Dynamic cathode gas control for a fuel cell system
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorsRobert Schaefer, Rainer Pechtold, Thorsten Rohwer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fuel cell system utilizes at least one flow restricting device to vary the stoichiometric quantity of cathode reactant flowing to two discrete cathode sides of the fuel cell system. The varying of the stoichiometric quantity of cathode reactant can be between two predetermined values. The varying of the stoichiometric quantity can be during a steady state power demand placed on the system and/or during transients in a power demand placed on the system. The airmover that supplies the cathode reactant stream can be operated in a substantially continuous manner during a continuous power demand placed on the fuel cell system.
Claims30
A method of operating a fuel cell system having at least one fuel cell stack and at least two discrete cathode sides, the method comprising:
- (a) supplying a cathode reactant stream;
- (b) routing a first portion of said cathode reactant stream to a first one of the cathode sides via a first cathode reactant flow path;
- (c) routing a second portion of said cathode reactant stream to a second one of the cathode sides via a second cathode reactant flow path;
- and
- (d) varying a stoichiometric quantity of cathode reactant in said first and second portions of said cathode reactant streams.
A fuel cell system comprising:
- at least one fuel cell stack;
- at least two cathode sides;
- first and second cathode reactant flow paths communicating with a respective first and second of said cathode sides;
- an airmover operable to supply a cathode reactant stream to said cathode sides;
- a first portion of said cathode reactant stream flowing through said first flow path and said first cathode side;
- a second portion of said cathode reactant stream flowing through said second flow path and said second cathode side;
- and
- at least two flow restricting devices communicating with said flow paths, said flow restricting devices being operable to selectively vary a stoichiometric quantity of cathode reactant in said first and second portions of said cathode reactant stream between predetermined values.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.