Fuel cell humidifier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021111420-A1
Application number	US-201816499126-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 23, 2018
Priority date	Mar 27, 2017
Publication date	Apr 15, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fuel cell humidifier may completely or substantially completely prevent condensate water from entering a running fuel cell stack. The fuel cell humidifier includes a housing; a plurality of hollow fiber membranes arranged in the housing; a cap which is coupled to one end of the housing and has an air discharge port for supplying humidified air to the fuel cell stack; and a bypass tube for transferring condensate water generated from the humidified air to an interior space of the housing through which a discharge gas flows, wherein a first end of the bypass tube is disposed inside the air discharge port, and the bypass tube is in fluid communication with the interior space of the housing through a second end of the bypass tube.

First claim

1 . A fuel cell humidifier, comprising:
the fuel cell humidifier for humidifying air supplied from outside with moisture in an off-gas discharged from a fuel cell stack and supplying the humidified air to the fuel cell stack, a humidification module comprising a housing and a plurality of hollow fiber membranes arranged in the housing; a first cap having an air discharge port for supplying the humidified air to the fuel cell stack and coupled to a first termination end of the humidification module, the air discharge port being spaced apart from the humidification module; and a bypass tube for transferring the condensate water generated from the humidified air to an interior space of the housing through which the off-gas flows, wherein a first end of the bypass tube is positioned in the air discharge port, and wherein the bypass tube is in fluid communication with the interior space of the housing through a second end of the bypass tube.

2 . The fuel cell humidifier of claim 1 , further comprising a second cap having an air inlet port for receiving the air supplied from the outside and coupled to a second termination end of the humidification module at an opposite side of the first termination end.

3 . The fuel cell humidifier of claim 2 ,
Wherein an interior space of the first cap, which is defined by an inner surface of the first cap and the first termination end of the humidification module, and an interior space of the second cap, which is defined by an inner surface of the second cap and the second termination end of the humidification module, are in fluid communication with each other only through lumens of the hollow fiber membranes.

4 . The fuel cell humidifier of claim 1 ,
wherein the housing has an off-gas inlet port for receiving the off-gas from the fuel cell stack and an off-gas outlet port for discharging the off-gas.

5 . The fuel cell humidifier of claim 4 , wherein the housing comprises:
a first housing comprising the hollow fiber membranes; and a second housing surrounding the first housing and comprising the off-gas inlet port and the off-gas outlet port, and wherein the first housing has a first group of openings corresponding to the off-gas inlet port and a second group of openings corresponding to the off-gas outlet port.

6 . The fuel cell humidifier of claim 4 ,
wherein the hollow fiber membranes comprise two or more hollow fiber membrane bundles, wherein the housing comprises: two or more first housings comprising the two or more hollow fiber membrane bundles, respectively; and a second housing surrounding the first housings and having the off-gas inlet port and the off-gas outlet port, and wherein each of the first housings has a first group of openings corresponding to the off-gas inlet port and a second group of openings corresponding to the off-gas outlet port.

7 . The fuel cell humidifier of claim 1 ,
wherein the condensate water is generated in an interior space of the first cap or flows into the interior space of the first cap from the hollow fiber membranes and then is transferred to the interior space of the housing through the bypass tube.

8 . The fuel cell humidifier of claim 1 ,
Wherein a longitudinal direction of the air discharge port and a longitudinal direction of the hollow fiber membranes are not parallel to each other.

9 . The fuel cell humidifier of claim 1 ,
wherein the first cap has a rib configured to prevent the condensate water from being transferred to the fuel cell stack through the air discharge port, the rib being disposed in the air discharge port, and wherein the first end of the bypass tube is positioned adjacent to the rib.

10 . The fuel cell humidifier of claim 1 ,
wherein a screw thread for providing a spiral path to the condensate water is formed on the inner surface of the air discharge port.

11 . The fuel cell humidifier of claim 10 ,
Wherein the first end of the bypass tube is positioned adjacent to the termination portion of the screw thread, in order to transfer the condensate water, which flows into the air discharge port to reach the termination portion of the screw thread through the spiral path, to the interior space of the housing.

12 . The fuel cell humidifier of claim 1 , wherein the bypass tube comprises:
a first tube fixed to the first cap; and a second tube fixed to the humidification module, and wherein the first and second tubes are detachably coupled.

13 . The fuel cell humidifier of claim 1 ,
wherein the bypass tube is not exposed to the outside.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp
• Kolon Inc

Inventors

• Ahn Woong-Jeon
• Kim Kyoung-Ju
• Oh Young-Seok
• Lee Jin-Hyung
• An Na-Hyeon
• Lee Chang-Ha
• Kim Hyun-Yoo

Classifications

• B01D63/031 Primary

  Two or more types of hollow fibres within one bundle or within one potting or tube-sheet · CPC title

• B01D2313/20

  Specific housing · CPC title

• H01M8/04119

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

• H01M8/04141

  by water containing exhaust gases · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title