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US 2024/0405237 A1Published application
Fuel cell system and method of operating a fuel cell system
AssigneePurem GmbH
InventorGerd Gaiser
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, an anode region which is to be fed with hydrogen at an anode inlet of the fuel cell, a cathode region which is to be fed with oxygen via a cathode inlet conduit at a cathode inlet of the fuel cell, a cathode gas conveyor for conveying cathode gas into the cathode inlet conduit, an anode outlet conduit which accepts anode offgas at an anode outlet of the fuel cell, a catalytic converter through which the anode offgas can flow in the anode outlet conduit, a cathode outlet conduit which accepts cathode offgas at a cathode outlet of the fuel cell, and a cathode branch conduit that connects the cathode inlet conduit to the anode outlet conduit upstream of the catalytic converter.
Claims20
A fuel cell system comprising:
- a fuel cell having an anode region and a cathode region;
- said fuel cell defining an anode inlet to permit feeding said anode region with hydrogen;
- a cathode inlet conduit;
- said fuel cell defining a cathode inlet to permit feeding said cathode region with oxygen at said cathode inlet via said cathode inlet conduit;
- a cathode gas conveyor for conveying cathode gas into said cathode inlet conduit;
- said fuel cell defining an anode outlet and a cathode outlet;
- an anode outlet conduit for receiving anode offgas at said anode outlet;
- a catalytic converter wherethrough said anode offgas flows in said anode outlet conduit;
- a cathode outlet conduit for receiving cathode offgas at said cathode outlet of said fuel cell;
- and,
- a cathode branch conduit connecting said cathode inlet conduit to said anode outlet conduit upstream of said catalytic converter.
8 more elements
A fuel cell system comprising:
- a fuel cell having an anode region and a cathode region;
- said fuel cell defining an anode inlet to permit feeding said anode region with hydrogen;
- a cathode inlet conduit;
- said fuel cell defining a cathode inlet to permit feeding said cathode region with oxygen at said cathode inlet via said cathode inlet conduit;
- a cathode gas conveyor for conveying cathode gas into said cathode inlet conduit;
- said fuel cell defining an anode outlet and a cathode outlet;
- an anode outlet conduit for receiving anode offgas at said anode outlet;
- a catalytic converter wherethrough said anode offgas flows in said anode outlet conduit;
- a cathode outlet conduit receiving cathode offgas at said cathode outlet of said fuel cell;
- a blower;
- and,
- an air inlet conduit for introducing air as a mixed gas via said blower into said anode outlet conduit upstream of said catalytic converter.
9 more elements
A method of operating a fuel cell system, including:
- a fuel cell having an anode region and a cathode region;
- said fuel cell defining an anode inlet to permit feeding said anode region with hydrogen;
- a cathode inlet conduit;
- said fuel cell defining a cathode inlet to permit feeding said cathode region with oxygen at said cathode inlet via said cathode inlet conduit;
- a cathode gas conveyor for conveying cathode gas into said cathode inlet conduit;
- said fuel cell defining an anode outlet and a cathode outlet;
- an anode outlet conduit for receiving anode offgas at said anode outlet;
- a catalytic converter wherethrough said anode offgas flows in said anode outlet conduit;
- a cathode outlet conduit for receiving cathode offgas at said cathode outlet of said fuel cell;
- and, a cathode branch conduit connecting said cathode inlet conduit to said anode outlet conduit upstream of said catalytic converter;
- the method comprising:
- directing the anode offgas released at the anode outlet of the fuel cell through the catalytic converter to reduce hydrogen content in the anode offgas;
- and,
- adding a portion of the cathode gas to be fed in from the cathode inlet to the fuel cell or adding air as a mixed gas to the anode offgas upstream of the catalytic converter.
11 more elements
A method of operating a fuel cell system includes a fuel cell having an anode region and a cathode region;
- said fuel cell defining an anode inlet to permit feeding said anode region with hydrogen;
- a cathode inlet conduit;
- said fuel cell defining a cathode inlet to permit feeding said cathode region with oxygen at said cathode inlet via said cathode inlet conduit;
- a cathode gas conveyor for conveying cathode gas into said cathode inlet conduit;
- said fuel cell defining an anode outlet and a cathode outlet;
- an anode outlet conduit for receiving anode offgas at said anode outlet;
- a catalytic converter wherethrough said anode offgas flows in said anode outlet conduit;
- a cathode outlet conduit receiving cathode offgas at said cathode outlet of said fuel cell;
- a blower;
- and, an air inlet conduit for introducing air as a mixed gas via said blower into said anode outlet conduit upstream of said catalytic converter;
- the method comprising:
- directing the anode offgas released at the anode outlet of the fuel cell through the catalytic converter to reduce hydrogen content in the anode offgas;
- and,
- adding a portion of the cathode gas to be fed in from the cathode inlet to the fuel cell or adding air as a mixed gas to the anode offgas upstream of the catalytic converter.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.