KR-20260063125-A - ELECTRICAL ENERGY GENERATING CELL AND DEVICE FOR GENERATING ELECTRICAL ENERGY HAVING IT

KR20260063125AKR 20260063125 AKR20260063125 AKR 20260063125AKR-20260063125-A

Abstract

The present invention provides an energy generating cell comprising: a case having an opening formed on its upper surface and an inlet hole formed through its lower surface through which water can flow in; a membrane inserted into the case through the opening formed on its upper surface and generating electrical energy based on the potential difference between the two ends as the water moves and evaporates; and a moisture absorbing member disposed inside the membrane so that the water can move toward the membrane and extending along the length of the membrane to protrude outside the case through the inlet hole so as to absorb the water. By doing so, the invention enables additional harvesting of electrical energy using water, which is a byproduct of a fuel cell system, thereby improving energy generation efficiency and enhancing stability and reliability.

Inventors

곽승윤
김성수
황경호
이광혁

Assignees

현대자동차주식회사
기아 주식회사
주식회사 서연이화
프로이덴버그바이린필트레이션테크놀로지코리아 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20241030

Claims (15)

A case having an opening formed on the upper surface and a penetrating inlet hole formed on the lower surface through which water can flow in; A membrane inserted into the case through the upper surface having an opening and generating electrical energy based on the potential difference between the two ends as the water moves and evaporates; A moisture-absorbing member disposed inside the membrane so that the water can move toward the membrane, and formed to extend along the longitudinal direction of the membrane so as to protrude to the outside of the case through the inlet hole to absorb the water; Energy generation cell including
In paragraph 1, An energy generating cell having a mesh member bonded to the opposite side of one side of the membrane that is in contact with the moisture-absorbing member.
In paragraph 1, An energy generating cell in which, when the membrane is inserted into the above case, the outer surface of the membrane opposite to the position where the inlet hole is located is coated by a coating member to prevent impregnation with water.
In paragraph 3, The above coating member is an energy generating cell formed of PDMS (Polydimethyl siloxane) material.
In paragraph 3, An energy generating cell having adhesive members provided at both ends of the coating member so as to maintain the membrane wound on the outer surface of the moisture-absorbing member.
In paragraph 1, An energy generating cell having a conductive thread bonded to one side and the other side of the above membrane to form an electrode.
In paragraph 1, An energy generating cell having a separate cap member installed on the upper surface of the case, which has an opening formed therein to prevent the membrane from detaching from the case.
In paragraph 1, An energy generating cell having a cut surface formed on one side of the above case, in which a portion of the area is cut so that the membrane can be exposed to the outside.
An energy generating cell according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 8; A body having a receiving space for accommodating a plurality of the above-mentioned energy generating cells, and water being accommodated on the bottom surface of the receiving space so as to supply water to the membrane side; An energy generating device equipped with an energy generating cell including
In Paragraph 9, An energy generating device having an energy generating cell, wherein a separate body separator is installed inside the body to support the energy generating cell and to separate water and air.
In Paragraph 10, An energy generating device having an energy generating cell having a plurality of protruding members formed through a through hole through which the case of the energy generating cell is inserted on the plate surface of the body separator, and through which the moisture-absorbing member protrudes in the center.
In Paragraph 11, An energy generating device having an energy generating cell equipped with a membrane O-ring installed around the circumference of the above-mentioned through hole to prevent water from flowing in through the through hole.
In Paragraph 10, An energy generating device having an energy generating cell having a body O-ring installed on the circumferential surface of the body separator for sealing with the inner surface of the body.
In Paragraph 9, An energy generating device having an energy generating cell, each having an input nozzle and an output nozzle, so that water can flow into the receiving space of the body and then be discharged, on one side and the other side of the body.
In Paragraph 9, An energy generating device having an energy generating cell with a separate cover detachably installed on the upper surface of the above body.

Description

Energy generating cell and energy generating device having the same The present invention relates to an energy generating cell and an energy generating device equipped with the same, and more specifically, to an energy generating cell and an energy generating device equipped with the same that can improve energy generation efficiency and improve stability and reliability by enabling additional harvesting of electrical energy using water, which is a byproduct of a fuel cell system. As the population grows and industries develop, the demand for fossil fuels is increasing, leading to problems such as resource depletion and rising international prices. Furthermore, as fossil fuels are recognized as a cause of global warming, efforts to reduce their use are gaining momentum, leading to ongoing research on new and renewable energy sources that generate energy using sunlight, water, geothermal heat, and precipitation. Among these, development is currently underway for energy generation devices (transpiration-driven electrokinetic power generators) that generate electrical energy based on the potential difference caused by the movement and evaporation of water. That is, the energy generating device is configured to include a hydrophilic fiber membrane (e.g., nonwoven fabric) coated with a conductive polymer layer (e.g., carbon layer), and is configured to generate electrical energy based on the potential difference between the two ends of the energy generating device as water supplied to the energy generating device moves along the energy generating device (hydrophilic fiber membrane) (movement by capillary action) and evaporates. Meanwhile, in order to improve the energy generation efficiency and enhance the stability and reliability of an energy generation device that generates electrical energy based on the potential difference caused by capillary action and evaporation, it is necessary to stably maintain the arrangement state of the energy generation device (energy generation membrane) and stably maintain an environment that ensures capillary action and evaporation. Accordingly, various studies have recently been conducted to stably maintain the arrangement of energy generation membranes constituting energy generation devices and to stably maintain an environment that ensures capillary action and evaporation, but these are still insufficient and development is required. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the structure of a membrane of an energy generating cell according to the present invention in isolation, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a structure in which a membrane of an energy generating cell according to the present invention is wound on the outer surface of a moisture-absorbing member, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an energy generation cell according to the present invention separated, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the overall structure of an energy generation device according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating the structure of an energy generation device according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating the structure of an energy generation device according to the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a structure with a cover separated in an energy generating device according to the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the combined structure of an energy generation cell and a separator of an energy generation device according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 8, showing the main part enlarged. FIG. 10 is a graph comparing the generation amounts of voltage, current, and power according to the width change of an energy generation cell according to the present invention, FIG. 11 is a graph comparing the voltage generated according to the series connection and parallel connection of the energy generating device according to the present invention. Hereinafter, an energy generating device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to some of the described embodiments but can be implemented in various different forms, and within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention, one or more of the components among the embodiments may be selectively combined or substituted. In addition, terms used in the embodiments of the present invention (including technical and scientific terms) may be interpreted in a sense that is generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs, unless explicitly and specifically defined otherwise. Terms that are commonly used, such as terms defined in advance, may be interpreted in consideration of their meaning in the context of the relevant technology. Furthermore,