WO2003073529A3 - Fuel cell systems with evaporative cooling and methods for humidifying and adjusting the temperature of the reactant streams - Google Patents

Fuel cell systems with evaporative cooling and methods for humidifying and adjusting the temperature of the reactant streams Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2003073529A3
WO2003073529A3 PCT/US2003/005748 US0305748W WO03073529A3 WO 2003073529 A3 WO2003073529 A3 WO 2003073529A3 US 0305748 W US0305748 W US 0305748W WO 03073529 A3 WO03073529 A3 WO 03073529A3
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
fuel cell
fuel
heat exchanger
wet
exchanger plate
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2003/005748
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2003073529A2 (en
Inventor
Valeriy Maisotsenko
Leland E Gillan
Timothy L Heaton
Alan D Gillan
Original Assignee
Idalex Technologies Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Idalex Technologies Inc filed Critical Idalex Technologies Inc
Priority to AU2003224627A priority Critical patent/AU2003224627A1/en
Publication of WO2003073529A2 publication Critical patent/WO2003073529A2/en
Publication of WO2003073529A3 publication Critical patent/WO2003073529A3/en

Links

Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/02Details
    • H01M8/0202Collectors; Separators, e.g. bipolar separators; Interconnectors
    • H01M8/0258Collectors; Separators, e.g. bipolar separators; Interconnectors characterised by the configuration of channels, e.g. by the flow field of the reactant or coolant
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04007Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids related to heat exchange
    • H01M8/04067Heat exchange or temperature measuring elements, thermal insulation, e.g. heat pipes, heat pumps, fins
    • H01M8/04074Heat exchange unit structures specially adapted for fuel cell
    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F28HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
    • F28DHEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT
    • F28D5/00Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary conduit assemblies for one heat-exchange medium only, the media being in contact with different sides of the conduit wall, using the cooling effect of natural or forced evaporation
    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F28HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
    • F28DHEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT
    • F28D9/00Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary plate-like or laminated conduit assemblies for both heat-exchange media, the media being in contact with different sides of a conduit wall
    • F28D9/0062Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary plate-like or laminated conduit assemblies for both heat-exchange media, the media being in contact with different sides of a conduit wall the conduits for one heat-exchange medium being formed by spaced plates with inserted elements
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/02Details
    • H01M8/0202Collectors; Separators, e.g. bipolar separators; Interconnectors
    • H01M8/0267Collectors; Separators, e.g. bipolar separators; Interconnectors having heating or cooling means, e.g. heaters or coolant flow channels
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04007Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids related to heat exchange
    • H01M8/04059Evaporative processes for the cooling of a fuel cell
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04082Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration
    • H01M8/04089Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants
    • H01M8/04119Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants with simultaneous supply or evacuation of electrolyte; Humidifying or dehumidifying
    • H01M8/04156Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants with simultaneous supply or evacuation of electrolyte; Humidifying or dehumidifying with product water removal
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04291Arrangements for managing water in solid electrolyte fuel cell systems
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/24Grouping of fuel cells, e.g. stacking of fuel cells
    • H01M8/2465Details of groupings of fuel cells
    • H01M8/2483Details of groupings of fuel cells characterised by internal manifolds
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04007Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids related to heat exchange
    • H01M8/04014Heat exchange using gaseous fluids; Heat exchange by combustion of reactants
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01MPROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M8/00Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
    • H01M8/04Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
    • H01M8/04007Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids related to heat exchange
    • H01M8/04029Heat exchange using liquids
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02EREDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E60/00Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02E60/30Hydrogen technology
    • Y02E60/50Fuel cells
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02PCLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
    • Y02P70/00Climate change mitigation technologies in the production process for final industrial or consumer products
    • Y02P70/50Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A fuel cell (1) using fuel (11) and oxidant (9) resulting in the production of water (12) and heat in addition to electrical power. The fuel cell (1) employs an evaporative cooler (5) and has methods to adjust the moisture and temperature for the fuel (11) and oxidant (9) flows to improve the fuel cell efficiency. The water (12) produced by the fuel cell (1) is used to provide the water for the wet channels (8) of the evaporative cooler (5). The evaporative cooler (5) has separate product channels (6) and dry working channels (7) that are cooled by heat transfer across a heat exchanger plate (39). The heat exchanger plate (39) forms a part of each wet working channel (8) on the wet side (43) of the heat exchanger plate (39) and part of the product channel (6) and the dry working channel (7) on the dry side (44). The fuel (11) passes first through the dry working channel (7) then the wet working channel (8) becoming humidified by the evaporation therein and cooling the heat exchanger plate (39) before going to the anode (3) of the fuel cell (1). The oxidant (9) is cooled by passing through the product channel (6) before being directed to the cathode (4). In another embodiment, the evaporative cooler is incorporated with the fuel cell.
PCT/US2003/005748 2002-02-22 2003-02-24 Fuel cell systems with evaporative cooling and methods for humidifying and adjusting the temperature of the reactant streams WO2003073529A2 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2003224627A AU2003224627A1 (en) 2002-02-22 2003-02-24 Fuel cell systems with evaporative cooling and methods for humidifying and adjusting the temperature of the reactant streams

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US35890702P 2002-02-22 2002-02-22
US60/358,907 2002-02-22

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2003073529A2 WO2003073529A2 (en) 2003-09-04
WO2003073529A3 true WO2003073529A3 (en) 2003-12-18

Family

ID=27766016

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2003/005748 WO2003073529A2 (en) 2002-02-22 2003-02-24 Fuel cell systems with evaporative cooling and methods for humidifying and adjusting the temperature of the reactant streams

Country Status (2)

Country Link
AU (1) AU2003224627A1 (en)
WO (1) WO2003073529A2 (en)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN100459257C (en) * 2003-09-15 2009-02-04 亚太燃料电池科技股份有限公司 Fuel cell system with device for reacting gas temp/moisture regulation

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4795683A (en) * 1987-07-23 1989-01-03 United Technologies Corporation High power density evaporatively cooled ion exchange membrane fuel cell
US4824740A (en) * 1987-06-15 1989-04-25 International Fuel Cell Corporation Fuel cell stack cooling system
US4994331A (en) * 1989-08-28 1991-02-19 International Fuel Cells Corporation Fuel cell evaporative cooling using fuel as a carrier gas

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4824740A (en) * 1987-06-15 1989-04-25 International Fuel Cell Corporation Fuel cell stack cooling system
US4795683A (en) * 1987-07-23 1989-01-03 United Technologies Corporation High power density evaporatively cooled ion exchange membrane fuel cell
US4994331A (en) * 1989-08-28 1991-02-19 International Fuel Cells Corporation Fuel cell evaporative cooling using fuel as a carrier gas

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU2003224627A1 (en) 2003-09-09
WO2003073529A2 (en) 2003-09-04
AU2003224627A8 (en) 2003-09-09

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