Fuel cell exhaust device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11201338-B2
Application number	US-202016999452-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2020
Priority date	Aug 23, 2019
Publication date	Dec 14, 2021
Grant date	Dec 14, 2021

Abstract

A fuel cell exhaust device includes a pipe having one side open and the other side closed, a water tank having one side open and the other side closed, a reformer exhaust pipe communicating with the pipe between one side and the other side of the pipe, a stack exhaust pipe which is spaced apart from the reformer exhaust pipe and communicates with the pipe between one side and the other side of the pipe, a drain pipe positioned adjacent to the reformer exhaust pipe or the stack exhaust pipe and disposed on an outer circumferential surface of the water tank to communicate with the inside of the water tank, and a hole defined on the closed other side of the pipe and spaced apart from the closed other side of the water tank.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel cell exhaust device comprising:
a pipe having one side open and the other side closed;
a water tank having one side open and the other side closed, wherein the closed other side of the pipe is inserted into the open one side of the water tank to cover a part of an outer circumferential surface of the pipe;
a reformer exhaust pipe communicating with the pipe between one side and the other side of the pipe;
a stack exhaust pipe which is spaced apart from the reformer exhaust pipe and communicates with the pipe between one side and the other side of the pipe;
a drain pipe which is positioned adjacent to the reformer exhaust pipe or the stack exhaust pipe, and formed on an outer circumferential surface of the water tank to communicate with the inside of the water tank; and
a hole which is formed on the closed other side of the pipe and spaced apart from the closed other side of the water tank.

2. The fuel cell exhaust device of claim 1 , further comprising a valve installed in the drain pipe.

3. The fuel cell exhaust device of claim 2 , wherein the valve closes the drain pipe when power is applied and opens the drain pipe when power is released.

4. The fuel cell exhaust device of claim 3 , further comprising a sensor installed in the water tank and detecting a water level of condensate water collected in the water tank.

5. The fuel cell exhaust device of claim 4 , further comprising a controller for obtaining water level information of the condensate water from the sensor, and applying or releasing power to the valve,
wherein the controller applies power to the valve when the water level of the condensate water is lower than a height of the hole of the pipe from the closed other side of the water tank, and releases power to the valve when the water level of the condensate water is higher than the height of the hole of the pipe from the closed other side of the water tank.

6. The fuel cell exhaust device of claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the pipe is smaller than a diameter of the water tank, and
a diameter of the stack exhaust pipe or the reformer exhaust pipe is smaller than the diameter of the pipe.

7. The fuel cell exhaust device of claim 6 , wherein the drain pipe is adjacent to open one side of the water tank and communicates with the water tank.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Woo Hyoungsuk
• Yang Dongkeun
• Cho Woojin

Classifications

• H01M8/04492

  Humidity; Ambient humidity; Water content · CPC title

• H01M8/0618

  Reforming processes, e.g. autothermal, partial oxidation or steam reforming · CPC title

• H01M8/0662 Primary

  Treatment of gaseous reactants or gaseous residues, e.g. cleaning · CPC title

• H01M8/04761

  of fuel cell exhausts · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title