Liquid-gas separator for direct liquid feed fuel cell

Abstract

A liquid-gas separator for a direct liquid feed fuel cell includes: a housing having an open hole; a gas extracting membrane that covers the open hole and transmits only the gas; a liquid extracting member that defines a first chamber that contacts the gas extracting membrane and a second chamber that does not contact the gas extracting membrane, and selectively transmits the liquid in the first chamber to the second chamber; an inlet that guides the liquid and the gas into the housing; and an outlet that is connected to the second chamber and guides the liquid in the second chamber to the outside.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a basic configuration of a direct liquid feed fuel cell;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic cross-sectional views of a conventional liquid-gas separator used for a fuel cell;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a direct liquid feed fuel cell system having a liquid-gas separator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid-gas separator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid-gas separator of FIG. 4 at a different orientation;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid-gas separator according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid-gas separator according to still another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid-gas separator according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A liquid-gas separator of a direct liquid feed fuel cell which receives liquid and gas from the direct liquid feed fuel cell and separates the liquid and gas, the liquid-gas separator comprising: a housing having an open hole;a gas extracting membrane that covers the open hole and transmits only the gas;a liquid extracting member that divides an interior of the housing into a first chamber that contacts the gas extracting membrane and a second chamber that does not contact the gas extracting membrane, and selectively transmits the liquid in the first chamber to the second chamber;an inlet that guides the liquid and the gas into the first chamber; andan outlet that is connected to the second chamber and guides the liquid in the second chamber to the outside.

2. The liquid-gas separator of claim 1, further comprising a removable cartridge that comprises: the liquid extracting membrane; andthe second chamber;wherein the housing comprises an entrance into which the removable cartridge is inserted and therein the second chamber includes a chamber hole through which the second chamber is connected to the outlet.

3. The liquid-gas separator of claim 1, wherein the liquid extracting membrane has pores with diameters of 50 μm or less.

4. The liquid-gas separator of claim 1, wherein the liquid extracting membrane comprises a hydrophilic foam.

5. The liquid-gas separator of claim 3, further comprising, in the second chamber, a hydrophilic member having larger pores than the pores of the liquid extracting membrane.

6. The liquid-gas separator of claim 5, wherein the hydrophilic member comprises hydrophilic foam having pores with diameters from 100 μm to 1 mm.

7. The liquid-gas separator of claim 3, wherein the second chamber is filled with ion exchange beads having diameters of 0.1 to 1 mm.

8. The liquid-gas separator of claim 1, wherein the gas extracting membrane comprises polytetrafluoro ethylene (PTFE).

9. The liquid-gas separator of claim 6, wherein the gas extracting membrane is formed by pressing the PTFE with a porous reinforcing member.

10. The liquid-gas separator of claim 1, wherein the liquid extracting membrane is installed substantially parallel to the gas extracting membrane.

11. A liquid-gas separator of a direct liquid feed fuel cell which receives liquid and gas from the direct liquid feed fuel cell and separates the liquid and gas, the liquid-gas separator comprising: a housing having open portion on the outer circumference thereof;a gas extracting membrane that covers the open portion and transmits only the gas;a liquid extracting member that defines a first chamber that is connected to the gas extracting membrane and a second chamber that is not connected to the gas extracting membrane, and selectively transmits the liquid in the first chamber to the second chamber, wherein the second chamber is formed inside the first chamber;an inlet that guides the liquid and the gas into the first chamber; andan outlet that is connected to the second chamber and guides the liquid in the second chamber to the outside.

12. The liquid-gas separator of claim 11, further comprising a removable cartridge that comprises: the liquid extracting membrane; andthe second chamber;wherein the housing comprises an entrance into which the cartridge is inserted.

13. The liquid-gas separator of claim 11, wherein the liquid extracting membrane has pores with diameters of 50 μm or less.

14. The liquid-gas separator of claim 11, further comprising, in the second chamber, a first member having larger pores than the pores of the liquid extracting membrane.

15. The liquid-gas separator of claim 11, wherein the second chamber is filled with ion exchange beads having diameters of 0.1 to 1 mm.

16. The liquid-gas separator of claim 11, wherein the gas extracting membrane comprises polytetrafluoro ethylene (PTFE).

17. The liquid-gas separator of claim 16, wherein the gas extracting membrane is formed by pressing the PTFE with a porous reinforcing member.

18. A liquid-gas separator of a direct liquid feed fuel cell which receives liquid and gas from the direct liquid feed fuel cell and separates the liquid and gas, the liquid-gas separator comprising: a housing having one or more open portions on an outer boundary thereof,one or more gas extracting membranes, wherein each of the one or more open portions is covered by one of the one or more gas extracting membranes and wherein the one or more gas extracting membranes allow only gas to pass through from an interior of the housing to an exterior of the housing;a liquid extracting member that divides the interior of the housing into a first chamber that has a least one boundary that includes at least one of the one or more open portions covered by one of the one or more gas extracting membranes and a second chamber that does not have at least one boundary containing at least one of the one or more open portions covered by one of the one or more gas extracting membranes, and wherein the liquid extracting member selectively transmits the liquid in the first chamber to the second chamber;an inlet that guides the liquid and the gas into the first chamber; andan outlet that is connected to the second chamber and guides the liquid in the second chamber to the outside.

19. The liquid-gas separator of claim 18, wherein the open portions on the outer boundary of the housing are positioned such that the liquid-gas separator performs liquid-gas separation regardless of the orientation of the liquid-gas separator.