Patent Description:
A fuel cell is a power generation type cell that produces electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen. Unlike general chemical cells such as dry cells and storage batteries, fuel cells can continuously produce electricity as long as hydrogen and oxygen are supplied, and there is no heat loss, so the efficiency is about twice that of an internal combustion engine.

In addition, since chemical energy generated by the combination of hydrogen and oxygen is directly converted into electrical energy, the emission of pollutants is small. Accordingly, the fuel cell has the advantage of being environmentally friendly and reducing concerns about resource depletion due to increased energy consumption.

These fuel cells are largely based on the type of electrolyte used: a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), a phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC), a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), an alkaline fuel cell (AFC), or the like. <CIT> relates to relates to a membrane humidifier, and more specifically, to a membrane humidifier in which a sealing member is interposed between a housing portion and a potting portion that secures the end of the hollow fiber membrane bundle to the housing portion. <CIT> relates to a humidifier for fuel cells and a method of manufacturing the same, and more specifically, to a humidifier that not only can reliably prevent gas leakage due to repeated operation and stopping of a fuel cell, but can also be manufactured with relatively low manufacturing costs and high productivity. <CIT> relates to a humidifier for fuel cells and a packing member therefor, and more specifically, to a humidifier for fuel cells and a packing member therefor that can not only be manufactured with improved productivity but also can dramatically reduce maintenance costs. <CIT> relates to a heat and mass transfer apparatus comprising hollow synthetic polymer fibres as the heat exchanger tubes and being intended for medicinal purposes. <CIT> relates to a fuel cell membrane humidifier capable of performing an airtight function in a high temperature/high pressure/high humidity environment by a mechanical assembly structure. <CIT> relates to a fuel cell membrane humidifier, and more particularly, to a fuel cell membrane humidifier capable of performing an airtight function in a high temperature/high pressure/high humidity environment by a mechanical assembly structure. <CIT> relates to to a humidifier for a fuel cell, and more particularly, to a humidifier for a fuel cell that ensures operational reliability even in harsh environments such as polar regions and tropical regions.

Each of these fuel cells operates on the same principle, but the type of fuels used, operating temperatures, catalysts, electrolytes, or the like are different from each other. Among them, the polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEMFC) can be operated at a low temperature compared to other fuel cells and can be miniaturized due to a high output density, and thus, the polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEMFC) is known to be the most promising not only in small-scale stationary power generation equipment but also in transportation systems.

One of the most important factors in improving performance of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEMFC) is to maintain a moisture content by supplying more than a certain amount of moisture to a polymer electrolyte membrane or a proton exchange membrane (PEM) of a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA). This is because when the polymer electrolyte membrane is dried, the power generation efficiency is rapidly reduced.

As a method of humidifying the polymer electrolyte membrane, there are <NUM>) a bubbler humidification method of supplying moisture by causing a target gas to pass through a diffuser after filling a pressure-resistant container with water, <NUM>) a direct injection method of calculating an amount of supplied moisture required for a fuel cell reaction and supplying moisture directly to a gas flow pipe through a solenoid valve, and <NUM>) a humidification membrane method of supplying moisture to a fluidized bed of gas using a polymer membrane.

Among them, in the membrane humidification method, water vapor is supplied to the air supplied to the polymer electrolyte membrane using a membrane that selectively transmits only water vapor contained in an off-gas, and thus, in the membrane humidification method of humidifying the polymer electrolyte membrane, it is possible to reduce weight and a size of the humidifier.

When the selective permeable membranes used in the membrane humidification method form a module, a hollow fiber membrane having a large permeation area per unit volume is preferable. That is, when a humidifier is manufactured using the hollow fiber membrane, high integration of the hollow fiber membrane with a large contact surface area is possible. Accordingly, the fuel cell can be sufficiently humidified even with a small capacity, low-cost materials can be used, and the moisture and heat contained in the off-gas discharged at high temperature from the fuel cell can be collected and reused in the humidifier.

