CN218975485U

CN218975485U - Fuel cell system

Info

Publication number: CN218975485U
Application number: CN202223594921.4U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 段凯磊; 黄春生; 段耀东
Original assignee: Shanghai Re Fire Energy and Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shanghai Re Fire Energy and Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-12-30
Filing date: 2022-12-30
Publication date: 2023-05-05
Anticipated expiration: 2032-12-30

Abstract

The application relates to a fuel cell system, including fuel supply device, ejector and pile, fuel supply device is used for supplying fuel to the pile, and fuel supply device's export communicates in the entry of ejector, and the export of ejector communicates in the entry of pile. The fuel cell system further comprises a pump and a four-way valve, wherein the four-way valve comprises a first interface, a second interface, a third interface and a fourth interface, an outlet of the electric pile is communicated with the first interface, an inlet of the pump is communicated with the second interface, an outlet of the pump is communicated with the third interface, and an inlet of the ejector is communicated with the fourth interface.

Description

Fuel cell system

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of fuel cells, and more particularly, to a fuel cell system.

Background

A fuel cell is a power generation system that converts chemical energy of fuel into electrical energy by chemical reaction with oxygen or other oxidizing agents. Typically, hydrogen is the most common fuel, hydrocarbons such as natural gas and alcohols like methanol can also be used as fuel.

As one development direction of the prior art, in a fuel cell, high-pressure fuel may be used as an anode gas required for a pile reaction. However, the fuel tends to be difficult to fully react in the stack, so that there is also partially unreacted fuel in the stack effluent, which results in a waste of fuel. In the prior art, a plurality of schemes are proposed for recycling the fuel which is not completely reacted, but the common problems of the schemes are that the application range is narrow, the requirements on various parameters of a fuel cell system are met, and the related pipelines are complicated and are difficult to be practically applied.

As shown in fig. 8 and 9, in the conventional hydrogen fuel cell, the supplied fuel enters the cell stack 4, the fuel reacts in the cell stack 4 to generate electricity, and the generated waste is discharged again to complete the whole reaction process. The problems found in the prior art are described in detail below in connection with fig. 8 and 9.

In the stack 4, the fuel tends to be insufficiently reacted, and therefore a part of the unreacted fuel is also discharged from the outlet of the stack 4. Since the pressure of the fluid at the inlet of the stack 4 is greater than the pressure of the fluid at the outlet of the stack 4, these fuels cannot be automatically returned to the stack 4. To recycle these fuels, pumping equipment is often used to achieve recycling of the fuel. Fig. 8 and 9 illustrate two prior art solutions for achieving fuel recycling, respectively.

In the parallel scheme of fig. 8, a first branch 201 and a second branch 202 are connected in parallel between the inlet and the outlet of the stack 4, and a check valve 21 is provided on each of the first branch 201 and the second branch 202. Wherein a pump 2 is provided on the first branch 201, the pump 2 being mainly used to pressurize the fuel in case of a low fuel pressure so as to enable the fuel to flow to the inlet of the stack 4; and with sufficient fuel pressure, fuel may flow directly through the second branch 202 into the eductor 3 to eventually mix with the supplied fuel to form a jet into the inlet of the stack 4. Although the scheme can be suitable for two working conditions of low fuel pressure and moderate fuel pressure at the same time, thereby realizing the coverage of all working conditions, a plurality of one-way valves 21 are arranged in the scheme, and the one-way valves 21 have complex structure and are difficult to arrange. In addition, in the parallel scheme, the ejector is not connected with the pump 2 all the way, so that the way connected with the ejector 3 cannot be purged, and the risk of icing and blocking is provided in a low-temperature environment.

In the serial arrangement of fig. 9, a third branch 203 is connected between the outlet of the stack 4 and the ejector 3, and the third branch 203 is provided with a check valve 21 and a pump 2, respectively. The serial scheme is simple in structure, but the pump 2 is always required to be in an operating state, so that the service life of the pump 2 is shortened, and the energy consumption is obviously improved.

It follows that the prior art solutions have their drawbacks, respectively.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the embodiment of the present application is to provide a fuel cell system, which is used for solving the problems that in the fuel cell of the prior art, the application range of a fuel recovery scheme is narrow, and meanwhile, a pipeline is complex and difficult to apply, and meanwhile, the problem that icing occurs on a branch provided with an ejector is solved.

