Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for vaporizing fuel for a reformer fuel cell system

US6936364B2 · kind B2 · utility

3Cited by

5References

7Claims

0Family size

Assignees

Modine Manufacturing Company · US
XCELLSiS GmbH · DE

Inventors

Michael J. Reinke · Franklin, US
Jonathan Wattelet · Gurnee, US
Mark G. Voss · Brighton, US
Uwe Benz · Giengen an der Brenz, DE
Bruno Motzet · Kirchheim unter Teck, DE
Alois Tischler · Dorfen, DE
Marc Weisser · Owen, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Oct 24, 2001
Grant date	Aug 30, 2005
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Dec 18, 2022

Classification

Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
CPC primaryY02E60/50
WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Rapid response to a fuel cell system of the type including a reformer (32) in response to a change in load is achieved in a system that includes a fuel tank (24), a water tank (20) and a source (42) of a fluid at an elevated temperature. A heat exchanger (28) is provided for vaporizing fuel and water and delivering the resulting vapor to the system reformer (32) and includes an inlet (64) and an outlet (66) for the fluid. It includes a plurality of fluid flow paths (100), (102), (104) extending between the inlet (64) and outlet (66) as well as a fuel inlet (56) and a fuel outlet (58) spaced therefrom. The fuel inlet (56) and outlet (58) are connected by a plurality of fuel flow paths (52) that are in heat exchange relation with the fluid flow paths (100), (102), (104) and the fuel water inlet (56) is located adjacent the upstream ends of the fluid flow paths (100), (102), (104).

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.