Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

David A Masten

Mark A Meltser

William S Wheat

Prem Menon

Gerald W Fly

Yeh-Hung Lai

Bruce Jeffrey Clingerman

John C Fagley

Victor W Logan

Eric J Connor

Wenbin Gu

Daniel B O'Connell

Daryl Chapman

Robert Schafer

Barbara S Moore

Norm Dill

John J Conley

A bipolar plate for a fuel cell is provided that includes a pair of unipolar plates having a separator plate disposed therebetween. One of the unipolar plates is produced from a porous material to minimize cathode transport resistance at high current density. A fuel cell stack including a fuel cell and the bipolar plate is also provided.

Bipolar plate for a fuel cell stack

A fuel cell system that employs one or more wax elements to provide passive control. In one embodiment, a wax element device is positioned within a coolant stream pipe. The wax element device includes a wax element positioned within a container. An electrically conductive rod is positioned within the wax element and extends out of the pipe. As the wax element expands and contracts in response to temperature changes in the cooling fluid, the rod moves up and down to make various electrical contacts and control the various devices, such a coolant pump and a coolant fan. In another embodiment, the rod extends into a cathode exhaust pipe of the fuel cell system, and is coupled to a back-pressure valve therein. As the temperature of the cooling fluid changes, the wax element expands and contracts to control the position of the back-pressure valve.

Wax elements as passive control devices in fuel cell power systems

A system and method for putting a fuel cell vehicle into a performance mode by preloading sub-systems in the fuel cell system so that high power is available from the fuel cell stack quicker than during normal fuel cell system operation. For example, if a driver activates a vehicle performance mode, the fuel cell system can respond by, for example, increasing the compressor speed, increasing anode recirculation, increasing air and cooling fluid flow through the radiator, increasing battery state-of-charge, etc. Thus, when the driver requests the high power after the system is in the performance mode, the system is able to deliver the desired power immediately or at least quicker and for a longer time period.

Fuel cell vehicle performance mode

An energy management system controls the temperature of a fuel cell system while a vehicle is not running. The energy management system includes a fuel cell stack, a blower that provides air to the fuel cell stack, a water supply, and a hydrogen supply. A hydrogen supply valve is connected between the hydrogen supply and the fuel cell stack. A heater is connected to an output of the fuel cell stack. A controller controls the hydrogen supply valve and the blower to power the heater to warm the fuel cell stack and the water supply. The controller starts the blower and opens the hydrogen supply valve if heating is necessary and if a tank level signal exceeds a first tank level value. The controller activates a purge, drains water from the water supply, and inhibits vehicle startup if the tank level signal does not exceed a first tank level value.

Fuel cell energy management system for cold environments

A fuel cell system that employs a purge valve, an accumulator and a bleed valve for selectively purging and bleeding anode exhaust gas. When the purge valve is opened, the anode exhaust gas purges to the accumulator where it is collected. The bleed valve provides a controlled release of the anode exhaust gas from the accumulator that allows the concentration of hydrogen bled from the accumulator to remain below its combustible limit. In one embodiment, the purged anode exhaust gas is combined with the cathode exhaust gas and released to atmosphere. In another embodiment, the purged anode exhaust gas is combined with a cathode input gas. In another embodiment, the purged anode exhaust gas is combined with an anode input gas.

Non-flammable exhaust enabler for hydrogen powered fuel cells

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Rochester, NY, United States of America

David A Masten