Coolant storage tank

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10700367-B2
Application number	US-201916387393-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2019
Priority date	May 23, 2014
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

A coolant storage tank (1) for storing coolant in a fuel cell system (2), the coolant storage tank comprising a plurality of individually controllable heater elements (7, 8a, 8b). A coolant storage tank comprising a first heater element (7) located at a base of the coolant storage tank and a second heater element (8a) is also disclosed. A coolant storage tank comprising a first coolant storage compartment (50) in fluid communication with a second coolant storage compartment (51), the first coolant storage compartment including at least a first heater element (54) and wherein the second coolant storage compartment is unheated is also disclosed. A method of melting frozen coolant in a coolant storage tank is also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of heating coolant in a coolant storage tank in a fuel cell system, the method comprising sequentially activating via a controller at least two individually controllable heater elements;
wherein the controller is configured to;
activate a first heater element of the plurality of individually controllable heater elements for a first period at a first power level, provide coolant heated by said first heater element, and activate at least one other of the plurality of heater elements for a second period at a second power level;
wherein the energy output per unit volume occupied by the first heater element is higher than the energy output per unit volume occupied by the second heater element; and,
wherein coolant is supplied to a fuel cell.

2. The method of heating coolant in a coolant storage tank in a fuel cell system of claim 1 , in which at least one of the at least two individually controllable heater elements comprises:
a heater element located at a base of the coolant storage tank;
a heater element extending upwardly from a base of the coolant storage tank;
a heater element extending downwardly from an upper surface of the tank;
a heater element located along a side of the tank; or
a heater element extending from a side of the tank.

3. The method of heating coolant in a coolant storage tank in a fuel cell system of claim 1 in which the two or more heater elements that are spaced in a vertical direction.

4. The method of heating coolant in a coolant storage tank in a fuel cell system of claim 1 in which the coolant storage tank comprises a first coolant storage compartment and a second coolant storage compartment, the second coolant storage compartment in fluid communication with the first coolant storage compartment, wherein the first coolant storage compartment includes the individually controllable heater elements and the second coolant storage compartment is unheated.

5. The method of heating coolant in a coolant storage tank in a fuel cell system of claim 4 , in which the second coolant storage compartment is separated from the first coolant storage compartment by a wall, the wall including an aperture therein for providing fluid communication between the compartments.

6. The method of heating coolant in a coolant storage tank in a fuel cell system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to monitor fluid delivered from the tank and control the plurality of individually controllable heater elements accordingly.

7. A method of cooling a fuel cell system, the method comprising a fuel cell, the coolant storage tank of claim 1 , and a controller,
wherein the controller configured to sequentially activate the individually controllable heater elements of the coolant storage tank, and
wherein the fuel cell system is configured to drive coolant in the fuel cell system to the coolant storage tank or arranged such that coolant drains to the coolant storage tank at least on shut-down of the fuel cell system.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first heater element is located at a base of the coolant storage tank; and,
wherein the second heater element comprises one of:
a heater element extending upwardly from the base;
a heater element comprising a plurality of heater sub-elements extending upwardly from the base;
a heater element extending downwardly from an upper surface of the tank;
a heater element comprising a plurality of heater sub-elements extending downwardly from an upper surface of the tank;
a heater element extending along a side of the tank; and
a heater element extending from a side of the tank.

9. A method of melting frozen coolant in a coolant storage tank of a fuel cell system, the coolant storage tank including at least one heater element for melting frozen coolant within said tank, the at least one heater element configured to be powered by the fuel cell during operation, the method comprising the steps of,
operating a fuel cell without coolant from the coolant storage tank;
operating in a first melt mode comprising activating the at least one heater element to melt at least part of the frozen coolant within the coolant storage tank;
supplying the melted coolant to the fuel cell;
operating in a second melt mode different to the first melt mode;
in the second melt mode a second heater element is activated and the first heater element is deactivated; and
more power is supplied to the second heater element from the fuel cell in the second melt mode than the power supplied to the first heater element from the fuel cell in the first melt mode.

10. The method of claim 9 , in which the first melt mode is operated for a first period of time and the second melt mode is operated subsequently for a second period of time.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the coolant storage tank comprises a first coolant storage compartment and a second coolant storage compartment, wherein the second coolant storage compartment is in fluid communication with the first coolant storage compartment, wherein the first coolant storage compartment includes the first heater element and the second heater element, and wherein the second coolant storage compartment is unheated.

12. The method of claim 11 , in which the second coolant storage compartment is separated from the first coolant storage compartment by a partition wall, the wall including an aperture therein for providing the fluid communication between the compartments.

13. The coolant storage tank according to claim 11 , in which the first heater element forms at least part of the base of the first coolant storage compartment.

Assignees

• Intelligent Energy Ltd

Inventors

• Ninan Daniel
• Palmer Nathaniel
• Harris Sophie Charlotte
• Wardle Phillip
• Cole Jonathan
• Fraser Iain
• Hood Peter David
• Adcock Paul Leonard

Classifications

• H01M8/04029 Primary

  Heat exchange using liquids · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04268

  Heating of fuel cells during the start-up of the fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04253

  Means for solving freezing problems · CPC title

• H01M8/04358

  of the coolant · CPC title