Heat exchange apparatus for cooling water of fuel cell and fuel cell system including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11476474-B2
Application number	US-202016751320-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2020
Priority date	Dec 14, 2016
Publication date	Oct 18, 2022
Grant date	Oct 18, 2022

Abstract

A heat exchange apparatus for cooling water of a fuel cell includes a body, through which a cooling water pipe having cooling water flowing therethrough to be supplied to a fuel cell stack, passes; and a heat accumulator provided in an interior of the body and filled with a PCM heat accumulation material that exchanges heat with the cooling water. The body includes a medium space provided between the cooling water pipe and the heat accumulator such that the heat accumulator is spaced apart from the cooling water pipe. The PCM heat accumulation material exchanges heat with the cooling water by a medium of the medium space.

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, through which a cooling water pipe passes, wherein cooling water that is to be supplied to a fuel cell stack flows through the cooling water pipe; and
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,
wherein the body includes a medium space arranged between the cooling water pipe and the heat accumulator such that the heat accumulator is spaced apart from the cooling water pipe,
wherein the PCM heat accumulation material exchanges heat with the cooling water by a medium of the medium space,
wherein the interior of the body includes a first area provided with the medium space,
wherein the body includes a first outer wall part of an outer wall that defines the interior of the body, which the first outer wall part is located to correspond to the first area and is elastically deformed, and
wherein the first outer wall part is elastically deformed as a pressure change of the medium space moves the heat accumulator in a first direction that is far away from the cooling water pipe or a second direction that is opposite to the first direction.

2. The heat exchange apparatus of claim 1 , 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.

3. The heat exchange apparatus of claim 2 , wherein a spacing interval between the heat accumulator and the cooling water pipe is changed such that a temperature of the cooling water discharged from the body is not more than a limit temperature corresponding to a maximum spacing interval and not less than the operation temperature.

4. The heat exchange apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a pump configured to inject fluid into the medium space or suction fluid from the medium space to adjust an internal pressure of the medium space,
wherein the pump is an air compressor configured to supply air to the fuel cell stack.

5. The heat exchange apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heat accumulator includes:
a heat transfer member surrounding at least a portion of the PCM heat accumulation material to transfer heat received from the cooling water to the PCM heat accumulation material by the medium of the medium space or receive heat, which is to be transferred to the cooling water, from the PCM heat accumulation material by the medium of the medium space.

6. The heat exchange apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the interior of the body further includes a second area that is spaced apart from the cooling water pipe through the medium space and provided with the heat accumulator,
wherein the heat transfer member includes:
a first member extending along a lengthwise direction of the cooling water pipe to differentiate the first area from the second area; and
a plurality of second members extending from the first member in a direction moving away from the cooling water pipe and spaced apart from each other in the lengthwise direction of the cooling water pipe, and
wherein the PCM heat accumulation material is filled in spaces defined by the first member and the second members in the second area.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

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

Classifications

• H01M8/04723

  of the coolant · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• F28D2021/0043

  for fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04111

  using a compressor turbine assembly · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

  Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title