Cascade fuel inlet manifold for fuel cells
OwnerJohn H. Whiton, Torger J. Anderson +1inventors
InventorsJohn H. Whiton, Torger J. Anderson, Robin J. Guthrie
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Fuel is provided to an inlet (14) of a cascade region (15) which has a plurality of stages (17-23), each of which divides fuel flow evenly into a pair of corresponding slots (24-26). The flow is then spread across a floor surface (41) of a cascade exit header (40), the flow spreading into areas between the slots. The flow is then directed into an open cavity which is in fluid communication with the inlets of the fuel flow fields (12) of the fuel cells, reaching the fuel flow field inlets uniformly and simultaneously.
Claims3
A fuel cell stack having an array of contiguous fuel cells, each fuel cell having a fuel flow field with a flow field inlet, said stack including a fuel inlet manifold system comprising:
- a cascade region having a series of stages, each stage having a surface terminating in passages at opposite edges of said surface, each passage of each stage except the last in said series directing fuel to the surface of a next stage in said series, the passages of the last stage in said series directing fuel onto a cascade exit surface so that fuel is spread in dimensions not parallel with said passages;
- and
- an open cavity disposed between said flow field inlets and said cascade exit surface.
A fuel cell stack having an array of contiguous fuel cells, each fuel cell having a fuel flow field with a flow field inlet, comprising:
- means for providing a flow of fuel from a source;
- means for successively dividing the flow of fuel substantially equally into two substantially simultaneous flows, a number, n, of times, to provide n+1 flows, said number being at least three;
- and
- means for spreading the fuel from said n+1 flows to provide a single, substantially uniform flow of fuel to said flow field inlets.
A method of providing fuel to a fuel cell stack having an array of contiguous fuel cells, each fuel cell having a fuel flow field with a flow field inlet, said method comprising:
- providing a flow of fuel from a source;
- successively dividing the flow of fuel substantially equally into two substantially simultaneous flows, a number, n, of times, to provide n+1 flows, said number being at least three;
- and
- spreading the fuel from said n+1 flows to provide a single, substantially uniform flow of fuel to said flow field inlets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.