CN117936837A

CN117936837A - Fuel cell, thermal device for the same and method of manufacturing the same

Info

Publication number: CN117936837A
Application number: CN202410183347.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 向前
Original assignee: Beijing Jinyuan Innovation Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Jinyuan Innovation Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2024-02-19
Filing date: 2024-02-19
Publication date: 2024-04-26

Abstract

The present invention provides a fuel cell thermal device comprising: an outer case provided with at least two openings communicating with an inner space thereof, including a first opening and a second opening; a filler provided in the internal space, the surface of the filler having or containing a material having a heat generating function; an inner case provided in the inner space and surrounded by the filler, the inner case having a space for accommodating an object; fluid flowing into the interior space through the first opening and out of the second opening; and a fluid driving device which is communicated with the first opening and the second opening through a pipeline and provides power for fluid to flow into or flow out of the inner space. The fuel cell thermal device is configured to: the fluid contacts and reacts with the material with the heating function in the inner space to generate heat, and the heat is transferred to an object in the inner space through the inner shell; or the heat generated by the object inside the inner housing is transferred to the packing of the inner space via the inner housing and is carried away by the fluid flowing through the packing.

Description

Fuel cell, thermal device for the same and method of manufacturing the same

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a fuel cell, and more particularly, to a fuel cell thermal device and a fuel cell having the same.

Background

The proton exchange membrane fuel cell is used as a chemical generator, and utilizes the reverse reaction principle of electrolyzed water to enable hydrogen (anode) and oxygen (cathode) to generate electric energy through electrochemical reaction under the action of a catalyst.

Electrochemical reactions of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell occur in a pile system (hereinafter referred to as "pile"), which is a power generation system of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell, including membrane electrode assemblies and bipolar plates arranged in a stacked manner.

Because the membrane electrode assembly can effectively generate electricity only in a limited working temperature (operating temperature) range, the membrane electrode assembly has very severe temperature requirements, and is characterized in the following two aspects:

First, when the temperature of the membrane electrode assembly is excessively high, irreversible damage may be caused to the membrane electrode assembly. When the temperature of the membrane electrode assembly is too low, the electrochemical reaction speed in the membrane electrode assembly is too slow, so that the membrane electrode assembly cannot effectively work to generate electricity, and a user cannot use the membrane electrode assembly. Therefore, before use, the device needs to be heated to enable the device to be heated up and preheated to reach the lower limit of the working temperature as soon as possible so as to reduce waiting time of users. According to the research of Juhl Andreasen et al, the heating preheating time required by the electric pile adopting the electric heating mode to reach the lower limit of the working temperature is usually about 30-60 minutes, and the long waiting time can seriously influence the use feeling of a user and limit the application range of the fuel cell.

In addition, the uniformity of the operating temperature of the membrane electrode assembly has a very important influence on the power generation capacity of the membrane electrode assembly. The working temperatures of different parts of the same membrane electrode assembly should be as uniform as possible, and the working temperatures of the membrane electrode assemblies of different layers should be as uniform as possible. Only in this way, the power generation capability of the membrane electrode assembly can be better exerted.

Therefore, in order to ensure the operation state of the fuel cell, it is necessary to heat and dissipate heat from the components such as the fuel cell stack, the fuel device, and the hydrogen production device.

In the prior art, the heating or cooling of the fuel cell is usually performed by adopting an electric heating or refrigerant circulation mode, and a device which consumes a large amount of electricity or is added with a heat exchanger is required, so that the structure is complex and the equipment is numerous. Therefore, the fuel cell stack in the prior art has the defects of overlong starting time, poor power generation capability and high manufacturing and use cost, seriously influences the use feeling of a user, reduces the existence value of the fuel cell, and forms a technical bottleneck influencing the development of the fuel cell.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a fuel cell heating device which has the advantages of short preheating and heating time, high heat dissipation speed, high temperature consistency, simple structure, low cost and wide application range, and is particularly suitable for proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

In one aspect, a fuel cell thermal device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:

An outer case having an inner space, the outer case being provided with at least two openings communicating with the inner space, the at least two openings including a first opening and a second opening;

a filler provided in the internal space, the filler having a surface or containing a material having a heat generating function therein;

