US20110008692A1 - Fuel Cell System - Google Patents
Fuel Cell System Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20110008692A1 US20110008692A1 US12/933,054 US93305409A US2011008692A1 US 20110008692 A1 US20110008692 A1 US 20110008692A1 US 93305409 A US93305409 A US 93305409A US 2011008692 A1 US2011008692 A1 US 2011008692A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- gas
- supplied
- jet pump
- anode
- hydrogen
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
- H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
- H01M8/04082—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration
- H01M8/04089—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants
- H01M8/04097—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants with recycling of the reactants
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H01M8/00—Fuel cells; Manufacture thereof
- H01M8/04—Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
- H01M8/04082—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration
- H01M8/04089—Arrangements for control of reactant parameters, e.g. pressure or concentration of gaseous reactants
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
- Y02E60/30—Hydrogen technology
- Y02E60/50—Fuel cells
Definitions
- the invention relates to a fuel cell system in which anode exhaust gas is recirculated to the anode inlet.
- This fuel cell system comprises an anode circuit having a gas jet pump with two inlets and one outlet, for conveying surplus hydrogen from the anode outlet to the anode inlet.
- a “motive jet” under elevated pressure is introduced at one inlet, and passes through the gas jet pump to its outlet.
- a further inlet of the gas jet pump is arranged such that the motive jet flowing through the gas jet pump produces a low pressure at the further inlet, and is thereby able to draw in gas via the further inlet and entrain it as far as the outlet.
- the fuel cell system in which a part of the anode waste gas is supplied to a compressor, which comprises it and supplies it to the motive jet side of a gas jet pump.
- a compressor which comprises it and supplies it to the motive jet side of a gas jet pump.
- Another embodiment of the invention has two gas jet pumps, to one of which the compressed waste is supplied, with hydrogen from the tank being supplied to the other.
- Each gas jet pump then has a part of the uncompressed waste gas supplied to it as gas to be drawn in. With this embodiment too it is ensured that the fuel cell system functions under low loads.
- all the gas jet pumps in this embodiment need to have a nonreturn valve on the anode inlet side.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a first embodiment of the invention
- FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a second embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a third embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a modification of the third embodiment of the invention.
- a fuel cell 10 comprises an anode 12 , which has an anode inlet 14 , via which hydrogen is supplied.
- the majority of the hydrogen comes from a tank 16 .
- a valve 18 and a gas jet pump 20 Arranged downstream of the tank 16 are a valve 18 and a gas jet pump 20 .
- the hydrogen jet coming from the tank 16 functions as the motive jet for the gas jet pump 20 , this being supplied to a motive jet inlet (normally a nozzle) 22 of the gas jet pump 20 , and exiting at an outlet 24 .
- a motive jet inlet normally a nozzle
- further gas may be drawn in via a further inlet 26 of the gas jet pump 20 .
- the waste gas emerging from the anode 12 via an anode outlet 28 is supplied in part to the further inlet 26 .
- the system is less dependent on the quantity of hydrogen supplied via the valve 18 and consequently operates better in particular under low fuel cell loads than if the branch with the compressor 32 is omitted.
- the precompressed waste gas is supplied directly from the compressor to the gas jet pump 20 , the latter then having two inlet nozzles, namely a first inlet nozzle 22 , via which the hydrogen is supplied from the valve 18 , and a second inlet nozzle 36 , via which precisely the compressed waste gas is supplied. (See FIG. 2 .)
- the invention also works if the hydrogen from the tank 16 and the compressed waste gas are supplied to different gas jet pumps 20 and 38 respectively. Different parts of the waste gas from the anode 12 are supplied to each gas jet pump 20 and 38 , the two gas jet pumps 20 and 38 operating mutually independently. (See FIG. 3 .) In the latter embodiment, the compressor 32 must in any case always be running, so that gas does not pass through the gas jet pump 38 in the opposite direction from normal, due to certain pressure differences. This may be prevented if, as shown in FIG. 4 , the two gas jet pumps 20 and 38 each comprise a nonreturn valve 40 and 42 respectively.
- the compressor 32 serves in particular to recirculate a sufficient stream of waste gas when the fuel cell 10 is under low loads.
- the quantity of waste gas compressed by the compressor 32 may here be relatively small.
- the compressor 32 does not therefore need to be of a high power and may for example be operated with a 12 V voltage. It is significantly less expensive to provide the compressor 32 than a blower, as is occasionally used in the anode circuit in the prior art.
