Ford Motor Company Limited

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Global Tech.inc

Kurt David Osborne

Milos Milacic

Keith Oglesby

Woong-chul Yang

Fred G Brighton

William Hubert Schank

Donald Charles Franks

Richard Allen Scholer

Jon Beasley

Suriyaprakash Ayyangar Janarthanam

William Frederick Sanderson

Craig Michael Mathie

Victor Dobrin

William Michael Sanderson

Virgo Edwards

Donald Paul Alessi, Jr

Mark A Pellerin

Scott Aaron Black

William Sanderson, Jr

A fuel cell system including a fuel cell stack, separator and a scavenging reservoir. The fuel cell stack is configured to generate water and reusable fuel. The separator is downstream of and in fluid communication with the fuel cell stack. The separator is configured to separate the water from the reusable fuel. The scavenging reservoir is downstream of and in fluid communication with the separator. The scavenging reservoir is configured to receive the water from the separator. The scavenging reservoir includes an inlet portion, an outlet portion, and a middle portion positioned between the inlet and outlet portions. The middle portion includes a reservoir and a passageway extending there between. The passageway is configured to allow a fluid stream to flow there through when the reservoir is occupied by a frozen fluid.

Fuel cell purge line system

An apparatus for delivering a primary fuel stream to a fuel cell stack is provided. The apparatus includes an ejector that is configured to receive the primary fuel stream from a fuel supply. The apparatus is further configured to receive the recirculated fuel stream from the fuel cell stack to provide a combined fluid stream for delivery to the fuel cell stack. The ejector includes an elastic conduit for varying a flow of the combined fluid stream based on a power level of the fuel cell stack.

Varying wall geometry ejector

A fuel cell purge apparatus for a fuel cell system has a separator defining a chamber for receiving a recirculated fuel stream including a fluid and impurities. The apparatus has a drain conduit with an outer passage connected to the chamber. The outer passage forms a fluid trap to collect the fluid. The drain conduit also has an inner passage nested within the outer passage through the fluid trap for delivering the impurities to a purge valve. The inner passage has a free end extending into the chamber of the separator.

Purge assembly for a fuel cell system

A modular fuel cell power system includes a coolant source, a reactant source and a plurality of fuel cell modules. Each of the fuel cell modules includes a fuel cell stack and a fluid distribution plant in fluid communication with the reactant source, coolant source and fuel cell stack. The fluid distribution plant controls the flow of reactant between the reactant source and fuel cell stack. The fuel cell stacks are configured to be selectively electrically connected.

Modular fuel cell power system

A gas reclaiming system is disclosed. The gas reclaiming system includes a getter device adapted to receive mixed gases and separate the mixed gases into at least one gas of interest and constituent gases. A recirculation loop is disposed in fluid communication with the getter device and adapted to receive the at least one gas of interest from the getter device. A gas reclaiming method is also disclosed.

Gas reclaiming system and method

A system for delivering an input fuel stream to a fuel cell stack to generate electrical current and to discharge an unused fuel stream is provided. A supply produces a supply fuel stream. An ejector combines a purged fuel stream and the supply fuel stream and controls the flow of the input fuel stream to the fuel cell stack. A purging arrangement receives the unused fuel stream which includes impurities and purges the impurities from the unused fuel stream to generate the purged fuel stream. A bypass valve is capable of delivering the purged fuel stream to the ejector. A blower is capable of delivering the purged fuel stream to the ejector. A controller controls one of the bypass valve and the blower for delivering the purged fuel stream to the ejector based on the amount of electrical current generated by the fuel cell stack.

System and method for purging water from a fuel cell stack

A system for delivering a supply fluid stream to a fuel cell stack that discharges an unused fluid stream is provided. A fuel supply is adapted to provide a pressurized supply fluid stream. An expander is in fluid communication with the fuel supply and is configured to receive the pressurized supply fluid stream to reduce the pressure of the pressurized supply fluid stream and to generate mechanical energy in response to reducing the pressure of the pressurized supply fluid stream. An electric machine is operably coupled to the expander and for selectively converting the mechanical energy generated by the expander into electrical energy. A compressor/blower is capable of being driven by at least one of the mechanical energy and the electrical energy to control the flow of the unused fluid stream to the fuel cell stack for recirculating the unused fluid stream back to the fuel cell stack.

Hydrogen recirculation system using integrated motor generator energy

A system and method for delivering an input fluid stream through a fuel cell stack and discharge an unused fluid stream is provided. An inlet of the fuel cell stack is adapted to receive the fluid stream. An ejector is configured to combine the supply fluid stream and the unused fluid stream to generate the input fluid stream and control the flow of the input fluid stream to the fuel cell stack. A blower is configured to control the flow of the unused fluid stream to the ejector. A bypass valve is configured to control the flow of the unused fluid stream to the blower and to the ejector.

