Disclosure of Invention
The invention is based on the discovery and recognition of the fact that the centralized air supply is a mode of simultaneously supplying air to a plurality of sets of fuel cell stacks by adopting an air compressor, and the air supply mode can greatly improve the power generation power which can reach megawatts or more. In the research process, the problem that the performance of the membrane electrode is reduced because the single-chip voltage of the fuel cell is too low and the performance of the membrane electrode is also caused because the temperature of the concentrated air is about 20-40 ℃ in the process of entering the fuel cell stack through a pipeline after the concentrated air is compressed by an air compressor is found.
The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems in the related art to some extent. To this end, an embodiment of the present invention proposes a fuel cell system for centralized gas supply. The fuel cell system has the advantages of reducing equipment investment cost and improving output performance of the fuel cell.
The fuel cell system for centralized gas supply in the embodiment of the invention comprises a fuel cell stack, a gas inlet pipe, a communication gas pipe, a cooling liquid circulating pipe and heat exchange components.
The heat exchange component is provided with a heat pipe cavity and a cold pipe cavity, the fuel cell stack is communicated with the heat pipe cavity of the heat exchanger through the cooling liquid circulating pipe, the air inlet pipe is communicated with the cold pipe cavity of the heat exchanger, and the cold pipe cavity is communicated with the fuel cell stack through the communicating air pipe. It will be appreciated that the air entering the interior of the fuel cell stack is warmed by the cooling fluid within the stack to raise the temperature of the air entering the stack.
According to the fuel cell system for centralized gas supply, disclosed by the embodiment of the invention, the air entering the fuel cell stack is heated by exchanging heat between the cooling liquid in the fuel cell stack after being led out and the air before entering the stack, so that the problem of performance reduction of a membrane electrode caused by too low voltage of a single fuel cell chip due to too low temperature of the air entering the stack is avoided. Meanwhile, the cooling liquid in the electric pile exchanges heat with the air entering the pile, and the pressure for cooling and reducing the cooling liquid circulation cooling is relieved to a certain extent by the cooling liquid after exchanging heat with the air. And the humidity level in the battery can be better controlled by properly increasing the air inlet temperature, so that the problem of the performance degradation of the battery caused by over-humidity or over-drying is avoided. For example, at lower temperatures, water may condense more easily into a liquid state blocking the gas channels, while at higher temperatures, it is more advantageous to maintain a proper humidity state, ensuring good ionic conductivity.
Meanwhile, the air compressed by the air compressor is generally over-high in temperature (more than 100 ℃) and usually needs to be additionally provided with an intercooler for cooling treatment, and the centralized air supply is adopted, so that the equipment investment cost can be saved, and the setting of cooling equipment is avoided. Thereby reducing the input cost of equipment and effectively avoiding the consumption of extra electric power. Therefore, the fuel cell system for centralized gas supply has the advantages of cost reduction and efficiency improvement.
In addition, for the problem of low stacking temperature of the concentrated air supply, the air can be heated while the heating device is not newly added, so that the equipment input cost is reduced, the cooling liquid in the fuel cell stack is cooled synergistically, and the electric power consumed by reducing the temperature of the cooling liquid is reduced. Therefore, the fuel cell system for centralized gas supply has the advantages of cost reduction and efficiency enhancement.
Therefore, the fuel cell system for centralized gas supply has the advantages of reducing equipment investment cost and improving performance.
In some embodiments, the cooling liquid circulation pipe comprises a liquid inlet pipe and a liquid return pipe, wherein two ends of the liquid inlet pipe are respectively connected with a cooling liquid outlet of the fuel cell stack and a cooling liquid inlet of a heat pipe cavity of the heat exchange component, and two ends of the liquid return pipe are respectively connected with a cooling liquid inlet of the fuel cell stack and a cooling liquid outlet of the heat pipe cavity of the heat exchange component.
In some embodiments, the fuel cell system for centralized gas supply further includes a coolant flow controller and a first temperature sensor, the coolant flow controller and the first temperature sensor are in signal correspondence, the coolant flow controller is disposed on the liquid inlet pipe, and the first temperature sensor is disposed in a coolant chamber in the fuel cell stack to obtain a current temperature of the coolant in the coolant chamber.
In some embodiments, the fuel cell system for centralized air supply further comprises at least one of an air flow controller and the proportional valve, and a first temperature sensor, wherein the air flow controller and/or the proportional valve is arranged on the air inlet pipe, and the first temperature sensor is arranged on the air inlet pipe to acquire the temperature before air heat exchange.
In some embodiments, the fuel cell system for central air supply further comprises an air filter disposed on the air intake pipe, and the air filter is disposed at a front end of the air flow controller.
In some embodiments, the fuel cell system for centralized gas supply further comprises a gas storage tank, and the gas storage tank is connected with the inlet of the gas inlet pipe.
In some embodiments, the heat exchange component is a heat exchanger or an intercooler.