An inner case having a space for accommodating an object, the inner case being provided in an inner space of the outer case and surrounded by the filler;

fluid flowing into the interior space through the first opening and out of the second opening; and

A fluid drive device in communication with the first and second openings via a conduit to power the flow of fluid into or out of the interior space;

Wherein the fuel cell thermal device is configured to: the fluid contacts and reacts with the material with the heat generating function of the filler in the inner space to generate heat, and the heat is transferred to an object inside the inner shell through the inner shell; or heat generated by an object inside the inner housing is transferred to the packing of the inner space via the inner housing and taken away by a fluid flowing through the packing.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the object accommodated in the inner space of the inner case includes at least any one of a fuel device, a hydrogen production device, and a power generation device. In other embodiments of the present invention, the inner housing is part of at least one of the fuel device, the hydrogen production device, and the power generation device.

In some embodiments of the invention, the inner housing comprises a pipe.

In some embodiments of the invention, the at least two openings in the outer housing comprise a third opening connected to one end of the conduit and a fourth opening connected to the other end of the conduit. In some embodiments of the invention, the third aperture and the first aperture may be combined into one aperture, and the fourth aperture and the second aperture may be combined into one aperture, and the fluid path of the combined apertures may be split by a manifold inside the outer housing.

In some embodiments of the invention, the pipes are arranged in a ring shape within the inner space of the outer housing.

In some embodiments of the invention, the pipes are arranged in a spiral within the inner space of the outer housing. In some embodiments of the invention, a plurality of the helical pipes are arranged within the inner space of the outer housing. In some embodiments of the invention, the plurality of helical pipes are arranged in one or more columns within the interior space of the outer housing. In some embodiments of the invention, a plurality of the helical tubes in each column are in fluid flow communication with each other.

In some embodiments of the invention, the object comprises a liquid or gas flowing in the conduit. In some embodiments of the invention, the liquid or gas comprises at least one of: hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen. In some embodiments of the invention, the liquid or gas comprises at least one of: oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, ammonia, water, hydrocarbons. In other embodiments of the present invention, the object includes a catalyst disposed in the conduit. In some embodiments of the invention, the catalyst comprises a metallic material, for example, the metallic material may be contained in the conduit in the form of particles or a catalyst bed. In some embodiments of the invention, the metallic material comprises at least one of: platinum, copper, iron, aluminum, nickel, zinc.

In some embodiments of the invention, the material from which the outer and/or inner housing is made comprises a metallic and/or non-metallic material. In some embodiments of the invention, the metal material has a thermal conductivity greater than 1W/mK. In some embodiments of the invention, the non-metallic material has a thermal conductivity greater than 1W/mK. In some embodiments of the invention, the metallic material comprises at least one of: copper, iron, aluminum, nickel, and titanium. In some embodiments of the invention, the nonmetallic material includes at least one of the following: aluminum nitride, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, and carbon.

In some embodiments of the invention, the filler is made of a material comprising a metallic material or a non-metallic material. In some embodiments of the invention, the metal material has a thermal conductivity greater than 1W/mK. In some embodiments of the invention, the non-metallic material has a thermal conductivity greater than 0.1W/mK. In some embodiments of the invention, the metallic material comprises at least one of: foam metal, metal corrugated filler and metal net. In some embodiments of the invention, the metallic material comprises at least one of: copper, iron, aluminum, nickel, and titanium. In some embodiments of the invention, the nonmetallic material includes at least one of the following: ceramics, clays, zeolites, medical stones, cordierite and carbon. In some embodiments of the invention, the ceramic comprises at least one of: aluminum nitride, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the material having a heat generating function is made of a metal material. In some embodiments of the invention, the metallic material comprises at least one of: platinum, copper, iron, aluminum, nickel, zinc.

In some embodiments of the invention, the fluid comprises a liquid or a gas. In some embodiments of the invention, the liquid or gas comprises at least one of: hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen. In some embodiments of the invention, the liquid or gas comprises at least one of: oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, ammonia, hydrocarbons. In some embodiments of the invention, the hydrocarbon comprises at least one of: methanol, ethanol, dimethyl ether, gasoline, diesel.

