Utc Fuel Cells, LLC

Utc Power Corporation

Parthasarathy Seshadri

Leslie L Van Dine

G Michael Gron, Jr

Matthew P Wilson

Alfred Meyer

Alfred P Meyer

Thomas M Clark

A PEM fuel cell power plant system () has a process air pump (), which may be a fan, a blower or a compressor, with an adiabatic efficiency of between 40% and 70%. The process air at the inletof the cathode reactant gas flow fieldis between 1.07 atmospheres and 1.85 atmospheres, and may be at an optimal pressure for maximum overall system efficiency={0.45+2.6&#x2212;1.8} atms&#xb1;0.2 atmswhere P is the air inlet pressure and E is the adiabatic efficiency of the process air pump.

Maximizing PEM fuel cell power plant system efficiency at optimum system pressure

The outflow of coolers or water transport plates of a fuel cell stack () is fed to the inlet of a gas/liquid separator (), the liquid output of which is connected through a primary pump () to a liquid accumulator (). A secondary pump () connected to the liquid output () of the liquid accumulator is fed to the principal inlet () of an eductor (), the secondary inlet being connected to the gas output of the gas/liquid separator. The outlet () of the eductor is fed through a conduit () to a point below liquid level in the liquid accumulator. Thus, failure of the secondary pump () will not cause cavitation of the primary pump () through the eductor so that coolant will continue to flow through the fuel cell stack. A demineralizer () is fed through a pressure reducing orifice () from the outlet of the secondary pump.

Dual pump fuel cell temperature management system

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Weatogue, CT, United States of America

Parthasarathy Seshadri