KR20220089009A - Membrane humidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a humidifying membrane including a plurality of hollow fiber membranes in which a first fluid and a second fluid flow respectively inside and outside; a humidifying film case in which the humidifying film is disposed; and an entry/exit case coupled to one surface of the humidifying membrane case to which the first fluid is introduced or discharged, wherein an end of the humidifying membrane protrudes a predetermined distance from the bonding surface of the humidifying membrane case and the entry/exit case toward the entry/exit case It relates to a membrane humidifier in which humidification efficiency is further improved.

Description

Membrane Humidifier {MEMBRANE HUMIDIFIER}

The present invention relates to a membrane humidifier, and more particularly, to a membrane humidifier that supplies moisture from a wet fluid to a dry fluid.

A membrane humidifier is a device provided to supply moisture to a fluid with low humidity through moisture exchange between two fluids with different humidity. In this case, the membrane humidifier includes a plurality of hollow fiber membranes (hereinafter referred to as 'hollow fiber membranes'), and different fluids flow inside and outside the hollow fiber membranes, so that moisture permeates through the membranes.

Such membrane humidifiers are widely used in hydrogen cars, etc., in which fuel cells are the power source. In this case, a fuel cell is a device that generates electrical energy by electrochemically reacting fuel and an oxidizing agent. A normal battery converts chemical energy from chemical substances pre-filled in the battery into electrical energy, whereas a fuel cell continuously produces fuel and oxygen. It is a device that receives electricity and supplies electricity generated through a chemical reaction. Here, as the fuel cell needs to maintain a certain level of moisture content to increase the power generation efficiency, a membrane humidifier for the fuel cell is mounted together in the vehicle.

As described above, as a technology for a membrane humidifier mounted on a vehicle, Korean Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2019-0138288 (“Fuel Cell Membrane Humidifier”, published on December 12, 2019) is disclosed. Referring to FIG. 1, the membrane humidifier 1 of the above document includes a middle case 2, a hollow fiber membrane module 3 disposed inside the middle case 2 and formed of a plurality of hollow fiber membrane cartridges 3a. may include And the middle case (2) may be formed with a pressure buffer part (4) that prevents deformation due to the difference between the flowing fluid and external atmospheric pressure, and the front and rear of the middle case (2) are a pair of cap cases ( 5) can be sealed. Here, the membrane humidifier 1 includes a first fluid inlet 6a and a first fluid outlet 6b through which the first fluid flows, and a second fluid inlet 7a and a second fluid through which the second fluid flows. It may include an outlet (7b). At this time, the first fluid inlet (6a) and the first fluid outlet (6b) are disposed on a pair of the cap case (5) so that the first fluid flows into the plurality of hollow fiber membrane cartridges (3a), The second fluid inlet 7a and the second fluid outlet 7b may be disposed on the middle case 2 to flow out of the plurality of hollow fiber membrane cartridges 3a. As such, in the membrane humidifier, a first fluid flows through a first path formed inside the hollow fiber membrane, and a second fluid flows through a second path formed outside of the hollow fiber membrane, so that moisture can be exchanged through the membrane.

However, as shown in the membrane humidifier (1) of the above literature, moisture exchange centered on the hollow fiber membrane module (3) caused a problem that is limited to the inside of the middle case (2). In addition, moisture exchange in a limited space leads to a disadvantage that leads to a decrease in the exchange efficiency of the entire device.

KR 10-2019-0138288 A (released on December 12, 2019) JP 2004-006100 A (2004.01.08. Public) KR 10-2019-0081736 A (2019.07.09. Released) KR 10-1938340 B1 (2019.01.14. Announcement)

The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to increase the moisture exchange efficiency through the shape of the humidifying film, the humidifying film protecting member and the humidifying film supporting member disposed inside the humidifying film case. To provide a membrane humidifier.

A membrane humidifier of the present invention for achieving the object as described above, a humidification membrane including a plurality of hollow fiber membranes in which a first fluid and a second fluid flow, respectively, to the inside and the outside; a humidifying film case in which the humidifying film is disposed; and an entry/exit case coupled to one surface of the humidifying membrane case to which the first fluid is introduced or discharged, wherein an end of the humidifying membrane protrudes a predetermined distance from the bonding surface of the humidifying membrane case and the entry/exit case toward the entry/exit case can be

In addition, the membrane humidifier of the present invention, the humidification membrane protection member is disposed to surround the humidification membrane, the flow holes are formed through the inside and outside so that the second fluid flows; further comprising, the end of the humidification membrane protection member A, it may protrude a predetermined distance from the bonding surface of the humidification film case and the entry/exit case in the direction of the entry/exit case.

