Humid stream orifice via geometry and material that is robust to becoming blocked
US9190675B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 6, 2013 |
| Grant date | Nov 17, 2015 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 27, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02T90/40
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A component for reducing the likelihood of ice-related blockage in a fuel cell and methods for starting a fuel cell system. In one embodiment, the component is a separate insert configured with a sharp leading edge such that water droplets present in a reactant fluid that pass through an orifice in the component are conveyed away from an unstable formation at the edge to a more stable formation in an adjacent part of the component. In one form, the component is sized to fit within a valve inlet that in turn is placed in a humid reactant flowpath. In this way, when the fuel cell is operated in cold conditions—such as those associated with temperatures at or below the freezing point of water—the water droplets do not freeze in the area around the orifice such that ice-related blockage of the flowpath does not occur.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.