JP2004105822A - Gas-liquid separator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gas-liquid separator constituted so that a gas-liquid-mixed fluid can be separated adequately without discharging foreign matter mixed in the gas-liquid-mixed fluid together with the separated liquid. <P>SOLUTION: This gas-liquid separator is provided with a vessel 1 having an almost cylindrical inner wall surface, a fluid introducing port 2 for introducing the gas-liquid-mixed fluid into the vessel 1 from the tangential direction, a gas discharging port 3 arranged in the upper part of the vessel 1 for discharging the gas separated in the vessel 1, and a liquid discharging port 4 arranged at the bottom of the vessel 1 for discharging the liquid separated in the vessel 1. A filtering member 5 is arranged between the ports 2 and 4 over the whole cross-section of the vessel 1, so that, for example, the central part of the member 5 is swelled upward in the vessel 1 in a dome-like shape and at least a part of the member 5 positioned near the inner wall of the vessel 1 is arranged at the position lower than other parts of the member 5 in the vessel 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a gas-liquid separator that separates a gas-liquid mixed fluid into a gas and a liquid and discharges the separated gas, and particularly to a gas-liquid separator suitable for a fuel cell vehicle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A fuel cell vehicle that has recently attracted attention is one that generates electric power by reacting oxygen and hydrogen to drive an electric motor, and its air discharge system and hydrogen circulation system include gas (air or hydrogen) The gas-liquid mixed fluid containing the liquid (water) circulates. Moisture in these gas-liquid mixed fluids may reduce the silencing performance of the silencer provided in the air discharge system or reduce the chemical reaction of the fuel cell. A liquid separation device is provided. This is to separate and discharge water from the gas-liquid mixed fluid, and the separated water is generally stored in a water storage tank having a drain valve, and is configured to be appropriately discharged. .
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
A cyclone-type gas-liquid separator is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-143617 as one of the gas-liquid separators provided in the air discharge system. Regarding such a cyclone-type gas-liquid separation device, as described in the same publication, devices having various structures are conventionally known, and are provided for various uses other than the fuel cell vehicle.
[0004]
[Patent Document 2]
For example, in a gas-liquid separation device described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-25638 for use in a blowdown tank of a thermal power plant, an inlet pipe for introducing a gas-liquid mixed fluid into the tank from a tangential direction is provided on the tank side wall. At the same time, a steam outlet pipe for discharging separated steam (gas) is provided at the upper part of the tank, and a drain discharge pipe for discharging separated drain (liquid) is provided at the lower part of the tank. As a result, the gas-liquid mixed fluid introduced from the inlet pipe into the tank swirls along the inner wall of the tank, and the centrifugal force at this time separates steam and drain.The steam is discharged from the steam outlet pipe, and the drain is drained. Each of them is discharged from the discharge pipe to the outside of the tank.
[0005]
In the gas-liquid separation device described in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-25638), an inlet pipe is further provided to prevent the stagnant drain remaining in the tank from being wound up by the swirling of the gas-liquid mixed fluid. A flat buffer plate having a plurality of through holes is mounted between the tank and the drain discharge pipe so as to be orthogonal to the axis of the tank.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Although not particularly problematic in the gas-liquid separation device described in the above-mentioned publication, foreign matters (fine solids) such as dust may be contained in the gas-liquid mixed fluid, and such foreign matters are separated liquid ( Water). However, since other components are connected downstream of the gas-liquid separation device, it is desirable to prevent foreign matter from being discharged from the gas-liquid separation device. For example, when the liquid outlet of the gas-liquid separator is connected to a water tank with a drain valve, the foreign matter discharged into the water tank together with the liquid does not impair the closing function of the drain valve, It is desirable to take measures with the gas-liquid separation device on the upstream side.
[0007]
Accordingly, the present invention provides a gas-liquid separation device that separates and discharges a gas-liquid mixed fluid into a gas and a liquid, and separates the gas-liquid mixed fluid appropriately without discharging foreign substances mixed in the gas-liquid mixed fluid together with the liquid. The task is to
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, a gas-liquid separation device according to the present invention, as described in claim 1, introduces a container having a substantially cylindrical inner wall surface and a gas-liquid mixed fluid into the container from a tangential direction. A fluid inlet, a gas outlet provided at an upper portion of the container and discharging gas separated in the container, and a liquid outlet provided at a lower portion of the container and discharging liquid separated in the container were provided. In the gas-liquid separation device, a filter member interposed between the fluid inlet and the liquid outlet is disposed over the entire cross section of the container, at least a portion located near the inner wall of the container A filter member is provided below the container with respect to other parts.
[0009]
It is preferable that the filter member has a dome shape with a central portion bulging upward toward the upper side of the container. In this case, the entire periphery of the filter member located near the inner wall of the container is disposed below the container with respect to the center. Further, the filter member may have a flat shape having a surface inclined with respect to the axis of the container. In this case, half of the entire peripheral edge of the filter member located near the inner wall of the container is disposed below the container with respect to the other half.
[0010]
Further, the filter member is formed by laminating a second filter having a coarse through-hole on the entire surface on at least one surface of the first filter having a fine through-hole on the entire surface. It is good to be a laminated body composed of
[0011]
Further, as described in claim 4, the container is constituted by an upper container and a lower container each having a flange at an open end, and a peripheral portion of the filter member is sandwiched between the flanges of the upper container and the lower container. Then, the filter member may be fixed to the container.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
As a specific embodiment of the gas-liquid separation device of the present invention having the above configuration, a gas-liquid separation device provided for an air discharge system or a hydrogen circulation system of a fuel cell vehicle will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 to 3 show an embodiment of a gas-liquid separation device provided in a hydrogen circulation system of a fuel cell vehicle, in which excess hydrogen and product water mixed in the hydrogen circulation system are separated, and the excess hydrogen is recovered. The fuel cell is reused for fuel cells, and the generated water is discharged to a water storage tank (not shown).
[0013]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the container 1 in the gas-liquid separation device of the present embodiment is configured by joining an upper container 10 and a lower container 20 to form a separation chamber having a substantially cylindrical inner wall surface. . Flanges 11 and 21 are formed at the open ends of the upper container 10 and the lower container 20, respectively. These flanges 11 and 21 are joined and fixed with a plurality of bolts 6. The upper container 10 has a fluid inlet 2 for introducing a gas-liquid mixed fluid from the container in a tangential direction, and a gas outlet for discharging gas separated from the gas-liquid mixed fluid in the separation chamber (in the upper container 10). 3 are integrally formed. On the other hand, the lower container 20 is integrally formed with a liquid discharge port 4 for discharging the liquid separated from the gas-liquid mixed fluid.
[0014]
The upper vessel 10 is integrally formed with an introduction pipe section 12 constituting the fluid introduction port 2 and communicates with the separation chamber (in the upper vessel 10) through an opening 12a. Further, a discharge pipe portion 13 constituting the gas discharge port 3 is integrally formed around the axis C of the upper container 10. An inner tube 17 is formed integrally with the upper container 10 so as to surround a portion where the discharge pipe portion 13 opens into the separation chamber (in the upper container 10). 18 are integrally formed. The inner cylinder 17 is formed to have an axial length sufficient to radially shield the opening 12a, whereas the inner cylinder 18 has an axial end whose opening end is substantially at the center of the opening 12a in the axial direction. It is formed in the direction length. On the other hand, the lower container 20 is integrally formed with a discharge pipe portion 24 constituting the liquid discharge port 4, and the reduced diameter portions 22 and 23 whose sectional diameter gradually decreases from the flange 21 to the discharge pipe portion 24. Are integrally formed. Further, a flange 27 for joining with another component (a water tank not shown in the present embodiment) is integrally formed at an open end of the discharge pipe portion 24.
[0015]
Then, a dome-shaped filter member 5 whose central portion bulges upward from the container 1 is interposed between the fluid introduction port 2 and the liquid discharge port 4, and is disposed over the entire cross section of the container 1. Have been. The filter member 5 of the present embodiment has a dome-shaped bulging portion, and the entire periphery thereof is sandwiched between the flanges 11 and 21 of the upper container 10 and the lower container 20. Thus, the entire periphery of the filter member 5 located near the inner wall of the container 1 is disposed below the container 1 with respect to the central portion.
[0016]
In the filter member 5 of the present embodiment, as shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. 3, a coarse through-hole is formed on the entire lower surface of the first filter 51 for removing foreign substances having a fine through-hole formed on the entire surface. A second filter 52 for retaining the shape is laminated, and a third filter 53 for protection, in which a through hole having a size intermediate between these through holes is formed on the entire surface, is laminated to form a laminate. ing. The first filter 51 prevents foreign matter from entering the gas-liquid mixture introduced from the fluid introduction port 2 and prevents the foreign matter from entering the discharged liquid. In the form, it is constituted by a metal mesh. The second filter 52 is also made of a metal mesh, and is configured to hold the first filter 51 from the lower surface side and maintain a spherical dome-shaped bulging portion. The third filter 53 protects the upper surface side of the first filter 51, and is formed of a metal mesh in the present embodiment.
[0017]
Note that the third filter 53 may be omitted, and in that case, the second filter 52 may be arranged on the upper surface side of the first filter 51 in a state of being in close contact with the first filter 51. . Further, in the present embodiment, each filter is formed of a metal mesh, but a resin or ceramic mesh may be used. Alternatively, a porous material having ventilation and water permeability (metal, resin, ceramic, or the like) may be used.
[0018]
The periphery of the filter member 5 having the three-layer structure described above is held by a metal annular bracket 54 having a U-shaped cross section, and the bracket 54 is connected between the flanges 11 and 21 of the upper container 10 and the lower container 20 via a gasket 55. Is sandwiched between. As shown in FIG. 3, an annular groove 15 is formed in the flange 11 of the upper container 10, and a step 16 is formed on an inner diameter side thereof. Similarly, an annular groove 25 is formed in the flange 21 of the lower container 20, and a step 26 is formed on the inner diameter side. Therefore, when the flanges 11 and 21 of the upper container 10 and the lower container 20 are joined, an annular chamber is formed between the annular grooves 15 and 25, and an annular gap is formed between the steps 16 and 26.
[0019]
The gasket 55 is made of rubber or resin, for example, and has an annular seal portion 55a having a C-shaped cross section and a labyrinth portion 55b in which a plurality of annular protrusions are arranged in parallel. The seal portion 55a is located between the annular grooves 15 and 25. The labyrinth portion 55b is disposed in the annular chamber, and is configured to be disposed in the gap between the step portions 16 and 26.
[0020]
Thus, according to the gas-liquid separator of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, the gas-liquid mixed fluid composed of hydrogen and water is supplied to the gas-liquid mixed fluid of FIG. 1 and FIG. As shown by a white arrow, the liquid is introduced into the upper container 10 from the fluid inlet 2 and swirls along the inner wall surface of the upper container 10. At this time, hydrogen and water are separated by centrifugal force, and hydrogen is supplied from the gas discharge port 3 to a downstream piping of a hydrogen circulation system (not shown). On the other hand, the water moves downward along the inner wall surface of the upper container 10, and after the foreign matter is filtered by the filter member 5, is guided to the lower container 20, and is guided from the liquid outlet 4 to a water storage tank (not shown). As described above, the filter member 5 prevents foreign matter from entering the water storage tank. Therefore, even if the drain valve (not shown) is provided in the water storage tank, the closing function thereof is not impaired.
[0021]
In particular, since the filter member 5 of the present embodiment is not a plane perpendicular to the axis of the container 1 but a dome shape whose central portion bulges upward from the container 1, the filter member 5 is orthogonal to the axis of the container 1. A larger filtration area can be secured as compared with a flat filter member (not shown). Further, in the case of a flat filter member, the water to be discharged is stored on the entire upper surface of the filter member, and it is difficult to replace the air with the air in the lower container 20. Is stored in at least a part of the filter member 5 (the entire periphery in the present embodiment), and the other part (the center in the present embodiment) is easily replaced with the air of the lower container 20. Can be drained. Similarly, foreign matter is first collected at the periphery of the filter member 5, so that the entire surface of the filter member 5 does not become clogged.
[0022]
Furthermore, the filter member 5 of the present embodiment has the above-mentioned effect without being affected by the vehicle posture, since the bulging portion is formed in a hemispherical dome shape as shown in FIG. it can. Moreover, the rigidity of the filter member 5 is high, vibration and deformation of the filter member 5 can be prevented, and durability is improved. In particular, the second filter 52 and the third filter 52 made of a metal mesh in which a coarse through-hole and an intermediate through-hole are formed on both surfaces of the first filter 51 made of a metal mesh in which fine through-holes are formed on the entire surface. Since the filter 53 is laminated and has a multilayer structure, the rigidity of the filter member 5 is high, and the durability is improved. Further, since the filter member 5 is configured to be sandwiched between the upper container 10 and the lower container 20, the filter member 5 can be appropriately held, and the filter member 5 can be removed. 5 can be easily cleaned and replaced.
[0023]
Alternatively, a flat filter member (not shown) having a surface inclined with respect to the axis of the container 1 may be used instead of the dome-shaped filter member 5 shown in FIG. In this case, half of the entire peripheral edge of the filter member 5 located near the inner wall of the container 1 is disposed below the container 1 with respect to the other half, and is orthogonal to the axis of the container 1. As compared with a flat filter member, a large filtration area can be secured, and water and foreign matter to be discharged are first stored in at least a part (a lower half of the entire peripheral edge) of the filter member 5 and other parts ( In the upper half), drainage can be reliably performed. The present invention is not limited to a fuel cell vehicle, and can be applied to various gas-liquid separation devices.
[0024]
【The invention's effect】
Since the present invention is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained. That is, in the gas-liquid separation device according to the first aspect, the filter member is interposed between the fluid introduction port and the liquid discharge port, is disposed over the entire cross section of the container, and is close to the inner wall of the container. Is disposed below the container with respect to the other parts, and water and foreign substances to be discharged are first stored in at least a part of the filter member. Can be drained reliably.
[0025]
If the filter member is configured as described in claim 2, the entire peripheral edge of the filter member located near the inner wall of the container is disposed below the container with respect to the center portion, and should be discharged. Since water and foreign matter are first stored in at least a part of the filter member, the foreign matter can be surely drained in other parts without discharging the foreign matter.
[0026]
In addition, by forming the filter member as a laminate as described in claim 3, good durability can be ensured. Furthermore, if the container is configured as described in claim 4 and the peripheral portion of the filter member is sandwiched and fixed between the flanges of the upper container and the lower container, the filter member can be appropriately held. In addition, the cleaning and replacement of the filter member can be easily performed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a gas-liquid separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the gas-liquid separation device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a fixing portion of a filter member in the gas-liquid separation device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 container, 2 fluid inlet, 3 gas outlet, 4 liquid outlet,
5 filter member, 10 upper container, 11 flange,
20 lower container, 21 flange

Claims (4)

A container having a substantially cylindrical inner wall surface, a fluid inlet for introducing a gas-liquid mixed fluid from the container in a tangential direction, and a gas outlet provided at an upper portion of the container for discharging gas separated in the container. And a gas-liquid separation device provided at a lower portion of the container and provided with a liquid discharge port for discharging the liquid separated in the container, wherein the liquid discharge port is provided between the fluid introduction port and the liquid discharge port. A gas-liquid filter, comprising: a filter member disposed over the entire cross section, wherein at least a portion located near the inner wall of the container is disposed below the container with respect to another portion. Separation device. The gas-liquid separation device according to claim 1, wherein the filter member has a dome shape with a central portion bulging upward from the container. The filter member is a laminate formed by laminating a second filter having a coarse through hole on the entire surface on at least one surface of a first filter having a fine through hole on the entire surface. The gas-liquid separation device according to claim 1. The container includes an upper container and a lower container each having a flange at an open end, and a peripheral portion of the filter member is sandwiched between the flanges of the upper container and the lower container to fix the filter member to the container. The gas-liquid separation device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein:

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