The application provides a fuel cell system, which comprises a fuel supply device, an ejector and a galvanic pile, wherein the fuel supply device is used for supplying fuel to the galvanic pile, an outlet of the fuel supply device is communicated with an inlet of the ejector, and an outlet of the ejector is communicated with an inlet of the galvanic pile;

the fuel cell system further comprises a pump and a four-way valve, wherein the four-way valve comprises a first interface, a second interface, a third interface and a fourth interface, an outlet of the electric pile is communicated with the first interface, an inlet of the pump is communicated with the second interface, an outlet of the pump is communicated with the third interface, and an inlet of the ejector is communicated with the fourth interface.

As a preferred aspect, the fuel cell system has a high load operation mode and a low load operation mode; in the high load operation mode, the first interface is communicated with the fourth interface; in the low load operation mode, the first interface is communicated with the second interface, and the third interface is communicated with the fourth interface.

As a further preferable aspect, the fuel cell system further has a purge mode; in the purge mode, the first interface is in communication with the third interface, and the second interface is in communication with the fourth interface.

As a further preferable aspect, the four-way valve includes: the valve body is internally provided with a main runner; the first interface, the second interface, the third interface and the fourth interface are arranged on the valve body and are communicated with the main flow channel; the valve core comprises a body and a connecting flow passage arranged in the body, and the body is connected in the valve body in a sliding manner; the body comprises a first position, a second position and a third position, when the body is positioned at the first position, the first interface and the second interface are communicated through the main runner, and the third interface and the fourth interface are communicated through the main runner; when the body is positioned at the second position, the first interface and the fourth interface are communicated through the connecting flow channel; when the body is located at the third position, the first interface is communicated with the third interface through the main runner, and the second interface is communicated with the fourth interface through the main runner.

As a preferable mode, the fuel cell system further comprises a water separator, and the outlet of the electric pile is communicated with the first interface through the water separator.

As a further preferred aspect, the fuel cell system further includes a drain device that communicates with the water separator.

As a further preferable aspect, the water separator includes a first port, a second port and a third port, the first port is communicated with the outlet of the electric pile, the second port is communicated with the first port, and the third port is communicated with the inlet of the discharging device.

As a preferred embodiment, the pump comprises a positive displacement pump or a centrifugal pump.

As a preferable mode, the on-off valve and the flow control valve are communicated with an inlet of the ejector.

As a further preferable embodiment, the on-off valve is a solenoid valve or a mechanical valve, and the flow control valve is a solenoid valve or a mechanical valve.

In the above scheme, the communication relation among the first interface, the second interface, the third interface and the fourth interface can be switched by controlling the four-way valve, so that the flow path of fuel is regulated, and the fuel cell system can have multiple functions. For example, in a state where the outlet of the stack is communicated with the inlet of the pump while the outlet of the pump is communicated with the inlet of the ejector, fuel may flow through the pump in the fuel cell system at this time, so that the fuel may be pressurized by the pump. If the four-way valve directly communicates the outlet of the electric pile with the inlet of the ejector, the fuel does not pass through the pump, and the pump can not work at the moment, so that the fuel pressure control valve is suitable for the working condition of moderate fuel pressure. Therefore, the pump in the fuel cell system provided by the scheme is not started in the whole process, so that the service life of the pump is effectively prolonged, and meanwhile, the power of the system is also increased. Without the use of a pump, the system itself consumes less energy, thus also boosting the power of the system. Simultaneously, the pump can also sweep to avoid the problem that the icing jam appears. In conclusion, the scheme can adapt to various working conditions and has wider use scenes.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings that are needed in the embodiments of the present application will be briefly described below, it should be understood that the following drawings only illustrate some embodiments of the present application and should not be considered as limiting the scope, and other related drawings may be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of a fuel cell system provided herein;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the flow direction of fuel when the fuel cell system is in a low load mode of operation;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the flow direction of fuel when the fuel cell system is in a high load mode of operation;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the flow direction of fuel when the fuel cell system is in purge mode;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a four-way valve with the fuel cell system in a low load mode of operation;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a four-way valve of the fuel cell system in a high load mode of operation;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a four-way valve with a fuel cell system in purge mode;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a prior art fuel cell system employing a parallel arrangement;

fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a prior art fuel cell system employing a series arrangement.

Reference numerals illustrate: 1. a four-way valve; 11. a first interface; 12. a second interface; 13. a third interface; 14. a fourth interface; 15. a valve body; 151. a main flow passage; 16. a valve core; 160. a body; 161. a connecting runner; 2. a pump; 201. a first branch; 202. a second branch; 203. a third branch; 21. a one-way valve; 3. an ejector; 4. a galvanic pile; 5. a water separator; 51. a first port; 52. a second port; 53. a third port; 54. a fourth port; 6. a fuel supply device; 61. a hydrogen bottle; 62. an opening/closing valve; 63. a flow control valve; 7. a discharge device; 71. a discharge valve.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more clear, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. It will be apparent that the embodiments described are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present application. The components of the embodiments of the present application, which are generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations.

