Fuel cell stack sensor and a method for operating the same
AssigneesHyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
InventorGun Ho Kwak
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed are a fuel cell stack sensor and a method of operating the same. The fuel cell stack sensor has a structure capable of measuring a temperature, a humidity, and a hydrogen concentration inside and outside of a fuel cell stack enclosure including a fuel cell stack by using at least two or more substrates inside the sensor. The fuel cell stack sensory may also determine whether: there is a hydrogen leak and the concentration of the leaked hydrogen; whether there is a leak inside the fuel cell stack enclosure; and whether the fuel cell stack sensor itself is poisoned by volatile organic compounds.
Claims20
A fuel cell stack sensor comprising:
- a first substrate configured to measure at least one of an external temperature or an external humidity of a fuel cell stack enclosure including a fuel cell stack;
- a second substrate configured to measure at least one of an internal temperature or an internal humidity of the fuel cell stack enclosure;
- and
- a hydrogen sensing element disposed on the second substrate configured to detect hydrogen inside the fuel cell stack enclosure.
A method of operating a fuel cell stack sensor, the method comprising:
- comparing a first temperature value indicating an external temperature of a fuel cell stack enclosure including a fuel cell stack with a second temperature value indicating an internal temperature of the fuel cell stack enclosure;
- comparing a first humidity value indicating an external humidity of the fuel cell stack enclosure with a second humidity value indicating an internal humidity of the fuel cell stack enclosure;
- and
- determining an operation of the fuel cell stack sensor based on comparison results of the first and second temperature values and of the first and second humidity values.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.