Carrying Container For a Power Supply Unit With Fuel Cells

• US 20100028752A1
• Filed: 10/12/2007
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Heliocentris Fuel Cell Solutions GmbH (Heliocentris Energy Solutions AG)
• Original Assignee: Heliocentris Fuel Cell Solutions GmbH (Heliocentris Energy Solutions AG)
• Inventors: Kattner, Ulrich, Limmer, Siegfried
• Granted Patent: US 9,099,728 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/414
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2008/1095 Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/30 Fuel cells in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04067 Heat exchange or temperature measuring elements, thermal insulation, e.g. heat pipes, heat pumps, fins
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04089 of gaseous reactants
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04201 Reactant storage and supply, e.g. means for feeding, pipes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2475 Enclosures, casings or containers of fuel cell stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/2484 characterised by external manifolds
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/10 Applications of fuel cells in buildings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

The invention presents a possible way of converting power supply units, in particular compact power supply units, which are critical for safety into stable, impact-resistant fuel cell units by using expanding plastic.

Claims

1. Carrying container of a compact power supply unit, wherein said power supply unit comprises a fuel cell stack and additional different components for making the fuel cell stack operable as a power supply unit, so that said power supply unit supplies power from the fuel cell stack and said different components are offset with respect to each other, the carrying container is formed of an expanded plastic material with at least one channel,

wherein the channel is comprises a reactant-guiding channel, and the carrying container has comprises cut-outs in which individual components of said additional different components are situated without further fastening measures.

2. Carrying container according to claim 1, which guides a reactant wherein said reactant is guided through the channel and the reactant is an oxygen-containing gas.

3. Carrying container according to claim 15 in which the uniform distribution means comprise guiding ridges which conduct the flowing reactants, and wherein the channel directly upstream of a fuel cell reaches from one side of the carrying container to the opposite side of the carrying container minus a wall thickness.

4. Carrying container according to claim 1 wherein the carrying container encloses the fuel cell stack to be used in a form-fitting and sealing manner.

5. Carrying container according to claim 1 wherein hydrogen-guiding components, which are embedded in the carrying container, are placed underneath the channel in such a manner that escaping hydrogen can diffuse against gravity into the channel and can be brought out of the carrying container in a controlled manner from there with a reduced concentration owing to the flow of reactants.

6. Carrying container according to claim 1, in which the channel forms an outflow opening which is depleted of reactants and enriched with products.

7. Carrying container according to claim 1, in which the channel has a closed surface by means of which the reactant is guided through the housing under a pressure drop which is less than 0.25 bar.

8. Carrying container according to claim 1, in which the channel is a channel which is divided into two, of which one part opens laterally on a cathode side of fuel cells of a the fuel cell stack in a multiply fanned manner, which spans components to be cooled and reactant flowing in the channel thus undergoes a rise in temperature to match a reactant temperature in the direction of a fuel cell temperature level, whereas the other part spans hydrogen-guiding components so that a hazard reduction is made possible by reducing a concentration of hydrogen residues by means of a reagent from the fuel cells.

9. Carrying container according to claim 1, in which the carrying container consists of at least two layers, which, when interlocked with each other, form a block,

wherein each layer is constructed in a multi-step and mirror-image manner with respect to the steps of the corresponding layer, in order to have lower level for a hydrogen pressure sensor, for a hydrogen isolation valve, for a hydrogen pressure-reducing valve, for a hydrogen duct and for electrical and electronic components, and

in order to have a middle level for a section of a the fuel cell stack, and

in order to have an upper level for a reactant feed.

10. Carrying container according to claim 1, in order to convey air, a fan is situated in the carrying container on an outflow side in a region of an end of the carrying container, which fan conducts a reagent, namely air, through the fuel cell stack in a sucking manner.

11. Carrying container according to claim 1, in which a hydrogen concentration sensor is situated on an outflow side downstream of the fuel cell stack in the outflow which is enriched with products in the carrying container, held by the latter.

14. Carrying container according to claim 2 in which the oxygen-containing gas is ambient air which is accelerated by acceleration means.

15. Carrying container according to claim 14 in which the ambient air is pressurised, and the reactant is conducted by uniform distribution means into cathodes of fuel cells which are assembled to form the fuel cell stack.

16. Carrying container according to claim 1 for which the expanded plastic material is selected out of the group of plastic material comprised by expanded polypropylene, expanded polyurethane or expanded polyethylene.

17. Carrying container according to claim 1 wherein the carrying container encloses the fuel cell stack to be used as a power source of the power supply unit in a form-fitting and sealing manner.

12. Use of a carrying container in which components of a fuel cell system are embedded, in order to form a power supply unit based on fuel cells, wherein the carrying container, has a form such that it can be placed mechanically securely in a standardised housing designated by a term rackmount, in order to form a power supply unit in a mobile field, or in a safety-relevant field.

13. Method for reducing hazards of a power supply unit, which operates with hydrogen providing a carrying container, formed of expanded plastic, which accommodates components of the power supply unit in a multi-layer manner,

inserting the components at least partially between the layers in a clamping- and screw-fastening-free manner, and

wherein the carry container at the same time is formed with at least one channel with a closed surface and with a pressure drop lower than 0.25 bar

which encompasses hydrogen-guiding components in order to guide at least one reactant of a fuel cell of the power supply unit, in a closed off manner and separately from ambient air,

so that diffused out hydrogen is released together with products into the ambient air in a remaining reagent flow on the outflow side in a controlled manner with a reduced concentration.

18. Method for reducing hazards of a power supply unit according to claim 13 wherein:

the carrying container is part of the power supply unit comprising a fuel cell stack and additional individual components essential for an operation of the fuel cell stack as the power supply unit,

the individual components are offset with respect to each other, and

the channel is a reactant-guiding channel.