In some embodiments, the heat exchanger is at least one of a plate heat exchanger, a spiral plate heat exchanger, a shell and tube heat exchanger, and a shell and tube heat exchanger.
In some embodiments, the fuel cell system for centralized air supply further comprises a humidifier disposed on the communication air pipe so as to raise the air humidity in the communication air pipe.
In some embodiments, the cathode outlet of the fuel cell stack is in communication with the wet side inlet of the humidifier.
In some embodiments, the fuel cell system of the centralized supply further comprises a back pressure valve disposed downstream of the wet side outlet of the humidifier.
Detailed Description
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below by referring to the drawings are illustrative and intended to explain the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the invention.
A fuel cell system for centralized gas supply according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to fig. 1 to 2.
The fuel cell system for centralized gas supply in the embodiment of the invention comprises a fuel cell stack 1, a gas inlet pipe 2, a communication gas pipe 3, a cooling liquid circulating pipe and a heat exchange component 5.
The heat exchange component 5 is provided with a heat pipe cavity 51 and a cold pipe cavity 52, the fuel cell stack 1 is communicated with the heat pipe cavity 51 of the heat exchanger through a cooling liquid circulating pipe, the air inlet pipe 2 is communicated with the cold pipe cavity 52 of the heat exchanger, and the cold pipe cavity 52 is communicated with the fuel cell stack 1 through a communicating air pipe 3. It will be appreciated that the air entering the interior of the fuel cell stack 1 is warmed by the cooling fluid within the stack to raise the temperature of the air entering the stack.
According to the fuel cell system for centralized gas supply, disclosed by the embodiment of the invention, the air entering the fuel cell stack is heated by exchanging heat between the cooling liquid in the fuel cell stack after being led out and the air before entering the stack, so that the problem of performance reduction of a membrane electrode caused by too low voltage of a single fuel cell chip due to too low temperature of the air entering the stack is avoided. Meanwhile, the cooling liquid in the electric pile exchanges heat with the air entering the pile, and the pressure for cooling and reducing the cooling liquid circulation cooling is relieved to a certain extent by the cooling liquid after exchanging heat with the air. And the humidity level in the battery can be better controlled by properly increasing the air inlet temperature, so that the problem of the performance degradation of the battery caused by over-humidity or over-drying is avoided. For example, at lower temperatures, water may condense more easily into a liquid state blocking the gas channels, while at higher temperatures, it is more advantageous to maintain a proper humidity state, ensuring good ionic conductivity.
Meanwhile, the air compressed by the air compressor is generally over-high in temperature (more than 100 ℃) and usually needs to be additionally provided with an intercooler for cooling treatment, and the centralized air supply is adopted, so that the equipment investment cost can be saved, and the setting of cooling equipment is avoided. Thereby reducing the input cost of equipment and effectively avoiding the consumption of extra electric power. Therefore, the fuel cell system for centralized gas supply has the advantages of cost reduction and efficiency improvement.
In addition, for the problem of low stacking temperature of the concentrated air supply, the air can be heated while the heating device is not newly added, so that the equipment input cost is reduced, the cooling liquid in the fuel cell stack is cooled synergistically, and the electric power consumed by reducing the temperature of the cooling liquid is reduced. Therefore, the fuel cell system for centralized gas supply has the advantages of cost reduction and efficiency enhancement.
Therefore, the fuel cell system for centralized gas supply has the advantages of reducing equipment investment cost and improving performance.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the cooling liquid circulation pipe includes a liquid inlet pipe 41 and a liquid return pipe 42, both ends of the liquid inlet pipe 41 are respectively connected with the cooling liquid outlet of the fuel cell stack 1 and the cooling liquid inlet of the heat exchange component 5, and both ends of the liquid return pipe 42 are respectively connected with the cooling liquid inlet of the fuel cell stack 1 and the cooling liquid outlet of the heat exchange component 5.
According to the fuel cell system for centralized gas supply, the cooling liquid circulating pipe is divided into the liquid inlet pipe 41 and the liquid return pipe 42, and then two ends of the liquid inlet pipe 41 are respectively connected with the cooling liquid outlet of the fuel cell stack 1 and the cooling liquid inlet of the heat exchange component 5, and two ends of the liquid return pipe 42 are respectively connected with the cooling liquid inlet of the fuel cell stack 1 and the cooling liquid outlet of the heat exchange component 5, so that cooling liquid in the fuel cell stack 1 is led out and exchanges heat with the heat exchange component 5. Therefore, the fuel cell system for centralized gas supply has the advantages of simple structure and strong adaptability.
Further, the liquid inlet pipe 41 and the liquid return pipe 42 are both communicated with the cooling liquid cavity in the fuel cell stack 1, and the liquid inlet pipe 41 and the liquid return pipe 42 can be communicated with the cooling liquid cavity through connectors.
As shown in fig. 1, the fuel cell system for centralized gas supply according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes a coolant flow controller 6 and a first temperature sensor, the coolant flow controller 6 being disposed on the liquid inlet pipe 41, the first temperature sensor being disposed in a coolant chamber in the fuel cell stack 1 to obtain the current temperature of the coolant in the coolant chamber.
