KR101338154B1 - Fuel cartridge and unit cell for fuel cell, and fuel cell - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fuel cell that generates electrical energy using oxidation of fuel, and a fuel cartridge and unit cell used therein. Fuel cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention, the frame having a hollow portion; A current collector mounted on one surface of the frame to cover the hollow portion; And a separator mounted on the other surface of the frame to face the current collector. A storage space is formed between the current collector and the separator so that fuel mixed with an electrolyte can be stored.

Description

FUEL CARTRIDGE AND UNIT CELL FOR FUEL CELL, AND FUEL CELL}

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to fuel cells, and more particularly, to a fuel cell that generates electrical energy using oxidation of a fuel.

A fuel cell refers to a device that generates electrical energy by electrochemically reacting a fuel and an oxidant. Fuel cells, unlike conventional cells, consume fuel to produce power. There are various kinds of fuel cells, for example, hydrogen fuel cells using hydrogen and oxygen as fuels and oxidants, and metal fuel cells using metal and air as fuels and oxidants, respectively.

Since a typical battery stores relatively low energy, it is insufficient to be used as a power source for portable electronic devices whose performance is rapidly improving. Lithium-based batteries store a relatively high density of energy, but they can pose a risk of fire or explosion. Hydrogen fuel cells store very high densities of energy, but they can take considerable time to reach the public due to their high cost.

Metal fuel cells store a higher density of energy than lithium-based cells and do not pose a fire or explosion hazard. Therefore, it is being spotlighted as a next generation eco-friendly petroleum energy source along with hydrogen fuel cell.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an environmentally friendly fuel cell that can be used repeatedly.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel cartridge and a unit cell used in the above-described fuel cell.

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a fuel cartridge used in a fuel cell for oxidizing fuel to generate electrical energy. The fuel cartridge includes a frame having a hollow portion; A current collector mounted on one surface of the frame to cover the hollow portion; And a separator mounted on the other surface of the frame to face the current collector. A storage space is formed between the current collector and the separator so that fuel mixed with an electrolyte can be stored.

In an embodiment, the fuel may be a metal fuel in a gel form formed by mixing a metal material in powder form and the electrolyte.

In an embodiment, the fuel cartridge may further include a protective film made of a polymer material detachably attached to an outer side of the separator.

In some embodiments, the separator may be formed to contact the air electrode of the fuel cell while the protective film is removed to allow ions to pass between the fuel and the air electrode.

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a unit cell of a fuel cell that oxidizes fuel to generate electrical energy. The unit cell may include a fuel cartridge including a frame, a current collector and a separator installed on both surfaces of the frame, and a storage space formed between the current collector and the separator to store fuel mixed with an electrolyte. ; A housing having a mounting space to detachably mount the fuel cartridge; And an air electrode disposed in the mounting space to be connected to the separator when the fuel cartridge is mounted.

In an embodiment, the unit cell may include a positive electrode conductor disposed in the housing to be connected to the air electrode in the mounting space; And a negative electrode conductor disposed in the housing to be connected to the current collector in the mounting space when the fuel cartridge is mounted.

In example embodiments, the fuel cartridge may include first and second fuel cartridges, and the air electrode may include first and second air electrodes disposed in the mounting space. In addition, when the first and second fuel cartridges are mounted, current collectors of the first and second fuel cartridges are connected to each other, and separators of the first and second fuel cartridges are respectively connected to the first and second air. It can be connected to the electrode.

In an embodiment, the unit cell may include a positive electrode conductor disposed in the housing to be connected to the first second air electrode in the mounting space; And a negative electrode conductor disposed in the housing so as to be connected to current collectors of the first and second fuel cartridges when the first and second fuel cartridges are mounted.

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a fuel cell that generates electrical energy by oxidizing a fuel. The fuel cell includes a unit cell as described above; A case housing the unit cell; A positive electrode terminal connected to the positive electrode conductor of the unit cell; And a negative electrode terminal connected to the negative electrode conductor of the unit cell.

