Fuel Cell Coolant Cooling via Outlet Stream Heat Exchange
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fuel cell systems with low-temperature fuel cells require powerful cooling, leading to insufficient cooling at high loads and limited performance, especially in vehicles at high ambient temperatures, and existing solutions like heat pumps reduce overall efficiency due to electrical energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
A fuel cell system with a cooling device that utilizes the cooler outlet stream to cool the coolant, potentially through a turbine or humidification device, where the outlet stream is cooled before passing through a cooling element, allowing it to cool the coolant further without significantly impairing system efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a powerful cooler is used to cool the fuel cell, then the cooling capacity is improved, but the device complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the cooling function with the existing outlet stream flow path. The outlet stream, which already flows through the fuel cell system, is utilized to cool the coolant in a heat exchanger, merging the cooling function with the existing gas flow path rather than adding a completely separate cooling system.
Solution Approach 2:
The outlet stream serves multiple functions: it exits the fuel cell, flows through a turbine to generate power, and simultaneously cools the coolant in the heat exchanger. This multi-functionality reduces the need for dedicated cooling components.
2Temperature
If a heat pump is used to extract heat from the cooling circuit, then the cooling capacity is improved, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the waste heat in the outlet stream into a useful cooling resource. Instead of treating the outlet stream as mere waste heat to be removed, it utilizes this heat to cool the coolant, turning a potentially harmful thermal byproduct into a beneficial cooling source.
Solution Approach 2:
The outlet stream from the fuel cell directly cools the coolant through the heat exchanger without requiring external power input. The system uses its own internal thermal resources (the temperature difference between outlet stream and coolant) to achieve cooling, making it self-sufficient.
3Temperature
If the cooler is dimensioned very large, then the cooling capacity is improved, but the device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling function is merged with the existing outlet stream path and turbine system. The heat exchanger utilizes the outlet stream that already flows through the system, eliminating the need for a large dedicated cooler and reducing overall system volume.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach improves coolant cooling efficiency, allowing for a smaller cooler design and maintaining system performance even at high loads and ambient temperatures, without substantial energy loss.
Implementation Method 1
at least one cooling element is arranged in the outlet stream, by which the outlet stream can be cooled
Implementation Method 2
a cooling device is arranged in the outlet stream in the direction of flow of the outlet stream behind the cooling element, in which the coolant can be cooled by the outlet stream
Implementation Method 3
where the outlet stream is cooled before passing through a cooling element
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
The fuel cell system (10) has a cooling device (30) for cooling a fuel cell (11), in which coolant is circulated. The reactant is supplied to fuel cell through inflow streams (13,20) and product is discharged from the fuel cell through exhaust streams (14,21). The cooling elements (22,23) are arranged to cool the exhaust streams. The cooling units (31,36) are arranged behind the cooling elements in the flow direction, in order to cool the exhaust streams through coolant. An independent claim is included for method for cooling coolant of fuel cell system.