Steam separator for fuel cell

TLDR: In this article, a steam separator of small gas phase capacity and small size in which a water level is accurately detected and controlled by giving a two phase flow, if a slug flow, good gas liquid separation in a gas phase without causing liquid level change so that a gas-liquid separation pipe provided with a water-level detector has no liquid-level change with the heat of a load heater.

Abstract: PURPOSE:To construct a steam separator of small gas phase capacity and small size in which a water level is accurately detected and controlled by giving a two phase flow, if a slug flow, good gas-liquid separation in a gas phase without causing liquid level change so that a gas-liquid separation pipe provided with a water level detector has no liquid level change with the heat of a load heater. CONSTITUTION:A gas-liquid two phase flow, which runs while collecting reactive heat given from a CO transformer to transform carbon monoxide in reformed gas through reaction in a reformer and from a fuel cell stack to provide electric power by using reformed gas therethrough, is given gas-liquid separation by collision with the inside wall of a gas-liquid separation pipe 3A1 in a steam separator 3A, the gas-liquid separation is completed in a gas-liquid separation pipe 3A2, and steam required for the reformer and pressure water required to cool the CO transformer 1 and the fuel cell stack 2 are obtained. The gas- liquid separation pipe 3A1 is provided with a load heater 10 which consumes high power during low load and the gas-liquid separation pipe 3A2 is provided with a water level detector 7 which detects a pressure water level to keep the level constant by using a water supply pump 8.