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- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Sustainable Development (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Sustainable Energy (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- Electrochemistry (AREA)
- General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Fuel Cell (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- This application is a national stage of PCT International Application No. PCT/EP2009/001494, filed Mar. 3, 2009, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to German Patent Application No. 10 2008 014 783.4, filed Mar. 18, 2008, the entire disclosure of which is herein expressly incorporated by reference.
- The invention relates to a fuel cell system in which anode exhaust gas is recirculated to the anode inlet.
- This fuel cell system comprises an anode circuit having a gas jet pump with two inlets and one outlet, for conveying surplus hydrogen from the anode outlet to the anode inlet. A “motive jet” under elevated pressure is introduced at one inlet, and passes through the gas jet pump to its outlet. A further inlet of the gas jet pump is arranged such that the motive jet flowing through the gas jet pump produces a low pressure at the further inlet, and is thereby able to draw in gas via the further inlet and entrain it as far as the outlet.
- It is known in particular from fuel cell systems to utilize the high pressure which hydrogen is conventionally under in a hydrogen tank to form a motive jet for a gas jet pump. The gas jet pump is thus arranged between the hydrogen tank and the anode inlet. As a result, the quantity of anode waste gas that is drawn in via the further inlet of the gas jet pump is directly dependent on the quantity of hydrogen gas supplied from the tank and forming the motive jet, which in turn depends on the fuel cell system load.
- This known arrangement is problematic under low load. In particular, it would then be desirable for somewhat more anode waste gas to be recirculated than is possible with the gas jet pump. Satisfactory recirculation under low loads has heretofore been made possible, if need be, by using a blower. However, a blower is a complex and expensive component, which is susceptible to failure in particular at cold temperatures due to icing.
- It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a fuel cell system which operates reliably, even under low loads, and is nonetheless inexpensive.
- This and other objects and advantages are achieved by the fuel cell system according to the invention, in which a part of the anode waste gas is supplied to a compressor, which comprises it and supplies it to the motive jet side of a gas jet pump. In this way it is ensured that a sufficient quantity of gas in particular a quantity sufficient for low loads, is always available on the motive jet side. In practice only very small quantities of anode waste gas need to be compressed, such that the power of the compressor may be so low that it can be operated with a 12 volt power supply. Expenditure is therefore low, while the solution is nevertheless effective.
- It is advantageous, first of all, for hydrogen from a tank also to be supplied to the same gas jet pump to which the compressed waste gas is supplied, as in the prior art. This may be achieved by bringing the compressed waste gas and the hydrogen from the tank together upstream of the gas jet pump. It needs to be ensured that the compressed waste gas and the hydrogen are at roughly the same pressure. The compressed waste gas and the hydrogen may however also be supplied directly to the gas jet pump independently of one another, using different inlet nozzles.
- Another embodiment of the invention has two gas jet pumps, to one of which the compressed waste is supplied, with hydrogen from the tank being supplied to the other. Each gas jet pump then has a part of the uncompressed waste gas supplied to it as gas to be drawn in. With this embodiment too it is ensured that the fuel cell system functions under low loads.
- To prevent flow in undesired directions, all the gas jet pumps in this embodiment need to have a nonreturn valve on the anode inlet side.
- Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a first embodiment of the invention; -
FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a second embodiment of the invention; -
FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a third embodiment of the invention; and -
FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a modification of the third embodiment of the invention. - As shown in the Figures, a
fuel cell 10 comprises ananode 12, which has ananode inlet 14, via which hydrogen is supplied. The majority of the hydrogen comes from atank 16. Arranged downstream of thetank 16 are avalve 18 and agas jet pump 20. The hydrogen jet coming from thetank 16 functions as the motive jet for thegas jet pump 20, this being supplied to a motive jet inlet (normally a nozzle) 22 of thegas jet pump 20, and exiting at anoutlet 24. As a result of the low pressure generated by the motive jet, further gas may be drawn in via afurther inlet 26 of thegas jet pump 20. In the present case, the waste gas emerging from theanode 12 via ananode outlet 28 is supplied in part to thefurther inlet 26. According to the invention, provision is then made for a further part of the waste gas to be supplied from abranch point 30, which also leads to thefurther inlet 26, to acompressor 32, there to be compressed to the pressure of the hydrogen coming from thetank 16 downstream of thevalve 18 and also to be introduced into the hydrogen stream downstream of thevalve 18 at apoint 34 which lies upstream of theinlet nozzle 22 in the first embodiment according toFIG. 1 . Because a proportion of the waste gas emerging from theanode outlet 28 is always used in any case to form the motive jet, the system is less dependent on the quantity of hydrogen supplied via thevalve 18 and consequently operates better in particular under low fuel cell loads than if the branch with thecompressor 32 is omitted. - In a modification of the embodiment of
FIG. 1 , the precompressed waste gas is supplied directly from the compressor to thegas jet pump 20, the latter then having two inlet nozzles, namely afirst inlet nozzle 22, via which the hydrogen is supplied from thevalve 18, and asecond inlet nozzle 36, via which precisely the compressed waste gas is supplied. (SeeFIG. 2 .) - The invention also works if the hydrogen from the
tank 16 and the compressed waste gas are supplied to differentgas jet pumps anode 12 are supplied to eachgas jet pump gas jet pumps FIG. 3 .) In the latter embodiment, thecompressor 32 must in any case always be running, so that gas does not pass through thegas jet pump 38 in the opposite direction from normal, due to certain pressure differences. This may be prevented if, as shown inFIG. 4 , the twogas jet pumps nonreturn valve - In accordance with the stated object, the
compressor 32 serves in particular to recirculate a sufficient stream of waste gas when thefuel cell 10 is under low loads. The quantity of waste gas compressed by thecompressor 32 may here be relatively small. Thecompressor 32 does not therefore need to be of a high power and may for example be operated with a 12 V voltage. It is significantly less expensive to provide thecompressor 32 than a blower, as is occasionally used in the anode circuit in the prior art. - The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
-
-
- 10 Fuel cell
- 12 Anode
- 14 Anode inlet
- 16 Tank
- 18 Valve
- 20 Gas jet pump
- 22 Inlet nozzle
- 24 Outlet of the
gas jet pump 20 - 26 Inlet of the
gas jet pump 20 - 28 Anode outlet
- 30 Branch point
- 32 Compressor
- 38 Gas jet pump
- 40 Nonreturn valve
- 42 Nonreturn valve
Claims (7)
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
DE102008014783.4 | 2008-03-18 | ||
DE102008014783 | 2008-03-18 | ||
PCT/EP2009/001484 WO2009115184A1 (en) | 2008-03-18 | 2009-03-03 | Fuel cell system |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP2009/001484 A-371-Of-International WO2009115184A1 (en) | 2008-03-18 | 2009-03-03 | Fuel cell system |
Related Child Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/072,135 Continuation US8920988B2 (en) | 2008-03-18 | 2013-11-05 | Fuel cell system |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20110008692A1 true US20110008692A1 (en) | 2011-01-13 |
Family
ID=40719963
Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/933,054 Abandoned US20110008692A1 (en) | 2008-03-18 | 2009-03-03 | Fuel Cell System |
US14/072,135 Active US8920988B2 (en) | 2008-03-18 | 2013-11-05 | Fuel cell system |
Family Applications After (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US14/072,135 Active US8920988B2 (en) | 2008-03-18 | 2013-11-05 | Fuel cell system |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (2) | US20110008692A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2253040B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP5378498B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN101978541B (en) |
WO (1) | WO2009115184A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE102014219836A1 (en) * | 2014-09-30 | 2016-05-25 | Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft | Fuel cell arrangement with jet pump in exhaust path and motor vehicle with fuel cell assembly |