In example embodiments, the unit cell may include a plurality of unit cells, and the plurality of unit cells may be connected in series or in parallel between the positive terminal and the negative terminal.

In an embodiment, the fuel cell may include a controller configured to measure a residual amount of the unit cell; And a display unit disposed on one surface of the case and configured to display the measured residual amount.

In an embodiment, the fuel cell may include an air inlet formed in one region of the case; And a fan operative to suck air into the inner space of the case through the air inlet.

In an embodiment, the controller may measure the output power of the unit cell and control the operation of the fan based on the measured output power.

In an embodiment, the fuel cell may further include an air outlet formed in another area of the case so that air is discharged to the outer space of the case. The fuel cell may further include opening and closing members configured to open and close the air inlet and the air outlet, respectively.

According to the present invention, by storing the metal fuel in the form of a gel in which the metal material and the electrolyte are mixed in the fuel cartridge, the utilization rate of the cathode can be increased and the leakage of the electrolyte can be minimized as compared with the storage of the fuel in the form of a metal sheet.

In addition, the air electrode is not provided in the consumable fuel cartridge, but is provided in the unit cell of the semi-permanent fuel cell, thereby lowering the price of the fuel cartridge and reducing environmental pollution due to the waste fuel cartridge.

In addition, by using a structure in which a plurality of fuel cartridges may be mounted in one unit cell, the volume of the fuel cell may be reduced while increasing the output power of the fuel cell.

In addition, by displaying the remaining amount of the fuel cell, the user can predict when to replace the fuel cartridge. Therefore, damage due to interruption of power supply can be prevented.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a fuel cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a conceptual view illustrating an embodiment of a mounting unit in which a fuel cartridge according to the present invention is mounted.
3 is a cross-sectional view of a unit cell of a fuel cell in which the fuel cartridge of FIG. 1 is mounted to a mounting portion of FIG. 2.
4 is a conceptual view illustrating another embodiment of a mounting unit in which a plurality of fuel cartridges according to the present invention is mounted.
5 is a cross-sectional view of a unit cell of a fuel cell formed by mounting a plurality of fuel cartridges of FIG. 1 to a mounting portion of FIG. 4.
6A and 6B are conceptual views illustrating a fuel cell according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
7A and 7B are conceptual views illustrating a fuel cell according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the technical idea of the present invention. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention, and like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the specification.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a fuel cartridge 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I shown in FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1C is along the line I'-I 'shown in FIG. 1A. It is a section taken. Referring to FIG. 1, the fuel cartridge 100 includes a frame 110, a separator 120, a protective film 130, and a current collector 140.

The frame 110 may have a hollow portion. The current collector 140 may be mounted on one surface of the frame 110 to cover the hollow portion, and the separator 120 may be mounted on the other surface of the frame 110 to face the current collector 140. A storage space 150 may be formed between the current collector 140 and the separator 120 to store fuel.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the fuel may be stored in the storage space 150 while being mixed with the electrolyte. More specifically, the fuel may be a metal fuel in a gel form formed by mixing a metal material in powder form and an electrolyte. Examples of the metal material include zinc, aluminum, magnesium, and the like.

The separator 120 is formed to allow ions to pass between the fuel and the outside (eg, an air electrode) and may electrically maintain an insulation state of the fuel.

The protective film 130 may be formed of a polymer material and may be detachably attached to an outer side of the separator 120. As a result, the separation membrane 120 may be protected, and the fuel cartridge 100 may be sealed to prevent evaporation of water in the fuel. Therefore, the fuel cartridge 100 may be stored for a long time by the protective film 130. In order to use the fuel cartridge 100, the protective film 130 may be removed.

The current collector 140 may be formed to collect current by contacting fuel stored in the storage space 150 when the fuel cell 100 is operated.

2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an embodiment of a mounting unit 200 in which a fuel cartridge according to the present invention is mounted. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II shown in FIG. 2A, and FIG. 2C is along the line II'-II 'shown in FIG. 2A. It is a section taken. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a unit cell of a fuel cell in which the fuel cartridge 100 of FIG. 1 is mounted on the mounting unit 200 of FIG. 2. In the following, redundant description of the fuel cartridge 100 will be omitted.

2 and 3 together, the mounting part 200 includes a housing 210, a positive electrode conductor 220, a negative electrode conductor 230, and an air electrode 240. The housing 210 may include a mounting space 250 to detachably mount the fuel cartridge 100.

The anode conductor 220 may be disposed in the housing 210 to be connected to the air electrode 240 in the mounting space 250. In the state where the fuel cartridge 100 is mounted, the anode conductor 220 and the air electrode 240 are connected to each other to form an anode of a unit cell.

The negative electrode 230 may be disposed in the housing 210 to be connected to the current collector 140 in the mounting space 250 when the fuel cartridge 100 is mounted. In the state where the fuel cartridge 100 is mounted, the negative electrode 230 and the current collector 140 are connected to each other to form a negative electrode of the unit cell.

The air electrode 240 may also be referred to as a cathode, and may be disposed in the mounting space 250 to be connected to the separator 120 when the fuel cartridge 100 is mounted. In the air electrode 240, oxygen introduced from the outside, electrons transferred through the anode conductor 220, and water penetrated through the separator 120 react with each other to generate a hydroxyl group (OH—).

4 is a conceptual view illustrating another embodiment of a mounting unit 300 in which a plurality of fuel cartridges 100 and 100 'according to the present invention are mounted. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III shown in FIG. 4A, and FIG. 4C is taken along line III'-III 'shown in FIG. 4A. It is a section taken. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a unit cell of a fuel cell formed by mounting a plurality of fuel cartridges 100 and 100 ′ of FIG. 1 to the mounting unit 300 of FIG. 4.

4 and 5, the mounting unit 300 includes a housing 310, a positive electrode conductor 320, a negative electrode conductor 330, and a plurality of air electrodes 340 and 340 ′. The housing 310 may include a mounting space 350 to detachably mount the first and second fuel cartridges 100 and 100 ′.

Upon mounting the first and second fuel cartridges 100, 100 ′, the current collectors 140, 140 ′ of the first and second fuel cartridges 100, 100 ′ are connected to each other, and the first and second fuel cartridges 100, 100 ′ are connected to each other. The separators 120 and 120 'of the second fuel cartridge 100 and 100' may be connected to the first and second air electrodes 340 and 340 ', respectively. The first and second air electrodes 340 and 340 ′ may be disposed in the mounting space 350 to face each other and to be spaced apart from each other.

The anode conductor 320 may be disposed in the housing 310 to be connected to the first and second air electrodes 340 and 340 ′ in the mounting space 350. In a state where the first and second fuel cartridges 100 and 100 'are mounted, the anode conductor 320 and the air electrodes 340 and 340' are connected to each other to form an anode of a unit cell.

The negative electrode conductor 330 includes the current collectors 140 of the first and second fuel cartridges 100 and 100 ′ in the mounting space 350 when the first and second fuel cartridges 100 and 100 ′ are mounted. 140 'may be disposed in the housing 310 to be connected to the housing 310'. In the state where the first and second fuel cartridges 100 and 100 'are mounted, the negative electrode conductor 330 and the current collectors 140 and 140' are connected to each other to form a negative electrode of the unit cell.

According to such a unit cell, since the current can be generated twice as compared to using one fuel cartridge 100, the output of the fuel cell can be complemented.

6A and 6B are conceptual views illustrating a fuel cell 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, a fuel cell 400 including a plurality of unit cells 410 of FIG. 3 is illustrated. Although a plurality of unit cells 410 are shown in the drawing, in an embodiment of the present invention, the fuel cell 400 may include one unit cell 410.

6A and 6B, the fuel cell 400 includes a plurality of unit cells 410, a case 420, a positive terminal 430, a negative terminal 440, a fan Fan 450, and an air intake port. 460, an air outlet 470, a display unit 480, and a controller (not shown).