In the description of the present application, it should be noted that, the azimuth or positional relationship indicated by the terms "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the azimuth or positional relationship shown in the drawings, or the azimuth or positional relationship that is commonly put when the product of the application is used, are merely for convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element to be referred to must have a specific azimuth, be configured and operated in a specific azimuth, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the present application. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like, are used merely to distinguish between descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

In the description of the present application, it should also be noted that, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "disposed," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, and may be, for example, fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected; can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and can be communication between two elements. The specific meaning of the terms in this application will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art in a specific context.

In order to solve the drawbacks of the prior art, referring to fig. 1, the embodiment of the present application proposes a fuel cell system comprising a stack 4, a fuel supply device 6, an ejector 3, a pump 2, and a four-way valve 1, wherein the fuel supply device 6 is used for supplying fuel to the stack 4, the fuel reacts in the stack 4 to generate electricity, and the generated waste is discharged from an outlet of the stack 4. The outlet of the fuel supply 6 is connected to the inlet of the injector 3, while the outlet of the injector 3 is connected to the inlet of the stack 4. The four-way valve 1 comprises a first interface 11, a second interface 12, a third interface 13 and a fourth interface 14, wherein the outlet of the electric pile 4 is communicated with the first interface 11, the inlet of the pump 2 is communicated with the second interface 12, the outlet of the pump 2 is communicated with the third interface 13, and the fourth interface 14 is communicated with the inlet of the ejector 3. By adjusting the state of the four-way valve 1, the fuel cell system can be made to have different functions.

In the above embodiments, communication may refer to direct communication between two members, or may refer to communication through a pipe or other member, as long as fuel can circulate between the two members. The four-way valve 1 is a conventional component having a function of switching on and off at least any one of the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13 and the fourth port 14 from the rest by an internal mechanism, so that the actual flow path of fuel in the fuel cell system can be changed by controlling the four-way valve 1 according to actual conditions, and the fuel cell system can have different functions.

The above-described embodiment has an advantage in that the fuel cell system can be switched to different operation modes by controlling the four-way valve 1. For example, in certain preferred embodiments, the fuel cell system has a low load mode of operation and a high load mode of operation. When the fuel cell system is in the low-load operation mode, the fuel pressure is smaller in the operation mode, the first port 11 is communicated with the second port 12, the third port 13 is communicated with the fourth port 14 in the four-way valve 1, and the fuel can flow through the pump 2 in the mode, so that the pump 2 can pressurize the fuel, and the fuel cell system is suitable for the working condition that the fuel pressure is smaller at the outlet of the electric pile 4. In the high load operation mode, the first port 11 is directly connected to the fourth port 14 due to the sufficient pressure of the fuel in the high load operation mode, and the fuel in the high load operation mode is not flowing through the pump 2, as shown in fig. 3, so that the fuel pressure at the outlet of the electric pile 4 is sufficiently high, and the fuel can directly flow back to the ejector 3. Therefore, the four-way valve 1 is controlled at least to select whether to connect the pump 2 to the fuel flow path, so that the fuel cell system of the embodiment has the advantages of the parallel scheme and the series scheme in the prior art, and simultaneously overcomes the disadvantages of the parallel scheme and the series scheme in the prior art. In addition, the purpose of switching the flow paths can be achieved by only one four-way valve 1, so that the fuel cell system is simple in structure and easy to control.

In certain preferred embodiments, the four-way valve 1 may also communicate the first port 11 with the third port 13 while communicating the second port 12 with the fourth port 14, at which time the pump 2 may reverse drive the flow of fuel. Specifically, as shown in the arrow direction of fig. 4, the fuel flows through the ejector 3, the fourth interface 14, the second interface 12, the pump 2, the third interface 13 and the first interface 11 in sequence, so that the gas can reversely purge each component and the pipeline, the fuel cell system enters a purging mode, the fuel can play a purging function, and sediment or ice cubes on the pipeline are blown off, so that the pipeline is prevented from being blocked.

