Back to results
US 11,706,845 B2Granted
End cell heater for fuel cell
AssigneesHyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation, Hanon Systems
InventorsKil Sang Jang, Ju Han Kim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Provided is an end cell heater for a fuel cell capable of preventing water existing in reaction cells of a fuel cell stack from being frozen to improve initial start ability and initial driving performance of the fuel cell at the time of cold-starting the fuel cell during winter by disposing heaters on end cells disposed at both ends of the fuel cell stack and capable of securing air-tightness and pressure resistance properties of air passages and fuel passages formed in the end cell.
Claims12
An end cell heater for a fuel cell, comprising:
- an end cell including a body, an upper cover stacked on and in contact with an upper surface of the body, and a lower cover stacked on and in contact with a lower surface of the body, having air channels formed between the body and the upper cover, and having fuel channels formed between the body and the lower cover;
- a heating element stacked on and coupled to the end cell;
- an electricity collecting plate stacked on and in contact with the heating element;
- and
- a seating groove concavely formed in a lower surface of the lower cover;
- wherein the electricity collecting plate is stacked on a surface of the heating element so as to be in contact with the lower surface of the heating element, such that the heating element and the electricity collecting plate are inserted into and seated in the seating groove.
3 more elements
A fuel cell stack, comprising:
- end cells disposed at both ends of the fuel cell stack;
- each of the end cells including a body, an upper cover stacked on and in contact with an upper surface of the body, and a lower cover stacked on and in contact with a lower surface of the body, having air channels formed between the body and the upper cover, and having fuel channels formed between the body and the lower cover;
- a heating element stacked on and coupled to the end cell;
- and
- an electricity collecting plate stacked on and in contact with the heating element,
- a heat insulating sheet interposed between the end cell and the heating element to prevent heat generated from the heating element from being transferred to the end cell.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.