KR102475163B1 - Positive Air Pressure Damper Assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is intended to provide a moisture removal device in a hydrogen transfer pipe, which can efficiently detect and remove moisture components condensed as gaseous hydrogen is transferred along the hydrogen transfer pipe. The moisture removal device in the hydrogen transfer pipe according to the present invention comprises: a hydrogen transfer pipe (300) which is installed to connect a hydrogen fuel cell part (100) converting the energy generated when oxidizing hydrogen into electricity and a hydrogen purification part (200) purifying by-product hydrogen transferred from the hydrogen fuel cell part (100) and producing purified hydrogen and residual gas, transfers hydrogen gas generated in the hydrogen fuel cell part (100) to the hydrogen purification part (200), and has one or more moisture discharge grooves (310, 320) formed on the bottom of an end part; and a moisture removal part (400) which is installed to be connected to the moisture discharge grooves (310, 320) of the hydrogen transfer pipe (300), respectively, controls the flow of hydrogen transferred through the hydrogen transfer pipe (300) in only one direction, and applies negative pressure to the moisture discharge grooves (310, 320) of the hydrogen transfer pipe (300) according to the user's control or settings to forcibly discharge moisture remaining around the moisture discharge grooves (310, 320).

Description

Moisture removal device in hydrogen transfer pipe {Positive Air Pressure Damper Assembly}

The present invention relates to a device for removing moisture from a hydrogen transfer pipe, and more particularly, to a device for removing moisture from a hydrogen transfer pipe capable of efficiently removing moisture generated in a hydrogen transfer pipe connected between a hydrogen fuel cell unit and a hydrogen purifier. is to provide

Recently, as side effects of fossil fuels such as global warming have become a major global issue, hydrogen energy has been in the limelight as a new clean fuel, and accordingly, hydrogen fuel cells are also gaining popularity. Such a hydrogen fuel cell is a cell that has the ability to produce direct current by directly converting chemical energy of fuel (hydrogen) into electrical energy. Unlike conventional batteries, fuel and air are supplied from the outside to continuously can generate electricity.

Here, hydrogen, which is the fuel of the hydrogen fuel cell, uses pure hydrogen or hydrogen produced through a process called reforming using hydrocarbons such as methane or ethanol, and pure oxygen can increase the efficiency of the fuel cell, but oxygen storage There is a problem that the cost and weight increase according to the air, so the efficiency is a little low because the air contains a lot of oxygen, but the air is used directly.

Hydrogen produced in such a hydrogen fuel cell is transferred to a hydrogen purification device through a hydrogen transfer pipe to purify by-product hydrogen to produce purified hydrogen and residual gas, and the purified hydrogen is transferred to a hydrogen storage tank for intermediate distribution or consumption. Save.

However, the hydrogen transported through the hydrogen transfer pipe contains not only hydrogen due to the humidification effect, but also a large amount of moisture components and can be transported together with hydrogen. through the hydrogen purifier.

In addition, in order to reduce the overload of the hydrogen fuel cell and prevent failure, the moisture component contained in the hydrogen is removed from the hydrogen transfer path for the reforming process inside the hydrogen fuel cell. For example, Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-0767520 (October 9, 2007), in order to remove the moisture contained in the hydrogen transferred to the diffuser through the hydrogen transfer line, the hydrogen transfer line before and after the hydrogen recirculation blower has an external negative pressure with a lower pressure than the hydrogen transfer line. By connecting the unit and discharging the condensate generated in the hydrogen transfer line to the outside through a valve means that can be operated only in the fuel cell system's operation end state, it is possible to suppress the failure of the fuel cell system due to condensate freezing in the flow path. An apparatus and method for removing condensate from a fuel cell system are disclosed.

On the other hand, Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0835306 (May 29, 2008) discloses that the moisture removal device efficiently separates and removes the moisture contained in the residual reformed gas, so that the reactor temperature control of the fuel processing device is more effective than the prior art. A water removal device for a fuel cell system is disclosed that is not only easier, but also can reduce the consumption of power generation raw materials required for heat dissipation of moisture in a fuel processing device.

However, when hydrogen from which water components have been removed in the first and second prior arts is transferred to a hydrogen refinery through a hydrogen transport pipe, the gaseous water component is condensed due to the internal pressure and temperature difference of the hydrogen transport pipe. This phenomenon may occur, and this phenomenon may occur more frequently as the deviation of the external temperature increases, and a large amount of moisture components may be condensed.