In addition, in the membrane humidifier of the present invention, any one end of the end of the humidifying film and the end of the humidifying film protective member may further protrude.

In addition, the membrane humidifier of the present invention may be formed such that the protrusion length of the end of the humidifying film and the end of the humidifying film protective member is the same as the reference of the bonding surface of the humidifying film case and the in and out case.

In addition, the membrane humidifier of the present invention further comprises a humidifying membrane support member for fixing the end-side outer surface of the humidifying membrane protective member to the end-side inner surface of the humidifying membrane case, wherein the end of the humidifying membrane supporting member is It may protrude a predetermined distance from the bonding surface of the humidifying film case and the entry/exit case in the direction of the entry/exit case.

In addition, in the humidifier of the present invention, any one end of the end of the humidifying film, the end of the humidifying film protective member, and the end of the humidifying film supporting member may further protrude.

In addition, in the humidifier of the present invention, an end of the humidifying film may protrude more than an end of the humidifying film protecting member or an end of the humidifying film supporting member.

In addition, in the membrane humidifier of the present invention, the protrusion length of the end of the humidification membrane case and the entry/exit case, the end of the humidifying membrane, and the end of the humidifying membrane protecting member and the humidifying membrane supporting member may be formed to be the same as each other. .

In addition, between both ends of the inner surface of the humidification film case, the partition wall protruding inward is formed, so that the partition wall of the humidification film case can be in contact with the outer surface of the humidification film protection member.

In addition, a second fluid inlet through which a second fluid is supplied is disposed in the humidifying film case, and protrusions protruding outward from the outer surface of the humidifying film protecting member guide the second fluid supplied from the second fluid inlet to the flow hole. It may further include a member.

The membrane humidifier of the present invention according to the above-described configuration has the advantage that as the length of the humidification membrane is extended toward the entry/exit case, the fluid is uniformly introduced into the plurality of hollow fiber membranes, thereby improving the humidification efficiency. In addition, in the membrane humidifier of the present invention, the moisture exchange area between the two fluids becomes wider, which can lead to the effect of improving the humidification efficiency.

In addition, the membrane humidifier of the present invention extends the humidifying film longer than the humidifying film protective member or the humidifying film supporting member to solve the problem of clogging the humidifying film and to prevent the humidifying film from being damaged due to a short circuit in advance. There is this.

In addition, the membrane humidifier of the present invention has an advantage in that it is possible to guide the fluid flowing through the partition wall and the protrusion member to the through hole, thereby improving the control efficiency.

1 is a perspective view showing a membrane humidifier according to the prior art.
2 is a perspective view of a membrane humidifier according to the present invention.
3 is an exploded perspective view of a membrane humidifier according to the present invention.
4 is a side cross-sectional view of a membrane humidifier according to the present invention.
5 is an enlarged view of a main part of a side cross-section of a membrane humidifier according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
6 is an enlarged view of a main part of a side cross-section of a membrane humidifier according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
7 is an enlarged view of a main part of a side cross-section of a membrane humidifier according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
8 is an enlarged view of a main part of a side cross-section of a membrane humidifier according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
9 is an enlarged view of a main part of a side cross-section of a membrane humidifier according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a membrane humidifier according to various embodiments of the present invention having the configuration as described above will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 to 4 relate to a membrane humidifier according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the membrane humidifier, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the membrane humidifier, and FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the membrane humidifier.

2 and 3 , the membrane humidifier 10 according to the present invention may be configured to include a humidification membrane case 100 , an entry/exit case 200 , and a humidification membrane 300 . At this time, the humidification membrane 300 is composed of a plurality of hollow fiber membrane bundles, and the hollow fiber membrane is a hollow membrane inside and outside the hollow fiber membrane. Fluids having different humidity flow through the membrane to exchange moisture. can Hereinafter, for clearer explanation, the first fluid F ₁ flows inside the hollow fiber membrane and the second fluid F ₂ flows outside the hollow fiber membrane.

