Heat exchanger for heating hydrogen

A heat exchanger for a fuel cell system of an electric vehicle, comprising:

• a coolant cavity having a coolant flow path configured for fluidly communicating coolant;
• a hydrogen cavity having a hydrogen flow path configured for fluidly communicating hydrogen, the hydrogen cavity including a plurality of fins dispersed in-line throughout and including one inlet to the hydrogen flow path and two or more outlets from the hydrogen flow path;
• and
• a housing configured for thermally coupling the coolant cavity with the hydrogen cavity, the thermal coupling providing conductive heat transfer between the coolant and the hydrogen with at least a portion of the heat transfer occurring through the fins.

A heat exchanger for a fuel cell system of an electric vehicle, comprising:

• a coolant cavity having a coolant flow path configured for fluidly circulating coolant at a first temperature;
• a hydrogen cavity having a hydrogen flow path configured for fluidly circulating hydrogen at a second temperature less than the first temperature, the hydrogen cavity including a plurality of arcuate shaped fins dispersed in-line throughout a serpentine section, the serpentine section configured for directing the hydrogen in a back-and-forth manner from a side-to-side widthwise through a plurality of channels layered vertically from top-to-bottom heightwise across the hydrogen cavity;
• and
• a housing for the coolant cavity and the hydrogen cavity, the housing including a dividing wall configured for fluidly isolating and thermally coupling the coolant cavity back-to-back with the hydrogen cavity, the fins being integrated with dividing wall to facilitate conductive heat transfer between the coolant and the hydrogen.