Method and system for cooling charge air for a fuel cell, and three-fluid charge air cooler

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9343755-B2
Application number	US-201313777626-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2013
Priority date	Feb 27, 2012
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

A method and system for cooling a pressurized charge air in the fuel cell system of a vehicle, using first and second charge air coolers. The system further includes a gas-to-gas humidifier and a fuel cell stack. According to the method and system, cathode exhaust gas passes through the gas-to-gas humidifier and is also used as the coolant gas in the first charge-air cooler. Therefore, the fuel cell cathode exhaust is heated and reduced in water content, reducing the tendency of water in the exhaust to condense and pool underneath the vehicle. Also provided is a three-fluid heat exchanger which integrates the first and second charge air coolers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A three-fluid charge air cooler comprising a plurality of plates arranged in a plate stack having a first end and a second end and a length extending from the first end to the second end, the plate stack being divided along its length into a first portion and a second portion, the charge air cooler having a plurality of charge air flow passages alternating throughout the stack with a plurality of first coolant flow passages and with a plurality of second coolant flow passages, wherein the three-fluid charge air cooler further comprises:
a plurality of ribs dividing the first portion of the plate stack from the second portion of the plate stack, wherein each of the ribs is formed in one of the plates of the plate stack and extends transversely across said plate to separate one of the first coolant flow passages from one of the second coolant flow passages, and such that the plurality of ribs separates the plurality of first coolant flow passages from the plurality of second coolant flow passages;
a charge air inlet manifold and a charge air outlet manifold in flow communication with the plurality of charge air flow passages, wherein the charge air inlet manifold and the charge air outlet manifold are located proximate to opposite ends of the plate stack;
a first coolant inlet manifold and a first coolant outlet manifold in flow communication with the plurality of said first coolant flow passages, wherein the first coolant flow passages extend along the second portion of the plate stack, wherein, the first coolant inlet manifold is located at the second end of the plate stack, and the first coolant outlet manifold is located in the second portion of the plate stack, proximate to said ribs;
a second coolant inlet manifold and a second coolant outlet manifold in flow communication with the plurality of said second coolant flow passages, wherein the second coolant flow passages extend along the first portion of the plate stack, and wherein the second coolant inlet manifold is located in the first portion of the plate stack, proximate to said ribs, and the second coolant outlet manifold is located at the first end of the plate stack;
wherein the first coolant is a liquid coolant and the second coolant is a gaseous coolant;
wherein the plurality of plates comprises a plurality of first core plates and a plurality of second core plates;
wherein the charge air inlet manifold is made up of aligned charge air inlet openings of the first and second core plates, and the charge air outlet manifold is made up of aligned charge air outlet openings of the first and second core plates;
wherein each of the first core plates has a plate bottom which is co-planar with the charge air inlet opening and the charge air outlet opening of the first core plate, such that each of the charge air flow passages is defined by a space between a top face of one of the first core plates and a bottom face of an upwardly adjacent one of the second core plates;
wherein each of the first coolant flow passages and each of the second coolant flow passages is defined between a bottom face of one of the first core plates and a top face of a downwardly adjacent one of the second core plates;
wherein each of the first core plates has a first peripheral sealing rib extending upwardly from its top face and each of the second core plates has a first peripheral sealing rib extending downwardly from its bottom face, with the first peripheral sealing rib of each said first core plate being directly joined to the first peripheral sealing rib of the upwardly adjacent one of the second core plates, wherein the first peripheral sealing ribs of the first and second core plates seal edges of the charge air flow passages;
wherein each of the first core plates has a second peripheral sealing rib extending downwardly from its bottom face and each of the second core plates has a second peripheral sealing rib extending upwardly from its top face, with the second peripheral sealing rib of each said first core plate being directly joined to the second peripheral sealing rib of the downwardly adjacent one of the second core plates, wherein the second peripheral sealing ribs of the first and second core plates seal edges of the first and second coolant flow passages; and
wherein the first and second peripheral sealing ribs of the first and second core plates are adjacent to one another.

2. The three-fluid charge air cooler of claim 1 , wherein the charge air inlet manifold is located at the first end of the plate stack and the charge air outlet manifold is located at the second end of the plate stack.

3. The three-fluid charge air cooler of claim 1 , wherein the inlet and outlet manifolds for the charge air, the first coolant and the second coolant are integrally formed with and enclosed by the plate stack.

4. The three-fluid charge air cooler of claim 3 , wherein the charge air flow passages extend along the entire length of the plate stack.

5. A system for producing a pressurized cathode air stream for use in a fuel cell, comprising:
(a) a first charge air cooler comprising a gas-to-gas charge air cooler for cooling said pressurized cathode air stream from a first temperature (T 1 ) to a third temperature (T 3 ) with a gaseous coolant having a second temperature (T 2 ) at an inlet of the first charge air cooler;
(b) a second charge air cooler comprising a liquid-to-gas charge air cooler for cooling said pressurized cathode air stream from said third temperature (T 3 ) to a fifth temperature (T 5 ) with a liquid coolant having a fourth temperature (T 4 ) at a coolant inlet of said second charge air cooler;
(c) a gas-to-gas humidifier for increasing a water content of the pressurized cathode air stream by transfer of water from a humidifying gas; and
(d) a fuel cell stack having a cathode air inlet and a cathode exhaust gas outlet;
wherein the humidifying gas comprises a cathode exhaust gas stream from the cathode exhaust gas outlet of the fuel cell stack;
the gaseous coolant of the first charge air cooler comprises the cathode exhaust gas stream;
the first charge air cooler is arranged to receive the cathode exhaust gas stream from the humidifier and the humidifier is arranged to receive the cathode exhaust gas stream from the cathode exhaust gas outlet of the fuel cell stack;
wherein the first charge air cooler and the second charge air cooler are integrated into a three-fluid charge air cooler comprising a plurality of charge air flow passages for said pressurized cathode air stream, a plurality of first coolant flow passages for said liquid coolant, and a plurality of second coolant flow passages for said gaseous coolant;
wherein the three-fluid charge air cooler further comprises:
a plurality of plates arranged in a plate stack having a first end and a second end and a length extending from the first end to the second end, the plate stack being divided along its length into a first portion and a second portion, wherein the charge air flow passages alternate throughout the stack with the plurality of first coolant flow passages and the plurality of second coolant flow passages;
a plurality of ribs dividing the first portion of the plate stack from the second portion of the plate stack, wherein each of the ribs is formed in one of the plates of the plate stack and extends transversely across said plate to separate one of the first coolant flow passages from one of the second coolant flow passages, and such that the plurality of ribs separates the plurality of first coolant flow passages from the plurality of second coolant flow passages;
a charge air inlet manifold and a charge air outlet manifold in flow communication with the plurality of charge air flow passages, wherein the charge air inlet manifold and the charge air outlet manifold are loca

Assignees

• Dana Canada Corp

Inventors

• Vanderwees Doug
• Shore Colin A

Classifications

• H01M8/0267 Primary

  having heating or cooling means, e.g. heaters or coolant flow channels · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• H01M8/04141 Primary

  by water containing exhaust gases · CPC title

• H01M8/04014

  Heat exchange using gaseous fluids; Heat exchange by combustion of reactants · CPC title

• H01M8/2483

  characterised by internal manifolds · CPC title