In some embodiments of the invention, the fluid drive device comprises at least one of: pump, fan, compressor.

In another aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a method of manufacturing a fuel cell thermal device, comprising:

providing an outer shell, wherein the outer shell is provided with an inner space, at least two holes communicated with the inner space are formed in the outer shell, and the at least two holes comprise a first hole and a second hole;

Providing a filler disposed within the interior space, the filler being configured to have a material having a heat generating function on a surface thereof or to contain a material having a heat generating function therein;

providing an inner case having a space for accommodating an object, the inner case being provided in an inner space of the outer case and surrounded by the filler;

Providing a fluid driving device in communication with the first and second openings via a conduit configured to drive fluid into or out of the interior space to provide motive force so that the fluid flows into the interior space through the first opening and out of the second opening; and

The fuel cell thermal device is configured to: the fluid contacts and reacts with the material with the heat generating function of the filler in the inner space to generate heat, and the heat is transferred to an object inside the inner shell through the inner shell; or heat generated by an object inside the inner housing is transferred to the packing of the inner space via the inner housing and taken away by a fluid flowing through the packing.

In addition, the embodiment of the invention also provides a fuel cell, such as a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, which comprises: the fuel cell thermal device according to any one of the above embodiments; and an object device disposed inside the fuel cell thermal device, the object device comprising at least one of a fuel device, a hydrogen production device; or the object device is a part constituting at least one of a fuel plant and a hydrogen production plant.

According to the embodiment of the invention, the fluid flows through the filler in the outer shell, contacts with the heating material on the surface or inside of the filler, generates heat, and transmits the heat to the heating object such as the fuel device, the hydrogen production device and the like inside through the inner shell, thereby achieving the heating purpose. On the other hand, the fluid flows in the outer shell, contacts with the filler, absorbs heat transferred from the internal fuel device and the hydrogen production device to the inner shell and the filler, and takes away the heat through the fluid flowing out of the outer shell, thereby achieving the purpose of cooling. Therefore, the invention can not only effectively solve the problem of overlong waiting time of users caused by overlong heating and preheating time of the fuel cell and improve the consistency of the temperature of the fuel cell, but also reduce the manufacturing cost and the processing difficulty of the fuel cell and enlarge the application range of the fuel cell.

Various aspects, features, advantages, etc. of embodiments of the invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The above aspects, features, advantages and the like of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a fuel cell thermal device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the fuel cell thermal device shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a fuel cell thermal device according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a fuel cell thermal device according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the fuel cell thermal device shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a fuel cell thermal device according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a fuel cell thermal device according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the fuel cell thermal device shown in fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a fuel cell thermal device according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the technical solution of the present invention may be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to only the embodiments disclosed herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided as examples so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the various aspects and features of the invention to those skilled in the art. Thus, processes, elements, and techniques not necessary for a full understanding of the various aspects and features of the invention may not be described. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the drawings and the description unless otherwise specified, and thus, the related description may not be repeated. Furthermore, features or aspects of each exemplary embodiment should generally be considered as applicable to other similar features or aspects in other exemplary embodiments.

Certain terminology may be used in the following description and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. For example, terms such as "top," "bottom," "upper," "lower," "above …," and "below …" may be used to refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. Terms such as "front," "back," "rear," "side," "outboard" and "inboard" may be used to describe the orientation and/or position of portions of a component within a consistent but arbitrary frame of reference, where the orientation and/or position of the component is best understood by reference to the written description of the component and the associated drawings. Such terms may include the words specifically mentioned above, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import. Similarly, the terms "first," "second," and other such numerical terms referring to structures do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context.

It will be understood that when an element or feature is referred to as being "on," "connected to" or "coupled to" another element or feature, it can be directly on, connected or coupled to the other element or feature, or one or more intervening elements or features may be present. In addition, it will be understood that when an element or feature is referred to as being "between" two elements or features, it can be the only element or feature between the two elements or features, or one or more intervening elements or features may also be present.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, "a" and "an" are intended to also include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes" and "having," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as "at least one of …" modify the entire list of elements before it, rather than modifying individual elements of the list.

