Gas-liquid separator

• US 10,644,332 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Okamura, Yuji, Fukuda, Tetsuya, Saito, Yoichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Stagg, Miriam
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang, Rachel L
• Application Number:
  US16/012,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20180375122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 45/08 by impingement against baffle separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/20 Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04164 by condensers, gas-liquid separators or filters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

A gas-liquid separator includes a casing in which there are formed an inlet port to which a gas-liquid two-phase flow is supplied, and an outlet port through which a gas flow is discharged after the gas-liquid two-phase flow has been separated into a gas and a liquid. A gas-liquid separation chamber is formed in the casing by a partition wall. The inlet port opens on a surface of the partition wall in the gas-liquid separation chamber. The gas-liquid separator further includes a deflection member configured to change a flow direction of the gas-liquid two-phase flow that flows in from the inlet port, and a clearance is formed between the deflection member and an inner wall of the casing.

Claims

1. A gas-liquid separator comprising a casing in which there are formed an inlet port to which a gas-liquid two-phase flow is supplied, two gas-liquid separation chambers configured to separate the gas-liquid two-phase flow, which is introduced from the inlet port, into a liquid phase and a gas flow, and an outlet port through which the gas flow is discharged, wherein:

a partition wall, configured to form the two gas-liquid separation chambers, is provided in the casing;

the inlet port of the casing communicates with an opening, the opening being formed on a surface of the partition wall facing at least one of the two gas-liquid separation chambers;

the gas-liquid separator further comprises a deflection member configured to change a flow direction of the gas-liquid two-phase flow that flows in from the inlet port through the opening, and a clearance is formed between the deflection member and an inner wall of the casing; and

the deflection member is configured to change the flow direction of the gas-liquid two-phase flow away from the clearance.

2. The gas-liquid separator according to claim 1, further comprising a guide member disposed inside the two gas-liquid separation chambers, and configured to guide the gas-liquid two-phase flow flowing from the deflection member.

3. The gas-liquid separator according to claim 2, wherein the inlet port and a liquid discharge member are disposed on a bottom portion of the casing, and after the gas-liquid two-phase flow introduced from the inlet port has risen, the gas-liquid two-phase flow is lowered by the guide member.

4. The gas-liquid separator according to claim 1, wherein the inlet port and the outlet port are formed on a same end surface of the casing.

5. The gas-liquid separator according to claim 1, wherein the gas-liquid separator is attached to a fuel cell and constitutes a fuel cell system, wherein a fuel exhaust gas discharged from an anode of the fuel cell is supplied as the gas-liquid two-phase flow.