<FIG> is an exploded perspective view illustrating a fuel cell humidifier according to the related art. As illustrated in <FIG>, a fuel cell humidifier <NUM> of the related art is a humidification module <NUM> includes a humidifying module <NUM> in which moisture exchange occurs between air supplied from the outside and an off-gas discharged from the fuel cell stack (not illustrated), and caps <NUM> coupled to both ends of the humidifying module <NUM>.

One of the caps <NUM> supplies the air supplied from the outside to the humidification module <NUM>, and the other supplies air humidified by the humidification module <NUM> to the fuel cell stack.

The humidification module <NUM> includes a mid-case <NUM> having an off-gas inlet 111a and an off-gas outlet 111b and a plurality of hollow fiber membranes <NUM> within the mid-case <NUM>. Both ends of the bundle of hollow fiber membranes <NUM> are fixed to a potting portion <NUM>. The potting portion <NUM> is generally formed by curing a liquid polymer such as a liquid polyurethane resin through a casting method.

Air supplied from the outside flows along the hollows of the hollow fiber membranes <NUM>. The off-gas introduced into the mid-case <NUM> through the off-gas inlet 111a is discharged from the mid-case <NUM> through the off-gas outlet 111b after coming into contact with outer surfaces of the hollow fiber membranes <NUM>. When the off-gas comes into contact with the outer surfaces of the hollow fiber membranes <NUM>, moisture contained in the off-gas penetrates the hollow fiber membranes <NUM>, and thus, humidifies air flowing along the hollows of the hollow fiber membranes <NUM>.

The inner spaces of the caps <NUM> are only in fluid communication with the hollows of the hollow fiber membranes <NUM>, and should be completely blocked from the inner space of the mid-case <NUM>. Otherwise, air leakage occurs due to a pressure difference, and thus, an amount of the humidified air supplied to the fuel cell stack is reduced and the power generation efficiency of the fuel cell is reduced.

In general, as illustrated in <FIG>, the potting portion <NUM> to which ends of the plurality of hollow fiber membranes <NUM> are fixed, and a resin layer <NUM> between the potting portion <NUM> and the mid-case <NUM> block the inner spaces of the caps <NUM> and the inner space of the mid-case <NUM> are blocked. Similar to the potting portion <NUM>, the resin layer <NUM> is generally formed by curing a liquid polymer such as a liquid polyurethane resin through a casting method.

However, since a casting process for forming the resin layer <NUM> requires a relatively long process time, productivity of the humidifier <NUM> is reduced.

In addition, since the resin layer <NUM> is adhered to an inner wall of the mid-case <NUM> as well as the potting portion <NUM>, when a problem occurs in the hollow fiber membrane <NUM>, the entire humidification module <NUM> should be replaced, and thus, maintenance costs largely increase.

Moreover, the repeated operation of the fuel cell is highly likely to cause a gap between the resin layer <NUM> and the mid-case <NUM>. That is, as the operation and stop of the fuel cell are repeated, expansion and contraction of the resin layer <NUM> occur alternately, and there is a high probability that the resin layer <NUM> is separated from the mid-case <NUM> due to a difference in coefficients of thermal expansion between the mid-case <NUM> and the resin layer <NUM>. As described above, when the gap is generated between the resin layer <NUM> and the mid-case <NUM>, air leakage occurs due to the pressure difference, and thus, the amount of humidified air supplied to the fuel cell stack is reduced, and the power generation efficiency of the fuel cell is reduced.

In order to prevent the air leakage due to the occurrence of the gap between the resin layer <NUM> and the mid-case <NUM>, it may be considered to perform an additional process such as applying a sealant between the resin layer <NUM> and the mid-case <NUM> and/or mounting an outer gasket assembly therebetween. However, the additional process itself also requires additional process time, and thus, the productivity of the humidifier <NUM> is reduced.

The present invention is defined by the subject-matter of the attached claims. The present disclosure provides a gasket assembly that can prevents problems due to the limitations and disadvantages of the related art as described above, can be manufactured with improved productivity, and can dramatically reduce maintenance costs, and a fuel cell humidifier including the same.

