Fuel tank

US6610433B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignees

• Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE
• P 21 GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Wolfgang Herdeg · Rutesheim, DE
• Holger Klos · Karlsruhe, DE
• Martin Sattler · Luckau, DE
• Hans-Dieter Wilhelm · Neu-Anspach, DE
• Jürgen Habrich · Großkrotzenburg, DE
• Karl Eck · Frankfurt, DE
• Thomas Zapp · Dortmund, DE
• Markus Keutz · Roßdorf, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 20, 2000
• Grant date: Aug 26, 2003
• Expiry date: Mar 20, 2020

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02E60/50
• WIPO field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A fuel tank, in particular for fuel-cell systems, which can feed fuel into a system via a mechanism without a pump or the like. This is achieved by a fuel tank with a fuel cavity of variable size and a mechanism for compressing the fuel cavity. The fuel cavity is preferably bounded by a cylindrical inner wall of the fuel tank, by a circular end surface of the fuel tank and by a circular, displaceable intermediate wall. The intermediate wall is forced essentially in the direction of the fuel cavity by a spring and has a form fit with the cylindrical inner wall. A feed device and a discharge device allow incorporation in a fuel line. The system also includes a control device and a method for this fuel container, which is thus enabled to have the following operating states: A. fuel-cell system is switched on: discharge valve open, feed valve closed; B. fuel-cell system is in operation: discharge valve open, feed valve open; C. fuel-cell system is switched off: discharge valve closed, feed valve open; and D. fuel-cell system is off, fuel cavity is full: discharge valve closed, feed valve closed.