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US 8,076,039 B2Granted
Small volume, fuel cell inlet fuel gas distributor having low pressure drop
AssigneeUTC Power Corporation
InventorsJohn H. Whiton, Yu Wang, Carl A. Reiser, George S. Hirko, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a fuel cell stack, an inlet fuel distributor (15, 31, 31a, 31b) comprises a plurality of fuel distributing passageways (17-23, 40-47, 64) of substantially equal length and equal flow cross section to uniformly distribute fuel cell inlet fuel from a fuel supply conduit (13, 14, 50) to a fuel inlet manifold (28). The conduits may be either channels (40-47; 64) formed within a plate (39) or tubes (17-23). The channels may have single exits (65) or double exits (52, 53) into the fuel inlet manifold.
Claims19
A fuel cell fuel inlet apparatus for a plurality of fuel cells in a stack, comprising:
- a single fuel supply conduit;
- a surface configured to flow fuel into the fuel cells;
- and
- a plurality of mutually independent fuel distributing passageways, each said passageway having an inlet fluidically coupled directly to said fuel supply conduit and each said passageway having at least one exit configured to direct fuel to said surface, each said passageway configured to conduct, from said fuel supply conduit to said surface, substantially the same amount of fuel per unit of time as each other passageway, and each said passageway configured to conduct fuel from said fuel supply conduit to said surface in substantially the same amount of time as each other passageway.
1 more element
A fuel cell stack having a fuel inlet apparatus, said stack comprising:
- a stack of fuel cells, said fuel cells aligned along a substantially straight first line;
- a single fuel supply conduit;
- a plurality of mutually independent fuel distributing passageways, each said passageway having an inlet fluidically coupled directly to said fuel supply conduit, each said passageway having at least one exit aligned along a substantially straight second line in proximity with and parallel to said first line, each said exit configured to direct fuel in the vicinity of a corresponding different group of said fuel cells, each said passageway configured to conduct, from said fuel supply conduit to said fuel cells, substantially the same amount of fuel per unit of time as each other passageway, and each said passageway configured to conduct fuel from said fuel supply conduit to said fuel cells in substantially the same amount of time as each other passageway.
A fuel cell stack having a fuel inlet apparatus, said stack comprising:
- a stack of fuel cells, said fuel cells aligned along a substantially straight first line;
- a single fuel supply conduit;
- a plurality of mutually independent fuel distributing passageways, each said passageway having an inlet fluidically coupled directly to said fuel supply conduit, each said passageway having at least one exit aligned along a substantially straight second line in proximity with and parallel to said first line, each said exit configured to direct fuel in the vicinity of a corresponding different group of said fuel cells, said passageways configured to flow fuel through each of said passageways at the same flow rate as the flow rate in each other one of said passageways and with a simultaneous fuel front at said second line.
A method of providing inlet fuel to a plurality of fuel cells in a stack, said method comprising:
- conducting, from a single fuel supply conduit through a plurality of mutually independent fuel distributing passageways, to each of said plurality of fuel cells, substantially the same amount of fuel as to each other one of said fuel cells, and conducting fuel from said fuel supply conduit through said plurality of fuel distributing passageways to each of said plurality of fuel cells in substantially the same amount of time as to each other one of said fuel cells.
A fuel cell stack having a fuel inlet apparatus, said stack comprising:
- a plurality of fuel cells;
- a single fuel supply conduit;
- and
- a plurality of mutually independent fuel distributing passageways, each said passageway having an inlet fluidically coupled directly to said fuel supply conduit, each said passageway having at least one exit aligned to direct flow of fuel substantially parallel with flow of fuel directed by others of said exits, each said exit configured to direct fuel in the vicinity of a corresponding different group of said fuel cells wherein fuel is spread among said fuel cells, each said passageway configured to conduct, from said fuel supply conduit to said fuel cells, substantially the same amount of fuel per unit of time as each other passageway, and each said passageway configured to conduct fuel from said fuel supply conduit to said fuel cells in substantially the same amount of time as each other passageway.
1 more element
A fuel cell apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of fuel cells in a stack;
- a single fuel supply conduit;
- a surface configured to flow fuel into each of the fuel cells;
- and
- a plurality of mutually independent fuel distributing passageways, each said passageway having an inlet fluidically coupled directly to said fuel supply conduit and each said passageway having at least one exit configured to direct fuel to said surface, each said passageway configured to conduct, from said fuel supply conduit to said surface, substantially the same amount of fuel per unit of time as each other passageway, and each said passageway configured to conduct fuel from said fuel supply conduit to said surface in substantially the same amount of time as each other passageway.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.