US 2003/0189416 A1Published application

Fuel cells with integrated humidification and method for humidifying fuel cell process gas

AssigneeViessmann Werke GmbH & Co. KG

InventorsJoachim Scholta, Ludwig Jorrisen, Bernd Gaugler

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Abstract

The invention relates to a fuel cell with integrated humidification, comprising a cathode-side or anode-side humidification unit with a heat exchanger, a condensate separator, a capillary tube and a Venturi nozzle and/or pump. The invention also relates to a method for humidifying process gas for the operation of a fuel cell wherein only product water is used and wherein, according to a first embodiment, the gas containing O2 for the cathode is humidified by the cathode off-gas which contains water vapour by means of a first humidification unit and/or the combustion gas containing H2 for the anode is humidified by the anode off-gas which contains water vapour by means of a second humidification unit or wherein, according to a second embodiment, the combustion gas containing H2 for the anode is humidified by the cathode off-gas which contains water vapour by means of a first humidification unit and/or the gas containing O2 for the cathode is humidified by the anode off-gas which contains water vapour by means of a second humidification unit.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A fuel cell with integrated humidification, comprising

a fuel cell unit (1) with an anode (2),
a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) (3) and a cathode (4),
a feed line (5) to the cathode for gas containing O2, preferably air,
a discharge line (6) for cathode waste gas containing water vapor,
a feed line (7) to the anode for fuel gas containing H2,
a discharge line (8) for anode waste gas containing water vapor,
a first humidification unit for the gas containing O2 and/or a second humidification unit for the fuel gas containing H2, whereby the first humidification unit comprises
a first heat exchanger (9) through which the feed line (5) for gas containing O2 and the discharge line (6) for cathode waste gas containing water vapor are guided, whereby the discharge line (6) downstream of the first heat exchanger (9) is connected to the feed line (5) upstream of the first heat exchanger (9) through a first condensate separator (10) and a first capillary tube (11) and the first capillary tube (11) runs into a Venturi nozzle (12) installed in the feed line (5) and/or a pump (12) installed in the feed line (5),
and/or the second humidification unit comprises
a second heat exchanger (13) through which the feed line (7) for fuel gas containing H2 and the discharge line (8) for anode waste gas containing water vapor are guided, whereby the discharge line (8) downstream of the second heat exchanger (13) is connected to the feed line (7) upstream of the second heat exchanger (13) through a second condensate separator (14) and a second capillary tube (15) and the second capillary tube (15) runs into a Venturi nozzle installed in the feed line (7) and/or a pump (16) installed in the feed line (7).

7 more elements

A fuel cell with integrated humidification, comprising

a fuel cell unit (1) with an anode (2),
a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) (3) and a cathode (4),
a feed line (5) to the cathode for gas containing O2, preferably air,
a discharge line (6) for cathode waste gas containing water vapor,
a feed line (7) to the anode for fuel gas containing H2,
a discharge line (8) for anode waste gas containing water vapor,
a first humidification unit for the gas containing O2 and/or a second humidification unit for the fuel gas containing H2, whereby the first humidification unit comprises
a first heat exchanger through which the feed line (7) for fuel gas containing H2 and the discharge line (6) for cathode waste gas containing water vapor are guided, whereby the discharge line (6) downstream of the first heat exchanger is connected to the feed line (7) upstream of the first heat exchanger through a first condensate separator and a first capillary tube and the first capillary tube runs into a Venturi nozzle. (16) installed in the feed line (7) and/or a pump (16) installed in the feed line (7),
and/or the second humidification unit comprises
a second heat exchanger through which the feed line (5) for gas containing O2 and the discharge line (8) for anode waste gas containing water vapor are guided, whereby the discharge line (8) downstream of the second heat exchanger is connected to the feed line (5) upstream of the second heat exchanger through a second condensate separator and a second capillary tube and the second capillary tube runs into a Venturi nozzle installed in the feed line (5) and/or a pump (12) installed in the feed line (5).

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.