As used herein, the terms "substantially," "about," "generally," and the like are used as approximation terms and not as degree terms, and are intended to take into account inherent variations of measured or calculated values that would be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art. As used herein, the terms "use," "in use," and "used" may be considered synonymous with the terms "utilized," "in use," and "utilized," respectively.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and/or the present specification and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

Fig. 1 and 2 illustrate a fuel cell thermal device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The fuel cell thermal device 100 is primarily used for thermal management of fuel cells, such as proton exchange membrane fuel cells, including heating or heat dissipation of the relevant components of the fuel cell. As shown, the fuel cell thermal device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an outer case 110, an inner case 120, and a packing 130 interposed between the outer case 110 and the inner case 120.

The inner case 120 is disposed in the inner space of the outer case 110, and is filled with a packing 130 therearound. The inner case 120 has a space to accommodate the object, or the inner case 120 itself may be a portion of the object to be heated. The filler 130 has a surface or contains therein a material having a heat generating function, which may be referred to as a heat generating material.

The outer housing 110 is provided with openings 101, 102 and openings 103, 104. Wherein the openings 101 are configured to allow fluid to flow through the packing 130 and then out of the openings 102. The opening 103 allows the tube 121 communicating with the inner housing 120 to extend, and the opening 104 allows the tube 122 communicating with the inner housing 120 to extend. In some embodiments, a seal, such as an O-ring, is provided between the aperture 103 and the tube 121 to prevent leakage of the fluid from the gap therebetween. In some embodiments, a seal, such as an O-ring, is provided between the aperture 104 and the tube 122 to prevent leakage of the fluid from the gap therebetween. In alternative embodiments, the fluid flow path of the inner housing 120 may share an aperture with the fluid flow path of the outer housing 110. For example, a three-way manifold may be provided in one of the openings in the outer housing 110 to split the incoming fluid into two flows, one into the inner housing 120 and the other into the packing 130. In an alternative embodiment, a three-way manifold is provided through an opening in the outer housing 110 to combine the fluid exiting the inner housing 120 with the fluid passing through the packing 130 in one pass.

The fuel cell thermal device 100 further includes a fluid driving device (not shown) in communication with the apertures 101, 102 via a conduit to power the flow of the fluid into or out of the interior space of the outer housing 110. In some embodiments, the fuel cell thermal device 100 may also include another fluid-driven device in communication with the tubes 121, 122 via a conduit to power fluid flowing into or out of the inner housing 120. In alternative embodiments, the fluid drive that powers fluid flowing into the inner housing 120 may be the same drive as the fluid drive that powers fluid flowing into or out of the outer housing 110. In some embodiments of the invention, the fluid drive device may comprise at least one of: pump, fan, compressor.

The fuel cell heating apparatus 100 is configured such that a fluid flowing into an inner space of an outer case 110 contacts and reacts with a heat generating material of a filler 130 to generate heat, and the heat is transferred to an object inside the inner case via the inner case 120. In an alternative embodiment, the fuel cell thermal device 100 may be further configured such that heat generated by objects inside the inner case 120 is transferred to the packing 130 of the inner space via the inner case 120 and carried away by fluid flowing through the packing 130. Thus, the fuel cell heating device 100 can heat or dissipate heat from an object to achieve the purpose of heat management.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the object accommodated in the inner space of the inner case 120 includes at least one of a fuel device, a hydrogen production device, and a power generation device. In other embodiments of the present invention, the inner housing 120 is part of at least one of the fuel plant, the hydrogen plant, and the power plant.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the material from which the outer housing 110 and/or the inner housing 120 is made comprises a metallic material and/or a non-metallic material. In some embodiments of the invention, the metal material has a thermal conductivity greater than 1W/mK. In some embodiments of the invention, the non-metallic material has a thermal conductivity greater than 1W/mK. In some embodiments of the invention, the metallic material comprises at least one of: copper, iron, aluminum, nickel, and titanium. In some embodiments of the invention, the nonmetallic material includes at least one of the following: aluminum nitride, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, and carbon.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the filler 130 is made of a material including a metallic material or a non-metallic material. In some embodiments of the invention, the metal material has a thermal conductivity greater than 1W/mK. In some embodiments of the invention, the non-metallic material has a thermal conductivity greater than 0.1W/mK. In some embodiments of the invention, the metallic material comprises at least one of: foam metal, metal corrugated filler and metal net. In some embodiments of the invention, the metallic material comprises at least one of: copper, iron, aluminum, nickel, and titanium. In some embodiments of the invention, the nonmetallic material includes at least one of the following: ceramics, clays, zeolites, medical stones, cordierite and carbon. In some embodiments of the invention, the ceramic comprises at least one of: aluminum nitride, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the material having a heat generating function, i.e., the heat generating material, is made of a metal material. In some embodiments of the invention, the metallic material comprises at least one of: platinum, copper, iron, aluminum, nickel, zinc.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the fluid flowing into the outer housing 110 to contact and react with the packing 130 comprises a liquid or a gas. In some embodiments of the invention, the liquid or gas comprises at least one of: hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen. In some embodiments of the invention, the liquid or gas comprises at least one of: oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, ammonia, hydrocarbons. In some embodiments of the invention, the hydrocarbon comprises at least one of: methanol, ethanol, dimethyl ether, gasoline, diesel.

