IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
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국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
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출원번호 |
US-0285236
(2002-10-31)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
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출원인 / 주소 |
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
5 인용 특허 :
5 |
초록
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A fuel cell stack has an air inlet manifold (21), an air turnaround manifold (22) and an air exit manifold (23); a coolant inlet is adjacent said air exit manifold; a fuel inlet manifold (16) is connected through a turnaround manifold (17) to a fuel exit manifold (18) remote from said coolant inlet.
A fuel cell stack has an air inlet manifold (21), an air turnaround manifold (22) and an air exit manifold (23); a coolant inlet is adjacent said air exit manifold; a fuel inlet manifold (16) is connected through a turnaround manifold (17) to a fuel exit manifold (18) remote from said coolant inlet. Fuel recycle is taken from the fuel manifold where the temperature is warmer than it is near the coolant inlet; recycle air for humidifying and heating inlet air is taken from the air turnaround manifold (22), and may either be recycled air provided by a recycle pump (31), or it may utilize an enthalpy recovery device (38) to transfer heat and humidity from an outflow chamber (41) to an inflow chamber ( 39).
대표청구항
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I claim: 1. A fuel cell stack assembly comprising: a plurality of fuel cells, each of said fuel cells having a plurality of oxidant reactant gas flow fields, a plurality of fuel reactant gas flow fields, each of said flow fields having an inlet end and an outlet end, a coolant inlet, a coolant outl
I claim: 1. A fuel cell stack assembly comprising: a plurality of fuel cells, each of said fuel cells having a plurality of oxidant reactant gas flow fields, a plurality of fuel reactant gas flow fields, each of said flow fields having an inlet end and an outlet end, a coolant inlet, a coolant outlet, and at least one coolant flow path between said coolant inlet and said coolant outlet; an oxidant reactant gas inlet manifold connected to an inlet end of a first one of said oxidant flow fields of each of said fuel cells; an oxidant reactant gas exit manifold connected to an outlet end of a second one of said oxidant flow fields of each of said fuel cells; a source for providing oxidant reactant gas to said oxidant inlet manifold; at least one oxidant turnaround manifold, each for directing oxidant reactant gas flow exiting one of said plurality of oxidant flow fields of each of said fuel calls into another of said plurality of oxidant flow fields of each of said fuel cells so that oxidant reactant gas entering said oxidant inlet manifold flows through a plurality of said oxidant flow fields of each of said fuel cells and exits through said oxidant exit manifold; means for transferring humidity and heat from (a) oxidant reactant gas extracted from one of the outlet ends remote from said coolant inlet of one of said oxidant flow fields of each of said fuel cells into (b) oxidant reactant gas entering said oxidant inlet manifold; a fuel reactant gas inlet manifold connected to the inlet ends of a first one of said fuel flow fields of each of said fuel cells; a fuel reactant gas exit manifold connected to the outlet ends of a second one of said fuel flow fields of each of said fuel cells; at least one fuel turnaround manifold, each for directing fuel reactant gas flow exiting one of said plurality of fuel flow fields of each of said fuel cells into another of said plurality of fuel flow fields of each of said fuel cells so that fuel reactant gas entering said fuel inlet manifold flows through a plurality of said fuel flow fields of each of said fuel cells and exits through said fuel exit manifold; a source for providing fuel reactant gas to said fuel inlet manifold; and means for transferring humidity and heat from (c) fuel reactant gas extracted from the outlet ends remote from said coolant inlet of one of said flow fields of each of said fuel cells into (d) fuel reactant gas entering said fuel inlet manifold. 2. A fuel cell stack assembly comprising: a plurality of fuel cells, each of said fuel cells having a plurality of oxidant reactant gas flow fields having inlet ends and outlet ends, a coolant inlet, a coolant outlet, and at least one coolant flow path between said coolant inlet and said coolant outlet; an oxidant inlet manifold connected to an inlet end of a first one of said flow fields of each of said fuel cells; an oxidant exit manifold connected to an outlet end of a second one of said flow fields of each of said fuel cells; a source for providing oxidant reactant gas to said inlet manifold; at least one turnaround manifold, each for directing oxidant reactant gas flow exiting one of said plurality of flow fields of each of said fuel cells into another of said plurality of flow fields of each of said fuel cells so that oxidant reactant gas entering said inlet manifold flows through a plurality of said flow fields of each of said fuel cells and exits through said exit manifold; and means for transferring humidity and heat from (a) oxidant reactant gas extracted from the outlet end of one of said flow fields remote from said coolant inlet of each of said fuel cells into (b) oxidant reactant gas entering said inlet manifold. 3. A fuel cell stack assembly according to claim 2 wherein said means comprises an oxidant reactant gas recycle loop including a blower for recycling oxidant reactant gas from said one flow field outlet end to said inlet manifold. 4. A fuel cell stack assembly according to claim 2 wherein said means comprises a pump and conduits for pumping oxidant reactant gas from said one flow field outlet end to said inlet manifold. 5. A fuel cell stack assembly according to claim 2 wherein said means comprises an enthalpy recovery device having flow fields connected between said one flow field outlet end and exhaust, and having other flow fields, to which heat and humidity are to be transferred, connected between said source and said inlet manifold, thereby to cause heat and humidity to be transferred from (a) oxidant reactant gas exiting to exhaust from said one flow field outlet end to (b) fresh oxidant reactant gas applied to said inlet manifold. 