On the other hand, Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1713494 (February 28, 2017) combines a polymer electrolyte hydrogen compressor and a cooling device by an electrochemical method to remove moisture from hydrogen gas containing moisture, A hydrogen gas moisture removal device using an electrochemical hydrogen compressor capable of easily removing contained moisture and achieving simplification and cost reduction is disclosed.

However, in this third prior art, the hydrogen gas water removal device is composed of a membrane electrode assembly, a porous titanium support, a flow path plate, an O-ring, an end plate, a cathode side cooler and a pressure regulator, and maintains the cathode side pressure at a high pressure, While maintaining the temperature at a low temperature, the temperature and pressure on the cathode side must be maintained at around 15 Celsius and 30 Bar, respectively, so the configuration and operation are somewhat complicated.

Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-0767520 (October 09, 2007) Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-0835306 (May 29, 2008) Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1713494 (February 28, 2017)

The present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and an object of the present invention is in a hydrogen transfer pipe that can efficiently detect and remove condensed water components while gaseous hydrogen is transferred along the hydrogen transfer tube. It is to provide a moisture removal device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water removal device in a hydrogen transfer pipe that can differently operate a water removal method depending on the situation in which hydrogen is being transferred through the hydrogen transfer tube or has been transferred.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water removal device in a hydrogen transport pipe capable of detecting the generation of moisture in real time through an optical cable installed at the end of the hydrogen transport pipe and efficiently removing the detected moisture. .

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, the hydrogen fuel cell unit 100 and the hydrogen fuel cell unit (100) convert energy generated when oxidizing hydrogen into electricity. It is installed to connect the hydrogen purification unit 200 that purifies the by-product hydrogen transferred from the hydrogen fuel cell unit 100 to produce purified hydrogen and residual gas, and the hydrogen gas generated in the hydrogen fuel cell unit 100 is supplied to the hydrogen purification unit (200) and a hydrogen transfer pipe 300 having one or more water discharge grooves 310 and 320 formed on the bottom of the end portion; It is installed to be connected to the water discharge grooves 310 and 320 of the hydrogen transfer pipe 300, respectively, and controls the flow of hydrogen transferred through the hydrogen transfer pipe 300 to flow in only one direction, and is controlled or set by the user. According to the configuration, including a moisture removal unit 400 for forcibly discharging moisture remaining around the water discharge grooves 310 and 320 by applying negative pressure to the water discharge grooves 310 and 320 of the hydrogen transfer pipe 300 characterized by being

According to the device for removing moisture in a hydrogen transfer pipe according to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently detect and remove condensed moisture components while gaseous hydrogen is transferred along the hydrogen transfer pipe, thereby preventing overload and failure of the hydrogen purifying unit. However, it has the effect of improving the purification efficiency.

In addition, since the moisture removal method can be operated differently depending on the situation in which hydrogen is being transported through the hydrogen transfer pipe or when the transfer is completed, there is an effect of efficiently removing moisture from the hydrogen transfer pipe.

In addition, since the state of moisture generation can be detected in real time through an optical cable installed at the end of the hydrogen transfer pipe, the detected moisture can be rapidly removed in real time.

1 is a block diagram of a water removal device in a hydrogen transfer pipe according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a view showing the main part of the water removal device in the hydrogen transfer pipe according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
3 and 4 are flowcharts for explaining the operation of the water removal device in the hydrogen transfer pipe according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram of a water removal device in a hydrogen transfer pipe according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the device for removing moisture in a hydrogen transfer pipe according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a hydrogen fuel cell unit 100 and a hydrogen fuel cell unit 100 that convert energy generated when hydrogen is oxidized into electricity. It is installed to connect the hydrogen purification unit 200 that purifies the by-product hydrogen transferred from and produces purified hydrogen and residual gas, and the hydrogen gas generated in the hydrogen fuel cell unit 100 is transferred to the hydrogen purification unit 200 It is installed to be connected to the hydrogen transport pipe 300 having one or more water discharge grooves 310 and 320 formed on the bottom of the end and the water discharge grooves 310 and 320 of the hydrogen transport pipe 300, respectively, and the hydrogen transport pipe ( 300) to control the flow of hydrogen transported in only one direction, and negative pressure is applied to the water discharge grooves 310 and 320 of the hydrogen transfer pipe 300 according to the user's control or setting, so that the water discharge grooves 310 and 320 ) It is composed of a moisture removal unit 400 forcibly discharging the remaining moisture around.