It should be understood that the present invention is not particularly limited in shape and number of the inner cases 120. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the fuel cell thermal device 100 includes 1 inner case 120, and the inner case 120 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. In other embodiments, the fuel cell thermal device may include a plurality of the inner housings to thermally manage a plurality of objects to improve thermal management efficiency.

Fig. 3 shows another example of the fuel cell thermal device of the present invention. As shown in fig. 3, the fuel cell thermal device 200 includes an outer case 210, and 3 inner cases 220 are provided inside the outer case 210. A packing (not shown) having a surface or containing a heat generating material therein is disposed between the inner case 220 and the outer case 210 such that a fluid flowing into the inner space of the outer case 210 contacts with the heat generating material and reacts to generate heat, which is transferred to a heated object inside the inner case via the inner case 220. In an alternative embodiment, heat generated by objects inside the inner housing 220 is transferred to the packing via the inner housing 220 and carried away by fluid flowing through the packing. Thus, the fuel cell heating device 200 can heat or dissipate heat from an object to achieve the purpose of heat management. Such a fuel cell thermal device 200 is suitable for thermal management of a fuel cell, such as a proton exchange membrane fuel cell.

The above has been exemplified for a fuel cell thermal device having a rectangular parallelepiped inner housing, it being understood that the inner housing may be of any other suitable shape.

Fig. 4 and 5 illustrate a fuel cell thermal device 300 according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention. The fuel cell thermal device 300 is suitable for thermal management of a fuel cell, such as a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, including heating or dissipating heat from the relevant components of the fuel cell. As shown, the fuel cell thermal device 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an outer case 310, an inner case 320, and a packing 330 interposed between the outer case 310 and the inner case 320. The inner housing 320 is a pipe, called a tubular inner housing. In some embodiments of the present invention, the object to be heated includes a liquid or gas flowing in the tubular inner housing 320. In some embodiments of the invention, the liquid or gas comprises at least one of: hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen. In some embodiments of the invention, the liquid or gas comprises at least one of: oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, ammonia, water, hydrocarbons. In other embodiments of the present invention, the object includes a catalyst disposed in the conduit. In some embodiments of the invention, the catalyst comprises a metallic material, for example, the metallic material may be contained in the conduit in the form of particles or a catalyst bed. In some embodiments of the invention, the metallic material comprises at least one of: platinum, copper, iron, aluminum, nickel, zinc. In alternative embodiments, tubular inner housing 320 may itself be part of a heating target, for example, a fuel cell hydrogen plant. In other alternative embodiments, the tubular inner housing 320 itself may be used as any of a fuel device, a power generation device, or a portion thereof.

The inner space of the outer case 310 accommodates the tubular inner case 320 and is filled with the packing 330 around the tubular inner case 320. The tubular inner case 320 has a space for accommodating an object, or the surface of the packing 330 has or contains therein a material having a heat generating function or a heat generating material.