The plurality of unit cells 410 may be electrically connected in series between the positive electrode terminal 430 and the negative electrode terminal 440 as shown in FIG. 6A, or may be connected in parallel as shown in FIG. 6B. For example, when 12 unit cells 410 having an electromotive force of 1V are connected in series, the fuel cell 400 may have an electromotive force of 12V.

The positive electrode terminal 430 and the negative electrode terminal 440 are disposed in the case 420, and the positive electrode conductor 220 (see FIG. 3) and the negative electrode conductor 230 (see FIG. 3) of the at least one unit cell 410 are respectively. ).

The fan 450 is mounted to one region of the case 420. For example, the fan 450 may be mounted in an area corresponding to the air intake 460 formed in the case 420. The fan 450 may operate to suck air into the inner space of the case 420 through the air inlet 460. An air outlet 470 may be formed in another area of the case 450 so that air is discharged to the external space.

Although not shown, the fuel cell 400 may further include opening and closing members configured to open and close the air inlet 460 and the air outlet 470, respectively. When the air inlet 460 and the air outlet 470 are closed by the opening / closing members, since the air supply is stopped from the outside, the chemical reaction may be suppressed in the fuel cell 400. Therefore, unnecessary power consumption can be reduced, and the fuel cell 400 can be stored for a long time.

The controller controls the overall operation of the fuel cell 400. The controller may measure output power of the unit cells 410 and control the operation of the fan 450 based on the measured output power. For example, the controller operates the fan 450 when the output power of the unit cells 410 is equal to or greater than the reference power, while the output power of the unit cells 410 is less than the reference power. 450 can be stopped.

In addition, the controller may measure the remaining amount of the unit cells, that is, the remaining amount of the fuel cell 400, and control the display unit 480 to display the measured remaining amount. Therefore, the user can determine the replacement time of the fuel cartridge 100 (see FIG. 1) by checking the remaining amount of the fuel cell 400 displayed on the display unit 480.

7A and 7B are conceptual views illustrating a fuel cell 500 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, a fuel cell 500 including a plurality of unit cells 510 of FIG. 5 is illustrated. The plurality of unit cells 510 may be electrically connected in series between the positive electrode terminal 530 and the negative electrode terminal 540 as shown in FIG. 7A, or may be connected in parallel as shown in FIG. 7B. Other configurations are the same as or similar to the above-described embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, according to the present invention, by storing the metal fuel in a gel form in which the metal material and the electrolyte are mixed in the fuel cartridge, the utilization rate of the cathode is increased and the leakage of the electrolyte is minimized as compared with the storage of the metal sheet fuel. Can be.

In addition, the air electrode is not provided in the consumable fuel cartridge, but is provided in the unit cell of the semi-permanent fuel cell, thereby lowering the price of the fuel cartridge and reducing environmental pollution due to the waste fuel cartridge.

In addition, by using a structure in which a plurality of fuel cartridges may be mounted in one unit cell, the volume of the fuel cell may be reduced while increasing the output power of the fuel cell.

In addition, by displaying the remaining amount of the fuel cell, the user can predict when to replace the fuel cartridge. Therefore, damage due to interruption of power supply can be prevented.

The configuration and method of the embodiments disclosed herein may not be limitedly applied, but all or some of the embodiments may be selectively combined so that various modifications may be made.

Claims (15)

A fuel cartridge used in a fuel cell that oxidizes fuel to produce electrical energy:
A frame having a hollow portion;
A current collector mounted on one surface of the frame to cover the hollow portion;
A separation membrane mounted on the other surface of the frame to face the current collector; And
It includes a protective film of a polymer material detachably attached to the outside of the separator,
A fuel cartridge, characterized in that the storage space is formed between the current collector and the separator to store the fuel mixed with the electrolyte. The method of claim 1,
The fuel cartridge is a fuel cartridge, characterized in that the metal fuel in the form of a gel formed by mixing the metal material and the electrolyte in powder form. delete The method of claim 1,
The separator,
And a fuel cartridge formed in contact with an air electrode of the fuel cell while the protective film is removed to allow ions to pass between the fuel and the air electrode. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

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