JP2013036640A - Direct contact type heat exchanger and polymer electrolyte fuel cell system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact direct contact type heat exchanger of low pressure loss.SOLUTION: The direct contact type heat exchanger 1 includes a casing 2 including: a water inlet 5 through which humidifying water is supplied from a top part thereof; a water outlet 6 through which the humidifying water is discharged from a bottom part thereof; a gas inlet 3 through which the gas flows in from a side face thereof, and a gas outlet 4 through which the gas flows out from a position higher than the gas inlet 3 of the side face. A spiral plate 40 has a spiral part 41 disposed to be in contact with an inner periphery of the casing 2 and formed from a bottom part toward a top part of the casing 2 and from a first lap to an m-th lap (m is a number larger than 1) in sequence and spirally so that a gas flow passage and a water flow passage are formed. In the gas flow passage, the gas ascends while swirling from the gas inlet 3 and flows out of the gas outlet 4. The water flow passage is formed in a space where the gas flow passage is formed, and is formed in a direction opposite to the gas flow passage. In the water flow passage, the humidifying water descends while swirling from the water inlet 5 and is discharged from the water outlet 6.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a direct contact heat exchanger and a polymer electrolyte fuel cell system using the same.

  In a polymer electrolyte fuel cell system, in order to prevent deterioration of the fuel cell stack due to drying of the electrolyte membrane, before supplying fuel gas or oxidant gas to the fuel cell stack, the fuel gas or oxidant gas is generally removed. Humidification is performed. When the fuel gas or oxidant gas is humidified in advance outside the fuel cell stack, water vapor that moves to the fuel gas or oxidant gas inside the fuel cell stack decreases. As a result, the latent heat of evaporation lost from the fuel cell stack is reduced. As a result, the fuel cell stack can be kept at a high temperature. High-temperature operation of the fuel cell stack achieves high-temperature heat recovery in electrical and thermal energy cogeneration systems such as stationary fuel cell systems, leading to a reduction in the capacity of hot water storage tanks that store the recovered thermal energy as hot water .

  Humidification of fuel gas and oxidant gas by contacting the exhaust gas of high humidity exhausted from the fuel cell stack and cathode exhaust gas with fuel gas and oxidant gas indirectly through a moisture permeable membrane such as a hollow fiber membrane. it can. It is also possible to use pure water circulating inside the fuel cell system for humidifying the fuel gas and the oxidant gas. In this case, for example, pure water such as battery cooling water whose temperature has risen by recovering the heat of the fuel cell stack is indirectly contacted with fuel gas or oxidant gas through the moisture permeable membrane, or pure water is used. There is a method of direct contact with fuel gas or oxidant gas.

  The method of bringing pure water into direct contact with fuel gas and oxidant gas can be realized in the form of a direct contact heat exchanger, and the high heat transfer coefficient obtained by direct contact with fluid is effective for fuel gas and oxidant gas. It leads to proper humidification. Also, if carbon dioxide contained in the battery cooling water moves to the fuel gas or oxidant gas when the fuel gas or oxidant gas is brought into direct contact with the battery cooling water, it is necessary to keep the carbon dioxide concentration in the pure water line low. Can be removed from the fuel cell system.

  As a direct contact heat exchanger for humidifying a fuel gas and an oxidant gas using pure water, there is a method of passing the gas through pure water stored in a container. In this method, since the fuel gas or the oxidant gas is flowed into the water having a depth corresponding to the required humidification capacity, a high pressure loss corresponding to the head pressure is accompanied by the fuel gas or the oxidant gas. In addition, the method of direct contact by spraying pure water into the gas flow from a spray nozzle or the like is a high pressure loss when spraying pure water (in the case of one fluid nozzle, the pressure loss of pure water, two fluids) In the case of a nozzle, a pressure loss of fuel gas or oxidant gas is generated.

  As a direct contact heat exchanger with low pressure loss, there is a method in which fuel gas or oxidant gas and pure water are brought into contact with each other on the surface of the filler. In this case, the fuel gas or the oxidant gas flows from the lower part of the casing to the upper part through the gap of the filler, and the pure water flows along the filler from the upper part of the casing to the lower part. However, a flow path through which pure water preferentially flows is generated on the surface of the randomly disposed filler, and the pure water is not dispersed throughout the casing. Therefore, the ratio of the fuel gas and oxidant gas that pass through the direct contact heat exchanger without contacting with pure water increases. As a result, it is necessary to increase the overall length of the device in order to ensure sufficient humidification capability.

JP 2004-273350 A JP 2004-31073 A JP 2004-363027 A JP 2007-227252 A JP-A-2005-294116

  In the stationary fuel cell system, the fuel gas and the oxidant gas are usually pressurized by a blower and sent to the fuel cell stack. For this reason, the increase in pressure loss of the fuel gas line and the oxidant gas line due to the installation of the humidifying device leads to expansion of blower power. Similarly, the increase in pressure loss in the pure water line by the humidifier affects the pump power.

  In a fuel cell system, an increase in auxiliary power leads to a decrease in power generation efficiency of the entire system, so reducing the pressure loss of the humidifier for reducing the power of the blower and pump is an important design factor. Furthermore, in order to reduce the installation space of the humidifier in the fuel cell system, it is desired to reduce the size of the humidifier. However, in a direct contact heat exchanger for humidifying fuel gas and oxidant gas, it is difficult to achieve both low pressure loss and downsizing of equipment.

  Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to reduce the size and the pressure loss of the direct contact heat exchanger.

