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:
Jul. 31, 2012
Filed:
Oct. 26, 2007
Derek R Lebzelter, Rochester, NY (US);
William S Marley, Rush, NY (US);
John P. Salvador, Penfield, NY (US);
Abdullah B. Alp, West Henrietta, NY (US);
Loren Devries, Rochester, NY (US);
Derek R Lebzelter, Rochester, NY (US);
William S Marley, Rush, NY (US);
John P. Salvador, Penfield, NY (US);
Abdullah B. Alp, West Henrietta, NY (US);
Loren Devries, Rochester, NY (US);
GM Global Technology Operations LLC, Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
A method for improving fuel cell system reliability in the event of end cell heater failure in a fuel cell stack. The method includes detecting that an end cell heater has failed. If an end cell heater failure is detected, then the method performs one or more of setting a cooling fluid pump to a predetermined speed that drives a cooling fluid through cooling fluid flow channels in the fuel cell stack, limiting the output power of the fuel cell stack or the net power of the fuel cell system, limiting the maximum temperature of the cooling fluid flowing out of the stack, turning off stack anti-flooding algorithms that may be used to remove water from reactant gas flow channels in the stack, and turning off cathode stoichiometry adjustments for relative humidity control in response to water accumulating in cathode flow channels in the fuel cell stack.