Exhaust air guide of a fuel cell stack in a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10183592-B2
Application number	US-201414587071-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 31, 2014
Priority date	Jul 2, 2012
Publication date	Jan 22, 2019
Grant date	Jan 22, 2019

Abstract

An exhaust-air guide of a fuel cell stack having a cooling structure, in particular in a motor vehicle, is provided. The cooler structure belongs to the functional environment of the fuel cell stack and is in form through which ambient air flows. The exhaust air of the fuel cell stack is guided to a point upstream of the cooler structure such that the exhaust air flows through the cooler structure in a throughflow direction and, in so doing, entrains ambient air in accordance with the jet pump principle. The exhaust air of the fuel cell stack may be cooled before being guided to the cooler structure. The exhaust air of the fuel cell stack is guided to a point upstream of the cooler structure in multiple pipes that are oriented at least approximately parallel to the inflow surface of the cooler structure, from which pipes the exhaust air emerges via outlet openings in the pipe wall. The outlet openings are situated at a suitable angle with respect to the throughflow direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An exhaust-air guide of a fuel cell stack, comprising:
a cooler structure of the fuel cell stack, wherein ambient air flows through the cooler structure; and
a guide for conducting exhaust air of the fuel cell stack to a point upstream of the cooler structure viewed in a flow-through direction of the ambient air through the cooler structure, the guide being configured such that the exhaust air of the fuel cell stack flows through the cooler structure in the flow-through direction, wherein
an outlet of the guide is arranged in such a way to draw the ambient air into the cooler structure via a pressure potential between the exhaust air of the fuel cell stack and the ambient air in accordance with a jet pump principle.

2. The exhaust-air guide according to claim 1 , wherein the exhaust air of the fuel cell stack is cooled before being guided to the cooler structure.

3. The exhaust-air guide according to claim 2 , further comprising:
multiple pipes through which the exhaust air of the fuel cell stack is guided to the point upstream of the cooler structure, wherein:
the multiple pipes are oriented at least approximately parallel to an inflow surface of the cooler structure, and
the exhaust air emerges from the multiple pipes via outlet openings formed in walls of the pipes, the outlet openings being configured at a suitable angle with respect to the flow-through direction.

4. The exhaust-air guide according to claim 3 , wherein an inflow direction and/or an inflow speed of the exhaust air relative to the cooler structure is variable in a targeted manner by variably configuring the outlet openings in the pipe walls.

5. The exhaust-air guide according to claim 4 , wherein a slide structure is configured to vary the outlet openings.

6. The exhaust-air guide according to claim 1 , further comprising:
multiple pipes through which the exhaust air of the fuel cell stack is guided to the point upstream of the cooler structure, wherein:
the multiple pipes are oriented at least approximately parallel to an inflow surface of the cooler structure, and
the exhaust air emerges from the multiple pipes via outlet openings formed in walls of the pipes, said outlet openings being configured at a suitable angle with respect to the flow-through direction.

7. The exhaust-air guide according to claim 1 , wherein the exhaust-air guide of the fuel cell stack is configured as an exhaust-air guide of a motor vehicle fuel cell stack.

Assignees

• Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag

Inventors

• Haase Stefan
• Buchner Andreas
• Bauer Michael

Classifications

• H01M2250/20

  Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H01M8/04716

  of fuel cell exhausts · CPC title

• H01M8/04097

  with recycling of the reactants (H01M8/04119, H01M8/04104 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/04074 Primary

  Heat exchange unit structures specially adapted for fuel cell · CPC title

• F28D2021/0043

  for fuel cells · CPC title