In some preferred embodiments, in order to adapt to the three modes of the four-way valve 1 in the above embodiments, a preferred embodiment of the four-way valve 1 is also provided. As shown in fig. 5 to 7, the four-way valve includes a valve body 15 and a valve core 16, a main flow channel 151 is provided in the valve body 15, and the main flow channel 151 communicates with the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13, and the fourth port 14, respectively; the valve body 16 is provided with a connecting flow passage 161, and the valve body 16 is slidably connected to the main flow passage 151. Wherein, the valve core 16 can move to a position of blocking at least one of the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13 and the fourth port 14 from the main flow channel 151, so that the blocked one cannot communicate with the other; the connecting flow passage 161 and the main flow passage 151 may communicate any one of the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13, and the fourth port 14 with the remaining any one. By sliding the valve core 16, the first port 11, the second port 12, the third port 13 and the fourth port 14 can be switched between the two separated and communicated states, so that the function of switching the states of the four-way valve 1 is realized, and the fuel cell system has different modes.

The principle of the present embodiment in which the connectors are communicated with each other or blocked from each other by the valve element 16 will be explained below with reference to the drawings. As shown in fig. 5, when the fuel cell system is in the low load operation mode, the valve element 16 is at the left limit position, and at this time, the valve element 16 blocks the first port 11 from the third port 13 and the fourth port 14, but the valve element 16 communicates the first port 11 with the second port 12 through the groove provided on the surface of the valve element 16 and the main flow passage 151, and similarly communicates the third port 13 with the fourth port 14 through the other groove. As shown in fig. 6, when the fuel cell system is in the high load operation mode, the spool 16 is in the intermediate position, at which time the spool 16 blocks the second port 12 and the third port 13 from the first port 11 and the fourth port 14, and the first port 11 and the fourth port 14 communicate with each other through the main flow passage 151 and the connecting flow passage 161, so that the fuel does not flow through the pump 2. As shown in fig. 7, when the fuel cell system is in the purge mode and the valve spool 16 is in the right limit position, the first port 11 communicates with the third port 13 via the main flow passage 151 and the groove on the valve spool 16, and at the same time, the second port 12 communicates with the fourth port 14 via the main flow passage 151. In fig. 7, the second port 12 and the fourth port 14 are in direct communication with each other via the main flow channel 151, but in the cut-away position of fig. 7, the main flow channel 151 is blocked by the body 160 from the view, but in the position where the valve element 16 is not cut away, the second port 12, the fourth port 14, and the main flow channel 151 are not substantially blocked.

As can be seen from this, by controlling the position of the valve element 16, the function of switching the fuel cell system mode can be achieved. In addition, the four-way valve 1 adopting the structure provided by the embodiment can perfectly realize the functions required by the fuel cell system in the embodiment by only having three positions of the valve core 16, so that the control method is simpler and more convenient.

In certain preferred embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, the fuel cell system further comprises a water separator 5, and the outlet of the stack 4 is in communication with the first interface 11 via the water separator 5.

In the above embodiment, the water separator 5 has a function of achieving gas-liquid separation, thereby preventing damage to components caused by non-gas entering the pump 2 or the four-way valve 1. The specific structure of the water separator 5 belongs to the prior art and is not described in detail here.

In certain preferred embodiments, the fuel cell system further comprises a drain 7, the drain 7 being in communication with the water separator 5, such that waste material separated by the water separator 5 may be drained through the drain 7, avoiding waste material affecting the normal circulation of fuel. The discharge device 7 may be a device such as a pump that can absorb the discharged substance, and may be freely selected according to actual needs, and is not particularly limited herein. A drain valve 71 is provided between the outlet of the water separator 5 and the inlet of the drain 7, and whether or not draining is performed can be controlled by the drain valve 71.

On the basis of the above embodiments, in certain preferred embodiments, the water separator 5 comprises a first port 51, a second port 52 and a third port 53, respectively, the first port 51 being in communication with the outlet of the stack 4, the second port 52 being in communication with the first port 11, the third port 53 being in communication with the inlet of the discharge device 7. By arranging three mutually independent ports on the water separator 5, the ports can not interfere with each other, and the connection is convenient.

In certain preferred embodiments, the pump 2 may be a positive displacement pump or a centrifugal pump. The positive displacement pump and the centrifugal pump are both prior art, and the specific structure thereof is not described here again.

The principle of this solution is that in general, the pump 2 can be largely divided into a positive displacement pump and a centrifugal pump, the two pumps being different in the pressurizing effect of the two pumps, the pressurizing effect of the centrifugal pump being weaker than that of the positive displacement pump. In the prior art, the parallel arrangement requires a high pressurizing effect on the pump 2, since the pump 2 directly directs the fuel to the inlet of the stack 4 after pressurizing the fuel, and thus the pump 2 must have a high pressurizing effect, so that the parallel arrangement must be a positive displacement pump. For the series scheme, however, a centrifugal pump must be used because the positive displacement pump cannot flow within the positive displacement pump without running. By adopting the scheme, the ejector 3 is connected to the fourth port 14, and the ejector 3 can perform the function of mixing and pressurizing the fuel introduced from the fourth port 14 and the fuel supplied by the fuel supply device, so that the pressurizing effect of the pump 2 is not particularly required. Meanwhile, since fuel may not flow through the pump 2, there is no particular need for whether the pump 2 allows fluid to flow therethrough in the event of a stop. Therefore, the pump 2 can be either a positive displacement pump or a centrifugal pump, so that the application range of the embodiment is wider.

