the service life of the components in the cooling circuit, a filter such as a deionizer needs to be installed.

The function of the deionizer is to remove ions from the coolant to avoid the risk of short circuits due to the conductivity of the coolant. The deionization function is mainly realized by ion exchange resin in the deionization device, and once the ion exchange resin is adsorbed and saturated, the deionization device can reach the service life and needs to be replaced. In the actual use process, it is difficult to visually judge whether the service life of the deionizer is reached, so that the deionizer is easily not fully used or is excessively used and cannot play a role in removing ions. In addition, in the common design and application at present, the expansion water tank and the deionizer are two different components arranged separately in the system, the occupied space is large, and the limited space requirement of some host plants cannot be met.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The utility model aims at providing an integrated expansion tank who is applied to fuel cell system.

The purpose of the utility model can be realized through the following technical scheme:

an integrated expansion water tank applied to a fuel cell system comprises a shell, a deionization unit, a conductivity sensor, an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe, wherein a cavity is formed in the shell;

the deionization unit comprises a tank body and ion exchange resin, wherein the bottom of the tank body is provided with a liquid inlet and communicated with the inlet pipe, the top of the side wall of the tank body is provided with a liquid outlet and communicated with the cavity, and the ion exchange resin is arranged in the tank body;

an inlet annular gap is arranged between the bottom of the side wall of the tank body and the inner edge of the inlet pipe, and the inlet pipe can be communicated with the cavity through the inlet annular gap. The bypass structure of the deionization unit is formed through the inlet annular gap, so that the flow resistance is reduced, the energy loss is reduced, and the low-temperature starting performance is improved.

Further, the ratio of the area of the inlet annular gap to the area of the liquid inlet at the bottom of the tank body is 1:20 or other suitable values, so that the flow resistance is reduced, and meanwhile, the short circuit is avoided, and the deionization unit loses the deionization function.

Furthermore, the shell consists of an upper shell and a lower shell which are hermetically connected and mutually encircled.

Furthermore, the upper shell is provided with an end cover mounting hole, the deionization unit further comprises a mounting end cover arranged at the top of the tank body, and the deionization unit is fixed on the shell through the end cover mounting hole and the mounting end cover which are connected.

Furthermore, a space is arranged between the inner edge of the side wall of the mounting end cover and the side wall of the tank body, and a liquid return groove which is communicated with a liquid outlet at the top of the side wall of the tank body and the cavity in the shell is formed.

Furthermore, a jacket is arranged outside the tank body, the bottom of the jacket is communicated with the inlet annular gap, and the top of the jacket is arranged opposite to the outlet of the liquid return tank, so that the cooling liquid entering from the inlet annular gap passes through the jacket, converges with the deionized cooling liquid flowing out of the deionization unit, and then enters the cavity in the shell.

Further, the shell in be equipped with a plurality of baffles, a plurality of baffles are for a plurality of cavities with the cavity separation in the shell, the baffle on still be equipped with the through-hole respectively, and pass through the through-hole make a plurality of cavities between inlet tube and the outlet pipe communicate in proper order along the coolant liquid fluid flow direction.

Furthermore, a liquid level sensor and a heater are also arranged in the shell, and the liquid level sensor and the heater and the conductivity sensor are respectively arranged in different chambers.

Furthermore, a filling opening is formed in the upper shell corresponding to the cavity provided with the conductivity sensor, and a filling cover is further arranged at the filling opening.

Further, the filling cover is in threaded connection with the filling opening.

Compared with the prior art, the utility model has the characteristics of it is following:

1) the utility model integrates the deionizer into the cooling liquid expansion tank, thus saving the space required for placing the deionizer on the cooling liquid loop and improving the space utilization rate of the fuel cell system;

2) the deionizer in the utility model is arranged in the cooling liquid expansion tank through threads, sealing rings and other modes, so that the deionizer is convenient to maintain and replace;

3) the utility model integrates the conductivity sensor on the cooling liquid expansion tank to monitor the conductivity of the cooling liquid in real time, maintain the deionizer in time and prevent the short circuit possibly occurring in the system;

4) the utility model can selectively integrate the liquid level sensor in the cooling liquid expansion tank to provide liquid level data in real time, and prevent the damage of the system caused by insufficient cooling liquid due to evaporation or other unforeseen conditions;

5) the integrated heater of the utility model can rapidly heat the cooling liquid when the system is started at low temperature, so that the system can rapidly and efficiently operate at the initial stage of cold start, and conditions are created for further realizing the aim of smooth start at-40 ℃;

6) the utility model discloses with the deionizer integrated in expansion tank, when the deionizer was flowed through to the coolant liquid, some rivers passed through from jar body deionizer inside, and some passes through from the clearance between deionizer and the casing, as a bypass of rivers, this bypass structure can make entire system's flow resistance reduce, reduces the loss, moreover in microthermal time, can make the faster circulation of coolant liquid for system's temperature promotes fast.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of an integrated expansion tank applied to a fuel cell system in an embodiment;

fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of an integrated expansion tank applied to a fuel cell system in an embodiment;

the symbols in the figure illustrate:

1-upper shell, 2-lower shell, 3-tank, 4-filling cover, 5-conductivity sensor, 6-inlet pipe, 7-outlet pipe, 8-chamber, 9-through hole, 10-mounting seat, 11-mounting end cover, 12-liquid returning groove, 13-liquid level sensor, 14-heater, 15-jacket.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The embodiment is implemented on the premise of the technical solution of the present invention, and a detailed implementation manner and a specific operation process are given, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

Example (b):

an integrated expansion tank applied to a fuel cell system as shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2 comprises an upper shell 1 and a lower shell 2 which are hermetically connected and mutually surround to form a cavity, a deionization unit and a conductivity sensor 5 which are arranged in the cavity, and an inlet pipe 6 and an outlet pipe 7 which are arranged at the bottom of the lower shell 2;

wherein, the deionization unit includes that the bottom is equipped with the inlet and is linked together with inlet tube 6, the jar body 3 of a plurality of liquid outlets has been laid along circumference at the lateral wall top, locate the installation end cover 11 at jar body 3 top, locate the outer cover 15 that presss from both sides of jar body 3 lateral wall, and locate jar internal ion exchange resin of 3, the cooling water that flows in from the inlet flows out from the top liquid outlet again behind ion exchange resin, so that ion exchange resin and cooling water fully contact, and play the ion exchange function.

An end cover mounting hole is formed in the upper shell 1, and the deionization unit is fixed on the upper shell 1 through the end cover mounting hole and the mounting end cover 11 which are in threaded sealing connection. In other embodiments, the connection may be performed by means of a snap, etc., but it is necessary to ensure the sealing effect between the end cover mounting hole and the mounting end cover 11.

A space is arranged between the inner edge of the side wall of the mounting end cover 11 and the side wall of the tank body 3, and a liquid return groove 12 which is communicated with a liquid outlet at the top of the side wall of the tank body 3 and the cavity in the shell is formed. An inlet annular gap is arranged between the bottom of the side wall of the tank body 3 and the inner edge of the inlet pipe 6, the bottom of the jacket 15 is communicated with the inlet annular gap, and the top of the jacket is arranged opposite to the outlet of the liquid return groove 12, so that the cooling liquid entering from the inlet annular gap passes through the jacket, is converged with the deionized cooling liquid flowing out of the deionization unit, and then enters the cavity in the shell. The bypass structure of the deionization unit is formed through the inlet annular gap, so that the flow resistance is reduced, the energy loss is reduced, and the low-temperature starting performance is improved.

And the ratio of the area of the inlet annular gap to the area of the liquid inlet at the bottom of the tank body 3 is 1:20, so that the flow resistance is reduced, and meanwhile, the phenomenon that the deionization unit loses the deionization function due to short circuit is avoided.

Still be equipped with a plurality of baffles in the cavity, a plurality of baffles are separated the cavity in the casing for a plurality of cavities 8, still are equipped with a plurality of through-holes 9 on every baffle to make a plurality of cavities 8 between inlet tube 6 and the outlet pipe 7 communicate in proper order along the coolant liquid fluid flow direction through-hole 9. The provision of these chambers 8 helps to vent the coolant within the integrated expansion tank.

In addition, a liquid level sensor 13 and a heater 14 are arranged in the integrated expansion water tank, and are respectively arranged in different chambers 8 together with the conductivity sensor 5. The chambers 8 communicated with each other through the through holes 9 form a cooling liquid circulation channel, and complete the detection of the circulating water quantity in the box body, the detection of the conductivity and the heating of the cooling liquid during cold starting in sequence. In other embodiments, the number of chambers may be adjusted according to the needs of the customer, and the outlet pipe 7 may be provided at any position of the lower housing 2 as desired. The heater 14 in the present integrated expansion tank is preferably a heating rod.

In other embodiments, the conductivity sensor 5 and the liquid level sensor 13 may be integrated into one electrode, and the liquid level may be monitored while monitoring the conductivity, so as to improve the integration degree of the automobile parts.

A filling opening is also formed in the upper shell 1 corresponding to the chamber 8 provided with the conductivity sensor 5, and a filling cover 4 is further in threaded connection with the filling opening and is used for adding or supplementing cooling liquid when the cooling liquid is insufficient. In other embodiments, the filling opening and the filling cover 4 can be eliminated, and the filling can be carried out at the end cover mounting hole and the mounting end cover 11, so that the device is simplified, the manufacturing cost is reduced, and the space occupation rate is reduced.

In the present embodiment, the conductivity sensor 5 is mounted on the lower housing 2 and electrically connected to the on-vehicle electronic control unit, so that even if the liquid level of the coolant is low, the conductivity sensor 5 can detect the conductivity in the coolant at any time and feed back the detected conductivity to the on-vehicle electronic control unit. In other embodiments it may be mounted at the upper housing 1, at the outlet pipe 7 orifice, etc., but it is sufficient at a location downstream of the deionization unit.

In order to improve the installation convenience of the integrated expansion water tank, the bottom of the lower shell 2 is also provided with an installation seat 10, and the number, the size and the position of the installation seat can be adjusted according to the design of surrounding parts.

In the circulation process, cooling liquid fluid enters a sealed cavity at the inlet of the deionizer unit from an inlet pipe 6, a part of cooling liquid flows through a gap between the tank body 3 and the lower shell 2, a part of cooling liquid enters the tank body 3 through a liquid inlet at the bottom of the deionizer unit, conductive ions in the cooling liquid are removed through ion exchange resin in the tank body 3, the filtered cooling liquid flows out from a liquid outlet at the top of the tank body 3, then flows into each cavity 8 through holes 9 in the wall between the cavities 8 for exhausting, conductivity monitoring is carried out at any moment through a conductivity sensor 5 placed in a cooling liquid channel, a monitoring data result is transmitted to an electric control unit, and the filtered cooling liquid flows out from an outlet pipe 7 and returns to a cooling liquid loop of the system again. When the conductivity sensor 5 indicates that the coolant conductivity exceeds the required value, it indicates that the lifetime of the deionizer unit is terminated and needs to be maintained and replaced in time. In addition, the filling opening of the expansion water tank is usually closed by a filling cover 4, when the cooling liquid level in the expansion water tank is insufficient, the filling cover 4 can be opened to supplement the cooling liquid, if the cooling liquid filling opening is not independently arranged, the whole deionizer unit can be taken out and then filled with the cooling liquid, and if the deionizer unit does not reach the service life, the same deionizer unit is installed in the expansion water tank to be continuously used. And a liquid level sensor 13 is also arranged in the expansion water tank, so that the liquid level of the cooling liquid can be monitored constantly, and when the liquid level is insufficient, a signal is sent in time to prompt that the cooling liquid needs to be added, so that the system fault caused by too little cooling liquid is avoided. The heater 14 can rapidly heat the coolant at cold start to avoid severe cold start problems.

The embodiments described above are intended to facilitate the understanding and use of the invention by those skilled in the art. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications to these embodiments may be made, and the generic principles described herein may be applied to other embodiments without the use of the inventive faculty. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and those skilled in the art should make improvements and modifications within the scope of the present invention according to the disclosure of the present invention.

Claims

1. An integrated expansion water tank applied to a fuel cell system is characterized by comprising a shell, a deionization unit, a conductivity sensor (5), an inlet pipe (6) and an outlet pipe (7), wherein a cavity is formed in the shell;

the deionization unit comprises a tank body (3) and ion exchange resin, wherein a liquid inlet is formed in the bottom of the tank body and communicated with an inlet pipe (6), a liquid outlet is formed in the top of the side wall of the tank body and communicated with the cavity, and the ion exchange resin is arranged in the tank body (3);

an inlet annular gap is arranged between the bottom of the side wall of the tank body (3) and the inner edge of the inlet pipe (6), and the inlet pipe (6) can be communicated with the cavity through the inlet annular gap.

2. The integrated expansion tank applied to the fuel cell system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ratio of the area of the inlet annular gap to the area of the liquid inlet at the bottom of the tank body (3) is 1: 20.

3. The integrated expansion tank applied to the fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the housing is composed of an upper housing (1) and a lower housing (2) which are hermetically connected and surround each other.

4. The integrated expansion tank applied to the fuel cell system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the upper housing (1) is provided with an end cover mounting hole, the deionization unit further comprises a mounting end cover (11) arranged at the top of the tank body (3), and the deionization unit is fixed on the housing through the connecting end cover mounting hole and the mounting end cover (11).

5. The integrated expansion tank applied to the fuel cell system as set forth in claim 4, characterized in that a space is provided between the inner edge of the side wall of the mounting end cap (11) and the side wall of the tank body (3), and a liquid return groove (12) is formed to communicate the liquid outlet at the top of the side wall of the tank body (3) with the cavity in the housing.

6. The integrated expansion tank applied to the fuel cell system as claimed in claim 5, wherein a jacket (15) is arranged outside the tank body (3), the bottom of the jacket (15) is communicated with the inlet annular gap, and the top of the jacket is arranged opposite to the outlet of the liquid returning groove (12), so that the cooling liquid fluid entering from the inlet annular gap passes through the jacket (15), is converged with the deionized cooling liquid fluid flowing out of the deionization unit, and then enters the cavity in the shell.

7. The integrated expansion tank applied to the fuel cell system as set forth in claim 3, wherein a plurality of baffles are provided in the housing, the plurality of baffles divide the cavity in the housing into a plurality of chambers (8), the baffles are provided with through holes (9), and the plurality of chambers (8) between the inlet pipe (6) and the outlet pipe (7) are sequentially communicated in the flow direction of the cooling fluid through the through holes (9).

8. The integrated expansion tank applied to the fuel cell system as claimed in claim 7, wherein a liquid level sensor (13), a heater (14) and a conductivity sensor (5) are respectively arranged in the different chambers (8) in the housing.

9. The integrated expansion tank applied to the fuel cell system as claimed in claim 7, wherein a filling opening is further formed on the upper case (1) corresponding to the chamber (8) provided with the conductivity sensor (5), and a filling cover (4) is further provided at the filling opening.

10. The integrated expansion tank for fuel cell system according to claim 9, wherein the filling cap (4) is screwed with the filling port.