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US 11,456,470 B2Granted
System and method for controlling voltage of fuel cell
AssigneeHydrogenics Corporation
InventorsNathaniel Ian Joos, Paolo Forte
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This specification describes a system and method for controlling the voltage produced by a fuel cell. The system involves providing a bypass line between an air exhaust from the fuel cell and an air inlet of the fuel cell. At least one controllable device is configured to allow the flow rate through the bypass line to be altered. A controller is provided to control the controllable device. The method involves varying the rate of recirculation of air exhaust to air inlet so as to provide a desired change in fuel cell voltage.
Claims20
A method comprising,
- a) providing current to a load from one or more batteries wired in parallel with a fuel cell stack, and
- b) providing current to the load from the fuel cell stack having an air inlet, an air exhaust, and a recirculation line between the air exhaust of the fuel cell stack and the air inlet of the fuel cell stack;
- c) recirculating a portion of the air exhausted through the air exhaust to the air inlet through the recirculation line,
- d) controlling at least one valve configured to allow an air flow rate through the recirculation line to be altered to produce a desired change of the fuel cell stack under different operating conditions, and
- e) altering the at least one valve such that the desired change of the fuel cell stack more nearly matches a change of the one or more batteries.
2 more elements
A method comprising,
- a) providing current to a load from one or more batteries wired in parallel with a fuel cell stack,
- b) simultaneously providing current to the load from the fuel cell stack having an air inlet, an air exhaust, and a recirculation line between the air exhaust of the fuel cell stack and the air inlet of the fuel cell stack;
- c) recirculating a portion of the air exhausted through the air exhaust to the air inlet through the recirculation line, and
- d) modulating at least one valve configured to allow an air flow rate through the recirculation line by changing a voltage of the fuel cell stack with current to more nearly match a voltage of the one or more batteries with current in order to produce a desired change of the fuel cell stack under different operating conditions.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.