The fuel supplied by the fuel supply device is determined according to the actual application scene, and the structure of the fuel supply device is also determined according to the supplied fuel. In this embodiment, the fuel supplied by the fuel supply device is hydrogen, but may be other fuels such as fuel gas. In certain embodiments, hydrogen is supplied using a hydrogen bottle. Hydrogen is a cleaner energy source and the waste components produced by the reaction are simpler, thus facilitating separation and disposal.

In certain preferred embodiments, the fuel supply 6 further comprises an on-off valve 62 and a flow control valve 63, wherein the hydrogen bottle 61 communicates with the inlet of the eductor 3 via the on-off valve 62 and the flow control valve 63 in sequence.

The on-off valve 62 and the flow control valve 63 may be valves in the prior art, mechanical valves, or solenoid valves, and may be selected by those skilled in the art according to actual conditions.

In the above embodiment, the on-off valve 62 is used to control whether fuel is supplied or not, and when the on-off valve 62 is closed, fuel cannot enter the injector 3; when the on-off valve 62 is opened, fuel can normally enter the injector 3 and thus the stack 4. The opening/closing degree of the flow control valve 63 is adjustable, and when more fuel needs to be supplied, the opening/closing degree of the flow control valve 63 is increased, and when the supply amount of fuel needs to be reduced, the opening/closing degree of the flow control valve 63 is decreased. From this, it can be seen that the present embodiment has an advantage in that the two parameters of the fuel supply or not and the fuel supply amount are controlled by the on-off valve 62 and the flow control valve 63, respectively, so that the control method is simpler.

It should be noted that, without conflict, features in the embodiments of the present application may be combined with each other.

The foregoing description is only of the preferred embodiments of the present application and is not intended to limit the same, but rather, various modifications and variations may be made by those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A fuel cell system, characterized by comprising a fuel supply device, an ejector and a galvanic pile, wherein the fuel supply device is used for supplying fuel to the galvanic pile, the outlet of the fuel supply device is communicated with the inlet of the ejector, and the outlet of the ejector is communicated with the inlet of the galvanic pile;

2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the fuel cell system has a high load operation mode and a low load operation mode;

in the high load operation mode, the first interface is communicated with the fourth interface; in the low load operation mode, the first interface is communicated with the second interface, and the third interface is communicated with the fourth interface.

3. The fuel cell system according to claim 2, wherein the fuel cell system further has a purge mode;

in the purge mode, the first interface is in communication with the third interface, and the second interface is in communication with the fourth interface.

4. The fuel cell system according to claim 3, wherein the four-way valve comprises:

the valve body is internally provided with a main runner; the first interface, the second interface, the third interface and the fourth interface are arranged on the valve body and are communicated with the main flow channel;

the valve core is connected in the valve body in a sliding way, and a connecting flow passage is arranged in the valve core;

the valve core comprises a first position, a second position and a third position, when the valve core is positioned at the first position, the first interface and the second interface are communicated through the main flow channel, and the third interface and the fourth interface are communicated through the main flow channel; when the valve core is positioned at the second position, the first interface and the fourth interface are communicated through the connecting flow channel; when the valve core is positioned at the third position, the first interface is communicated with the third interface through the main flow channel, and the second interface is communicated with the fourth interface through the main flow channel.

5. The fuel cell system of claim 1, further comprising a water separator, wherein the outlet of the stack is in communication with the first interface via the water separator.

6. The fuel cell system of claim 5, further comprising a drain in communication with the water separator.

7. The fuel cell system of claim 6, wherein the water separator includes a first port, a second port, and a third port, the first port being in communication with the outlet of the stack, the second port being in communication with the first port, and the third port being in communication with the inlet of a drain.

8. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the pump comprises a positive displacement pump or a centrifugal pump.

9. The fuel cell system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the fuel supply means includes a hydrogen bottle, an on-off valve, and a flow control valve, and an outlet of the hydrogen bottle is communicated with an inlet of the ejector via the on-off valve and the flow control valve in this order.

10. The fuel cell system according to claim 9, wherein the opening/closing valve is a solenoid valve or a mechanical valve, and the flow control valve is a solenoid valve or a mechanical valve.