Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Rainer Pechtold

Thorsten Rohwer

Ingo Hermann

Michael Leykauf

Dimitri A Podorashi

Wolfgang Markard

Hans Weidner

Bruce Jeffrey Clingerman

Oliver Maier

Steven R Falta

Donald H Keskula

Daniel C Di Fiore

Markus Lindner

James S Siepierski

Joseph Nicholas Lovria

Matthew A Lang

Andreas Koenekamp

Manfred Herrmann

Ralph T J Hobmeyr

Scott Dewey

Bernhard Wnendt

Hartmut Stengelin

Robert Schaefer

Roland Nolte

Hermann Victor

Christian Kunstmann

Andy Kraemer

A resettable thermal pressure relief device (TPRD) is disclosed. The TPRD includes a piston, a housing adapted to receive the piston and allow movement between an open and a closed position. The housing includes an actuator having a temperature sensitive material disposed therein. The temperature sensitive material volumetrically expands, increasing a length of the actuator and forcing a lever from a first position to a second position. The piston is held in the closed position by the lever in the first position. When the lever moves to the second position, the piston is allowed to move to the open position, allowing a fluid to flow through the TPRD from a high pressure vessel in communication therewith.

Resettable thermal pressure relief device

A pressure regulator for a hydrogen storage system, wherein the pressure regulator is adapted to operate at temperatures below &#x2212;50&#xb0; C., while minimizing the need for separate sealing elements and O-rings. The pressure regulator includes a main body including an inner cavity bounded by an interior wall, a piston disposed in the inner cavity, the piston including a first channel disposed adjacent a first portion, wherein the first portion is adapted to cooperate with the interior wall to form a seal between the piston and the interior wall, a first biasing device disposed in the first channel, wherein the first biasing device is adapted to exert a force on the first portion of the piston to form a seal between the first portion and the interior wall, and an end cap coupled to the main body thereby enclosing the piston to form an outlet pressure chamber.

Pressure regulator for hydrogen storage system

A coolant reservoir and associated multi-functional unit for a thermal sub-system of a fuel cell system. The coolant reservoir includes a flame arrester positioned in a gas region of the reservoir. The multi-functional unit includes a first pressure relief valve that automatically opens if the pressure within the gas region goes above a first predetermined pressure. The multi-functional unit may also include a second pressure release valve that quickly releases pressure in the coolant reservoir if the pressure within the gas region goes above a second higher predetermined pressure. The multi-functional unit also includes an air-line and a check valve for allowing ambient air to enter the gas region if the pressure within the gas region falls below ambient pressure. The multi-functional unit also includes a cooling fluid fill line having plumbing that causes the coolant reservoir to vent prior to a cooling fluid cap being removed.

Coolant ventilation system

A system and method for controlling hydrogen gas flow to an anode side of a fuel cell stack using a pressure regulator in the event that an injector that normally injects the hydrogen gas into the fuel cell stack has failed in a stuck open position. During normal operation, the control of the injector is determined based on the pressure of an anode sub-system and the position of the pressure regulator is determined based on a supply pressure between the pressure regulator and the injector. If it is determined that the injector is stuck in an open position, then the position of the pressure regulator is controlled to the anode pressure instead of the supply pressure. If the pressure regulator is an electrical pressure regulator, then it is pulsed to mimic normal system operation. Alternately, another valve, such as a shut-off valve, can be employed to provide the flow pulsing.

Fuel cell operation with a failed open injector

A method and system for automatically calibrating a pressure sensor in a hydrogen storage system for a fuel cell vehicle. A low-range pressure sensor in the fuel cell system, which has much greater accuracy at low pressure readings, is used to calibrate a high-range pressure sensor in the hydrogen storage system. This calibration can only be done when a pressure regulator situated between the two sensors is in a fully open position. In such a condition, the high-range sensor can be calibrated to the value of the low-range sensor, thus improving the accuracy of the high-range sensor's readings. The calibration can be a simple setting of the high-range sensor to the value of the low-range sensor under static conditions, or the calibration can be done while gas is flowing from the hydrogen storage system to the fuel cell by accounting for the pressure drop between the two sensors.

Calibration of a pressure sensor in a hydrogen storage system

A valve including an elastically deformable component is disclosed, wherein the elastically deformable component is disposed in one of a valve head and a valve body, and wherein the elastically deformable component is elastically deformed when the valve is in a closed position to facilitate a substantially fluid tight seal between the valve head and the valve body.

Valve with elastically deformable component

High pressure hydrogen fittings and methods of sealing a pipe to a valve body. In one embodiment, the high pressure hydrogen fitting includes a pipe having flange near one end; a nut surrounding the pipe on a low pressure side of the flange, the nut having threads mating with threads on a valve body; a lip seal surrounding the pipe on a high pressure side of the flange, the flange supporting the lip seal, the lip seal pointing toward the valve body, the lip seal having a cylindrical sealing surface, the cylindrical seal surface engaging the valve body; wherein when the pipe containing hydrogen is connected to a valve body, a seal is maintained at a pressure of up to about 87.5 MPa.

High pressure fitting for hydrogen applications

A process for manufacturing a compressed gas tank that includes a combination of an injection molding process and a rotomolding process. In a first step, a boss to be positioned in the opening of an outer structural layer of the tank is provided and a thin portion of the liner is injection molded to the boss so that a channel within the boss is filled with the liner material to increase the seal integrity between the boss and the liner. Once the liner material is hardened, the surface of the injection molding liner portion is cleaned. Next, a rotomolding process is performed to mold the remaining portion of the liner to the boss. During the rotomolding process, the injection molded portion of the liner melts to be part of the liner made during the rotomolding process.

Manufacturing process for hydrogen pressure tank

A fluid supply system is provided which includes a filling station operable to provide a fluid to a fuel storage vessel. The fluid supply system is operable in a first mode to provide a fluid in a liquid phase from the filling station to the storage vessel and is operable in a second mode to prevent the supply of the fluid to the storage vessel. The storage vessel is in fluid communication with the fluid supply system and is operable to receive the fluid in the liquid phase when the fluid supply system is in the first mode and discharge the fluid in a gaseous phase to the filling station. At least one sensor is in communication with the discharge passage and the fluid supply, and operates to cause the fluid supply to operate in the second mode in response to a detected pressure drop.

Overfill protection for liquid hydrogen tank

A pressure regulator is disclosed wherein multiple valve stages are used to accommodate low flow rates and to maximize a turn-down ratio of the regulator.

Multi stage pressure regulator

A fuel cell system utilizes at least one flow restricting device to vary the stoichiometric quantity of cathode reactant flowing to two discrete cathode sides of the fuel cell system. The varying of the stoichiometric quantity of cathode reactant can be between two predetermined values. The varying of the stoichiometric quantity can be during a steady state power demand placed on the system and/or during transients in a power demand placed on the system. The airmover that supplies the cathode reactant stream can be operated in a substantially continuous manner during a continuous power demand placed on the fuel cell system.

Dynamic cathode gas control for a fuel cell system

A heated O-ring that has particular application for providing sealing in the connector region of a compressed hydrogen storage tank in a fuel cell system. In one embodiment, an electrical heating wire is wound through the O-ring so that resistive heating is provide by applying an electrical potential to the wire so that the temperature of the O-ring does not decrease below a predetermined temperature. In another embodiment, electrical heating elements are provided adjacent to and in contact with the O-ring, where an electrical potential applied to the heating elements causes the heating elements to maintain the temperature of the O-ring.

Growing community of inventors

Russelsheim, Germany

Rainer Pechtold