In addition to the above-mentioned aspects of present disclosure, other features and advantages of present disclosure will be described below or will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which present disclosure belongs from such description.

According to the present disclosure, since air leakage between the mid-case and the cap is prevented through mechanical assembly of the gasket assembly, a casting process (that is, a process of injecting and curing a liquid resin into a mold) and an additional sealing process (that is, a process of applying and curing a sealant) of the related art can be omitted. Therefore, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to significantly improve productivity by shortening a production process time of the fuel cell humidifier while preventing the air leakage between the mid-case and the cap.

In addition, since the gasket assembly of the present disclosure for preventing the air leakage between the mid-case and the cap is mounted on the humidification module <NUM> through mechanical assembly, when an abnormality occurs in a specific portion of the humidification module, the gasket assembly is simply separated mechanically, and then only the corresponding portion can be repaired or replaced. Therefore, according to the present disclosure, a maintenance cost of the fuel cell humidifier can be significantly reduced.

Since the present disclosure can have various modifications and can include various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the present disclosure to specific embodiments.

The terms used in the present disclosure are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present disclosure, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate that the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification exist, and it is to be understood that the terms do not preclude possibilities of presences or additions of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof. Hereinafter, a gasket assembly and a fuel cell humidifier including the same according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

<FIG> is an exploded perspective view illustrating a fuel cell humidifier including a gasket assembly according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, <FIG> is an exploded cross-sectional view illustrating the fuel cell humidifier including the gasket assembly according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, and <FIG> is a cross-sectional view illustrating the fuel cell humidifier including the gasket assembly according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, a fuel cell humidifier <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a humidification module <NUM> for humidifying air supplied from the outside with moisture in an off-gas discharged from the fuel cell stack. Each of both ends of the humidification module <NUM> is coupled to a cap <NUM>.

One of the caps <NUM> supplies air supplied from the outside to the humidification module <NUM>, and the other supplies air humidified by the humidification module <NUM> to the fuel cell stack.

The humidification module <NUM> is a device in which moisture exchange occurs between the air supplied from the outside and the off-gas, and may include a mid-case <NUM> having an off-gas inlet 211a and an off-gas outlet 211b and at least one cartridge <NUM> which is disposed in the mid-case <NUM>.

The mid-case <NUM> and the cap <NUM> may each independently be formed of a rigid plastic or metal, and may have a circular or polygonal cross-section in a width direction. A circle includes an ellipse, and a polygon includes a polygon with rounded corners. For example, the rigid plastic may be polycarbonate, polyamide (PA), polyphthalamide (PPA), polypropylene (PP), or the like.

The cartridge <NUM> as presently claimed includes a plurality of hollow fiber membranes 212a and a potting portion 212b for fixing the hollow fiber membranes 212a to each other. Accordingly, ends of the hollow fiber membranes 212a are fixed to the potting portion 212b.

Each of the hollow fiber membranes 212a may include polysulfone resin, polyethersulfone resin, sulfonated polysulfone resin, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) resin, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) resin, polyimide resin, polyamideimide resin, a polyester imide resin, or a polymer film formed of a mixture of at least two or more thereof, and the potting portion 212b may be formed by curing a liquid resin such as a liquid polyurethane resin through a casting method such as deep potting or centrifugal potting.

Air supplied from the outside flows along hollows of the hollow fiber membranes (212a). The off-gas introduced into the mid-case <NUM> through the off-gas inlet 211a comes into contact with outer surfaces of the hollow fiber membranes 212a and then is discharged from the mid-case <NUM> through the off-gas outlet 211b. When the off-gas comes into contact with the outer surfaces of the hollow fiber membranes 212a, moisture contained in the off-gas penetrates the hollow fiber membranes 212a to humidify the air flowing along the hollows of the hollow fiber membranes 212a.