The outer housing 310 is provided with openings 301, 302 and openings 303, 304. The openings 301 are used to flow fluid through the packing 330 and out of the openings 102. The opening 303 allows the first end 321 of the tubular inner housing 320 to extend and the opening 304 allows the second end 322 of the tubular inner housing 320 to extend. In some embodiments, a seal, such as an O-ring, is provided between the aperture 303 and the first end 321 of the tubular inner housing 320 to prevent leakage of the fluid from the gap therebetween. In some embodiments, a seal, such as an O-ring, is provided between the aperture 304 and the second end 322 of the tubular inner housing 320 to prevent leakage of the fluid from the gap therebetween. In alternative embodiments, the fluid flow path of tubular inner housing 320 may share an aperture with the fluid flow path of outer housing 110 when the fluid flowing within tubular inner housing 320 is the same fluid as the fluid flowing through the packing. For example, a three-way manifold may be provided in one of the openings in the outer housing 310 to split the incoming fluid into two flows, one into the tubular inner housing 320 and the other into the packing 330. In an alternative embodiment, a three-way manifold is provided through an opening in the outer housing 310 to combine the fluid exiting the tubular inner housing 320 with the fluid passing through the packing 330 in one pass.

The fuel cell thermal device 300 also includes a fluid drive device (not shown) in communication with the apertures 301, 302 via a conduit to power fluid flow into or out of the interior space of the outer housing 310. In some embodiments, the fuel cell thermal device 300 may further include another fluid-driven device in communication with the first and second ends 321, 322 via a conduit to power fluid flowing into or out of the tubular inner housing 320. In alternative embodiments, the fluid drive that powers fluid flowing into the inner housing 320 may be the same drive as the fluid drive that powers fluid flowing into or out of the outer housing 310. In some embodiments of the invention, the fluid drive device may comprise at least one of: pump, fan, compressor.

In the present embodiment, the fuel cell heating device 300 is configured such that the fluid flowing into the inner space of the outer case 310 contacts the heat generating material of the packing 330 and reacts to generate heat, and the heat is transferred to the object inside the inner case via the tubular inner case 320. In an alternative embodiment, the fuel cell thermal device 300 may be further configured such that heat generated by objects inside the inner case 320 is transferred to the packing 330 of the inner space via the inner case 320 and is carried away by the fluid flowing through the packing 330. Therefore, the fuel cell thermal device 300 can heat or dissipate heat from the object to achieve the purpose of thermal management.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the material from which the outer housing 310 and/or the inner housing 320 are made comprises a metallic material and/or a non-metallic material. In some embodiments of the invention, the metal material has a thermal conductivity greater than 1W/mK. In some embodiments of the invention, the non-metallic material has a thermal conductivity greater than 1W/mK. In some embodiments of the invention, the metallic material comprises at least one of: copper, iron, aluminum, nickel, and titanium. In some embodiments of the invention, the nonmetallic material includes at least one of the following: aluminum nitride, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, and carbon.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the filler 330 is made of a material including a metallic material or a non-metallic material. In some embodiments of the invention, the metal material has a thermal conductivity greater than 1W/mK. In some embodiments of the invention, the non-metallic material has a thermal conductivity greater than 0.1W/mK. In some embodiments of the invention, the metallic material comprises at least one of: foam metal, metal corrugated filler and metal net. In some embodiments of the invention, the metallic material comprises at least one of: copper, iron, aluminum, nickel, and titanium. In some embodiments of the invention, the nonmetallic material includes at least one of the following: ceramics, clays, zeolites, medical stones, cordierite and carbon. In some embodiments of the invention, the ceramic comprises at least one of: aluminum nitride, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the fluid flowing into the outer housing 310 to contact react with the packing 330 comprises a liquid or a gas. In some embodiments of the invention, the liquid or gas comprises at least one of: hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen. In some embodiments of the invention, the liquid or gas comprises at least one of: oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, ammonia, hydrocarbons. In some embodiments of the invention, the hydrocarbon comprises at least one of: methanol, ethanol, dimethyl ether, gasoline, diesel.

