Fuel cell power plant self-controlling coolant cleaning process
US4344849A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 19, 1981 |
| Grant date | Aug 17, 1982 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 19, 2001 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E60/50
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
In an automated process for deaerating and purifying both the water which is recirculated in a coolant loop through a stack of fuel cells and the make-up water for the coolant loop, a portion of the water from the coolant loop is blown down into a deaerator water reservoir to which make-up water is added by condensing water from the fuel cell stack reactant gas streams into a deaeration column disposed above the reservoir. The blowdown provides some of the heat for deaeration; and the amount of blowdown is controlled as a function of the amount of make-up water added to the coolant loop by sensing the location of a steam/liquid interface within the deaeration column. Water is withdrawn from the reservoir, purified, and then introduced into the coolant loop at a rate sufficient to maintain the desired amount of water circulating in the coolant loop.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.