WO2022051960A1 - Séparateur gaz-liquide et système de pile à combustible le comprenant - Google Patents

Séparateur gaz-liquide et système de pile à combustible le comprenant Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2022051960A1
WO2022051960A1 PCT/CN2020/114357 CN2020114357W WO2022051960A1 WO 2022051960 A1 WO2022051960 A1 WO 2022051960A1 CN 2020114357 W CN2020114357 W CN 2020114357W WO 2022051960 A1 WO2022051960 A1 WO 2022051960A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
gas
blade
liquid separator
tube
cylinder
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/CN2020/114357
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Fei Wang
Nan Xu
Lichao KONG
Meng Zhao
Zhigang LIAO
Ziyang YE
Original Assignee
Robert Bosch Gmbh
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Robert Bosch Gmbh filed Critical Robert Bosch Gmbh
Priority to PCT/CN2020/114357 priority Critical patent/WO2022051960A1/fr
Priority to CN202080104964.4A priority patent/CN116114091A/zh
Publication of WO2022051960A1 publication Critical patent/WO2022051960A1/fr

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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B04—CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS OR MACHINES FOR CARRYING-OUT PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES
    • B04C—APPARATUS USING FREE VORTEX FLOW, e.g. CYCLONES
    • B04C5/00—Apparatus in which the axial direction of the vortex is reversed
    • B04C5/02—Construction of inlets by which the vortex flow is generated, e.g. tangential admission, the fluid flow being forced to follow a downward path by spirally wound bulkheads, or with slightly downwardly-directed tangential admission
    • B04C5/04—Tangential inlets
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B04—CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS OR MACHINES FOR CARRYING-OUT PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES
    • B04C—APPARATUS USING FREE VORTEX FLOW, e.g. CYCLONES
    • B04C5/00—Apparatus in which the axial direction of the vortex is reversed
    • B04C5/14—Construction of the underflow ducting; Apex constructions; Discharge arrangements ; discharge through sidewall provided with a few slits or perforations
    • B04C5/185—Dust collectors
    • B04C5/187—Dust collectors forming an integral part of the vortex chamber
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04082—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration
    • H01M8/04089—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants
    • H01M8/04097—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants with recycling of the reactants
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04082—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration
    • H01M8/04089—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants
    • H01M8/04119—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants with simultaneous supply or evacuation of electrolyte; Humidifying or dehumidifying
    • H01M8/04156—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants with simultaneous supply or evacuation of electrolyte; Humidifying or dehumidifying with product water removal
    • H01M8/04164—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants with simultaneous supply or evacuation of electrolyte; Humidifying or dehumidifying with product water removal by condensers, gas-liquid separators or filters
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B04—CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS OR MACHINES FOR CARRYING-OUT PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES
    • B04C—APPARATUS USING FREE VORTEX FLOW, e.g. CYCLONES
    • B04C5/00—Apparatus in which the axial direction of the vortex is reversed
    • B04C5/12—Construction of the overflow ducting, e.g. diffusing or spiral exits
    • B04C5/13—Construction of the overflow ducting, e.g. diffusing or spiral exits formed as a vortex finder and extending into the vortex chamber; Discharge from vortex finder otherwise than at the top of the cyclone; Devices for controlling the overflow
    • B04C2005/136—Baffles in the vortex finder
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02E60/30—Hydrogen technology
    • Y02E60/50—Fuel cells

Definitions

  • the disclosure relates to a gas-liquid separator and a fuel cell system comprising the gas-liquid separator.
  • Cyclonic separators are generally used in industrial and household appliances for separating solid particulates and liquid droplets from a gas by rotational effects without using a filter.
  • Known cyclonic separators comprise a cyclone chamber with an inlet arranged offset from the central axis of the cyclone chamber to generate a rotational flow or vortex of gas within the cyclone chamber. Particulates and droplets entrained in the gas move towards the wall of the cyclone chamber under the centrifugal force generated by the vortex and then fall into a collection chamber.
