Heating device with cathode oxygen depletion function for fuel cell vehicle

• US 8,807,446 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Han, Su Dong
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Kang
• Assistant Examiner(s): NAMAY, DANIEL ELLIOT
• Application Number:
  US12/156,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20090140066A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,272 Days
• Field of Search: 237/12.3 R, 237/12.3 B, 429/52, 219/200, 219/201, 219/202, 219/208, 219/437, 219/523, 392/451, 392/497, 165/146, 165/147, 165/179
• US Class Current: 237/12.3R
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/02 to electric heating circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04029 Heat exchange using liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04268 Heating of fuel cells during the start-up of the fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

The present invention provides a heating device with cathode oxygen depletion (COD) function for a fuel cell vehicle, in which an existing COD and a heating device for improving cold startability of the fuel cell vehicle are integrated. For this purpose, the present invention provides a heating device with COD function for a fuel cell vehicle, the heating device including: a housing having an inlet and an outlet formed on both ends thereof; a start-up heater and a shut-down heater provided in parallel on one side of the housing in a direction perpendicular to a coolant flow direction; and a plurality of heaters for heating coolant provided in parallel on the other side of the housing in a direction perpendicular to the coolant flow direction, wherein cross sections in the coolant flow direction of each of the respective heaters change periodically along the longitudinal direction of the heater so as to cause a flow disturbance.

Claims

1. A heating device comprising:

a housing including;

an inlet formed on one surface of the housing and an outlet formed on an opposite surface of the housing, wherein a coolant flows freely through the housing from the inlet to the outlet, and;

a start-up heater and a shut-down heater within the housing and provided in parallel on one side of the housing in a direction perpendicular to a coolant flow direction; and

a plurality of heaters within the housing configured to heat coolant provided in parallel on the other side of the housing in a direction perpendicular to the coolant flow direction, each heater being tubular in shape,

wherein cross sections in the coolant flow direction of each of the respective heaters change periodically along the longitudinal direction of the heater so as to cause a flow disturbance, and the width of the cross sections is periodically increased and decreased along an inside surface and an outside surface of each tubular heater to form an irregular flow path along the inside of each of the plurality of heaters within the housing, and

wherein the heaters are arranged in an alternating pattern in parallel in the housing, and the heaters are arranged to have a phase difference of 90°

in a radial direction in relation to the width of each cross section of the heater, and

wherein the heating device is configured to provide a cathode oxygen depletion (COD) function for a fuel cell vehicle.

2. The heating device of claim 1, wherein each of the respective heaters has a plurality of projections and a plurality of concave grooves formed alternately in the longitudinal direction of the heater.

3. The heating device of claim 1, wherein each of the cross sections has a shape selected from the group consisting of a triangle, a square, a circle, a sine wave shape, a spiral shape, and a combination thereof.

4. The heating device of claim 1, wherein the cross section has a sinusoidal shape.