Hydrogen recirculation pump heating and sealing assemblies and methods
AssigneesCummins Inc., Hydrogenics Corporation
InventorsChristopher Nelson, Bryn Epp, Nathaniel Ian Joos
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A recirculation pump includes an impeller, a pump motor assembly, and a heater. The pump motor assembly includes a pump housing having a pump cavity and a pump motor arranged in the pump cavity that drives the impeller, the pump housing arranged axially away from the impeller. The heater is disposed on or in the pump housing and spaced apart from the impeller. The heater is configured to increase a temperature of any portion of the fluid that leaks from the impeller into the pump cavity and resides in the pump cavity. The increase in the temperature causes the fluid that resides in the pump cavity to flow toward the impeller and exit the pump cavity.
Claims20
A recirculation pump for a fuel cell system, comprising:
- an impeller configured to rotate and impel a fluid from an inlet to an outlet;
- a pump motor assembly including a pump housing having a pump cavity therein and a pump motor arranged in the pump cavity and configured to drive the impeller, the pump housing arranged axially away from the impeller;
- and
- at least one heater disposed on or in the pump housing and spaced apart from the impeller, the at least one heater being configured to increase a temperature of any portion of the fluid that leaks from the impeller into the pump cavity and resides in the pump cavity, wherein the increase in the temperature causes the fluid that resides in the pump cavity to flow toward the impeller and exit the pump cavity.
A method of recirculating fluid in a fuel cell system, comprising:
- providing a pump motor assembly including a pump housing having a pump cavity therein and a pump motor arranged in the pump cavity;
- arranging at least one heater on or in the pump housing and spaced apart from an impeller;
- rotating the impeller via the pump motor such that the impeller impels the fluid from an inlet of the impeller to an outlet of the impeller, wherein the pump housing is arranged axially away from the impeller;
- in response to the fuel cell system being shut off, via a controller, activating the at least one heater and increasing a temperature of any portion of the fluid that leaks from the impeller into the pump cavity and resides in the pump cavity, wherein increasing the temperature causes the fluid residing in the pump cavity to flow toward the impeller and exit the pump cavity;
- and
- in response to the at least one heater having been active for a first amount of time based on a first operating condition of the fuel cell system, via the controller, deactivating the at least one heater.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.