Gas supply, conditioning, and discharge systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10923743-B2
Application number	US-201616064076-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2016
Priority date	Dec 21, 2015
Publication date	Feb 16, 2021
Grant date	Feb 16, 2021

Abstract

A gas supply and discharge system may have a fuel cell arrangement having at least one electrode, a gas-gas heat exchanger for exchanging heat between a first gas to be supplied to the electrode and a second gas discharged or dischargeable from the second electrode, and a humidifier for transferring humidity between the first gas and the second gas. The first gas to be supplied to the electrode can be introduced into the gas-gas heat exchanger before the supply of the first gas to the electrode, and such that the second gas can be introduced into the gas-gas heat exchanger from the electrode in order to transfer heat between the first gas and the second gas in the gas-gas heat exchanger. The first gas and the second gas can be introduced into the humidifier from the gas-gas heat exchanger in order to transfer humidity between the first gas and the second gas in the humidifier. The first gas can be introduced into the fuel cell arrangement from the humidifier and can be supplied to the electrode.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for leading a first gas onto at least one electrode of a fuel cell arrangement and for leading a second gas away from the at least one electrode, comprising the steps;
leading the first gas which is to be fed to the electrode into a gas-gas heat exchanger and leading the second gas which is led away from the electrode into the gas-gas heat exchanger, for transferring heat between the first gas and the second gas in the gas-gas heat exchanger, wherein an outlet for the second gas in the gas-gas heat exchanger is in direct fluid connection with an inlet of a humidifier for the second gas;
coming from the gas-gas heat exchanger, leading the first and second gas which are temperature adjusted in the gas-gas heat exchanger into a humidifier for transferring humidity between the first gas and the second gas in the humidifier; and
coming from the humidifier, leading the first gas which is humidified or dehumidified in the humidifier onto the electrode.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first gas and/or the second gas are led into a gas-liquid heat exchanger which transfers heat between the first gas and/or the second gas and a liquid coolant.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the first gas and/or the second gas is/are led into the gas-liquid heat exchanger before the leading into the gas-gas heat exchanger and coming from the gas-liquid heat exchanger is/are led into the gas-gas heat exchanger.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the first gas and/or the second gas after the heat transfer in the gas-gas heat exchanger and coming from the gas-gas heat exchanger is/are led into the gas-liquid heat exchanger and coming from the gas-liquid heat exchanger is/are led into the humidifier.

5. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the first gas is compressed before leading the first gas onto the electrode or before leading the first gas into the gas-gas heat exchanger.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the first gas is compressed after the humidity transfer between the first gas and the second gas is effected in the humidifier.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second gas after the humidity transfer between the first gas and the second gas in the humidifier and coming from the humidifier is fed to an expander or a thermoelectric generator and the thermal energy of the second gas and/or the kinetic energy of the second gas is converted at least partly into kinetic energy of the expander or into electrical energy.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the energy which is transferred from the second gas onto the expander or onto the thermoelectric generator is transferred at least partly from the expander or from the thermoelectric generator onto the compressor and/or onto the further compressor, for compressing the first gas.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising one or more of the following steps:
at least partly diverting the first gas into an outlet of the humidifier before leading the first gas into the gas-gas heat exchanger;
at least partly diverting the first gas into the fuel cell arrangement before leading the first gas into the gas-gas heat exchanger;
at least partly diverting the first gas into an outlet of the gas-gas heat exchanger before leading the first gas into the gas-gas heat exchanger;
at least partly diverting the first gas into the fuel cell arrangement after letting the first gas out of the gas-gas heat exchanger and before leading the first gas into the humidifier;
at least partly diverting the first gas into a conduit which exits from the fuel cell arrangement, after letting the first gas out of the humidifier and before leading the first gas into the gas-gas heat exchanger;
at least partly diverting the second gas into an outlet of the humidifier before leading the second gas into the gas-gas heat exchanger;
at least partly diverting the second gas into an outlet of the gas-gas heat exchanger before leading the second gas into the gas-gas heat exchanger;
at least partly diverting the second gas into an outlet of the humidifier after letting the second gas out of the gas-gas heat exchanger and before leading the second gas into the humidifier.

Assignees

• Reinz Dichtungs Gmbh

Inventors

• Speidel Andre
• Glueck Rainer

Classifications

• F28D21/0015

  Heat and mass exchangers, e.g. with permeable walls · CPC title

• F28D2021/0043

  for fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04126

  Humidifying · CPC title

• H01M8/04074

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

• H01M8/04776

  at auxiliary devices, e.g. reformer, compressor, burner · CPC title