초록 ▼

A cooling system 24 for an electrochemical cell stack 12 is disclosed. Various construction details which avoid plugging of the cooling system during long term operation with a cooling fluid having dissolved species and suspended particles, such as water, are discussed. The cooling system includes s

A cooling system 24 for an electrochemical cell stack 12 is disclosed. Various construction details which avoid plugging of the cooling system during long term operation with a cooling fluid having dissolved species and suspended particles, such as water, are discussed. The cooling system includes spaced apart cooler assemblies 30. Conduits 32 for supplying cooling fluid to the cooler assemblies include sets of cooling tubes 74 in serial flow communication.

대표청구항 ▼

In an electrochemical cell stack of the type which engages a first reactant inlet manifold, a first reactant outlet manifold, a second reactant inlet manifold and a second reactant outlet manifold and further has a first face which adapts the stack to engage the first reactant inlet manifold, a seco

In an electrochemical cell stack of the type which engages a first reactant inlet manifold, a first reactant outlet manifold, a second reactant inlet manifold and a second reactant outlet manifold and further has a first face which adapts the stack to engage the first reactant inlet manifold, a second face which adapts the stack to engage the first reactant outlet manifold, a third face which adapts the stack to engage the second reactant enlet manifold and a fourth face which adapts the stack to engage the second reactant outlet manifold, the electrochemical cell stack further including a plurality of heat producing cells and a cooling system for the cells, the cooling system including a plurality of cooler assemblies spaced from the other, each of which is disposed between a pair of heat producing cells and is adapted by channels extending therethrough to receive cooling tubes, the cooling system further including a means for circulating cooling fluid which includes a feed tube and a return tube, the improvement which comprises: a plurality of conduits, each conduit extending in an associated cooler assembly between the feed tube and the return tube to form a flow path for cooling fluid which extends from the center of the feed tube to the center of the return tube and which has a minimum hydraulic diameter Df, the conduit having a set of cooling tubes disposed in the channels of the cooler assembly, each tube having an inlet, an outlet, and an average hydraulic diameter Dt between the inlet and the outlet, each set of tubes including an entrance cooling tube, at least one intermediate cooling tube, and an exit cooling tube; wherein the minimum hydraulic diameter Df of each flow path extending from the center of the feed tube to the center of the return tube is equal to or greater than three fourths of the average hydraulic diameter of said cooling tubes Dt to avoid plugging of the flow path at the minimum hydraulic diameter of the flow path under long term operative conditions, wherein the inlet of the entrance tube is joined to and is in flow communication with the feed tube, the outlet of the exit tube is joined to and is in flow communication with the return tube and the inlet of each intermediate tube is joined to and is in flow communication with the outlet of an adjacent tube such that the cooling tubes extending between the feed tube and the return tube are serially connected in serial flow communication to provide a tortuous flow path for cooling fluid through an associated cooler assembly which has a flow resistance characteristic that ensures a predetermined supply of cooling fluid to each cooler assembly, and wherein at least one entrance cooling tube is adjacent to the second face and extends across the stack between the third face and the fourth face.