6. A fuel cell stack assembly according to claim 2 wherein: said oxidant reactant gas in said first one of said flow fields of each of said fuel cells is at substantially 100% humidity relative to the cell temperature adjacent to the inlet ends of said first one of said flow fields of each of said fuel cells. 7. A fuel cell stack assembly according to claim 2 further comprising: said oxidant exit manifold being adjacent to said coolant inlet. 8. A method of humidifying oxidant reactant gas from a source entering en oxidant reactant gas inlet manifold of a fuel cell stack in which each fuel cell has (a) multiple oxidant flow fields, having outlet ends, and connected by at least one turnaround manifold, so that oxidant reactant gas flows from said inlet manifold through said flow fields to an oxidant reactant gas exit manifold, and (b) a coolant inlet, a coolant outlet, and at least one coolant flow path between said inlet and said outlet, said method comprising: transferring humidity and heat from (c) oxidant reactant gas extracted from the outlet ends remote from said coolant inlet of one of said flow fields of each of said fuel cells into (d) oxidant reactant gas entering said inlet manifold from a source. 9. A fuel cell stack assembly comprising: a plurality of fuel cells, each of said fuel cells having plurality of fuel reactant gas flow fields having inlet ends and outlet ends, a coolant inlet, a coolant outlet and at least one coolant flow path between said inlet and said outlet; a fuel reactant gas inlet manifold connected to the inlet ends of a first one of said flow fields of each of said fuel cells; a fuel reactant gas exit manifold connected to the outlet ends of a second one of said flow fields of each of said fuel cells, said outlet end of said second one of said flow fields is remote from said coolant outlet; at least one turnaround manifold, each for directing fuel reactant gas flow exiting one of said plurality of flow fields of each of said fuel cells into another of said plurality of flow fields of each of said fuel cells so that fuel reactant gas entering said inlet manifold flows through a plurality of said flow fields and exits through said exit manifold; a source for providing fuel reactant gas to said inlet manifold; and means for transferring humidity and heat from (a) fuel reactant gas extracted from the outlet ends remote from said coolant inlet of one of said flow fields of each of said fuel cells into (b) fuel reactant gas entering said inlet manifold. 10. A fuel cell stack assembly comprising: a plurality of fuel cells, each of said fuel cells having plurality of fuel reactant gas flow fields having inlet ends and outlet ends, a coolant inlet, a coolant outlet and at least one coolant flow path between said inlet and said outlet; a fuel reactant gas inlet manifold connected to the inlet ends of a first one of said flow fields of each of said fuel cells, said fuel inlet manifold being adjacent to said coolant inlet; a fuel reactant gas exit manifold connected to the outlet ends of a second one of said flow fields of each of said fuel cells; at least one turnaround manifold, each for directing fuel reactant gas flow exiting one of said plurality of flow fields of each of said fuel cells into another of said plurality of flow fields of each of said fuel cells so that fuel reactant gas entering said inlet manifold flows through a plurality of said flow fields and exits through said exit manifold; a source for providing fuel reactant gas to said inlet manifold; and means for transferring humidity and heat from (a) fuel reactant gas extracted from the outlet ends remote from said coolant inlet of one of said flow fields of each of said fuel cells into (b) fuel reactant gas entering said inlet manifold. 11. A fuel cell stack assembly according to claim 9 wherein said means comprises a pump and conduits for pumping fuel reactant gas from said one of said flow fields to said inlet manifold. 12. A fuel cell stack assembly according to claim 9 wherein: said fuel reactant gas in said first one of said flow fields is at substantially 100% humidity relative to the cell temperature adjacent to the fuel inlet manifold. 13. A method of humidifying fuel reactant gas from a source entering a fuel reactant gas inlet manifold of a fuel cell stack in which each fuel cell has (a) multiple fuel flow fields connected by at least one turnaround manifold, so that fuel reactant gas flows from said inlet manifold through said flow fields to a fuel reactant gas exit manifold, and (b) a coolant inlet, a coolant outlet and at least one coolant flow path between said inlet and said outlet, said method comprising: transferring humidity and heat from (c) fuel reactant gas extracted from the outlet ends remote from both said coolant inlet and said coolant outlet of one of said flow fields of each of said fuel cells into (d) fuel reactant gas entering said inlet manifold from a source. 14. A method of (A) humidifying fuel reactant gas from a fuel source entering a fuel reactant gas inlet manifold of a fuel cell stack in which each fuel cell has (a) multiple fuel flaw fields, having outlet ends, and connected by at least one fuel turnaround manifold, so that fuel reactant gas flows from said fuel inlet manifold through said fuel flow fields to a fuel reactant gas exit manifold, and of (B) humidifying oxidant reactant gas from an oxidant source entering an oxidant reactant gas inlet manifold of said stack in which each fuel cell also has (b) multiple oxidant flow fields, having outlet ends, and connected by at least one oxidant turnaround manifold, so that oxidant reactant gas flows from said oxidant inlet manifold through said oxidant flow fields to an oxidant exit manifold, and each fuel cell includes (c) a coolant inlet, a coolant outlet, and at least one coolant flow path between said inlet and said outlet, said method comprising: transferring humidity and heat from (d) fuel reactant gas extracted from the outlet ends remote from said coolant inlet of one of said fuel flow fields of each of said fuel cells into (e) fuel reactant gas entering said fuel inlet manifold; and transferring humidity and heat from (f) oxidant reactant gas extracted from the outlet ends remote from said coolant inlet of one of said oxidant flow fields of each of said fuel cells into (g) oxidant reactant gas entering said oxidant inlet manifold.
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