  • a vortex finder is a common component in the cyclonic separators to improve separation performance.
  • Various vortex finders have been designed for different applications, but there is still room for increasing separation efficiency and reducing pressure drop related with the vortex finders.
  • a gas-liquid separator is typically provided between an anode outlet and an anode inlet.
  • a conventional cyclonic separator is bulky and heavy and it is not easy to assemble it in a fuel cell engine.
  • the disclosure is aimed at providing a gas-liquid separator which has an improved synthesized performance.
  • the disclosure provides gas-liquid separator in particular for a fuel cell system comprising:
  • a casing comprising a substantially vertical tube with a lower end and an upper end;
  • a vortex finder arranged in the tube comprising:
  • a hollow cylinder defining a vertically extending central axis and formed with a vertical passage therethrough;
  • top flange extending transversely outwards from a top end of the cylinder and fixedly sealed against the inner surface of the tube;
  • a bottom baffle extending transversely outwards from a bottom end of the cylinder
  • a plurality of blades extending radially and connected between the cylinder and the tubular wall, a circular space being formed around an upper portion of the cylinder between the plurality of blades and the top flange,
  • a porous body arranged downstream of the vortex finder in the tube in a flow direction of the gas and fixed to the inner surface of the tube, preferably by press fit;
  • a gas outlet arranged at the upper end of the tube to be in fluid communication with the porous body.
  • the bottom baffle has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the tubular wall so that a circular bottom gap is formed between the bottom edge of the tubular wall and the outer periphery of the bottom baffle.
  • a bottom surface of the bottom baffle is substantially flush with a bottom edge of the tubular wall in the axial direction.
  • the outer periphery of the tubular wall has a diameter smaller than that of the outer periphery of the top flange.
  • an upper surface of the bottom baffle is downwardly oblique from its inner periphery to its outer periphery with an oblique angle which is in the range of 5° to 20°.
  • each blade has a blade root connected to the cylinder, a blade tip connected to the tubular wall, a blade top facing substantially upwards, and a blade bottom facing substantially downwards, and the blade bottom lies ahead of the blade top in the direction opposite to an incoming rotational direction of a flow to be formed in the vortex finder.
  • the blade bottom of each blade is substantially horizontal, and all the blade bottoms are substantially coplanar.
  • the blade top of each blade is substantially horizontal; or the blade top of each blade is downwardly oblique from the corresponding blade root to the blade tip by an angle which is in the range of 5° to 30°.
  • the blade bottom is offset by an offset angle with respect to the blade top in the direction opposite to the incoming rotational direction when looking in the axial direction, the offset angle being in the range of 5° to 30°.
  • At least one of the center line of the blade top and the center line of the blade bottom is a straight or curved line when looking in the axial direction.
  • the center line of the blade top and the center line of the blade bottom are both straight lines when looking in the axial direction.
  • the extensions of both the center lines intersect the central axis; or the extension of one of the center line intersects the central axis while the extension of the other center line does not intersect the central axis; or neither one of the extensions of the center lines intersects the central axis.
  • At least one of the center line of the blade top and the center line of the blade bottom is a curved line when looking in the axial direction.
  • each blade is a planar blade; or each blade is a curved blade.
  • the number of the blades is 8 to 16, and the blades are evenly arranged around the cylinder.
  • some portions or all of the outer surface of the vortex finder is covered with a hydrophobic material.
  • the porous body is made of foam metal.
  • the gas-liquid separator further comprises a blower arranged downstream of the porous body, and preferably, the vortex finder, the porous body and the blower are arranged coaxially with each other.
  • the disclosure provides a fuel cell system comprising:
  • a fuel cell provided with an anode inlet and an anode outlet;
  • gas-liquid separator is connected with the fuel cell with the inlet in fluid communication with the anode outlet and optionally the gas outlet in fluid communication with the anode inlet.
  • a particular embodiment of the cyclonic separator is a water (or liquid) separator which can separate water (or liquid) entrained in a gas (for example, air) flow.