According to the fuel cell system for centralized gas supply, disclosed by the embodiment of the invention, the flow rate of the cooling liquid can be controlled through the cooperation between the cooling liquid flow controller 6 and the first temperature sensor, so that the gas exchange mass transfer between the cooling liquid and the inlet air is facilitated to be stabilized, and the stability of the inlet air temperature is ensured. Thereby improving the overall performance of the fuel cell.
As shown in fig. 1, the fuel cell system for centralized air supply according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes an air flow controller 8 and/or a proportional valve, and a second temperature sensor, where the air flow controller 8 and/or the proportional valve are disposed on the air intake pipe 2, and the second temperature sensor is disposed on the air intake pipe 2 to obtain the temperature before air heat exchange. Thus, the stability of the intake air temperature and the intake air amount can be controlled to maintain the normal operation of the fuel cell.
Further, the proportional valve is a proportional valve controlling the opening degree.
As shown in fig. 1, the fuel cell system for central air supply of the embodiment of the present invention further includes an air filter 7, the air filter 7 being provided on the air intake pipe 2, and the air filter 7 being provided at the front end of the air flow controller 8.
According to the fuel cell system for centralized air supply, provided by the embodiment of the invention, the air before entering the fuel cell stack 1 can be purified through the air filter 7, so that dust in the air is prevented from entering the fuel cell stack 1 to influence the fuel performance and the mass transfer performance of the cell. Thus, the fuel cell system for centralized gas supply improves the performance of the fuel cell system for centralized gas supply.
As shown in fig. 1, the fuel cell system for centralized gas supply according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes a gas tank connected to the inlet of the gas inlet pipe 2. And regulating and controlling the air flow of the pipeline according to the operation working condition of the fuel cell stack so as to meet the flow regulation and control of different working conditions.
The heat exchange component 5 is a heat exchanger or an intercooler.
Optionally, the heat exchanger is a plate heat exchanger, a spiral plate heat exchanger, a shell-and-tube heat exchanger or a shell-and-tube heat exchanger. The purpose of heating the air entering the pile is achieved, additional auxiliary parts are not required to be added, and the equipment investment cost is reduced.
In addition, when the heat exchange component 5 is an intercooler, an intercooler cooling liquid inlet and an intercooler cooling liquid outlet for the fuel cell are reversely connected, namely, a stack cooling liquid outlet is connected with an intercooler cooling liquid inlet, and the intercooler cooling liquid outlet is connected with the stack cooling liquid inlet, so that the purpose of heating the air of the fuel cell in a centralized air supply mode can be achieved.
As shown in fig. 1, the fuel cell system for central air supply according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes a humidifier 9, and the humidifier 9 is provided on the communication air pipe 3 so as to raise the humidity of the air in the communication air pipe 3.
The air heated by the heat exchanger enters a dry side inlet of the humidifier 9 for humidification. The outlet of the humidifier 9 communicates with the air inlet of the fuel cell stack 1, and the humidified temperature-rising air is input to the fuel cell stack 1. The high-temperature and high-humidity gas at the outlet of the fuel cell stack 1 is communicated with the wet inlet of the humidifier 9 and is a source of humidity of the humidifier 9.
The cathode outlet of the fuel cell stack 1 communicates with the wet side inlet of the humidifier 9. Because the exhaust temperature is relatively high, the exhaust can be reused to heat the air inlet, and the utilization of the energy of the electric pile is further improved.
The fuel cell system for centralized gas supply of the embodiment of the present invention further includes a back pressure valve 10, the back pressure valve 10 being disposed downstream of the wet side outlet of the humidifier 9. Thus, the exhaust gas is discharged, and the opening degree of the back pressure valve 10 is adjusted to adjust the air pressure.
In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings are merely for convenience in describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the present invention.
Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like, are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" means at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless specifically defined otherwise.
In the present invention, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly, and may be, for example, fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally formed, mechanically connected, electrically connected, or communicable with each other, directly connected, indirectly connected through an intervening medium, or in communication between two elements or in an interactive relationship between two elements, unless otherwise explicitly specified. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art according to the specific circumstances.
In the present invention, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, a first feature "up" or "down" a second feature may be the first and second features in direct contact, or the first and second features in indirect contact via an intervening medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above," "over" and "on" a second feature may be a first feature being directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicating that the first feature is level higher than the second feature. The first feature being "under", "below" and "beneath" the second feature may be the first feature being directly under or obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicating that the first feature is less level than the second feature.
For purposes of this disclosure, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "a particular example," or "some examples," etc., mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, schematic representations of the above terms are not necessarily directed to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Furthermore, the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples may be combined and combined by those skilled in the art without contradiction.
While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it will be understood that the above embodiments are illustrative and not to be construed as limiting the invention, and that variations, modifications, alternatives and variations may be made to the above embodiments by one of ordinary skill in the art within the scope of the invention.