Heat exchange device for cooling water of fuel cell and fuel cell system comprising the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10818944-B2
Application number	US-201715798027-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2017
Priority date	Dec 15, 2016
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed is a heat exchange apparatus for cooling water of a fuel cell, the heat exchange apparatus including a body, through which a cooling water pipe, through which cooling water that is to be supplied to a fuel cell stack flows, passes, and a heat accumulator provided in the interior of the body and filled with a PCM heat accumulation material that is to exchange heat with the cooling water. The body includes a medium space provided between the cooling water pipe and the heat accumulator and filled with a medium material. The PCM heat accumulation material exchanges heat with the cooling water by the medium material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heat exchange apparatus for cooling water of a fuel cell, the heat exchange apparatus comprising:
a body including a cooling water pipe passing therethrough and a medium space including any one of a first medium material or a second medium material therein, wherein cooling water that is to be supplied to a fuel cell stack flows through the cooling water pipe, and wherein the second medium material has a thermal conductivity different from a thermal conductivity of the first medium material;
a heat accumulator arranged in an interior of the body and including therein a PCM heat accumulation material that is to exchange heat with the cooling water; and
a replacement unit including a first storage tank configured to store the first medium material and configured to discharge the second medium material filled in the medium space from the medium space, and to supply the first medium material of the first storage tank to the medium space from which the second medium material has been discharged,
wherein the medium space is arranged to surround the cooling water pipe between the cooling water pipe and the heat accumulator so that the PCM heat accumulation material exchanges heat with the cooling water by the first medium material or the second medium material filled in the medium space,
wherein a phase of the PCM heat accumulation material is changed at a predetermined operation temperature that is lower than a reference temperature to which the cooling water to be discharged from the body is cooled during cooling of the cooling water by the PCM heat accumulation material, and
wherein the replacement unit further includes:
a first supply pipe arranged separately from the cooling water pipe and configured to supply the first medium material from the first storage tank to the medium space; and
a first recovery pipe configured to recover the first medium material discharged from the medium space to the first storage tank.

2. The heat exchange apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the replacement unit discharges the second medium material, which is air, from the medium space by supplying the first medium material.

3. The heat exchange apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the replacement unit further includes:
a circulation pipe configured to circulate the first medium material discharged from the medium space to the first supply pipe,
wherein the first medium material continues to be supplied to the first supply pipe and be circulated through the circulation pipe until at least the second medium material is completely discharged, and
wherein the second medium material is discharged to the outside while flowing through the circulation pipe or the first supply pipe, together with the first medium material.

4. The heat exchange apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the replacement unit further includes:
a ventilation pipe configured to communicate the medium space and the outside of the body, and
wherein air outside the body is introduced into the medium space through the ventilation pipe due to a change of a pressure in the medium space, which occurs when the first medium material is recovered from the medium space to the first storage tank through the first recovery pipe.

5. The heat exchange apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the replacement unit further includes:
a second storage tank configured to store the second medium material;
a second supply pipe arranged separately from the cooling water pipe and configured to supply the second medium material from the second storage tank to the medium space; and
a second recovery pipe configured to recover the second medium material discharged from the medium space to the second storage tank.

6. The heat exchange apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the replacement unit supplies the first medium material to the medium space through the first supply pipe after recovering the second medium material from the medium space to the second storage tank through the second recovery pipe.

7. A fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell stack;
a cooling water pipe configured to supply cooling water to the fuel cell stack; and
a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with the cooling water to be supplied to the fuel cell stack,
wherein the heat exchanger includes:
a body, through which the cooling water pipe passes, wherein the body has a medium space including any one of a first medium material or a second medium material therein, and wherein the second medium material has a thermal conductivity different from a thermal conductivity of the first medium material;
a heat accumulator arranged in an interior of the body and including therein a PCM heat accumulation material that is to exchange heat with the cooling water; and
a replacement unit including a first storage tank configured to store the first medium material and configured to discharge the second medium material filled in the medium space from the medium space, and to supply the first medium material of the first storage tank to the medium space from which the second medium material has been discharged,

wherein the PCM heat accumulation material exchanges heat with the cooling water by the first medium material or the second medium material filled in the medium space,
wherein a phase of the PCM heat accumulation material is changed at a predetermined operation temperature that is lower than a reference temperature to which the cooling water to be discharged from the body is cooled during cooling of the cooling water by the PCM heat accumulation material, and
wherein the replacement unit further includes:
a first supply pipe arranged separately from the cooling water pipe and configured to supply the first medium material from the first storage tank to the medium space; and
a first recovery pipe configured to recover the first medium material discharged from the medium space to the first storage tank.

8. The fuel cell system of claim 7 , further comprising a control unit configured to control the replacement unit to adjust a heat transfer rate between the heat accumulator and the cooling water pipe.

9. The fuel cell system of claim 8 , wherein the control unit adjusts the temperature of the cooling water discharged from the heat exchanger through adjustment of the heat transfer rate by the control of the replacement unit.

10. The fuel cell system of claim 9 , wherein the control unit controls the replacement unit, based on a moisture situation in the fuel cell stack.

11. The fuel cell system of claim 10 , wherein the control unit controls the replacement unit such that, among the first and second medium materials, a medium material having a higher thermal conductivity is filled in the medium space if the moisture situation is determined to be a low moisture situation, and a medium material having a lower thermal conductivity is filled in the medium space if the moisture situation is determined to be a high moisture situation.

12. The fuel cell system of claim 8 , wherein the control unit adjusts a period of time, for which the PCM accumulation material in a liquid state is coagulated, through adjustment of the heat transfer rate by the control of the replacement unit.

13. The fuel cell system of claim 8 , wherein the first storage tank is further configured to receive a portion of cooling water for cooling the fuel cell stack and separately store the received cooling water so that the cooling water is used as the first medium material.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Lee Nam Woo
• Kwon Hyuck Roul
• Na Sung Wook

Classifications

• F28D20/021

  the latent heat storage material and the heat-exchanging means being enclosed in one container (F28D20/023 - F28D20/028 take precedence) · CPC title

• F28D20/02

  using latent heat · CPC title

• H01M8/04029

  Heat exchange using liquids · CPC title

• H01M8/045

  of anode reactants at the inlet or inside the fuel cell · CPC title

• H01M8/04007

  related to heat exchange · CPC title