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KR-20260066424-A - Fuel cell

KR20260066424AKR 20260066424 AKR20260066424 AKR 20260066424AKR-20260066424-A

Abstract

The fuel cell of the embodiment includes a cell stack in which a plurality of unit cells are stacked, a fluid management unit that supplies fluid necessary for generating power in the cell stack, a pipe disposed between the fluid management unit and the cell stack to form a fluid path, and an overpressure prevention unit disposed in the pipe to adjust the size of the fluid path area according to the hydraulic pressure of the fluid.

Inventors

  • 임재범

Assignees

  • 현대자동차주식회사
  • 기아 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20241104

Claims (13)

  1. A cell stack in which multiple unit cells are stacked; A fluid management unit that supplies the fluid required for power generation in the cell stack above; Piping disposed between the fluid management unit and the cell stack to form a fluid path through which the fluid flows; and A fuel cell comprising an overpressure prevention unit disposed in the above piping and adjusting the size of the area of the flow path according to the hydraulic pressure of the fluid.
  2. In Article 1, The above overpressure prevention unit A protrusion that protrudes outward from the above pipe and forms a receiving space in which at least a portion is in communication with the above flow path; An overpressure prevention member disposed in the receiving space to receive the hydraulic pressure of the fluid flowing through the pipe; An elastic member disposed in the above receiving space and applying a spring force to the overpressure prevention member in a direction opposite to the direction of fluid flow; and It includes a support member that supports the above-mentioned overpressure prevention member, and The above overpressure prevention member is A fuel cell having a shape that reduces the area of the fluid path by moving at least a portion from the receiving space to the fluid path when the received hydraulic pressure is greater than the spring force.
  3. In Article 2, The above overpressure prevention member is A first side in contact with the above elastic member; A second side opposite to the first side, in contact with the support member and receiving the hydraulic pressure; and It includes a third side positioned between the first side and the second side and having an inclined cross-section, A fuel cell having a shape in which, when the overpressure prevention member is pushed toward the elastic member by the fluid, the corner portion where the first side and the third side meet flows into the fluid path and reduces the area of the fluid path.
  4. In Article 1, The above fluid management unit An air processing unit that manages the inflow and outflow of air to the above cell stack; A hydrogen processing unit that manages the inflow and outflow of hydrogen to the above cell stack; and It includes a cooling medium processing unit that manages the inflow and outflow of a cooling medium to the cell stack above, and The above piping is Air piping disposed between the above air processing unit and the above cell stack; Hydrogen piping disposed between the above hydrogen treatment unit and the above cell stack; and A fuel cell comprising a cooling pipe disposed between the cooling medium processing unit and the cell stack.
  5. In Paragraph 4, The above overpressure prevention unit A fuel cell disposed in at least one of the above air pipe, the above hydrogen pipe, or the above cooling pipe.
  6. In Article 1 The above piping includes multiple pipes that are separate from each other, and The above-mentioned overpressure prevention unit is disposed between the plurality of pipes and is a fuel cell connecting the plurality of pipes.
  7. In Article 1, The above overpressure prevention unit A fuel cell comprising first and second overpressure prevention members arranged opposite each other with the flow path in between, in a direction intersecting the direction in which the fluid flows.
  8. In Article 7, The first and second overpressure prevention sections are fuel cells having cross-sectional shapes symmetrical with respect to the flow path.
  9. In Article 2, When the above hydraulic pressure is greater than a first predetermined pressure, the above elastic member is a fuel cell having an elastic modulus that is pushed by the above overpressure prevention member.
  10. In Article 2, The above-mentioned overpressure prevention member is a fuel cell that linearly reduces the area of the fluid path in proportion to the received hydraulic pressure.
  11. In Article 2, The above-described overpressure prevention unit is a fuel cell that non-linearly reduces the area of the fluid path in proportion to the received hydraulic pressure.
  12. In Article 2, The above accommodation space is A first receiving space communicating with the above-mentioned Euro and accommodating the above-mentioned overpressure prevention member; and A fuel cell comprising a second receiving space adjacent to the first receiving space and in which the elastic member is received.
  13. In Article 12, A fuel cell further comprising a blocking member disposed between the above-mentioned Euro and the above-mentioned second receiving space to block the fluid from flowing into the above-mentioned second receiving space.

