Fuel cell system and vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10601057-B2
Application number	US-201715782231-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2017
Priority date	Oct 27, 2016
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

Abstract

The fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell stack, a hydrogen inlet, a hydrogen outlet, an air inlet, and an air outlet; a hydrogen supply flow path; a hydrogen circulation flow path for circulating gas from the hydrogen outlet to a merging point of the hydrogen supply flow path; a hydrogen pump on the hydrogen circulation flow path; and a gas-liquid separator on the hydrogen circulation flow path. The hydrogen inlet is positioned above the hydrogen outlet, the air inlet is positioned on an upper side of the air outlet, and a direction of connection between the hydrogen inlet and the hydrogen outlet and a direction of connection between the air inlet and the air outlet intersect each other. An upper end of the hydrogen pump is positioned below the stack. The gas-liquid separator is provided at the lowest site of the hydrogen circulation flow path.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell system provided in a vehicle, the fuel cell system comprising:
a fuel cell stack including a stacked body in which a plurality of fuel cells are stacked in a stacking direction, a hydrogen gas inlet, a hydrogen gas outlet, an air inlet, and an air outlet;
a hydrogen gas supply flow path configured to supply gas to the hydrogen gas inlet from a hydrogen gas supply unit which serves for supplying hydrogen gas;
a hydrogen gas circulation flow path configured to supply gas from the hydrogen gas outlet to a merging point of the hydrogen gas circulation flow path with the hydrogen gas supply flow path;
a hydrogen circulation pump provided midway on the hydrogen gas circulation flow path and configured to pressurise and feed hydrogen off-gas which is discharged from the hydrogen gas outlet, toward the hydrogen gas supply flow path; and
a gas-liquid separator provided midway on the hydrogen gas circulation flow path and configured to separate liquid water content from the hydrogen off-gas flowing to the hydrogen circulation pump, wherein
the fuel cell stack has a configuration that as viewed along the stacking direction,
the hydrogen gas inlet is positioned above the hydrogen gas outlet, relative to a vertical direction of the vehicle,
the air inlet is positioned above the air outlet, relative to the vertical direction of the vehicle, and
a direction of connection between the hydrogen gas inlet and the hydrogen gas outlet and a direction of connection between the air inlet and the air outlet intersect each other, and wherein

an upper end of the hydrogen circulation pump is positioned below a lower end of the fuel cell stack, relative to the vertical direction of the vehicle, and
a position where the gas-liquid separator is provided on the hydrogen gas circulation flow path is a lowest site of the hydrogen gas circulation flow path along the vertical direction of the vehicle.

2. The fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein
the gas-liquid separator includes a water reservoir configured to separate water content from the hydrogen off-gas and to reserve water therein, and
an upper end of the water reservoir is positioned below a connecting position of the gas-liquid separator with the hydrogen gas circulation flow path, relative to the vertical direction of the vehicle.

3. The fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein
as viewed in a direction in which the hydrogen gas outlet and the air outlet are connected to each other, the hydrogen circulation pump and the gas-liquid separator are placed at positions, respectively, both closer to the air outlet than to the hydrogen gas outlet.

4. The fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein
the hydrogen gas inlet, the merging point, the hydrogen circulation pump, and the gas-liquid separator are placed so as to be arrayed along an axis parallel with the vertical direction of the vehicle.

5. The fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein
a portion of the hydrogen gas supply flow path on a downstream side of the merging point is shorter than a portion of the hydrogen gas circulation flow path on a downstream side of the hydrogen circulation pump.

6. A vehicle including the fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1 .

7. The fuel cell system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein
an upper end of the gas-liquid separator is positioned below a lower end of the hydrogen circulation pump, relative to the vertical direction of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Itoga Michitaro

Classifications

• B60L50/72

  Constructional details of fuel cells specially adapted for electric vehicles · CPC title

• B60K1/04

  of the electric storage means for propulsion · CPC title

• H01M8/04097 Primary

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

• H01M2250/20

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

• B60L58/33

  by cooling · CPC title