  • a vortex finder for providing both centrifugal separation and baffle separation.
  • the vortex finder has an improved synthesized performance since it is compact, has higher separation efficiency and causes lower pressure drop.
  • a gas-liquid separator comprising the vortex finder as described above and one or more additional stages of separating means is disclosed. With separation of liquid from gas stage by stage, the separation ability of the gas-liquid separator is further improved.
  • the fuel cell system provided with the gas-liquid separator may remove the water from the anode circuit to the maximum, and therefore protects the anode from flooding and improves the performance of the fuel cell.
  • Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vortex finder according to an embodiment of the disclosure
  • Figure 2 is a schematic front view of the vortex finder
  • Figures 3 and 4 are respectively a schematic cross sectional view and a partial top view of a cyclonic separator comprising the vortex finder according to an embodiment of the disclosure
  • Figure 5 is an enlarged partial view of a bottom baffle of the vortex finder
  • Figure 6 is a schematic front view of the vortex finder showing the distribution of blades
  • Figures 7 and 8 are schematic views of the vortex finder showing the configuration of a blade in different directions
  • FIGS 9 to 12 are schematic top views showing some possible configurations of the blades
  • Figure 13 is a schematic cross sectional view of a gas-liquid separator according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
  • Figure 14 is a schematic cross sectional view of a gas-liquid separator according to another embodiment of the disclosure.
  • Figure 15 is a schematic partial perspective view of a fuel cell system comprising the gas-liquid separator shown in Figure 14 according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
  • the disclosure is directed to provide a vortex finder for a cyclonic separator for at least enhancing the separation ability of the cyclonic separator, as well as a cyclonic separator comprising such a vortex finder.
  • the cyclonic separator according to the disclosure can be used for separating solid particulates and/or liquid droplets from a gas.
  • a particular form of the cyclonic separator is a water (or liquid) separator which is mainly used for separating water (or liquid) from a gas (for example, air) .
  • the vortex finder 100 comprises a hollow cylinder 1 defining a vertically extending central axis O of the vortex finder 100 and formed with a vertical passage 2 therethrough, a top flange 3 extending transversely outwards from a top end of the cylinder 1, a bottom baffle 4 extending transversely outwards from a bottom end of the cylinder 1, a tubular wall 5 surrounding a lower part of the cylinder 1, and a plurality of blades 6 extending radially and connected between the lower part of the cylinder 1 and the tubular wall 5.
  • the vortex finder 100 is preferably an integrated member, for example, formed of plastic by molding.
  • the vortex finder 100 may be formed of metal or other heat-stable materials.
  • Some portions or all of the outer surface of the vortex finder 100 may be covered with a hydrophobic material to increase the water separating ability.
  • all of the outer surface of the vortex finder 100, except the upper surface of the top flange 3, may be covered with a hydrophobic material.
  • the top flange 3 may have a circular outer periphery as illustrated in Figure 1.
  • the outer periphery of the tubular wall 5 may have a diameter slightly smaller than that of the outer periphery of the top flange 3.
  • the vortex finder 100 can be fixed in a tube at its top flange 3 to mount the vortex finder 100 inside the tube, and thus the top flange 3 functions as a mounting part for the vortex finder 100. It is understood that, since the top flange 3 mainly functions as a mounting part, it may alternatively have other shapes instead of circular.
  • the top flange 3 and the bottom baffle 4 face towards each other in the axial direction.
  • the bottom baffle 4 has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the tubular wall 5 so that there forms a circular bottom gap 7 between the bottom edge of the tubular wall 5 and the outer periphery of the bottom baffle 4.
  • the bottom baffle 4 may be completely surrounded by the tubular wall 5.
  • the bottom surface of the bottom baffle 4 is substantially flush with the bottom edge of the tubular wall 5 as illustrated in Figure 2.
  • the bottom baffle 4 may be partially or totally exposed from the bottom edge of the tubular wall 5 in the axial direction.