Here, in the hydrogen fuel cell, through the entire reaction (2H2 + O2 → 2H2O) in which hydrogen and oxygen react to become water, electrons move from the anode to the cathode through an external wire, generating electrical energy. let it

Such a hydrogen fuel cell includes a fuel reformer that chemically converts hydrogen-containing general fuel (LPG, LNG, methane, coal gas methanol, etc.) into gas containing a lot of hydrogen required by the fuel cell, and It consists of a fuel cell body (stack) that generates direct current electricity, water and by-product heat from hydrogen and oxygen in the air, and a power conversion device (inverter) that converts direct current power from the fuel cell into alternating current power. The main body can be used with various types of fuel cells such as molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEMFC), solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), and phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC). can

In addition, since the hydrogen transported through the hydrogen transport pipe 300 is transported in a gaseous state and has a low bulk density, a large amount of hydrogen can be transported or stored as it is compressed at a high pressure.

In addition, the discharge grooves 310 and 320 formed at the end of the hydrogen transfer pipe 300 are, as shown in FIG. It is formed through the bottom surface of the end of the hydrogen transfer pipe 300 corresponding to the lower side to have a certain inclined surface in the downward direction.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the water removal unit 400 is installed at the front end of the end of the hydrogen transport pipe 300, and is open when hydrogen gas is transported, and when hydrogen gas is not transported, its own weight. Closed by, to the check damper 410 that controls the flow of internal air to flow in only one direction to prevent the reverse flow of hydrogen gas, and one or more discharge grooves 310 and 320 formed on the bottom of the hydrogen transfer pipe 300 It is fixed to be connected, and is connected to a pipe part 420 extending downward in order to discharge moisture condensed on the bottom surface of the end of the hydrogen transfer pipe 300 to the outside by its own weight, and to the lower part of the pipe part 420. It is installed so as to be connected to the reservoir 430 for storing the water discharged through the pipe part 420 and one side of the reservoir 430, and the internal space of the reservoir 430 according to the user's operation or setting. The vacuum pump 440 applies negative pressure to partially vacuum the vacuum pump 440, and controls the opening and closing operations of the valves provided in the pipe part 420 and the reservoir 430 according to the user's operation or setting, and the vacuum pump 440 ) It is composed of a control unit 450 that controls the operation of.

Here, the vacuum pump 440 is used to remove air inside the reservoir 430 to create a vacuum or to maintain a predetermined vacuum level. Mechanical vacuum pumps such as piston pumps and rotary pumps are used.

The maximum degree of vacuum of such a vacuum pump is in the range of about 1+10 Torr, but it can be used in a process requiring high vacuum by connecting to a Roots pump and a diffusion pump.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper part of the pipe part 420 is fixed so as to be connected to the discharge grooves 310 and 320 of the hydrogen transfer pipe 300, and the lower part has at least one branching path in a downward direction. A water discharge pipe 421 extending into the water discharge pipe 421, installed on the path of the water discharge pipe 421, and one or more first and second electromagnetic valves 422 and 424 that are opened and closed according to a user's control or setting; It is installed between the second solenoid valves 422 and 424 and the reservoir 430, and is composed of a first check valve 423 whose opening and closing is controlled to prevent a reverse flow of discharged water according to a user's control or setting.

In addition, the reservoir 430 is installed on the lower inner surface of the body 431 of the reservoir 430 at a preset height, and detects and outputs a critical water level set inside the body 431 of the reservoir 430. 1 water level sensor 432 and a second water level sensor installed on the upper inner surface of the reservoir 430 at a preset height and detecting and outputting the maximum water level set inside the body 431 of the reservoir 430 434, a weight detection sensor 436 installed on the bottom of the reservoir 430, and detecting and outputting the weight of water stored inside the body 431 of the reservoir 430, and the reservoir 430 It is installed on the bottom or one side of the body 431 and consists of a third electromagnetic valve 438 that opens and closes according to the user's control or setting.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 , the check damper 410 includes an open/close sensor 412 that senses the open/closed state of the blower provided in the check damper 410 and transmits it to the control unit 450 .

Hereinafter, the operation of the water removal device in the hydrogen transfer pipe according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Sensing operation of check damper, first and second water level sensor, and weight sensor

The open/close sensor 412 provided in the check damper 410 periodically detects the open/closed state of the blade 414 of the check damper 410 and transmits it to the controller 450, which controls the check damper 410 ) By detecting the opening/closing state of the blade 414, it is possible to manage the transfer date and time of hydrogen gas and the transfer amount information in a database in a storage.

