Control valve, fuel cell exhaust assembly and fuel cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017346113-A1
Application number	US-201515532950-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 27, 2015
Priority date	Dec 3, 2014
Publication date	Nov 30, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A control valve for controlling the exhausting of a purge gas from a fuel cell assembly, comprising a valve body having a valve member therein moveable between a first position and a second position, an inlet port for receiving a purge gas from the fuel cell assembly and an outlet port for providing an outlet for the purge gas, the valve member configured to, in the first position, prevent purge gas from flowing between the inlet port and the outlet port and, in the second position, allow the flow of purge gas between the inlet port and the outlet port, the valve body including a drain port adapted and arranged in the valve body to allow liquid to drain out of the valve body, the drain port configured to close when the valve member is in the second position.

First claim

1 . A control valve for controlling the exhausting of a purge gas from a fuel cell assembly, comprising: a valve body having a valve member therein moveable between a first position and a second position; an inlet port for receiving a purge gas from the fuel cell assembly and an outlet port for providing an outlet for the purge gas; wherein the valve members configured to, in the first position, prevent purge gas from flowing between the inlet port and the outlet port and, in the second position, allow the flow of purge gas between the inlet port and the outlet port, the valve body including a drain port adapted and arranged in the valve body to allow liquid to drain out of the valve body, the drain port configured to close when the valve member is in the second position.

2 . The control valve of claim 1 , wherein the valve member is configured to close the drain port in the second position.

3 . The control valve of claim 1 , wherein the drain port and the outlet port are configured to be in fluid communication when the valve member is in the first position.

4 . The control valve of claim 1 , wherein the valve member is biased to the first position such that the purge gas inlet port is normally closed by the valve member.

5 . The control valve of claim 1 , wherein the control valve comprises a solenoid valve and the valve member is moveable to the second position on actuation of a solenoid.

6 . The control valve of claim 1 , wherein the drain port is open to atmosphere.

7 . The control valve of claim 1 , wherein the drain port and the outlet port are arranged on opposed sides of the valve body.

8 . The control valve of claim 1 , wherein the inlet port and the outlet port are arranged to extend through a common side of the valve body.

9 . The control valve of claim 1 , wherein the valve body and valve member are arranged to define a bypass channel that extends between the outlet port and the drain port and alongside the valve member.

10 . An The control valve of claim 1 further comprising: exhaust assembly for the fuel cell assembly including the control valve of claim 1 configured to control the exhausting of a purge gas from the fuel cell assembly.

11 . The control valve of claim 10 , wherein the outlet port is connected to a mixing chamber adapted to combine the purge gas with a further fluid flow.

12 . The control valve of claim 11 , wherein the exhaust assembly includes an outlet to atmosphere downstream of the mixing chamber for exhausting the purge gas when mixed with the further fluid.

13 . The control valve of claim 11 , wherein the mixing chamber is configured to receive an exhaust flow from a cathode assembly of the fuel cell assembly, the cathode exhaust flow comprising the further fluid flow.

14 . The control valve of claim 11 , wherein the drain port is arranged lower than the inlet and outlet ports.

15 . The control valve of claim 11 , wherein the inlet port is configured to connect to an anode assembly of the fuel cell assembly.

16 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Intelligent Energy Ltd

Inventors

• Coates Gareth
• Blackmore Karl
• Clague Ralph

Classifications

• H01M2008/1095

  Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M8/04231 Primary

  Purging of the reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/04291 Primary

  Arrangements for managing water in solid electrolyte fuel cell systems (H01M8/04119 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M8/04843

  of fuel cell exhausts · CPC title

• F16K11/044 Primary

  with movable valve members positioned between valve seats · CPC title