The cap <NUM> is only in fluid communication with the hollows of the hollow fiber membranes 212a, and should be completely blocked from an inner space S of the mid-case <NUM>. Otherwise, air leakage occurs due to the pressure difference, and thus, an amount of humidified air supplied to the fuel cell stack is reduced and power generation efficiency of the fuel cell is reduced.

To solve this problem, the fuel cell humidifier <NUM> of the present disclosure further includes a gasket assembly <NUM> which is airtightly coupled to each end of the humidification module <NUM> through mechanical assembly.

According to the present disclosure, since air leakage between the mid-case <NUM> and the cap <NUM> is prevented through the mechanical assembly of the gasket assembly <NUM>, a casting process (that is, a process of injecting and curing a liquid resin into a mold) and an additional sealing process (that is, a process of applying and curing a sealant) of the related art may be omitted. Therefore, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to significantly improve productivity by shortening a production process time of the fuel cell humidifier <NUM> while preventing air leakage between the mid-case <NUM> and the cap <NUM>.

In addition, since the gasket assembly <NUM> of the present disclosure for preventing the air leakage between the mid-case <NUM> and the cap <NUM> is mounted on the humidification module <NUM> through mechanical assembly, when an abnormality occurs in a specific portion (for example, cartridge <NUM>) of the humidification module <NUM>, the gasket assembly <NUM> is mechanically separated from the humidification module <NUM>, and then only the corresponding portion can be repaired or replaced. Therefore, according to the present disclosure, a maintenance cost of the fuel cell humidifier <NUM> can be significantly reduced.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the gasket assembly <NUM> according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure includes a packing portion <NUM>, an edge portion <NUM>, and a sealing portion <NUM>. Each of the packing portion <NUM> and the edge portion <NUM> may be formed of an elastic material (for example, silicone, rubber, or the like)) having a first hardness of <NUM> to <NUM> Shore A, preferably <NUM> to <NUM> Shore A. The sealing portion <NUM> may include at least one of a solid sealing material and a liquid sealing material. The solid sealing material may be made of a material such as silicone, acrylic rubber, EPDM, or NBR, and the liquid sealing material may be made of a material such as silicone or urethane.

The packing portion <NUM> has a hole H into which the end (for example, the potting portion 212b) of the cartridge <NUM> is inserted, and is interposed between the mid-case <NUM> and the cartridge <NUM>. The packing portion <NUM> includes a body member 231a and a protruding member 231b.

The body member 231a has the hole H into which the end (for example, the potting portion 212b) of the cartridge <NUM> is inserted, and the hole H has a shape corresponding to a shape of the end of the cartridge <NUM>. A lower body member 231aa protruding from the body member 231a toward the mid-case <NUM> may have a polygonal cross-section (for example, a trapezoidal shape), and an upper body member 231ab formed toward the cap <NUM> may be formed in a planar shape. A space in which the sealing portion <NUM> is disposed is formed between the lower body member 231aa and the cartridge potting portion 212b. Moreover, a groove G into which the end 211a of the mid-case <NUM> is fitted is formed between the lower body member 231aa and the edge portion <NUM>.

The protruding member 231b is formed at one end of the body member 231a to be in contact with the cartridge potting portion 212b inserted into the hole H. The protruding member 231b may be at least one annular protrusion protruding from one end of the body member 231a. The protruding member 231b may be in contact with the cartridge potting portion 212b while pressing the cartridge potting portion 212b by an elastic force to airtightly seal the space of the mid-case <NUM> and the space by the cap <NUM>. Accordingly, the protruding member 231b may prevent a fluid in the mid-case <NUM> from flowing into the space formed on the cap <NUM> side. In addition, since the protruding member 231b has elasticity, the protruding member 231b can perform a vibration-absorbing function, and thus, it is possible to prevent damage due to vibrations of the humidifier <NUM>.

