| US 7,498,094 B2 | ||
| Thermal energy management in electrochemical fuel cells | ||
| Peter David Hood, Leicester (United Kingdom); Philip John Mitchell, Loughborough (United Kingdom); Paul Leonard Adcock, Leicestershire (United Kingdom); and Jonathan Cole, Leicestershire (United Kingdom) | ||
| Assigned to Intelligent Energy Limited, London (United Kingdom) | ||
| Appl. No. 10/535,532 PCT Filed Nov. 20, 2003, PCT No. PCT/GB03/05057 § 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date May 15, 2006, PCT Pub. No. WO2004/049481, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 10, 2004. |
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| Claims priority of application No. 0227263.1 (GB), filed on Nov. 22, 2002. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2006/0257699 A1, Nov. 16, 2006 | ||
| Int. Cl. H01M 8/04 (2006.01); H01M 8/10 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 429—26 [429/30] | 21 Claims |
| 1. A fuel cell assembly comprising:
a fuel cell stack comprising at least one inlet port for receiving cooling water, the at least one inlet port being connected
to a fluid flow plate to deliver the cooling water to a membrane-electrode assembly adjacent to the fluid flow plate, the
fuel cell stack further comprising at least one outlet port for discharging water and/or water vapor from the membrane-electrode
assembly; and
a thermal storage tank comprising a heat exchanger conduit therethrough, the heat exchanger conduit comprising an inlet and
an outlet coupled respectively to the at least one outlet port and the at least one inlet port of the fuel cell stack to form
a cooling circuit for the fuel cell stack, the cooling circuit for recycling discharged water and/or water vapor directly
to the membrane-electrode assembly.
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