Back to results
US 12,725,819 B2Granted
Fuel cell charge air system and method
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsRichard William Kruiswyk, Christopher Dean Lusardi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fuel cell electric power system includes a fuel cell stack, and a charge air system including an intake air compressor, an exhaust turbine, and a flow control valve assembly. The flow control valve assembly includes at least one flow control valve rotatable in a valve housing to fluidly connect an exhaust inlet, selectively, to a turbine feed outlet via a variable flow area to adjust a torque applied to the exhaust turbine by a flow of exhaust.
Claims18
An electric power system comprising:
- a fuel cell system including a fuel cell stack, an intake air conduit extending to the fuel cell stack, and an exhaust conduit extending from the fuel cell stack;
- a charge air system including an intake air compressor, an exhaust turbine, and a flow control valve assembly;
- the flow control valve assembly including a housing forming an exhaust inlet fluidly connected to the exhaust conduit, and a turbine feed outlet, a compressor bypass inlet, a wasting outlet, and at least one flow control valve exposed to a flow of exhaust from the exhaust inlet;
- and
- the at least one flow control valve is rotatable in the housing to fluidly connect the exhaust inlet, selectively, to the exhaust turbine via an unrestricted flow area, or to the exhaust turbine via a restricted flow area, to fluidly connect, selectively, the compressor bypass inlet to the turbine feed outlet via the restricted flow area, and to fluidly connect, selectively, the exhaust inlet to the wasting outlet.
2 more elements
A method of operating a fuel cell electric power system comprising:
- feeding exhaust from a fuel cell stack through an exhaust passage to a turbine feed outlet having a flow area adjustable between a restricted flow area and an unrestricted flow area;
- operating a compressor to pressurize intake air supplying the fuel cell stack based on a torque applied to the turbine via a flow of the exhaust;
- varying a geometry of the exhaust passage via rotating a flow control valve;
- and
- operating the compressor to pressurize intake air supplying the fuel cell stack based on an adjusted torque applied to the turbine via a flow of the exhaust after varying the geometry of the exhaust passage;
- and
- varying a flow of pressurized air bypassed from the compressor into the turbine feed outlet based on the varying the geometry of the exhaust passage via the rotating the flow control valve.
4 more elements
A charge air system for a fuel cell electric power system comprising:
- an intake air conduit;
- an exhaust conduit forming an exhaust passage, and having a unitary exhaust inlet configured to receive a flow of exhaust from a fuel cell stack, and a turbine feed outlet;
- a turbine positioned for impingement by the flow of exhaust conveyed through the turbine feed outlet;
- a compressor coupled to the turbine and positioned at least partially within the intake air conduit to pressurize intake air for the fuel cell stack;
- a flow control valve including an exhaust-impinged surface positioned within the exhaust conduit, and rotatable to vary a geometry of the exhaust passage;
- and
- an actuator for varying at least one of a position or an orientation of the flow control valve;
- wherein the flow control valve is rotatable in the exhaust conduit to at least three different angular orientations about an axis, and defines a different fluid flow pattern through the exhaust conduit at each of the at least three different angular orientations about the axis;
- wherein the exhaust conduit includes a housing forming the unitary exhaust inlet, and the turbine feed outlet includes a divided turbine feed outlet;
- and
- wherein the housing forms a compressor bypass inlet, and a wasting outlet.
8 more elements
A charge air system for a fuel cell electric power system comprising:
- an intake air conduit;
- an exhaust conduit forming an exhaust passage, and having a unitary exhaust inlet configured to receive a flow of exhaust from a fuel cell stack, and a turbine feed outlet;
- a turbine positioned for impingement by the flow of exhaust conveyed through the turbine feed outlet;
- a compressor coupled to the turbine and positioned at least partially within the intake air conduit to pressurize intake air for the fuel cell stack;
- a flow control valve including an exhaust-impinged surface positioned within the exhaust conduit, and rotatable to vary a geometry of the exhaust passage;
- and
- an actuator for varying at least one of a position or an orientation of the flow control valve;
- wherein the flow control valve is rotatable in the exhaust conduit to at least three different angular orientations about an axis, and defines a different fluid flow pattern through the exhaust conduit at each of the at least three different angular orientations about the axis;
- and
- wherein the flow control valve includes a first end disc, a second end disc, and a converger extending axially between the first end disc and the second end disc and having the exhaust-impinged surface formed thereon.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.