  • the blades 6 are evenly arranged around the cylinder 1.
  • the total number of the blades 6 may be 8 to 16.
  • a circular space 8 is formed around an upper portion of the cylinder 1.
  • the circular space 8 mainly functions to form a vortex flow path in the vortex finder 100 as will be described below.
  • the vortex finder 100 can be used for forming a cyclonic separator.
  • an exemplary cyclonic separator of the disclosure comprises a casing and a vortex finder 100, as described above, mounted in the casing.
  • the casing mainly comprises a substantially vertical tube 101 with a lower closed end 102 and an upper open end 103.
  • the vortex finder 100 is arranged in the tube 101 at a location higher than the lower end 102, leaving a collection chamber 104 between the lower portion of the vortex finder 100 and the lower end 102.
  • the vortex finder 100 is substantially coaxial with the tube 101, with the outer periphery of the top flange 3 fixedly sealed to the inner surface of the tube 101.
  • An inlet 105 is transversely mounted to the tube 101 to be open and facing towards the circular space 8.
  • the inlet 105 has a transverse central axis that does not intersect the central axis O of the vortex finder 100, that is, offset from the central axis O, so that a rotational flow or vortex will be formed in the circular space 8 once there is gas introduced into the tube 101 via the inlet 105.
  • An outlet (not shown) may be assembled to the upper end 103 or formed by the upper end 103 to be in fluid communication with the upper end of the passage 2.
  • a mixed flow is fed into the cyclonic separator via the inlet 105.
  • the mixed flow is composed mainly of a gas in which solid particulates and/or liquid droplets are entrained.
  • the gas will first flow through the circular space 8 to form a rotational flow or vortex in the circular space 8 due to the offset configuration of the inlet 105 with respect to the tube 101.
  • some of the solid particulates and/or liquid droplets which have higher densities than the gas will move radially outwards to hit the inner surface of the tube 101, then move down along the inner surface of the tube 101 through the peripheral gap 9, and then fall down towards the bottom of the collection chamber 104.
  • a small fraction of the gas also flows through the peripheral gap 9 into the collection chamber 104.
  • the main portion of the rotating mixed flow reaches the blades 6 and is separated by the blades 6 into a plurality of small flows.
  • the small flows move towards the tubular wall 5, the bottom baffle 4 and the bottom gap 7.
  • some solid particulates and/or liquid droplets in the flows will move along the tubular wall 5 and the bottom baffle 4, then move through the bottom gap 7, and then fall down towards the bottom of the collection chamber 104.
  • the small flows of gas also move downwards through the bottom gap 7 into the collection chamber 104.
  • the small flows of gas and the fraction of gas that passes through the peripheral gap 9 move radially inwards to the bottom end of the passage 2 and then move upwards into the passage 2. That is to say, the flows of gas in the collection chamber 104 turn their moving direction by 180°. In this turning, the remaining solid particulates and/or liquid droplets in the flows will be thrown off to fall down in the collection chamber 104.
  • the upward flow in the passage 2 is composed nearly only of the gas with little or no solid particulates or liquid droplets, so the gas can be called clean gas. The clean gas will pass through the passage 2 and then leave the cyclonic separator via the outlet.
  • a drain port may be mounted to the collection chamber 104 or formed by a portion of the collection chamber 104 for discharging the liquid (for example, water) and/or particulates gathered in the collection chamber 104.
  • the drain port may be coupled to a drain line in which a normally closed valve may be arranged for discharging the collected liquid and/or particulates periodically.
  • the collection chamber 104 or a portion of it may be formed as detachable or openable so that the gathered liquid and/or particulates can be removed from the cyclonic separator.
  • the vortex finder of the disclosure provides two main separation effects to the mixed flow, a centrifugal separation effect provided by the rotational flow in the circular space 8 and a baffle separation effect provided by the tubular wall 5, the blades 6 and the bottom baffle 4.
  • a third minor separation effect is provided by turning the direction of flows by 180° in the collection chamber 104. Due to these effects, the vortex finder of the disclosure has a high separation efficiency.
