# US 2016/0355102 A1 · Fuel Cell System Having a Fuel Cell Stack Arranged in a Housing, and a Measure for Ventilating the Housing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2016/0355102 A1 - Document ID: US20160355102A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/244,133 - Filed: 2016-08-23 - Published: 2016-12-08 - Earliest claimed: 2014-02-24 - Assignees: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft - Applicants: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft - Inventors: Stephan FRIEDRICH; Martin SCHERRER; Michael BAUER; Johannes SCHMID; Norbert FRISCH - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160355102A1 ## CPC - B60L 50/72: Constructional details of fuel cells specially adapted for electric vehicles - B60L 50/71: Arrangement of fuel cells within vehicles specially adapted for electric vehicles - H01M 8/04014: Heat exchange using gaseous fluids; Heat exchange by combustion of reactants - H01M 8/04067: {Heat exchange or temperature measuring elements, thermal insulation, e.g. heat pipes, heat pumps, fins} - H01M 8/04089: of gaseous reactants - H01M 8/0444: Concentration; Density (H01M8/04492 takes precedence) - H01M 8/04462: {of anode exhausts} - H01M 8/0662: Treatment of gaseous reactants or gaseous residues, e.g. cleaning - H01M 8/2475: Enclosures, casings or containers of fuel cell stacks - H01M 2250/20: Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane - Y02E 60/50: Fuel cells - Y02T 90/40: Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A fuel cell system, in particular for a motor vehicle, has a fuel cell stack arranged in a housing and a measure for ventilating this housing by coupling the ventilation stream to another gas stream. The ventilation stream is fed to an air stream which is conducted through a radiator of the fuel cell system. The radiator is an ambient air heat exchanger. If the ventilation stream is fed in upstream of the radiator, a venting opening in the housing can be placed in such a way that the ventilation stream is entrained to the radiator by the inflow air stream. Alternatively, the ventilation stream can be fed to an exhaust gas stream of the fuel cell stack and the latter can be fed to the outflow stream of the radiator. A sensor for determining the hydrogen content in a gas stream downstream of the point where the ventilation stream is fed may be provided. An electronic monitoring device which, on the basis of this sensor signal, draws a conclusion about hydrogen which is possibly located in a free state within the housing. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A fuel cell system, comprising: a housing; a fuel cell stack arranged in the housing, wherein a ventilation flow that ventilates the housing is supplied to an air flow conducted through an ambient-air heat exchanging radiator of the fuel cell system. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the fuel cell system is for a motor vehicle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation flow is supplied upstream of the radiator. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The fuel cell system according to claim 3, wherein the housing comprises a ventilation opening, the ventilation opening being positioned such that the ventilation flow is entrained by an inlet-airflow to the radiator. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein: the ventilation flow is supplied to an exhaust-gas flow of the fuel cell stack, and the exhaust-gas flow is supplied to an exit-air flow of the radiator. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The fuel cell system according to claim 5, wherein the exhaust-gas flow is supplied to the exit-airflow of the radiator in a mixing region. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The fuel cell system according to claim 5, wherein a cathode exhaust-gas flow and an anode exhaust-gas flow of the fuel cell stack are merged in a mixer. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The fuel cell system according to claim 1, further comprising: a sensor configured to determined hydrogen content in a gas flow downstream of the supply of the ventilation flow; and an electronic monitoring device which, based on a signal of the sensor, monitors the hydrogen content in the mixed gas flow. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The fuel cell system according to claim 8, wherein the electronic monitoring device is configured to draw a conclusion regarding hydrogen possibly freely situated within the housing of the fuel cell system.