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US 2011/0253465 A1Published application
Fuel Cell Water Disposal
AssigneeThe Raymond Corporation
InventorsAugustus Baldini, Richard Day
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Automated systems and methods remove water from a fuel cell powered vehicle and eliminate the need for one or more separate steps to discharge the water. The water may be simultaneously drained or discharged from the vehicle holding tank while the fuel cell powered vehicle is being refueled.
Claims23
A fuel cell powered vehicle comprising:
- a fuel cell disposed on the vehicle and adapted to produce usable electrical energy and water;
- a fuel tank disposed on the vehicle to contain a supply of fuel for the fuel cell;
- a holding tank disposed on the vehicle to hold the water;
- a holding tank drain valve in fluid communication with the holding tank;
- a fueling fitting disposed on the vehicle and adapted to sealingly couple to a mating fueling nozzle;
- and
- a sensing system adapted to sense at least one of the fueling nozzle coupled to the fueling fitting and fueling in process, and to open the holding tank drain valve to allow the water to drain when at least one of the fueling nozzle coupled to the fueling fitting and fueling in process is sensed.
4 more elements
A method of removing water from a fuel cell powered vehicle, the method comprising:
- collecting the water from the fuel cell in a holding tank, the fuel cell and holding tank disposed on the vehicle;
- coupling a fueling nozzle to a fueling fitting disposed on the vehicle, the fueling fitting being in fluid communication with the holding tank and a fuel tank;
- sensing at least one of the fueling nozzle coupled to the fueling fitting and fueling in process;
- and
- filling the fuel tank with fuel while simultaneously discharging the water from the holding tank.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.