The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 29, 2019
Filed:
Jul. 21, 2015
GM Global Technology Operations Llc, Detroit, MI (US);
Jingxin Zhang, Novi, MI (US);
Balasubramanian Lakshmanan, Rochester Hills, MI (US);
Manish Sinha, Rochester Hills, MI (US);
GM Global Technology Operations LLC, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
A fuel cell stack hydrogen starvation detection device, a fuel cell system and a method of operating a fuel cell stack to protect it from hydrogen starvation conditions. In one particular form, the fuel cell system includes a stack of fuel cells, a controller and a detection device made up of one or more sensors that can compare a reference signal corresponding to the presence of substantially pure hydrogen to a signal that corresponds to a local hydrogen value within a single fuel cell within the stack or across multiple fuel cells within the stack. In this way, the detection device promptly provides indicia of a hydrogen starvation condition within the cell or stack without the need for conventional cell voltage monitoring. The detected hydrogen starvation condition may be presented as a warning signal to alert a user that such a condition may be present, as well as to the controller for modification of the stack operation.