On the other hand, the first water level sensor 432 and the second water level sensor 434 provided in the reservoir 430 periodically sense the water level inside the reservoir 430 and transmit the result to the control unit 450 and detect weight. The sensor 436 also periodically detects the amount of weight according to the moisture stored in the reservoir 430 and transmits it to the controller 450. At this time, the mounting position of the first water level sensor 432 is installed relatively lower than the second water level sensor 434, and the first water level sensor 432 has a first position set inside the reservoir 430 ( For example, a height of 50% of the total height) is installed to detect whether the state has been reached, and the second water level sensor 434 is a second position set inside the reservoir 430 (eg, maximum critical height). ) can be installed to detect whether a state has been reached.

Accordingly, the controller 450 determines the number of days it takes to reach the set quantity (for example, 40% of the total volume) of the reservoir 430 detected by the first water level sensor 432 and the second water level sensor 434. and time information, as well as using the weight sensor 436, the date and time of hydrogen gas transfer and information on the change in water level of the reservoir 430 corresponding to the transfer amount information can be stored in a database and managed.

Moisture removal operation remaining in the hydrogen transfer pipe

As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 450 determines whether the opening/closing information of the blade 414 of the check damper 410 periodically transmitted by the opening/closing detection sensor 412 provided in the check damper 410 is the current check damper ( It is determined whether the blade 414 of 410 is closed (S11). At this time, when it is determined that the blade 414 of the current check damper 410 is closed, the control unit 450 determines that the first water level sensor 432 determines that the current water level of the reservoir 430 is the first level of the reservoir 430. It is determined whether the position has been reached (S13), or the weight sensor 436 determines whether the weight of the water currently stored in the reservoir 430 has reached a preset critical weight (S15). At this time, the first water level sensor 432 determines that the current water level in the reservoir 430 has reached the first position of the reservoir 430, or the weight sensor 436 determines the weight of the water currently stored in the reservoir 430. When it is determined that has reached a preset critical weight, the controller 450 controls the first and second electromagnetic valves 422 and 424 and the first and second check valves 423 and 442 to be open (S17). The vacuum pump 440 is driven (S19) to apply a preset negative pressure to the inside of the reservoir 430. Accordingly, the moisture remaining near the water discharge grooves 310 and 320 of the hydrogen transfer pipe 300 is removed from the reservoir. Due to the negative pressure applied to the inside of the 430, the water may be discharged into the storage container 430 through the water discharge pipe 421 of the pipe part 420 (S21).

On the other hand, the control unit 450 determines whether the opening/closing information of the blade 414 of the check damper 410 periodically transmitted by the opening/closing detection sensor 412 provided in the check damper 410 is currently the blade 414 of the check damper 410. ) is closed, and if it is determined that the blade 414 of the current check damper 410 is open, the control unit 450 operates the first and second electromagnetic valves 422 and 424 and the first and second The check valves 423 and 442 are controlled to be closed (S23), and the operation of the vacuum pump 440 is stopped in order to release the negative pressure applied inside the reservoir 430 (S25).

Discharge operation of the moisture stored in the reservoir

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the controller 450 determines that the second water level sensor 434 has reached the second position of the current reservoir 430 (S31). , The weight sensor 436 determines that the weight of the water currently stored in the reservoir 430 has reached the maximum weight (S33). At this time, the control unit 450 determines that the water level of the current reservoir 430 has reached the second position of the reservoir 430, or the weight sensor 436 determines that the weight of the water currently stored in the reservoir 430 is the maximum weight. When it is determined that has reached, the control unit 450 may control the third electromagnetic valve 438 to be in an open state to discharge the water stored in the reservoir 430 to the outside (S35).

Then, after counting the preset discharge time (S37), the control unit 450 controls the third electromagnetic valve 438 to be closed in order to store the moisture flowing into the reservoir 430 again (S39) .

Above, the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is possible to carry out various modifications within the scope of the claims and the detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings, and this is also the present invention. It is natural to fall within the scope of

Hydrogen fuel cell unit 100 Hydrogen purification unit 200
Hydrogen transfer pipe 300 bent portion 300a
Moisture discharge groove (310,320) Moisture removal part (400)
Check damper (410) Open/close detection sensor (412)
Blade 414 Piping 420
Moisture discharge pipe 421 first and second solenoid valves 422 and 424
First check valve (423) reservoir (430)
Body 431 First water level sensor 432
Second water level detection sensor 434 Weight detection sensor 436
3rd solenoid valve 438 vacuum pump 440
Second check valve 442 control unit 450

Claims (6)

