Fuel Cell Assembly with Cooling System

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016233530-A1
Application number	US-201514619717-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 11, 2015
Priority date	Feb 11, 2015
Publication date	Aug 11, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fuel cell assembly includes a fuel cell arrangement having first and second plates sandwiching a membrane electrode assembly. The arrangement defines first and second header regions that each include supply and return headers. The first plate defines coolant channels that extend between the header regions and connect to the return header in the first region. The second plate defines coolant channels that extend between the header regions and connect to the supply header in the first region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fuel cell assembly comprising:
a fuel cell arrangement including first and second plates sandwiching a membrane electrode assembly, the arrangement defining first and second header regions each including supply and return headers, the first plate defining coolant channels extending between the header regions and connected to the return header in the first region, and the second plate defining coolant channels extending between the header regions and connected to the supply header in the first region.

2 . The fuel cell assembly of claim 1 wherein the coolant channels of the first plate are connected to the supply header in the second region, and the coolant channels of the second plate are connected to the return header in the second region.

3 . The fuel cell assembly of claim 1 wherein each of the supply headers is configured to circulate coolant in a same direction and each of the return headers is configured to circulate coolant in a same direction.

4 . The fuel cell assembly of claim 1 wherein the supply headers are configured to circulate coolant in a first direction and the return headers are configured to circulate coolant in a second direction opposite the first.

5 . The fuel cell assembly of claim 1 wherein each of the plates defines a pair of first and second ports in each of the first and second header regions, and the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) defines a pair of first and second ports in each of the first and second header regions, wherein the first ports of the first plate, the second plate and the MEA cooperate to collectively define the return headers, and wherein the second ports of the first plate, the second plate and the MEA cooperate to collectively define the supply headers.

6 . The fuel cell assembly of claim 5 wherein the first port in the first header region of the first plate includes a wall defining an opening into the coolant channels of the first plate and the second port in the first header region of the second plate includes a wall defining an opening into the coolant channels of the second plate.

7 . A fuel cell assembly comprising:
a membrane electrode assembly sandwiched between first and second plates that each include opposing first and second regions that each define a first coolant header and a second coolant header, and in response to a cold-start mode, the first plate being configured to circulate coolant from the first region to the second region and the second plate being configured to circulate coolant from the second region to the first region.

8 . The fuel cell assembly of claim 7 wherein, in the cold-start mode, the first coolant headers act as supply headers and the second coolant headers act as return headers.

9 . The fuel cell assembly of claim 8 wherein each of the supply headers is configured to circulate coolant in a same direction and each of the return headers is configured to circulate coolant in a same direction.

10 . The fuel cell assembly of claim 9 where the supply headers are configured to circulate coolant in a first direction and the return headers are configured to circulate coolant in a second direction that is opposite the first.

11 . The fuel cell assembly of claim 7 further comprising at least one manifold attached to one of the first and second plates and in fluid communication with each of the headers, wherein the manifold includes valves having at least a first position in the cold-start mode and a second position in a mode other than the cold-start mode.

12 . The fuel cell assembly of claim 11 wherein the first coolant header of the first header region circulates coolant in a first direction when the valves are in the first position and circulates coolant in a second direction that is opposite the first when the valves are in the second position.

13 . The fuel cell assembly of claim 11 wherein the manifold further includes an inlet port connected to a high pressure line and an outlet port connected to a low pressure line.

14 . The fuel cell assembly of claim 7 wherein each of the plates defines a pair of first and second ports in each of the first and second regions, and the MEA defines a pair of first and second ports in each of the first and second regions, wherein the first ports of the first region of the first plate, the second plate and the MEA cooperate to collectively define the first coolant headers, and wherein the second ports of the first region of the first plate, the second plate and the MEA cooperate to collectively define the second coolant headers.

15 . A vehicle comprising:
a reservoir including coolant and a coolant temperature sensor; a fuel cell stack including first and second header regions that each define a pair of headers configured to circulate the coolant across a length of the stack; a manifold disposed on an end of the stack and connected to each of the headers and including valves for controlling a flow direction of the coolant in each of the headers; and at least one controller in electronic communication with the valves and the temperature sensor, and programmed to, in response to the coolant having a temperature below a threshold value, command actuation of the valves such that the pair of headers in the first header region circulate the coolant in opposite directions.

16 . The vehicle of claim 15 wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to receive a signal from the temperature sensor indicating temperature of the coolant.

17 . The vehicle of claim 15 wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to command actuation of the valves such that the pair of headers in the first header region circulate the coolant in a same direction.

18 . The vehicle of claim 17 wherein the controller commands actuation of the valves such that the pair of headers in the first header region circulate the coolant in a same direction in response to the coolant having a temperature above the threshold value.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Mathie Craig Michael
• Debolt Michael Allen
• Gillespey Brian
• Sanderson William F
• Lu Zijie

Classifications

• B60L58/30

  for monitoring or controlling fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04074 Primary

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

• H01M8/0258

  characterised by the configuration of channels, e.g. by the flow field of the reactant or coolant · CPC title

• H01M8/1004

  characterised by membrane-electrode assemblies [MEA] (H01M8/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/04358

  of the coolant · CPC title