Intelligent Energy Inc.

Other

Jonathan Cole

Paul Leonard Adcock

Peter David Hood

Simon Edward Foster

Ashley James Kells

Scott Baird

Nathaniel Thomas Palmer

Iain M Fraser

Daniel Ninan

Sophie Charlotte Harris

Phillip Wardle

Stephen Longley

Paul Alan Benson

Nathan Grange

Jeremy Stephen Matcham

Pratap Rama

Philip John Mitchell

Christopher James Kirk

Christopher Conlon

Emma Farndon

Lee Duckworth

Fuel cell stack assemblies having a positive end plate and a negative end plate. The end plates can be formed from a central structural element with an insulating end plate cover and an insulating end plate manifold. A plurality of cathode plates and a plurality of fuel cell assemblies can be arranged in a stack having an alternating pattern of cathode plates and fuel cell assemblies, with the positive end plate and the negative end plate provided on either end of the stack of cathode plates and fuel cell assemblies.

Thermal managing end plate for fuel cell stack assembly

The present disclosure provides methods for forming flow plate and frame assemblies that comprise an anode frame member, a flow plate, and a cathode frame member with the flow plate retained between the anode and cathode frame members. The present disclosure also provides for flow plate and frame assemblies, fuel cell stacks containing a plurality of the flow plate and frame assemblies, and fuel cell systems containing the fuel cell stacks. A fluidly connected anode fluid pathway can be provided from an anode fluid inlet, through conduits in the anode frame member, onto an anode surface of the flow plate, and into anode flow channels.

Plastic frame assembly and bipolar plate with through-flow fuel feed

A coolant storage tank () for storing coolant in a fuel cell system (), the coolant storage tank comprising a plurality of individually controllable heater elements (). A coolant storage tank comprising a first heater element () located at a base of the coolant storage tank and a second heater element () is also disclosed. A coolant storage tank comprising a first coolant storage compartment () in fluid communication with a second coolant storage compartment (), the first coolant storage compartment including at least a first heater element () and wherein the second coolant storage compartment is unheated is also disclosed. A method of melting frozen coolant in a coolant storage tank is also disclosed.

Coolant storage tank

Fuel cell stack assemblies having a positive end plate and a negative end plate. The end plates can be formed from a central structural clement with an insulating end plate cover and an insulating end plate manifold. A plurality of cathode plates and a plurality of fuel cell assemblies can be arranged in a stack having an alternating pattern of cathode plates and fuel cell assemblies, with the positive end plate and the negative end plate provided on either end of the stack of cathode plates and fuel cell assemblies.

The present disclosure provides fuel cell units formed from a plurality of flow plate assemblies disposed in a stack configuration, with adjacent flow plate assemblies in the stack configuration disposed at an offset angle relative to each other. Fuel cell stacks can be formed from a plurality of the fuel cell units placed into a stack aligned with each other with no offset. The present disclosure also provides for methods of forming the fuel cell units, fuel cell stacks, and fuel cell systems containing the former.

Fuel cell units having angled offset flow channels

Fuel cell stack assemblies () have a positive end plate () and a negative end plate (), The end plates () can be formed from a central structural element () with an insulating end plate cover () and an insulating end plate manifold (). A plurality of cathode plates () and a plurality of fuel cell assemblies () can be arranged in a stack having an alternating pattern of cathode plates () and fuel cell assemblies (), with the positive end plate () and the negative end plate () provided on either end of the stack of cathode plates and fuel cell assemblies.

A fuel cell stack assembly has a plurality of cells each having a fluid coolant conduit. A coolant feed manifold has a first inlet and a second inlet and is coupled to each fluid coolant conduit for distribution of fluid coolant within each cell. A pump is coupled for delivery of fluid coolant to the coolant feed manifold through the first and second inlets. A flow control assembly is configured to periodically modify the relative flow rates of fluid coolant through the first and second inlets so that stagnant regions in the coolant feed manifold are avoided. The flow control assembly may also be adapted to periodically interrupt the flow path between the pump and the manifold such that the fluid coolant is delivered to the manifold intermittently, thereby enabling low water flows below a minimum set point of the pump.

Coolant fluid feed to fuel cell stacks

The invention relates to fuel cell assemblies, and in particular to improvements relating to sealing of such assemblies, embodiments of which include a fuel cell assembly () comprising a membrane electrode assembly (), a cathode separator plate () having a series of corrugations extending, and providing air flow paths, between first and second opposing edges of the plate, a gasket () providing a fluid seal around a peripheral edge of the membrane electrode assembly () between the separator plate () and the membrane electrode assembly () and a metal shim () disposed between the gasket () and the separator plate () over the peripheral edge of the membrane electrode assembly ().

Fuel cell assembly

A fuel cell stack assembly has a plurality of fuel cells each having a fluid coolant conduit. A coolant feed inlet manifold has a coolant inlet, and the coolant feed inlet manifold is coupled to each fluid coolant conduit for distribution of coolant to each fuel cell. The coolant feed inlet manifold also has a discharge conduit located at one end of the coolant feed inlet manifold. The discharge conduit is configured to discharge excess coolant from the coolant feed inlet manifold. By supplying excess coolant to the coolant feed inlet manifold problems arising due to very low coolant flow rates through the fluid coolant conduits in the fuel cells can be reduced or eliminated.

Excess coolant fluid feed to fuel cell stacks

An electrochemical fuel cell having an anode, an ion transfer membrane and a cathode has liquid water delivered to the fluid flow channels within the cathode so as to maintain a relative humidity of 100% throughout the fluid flow channels. A calibration method and apparatus is described for determining an optimum quantity or range of quantities of liquid water to be delivered to the cathode fluid flow channels under varying operating conditions. An operating method and apparatus is described that ensures an optimum quantity of liquid water is delivered to the cathode fluid flow channels under varying operating conditions.

Water management in fuel cells

A fuel cell assembly supplies water and water vapour by-product to a cooling water circuit delivered to a thermal storage tank from which it can be recycled to the fuel cell stack as direct input to the membrane electrode assemblies, for use as fuel/oxidant preheat and/or direct water injection to the membrane electrode assembly. The purity of water delivered to the membrane is thereby assured. The thermal storage tank allows for a decoupling of the thermal and electrical loads on the fuel cell stack in a combined heat and electrical power delivery unit. Under low external electrical loads, the fuel cell stack and its cooling circuit may be used at high capacity to provide hot water.

Growing community of inventors

Loughborough, United Kingdom

Jonathan Cole