  The direct contact heat exchanger of the embodiment includes a water inlet to which humidified water is supplied from the top, a water outlet from which the humidified water is discharged from the bottom, a gas inlet from which gas flows in from the side, and the gas inlet on the side. A housing formed with a gas outlet through which the gas flows out from a higher position, a gas flow path through which the gas rises while swirling from the gas inlet and flows out of the gas outlet, and The humidified water descends while swirling from the water inlet and is discharged from the water outlet, and is in contact with the inner periphery of the casing so as to form a water channel in the opposite direction in the same space as the gas channel. A spiral plate having a spiral portion corresponding to m turns formed in a spiral shape from the first turn to the mth turn (m is 2 or more) from the bottom to the top of the housing. .

  The solid polymer fuel cell system according to the embodiment includes a direct contact heat exchanger and a fuel cell in which gas humidified by the direct contact heat exchanger is supplied to either the fuel electrode or the oxidant electrode. The direct contact heat exchanger includes a water inlet to which humidified water is supplied from the top, a water outlet from which the humidified water is discharged from the bottom, a gas inlet from which gas flows in from the side, and the side A gas outlet through which the gas flows out from a position higher than the gas inlet and a gas flow path through which the gas ascends from the gas inlet and flows out of the gas outlet are formed. And the humidified water descends while swirling from the water inlet and is discharged from the water outlet, so that an opposite water channel is formed in the same space as the gas channel. The bottom of the housing in contact with the circumference m-th revolution from the first lap towards the top (m is an integer of 2 or more), characterized by comprising a helical plate with m rotations of the spiral portion formed in a spiral shape in order to, a.

  According to the present invention, the direct contact heat exchanger can be reduced in size and reduced in pressure loss.

It is an elevation section of a direct contact type heat exchanger concerning a 1st embodiment. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. It is a figure which shows a water flow path in FIG. It is a figure which shows a gas flow path in FIG. It is a direct contact type heat exchanger which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and is a VV arrow flat sectional view of FIG. It is an elevation section of a direct contact type heat exchanger (n = 2) concerning a 3rd embodiment. It is a figure which shows a water flow path in FIG. It is a figure which shows a gas flow path in FIG. It is a figure which shows a gas flow path in FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional plan view taken along line XX in FIG. 6. It is an elevation section of a modification of a direct contact type heat exchanger concerning a 3rd embodiment. It is an elevation sectional view of a direct contact type heat exchanger (n = 2) concerning a 4th embodiment. It is a figure which shows a water flow path in FIG. It is a figure which shows a gas flow path in FIG. It is an elevation sectional view of a direct contact type heat exchanger (n = 3) concerning a 4th embodiment. It is a direct contact type heat exchanger concerning a 5th embodiment, and is a XVI-XVI arrow plane sectional view of Drawing 12. It is a direct contact type heat exchanger concerning a 6th embodiment. It is a direct contact type heat exchanger concerning a 7th embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the polymer electrolyte fuel cell system applied to the direct contact type heat exchanger which concerns on each embodiment.

  An embodiment of a direct contact heat exchanger according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, the same or similar parts are denoted by common reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing an example of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell system applied to the direct contact heat exchanger according to each embodiment. As shown in FIG. 19, the polymer electrolyte fuel cell system includes a fuel processing apparatus 100 and a fuel cell stack 200. The fuel processing apparatus 100 includes a reformer 102, a carbon monoxide (hereinafter, CO) converter 103, a CO remover 104, and direct contact heat exchangers 1A and 1B.

  The direct contact heat exchanger 1 </ b> A takes in combustible fuel gas and water vapor and supplies them to the reformer 102. The reformer 102 takes in the fuel gas, the water vapor, and the air from the direct contact heat exchanger 1A, and generates a reformed fuel gas containing hydrogen. The CO converter 103 reduces CO in the reformed fuel gas generated by the reformer 102 to generate a CO-converted reformed fuel gas. The CO remover 104 removes CO by taking CO modified reformed fuel gas, water vapor, and air generated by the CO converter 103 and selectively oxidizing and burning the CO to carbon dioxide. The produced CO removal reformed fuel gas is generated. This CO removal reformed fuel gas is supplied to the anode electrode of the fuel cell stack 200.

  The direct contact heat exchanger 1B takes in air and water vapor and generates an oxidant gas containing air. This oxidant gas is supplied to the cathode electrode of the fuel cell stack 200.

  The fuel cell stack 200 generates water from oxygen and hydrogen by an electrochemical reaction between an oxidant gas supplied to the cathode electrode and a fuel gas (CO removal reformed fuel gas) supplied to the anode electrode. Electric energy is generated in the process.

  The direct contact heat exchangers 1A and 1B have the same structure. Therefore, only the direct contact heat exchanger 1B will be described. In this case, an oxidant gas is used as an example of the gas used in the direct contact heat exchanger 1B, and the embodiment of the direct contact heat exchanger according to the present invention is described. Will be explained. In the following description, the direct contact heat exchanger 1B is simply referred to as a direct contact heat exchanger 1.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a direct contact heat exchanger 1 according to the first embodiment. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a view showing a water flow path in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a gas flow path in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the direct contact heat exchanger 1 of the present embodiment includes a housing 2, a liquid drainer 7, a core 30, and a spiral plate 40.