The edge portion <NUM> is formed at the other end of the body member 231a. The edge portion <NUM> may be interposed in a space formed by the groove 211b formed at the end of the mid-case and an end 220a of the cap. The edge portion <NUM> may include edge wings 232a and 232b protruding in both directions. The edge wings 232a and 232b may be formed in a longitudinal direction of the humidification module <NUM>. At the time of assembling, the edge wings 232a and 232b are inserted into the grooves 211b of the mid-case end, and the end portion 220a of the cap presses the edge wing 232b and then fastened and assembled by fastening means such as bolts B. In this case, since the edge wings 232a and 232b are made of an elastic material, the edge wings 232a and 232b may be interposed while filling a certain portion of the space of the groove 211b at the end of the mid-case. Fastening fragments 211c and 220c having fastening holes for fastening bolts may be formed on the end side surfaces of the mid-case <NUM> and the cap <NUM>. The edge wings 232a and 232b may seal the inside and outside of the mid-case <NUM> and the mid-case <NUM> and the cap <NUM> by airtightly sealing the groove 211b of the end portion of the mid-case.

The sealing portion <NUM> is formed to be in contact with the cartridge <NUM> and the packing portion <NUM> between the cartridge <NUM> and the packing portion <NUM>. Specifically, the sealing portion <NUM> is formed to be in contact with (or adhere) the potting portion 212b of the cartridge and the lower body member 231aa of the packing portion at the same time. The sealing portion <NUM> airtightly seals the space of the mid-case <NUM> and the space of the cap <NUM> to prevent the fluid in the mid-case <NUM> from flowing toward the cap <NUM>.

In addition, the gasket assembly <NUM> may further include a reinforcing member <NUM>. The reinforcing member <NUM> may have a second hardness higher than the first hardness. For example, the reinforcing member <NUM> may be formed of a metal, a thermoplastic resin, or a thermosetting resin. The reinforcing member <NUM> may be formed by being inserted into the gasket assembly <NUM> and formed by manufacturing the reinforcing member <NUM> after inserting the metal plate into the mold when the gasket assembly <NUM> is molded. The reinforcing member <NUM> may be formed by being inserted into at least a portion of the packing portion <NUM> and at least a portion of the edge portion <NUM>. The reinforcing member <NUM> may be formed in a portion (a portion in which the groove G is formed) vulnerable to deformation in the gasket assembly <NUM>. The reinforcing member <NUM> having a higher hardness than those of the packing portion <NUM> and the edge portion <NUM> prevents the deformation of the body member 231a when the gasket assembly <NUM> is mechanically assembled to the humidification module <NUM> or when the humidifier is operated, and thus, it is possible to more reliably prevent the air leakage.

Next, gasket assemblies according to various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to <FIG>. <FIG> is an exploded cross-sectional view illustrating a fuel cell humidifier including a gasket assembly according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, <FIG> is an exploded cross-sectional view illustrating a fuel cell humidifier including a gasket assembly according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure, and <FIG> is a cross-sectional view illustrating various applications of the gasket assemblies according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, each of the gasket assemblies according to various embodiments of the present disclosure includes the packing portion <NUM>, the edge portion <NUM>, and the sealing portion <NUM>. In embodiments of <FIG>, only the position of the sealing portion <NUM> is different, and the rest of the configuration is substantially the same, and thus, repeated description will be omitted.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, the sealing portion <NUM> is formed to be in contact with the potting portion 212b of the cartridge and the upper body member 231ab of the packing portion at the same time.

In the embodiment of <FIG> and as presently claimed, the sealing portion <NUM> is formed so as to be in contact with the potting portion 212b of the cartridge and the protruding member 231b of the packing portion at the same time. In this case, two or more protruding members 231b are formed, and the sealing portion <NUM> is formed between two or more protruding members 231b.

<FIG> illustrates that the sealing portion <NUM> is formed to be in contact with at least one of the lower body member 231aa, the upper body member 231ab, and the protruding member 231b of the packing portion.

In the above embodiments, the sealing portion <NUM> airtightly seals the space of the mid-case <NUM> and the space of the cap <NUM> to prevent the fluid in the mid-case <NUM> from flowing to the cap <NUM> side, and thus, each area in which the sealing portion <NUM> is formed may implement a first sealing area.