Fig. 6 shows another example of the fuel cell thermal device of the present invention. As shown in fig. 6, the fuel cell thermal device 400 includes an outer case 410, and 3 tube-type inner cases 420 are provided inside the outer case 410. A packing (not shown) having a surface or containing a heat generating material therein is provided between the tubular inner case 420 and the outer case 410 such that a fluid flowing into the inner space of the outer case 410 contacts with the heat generating material and reacts to generate heat, which is transferred to a heated object inside the inner case via the tubular inner case 420. In an alternative embodiment, heat generated by objects inside the tubular inner housing 420 is transferred to the packing via the inner housing and carried away by fluid flowing through the packing. Thus, the fuel cell heating device 400 can heat or dissipate heat from an object to achieve the purpose of heat management. Such a fuel cell thermal device 400 may be suitable for thermal management of a fuel cell, such as a proton exchange membrane fuel cell.

In some embodiments of the invention, the tubular inner housing (i.e., the pipe) is arranged in an S-shape or an inverted S-shape within the inner space of the outer housing. In other embodiments, the tubular inner housing is arranged in a ring shape within the inner space of the outer housing. The shape of the tubular inner housing depends on the length of time for thermal management of the object. For example, if it is necessary to heat or dissipate heat of an object for a long period of time, the tubular inner housing may be arranged in a curved shape to extend the residence time of the object in the tubular inner housing as much as possible; and vice versa.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the tubular inner housing (i.e., the pipe) may be helical within the inner space of the outer housing. In some embodiments of the invention, a plurality of the helical pipes are arranged within the inner space of the outer housing. In some embodiments of the invention, the plurality of helical pipes are arranged in one or more columns within the interior space of the outer housing. In some embodiments of the invention, a plurality of the helical tubes in each column are in fluid flow communication with each other.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a fuel cell thermal device according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the fuel cell thermal device shown in fig. 7. As shown in fig. 7 and 8, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a fuel cell thermal device 500 includes an outer case 510 and a tubular inner case 520. Within the outer housing 510, the tubular inner housing 520 is arranged in two columns (or rows). The tubular inner housing 520 of each column/row may be coiled by a tube about the same axis into a plurality of cylindrical units, with adjacent cylindrical units in fluid communication with each other. Although not shown, it should be appreciated that the fuel cell thermal device 500 also includes a filler material having the features, characteristics, or functions of the filler material of any of the embodiments described above. In an alternative embodiment, the tubular inner housing 520 may be aligned in a column (or row) or 3 columns (or rows) within the outer housing 510. In other embodiments, the plurality of cylindrical units may be arranged in a straight line or a linear line within the outer case 510, and the plurality of cylindrical units may be arranged randomly. In other alternative embodiments, the tubular inner housing 520 may be coiled into various shapes such as a conical shape, a rectangular parallelepiped shape, etc., in addition to being coiled into a cylindrical unit, which is not limited by the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a fuel cell thermal device according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In the present exemplary embodiment, the fuel cell thermal device 600 includes an outer case 610, an inner case 620-1, and an inner case 620-2. The inner cases 620-1 and 620-2 respectively accommodate different object devices or respectively constitute a part of different object devices. The inner case 620-1 is formed as a thick pipe, and the inner case 620-2 is formed as a thin pipe wound around the thick pipe to extend. In some embodiments, the inner housing 620-2 may be a pre-heater of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell and the inner housing 620-1 may be a reformer of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell. In this way, the fuel cell thermal device 600 can perform thermal management including heating or heat dissipation on the preheater and the reformer of the pem fuel cell at the same time, thereby improving thermal management efficiency and reducing production costs of the fuel cell.

In addition, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a fuel cell thermal device, including:

It should be understood that the materials for making the outer shell, the inner shell, the filler, the fluid and the heating material are the same as those of the above embodiments, and will not be described herein.

In addition, the embodiment of the invention also provides a fuel cell, such as a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, which comprises: the fuel cell thermal device according to any one of the above embodiments; and an object device disposed inside the fuel cell thermal device, the object device comprising at least one of a fuel device, a hydrogen production device; or the object device is a part constituting at least one of a fuel plant and a hydrogen production plant. The object device may be accommodated in the inner housing or the inner housing may be a part of the object device.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the foregoing disclosure is merely illustrative of the present invention and that no limitation on the scope of the claimed invention is intended, as defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A fuel cell thermal device, comprising:

2. The fuel cell heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object accommodated in the inner space of the inner case includes at least any one of a fuel device, a hydrogen production device, and a power generation device; or the inner housing is a part constituting at least one of the fuel device, the hydrogen production device, and the power generation device.