  The housing 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape, for example, a cylindrical shape. In the housing 2, a water inlet 5 is formed at the top of the housing 2, and humidified water 20 used for humidification is supplied from the water inlet 5. The humidified water 20 is preferably pure water. A water outlet 6 is formed at the bottom of the housing 2, and humidified water 20 is discharged from the water outlet 6. A gas inlet 3 is formed on the side surface of the housing 2, and oxidant gas flows from the gas inlet 3. A gas outlet 4 is formed near the top of the side surface of the housing 2 (at least at a position higher than the gas inlet 3), and the humidified oxidant gas flows out from the gas outlet 4.

  A liquid drainer 7 is provided at the water outlet 6. The liquid drainer 7 prevents gas leakage and allows water to be discharged. Here, a U-seal may be provided instead of the liquid drainer 7.

  The core 30 is formed in a cylindrical shape, for example, a cylindrical shape. The core 30 is formed in the housing 2 and extends from the bottom of the housing 2 toward the top.

  The spiral plate 40 is in contact with the inner periphery of the housing 2 and is wound around the outer periphery of the core 30 so that the first to mth turns from the bottom to the top of the housing 2 (where m is a number greater than 1). , It does not have to be an integer).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the spiral plate 40 is installed, for example, at an angle α of 90 degrees with respect to the core 30, and is formed in parallel from a portion in contact with the outer periphery of the core 30 toward a portion in contact with the inner periphery of the housing 2. ing.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, this spiral plate 40 has a gas flow path 21 through which gas rises while turning from the gas inlet 3 and flows out from the gas outlet 4 by a spiral portion 41 of m circumferences. Then, the humidified water 20 descends while swirling from the water inlet 5 and is discharged from the water outlet 6, thereby forming a water channel 22 in the opposite direction in the same space as the gas channel 21.

  The flow of the humidified water 20 in the water channel 22 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the humidified water 20 is supplied from the water inlet 5, first, the humidified water 20 falls to the m-th spiral portion 41 at the highest position of the spiral plate 40, and the upper surface of the spiral portion 41 is removed. It travels downward by gravity while traveling around the outer periphery of the core 30, and is transmitted to the spiral portion 41 on the (m−1) th cycle. (M-1) The humidified water 20 that has flowed to the spiral part 41 of the circumference flows downward by gravity while traveling around the outer periphery of the core 30 along the upper surface of the spiral part 41, and (m-2) the spiral of the circumference Transmitted to part 41. Here, even when the humidified water 20 is transmitted to the spiral portion 41 other than the spiral portion 41 of the spiral plate 40, the flow of the humidified water 20 is the same as described above.

  In this way, in the water flow path 22, the humidified water 20 descends while turning from the water inlet 5 and is discharged from the water outlet 6.

  Next, the flow of the oxidant gas in the gas flow path 21 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the oxidant gas is supplied from the gas inlet 3 and first flows between the spiral portion 41 of the first round and the spiral portion 41 of the second round of the spiral plate 40. The oxidant gas between the first-round spiral portion 41 and the second-round spiral portion 41 rises while rotating around the outer periphery of the core 30, and the second-round spiral portion 41 and the third-round spiral portion 41 Flowing between. Here, even when the gas is transmitted between the two spiral portions 41 other than the two spiral portions 41 of the spiral plate 40, the gas flow is the same as described above.

  Thus, in the gas flow path 21, the oxidant gas rises while turning from the gas inlet 3 and is discharged from the gas outlet 4. At this time, the oxidizing gas comes into contact with the humidified water 20 held on the spiral plate 40. Thereby, the oxidant gas is humidified. The humidified oxidant gas is supplied to the oxidant electrode of the fuel cell.

  In the present embodiment, the spiral plate 40 is spirally formed while being wound around the outer periphery of the core 30 in contact with the inner periphery of the housing 2, and therefore hardly contributes to an increase in pressure loss in the gas flow path. In addition, the humidification of the oxidant gas and the total heat exchange between the humidified water 20 and the oxidant gas are effectively realized. As a result, the humidifying capacity increases, and accordingly, downsizing is possible. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the low pressure loss and a small direct contact type heat exchanger 1 can be provided.

  In particular, in the direct contact heat exchanger in the polymer electrolyte fuel cell system, the flow rate of the humidified water 20 is very small and the flow rate of the flowing gas is very large, so that the demand for low pressure loss is high. For example, in the method of providing a plurality of parallel plates in the housing 2 and causing the humidified water 20 and the oxidant gas to meander, there is a slight pressure loss when the oxidant gas collides with the inner surface of the housing. In the method of providing the core 30 and the spiral plate 40 in the housing 2 and turning the humidified water 20 and the oxidant gas as in the present embodiment, the oxidant gas collides with the inner surface of the housing. Pressure loss can be prevented or reduced. For this reason, the direct contact type heat exchanger 1 of this embodiment is effective.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, when the space | interval of the two spiral parts 41 of the spiral plate 40 is too narrow, the humidified water 20 will completely block between the two spiral parts 41, and the oxidant gas will be two. There is a possibility that it cannot pass between the spiral portions 41. Therefore, the interval between the two spiral portions 41 is appropriately about 5 mm to 20 mm.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, although the direct contact type heat exchanger 1 which humidifies oxidant gas was demonstrated, it is applicable also when humidifying fuel gas.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 5 is a direct contact heat exchanger 1 according to the second embodiment, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 1.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the direct contact heat exchanger 1 of the present embodiment is different in the shapes of the housing 2, the core 30 and the spiral plate 40 from the configuration of the first embodiment. The housing 2 and the core 30 are formed so that the surfaces in the thickness direction are flat. The spiral plate 40 is formed in a spiral shape while being wound around the outer periphery of the core 30 in contact with the inner periphery of the casing 2 in accordance with the shapes of the casing 2 and the core 30.

