Cooling System and Method of a Fuel Cell
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Accused Products
Abstract
A cooling system of a fuel cell is provided with a main cooling flow passage and a bypass cooling flow passage which is arranged parallel with the main cooling flow passage and diverts the same coolant, as flow passages through which coolant flows. A radiator and a coolant circulation pump (WP) and the like are arranged in the main cooling flow passage. Coolant from the main cooling flow passage enters the bypass cooling flow passage and reaches a second heat exchanger via a case of a motor of an ACP and the like. At the second heat exchanger, heat exchange is also performed with a supply gas flow passage, after which the coolant returns to the main cooling flow passage. The manner in which the coolant is distributed can be changed depending on where the coolant is diverted from the main cooling flow passage and the arrangement of the circulation pump.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1-18. -18. (canceled)
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19. A cooling system of a fuel cell which generates electricity by an electrochemical reaction produced by supplying a fuel gas to an anode side and an oxidizing gas to a cathode side, comprising:
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a cooling flow passage through which coolant circulates between a fuel cell stack and a radiator; a second heat exchanger which is provided parallel with the fuel cell stack or the radiator and uses coolant that has been diverted from the cooling flow passage; a coolant circulation pump arranged in series in the cooling flow passage; and a humidifier arranged in parallel with respect to a cathode side inlet of the fuel cell stack through which the oxidizing gas is supplied to the cathode side of the fuel cell and a cathode side outlet of the fuel cell stack through which gas is discharged, wherein the humidifier is arranged downstream of the coolant circulation pump and upstream of the fuel cell stack, and the second heat exchanger uses coolant taken from downstream of the radiator and upstream of the coolant circulation pump.
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20. A cooling system of a fuel cell which generates electricity by an electrochemical reaction produced by supplying a fuel gas to an anode side and an oxidizing gas to a cathode side, comprising:
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a cooling flow passage through which coolant circulates between a fuel cell stack and a radiator; a second heat exchanger which is provided parallel with the fuel cell stack or the radiator and uses coolant that has been diverted from the cooling flow passage;
wherein the second heat exchanger serves as a cooling apparatus of a gas compressor for supplying oxidizing gas;a coolant circulation pump arranged in series in the cooling flow passage; and a humidifier arranged in parallel with respect to a cathode side inlet of the fuel cell stack through which the oxidizing gas is supplied to the cathode side of the fuel cell and a cathode side outlet of the fuel cell stack through which gas is discharged, wherein the humidifier is arranged downstream of the coolant circulation pump and upstream of the fuel cell stack, and the second heat exchanger uses coolant taken from downstream of the coolant circulation pump and upstream of the humidifier.
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21. A cooling system of a fuel cell which generates electricity by an electrochemical reaction produced by supplying a fuel gas to an anode side and an oxidizing gas to a cathode side, comprising:
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a cooling flow passage through which coolant circulates between a fuel cell stack and a radiator; a second heat exchanger which is provided parallel with the fuel cell stack or the radiator and uses coolant that has been diverted from the cooling flow passage;
wherein the second heat exchanger serves as a cooling apparatus of a gas compressor for supplying oxidizing gas;a coolant circulation pump arranged in series in the cooling flow passage; and a humidifier arranged in parallel with respect to a cathode side inlet of the fuel cell stack through which the oxidizing gas is supplied to the cathode side of the fuel cell and a cathode side outlet of the fuel cell stack through which gas is discharged, wherein the humidifier is arranged upstream of the coolant circulation pump and downstream of the radiator, and the second heat exchanger uses coolant taken from downstream of the radiator and upstream of the humidifier.
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22. A cooling system of a fuel cell which generates electricity by an electrochemical reaction produced by supplying a fuel gas to an anode side and an oxidizing gas to a cathode side, comprising:
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a cooling flow passage through which coolant circulates between a fuel cell stack and a radiator; a second heat exchanger which is provided parallel with the fuel cell stack or the radiator and uses coolant that has been diverted from the cooling flow passage, wherein the second heat exchanger serves as a cooling apparatus of a gas compressor for supplying oxidizing gas;
wherein the fuel cell is a vehicular fuel cell mounted in a vehicle, an air conditioning heat exchanger for air conditioning a vehicle cabin is provided parallel with the fuel cell stack, and coolant that has been diverted from the cooling flow passage is used in the air conditioning heat exchanger;a coolant circulation pump arranged in series in the cooling flow passage; and a humidifier arranged in parallel with respect to a cathode side inlet of the fuel cell stack through which the oxidizing gas is supplied to the cathode side of the fuel cell and a cathode side outlet of the fuel cell stack through which gas is discharged, wherein the humidifier is arranged downstream of the coolant circulation pump and upstream of the fuel cell stack, and the air conditioning heat exchanger uses coolant taken from downstream of the humidifier and upstream of the fuel cell stack.