In addition, as presently claimed, the protruding member 231b is in contact with the cartridge potting portion 212b while pressing the cartridge potting portion 212b to airtightly seal the space of the mid-case <NUM> and the space by the cap <NUM>, and thus, an area in which the protruding member 231b is formed implements a second sealing area.

In addition, in the above embodiments, the edge wings 232a and 232b airtightly seal the groove 211b of the mid-case end portion to seal the inside and outside of the mid-case <NUM>, and the mid-case <NUM> and the cap <NUM>, an area in which the edge wings 232a and 232b are formed may implement a third sealing area.

As described above, in the embodiments, since the sealing area is formed in a double triple, it is possible to reliably prevent air leakage between the mid-case <NUM> and the cap <NUM>.

Next, a second embodiment of the fuel cell humidifier including the gasket assembly according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to <FIG> is a cross-sectional view illustrating the second embodiment of the fuel cell humidifier including the gasket assembly according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in <FIG>, in a fuel cell humidifier 200a according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, except that (i) the inner space of the mid-case <NUM> is divided into a first space S1 and a second space <NUM> by partitions 211c and (ii) the cartridge <NUM> further includes an inner case 212c, the fuel cell humidifier 200a is substantially the same as the fuel cell humidifier <NUM>.

The inner case 212c has an opening at each end and the hollow fiber membranes 212a are contained inside the inner case 212c. The potting portion 212b in which the end portions of the hollow fiber membranes 212a are potted closes the opening of the inner case 212c.

As illustrated in <FIG>, at least a portion of the potting portion 212b may be located outside the inner case 212c, and the protruding member 231b of the gasket assembly <NUM> may be in close contact with the potting portion 212b.

The inner case 212c includes a plurality of holes (hereinafter, "first mesh holes") MH1 arranged in a mesh shape for fluid communication with the first space s1 and a plurality of holes (hereinafter, "second mesh holes") arranged in a mesh shape for fluid communication with the second space S2.

The off-gas introduced into the first space S1 of the mid-case <NUM> through the off-gas inlet 211a flows into the inner case 212c through the first mesh holes MH1, and comes into contact with the outer surfaces of the hollow fiber membranes 212a. Subsequently, the off-gas deprived of moisture is introduced into the second space S2 through the second mesh holes MH2 and then discharged from the mid-case <NUM> through the off-gas outlet 211c.

In the cartridge <NUM> including the inner case 212c, it is possible to easily assemble to the mid-case <NUM> and easily replace the mid-case <NUM>.

Next, a third embodiment of the fuel cell humidifier including the gasket assembly according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to <FIG> is a cross-sectional view illustrating the third embodiment of the fuel cell humidifier including the gasket assembly according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in <FIG>, in a fuel cell humidifier 200b according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure, except that the entire potting portion 212b is located in the inner case 212c and the protruding member 231b of the gasket assembly <NUM> is in close contact with the inner case 212c rather than the potting portion 212b, the fuel cell humidifier 200b is substantially the same as the fuel cell humidifier 200a according to the second embodiment described above.

<FIG>, <FIG> illustrate the fuel cell humidifiers <NUM>, 200a, and 200b including the gasket assembly according to the first embodiment, but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto, and the gasket assemblies according to various embodiments of <FIG> may be applied to the fuel cell humidifier of the first to third embodiments.

Next, a fourth embodiment of a fuel cell humidifier including a gasket assembly according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to <FIG>. <FIG> is an exploded perspective view illustrating the fourth embodiment of the fuel cell humidifier including the gasket assembly according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure, <FIG> is an exploded cross-sectional view illustrating the fourth embodiment of the fuel cell humidifier including the gasket assembly according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure, and <FIG> is a cross-sectional view illustrating the fourth embodiment of the fuel cell humidifier including the gasket assembly according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, in a fuel cell humidifier <NUM> according to the fourth embodiment to which a gasket assembly <NUM> according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure is applied, except that (i) the humidification module <NUM> includes two or more cartridges <NUM>, (ii) the body member 231a of the packing portion <NUM> includes two or more holes H into which the cartridges <NUM> are inserted, (iii) two or more protruding members 231b formed at one end of the body member 231a to be in contact with the cartridge potting portion 212b are provided, and (iv) two or more sealing portions <NUM> formed to be in contact with the cartridge <NUM> and the packing portion <NUM> between the cartridge <NUM> and the packing portion <NUM> are provided, the fuel cell humidifier <NUM> is substantially the same as the fuel cell humidifier 200a according to the second embodiment described above.