  As in the first embodiment, in the water flow path 22, the humidified water 20 travels around the outer periphery of the core 30 along the upper surface of the spiral portion 41 for one round of the spiral plate 40, and is directly below the spiral portion 41. It is transmitted to the spiral part 41.

  In the gas flow path 21, the oxidant gas rises while turning around the outer periphery of the core 30 on the spiral portion 41 of one turn of the spiral plate 40 and flows to the spiral portion 41 directly above the spiral portion 41.

  In this embodiment, the water flow path 22 and the gas flow path 21 can be extended compared with 1st Embodiment by extending the surface of the thickness direction of the housing | casing 2 and the core 30 to a flat type. As a result, the humidifying capacity is further increased, and the performance of the direct contact heat exchanger 1 can be improved.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 6 is an elevational section of the direct contact heat exchanger 1 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the water flow path in FIG. 8 and 9 are diagrams showing gas flow paths in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the direct contact heat exchanger 1 of the present embodiment, the number of spiral plates 40 and the shape of the core 30 are different from those of the first and second embodiments. In the direct contact heat exchanger 1 of the present embodiment, n spiral plates 40 (n is an integer of 2 or more) are provided. Here, it is assumed that the number n of the spiral plates 40 is two. Here, the two spiral plates 40 are referred to as a first spiral plate 40a and a second spiral plate 40b.

  The first spiral plate 40 a and the second spiral plate 40 b are in order from the first to the m-th cycle from the bottom to the top of the housing 2 while being wound around the outer periphery of the core 30 in contact with the inner periphery of the housing 2. It has the spiral part 41 for m circumferences formed in a spiral. Specifically, when the first spiral plate 40 a and the second spiral plate 40 b are provided, the spiral portion 41 of (2 × m) circumferences is wound around the outer periphery of the core 30 in contact with the inner periphery of the housing 2. . In this case, the odd-numbered spiral portions 41 of the (2 × m) spiral portions 41 are m spiral portions 41 of the first spiral plate 40a, and (2 × m) spiral portions 41 are included. Among the spiral portions 41, the spiral portions 41 for the even number of turns are the spiral portions 41 for the m turns of the second spiral plate 40b.

  The core 30 is provided with a through hole 31 penetrating in the thickness direction of the core 30 with respect to each of the spiral portions 41 of each circumference in each of the first spiral plate 40a and the second spiral plate 40b.

  As shown in FIG. 7, each of the through holes 31 has a first spiral portion 41 corresponding to one of the spiral portions 41 corresponding to each of the first spiral plate 40 a and the second spiral plate 40 b. From the point to the second point of the spiral part 41 just below the spiral part 41 for one turn, the core 30 is connected within the core 30 before the humidified water 20 makes one round of the upper surface of the spiral part 41 for one round. Tell humidified water 20 to The first spiral plate 40 a and the second spiral plate 40 b form one water flow path 22 when the humidified water 20 supplied from the water inlet 5 flows to the upper surface and the through hole 31.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the first spiral plate 40a and the second spiral plate 40b have two gas flow paths 21 corresponding to one to one, that is, the first gas flow path 21a and the second gas flow. A path 21b is formed.

  The flow of the humidified water 20 in the water channel 22 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the humidified water 20 is supplied from the water inlet 5, first, the humidified water 20 falls to the m-th spiral portion 41 of the second spiral plate 40 b and travels along the upper surface of the spiral portion 41. The first spiral plate is formed by the through-hole 31 that connects the m-th spiral portion 41 of the first spiral plate 40a and the m-th spiral portion 41 of the second spiral plate 40b before making one round of the outer periphery of the core 30. It is transmitted to the spiral part 41 of the m-th circumference of 40a. The humidified water 20 that has flowed into the m-th spiral portion 41 of the first spiral plate 40a travels along the upper surface of the spiral portion 41 and does not make one round of the outer periphery of the core 30 until the (m− 1) It is transmitted to the (m−1) -round spiral portion 41 of the second spiral plate 40b through the through-hole 31 that connects the spiral portion 41 of the circumference and the m-th spiral portion 41 of the first spiral plate 40a. Here, even when the humidified water 20 is transmitted to the spiral portion 41 other than the spiral portion 41 of the spiral plate 40, the flow of the humidified water 20 is the same as described above.

  In this way, in the water flow path 22, the humidified water 20 descends while swirling from the water inlet 5 by flowing through the upper surfaces of the first spiral plate 40 a and the second spiral plate 40 b and the through hole 31. 6 is discharged.

  Next, the flow of the oxidant gas in the first gas channel 21a and the second gas channel 21b will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the first gas flow path 21a, when the oxidant gas is supplied from the gas inlet 3, the first spiral plate 41a has a first spiral portion 41 and a second spiral plate 40b. It flows between the spiral portion 41 of the first round. The oxidant gas ascends around the outer periphery of the core 30 and flows between the second spiral portion 41 of the first spiral plate 40a and the second spiral portion 41 of the second spiral plate 40b. Here, even when the gas is transmitted between the two spiral portions 41 other than the two spiral portions 41 described above, the gas flow is the same as described above.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the oxidant gas is supplied from the gas inlet 3 in the second gas flow path 21 b, the first spiral plate 41 and the first spiral plate 41 of the second spiral plate 40 b. It flows between the spiral portion 41 of the second round of 40a. The oxidant gas rises while rotating around the outer periphery of the core 30 and flows between the second spiral portion 41 of the second spiral plate 40b and the third spiral portion 41 of the first spiral plate 40a. Here, even when the gas is transmitted between the two spiral portions 41 other than the two spiral portions 41 described above, the gas flow is the same as described above.

