Gas-liquid separator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12427443-B2
Application number	US-202217573850-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2022
Priority date	Jan 21, 2021
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

A gas-liquid separator includes a housing, an inlet in the housing, a flow passage which is in communication with the inlet and through which a water-containing gas supplied through the inlet flows in a vertical direction, a gas-flow director configured to change a flow direction of the water-containing gas flowing through the flow passage from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction, and a gas-liquid separating portion configured to bring the water-containing gas, supplied from the gas-flow director into the housing, into contact with a plurality of separation blades in sequence to separate water from the water-containing gas.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gas-liquid separator comprising:
a housing;
an inlet in the housing;
a flow passage which is in communication with the inlet and through which a water-containing gas supplied through the inlet flows is directed upward in a vertical direction;
a gas-flow director at an upper part of the flow passage in the vertical direction and configured to change a flow direction of the water-containing gas flowing through the flow passage from the vertical direction to a horizontal direction; and
a gas-liquid separating portion arranged higher in the vertical direction than the inlet and configured to bring the water-containing gas, supplied from the gas-flow director into the housing, into contact with a plurality of separation blades in sequence to separate water from the water-containing gas.

2. The gas-liquid separator according to claim 1 ,
the flow passage is in a vertically elongated flow-passage member disposed inside the housing and configured to send the water-containing gas, introduced through the inlet, upward in the vertical direction through the flow passage, and
the gas-flow director includes:
a horizontal guide face disposed on an inner surface of an upper wall of the housing and configured to allow the water-containing gas, sent further upward in the vertical direction from an upper end of the flow-passage member, to flow in the horizontal direction; and
a guide portion disposed at an upper end portion of the flow-passage member and configured to guide the water-containing gas toward the separation blades of the gas-liquid separating portion.

3. The gas-liquid separator according to claim 2 ,
wherein the flow-passage member is integral with a holder held on an inner surface of the housing.

4. A gas-liquid separator comprising:
a housing;
an inlet on an upper side of the housing;
a flow passage which is in communication with the inlet and through which a water-containing gas supplied through the inlet flows in a vertical direction;
a gas-flow director configured to bring the water-containing gas, flowing through the flow passage, into contact with an inclined face to change a flow direction of the water-containing gas from the vertical direction to a horizontal direction; and
a gas-liquid separating portion configured to bring the water-containing gas, supplied from the gas-flow director into the housing, into contact with a plurality of separation blades in sequence to separate water from the water-containing gas.

5. The gas-liquid separator according to claim 4 ,
wherein the separation blades are in an annular region and each extend in the vertical direction, and
the gas-liquid separating portion is configured to bring the water-containing gas, whose flow direction has been changed by the gas-flow director, into contact with the separation blades and swirl the water-containing gas around into a form of a swirl flow to separate water from the water-containing gas.

Assignees

• Aisin Corp
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Okuno Hitoshi
• Hosoi Takami
• Nishiumi Hiroaki

Classifications

• B01D19/0068

  General arrangements, e.g. flowsheets (B01D19/0063 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B01D2257/80

  Water · CPC title

• B01D19/0094 Primary

  by using a vortex, cavitation · CPC title

• H01M8/2465

  Details of groupings of fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04119

  with simultaneous supply or evacuation of electrolyte; Humidifying or dehumidifying · CPC title