The entry/exit case 200 may be formed as a pair including an entrance case 210 and an exit case 220, and the inlet case 210 and the exit case 220 are provided at both ends of the humidifying film case 100. may be combined with each other. At this time, the membrane humidifier 10 according to the present invention is disposed on the inlet case 210 and supplies a first fluid F ₁ to one end of the humidification membrane case 100. A first fluid inlet (P ₁₁ ) and a first fluid outlet (P ₁ ) including a first fluid outlet (P ₁₂ ) disposed on the outlet case 220 and discharging the first fluid discharged to the other end of the humidifying film case 100 ). may include In addition to this, the membrane humidifier 10 according to the present invention may further include a second fluid entrance (P ₂ ) through which a second fluid (F ₂ ) enters and exits the humidification membrane case (100). Two fluid outlets (P ₂ ) may also include a second fluid inlet (P ₂₁ ) and a second fluid outlet (P ₂₂ ). Here, the second fluid inlet (P21) and the second fluid outlet (P22) may be disposed on the humidification film case 100 or the inlet/outlet case 200, and in the drawing, the humidification film case 100 The second fluid inlet (P ₂₁ ) and the second fluid outlet (P ₂₂ ) are arranged on the jaeger.

In addition, the membrane humidifier 10 of the present invention may further include a heat exchanger 400 arranged on the inlet case 210 to control the temperature of the supplied first fluid F ₁ . At this time, the heat exchanger 400 may further include a third fluid inlet (P ₃ ) through which the third fluid (F ₃ ) enters and exits, and the third fluid inlet (P ₃ ) is also the third fluid (F ₃ ) It may include a third fluid inlet (P ₃₁ ) into which the inlet is introduced and a third fluid outlet (P ₃₂ ) through which the third fluid (F ₃ ) is discharged. In addition, the temperature of the first fluid F ₁ and the third fluid F ₃ may be formed to be different from each other, so that they may exchange heat with each other on the heat exchanger through the heat transfer method.

In the following content, for clearer explanation, the upper direction in FIG. 2 is defined as the upper direction (D ₁ ), and the opposite direction is defined as the lower direction (D ₂ ), and these are defined as the upper and lower directions. It is defined by the direction (D ₁₂ ). In addition, the direction (upper left in FIG. 2 ) from the inlet case 210 to the outlet case 220 is defined as the front direction D ₃ , and the opposite direction is defined as the rear direction ( D ₄ ) is defined, and these are defined in the front-rear direction (D ₃₄ ). In addition, the lower left direction in FIG. 3 is defined as the left (左) direction (D ₅ ), and the opposite direction is defined as the right (右) direction (D ₆ ), and these are defined as the left and right direction (D ₅₆ ).

Referring to FIG. 4 , an outlet case 220 is coupled to the front of the humidification membrane case 100 and an inlet case 210 is coupled to the rear so that the first fluid F ₁ can flow from the rear to the front, and the It may flow into the inside of the humidifying film 300 . And the humidifying film 300 is disposed inside the humidifying film case 100, the length may be formed in the front-rear direction. In this case, the present invention may further include a humidifying film protective member 310 and a humidifying film supporting member 320 disposed between the inner surface of the humidifying film case 100 and the outer surface of the humidifying film 300 .

The humidification film protective member 310 may be arranged to surround the outer surface of the humidification film 300 is formed in a length in the front and rear direction is hollow inside. And the humidification film protective member 310 may include a flow hole 311 passing through the inside and outside. At this time, the flow hole 311 of the humidification film protective member 310 is provided so that the second fluid F ₂ flowing in the second fluid entrance P ₂ disposed on the humidification film case 100 can enter and exit. can be placed. And when a pair of second fluid entrances (P ₂ ) are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction in the humidifying film case 100 , the inner surface of the central portion of the humidifying film case 100 protrudes inward to protect the humidifying film The partition wall 110 in contact with the outer surface of the member 310 may be formed. Here, the partition wall 110 may block the flow path so that the second fluid F ₂ introduced from one second fluid inlet P ₂ is not directly discharged to the other second fluid inlet P ₂ . In addition, a part of the flow hole 311 formed in plurality is disposed in front of the humidification film protective member 310 to prevent the second fluid F ₂ flowing in from one second fluid inlet P2 into the humidifying film. It can be supplied to 300 , and another part of the plurality of flow holes 311 is disposed behind the humidifying film protective member 310 to separate the second fluid F ₂ discharged from the humidifying film 300 . One second fluid outlet (P ₂ ) may be discharged.

The humidifying film support member 320 is interposed between the inner surface of the humidifying film case 100 and the outer surface of the humidifying film protecting member 310, and may be disposed at an end of the front or rear side. At this time, the case where the humidification membrane support member 320 is configured as a pair is as follows. One of the humidification film support member 320 is fixed between the outer surface of the front end of the humidification film protective member 310 and the inner surface of the front end of the humidification film case 100, one second fluid inlet (P) ₂ ) flowing in from the second fluid (F ₂ ) can be prevented from flowing out into one entry/exit case 200 . In addition, the other humidifying film support member 320 is fixed between the outer surface of the rear end of the humidifying film protective member 310 and the inner surface of the rear end of the humidifying film case 100, the other second fluid It is possible to block the second fluid F ₂ discharged to the entrance P ₂ from flowing into the other entrance case 200 . In addition, the humidifying film support member 320 may fix the humidifying film protecting member 310 to the inner surface of the humidifying film case 100 .

The present invention may further include a protrusion member 312 protruding outward from the outer surface of the humidifying film protective member 310 . At this time, the protrusion member 312 is arranged to come into contact with one surface of the partition wall 110 or to be in contact with one surface of the humidification membrane support member 320, and the like, in various arrangement forms, such as the flow of the second fluid (F ₂ ). can guide The above-mentioned inner and outer directions have been described as a direction opposite to the inside of the hollow space to the outside. For example, the inside of the humidifying film protective member 310 is the direction in which the humidifying film 300 is disposed, and the humidifying film is protected. The outside of the member 310 may be in a direction in which the humidifying film support member 320 or the humidifying film case 100 is disposed.

<First embodiment>

5 is related to the membrane humidifier according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of the area A of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 5 , one surface of the humidifying film case 100 and one surface of the entry/exit case 200 may be coupled to each other in the front and rear sides, and when coupled in the form of a sleeve, a bonding surface will be formed based on the sleeve surface. can In addition, a sealing member (G) such as a gasket is disposed on the bonding surface to prevent flowing fluids from leaking to the outside. In this case, the bonding surface may be fixed in various ways such as screwing, welding, and bonding.

At this time, the humidifying film 300, the humidifying film protective member 310, and the humidifying film supporting member 320 are the front and rear positions (O) of the bonding surface of the humidifying film case 100 and the access case 200. The length in the front-rear direction in the entry/exit case 200 direction may be extended. That is, the ends of the humidifying film 300 , the humidifying film protecting member 310 , and the humidifying film supporting member 320 may be extended to be disposed inside the access case 200 . At this time, the humidifying film 300, the humidifying film protective member 310, and the humidifying film supporting member 320 are respectively a first extension length (H1), a second extension length (H2) based on the front and rear positions (O) of the bonding surface. ) and a third extension length (H3).

In the first embodiment of the present invention, the first extension length (H1) and the second extension length (H2) are formed to be larger than the third extension length (H3), and the humidification film 300 and the humidification film protection member 310 ) may protrude from the end of the humidifying film support member 320 . Accordingly, in the first embodiment of the present invention, damage to the humidifying film 300 can be prevented from occurring due to the humidifying film supporting member 320, and the contact area of the humidifying film can be further increased, so that humidification compared to the volume This can lead to the advantage of increased efficiency.

<Second embodiment>

6 is a membrane humidifier according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

6, in the second embodiment of the present invention, as the first extension length H1 is formed to be longer than the second extension length H2 and the third extension length H3, the humidification film ( The end portion of 300 ) may have a shape that protrudes from the ends of the humidifying film protective member 310 and the humidifying film supporting member 320 . Accordingly, the present invention can prevent damage to the humidifying film 300 from occurring due to the humidifying film protective member 310 and the humidifying film supporting member 320, and can further increase the contact area of the humidifying film, thereby increasing the volume This can lead to the advantage of increasing the humidification efficiency.

<Third embodiment>

7 is a membrane humidifier according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

7, in the third embodiment of the present invention, the first extended length (H1), the second extended length (H2), and the third extended length (H3) may be formed to be the same, the humidification film ( 300) and the humidification film protective member 310 and the humidification film support member 320 may be disposed on the same position so that the fluid supplied to the humidifying film 300 is uniformly dispersed.

<Fourth embodiment>

8 is a membrane humidifier according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the inner surface of the access case 200 may be configured in a concave shape for effects such as size reduction, and when the inner surface of the access case 200 has a concave shape, the first extension length ( H1) may be formed to be longer than the second extended length H2 and the third extended length H3. Accordingly, the end of the humidifying film 300 may be in the form of protruding ends of the humidifying film protective member 310 and the humidifying film supporting member 320 . In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a stagnation section in which the fluid does not flow through such a structure and to provide a uniform flow of the fluid to the humidification membrane 300 .

<Fifth embodiment>

9 is a membrane humidifier according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

9, the inner surface of the access case 200 may be configured in a concave shape for the effect of size reduction, etc., and when the inner surface of the access case 200 has a concave shape, the first extension length ( H1), the second extended length H2, and the third extended length H3 may be formed to be identical to each other. Accordingly, ends of the humidifying film 300 , the humidifying film protecting member 310 and the humidifying film supporting member 320 may be disposed on the same position in the front and rear directions. In addition, the humidifying film 300 has a first extended length (H1) of the end of the outer surface in contact with the humidifying film protective member 310, the more spaced apart from the humidifying film protective member 310, the first extended length (H1) ), the hollow fiber membranes may be arranged in an inclined shape to have a smaller protrusion length. Accordingly, the present invention has the advantage of being able to provide a membrane humidifier with improved assembly and productivity through the above structure.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the scope of application is varied, and anyone with ordinary knowledge in the field to which the present invention pertains without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims It goes without saying that various modifications are possible.

F ₁ : First fluid F ₂ : Second fluid
F ₃ : Third fluid G : Sealing member
P ₁ : first fluid inlet
P ₁₁ : first fluid inlet P ₁₂ : first fluid outlet
P ₂ : 2nd fluid entrance
P ₂₁ : second fluid inlet P ₂₂ : second fluid outlet
P ₃ : Third fluid entrance
P ₃₁ : Third fluid inlet P ₃₂ : Third fluid outlet
10: membrane humidifier
100: humidification film case 110: bulkhead
200: access case
210: inlet case 220: outlet case
300: humidification film
310: humidification film protective member
311: flow hole 312: protruding member
320: humidification membrane support member
400: heat exchanger

Claims (10)

a humidification membrane including a plurality of hollow fiber membranes in which a first fluid and a second fluid flow to the inside and the outside, respectively;
a humidifying film case in which the humidifying film is disposed; and
an entry/exit case coupled to one surface of the humidification membrane case and into which the first fluid is introduced or discharged;
including,
The end of the humidifying film,
A membrane humidifier, characterized in that it protrudes a predetermined distance from the bonding surface of the humidifying membrane case and the entry/exit case in the direction of the entry/exit case.
According to claim 1,
a humidifying film protective member disposed to surround the humidifying film and having flow holes penetrating inside and outside so that a second fluid flows;
further comprising,
The end of the humidification film protective member,
A membrane humidifier, characterized in that it protrudes a predetermined distance from the bonding surface of the humidifying membrane case and the entry/exit case in the direction of the entry/exit case.
3. The method of claim 2,
Among the end of the humidifying film and the end of the humidifying film protective member,
Membrane humidifier, characterized in that any one end more protrudes.
3. The method of claim 2,
Based on the bonding surface of the humidification film case and the access case,
Membrane humidifier, characterized in that the protrusion length of the end of the humidifying film and the end of the humidifying film protective member are the same.
3. The method of claim 2,
a humidifying film support member for fixing the end-side outer surface of the humidifying film protective member to the end-side inner surface of the humidifying film case;
further comprising,
The end of the humidification membrane support member,
A membrane humidifier, characterized in that it protrudes a predetermined distance from the bonding surface of the humidifying membrane case and the entry/exit case in the direction of the entry/exit case.
6. The method of claim 5,
Among the end of the humidifying film, the end of the humidifying film protective member, and the end of the humidifying film support member,
Membrane humidifier, characterized in that any one end more protrudes.
7. The method of claim 6,
The end of the humidifying film,
A membrane humidifier, characterized in that it protrudes from an end of the humidifying film protecting member or an end of the humidifying film supporting member.
6. The method of claim 5,
Based on the bonding surface of the humidification film case and the access case,
Membrane humidifier, characterized in that the protrusion length of the end of the humidification film, the humidification film protective member, and the end of the humidification film support member are the same.
9. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 8,
Between both ends of the inner surface of the humidification film case, a partition wall protruding inward is formed,
A membrane humidifier, characterized in that the partition wall of the humidification membrane case is in contact with the outer surface of the humidification membrane protective member.
9. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 8,
A second fluid inlet to which a second fluid is supplied is disposed in the humidifying film case,
The membrane humidifier further comprising a protrusion member protruding outward from the outer surface of the humidification membrane protection member and guiding the second fluid supplied from the second fluid inlet to the flow hole.

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