  In this way, in the first gas flow path 21a, the oxidant gas swirls from the gas inlet 3 and rises while skipping the spiral portion 41 for one turn of the second gas flow path 21b. 4 is discharged. At the same time, in the second gas flow path 21b, the oxidant gas swirls from the gas inlet 3 and rises and discharges from the gas outlet 4 while flying the spiral portion 41 for one turn of the first gas flow path 21a. Is done. At this time, the oxidizing gas comes into contact with the humidified water 20 held on the first spiral plate 40a and the second spiral plate 40b. Thereby, the oxidant gas is humidified. The humidified oxidant gas is supplied to the oxidant electrode of the fuel cell.

  The flow of the humidified water 20 and the oxidant gas will be described in more detail. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG.

  The area of the spiral portion 41 for one round is divided into a first area 42 and a second area 43. The first region 42 is a region from the first point A to the second point B in FIG. 10, and is used for both the gas channel 21 and the water channel 22 on the spiral portion 41 for one round. It is done. The second region 43 is a region from the third point C to the fourth point D in FIG. 10, and only the gas flow path 21 on the spiral portion 41 for one round is used. Here, the flow path length of the first area 42 is longer than the flow path length of the second area 43, and the height of the flow path of the first area 42 is higher than the height of the flow path of the second area 43. .

  In the water flow path 22, the humidified water 20 travels from the through hole 31 provided at the first point A of the spiral portion 41 for one round to the upper surface of the spiral portion 41 for one round and does not make one round of the outer periphery of the core 30. It flows to the 2nd point B inside, and is transmitted to the through-hole 31 provided in the spiral part 41 just under the spiral part 41 for one round. In the first gas flow path 21a and the second gas flow path 21b, the oxidant gas flows from the second point B of the spiral portion 41 for one turn to the first point A, and is rotated twice by the spiral portion 41 for one turn. It flows from the third point C to the fourth point D of the spiral portion 41 directly above.

  In the present embodiment, the first spiral plate 40a and the second spiral plate 40b form the first gas flow path 21a and the second gas flow path 21b in a one-to-one correspondence with each other, and therefore, compared with the first embodiment. This ensures a gas gas cross-sectional area that is twice that of the gas flow and greatly reduces gas pressure loss. Therefore, according to this embodiment, a further low pressure loss and a small direct contact heat exchanger 1 can be provided.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since one water flow path 22 is formed by the through hole 31 provided in the core 30, it is effective when only one water inlet 5 can be installed.

  In the present embodiment, the gradient of the second region 43 may be changed so that the humidified water 20 does not flow from the fourth point D to the third point C on the second region 43 shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is an elevational section of a modification of the direct contact heat exchanger 1 according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the second region 43 is formed so that the gas flow path 21 has a downward slope. Accordingly, the humidified water 20 does not flow from the fourth point D to the third point C on the second region 43, but the humidified water 20 surely flows to the through hole 31, and the water flow path 22 as shown in FIG. Can be secured.

[Fourth Embodiment]
FIG. 12 is an elevational sectional view of the direct contact heat exchanger 1 according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a view showing the water flow path in FIG. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a gas flow path in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 12, in the direct contact heat exchanger 1 of the present embodiment, the number of spiral plates 40 and the number of water inlets 5 are different from those of the first embodiment. In the direct contact heat exchanger 1 of the present embodiment, n (n is an integer of 2 or more) spiral plates 40 and water inlets 5 are provided. Here, the number n of the spiral plate 40 and the water inlet 5 is assumed to be two. The two spiral plates 40 are referred to as a first spiral plate 40a and a second spiral plate 40b, and the two water inlets 5 are referred to as a first water inlet 5a and a second water inlet 5b.

  The first spiral plate 40 a and the second spiral plate 40 b are in order from the first to the m-th cycle from the bottom to the top of the housing 2 while being wound around the outer periphery of the core 30 in contact with the inner periphery of the housing 2. It has the spiral part 41 for m circumferences formed in a spiral. Specifically, when the first spiral plate 40 a and the second spiral plate 40 b are provided, the spiral portion 41 of (2 × m) circumferences is wound around the outer periphery of the core 30 in contact with the inner periphery of the housing 2. . In this case, the odd-numbered spiral portions 41 of the (2 × m) spiral portions 41 are m spiral portions 41 of the first spiral plate 40a, and (2 × m) spiral portions 41 are included. Among the spiral portions 41, the spiral portions 41 for the even number of turns are the spiral portions 41 for the m turns of the second spiral plate 40b.

  The first water inlet 5a and the second water inlet 5b are provided in one-to-one correspondence with the first spiral plate 40a and the second spiral plate 40b.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the first spiral plate 40 a and the second spiral plate 40 b have humidified water 20 supplied from the first water inlet 5 a and the second water inlet 5 b corresponding to the first spiral plate 40 a and the second spiral plate 40 b on their upper surfaces. By flowing, two water channels 22, that is, a first water channel 22a and a second water channel 22b are formed.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the first spiral plate 40a and the second spiral plate 40b correspond to the two gas flow paths 21, that is, the first gas flow path 21a and the second gas flow, one to one. A path 21b is formed.

