Apparatus and method for controlling humidification amount of membrane humidifier for fuel cell
AssigneesHyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
InventorsHyun Yoo Kim, Jeong Hee Park
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and a method for controlling a humidification amount of a membrane humidifier for a fuel cell are provided. The humidification amount of the membrane humidifier relative to air supplied to a stack is changed by adjusting a difference in partial pressure of moisture between the inside and the exterior of a hollow fiber membrane that constitutes the membrane humidifier for a fuel cell.
Claims8
An apparatus for controlling a humidification amount of a membrane humidifier for a fuel cell, comprising:
- an air compressor configured to compress air and supply the air to the membrane humidifier;
- a membrane humidifier configured to humidify the air supplied from the air compressor and supply the air to a stack;
- a pressure control valve mounted at an outlet of the membrane humidifier to adjust pressure of humid air that flows from the stack to an exterior of a hollow fiber membrane of the membrane humidifier;
- a first air shut-off valve mounted at an inlet of the stack to adjust pressure of air that flows from the air compressor to the inside of the hollow fiber membrane of the membrane humidifier;
- a humidity sensor configured to measure humidity of the stack;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- increase pressure in the hollow fiber membrane of the membrane humidifier by reducing or blocking the amount of humid air supplied from the stack to the membrane humidifier when the measured humidity is equal to or greater than a reference value;
- and
- increase pressure inside and outside the hollow fiber membrane of the membrane humidifier by blocking the outlet of the membrane humidifier through which humid air is supplied from the stack to the membrane humidifier and humid air is discharged when the measured humidity is equal to or less than the reference value.
A method of controlling a humidification amount of a membrane humidifier for a fuel cell, comprising:
- measuring, by a humidity sensor, humidity of a stack;
- increasing, by a controller, pressure in a hollow fiber membrane of the membrane humidifier by reducing or blocking an amount of humid air supplied from the stack to the membrane humidifier when the measured humidity is equal to or greater than a reference value;
- and
- increasing, by the controller, pressure inside and outside the hollow fiber membrane of the membrane humidifier by blocking an outlet of the membrane humidifier through which humid air is supplied from the stack to the membrane humidifier and humid air is discharged when the measured humidity is equal to or less than the reference value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.