The plurality of cartridges <NUM> each including the inner case 212c are mounted in the mid-case <NUM> at regular intervals. Accordingly, the off-gas is uniformly distributed to all the hollow fiber membranes 212a present in the mid-case <NUM>, and only a specific cartridge <NUM> in which a problem occurs can be selectively replaced so that the maintenance cost of the fuel cell humidifier <NUM> can be further reduced.

<FIG> schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of the fuel cell humidifier 300a according to the fifth embodiment of the fuel cell humidifier to which the gasket assembly <NUM> according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure is applied.

As illustrated in <FIG>, in the fuel cell humidifier 300a according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure, except that the entire potting portion 212b of each cartridge <NUM> is located in the corresponding inner case 212c and the protruding members 231b of the gasket assembly <NUM> are in close contact with the inner cases 212c rather than the potting portions 212b, the fuel cell humidifier 300a is substantially the same as the fuel cell humidifier <NUM> according to the above-described fourth embodiment.

Hereinbefore, embodiments of the present disclosure are described, but those of ordinary skill in the art can variously modify and change the present disclosure through addition, modification, deletion of components within a scope that does not depart from scope of the attached claims.

Claim 1:
A fuel cell humidifier (<NUM>) comprising:
a mid-case (<NUM>);
a cap (<NUM>) fastened to the mid-case (<NUM>);
at least one cartridge (<NUM>) disposed in the mid-case (<NUM>) and accommodating a plurality of hollow fiber membranes (212a); and
a gasket assembly (<NUM>) airtightly coupled to at least one end of a humidification module (<NUM>) through mechanical assembly so that the cap (<NUM>) is in fluid communication with only the hollow fiber membranes (212a),
the gasket assembly (<NUM>) includes:
a packing portion (<NUM>) including a body member (231a) having a hole into which an end portion of the cartridge (<NUM>) is inserted and two or more protruding members (231b) formed at one end of the body member (231a),
an edge portion (<NUM>) formed at the other end of the body member (231a) and formed in a space formed by a groove formed in the end portion of the mid-case (<NUM>) and the end portion of the cap (<NUM>), and
a sealing portion (<NUM>) formed to be in contact with the cartridge (<NUM>) and the packing portion (<NUM>) to prevent the fluid in the mid-case (<NUM>) from flowing to the cap side,
wherein the body member (231a) includes a lower body member (231aa) formed to protrude the mid-case side and an upper body member (231ab) formed in a flat surface shape toward the cap side,
the cartridge (<NUM>) includes the plurality of hollow fiber membranes (212a) and a potting portion (212b) for fixing the hollow fiber membranes (212a) to each other and ends of the hollow fiber membranes (212a) are fixed to the potting portion (212b),
wherein the two or more protruding members (231b) are in contact with the potting portion (212b) inserted into the hole (H) to prevent a fluid in the mid-case (<NUM>) from flowing to the cap side,
wherein the sealing portion (<NUM>) is formed so as to be in contact with the potting portion (212b) and the two or more protruding members (231b) at the same time,
wherein the sealing portion (<NUM>) is formed between two or more protruding members (231b), and
wherein the protruding members (231b) are in contact with the cartridge potting portion (212b) while pressing the cartridge potting portion (212b) to airtightly seal the space of the mid-case (<NUM>) and the space by the cap (<NUM>), and thereby, areas in which the protruding members (231b) are formed implement further sealing areas.