  The flow of the humidified water 20 in the first water channel 22a and the second water channel 22b will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 13, in the first water flow path 22a, when the humidified water 20 is supplied from the first water inlet 5a, first, it falls to the m-th spiral portion 41 of the first spiral plate 40a, It flows downward along the upper surface of the spiral portion 41 by gravity while turning around the outer periphery of the core 30 and is transmitted to the spiral portion 41 of the (m−1) th round of the first spiral plate 40a. The humidified water 20 that has flowed through the spiral portion 41 of the (m−1) th round of the first spiral plate 40a flows downward along the outer periphery of the core 30 along the upper surface of the spiral portion 41, and flows downward by gravity. It is transmitted to the spiral portion 41 on the (m-2) th circumference of the plate 40a. Here, even when the humidified water 20 is transmitted to the spiral portion 41 other than the spiral portion 41 of the first spiral plate 40a, the flow of the humidified water 20 is the same as described above.

  In the second water flow path 22b, when the humidified water 20 is supplied from the second water inlet 5b, it first falls to the m-th spiral portion 41 of the second spiral plate 40b and travels along the upper surface of the spiral portion 41. Then, while flowing around the outer periphery of the core 30, it flows downward by gravity and is transmitted to the (m−1) -th spiral portion 41 of the second spiral plate 40 b. The humidified water 20 that has flowed through the spiral portion 41 of the (m−1) th round of the second spiral plate 40b flows downward along the outer surface of the core 30 along the upper surface of the spiral portion 41, and flows downward due to gravity. It is transmitted to the spiral portion 41 on the (m-2) th circumference of the plate 40b. Here, even when the humidified water 20 is transmitted to the spiral portion 41 other than the above-described spiral portion 41 of the second spiral plate 40b, the flow of the humidified water 20 is the same as described above.

  In this manner, in the first water flow path 22a, the humidified water 20 swirls from the first water inlet 5a and descends while skipping the spiral portion 41 for one turn of the second water flow path 22b. 6 is discharged. At the same time, in the second water flow path 22b, the humidified water 20 is swung from the second water inlet 5b, and descends and discharges from the water outlet 6 while skipping the spiral portion 41 for one turn of the first water flow path 22a. Is done.

  Next, the flow of the oxidant gas in the first gas channel 21a and the second gas channel 21b will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 14, when the oxidant gas is supplied from the gas inlet 3 in the first gas flow path 21a, the first spiral plate 41a has a spiral portion 41 and a second spiral plate 40b. It flows between the spiral portion 41 of the first round. The oxidant gas ascends around the outer periphery of the core 30 and flows between the second spiral portion 41 of the first spiral plate 40a and the second spiral portion 41 of the second spiral plate 40b. Here, even when the gas is transmitted between the two spiral portions 41 other than the two spiral portions 41 described above, the gas flow is the same as described above.

  In the second gas channel 21b, when the oxidant gas is supplied from the gas inlet 3, the first spiral portion 41 of the second spiral plate 40b and the second spiral portion 41 of the first spiral plate 40a Flowing between. The oxidant gas rises while rotating around the outer periphery of the core 30 and flows between the second spiral portion 41 of the second spiral plate 40b and the third spiral portion 41 of the first spiral plate 40a. Here, even when the gas is transmitted between the two spiral portions 41 other than the two spiral portions 41 described above, the gas flow is the same as described above.

  In this way, in the first gas flow path 21a, the oxidant gas swirls from the gas inlet 3 and rises while skipping the spiral portion 41 for one turn of the second gas flow path 21b. 4 is discharged. At the same time, in the second gas flow path 21b, the oxidant gas swirls from the gas inlet 3 and rises and discharges from the gas outlet 4 while flying the spiral portion 41 for one turn of the first gas flow path 21a. Is done. At this time, the oxidizing gas comes into contact with the humidified water 20 held on the first spiral plate 40a and the second spiral plate 40b. Thereby, the oxidant gas is humidified. The humidified oxidant gas is supplied to the oxidant electrode of the fuel cell.

  In the present embodiment, the first spiral plate 40a and the second spiral plate 40b form the first gas flow path 21a and the second gas flow path 21b in a one-to-one correspondence with each other, and therefore, compared with the first embodiment. This ensures a gas gas cross-sectional area that is twice that of the gas flow and greatly reduces gas pressure loss. Therefore, according to this embodiment, a further low pressure loss and a small direct contact heat exchanger 1 can be provided.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, when n is 2, the two water inlets 5 form two water flow paths 22 corresponding to one to one, and the two water flow paths 22 are two pieces. Since it corresponds to the gas flow path 21, it is effective when a plurality of water inlets 5 can be installed.

  In the present embodiment, n is 2, but may be 3 or more. FIG. 15 is an elevational sectional view of the direct contact heat exchanger 1 at n = 3. That is, the number n of the spiral plate 40 and the water inlet 5 is three. The three spiral plates 40 are referred to as first to third spiral plates 40a to 40c, and the three water inlets 5 are referred to as first to third water inlets 5a to 5c. The first to third water inlets 5a to 5c are provided in one-to-one correspondence with the first to third spiral plates 40a to 40c. The first to third spiral plates 40a to 40c have three water flow paths 22 (not shown) when the humidified water 20 supplied from the first to third water inlets 5a to 5c corresponding to one to one flows on the upper surface thereof. ). The first to third spiral plates 40a to 40c form three gas passages 21 (not shown) corresponding one to one.

  Thus, even when n is 3, since the three spiral plates 40 form the three gas flow paths 21 corresponding to one to one, the three spiral plates 40 are three times as compared with the first embodiment. The cross-sectional area of the gas flow path is secured, and the gas pressure loss is greatly reduced. Further, the three water inlets 5 form three water flow paths 22 corresponding one-to-one, and the three water flow paths 22 correspond to the three gas flow paths 21, so The humidification capacity is further increased with respect to the third embodiment.

[Fifth Embodiment]
FIG. 16 is the direct contact heat exchanger 1 according to the fifth embodiment, and is a cross-sectional plan view taken along arrow XVI-XVI in FIG. 12.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the direct contact heat exchanger 1 of the present embodiment is different from the configuration of the fourth embodiment in the shapes of the housing 2, the core 30 and the spiral plate 40. The housing 2 and the core 30 are formed so that the surfaces in the thickness direction are flat. The spiral plate 40 is formed in a spiral shape while being wound around the outer periphery of the core 30 in contact with the inner periphery of the casing 2 in accordance with the shapes of the casing 2 and the core 30.

  As in the fourth embodiment, in the first water flow path 22a, the humidified water 20 travels around the outer periphery of the core 30 along the upper surface of the spiral portion 41 for one turn of the first spiral plate 40a, and the first spiral. It is transmitted to the spiral portion 41 directly below the spiral portion 41 for one round of the plate 40a. In the second water flow path 22b, the humidified water 20 travels around the outer periphery of the core 30 along the upper surface of the spiral portion 41 for one turn of the second spiral plate 40b, and spirals for one turn of the second spiral plate 40b. It is transmitted to the spiral portion 41 directly below 41.

  In the first gas flow path 21a, the oxidant gas rises while rotating around the outer periphery of the core 30 on the spiral portion 41 of one turn of the first spiral plate 40a, and the spiral of one turn of the first spiral plate 40a. It flows to the spiral portion 41 directly above the portion 41. In the second gas flow path 21b, the oxidant gas rises while rotating around the outer periphery of the core 30 on the spiral portion 41 of one turn of the second spiral plate 40b, and the spiral of one turn of the second spiral plate 40b. It flows to the spiral portion 41 directly above the portion 41.

  In the present embodiment, the first water flow path 22a, the second water flow path 22b, and the first gas flow path 21a are compared with the fourth embodiment by extending the thickness direction surfaces of the housing 2 and the core 30 in a flat shape. And the 2nd gas flow path 21b can be extended. As a result, the humidifying capacity is further increased, and the performance of the direct contact heat exchanger 1 can be improved.

[Sixth Embodiment]
FIG. 17 shows a direct contact heat exchanger 1 according to the sixth embodiment.

  The spiral plate 40 (see FIG. 2) in the first to fifth embodiments is installed with an angle α with respect to the core 30 of 90 degrees, and extends from a portion in contact with the outer periphery of the core 30 to a portion in contact with the inner periphery of the housing 2. Are formed in parallel.

  On the other hand, in the direct contact heat exchanger 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, the shape of the spiral plate 40 is different from that of the first to fifth embodiments. The spiral plate 40 is installed with an angle α with respect to the core 30 smaller than 90 degrees, and is formed with an upward slope from a portion in contact with the outer periphery of the core 30 toward a portion in contact with the inner periphery of the housing 2.

  In this embodiment, since the spiral plate 40 is formed so as to rise upward from the core 30, the humidified water 20 flows along the contact point between the core 30 and the spiral plate 40. Even if a gap occurs between the two, the humidified water 20 can be prevented from flowing from the gap to the bottom of the housing 2. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a high-performance, low pressure loss and small direct contact heat exchanger 1.

[Seventh Embodiment]
FIG. 18 is a direct contact heat exchanger 1 according to the seventh embodiment.

  The spiral plate 40 (see FIG. 2) in the first to fifth embodiments is installed with an angle α with respect to the core 30 of 90 degrees, and extends from a portion in contact with the outer periphery of the core 30 to a portion in contact with the inner periphery of the housing 2. Are formed in parallel. Further, as described above, the spiral plate 40 (see FIG. 17) in the sixth embodiment is installed with an angle α with respect to the core 30 smaller than 90 degrees, and the inner periphery of the housing 2 from the portion in contact with the outer periphery of the core 30. It is formed with an ascending slope toward the portion in contact with.

  On the other hand, in the direct contact heat exchanger 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18, the material of the spiral plate 40 is different from that of the first to sixth embodiments. The width of the spiral plate 40 is longer than the length between the outer periphery of the core 30 and the inner periphery of the housing 2, and the spiral plate 40 is disposed between the outer periphery of the core 30 and the inner periphery of the housing 2. A material that fills the gap between the outer periphery of the core 30 and the inner periphery of the housing 2 is used by being deformed.

  In the present embodiment, for example, when the core 30 is installed in the housing 2 from the top and the spiral plate 40 is installed in the housing 2 from the top after the top is not installed in the housing 2 yet. Further, since the width of the spiral plate 40 is longer than the length between the outer periphery of the core 30 and the inner periphery of the housing 2, the spiral plate 40 is deformed between the inner surface of the housing 2 and the outer periphery of the core 30. However, it contacts both the inner surface of the housing 2 and the outer periphery of the core 30. As a result, since no gap is generated between the spiral plate 40 and the housing 2, the humidified water 20 does not flow from the gap to the bottom of the housing 2. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a high-performance, low pressure loss and small direct contact heat exchanger 1.

  In the present embodiment, as in the sixth embodiment, the spiral plate 40 is formed with an upward slope from the portion in contact with the outer periphery of the core 30 toward the portion in contact with the inner periphery of the housing 2, so that the humidified water. 20 flows along the contact point between the core 30 and the spiral plate 40, and the humidifying capacity is further increased as compared with the first to sixth embodiments.

