Device for adjusting hollow fiber membrane density for humidification device of fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9640814-B2
Application number	US-201414564486-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2014
Priority date	Jul 31, 2014
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed is a device for adjusting humidification gas of a membrane humidification device of a fuel cell. In particular, the device is adapted to induce changes in differential pressure and velocity of the wet air for each division module and to improve the humidification efficiency by sequentially mounting the division modules divided into various numbers to the interior of a housing of the membrane humidification device, thereby adjusting the density of the hollow fiber membrane filled in each division module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device for adjusting a hollow fiber membrane density for a membrane humidification device of a fuel cell system, comprising:
a hollow housing in which a dry air supply port and a discharge port for discharging the humidified dry air are formed on both sides, a wet air inlet is formed at a first end portion, and a wet air outlet is formed at a second end portion;
a plurality of division modules that contact wet air and are mounted to an interior of the housing; and
hollow fiber membranes disposed in an interior of each of the division modules,
wherein the division modules are fixedly mounted to an inner space of the wet air inlet side of the housing, an inner space of the wet air outlet side, and a space between the wet air inlet and outlet and each of division modules is divided into various numbers of sections.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the division modules includes:
a first division module that is divided into two sections and is mounted to the interior of the wet air inlet side of the housing;
a second division module that is divided into four sections and is mounted to a space between the wet air inlet and the outlet of the housing; and
a third division module that is divided into six sections and is mounted to the interior of the wet air outlet side of the housing.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the first, second, and third division modules are configured as one cross-sectional shape among polygonal cross-sectional shapes, while having a structure that is open in a lateral direction to cause the hollow fiber membranes having a bundle to form a pass.

4. The device of claim 2 , wherein a wet air induction aperture is formed through four-side wall surfaces of the first division module and the third division module.

5. The device of claim 2 , wherein the first division module is a hollow case structure having a semi-circular cross-section in which a circle is laterally bisected, the second division module is a hollow case structure in which a circle is divided into four sections along a vertical direction and is equally arranged along a lateral direction, and the third division module is a hollow case structure in which a circle is divided into six sections along the vertical direction and is equally arranged along the lateral direction.

6. The device of claim 2 , wherein the first division module is a hollow case structure having a square cross-section in which a rectangle is laterally bisected, the second division module is a hollow case structure in which a rectangle is divided into four sections along the vertical direction and is equally arranged along the lateral direction, and the third division module is a hollow case structure in which a rectangle is divided into eight sections along the vertical direction, and is equally arranged along the lateral direction.

7. The device of claim 2 , wherein the first division module is a hollow case structure having a semi-circular cross-section in which a circle is laterally bisected, the second division module is a hollow case structure in which a circle is divided into four sections along the vertical direction and is equally arranged along the lateral direction, and the third division module is a hollow case structure in which a circle is divided into six sections along the lateral direction and is equally arranged along the vertical direction.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the division module includes:
a first division module that is divided into two sections and is mounted to the interior of the wet air inlet side of the housing;
a second division module that is divided into four sections and is mounted in a space between the wet air inlet and the outlet of the housing; and
a third division module that is divided into two sections and is mounted to the interior of the wet air outlet side of the housing.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the first, second, and third division modules are configured as one cross-sectional shape among the polygonal cross-sectional shapes, while having a structure that is open in the lateral direction to cause the hollow fiber membranes having a bundle to form a pass.

10. The device of claim 8 , wherein a wet air induction aperture is formed through wall surfaces of four-sides of the first division module and the third division module.

11. The device of claim 8 , wherein the first division module is a hollow case structure having a semi-circular cross-section in which a circle is laterally bisected, the second division module is a hollow case structure in which a circle is divided into four sections along the vertical direction and is equally arranged along the lateral direction, and the third division module is a hollow case structure having a semi-circular cross-section in which a circle is laterally bisected.

12. The device of claim 8 , wherein the first division module is a hollow case structure having a square cross-section in which a rectangle is laterally bisected, the second division module is a hollow case structure in which a rectangle is divided into four or more sections along the vertical direction and is equally arranged along the lateral direction, and the third division module is a hollow case structure having a square cross-section in which a rectangle is laterally bisected.

13. The device of claim 8 , wherein the first division module is a hollow case structure having a semi-circular cross-section in which a circle is laterally bisected, the second division module is a hollow case structure in which a circle is divided into four sections along the vertical direction and is equally arranged along the lateral direction, and the third division module is a hollow case structure having a semi-circular cross-section in which a circle is vertically bisected.

14. The device of claim 1 , wherein a support step forms a joint groove to fasten one end portion of each division module in a fitting manner and is formed integrally on an inner-diameter surface of the housing.

15. A fuel cell system comprising a device of claim 1 .

16. A vehicle comprising a fuel cell system of claim 15 .

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Kim Hyun Yoo
• Kwon Hyuck Roul

Classifications

• B60L11/1898

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60L11/1883

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• H01M8/04149 Primary

  by diffusion, e.g. making use of membranes · CPC title

• H01M8/04522

  of cathode exhausts · CPC title

• H01M8/04097

  with recycling of the reactants (H01M8/04119, H01M8/04104 take precedence) · CPC title