  • the upper surface of the bottom baffle 4 is designed to be downwardly oblique from its inner periphery to its outer periphery, as shown in Figure 5.
  • the oblique angle ⁇ is determined to be preferably in the range of 5° to 20°.
  • the outer diameter of the bottom baffle 4 is determined so that, on the one hand, the bottom baffle 4 can provide sufficient baffle to the flows, and on the other hand, leaving the bottom gap 7 to be large enough to avoid large pressure drop of the flows when they pass through the bottom gap 7.
  • each blade 6 has a front main surface facing the incoming flow and an back opposite main surface.
  • the orientation and configuration of the blades 6 will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8 in which one blade 6 is taken as an example of all of them.
  • Each blade 6 has a blade root 6a connected to the cylinder 1, a blade tip 6b connected to the tubular wall 5, a blade top 6c facing substantially upwards, and a blade bottom 6d facing substantially downwards.
  • the blade bottom 6d may be substantially horizontal, and the blade bottoms 6d of all the blades 6 may lie substantially in the same horizontal plane.
  • the blade top 6c is substantially horizontal, while in another embodiment (see Figure 8) , the blade top 6c is downwardly oblique from the blade root 6a to the blade tip 6b by an angle ⁇ which is preferably in the range of 5° to 30°.
  • the height of the vortex finder 100 as measured from the top surface of the top flange 3 to the bottom surface of the bottom baffle 4, be H1 and the height of the tubular wall 5 be H2, then the height H3 of the blade 6 is smaller than H2.
  • H3 (0.5 to 0.85) *H2.
  • the height H2 of the tubular wall 5 may be in the range of (0.3 to 0.6) *H1.
  • the height H3 of the blade 6 is substantially constant so that it can be measured at any part of the blade. In the condition that the blade top 6c is oblique, the height H3 of the blade 6 may be measured at the blade root 6a, as shown in Figure 8.
  • the blade 6 extends obliquely with respect to the central axis O so that the blade top 6c and the blade bottom 6d are not coincident in the axial direction of the vortex finder 100. More specifically, the blade bottom 6d lies ahead of the blade top 6c in the direction opposite to the incoming rotational flow direction R, and the blade bottom 6d may be offset by an offset angle with respect to the blade top 6c in the direction opposite to the incoming rotational flow direction R when looking in the axial direction.
  • the center line of the blade top 6c is straight when looking in the axial direction and the extension of it intersects the central axis O
  • the center line of the blade bottom 6d is also straight line when looking in the axial direction and the extension of it also intersects the central axis O, with an offset angle ⁇ formed between the blade top 6c and the blade bottom 6d, as measured between the two center lines with the central axis O as a reference.
  • the blade bottom 6d is offset by the offset angle ⁇ from the blade top 6c in the direction opposite to the incoming rotational flow direction R.
  • the center lines of the blade top and bottom 6c and 6d are both straight when looking in the axial direction, and neither of the extensions of them intersects the central axis O, with the blade bottom 6d being offset from the blade top 6c by an offset angle in the direction opposite to the incoming rotational flow direction R.
  • the center lines of the blade top and bottom 6c and 6d are both straight when looking in the axial direction, the extension of one of them intersecting the central axis O while the extension of the other one not intersecting the central axis O, with the blade top 6c being offset from the blade top 6c by an offset angle in the direction opposite to the incoming rotational flow direction R.
  • the center lines of the blade top and bottom 6c and 6d are both curved when looking in the axial direction, with an offset angle between them.
  • one of the center lines of the blade top and bottom 6c and 6d is curved while the other one is straight when looking in the axial direction, with an offset angle between them.
  • the offset angle between the blade top and bottom 6c and 6d may be defined as the difference in the angular positions of their center lines when looking in the axial direction.
  • the offset angle may be measured between two vertical planes in which the two straight center lines lie respectively.
  • the offset angle may be measured between a vertical plane in which the straight center lines lies and a vertical plane which is tangent to the curved center line at a point on the curved center line (for example, the midpoint of the curved center line, a point of the curved center line at the blade root or tip, or any other suitable points) .
  • the offset angle may be measured between two vertical planes which are tangent to the two curved center lines respectively at a point on each curved center line (for example, the midpoint of each curved center line, a point of each curved center line at the blade root or tip, or any other suitable points) .
  • the offset angle no matter at which point it is measured, is in the range of 5° to 30°, preferably 10° to 20°, and most preferably about 15°.
  • the blade 6 is flat (or planar) , the center lines of the blade top and bottom 6c and 6d are both straight when looking in the axial direction, and neither of the extensions of them intersects the central axis O.
  • the blade top 6c and the blade bottom 6d there may be no offset angle between the blade top 6c and the blade bottom 6d.
  • Embodiments in which other positional and angular locating manners of the blade top and bottom 6c and 6d are incorporated can also be designed by those skilled in the art.
  • the design can be performed by means of experiments, computer simulation, or the like to achieve synthesized optimization of increasing separation efficiency and reducing pressure drop across the vortex finder 100.
  • the dimensions and locations of other parts of the vortex finder 100 are also optimized for achieving the synthesized optimization.
  • the vortex finder can provide both centrifugal separation and baffle separation effects to a mixed flow of fluid for separating solid particulates and/or liquid droplets from a gas. Separation efficiency is high, while pressure drop across the vortex finder can be suppressed. Meanwhile, the vortex finder configured as described above has a compact contour.
  • the disclosure is further directed to a gas-liquid separator comprising the vortex finder as described above and one or more additional stages of separating means to further improve separation ability of the gas-liquid separator.
  • a gas-liquid separator may be used in a fuel cell system, e.g. PEMFC (Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell) system, to separate water from an exhaust gas discharged from an anode outlet of the fuel cell.
  • PEMFC Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell
  • the gas-liquid separator comprises the vortex finder 100 as a first stage separating means.
  • a liquid outlet 106 may be provided at the lower end 102 of the casing to discharge the liquid separated from the gas. All of the outer surface of the vortex finder 100 may be covered with a hydrophobic material.
  • a second stage separating means is arranged downstream of the vortex finder 100 in a flow direction of the gas to make a further separation.
  • the second stage separating means is a porous body 200 which may be fixed to the inner surface of the casing directly, such as by press-fit. With such a configuration, the porous body 200 may be supported by the casing without any additional fixing members which reduces the number of components and weight of the gas-liquid separator. It should be noted that the porous body 200 may also be fixed otherwise such as by snap fit. Preferably , the porous body 200 is coaxial with the vortex finder 100.
  • the porous body 200 may be made of foam metal, such as stainless steel, aluminum, alloys or any other materials which may resist corrosion such as rust by hydrogen and water.
  • the porous body 200 may have a cylindrical shape with a thickness of 8 to 12 mm, preferably 10 mm, and a diameter of 50 to 60 mm, preferably 50 mm. It can be envisaged that the porous body 200 may take other cross sectional forms such as an ellipse, a polygon and so on, as long as it matches the inner surface of the casing.
  • the porosity of the porous body 200 may be set as required in consideration of separation efficiency and pressure drop. However, the porous body 200 may achieve a separation efficiency of more than 85%and a pressure drop of less than 100 mbar. For example, the pressure drop may be less than 20 mbar with a compromise of separation efficiency.
  • the liquid still entrained therein may be filtered and trapped in the pores while the gas goes through upward to a gas outlet 107 arranged at the upper end 103 of the casing.
  • the gas contains even less liquid compared with that separated by the vortex finder 100 and the separation ability is further improved.
  • a third stage separating means is arranged downstream of the second stage separating means.
  • the third stage separating means may be in the form of a blower 300 arranged to the casing at or near the gas outlet 107, which is configured to stir the gas and throw the remaining liquid entrained in the gas to the inner surface of the casing to separate it therefrom.
  • the gas with less liquid is accelerated by the third stage separating means to be drawn out of the casing via the gas outlet 107.
  • the liquid may be separated from the gas to the maximum and the separation ability of the gas-liquid separator is optimized.
  • the first to the third stage separating means are arranged coaxially with each other.
  • two or three stages of separating means are described above, it can be envisaged that these separating means may be arranged repetitively if necessary.
  • two or more first stage separating means, two or more second stage separating means, and/or two or more third stage separating means may be incorporated into the gas-liquid separator to improve separation ability. The number and sequence thereof may be adjusted as desired.
  • the tube 101 of the gas-liquid separator is of a vertical type in which the separating means are arranged side by side in a vertical direction.
  • the disclosure adopts a multi-stage separating means in which the liquid may be separated from the gas stage by stage which leads to a much better separation effect.
  • the first stage separating means which also utilizes the centrifugal force can be made smaller and thereby the size of the separator is reduced.
  • the disclosure is further directed to the fuel cell system comprising the gas-liquid separator as described above.
  • the fuel cell system comprises a fuel cell 11 provided with an anode inlet 12 and an anode outlet 13. Other configurations of the fuel cell 11 are omitted here for brevity.
  • the anode inlet 12 is configured to receive fuel such as hydrogen to generate electricity by combustion.
  • the exhaust gas produced by the combustion will be discharged through the anode outlet 13 and recycled into the fuel cell 11 via the anode inlet 12 after liquid separation to make full use of unreacted hydrogen. Water produced by combustion of hydrogen will also be entrained in the exhaust gas and it is necessary to separate water from the gas before delivering the gas into the fuel cell 11 again. Therefore, the gas-liquid separator is arranged between the anode outlet 13 and the anode inlet 12 of the fuel cell 11 in the flow direction of the gas to make the liquid separation.
  • the inlet 105 of the gas-liquid separator is connected with the anode outlet 13 of the fuel cell 11 to receive the exhaust gas discharged therefrom, while the gas outlet 107 of the gas-liquid separator is connected with the anode inlet 12 to return the gas separated from the liquid to the fuel cell 11 to continue reaction.
  • the flow directions of gases are indicated by arrows in Figure 15.
  • the gas-liquid separator may be connected with a drain line at the liquid outlet 106 to discharge the liquid.
  • the gas outlet 107 can be open to the surroundings or connected otherwise without in fluid communication with the anode inlet 12 of the fuel cell 11.
  • the fuel cell system according to the embodiment operates as follows.
  • the fuel such as hydrogen reacts in the fuel cell 11 to generate electricity while an exhaust gas produced by the reaction is discharged from the anode outlet 13 of the fuel cell 11 to the inlet 105 of the gas-liquid separator.
  • the exhaust gas is a mixture of gas and liquid, such as a mixture of hydrogen, nitrogen and water.
  • the mixture first goes into the first stage separating means via the inlet 105 for a primary separation, where a heavier part of liquid entrained in the gas is separated and flows downward to the liquid outlet 106, while the mixture with remaining liquid flows upward to the second stage separating means for a secondary separation.
  • the lighter liquid still entrained in the gas is trapped by the porous body 200, while the gas continues to flow through the pores upwardly to the third stage separating means.
  • the liquid is further separated from the gas with the centrifugal force and flows downward to the second stage separating means and trapped therein, while the gas finally reaches the gas outlet 107 and flows out to the anode inlet 12 of the fuel cell 11 to be recycled.

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  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • Separating Particles In Gases By Inertia (AREA)
  • Fuel Cell (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un séparateur gaz-liquide, plus particulièrement pour un système de pile à combustible, qui comprend un boîtier comprenant un tube sensiblement vertical (101) avec une extrémité inférieure (102) et une extrémité supérieure (103) ; un diaphragme (100) disposé dans le tube (101) comprenant : un cylindre creux (1) définissant un axe central s'étendant verticalement (O) et formé avec un passage vertical (2) à travers celle-ci ; une bride supérieure (3) s'étendant transversalement vers l'extérieur à partir d'une extrémité supérieure du cylindre (1) et scellé de manière fixe contre la surface interne du tube (101) ; un déflecteur inférieur (4) s'étendant transversalement vers l'extérieur à partir d'une extrémité inférieure du cylindre (1) ; une paroi tubulaire (5) entourant une partie inférieure du cylindre (1) ; et une pluralité de pales (6) s'étendant radialement et reliées entre le cylindre (1) et la paroi tubulaire (5), un espace circulaire (8) étant formé autour d'une partie supérieure du cylindre (1) entre la pluralité de lames (6) et la bride supérieure (3), un corps poreux (200) disposé en aval du diaphragme (100) dans le tube (101) dans une direction d'écoulement du gaz et fixé à la surface interne du tube (101), de préférence par ajustement serré ; une entrée (105) disposée transversalement au niveau du tube (101), l'entrée (105) tournée vers l'espace circulaire (8) et dirigée dans une direction décalée par rapport à l'axe central du diaphragme (100) ; une sortie de liquide facultative (106) disposée à l'extrémité inférieure (102) du tube (101) ; et une sortie de gaz (107) agencée au niveau de l'extrémité supérieure (103) du tube pour être en communication fluidique avec le corps poreux (200). L'invention concerne également un système de pile à combustible comprenant le séparateur gaz-liquide. Le séparateur gaz-liquide présente une efficacité de séparation élevée et une faible chute de pression.
PCT/CN2020/114357 2020-09-10 2020-09-10 Séparateur gaz-liquide et système de pile à combustible le comprenant WO2022051960A1 (fr)

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PCT/CN2020/114357 WO2022051960A1 (fr) 2020-09-10 2020-09-10 Séparateur gaz-liquide et système de pile à combustible le comprenant
CN202080104964.4A CN116114091A (zh) 2020-09-10 2020-09-10 气液分离器和包括该气液分离器的燃料电池系统

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PCT/CN2020/114357 WO2022051960A1 (fr) 2020-09-10 2020-09-10 Séparateur gaz-liquide et système de pile à combustible le comprenant

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Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6579637B1 (en) * 2000-05-31 2003-06-17 General Motors Corporation Fuel cell system having a compact water separator
JP2003311185A (ja) * 2002-04-23 2003-11-05 Kojima Press Co Ltd 燃料電池車用気液分離器
WO2013107568A1 (fr) * 2012-01-19 2013-07-25 Paul Scherrer Institut Cyclone pour la séparation de la phase liquide d'un courant gazeux sursaturé
CN103240188A (zh) * 2012-02-13 2013-08-14 巴莱诺斯清洁能源控股公司 用于气液分离的惯性分离器
CN109999591A (zh) * 2019-04-12 2019-07-12 上海楞次新能源汽车科技有限公司 组合式气水分离装置
CN111569538A (zh) * 2020-05-09 2020-08-25 武汉船用电力推进装置研究所（中国船舶重工集团公司第七一二研究所） 用于车船燃料电池发动机的分水器

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6579637B1 (en) * 2000-05-31 2003-06-17 General Motors Corporation Fuel cell system having a compact water separator
JP2003311185A (ja) * 2002-04-23 2003-11-05 Kojima Press Co Ltd 燃料電池車用気液分離器
WO2013107568A1 (fr) * 2012-01-19 2013-07-25 Paul Scherrer Institut Cyclone pour la séparation de la phase liquide d'un courant gazeux sursaturé
CN103240188A (zh) * 2012-02-13 2013-08-14 巴莱诺斯清洁能源控股公司 用于气液分离的惯性分离器
CN109999591A (zh) * 2019-04-12 2019-07-12 上海楞次新能源汽车科技有限公司 组合式气水分离装置
CN111569538A (zh) * 2020-05-09 2020-08-25 武汉船用电力推进装置研究所（中国船舶重工集团公司第七一二研究所） 用于车船燃料电池发动机的分水器

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