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23. A cooling system of a fuel cell which generates electricity by an electrochemical reaction produced by supplying a fuel gas to an anode side and an oxidizing gas to a cathode side, comprising:
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a cooling flow passage through which coolant circulates between a fuel cell stack and a radiator; a second heat exchanger which is provided parallel with the fuel cell stack or the radiator and uses coolant that has been diverted from the cooling flow passage;
wherein the second heat exchanger serves as a cooling apparatus of a gas compressor for supplying oxidizing gas, wherein the fuel cell is a vehicular fuel cell mounted in a vehicle, an air conditioning heat exchanger for air conditioning a vehicle cabin is provided parallel with the fuel cell stack, and coolant that has been diverted from the cooling flow passage is used in the air conditioning heat exchanger;a coolant circulation pump arranged in series in the cooling flow passage; and a humidifier arranged in parallel with respect to a cathode side inlet of the fuel cell stack through which the oxidizing gas is supplied to the cathode side of the fuel cell and a cathode side outlet of the fuel cell stack through which gas is discharged, wherein the humidifier is arranged downstream of the coolant circulation pump and upstream of the fuel cell stack, and the air conditioning heat exchanger uses coolant taken from downstream of the radiator and upstream of the coolant circulation pump.
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24. A cooling system of a fuel cell which generates electricity by an electrochemical reaction produced by supplying a fuel gas to an anode side and an oxidizing gas to a cathode side, comprising:
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a cooling flow passage through which coolant circulates between a fuel cell stack and a radiator; a second heat exchanger which is provided parallel with the fuel cell stack or the radiator and uses coolant that has been diverted from the cooling flow passage, wherein the second heat exchanger serves as a cooling apparatus of a gas compressor for supplying oxidizing gas; a coolant circulation pump arranged in series in the cooling flow passage; a humidifier arranged in parallel with respect to a cathode side inlet of the fuel cell stack through which the oxidizing gas is supplied to the cathode side of the fuel cell and a cathode side outlet of the fuel cell stack through which gas is discharged; and bypass location switching means for switching a location of at least one of an inlet and an outlet of a bypass flow passage which diverts coolant from the cooling flow passage to the second heat exchanger.
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25. A cooling system of a fuel cell which generates electricity by an electrochemical reaction produced by supplying a fuel gas to an anode side and an oxidizing gas to a cathode side, comprising:
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a cooling flow passage through which coolant circulates between a fuel cell stack and a radiator; a second heat exchanger which is provided parallel with the fuel cell stack or the radiator and uses coolant that has been diverted from the cooling flow passage, wherein the second heat exchanger serves as a cooling apparatus of a gas compressor for supplying oxidizing gas, wherein the fuel cell is a vehicular fuel cell mounted in a vehicle, an air conditioning heat exchanger for air conditioning a vehicle cabin is provided parallel with the fuel cell stack, and coolant that has been diverted from the cooling flow passage is used in the air conditioning heat exchanger; a coolant circulation pump arranged in series in the cooling flow passage; a humidifier arranged in parallel with respect to a cathode side inlet of the fuel cell stack through which the oxidizing gas is supplied to the cathode side of the fuel cell stack and a cathode side outlet of the fuel cell stack through which gas is discharged; and bypass location switching means for switching a location of at least one of an inlet and an outlet of a bypass flow passage which diverts coolant from the cooling flow passage to the air conditioning heat exchanger.
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26. A cooling system of a fuel cell which generates electricity by an electrochemical reaction produced by supplying a fuel gas to an anode side and an oxidizing gas to a cathode side, comprising:
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a cooling flow passage through which coolant circulates between a fuel cell stack and a radiator; a second heat exchanger which is provided parallel with the fuel cell stack or the radiator and uses coolant that has been diverted from the cooling flow passage, wherein the second heat exchanger serves as a cooling apparatus of a gas compressor for supplying oxidizing gas, wherein the fuel cell is a vehicular fuel cell mounted in a vehicle, an air conditioning heat exchanger for air conditioning a vehicle cabin is provided parallel with the fuel cell stack, and coolant that has been diverted from the cooling flow passage is used in the air conditioning heat exchanger; a first coolant circulation pump arranged in series in the cooling flow passage; an air conditioning bypass flow passage which is a bypass flow passage through which coolant that has been diverted from the cooling flow passage flows and in which the air conditioning heat exchanger, a heater, and a second coolant circulation pump are arranged; a circulation flow passage arranged in parallel with the air conditioning bypass flow passage; and air conditioning bypass switching means for switching a connection between the air conditioning bypass flow passage and the cooling flow passage and a connection between the air conditioning bypass flow passage and the circulation flow passage. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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29. A cooling system of a fuel cell which generates electricity by an electrochemical reaction produced by supplying a fuel gas to an anode side and an oxidizing gas to a cathode side, comprising:
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a cooling flow passage through which coolant circulates between a fuel cell stack and a radiator; a second heat exchanger which is provided parallel with the fuel cell stack or the radiator and uses coolant that has been diverted from the cooling flow passage, wherein the second heat exchanger serves as a cooling apparatus of a gas compressor for supplying oxidizing gas; and a coolant circulation pump arranged in series in the cooling flow passage, wherein the second heat exchanger takes in coolant from upstream of the radiator and downstream of the fuel cell stack, and returns coolant to downstream of the radiator and upstream of the fuel cell stack.
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Specification