Description

Fuel cell An example relates to a fuel cell. Fuel cells generate electricity by receiving hydrogen and air, and maintain a temperature suitable for power generation through cooling water. High fluid pressure is required to deliver fluids such as hydrogen, air, and cooling water to the outlet of the fuel cell. In the case of hydrogen, the pressure of the hydrogen stored in the hydrogen tank is reduced and supplied; in the case of air, the air pressure is increased through an air compressor and supplied; and in the case of cooling water, the cooling water pressure is increased through a compressor and supplied. In this case, if fuel cell components are exposed to high-pressure fluids, cell performance may deteriorate and degradation may occur. To prevent this, pressure sensors are placed in the flow paths to monitor the sensed pressure and control the compressor; however, this is currently insufficient to protect fuel cell components from high-pressure fluids, and research is being conducted to address this issue. Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the end plate and cell stack in a typical fuel cell. Figure 2 is a block diagram of a fuel cell according to an embodiment. Figure 3 shows a conceptual diagram of an overpressure prevention unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 4a shows the first and second overpressure prevention members not flowing into the flow path, and FIG. 4b shows the first and second overpressure prevention members flowing into the flow path, respectively. FIGS. 5A and 5B are drawings for explaining the principle of pressure reduction by the high-pressure prevention unit in an embodiment. FIGS. 6a and 6b are drawings illustrating an application example of an overpressure prevention unit according to an embodiment. Hereinafter, to specifically explain the present invention, embodiments will be described, and to aid in understanding the invention, the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, embodiments according to the present invention may be modified in various different forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to the embodiments described below. The embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completely explain the present invention to those with average knowledge in the art. In the description of the present embodiment, where it is stated that each element is formed "on or under," the "on or under" includes both cases where two elements are in direct contact with each other and one or more other elements are formed indirectly between the two elements. In addition, when expressed as "up" or "down" (on or under), it can include the meaning of a downward direction as well as an upward direction based on a single element. Additionally, relational terms used below, such as "first" and "second," "upper/superior/above," and "lower/subordinate/below," may be used to distinguish one entity or element from another, without necessarily requiring or implying any physical or logical relationship or order between such entities or elements. The fuel cell according to the embodiment may be, for example, a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC: Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell, Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell), which is most widely studied as a power source for vehicle propulsion, but the embodiment is not limited to a specific type of fuel cell. Hereinafter, an example of a fuel cell according to an embodiment is described as follows with reference to FIG. 1. For convenience, the fuel cell is described using a Cartesian coordinate system (x-axis, y-axis, z-axis), but it is understood that it can also be described using other coordinate systems. Furthermore, according to the Cartesian coordinate system, the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis are orthogonal to each other, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. That is, the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis may intersect each other. Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the end plate and cell stack in a typical fuel cell. A typical fuel cell illustrated in FIG. 1 may include an end plate (or, a pressurized plate or a compression plate) (110A, 110B) and a cell stack (122). The cell stack (122) may include a plurality of unit cells (122-1 to 122-N) stacked in a first direction. Here, N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, which may be tens to hundreds, but the embodiment is not limited to a specific number of N. Each unit cell (122-n) can generate electricity ranging from 0.6 volts to 1.0 volts, with an average of 0.7 volts. Here, 1 ≤ n ≤ N. Thus, N can be determined according to the strength of the power to be supplied from the fuel cell to the load. Here, the load may refer to the part of the vehicle that requires power when the fuel cell is used in a vehicle. Each unit cell (122-n) may include a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) (210), a gas diffusion layer (GDL) (222, 224), a gasket (232, 234, 236), and a separator