3. The fuel cell thermal device of claim 1 wherein the inner housing comprises a conduit.

4. The fuel cell thermal device according to claim 3, wherein the at least two openings in the outer housing comprise a third opening and a fourth opening,

The third opening is connected with one end of the pipeline, and the fourth opening is connected with the other end of the pipeline.

5. A fuel cell thermal device according to claim 3, wherein the pipes are arranged in a ring shape in the inner space of the outer case.

6. A fuel cell thermal device according to claim 3, wherein the pipes are arranged in a spiral shape in the inner space of the outer case.

7. The fuel cell thermal device according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of the spiral-shaped pipes are arranged in the inner space of the outer case.

8. The fuel cell thermal device according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of the spiral-shaped pipes are arranged in one or more rows within the inner space of the outer case.

9. The fuel cell thermal plant of claim 8 wherein a plurality of the helical tubes in each column are in fluid flow communication with each other.

10. A fuel cell thermal device according to claim 3, wherein the object comprises a liquid or a gas flowing in the pipe.

11. The fuel cell thermal device according to claim 10, wherein the liquid or gas comprises at least one of: hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen.

12. The fuel cell thermal device according to claim 11, wherein the liquid or gas comprises at least one of: oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, ammonia, water, hydrocarbons.

13. A fuel cell thermal device according to claim 3, wherein the object comprises a catalyst disposed in the conduit.

14. The fuel cell thermal device according to claim 1, wherein the material from which the outer housing and/or inner housing is made comprises a metallic material and/or a non-metallic material.

15. The fuel cell thermal device according to claim 14, wherein the metal material has a thermal conductivity greater than 1W/m-K; and/or the non-metallic material has a thermal conductivity greater than 1W/mK.

16. The fuel cell thermal device according to claim 14, wherein the metallic material comprises at least one of: copper, iron, aluminum, nickel, and titanium;

and/or, the nonmetallic material comprises at least one of the following: aluminum nitride, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, and carbon.

17. The fuel cell thermal device according to claim 1, wherein the filler material is made of a metallic material or a non-metallic material.

18. The fuel cell thermal device according to claim 17, wherein the metal material has a thermal conductivity greater than 1W/m-K; and/or the non-metallic material has a thermal conductivity greater than 0.1W/mK.

19. The fuel cell thermal device according to claim 17, wherein the metallic material comprises at least one of: foam metal, metal corrugated filler and metal net.

20. The fuel cell thermal device according to claim 17, wherein the metallic material comprises at least one of: copper, iron, aluminum, nickel, and titanium;

And/or, the nonmetallic material comprises at least one of the following: ceramics, clays, zeolites, medical stones, cordierite and carbon.

21. The fuel cell thermal device according to claim 20, wherein the ceramic comprises at least one of: aluminum nitride, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide.

22. The fuel cell thermal device according to claim 1, wherein the material having a heat generating function is made of a metal material.

23. The fuel cell thermal device according to claim 22, wherein the metallic material comprises at least one of: platinum, copper, iron, aluminum, nickel, zinc.

24. The fuel cell thermal device of claim 1 wherein the fluid comprises a liquid or a gas.

25. The fuel cell thermal device according to claim 24 wherein the liquid or gas comprises at least one of: hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen.

26. The fuel cell thermal device according to claim 25, wherein the liquid or gas comprises at least one of: oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, ammonia, hydrocarbons.

27. The fuel cell thermal plant of claim 26 wherein the hydrocarbon comprises at least one of: methanol, ethanol, dimethyl ether, gasoline, diesel.

28. The fuel cell thermal device according to claim 1, wherein the fluid driving means comprises at least one of: pump, fan, compressor.

29. A fuel cell, comprising:

a fuel cell thermal device according to any one of claims 1 to 28; and

An object device disposed inside the fuel cell thermal device, the object device comprising at least one of a fuel device, a hydrogen production device, and a power generation device; or the object device is a part constituting at least one of a fuel plant, a hydrogen plant, and a power generation plant.

30. A method of manufacturing a fuel cell thermal device, comprising: