CN217134425U - Heat sink and electrochemical cell cooling system - Google Patents
Heat sink and electrochemical cell cooling system Download PDFInfo
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- CN217134425U CN217134425U CN202220908661.4U CN202220908661U CN217134425U CN 217134425 U CN217134425 U CN 217134425U CN 202220908661 U CN202220908661 U CN 202220908661U CN 217134425 U CN217134425 U CN 217134425U
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Abstract
The present application provides a heat sink for an electrochemical cell cooling system configured to provide cooling for an electrochemical cell and comprising a heat sink, wherein the heat sink comprises: a housing configured to receive water produced by the electrochemical cell, wherein the housing has a water inlet configured to receive the water and a water outlet configured to discharge the water; a drain pump configured to pump the water out from the drain opening; and a nozzle configured to spray the water from the drain pump onto the radiator. The present application further provides an electrochemical cell cooling system comprising the above heat sink. According to the application, the heat dissipation effect of the radiator can be improved, the design size of the radiator is reduced, the power consumption of the fan is reduced, and meanwhile the problem of discharging condensed water can be solved.
Description
Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to the field of electrochemical cell technology, and more particularly, to a heat dissipation device for an electrochemical cell cooling system and an electrochemical cell cooling system including the same.
Background
With the development of technology, the use of electrochemical cells as power supply devices is gaining increasing attention from researchers and the market. For example, as an important type of electrochemical cells, fuel cells are widely used in the fields of electric vehicles, portable power sources, and the like.
Generally, a fuel cell includes a stack, a hydrogen supply device, an oxygen (or air) supply device, an electric power output device, and the like. During the use, supply hydrogen to the pile through hydrogen supply unit, and supply oxygen (or air) to the pile through oxygen supply unit, hydrogen and oxygen take place electrochemical reaction in the pile under the effect of catalyst, release electron to can externally output electric power (for example, driving motor). At the same time, fuel cells also release large amounts of heat and produce water.
The cooling systems of the fuel cells in the prior art basically employ a technique similar to that used in the internal combustion engine system, i.e., heat dissipation by a cooling circuit, a radiator and a fan. However, fuel cells require much higher heat dissipation than internal combustion engines, and therefore, the heat sinks for fuel cells are larger and the number of fans is greater. Accordingly, the volume of the fuel cell cooling system is large, and the power consumption of the fan is high.
On the other hand, in the related art, water generated by the fuel cell is generally directly discharged to the outside. For example, for an electric vehicle employing a fuel cell, water generated by the fuel cell is directly discharged on a road. This brings problems such as road freezing in winter, which affects driving safety.
In addition to the fuel cells exemplified above, there is similarly a need for an improved cooling system and for controlled water discharge in electrochemical cells employing other gaseous media (e.g., ammonia, coal gas, natural gas, biomass gas, etc.) as reactants.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved heat sink and electrochemical cell cooling system to achieve optimized heat dissipation and water discharge control.
SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL
The object of the present application is to propose an improved heat sink for electrochemical cell cooling and an electrochemical cell cooling system comprising such a heat sink to solve at least one of the technical problems mentioned above.
To this end, according to an aspect of the present application, there is provided a heat sink for an electrochemical cell cooling system configured to provide cooling for an electrochemical cell and comprising a heat sink, wherein the heat sink comprises: a housing configured to receive water produced by the electrochemical cell, wherein the housing has a water inlet configured to receive the water and a water outlet configured to discharge the water; a drain pump configured to pump the water out from the drain opening; and a nozzle configured to spray the water from the drain pump onto the radiator.
According to an embodiment of the present application, the heat sink further comprises a water separator configured to receive gas discharged from the electrochemical cell and separate water from the gas.
According to an embodiment of the application, the water separator is provided with a gas outlet configured to discharge the separated gas.
According to an embodiment of the present application, the heat sink further comprises a heat exchange tube disposed for heating water within the housing, and the heat exchange tube has a heat exchange tube inlet and a heat exchange tube outlet, the heat exchange tube inlet and the heat exchange tube outlet being in communication with the first cooling loop of the electrochemical cell cooling system at different locations of the first cooling loop.
According to an embodiment of the present application, the heat sink further includes a water level sensor configured to sense a water level within the housing and a drain valve configured to control the water level within the housing.
According to an embodiment of the present application, the heat dissipation device further includes a thermometer configured to sense a temperature of water within the housing, and the drain valve is configured to open and close based on the temperature of the water.
According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided an electrochemical cell cooling system configured to provide cooling for an electrochemical cell comprising a cooling connection provided with an internal cooling fluid channel, a cooling fluid outlet and a cooling fluid inlet, wherein the electrochemical cell cooling system comprises: a first cooling circuit configured to connect the cooling fluid outlet and the cooling fluid inlet; a radiator disposed in the first cooling circuit and configured to allow a coolant to flow therethrough; a coolant pump configured to pump the coolant from the coolant outlet to the coolant inlet; and the heat sink according to the above, wherein the heat sink is configured to receive water generated by the electrochemical cell and to spray the water onto the heat sink.
According to an embodiment of the present application, the electrochemical cell cooling system further comprises: a second cooling circuit configured to connect the coolant outlet and the coolant inlet, and in which a radiator is not provided; and a three-way valve configured to selectively communicate both the coolant outlet and the coolant inlet with the first cooling circuit or with the second cooling circuit.
According to an embodiment of the application, the electrochemical cell cooling system further comprises a fan configured to cause ambient air to flow through the heat sink, and the heat sink is arranged to be heated by air flowing through the heat sink.
According to an embodiment of the application, the electrochemical cell cooling system further comprises a control device configured to control at least one of communication of the cooling connection with the first cooling circuit or the second cooling circuit, opening and closing of a drain valve of the heat sink, and injection of a nozzle of the heat sink based on at least one of an operating state of the electrochemical cell, an ambient temperature, and a water temperature within the heat sink.
The heat sink and the electrochemical cell cooling system of the present application enhance the heat dissipation effect of the heat sink using the condensed water generated in the electrochemical cell, so that the design size of the heat sink can be reduced, the power consumption of the fan can be reduced, and the problem of discharging the condensed water (for example, discharging on a road) can be solved.
Drawings
Exemplary embodiments of the present application will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings, with the understanding that the following description of the embodiments is intended to be illustrative, and not limiting of the scope of the application, and in which:
fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an electrochemical cell cooling system including a heat sink according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application;
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the heat dissipation device shown in FIG. 1;
fig. 3 is a schematic view of the operation principle of the heat dissipation device shown in fig. 1.
Detailed Description
Preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to examples. In the embodiments of the present application, the present application is described taking a heat sink for a fuel cell cooling system as an example. However, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that these exemplary embodiments are not meant to limit the present application in any way. Furthermore, the features in the embodiments of the present application may be combined with each other without conflict. In the different figures, like components are indicated with like reference numerals and other components are omitted for the sake of brevity, but this does not indicate that the heat sink and electrochemical cell cooling system of the present application may not include other components. It should be understood that the dimensions, proportions and numbers of elements in the drawings are not intended to limit the present application.
The heat sink for an electrochemical cell cooling system and an electrochemical cell cooling system including such a heat sink of the present application are described below with reference to fig. 1. Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a block diagram of an electrochemical cell cooling system including a heat sink according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 1, electrochemical cell cooling system 200 is configured to provide cooling to an electrochemical cell 300 (shown in phantom), electrochemical cell 300 including an anode 310, a cathode 320, and a cooling connector 330, wherein cooling connector 330 is provided with internal coolant channels (not shown), a coolant outlet 210, and a coolant inlet 220, wherein coolant flows through cooling connector 330 to remove heat generated during operation of electrochemical cell 300. It should be noted that the electrochemical cell 300 shown in fig. 1 may be a fuel cell, for example, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, but the present application is not limited thereto. The present application is also applicable to other electrochemical cells that require heat dissipation and water generation. Accordingly, the specific structure of the electrochemical cell 300 is not shown in fig. 1, and the present application also does not impose particular limitations on the structure of the electrochemical cell 300.
Referring to fig. 1, an electrochemical cell cooling system 200 includes a first cooling circuit 201, a heat sink 230, a coolant pump 250, a fan 240, and a heat sink 100 (shown schematically in dashed outline). The first cooling circuit 201 is configured to connect the cooling liquid outlet 210 and the cooling liquid inlet 220. The radiator 230 is provided in the first cooling circuit 201 and is configured to allow the coolant to flow therethrough. The coolant pump 250 is configured to pump coolant from the coolant outlet 210 to the coolant inlet 220. The fan 240 is configured to cause ambient air to flow through the heat sink 230. The heat sink 100 is configured to receive water generated by the electrochemical cell 300 and spray the water onto the heat sink 230.
As shown in fig. 2, the heat sink 100 includes a case 110, a drain pump 140, and a nozzle 150. The housing 110 is configured to receive water produced by the electrochemical cell 300, and the housing 110 has a water inlet 111 and a water outlet 112, the water inlet 111 being configured to receive water and the water outlet 112 being configured to drain water. Drain pump 140 is configured to pump water from drain port 112. The drain pump 140 may be provided inside or outside the case 110. The nozzle 150 is configured to spray water from the drain pump 140 onto the radiator 230.
Thus, during operation of the electrochemical cell 300, water vapor generated at the anode 310 and the cathode 320 is mixed with unreacted gases and discharged, and a portion of the water vapor is condensed into liquid water during the discharge. The liquid water is received by the heat sink 100 and sprayed onto the heat sink 230. The water sprayed onto the heat sink 230 is evaporated by the blowing of the outside air, thereby taking a large amount of heat from the coolant flowing through the heat sink 230. As shown in fig. 3, the heat sink 230 includes cooling tubes 231, the cooling tubes 231 allowing the cooling fluid to flow therethrough, as indicated by arrows 232. The water sprayed from the nozzle 150 of the heat sink 100 forms a mist 170 and falls on the cooling pipe 231 to form a water film 171, which evaporates under the blow of the wind 241 as indicated by curved arrows 172, thereby taking away a large amount of heat.
For example, the maximum heat dissipation power required for an electrochemical cell is 1.5 times the rated power of the electrochemical cell. An electrochemical cell of, for example, 100kW requires a radiator of 150kW and produces 13.3g/s of condensed water at rated power. If this condensate can be completely evaporated on the radiator, it will carry 31kW of heat away from the coolant. Even assuming an evaporation efficiency of 50%, it can still carry 15.5kW of heat, which accounts for 10.3% of the required radiator power. Therefore, the heat dissipation effect of the radiator is enhanced by the condensed water generated in the operation process of the electrochemical cell, the design size of the radiator can be reduced, the power consumption of the fan is reduced, and the problem that the condensed water generated by the electrochemical cell is directly discharged on a road is solved.
With continued reference to fig. 1, the electrochemical cell cooling system 200 of the present application may further include a second cooling loop 202 and a three-way valve 260, wherein the second cooling loop 202 is configured to connect the coolant outlet 210 and the coolant inlet 220 without a radiator, and the three-way valve 260 is configured to selectively communicate both the coolant outlet 210 and the coolant inlet 220 with the first cooling loop 201 or with the second cooling loop 202. That is, the electrochemical cell cooling system 200 may include two cooling loops, with the radiator 230 being provided in the first cooling loop 201 for dissipating heat during normal operation of the electrochemical cell 300, and the radiator not being provided in the second cooling loop 202 for heating the coolant during cold start-up of the electrochemical cell 300, since the operation of the electrochemical cell requires a suitable temperature interval.
During cold start, the temperatures of the anode 310, the cathode 320 and the cooling connection 330 of the electrochemical cell 300 are too low to facilitate the electrochemical reaction, so that the cooling circuit of the electrochemical cell cooling system 200 is switched to the second cooling circuit 202 by the three-way valve 260, so that the heat generated by the electrochemical reaction can rapidly heat the coolant, thereby increasing the temperature of the entire electrochemical cell 300 and completing the start-up process as soon as possible. During start-up, water produced by electrochemical cell 300 may be received by heat sink 100, but not sprayed onto heat sink 230. On the other hand, during normal operation of the electrochemical cell 300, a large amount of heat is generated, which needs to be dissipated through the first cooling circuit 201. Therefore, during normal operation, the heat sink 100 may spray water onto the heat sink 230 through the nozzle 150 to enhance the heat dissipation effect of the heat sink 230.
Typically, water vapor generated during operation of the electrochemical cell 300 is sent through the outlet line to the water separator to separate out liquid water. The liquid water may then be delivered to the heat sink 100. To further optimize the structure, a water separator may be integrated in the heat sink 100. For example, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the heat sink 100 further includes a water separator 160, the water separator 160 configured to receive gas discharged from the electrochemical cell 300 and separate water from the gas. The separated water may then be stored directly within the housing 110 of the heat sink 100. To facilitate proper operation of the water separator 160, the water separator 160 is provided with an exhaust port 161, the exhaust port 161 being configured to exhaust separated gas, and air can be admitted or exhausted from the exhaust port 161 to maintain pressure equilibrium when the water level within the housing 110 changes.
Since the housing 110 of the heat sink 100 contains water, there is a risk of icing in a low temperature environment, the heat sink 100 further includes a heat exchange tube 180, the heat exchange tube 180 is provided for heating the water in the housing 110, and the heat exchange tube 180 has a heat exchange tube inlet 181 and a heat exchange tube outlet 182, the heat exchange tube inlet 181 and the heat exchange tube outlet 182 respectively communicating with the first cooling circuit 201 at different locations of the first cooling circuit 201 of the electrochemical cell cooling system 200. Therefore, the water in the housing 110 of the heat sink 100 can be heated by the high-temperature coolant flowing through the first cooling circuit 201, so as to enhance the atomization effect of the water and avoid freezing in a low-temperature environment.
Alternatively, in the case where the electrochemical cell cooling system 200 includes the fan 240, the heat sink 100 may be disposed without the heat exchange pipe 180, and the heat sink 100 may be disposed downstream of the heat sink 230 so as to be heated by the air flowing through the heat sink 230, and the water temperature may be increased to avoid freezing.
In low temperature environments, the risk of icing may occur if the housing 110 of the heat sink 100 retains liquid water after the electrochemical cell 300 stops operating, or the temperature of the liquid water in the heat sink 100 is too low during operation of the electrochemical cell 300. Accordingly, the heat sink 100 of the present application further includes a water level sensor configured to sense the water level within the housing 110 and a drain valve (not shown) configured to control the water level within the housing 110. Therefore, the amount of liquid water can be controlled at any time, and the phenomenon of icing is avoided.
Additionally, the heat sink 100 may further include a thermometer 190, the thermometer 190 configured to sense the temperature of the water within the housing 110 to ensure that the temperature of the water is above a safe value. The drain valve may also be configured to open and close based on the temperature of the water, thereby adjusting the amount of water within the housing 110. When the amount of water in the casing 110 is small, the temperature of water in the casing 110 can be increased without changing the heating power of the coolant in the first cooling circuit 201.
To monitor the operation of the heat sink 100, the electrochemical cell cooling system 200 may further include a control device (not shown) configured to control at least one of switching of the first and second cooling circuits 201 and 202, opening and closing of a drain valve of the heat sink 100, and injection of the nozzle 150 of the heat sink 100 based on at least one of the operating state of the electrochemical cell 300, the ambient temperature, and the temperature of water within the heat sink 100. For example, at cold start of the electrochemical cell, the control device controls the switching of the three-way valve to connect the cooling connection 330 to the second cooling circuit 1 to heat the coolant. During normal operation of the electrochemical cell, the control means controls the switching of the three-way valve, communicates the cooling connection 330 with the first cooling circuit 201, sprays a predetermined amount of water mist to the radiator 230 according to the output of the electrochemical cell 300, the ambient temperature and/or the water level in the radiator 100, and controls the drain valve to adjust the water level. After the electrochemical cell 300 is turned off, the control means may control a drain valve to drain the residual water in the heat sink 100, or control the nozzle 150 to spray the residual water to the radiator 230.
According to the above embodiment of the present application, the heat dissipation effect of the heat sink is enhanced by using the condensed water generated by the electrochemical cell, the design size of the heat sink can be reduced, the power consumption of the fan can be reduced, and the problem of discharging the condensed water can be solved.
The present application is described in detail above with reference to specific embodiments. It is to be understood that both the foregoing description and the embodiments shown in the drawings are to be considered exemplary and not restrictive of the application. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the application, and these changes and modifications do not depart from the scope of the application.
Claims (10)
1. A heat sink (100) for an electrochemical cell cooling system (200), the electrochemical cell cooling system (200) configured to provide cooling for an electrochemical cell (300) and comprising a heat sink (230), the heat sink (100) comprising:
a housing (110) configured for receiving water generated by the electrochemical cell (300), wherein the housing (110) has a water inlet (111) and a water outlet (112), the water inlet (111) configured to receive the water, the water outlet (112) configured to discharge the water;
a drain pump (140) configured to pump the water out from the drain opening (112); and
a nozzle (150) configured to spray the water from the drain pump (140) onto the radiator (230).
2. The heat sink (100) of claim 1, wherein the heat sink (100) further comprises a water separator (160), the water separator (160) configured to receive gas exhausted from the electrochemical cell (300) and separate water from the gas.
3. The heat sink (100) according to claim 2, wherein the water separator (160) is provided with an exhaust (161), the exhaust (161) being configured to exhaust the separated gas.
4. The heat sink (100) according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heat sink (100) further comprises a heat exchange tube (180), the heat exchange tube (180) being arranged for heating water within the housing (110), and the heat exchange tube (180) having a heat exchange tube inlet (181) and a heat exchange tube outlet (182), the heat exchange tube inlet (181) and the heat exchange tube outlet (182) being in communication with the first cooling circuit (201) of the electrochemical cell cooling system (200) at different locations of the first cooling circuit (201).
5. The heat sink (100) of claim 4, wherein the heat sink (100) further comprises a water level sensor configured to sense a water level within the housing (110) and a drain valve configured to control the water level within the housing (110).
6. The heat sink (100) of claim 5, wherein the heat sink (100) further comprises a thermometer configured to sense a temperature of water within the housing (110), and the drain valve is configured to open and close based on the temperature of the water.
7. An electrochemical cell cooling system (200) configured to provide cooling for an electrochemical cell (300), the electrochemical cell (300) comprising a cooling connection (330), the cooling connection (330) being provided with an internal cooling fluid channel, a cooling fluid outlet (210) and a cooling fluid inlet (220), characterized in that the electrochemical cell cooling system (200) comprises:
a first cooling circuit (201) configured to connect the cooling liquid outlet (210) and the cooling liquid inlet (220);
a radiator (230) disposed in the first cooling circuit (201) and configured to allow a cooling liquid to flow therethrough;
a coolant pump (250) configured to pump the coolant from the coolant outlet (210) to the coolant inlet (220); and
the heat sink (100) according to any of claims 1 to 6,
wherein the heat sink (100) is configured to receive water generated by the electrochemical cell (300) and to spray the water onto the heat sink (230).
8. The electrochemical cell cooling system (200) according to claim 7, wherein the electrochemical cell cooling system (200) further comprises:
a second cooling circuit (202) configured to connect the coolant outlet (210) and the coolant inlet (220), and a radiator is not provided in the second cooling circuit (202); and
a three-way valve (260) configured to selectively communicate both the coolant outlet (210) and the coolant inlet (220) with the first cooling circuit (201) or with the second cooling circuit (202).
9. The electrochemical cell cooling system (200) according to claim 7, wherein the electrochemical cell cooling system (200) further comprises a fan (240) configured to cause ambient air to flow through the heat sink (230), and the heat sink (100) is configured to be heated by air flowing through the heat sink (230).
10. The electrochemical cell cooling system (200) according to claim 8, wherein the electrochemical cell cooling system (200) further comprises a control device configured to control at least one of communication of the cooling connection (330) with the first cooling circuit (201) or the second cooling circuit (202), opening and closing of a drain valve of the heat sink (100), and injection of a nozzle (150) of the heat sink (100) based on at least one of an operating state of the electrochemical cell (300), an ambient temperature, and a water temperature within the heat sink (100).
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202220908661.4U CN217134425U (en) | 2022-04-19 | 2022-04-19 | Heat sink and electrochemical cell cooling system |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202220908661.4U CN217134425U (en) | 2022-04-19 | 2022-04-19 | Heat sink and electrochemical cell cooling system |
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| Publication Number | Publication Date |
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| CN217134425U true CN217134425U (en) | 2022-08-05 |
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| CN202220908661.4U Active CN217134425U (en) | 2022-04-19 | 2022-04-19 | Heat sink and electrochemical cell cooling system |
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