A hydrogen fuel cell unit 100 that converts energy generated when oxidizing hydrogen into electricity and a hydrogen purification unit that purifies by-product hydrogen transferred from the hydrogen fuel cell unit 100 to produce purified hydrogen and residual gas ( 200) is installed to connect each other, transfers the hydrogen gas generated in the hydrogen fuel cell unit 100 to the hydrogen purification unit 200, and transports hydrogen having one or more water discharge grooves 310 and 320 formed on the bottom of the end portion. tube 300 and;
It is installed to be connected to the water discharge grooves 310 and 320 of the hydrogen transfer pipe 300, respectively, and controls the flow of hydrogen transferred through the hydrogen transfer pipe 300 to flow in only one direction, and is controlled or set by the user. According to the configuration, including a moisture removal unit 400 for forcibly discharging moisture remaining around the water discharge grooves 310 and 320 by applying negative pressure to the water discharge grooves 310 and 320 of the hydrogen transfer pipe 300 become;
The moisture removal unit 400,
It is installed at the front end of the end of the hydrogen transport pipe 300, and is open when the hydrogen is transported and closed when the hydrogen is not transported, so that the internal air flows in only one direction to prevent the reverse flow of the hydrogen. a check damper 410 for controlling flow;
It is fixed to be connected to one or more discharge grooves 310 and 320 formed on the bottom of the end of the hydrogen transfer pipe 300, and the moisture condensed on the bottom surface of the end of the hydrogen transfer pipe 300 is discharged to the outside by its own weight. a pipe part 420 extending downward to do so;
a reservoir 430 fixed to be connected to a lower portion of the pipe part 420 and storing water discharged through the pipe part 420;
a vacuum pump 440 installed to be connected to one side of the reservoir 430 and applying negative pressure to partially vacuum the internal space of the reservoir 430 according to a user's manipulation or setting;
It is composed of a control unit 450 that controls the opening and closing operations of the valves provided in the pipe part 420 and the reservoir 430 according to user's manipulation or setting, and controls the operation of the vacuum pump 440;
The control unit 450 determines the blade ( 414) determines whether it is currently closed or open;
When the blade 414 of the check damper 410 is determined to be in a closed state, the control unit 450 determines whether or not the water level of the reservoir 430 has reached the first position of the reservoir 430, determining whether the weight of the water stored in the reservoir 430 has reached a preset critical weight;
When it is determined that the water level of the reservoir 430 has reached the first position or the weight of water stored in the reservoir 430 has reached a preset critical weight, the control unit 450 determines that the While controlling the first and second solenoid valves 422 and 424 and the first and second check valves 423 and 442 provided in the pipe part 420 to be in an open state, a preset negative pressure is applied to the inside of the reservoir 430. Water removal device in the hydrogen transfer pipe, characterized in that for driving the vacuum pump 440 to give.
According to claim 1,
The one or more discharge grooves 310 and 320 are formed on the lower side of the bottom of the end of the hydrogen transfer pipe 300 corresponding to the lower side of the bent portion 300a, which is bent at a predetermined length upward to be connected to the hydrogen purification unit 200. Moisture removal device in the hydrogen transfer pipe, characterized in that formed through to have a certain slope in the direction.
delete According to claim 1,
The pipe part 420,
The upper portion is fixed to be connected to the discharge grooves 310 and 320 of the hydrogen transport pipe 300, respectively, and the lower portion has at least one branching path and a water discharge pipe 421 extending downward;
one or more first and second electromagnetic valves 422 and 424 installed on the path of the water discharge pipe 421 and opening and closing according to a user's control or setting;
A first check valve 423 installed between the first and second electromagnetic valves 422 and 424 and the reservoir 430 and controlled to open and close to prevent a reverse flow of discharged water according to a user's control or setting is included. Water removal device in the hydrogen transfer pipe, characterized in that configured by.
According to claim 1,
The reservoir 430,
a first water level sensor 432 installed on a lower inner surface of the reservoir 430 at a preset height and detecting and outputting a critical water level set inside the body 431 of the reservoir 430;
a second water level sensor 434 installed on an upper inner surface of the reservoir 430 at a preset height and detecting and outputting a maximum water level set inside the body 431 of the reservoir 430;
A weight detection sensor 436 installed on the bottom of the reservoir 430 and detecting and outputting the weight of water stored inside the body 431 of the reservoir 430;
In the hydrogen transfer pipe, characterized in that it is installed on the bottom or one side of the body 431 of the reservoir 430 and includes a third electromagnetic valve 438 that is opened and closed according to user control or setting. moisture removal device.
According to claim 1,
The check damper 410 is provided with an opening/closing detection sensor 412 for detecting the open/closed state of the blower provided in the check damper 410 and transmitting it to the control unit 450,
The control unit 450 drives the vacuum pump 440 when the check damper 410 is in a closed state and the water level of the reservoir 430 reaches a preset maximum threshold. Characterized in that Water removal device in hydrogen transfer pipe.

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