System and method for recirculating unused fuel in fuel cell application

A method of removing moisture from a fuel cell stack. The presence of liquid water in a fuel cell stack is especially undesirable should the temperature drop below freezing since the structures within the fuel cell are subject to degradation. One method includes measuring the temperature in the vicinity of a fuel cell vehicle when the fuel cell vehicle has been shut down and measuring the time elapsed since fuel cell vehicle shut off, and then flowing a moisture-removing medium through the fuel cell when the ambient temperature drops to a predetermined temperature and a time delay condition is satisfied. The moisture-removing medium is flowed through the fuel cell for a sufficient time to remove a sufficient amount of the water to inhibit degradation by freezing of water. A system which implements the method of the present invention is also provided.

Temperature-based vehicle wakeup strategy to initiate fuel cell freeze protection

A method of removing moisture from a fuel cell stack is provided. The presence of liquid water in a fuel cell stack is undesirable should the temperature drop below freezing since the structures within the fuel cell are subject to degradation and potentially damage by ice formation. The method of the invention comprises measuring the temperature in the vicinity of a fuel cell vehicle when the fuel cell vehicle has been shut down, and then flowing a moisture-removing medium through the fuel cell when the ambient temperature drops to a predetermined temperature. The moisture-removing medium is flowed through the fuel cell for a sufficient time to remove a sufficient amount of the water in the fuel cell so that the fuel cell is not degraded by freezing of water. The present invention also provides a fuel cell water removing system which implements the method of the present invention.

A system is provided for supplying air to a fuel cell for use within a vehicle . The system includes a conventional storage tank which receives and stores hydrogen gas at a relatively high pressure, an expander unit , a compressor unit , pressure regulators , a valve , a controller , and vehicle sensors , and a secondary compressor . The system selectively channels pressurized hydrogen gas through expander unit which lowers the pressure of the hydrogen gas and rotatably drives compressor . By utilizing the potential energy within the hydrogen gas to drive compressor , system conserves energy and improves the overall fuel economy of the vehicle

System and method for supplying air to a fuel cell for use in a vehicle

A system is provided for recovering the potential energy of a hydrogen gas fuel supply within a fuel cell powered vehicle . The system includes a conventional storage tank which receives and stores hydrogen gas at a relatively high pressure, an expander , a compressor , a motor/generator which selectively generates electrical power and torque, pressure regulators , a valve , an electrical charge storage device or battery , a controller , vehicle sensors and electrical switches or switching module . The system selectively channels pressurized hydrogen gas through expander which lowers the pressure of the hydrogen gas, rotatably drives compressor and generates electricity. Controller causes the generated electricity to be selectively communicated to electrical accessories , and/or to battery by use of switching module , based upon vehicle attribute data received from sensors . Based upon the attribute data, controller may also signal valve to bypass expander , and cause electrical power to be supplied to motor/generator from battery to drive compressor

System and method for recovering potential energy of a hydrogen gas fuel supply for use in a vehicle

A system is provided for recovering the potential energy of a hydrogen gas fuel supply within a fuel cell powered vehicle . The system includes a conventional storage tank which receives and stores hydrogen gas at a relatively high pressure, an energy conversion unit or assembly , a compressor unit or assembly , pressure regulators , a valve , an electrical charge storage device or battery , a controller , vehicle sensors and electrical switches or switching module . The system selectively channels pressurized hydrogen gas through energy conversion unit which lowers the pressure of the hydrogen gas and generates electricity. Controller causes the generated electricity to be selectively communicated to compressor , electrical accessories , and/or to battery by use of switching module based upon vehicle attribute data received from sensors

System and method for recovering energy of a hydrogen gas fuel supply for use in a vehicle

A system,is provided for ventilating hydrogen gas from a vehicle,which includes one or more fuel cells,. System,includes a control module or controller,, vehicle sensors,, several fans,, and several hydrogen gas sensors,which are operatively and communicatively coupled to a hydrogen gas detection module,. Hydrogen gas detection module,, sensors,and fans,are each communicatively connected to controller,. Controller,is effective to selectively and periodically activate fans,in response to signals received from module,(e.g., sensors,) and sensors,, thereby substantially preventing hydrogen gas from pocketing or collecting in areas of vehicle

Growing community of inventors

Dearborn, MI, United States of America

Kurt David Osborne