US10511035B2 (en) * | 2013-09-23 | 2019-12-17 | Convion Oy | Recirculation arrangement and method for a high temperature cell system |
Families Citing this family (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US9224151B2 (en) | 2008-06-18 | 2015-12-29 | Microsoft Technology Licensing, L.L.C. | Presenting advertisements based on web-page interaction |
DE102019108158A1 (en) * | 2019-03-29 | 2020-10-01 | Airbus Operations Gmbh | Fuel extraction system, fuel tank device with fuel extraction system and fuel cell system with fuel extraction system |
DE102021126289A1 (en) | 2021-10-11 | 2023-04-13 | Ekpo Fuel Cell Technologies Gmbh | fuel cell device |
CA3239664A1 (en) * | 2021-12-02 | 2023-06-08 | Casy Cloudless BROWN | Fuel cell system including ejector |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20030148167A1 (en) * | 2001-11-09 | 2003-08-07 | Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Fuel circuit of the fuel cell system |
US20050100777A1 (en) * | 2003-11-12 | 2005-05-12 | Victor Gurin | Fuel cell with integrated feedback control |
US6902840B2 (en) * | 2002-07-02 | 2005-06-07 | Fuelcell Energy, Inc. | Fuel cell system with mixer/eductor |
US20060251935A1 (en) * | 2001-08-31 | 2006-11-09 | Barrett Scott N | Fuel cell system and method for recycling exhaust |
US20070190389A1 (en) * | 2006-01-25 | 2007-08-16 | Daimlerchrysler Ag | Fuel cell system having a fuel cell, a hydrogen storage tank, and an anode circuit |
Family Cites Families (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP3729150B2 (en) * | 2002-04-24 | 2005-12-21 | 日産自動車株式会社 | Fuel circulation system for ejector and fuel cell system |
JP3951885B2 (en) * | 2002-10-22 | 2007-08-01 | 日産自動車株式会社 | Fuel cell system |
JP3939640B2 (en) * | 2002-12-24 | 2007-07-04 | 本田技研工業株式会社 | Reactive gas circulation fuel cell system |
JP2005108698A (en) * | 2003-09-30 | 2005-04-21 | Nissan Motor Co Ltd | Fuel cell system |
US20100143809A1 (en) * | 2005-12-30 | 2010-06-10 | Perry Michael L | Air Bleed Through Fuel Cell Fuel Recycle Loop |
US8029939B2 (en) * | 2007-01-25 | 2011-10-04 | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | Fuel cell ejector with integrated check valve |
-
2009
- 2009-03-03 CN CN200980109718.1A patent/CN101978541B/en active Active
- 2009-03-03 EP EP09722015.6A patent/EP2253040B1/en active Active
- 2009-03-03 US US12/933,054 patent/US20110008692A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2009-03-03 JP JP2011500062A patent/JP5378498B2/en active Active
- 2009-03-03 WO PCT/EP2009/001484 patent/WO2009115184A1/en active Application Filing
-
2013
- 2013-11-05 US US14/072,135 patent/US8920988B2/en active Active
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20060251935A1 (en) * | 2001-08-31 | 2006-11-09 | Barrett Scott N | Fuel cell system and method for recycling exhaust |
US20030148167A1 (en) * | 2001-11-09 | 2003-08-07 | Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Fuel circuit of the fuel cell system |
US6902840B2 (en) * | 2002-07-02 | 2005-06-07 | Fuelcell Energy, Inc. | Fuel cell system with mixer/eductor |
US20050100777A1 (en) * | 2003-11-12 | 2005-05-12 | Victor Gurin | Fuel cell with integrated feedback control |
US20070190389A1 (en) * | 2006-01-25 | 2007-08-16 | Daimlerchrysler Ag | Fuel cell system having a fuel cell, a hydrogen storage tank, and an anode circuit |
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
Ushio et al. JP 2004/206948. 22 July 2004. English machine translation by JPO. * |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US10511035B2 (en) * | 2013-09-23 | 2019-12-17 | Convion Oy | Recirculation arrangement and method for a high temperature cell system |
DE102014219836A1 (en) * | 2014-09-30 | 2016-05-25 | Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft | Fuel cell arrangement with jet pump in exhaust path and motor vehicle with fuel cell assembly |
US10535886B2 (en) | 2014-09-30 | 2020-01-14 | Audi Aktiengesellschaft | Fuel cell assembly with jet pump in the exhaust path, and motor vehicle with fuel cell assembly |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN101978541A (en) | 2011-02-16 |
JP5378498B2 (en) | 2013-12-25 |
US20140087278A1 (en) | 2014-03-27 |
EP2253040B1 (en) | 2016-08-17 |
EP2253040A1 (en) | 2010-11-24 |
JP2011514643A (en) | 2011-05-06 |
WO2009115184A1 (en) | 2009-09-24 |
US8920988B2 (en) | 2014-12-30 |
CN101978541B (en) | 2015-08-19 |
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, MICHIGAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:KNOOP, ANDREAS;REEL/FRAME:025120/0466 Effective date: 20100910 Owner name: DAIMLER AG, GERMANY Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:KNOOP, ANDREAS;REEL/FRAME:025120/0466 Effective date: 20100910 |
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: DAIMLER AG, GERMANY Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC;REEL/FRAME:026290/0784 Effective date: 20101208 |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |