US 2010/0143759 A1 · MODULAR FUEL CELL SYSTEM

Abstract

A modular fuel cell system (1) is provided, especially for use in vehicles, with a fuel cell module (2), which has a stack (7) of a plurality fuel cell elements (6) between a first end plate (4) and a second end plate (5), with a burner-heat exchanger module (3), which has a heat exchanger (10) for preheating cathode gas and a burner (11) for reacting fuel cell waste gases. Manufacturing advantages are provided with the first end plate (4) having, on a connection side (13) facing away from the stack (7), an anode gas inlet opening (14), a cathode gas inlet opening (15), an anode waste gas outlet opening (17) and a cathode waste gas outlet opening (18) and if the burner-heat exchanger module (3) has an anode gas outlet opening (22) communicatingly connected to the an anode gas inlet opening (14), an cathode gas outlet opening (23) communicatingly connected to the an cathode gas inlet opening (15), an anode waste gas inlet opening (24) communicatingly connected to the an anode waste gas outlet opening (17) and an cathode waste gas inlet opening (25) communicatingly connected to the an cathode waste gas outlet opening (18).

Claims20

Dependent claims

A modular fuel cell system comprising:

a fuel cell module comprising a stack of a plurality of fuel cell elements between a first end plate and a second end plate wherein the first end plate has an anode gas inlet opening, a cathode gas inlet opening, an anode waste gas outlet opening and a cathode waste gas outlet opening on a connection side facing away from the stack;
a burner-heat exchanger module comprising a heat exchanger for preheating cathode gas and a burner for reacting fuel cell waste gases, the burner-heat exchanger module having an anode gas outlet opening communicatingly connected to the anode gas inlet opening, a cathode gas outlet opening communicatingly connected to the cathode gas inlet opening, an anode waste gas inlet opening communicatingly connected to the anode waste gas outlet opening, and a cathode waste gas inlet opening communicatingly connected to the cathode waste gas outlet opening.

A vehicle modular fuel cell system comprising:

a fuel cell module comprising a stack of a plurality of fuel cell elements between a first end plate and a second end plate wherein the first end plate has anode gas inlet openings, cathode gas inlet openings, an anode waste gas outlet opening and a cathode waste gas outlet opening on a connection side facing away from the stack;
a burner-heat exchanger module comprising a heat exchanger for preheating cathode gas and a burner for reacting fuel cell waste gases, the burner-heat exchanger module having an anode gas inlet port connected to an anode gas source, a cathode gas inlet port connected to a cathode gas source, anode gas outlet openings communicatingly connected to the anode gas inlet openings, the anode gas inlet port being communicatingly connected to the plurality of anode gas outlet openings via an anode gas distributor, cathode gas outlet openings communicatingly connected to the cathode gas inlet openings, the cathode gas inlet port communicatingly connected to the plurality of cathode gas outlet openings via a cathode gas distributor, an anode waste gas inlet opening communicatingly connected to the anode waste gas outlet opening, and a cathode waste gas inlet opening communicatingly connected to the cathode waste gas outlet opening.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Modular fuel cell system

Life of this patent

Modular fuel cell system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20