[Other Embodiments]
As mentioned above, although some embodiment of this invention was described, these embodiment is shown as an example and is not intending limiting the range of invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, modifications, and features of the embodiments can be combined without departing from the spirit of the invention. . For example, the spiral plate 40 of the sixth embodiment can be applied to any of the first to fifth embodiments. The spiral plate 40 of the seventh embodiment can be applied to any of the first to sixth embodiments. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Direct contact type heat exchanger 1A ... Direct contact type heat exchanger 1B ... Direct contact type heat exchanger 2 ... Case 3 ... Gas inlet 4 ... Gas outlet 5 ... Water inlet 5a ... First water inlet 5b ... Second Water inlet 6 ... Water outlet 7 ... Liquid drainer 20 ... Humidified water 21 ... Gas flow path 21a ... First gas flow path 21b ... Second gas flow path 22 ... Water flow path 22a ... First water flow path 22b ... Second water flow path DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 ... Core 31 ... Through-hole 40 ... Spiral plate 40a ... 1st spiral plate 40b ... 2nd spiral plate 40c ... 3rd spiral plate 41 ... Spiral part 100 ... Fuel processor 102 ... Reformer 103 ... Carbon monoxide (CO ) Transformer 104 ... CO remover 200 ... Fuel cell stack

Claims (11)

The gas flows out from a water inlet to which humidified water is supplied from the top, a water outlet from which the humidified water is discharged from the bottom, a gas inlet from which gas flows in from the side, and a position higher than the gas inlet on the side. A housing formed with a gas outlet,
A gas flow path is formed in which the gas rises while swirling from the gas inlet and flows out from the gas outlet, and the humidified water descends while swirling from the water inlet and is discharged from the water outlet, One round from the bottom to the top of the casing while being wound around the outer periphery of the core in contact with the inner periphery of the casing so that a water channel in the opposite direction is formed in the same space as the gas channel A spiral plate having a spiral portion of m turns formed in order from the eye to the mth turn (m is 2 or more);
The direct contact type heat exchanger characterized by comprising. A core formed in the housing and extending from the bottom to the top of the housing;
The spiral plate is formed in a spiral shape while being wound around the outer periphery of the core in contact with the inner periphery of the housing, the spiral portion for the m circumferences,
The direct contact type heat exchanger according to claim 1. Surfaces in the thickness direction of the housing and the core are flat.
The direct contact heat exchanger according to claim 2, wherein: The spiral plate is provided n (n is an integer of 2 or more),
The n helical plates form the n gas flow paths corresponding one-to-one.
The direct contact heat exchanger according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein The water inlet is provided for each of the n spiral plates;
The n spiral plates form n water flow paths by flowing the humidified water supplied from the n water inlets corresponding to the one-to-one on the upper surface thereof.
The direct contact heat exchanger according to claim 4, wherein: The core is provided with a through-hole penetrating in the thickness direction of the core with respect to each of the spiral portions of each circumference in each of the n spiral plates,
Each of the through-holes includes a first portion of a spiral portion immediately below the spiral portion corresponding to one turn from a first point of the spiral portion corresponding to one turn among the spiral portions corresponding to each of the n spiral plates. Connected in the core up to two points, before the humidified water makes one round on the upper surface of the spiral portion for one round, the humidified water is transmitted to the spiral portion directly below,
The region of the spiral portion for one turn includes a first region used for both the gas channel and the water channel on the spiral portion for one turn, and the spiral portion for the one turn. Divided into a second region used only for the gas flow path,
The n spiral plates form one water flow path when the humidified water supplied from the water inlet flows through the upper surface and the through hole.
The direct contact heat exchanger according to claim 4, wherein: The flow path length of the first region is longer than the flow path length of the second region,
The height of the flow path of the first region is higher than the height of the flow path of the second region,
The direct contact heat exchanger according to claim 6. The second region is formed so that the gas flow path has a downward slope.
The direct contact heat exchanger according to claim 7. The spiral plate is formed with an upward slope from a portion in contact with the outer periphery of the core toward a portion in contact with the inner periphery of the housing.
The direct contact heat exchanger according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein the heat exchanger is a direct contact heat exchanger. The width of the spiral plate is longer than the length between the outer periphery of the core and the inner periphery of the housing,
The spiral plate is made of a material that fills a gap between the outer periphery of the core and the inner periphery of the housing by being deformed when disposed between the outer periphery of the core and the inner periphery of the housing. Be
The direct contact heat exchanger according to any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein the heat exchanger is a direct contact heat exchanger. A fuel cell stack having a fuel electrode and an oxidant electrode;
A direct contact heat exchanger for humidifying a gas to be supplied to either the fuel electrode or the oxidant electrode of the fuel cell stack;
Comprising
The direct contact heat exchanger is
The gas flows out from a water inlet to which humidified water is supplied from the top, a water outlet from which the humidified water is discharged from the bottom, a gas inlet from which gas flows in from the side, and a position higher than the gas inlet on the side. A housing formed with a gas outlet,
A gas flow path is formed in which the gas rises while swirling from the gas inlet and flows out from the gas outlet, and the humidified water descends while swirling from the water inlet and is discharged from the water outlet, The first to mth rounds (m is 2) from the bottom to the top of the casing in contact with the inner periphery of the casing so that a water channel in the opposite direction is formed in the same space as the gas channel. A spiral plate having a spiral portion of m circumferences formed in order in a spiral manner up to the above integer),
A solid polymer fuel cell system comprising:

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