Multiple injection fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11094951-B2
Application number	US-201615193431-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2016
Priority date	May 9, 2011
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

Fuel cell batteries are provided, and in particular hydrogen fuel cell batteries composed of at least one stack of cells. The battery is divided into at least two groups of cells able to be supplied with hydrogen separately. In a first phase, only the first group of cells and not the second is supplied; unconsumed hydrogen may however flow between the two groups via at least one evacuation manifold connected to the cells of the two groups. In a second phase, the supply to the two groups is reversed, unconsumed hydrogen still being able to flow between the two groups via the evacuation manifold. In a third phase, after a series of alternations of the two first phases, the two groups are first simultaneously supplied, then a purge valve of the evacuation manifold is opened then closed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fuel cell battery producing electrical power via an electrochemical reaction between at least two reactants, the battery comprising at least one stack of cells each of which is composed of an assembly of an electrolyte, an anode, and a cathode, the at least one stack being provided with a supplier that supplies at least one reactant of the at least two reactants, the supplier being able to deliver the at least one reactant to the cells of the at least one stack, said at least one reactant being delivered to the at least one stack for the first time, and an evacuator that evacuates sub-products of the reaction, wherein:
the cells of the battery are divided into N groups, N>1, and the supplier comprises respective supply manifolds for supplying each group of cells, the supply manifolds being able to deliver the at least one reactant selectively to the cells of at least a chosen group called at least one first group, without delivering the at least one reactant to the cells of other groups, called last groups,
the supplier further comprises selective switching valves for permitting and preventing the passage of the at least one reactant to each of the supply manifolds, the selective switching valves permitting the passage in the first group and preventing the passage in the last groups, a group being either a first group or one of the last groups alternatively, according to a permutation implemented by the selective switching valves,
the evacuator comprises one evacuation manifold and a purge valve, the evacuation manifold being common to all groups, and connected to the cells of all the groups by passing through the at least one stack of cells, the common evacuation manifold being directly connected to the cells of all groups and not connected to said cells through another cell, the common evacuation manifold providing fluid communication between groups,
the selective switching valves of the supplier and the evacuation manifold are arranged in order to, when the selective switching valves permit the passage of the at least one reactant to the first group and not to the last groups, then the evacuation manifold permits reactant not consumed by the reaction in the first group to flow between the last groups of cells, the evacuation manifold allowing the supply of the at least one reactant to the last groups,
the cells of the various groups are stacked in an interleaved way in one and the same stack such that the at least one stack comprises a regular alternation of sets of cells of each group, a set comprising at least one cell, a cell of one set of a group is adjacent a cell of a set of another group in the at least one stack.

2. The fuel cell battery of claim 1 , wherein the supplier supplies hydrogen to the supply manifolds of the N groups, the respective supply manifold of one of the N groups communicating with the cells of the one of the N groups from an anode side.

3. The fuel cell battery of claim 1 , wherein the supplier supplies oxygen to the supply manifolds of the N groups, the respective supply manifold of one of the N groups communicating with the cells of the one of the N groups from a cathode side.

4. The fuel cell battery of claim 1 , comprising an outlet and a drain system, said drain system comprising at least a drain channel and, in which said outlet is arranged downstream the said purge valve of said at least one evacuation manifold and a said drain channel is arranged to permit a flow between one of said supply manifolds and the said outlet.

5. The fuel cell battery of claim 4 in which a geometrical feature of said drain channel is configured to limit the fluid flow of a reactant in said drain channel to at most 5% a fluid flow of a reactant in said one supply manifold.

6. The fuel cell battery of claim 4 in which a said drain channel comprises a valve adapted to permit, prevent or limit the fluid flow of a reactant in the said drain channel.

7. The fuel cell battery of claim 6 in which a fluid flow of a said drain channel is controlled by a said valve, the opening of the said valve being controlled according to a representative value of the fluid flow of a reactant in the said drain channel.

8. The fuel cell battery of claim 6 in which said at least one evacuation manifold comprises at least a phase separator adapted to collect liquid water in the said at least one evacuation manifold, said phase separator being arranged in the fluid path connecting two neighboring groups.

9. The fuel cell battery of claim 2 , wherein the supplier supplies oxygen to the supply manifolds of the N groups, the respective supply manifold of one of the N groups communicating with the cells of the one of the N groups from a cathode side.

Assignees

• Commissariat Energie Atomique

Inventors

• Poirot-Crouvezier Jean-Philippe

Classifications

• H01M8/249

  comprising two or more groupings of fuel cells, e.g. modular assemblies · CPC title

• H01M8/04179

  by purging or increasing flow or pressure of reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/04089

  of gaseous reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/04753 Primary

  of fuel cell reactants · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title